Monday, June 23, 2008
Comedian George Carlin dies at 71
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Thursday, June 19, 2008
Up Next: A big trip
You know that feeling that when you get home from a vacation and then you need vacation? Well it is kinda like that now, but before we leave. We've been planning it since the beginning of the year and now it is almost upon us. Our house is becoming a huge staging area: large suitcases in one area, electric gadgets in another, reading materials on a chair along with gifts or requested items, clothes to be packed and clothes to be thrown away (this has been a good opportunity for me to go through what I have and purge my wardrobe). There's a lot more to be done, but I feel like it is a hurry up and wait sort of thing. Nerves are a bit testy at times.
By the way, we are going as a family to Israel and then I am leaving a few days before them to go to the UK for a solo trip to do [some] research for a novel I am working on.
People have said that we're crazy going at this time, with the economy where it is, gas so expensive and the dollar in such bad shape. In most cases looking back, I'd say yes, but we've done pretty good for ourselves. I've talked before about Couchsurfing -- an amazing project/organization that is about connecting with travelers and hosts all around the world. You can arrange to stay/host people where the only currency exchanged is friendship, new experiences and hopefully a better appreciation for each other. This trip we have managed to arrange to stay with folks for almost the whole trip: with family, friends, and couchsurfing hosts. I will spend one night in a hotel when I arrive late into the UK in the middle of my trip. And the big coup d-Etat was Jaime arranging to swap cars with someone in Israel!
I gotta end this post now--just thought of another thing I need to do right away!
By the way, we are going as a family to Israel and then I am leaving a few days before them to go to the UK for a solo trip to do [some] research for a novel I am working on.
People have said that we're crazy going at this time, with the economy where it is, gas so expensive and the dollar in such bad shape. In most cases looking back, I'd say yes, but we've done pretty good for ourselves. I've talked before about Couchsurfing -- an amazing project/organization that is about connecting with travelers and hosts all around the world. You can arrange to stay/host people where the only currency exchanged is friendship, new experiences and hopefully a better appreciation for each other. This trip we have managed to arrange to stay with folks for almost the whole trip: with family, friends, and couchsurfing hosts. I will spend one night in a hotel when I arrive late into the UK in the middle of my trip. And the big coup d-Etat was Jaime arranging to swap cars with someone in Israel!
I gotta end this post now--just thought of another thing I need to do right away!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
A Random Cool Moment
I used to sometimes carry a lighter around with me even though I didn't smoke, just so I could be that guy who could whip it out and light someone's cigarette. I don't really know why; it wasn't to pick up women or anything like that. It was just cool in some way. It would be the same if someone needed a pen, a dime, pocket knife, or some other random item of immediate need.
Well today the coolest random need came up and I was there to help out:
I was in Baltimore at the Honfest, a quirky neighborhood festival that is full of beehive hairdos, blue eyeshadow, lots of Spandex and leopard prints, artists and musicians.
As we ambled our way to one of the musical stages, a band was getting ready to play. One of the guitarists called out to the audience and asked, "Is there anybody out there who has a guitar pick? It has to be a heavy guitar pick." Well wouldn't you know it --I happened to slip one into my pocket before leaving home because we were going to have band practice. I reached into my pocket and handed it to the appreciative musician. He then used it to play.
How random is that?
That was much cooler than lighting someone's cigarette.
Well today the coolest random need came up and I was there to help out:
I was in Baltimore at the Honfest, a quirky neighborhood festival that is full of beehive hairdos, blue eyeshadow, lots of Spandex and leopard prints, artists and musicians.As we ambled our way to one of the musical stages, a band was getting ready to play. One of the guitarists called out to the audience and asked, "Is there anybody out there who has a guitar pick? It has to be a heavy guitar pick." Well wouldn't you know it --I happened to slip one into my pocket before leaving home because we were going to have band practice. I reached into my pocket and handed it to the appreciative musician. He then used it to play.
How random is that?That was much cooler than lighting someone's cigarette.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
The Value of Things
My son is at the age where all money is valuable. I can get him to be very happy if I give him some loose change and he treats it as if I gave him hundreds of dollars. He's going into first grade and he can count the change for how much he has, but he doesn't exactly understand the value of what he has. Neither does his sister, who is going into fourth grade. My son asked if he earned any money for being helpful around the house. I went along with it and gave him the meager change in my pocket; approximately 17 cents - four coins. He was absolutely satisfied with getting that amount.
My daughter has a bit more sense and you can't get away with that anymore, but she still doesn't understand the importance of saving, delaying gratification, or not buying something that is just not worth it. Now she has a heart of gold, mind you, and she will be the first person to volunteer up something for tzedaka (charity/donation), but she too does not understand the value of stuff. For example, (and I'm not saying any kid/person doesn't fight with this impulse) if she has five dollars in her purse, she can't wait until the ice cream truck comes along. She wants to use that money so much that it doesn't matter what she spends it on. And, she will volunteer to buy her brother an ice cream and only requires the appropriate thanks and acknowledgement be given. She even wants to pay for food when we go out. It's a nice quality in her that she is so thoughtful, don't get me wrong.
The other day my son showed me a $20 and informed me that his sister gave it to him. For what? For giving her a piece of some food item that he was eating. A fair trade, they both thought. Even after my questioning.
Now this leads me to another level of not understanding the value of money. At the school I work at I walked into the office and the principal showed me two $100 bills. At first it wasn't such a surprise because every once in a while a kid brings in some Show-And-Tell that they found at home and then, well, shows it to everyone. Or they try to buy some friends, or something like that. In this case, a kid found $300 and brought it in. She bought a very large pencil from one kid for $100 and then a rectangular pencil for another $100. I don't remember enough to say what the third $100 bill fetched, but you get the picture. When questioned about the pencil, the response was, "But it was a very large pencil!"
So, as in many things in life, we need to make a few mistakes to get our sites lined up. For that kid, 2 of the 3 bills were recovered. We've all made poor judgements on money matters and all experienced buyer's remorse or had a V-8 moment. Somewhere in those experiences is where we learn the value of money.
And when you have kids, you learn not to keep it where they can get to it.
My daughter has a bit more sense and you can't get away with that anymore, but she still doesn't understand the importance of saving, delaying gratification, or not buying something that is just not worth it. Now she has a heart of gold, mind you, and she will be the first person to volunteer up something for tzedaka (charity/donation), but she too does not understand the value of stuff. For example, (and I'm not saying any kid/person doesn't fight with this impulse) if she has five dollars in her purse, she can't wait until the ice cream truck comes along. She wants to use that money so much that it doesn't matter what she spends it on. And, she will volunteer to buy her brother an ice cream and only requires the appropriate thanks and acknowledgement be given. She even wants to pay for food when we go out. It's a nice quality in her that she is so thoughtful, don't get me wrong.
The other day my son showed me a $20 and informed me that his sister gave it to him. For what? For giving her a piece of some food item that he was eating. A fair trade, they both thought. Even after my questioning.
Now this leads me to another level of not understanding the value of money. At the school I work at I walked into the office and the principal showed me two $100 bills. At first it wasn't such a surprise because every once in a while a kid brings in some Show-And-Tell that they found at home and then, well, shows it to everyone. Or they try to buy some friends, or something like that. In this case, a kid found $300 and brought it in. She bought a very large pencil from one kid for $100 and then a rectangular pencil for another $100. I don't remember enough to say what the third $100 bill fetched, but you get the picture. When questioned about the pencil, the response was, "But it was a very large pencil!"
So, as in many things in life, we need to make a few mistakes to get our sites lined up. For that kid, 2 of the 3 bills were recovered. We've all made poor judgements on money matters and all experienced buyer's remorse or had a V-8 moment. Somewhere in those experiences is where we learn the value of money.
And when you have kids, you learn not to keep it where they can get to it.
Monday, June 9, 2008
OMG! I'm blond!
It happened!
At the last possible moment, it happened. The kids in the 5th grade all got a 100% on at least one spelling test this quarter. After suffering through most of the year with dismal scores and a lackadaisical effort on the part of some of the students, I threw down the challenge. If 100% get a 100%, I would dye my hair blond. At first, I was fooled into thinking it did happen, and then was disappointed to find out that it was all an elaborate trick. Funny, but not the real thing.
I told the kids that the offer still stood, and up to last week only 3 had yet to make it.
Well, tomorrow is a celebration day for the 5th graders, and to make good on my challenge, I went ahead and got it done.
By the way, most salons are closed on Mondays, or too early for me to get something done after school is out. I got it done at a local Hair Butchery and while it is blond, it is a bit too golden for me. I wanted it to be lighter. My hair is thick, very dark, and according to the stylist, very strong. They kept the stuff (whatever that blue gunk they slather in your hair to bleach it is called) very long and they were worried that if we kept it in any longer it would damage the hair. What do I know.
Picture to come later.
At the last possible moment, it happened. The kids in the 5th grade all got a 100% on at least one spelling test this quarter. After suffering through most of the year with dismal scores and a lackadaisical effort on the part of some of the students, I threw down the challenge. If 100% get a 100%, I would dye my hair blond. At first, I was fooled into thinking it did happen, and then was disappointed to find out that it was all an elaborate trick. Funny, but not the real thing.
I told the kids that the offer still stood, and up to last week only 3 had yet to make it.
Well, tomorrow is a celebration day for the 5th graders, and to make good on my challenge, I went ahead and got it done.
By the way, most salons are closed on Mondays, or too early for me to get something done after school is out. I got it done at a local Hair Butchery and while it is blond, it is a bit too golden for me. I wanted it to be lighter. My hair is thick, very dark, and according to the stylist, very strong. They kept the stuff (whatever that blue gunk they slather in your hair to bleach it is called) very long and they were worried that if we kept it in any longer it would damage the hair. What do I know.
Picture to come later.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Ooops moments in adult supervision
A fellow blogger (Treppenwitz) wrote an intersting post about letting his son acquire an almost innocuous looking interesting book and finding out later that there was a definite reason why he took a keen interest in reading it. It is called "Questionable moments in parenting." I think it is something many of us with kids may have experienced at some time. You know, perhaps not the best situation at the time, but laughable later.Anyway, while I was reading it, I had a flashback of a similar time, but this was not with my kids:
When I was a first year teacher (fourth grade) I thought what a great opportunity for me to take all of my back issues of TIME, Smithsonian, National Geographic, Photograpy, and Art in America, for the kids to use for cut and paste activities in the classroom. All was going just fine until one day I noticed a few boys gathered around an Art in America they seemed a bit overly interested in. At first, I was thinking, "Oh, great, they are taking an interest in art!" Wrong.
What I had discovered was what you probably have realized by now. What is acceptable in the name of Art? The Naked Body. Let me specify: The Nake Female Body! Oh boy! I contained the damage, distracted the boys and confiscated that and every issue of the magazine and luckily never heard anything about it. I was worried for a while that it would come back and I'd have to explain. After all, the family life course I would later come to teach wasn't until fifth grade.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Hell With a Makeover and Customer Service Training is Still HELL
The dreaded MVA.
The Motor Vehicle Administration office is a place that the thought of visiting can send your brain into shutdown mode. It's an exercise in frustration. It's an endurance test. It's a classic hurry up and wait event.
Imagine if Hell had trained all of their minions in the art of good customer service, would it change anything?
I had to go today to take care of some business that I had to get done as soon as possible. The only window I had was possibly during my lunch break and it should have been a simple task: I had to get a duplicate car registration copy. No biggie, right?
I was impressed with the new facility -- I only had to drive 5 minutes away from work as opposed to an hour away as before. They had several lines for information with friendly and efficient help and lots of windows open with pleasant representatives. The place was clean and had good signage and many displays that showed what number was being served and arrows helping you find the right direction.
I got on line with about 15 people in front of me and got to the information desk in about 7 minutes. Not too bad.
I was given a form to fill out and was told to come right back without getting back in line. Cool.
My number was D175. They were on D130 and E80 and some other lettered series. There was no way I was going to get back in time to pick up my students from recess. I kinda figured that would be the case, but I am quite the optimist. After about 15 minutes I realized that in that time period, only 2 numbers were called in my series. I went back to one of the info people and told them that I had to get back to my class and wondered out loud if there was anything that could be done to help me out. She said she didn't think so, but to, "not let her word be the last one on this subject." She said I should go and talk to the supervisor. Wow.
I waited on line for the supervisor and explained my situation. She took my slip with the number on it and glanced at the display with D134 on it now and looked at me. "I am very sorry you have had to wait for so long. Is there any way you can get back here before 4:30 today? Or even tomorrow?" I said I could probably make it there after school let out. She said that was great and wrote "No Wait" along with her name on the numbered ticket. She said that I wouldn't have to wait in a new line and to just come in. Cool, again! I had hope that I could come back and sail through.
Upon return at 3:45, I showed my D175 ticket to a surprised information person and was again pointed to a supervisor, waited about 15 minutes in line to see, and who after some explaining sent me to an open window. I was happy because the MVA was PACKED with people!
I sat down and gave the clerk my info and she pulled it up. And this is where the beautiful facade began to crumble:
"Uh, this is strange."
"Strange? What?"
"Your registration is not coming up on the computer. Do you actually have a car?"
"Yes, of course. I am actually turning it in now to the dealer and I need a duplicate copy of the registration. I must have thrown it out when cleaning the car."
"That's interesting, because the system says you don't have a car. In fact, it says you have an insurance violation?"
"What?"
"Do you have an '89 Honda?"
"What? '89? I sold that car in the mid 90's. Something like 15 years ago. Why?"
"Well the system won't let you do anything until . . ." She didn't finish that thought, which just sent a cascade of stress through my body.
"That's crazy! When that issue came up, it was dealt with. And it the problem was on your end, not mine. I've must have registered a half dozen cars since then." [really]
So much for getting in and out quickly.
She pleasantly got up to look for a supervisor. The one on duty passed the buck saying that since he didn't handle me he wasn't getting involved. I had to wait until the one I dealt with first came back from her break.
"Please wait nearby until she gets back from her break. She should be back in 10 minutes." I stood nearby within view as 4 people were helped. (remember the 2 people/15 minute pace I mentioned before?) At 4:30 a police officer announced loudly to the whole room that the office is now closed, the front doors will be locked and that you need to leave through the side doors.
(immediate panic)
He then after a pause said that everyone who is inside already will be served. (panic reduced, but not alleviated)
I glanced at the clerk who indicated the supervisor had not returned yet. After yet another person was finished, she said that the supervisor was back, but will come after she finishes with the customer she was now working with. After the clerk finished with the next person, she told me to visit the supervisor 5 windows down.
To make a long story slightly shorter, the supervisor fixed the problem, the clerk processed everything I had (I had a few other things to process) and I was out the door by 5:40ish. Almost 2 hours, not counting the initial visit. On the way out, I counted the number of people who were still waiting to be served. There were about 30 people still waiting.
Bureaucratic systems can be hell. Murphy's Law at work?
The Motor Vehicle Administration office is a place that the thought of visiting can send your brain into shutdown mode. It's an exercise in frustration. It's an endurance test. It's a classic hurry up and wait event.
Imagine if Hell had trained all of their minions in the art of good customer service, would it change anything?
I had to go today to take care of some business that I had to get done as soon as possible. The only window I had was possibly during my lunch break and it should have been a simple task: I had to get a duplicate car registration copy. No biggie, right?
I was impressed with the new facility -- I only had to drive 5 minutes away from work as opposed to an hour away as before. They had several lines for information with friendly and efficient help and lots of windows open with pleasant representatives. The place was clean and had good signage and many displays that showed what number was being served and arrows helping you find the right direction.
I got on line with about 15 people in front of me and got to the information desk in about 7 minutes. Not too bad.
I was given a form to fill out and was told to come right back without getting back in line. Cool.
My number was D175. They were on D130 and E80 and some other lettered series. There was no way I was going to get back in time to pick up my students from recess. I kinda figured that would be the case, but I am quite the optimist. After about 15 minutes I realized that in that time period, only 2 numbers were called in my series. I went back to one of the info people and told them that I had to get back to my class and wondered out loud if there was anything that could be done to help me out. She said she didn't think so, but to, "not let her word be the last one on this subject." She said I should go and talk to the supervisor. Wow.
I waited on line for the supervisor and explained my situation. She took my slip with the number on it and glanced at the display with D134 on it now and looked at me. "I am very sorry you have had to wait for so long. Is there any way you can get back here before 4:30 today? Or even tomorrow?" I said I could probably make it there after school let out. She said that was great and wrote "No Wait" along with her name on the numbered ticket. She said that I wouldn't have to wait in a new line and to just come in. Cool, again! I had hope that I could come back and sail through.
Upon return at 3:45, I showed my D175 ticket to a surprised information person and was again pointed to a supervisor, waited about 15 minutes in line to see, and who after some explaining sent me to an open window. I was happy because the MVA was PACKED with people!
I sat down and gave the clerk my info and she pulled it up. And this is where the beautiful facade began to crumble:
"Uh, this is strange."
"Strange? What?"
"Your registration is not coming up on the computer. Do you actually have a car?"
"Yes, of course. I am actually turning it in now to the dealer and I need a duplicate copy of the registration. I must have thrown it out when cleaning the car."
"That's interesting, because the system says you don't have a car. In fact, it says you have an insurance violation?"
"What?"
"Do you have an '89 Honda?"
"What? '89? I sold that car in the mid 90's. Something like 15 years ago. Why?"
"Well the system won't let you do anything until . . ." She didn't finish that thought, which just sent a cascade of stress through my body.
"That's crazy! When that issue came up, it was dealt with. And it the problem was on your end, not mine. I've must have registered a half dozen cars since then." [really]
So much for getting in and out quickly.
She pleasantly got up to look for a supervisor. The one on duty passed the buck saying that since he didn't handle me he wasn't getting involved. I had to wait until the one I dealt with first came back from her break.
"Please wait nearby until she gets back from her break. She should be back in 10 minutes." I stood nearby within view as 4 people were helped. (remember the 2 people/15 minute pace I mentioned before?) At 4:30 a police officer announced loudly to the whole room that the office is now closed, the front doors will be locked and that you need to leave through the side doors.
(immediate panic)
He then after a pause said that everyone who is inside already will be served. (panic reduced, but not alleviated)
I glanced at the clerk who indicated the supervisor had not returned yet. After yet another person was finished, she said that the supervisor was back, but will come after she finishes with the customer she was now working with. After the clerk finished with the next person, she told me to visit the supervisor 5 windows down.
To make a long story slightly shorter, the supervisor fixed the problem, the clerk processed everything I had (I had a few other things to process) and I was out the door by 5:40ish. Almost 2 hours, not counting the initial visit. On the way out, I counted the number of people who were still waiting to be served. There were about 30 people still waiting.
Bureaucratic systems can be hell. Murphy's Law at work?
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
On Pins & Needles
We switched health plans last open season and moved to a plan that allows us to go to any doctor we want instead of only getting an in-network referral. I only mention this because Jaime mentioned to me that now we can get acupuncture and it will be covered by the plan. Before I knew it, she had me signed up for an appointment.
I'm not sure I would have taken the initiative on this, but I thought I'd just go with the flow and see how it pans out. I tend to let my stress gather in my back and get muscle spasms once in a while. After reading up on the ancient Chinese traditional practice, I found it a compelling idea that I was willing to try.
One problem is, that while I intellectually don't have a problem with needles, somewhere my subconscious mind just doesn't share the love. I have (I am a bit embarrassed to admit) passed out, or nearly passed out a few times where needles have been involved. I'm not talking about the occasional flu or Novocaine shot, I'm talking about blood donation/collection or this one time I had some electrical needle thrust into my body at different points (electromyography) and the PT decided somewhere midway that I wasn't exactly well and stopped.
Last week was my first appointment and walked into the office. It was in a house in a residential area, around the back entrance to what would be the basement patio. After filling out the requisite forms and intake meeting, I got my first treatment. My back has been bothering me since college and my days of trampolining around with Gymkana (<---see the video of some of the things we did --I'm getting off track here, and maybe I'll post something about this another time).
It was a good thing that Mr. Li treated my back first, because I was on my stomach and couldn't see the needles being stuck in. In fact, I wasn't sure at first how many he put in because it took me a while to figure out that he wasn't just touching my back to locate a spot, he had been inserting the needles without me realizing it. I think that out of 30-40some needles he put in my body, only 3 of them were uncomfortable enough for me to wince. And let me mention again that I couldn't see them. And another strange thing (or just new to me) is that he put in a few short needles that he put a patch over and kept in until my next visit!
And did it work? Well, let's just say that the side that had been giving me problems recently has not given me any problems at all. And I didn't feel or notice the needles that stayed in all week.
Today I went back for my second treatment. I discussed a few issues wanted to address before I go away on my trip this summer. He treated my back and then had me lie down facing up. He put needles on my arms, stomach, head and legs/ankles. These I did see. I felt like Pinhead from the movie Hellraiser. But it didn't hurt at all (OK, one did hurt, but the rest didn't). I didn't pass out and walked away feeling quite relaxed.
So, will it work? I dunno yet. But I'll stick with it for a while at least.
I'm not sure I would have taken the initiative on this, but I thought I'd just go with the flow and see how it pans out. I tend to let my stress gather in my back and get muscle spasms once in a while. After reading up on the ancient Chinese traditional practice, I found it a compelling idea that I was willing to try.
One problem is, that while I intellectually don't have a problem with needles, somewhere my subconscious mind just doesn't share the love. I have (I am a bit embarrassed to admit) passed out, or nearly passed out a few times where needles have been involved. I'm not talking about the occasional flu or Novocaine shot, I'm talking about blood donation/collection or this one time I had some electrical needle thrust into my body at different points (electromyography) and the PT decided somewhere midway that I wasn't exactly well and stopped.
Last week was my first appointment and walked into the office. It was in a house in a residential area, around the back entrance to what would be the basement patio. After filling out the requisite forms and intake meeting, I got my first treatment. My back has been bothering me since college and my days of trampolining around with Gymkana (<---see the video of some of the things we did --I'm getting off track here, and maybe I'll post something about this another time).
It was a good thing that Mr. Li treated my back first, because I was on my stomach and couldn't see the needles being stuck in. In fact, I wasn't sure at first how many he put in because it took me a while to figure out that he wasn't just touching my back to locate a spot, he had been inserting the needles without me realizing it. I think that out of 30-40some needles he put in my body, only 3 of them were uncomfortable enough for me to wince. And let me mention again that I couldn't see them. And another strange thing (or just new to me) is that he put in a few short needles that he put a patch over and kept in until my next visit!
And did it work? Well, let's just say that the side that had been giving me problems recently has not given me any problems at all. And I didn't feel or notice the needles that stayed in all week.
Today I went back for my second treatment. I discussed a few issues wanted to address before I go away on my trip this summer. He treated my back and then had me lie down facing up. He put needles on my arms, stomach, head and legs/ankles. These I did see. I felt like Pinhead from the movie Hellraiser. But it didn't hurt at all (OK, one did hurt, but the rest didn't). I didn't pass out and walked away feeling quite relaxed.
So, will it work? I dunno yet. But I'll stick with it for a while at least.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Counterfeit Busters
Somehow my daughter got a counterfeit one dollar bill. Yeah, a one dollar bill. I'm not clear on the circumstances of her getting it, but that is not important. My thought was who in their right mind (or criminal mind) would ever bother counterfeit a one dollar bill. It was most likely a gag or a joke someone made out of a bill, but by all accounts, I am told that it looked and felt real, except for the rather lewd pictures that were on it. Thank goodness those pictures did not register in my daughter's radar. Still, she felt a sense of duty and wanted to call the police and report it. Eventually, an agent of the Secret Service felt compelled to come to the house to take a look at it. He was surprised at how good it was for all the markers of a real counterfeit, except again for the pictures. He said he needed to take it and wrote out a receipt for it. My daughter was so proud that she did her civic duty to protect the USA!
As it turns out, the bill was a gag gift brought back from another country by a friend of ours. Somehow she got a hold of it (note to self: it's time to put away certain items in drawers -- kid's are getting curious!).
The Secret Service agent was called and told about where the item came from and how it was acquired. He was interested, because the bill was so real that it was illegal to produce. No one was getting in trouble for it, but they wanted to know more about the whereabouts of its origin.
This reminds me of when I used to work in a bank as a teller. I was the resident counterfeit identifier. For some reason, I was able to quickly identify which bills were real or not. In one year, I must have spotted about 15 $100 bills, much to the chagrin of customers or other tellers. It was exciting, in a way, and I got to fill out forms to send to the secret service.
However, I never got to be visited by an agent!
As it turns out, the bill was a gag gift brought back from another country by a friend of ours. Somehow she got a hold of it (note to self: it's time to put away certain items in drawers -- kid's are getting curious!).
The Secret Service agent was called and told about where the item came from and how it was acquired. He was interested, because the bill was so real that it was illegal to produce. No one was getting in trouble for it, but they wanted to know more about the whereabouts of its origin.
This reminds me of when I used to work in a bank as a teller. I was the resident counterfeit identifier. For some reason, I was able to quickly identify which bills were real or not. In one year, I must have spotted about 15 $100 bills, much to the chagrin of customers or other tellers. It was exciting, in a way, and I got to fill out forms to send to the secret service.
However, I never got to be visited by an agent!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Appreciating a milestone
I have been very busy the last week, and after teaching family life for a week, nothing else seems to rise to the level of interesting at the moment.
So I will take a moment to slow down and appreciate something that should not go unnoticed:
Tonight (and this was not the first time), my son read to me a bedtime story. I mention this because somewhere we have transitioned to the point in what I think is one of the other miracles of life: the ability to read. As I listened to him read Green Eggs and Ham, one of his favorites to read, he stopped to show me the pictures and to fill in some background and commentary of what is going on. He was doing some of what I do when I read to him and it is interesting to see him interpret what he is reading.
Each afternoon and/or morning before school, I have him read to me a leveled book from his kindergarten teacher. He is reading above grade level and it is really cool to see him read unfamiliar words and sound them out and think about what they say and mean. You can really see the gears turning.
Those gears are turning a lot easier lately.
It's a beautiful process to watch.
So I will take a moment to slow down and appreciate something that should not go unnoticed:
Tonight (and this was not the first time), my son read to me a bedtime story. I mention this because somewhere we have transitioned to the point in what I think is one of the other miracles of life: the ability to read. As I listened to him read Green Eggs and Ham, one of his favorites to read, he stopped to show me the pictures and to fill in some background and commentary of what is going on. He was doing some of what I do when I read to him and it is interesting to see him interpret what he is reading.
Each afternoon and/or morning before school, I have him read to me a leveled book from his kindergarten teacher. He is reading above grade level and it is really cool to see him read unfamiliar words and sound them out and think about what they say and mean. You can really see the gears turning.
Those gears are turning a lot easier lately.
It's a beautiful process to watch.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Teaching Family Life, pt 4
This posting comes with a content warning.
You should also read the previous 3 postings before this one.
This has been quite a year in Family Life. I am reminded by the questions and comments they have how important this unit is for them. You have to take a step back and really look at these questions to get a hold on what these kids are thinking, wondering, worried, or just plain vexed about. I have had quite a few people -- teachers and non-teachers -- tell me they're glad they don't have to teach this, and well, I have to admit, it's not something I would jump up and volunteer for. But I have my game face and try to make it interesting for them. They are in a vulnerable spot and they are truly clueless!
But who can blame them?
AND I can't say that I had anything like this when I was in 5th grade!
Here's the questions from today's batch of boys.
You should also read the previous 3 postings before this one.
This has been quite a year in Family Life. I am reminded by the questions and comments they have how important this unit is for them. You have to take a step back and really look at these questions to get a hold on what these kids are thinking, wondering, worried, or just plain vexed about. I have had quite a few people -- teachers and non-teachers -- tell me they're glad they don't have to teach this, and well, I have to admit, it's not something I would jump up and volunteer for. But I have my game face and try to make it interesting for them. They are in a vulnerable spot and they are truly clueless!
But who can blame them?
AND I can't say that I had anything like this when I was in 5th grade!
Here's the questions from today's batch of boys.
- If one egg comes out, does another one grow?
- What if a little egg is stuck?
- What causes orgasms? <----------We did NOT talk about this in class!!!!
- Why do people stick penises in a vagina?
- How do you get the egg out?
- Why do girls have a period every 28 days?
- Where is the most common place to grow hair more?
- What is a vagina?
- What is a uterus?
- Why do they show something so nasty?
- When do you get your baby egg?
- Why do sometimes the babies die?
- I learned that girls grow hair just like boys do.
- What's an umbilical cord?
- Do babies come from eggs?
- How do you get breasts?
- Why do boys have a penis?
- How does the baby come out?
- Why do they need pads and tampons?
- What is a pad or tampon?
- Um, why do boys eat more than girls?
- How do you know when puberty starts?
- If the egg comes out of the women, is there going to be another one in its place?
- I thought the boy has the egg and when they have sex then the egg gets delivered.
- I learned not to look.
- What is a flow? (menstrual)
- How do voices crack and what makes them do that?
- Has a baby ever come out of a woman's butt?
- Can the ovary pop and all of the eggs pop?
- Do both fallopian tube eggs come out at the same time?
- Does fallopian tube blood go down to the uterine lining?
- I learned to be glad to be a boy.
- What happens when a girl has her period at the same time she has sex?
- How many eggs does an ovary have?
- If a tampon gets stuck in the vagina, does it bleed and you die?
- Where does the milk come from?
- When you have a period and the baby is inside, does it hurt the baby?
- What if one woman's breast were really big and what if they don't have a size [bra] for it?
- What will happen if the egg gets stuck in the fallopian tube?
- Does it hurt when a girl bleeds?
- I learned what a bra is.
- Where will the sperm go if there is no egg?
- How can baby twins be in the same place?
- When the egg gets fertilized, what happens to the other eggs?
- So, young girls get periods, like when they're 9 and older?
- Does it hurt when you put a tampon in a vagina?
- What does a vagina look like?
- Can you get a boy pregnant?
- What happens if a woman is pregnant and she doesn't look like it, but a man sperms her, will it affect the baby?
- What if a woman runs out of eggs?
- Is it true leftover food turns out to be poo in the body?
- Why do they show nasty stuff?
- What does it mean when you pee and it hurts?
- If you have sex twice, do you have two kids?
- What is the difference between cow milk and woman's milk?
- What is a dick?
- Does it hurt a girl when the blood comes out of her?
- What would happen if the fallopian tube got clogged up?
- How does the sperm meet the vagina?
Friday, April 25, 2008
Teaching Family Life, pt 3
This posting comes with a content warning.You should also read the previous 2 postings before this one.
Today was a mild twin day. I knew the twin questions would eventually show up-- they usually do -- but I wasn't so ready for some of the other questions or comments.
Here's today's installment:
Girls
Today was a mild twin day. I knew the twin questions would eventually show up-- they usually do -- but I wasn't so ready for some of the other questions or comments.
Here's today's installment:
Girls
- Do moms when they are pregnant have to rest a lot?
- Is it true that when the baby is coming out that it sucks it's thumb?
- Do all babies cry when they come out?
- Which is better, cesarean or natural child birth?
- Is it possible that you can be 80lbs when you're a baby?
- How does your water break?
- What would be the signal that you are having a baby?
- What part is the labor?
- What does peer pressure really mean?
- Why does the baby come out crying?
- How does the space where the baby comes out close when the baby comes out?
- Did you show what you showed to us to the boys?
- What does a mid-wife do?
- What if the baby is too big and it can't circle around the placenta?
- What if a pregnant woman falls , does the baby die or get hurt?
- What causes stretch marks?
- Can you have a period when you are pregnant?
- if you have a belly piercing and you get pregnant, does the belly piercing pop off? Also, HI!
- Can you decide when the baby is born?
- Does the baby drown in the water that's in the stomach?
- What if you were having twins? Would there be enough room?
- How do babies survive the water conditions in the stomach?
- Why does pregnancy have weird side effects like throwing up?
- Can you go to the pool while you're pregnant?
- Ms. ***, your clothes are nice.
- Does a baby ever get stuck inside you?
- So, your parents have to have sex to have their own child. (you can almost hear this person saying, "hmmmm," or "ewwww.")
- Is it easy to give birth in water?
- If you have 5 kids at the same time, are they going to become smaller or does your stomach just stretch that far?
- If you have no breasts to feed your baby, do you just get bottle fed?
- If the baby is inside and not had its first breath, how come it is still alive?
- Is the baby coming out were women pee, or from the stomach?
- Hi Ms. ***, I love your outfit. Mostly your earrings and the necklace. Your matching with gold. You look like a teenager today.
- When you give birth, is your tummy still big?
Boys
- Do balls pop?
- Is a penis like a breast because it has milk?
- Does your milk become strawberry milk if you eat too much strawberries?
- If you're freezing, would the milk be frozen?
- Where does milk come from?
- Does the vagina grow when the baby comes out?
- If the mom does gymnastics, will that help the baby?
- Can your baby drown if you drink too much water?
- Can your egg break?
- What if two sperms get to the egg at the same time?
- How many things do you have in your penis? (I think he was referring to the diagram with lines to different parts)
- How do you get blood in to your penis?
- How does your penis turn hard?
- Do you have to pee out the sperm into the woman?
- How is pee formed?
- Do balls have colors?
- What are testis?
- Why do people get acne in puberty?
- What happens with triplets?
- When is the penis big?
- For how long do you get pimples?
- If you have twins, will they be smaller than 1 baby?
- If a girl is born, does she come with eggs?
- Do male seahorses give birth?
- What happens if the baby is fat?
- What if the baby inside kicks or punches the stomach -- does it hurt?
- Does the baby do number 2 or 1 in the mother?
- Where does the milk come from if you are breastfeeding?
- Is it possible for a 7 year old to have a period?
- What happens if you just leave the baby in the belly?
- What if you do not know you're pregnant and you drink, is that your fault?
- Why do pregnant ladies go to the bathroom a lot?
- What if the mom has body problems or mental problems, with it effect the baby?
- How do children get conjoined? By the way, nice shirt.
- Can a boy and a girl be a twin?
- How does a baby fit through a small whole when babies are pretty big?
- When your baby is a kid [read older] and does your breasts still make milk?
- Because there are two tubes, does it matter if one tube put the egg? Will one tube be a boy or a girl?
- When you have a baby, do you still have a period?
- How does a woman get milk in her breasts?
- How do you get twins?
- If there were twins, would they be in the same place?
- If there are twins, will one egg go through one of the tubes and the other egg go through the other tube?
- Does the woman use the other tube on the right? If so, what is it used for?
- How does the baby come out? Does it come out the vagina?
- How can the mom push the baby at 5 pounds and the size of a watermelon?
- Is it normal when a mom is pregnant that she will get weird food cravings?
- Does chocolate milk come out if you eat too much chocolate?
Oh boy! That's a lot of questions. It is amazing to see what they think about after seeing this material. I am also glad that I can answer some of these questions to clear up any misconceptions (pardon the pun). Some of the questions are great and you can see them trying to make sense out of it all. Some of the questions are just bizarro!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Teaching Family Life, pt 2
This posting comes with a content warning.
You should also read the previous posting before this one.
My previous one should also come with one, but this one just jumps out at you. The girls seem to be a bit more focused on certain concepts here.
Here's some more questions and comments from Family Life, this time it's the girls. This is just a few of them.
You should also read the previous posting before this one.
My previous one should also come with one, but this one just jumps out at you. The girls seem to be a bit more focused on certain concepts here.
Here's some more questions and comments from Family Life, this time it's the girls. This is just a few of them.
- The video was nasty and I hope I never see it again.
- how come boys can't wear something like a diaper so they won't have wet dreams?
- I love your shirt and your flip-flops.
- Why are we learning about boys? We are not boys, so why are we learning about them.
- If you get hit on your breasts, why does it hurt?
- Can I have your top?
- Why do boys have wet dreams, and how is this possible?
- Hi Ms. ***, I like your earrings
- Is it hard for girls who have periods to get in the pool?
- I like your shirt and your shoes.
- Why do we get disgusted when we hear about boys?
- Like your outfit and earrings. No questions.
- Why does a boys penis grow bigger? Miss ***, I like your earrings.
- How many times does a wet dream happen in a boy's life? PS: Love your earrings!
- Do the penises get short?
- Luv your shirt. where did you get it and I like spaghetti and french fries!
- What is the proper age to start shaving?
- Is sperm a germ?
- Ms. ***, can I have your earrings and your jeans to wear?
- Why do girls go through more puberty than boys?
- When boys wake up from having a wet dream, why is their bed wet?
- What happens if boys don't have a wet dream?
- Is a wet dream a guy version of a period?
- Can a girl have a wet dream?
- How come wet dreams are not pee?
- If somebody hits you on your breast, will it grow? Nice T-shirt.
- Ms. ***, I like your T-shirt and the flowers on it.
- Why do boys have wet dreams?
- When you have wet dreams, does it mean you peed?
- Don't forget to give us our homework. And nice top.
Kinda makes me a bit self conscious about what to wear. I always heard that girls are supposed to be more mature than the boys. These questions don't really support this, do they? I don't think I've ever had a group of kids so fixated on wet dreams. Usually they get hung up on the whole twins concept. But then, this group has more than their fair share of twins among them. Go figure!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Teaching Family Life
I teach fifth grade, so that means that every year I can look forward to teaching the Family Life and HIV/AIDS health unit. Call it Pre-Sex Ed for hormonal upper elementary school students. Every year it seems that the continuum along the developmental scale gets wider and wider. I have gone from not sure any of the girls have started their period when I first started teaching (17 yrs ago) to knowing that a few of them started last year.
Side bar: My wake-up call came a few years ago when a girl came up to my desk and asked if she could go to the nurse. The nurse had made an announcement that we should only send real emergencies down if possible, so I asked a few questions (playfully, mind you) to ascertain the level of need.
"What's wrong?"
"I need to go to the nurse's office."
"You have a headache?"
"No."
"Stomach ache?"
No real answer.
"You're not gonna hurl on me are you?"
"No."
"Did you break something?"
"No."
"Fever?"
"No."
"Dizzy?"
"No."
"Asthma?"
"No."
"Itchy rash?"
"No."
"You bleeding anywhere?"
Silence, followed by a worried look on her face.
Silence, followed by the sudden realization of the problem.
"Uh. . . here's a pass and . . . go . . . I'm . . .sorry, nevermind."
I felt like an ass.
Now I teach the boys and my teammates take the girls. We give each student a note card in which they are required to write either something they learned or something they have a question about. I review them and then answer the ones I can the next session. Some of the questions are straightforward. Some are just plain bizarre.
Here are a few highlights of their questions and comments from the boys:
Side bar: My wake-up call came a few years ago when a girl came up to my desk and asked if she could go to the nurse. The nurse had made an announcement that we should only send real emergencies down if possible, so I asked a few questions (playfully, mind you) to ascertain the level of need.
"What's wrong?"
"I need to go to the nurse's office."
"You have a headache?"
"No."
"Stomach ache?"
No real answer.
"You're not gonna hurl on me are you?"
"No."
"Did you break something?"
"No."
"Fever?"
"No."
"Dizzy?"
"No."
"Asthma?"
"No."
"Itchy rash?"
"No."
"You bleeding anywhere?"
Silence, followed by a worried look on her face.
Silence, followed by the sudden realization of the problem.
"Uh. . . here's a pass and . . . go . . . I'm . . .sorry, nevermind."
I felt like an ass.
Now I teach the boys and my teammates take the girls. We give each student a note card in which they are required to write either something they learned or something they have a question about. I review them and then answer the ones I can the next session. Some of the questions are straightforward. Some are just plain bizarre.
Here are a few highlights of their questions and comments from the boys:
- Where do people have sex?
- If they do like it, is it still sexual harassment?
- Do steroids affect your dick?
- Are there different kinds of sex?
- What's the difference between yellow pee and regular pee?
- Can you grow hair on your but?
- I know that people are crazy in this world.
- What if you get circumcised on the penis, does it still grow?
- Do girls have sperm too?
- I learned why my dick gets hard.
- Does sperm affect a girl when you have sex?
- Can you die from sex or rape?
- Can drugs infect other parts of your body? If so, which parts?
- Why are most of the sex laws about girls?
- Does sex hurt?
- Can a girl rape a boy?
- Do you play basketball? <-------yes, someone asked this. Huh?
- Why do people have sex to have a baby?
- What happens when people make you drink or smoke?
- Why do boys get circumcised?
- Why do people pay to have sex?
- What happens if you ran down the road screaming at night, drinking?
- What happens if kids have sex?
- What does homo mean?
- Where do babies come from?
- Why is having sex cool?
- Why do people kill themselves when things are not right?
- If you have sex, will you get HIV?
- Why do people choose to smoke? It's not cool, it's bad for your lungs.
- How do you get AIDS?
- I learned about hormones.
- If you rape someone, but they let you, is that rape?
- What is a condom?
- Is being gay against the law?
- Why does my penis get bigger and hairier?
I had many questions about rape and suicide. They were mentioned briefly in a glossary of terms. It was amazing how some of them seemed to focus in on those items. Usually, it is about twins and all the different kinds - but we haven't gotten to that yet.
There were some questions I am not allowed to answer. For those, like specific sex questions and anything to do with birth control (i.e., condoms), I tell them the standard line: "That is a question that you would have to ask your parents."
I will post more during the run of lessons.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
I've been Punk'd!!!!
I can't believe it. I've been punk'd.
You know the show with Ashton Kutcher that is like Candid Camera?
Ya, by my own co-workers and students!
It was an amazing ruse, to say the least and it got me where I didn't want to see it.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, after being frustrated with the lack of effort and success by many students, I threw down the challenge that if they all got 100% on a spelling test that I would dye my hair blond.
I never saw it coming.
Sometime during the previous week, after I handed out the spelling words, the other teachers had each student fill out an answer sheet with the correct spelling and definitions. An assistant came into my class during the test to "help out and be interested in the results" (read, be an accomplice). While she offered to collect the tests afterwards and help grade, (we often will share grading), she switched the answer sheets to the previously filled out ones.
Not one kid said a word.
As I graded the definitions, she "graded" the words. With each page I got more and more excited. I must admit that I thought it rather unlikely, but I wanted to believe it.
And I did. Hook, line and sinker.
The big reveal was during today's recess as we let the kids have a few extra minutes.
I had no idea what to do or say. A lot of people knew about it and it took the cooperation of a lot of them to make it successful.
I wasn't mad about it and it was rather funny.
But I was really disappointed.
One of my students came up to me sensing my daze and dismay and said,
"But Mr. Selvin, you made me believe I could do it."
The students asked if I was still going to dye my hair blond. I said not at this time, but the offer still stands.
You know the show with Ashton Kutcher that is like Candid Camera?
Ya, by my own co-workers and students!
It was an amazing ruse, to say the least and it got me where I didn't want to see it.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, after being frustrated with the lack of effort and success by many students, I threw down the challenge that if they all got 100% on a spelling test that I would dye my hair blond.
I never saw it coming.
Sometime during the previous week, after I handed out the spelling words, the other teachers had each student fill out an answer sheet with the correct spelling and definitions. An assistant came into my class during the test to "help out and be interested in the results" (read, be an accomplice). While she offered to collect the tests afterwards and help grade, (we often will share grading), she switched the answer sheets to the previously filled out ones.
Not one kid said a word.
As I graded the definitions, she "graded" the words. With each page I got more and more excited. I must admit that I thought it rather unlikely, but I wanted to believe it.
And I did. Hook, line and sinker.
The big reveal was during today's recess as we let the kids have a few extra minutes.
I had no idea what to do or say. A lot of people knew about it and it took the cooperation of a lot of them to make it successful.
I wasn't mad about it and it was rather funny.
But I was really disappointed.
One of my students came up to me sensing my daze and dismay and said,
"But Mr. Selvin, you made me believe I could do it."
The students asked if I was still going to dye my hair blond. I said not at this time, but the offer still stands.
How do you eat?
You've got to check out this post from The Artful Kisser called Random Conversation #3. I guarantee that you will never look at someone eating the same way.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
A Spelling Test, A Challenge, and Blond Hair
EDITORIAL NOTE: I was going to erase this posting in light of some interesting information that invalidates what happened below. The posting for April 16 explains.
OK, I've done it again. I'll explain that later.
This year I teach science and writing. It is a combination that works and it suits me perfectly. From what I can gather, my students (3 classes of about 26 each) love the science part and tolerate the writing part. Many hate the spelling part.
My philosophy on spelling is that words are very important, and understanding them unlocks many doors to meaning and experience. My spelling program is a combination of spelling, vocabulary and word study. 10 words are selected from relevant curriculum vocabulary and include understanding the definitions, and 10 others are selected as a theme -such as with a spelling rule, prefix/root/suffix, or language origin.
I have done this for the past 15 years or so (with appropriate modifications here and there) and have seen great results from the students on a whole.
But this year I have seen some of the worst results ever.
I have been quite discouraged by many of the students who continually do poorly (I mean awful) on these tests. Parents tell me how they struggle with their kids for hours and how much mental anguish it causes only to have them get a 4 out of 30 possible points. I've had meetings with parents and colleagues about this with no appreciable change.
My first class would get usually get a respectable 80% A's, while my second and third classes would get 75% less than C's and class averages in the 40's and 50's. I tried many strategies to help them, but again, often with no change.
Completely frustrated, I laid down a challenge: If everyone who takes the spelling test gets a 100% on their test, I will dye my hair blond. If at least everyone gets an A, I would throw them some sort of party (I wasn't too specific about that one).
You would have thought that I was offering them a million dollars! That is all they talked about all week. About mid-week, I noticed that kids were studying during recess and helping others who generally don't make the effort. They told me they finished their homework. They told me they took practice tests. They asked me if the definitions they had was what I was looking for.
It was amazing.
Even the students who gave up years ago were into it.
Well, I am happy to say, that all of the students who took the test got a 100% on this test! Even students who never passed the test before!
I asked the students, especially the ones who never or rarely seem to lift a finger, how they felt when they got the 100%. All of them loved it. I told them to savor the feeling; to hold on to it and remember how it felt and what they did to get it.
I asked them if they could do it again.
Most of them raised their hands.
I told them they should be proud of their accomplishment and that now there is no excuse for doing poorly again - and that if any of them needed some support, they should ask -- either from each other or from me.
I told them that while I won't volunteer any more extreme challenges like this one, but if everyone can maintain an A average, I will recognize them with some sort of (non-specific) reward.
And in the meantime, I will be making an appointment in the next few weeks to get my hair dyed blond.
Like Jack Black.
OK, I've done it again. I'll explain that later.
This year I teach science and writing. It is a combination that works and it suits me perfectly. From what I can gather, my students (3 classes of about 26 each) love the science part and tolerate the writing part. Many hate the spelling part.
My philosophy on spelling is that words are very important, and understanding them unlocks many doors to meaning and experience. My spelling program is a combination of spelling, vocabulary and word study. 10 words are selected from relevant curriculum vocabulary and include understanding the definitions, and 10 others are selected as a theme -such as with a spelling rule, prefix/root/suffix, or language origin.
I have done this for the past 15 years or so (with appropriate modifications here and there) and have seen great results from the students on a whole.
But this year I have seen some of the worst results ever.
I have been quite discouraged by many of the students who continually do poorly (I mean awful) on these tests. Parents tell me how they struggle with their kids for hours and how much mental anguish it causes only to have them get a 4 out of 30 possible points. I've had meetings with parents and colleagues about this with no appreciable change.
My first class would get usually get a respectable 80% A's, while my second and third classes would get 75% less than C's and class averages in the 40's and 50's. I tried many strategies to help them, but again, often with no change.
Completely frustrated, I laid down a challenge: If everyone who takes the spelling test gets a 100% on their test, I will dye my hair blond. If at least everyone gets an A, I would throw them some sort of party (I wasn't too specific about that one).
You would have thought that I was offering them a million dollars! That is all they talked about all week. About mid-week, I noticed that kids were studying during recess and helping others who generally don't make the effort. They told me they finished their homework. They told me they took practice tests. They asked me if the definitions they had was what I was looking for.
It was amazing.
Even the students who gave up years ago were into it.
Well, I am happy to say, that all of the students who took the test got a 100% on this test! Even students who never passed the test before!
I asked the students, especially the ones who never or rarely seem to lift a finger, how they felt when they got the 100%. All of them loved it. I told them to savor the feeling; to hold on to it and remember how it felt and what they did to get it.
I asked them if they could do it again.
Most of them raised their hands.
I told them they should be proud of their accomplishment and that now there is no excuse for doing poorly again - and that if any of them needed some support, they should ask -- either from each other or from me.
I told them that while I won't volunteer any more extreme challenges like this one, but if everyone can maintain an A average, I will recognize them with some sort of (non-specific) reward.
And in the meantime, I will be making an appointment in the next few weeks to get my hair dyed blond.
Like Jack Black.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
In Search of Long Lost Friends, pt 2
No, I haven't heard from my friend Steve yet, but I had another breakthrough of a friend I was looking for: my college roommate, Mike. Since we last spoke, we've each gotten married, had a couple of kids and moved a few times.
I had to dig far on the internet to find anything that resembled something that I would guess would be him. As I've found with my name, Steve's and Mike's, there are A LOT of us around. Even with our last names. The trick to finding him was the way I narrowed the search. I remembered my father saying you can eliminate words to search just like you search for words (just use a minus before the term, like, -anthropology, or -Chicago, which came up quite a bit)
But there it was, after page 6 on the umpteenth word I eliminated, a clue.
(Let this also be a cautionary tale for anyone who wants to remain anonymous -- the internet is an amazing place, but also a sticky place for anything put on it.)
On the second call I made, I heard his unmistakable voice. After the initial shock of realizing who just called, we had a really long conversation of catching up. Of course, not nearly long enough to be satisfied, so I'm sure it won't end up there.
During the conversation Mike mentioned something that another lost friend, Mark, once mentioned: the thing about good friends is not how long it is between the times you see each other, but that once you are together it is like you've never been away.
I had to dig far on the internet to find anything that resembled something that I would guess would be him. As I've found with my name, Steve's and Mike's, there are A LOT of us around. Even with our last names. The trick to finding him was the way I narrowed the search. I remembered my father saying you can eliminate words to search just like you search for words (just use a minus before the term, like, -anthropology, or -Chicago, which came up quite a bit)
But there it was, after page 6 on the umpteenth word I eliminated, a clue.
(Let this also be a cautionary tale for anyone who wants to remain anonymous -- the internet is an amazing place, but also a sticky place for anything put on it.)
On the second call I made, I heard his unmistakable voice. After the initial shock of realizing who just called, we had a really long conversation of catching up. Of course, not nearly long enough to be satisfied, so I'm sure it won't end up there.
During the conversation Mike mentioned something that another lost friend, Mark, once mentioned: the thing about good friends is not how long it is between the times you see each other, but that once you are together it is like you've never been away.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
In search of a long lost friend: Degrees of separation
Friends come and go: it's a fact of life. People enter your life unexpectedly, things click and then before you realize it, they're gone. While I have a few friends, I have even fewer really close friends.
Every once in a while I think about the close friends I have had along the way and wonder how they are doing once our paths diverged. I have a few that I regularly try to look up on the Internet, usually with little luck. For instance, I found my friend Luis, who was a Spanish exchange student from my senior year in high school and have tried to get in touch with him. But to no avail, he has either not responded or I have not reached him properly. I sent him a message in Spanish, but I got no response. I contacted a fellow Couch Surfer (couchsurfing.com) who was located in Grenada, Spain, where I tracked him down working at a local newspaper. She agreed to look him up and deliver my message, but have not heard back. Oh well, maybe it's a hint.
Another friend I wondered about was a good friend at the University of Maryland. Steve and I lived on the same floor in Anne Arundel dorm and we had some really fun times together. We did a lot of fun, offbeat and cheesy things together.
Steve was a year ahead of me and had a single, which I thought was immediately cool coming in as a freshman. But he wasn't the standoffish snob that other single residents seemed to be. I remember enjoying hanging out with him and I felt I could be me.
Steve was a RTVF major (radio TV film) and one day he asked me to be a subject in one of his projects. He took me around the area to several spots and filmed several sequences of me running away from some unknown menace. When I drive through those areas, I think about it.
Confession #1: I remember one evening we went on a quest to find cool dorm wall trophies: the ubiquitous Road Sign. We donned black/camouflage clothes and went out around the campus in search of something to bring back -- and sure enough, we did -- one stop sign and the (I think) women's sign from the bathroom of some building. We added it to our collection of other signs we found or acquired.
I also remember us jumping up on a coffee table in my dorm and lip syncing to Huey Lewis.
Stuff like that.
Confession #2: Steve, my roommate and I once went to a drive-in movie theater. We didn't want to pay per person, so I climbed in the trunk of the car while we went through the gate. Big deal? Well, it was an X-rated movie. LOL!
A couple of weeks ago I looked Steve up again and thought I'd try to filter through the dozens of folks out there with the same first and last name as his and any derivation of Steve. There were quite a few. I was able to find some good candidates, but no phone numbers or emails. But I did find one that was in the entertainment industry on the production side of the camera. I tried to figure a way to reach him, but there just was no way I could figure out how to break in -- it was like there was an information barrier. I even got a hold of an agent of one of the actor/producers who worked with him on a project-- but I left that conversation thinking she thought I was a loony.
I mentioned this to my wife, who is in the last days of her job at a start-up cable TV network. She said to let her see if she can look him up through some of the channels she has. She called me up today with what I hope is great news: She found a producer named Roger who worked with him on a project. He called me up and after filling a bit of background information he said that the Steve he knows is definitely the one I have been looking for. He said he'd look for his number and give him a call.
I hope this one pans out. (film pun intended)
Every once in a while I think about the close friends I have had along the way and wonder how they are doing once our paths diverged. I have a few that I regularly try to look up on the Internet, usually with little luck. For instance, I found my friend Luis, who was a Spanish exchange student from my senior year in high school and have tried to get in touch with him. But to no avail, he has either not responded or I have not reached him properly. I sent him a message in Spanish, but I got no response. I contacted a fellow Couch Surfer (couchsurfing.com) who was located in Grenada, Spain, where I tracked him down working at a local newspaper. She agreed to look him up and deliver my message, but have not heard back. Oh well, maybe it's a hint.
Another friend I wondered about was a good friend at the University of Maryland. Steve and I lived on the same floor in Anne Arundel dorm and we had some really fun times together. We did a lot of fun, offbeat and cheesy things together.
Steve was a year ahead of me and had a single, which I thought was immediately cool coming in as a freshman. But he wasn't the standoffish snob that other single residents seemed to be. I remember enjoying hanging out with him and I felt I could be me.
Steve was a RTVF major (radio TV film) and one day he asked me to be a subject in one of his projects. He took me around the area to several spots and filmed several sequences of me running away from some unknown menace. When I drive through those areas, I think about it.
Confession #1: I remember one evening we went on a quest to find cool dorm wall trophies: the ubiquitous Road Sign. We donned black/camouflage clothes and went out around the campus in search of something to bring back -- and sure enough, we did -- one stop sign and the (I think) women's sign from the bathroom of some building. We added it to our collection of other signs we found or acquired.
I also remember us jumping up on a coffee table in my dorm and lip syncing to Huey Lewis.
Stuff like that.
Confession #2: Steve, my roommate and I once went to a drive-in movie theater. We didn't want to pay per person, so I climbed in the trunk of the car while we went through the gate. Big deal? Well, it was an X-rated movie. LOL!
A couple of weeks ago I looked Steve up again and thought I'd try to filter through the dozens of folks out there with the same first and last name as his and any derivation of Steve. There were quite a few. I was able to find some good candidates, but no phone numbers or emails. But I did find one that was in the entertainment industry on the production side of the camera. I tried to figure a way to reach him, but there just was no way I could figure out how to break in -- it was like there was an information barrier. I even got a hold of an agent of one of the actor/producers who worked with him on a project-- but I left that conversation thinking she thought I was a loony.
I mentioned this to my wife, who is in the last days of her job at a start-up cable TV network. She said to let her see if she can look him up through some of the channels she has. She called me up today with what I hope is great news: She found a producer named Roger who worked with him on a project. He called me up and after filling a bit of background information he said that the Steve he knows is definitely the one I have been looking for. He said he'd look for his number and give him a call.
I hope this one pans out. (film pun intended)
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Teaching Family Life / Conversation with a student
In my school system, 5th grade teachers (who are tenured) teach Family Life. That in itself is worthy of its own posting, and I probably will write something about that.
What I can say now is that we really need to teach this stuff to our kids. They come to us with such strange ideas and misconceptions (sorry about the pun).
Here is a conversation that I had with one of my students today:
"Your mom, is she old?"
"What does old mean? To you, you think I'm old."
"Well, right. But is it possible for your mother be younger than you?"
"What?"
"Your mom . . . Or dad . . . Can they be younger than you?"
"Can your mother or father be younger than you? Is that what you're asking?"
"Yes, is it possible?"
What I can say now is that we really need to teach this stuff to our kids. They come to us with such strange ideas and misconceptions (sorry about the pun).
Here is a conversation that I had with one of my students today:
"Your mom, is she old?"
"What does old mean? To you, you think I'm old."
"Well, right. But is it possible for your mother be younger than you?"
"What?"
"Your mom . . . Or dad . . . Can they be younger than you?"
"Can your mother or father be younger than you? Is that what you're asking?"
"Yes, is it possible?"
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