"I hate you guys... "

I started my classes today with a quick note:

"I hate you guys... your dripping, snotty noses... your disease-ridden teen-age vessels that infect everyone... i hate you guys." (then i smiled)

Of course I was joking (some). But, tomorrow is going to be the first day of this school year that I miss work because I am ill. The past three previous years have been very difficult for me. I missed tons of work and seemed to be perpetually sick. 2007-2008 was going so great... now I am feeling it again.

The next month is really busy for me. Lots going on at work and with conferences, presentations, meetings, etc. So I am going to try to nip this at the bud.

Tonight after dinner I went to the bedroom and was down for the count. I woke up at 7pm and was positive it must be 7am. I guess I slept well... or I was so sick I was delusional? Hard to tell.

I recorded "Lost" tonight and watched the democratic debate. It was quite good. It was wonderful to see how Clinton-Obama were cordial and polite. Quite respectful. I think that played very well on the heels of last night's republican debate which was quite contentious. Wow, either of these candidates would make me proud to vote for. But, I am still really heavily supporting Barack.

I loved his points about how he has always been against the war from day one. That is a distinct difference and one that would draw a real contrast with the Republicans.

Super Tuesday is going to be really incredible to watch. Kind of interesting that it comes just a few days after the "Super" Bowl.

Today I wrote my "Quote of the Day" on the board for tomorrow. It was

Super Bowl Prediction: NY Giants 34, NE Patriots 31... yes, I am crazy!"

Hopefully it will make the kids chuckle. And maybe even give the sub a laugh. They have a tough job and I really work hard to leave good plans when I am out. I subbed for 2 years and I know how tough that is day to day. But, someone once said to me, "Why do teachers get so many days off?" Someone who asks that question really has no appreciation for the job. It is a performance art to stand before 32 kids and put forth the kind of energy and enthusiasm it takes to keep their attention and assist them to learn. On top of that you are doing so in a battlefield of germs.

To connect this back to the presidential debates tonight... I am a FIRM believer in a universal health care system. It is really amazing to see how many kids I have that say, "I don't go to a doctor... we don't have insurance." And these are great kids that seem to have everything else that they need. Health insurance and even just the cost of seeing a doctor is outrageous. It is no wonder these 'snot nosed kids' are always so snot nosed!

Please Hillary or Barack... don't screw this up. It would be great to see what we could do for this country.

Texas Visit

The Texas visit is over and everyone survived. It was a wild week. We are not used to having an extra 4 people in the casa. But, it was a lot of fun to get to see the kids. They really were cute playing together.

One of the real surprises of the trip for me was spending time with my sister's husband Tim. He is really a great guy. I found out that we have a lot more in common than one might think. He really enjoys scary movies. So I showed him "The Ring." That went over pretty well. I didn't ask if it kept him up at all. It scared the crap out of Norma and she would not come into the room while it was on this time.

I really wish the weather would have been better. That was a bummer. Today was just awesome. It is warmer right now at 10pm than it was most of the week during the day (it's 50 right now). It is kind of nutz that my sister has come down to visit for a week now twice and it has rained the entire time, both times. Once in the summer and this time in the winter. Does she have some kind of curse?

The day that they were leaving the sun came out and it was gorgeous. Crazy. It made me feel bad because I really think the girls were getting cabin fever at the end of the week. They were shut inside most of the time. We did run them around some and took them out to eat, to Chuck E Cheese, to the movies, etc. But, we didn't get to do the Zoo like we wanted.

Oh well... there is always next time.

Things that made me smile today...

I have been battling some pretty severe back pain today. Not sure what brought it on... but it is a big time bugger.

So a couple of things really made me smile today....

This video should not have made me laugh. But, it did... big time:


Well, I am off to jump in a very hot bath and try to loosen this back up before bedtime. Hope those two pieces of media helped you smile, too.

Super Bowl Rings

NFL Super Bowl Rings - Every Ring Has a Story. Cool stuff. Can't wait for the Super Bowl next weekend. I always hate the week between the Championship Games and the Super Bowl. Nothing going on. But, it does give us a chance to look back at previous Super Bowls.

I remember as a kid in high school I would sit and watch a 24-hour marathon of Super Bowl Highlights on ESPN. The Super Bowl between the Broncos and Giants I remember very well because by the time the game came.. I was exhausted from Super Bowl hype. I had a broken ankle at the time and was the only person home that weekend. So it was me, pizza, and watching football. I recovered enough to enjoy the game.

This year should be a really good game. It is great that we get the rematch of the Giants-Pats that ended the regular season. That was a really competitive game. I think the Super Bowl will be as well. No predictions yet, but I am working on it.

Victory Speech

I think this speech was even better than the one in Iowa. Obama has gone through some fire (set by Bill Clinton) and has come out even stronger. I love this part:

So understand this, South Carolina. The choice in this election is not between regions or religions or genders. It's not about rich vs. poor, young vs. old. And it is not about black vs. white.

This election is about the past vs. the future. It's about whether we settle for the same divisions and distractions and drama that passes for politics today or whether we reach for a politics of common sense and innovation, a politics of shared sacrifice and shared prosperity.

Obama Crushes Clinton in South Carolina

This was great...
CNN: Obama claims big win in South Carolina
MSNBC.com: Obama wins big victory in S.C. primary
ABCNews.com: 'Yes We Can!' Obama Beats Clinton in S.C. Primary
FoxNews.com: Obama pulls big victory out of South Carolina

Awesome. 55% of the vote. Holy cow. Didn't expect that big of a win. Makes me feel a lot better. People reacted negatively in S.C. to the 'race card' that the Clintons pulled. Thank goodness. What will happen nation wide though?

February 5th should be HUGE. Florida and 22 states. Wow, what a night that is going to be. This thing is so close that even through Super Tuesday we could still not have a clear winner. Could this thing go on for a while? Possible. But, if Edwards drops out (which he says he is not going to do... but he's not going to have any $) where do his supporters go? I am guessing they go strongly towards Obama. They are both 'change' candidates. But, we'll have to wait and see. Anything in this race could tip the balance.

Slideshow Cousin Fun

A Fun Week

Aidan is in heaven. Two playmates at his house for a full week. My sister and her husband are down here in Houston and they have brought Aidan's cousins with them. The kids are really have a lot of fun.

Today we broke in the new playland at McDonalds. They put the thing through it's paces for about 2 hours. It is 3 stories tall. Amazing. They didn't have those when I was a kid!

Tomorrow we are heading to the zoo.

Our weather has been crappy... but not as crappy as it is in Pittsburgh. So hopefully they are having a good time.

MLK Day 2007

I hope you realize the value of this day of reflection. This MLK Day.

I thought I would share one of my favorite passages from King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail - April 16, 1963"

We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was "illegal." It was "illegal" to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany. Even so, I am sure that, had I lived in Germany at the time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers. If today I lived in a Communist country where certain principles dear to the Christian faith are suppressed, I would openly advocate disobeying that country's antireligious laws.

I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

A great message. Although we have come very far in this country, I ask - "Have we reached the mountain top?" There is still a lot of work to do. And it is work that all of us are called to do. Not just african-americans. As King stated, "the greatest stumbling block... is the white moderate." I agree. We all need to be open to the progress and development that all Americans have a birth right to enjoy.

Read the full text of "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" here

Championship Predictions

I asked Aidan a simple question. "Who is going to win the football games today? Let's pick the first one, is it San Diego Chargers or New England Patriots?" Aidan said, "San Biego Chargas." So there you have it.

In the second game he said, "Pack-ahrs are bad guys." So I asked the question again, "Giants or Packers?" Aidan said, "Gih-UNTS Dadda!"

It's as simple as that... Giants vs. Chargers in the super bowl. Take it to the bank.

(or not)

Who won Nevada?

Very interesting. All the headlines read, "Hillary Wins Nevada!" But, when you look at the delegate count... Obama has one more delegate. Interesting.



In a race this close, splitting the delegates of Nevada is actually a pretty huge deal. I think it just puts more and more pressure on Clinton for next Saturday in South Carolina.

Meanwhile the Republicans have their man. Surprise! It's McCain. He's come from way, way back and looks like he has the upper hand now. Every South Carolina Primary Republican winner has won the nomination since 1980. Pretty good sign for McCain.

I personally respect and like McCain. So it is going to be hard if he is the nominee. I usually like to root hard against the other side. But, we will have to wait and see. Romney is not going to go away quietly. And I don't think we have heard the last of Huckabee. If Fred (half asleep) Thompson drops out, I believe a lot of his support will go to Huckabee. That might even things up in the south quite a bit.

As someone who enjoys politics... this is fun.

6 Million Dollar Grant

[started writing this late last night... finished tonight]
I just finished typing up a portion of a grand that is worth $6 Million dollars to my school district and $1.75 Million for my high school. No pressure or anything but they told us about this on Wednesday afternoon and want it by Tuesday.

The grant is for Small Learning Communities. This is basically a setup for a high school that creates smaller schools within larger schools. Best way to create a vision for it is to think of Harry Potter. Within Hogwarts each house is setup to support a certain number of students/witches. We have the same kind of setup at our school (except our kids are not supposed to be witches). We have about 800 kids per community and we have 4 communities. So that is 3,200 students. Each community is also divided into houses. So we end up with 8 houses. Those 8 houses serve 400 kids. So we pair up a principal and counselor for each 400. Their core classes (english, social studies, math, and science) are supposed to be held within those houses. (it doesn't always work out that way because of all of the options of electives in a high school, but it does mostly)

It would be great to get the grant. I can't even conceive of how much $6 million dollars even is!

Humor Me Barack

Another reason Obama has my vote...
he has a sense of humor.

This is quite the standup routine:

Cracked me up.

But all true.

Mark Bittman - The Minimalist

I love this dude:
VIDEO: NYTimes Mark Bittman, "The Minimalist"

The guy is dry and funny but he gets the job done. It's food channel for a practical and down to earth person. He has very simple (ie minimalist) recipes and explain things perfectly for a guy like me. :)

I have used his other recipe for pancakes and LOVED them.

Missing You...

Dad,

I am missing You a lot today. Thinking about you and conversations that I would have with you if I could only pick up the phone and call you.

There is not a day that goes by where I don't think about you and miss you.

I know that there are a lot of things that I have accomplished in the past two years that you would be proud of. How I have worked hard with Aidan, AVID, Teacher of the Year, ... but probably none as impressive as winning $300 in a fantasy football league. I know you would have bragged at work about that one! :) I just wish you could have been in the league... oh wait, you probably would have figured out a way to beat ME.

Someday I hope to see you again, look in your eyes and give you a huge hug. But, I see you every day. When I look in the mirror... when I look into Aidan's eyes and see him doing something totally ridiculous. I realize... I am your son and Aidan is mine. And I am VERY lucky.

Missing You Today,

Your Son

Also see: Dad One Year Later and RIP TED

AVID Saturday

I stressed about Saturday's AVID tutor training for weeks. We were hosting at our school and about 10 other schools around Houston were sending their tutors to our school for a training. Although I didn't actually do the training, getting setup was a chore. Reserving rooms, getting ice and drinks, laptop, food, creating signs... it was all a lot of work.

The hope is that if we can impress the AVID trainers that they will come back again and again to do trainings from our school. After how much work it was to pull this off, I wonder why I want that to happen. But, the reality is that we can get two things out of this... one is that we can make some money by having our kids sell things during the trainings and raise some money for the program. With that money we can take trips to colleges, setup scholarships, and also pay for our AVID kids to take classes over the summer that will help set them up for graduation.

Personally I would love to actually do the trainings and get involved that way. Teaching is not a lucrative profession. So if I can make a few dollars on the side it is very important for my family. I make some money teaching nights and weekends for an accelerated teaching certification program. But, AVID offers a bunch of opportunities for me to train other AVID teachers and tutors. Summer Institute happens every year and in about 8 different cities across America. We will be going to Dallas this year.

I will need to be at least a 2nd year AVID teacher to become a trainer. So I have time yet before any of this would happen. But, it is a goal. First and foremost I hope to take the passion that I have for the program and help others with it. That is one of the reasons I have been shooting so much video and taking so many pictures of my classes. It would be great to 'show' people what AVID looks like. That is a luxury I did not have last year when I learned about AVID and was trained.

Maybe I am a visual learner? Regardless I like to 'show' people so they have a way of relating the information they are learning.

Hosting was a LOT of work. But, it was all worth it when one of the trainers said this, "I wish ALL of our trainings were held at this school!" That made me feel great. All the work and stress was worth it.

One Day Weekend

I watched 4 football games very quickly this weekend. On Saturday I was at school from 7am to 5pm for an AVID training. So when I got home I had the Packer win and the Pats win to watch, but little time to do it in. I zipped through the beautiful Labeau snow game in quick fashion. It is amazing how many commercials air during these games! When they are TiVo'd it's a snap to fast forward between plays and commercials.

Brett Favre was amazing as usual. That stumbling-flip play was just vintage Favre.

In the night game, I was rooting for the Jags. I watched that game this morning - also in record time. I thought it would be neat to see the Jags and Colts in the championship game because it would be an all AFC-South matchup. That didn't happen. The Pats were pretty strong.

Today both games surprised me. I was happy with both results because both games were so darn entertaining. The Chargers depth made all the difference. That team is very deep. Most people forget how talented Billy Volek is. He was very good for the Titans a few years ago. It's not like he took over for Rivers and "won" the game. But, he didn't do anything to lose it. Sproles, Turner, and Naanee were a combo that gave them everything LT would have given the Bolts alone. The real deal was the Charger D though. They came up big when they needed it.

And then there was Mr. Jessica Simpson! How sweet was it that the Cowboys were upset by the Giants. I am going to have a good deal of fun tomorrow with all my Cowboy-loving students that think the world revolves around Tony Romo. Maybe #9 shouldn't have been running around Mexico with Daisy Duke and instead might have spent some time watching film of the Giant secondary.

It will be cool to watch another game in Lambeau field next weekend! Thanks for choking Cowpokes.

Aren't the playoffs great?

New Hampshire: Hill Wins... the fight is on!

I am disappointed that Obama didn't win. But, I am actually more hopeful that this competition will really ignite the campaign and get more people involved. Is it really fair that the few, white, and rural people of Iowa and New Hampshire get to choose this nominee? Not really.

It will be exciting over the next month to watch the posturing for South Carolina and Nevada. Hillary's big comeback is a shocker because the polls had it wrong. People change their minds. And Hillary's emotional and almost tearful moment yesterday may have shown people in New Hampshire that she is actually a human being. Republicans paint her as some kind of machine-like force. But, it was obvious this week (whether some of it was stage or not) that her feelings were hurt and shaken. She felt things slipping away. Will she continue to show a 'human-side' in the weeks to come?

Obama is still my man. I love the message. He is much more of a uniting factor than Hillary would be. I would love to see a campaign that is less biting and critical than the one the Republicans have lined up for Hillary. We'll see what the American people have in mind.

First Presents of Christmas Morning 2007

First Presents 2007 Xmas from fordee on Vimeo.

Christmas Morning 2007, Video 1

Santa must have come... there is EVIDENCE!

Christmas Morning 2007 from fordee on Vimeo.
What a great day it was.

Tigers @ the Houston Zoo 12-31-07

This was really WILD. In every sense of the word. Turn up your speakers to hear what these guys really sounded like...

Tigers @ Houston Zoo 12-31-07 from fordee on Vimeo.
Aidan got a little scared... I guess we all did. It was ferocious. Definitely a highlight of the winter break for us. The Zoo was awesome and it was in the best shape we've seen it in yet. We had a perfect day to go. The weather was incredible. Aidan had a blast. And he keeps asking to "see the Tigers." But, when I play the video for him he runs! :)

Inspiration Beats Experience

No doubt about it tonight. Barack wins!

His victory speech was emotional and one of the very best I have heard following a victory.



Hillary's speech seemed to say, "Hey, we didn't win tonight but I am still the best candidate." Barack's was all about what THEY did and about how he will make change actually happen. Hillary's words ring hollow because it is so much of the same old stuff. What Barack is saying and doing has a sparkle and sizzle that is going to be VERY hard to beat!

The very conservative NYTimes writer David Brooks said this,

"Barack Obama has won the Iowa caucuses. You’d have to have a heart of stone not to feel moved by this. An African-American man wins a closely fought campaign in a pivotal state. He beats two strong opponents, including the mighty Clinton machine. He does it in a system that favors rural voters. He does it by getting young voters to come out to the caucuses.

This is a huge moment. It’s one of those times when a movement that seemed ethereal and idealistic became a reality and took on political substance.

Iowa won’t settle the race, but the rest of the primary season is going to be colored by the glow of this result. Whatever their political affiliations, Americans are going to feel good about the Obama victory, which is a story of youth, possibility and unity through diversity — the primordial themes of the American experience.

And Americans are not going to want to see this stopped. When an African-American man is leading a juggernaut to the White House, do you want to be the one to stand up and say No?

Obama has achieved something remarkable. At first blush, his speeches are abstract, secular sermons of personal uplift — filled with disquisitions on the nature of hope and the contours of change.

He talks about erasing old categories like red and blue (and implicitly, black and white) and replacing them with new categories, of which the most important are new and old. He seems at first more preoccupied with changing thinking than changing legislation.

Yet over the course of his speeches and over the course of this campaign, he has persuaded many Iowans that there is substance here as well. He built a great organization and produced a tangible victory."

This is truly a historic time for America. The primaries are just getting started and the battle between Clinton and Obama is going to be intense. But, by February 5th (super duper tuesday) we'll have an answer as to who will be running in November. Crazy fast! This thing is so loaded in the first two months. Wild stuff.

Why I am rooting for Obama

Boy do I hope he wins in Iowa tonight. It is good for this country and good for Democrats to go in a new direction (against the Bushes and Clintons) and go with a candidate of 'hope.'

I think that is also the reason that Huckabee will win in Iowa for the Repubicans. He is much more positive and spirited than Romney and the rest of the sour suits in the Republican ballot.

Roll on Obama!

Bearded Letterman Returns

Letterman is back! Sitting here watching it on TiVo. Dave is just the best.

He's the only late night show with writers, because he negociated a separate deal with the Writer's guild to get it done. I refuse to watch the other shows because they have not taken care of their writers.

I hand it to Letterman. He paid his staff while the strike was going on and then took care of business to get everyone back. Awesome stuff.

Doesn't the bearded Letterman look like Phil Jackson?

Just the boys today

Norma is out getting her hair done across town. It's a long process. She enjoys it and the guys that work on her hair do a great job. So I don't worry about how long or how much it costs. She deserves it.

That gives Aidan and I a little bonding time together. So far today we have watched Sesame Street, ate breakfast, cleaned the living room and den, and now we are screaming things at Diego on TV. (tree frogs are singing, "we love our trees... we love our trees... it's a happy, happy place to be!")

In a few minutes we are going to get dressed and go out to lunch. Aidan's choice... which amounts to McDonalds for the happy meal. And not really for the meal, but for the toy. They are the smartest marketers on earth.

Then we will come back and probably watch a DVD and maybe take a nap. Norma should be home around 2 or 3. Maybe sooner.

Yesterday we had a great time at Crystal and Eric's new house. We were invited over for a house warming/New Year's party. It was great fun and Aidan was the center of attention as usual. He's such a ham. He also had a ball playing with their cat named: "Chuck Norris." He is named Chuck Norris for a reason... the cat is kamikazes crazy.

There is Aidan trying to avoid the claws of Crazy Chuck!