Aidan plays the yukulele

Hawaii Fun Back Home from fordee on Vimeo.

Hawaii Pictures

First few are of Waikiki Beach and Kuhio Beach. Then there are a few from an overlook in the mountains that looks over the opposite side of the island. The last bunch are of Pearl Harbor.

I'll write more later. Jet lag.

Hawaii Fun back home

After coming home this morning from Hawaii, I gave Aidan and Norma their gifts. We had a really great time playing.

I missed everyone so much. It is wonderful to be home.

Coming Home Tomorrow...

It has been a wonderful trip to Hawaii. I can't believe I am actually here... and have been here for days. Today was the first day that we weren't in the conference. So we went to Pearl Harbor very early. It was remarkable and VERY moving. I will post video and pictures of the when I return home. We also rented a car (my roommates and I) and we traveled around the island. We went all the way up to "North Shore" and saw the waves and ate lunch. It was INCREDIBLE. I don't know why anyone spends much time in Honolulu and Waikiki? The other more remote parts of the island is so 'paradise.' It is amazing.

Tomorrow we have most of the day here at the hotel and our flight leaves at 9:30pm. So we'll get home at around 8:00am or so in the morning in Texas (something like that). I hear that it is going to take me days to recover from jet lag and time difference, but I will be VERY glad to get home. I miss my beautiful wife and my boy very much. It is almost torturous to be here without them. I have been texting and sending pictures over my phone like mad. I wish they could be here with me to enjoy it.

Tonight I am going to do a little shopping and have a light dinner. We have been getting to bed here between 9 and 10 pm and waking up really early. It is nice to enjoy Waikiki while everyone else sleeps. Plus it is keeping us closer to Houston time... but not by much.

Can't wait to come back home... but it has been very nice. (I will write about the conference more later - but it was very good)

Hawaii

A Beautiful Wedding

Saturday in San Antonio was just an awesome day for a wedding. Beautiful sunshine. The wedding went very well. I was a last minute photographer and enjoyed taking video and pictures of the wedding. Tonight I went through and cleaned up and edited a few of the photos.



I love these of Aidan with Becky:

Sea World in San Antonio

We had a really great long weekend in San Antonio. We stayed from Thursday through today. It was wonderful for Aidan to see his Pappy, Aunt Cindy, Uncle George, and Aunt Marla. He did not want to come home.

Here were a few of the pictures from our trip:


Sea World was nice, but boy is it expensive. As was everything else during this trip. It is really crazy how much gas is... and food is... and it just keeps getting worse. Makes you a little sad that things aren't what they used to be. It is wild to think that I remember very clearly filling my tank for .99 cents a gallon - and it was not that long ago.

Aidan really had a wonderful time at the wedding as well. I am going to post those pictures in just a minute. They are about to finish loading to the website.

Rockets Still In Orbit - After 22 Games!

Houston Rockets' Rafer Alston (12) and Luis Scola (4), of Argentina, celebrate during the fourth quarter of a basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday, March 16, 2008, in Houston. The Rockets beat the Lakers 104-92 to win their 22nd consecutive game. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Rockets Beat Lakers - Extend Streak to 22

Video Highlights

First place in the western conference. All by themselves. The Rockets were VERY impressive yesterday. What a team effort and without Yao Ming. And without Tracy McGrady, really. He didn't score until late into the 3rd period and looked exhausted through much of the game. He played every minute of two games this week and you could see the heavy legs as he ran up and down the court.

Rafer Alston was the "man" yesterday. 31 points and 8 three pointers. Amazing. He was clutch in "Clutch City."

Tuesday night is Boston. The Celts are the leaders in the east. Should be fun!

School

Things have been crazy at work lately. But, everything is calm now. We are on Spring Break! We have Mon-Fri off this coming week. Pretty sweet. Norma and I have been struggling with feeling sick, so this is a welcome break.

We are going to take Aidan to the movies to see Horton Hears a Who. We'll probably go to Chuck E. Cheese and do a little shopping.

But, on Thursday we head to San Antonio for a wedding and we'll be there through Sunday. It will be great to see everyone. Aidan will be excited to see Uncle George, Aunt Marla, Pappy and Cindy.

Then on Monday when we head back to school, I'll be taking my AVID class to Texas A&M for the spring college trip. It'll be a long day. We leave at 6:30 am and return around 5:30 pm.

Then... on Wednesday I leave for Hawaii. We'll be out there until our plane comes back and lands on Monday morning.

What a couple of weeks!

The school week ended with the announcement of the 5 finalists for Teacher of the Year this year. I was really excited to see the list and congratulate everyone on it. After winning last year and being the first ever winner at our school, it will be great to have company in the club. But, I was upset to see that Norma wasn't one of the 5 finalists. She is the best teacher that I know. But, she doesn't blow her own horn - so not as many people understand what I do. Plus, Aidan is way to important to her to spend endless hours at school doing all kinds of things.

Anyway, we'll find out who wins after Spring Break. I'll probably be in Hawaii when we find out. But, it'll be neat. We have so many great teachers at our school it is awesome to see them get a pat on the back. My kids were all asking me why I wouldn't win again. They don't get it really. They think it is some kind of yearly fight where we are running for president or something! So silly. I will never win again. There is no need for it. Once you win once, you shouldn't win again. There are 200 teachers at our school. We should spread it around. So many deserve it.

It was definitely the greatest honor I have ever received, but I will be glad when someone else is the TOY. I already feel a little pressure off my shoulders. Isn't that strange? Well, a lot is expected of you and people look at you differently. When I say something crazy (about 50% of the time) others would take it seriously or take it the wrong way. I had to start measuring what I say and being real careful. I don't particularly like that. But, it has been amazing to represent my school. And it was cool to be the first one ever at AHS.

I am going to start doing some research on Hawaii. Maybe that'll get me more excited about going. But, lately I haven't been looking forward to the trip at all. I know it's a 7 hour flight. It is going to be a long trip. Not to mention having to come up with 5 days of lessons for a sub. I didn't even miss that many days when Aidan was born! And I also know that a lot of people are jealous of the teachers that are going. Understandably so. Even some in the community are questioning the use of money to go all the way there. Makes sense. But, we did write a grant and go the money outside of the district to go.

Mostly what I need to focus on is the reason I do want to go - I want to bring back info from the conference and try to help our transition to a new system of grading and assessment. It has been a difficult transition so far and if I can help other teachers by bringing back some information and tips, that will be great. Heck, I need the help myself!

Time for me to go get Norma. We are going to watch Lost. Should I really be watching a television show that is based on a plane crash in the Pacific and shot on location in Hawaii?

Amazing Rockets. First Place After 21 Straight Wins!

Amazing. 21 consecutive wins. First place in the Western Conference. Wow.

The Rockets rallied from a first-half deficit and beat the Charlotte Bobcats 89-80 and take their winning streak to 21 games and become only the second NBA team with a streak of 21 or more.

The 1971-72 Lakers won 33 in a row. The Rockets host this year's Lakers on Sunday afternoon.

Sunday's game is going to be fun to watch!

Mission Control

1, 2, 3, ... 5, 6 BLASTOFF!

Blastoff! from fordee on Vimeo.

Accidents Happen...

Ooops! Aidan topples off a chair. from fordee on Vimeo.

Everyone survived. But Mom and Dad were probably shaken up mentally. Luckily he avoided the concrete and landed on his butt in the grass. Whew.

Spring has sprung...

Spring break is at the end of this week. Norma and I desperately need it. We have had a rough weekend of sickness. Neither of us has much voice at all to speak of (literally). But, we got Aidan out for a little while this afternoon. It was around 67 degrees, sunny and breezy. A beautiful Sunday.

3 AM Girl is Obama Girl

It is probably my favorite story from the campaign: ABC NEWS: 3 A.M. Girl Wants Obama To Answer the Call

Casey Knowles of Bonney Lake, Wash., was recently watching Jon Stewart lampoon Hillary Clinton's well-known "3 a.m." ads on "The Daily Show" when her brother noticed something.

"They were parodying this ad, kind of poking fun at it. They were replaying it. We paused it. My brother was like, 'Is that Casey?' And we just erupted," Knowles said on "Good Morning America Weekend Edition" today. "Sure enough, it's me."

An image of an eight-year-old Knowles appears in the ad, shown sleeping soundly in bed. The Clinton campaign legally purchased the file footage of Knowles from Getty Images.

Clinton's ad aimed to emphasize her experience and say she'd be a strong national security candidate. The ad was a play on a 1980s-era advertisement with a similar theme: if there was a middle-of-the-night national security emergency, who would you want to have answer the phone and deal with it?

Ironically, though, the now-17-year-old Knowles would want Clinton rival Barack Obama to answer any important 3 a.m. calls coming into the White House.

Knowles' image originally was shot for a railroad company advertisement, but the teen said she harbors no resentment toward the Clinton campaign for using her image.

"I'm just enjoying the irony. I'm an Obama supporter," said the high school senior, who will turn 18 next month, well before the election in November.

Still, Knowles made it clear she disliked Clinton's ad.

"What I don't like about the ad is it's fear-mongering. I think it's a cheap hit to take. I really prefer Obama's message of looking forward to a bright future," Knowles said. "I think that's a much stronger message."

Knowles was actually a precinct captain for the caucus in Washington State for Obama. This one just cracks me up.

Iceman - Amazing

This is amazing:
Iceman on Everest: 'It Was Easy'
Wim Hof's Amazing Abilities to Withstand Freezing Temperatures


This story just is amazing. Makes me think of
the NBC show Heroes. I have been watching those reruns from season 1 on DVD.

Hof began a lifelong quest to see just how far his abilities would take him. In January of 1999 he traveled 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle to run a half-marathon in his bare feet. Three years later, dressed only in a swimsuit, he dove under the ice at the North Pole and earned a Guinness World Record for the longest amount of time swimming under the ice: 80 meters, almost twice the length of an Olympic-sized pool.

When he didn't experience frostbite or hypothermia, the body's usual reactions to extreme cold, his extraordinary ability started to get the attention of doctors who specialize in extreme medicine.

Dr. Ken Kamler, author of "Surviving the Extremes," has treated dozens of people who tried to climb Mount Everest, and instead nearly died from the frigid temperatures. He couldn't believe it when he got word of a Dutchman making the ascent with no protection other than a pair of shorts.

It is almost too much to believe!

Bush takes office - Oil $31 a barrell... now?

"The results of having no plan has caught up with America."

Looking at those gas prices makes me long for the "good ole days."

"Alergic to life succubus side-kick." -- that was funny.

Bumper to Bumper

Texans drive like idiots when it rains. Today was no exception. Every grandma 15 miles per hour in the rain driver was out in force. What a long ride home. What would they do on the hills and in the snow of Pennsylvania?

We have been proudly sporting our Obama '08 sticker on our car:


I love it. In the middle of Bush Country, it's nice to REPRESENT.

I will present to my students tomorrow who I voted for. I don't tell them or even give a hint through the whole process. But, on election day I usually tell them after we vote in class. It is always interesting to see how many kids are excited, disappointed, or apathetic.

When telling the students I present my three most important issues and then break down why I voted for the person that I chose. The rational for me is to give them an insight into how an adult should decide these kinds of things. My three issues are the same as in 2004: Economy, Education, & Environment. Actually I think all 3 are very well tied together. We can stimulate the economy by turning to new green technology and fuels. To do that we'll need to be the technology innovator in the world (I could argue we have been since WWII). To do so will mean investing in education.

I am looking forward to seeing their reaction. I would have told them on Tuesday or Wednesday, but I have been out sick all week. The flu has really got this house down and out. Each of us are sporting a pretty nasty sore throat. I was sacked out on the couch and in bed for almost two straight days. The weekend needs to be super low key. Maybe we'll get through Sunday and finally get some steam back in our stride.

Hillary's Math Problem

Jonathan Alter of Newsweek wrote an interesting piece today called: Hillary's Math Problem. In it he states that even if Hillary ran the table and won each and every state left, she still would be short of the pledged delegates needed for the lead over Obama.

Hillary Clinton may be poised for a big night tonight, with wins in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island. Clinton aides say this will be the beginning of her comeback against Barack Obama. There's only one problem with this analysis: they can't count.

I'm no good at math either, but with the help of Slate’s Delegate Calculator I've scoped out the rest of the primaries, and even if you assume huge Hillary wins from here on out, the numbers don't look good for Clinton. In order to show how deep a hole she's in, I've given her the benefit of the doubt every week for the rest of the primaries.

...
So at the end of regulation, Hillary's the nominee, right? Actually, this much-too-generous scenario (which doesn't even account for Texas's weird "pri-caucus" system, which favors Obama in delegate selection) still leaves the pledged-delegate score at 1,634 for Obama to 1,576 for Clinton. That's a 58-delegate lead.

This is really interesting. Yet everywhere this morning, all you hear is how Clinton won the night last night. She won the popular vote in three states, but her margins weren't big enough to net many delegates. In fact, Obama may win more delegates because he wins the populated cities, whereas she has been winning the less populated rural areas. The cities have more delegates, so the edge is to Obama there.

Hillary is claiming that she is winning the big states and that those are the states that Dems will have to win in November against John McCain. But, is that really true? Wouldn't Obama win California, New York, New Jersey easily anyway? And isn't Obama's 60-40 dominance in the cities much more important? Isn't it the urban areas that are really the Democrats strong zones? Obama is actually winning where the voters are. Those rural areas that voted for Hillary in Texas will vote for McCain in the general election - no doubt.

This thing is really complex. But, I like what MSNBC's Chuck Todd said when he broke it down: "Either Obama is going to have to win in one of Hillary's strong states, or Hillary will have to win in one of his." So, looking at the map and what is left, here are their states:

Obama - Wyoming, Mississippi, Oregon, Montana, South Dakota, North Carolina, Guam, and Puerto Rico
Clinton - Pennsylvania, Indiana, West Virginia, Kentucky

It sure looks good for Obama. At the end of this process he should be able to make these claims: 1) Won more of the popular vote. 2) Won more pledged delegates. 3) Won more states. How can the Democratic party give it to Hillary if the people have voted in stronger numbers for Obama? No way.

Texas... it's time!

Can't sleep tonight. I am feeling really crummy. Staying home with Aidan tomorrow. He has an ear infection.

So I am sitting her contemplating the election. I will go tomorrow night to caucus for Obama at our local polling place. I am very interested to see how it works. Never been to one before.

All I can hope is that he is able to do well enough tomorrow night (probably means winning in Tx, Ohio, and at least Vermont) that Hillary will see the hand writing on the wall and drop out. That sure would be nice. As a Democrat, I don't like all the negative spin that the Clinton machine is unleashing. It is only hurting us in the general election.

The election in Texas has been a good one though. I loved this clip done by the Obama for Texas folks which recaps the Texas campaign:

Hawaii Lava Flowing

At the end of the month I am heading to Hawaii for a conference. Today I saw this video footage of lava flowing:
Hawaii Lava Flow on CNN

That's about as close as I need to be! I am not so interested in lava flows. But, I guess I am getting excited about going and enjoying Hawaii. It might just be a once in a lifetime chance for me to go.

This weekend Aidan has been feeling a little ill. Really all of us are a bit run down. Norma has been working really hard at school. I taught classes on Thursday night and Saturday morning for Alternative Certification for teachers.

Sunday has been a good chance to recharge the batteries.