Coolest Gift Ever

Each December I get all kinds of gifts from the families of my students.  This year was no different…except that I quite possibly got the coolest thing ever. 

My students have picked up on the fact that I go to Starbucks most every morning.  As a result, several of them chipped in and purchased me a rather large Starbucks gift card.  

It was a very pleasant surprise! 

One very smart boy in my class also picked up on the fact that I am somewhat of a “Gadget Geek.”  If it’s an odd gadget (especially anything technology related) I am going to be extremely impressed with it.  

So anyway, this boy got me a Swiss Army Flash drive.  

That’s right I said Swiss Army! 

As you can see in the photo, but would probably have guessed anyway, it has the usual small knife, small nail file and small scissors.  In addition to these Swiss Army Knife regulars, the familiar red background shield with the white cross symbol is actually a push-switch for a flashlight and it has a pop out ball point pen to boot!  

However, the big news was the fold out 1 GB flash drive!  Very cool! 

I know what you’re thinking and it’s the first thing that popped into my head as well.  

Next time I’m lost in the jungle, I’ll be set! 

That’s right, not only will I be able see in the dark, and write notes in my tree-bark journal, but I’ll also be able to store all my important data, quickly and safely fold in my flash drive and still have time to get my knife ready to hunt or protect myself from any hostile predators. 

 

I am in heaven baby!

The Power of Suggestion

The power of suggestion can be mighty strong… 

I’m always joking around with my students.  I firmly believe that if a child enjoys being at school then the possibilities for learning are endless.  

A couple of years ago I told my class that I was the world of math scholars, I was the world’s leading authority when it comes to improper fractions.  I told them that in college my roommate and I started the National Society for the Advancement of the Understanding of Improper Fractions.  (NSAUIF)  I went on to say, that for the last 10 years I had been the president, but that I had to step down, because I wasn’t able to teach and do all the things a president needs to do. 

I had no idea, but they bought it hook, line and sinker! 

I forgot all about my fabricated society until sometime the following year when one of the teachers in fifth grade who had a few of my students spoke up at our faculty meeting and said, “I learned today, from my students, that Mr. A is the former president of the NSAUIF!”  

As it turned out, one of my former students had tried to enlighten his teacher about the facts concerning improper fractions and he cited me as the school’s only true authority on the matter. 

For me, that was loads of fun.  Especially since the teacher he was arguing with is the person I go to when I have math questions.  

But it got me thinking. 

 If while joking around I could simply suggest something to my students and have them believe it, then what else might I be able to suggest? 

I decided this year to tell my students at every chance I have that they are the most gifted math students I have had in years.  Don’t get me wrong, none of my students are low in math, but a few do struggle.  I just wanted to see if some of their problems where all in their heads.  

So that’s what I’ve been doing for this whole year.  

Every single day I praise their math skills.  I go on and on about how incredible they are.  I even go so far as to make it seem like some big secret I’m not really supposed to tell them.  And I think I’m beginning to see some individuals who have never really liked math gain some confidence.  

Last week, we took a district math assessment.  

My students knocked it out to the park!  

 

Yep, the power of suggestion can be mighty strong…

Adobe Abode...

If you’re heading to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and you want somewhere to stay that is truly a “home away from home,” then Adobe Abode is the place for you.  

I’ve lost the exact count, but we’ve stayed at Adobe Abode at least six different times over the past seven or eight years and wouldn’t even consider staying anywhere else.  The warm, inviting atmosphere combined with the comfortable rooms makes you feel at home right from the start.  

With museums, all levels of dining and the charm of the Plaza all within walking distance, it’s more than easy to plan each day’s adventures.    

But what good are a comfortable bed and a great night’s sleep without an incredible breakfast!  Luckily, Adobe Abode has all of the above!  I’ve never gone away from the table hungry, and I’m always extremely pleased with my meal. I believe that even if the accommodations weren’t incredible, which they are, the breakfast would keep me coming back. 

That brings us to the owners and staff…both TOPS!  Whether it’s Andy Duettra, the owner, or one of his wonderfully trained staff members who are serving you breakfast, they are very helpful with things like restaurant recommendations and basic city information.  And they are all fun people to be around. 

Give Adobe Abode a try…and you’ll be hooked for life!

Scar Treatment

So there I was, teaching about something, when out of the blue the question pops out.  I’ve heard it a thousand times, usually from much younger children who really don’t know any better.   Even so, it does seem to always throw me off a wee-bit. 

“What’s that hole thing in your neck?”  

The moment he said it my hand jumped up to my throat to see if my collar were hiding it, which of course it wasn’t.  And I suddenly lost my train of thought in mid sentence.    

“Benny! You idiot!” Were the words that were somewhat loudly whispered by a few of the students who have been more well trained in the manner department.  They knew that it was socially acceptable to look at a person’s deformities, but never to bring them up…at least not in polite conversation.  

“No, it’s okay.”  I somehow managed to sputter.  Trying my best to appear unshaken by the question.  

“It’s the scar left from a tracheotomy that I had after a car accident.” 

My words were met with eager stares from faces that wanted to know more. 

 “I wasn’t able to breathe on my own so they had to put a tube in my throat and hook me up to a machine to help me.” 

And I quickly changed the topic back to whatever lesson I had been in the middle of. 

I limped through the rest of the day feeling extremely self-conscious about my neck.  

I’ve had this “hole thing” in my neck for over 18 years…will I ever get used to it?

Final Game of the Season

My chauffer polished off about two liters of Blue Raspberry, Mad Dog 20/20, so I decided to give him the night off.  As a result, I made it to the games on time.  

Our final opponent for the season, at least before the big tournament, was the Richardson North Vikings, and the B Team started off the evening looking pretty good.  Their first game was a painful back and forth battle that ended with a narrow victory for the Vikings.  

The B Team’s second game didn’t start off much better, and the Lady Chargers quickly found themselves down 15 to 4.  However, in true Lady Charger spirit, these girls rallied and brought the score back to 21/16.  

In the end, our Lady Chargers weren’t able to swing things fully back and they lost the second game 25 to 16. 

The A team’s had a hard time finding their groove in the first game.  Points and plays that in recent games would have never happened, seemed to be popping up all over the place.  The Vikings weren’t playing better than the Lady Chargers, but the Lady Chargers kept giving them point after point.  

A timeout was called and the score was Vikings 11, Lady Chargers 7.  

I was sitting there with my spirits going in the pooper when I had this thought…Every comeback begins with a single point. 

After the timeout the Lady Chargers tied the score at 12 to 12 and never looked back.  The final score ended up Lady Chargers 25, Vikings 15.  

It seemed their final match of the season was going to go their way.  

Call it overconfidence, call it the luck of the draw, call it whatever you like…but in the end you have to call it a poor ending to an otherwise magnificent night.  

That’s right, the Vikings somehow managed to win game two and game three.  

What I do know is that the eight grade Lady Chargers from Forest Meadow Jr. High are a talented group of girls who play hard and pour everything they have into each and every game.  Combine that with a couple coaches whose philosophy of leadership is, “Show respect and you get respect,” and you get a group of girls who are winners…no matter what the scoreboard says.  

Coach Owens and Coach Ogden took a group of girls with skills at all levels of the game and taught them how to focus and work as a team.  

Thank you Coach Owens and Coach Ogden.  Thank you for allowing our girls to call you coaches and role models and leaders, but thank you most of all for allowing them call you friends.  

I’ve had a good time writing about these games and am sad the season is over.  Thanks for reading my weekly report of the FMJH, Lady Chargers Volleyball adventures!

 

Author’s Note:

And what about our crazy, mumbling dad?  He showed up again…and I tried to talk with him.  However, it became clear rather quickly that he’s not all there.  

First, he couldn’t sit still.  He would sit on one side of the net and then switch to the other.  Sure the girls change sides for each game, but his movements were more than that.  I can’t quite put my finger on it, but take it from a guy who has worked with more than his fair share of students with ADHD this guy needs more, or maybe stronger medication.   

Second, and this was possibly even more disturbing that his odd movement behaviors.  The times I was able to pin him down for a few seconds and speak it was odd, because he didn’t really speak in complete sentences.  He would open his mouth and spew out little phrases and parts of sentences.  It was as if he was trying really hard to make some kind of really profound statement, but just couldn’t pull it together.  

In the end, I’m not sure if or when I’ll ever see this guy again.  The good news is he doesn’t seem to be any kind of real danger to anyone or himself.  At least he didn’t seem to be.  I only hope that in someway he’ll be able to get the help he so desperately needs.  

A Breath of Fresh Air!

Luckily, my driver didn’t have quite so much to drink this week and I made it to the gym in time to see both the A and B team’s games.  (I'm probably gonna have to fire the bum!) 

The Eighth Grade Lady Chargers were in top form Thursday night!  Both the A team and the B team won their games against the Falcons from Long Middle School, but each team had a very different plan of attack. 

The B team took control of the evening by winning the first game 25 to 21.  The B team’s overall strategy is very similar to the boy who catches a bug.  While he fully intends to kill the bug, and could with one quick stomp of his foot, he pulls off the wings, then the legs, and watches as the poor creature squirms and suffers a slow and painful death. 

The Lady Chargers B team playfully allowed their opponents to win the second game just to get their hopes up…not unlike the boy with the bug who pulls off one leg and allows the bug to limp around trying to escape, before ripping off the next leg. 

The B team’s third game was more of the same with the score staying about even until Long Middle School scored their 20^th point.  At that point the legless, squirming bug lost its appeal and the Lady Chargers put the Falcons out of their misery 25 to 20. 

The A team took a totally different approach.  Unlike the boy who enjoys watching his victims squirm, the A team has the “Bugs are gross, so let’s get rid of them” philosophy of extermination.  

For the first three points, the A team’s first game started off looking like it was going to be one of those point for point trade off games.  You know the kind.  However, Colleen Livingston had an outstanding 12 serve run that quickly made the score Forest Meadow 13, Long Middle School 3.  That powerful run gave the Lady Chargers so much momentum they couldn’t fail.  As a matter of fact, Long only scored four more points for the entire game.  

Game one ended with the score, Lady Chargers 25, Long Middle School 7. 

The second game started didn’t start off quite so good.  Long had our Lady Chargers down 8 to 4, when sudden blast of energy swept in and the Chargers took control.  

Macy Atkinson took over with the team's second Power Serve Run and quickly took the score to Forest Meadow 15, Long Middle School 8.  

Once again, the Lady Chargers shifted to their, “Quick! Squash him fast!” philosophy and held the Falcons to only four more points.  The game ended with a score of 25 to 12.  

All five games were good games.  Neither team had any really bad plays and there weren’t any questionable calls.  What everyone witnessed was some good, old-fashioned volleyball. It was a breath of fresh air! 

And a good time was had by all…

Except for that same tired dad who kept mumbling, “Smart Plays!“ and “Tourniquets were my idea!”   

Nobody understands anything he’s talking about, and everyone tries their best to ignore him...poor guy. 

 

You call it refereeing...I call it POOP!

Sadly, thanks to the sluggish driving habits of my chauffer, I missed not one, but both of the B teams volleyball games.  As a result, my report on these first two Lady Charger games will be second hand.  

The Lady Chargers of Forest Meadow played the Broncos of Barbara Bush Middle School.  This was a high-spirited game, and the parents I spoke with told me about two games where the girls played some great volleyball.  They played hard, they played well and they put everything they had into each and every bump, set and spike.  When he dust settled, the Lady Chargers may not have been the victors, but they’re still number one! 

The A team took the court with fire in their eyes and winning in their hearts.  They grabbed a quick two-point lead and jumped ahead with some serious momentum.  The score was Bush Middle School 5, Forest Meadow 6 and Forest Meadow had the serve.  The Lady Charges had the wind at their backs and they were on the move.  

Then it happened...  

After a Bush time out, the girls were all getting ready for the serve.  The platform referee blew his whistle and signaled that Forest Meadow had lost the serve.  The stunned players and spectators alike sat dumbfounded as they passed the ball over to the Broncos.  

As it turned out, the referee had decided, rather haphazardly, to suddenly enforce a five second rule.  We found out later that the players have exactly five seconds to serve the ball once the whistle blows.  Evidently “Stopwatch Willie,” the head referee at the game, had somehow managed to count to “Five Mississippi” in his tiny little head and then blown his whistle.  

I’m all for following the rules!  I mean, where would this great county of ours be without rules and consequences for those who didn’t follow them.  

Now I’m no lawyer, but in my book, if you’re going to start enforcing that kind of precedent, then it seems to me that you’re going to need something a wee bit more chronographically accurate than Stopwatch Willie counting to Five Mississippi each and every time someone is serving.  All I know is that I started timing girls on both teams, and I got to seven, eight and even eleven Mississippi on more than one occasion.  And that was with servers from both teams, but he never made that “Serving Time is Up” call again.  I wonder why? 

That seriously crappy call and the loss of the serve quickly deflated the spirit of the entire Forest Meadow team.  Don’t get me wrong; these girls still played some incredible volleyball! Even after the 'Bush Middle School Serve-Time Fiasco of 2008' (a name for this sad event in history that I hope will catch on) the game ended with the score, Bush Middle School 25, Forest Meadow 20.  

The second game was a disheartening uphill battle.  The second string had just sat by and watched the Bush Middle School Serve-Time Fiasco of 2008, as well several other examples incredibly poor of refereeing.  It was becoming painfully obvious that the two best players on the Broncos team stood on the sidelines and blew whistles! 

However, in true Lady Charger fashion, these girls faced their opponents head on and never looked back.  

From the beginning, it was easy to tell that our Lady Chargers were downtrodden, but those brave girls fought with everything they had.  After what felt like and eternity, the Lady Chargers found themselves down 23 to 10.  With only 2 more point to score, it looked like the game was over.  

Then it happened... 

Something sparked deep within our team and a charge began.  Great play after great play kept happening and point after point kept popping up on the scoreboard.  What started at Bush Middle School 23, Lady Chargers 10 miraculously changed to Bush 24, Forest Meadow 22.  The Charger fans couldn’t stay off their feet, and the Bronco fans couldn’t breathe.  

This group of Lady Chargers played with everything they had and the Bush Broncos were very aware they had played a superior team…a superior team who was having an off night. 

What can we say about the night's games?

 

Our Lady chargers might not have had the highest scores…but they were in no way outplayed!

Volleyball Tournament

Saturday was volleyball tournament day for several of the districts in and around Dallas, and the Forest Meadow Lady Chargers 8^th grade team burst through the gates excited and looking for victory!  

First in line for the beating of a lifetime was Blalack Middle School.  It didn’t take the Lady Chargers long to assert their dominance over this team.  A speedy 25 to 16 victory got everyone, players and fans alike, filled to the brim with excitement!  Even with the momentum, it took the Chargers three games to put this one in the win column.  But when it’s all over, people don’t ask, “How,” they only ask, “How much?” 

After winning our first game, the luck of the draw put us up against Westwood Jr. High. 

If you’ve been keeping up with the season, then you know that Westwood is our nemesis…and beating your nemesis always feels good.  

So, it goes without saying that everyone from the players and coaches all the way down to the super devoted Forest Meadow fans were hungry fora win! (There was even one dad wearing the coolest purple camouflage shorts! I think even Coach Owens liked them.) 

Everyone sat on the edge of their seats, because the Lady Chargers played some of the best volleyball this reporter has ever seen them play.  However, in the end, it would take more than a fiery desire to win, perfect teamwork and great plays to defeat our greatest foe.  It felt to me like we were too wound up.  We were too tight.  One thing I’ve learned after a lifetime of sports is you can’t play tight...you gotta play loose.  

Next up, Polk Middle School.  After winning the first game 25 to 13, the Lady Chargers didn’t give the girls from Polk enough credit, because they rallied and won the game two 25 to 21.  

The third game would prove to be exhausting for players and fans alike.  Game three is only to 15 points, and Polk managed to take a 9 to 4 lead.  The Chargers fought hard, scored five fast points and tied the score 9 to 9.  The next five points were difficult for everyone.  Both teams played hard, played well and showed us the true meaning of incredible volleyball!  After trading point for point to a score of 14 to 14, the Lady Chargers brought the score to Forest Meadow 15, Polk 14.  However, you have to win by at least two points.  Nobody was breathing and every heart in the gym was beating 1000 miles an hour, as the Chargers got ready to serve.  

I’m not sure how they did it, but somehow they managed to play the entire point in slow motion.  You can be sure that each and every girl played great volleyball, but in the end the Lady Chargers won 16 to 14.  

The Lady Chargers came excited and looking for victory and they left exhausted and winners! 

More Volleyball!

Forest Meadow’s eighth grade girls played some amazing volleyball last Thursday night!  We played against Parkhill, another of Richardson ISD’s exceptional volleyball schools.

The B Team led the charge with two great games.  Both were back and forth battles filled with impressive plays.  However, in the end, Parkhill pulled out two narrow wins.  25 to 23 and 25 to 21. 

The A Team burst onto the court in rare form with two quick unanswered points.  But both teams were hungry that night, and after those first two points the game was fierce battle.  It was easy to see that this game was going to be one for the record books!

The Lady Chargers had skillful play after skillful play, but Parkhill would rally and give as good as they got.  This wasn’t a game that was going to be won or lost on errors or bad serves.  Oh no, this was a death match…and there would be only one survivor.

With the score at Parkhill 13, Forest Meadow 10, Parkhill started to rally.  The Lady Chargers were in desperate need of a "tourniquet play." (Just a little phrase I coined that means a play to stop the bleeding, and help turn the tide in our direction)

Their tourniquet came in the form of two unbelievable diving saves.  Sadly, this reporter got so caught up in the excitement of moment that I didn’t remember to write down which girls made those amazing play.  However, it doesn’t matter whose arm or hand actually struck the ball, because this final rally was a true team effort. 

All four of the night’s volleyball games were exactly like that.  Fierce battles fought by teams with fire in their eyes, passion in their hearts and a true love of volleyball set deep in their soul.  

Ladies and gentlemen, this was one for the record books.  Because while in the end Parkhill had the most points…there were no losers!

VolleyBall!

This was a big volleyball night for the eighth grade Lady Chargers.  Tonight it was Forest Meadow Jr. High –vs.- Westwood Jr. High.  And believe you me, both the A and B team girls really played some outstanding v-ball. 

The B team girls decided to take their time inflicting damage on their opponents and ended up playing three games.  Games one and two were your typical win one lose one, back and forth type of games.  Forest Meadow won the first and Westwood won the second.  There were some good volleys, some incredible spikes and of course some heartbreaking misses. 

The third game, however, is what kept us on the edge of our seats.  The Lady Chargers burst out of the gate with quick four nothing lead, but Westwood answered right back with four of their own.  They started trading point again and it looked this game was going to be more of the same. 

At 16 to 16 Forest Meadow took off, scored ten unanswered points, and showed everyone why they’re called “Chargers!” 

Sitting in the stands, doing my best to ignore the pearls of volleyball wisdom that was spewing from the mouth’s of some of the parents, (especially this one dad who kept mumbling things about "Smart Plays") I gained a new since of Charger pride!

 

The Lady Chargers eighth grade B team played equally as impressively against Westwood. 

The first game started off great with two quick points.  Westwood came back and took the lead and made the score 11 to 5.  Then Forest Meadow rallied and made the score Lady Chargers 14, Westwood 13.  After that is was a true give and take.  The teams stayed neck and neck with a score of Westwood 20, Forest Meadow 19.  The Lady chargers couldn’t hold on, and Westwood went on to win by a score of 25 to 21.

Game two was filled with amazing rallies, incredible saves and spectacular spikes.  However, after all was said and done, the Lady Chargers weren’t able to pull the winning rabbit out of their hat.  Maybe we didn’t get the win, but Westwood had to fight for every single point.  

More Sports...for now

Well, it was another action packed night of volleyball at Forest Meadow!   The eighth grade Lady Chargers exploded onto the scene with some amazing moves. 

The B-Team hit the ground running against Apollo Jr. High.  Both the first and second string teams stood toe-to-toe with their opponents, looked them right in the eye and never blinked.  The first game ended with a score of Lady Chargers 21 Apollo 25. 

Their second game was a true battle.  The Chargers played hard, made some out of this world saves and spent the first half of the game trading point for point with Apollo.  With the score tied 11 all, Apollo sent in a ringer who blasted 7 points and nearly broke the drive of the Lady Chargers.  However, after a brilliant save and some truly spectacular offensive moves the score was tied, 22 to 22. 

Somehow, Apollo managed to squeak the next three points by for a narrow victory.  This was a heartbreaking defeat for everyone.

The A-Team first string started off with a net serve that made the score Apollo 1 Lady Chargers 0.  The Chargers rallied and quickly tied the game at 1 to 1.  The next ten serves were a win one, lose one kind of a trade off.  That is until Jamie Crawford took the serve and drove home five straight points which made the score Lady Chargers 11 Apollo 6. 

Apollo made one last valiant stand and tied the score at 11 all.  After a time out, the Chargers came out running and never looked back.  They quickly made the score Lady Chargers 23, Apollo 14.  Apollo tried to rally, but it was no use.  The A-Team won the first game 25 to 19.

The second string burst onto the scene with a surge of momentum and scored four quick points.  Apollo answered back, point for point and from then on the game became a true nail-biter. 

Just when it seemed the game would last forever, and with the score tied at 23 to 23, the Lady Chargers put the moves in high gear and scored the last two points.  It all happened so fast it was hard to know what was going on.  What I do know is the final score…Lady Chargers 25, Apollo 23.    

Ramblings of a Third Grade...Sports Writer???

My daughter's eighth grade volleyball team needed someone to write an article type of thing of each game for the local paper and I volunteered.   Truth be known, I'm not exactly sure where it will be printed, but I guess I'll find out.

As  result, I decided to go ahead and post them here.  I seriously doubt many people are going to have any interest in reading about the Forest Meadow Jr. High's eighth grade volleyball games, but you never know.

So here goes.

Game date: September 11, 2008

Forest Meadow Jr. High -vs- Blalock Jr. High

Our eighth grade Lady Chargers kicked off their season Thursday night with a bang!  While it might not have been the exact bang we were looking for, the parents and fans couldn’t have been more proud! (Just ask the boys with the painted faces.)

The B team led the charge and found themselves down by 7 with the score Lady Chargers 16 and Blalock 23.  However, after some brilliant defensive plays they rallied and the score went to Lady Chargers 20 to Blalock’s 24.  Sadly, they weren’t able to hold on and we lost the first game 20 to 25. 

Game number two for the Lady Charger B team started off a little better, but Blalock took advantage of their momentum and quickly pulled out a win in the second game as well.

         The A team started off their first game in true Charger fashion with a score of 6 to zip!  Blalock surged and took the lead by one point.  The remainder of that first game was a fierce back and forth battle.  The Lady Chargers would score two or three point and then Blalock would answer right back with two or three of their own.  At one point, Charger server Colleen Livingston blasted four powerful serves to make the score Chargers 23, Blalock 24.  Somehow, the Blalock girls were able to sneak that last point by them and won game number one Lady Chargers 23, Blalock 25.

         The second game squad had an uphill battle.  Even after several amazing saves and some truly spectacular offensive moves, they weren’t able to take control of this game.  I’ve seen a lot of volleyball in my time, and the effort of these girls would have made Kerri Walsh and Misty May proud.  But alas, even though victory was not in the cards for us tonight, never let it be said that the Eighth Grade Lady Chargers didn’t fight the good fight!

Multiple Use Items...an Update

As I mentioned in my last posting, my shoes have multiple uses.  One being shoes and the other being bottle openers…bottle openers that, at the time of the posting, I had never actually used.  

I had no idea what fun I was missing. 

We were picking my daughter up from camp in Hunt Texas.  If you’re not from The Lone Star State, and even if you are, there is a good chance you’ve never heard of Hunt Texas.  Hunt Texas is a small, nay tiny community in the heart of the Texas hill country.  While Hunt is small population wise, it has enough acreage to be home to more summer camps that I can name.  I believe there are about 8 to 10 different camps.  

This was Friday at about noon and many of the eager Camp Waldemar parents had stopped at the Hunt Store for a quick lunch before heading to camp.  Waldemar is steeped in tradition and the gates don’t open until 2:00 PM, but a line of cars magically begins forming outside the gates about an hour before they open.    

The Hunt Store, which is a combination gas station, grocery store, butcher shop, burger joint, post office and bank, is as far as I can tell, the only store in this quaint little town.   End of camp for each of the camps in the area means big business for The Hunt Store.  

But anyway, back to my shoes.  

So there we are, standing in the store’s restaurant waiting for some friends to arrive and I decide to buy a bottle of IBC Root Beer and open it with my shoe.  Standing next to the table I said, “Hey everyone, check out the cool bottle opener shoes on their maiden voyage!”  

I lifted my foot, flipped the bottle upside down and popped off the top in one quick fluid motion.  And it worked like a charm!  

As it turned out, my fluid motions may have been a wee-bit too quick.  No sooner had I gotten the bottle turned back upright, it started to spew root beer everywhere.  

On the up side, the spew was quite impressive.  We’re talking about a root beer flying in a perfect arch for about five feet. 

On the down side, the spew was quite impressive.  We’re talking about close to 12 ounces of root beer spread out over about five feet that I got to clean up.  

After all was said and done, I got almost two full gulps of root beer and lots of angry looks. 

 

Like I said, I had no idea what fun I was missing.

Multiple Use Items

You know how some things are made to have more than one purpose?   For instance, I have a phone that can also be a calendar, and an iPod, as well as a whole host of other things.   I also have a printer that can be a scanner, a fax machine and a copier.  The list of things like this in my house goes on and on.  

In the garage, I have a small hammer that can also be a crowbar.  And then I have an electric drill that can be used to as a power screwdriver.  Come to think of it my grass trimmer can be used as an edger with one small twist.  

Yep, in life there are quite a few of these “Multiple Use” items and I own my fare share of them I’m sure.  

It seems to me that an item’s different uses would have some logical relationship.  It makes sense to be able to twist one small part and go from trimming your yard to edging, or having the ability to scan, then fax or copy the same document.  And I find it quite handy to be able to make a phone call and then enter new information into my calendar, as well as listen to my favorite tunes.  

However, I recently acquired a pair of flop-flops that have a quite unlikely second function.  

I’ve wanted some black flip-flops for quite a while, but I’m rather picky.  A few years ago I picked up some Tommy Hilfiger flip-flops on sale.  These had the soles that weren't just flat rubber, but rather the kind that were formed to your foot.  

I wore them out! 

After setting on the back porch wet for a few days and becoming green and furry I decided it was time to buy new ones.  But replacing these wasn’t easy.  

Don’t get me wrong, I was willing to pay, but I just couldn’t find the right ones.  

That was over a year ago and I finally found ones I like, but like I said, they have a rather odd second function.  (Yes, I looked for over a year, but not 24/7!) 

At first glance they seem like just ordinary flip-flops.  However, on closer inspection you'll notice a small irregularity on the bottom of each shoe.  Turns out it’s a bottle opener.  

So now I add flip-flops/bottle opener to my list of “Multiple Use” items.  

What’s really funny is I’ve had them since the beginning of June, but still haven’t opened even one bottle with them.  

Maybe today’s the day I'll finally pop a brew with my shoe!

 

 

Note:  It did occur to me that I need to be extra careful where I step…I mean cool, multi-use flip-flops are one thing, but I don’t want dog poop anywhere near the top of a bottle I’m planning on putting my mouth on!  

Going Mac...

Technology wise, our home has gone through some pretty big changes. 

We used to be a home dominated by IBM.  We had Microsoft everything.  In a little more than a month we have totally switched over and are now running all Mac products.  (With the exception of my school notebook computer, which I can do nothing about.)  

It’s a whole new world.  

I had no idea technology could be so clear or user friendly.  

Not to mention the fact that I had to call in for some set up help with one of our new Mac products.  The details of which really don’t matter.   The first guy was unable to solve my problem, at which point he transferred me to his superior.  

The second guy was also unable to solve my problem, but vowed to do some research and get back to me in a day or two.  

Now, while I’m sometimes a bit overly trusting, I’m also not fresh out of school.  I’ve heard promises like this before and knew not to hold my breath.  However, this guy gave me his direct line phone number and told me to give him a call in a day or two if I hadn’t heard from him.  I was very impressed. 

To make a long story short, if that’s still possible, he solved the problem and everything’s back up and running like it should be.  

I think what I was most impressed with was the fact that this “Techie” could not only understand all the technical stuff, but he could also communicate with a non-techie.  This is not a common skill in the world of the truly computer literate.  

Like I said, my house is going Mac…

 

And once you go Mac, you never go back!

I just knew it

I’ve been going to church, a Baptist church, my whole life.  I don’t know when this strange thought first crossed my mind, but now I think about it whenever my church has communion.  

Unlike some denominations, that have the congregation move in rows up to the minister and he or she puts the communion wafer on your tongue and gives a sip of wine or juice, the Baptists bring both parts to you. 

When you’re a young boy who is still not ready to partake in communion, but who wants to very badly, the idea of having crackers and juice in church is more than a little appealing.  While I couldn’t have them, I always wanted to make sure I got to at least touch the communion trays as they were being passed down the pew.  

I remember as a young boy at First Baptist Church of El Paso Texas how massive the communion trays seemed.  Well, not so much for the first tray that held the tiny communion wafers (the body of Christ), but second tray that held the small cups of juice (the blood of Christ) was big and heavy and I was not allowed to hold them as they passed.  

Maybe it was because of how small I was.  Maybe it was how big they were.  Maybe it was the fact that accidents involving beverages were all too common around my house.  Who knows?  

Whatever the reason, somewhere back in my early childhood the idea of someone dropping that communion tray full of tiny glasses of juice seemed like the worst spill accident I could ever imagine.  

I know it must have happened somewhere to someone.  I mean, in the history of the Baptist's “take it to the masses” style of communion, you would think that at least one of these trays must have hit the floor…right? 

I’ve asked many people, but to date none have ever witnessed such a disaster.  In college, I even asked about 80 people in a Sunday School class, but nothing.  I mean nobody had even seen one glass of juice fall to the floor, much less the whole tray.  

Today, at Wilshire Baptist Church, all that changed. 

We were sitting about five pews from the back and I had just taken the juice tray from my daughter, gotten my cup and passed it to the usher, (being quite thankful that I hadn’t dropped it of course) when somewhere behind me the sound of a tiny cup bouncing on the tile floor caused me to whip my head around.  

I couldn’t see the actual cup and I couldn’t really tell which person dropped it, but it hit the floor all the same.  I must admit I was a bit relieved to see that no small kids were sitting on that pew.  Because of course they would have been blamed. 

I turned back around and tried to refocus my mind on the real reason for communion.  But I couldn’t get the thought of that falling glass out of my mind.  

I was somewhat amazed and quite pleased at how little attention this falling glass had received.  Melissa and Macy didn’t even know it had happened.  I dare say only a handful of people even new anything was wrong.  

I knew that kind of thing had to happen. 

 

I just knew it!  

I give up...or do I?

Back when gas was only about two dollars a gallon I enjoyed a large vanilla latte from Starbucks pretty much everyday.  It cost me about four dollars per latte, or twenty-eight dollars a week, but I didn’t mind.  However, as the prices at the gas pump started to skyrocket I, like most Americans, started looking for places I could cut back.  You know, things I could give up.  

When I realized that I was grumbling about spending right at $4.00 dollars for a gallon of gas, but then would happily pop into Starbucks and spend $4.17 for a 20-ounce latte (which works out to $26.69 a gallon!) I knew I had to give up my daily Starbucks fix. 

Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t totally given up my venti, vanilla latte, but I have gone from enjoying one a day to only having one or two a month.  

Now what I do for my caffeine fix is either make it at home, or go to Exxon where a 20-ounce coffee is only about one dollar.  

This morning, I was standing in line at Exxon waiting to pay a dollar for my Bengal Traders Gourmet Coffee when I became nosey and started paying attention to the guy in front of me.  

It seems he only had ten dollars and wanted a snack, some cigarettes and some gas.  

After finding out that if he purchased both the snack and the cigarettes he wouldn’t even be able to buy a single gallon of gas he started trying to decide what to put back. 

Now, the choice seemed obvious to me and I desperately wanted to step forward and offer this poor man some of my newfound “latte give up” wisdom.  I didn’t, but the teacher in me was chomping at the bit.   

If he had given up the cigarettes, at five dollars a pack…that’s 1.25 gallons of gas.  That means he would have been able to buy his snack plus two a little over two gallons of gas.  

As it turns out, he slid the snack across the counter and purchased the cigarettes plus about $4.50 in gas.  

What really got me was the fact that this guy wasn't millions of miles away in some poor third-world country.  No, this was a guy living right here in Dallas and he was having to make financial choices that to me seemed rather trivial.  

That’s when I realized that things aren’t bad for me and I really don't have a clue what the rising means to most people.  Sure, I had to stop buying an expensive latte each day, but did I really?  

Truth be told I didn’t have to, I chose to.  Why did I choose to?  I think I decided to give them up because it makes me feel like I was being financially responsible, or something like that.  

As I walked out to my car with my coffee, I topped off my gas tank and looked over to see that I had just added $69.66 worth of gas to my mornings purchase.  And I felt a little strange.  

When it’s all said and done, do I complain about the price of gas?  I don’t go out of my way to, but when the topic of conversation rolls around, and it always seems to these days, I’m quick to report on the gallon price of a Starbucks latte and then mention how I gave them up to save some cash. 

I think I'm becoming a democrat right before your eyes.

Does size really matter?

Evidently it does when you’re talking about your Internet connection.  At least it does when you’re talking about the size of the cables that bring, or take, or carry, or transfer, or magically cause words and pictures to appear from the information super highway.  

Please understand that my knowledge of this kind of thing is minimal at best.  Truth be known, as long as it’s up and running properly, I don’t really care how or why it works…just so long as it works! 

When I had but one computer hard wired into my modem, life was good.  Life was easy.  However, about a year ago I introduced a router and a wireless laptop to the mix and life has never been the same.  

First the modem and the router wouldn’t talk to each other.  Next, the router and the wireless laptop were both talking, but one was speaking English and the other Chinese.  Then the modem slowed the router down, or the router slowed the modem down.  After spending several hours on the phone with the not so helpful help desk people I finally got everything up and running well...so I thought.  

To date I have no less than five different wireless devices all on what I’m forced to call “My Network” and speed is the new issue.  I have DSL, which has always been great.  Yesterday, when I was at the apple store trying to get some help with my speed problems I learned that DSL is lumped into the same category as dial-up, and the cable Internet is all the rage.  

Here’s how the conversation went:

            apple guy:  What kind of connection do you have? 

            Me:  DSL 

            apple guy:  (making an ugly face) Ugh!  Well there’s your                  trouble right there. 

            Me:  DSL isn’t good? 

apple guy:  Well, maybe years ago, but a phone line is just too small.  (Holding up his hands with his fingers making a circle about the size of a softball he said) You need a bigger cable. 

Me:  AT&T calls it Broadband and… 

apple guy: That’s a lie!  They say that, but it’s just a lie!  You can’t have broadband through a wire the size of a phone cord! 

I realized that I had hit a rather tender topic with this poor guy, so I said thanks and slowly backed away.  

The truth is, this may have been reality for years, but I just turned a deaf ear to the whole thing, because my little world was working just fine.  

So now I’m on the hunt for the biggest Internet connection available in my area, because it seems that size really does matter.

Shopping Delimma

I was at the grocery store a couple of days ago.  I had my cart with my milk, my bread, my peaches, my usual stuff.  I was standing on the ice cream aisle trying to find the Blue Bell Natural Bean Vanilla, not the Homemade Vanilla.  I mean, the choice between Homemade and Natural Bean is a no brainer!  

I’m standing there grumbling to myself about how they always have a thousand rows of Homemade, but then they’ll have only two or three containers of Natural Bean when I heard this conversation: 

Woman:  “Blue Bell is his favorite and it’s his birthday.” 

Man:  “But it’s twice as much as this kind.  If we get Blue Bell we’ll have to put the juice boxes back.” 

Glancing into their cart I saw three items, one of which was a small package of six to eight generic brand juice boxes that might have cost $3.00 and my heart sank.  

Without looking up, I quickly grabbed my ice cream and rushed to checkout.  

I felt bad, but I’m not sure why.  

Did I feel bad for listening in on such a personal discussion?  Or did I feel guilty for having more?  Maybe I felt guilty for not offering to help.  

Whatever the reason, I felt badly for this young couple.  

I’ve never had those kinds of money issues.  I know everyone has those kinds of money issues, but mine have never been at that level.  I’ve never had to choose between ice cream and juice boxes for my child’s birthday party. 

I did some research, and while my annual income is not even close to the top incomes in Dallas, it’s also nowhere near the poverty level.  After my quick research I was a bit ashamed for wanting a larger salary.  

After all is said and done, I’m not sure what all this says about me.  

Maybe it says I’m rich.  Maybe it says I’m spoiled.  Maybe it says I’m blind to financial situation that the bulk of the world is in.  

I don’t know…I guess I’ve got something to think about.