Wednesday, February 27, 2008
At Least It's Springtime in Lakeland!
The Tigers' first spring training game against the Mets is today in Lakeland, Florida, and I'm listening on XM Radio. To hear the sweet sounds of baseball again makes me feel warm despite the frigid temperatures and lake effect snow outside. At least it's springtime in Lakeland!
Friday, February 22, 2008
How Would Jesus Drive?
In the past three months, I have been nearly run off the road twice, nearly hit three times, and have been treated rudely, flipped off, and today, honked at for not accelerating fast enough in a lane that was about to end...all by people whose license plates look like the one at right.I told my wife about my experiences when they began before Christmas and what the license plates all looked like, and she thought I was just blaming this group of people because I am an atheist.
Then she started seeing it, too.
I know it's not all Christians doing this. Some of my best friends are Christians, you know. It's the people with the license plates. I think they must be trusting that God is going to spare them from their bad driving. I wish they'd spare me from it.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
My Little Tiger
Eight months ago, I got Sera a little Tigers outfit to wear to her first game, and she was just the cutest little girl ever. At her first game, everyone who saw her said, "Aaaaaaawwww." We got her the cheerleader outfit because her hair was so short she got confused for being a boy when I put her in ordinary baseball wear.We have to go to Kalamazoo, Michigan just to get her a Tigers outfit. Around here you get a choice of White Sox or Cubs. So we make a point of going to Michigan each year to re-stock my supply of Tigers stuff. I even go to office stores to get calendars and mousepads.
We took Sera back to Kalamazoo today to update her wardrobe. I felt like I was home again, as I was not the only one wearing a Tigers cap for a change. Kalamazoo is full of Tigers fans.
Sera's wearing 18-month clothing now, and look what a fan I have at home:
Sera is always taking my Tigers cap off and putting it on. Now she has one of her own!
And don't let her 22 months of age fool you. I turned on ESPN Classic today to a game played between the 1993 Astros and Mets and the first thing out of her mouth was "Beesball!" She knows when they're talking about it on XM radio in the car, too, even before they say the name of the game. The brainwashing has begun!
Friday, February 15, 2008
Spring Training
At last!
Pitchers and catchers reported for spring training yesterday, and I can't wait for baseball to begin! I even shaved off most of my winter beard. With a week from hell behind me, I have something to look forward to.
Monday all the 8th grade math teachers in my building had an all-day inservice. Tuesday, all Elkhart teachers had an all-day inservice. We actually had school on Wednesday and Thursday, only to be followed by a four-day weekend. Guess what, when school's back in on Tuesday data coordinators have a half-day inservice so I will miss three of my five classes. I'm sure my students' learning is going to improve from this schedule somehow, but I'll be darned if I can figure out how.
I was listening to XM radio yesterday to try to get the lowdown on the beginning of spring training, but all I hear is talk, talk, talk about Roger Clemens. Good grief, Senator Mitchell suggested in his report that we proceed from here: "Knowledge and understanding of the past are essential if the problem is to be dealt with effectively in the future. But being chained to the past is not helpful. Baseball does not need and cannot afford to engage in a never-ending search for the name of every player who ever used performance enhancing substances." Isn't that good enough? Let's develop tests to eliminate this crap from the game, not target and smear every player named in the report. Nothing good will come of that.
I finally found some good coverage of the Tigers in spring training from the Detroit News. I would give a lot to be in Lakeland, Florida this weekend. The Tigers made key trades this winter, and on paper the team looks to do well, but they have to play the games. I'm ready to see them! We'll be headed up to Kalamazoo, Michigan this weekend to see if we can find some Tigers wear for Sera for this spring. I can hardly wait!
Pitchers and catchers reported for spring training yesterday, and I can't wait for baseball to begin! I even shaved off most of my winter beard. With a week from hell behind me, I have something to look forward to.
Monday all the 8th grade math teachers in my building had an all-day inservice. Tuesday, all Elkhart teachers had an all-day inservice. We actually had school on Wednesday and Thursday, only to be followed by a four-day weekend. Guess what, when school's back in on Tuesday data coordinators have a half-day inservice so I will miss three of my five classes. I'm sure my students' learning is going to improve from this schedule somehow, but I'll be darned if I can figure out how.
I was listening to XM radio yesterday to try to get the lowdown on the beginning of spring training, but all I hear is talk, talk, talk about Roger Clemens. Good grief, Senator Mitchell suggested in his report that we proceed from here: "Knowledge and understanding of the past are essential if the problem is to be dealt with effectively in the future. But being chained to the past is not helpful. Baseball does not need and cannot afford to engage in a never-ending search for the name of every player who ever used performance enhancing substances." Isn't that good enough? Let's develop tests to eliminate this crap from the game, not target and smear every player named in the report. Nothing good will come of that.
I finally found some good coverage of the Tigers in spring training from the Detroit News. I would give a lot to be in Lakeland, Florida this weekend. The Tigers made key trades this winter, and on paper the team looks to do well, but they have to play the games. I'm ready to see them! We'll be headed up to Kalamazoo, Michigan this weekend to see if we can find some Tigers wear for Sera for this spring. I can hardly wait!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Grieving
I lost a student a week ago Friday night.
Most times, when a student moves away I get an email stating that the student is withdrawn and that their books are in my mailbox in the office. When they are expelled, the same thing happens. But last Saturday, my principal called me at home to tell me that one of my students had died. She had neck pain, followed by a headache, and she was taken to the hospital where she passed away of an inner brain bleed. She was 14 years old. I was okay at first, but when I thought of how her parents must be suffering, the same way I would suffer if something like this happened to Sera, I broke down.
When I went back to school on Monday, there were counselors on hand to help with grieving students. They weren't enough. I didn't last very long in my first period before tears welled up in my eyes. The young lady's death was on everyone's mind and I couldn't even talk about it. This sentiment was shared and noticed by my students, or at least most of them. One of my students, who must be a sociopath or something, didn't understand why we were upset just because someone close to us had died. I know that anger is one of the stages of grief, and I sure felt it just then. I didn't have to say a word to him, though. The girl's friends who were in the class just about made him shrivel away with their stares.
When second period came around, the period I had her in class, I thought the class would never end. One hour felt like ten. No one could even look at the empty seat in the room where she had sat. Almost everyone was in tears. I heard kids bargaining, saying that they would gladly give their life for hers. It was heartbreaking. Several kids had to go down to the counselors because they just couldn't bear the pain of loss. I understood how they felt. I tried to busy myself with work, but it all came back when I had to mark her absent on my computer at the end of the period. One would have thought that she would be removed from the roster before her teachers had to do that, but apparently that was too much to hope for.
This girl was wonderful, one of those kids who never misses a day of school, always has the homework done, and never makes any trouble. To be honest, though, none of that matters. No one should die at 14.
Most times, when a student moves away I get an email stating that the student is withdrawn and that their books are in my mailbox in the office. When they are expelled, the same thing happens. But last Saturday, my principal called me at home to tell me that one of my students had died. She had neck pain, followed by a headache, and she was taken to the hospital where she passed away of an inner brain bleed. She was 14 years old. I was okay at first, but when I thought of how her parents must be suffering, the same way I would suffer if something like this happened to Sera, I broke down.
When I went back to school on Monday, there were counselors on hand to help with grieving students. They weren't enough. I didn't last very long in my first period before tears welled up in my eyes. The young lady's death was on everyone's mind and I couldn't even talk about it. This sentiment was shared and noticed by my students, or at least most of them. One of my students, who must be a sociopath or something, didn't understand why we were upset just because someone close to us had died. I know that anger is one of the stages of grief, and I sure felt it just then. I didn't have to say a word to him, though. The girl's friends who were in the class just about made him shrivel away with their stares.
When second period came around, the period I had her in class, I thought the class would never end. One hour felt like ten. No one could even look at the empty seat in the room where she had sat. Almost everyone was in tears. I heard kids bargaining, saying that they would gladly give their life for hers. It was heartbreaking. Several kids had to go down to the counselors because they just couldn't bear the pain of loss. I understood how they felt. I tried to busy myself with work, but it all came back when I had to mark her absent on my computer at the end of the period. One would have thought that she would be removed from the roster before her teachers had to do that, but apparently that was too much to hope for.
This girl was wonderful, one of those kids who never misses a day of school, always has the homework done, and never makes any trouble. To be honest, though, none of that matters. No one should die at 14.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
You Know You Have Baseball Fever...
...when you hear that Minnesota Twins 3B Michael Cuddyer and his wife are expecting a child on June 23 and you check your favorite team's schedule to see if he'll be missing a game against them.
Friday, February 01, 2008
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