Save the date...

I have discovered a new TV show that you must watch! My Big Fat Redneck Wedding on CMT is a wonderful look into the wedding preparations for some interesting folk. It has inspired Alice and myself to think about renewing our wedding vows on the farm. Picture it now...we both ride in on horseback(I'm wearing a camo tuxedo and Alice has on chaps and 10 gallon cowboy hat), Doug is the ring bearer (riding on a pig, of course) and all of our guests fire a shotgun into the air to signal the start of the ceremony. The possibilities are quite endless, really. Feel free to send me any suggestions. We were thinking of our 10th anniversary which is still 5 years away. That should be enough time to prepare.

Stay Tuned...

The new look is almost done and the new content is coming......I wish I could create some mystery video footage like Y2J....

The Summer Wind...

...came blowing in, from across the sea. Ahh yes....I can hardly believe that summer is nearing it's end. I had many intentions to do some posting but it seems that I've been away since May. Well, for anyone interested here is a quick update of my summer...started with more family "fun"...taught summer school for 4 weeks...celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary...saw the Mets beat the Reds.....saw Testament at the Chance....took the family camping (an experiment for our 2 year old that didn't work)..painted the bathroom...
Overall it has been a fun time. I did have a surprise last week when I found out very last minute that I wasn't going to be working at the fair. For those of you who don't know I have spent the last 11 years selling fudge at the Dutchess County Fair. The folks I work for called last minute and they cancelled. No more fudge! The bad news...money I was counting on and didn't get (I don't even want to think about money)...the good news...I got to actually go to the fair with Alice, Doug and my mom. Doug got to try his first 4H milkshake, some cotton candy, meet a pig face to face and go on some rides. He had such a good time, I am so happy I didn't miss it. Now as I start to get ready for school to restart we are heading up to Vermont for our annual end of summer relaxation. I am really looking forward to getting away. I do have some ideas for some other post...so perhaps after school gets back in swing.

Out with the old...in with the "certified pre-owned"

This past Monday was a day of sadness and great joy. On March 17, 1998 I bought my very first new car. It was a Saturn and I managed to drive it 161,000 miles in just over 9 years. On Monday I left it at the car dealership. A sadness came over me. The memories....I have lived 4 different places with that car. I took Alice out on our first date in that car. I drove Doug home from the hospital in that car. The list goes on and on. The concerts, camping trips, vacations, etc. It is amazing how much time a person can spend sitting in one place. Now it is time to get over the sadness. It didn't take me too long. Now, we didn't get another new car, we got a used one, but we are quite pleased. We now have a 2003 Jeep Liberty Limited Edition. Yes, Limited Edition! That means that we have a sunroof, heated leather seats and a little readout that tells us if we are going north or south. It is nice to have a little more room and my mind is at ease about dependability. My Saturn had become less reliable and I was always nervous traveling any distance with the family. Now I can enjoy the ride. I am greatly enjoying having power windows. That is a first for me. Yes, it is the simple things that I truly enjoy.
See you on the road!

A thought to ponder: "If you ever fall off the Sears Tower, just go real limp, because maybe you'll look like a dummy and people will try to catch you because, hey, free dummy".-Jack Handey

Out of the Ordinary

I'm about to do something rare. Politics is a topic you won't find me discussing. I feel that if I disagree with someone our conversation will be frustrating and no one will change an opinion. I tend to avoid these discussions. Before I continue I do want to mention that I do not belong to either political party. I vote for individuals, not a party. Being a teacher, education is a big part of my decisions. I read a quote the other day that infuriated me. I decided to post....

We are all familiar with the entire Don Imus situation. Clearly an ignorant man making an ignorant statement. I was glad to see Russell Simmons call out to rappers about leaving certain words out of their lyrics. Don Imus, however, is not the situation. Rush Limbaugh is. I have spent some time listening to the likes of Rush and even Bill O'Reilly. The discussions are interesting, also frequently based on ignorance. Time magazine published a quote from Rush regarding the massacre at Virginia Tech. (I cannot imagine what this must have been like for the students, faculty and families. A truly sad day in America.) This is the statement from Mr. Limbaugh "If this Virginia Tech shooter had an ideology, what do you think it was? This guy had to be a liberal." Are you serious? You are going to blame this horrible situation on a person's political beliefs? I cannot believe that anyone listens to this man and takes him seriously. Don Imus was fired for ignorant racial slurs against a basketball team. Mr. Limbaugh makes a statement like this and still has a job? Sometimes I don't understand.....

No thought to ponder this post......something funny doesn't seem right.

E.T. Phone Home

Exciting news from some European scientists today....they have discovered a planet about 120 trillion miles away that is similar to Earth! They predict that the temperature on the surface is between 34 and 104 degrees. It appears that the planet doesn't rotate and that it could actually have water on it. This discovery leads to the discussion...is there life "out there"? This is a step in the direction of answering yes. I have discussed this topic with friends, family and students. My friend Dan is probably the only person I know that says that it is totally impossible for any other life to exist. My feeling is that the universe is so large, we don't even know how large, there has to be something living somewhere. Of course, I like to pick on him and point out any time a person sees a UFO or Roswell is discussed. So what do you think? Have you seen a UFO? Do you believe there could be other living "beings". Let me know.

Finally...a thought to ponder:
"Better not take a dog on the Space Shuttle, because if he sticks his head out when you're coming home his face might burn up."-Jack Handey

Blogs that are actually updated....frequently

I wanted to take a moment to share two new blogs with you that I have recently been enjoying. Our local paper, the Poughkeepsie Journal, recently added a blog section and people in the area are the authors. Unlike my blog, these blogs are actually updated a few times a week.
For those of you with young children, or thinking about getting some:
Daddy Diary
http://runhed246.blogspot.com/
For those of you who follow the world of professional wrestling:
Under the Ring
http://pojoslam.blogspot.com/

A thought to ponder:
"Sometimes I think the world has gone completely mad. And then I think,"Aw, who cares?" And then I think, "Hey, what's for supper?"-Jack Handey