Tesla Coil Speakers

Electric sparks make sound, right? Well, if you control the length and strength of the spark you can control its pitch. Hook up a MIDI controller and you've got the Tesla Coil Speaker.

CHECK IT OUT

Paco Taco

Happy Halloween

Coming to a head

Next week is the "magic" week that many of the projects that I've been working on come to fruition:
- My school's webpage will go live. Hopefully, this will be a good communication tool between our staff, parents, and community.
- I'm certified to podcast for our school so I plan to ad that to our website also. Being able to use this media in my job setting is exciting and will change the way I do morning announcements.
- Our AR reading quizzes will go online. This will give our students online access to over 100,000 AR quizzes.

Any one of these items is a huge job in itself, but they're all related. Each one has a domino effect on others so it seems like pressure is building to the climax... which is next week. Hopefully, everything will go smoothly as we "flip the switch".

Cold Front?

We're supposed to get rare cold front make it all the way to Orlando this week. For us, that means we'll go from mid-90s to mid-80s. Today it came through with really heavy rain which cooled things off, but the humidity and heat lingered. I hope that's not all there is. I'd like it to feel like fall a little (or at least be a comfortable summer)

The right FIT

So there I was, a few weeks back, flipping through countless racks of dress shirts at Kohls. School was about to start and I wanted something new to wear (tax free + coupons = yeah baby). I started with the "display" shirts... they look good on the dummy but... I needed to keep looking around. I scouted the clearance racks.... miles and miles of them.
No, No, Nope, heck no, no no, maybe, no, mmmm no, maybe, AHA OK... found one. It was a "safe selection". Actually it was like pretty much everything else I own only newer. I placed it on the end of the rack and decided to keep looking.

I continued my shopping ritual: flipping through the racks until I found a gem in my size then placing it on the end of the rack for later evaluation. Pretty soon I had all of my favorite shirts displayed on the ends of every rack in the men's department (looked like my closet, only bigger). I was just about finished with a section when I spotted a shirt I liked, but couldn't find a "Large" size. Hmmm, I didn't really want an XL because they don't quite fit right in the shoulders, but I didn't want a medium cause that would look silly. Suddenly, I saw it. A size I'd never seen before..... "LT".

I'm not exactly sure what "LT" stands for but I'm guessing it's "Long & Tall". I was so excited to see this size that I went back to all of my other favorited racks and found LT sizes for them also.... switching all of my shirts to LT.

....which brings me to today. Today was the first time I've worn one of my LT shirts. At first, I felt a little weird. It actually went down below my butt, however when I looked in the mirror it seemed to sit on my shoulders nicely (not too big). I asked myself "is this how short people feel everyday"? Well whatever the answer I can report that I'm very pleased with my LT shirts and I can't wait to wear the next one. I finally found a shirt that fits well. If it had 2 pockets I'd nominate it for the SHIRT HALL OF FAME!!!

Library Procedures

I start library orientations next week to go over rules and procedures with every class. Over the years I've developed a pretty good powerpoint for the rules with embedded videos that model my procedures. This year, I decided to make videos with Clifford instead of students so that I could use this again next year without dating my material. Great idea, right? Well the first problem was Clifford's paws.... when I went to take a book off the shelf many of the books fell on the floor. For the second take I positioned the book "just so" on the shelf so that I could grab it..... I didn't think ahead about how I was going to open it.....etc.

YouTube Awards

Little did I know that the video I made of my parents buying an RV was going to be my most popular YouTube post......BY FAR! Days after posting the video, I was contacted by an RV social networking site that asked if they could use it as their "Video of the week". Sure, why not.... My parents will get a kick of out that, right? Quickly, my video set milestones on my YouTube page: First to 100 view, First to 2oo views, etc.

Yesterday, this video entered a new league.... Over amost 2,000 views in the last 24 hours. I don't know why. I don't know how. It's just weird how it has taken on a life of it's own. Meanwhile, my other videos struggle to break double digit viewer ship.

Back to School

I love being back at school! This year seems to be getting off on such a great start:
- New Carpet
- Major upgrades around campus
- Admin / Teachers seem to have their act together
- Big projects planned
- and FLEXIBILITY to do what needs to be done


On the other hand.... At my house, my air conditioner is driving me crazy. I likes to make gargling noise from the drain pipe every once in awhile with no rhyme or reason. I've tried everything I can think of from pouring hot water/bleach down the pipe, to putting a tube in it and blowing. I even hooked my bed pump to the tub to see if it could blow it clear.... Last evening, it gargled for hours before finally shutting up around 10pm. I may be calling the A/C repair guys soon to fix it once and for all.

He's at it again.....

William Gray puts out a "hurricane prediction" forecast every year.... and every year he's DEAD WRONG! That's not the problem though. Everyone has a prediction, right? Yeah, well the problem is that the media jump all over this guys predictions like it's coming from God himself.

Last year, Mr. Gray predicted a super duper season. As the season starts Mr. Gray starts to "revise" his predictions. No hurricanes this month?... well, I'll just revise my predictions down a bit.

With this years season well under way and nothing to show for it, Mr. Gray announced today that he's going to knock 2 hurricanes off his prediction. Thanks....ANYBODY can predict the weather after the fact.

Why do we listen to these guys anyway? If there's a system brewing, we take action..... If it's quiet, we watch for the next one. Who cares what the "PREDICTION" is? It's about as reliable as the groundhog.

Life goes on....

I've read reports of a big feud going on between the Sept 11 families and NYC officials over the ground zero property. Each year, the victims' families converge on the site of the 9/11 tragedy to mourn the lose of their loved ones. City officials, however, have said that with ongoing construction projects under way the site is no longer safe for the annual memorial..... instead suggesting a nearby park. The family groups are furious and are threatening to sue the city over the matter.

"Ground Zero is the graveyard for many of the people who died, so it is the obvious place to mourn them," said Jim McCaffrey, a firefighter who lost his brother-in-law, Orio Palmer, in the hijacked plane attacks on September 11, 2001."

My 2 Cents:
Ground zero is NOT a "graveyard" for anybody. It is the site of a terrible attack. People die everyday and we can't put up memorials or make shrines in every public place were tragedy has occurred. Cemeteries are set up for this purpose. They are set up for people to mourn the dead....even in cases were bodies can't be recovered. I'm all for making a nice little 9/11 garden or memorial somewhere that these people can go to since it was such a big part of our nation's history, but for them to claim that they have rites to that property is just silly.

On a similar note, I get tired of seeing shrines to deceased drivers scattered across the roadways. Yes, people die everyday on the streets.... that doesn't mean that we need wreaths, crosses, flowers, etc.... set up for years at each intersection to remember them. These are public places and life goes on.

Cheese Stands Alone

I'm not sure what happened, but I am now the ONLY family member in the state.

HP Update

FINISHED THE BOOK!!!

It's POTTER time!

I picked up my copy of "DEATHLY HALLOWS" this morning on my way to work. I'm hoping that in a couple days, I can sit down with it and READ READ READ! I can't wait to see what's in this last book.


I'll be updating my blog with my "Potter Progress". I won't be discussing the book here, but at least you'll know where I am in the book and I'd be happy to discuss with you anything that I've already read.


Happy READING!!!

Running off at the Keyboard

- Although I love the TV show "ON THE LOT", I don't think I can watch it anymore because of the hostess. She grates on my nerves and is painful to watch. Starting next week I may just watch the movie clips on the internet. Definitely one of the worst TV personalities I've ever seen.

- One of my managers at the hotel was scheduled to work as a doorman this Saturday. Well, turns out that a property in S.FL had to fire 15 of their valets and the Orlando market is sending reinforcements to save the day. Because a bunch of our guys are going to Miami, I've been asked to step up and run the ramp at our property this weekend..... should be fun

- the Democrat Congress pulled an all nighter to debate the Iraq war. Although many GOP are calling this a theatrical stunt (yeah OK), I think it's exactly the right thing to do. In other words, I'm glad that they're taking the time to be activists. Too many of our elected officials operate during narrow office hours or through secretaries.

- I wish shoe stores carried shoes my size. It would be so much easier if my feet were a couple sizes smaller

- Harry Potter movie rocks. Love the new director/feel. Can't wait for the book to come out this weekend (too bad I'm working next week)

Swiss Miss

High in the Alps today.... Literally looking at the beautiful snowcapped mountains.
We're in Interlacken Switzerland and the town is a buzz because the tour du Suisse is coming through today.

Today's activities
- Tandum parachute jump in about 10 mins
- Rope course adventure park
- Moped through the alps to Gimmelwald

Our train leaves tomorrow for Ampersterdam at 7am

Venice was awesome, we went to the opera
Luzern was great, but rainy..... we went to a dinner show where thez blew Alpenhorns, yodelled, and sang

I have to go.... this internet spaceship is timed.....

Day in Florence

We took the early train to Florence this morning. It was VERY smooth and pretty quick. By lunchtime we had already checked into our hostel (kinda) and were walking through the streets of Florence looking for sights

-David was closed today, but we got to see the full-sized copy in the square
-Huge cathedral... very nice
-Ate more pizza... and our NEW desert we love is Italian ICE!!!!
-Weather was beautiful.... scenery was beautiful, our pad is beautiful (kinda)
-Took a bus to the Michaelagello hilltop at sunset for some spectacular views

Overall, Mark and I are thrilled with how today went. We came, we saw, and we're outta here. Tomorrow morning we'll catch another morning train to Venice. Our hotel (not hostel) Is about 30 yards from St. Marcos... RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF VENICE. The next morning, we're taking a direct train to Lucerne. We have reservations at a hotel for 2 nights right downtown so we should be in good shape for awhile (we went to a travel agent today).

Chao,

Roma

Roma has been an Adventure

- Mark and I like the newer sections more than the ruins
- We're on our own.... no more tour
- We did Laudry....feel much better
- Mark and I have had enough pasta/pizza to last a lifetime
- We miss American food....especially the produce and drinks
-Roma has a LONG way to go to become a modern city
-It's been Gay Pride weekend in Rome.... Lots of marches and events (I thought I left that at DisneyWorld)
-Italians can been charming at times....pushy at others.
-In the central City, it's narrow streets and BEAUTIFUL. Where we are staying reminds me of Fort Pierce.... kinda rundown and blank
-I have no idea where people around here go shopping for ANYTHING! There are a million resaurants and Gelatoterias, but no markets of any kind
-They really like American music and TV/Movies.
-Mark and I are giants here. They asked us on two separate occastions about the size of our shoes.

We head out tomorrow morning for Florence.... we should be there one day and already have a reservation at a hostel (our first of the trip). It says on the webpage that it has internet connections, but we'll see what that means when we get there.
On the horizon; Venice, Innsbruck, Lucerne, Interlacken, Rhineland?

Farewell Rome..... we're off to the northern lands

Paris Notes

Ah, Paris.... beautiful city

-Love to Effiel Tower. It lights up at night and sparkles
-Lovre was awesome.. really wished we could spend a couple days in there
-Sacre Cure was charming... I don't like that you can't take pictures in it, but Mark and I got plenty of photos of the area
-The French are all going to die of lung cancer
-The subway is funny: it runs on tires, you have to open the doors to get on/off, and they are really stuffy
-Nobody blinks an eye at police cars... they drive EVERYWHERE with there lights and sirens on. Nobody gets out of there way
-Cafe meals last hours... I think they spend all day sitting on the corner drinking expresso
-Love the little streets/ cobbled stones
-purfumary was a complete waiste of time. Too bad many Parisians don't use them

In an hour we board a night train to Rome, Italy. Can't wait to get there and do a little laundry. If I had to repack, I'd bring LOTS more shirts and less toiletries:pants.

Weather has been beautiful, but it's been a little sprinkly the last hour or so.... I guess it's time to leave the country and look for sunnier cities.

Au Revoir

French Keyboqrds

French Keyboqrds qre q little different fro, the keyboqrds in the USQ: Qll of the keys qre in the zrong spots: To illustrqte the point; Iù, typing this blog using regulqr typing on the keyboqrd in our hotel:

?qrk qnd I toured Notre Dq,e cqthedrql todqy; qs zell qs Versilles: Ze qte dinner qt Buffqlo Bills qnd thought it zqs funnèy to see hoz the French viez the Q,ericqn Zest:

OK, I know it is hard to read.... but this is how the keyboard is laid out

Last Day in London

Yesturday, our tour finally made contact and took us on a charming bus tour of London. Our guide is a very fun older English woman who reminds me of Julie Andrews. Anyway, tomorrow we depart for Paris at 5:15am (Yikes). We've walked all over the last couple days: Drury Lane (to see the Muffin Man), Berkely Square (to listen for Nighengales), etc...

Last night we took a train out to Homestead Heath (outer London) to meet up with Serena's friends for a picnic on a big hill that overlooks London. We played frisbee and catch, picniced on bananas/chicken/pringles, and drank Pimms (a summer drink). Fun times all around.

It gets dark very late here. The sun doesn't really go down until 9:30ish, and comes back up very early (4ish).

Today we walked Portabello Road and went all through the flee Market areas looking for "stuff". Lots of bags, junk, and clothes. Mark and I both got some good lookin' hats that make us blend right in (I'll post a pic in Flickr soon). We also walked the grounds of Kensington Estate (princess diana's house) and all through Hyde park...... GEORGIOUS WEATHER!!!!

Signing off from London...... Cheers

London days 2-3

Wow, we've seen more of London than probably any Brit! We've done the Tower of London, saw the crown jewels, took a river cruise down the Thames, seen Tony Blair drive by when we were in Westminster, Saw the Abby, saw a military parade (attended by Her Royal Princess) with band/horses/canons etc, visited Buckingham palace, strolls through beautiful parks, out on the town on Pub crawls with a group of locals, high shopping at fancy stores (spent a fortune), and high dining at fancy restaurants (last night we ate chinese....cost us about $80).

Our tour never picked us up and never made contact, so Mark and I are seeing the sights ourselves. Anyway, they should be picking us up shortly for a sight-seeing tour of London (probably a quick bus ride through London). I think Mark and I have had a much better tour just by hanging out with the locals. In fact, Mark's friend Serina is taking us to the Globe theater tonight for a show!

Having a great time! Wish I'd have brought my laptop (it's so hard to dump pictures/video and wait to use the computers)

TTYL

I posted some flickr photos yesturday.

Greeting from LONDON!

We made it!!!!

After numerous flight delays, we left American soil on India Air flight 112 to London. There were very few people onboard which made it possible to stretch out and sleep. For food, we had curry and pork, some veggies, some interesting sauces, and Chana Bits. The in-flight movies were funny little shorts like "Green Warriors of Thar". Our bounce landing (yes, the pilot almost lost it on our landing) brought ous onto our first every outside continent.

Immediately, some obsurvations:
- The accent, of course
- words like: Lift, way out, chewable toothpaste, Bap......
- It's BEAUTIFUL HERE
- the weather is cold, and the Brits think it's boiling..... we keep getting looked at for dressing warm
- Everybody is really nice and they do things much more proper over here
- There are a million cellphone stores, but nobody really knows about cellphones for tourist (*except Nigel in Waterloo station who sold us both phones)

Our hotel is great:
- heated towel rack
-balcony is about 1.5 feet deep
-we needed to flip the lightswitches "off" to turn them "on"

The underground is MUCH better than anything we have in the states. It's so clean and efficient. In fact... London has to be the cleanest city ever.... there are a million street sweepers.

Today we walked to the underground to picadilly station. Had a little breakfast at a cafe, then walked to Big Ben/Parlaiment. We saw a motorcade go by (right next to us) and "think" we saw Tony Blair. We also did the London Eye and got our bird's-eye view of the city.

Everything we do requires a bit of trial and error. Even the internet-cafe we're at right now took a little getting used to: we starred at the kiosk for awhile, put in 4 pounds (about $6) and bought a card. We then searched through banks of computers, but found none that worked. We finally went to the basement and found some that we could use..... Adjusting we are

Lola doesn't work here. We bought a new GPS (tom tom). He should work in both the states and Europe, but he cost a small fortune. I'll give'em a charge tonight and "play"

Love this beautiful place. We're having some fun now and our tour should start tomorrow.

MySpace

For the last year, I have systematically watched as my neighbors moved out. As recently as a couple months ago, I was the ONLY car in the parking lot and didn't have ANY neighbors. Well, times are a'changin'. After coming back to my flat after a night with the parents I noticed that I now have downstairs neighbors. Yes, that's right... going to have to watch my music volumes and heavy stomping. Brightstar's dream the night before of hearing kids 'break in' to something really wasn't far off base.

From what I can see so far there are two kids bikes on their porch. Guess it's a small family.

YouTube Vids

As earlier stated. I think I'll start posting some classic stuff on YouTube for posterity. Enjoy

Some random thoughts.....

- I fell asleep last night watching American Idol. In my dreams, I was at the Publix seafood counter and the guy was trying to sell me fish that things hidden in them (Kinda like pearls and such.....Opa Opa Oyster). He then started ranting about rare coins and how they'd appreciate in value and be such a good investment. When I woke up, there was an infomercial/ late night sales show for valuable coins. You know, I think there's an untapped market for "Dream TV". They could put programing on to guide your thoughts while you sleep.... Hmmmm

- Only 2 days of school left.. .YAHOO!

- I'm going to post some classic Ninja/Penguin videos on YouTube. I'll post the link soon.

- EuroTrip countdown is in the TEENS.... YAHOO!

- I had a table fall on a 5th grader today. I had stacked them to make room for them to sit and he tried to push it. Well, the stacked of tables came tumbling down on him. Just goes to show: 1) Everybody is smarter than SOME 5th graders. 2) I can't kid-proof my library at the end of the year

- I'm looking forward to seeing "Inside Our Body" exhibit at the museum this weekend. Ninja had peeked my interested when he blogged about it a while back. Should be interesting.

So you think you can......

"JUMPING" appears to be a new fad dance. I think it's halarious

Check it out

to toast OR not to toast......

Toaster tech has remained relatively unchanged for decades. Well my friends, that's all changing nowadays..... I introduce to you not one, not two, but THREE new designs sure to make your toasting experience much more exciting!1. Imagine if you will, this beauty sitting on your kitchen counter. You have a guest stop by for tea can crumpets (but you're all out of crumpets, so we'll use toast instead). Can't you just see the delight on your guest's face when you start feeding fluffy white bread in one side and catch crispy brown toast on the other.... and if that weren't enough.... It has a rack for your toast to cool down while you "oooh and ahhhh" over your toaster. On the practical side: This isn't saving any counter space, it has mechanical parts, it'll get crumbs EVERYWHERE, and I'm pretty sure it'll jam (pun intended) if you load your bread crooked.

2. Now this here is a TOASTER!!! Inspired by the St. Louis arches (or maybe the McDonald's arches), this artsy design is sure to bring you minutes and minutes of joy. Nevermind that it takes up more space that any toaster on the market, it's really unsafe, and not very efficient..... it's got green accents which is toatally AWESOME!!! Oh, and there was no mention if the sliding rack even pops out or not..... you may have to toast some knuckles to get your toast..... but nothing good ever comes easy, Right?



3. Heck, those other two toasters ain't no good.... now THIS HERE IS A TOASTER!!! Simple, elegant, and super small. Meet the RollerToaster! Just think... you could pack this in your suitcase and bring it on your travels. And while we're at it, why stop at toast.... I'm sure there are other things around the house that you could probably roll through this device (fingers?).

Cruise Log #4

It’s 9:00am on our last day. We’re currently anchored off the coast of Princess Cays in the Bahamas. We’ll enjoy a day of beach, volleyball, snorkeling, etc… Not much else to do on this island.

Tomorrow morning we’ll be back in Ft. Lauderdale. We’ll have to do some creative packing if we’re ever going to get our stuff off this boat. The other challenge will be finding a way to call for our ride. Mom left her phone on for the entire cruise and the batteries are dead. I guess we’ll figure that out when we get ashore (probably around 9:00am).

Yesterday was a sail day. We sailed past Havana and the Florida Keys on up to Deerfield beach before turning east. We enjoyed many onboard activities: Basketball, trivia, candyland, shuffleboard, gym, tour of the galley, etc….. Always plenty to do.

Tonight I’ll dump everybody’s cruise pictures/video into my laptop. I’m looking forward to making some “Cruise Videos” over my spring break in two weeks.

Signing off from the Bahamas,

Scott

Cruise Log #3

Cruise Log #3

Today is a “sea day” so no ports to explore. We’re on our way to Princess Cay; our private island in the Bahamas. Ah, relax relax relax…..

Yesterday in Cozumel was fantastic. We woke at a reasonable hour, local time, as we pulled into dock next to Carnival Cruise Lines. I just have to say, I’m so happy with our Princess boat….It’s definitely got the best people, elegance, and activities. Carvival seems to be a big “party” boat with TONS of kids, Hollad America is for the Senior Citizens, Royal Caribbean wouldn’t be too bad, but I like our boat better. It’s just been a GREAT experience. Anyway, back to the day:

We walked ashore and there was so much shopping to look at. Everybody wants you to look at their stuff. “Amigo, for you a good price”, “Amigo, buy a braclet for the lady”, “Senior, please give me a Mexican minute”, “You’re just looking, I’m just selling” etc etc…. It was fun, they all expect you to negotiate for everything, and they all claim to be getting ripped off when you don’t budge. The also have a little sulk that they do when you finally settle on a price to make your deal seem like you’re taking them to the cleaners. It really was fun.

Our Segway excursion was great. We went out behind a building to a military troop carrier. I instantly started wondering if we were going to be on CNN as kidnapped Americans. We drove 10 minutes down the “highway” (a narrow road) to the Segway office. We received a brief 3 minute instruction on how to operate and maneuver… then we got our keys and jumped on. Now, Disney makes you practice for an hour before you can even leave the Segway room… these guys have us cruising down the highway after 5 minutes. We cruised down to the beach to a private pool/estate and changed into our snorkel gear.

Snorkeling was so fun. Crystal Clear water, lots of colorful fish, and reefs to look at. Our dive master would bring out some fish food and get the fish to swim all around us…. WOW! After, we washed up and Segwayed back to our office. Back to spend the evening shopping and dining on the ship.

Speaking of dining; Our party of 12 has dined with Robert, our waiter, each night at 5:45. He’s a riot and makes us all feel like royalty. Last night he picked up on the fact that we were all eating Alaskan king crab legs so he kept bringing out plates of crab legs whether we ordered them or not. There was food enough for a small country on our table…but we managed somehow. Robert entertains, takes care of us…including the kids, and makes sure we get the royal treatment. Last night he was hiding in the curtains behind our table when we arrived….we’ll see what he does tonight.

Wish you were here…. I’ll write more later,

Scott

Cruise Log #2

OK, I'm gonna be brief (I'm charged by the minute here):

Cruising ROCKS!!! So much to do, AWESOME FOOD, and everything you need is always taken care of for you.
Our day in Ocho Rios Jamacia was a monsoon. It rained and rained....but it was GREAT! We went up into the mountains to the rainforest and used our Zipline cables to fly down the mountain through the canopy. At the bottom, we followed a raging river back to out bus. Along the way we saw so many beautiful flowers, trees, and animals (peacocks, hummingbirds, etc..)
Yesturday was Grand Caymon. Very different since it's a British commonwealth. The water was a super bright aquamarine blue. Our snorkel trip was cancelled due to choppy seas, but our bicycle tour went all over the island....including Hell. I've got some great pictures to share when I get back.
We'll be in Cozumel in about 30 mins. I can see the entire Mexican coast from my window. Today we'll be riding Segways along the beach and snorkeling. I've got my sunblock on so LET THE DAYS ACTIVITIES BEGIN!!!

CHEERS!!!!

Cruise #1

Wawa Wheewa, Cruising is the life. From the moment we stepped on the boat, we've been given the royal treatment. Our stateroom is VERY nice: Two beds, plenty of closet space, and best of all.....a BEAUTIFUL balcony with plenty of outdoor furniture. In fact, I'm composing this message from our balcony with my feet propped up and open sea as far as the eye can see. The other side of our ship has had a view of the Cuban mountains all day. Anyway, back to our experiences..... We got to our cabin and met up with Steve. He guided us to Rhonda's location.... she and the kids were shocked to see us on the boat. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

At dinner we had fun reading the fancy menu. What exactly does Zuppa Inglesis Ice Cream taste like anyway? So instead of trying to decide we ordered EVERYTHING (why not...It's FREE). Wow, they really know how to feed you on this cruise. The rest of the evening was spent exploring the boat with mom. We're gonna have so much fun.

The next day (day 2) I woke around 7 and walked out to the balcony. We had slept with the door wide open and the sea was so calm and blue. We went up for buffett breakfast (another great meal) and off to the spa for mom's massage appointment. I got her a 50 minute stone massage for her birthday. While she did that, I went to mid-ship and watched as two amazing chefs made fruit carving art. When mom joined back up with me she was a whole new person: so relaxed and happy. I'm looking forward to my massage tomorrow morning.

Cruising is an event planned affair. I was a little slow to catch on here. At breakfast I learned that all the others in our party were signed up for different classes/sessions. Even my plan to use the tredmills was put on hold when I found out you needed to sign up ahead of time. Tango lessons, trivia, yoga classes.... I was missing it. Around noon, Steve and Rhonda found me and we went to play trivia. Now I see how planned it really is.
I've got to get going soon. In 30 minutes I need to be showered, dressed in my formalwear, and in Steve/Rhonda's room for a group picture. Then it's off to dinner. I see that there are show this evening at the theaters and ballroom danciing.... sounds like a plan to me.

That's all for now..... I'll write again soon,
Scott

Going Postal

Kudos to the post office..... I think this is the best idea they've had EVER!!!.

Bridge to Terabithia

Watched the movie (never read the book) this weekend. It was an interesting story, but not really an entertaining one. I guess I just don't get it! It's a movie about imagination setting you free....... NO, it's a movie about life's ups and downs...... NO, it's a tragedy about two foolish kids who took their adventure too far. Uh, I don't know?


Actually, the parts of the movie I liked best were the parts that had NOTHING to do with Terabithia. That whole side of the movie was a waste of film for me.


I give it a thumb down. Definitely ranks down there with "HOOT" (another Walden Media movie based on the book).

Think it'll work?

The UN & ISO have come up with THIS for the new Universal symbol for radiation. I dunno, I think it's a little complex. To me, universal signs shouldn't be step-by-step instructions on how to do something. Here were clearly see the old symbol at the top showering it's squiggly rays down on the lowly peoples. One person happens to be a pirate... the other an athlete or someone who needs to use the restroom quickly. So what are we going to be seeing this on? The x-ray machine at the dental office? (run for your lives)? You new cellphone? (you gonna die man)?

Seasons of the Week

Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall...... these are the seasons of the WEEK. If you were thinking "year" you'd be wrong.

Monday (SPRING): - Kinda overcast but pleasant. Mix of sunshine, then a few showers. Temp outside was not too hot, not too cold.

Tuesday (SUMMER): - Really balmy and humid out. At 3pm (dismissal time) all hell broke loose and the rain came down from horizontally. The 65+ mph winds blew some nearby roofs off. I've only been out in 1 other storm in my life like this.....and that had a tornado flip cars less that 2 miles from where I was.

Wednesday (FALL): - BEAUTIFUL outside. Nice crist air.... Sunshiny.... Open the windows and love it.

Thursday (WINTER): - Overcast. Colder and colder throughout the day. Break out the jackets and bring in the plants.... we're expecting a hard freeze tonight.



Such is life in Florida

Ramblin' again

- Bookfairs were put on this earth to teach kids about sales tax..... and to remind media specialists that no matter how frustrating our jobs get, it could always be worse

- The fire alarm at school always seems to know the moment I have 150 kids in the library. Bookfair shoppers, library patrons, and all my volunteers have to drop whatever they have in their hands on the floor and line up at my back door (which I have to dig out of the bookfair shelves). Never fails.

- What do I do with an entire Saturday to myself? I stayed in bed 'til 6pm (getting up only to eat and potty). It was really weird 'cause I kept checking the time trying to figure out if there was anywhere I needed to be soon. I think I really needed that time off.

- I know it's months away, but I can't wait to go on vacation!!!!

- I hear guitar hero is coming out for the Wii. Time to ROCK!!!

- I should hear by the end of the month who the principal for the new school will be. That will play a big part in my decision to stay/leave my current school.

- My brain age today is 26

- The '08 elections are a year and a half away.... I don't what to hear about it

- I watched a movie on A&E called "Jesus Camp". It is obviously a lightning rod movie, but some of the interviews were a little over the top. What got to me most was that the brainwashing of children started at such an early age (If I employed some of these techniques at my elementary school I'd be fired in a heartbeat). These people were very closed minded, prejudice, and racist..... in the name of Jesus. It boggles my mind that Christians can be just as guilty as any other religion in using their faith as a springboard for hatred and war (They even refer to themselves in the movie as Jesus's army).

I reminds me of the "Rock the Universe" night at Universal Studios a few years ago. This night was billed as a Christian gathering/concert night in the park. Although all the people wore Jesus shirts and chanted Jesus songs, they were downright mean and out of control. By the time I left I has ice thrown at me (because I was wereing a UF shirt at the time), and was namecalled becuase I didn't want to high-five everybody as I went through the ride lines. It was a real eye-opener into the difference between what a religon TEACHES, and the ACTIONS of it's followers.

- Did I mention my brain age was 26 :-)

Kicked to the curb

So this family is upset that they were kicked off an AirTran flight because their 3 year old daughter was having a tantrum and wouldn't sit in her seat before take-off. The flight had already been delayed 15 minutes because of this, but the family still thinks they should have been given more time to calm the girl down.

You've got to be kidding me. Of course this little girl should have been kicked off the flight. In fact, she's lucky the FAA didn't throw her in the slammer for being a domestic terrorist. I know that this is something that all children do at some time or another, but you can't stop of airliner filled with 122 other passengers because little princess is refusing to buckle up.

After flying them home on a different flight, AirTran has given them a complete refund for their tickets and offered them complimentary tickets for a future flight to anywhere that AirTran flies. Say WHAT?!!?!?!! WTF is that all about..... I could see MAYBE giving them a break on their return flight fair, but a refund? and extra tickets? Shoot, let's throw in some DisneyWorld Annual passes and a winning lottery ticket.

The father is quoted as saying "it's too little too late.....we'll never fly AirTran again"! One things for sure, if they decide to drive to their next destination and the child starts her hissy fit, you can believe they won't get the royalty treatment from other drivers.

Ramblin' about dis and dat......

- Apparently I got a writeup in the newspaper about being National Board Certified. I'll have to get a copy from someone and take a look. I went to a fancy dinner last Friday to receive my award from our county.... I even got my "brag badge (a special nametag that touts our achievement for all to see).
- Played paintball Saturday. I was pretty sure I was recruited as an easy target but I did a lot better that I thought I would. Ended up taking out some snipers and getting into the enemy territories before going down (and then only because I thought the guy who shot me was already out so I didn't shoot him first). I did get to shoot my principal..... I know it's buggin' him, but he hasn't said anything (hee hee)
- Went a hypnotist Sunday evening. It was amazing! He had complete control over 6 or 7 people, and partial control over many others. He almost had me but my eyes were twitching and I thought about them too much and woke myself up. I later learned that the eye twitch is the biggest/last hurdle before you're down for the count. He got my friend up there (total control) as well as partial control of my assistant principal (who doesn't remember anything before he told her to "sleep"). It was so interesting to watch.... I'd love to go back again. The mind is capable of so many things..
- In the news, a man is not allowed on an airplane because his Tshirt says that President Bush is a terrorist. This is completely a violation of free speech. Boy the government can sure dish it out, but they can't take it.
- I started an after-school video club today. It was so much fun. We make a commercial for our poetry contest coming up! Can't wait for next week's club meeting.
- Congrats to da'Bearsh and da'Colts for gettin to da Supa Bowl. That's about as excited as I can get about this game. Pro ball has NOTHING on college sports.... GO GATORS!
- Washed my BrainAge Nintendo DS game in the laundry. Still works like new. Even the sticker stayed on "like new".
- That's about all I can think of right now..... Goodnight all.... it's bedtime

India does it Better......

My Bestbuy.com purchases have slowly found their way back to the sender after being shipped to the wrong address. This has put me on the phone with customer service several times to find out what I need to do to get a refund. Today I got an email that my items had been received back at Bestbuy.com and my accounts would be credited. The problem is that some of those items were for ME and I used giftcards to buy them.....then threw away the giftcards.

So anways, I called again today to see about getting a replacement giftcard sent. After the dispatcher patched my call to bestbuy.com call center I got the kookiest service rep I've ever heard. He picked up the phone and didn't say anything. After several seconds I said "Hello?" and he replied back, "Hello! What do you need?" I explained my story (again) to him. He replied "What am I supposed to do about it". After explaining that I expected him to help me, he started huffing and puffing into the receiver. It was really kinda funny.

Now here's the kicker..... after everything I said, he would reply "Thank you, Thank you very much" (Just like Elvis). It was too funny. After telling him my order number that had a 1-6-0-0 in it, he replied "That's a big Sixteen hundred on my SAT..... Thank you, Thank you very much"! I was beside myself. I can't believe people actually get away with doing this to customers in the USA. No wonder India has the corner on this market!!!

Let Freedom Ring

I've always been against our "specialty" license plates in Florida. Support the Arts, Save the Manatees, Support Education, etc. The one that I can't believe they put out has been the "Choose Life" plate for anti-abortion. It's not that I've chosen a side on this issue, it's that I feel strongly that you state license plate shouldn't reflect your views. I've always said, "if you're going to have a "Choose Life" plate, you've got to be equally respectful if somebody wants to put a "Choose Death" plate on their car.

I'm reading in the paper this morning about the new "Pro Choice" plates that are proposed. These new plates will be debated I'm sure, but it's not about what the message says..... it's about EQUAL opportunity to see both sides of an issue. I can't believe those STUPID IDIOTS in our state legislature didn't see this coming when they proposed such polarizing plates to begin with... Now it's time to live with the results of their decisions.

Stop Being Homeless

HAPPY NEW YEAR ever-body! This time of year is marked by self-reflection and resolutions for personal improvement. While most resolutions include a healthier lifestyle, few of them are ever realized because they are either too ambitious or the motivation to change ebbs quickly.

The homeless, however, have resolutions too. You would think improving yourself would be easy when your in the gutter, but it's harder than it appears. This video highlights some of the struggles homeless people face in keeping their resolutions.

Take Care and God Bless.