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November 27th, 2009
07:51 am
Happy Thanksgiving!
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July 23rd, 2009
09:12 pm - Happy Birthday
So far, 32 feels a lot like 31 did, but older.
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July 17th, 2009
08:44 pm - R.I.P. Walter Cronkite
Although I never knew him, I know I'll miss him.
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June 2nd, 2009
09:28 am
School is officially out for the summer and I just got a call from my principal and it looks like we made safe harbor on our test scores this year. Awesome!
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May 5th, 2009
07:44 pm - Dom Deluise 1933-2009
Dom Deluise died today. It's not that I knew him personally or saw him everyday, but the world was a little better because you knew someone like Dom Deluise was in it. The man had an incredible passion for life. He wasn't the kind of guy who became resentful about not being a leading man, but enjoyed being the comic relief. Every film he was in was elevated by his performance. A very kind fellow who loved the people around him, I'm sure he will be sorely missed in the hollywood community. The voice of Jeremy the Crow is dead and with him dies Tiger the Cat, Itchy the Dog, and the flamboyantly gay Musical director from Blazing Saddles. I think it's amazing that one guy can be so many loveable characters. Rest in Peace, sir.
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April 3rd, 2009
09:12 pm
Quiz Bowl State tournament is tomorrow in Fort Smith. My kids came in third in our region, so we made it to state! They are very excited. We drew the worst possible bracket in this tournament, but I think we've got a shot. They've worked hard and I'm very proud of all they've accomplished this year. Wish us luck.
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March 29th, 2009
08:44 am - Spring Break
Alas, spring break comes to an end. However, this has been one of the more restful spring breaks in recent memory. We went to the cabin in Clarksville for a couple of days last weekend. It rained, but we still had a lot of fun. I managed to get nothing done on the lawn because of said rain, but I certainly don't mind putting that off a week. I graded a buttload of research papers, which doesn't sound like fun, but it is great to get that off my desk. I don't think I'll have anything that lengthy to grade for the rest of the year. I finished reading that series I've been working on since September. I'm anxious to start something new now. I might reread Ender's Game. I never read the entire Ender's cycle, so it might be good to start that again. We're a month and a half away from the AP exam. If I can get some serious prep work in in that time, we might be okay. Once that's over, I'm out of major work stress until next fall. Our deal with UCA for concurrent credit is about to change, so I'm anxious to see what kind of class is going to be required once the dust has settled. We might pick up and do our concurrent credit through UALR. They offer less oversight, but less support, as well. Whatever. I think it'll be fine either way. Xander finally started poopooing in the potty, but we've had additional trouble this week keeping his diaper dry. We almost had that beat before the poopoo event. Everyone keeps telling me that when he's completely ready he'll just start doing it. That would be awesome. We're talking about trying for another baby this summer, so it would be great to have him completely out of diapers before the next one comes along. Anyway, that should catch up anyone who cares up to the present. Hope all is well with you.
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March 15th, 2009
06:03 pm
Just returned from Newport, Arkansas. I got to do some AP consulting with the students there. They were pretty decent kids. It was almost a two hour drive, though. It's been a long time since I've been in that part of the state. I stopped and ate in Beebe on the way back and got gas. I used to go to Beebe almost every week and I'll bet today was the first time I've been in the city in over five years. It's weird how things change. Anyway, I hope everyone is well.
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March 12th, 2009
05:18 pm
State Testing is over. Thank you for your thoughts and concerns. The kids seem very confident that it went very well.
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March 8th, 2009
07:27 pm
The State Literacy tests for High School Juniors are this week. If you pray...I would appreciate the prayer for my kids. Thanks.
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December 25th, 2008
11:34 am - Harold Pinter
Wow. Harold Pinter passed away. Holy crap. I now live in a world with no Harold Pinter.
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December 24th, 2008
09:54 pm - Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas, everyone!!
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December 16th, 2008
09:52 pm - Iced in
Well, it looks like I'll be iced into my house for two solid days. I normally don't mind a little icing in, as long as I have groceries, but these are the two most inconvenient days to not be at work of the whole year. We had to reset the entire testing schedule and the new schedule isn't nearly as accomodating as the former schedule. Oh well, what are you gonna do? Everyone be careful out there if you're in bad weather.
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November 24th, 2008
09:41 pm - The Holidays are upon us once more
I know I don't update this thing nearly often enough, but I have some time off this week, so I thought I would throw something up. As far as I can tell, everything is very good at my house. Work is good. I've had a chance to do some consulting work on the side that has generated a little extra income, so that's been nice. Xander has been going to preschool one day a week for four hours. It's just a small two-year-old program and he seems to like it. He's really into dinosaurs right now, so that's been fun. We've worked on potty training a little bit and he likes going in the potty, but he doesn't mind going anywhere else, either. Oh well, one step at a time. Amanda's mom has been living with us for the last couple of months while she gets back on her feet. She's found a new job and she's going to stay with my sister-in-law for a while starting this weekend. I'm hoping this job will work out and she finds her own place before she ends up coming back here. Only time will tell. Anyway, that's about it. Nothing exciting. I've come to realize, though, that a good solid life isn't really all that exciting. Exciting marriages involve affairs and crap like that. Exciting parenting involves stints in rehab and jail. Exciting jobs involve getting shot at, blown up, or some other high stress bullshit. I have come to really appreciate my nice little boring life here with my beautiful wife and son. Yep...boring...that's the way to go.
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July 7th, 2008
03:24 pm
Well, today I became the facilitator of the APEX Credit Recovery program at Greenbrier High School. It sounds pretty interesting. We're going to do this in leiu of summer school this year. It'll be for an hour after school everyday. I'll also get access to new AP prep software, as well. That'll be cool. Good stuff. It's more money and a chance to work with kids from every part of the spectrum. I'll have advanced kids and kids who need the most help, too. Neato.
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July 3rd, 2008
10:35 pm - Just because
I realize I never post anything here anymore. I assure you it's just from lack of time, not because I don't care. Life is good. Job is good. Family is good. Xander is two now. He talks a lot. We're working on potty training with some success. I'll be thirty-one at the end of this month. So far I like my thirties a lot more than I liked my twenties. My twenties were drama filled. These days I'm enjoying quieter times. One of my best friends from high school is marrying my sister-in-law in October. That's pretty cool. We all went to the Buffalo River last weekend for a float with the kids. Matt mentioned that he always knew we would be brothers, but he didn't know how. It was very touching. I was a little worried at first to take Xander on the river, but he did great. He sat in my lap most of the time and looked at the trees and fish. He would swim when we stopped and then he took a nap for about an hour in the boat as we rowed along. Very cool. Anyway, I just felt like posting...so I did. If anyone here is on Facebook and would like to befriend me, that's fine. Just search my email address: esquire20@hotmail.com. Have a great holiday weekend, folks.
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January 22nd, 2008
05:24 pm - Heath Ledger found dead at 28
Dude, they just found Heath Ledger dead in his apartment. He was lying naked in bed next to several sleeping pills, aparently waiting on a massage he had scheduled that afternoon. He was two years younger than I am. I am so glad I'm not rich. That stuff messes you up.
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December 25th, 2007
08:26 pm - Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas, Everyone.
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July 23rd, 2007
08:12 pm - Lord Have Mercy on my next thirty years.
I think Ill take a moment, celebrate my age
The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now its time to focus in on where I go from here
Lord have mercy on my next thirty years
Hey my next thirty years Im gonna have some fun
Try to forget about all the crazy things Ive done
Maybe now Ive conquered all my adolescent fears
And Ill do it better in my next thirty years
My next thirty years Im gonna settle all the scores
Cry a little less, laugh a little more
Find a world of happiness without the hate and fear
Figure out just what Im doing here
In my next thirty years
Oh my next thirty years, Im gonna watch my weight
Eat a few more salads and not stay up so late
Drink a little lemonade and not so many beers
Maybe Ill remember my next thirty years
My next thirty years will be the best years of my life
Raise a little family and hang out with my wife
Spend precious moments with the ones that I hold dear
Make up for lost time here, in my next thirty years
In my next thirty years
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July 5th, 2007
12:12 pm - EOC
I just got back from the High School...went to check on my stuff and my test scores from last year. My AP scores weren't in yet and my principal told me that he wasn't allowed to tell me exact scores or anything, but he did tell me that my scores were the highest in the building! I quizzed him just a little and asked if my kids did better than 60% proficient...I felt pretty confident of 60%, so anything over that would be bonus...and he did say that it was better than 60%!!! Rock out!!! If my AP scores are at least decent, I'm going to consider last year's teaching a success. Just wanted to share my joy.
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