One upping Amos Moses

If you don't know who Amos Moses is, he was a character in a Jerry Reed song by the same name. He would hunt for alligators in the Louisiana swamp by hitting them on the head with a stump. Well, this guy does better than that, he wrestles alligators and then drives around with them in his car!





"Texas Highway Patrol officer Steven Stanfield stopped William Johnson, 30, along State Highway 35 after Johnson made a U-turn and almost hit another vehicle. It was then that Stanfield noticed an alligator in the back seat of Johnson’s blue Buick, with no restraints on it."

"they learned Johnson had followed the alligator into a ditch and wrestled it into the back of his car."

"Johnson also is accused of attempting to steal his boss’ large-screen television on the same night. The plot allegedly was foiled when his accomplice saw the alligator in Johnson’s car and dropped the TV, damaging it"

This guy is now a personal hero of mine.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351565,00.html#

He'd fly through the air with the greatest of ease

I think this may be the news story of the year.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article3799493.ece

Hopes were fading last night for a Brazilian priest who floated aloft on Sunday tied to 1,000 giant party balloons and has not been seen since, though several of the helium-filled balloons were found floating at sea. Father Adelir de Carli, 41, soared into the sky from the southeastern town of Paranagua, sitting in a harness attached to the white, red, yellow, green and pink balloons, and wearing a thermal outfit and helmet. He was trying to draw attention to his campaign to provide rest stops for long-distance truck drivers, and to enter into Guinness World Records. A known adventurer, he had already made a previous similar flight with 500 balloons in January that reportedly took him as high as 5,000 meters (16,400ft). But bad weather this time pushed his makeshift contraption out to sea off Brazil’s southern coast, and in his last contact with police on Sunday night he said that he was encountering problems. Parishioners in his church were praying for him.

What a crazy story.

Teacher of the Year Award

I got something BETTER than a teacher of the year award, I got the Mr. Woods special at Whatabuger. One of my students from last year is working at Whataburger. Today, he was at the fry station. I ordered a #8 (2 piece chicken strip dinner) and yelled at him "Lupe, take care of my #8!" He nodded and smiled. When my box came out, I opened it and low and behold, 3 strips! He gave me an extra strip! This teaching gig is finally paying out!

Why I remain chaste

I do not write this to judge anyone, but to share my reasons for remaining chaste. I hope to be able to encourage other people who are choosing to remain chaste and deal will the same problems I do.

First, I am a graduate, never married, and am still a virgin. Seems a rarity in society today. Movies and TV shows seem to stigmatize virgins as if something is wrong with them. We hear in daily conversation that "you just need to get laid." As if that is the ultimate solution to our problems!

I remain chaste because God tells us to. I do not use saving myself for marriage as my main reason. The reason I do not is because I may not get married. It seems that if saving myself for marriage was my reason, I might remain chaste for my entire life and never receive "my prize." Saving for marriage is certainly a valid reason, and is one of my reasons, but is not my main reason. On Dave Ramsey's show one day, he was talking about a saying he uses with his children about premarital sex. He tells them to not ruin the great things with the good things. Meaning, yes sex can be a wonderful thing, even outside of marriage, but is even better in marriage. My main reason though is because God tells us to.

We see this idea of remaining pure for God in a lot of verses. First, Jesus tells us to be holy as our father is holy. Paul also tells us in Ephesians 5 to be imitators of God. He explains this as including sexual immorality. This shows that to be holy like God, we are to remain pure. We are to not conform to this world, but to prepare and live for God's kingdom. We are shown in movies and tv shows that having sex outside of marriage is normal. As members of God's people, this is not normal for us. We are called to live a higher lifestyle. Christ died for us while we were yet sinners, but he didn't save us so we could remain sinners. God's great love for us demands a response beyond our faith, and that is to live a holy life. Paul tells us that we are no longer slaves to the law but slaves to righteousness. We are a new creation, called to live for God. How can we do this if we live sexually immoral lives?

Another reason is the reason God gave us sex. Obviously an important reason is procreation. Another reason though is to join together a man and woman. In the bible, we see that a man and woman become one flesh in marriage through sex. The old testament repeatedly shows two people becoming joined together through sex. It often uses the phrase of a man knowing his wife. He is knowing her in a way no other man should know. Their flesh is uniting as they become one. Clearly, this should not be done outside of marriage. The law says that if a man sleeps with a woman, that woman has become his wife. I do not want to be married right now, so I will not participate in the act of becoming one with a girl.

This purity does not extend to just our physical actions, but also our hearts and minds. Jesus says that sin is committed not just when a man has an affair with a woman, but when he lusts for her in his heart. This introduces a hardship on people who are trying to remain pure. Our daily life is full of sexual images. Seeing these on a daily basis creates a struggle for me. It is often said that noone is hurt if both people consent to having sex, but this is not a valid reason. While noone may be physically hurt, our spirit and heart is hurt. God commands us to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. When we commit sexual sin, we are not loving God through our strength, our mind, our heart, or our spirit. Our actions reveal our heart. I hope to share some things that help me in times of struggle.

First, fleeing the central. This is a saying I heard at Breakaway many years ago. The speaker was saying that if you cannot be on the internet without looking at sex sites, then stay off the internet! If being with a group of friends causes you to sin, stay away from that group. Flee what is tempting you to sin. Jesus says the same thing by saying that if your right eye causes you to sin, cut it out and cast it into the fire. In high school, I had friends that wanted to go to the strip joints as soon as they turned 18. This never really appealed to me, so I chose to not go when I turned 18, and still haven't been. I choose to not watch movies with a lot of sexual scenes, as I know if could easily lead me to sin. If I feel tempted while on the internet, I try to get off and go for a walk or do something to get away from the temptation. I have some friends who used internet blockers and had someone else setup the password.

Another thing that helps me is to be around like-minded people. Now I certainly have friends who had premarital sex, and being chaste isn't a requirement to be my friend, but my closest friends are people who I am in agreement with. I do not think that I would be able to date someone who does not share in my ideas of being chaste while single. This is not to rule out anyone who had sex before, but it would be important that they are now of the same mindset. This is because of the importance of sex in marriage. We saw the importance God places on sex. How could I potentially marry someone who does not agree with how God binds us together? Most of my friends are of the same mindset as me, which is a great encouragement. It is a great help to be able to share my struggles with a friend who understands and supports my decision.

Finally, prayer. God does not expect us to be able to do this on our own. I must often ask God to give me strength to help from falling into temptation, both with my body and on my heart.

I will also add in the benefit this can have in a marriage. I cannot speak from experience, but have heard many people say that sex is more rewarding when it is reserved for marriage. As Dave Ramsey mentioned, don't ruin the great things with the good things.

I hope that my thoughts are clear and can be of encouragement. I invite anyone who wishes to share their thoughts on this topic. I often think that it isn't fair that I miss out on something enjoyable just because I am single and struggle with remaining pure. It is only because of God that I have been able to remain chaste. I will end with a message of hope that Paul gives us. This will not be an easy task, but will be worth it. Living for God is not without a promise.

quote:

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3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

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Romans 5:3-5

Walking Away

Last month, my principal called me into her office. She wanted to talk about a possible promotion. It turns out that she wanted to offer me the department chair position at the school for next year. It is quite an honor as a second year teacher. I do not even meet the minimum requirements for the position (3 years of experience) and my principal wants me to take the job. Just this past week, the resigning department chair at another school in town said he wanted me to apply for the department chair at that school.
Instead of taking these promotions, what if I just walked away from it all?

Standing on the Promises

This morning, we had a guest speaker at church. The speaker was from a program called Walk Through the Bible. He spoke about their program and walked us through the Bible from creation to the birth of Issac. One of the things he focused on were the promises given to Abraham. God gave Abraham one command, to leave his country. But God promised 7 things. He talked about how we often view the Old Testament as being a bunch of commands. But he said that it is a book of promise. Indeed the Bible is a book of promises. If we follow the commands of God, he will bless us.

Often times, we talk about being saved by faith and that works are not required. This is true for receiving the promise of eternal life. The Bible is very clear that believing in Christ is all that is necessary for salvation. However, if this is all we ever do, we are denying ourselves of the many other promises God wants to give us. By trusting God and following his commands, we will find that God is faithful to us and will fulfill his promises.

Will you follow God and accept his promise?

Return to Service

Today was the first day back after Spring Break. The students were good today. We were studying the amplitude of waves. Tomorrow we will be studying earthquakes. Our primary focus will be on waves produced by earthquakes. I am hoping it will be enjoyable.

Tonight I am eating dinner at Schlotzsky's. I didn't plan on it, but they have free wifi. I planned on having internet at my place tonight, but I still do not. I got rid of my cable internet and attempted to buy an aircard from Sprint today. However, the network is still not updated, so it would be as fast as dial up. I will remain internetless for a while longer.

Return from the Caprock

I returned yesterday from the Caprock. I ended up spending the entire trip at Caprock Canyons State Park. I felt there was too much to do there to cut it short by a day to go to Palo Duro Canyon.

Click to see a map of Caprock Canyons and the Trailway.

I arrived at Caprock Canyons Sunday afternoon. I got my permits and hiked back to North Prong primitive area. I spent the night camped there. That evening, I first heard the howls of coyotoes which I would hear for the rest of the trip. The next morning I got up, broke camp, and began hiking along the Upper Canyon Trail. I reached Fern Cave, which turns out is an overhang with a natural seep that waters the ferns growing on the wall. I then hiked out the Hayes Ridge overlook trail. It was incredibly foggy, but I did see several mule deer along the trail. I then drove to the north end of the Eagle Point trail. I wanted to hike to the natural bridge on the map. I got to the location, but didn't find the bridge. I continued searching until I came to where the trail crosses the creek, knowing that I was too far. I went back to where I thought the bridge was. After standing there a little bit, I realized that I was standing on the bridge! It was under the trail, about 50 feet long and 8 feet high. I then drove to the trailway, specifically a trailhead called Monk's Crossing. I hiked about 5 miles south past Clarity Tunnel and set up camp. I would be spending two nights at this location. The next day I hiked 12 miles to the South Plains Terminal in the town of South Plains. I then turned around and hiked back, making it a 24 mile day in 40 degree weather and strong panhandle winds. I was tired when I got back! On the way back and spotted a bobcat down the trail. The next morning I broke camp and hiked the 5 miles back north to the Monk's Crossing trailhead and headed home. It was a great 4 day trip, doing about 45 miles. If you are heading to the panhandle soon, I recommend Caprock Canyons State Park.

Evaluation Day

Today I was appraised by my principal. We had a lesson on simple machines, focusing on lever types such as levers, pulleys, and wheel and axles. After class, the principal said it was one of the best lessons she had ever seen, but that isn't the point of this story.

A few weeks ago, a fellow teacher of mine, who is also a black belt in karate, mentioned that he would like to break coconuts in my class one day. Since we were doing a lesson on levers, I invited him to come today during his conference period. After I invited him, I received notice of my impending appraisal this week. I went to both assistant principals and invited them to come and watch the other teacher break coconuts. My AP mentioned needing to appraise me. I said it would be a great time to appraise me since she could also watch coconuts break! She said OK. I immediately told the other teacher that I was being appraised "so don't mess up!"

Today, we started class with the breaking of coconuts. Quite a crowd gathered, with principals, teachers, and even a police officer in attendance. With 6 different adults in the classroom, those students weren't going to get away with anything! The coconuts were broken and pieces of coconuts were passed out to all the students. They loved it and so did the AP.

The moral of the story is when you are being appraised, find someone else to teach your class.

I am a slave

I recently read an article in National Geographic Explorer about the Komi people. You can read the article here. It was an awesome article and made me want to get outside. So yesterday, I hiked Slaughter Canyon at Carlsbad Caverns NP.

Part of the article talked about why the people choose to continue to live the life they do. One of the reindeer herders was quoted as saying

"They have given up living all the time with their reindeer. We Komi are still vödzyny—nomads. I'm proud that I speak Komi. I prefer this way of living—always moving with the animals and our families. I lived in town once and worked. I know what town is. Living with the oleni, making everything we need, and requiring very little else—that means we are free."

I found his last line very interesting, being free. Because they make everything they need, they are completely free.

I am not free. I live in a city, am dependent on farmers for my food, am dependent on factories for my clothes, am dependent on the city for my water. I would love to be more independent. Growing up, one of the only skills I learned was hunting. I can take an animal and process it into meat. I have not learned how to tan the hide. I did not learn how to make clothes, but can sow on a button. I would love to grow vegetables and herbs, but do not have a yard. I would love to be able to tan a hide and make clothing out of it. I would love to be free.

Just an Ordinary, Average Guy

Joe Walsh sang a song about being just an ordinary, average guy. A guy who has to pickup dog do, drinks beer with friends, and drives a Dodge. This past Sunday, the preacher at my church talked about being Average, and how that is a good thing. Sadly, our closing hymn was not Joe Walsh.

In the sermon, the pastor said that it is OK for us to be average. That God called average people, like Moses, Gideon, and Jeremiah's, to do his work. In part of his message, he said that it is OK that we may not read the latest Max Lucado book or attend the latest spiritual conference. That perhaps it is better that we look to the tax collector than the pharisee for how to approach God. However, I felt that he ended his message short. I will continue with my thoughts.

God does call ordinary people. Few people who are called by God are called because of their righteousness or greatness. Moses was called after killing an Egyptian and running from his home. Levi/Matthew was called despite being a tax collector. Paul was called despite being in his words, "the biggest sinner of all." Peter and James were called despite being fishermen. These ordinary people became followers of God and become righteous by the grace of God. Not because of what they did, but because they put their faith in God and trusted him.

But these ordinary people didn't stay ordinary! They did extraordinary things for God. Moses led God's people across the desert to the Holy Land. Paul, Peter, James, and Matthew became leaders of The Way, taking the Word to new places and were willing to become martyrs for the sake of the Gospel. Jesus tells us that we will not be ordinary people. People will hate us, we will have to leave our family behind, we will do things greater than he did. But we do not do it on our own or alone. Jesus sent us the Spirit to dwell in us and to guide us. This promise to the Disciples applies to all who place their faith in Christ and pick up their cross and follow.

However, even though we are called to something higher and are made righteous with Christ, we are not to boast of what we have done. The tax collector is still our model for how to approach God. Humbly approaching God saying "God be merciful to me a sinner." We are only saved by the grace of God. We must approach God with the knowledge that our extraordinary life is a result of Christ's work on the cross. An act of selflessness and love we could never even dream of matching.

So being average is good. God calls average people. But don't stay average! God calls average people to do above average things by their living below average lives.

Ground Control to Major Tom

Tonight, I saw the space station and space shuttle. They passed over Midland tonight, moving from northwest to southeast. They were visible for 5 minutes. It isn't much, just a bright light in the sky, but it is neat knowing that there were 10 astronauts in there looking down at me.

Hit the road, Jack!

That's just about what my principal told me! I am being sent to Austin for two conferences this coming week. I will be in Austin from the 20th through the 27th. The first conference is called Inclusion Works! It is a workshop on special education. Inclusion means including special education students in regular classroom environments. I am playing a part in that. This year I am co-teaching. Meaning I have a special education teacher with me in my classroom. We have no direction in what we are doing. We asked for training at the beginning of the year and this is our training. The second conference is called Change Summit II. I am not sure what is meant by the name. It is a conference for Title I schools. Title I means that we have a large population of students who are low-SES. It is measured using the free or reduced lunch forms. My school is 40+% free or reduced lunch. It is three days with each day focusing on a different topic. Day 1 is The Role of Assessment in a PLC. Day 2 is Building Background Knowledge for Academic Acheivement. Day 3 is Discipline and Working with Parents. I am not sure what either conference will entail, but I am looking forward to them.

All in the Family

All in the Family was a TV sitcom in the 70's. I don't think I have ever seen it.

The dictionary has many definitions for family.

1.	parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not.

2.	the children of one person or one couple collectively: We want a large family.

3.	the spouse and children of one person: We're taking the family on vacation next week.

4.	any group of persons closely related by blood, as parents, children, uncles, aunts, and cousins: to marry into a socially prominent family.

5.	all those persons considered as descendants of a common progenitor.

Family has many different connotations that are used by people. People live with their family (1). People often marry to start a family (2). People work to support their family (3). We gather for dinner with family (4) on holidays. And of course, the family (5) reunion. When I think of my family, I usually only think of the first definition. My family consists of my parents, grandparents, and brother. These are the people who I grew up with, who took care of me, and continue to care for me.

When I think of my extended family, I don't really use any of these definitions. My extended family would be the reverse of fifth definition. My extended family are the ancestors of me. These are the people I am directly related to, my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents, etc... I do not consider aunts and uncles and cousins to be my family. My uncle is part of my dad's family, but he is not in my family. Is this harsh?

I do not think so. I think it is a reality. A reality for me at least. I did not grow up with my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I grew up with my immediate family. I had to talk to aunts and uncles on Christmas and saw them once every fews years. I do not know these people.

Recently I spent some time with my grandfather. He was showing me an old photo album. I enjoyed seeing the photos of my dad when he was younger and my grandparents when they were younger. He then moved into the old photos and news clippings from the family in Iowa. His family (and my grandmother's) lived in Iowa for over 100 years and continue to live in southern Iowa. I really did not care much about people who were aunts, uncles, or cousins. But when he showed me pictures or articles about my great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents, I was facinated. I am sure this is because of my views of "extended family," but I noticed that family really is important to me, but I have a different definition than some people.

My family is a direct link to my past. I know that each member of my family has a family that is not the same as mine. But my family is my family.

Who is in your family?

Don't do as I do.

In a previous post, I talked about how I often make observations about people in my professions doing things I do not like and make note of these things. This is to not be nit-picky, but so that I do not do the same thing in the future. This started in college when I attended a valve distributors show at A&M. The show was obviously designed for the vendors and clients, but my professor was in charge of the show and wanted us to attend. He registered us and we had official name tags and everything. Upon arrival at the show, vendors would see that I was a student (it was on the name tag) and immediately have nothing to do with me. I had no money, so no attention was given. We were there to get to learn about the industry since we would be working with these people in just a year or two. I only had one vendor who would even give me the time of day. I spoke with my dad about this and he told me "Remember how it felt, and when you are in their position, act accordingly." That was some sound advise.

Today, I added a few tidbits of etiquette to my toolbox.

• If you are in a position of leadership and meeting people you have never met before, introduce yourself

• If you are in a position of leadership and need to know some information about people below you, go to the people who know the info. Don't waste everyones time by demanding the answer from those who don't know.

• If you are in a position of leadership and upset with someone else in leadership, don't try to sabotage everyone else's work just to "get back" at that person.

• If you are in a position of leadership and assign people to do a job, give them the information they need to complete their task.

Remember how it felt and when you are in their position, act accordingly.

Climbing the Corporate Ladder

I am continuing building my portfolio of experiences in my professional career. This week, it was attempting to continue working on a team project when the person overseeing the team changes. This assignment began last semester. The assignment would primarily affect 2 campus, but 2 other campus would only see a minor change. The two campus that would not really be affected by the change did not feel that it was major enough to need to join the team. They gave their consent to any decision we made. The team was made up of two people from the two main campuses and a date was set to meet and complete the assignment. Before that date occurred, the district person overseeing our team was transfered and no one replaced the position. We canceled our date until we could find out what was happening. We met with the former overseer who said that as long as both campus agreed to the changes, no district approval was needed. We set today as our date to meet. Subs were arranged and everything seemed ready to go until yesterday afternoon when someone from the district was found to oversee our team. They wouldn't let us meet until people from all campus could meet. This was unnecessary and had already been resolved. When we left yesterday, we were "on hold." We arrived this morning, and thanks to some last minute phone calls by my boss, we were given the green light. The reason we couldn't meet was because the overseer had several questions that they wanted answered, but never bothered to ask the team members! Today, while working on the assignment, several people stopped by asking why the other two schools weren't there. We told them that this was taken care of several weeks ago. The two schools were not going to be impacted and already gave their consent. The assignment was completed, and I added a new experience to my portfolio. So overseers, if you have a question about your teams, ask them!

Life Mimics Art

Two friends of mine are going on vacation to Bangkok. This morning they were in Seoul on a layover. I was talking to him on the internet and he was joking about people walking the wrong way on moving sidewalks. I told him that I had seen a Donald Duck cartoon about this. While searching for the cartoon, I found that life mimics art.



Now that's funny.

For Dust You Came And To Dust You Shall Return

Psalm 51

1Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

2Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

3For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

4Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

5Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

6Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

9Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

10Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

11Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

13Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

14Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

15O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

16For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

18Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

19Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. It is a time to reflect on our mortality and the necessity of a Savior. I attended a service tonight at the United Methodist Church I am a member of. The pastor's sermon centered on Psalm 51 and 2 Samuel 12. In 2 Samuel 12, David is confronted by Nathan about David's adulterous relationship with Bathsheba. After being told a story of a rich man stealing from a poor man, David says the rich man must die. Nathan then says "You are the rich man!" David realizes what he has done and acknowledges his sin before the Lord. God grants mercy on David, but the child of David and Bathsheba dies. While the child is sick, David fasted and wept. Upon learning the child dies, David rises, dresses himself, worships the Lord, and eats again.

All of us have and continue to sin. Our sins are against other humans and against the Lord. We deserve death for our iniquities. Tonight on Ash Wednesday, we acknowledge this. But the story is not over! Jesus Christ came to Earth to die in our place. By His sacrificial death on a cross, Christ opened the lifegates by dying in our place. Our sins, though many, are forgiven by God because of what Christ did. All we must do is repent and believe the gospel. Gospel, meaning good news, is that Christ died for us, while still sinners, so that we may be reconciled with God, become one of God's children, and live a life for his glory.

When we become God's children, we are changed. The Holy Spirit, the very spirit of God, enters into our heart. We are called to live for him. Your sin is no longer who you are. You are free from it. Repent! Turn away from the sin! It is a hard battle, but one worth pursuing. Oh to long for the joy of not having sin in my life!

During the imposition of ashes, when the pastor places ashes on your forehead, the traditional saying is "from dust you came and to dust you shall return." However, my pastor said "Repent, and believe the gospel." What welcoming words! My sins, though many, can be forgiven. Just repent and believe the gospel! Praise the Lord for granting to me grace daily, so that I may forgive myself for the sins that he has already forgiven.

Time keeps on tickin'

Time is always marching on. It is hard to believe it is already February. In just 4 months, I will be preparing to leave for Alaska. In 3 months I will be wrapping up another semester of teaching. In 2 months, I will be another year older. In 1 month, I will be getting ready for a hiking trip during spring break. In 30 minutes, I will be asleep.

Remember this at your Super Bowl Parties!

Beware the bowl: Double dipping spreads bacteria

Story Highlights

• Clemson students examined effects of double dipping
  
• 3-6 double dips spread 10,000 bacteria from eater's mouth to remaining dip
  
• Research didn't get into the risk behind bacteria transfer

"I like to say it's like kissing everybody at the party -- if you're double dipping, you're putting some of your bacteria in that dip," Dawson said.


http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/02/01/double.dipping.ap/index.html


So only double dip if you are at a party of hot people and you want to kiss everyone there!

Trying to get better

I am working really hard at getting healthy. I had a relapse of a nasty cold. Sunday - Tuesday were the worst days. I am getting better and hope to be fully healthy by the weekend. Under the recommendation of my mom, I bought some Campbell's microwave soup for work. It does not taste very good. I do not recommend it.

Mr. Fancy Pants Living the SOPH Life

Well, I wouldn't fit this description. I would be Mr. Cargo Pants living the POSH life this week. We have been staying at the Double Tree Hotel in Austin. There are at least 3 in Austin, we are at the one at 35 & 290 E. We are staying at this hotel because the teacher conference we are attending is here. I have not been impressed by the high society life. Numerous things have caused me to desire the cheaper if not simpler life.
I am a huge proponent of free wifi. Mainly because I don't want to pay to have internet when I travel. I prefer just finding open networks and accessing the internet. Many hotels, and even motels, have free wifi. Arriving at the hotel, I turned on my computer, found the network, opened Mozilla and Double Tree wanted $10 a day to access the internet... That's OK, I have a modem and just dial in, right? Sure! But Double Tree wants $0.50 per call... Are you kidding me? Here we are in a fancy pants hotel and they charge for local calls? How about some water? Sure! $2 per bottle in your room. Continental breakfast? You bet! $9.00 for your cereal and milk. Give me a $60 a night motel that has free wifi and free donuts over this place anyday...

You're talking, but are they listening?

This week I am in teacher in-services. The content has been great but the delivery is often lacking. I find that it is hard to focus when the deliver is distracting. Usually I make note of issues I see in speakers, not to be nit-picky, but in order to improve myself. Below is my list from this week.

• Don't stereotype (particularly about males vs females or Texans)
• Make sure your A/V works. Failure of A/V loses the audience
• Leave pointless politics out of your speech (Bush really isn't responsible for $3 gasoline and if he was it has nothing to do with education)
• Give room on the table to work (I have to take notes on my lap because the table is too small)
• Don't make people sit with their backs turned. If I have to turn my seat 180 degrees to see the speaker, I certainly can't use the table and I feel uncomfortable. Either provide screens in the back or don't use circular tables.
• Don't give notes that don't follow your speech. It is very confusing when I have to jump around in your notes and if there is critical information missing.
  

Dashing Through the Snow

I love snow. We have had some snow here the last few days. It hasn't been very cold so the snow doesn't accumulate for long, but I love to watch the snow. Anytime it snows I open my windows and watch it or go outside and watch it.

For some reason, many people here do not like the snow. They stay home and do not do anything. They talk about how cold it is. The sanctuary was almost empty this morning at church because of a few inches of snow and a temperature of 35. There wasn't even any ice on the road! I do not understand people who complain about the snow. It is so pretty to watch. I love to play in it. When I see it snowing, it makes me want to do more!

I hope I never "outgrow" loving snow. I would love to live some place where there is lots of snow that stays all winter long. I also hope I never complain about the weather.

I was reminded of a Bible verse today by a friend.

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe
Philippians 2: 14 - 15

How often do we go through life complaining? And at what do we complain about? We complain that it is sunny or cloudy, hot or cold, too dry or too wet, too bright or too dark. Has our complaining ever changed the weather? The rain falls on the righteous and the unrighteous so we are left with little to complain about. To me, weather and the changes in nature illustrate the beauty of God's creation. I enjoy the outdoors because of the weather, not in spite of the weather.

Go out and enjoy the snow!

The Need for a Leader

I had two recent conversations with administration at my school. One was during my annual appraisal. During out post-observation conference, my AP (assistant principal) mentioned that she felt I was nearing my peak. I know she meant this as a compliment, but it seemed funny to me that she said I was nearing the best. What seemed funny was that after two years, I had become the best teacher I could ever be and it would just be all down hill from here. Obviously this was not the point she was trying to convey, but it is what stuck with me. The second conversation was with the principal. She was talking to me about some ideas she has for the future and mentioned that she wanted me to lead some of it because she felt I was a blooming leader.

This got me thinking about how I improve my ability as a teacher. What resources do I utilize in improving my teaching skill? The main one I use is reading. I do a lot of reading about science teaching and what should and should not be done in science classroom instruction. Most of my profession reading is of research papers. Not the most exciting reading, but I found it very informing. The other resource is other teachers. I have one teacher at my school who I am fond of and admire his teaching. He teaches history and works with AP students while I teach science and work with regular students. However, I still often talk with him about teaching and have borrowed several of his strategies. Despite him being an award winning teacher (he was a finalist for state teacher of the year) he is looking at options outside of teaching. He has become frustrated with several things and while he wants to remain in education, wants to be out of the public school.

These two resources have not been enough. I want to continue to improve my trade but have not found a great resource for that yet. I would love to have a mentor who I could work with and learn from. My mentor teacher my first year was an English teacher. I learned a lot from him but feel I would benefit even more from a science mentor teacher. I feel I would have a great resource who I could discuss my ideas with. They would have the experience and knowledge to help me understand what I am doing wrong in my teaching and how I can improve.

There is a need for a leader. I want to be a follower, I just need someone to lead me.

Today at School

Today the science department at my school was suppose to meet with the dean of science instruction for the school district. The meeting was scheduled for 4 PM. By 4, all of us teachers had gathered and awaited the dean. None of us really knew what the meeting was to be about. Since I had never met the dean, I was eager to see who it was that was in charge of all science instruction. By 4:15 the department head dismissed us as the dean had not shown up. Kind of sad when the dean doesn't seem to care about the science education at my school.


Classes went well today. We were studying electrolytes and ionization. After we had a brief lesson on electrolytes, we did a lab. The students were using a battery, wire, and light bulb to identify strong electrolytes, weak electrolytes, and non-electrolytes. They seemed to learn something about electrolytes and did well in the lab. Tomorrow is the last day before the Thanksgiving break. Because of that, we will be taking it easy. We will be doing a critical thinking scenario that I got from NASA. The scenario is that the students were on a moon ship that crashed. The students must travel across the moon to rendezvous with the mothership. They have 15 items and must rank them in order of important for their survival and transportation needs. The students love space so I am sure they will enjoy it.

What Could Be Better Than This?

How great would it be to be able to say this about your life? This is what I long for.

Tonight I am at a local coffee shop. I enjoy this coffee shop as they provide free wireless, have free refills on coffee and at night, their music is an 80's jam party. We have been partying to Billy Joel, Alannah Myles, and Tears for Fears. I always enjoy listening to the 80's music here as it reminds me of music I remember from when I was young.

Last night I attended my weekly Bible Study. We have been using a study called Walk as Jesus Walked by Ray Vander Laan. Last night's study focused on part of Paul's 1st missionary trip. Paul's trip went through Asia Minor, focusing on a region called Galatia. I want to write about one of the things that stood out for me. It wasn't part of the study but as side remark by the leader of the study. As we were wrapping up the study, we were listing things we thought we should do in order to mimic Paul as he mimics Christ. I forget what she was writing at the time, but the leader mentioned being content in our current position. This is of course something which Paul writes about.

10I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:10-13. (NIV)

I have heard this passage numerous times and always wanted to be able to live out this passage. My biggest problem was I never knew what it really meant to be content in all situations. A good place to begin would be to define content. Normally when I think of the word content, it means to be OK with. Not really happy, but not really upset, just content. It almost seemed to be a state of wanting more but settling for what one currently has. However, last night when I heard being content, it meant more than just settling. The dictionary defines the feeling of content to be satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else. This is clearly not the same as settling for one's current situation. This is saying that you are where you are suppose to be! That you have found the place that you have been looking for. I have a long ways to go before I can say that I have learned to be content in all situations.

When thinking about being content in all situations, one of the first thoughts in my mind is about my job. I am a 9th grade physical science teacher. It isn't my dream job nor am I excited 100% of the time that I am doing my job. I do enjoy it. It is a challenge every day and I enjoy that. I feel much more confident in my teaching ability and often research and discuss with fellow teachers ways to improve our education system. While I am happy with my current job, I wouldn't be able to say that I am content. I couldn't say that nothing could be better.

In my own life, I am far from the person that I want to be. I often feel that I am in constant struggle against myself. I relate to Paul when he writes that he does the things he doesn't want to do and doesn't do what he wants to do. I am very happy with my friends. I couldn't ask for anything better with my friends than to wish for more time with them. I have friends that are always there for me and are willing to do anything for me. They care for me and seek for ways to help me be a better person. Materially I lack for nothing. I already feel that I have way to much stuff. I would love to be able to fit everything I owned into two boxed. Having too much stuff does not appeal to me. I am content with my friends, I am content with my possessions, but am not content with my daily living.

Because I am not content with my daily living, I often dream about living in another place or time. A much simpler life appeals greatly to me. I often dream what my life would be like if I lived hundreds of years ago. If perhaps I lived in grandparents generation. Or even if I lived in a remote area. To me, these dreams are an acknowledgment that I am not content with my life.

I feel that I finally have a target to reach for in my wanting to be content with my life. It is hard to strive to be content when my definition was a poor definition. I long for the day when I look at my life and say that I am where I belong and I no longer dream of being in a different place or time. I am not yet content with my life. I am only complacent with my life.

Introduction

Greetings! Thanks for reading my blog. I hope to use this for two purposes. My first purpose is to practice my writing skills. I want to improve my ability to express myself using the written language and want to utilize this as a tool to do this. My second purpose is a place to express my thoughts. These thoughts will not be of anything in particular but will include thoughts from work, my daily activities, my philosophy, and anything else that pops into my head. I encourage you to respond to my posts with your thoughts. Enjoy!