Tonight we checked out the orange blossoms. There are the starts of tiny oranges. I know I have to wait a year. It will be a great exercise in perspective – this is something that I can’t influence immediately and see instant…fruit. [rimshot]
Some things will go by too quickly, though. Right now my youngest sings the Imperial March much like her older sister used to. She then says, “Star Wars! C’est booyah!” I know this phase/speech pattern won’t last forever.
I think Mike’s kid is suspicious of Sean. Smart kid.
For more cool photos from our Star Wars session (not an oxymoron), check out the wookieburgers (which, by the way, congrats on being number one for “wookieburger” in Google).
Tonight I will make the changes to my Killian Ranger and I’m sure I’ll be posting his eulogy by Monday, but I’ll make sure he goes out fantastically.
I faced the same moral dilemma. I stayed up really late making my heroic Jedi. Do I want to instantly throw him headfirst into an epic situation where death is the most likely outcome?
When don’t I?
Devin, don’t think your plans to re-decorate Silas’ office have gone unnoticed. El Scorpio, I’d watch your back.
My daughter’s glasses came in. Photos tomorrow. (We got to chatting and I forgot to take a photo. I know, the more dedicated bloggher would wake his kid up, but when have you known this place to be a professional operation?)
Clarifications from yesterday: It was 1993 when John Paxson shot that infamous three-pointer, not 2003. It’ll make more sense when J releases the podcast at the start of the month. At least I can claim April Fool’s.
Also, Prop 100 is a one cent sales tax, not a one percent sales tax. I think that got miscommunicated.
I hearby declare March 28 as Star Wars Hangover Not Good With Numbers Day.
(If you’re wondering about “whatever”, it’s my response to a Facebook profile that I disagreed with. Yes, I typed in “whatever” into Chrome’s URL box. Yes, Taciturna, that’s how I find most of the crazy pajunk I post on the bloggh.)
I’m half-way through editing my current writing project. I got a very encouraging text from a friend saying that she really liked the drama teacher who put on stage make-up for yearbook photos.
Yes, Mike, I’m trying to make money off of your life. Feel free to write about Cowden.
I hate to see a good meme leave (although when the local news does it, you know it has gone the route of Whoomp! There it is! or letting dogs out).
If you feel the need to Rickroll, please consider the following:
For convenience, the Interwebs now has the easy-to-remember URL of http://trololololololololololo.com/
Okay, so my Windows 7 machine just powered down. I restarted it, things flickered, and now it’s back up and running. Weird.
That’s not the reason to avoid creating a character after midnight.
No, that reason is because when you’re at work you’ll float in and out of consciousness, thinking that you can crush doors with your mind.
You’ll also attract a flock of birds that will strafe the parking lot with their “payload” while you run to the Scion. I’m not joking; five confirmed hits to a one foot radius in one minute.
But the surreal moments didn’t stop there. I looked at an activity happening on campus and thought, “Wow. That’s really cool what those students are doing.”
I had forgotten it was an activity I had created when I joined on as librarian.
Today also marked the start of our student film creations. There are a lot more students who have their own video cameras. Much booyoring but it’s very exciting.
More excitement came when my principal asked me to join his team of master teachers at a conference this summer on how to run a school in difficult times. It gave me confirmation on how my principal views my job performance. Now we just gotta hope for the district school board/superintendency/Moff council to not go crazy in fear of Prop 100 not passing. (If it doesn’t pass, many teachers will be fired. That’s why I mentioned the classes of ~35-40 students.)
Elementary librarians are split between schools right now. I think we’ll see more of that and more elementary librarians get cut before the secondary ones, but committees of people have been known to do crazier things before.
I can’t help but laugh when I see the “Protect Public Safety – Yes on 406″ vs. “Protect Public Safety – No on 406″ ads. A new site has been created called clearuptheconfusion.com. Some of the budget items for the town are like, “Well, yeah, don’t waste money printing the Your Town newsletter.”
I hope the confusion doesn’t take away from 100, though.
Right now I have to remind myself that at least I don’t live in Panem.
On the topic of schools and politicians, you can assign a grade for Obama here. I wish you could assign CBS a grade. How many CSI/NCIS shows can you have?
It should be noted that when my principal told me the list of teachers he chose to join us at the conference, I said, “That’s like the Justice League of Teachers” and my mind thought, “I’m a Master teacher? Does that mean I get +3 to all my defense checks?”
No joke.
And this, my friends, is why you put away the character sheet before midnight.
You’d be surprised how many mogwai rules also apply to gamers.
I know that in the weird entity called “politics” reality gets blurred. I still think we should offer politicians a refresher course in high school Civics to remind them of their job descriptions.
Normally I’m not someone who says, “You need to vote for this thing.” (At least I don’t see myself as that.)
Do you remember when April 15 was stressful because of taxes? It’s also our district’s deadline to notify you if you have a job next year or not. Legislature was passed that said they didn’t have to give us that courtesy, but thankfully they will.
Right now we have four proposed budgets, based on if we fund all-day Kindergarten and if Prop 100 passes. The other surrounding districts will be funding all-day Kindergarten, so my money’s (literally) on our district doing the same (in an effort to not lose students to neighboring districts).
If Prop 100, the one cent sales tax for three years, passes, our classes stay at the ~33-34 students per class that we’re in (one PE class has 44 students for the one teacher…imagine my fun coordinating that class for AIMS).
We’ll be taking a 1% pay decrease to fund Kindergarten, along with less take-home pay to buffer our medical coverage. This is our best case scenario and I’m not complaining. I’m a fan of having a job. I remember when my library budget got zeroed out and I was frustrated. That’s had to become the new reality and like most decent educators, we adapt.
Whether you think there’s district waste or not, the plan is taking shape. If Prop 100 does not pass, the cuts look crazy. We’re now looking at how to hold class with ~35-40 students being the average, removing sections of Special Education inclusion classes, and a whole bunch of other stuff that trickles down to the students. Keep in mind that it’s students and teachers getting hit by education cuts – we’ll still have superintendents no matter what. That’s the reality of it and I don’t see it changing too soon.
I know it’s tough all over right now. I just ask that if you don’t vote for Prop 100, don’t tell me. And to my newly-turned 18 year-old readers…please register to vote. Hey! I’ll even provide a handy link right here.
Funding from Prop 100 also goes to police officers and firefighters. Rumor has it we need those, right?
Here’s the language of the Prop:
A “yes” vote shall have the effect of temporarily adding one cent to the transaction privilege (sales) and use tax that begins on July 1, 2010 and ends May 31, 2013 for the purpose of funding primary and secondary education, health and human services and public safety.
And here’s to April 16…
The 3DS was huge news, but this is even better. A Japanese RPG about Charles Barkley saving the world:
Thanks, El Scorpio, for the heads up.
Nintendo has announced the 3DS, a handheld system that will project 3D images but not require a pair of glasses.
Iwata is checking out, however, if playing games in 3D for an extended period of time causes health problems (Slade, imagine us in our Borderlands feast, now with Skags jumping out of the screen).
It will also have a camera (perhaps two for depth perception) and a motion sensor. Nintendo gave the vague “it will come out before summer 2011” release date.
It seems cool, although Nintendo’s philosophy of less expensive products sometimes translates into not having the most recent tech advances hardware wise (design wise they are cutting edge). It’s great creativity, but I wish there could be a happy merge of the Wii and the PS3.
Today my oldest put in an order for a pair of eye glasses. She joins her parents in the Cool Kids Club. When they come in I’ll put up some photos.
Yesterday I watched Return of the Jedi with her. I guess it had been a while. She didn’t remember any of it.
“No! That monster can’t eat Luke! What’s going to happen?”
“Just keep watching.”
“Whoa! He blocked his mouth with a bone!”
She knows the saga pretty well in the bigger picture, though.
Obi-Wan: The Force runs strong in your family.
My daughter: Oh. Leia?
Luke: What?
My daughter: What’s Luke’s problem? Can’t he tell Obi-Wan’s talking about Leia?
Apparently it’s been a while since we’ve watched a lot of the classics. My wife and I watched the Karate Kid yesterday. (And yes, I’m excited about the new one.)
The Karate Kid that we know is the channel 45 one, the version that we always catch from the tournament on. Did you know there’s more to the story than You’re the Best? There’s three different dates that Daniel and Ali (she has a name?) go on. All three are incredibly awkward.
I knew that Miyagi’s wife and kid died, but did you know it was at Manzanar? And Miyagi’s teaching style is awesome. His reflections on why we learn are refreshing. And, frankly, I think I’m going to order bonsai tree seeds for my circulation desk.
Me: Picture your research paper. Nothing else. Your thesis needs balance. [snip a branch] Now go paint the fence.
On the topic of epic mentors, a very influential one from my life hung out at our house today. Six years has been too long, friend.
If you remember me mentioning one of my favorite bands, Aradhna, you’ve probably heard me mention Freedom Firm (if you click on that link I just gave, you’ll also see Devin and I in our naivete about the show Heroes in a time when Hiro was a hero).
Why I bring up Freedom Firm is that a good friend of mine is raising awareness at our church about child trafficking going on in the Valley. Freedom Firm liberates kids in India. I didn’t know there was such an underground network going on in the U.S. We’re collecting supplies for the VICE squad to use when liberating children from prostitution (the average age of prostitutes is 13 years old).
The supplies needed are:
The Internet has aided in the sale of children, but it can also be used to get the word out to stop child slavery. You can contact my friends at avoice.fcov@gmail.com
You should also look at sites like visionabolition.org and brandedphx.com to get more of the story.
We (the collective humanity we) have a lot of people asking for our time. That’s why I appreciate brandedphx listing different levels of assistance based on if you have five minutes or more.
If you’d like to donate supplies, e-mail my friends of comment/message me and I’ll get you an address to drop-off/mail supplies to.
X-Men 3 doesn’t count.
Don’t try and convince me, it just doesn’t.
Thankfully Bryan Singer is returning to the X-Men franchise to direct X-Men: First Class, a prequel showing the friendship/war between Professor X and Magneto.
I’m excited, not just because it’s Bryan Singer, but because Xavier and Magneto are not the stereotypical “I must kill you in order for there to be peace” characters found in superhero/action stories. There’s also rumors of X4, but Singer says he wants to focus on one story at a time.
Focusing on a storyline in Hollywood? Inconceivable.
On the topic of Wolverine, did you see this jellyfish? It can revert to its youth stage and regrow into adulthood. Imagine if you could constantly loop back to when you were 8, regenerating every time.
Check out the Freedom site for the new podcast.
My wife and I beat the new Super Mario Bros. game, so if you have any recommendations for a good co-op Wii game (in short supply, surprisingly enough) send them my way. The good thing with Mario is that you can keep going back to any level and still have a considerable amount of fun.
While searching for details about LEGO Star Wars III, I’m annoyed that I fell asleep during 30 Rock last night:
Let’s hear it for Hulu.
What? You can watch episodes of the Clone Wars online? When did this happen? I’m so behind. Not that I’m an uber fan of the cartoon, but it would have been nice to know after the third time in a day watching the Don Knotts episode of the Muppets. (If you listen to the podcast there’s a reference to Sweetums. That’s not on accident.)
My grandma’s memorial service will be at 2pm this Saturday at Lakeview Methodist:
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Thank you to everyone who sent support through texts, e-mails, and phone calls. I’m also thankful that I could send out a Twitter/Facebook update and not have to re-tell everyone over and over again. So, thank you for stalking me, I think.
I’ve learned some lessons, some that I can share here, others that you’ll need to talk to me in person about. What was really interesting/comforting is that Saturday morning I was helping J write a script for a video about Easter – along the lines of “Jesus Lives – So What?” (J is better about wording things so they don’t sound sacrilegious).
Saturday morning I was looking at 1 Corinthians 15, specifically:
For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
I finished typing up my thoughts, e-mailed them to J, and then got my dad’s call to put on my shoes and race to the west side of town.
My grandma lived a life of serving others but it was not for this life that she was investing. All of the teaching, listening, baking, flower arranging, and generally being a good friend was because she cared for people, cared for the people in God’s church. Not that those acts earned her way into Heaven but that those signs of love are evidence of a faith lived out.
The end of 1 Corinthians 15 is the best, mixing in ideas from Hosea, Isaiah, and Revelation:
Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?
One thing that broke me down, though, was an unopened card I had delivered on my first visit to the hospital. My grandma never recovered enough to be able to read it. I’m keeping the envelope in my car to remind me to seize the opportunities I’m presented with.
On that train of thought, this past Friday I started the first of many Dad-Daughter Days:
Yep. Pink Bear. Darth Vader Armor. It came with a plush lightsaber, too. I am proud.
And to the wonderful ballet teachers, thank you for your time and know-how. Also, thanks for something fun my family could go to:
Thanks, Devin, for the info.
Hugo Weaving will play the Red Skull in the new Captain America movie. And the character’s total lack of lips is not a hindrance since Weaving talks like a ventriloquist in all of his roles.
And thanks, Sara, for the celebrity lullaby:
I support World Vision and believe in what they’re doing. Here’s an update about what happened in Pakistan:
World Vision today is mourning the brutal and senseless deaths of six members of our staff in the Mansehra district of Pakistan, following an unprovoked attack by gunmen.
We have confirmed that the gunmen entered our office compound, threw grenades, opened fire on staff inside the office, and left the compound after exploding a homemade bomb. The compound is located about 40 miles north of Mansehra town.
In addition to those killed, eight employees were hospitalized with injuries. Four of them were released from the hospital, while another four remain hospitalized in critical-but-stable condition.
No threatening letters were received prior to the attack. World Vision’s relief and development work in Pakistan is conducted by local citizens, and local leaders have strongly condemned the attack. World Vision sees the attack not only as an attack on its own local staff, but on the Pakistani people themselves.
They provide aid for poor kids and will still do it, although operations in Pakistan have been suspended.
The agreement was administered by a LEGO pirate, so I’m wondering if it’s more of a guideline than a rule.
Can you just feel the nostalgia in these words?
Declaration of Secrecy
I, the undersigned, hereby acknowledges towards LEGO System A/S that all pieces of information, whether submitted orally or in writing, documents, drawings and any other kind of material (hereinafter referred to as “Information”) which I receive during test of LEGO Universe, until launch of game, shall be treated strictly confidentially, and that all such Information shall always be kept in a satisfactory way and shall not in any circumstances be revealed to any third party.
Furthermore, the undersigned declares that all such Information shall only be used in connection with the co-operation with LEGO System A/S and shall in no circumstances be copied or reproduced in any way without the prior written consent of LEGO System A/S.
The undersigned hereby furthermore declares that I will never use the Information as mentioned above for any commercial purposes.
The undersigned accepts that all such Information remains the property of LEGO System A/S and therefore, at LEGO System A/S option, either has to be returned to LEGO System A/S after the termination of the co-operation or has to be destroyed.
Here’s what showed up in my e-mail:
Congratulations, you have been chosen to participate in the Closed-Beta test of LEGO Universe!
The Maelstrom is trying to destroy imagination, so hurry up and create a LEGO Universe account with your LEGO ID. You’ll be a heroic minifig before you know it.
What I find funny is that there are limited times when I can play. It must be server maintenance or something.
So, if you want to find me, here are the times:
* Thursdays: 17.00 – 03.00 EU (CET) / 11 am – 9 pm US (EST)
* Saturdays: 20.00 – 02.00 EU (CET) / 2 pm – 8 pm US (EST)
* Sundays: 14.00 – 17.00 EU (CET) / 8 am – 11 am US (EST)
Thank you, Ohm, for this most definite win.
It’s not just epic. It’s epic saga win.