okay...i'm getting really tired of this...

i just. i. i think that everything should be more balanced.

this was on npr.org. http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2009/03/the_extended_uncut_daily_show.html

this is a clip of jim cramer from "mad money" on "the daily show" with jon stewart.

i'm not really sure what i want to say...so just watch and let me know.

ugh!

So I was listening to NPR yesterday when I heard this story: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100785777

Feel free to listen to it. From what I understand (and correct me if I'm wrong, please) the ACLU is suing this NC school district because peace activists do not have the same access to the schools that the military recruiters do. Now, I understand both sides of the issue...I'm an Air Force brat and support the military openly and whatever you may think about military families, I am open-minded and semi-intelligent. However, I am a teacher. I think of education as the only way to support and move our country forward. I am going to repeat the issue: the ACLU is suing a school district in NC because peace activists do not have the same access as military recruiters.

Okay so let me break this down for you. According to the story on NPR, the military recruiters currently get 4 days a year to come into the school. The peace activists get no access. However, this is after the peace activists had been allowed to be in the schools at the same amount of time as the military recruiters. Originally the school district had allowed both of them to come in and hand out brochures, etc. However, the activists were barred from the schools after they were viewed as giving out negative information about the military (i.e. joining the military can aggravate problems in your life even further, etc.). Now the school district is being sued because they violated the first amendment rights of the peace activists.

So here's my opinion on all of this. I don't care that they are speaking out about the military. People are entitled to their opinions, however inane or whatever they may be. I personally don't really think either the recruiters OR the peace activists should be in the schools anyway. But the issue that I have is that an organization supposedly designed and who's mission includes protecting the most vulnerable of people in this country of ours is SUING a school district!!! First off: who is more vulnerable than children trying to get an education? And why would you sue a government agency that is dedicated to making students' lives and our country better? They may not even sue for money, but they are taking it away from the schools. All of the time, resources, and money that will be involved in court fees, lawyers, etc. could be used to make a new pre-k class. It could be used to make an after school program. It could be used to buy computers, videos, books, etc. People have been abusing the education system in this country for years trying to score some kind of political touchdown with law suits against the school system on BOTH sides of the aisle. When will this whole steaming load of you-know-what stop obscuring the fact that our education system is in shambles. Why does this have to be a political arena...it should be an arena that is for learning and bettering our society, not pushing forward an agenda. Ugh.

Can I sue the ACLU for wasting tax dollars? I'm pretty vulnerable...

nice try...

5'11"
196.5 lbs
size 34 waist
This is day 1...again. I'm not sure why it is that I have so much trouble staying on a routine, and yet, here I am.
Now, I want to preface this by saying that I am beginning (for the second time) a work out routine that is supposedly really great. I think it's probably safe to say that I enjoy it and I think that it will work for me. It's a series of workouts that you do in different orders and it makes you sore in a different place each week or some ridiculousness that is exercise "science". Either way, I'm starting over and it sucks. I hurt.
Anyway, the whole idea is to inject some outlet from this whole getting in shape thing into this blog whilst I go along and along. Supposed to be for 90 days. We'll see how I do...

my kids are taking a test right now...and i'm all caught up on grading...

so i thought i would go ahead and put in another entry. i love teaching. i've really had a good time working with these guys this year. they are goofy though. i give them a lot of floater pitches. they swing and miss often enough. it's weird how different they are than from my first year kids. these kids aren't quite as street smart as the hms kids. they don't really get most things. a couple of them do, of course, but not the majority like before. the strange thing is that i remember my kids from hms as they were at the end of the year...not in the middle like i see these guys. ah well...enough musing on that...because i am...*suspenseful pause*...
...thinking about getting one of those workout programs. it's this p90x thing. i don't know if it really works that well, but i've been reading reviews of it and it seems to work well. i really would like to get back in shape. that would be cool. right now i get out of breath while trying to climb stairs...which is always embarrassing. either way...do you think this is a horrible idea? it's not like it's a "supplement" or something. just a workout program. it's just slightly expensive...but hey a 90 day program to get ripped? sign me up! *Sigh* i'm an idiot for marketing.

Good Morning!

...i can't sleep. now how about that. i spent all fall break going to sleep around 10 or maybe a little later, and now i can't sleep. ah well...at least i have to go back to work tomorrow.

voted today. i spent nearly 6 full minutes standing before the touch screen wondering who i was going to vote for. 6 elderly men and women stood behind me probably assuming i was going to vote for obama and ruin their country. i could feel the loathing of my youth and i don't know what else. either way i've never felt so threatened by a group of senior citizens! i did enjoy the tennessee voting experience...totally different from 4 years ago, but hey, i did get my vote cast and all that.

it is interesting to me that my friends are all professionals now. i mention this because a friend of mine works with the pew charitable trust. i called him to chat and he asked me about my early voting experience in tennessee. it's important to him because voter satisfaction and the way voting works is basically what he focuses on in his research. i think most people i'm friends with wanted to change the world...and i think that most of us are doing exactly that. teaching. doing rersearch. science. health care. we're all doing something we believe will make the world a better place. that's pretty awesome. yeah? yeah.

oh yeah...this is me.

i had made dinner that night. food network website. good stuff. trust me.

i haven't done a blog for awhile...we'll see how it goes...i'm gonna go back to watching mike rowe castrate sheep. i love dirty jobs...ugh...