The worst and best day

October 31st is a day that covers both ends of the spectrum for me. On one end of the spectrum is Halloween. Halloween is a day I completely despise for a multitude of reasons. I have felt this way since I was a young boy. My feelings toward Halloween have been compared to those that Ebenezer Scrooge had toward Christmas. I happily accept that comparison. I'm guilty as charged. On the other end of the spectrum is reformation day. On October 31st, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. Martin Luther is the father of the reformation movement and the reformed church. God bless Martin Luther!

The Writing's on the Wall

We received this report from Jessi on Tuesday:

Jessi went to take a shower and left Sveta alone in her room. A few minutes later Jessi returned to find Sveta writing on the wall. Jessi asked her what she was doing. "Writing", Sveta replied. "On paper?", Jessi asked. Sveta's simple reply was,"No".

Jessi wasn't happy to see Sveta writing on the wall, but was at least pleased with her honesty.

I really tried not to laugh, but I couldn't help it. It was just too funny. One of the joys of being a grandparent is being able to just sit back and watch the show. And hey, she didn't write on MY wall :-)

An uphill battle

I've spent considerable time on this blog documenting the struggles of being a teacher in a public school in the inner-city. There are so many factors working against me on a daily basis. It feels like an uphill battle and a battle that I'm losing on a daily basis. I realize there are students I'm affecting that I'm not aware of and students whom I've helped that I will never know about. However, I have to admit I'm a bit envious of people like construction workers. They work for months building a house and when the job is done they can look at it and say,"Look what I built!" Dentists have a patient come in with a terrible toothache. After a little while in the chair, the damage is repaired and the dentist knows he helped somebody that day. A fireman helps put out a fire and goes back to the firehouse knowing they saved somebody's property. All these jobs have a "product" when the job is done... an end result. With teaching it's not so much that way. At least not at my school. Not only am I battling students who do not value education and have absolutely no desire to be in school, but I'm battling their parents too. I'm not just talking about students living in horrid conditions or parents being unsupportive of their child's education. I'm talking about adults walking into the school and directly disrupting the learning process. Here are a few examples:

There is a parent who comes to the school every day wearing a sweatshirt that reads, "If you think I'm a B****, you should meet my daughter". What kind of person wears something like that to an elementary school? There is just no way to combat that type of mentality. This parent is also the first to holler if she doesn't agree with something the school does.

I had a parent two years ago sit in on one of my classes. She wanted to observe her son. (This is a very common practice and teachers welcome such things). This parent sat in the front row of my classroom and proceeded to take a call on her cell phone and carried on a two minute conversation as I was trying to teach. I was so flabbergasted that I didn't even ask her to take her conversation out of the room. I was struck speechless by this woman's actions. Again, there is no combating that type of mentality.

Just last week a colleague of mine reported the following incident. A mother showed up unannounced to observe her daughter in class. I mentioned that teachers welcome this practice, but the visit should be scheduled with an appointment. Showing up unannounced just isn't appropriate. Anyway, this mother is observing class and proceeds to put a set of fake, scary Halloween teeth in her mouth. She then starts looking around the room "smiling" at the students distracting them. She was a complete disruption. Again I say, there is no combating that type of mentality.

Also last week we had an angry mother barge into a classroom and start screaming at a student. Apparently this mother thought her child was being picked on and went in to confront the alleged bully. It turns out the situation was not at all what the mother thought it was. And I will say for the last time, there is no way to combat that type of mentality.

This job can be mighty discouraging at times. It can feel a lot like pounding your head against the wall. However, there are those rare moments that can be rewarding. You just have to press on.

Oh Sandy!

Hurricane Sandy, the monster storm, is about to wreak havoc on the entire eastern seaboard. I think storms are fascinating, but I never want to see damage, injuries or deaths. Pray for the more than 50 million people along the east coast who will be impacted by this storm. There is even talk of the national election being affected by the aftermath. Impassable roads and power outages may make it difficult or impossible for some folks to reach the polls. If this happens, you better believe the loser of the election is going to holler. I hope and pray the election can go off without a hitch. No matter what happens, there is one thing for certain... God is on the throne, God is sovereign, and God is in control.

On a lighter note... every time somebody on the news mentions hurricane Sandy, Tami and I bust out in song. Remember the song John Travolta sang in Grease? Oh Sandy!

3000

Silence Runs Deep received its 3000th page view today. Thank you to anyone who has taken the time to read my drivel. And oh yeah, happy weekend everybody!

The Electrical College

My previous post asserted a good number of my students probably know more about the electoral college than many adults. I still believe this to be true after an informal survey of random adults I feel comfortable enough asking. Now if only I can get my students to stop calling it the "electrical" college.

The Electoral College

Have you heard of the electoral college? If so, do you understand it? Raise your hand if you think electoral college plays Ohio St. in football this weekend. I jest of course. The electoral college is not an institution of higher learning, but an integral part of the American election process. I am teaching the electoral college to my students this week and I dare say they may understand it better than many adults who will be voting in 13 days.

Put as simply as I know how, the electoral college is a group of 538 people. These 538 people actually elect the President of the United States. Before you get in a tizzy and start thinking your vote doesn't matter, consider the following: each state is worth a certain number of electoral votes ranging from 3-55. The higher the population of the state, the higher the number of electoral votes that state is worth. Why 538 votes? The number of electoral votes is directly tied to the number of representatives a state has in congress. 435 Representatives from the House of Representatives. 100 Senators. Washington DC gets 3 electoral votes. 435+100+3=538. And by the way, the number of congressional reps in a state is directly tied to its population. Whichever candidate wins the popular vote within that state, receives that state's electoral votes. That's where your vote counts. That's why it matters. Since you want the candidate you support to win your states electoral votes. This is a point I had to teach my own mother. I'm not making fun of her... just sayin' even intelligent voters may not understand it. Make sense so far?

In the electoral college, the magic number is 270. The candidate that receives 270 (or more) electoral votes wins the Presidency. And to make matters a little more confusing, it is possible (and has happened on several occasions) for a candidate to win the overall national popular vote, but lose the election because the other candidate received more electoral votes.

Where did the electoral college come from? Glad you asked! The founding fathers wanted Congress to elect the President. Others wanted the general public (voters) to elect the President. The electoral college is the compromise established in the early days of our nation by those opposing sides and the the system still exists today.

Whether you support Romney or Obama, keep a close eye on those electoral votes on November 6th. It's a race to 270!

On a final note... it is possible to tie 269-269 in the electoral college. The tie breaker system is complicated enough to give me a migraine. That's a post for another day. A post I pray don't have to make.

Boo Humbug!

In just over a week, one of my favorite days of the year will be here. November 1st is a great day. Wanna know why? Because Halloween is over for another year and 364 days away! This so-called "holiday" has gotten to be less and less about kids and has been hijacked by adults. Here is an article that does a pretty good job of summing up my feelings: (Sorry, you'll have to copy and paste the link)

http://www.challies.com/articles/my-halloween-theory

Cheer Me Up

I had a rough day at work. I'd rather not rehash the day. Instead I thought I'd re-post one of my favorite videos. This always cheers me up (and I really don't even care for dogs). My mom says this dog reminds her of me. I'm not exactly sure how to take that :-)

The world according to Frank

We celebrated my father-in-law's 77th birthday tonight. The whole family met at his favorite restaurant (La Rosa's) and presented him with some gifts. In addition, many family members wrote letters to Frank recounting what he had taught them through the years. Below is the letter I submitted. Anything in parenthesis is explanation provided for the blog readers. As you will see, some items are serious and some are funny, but all are completely true.

Things I've learned from Frank (The world according to Frank)


1. To lose weight, adhere to the following plan... If it tastes good, spit it out.

2. It's okay to be a Melvin. That meant a lot coming from the guy who can fix anything. I'm not afraid of DIY mistakes anymore.(Frank can literally fix anything. I didn't learn until much later that he learned by making tons of boneheaded mistakes).

3. When you drop a screw, if there's a hole in the floor, the screw will roll around until it finds the hole and drop into it. It sounds ridiculous, but I swear it's true! (Kind of a variation on Murphy's Law)

4. It is not humanly possible to eat La Rosa's pizza without beer. It's a state law. Look it up! (If Frank ever goes to death row, his last request will be La Rosa's Pizza and Bud Light).

5. When doing a plumbing project,"you-know-what" doesn't run uphill. We tested that one, didn't we? (Ummmm... this story is too gross to recount on this blog).

6. Take the time to do the job right the first time. Taking short cuts will cost you time in the end. (Frank is a perfectionist. When he does a job you better believe it will be done right).

7. If your pants are too tight, your wife shrunk them... AGAIN! (Complaining still beats doing the laundry yourself!)

8. Days spent fishing don't count against you. They get tacked on to the end of your life.

9. Mick really can drive a motor home on I-75 through Atlanta... even if Tami did have to lay on the floor and not look. (We have video evidence of this!)

10. You can't eat a hamburger without a slice of raw onion. (Frank's love of onions is well documented)

11. The tool you need most is always on the other side of the room.

12. No matter where you lay your hammer, you'll always spend time looking for it.

13. You really can jack up a WHOLE house. I saw it with my own eyes! (Frank jacked up his whole house and replaced the entire foundation).

14. If you bet on red, the ball will land on black every time! (Money comes too hard. Don't gamble it away. The house wins every time)

15. It is possible, (and a lot of fun) to play a whole night of poker with 51 cards. (This really happened and is a favorite family story to this day!)

16. A guy looks ridiculous with the three of diamonds plastered to his forehead. (We tricked Frank into playing a game where you had to hold a card up to your forehead. Somebody smartly thought to take a picture... PRICELESS!)

17. Invest in a new tool for any job. It's cheaper than paying a so-called expert.

18. No matter how hard you look, you will never find a straight board at the lumber yard. (Frank is a great carpenter and spends a lot of time on the job complaining about crooked and warped boards).

19. Contrary to popular belief, the Japs were NOT just over the next hill. (Frank was only 5 years old when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. During WWII he thought the Japanese were close to his house and was afraid they'd come after him at any minute.)

20. You have to play the hand you are dealt. You don't get to exchange cards in the middle of the game.

21. An "ASPIRIN" never fell from the Seattle Space Needle. (This comes from Frank's misreading of a Trivial Pursuit question. The real question asked, "What movie begins with an assassin falling from the Seattle Space Needle?" Frank read the word assassin as ASPIRIN).

22. When playing Trivial Pursuit always act as if you know the answer for certain... even if you have no earthly idea what you are talking about! (Frank is notorious for answering all Trivial Pursuit questions with great authority. When in reality he often has no idea what the answer is. He has talked many a team out of correct answers in this way).

23. Joy can be found watching grandchildren marvel at rats running around on a colored wheel at the Farmers Fair. (The mouse game has been discussed at length on this blog).

24. You always carry the child on your shoulders no matter how bad your shoulders ache! (No explanation needed for the fathers and grandfathers reading this).

25. Life is fleeting. Enjoy every moment.

Thanks for all the memories, Frank. May there be many, many more! Thanks for always being there. It is a great comfort knowing I can call on you for anything and everything.

Your son-in-law,
Mick

Sweatshirts, Blankets and Socks

It's going to be a COLD winter folks. With the high price of energy, we are going to have to keep the thermostat turned way down this year. Last month we didn't run the AC or furnace and our bill was still REALLY high. We've already begun acclimating our bodies to the cold by keeping the thermostat set on 62. Looks like we are going to spend a lot of time in sweatshirts, warm socks and huddled under blankets. Somebody please tell me again why I shouldn't despise winter.

Twins Look Alike!

Not the brightest crayon in the box. Not the sharpest tool in the shed. This is how I was teasing my birthday boy son today.

First a bit of background knowledge. Michael has begun dating Meredith, a very nice young lady he met at school. Meredith is a twin. We met Meredith last night and we were telling Michael today how highly we thought of her after our first meeting (first impressions are indeed lasting ones). We were also telling him that we thought Meredith was a pretty girl. He said, "Yeah, and she looks a lot like her sister." I looked at Michael like he had two heads. I said, "Of course she does! She's a TWIN!". We all laughed and laughed about that. Even Michael admitted it was a dumb thing to say. That boy is a chip off the ol' block!

19 years ago!

Happy Birthday, Butterhead! 19 years ago today, my one and only son, Michael was born. He is the only boy on both sides of the family. All of his cousins are girls... ALL OF THEM!

I can't believe my little Buddy is 19 years old and in college. He already has one foot out of the nest and is teetering on the edge of completely flying out of it.

Once again, Happy Birthday Michael!

A Very Happy Friday!

After a really long and difficult week at school, TGIF never felt better! Tami is picking up Sveta this morning and she'll be there when I get home. What a great way to start my weekend! This evening we are taking Michael out to dinner for his birthday. One of his favorite places is Red Robin, so that's where we'll go. We also get to meet Michael's new "Friend" he met at NKU. Her name is Meredith (Winking eye knowingly).

Happy Friday everybody! It's going to be a great weekend!

This scares me to death!

This video scares me to death! These are the people who are voting in this year's election. I don't care if you're for Obama, Romney or none of the above. As an American this is scary to watch. There is no such thing as a "First Lady Debate", yet these people are more than willing to weigh in on its results. It's no wonder our great country is in such a mess.

In a similar vein, there was another person who interviewed people on the street about who they were supporting in the Presidential election. For example the person was asked if they were okay with Joe Biden being Mitt Romney's running mate. "Oh yes! I think it's great!", would come the ill informed reply.  Any half-way informed person would know that's a mixed ticket. If you're going to vote for somebody, don't you think you should at least know who his running mate is?

I truly believe people should have to take a BASIC, BASIC, BASIC test to be eligible to vote. I'm not talking about anything that would disqualify your average Joe or having a working expertise of the electoral college. Just enough to know you have some semblance of understanding of what (or who) you are actually voting for.  

Abby's day off

Abby is on "Fall Break" the next few days. Guess what she did on her day off today. Slept late? Nope! Watched TV? Nope! Surfed the internet? Nope! Spent the day catching up on FaceBook? Nope! Give up? She got up before 6 A.M. and spent the day with me at work. She has actually done this the last 3 or 4 years and really enjoys it.

Abby did some work for me, sat at my desk doing homework and observed her daddy in action. Or as she put it, "I get to go to school with my dad tomorrow and hear him use his mean 'teacher voice'". Abby will tell you I am entirely different person at work. Other than my colleagues, she's one of the few who have witnessed what I do on a daily basis. She got to see the types of kids I am dealing with and how hard I really work. It was wonderful spending the day with her. I don't know how many more of these days we have left. I will cherish each one because it may be the last.

Abby's day off was considerably different than Ferris Buehler's Day Off. I had a great day with my Sugar Lump.

When the going gets tough...

When the going gets tough, the tough... have a meeting.

Well, that's not how the real saying goes, but it seems that's the way it's going this week at school. By the time Friday rolls around, I will have had 4 meetings during my before school time planning time. Folks, that's 4 meetings in 5 days. With limited planning time during the school day, my time before school is precious. This is why I get so frustrated and yes, even angry when I feel inundated with excessive meetings. So much of the information disseminated during these meetings could be distributed in a memo or in e-mail. But for some reason, our school feels the need to call a meeting for EVERYTHING! I'm speaking out of frustration and I'm sure next week will be better. But for this week, I can tell you I dislike meetings more than fall and winter combined. I think I should discuss this with my colleagues. Maybe we should have a meeting :-)

My heart on my sleeve

Tami says I can never hide my feelings because I wear my heart on my sleeve. I'm guilty as charged. Nobody knows me better than my wife. I don't often try to hide my feelings, but when I do, I am lousy at it.

I have made no secret of my dislike for the fall season. I will not ramble on about it. I have stated my reasons very clearly in the past. I've heard all the arguments before. "Don't you just love the color of the changing leaves?" Yes, but they fall off quickly and lead to dead looking, bare trees. "Don't you enjoy the crisp autumn air?" No. Sweatshirts and jeans are binding and bulky. Give me a t-shirt and shorts any day. "Don't you love Halloween, pumpkins and all the harvest stuff?" No, I don't! The list could go on and on.

I recently read a blog post from a local sports writer and discovered I am not the only one who feels this way. Finally! Here's a brief snippet:


I dislike fall, because I know what’s coming. I dont like shorter days. I dont like the weak, half-light of the sun in the fall. It’s portentous and depressing. My mom died in the fall. Everything dies in the fall.


Exactly! I always knew there was something different about autumn daylight. I could never accurately describe it. This guy nailed it! I had loved ones die in the fall too.

And for the record, there's only one thing I dislike more than fall... Winter. But that's a blog post for another day.

Leviticus?

Our church is in the midst of its Fall Bible Conference. It started on Saturday evening and runs through Tuesday evening. The theme is Leviticus Alive! Be honest. How many of you think Leviticus is a book that deals with God's Law for the Israelites? Guidelines for sacrifices, diet and sanctification. If that's what you think, you are correct, but only partly. Leviticus contains so much more! Sure it follows Moses and the Israelites as they wander the desert before entering the land of Canaan (The Promised Land). Leviticus has direct ties to Jesus and the New Testament. The incredible thing about the Bible is how the Old and New Testaments complement each other. One does not trump the other. They are completely interwoven. The terms old and new can be a bit misleading. Old does not mean outdated or irrelevant. New does not mean "new and improved". The Bible is one book... not two. Too many people think the New Testament is cause for disregarding the Old Testament. Nothing could be further from the truth. The REAL truth.

We are not alone

Tami went to our local bank yesterday to sort out the mess of our stolen credit card number. She found out this has been happening to other people also in the last few days. There seems to be no doubt we'll get our money back, but it's going to take about a week and a half. We also spoke to a good friend who works at another bank and she said they are having the same issues. Everything seems to be happening in Columbus, Ohio. Our friend also told us the thieves are taking photos of the front of the real card and then producing phony credit cards that actually work. I have no idea how they do this, but it's clear the criminals are smarter than I am.

A SERIOUS NOTE!

I have no idea how this happened, but somehow, some way, somebody got their hands on my credit card number. The actual card is still in my possession, so the thief only has my number. Tami was looking at our bank statement about 11:00 last night and noticed 5 or 6 purchases in Columbus, Ohio that weren't ours. As a matter of fact, the purchases were only mere minutes old. She immediately got on the phone and blocked all cards connected to that account, but not before several hundred dollars had been charged. I have no doubt the charges will be removed and our money returned, but the idea of somebody having my bank account information scares me to death. We'll probably have to close the old account and open a complete new one. UGH!

If you know me well, you know I am very careful with stuff like this. I never leave my card anywhere and I am meticulous about caring for my receipts. This is what makes this theft so perplexing. How in the world did this thief get my number? My best guess is my number was stored on some company's database or website and someone hacked into the site and compromised personal information. I will probably never know for sure.

Be careful folks! Thank goodness Tami happened to check our bank statement online. No telling what would have happened if this had gone unnoticed for another day.

By the way, some of you may find it strange that I prayed for whoever stole from me. Obviously this person is lost and certainly needs more help than a a few hundred bucks can offer.

Crash and Burn

The Reds crashed and burned today. Just like that! Poof! Season over!

However, I am not worried. I gave up getting upset over sporting events years ago. These guys are making tens of millions of dollars for playing a game and starting tomorrow they are on vacation. I'm guessing they are not crying in their lemonade. I won't be crying in mine either. Thanks for a fun summer guys.

Playoff Dud!

I went to the Reds playoff game tonight. It was the first in my life. It was a dud of a game and the Reds got their heads kicked in. I still had a good time with my brother-in-law, Dale. By the way, Dale was so kind to buy the tickets and to invite me along. A big thank you goes to him! Now the Reds need to win the fifth and deciding game tomorrow. C'mon boys! Don't let Cincinnati down!

My Grandpa

My Grandpa Meyer passed away 18 years ago today. After the death of my own father of course, this is the loss that still hurts the most. As the first born grandchild, I was the apple of my grandpa's eye and we shared a very special bond. While I cherish that bond even to this day, I must admit that I was the favorite grandchild and my grandparents made no effort to hide it. Straight up I will say this was wrong. I remember feeling uncomfortable at times when I was given preferential treatment. As a child I wasn't really sure what to do about it, so it just went on for as long as they lived. All that aside, my relationship with my grandpa was special for a lot of reasons. We shared the same personality traits and seemed to know what the other was thinking without even speaking. We spent many hours together just talking and being together and loving being in the presence of the other. As I grew older I realized what great pride grandpa took in the Meyer family name. When I was old enough to understand, he stressed how important it was to carry on the family name. Obviously I couldn't control the gender of my future children, but I understood where he was coming from. On October 20, 1993, my son Michael Christian Meyer was born. The moment he entered the world I sobbed with joy. Yes, because my wife had just given birth to our child, but more because I knew I had the boy my grandpa wanted in order to carry on the family name. I knew he would be so happy! And he was... I think he loved Michael even more than he loved me (and I wasn't sure that was possible). Michael Christian is a name that carries a long history in the Meyer family. Here's the family tree:

Christian Michael Meyer (my great great grandpa)
Michael George Meyer (my great grandpa)
George Michael Meyer Sr. (my grandpa)
George Michael Meyer Jr. (my dad)
Michael Richard Meyer (me)
Michael Christian Meyer (my son)

As you can see, my son's name goes back 5 generations. Grandpa asked that I carry on the family name. Mission accomplished.

Anyway, I mentioned how happy my grandpa was to have a great grandson. Things were wonderful except during the first year of Michael's life, grandpa began to experience major health problems. Life threatening health problems. In September of 1994, things began to look very bleak. Grandpa was slipping fast. It was going to be a close call to see if grandpa would live to see Michael's 1st birthday. Grandma told me he said he didn't care how sick he was, he was going to attend Michael's birthday party. He didn't make it. Grandpa died on October 9th, 1994. Michael had his first birthday on the 20th.

Michael turns 19 this year and grandpa has been gone for 18 years. I always get sad as October comes around, but later in the month get to rejoice in celebrating my son. From the lowest of points to the highest of points in a matter of 11 days.

I know grandpa would have been proud of me and my family. I wish he could have lived to see more of my adult life, but that was not in God's plan. What was in God's plan was the 27 years I got to spend with my grandpa. I really miss him.

My Retirement Gig!

I found it! The job I want after I retire as a teacher. I know it's still 13 years away, but I'm sure this guy will be ready to give up the gig by then. This is one the Shriners that swings a sword as he walks in the parade. Let's face it... I've got the body for it.

The mouse will have to wait

We went back to the fair Saturday morning, but we didn't get to play the mouse game. Grandpa Frank wasn't feeling well and wasn't able to come to the fair. In the interest of maintaining family tradition, we decided to wait until next year to introduce Sveta to the game. Hopefully Frank will feel up to it by then.

We did get to watch the parade though. It was a cold morning and as parades go, it was pretty lousy. It was long, but lousy. Only one real float to speak of. Lots of politicians handing out literature. Lots of people in cars and pick up trucks waving. The Shriners were there with their little cars and motorcycles. There were a few marching bands and of course some clowns.

I don't generally enjoy parades, but watching Sveta have a good time made it well worth the time. She really enjoyed gathering all the candy and other various treats. She loved the clowns and loved the horses. There were even people in scary costumes promoting local Halloween events. She wasn't afraid and even thought they were funny. Every ghoul and goblin that came along she wanted to high five. It was so cute!

Here are a few photos of Sveta gathering candy.

Rewards and Consequences

When Jessi dropped off Sveta Thursday, she told her that she could have a reward if she was well behaved for Grandma and Goppa. I knew this was not going to be a problem because she is always very agreeable, compliant and obedient. Throughout the whole day we kept reminding her by asking, "What do you get if you're a good girl?" She replied, "A re-ord" (reward).

When we dropped off Sveta at home, her mommy asked if she'd been good. Sveta said that she had been good and immediately requested her "re-ord". Her mommy praised her good behavior and asked her to tell us what happens when she does not obey. She said, "There are "con-de-quences (consequences) and con-de-quences are NO fun!". Indeed con-de-quences are not fun. Thankfully we didn't have to impose any! :-)

Isn't that what life is all about? Just a bunch of "re-ords" and "con-de-quences".

Fun at the Farmers Fair!

Knowing Sveta would be waiting for me when I got home yesterday, I was pretty excited. As I pulled into the driveway, the following message greeted me. If you can't see it, it says, "Welcome Home Goppa" in sidewalk chalk. What a great way to start the fun evening.

After exchanging the usual hellos, Sveta let me know she was not happy about something. She said, "I wanted to swim, but the pool is locked. And it's dirty too!" The winter cover is on the pool and is full of rain water and leaves. That one cracked me up. I told her I would "unlock" the pool in the spring.

After having her favorite meal for dinner (Cheesy potato soup), we headed to the fair. After winning a stuffed fish at the fish pond she informed me she wanted to ride the ferris wheel. I wasn't sure she knew what a ferris wheel really was or if she was maybe confusing it with a merry-go-round. I kind of put her off temporarily and approached a few of the more tame rides.

Here's Abby with Sveta on the carousel:

We then put her on the cars and motorcycles:

We noticed as soon as she was done with one ride, she was immediately looking for what was next. We then let her ride the helicopters and the kiddie roller coaster that looked like a dragon.

Finally there was no mistake... she knew what a ferris wheel was and she wanted to ride it. And ride it we did! She absolutely LOVED IT! She loved being up high and giggled with delight when it went round and round. Goppa had a really good time too.

After riding everything in sight, we closed the evening with chocolate ice cream (of course!)

I don't think I'd be exaggerating if I said Grandma, Abby and Goppa had more fun than Sveta did and she had the time of her life!

Tomorrow we go down for the parade and more fun at the Farmers Fair. It's also the day Sveta will play the Mouse (Rat!) Game with her great-grandpa Frank. Can't wait for that!

And just for fun, here are a few more photos:

You need a new JERSEY!

One of my pet peeves is grammatical errors and words spelled incorrectly on sign boards. The types you see at fast food restaurants, schools or churches. However, some mistakes are understandable as the people putting the letters on the board may not be the most highly educated folks. I can actually empathize... I changed the sign board at church a few weeks ago and it's easy to get confused and make a mistake. But knowing how critical I am when I see mistakes, I proofread my finished work about ten times to ensure there were no errors. Most other folks probably don't do this.

Anyway, as I was saying, these types of errors are understandable. However, I stumbled across a website that showed team names and player names spelled incorrectly on professional and college sports jerseys. Keep in mind these are multi-billion dollar professional teams and college programs paying multi-billion dollar companies to manufacture these garments (Nike, Adidas etc...).

Here are the first two. It might be easy to jump to a stereotypical conclusion, but don't do it. There is plenty of ignorance to go around.

Check out the spelling of Kentucky on #11's jersey...

And the spelling of West Virginia...

Apparently the Naval Academy isn't immune...

The Canadians aren't much better...

Seriously? A backward "R"? Who made this jersey, Toys-R-Us?

How's that again?

In my 23 year teaching career, I have had every conceivable type of student. One type is hearing impaired/deaf students. Unfortunately for me, this has given me some of my more embarrassing moments in the classroom. These students usually have a sign language interpreter and an FM system to assist them. I wear a transmitter/microphone and the student either has a portable receiver that sits on his/her desk or a receiving device in his/her ear. Either way, you get so used to having the interpreter in the room or wearing the microphone you forget all about them.

In one instance about 20 years ago, the interpreter did something to help me in the classroom. Eager to show off how much sign language I had picked up, I put my hand under my chin and flung it forward. The interpreter got a funny look on her face and asked if I knew what I had signed. I said, "Yes. I signed thank you". She said that I had not signed "Thank You", but something else that ends in "you". You know, probably the worst thing one person could ever say to another. Anyway, she laughed and said to sign the words "Thank You", my hand should come from the front of my chin and NOT under it. You better believe I never, ever made that mistake again. Why do the signs for thank you and (blank) you have to be so similar?

Another time with a different student and a different interpreter, I again attempted to show off my sign language skills. I don't remember what I was trying to say, but I do know the interpreter was appalled when I mistakenly signed something that represented a sexual act. She corrected me real quick on that one. I decided then and there to leave the sign language to the professionals.

Yet another time, with the same student and same interpreter, I took a restroom break. That's one nice thing about having an interpreter in the room... the luxury of taking a quick break while another adult holds the fort. Anyway, forgetting I had the microphone around my neck, I went to the restroom. When I returned, the hearing impaired student pointed at me and said, "I HEARD YOU!" I was completely embarrassed! I had no idea those things could transmit that far! Thank goodness it was a very short break and not an extended one (if you know what I mean).

This year I have 2 hearing impaired students, but I have yet to commit any major blunders. But don't worry... the year is young. I'm sure I will. And when I do... you all will be the first to know.

Flying Solo with Sveta

This Thursday, Tami and I are looking forward to doing something we've never done before. We get to have Sveta for a whole day. We've done small things like take her for ice cream or to the park, but those were short term things and we always took her back to her parents after a short while. Jessi called recently and requested a break from being a mommy. We were very happy to oblige.

Thursday Tami will pick up Sveta in the morning and they'll spend the day doing "Grandma stuff". I have to work, so I won't get to join the party until the evening. When I get home we are going to take her to the fair to enjoy the rides and to play the now infamous "Mouse Game" which to be accurate should now be called the "Rat Game".

Anyway, we get to spend the whole day with her and we are so excited! We have waited to do this ever since Jessi and Barry announced their plans to adopt nearly two years ago. Being a grandparent is the best!

Mouse Game Update

We went to the Lawrenceburg Fall Fest on Saturday night. They had the "Mouse Game", but it looked like a different wheel and different people running it. I think this is a different operation than the one at the Aurora Farmers Fair. I hope so... the game on Saturday night had a RAT running around on the wheel. You heard me correctly folks... A RAT! If this is the same game we see next weekend, I'm not sure how Sveta will react to seeing a rat. I hope it's a gerbil or a mouse. But when you really get down to it... a rodent is a rodent! ICK!

One Year!

I started the blog one year ago today. Happy Birthday, Silence Runs Deep!