A Sad Day

August 31st is always a sad day for me. It was on this day in 1990 that my dad passed away. He died of leukemia at the young age of 47. I can't believe he has been gone for 26 years. I still miss him a lot.

To compound the sorrow of this day. We just received word that Tami's Aunt Alice died this morning. This is my mother-in-law's sister from Martinsville, Virginia. Tami went down last week to say her goodbyes because we knew her time was growing short. My sympathies are with the Bryant family today.

Much grief and sadness today :-(

Cute Kids

I'm guessing you are tired of seeing photos of the St. Bernard flood. Since I can't think of anything meaningful to write this evening, here are some photos of my cute grandkids:

Flood- Part 4

I just received these photos from my good friend, Janie. The St. Bernard Community Pool is a mess. Looks like they will have to close for the rest of the season.

Flood- Part 3

My thoughts and prayers are with anyone affected by the flood in St. Bernard last night. I have students that live in the affected area, but I won't really know the extent of who was affected until I get to school tomorrow. Aside from those who were at ground zero (Greenlee Ave. at Scenic Ave), there are many others who had water in their basements and garages. I enjoy a day off school as much as the next guy, but I do not enjoy a day off under these circumstances. I pray that people can get insurance claims quickly and without complications. I still can't believe that happened!

Flood Part 2

A few more flood photos. The first two from St. Bernard, and the second two show the Norwood Lateral. The whole situation seems totally surreal.

St. Bernard Flood

Click on the video to see Greenlee Avenue under water!
***DISCLAIMER***
Please ignore the suggested videos that pop up after this video plays. I have no control over those and they are DEFINITELY NOT videos I have watched.

In a freak of nature event, St. Bernard is flooded tonight. I knew things were bad when I was notified that school is closed tomorrow. This video and these photos show Greenlee Avenue near Church St. and Scenic Ave. For those who know the area, Greenlee Garage is to the left and Church St. is to the right. I grew up in this town and I have never seen anything like it. News reports say 5 inches of rain fell in a span of about two hours.

Here you see the localized flooding and submerged cars. Unbelievable!

Riddles

I have always loved riddles. Sometimes they are so simple and obvious, the answer gets overlooked.

Riddle me this, Batman...

Answer?
The North Pole

Salvage Dawgs

Tami and I are big fans of the show "Salvage Dawgs". The Black Dog Salvage Company in Roanoke, Virginia salvages antique building materials from old houses, mills, and factories. They have a really cool store and Tami and her sister visited today. So cool! Wish I was there with them.

School Report

I am wrapping up my second week of school and I am happy to report that things are going exceptionally well! I have relatively small classes (fewer students usually means easier classroom management). These small classes are also really well behaved. Small classes are not always easy classes. My smallest class ever was also my most challenging ever. But this year God has blessed me with small AND well behaved classes. Small classes also mean fewer papers to grade overall. There's a big difference between grading 15 tests and grading 25 tests. Believe it or not this time adds up. I graded some tests today and when I finished it felt as if there should have been more (there weren't).

Don't get me wrong though. Teaching is still challenging and it's exhausting no matter how large or small my classes are. But it sure is a pleasure to spend more time teaching than disciplining. Please pray this trend continues. If things are like this, I can easily teach for nine more years. However, each year is different and you never really know what you're going to get.

People are lazy

Water follows the path of least resistance and so do people. Need proof that people are lazy? I give you exhibit A:

Brain Buster

The caption says kids can solve this brain buster in ten minutes. Not to brag, but it took me less than 30 seconds. What about you? I will post the solution at the bottom. Don't scroll down and look if you don't want the puzzle spoiled for you.

The answer is the total number of closed circles in the number.
1- none
2- none
3- none
4- none
5- none
6- 1
7- none
8- 2
9- 1
0- 1

For example---
415- 0
981- 3
205- 1

Get it?

Cincinnati- Part 7

YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM CINCINNATI IF... (FINAL POST IN THIS SERIES)

you are never more than 20 minutes from anything and everything

you actually know what "Who Dey!" means

you are convinced the Bengals will never win another playoff game and the Reds will never play in another World Series

You hate Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and St. Louis even though you've never been there

you think Pete Rose got a raw deal even when you know he was guilty as sin

you know Dayton is Cincinnati's red-headed step child

you experience winter and summer in the same week and it doesn't surprise you

you've ever wondered how long it would take to drive the entire 275 loop and considered trying it

you cried when Riverfront Stadium was demolished (or maybe that was just me)

You could buy "Top 6" tickets for $3 and see a doubleheader (Yep! I actually did this)

You remember the "Freezer Bowl" and swear you were there with no shirt on (I wasn't)

You seethe with anger when you hear anything about the San Francisco 49ers because they beat the Bengals in both Super Bowls

You love the view of the skyline as you drive up I-75 out of Kentucky

you fondly remember the revolving restaurant in Covington even if the food was crappy

you miss places like Caddy's and Sleep Out Louie's

you thought you were the dancing king at clubs like Burgundy's, Mr. K's, and Bonkers

you cut your teeth on beers like Burger, Burger Light, Hudepohl, Hudy Delight, Drewery's, or Schoenling Little Kings

Cincinnati- Part 6

YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM CINCINNATI IF...

you wouldn't cheer for the Steelers if they were playing Hitler or Satan himself!

You call Kroger, "Krogers", and you identify people by the Kroger at which they shop. "Where do YOU go Krogering?"

You think Reds Opening Day should be a holiday and consider it a crime to work on that day.

You know that pigs really DO fly!

A Big Boy is a hamburger and not the fat kid down the block. You would curl up and die if Frisch's tartar sauce ever ceased to exist. You whined like a two year old when they switched from Coke to Pepsi. You've ever gone to Frisch's just for a Coke and that glorious ice in their soft drinks!

You are proud to live in a city that has a purple bridge over the Ohio River and another that looks like a gigantic McDonald's sign.

you know Jerry Springer was the mayor before becoming a trashy talk show host. You also know that while he was mayor, he paid a prostitute with a CHECK!

Cincinnati- Part 5

YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM CINCINNATI IF...

A model train display signifies the beginning of the Christmas season

You've been to Mt. Storm after dark and you were NOT there for stargazing

you know brats are white and metts are red

you gauge the beginning of spring by hearing Marty Brennaman's voice and not by blooming flowers

you bust out the shorts and shades when the temperature hits a balmy 45 degrees

you actually know what a pony keg is

you are keenly aware of the four seasons: Winter, still winter, OMG it's still winter and construction

Cincinnati- Part 4

YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM CINCINNATI IF...

Your heart swells with pride every time you hear the theme song from WKRP in Cincinnati and you have the lyrics memorized

You can name every member of the Big Red Machine in one breath

your chili has chocolate and cinnamon in it and you pour it over spaghetti

You are either "Team Skyline" or "Team Gold Star". You can't be both. I prefer Skyline all the way!

You have a favorite local chili parlor. Chili Time, Camp Washington Chili, Blue Ash Chili, Covington Chili...

Having a 3 way isn't what the rest of the world thinks it is

You go to a chili parlor and it's not weird to order a double decker

at some point in your life you shopped at Shillito's, Pogue's, or McAlpin's

You love the small town feel while enjoying the benefits of living in a major city

Cincinnati- Part 3

YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM CINCINNATI IF...

you know somebody who would knock over an old lady to get a Pete Rose bobble head.

you wouldn't swim in the Ohio River if your life depended on it.

you've done the Chicken Dance at Oktoberfest Zinzinnati and you don't care how silly you looked.

you don't bat an eye when somebody refers to a group of people as "youse guys".

there's only one Eiffel Tower and it AIN'T in France!

watching the WEBN fireworks was the epitome of mixed feelings. It was an awesome display and a really fun time, but it was also the end of summer and meant "Back to school"

Coney Island is not a chili dog or a park in New York. You know what it is! (Sunlite Pool, anyone?)

sitting in the "Blue Seats" used to be a big deal!

there are exactly three days a year when your sinuses are not clogged.

More Olympic Fun

Is it just me that watches the olympics like this?

Swim!

As the Rio Olympics draw to a close this weekend, I can't help but make one more post on the most compelling subject of these games... Michael Phelps.

My son said if Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky had a son, he would be AquaMan! Haha!

Nurse! Nurse!

Michael begins nursing school on Monday. He is quite eager to get started and I know he is going to enjoy it. He is going to make a wonderful nurse.

Here he is in his scrubs. Doesn't he look the part?

One down...

One down, one hundred seventy nine to go.

The first day of school was a success. There's no substitute for good planning. My students seem pretty nice and I am looking forward to a good year.

Back at it tomorrow!

Cincinnati- Part 2

YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM CINCINNATI IF...

Despite what everybody else says, Montgomery Inn has the best ribs in the world.

You know Grippo's potato chips aren't that good, but you love that barbecue flavoring and you eat 'em anyway

Having a three way means a delicious dinner and not what the rest of the world thinks

You're surprised people have never heard of La Rosa's pizza and you know the number by heart... 347-1111

You say, "Please?" when you really meant, "What did you say?"

You drink pop and not soda

You tell everyone "Rain Man" was filmed in Cincinnati and you are proud of it!

You HATE the St. Louis Cardinals because they always seem to beat the snot out of the Reds.

You know you're from Cincinnati if...

Ok, people. Here's the deal. School starts up again tomorrow morning and I quite honestly feel like crying (figuratively, not literally). In order to battle the "Oh crud! I have to get up at 5:30 and go to school tomorrow" blues, I would like to start a new series of posts. This series is called, "You know you're from Cincinnati if...". I must confess that most of these are not my original work and I cannot take credit for them. However, I have tweaked a few and yes, even made up a few of my own. There are tons of these, so I am only going to post 6 or 8 at a time. These will be fun because they will strike so close to home... and that home is our beloved Cincinnati. So... Here goes! Let's have some fun with this.

YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM CINCINNATI IF...

You can correctly pronounce the name of our fair city. It's Cincinnat"EE", not Cincinnat"UH". Sorry. Sparky Anderson got it wrong all those years.

You know what goetta is, you actually know what's in it, and you love it! Fun fact... spell check does not recognize the word goetta. Excuse me, Microsoft. Goetta is a real word and I spelled it correctly!

You have a favorite creamy whip joint and you'd be willing to fight anybody who disagrees with you. Apologies to UDF and Dairy Queen. UDF is not soft serve and DQ is a national chain.

Visiting 3 states in one day is not unusual. Going from Ohio to Kentucky to Indiana is no big deal.

You brag that professional baseball started in Cincinnati and you can name the year. We all know the Red Stockings/Redlegs started playing in 1869, right?

You can correctly spell and pronounce Procter & Gamble, Graeter's, Servatii's, and goetta.

You understand the animosity behind East side -vs- West side, and you probably identify with one or the other. (I-75 is the unofficial dividing line)

You are waiting for East siders to come up with a slogan to top, "The West side is the BEST side and the East side is the LEAST side". This is true by the way.

You identify yourself by where you went to high school.

It seems like a new micro-brewery opens every other day.

R2D2

An extremely famous person died yesterday. However, you would probably never recognize him. He arguably played one of the most well known characters in cinematic history and you wouldn't have known him if he'd shaken your hand. The actor's name is Kenny Baker. He is the actor that played R2D2 from the Star Wars movies. Kenny was a dwarf and spent his entire Star Wars career cooped up inside the tiny robotic droid "costume". Kenny manipulated the levers and switches that controlled R2D2, but he never uttered a single line throughout the seven movies he was in. R2D2 communicated in beeps and whistles. So you would never recognize Kenny to see him or to hear his voice. In the black and white photo below, there is no doubt which person is Kenny. The Star Wars movies will go on without Kenny Baker, but he has been immortalized as the lovable R2D2 and will never be forgotten.