Happy!

Do I really need to explain why I'm posting this photo?

Or this one?

S'mores no more?

Michelle Obama has been launching an assault on school lunch programs since the beginning of her husband's presidency. In an effort to get kids to eat healthier foods and in an attempt to slim them down, Mrs. Obama and her cronies have been systematically removing so-called unhealthy foods from school lunch menus. Schools that receive government subsidies (almost all public schools I'd guess) must adhere to the government standards or risk losing funding. While it's a noble thought, there is a flaw in the plan. Kids won't eat the healthier food. In schools across the nation more food is ending up in trash cans than in the bellies of hungry students. The whole initiative is a mess and has done absolutely nothing to help American children.

There was an article on the Fox News website today about a school district in Elyria, Ohio. Their school cafeterias have been serving a cookie with pink frosting for 40 years. Apparently all the kids love these cookies and they are famous throughout the entire town amongst all the locals. These cookies have been a fixture in Elyria for as long as a lot of people can remember. The article went on to say the government is now forcing the Elyria schools to stop serving the cookies because they have too many calories. If the school does not comply, their federal subsidies will be yanked. Unbelievable, right?

In yet another story on Fox News, the United States Forest Service (A branch of the FDA) is RECOMMENDING the removal of chocolate from s'mores. They suggest ditching the chocolate and adding fruit. That's right people... FRUIT! I'm no rocket scientist, but, if you remove chocolate from the graham cracker and marshmallow, it's a s'more no more. In an even more fanatical twist it was suggested to put roasted tofu and celery on a whole wheat cracker. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Can't you just picture it? "Honey, I'm going to Kroger to pick up the groceries for our camping trip. Tofu? Check! Celery? Check! Whole wheat crackers? Check!". How can they think ANYBODY would ever eat that garbage? YUCK! A s'more is a gooey roasted marshmallow and soft chocolate smooshed between graham crackers. I say the government should keep its nose out of America's campfire treats. Don't mess with perfection!

The life of a teacher

I'm not one to complain about my job (at least not too much). In fact, being a teacher has a lot of perks. All weekends, holidays and summers off. Decent working hours, rewarding experiences and a true avenue to make a difference in the lives of others. However, there are times when being a teacher is not so much fun. Take today for instance. I spent the majority of my Saturday writing a high stakes test for my school district. I worked for hours and hours and I am still not finished. These are the things people don't know about teachers. Sometimes there is extra work to be done. If you're asking why I can't do this extra work during school hours, the answer is simple. There is too much time spent teaching and managing the classroom to allow for any extended period of time for a task like that. This is not a complaint. It's merely a glimpse behind the curtain of a teacher's life. It's not all ABC's and 123's.

Saturday Night Live!

The recent passing of Don Pardo prompted me to write this post. Do you know who Don Pardo was? He was the longtime announcer for Saturday Night Live.

I am definitely not a Saturday Night Live fan. I used to watch it a little bit in college, but even then it was a bit too risqué for me. I just don't enjoy potty humor.

Even though I'm not a fan, I could still name every person in this photo. Can you? Here's your 70's SNL quiz. Look below the photo for the answers.

From left to right:

Garrett Morris, Jane Curtin, John Belushi, Lorraine Newman, Dan Akroyd, Gilda Radner and Bill Murray.

Truth be told

This is more true than I'd like to admit.

NFL

The NFL season begins tonight and you know what... I don't really care. The prima donna football players making a gazillion dollars are growing tiresome. Watching football is just not as much fun as it used to be. I don't know, maybe I've outgrown it a little bit or maybe things have just changed too much over the years. How long will the NFL continue if it doesn't change its ways? NFL means "Not For Long" if they continue on their current path. The NFL is the richest sports league on the planet, but it will eventually self-destruct. How do I know? Well, consider the recent news story that said the NFL is considering asking musical artists to PAY for the privilege of performing at halftime of the Super Bowl. How greedy can you get? Team owners are billionaires and anybody in the business is richer than rich. Talk about unbelievable nerve! If I was a famous musician, I'd tell the NFL to go jump in the lake. What a crock!

The NFL season is underway. Here's my reaction... meh!

It makes you think

It turns out my colleague's grandson was only a year and a half older than my own son. He was actually MUCH younger than my eldest daughter. It really causes you to think and makes you realize how fragile (and short) life is. I am truly grateful that my children have been blessed with good health their entire lives. I know my colleague's family must be completely devastated. Who wouldn't be? Again, my prayers go out to them. It's just tragic!

A sad day

Sad news from the weekend. A colleague of mine (I have worked with her for 25 years) lost a 22 year old grandson. We don't have any details yet, but have only been told he died in his sleep. I can't imagine the devastation the family must be suffering through.

This is yet another tragedy my small school will have to endure. Last year we lost my good friend Nancy Long, lost an assistant high school principal and had a student commit suicide.

My prayers are with the family.

September

September is here and brings with it the promise of autumn. As you know, autumn brings about an emotional letdown in me. I've never been able to explain it. The fall season has crisp air, beautiful foliage, harvest time and nights by the campfire sipping hot apple cider. All of that stuff makes no difference to me. I will never love fall.

Green Day sings a song called, "Wake me up when September ends". I have no idea what the song means, but for some reason I always think of it on September 1st. If I fell asleep on September 1st, I would not want to be awakened when September ends because then it would be October and October is even worse. I think the song should be called, "Wake me up when autumn and winter ends".

Here's a small snippet of the song:

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
wake me up when September ends

here comes the rain again
falling from the stars
drenched in my pain again
becoming who we are

as my memory rests
but never forgets what I lost
wake me up when September ends

Like I said, I have no idea what those lyrics mean. But it does somehow sing a song of sadness to me. A mournful song of the fleeting days of summer and a time when everything begins withering toward a slow death. Goodbye summer. Goodbye long days of leisure. Hello short days of weak sunlight. Hello long cold nights.

Fireworks on the River

Last night was as advertised. The evening began with drinks and appetizers and then there was a charity auction. After the auction we went inside for dinner and I ate way more than I should have. The evening concluded with the fireworks. We had a really nice time. There were no complications (always a plus for me) and the weather completely cooperated. It was a really good night!

Here's Dinner:

And here's the finale'