The Road Less Traveled

I know I have a lot of explaining to do, but can we just skip to the cool stuff? Great.

Last week, I spent some time with my three favorite people (wife and kids) at Myrtle Beach. This year marked ten years ago when Jennifer and I were last there together and it was great to be back. We stayed in North Myrtle in an amazing resort called The Baywatch:

Our room was on the 16th floor and had a breathtaking balcony view of the ocean. Jennifer and I spent plenty of time resting on that balcony, watching the parasailers, advertising planes, and beach goers. To be honest, though, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her. Watching the breeze blow her hair as her curious brown eyes scanned the beach was one of the most stunning things I have ever seen.

I have to tell you about a few things that happened while I was there. I don’t believe in coincidences. Things happen for a reason. The third day there, I woke up early and wandered out to the beach alone. As I stood with my feet in the tide, I prayed that God would bless our vacation and make it one we would never forget. Later that day, Bianca and I were swimming about thirty-five yards out. I was carrying her in my arms, splashing her playfully against oncoming waves. To her delight, a few fish were putting on a show about ten yards from us, jumping over the waves. I peered down at the water, hoping to spot a few of them when I noticed a group of about six stingrays swimming right in front of us. They quickly darted away and out of sight. My heart was beating so fast I felt my legs buckle. “Did you see that?” I asked Bianca. Her eyes were wide and she nodded. We hurried back to dry land, not out of fear but eagerness to tell Jennifer.

A little while later, as I was floating freely in a deep pool made by the tide, I dug my hands into the sand several times, trying to dig up shells for Aryanna and Bianca. (Which reminds me, I have to tell you about the Seashell Vultures in a later post). At last, I felt something large and hard as a sifted the sand from my palm. Once I pulled my hand from the water, I was amazed to see a hermit crab scurrying across my palm. I had to grab him to keep him from falling off into the water. Proud of my find, I rushed to the girls to show them my catch. I will never forget their curious eyes as they watched the crab stretch his legs, searching desperately for some surface on which to crawl away.  Bianca watched from a distance with cautious curiosity, but Aryanna kept repeating the same question:  “Can I hold it?”  I let her, placing the little crab carefully in her hand.  That lasted about two seconds until she felt the crab’s tiny legs scuttling across her palm.  She dropped it to the sand and I retrieved it.  “Say goodbye to the crab, girls.”  “Bye crab.”  They waved, smiling, as I walked back out to the rising tide, reached my hand back down to the surface, and opened my palm.  In no time, the crab scurried out and disappeared into the tide.

More later…

It’s amazing how things change.  A few months ago, I stumbled onto a web site that listed a bunch of Kings Island’s old rides that are no longer in operation.  Once again, I felt as if I were stepping into a memory time machine and being transported back to a childhood full of screaming in terror while braving some of these rides.  Others, I watched from a careful distance, but never actually got a chance to ride them.

You can view these defunct rides at http://www.kiextreme.com/history_defunct.php

I really miss a few of these rides.  I stopped counting the number of times I rode Phantom Theater.  And I remember when it was The Smurf’s Enchanted Voyage.  I think I owe my grandfather a HUGE thank you for suffering through that ride with me again and again.

It’s also really sad that Screamin’ Demon, the ride that eventually became Thunderbolt Express at Camden Park, is now scrapped.  It wasn’t a great ride, but it’s just one of those things that I was comfortable seeing around.

I’m going to Kings Island June 6th.  I hear there are a lot of changes to the park since Paramount dropped ownership and Cedar Fair bought the park.  It will be interesting to see how things have changed since I was there two years ago.

Until later — “There’s no turning back now that you opened up to your mind.”

Our neighbors were stealing our cable.  I was noticing that our cable modem was cutting in and out and after my wife investigated further, she found that the people in apartment one had installed a splitter and were running the cable through their window.

Maybe I shouldn’t be upset or surprised, but these are people who I have let borrow my phone, use my computer, and I even bought their kids some Christmas presents.  They’ve never been what I would call “friends” but I have been really good to them.  And I’ve basically been paying $40 a month to supply them with cable television.

That’s not the worst thing.  We called the police and they also caught some people in the apartment with marijuana.  These people have kids, and they’re smoking weed in the house around the kids.  Unfortunately, the police only cited them and didn’t actually arrest anyone.

According to the landlord, though, they are on their way out of there.  I feel sorry for them, but there have been a lot of other factors that lead up to their eviction.

People make me angry sometimes.

 Until later– “There’s no turning back now that you opened up to your mind.”

I finally finished “The Two Gentleman of Verona” and I have to say I was a little more impressed once it was over than I thought. It turns out the situation was a little less horrible than I thought it would be. As expected in Shakespeare’s comedies, everyone who should be together ends up together in spite of their self-inflicted and much deservéd adversity.

At Christmas, I treated myself to a copy of The Dangerous Book for Boys. It is a how-to book of sorts for young men on everything they need to know as guys. This, of course, is a subjective topic. Okay, no it’s not. There’s some great stuff in here that I think every guy really should know. How to make the greatest paper airplane in the world, for example.  It looks a little something like this:

I took great pride in knowing that I had been making “the greatest paper airplane in the world” since some time in junior high.  Can’t remember who taught me how.  A classmate of mine, I think.  I’m sure we were making them against teacher rules.

So, imagine my surprise when the table of contents announces that on page 150 is a section called “Sampling Shakespeare.”  It is a collection of quotes taken from a few of Shakespeare’s play.  I was a little disappointed to see that my favorite from Henry V was not there:

“But if the cause be not good, the King himself hath a heavy reckoning to make when all those legs and arms and heads, chopp’d off in a battle, shall join together at the latter day and cry all, ‘We died at such a place. ‘”(For an excellent article on the beginning of the Iraq war that uses this quote, see http://www.post-gazette.com/columnists/20030208roddy102col2p2.asp)

But there are still a few great ones from Romeo and Juliet, Henry IV, Richard III, Julius Caesar, and of course Hamlet and MacBeth.

My next goal is to start on Shakespeare’s histories.  I really enjoyed Henry V when I read it in college, so I am hoping to be just as impressed with the others.

Guys, be sure to pick up a copy of The Dangerous Book for Boys.  And for girls, there is The Daring Book for Girls.

It’s bed time now.

Until later — “There’s no turning back now that you opened up to your mind.”

I decided I wanted to cut back on the amount of fast food that I eat.  A friend of mine recommended the book Fast Food Nation.  He said, “If nothing else, it’ll make you quit ordering burgers.”  Other people have said that the book has convinced them to cut out fast food completely, although that may be an exaggeration.  I’ve also asked a coworker if I could borrow her copy of “Supersize Me”.  And all of this originated with a sudden feeling of distaste I felt after looking at a greasy burger from McDonald’s and thinking, “I can’t eat this.”

Do other people go through phases like this?  I love hamburgers, and I used to love fast food burgers.  But for some reason, recently the idea just seems to make my stomach turn.  I do, however, feel my mouth watering at the thought of a well-cooked grilled chicken, and I still love the smell of greasy fries.  Although I try to order them with light salt.

I’ve never been real health savvy.  My exercise routine includes occasional push-ups and sit-ups when I can remember.  It’s so sporadic that the other night I was doing them and my wife just stared to show her confusion.

But now, for some reason, I find myself choosing what I eat carefully.  I still eat a lot.  I can be seen around the house snacking on crackers or those 100 calorie things that are made in hundreds of different products now (oreos, chip ahoy, all the good stuff).  But when I think of a big, greasy fast food burger I feel nauseous.

I’ll get some reading done and let you know what I think.

Until later– “There’s no turning back now that you opened up to your mind.”

Here is an amazing, but true, fact that will make you smile.  I got it from http://www.topfive.com/arcs/t5050302.shtml  “In the weightlessness of space a frozen pea will explode if it comes in contact with Pepsi.”

Who tested that?  I can imagine a wayward astronaut, floating aimlessly in space with a frozen pea and a 20 oz. bottle of Pepsi.

What does this have to do with my day?  Last night, I felt as if the room was 100 degrees, but I couldn’t stop shivering.  I slept on the couch, quite restlessly, and got a little more than four hours of sleep.  My wife all but begged me to take the day off, but I can’t.  I have too much work to do to stay home.

So, I went to work today, my brain feeling like a frozen pea that came in contact with Pepsi in the weightlessness of space.  Those of you who know me are aware that I don’t get sick often.  But my wife will tell you that when I do get sick, it’s never a little bit or a mild illness.  It’s usually a hard-hitting, head-splitting bug that lasts only a few days but makes its presence known with great force.

I plan on taking tomorrow off, for sure, to rest and possibly pay Health Plus a visit.

Wish me luck.

Sunday, I read an amazing article in the paper that talked about milblogs, blogs kept by troops in the military, or former US troops.  The newspaper focused mostly on one called “Army of Dude.”  Here is what the article said about miliblogs:

 ”Such glimpses into wartime experiences are no longer the territory of letters home or personal diaries.  Troops in combat and those recently returned now fill the web with their observations.”

This is wonderful.  One of the problems returning troops find is that they do not have a listening ear for their trials and experiences.  Most people do not want to hear about the trials of war.  They want to hear heroic stories of rescues and exciting battles, but very few troops have glorified stories to tell.  So many of them don’t tell at all.

This story embodies everything I have ever felt writing was for, to express, to communicate.  Soldiers have a voice, a very strong one, and it needs to be heard.  As I already know, blogging is the perfect outlet for that.  There’s always a chance it will never be read by anyone, but then again…

Check out “Army of Dude.”  Another great one is “Intel Dump.”  Maybe this will give you an idea of how important blogs have become.

This week is spirit week at JAMS.  It has been a blast admiring the creative student costumes and even trying on some of my own.  Wednesday, I came dressed in a black, velvet cloak for Medieval Day and had to explain a thousand times that I was not Harry Potter, or Snape, or Voldemort.  It’s good to know these kids are reading (or attending movies).  Yesteray was School Spirit Day, so I donned my JAMS pride shirt.

Today, however, was the day that excited me most.  Decade Day.  I decided on the decade I knew best:  the 90s.  To prepare myself, I spent the past few days listening to some of my favorite 90s grunge rock bands (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains).  I pulled out the t-shirt I made a few months ago using a brown cotton shirt and some bleach, put on my most faded pair of jeans, slipped on my steel-toe boots, and topped the whole wardrobe off with a brown flannel tied around my waist.

 It felt like stepping into a time warp.  My old band director (who teaches at JAMS with me) passed me this morning and smiled.  “That’s your old high school style, isn’t it?”  I nodded.  “I haven’t seen you like that for a long time.”  Ten years, I thought.

The combination of my 90s grunge wardrobe, Kurt Cobain’s mesmerizing drawl pouring from my car speakers, and my old band director has sent waves of some sort of sadness through me.  I miss my friends from high school.  I miss Eugene, John, Jamie, and yes… I miss Will.  I don’t really miss who I was back then because I believe we all grow and change, usually for the better.  But I miss the things that were a big part of my life back then.

I’m know there are a number of people out there who are no longer in touch with old high school friends, and maybe that is for the better.  Will and I tried to hold onto our friendship after high school, but eventually our personalities eventually clashed because we were no longer the same people.  Now he has cut off all contact with me or anyone else from high school.

As you know, Eugene and I are holding strong as friends.  Every time we call each other or come over for a visit, we have something to talk about.  I once drove past a Tattoo Parlor/Auto Body Shop and just had to call Eugene to tell him. 

Imagine it:  you’re waiting for your car to be fixed.  Hmm… I think I’ll get a tattoo while I wait.  Brad Barkley, an excellent writer from WV, once told me about a store that sold candles and cowboy boots.  It was called “Kicks and Wicks.”

Here’s a challenge.  Can you think of a good name for a tatoo parlor/auto body shop?  Good luck.

I feel like I am at my wit’s end.  My students are taking a week to type an essay that they have had plenty of time to write,.  But that’s not the worst part.  The worst part is that there is a considerable number of students who have not even begun to write.  They hate writing, and I (as someone who loved writing) cannot understand this feeling or where it comes from.  I don;t get how someone can despise writing so much to feel as if I am tearing out their teeth with a rusty pair of pliers when I ask them to write something. 

I honestly don’t think I have ever felt that way, since writing has been a part of my life for so long.  I think I loved writing when I was a kid and I love it now.  I don’t remember ever hating to write.  Wait, that’s not entirely true.  I had an English teacher who was fond of choosing our topics for us and limiting our creativity.  I used to go to her for suggestions on stylistic ideas I had for my writing (using fiction in a nonfiction story for effect, writing a poem in the middle of my essay, etc) and she always pursed her lips at my ideas and said, “Maybe you should just stick to what we discussed.”  We being her and the remainder of the class.  So basically, what she wanted from me was an essay that looked like every one else’s. 

I think I just need to be a little more considerate of my novice writers.  The book The Tao of Writing(love it!) says that writing is natural.  It is one of our natural forms of communication.  I agree with this, but many of my students do not.  To them, writing is a foreign act that teachers force you to do in school.  Ho can I encourage my students to write outside of school, to see that writing is a natural act that they have done and always will do? I think I’m going to try some activities that show writing outside of the classroom, even outside of the professional world. 

Last night at the workshop, Sheila discussed R.A.F.T.S., an excellent writing activity for students.  R=Role, A=Audience, F=Format, T=Topic, and S=Strong Verbs.  Here is the one I designed:

R– Writer

A– Beginning Writers

F– Letter or e-mail

T– The writing process

S– inform, teach

I’m going to try this out and see how well students take on the role of “writer.”  The key is to get them to think of themselves as writers (which they are).

Until later — “There’s no turning back now that you opened up to your mind.”

It’s really sending me into withdrawal that I still do not have Internet at home.  I do have a few things to post about.

 This year, I am trying out blogs with my students.  This is great because it will be a new experience for me and for them.  As much as I love blogging, I hope my enthusiasm will catch on and they will write often and well.

My ankle healed.  It’s still sore, but at least I am walking without crutches and without limping.

Had a conference with administrators and I am determined this is going to be a great year.  They wanted to know why I returned and I assured them that it was because I don’t walk away from my mistakes.  Whataver damaged I caused last year, I am determined to fix it.

Until later…  “There’s no turning back now that you opened up to your mind.”