Such an evocative word. So many different meanings. I think it is impossible for me to become sunburned anymore, my skin just eats photons and UV rays and says "thanks."
But no, I am burning (I'm burning, I'm burning, I'm burning for you - funny how songs just jump in your head) with creative energy and all sorts of wild thought patterns. School here starts in a couple of weeks, but tomorrow through Wednesday the school is open for early-bird registration of 7th graders. Only 3 hours a day, so I am going to bike over there (feel the burn - 5 miles each way) and see about transferring all my stuff to my new classroom and whatnot. Creatively burning that new website for my classes. Vocabulary is up for all chapters, as well as a chapter-by-chapter custom link on each page to the online resources for the textbook. Drag and drop sure is easier than having to write all the code myself.
My neck and shoulder continue to burn. Nerve pain is hard to explain, but sometimes it feels like a huge intense ache, and other times like an electrical shock, and yet others, a burn beneath the skin. No throbbing, just a steady impulse to let you know it is there. Waiting for a referral for an MRI and a visit to a specialist. The prescribed drugs either knock me out or do nothing, so I am making my own private peace with the pain. If I didn't tell anyone I was in pain, they wouldn't know. Most movements don't aggravate (or relieve it), so I just trundle along with my own little secret.
I am ready for school to start. There is only so much you can do to prepare, then you have to be reactive to whatever gets thrown your direction. No idea whether we will get our usual $100 stipend to stock our classrooms, with the budget "crisis" here in Memphis. To recap those of you who won't believe this crap still goes on - The city council, working on an idea the mayor floated a couple years ago, decided to withhold city funding from the city schools, after having provided funding for 70 years. The city's attorney opined that the county was responsible for funding any and all schools within the county. Cue lawsuit #1. Then the state decreed that the city was in violation of their funding requirements, which does not allow a government to withdraw funding from schools. Because of this, the state will withhold over $600million from the city schools. Cue lawsuit #2. Everybody wants lawyers and judges to work this out. In the meantime, schools open in 3 weeks, but the budget doesn't kick in until October 1. As far as I can determine, nobody has begun developing a worst-case scenario plan, and nobody is looking to resolve this quickly. I expect to have a bunch of free time come October.
Anyhow, not knowing if I get my $100 in supplies, I am still shopping for 130 composition books, file folders (1 per student) etc. Also waiting for my rebate (from Memphis City Schools) for my Praxis test fees, but I am not holding my breath. It always falls on the teachers.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Works in Progress
An aftershock from Aerospace is the creation of two (!) sites hosted by weebly.com. The first will be my personal collection of miscellanea (wow, spellcheck didn't even have to chide me on that one) including a link to this blog, things that tickle my fancy, my genealogy scraps, etc. The second is a resource for my students that will hopefully serve as an enrichment resource to the daily/weekly lessons. The potential is there for podcasts as well, if I am in an extremely outgoing mood. Find the first at cmparry.weebly.com and the second at mrparry.weebly.com.
The neck is progressing. Doctor was nice, did some muscle resistance tests and then x-rays, explained that there were no obvious compressions, but only an MRI would show enough detail. However, my insurance won't cover it on a first visit unless there is trauma. So he loaded me up with some steroids, anti-inflammatory pain meds (when they say may cause drowsiness, and two pills at bedtime keep me from coming fully conscious until 9:30 the next day, well yeah). Two days in and I seem to have more neck mobility and a lot less nerve pain, so this could be the ticket.
2008 seems to be the summer of movies, many based on pretty decent comic book characters. So far have done Iron Man (highly recommended earlier), Hulk (quite a fun movie, Ed Norton is enough of a reason to watch it), Wanted (the comic was different, and I think better, but they turned this into a decent high-energy action flick), Indiana Jones (as good as expected, you make the call how high your expectations are), and today Wall-E, which was very cute Pixar stuff. Soon to come (and, mind you, these are the movies I plan to see...I have already seen more movies this summer than in any prior year post-college) Hellboy, Hancock, Dark Knight. There are few others with interesting trailers, but not interesting enough to make me salivate. Don't get me started with Watchmen for next summer.
Lots of reading. LOTS. Cruised through The Last Lecture, and enjoyed it. It gave me a bit of perspective on the way I live my life, compared to how this man lives his. Interesting to juxtapose his diagnosis/situation with prior clinical depressions of my own, and how I would live differently (or similarly to him) if death were imminent. Brings a lot of questions to mind vis a vis people in high risk jobs (police, fire, military). The thoughts generated from the book (which I will probably buy when it hits paperback - this is the impact it made) dovetail nicely with the shift in my world view from endless repetition of the same thing to hopefulness that the future holds something worthwhile and that I am not locked into my life as it currently stands. Mostly it has to do with my job and the city, so nobody panic yet.
Also read Wizard's First Rule (Terry Goodkind) as it was on somebody's list of books to read before you die and have to admit you didn't read them at the pearly gates or something. Didn't know it started a series, but should have guessed. So now the second book is in my pile, waiting for my attention.
About to fire up the grill. Funny, I never knew the little folded metal vanes that distribute the heat in my grill could corrode, but years (yes years) of meat drippings, flare ups, etc. have eroded some to instability. Next year might have to replace them, and the grill bars, too. Nice the Weber has all this stuff available, so I don't have to scrap the whole grill and upgrade. Weather here sucks. Walking outside is like walking into an indoor pool. The air is saturated, you can literally smell the moisture, and you get an instant sweat. Hoping the radiational cooling at sunset will generate a storm or two to cool things off.
The neck is progressing. Doctor was nice, did some muscle resistance tests and then x-rays, explained that there were no obvious compressions, but only an MRI would show enough detail. However, my insurance won't cover it on a first visit unless there is trauma. So he loaded me up with some steroids, anti-inflammatory pain meds (when they say may cause drowsiness, and two pills at bedtime keep me from coming fully conscious until 9:30 the next day, well yeah). Two days in and I seem to have more neck mobility and a lot less nerve pain, so this could be the ticket.
2008 seems to be the summer of movies, many based on pretty decent comic book characters. So far have done Iron Man (highly recommended earlier), Hulk (quite a fun movie, Ed Norton is enough of a reason to watch it), Wanted (the comic was different, and I think better, but they turned this into a decent high-energy action flick), Indiana Jones (as good as expected, you make the call how high your expectations are), and today Wall-E, which was very cute Pixar stuff. Soon to come (and, mind you, these are the movies I plan to see...I have already seen more movies this summer than in any prior year post-college) Hellboy, Hancock, Dark Knight. There are few others with interesting trailers, but not interesting enough to make me salivate. Don't get me started with Watchmen for next summer.
Lots of reading. LOTS. Cruised through The Last Lecture, and enjoyed it. It gave me a bit of perspective on the way I live my life, compared to how this man lives his. Interesting to juxtapose his diagnosis/situation with prior clinical depressions of my own, and how I would live differently (or similarly to him) if death were imminent. Brings a lot of questions to mind vis a vis people in high risk jobs (police, fire, military). The thoughts generated from the book (which I will probably buy when it hits paperback - this is the impact it made) dovetail nicely with the shift in my world view from endless repetition of the same thing to hopefulness that the future holds something worthwhile and that I am not locked into my life as it currently stands. Mostly it has to do with my job and the city, so nobody panic yet.
Also read Wizard's First Rule (Terry Goodkind) as it was on somebody's list of books to read before you die and have to admit you didn't read them at the pearly gates or something. Didn't know it started a series, but should have guessed. So now the second book is in my pile, waiting for my attention.
About to fire up the grill. Funny, I never knew the little folded metal vanes that distribute the heat in my grill could corrode, but years (yes years) of meat drippings, flare ups, etc. have eroded some to instability. Next year might have to replace them, and the grill bars, too. Nice the Weber has all this stuff available, so I don't have to scrap the whole grill and upgrade. Weather here sucks. Walking outside is like walking into an indoor pool. The air is saturated, you can literally smell the moisture, and you get an instant sweat. Hoping the radiational cooling at sunset will generate a storm or two to cool things off.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Kicking June to the Curb
Aerospace is done. Huntsville was a lot of the same as last year - quite a bit more stuff in the NASA education center (making hot air balloons, heat shields, designing self-supporting lunar greenhouses), plus the usual wander around the space museum. Just waiting for a grade. A couple of us made a pinky-swear that we will go to Teacher Space Camp next year. We found out that both Honeywell and Boeing sponsor teachers so they don't have to pony up the $999 pricetag for the week. And if that fails, there are multiple corporations here (including FedEx, Comcast) who might put up all or part of the funding. Something exciting to look forward to.
On the health front, I saw some significant gains from riding my bicycle every day to U of M. Never once drove - in fact the only driving I did was to the flight lessons. The one field trip to FedEx I walked to a carpooling site. On the downside of the health front, at some point in early June, I got a crick in my neck. I figured it was from sleeping "funny", and tried to stretch it out while sitting in class. It was hard to turn my neck sideways, or even look up and down. Well, a quick search on Google (this one that didn't turn up anything out of the ordinary) suggested that neck cricks are usually strained ligaments, so don't stretch, and wait for a couple of weeks for it to heal up.
Fast forward to 4 weeks later, and I can turn my neck, but I have nerve pain in my right arm, shoulder and upper back. Moving the arm doesn't help - it feels like sciatica in my leg from my bulging disk. More Google goodness - hey, a pinch of the C4 nerve can cause these symptoms. Yes, I was smart enough to make a doctor appointment (this Wednesday) before leaving Huntsville to get it looked at - before I even Googled. Thank you for your applause.
July looks to be full of movies, birthday stuff, school preparation (I report on August 4) and general keeping up with things.
On the health front, I saw some significant gains from riding my bicycle every day to U of M. Never once drove - in fact the only driving I did was to the flight lessons. The one field trip to FedEx I walked to a carpooling site. On the downside of the health front, at some point in early June, I got a crick in my neck. I figured it was from sleeping "funny", and tried to stretch it out while sitting in class. It was hard to turn my neck sideways, or even look up and down. Well, a quick search on Google (this one that didn't turn up anything out of the ordinary) suggested that neck cricks are usually strained ligaments, so don't stretch, and wait for a couple of weeks for it to heal up.
Fast forward to 4 weeks later, and I can turn my neck, but I have nerve pain in my right arm, shoulder and upper back. Moving the arm doesn't help - it feels like sciatica in my leg from my bulging disk. More Google goodness - hey, a pinch of the C4 nerve can cause these symptoms. Yes, I was smart enough to make a doctor appointment (this Wednesday) before leaving Huntsville to get it looked at - before I even Googled. Thank you for your applause.
July looks to be full of movies, birthday stuff, school preparation (I report on August 4) and general keeping up with things.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Surreal
Lots of strange things going on as this class winds down and the family drifts back together. Youngest is off at sleepaway camp until Friday. Tomorrow I head for Huntsville (Space Center) until Friday - the last gasp of my class. As usual, pretty sure I aced it, not because it was a challenge, but because I could pretend to take some of it seriously, and do the work.
On the trip to NY, one of the tires kept bleeding air. Several nails removed, but apparently one was at a bad angle, and prevented repair. So a new one was purchased en route back to Tennessee. As if that wasn't enough strangeness, today I took a cold shower. Not for the usual reasons, but the water heater went out. Good thing it wasn't when everybody was gone. Small leak, shorted out the thermostat, but the darn thing was nearly 20 years old, and we knew it was going to give it up sooner or later. At least it didn't rupture and flood the place.
Once the family got home, they treated me to a trip to Target for my Father's Day Present - Rock Band for the Wii. Seems they were exposed during the trip by Libba Bray's son, who gave it to HIS dad for Father's Day. Lots of fun, and we are drifting into our own roles. Just kind of spooky to walk into the living room and hear my oldest belting out a Ramones song (she gravitated to the microphone).
On the trip to NY, one of the tires kept bleeding air. Several nails removed, but apparently one was at a bad angle, and prevented repair. So a new one was purchased en route back to Tennessee. As if that wasn't enough strangeness, today I took a cold shower. Not for the usual reasons, but the water heater went out. Good thing it wasn't when everybody was gone. Small leak, shorted out the thermostat, but the darn thing was nearly 20 years old, and we knew it was going to give it up sooner or later. At least it didn't rupture and flood the place.
Once the family got home, they treated me to a trip to Target for my Father's Day Present - Rock Band for the Wii. Seems they were exposed during the trip by Libba Bray's son, who gave it to HIS dad for Father's Day. Lots of fun, and we are drifting into our own roles. Just kind of spooky to walk into the living room and hear my oldest belting out a Ramones song (she gravitated to the microphone).
Monday, June 16, 2008
Saint Louis
I highly recommend a visit to this fine city. I won't say I did all the 'usual' things, but had a great time with the things I did. The good things far outweighed the flight problems (45 minute delay one way, and 90 minutes the other, both equipment related), and the single day of rain.
Six Flags - pretty much like any amusement park. Huge, and broken into five or so sub-sections. For some reason, the park had variable opening hours, so instead of 9am, it opened at 1030. Still, there were no crowds, no waits longer than a few minutes for rides, and you could easily ride a second time. The best was The Boss, a super long wooden coaster that hugs the terrain at the back of the park. That one was pretty amazing, and put the other sleek steel coasters to shame. But aside from roller coasters, there isn't a heck of a lot, unless you do the water park, which we didn't.
St. Louis Zoo - very nice place, lots of space and animals. Entry is free, which is a nice plus, although we stood in line for 20 minutes before we caught on to it. Highlights - giraffe giving birth. Didn't finish while we were there, but seeing 2 feet of hooves and legs sticking out was pretty amazing. Also it seemed to be Mennonite day (not sure how they got there, as I didn't see any horses), with lots of bonnets, beards, straw hats and Dutch being spoken. Many jokes about the Wild Ass. And we weren't even drinking.
City Museum - Can't say enough about this place. 600,000 square feet of an old shoe factory. We went on the day it rained - the place was mobbed with kids but still easy enough to maneuver. Rather than give a futilely incomplete description, go to their website and look. It is like a huge rummage sale of architectural elements, sculpture, art, fancy and craziness. Highlight - discovering this woman who creates snowflakes that incorporate animals, insects, musical instruments, etc. Bought one of her books of patterns, and did a snowflake at her table, too. Because of the rain, we didn't get to climb Monstro City (an outdoor habitrail sort of thing, with two jet planes, a bus, etc.) Almost forgot to mention the little cafe that is like a sideshow of weirdness (the biggest pair of men's underpants in the world).
Had dinner one night at a Brazilian chacuria (yeah, I know I spelled that puppy wrong...Portuguese is not one of my languages). Meat, more meat, and a little bit more. Roasted pineapple dusted with cinnamon and cayenne was amazing, plus all the other stuff, and salad bar. Much more reasonably priced than I thought (especially knowing Texas de Brazil here in Memphis is usually $45 a person) and fun besides.
Didn't do a brewery tour. Didn't scale the arch (although I always thought it was metal, it appeared to be stone, like the Washington Monument), only drove by, didn't visit Busch Stadium. Didn't go to Drewe's Frozen Custard (more's the pity). Didn't have a camera (it went to NYC).
Now everything is sort of back to normal. All animals back in place. Clothes laundered. Next up - return of the women.
Six Flags - pretty much like any amusement park. Huge, and broken into five or so sub-sections. For some reason, the park had variable opening hours, so instead of 9am, it opened at 1030. Still, there were no crowds, no waits longer than a few minutes for rides, and you could easily ride a second time. The best was The Boss, a super long wooden coaster that hugs the terrain at the back of the park. That one was pretty amazing, and put the other sleek steel coasters to shame. But aside from roller coasters, there isn't a heck of a lot, unless you do the water park, which we didn't.
St. Louis Zoo - very nice place, lots of space and animals. Entry is free, which is a nice plus, although we stood in line for 20 minutes before we caught on to it. Highlights - giraffe giving birth. Didn't finish while we were there, but seeing 2 feet of hooves and legs sticking out was pretty amazing. Also it seemed to be Mennonite day (not sure how they got there, as I didn't see any horses), with lots of bonnets, beards, straw hats and Dutch being spoken. Many jokes about the Wild Ass. And we weren't even drinking.
City Museum - Can't say enough about this place. 600,000 square feet of an old shoe factory. We went on the day it rained - the place was mobbed with kids but still easy enough to maneuver. Rather than give a futilely incomplete description, go to their website and look. It is like a huge rummage sale of architectural elements, sculpture, art, fancy and craziness. Highlight - discovering this woman who creates snowflakes that incorporate animals, insects, musical instruments, etc. Bought one of her books of patterns, and did a snowflake at her table, too. Because of the rain, we didn't get to climb Monstro City (an outdoor habitrail sort of thing, with two jet planes, a bus, etc.) Almost forgot to mention the little cafe that is like a sideshow of weirdness (the biggest pair of men's underpants in the world).
Had dinner one night at a Brazilian chacuria (yeah, I know I spelled that puppy wrong...Portuguese is not one of my languages). Meat, more meat, and a little bit more. Roasted pineapple dusted with cinnamon and cayenne was amazing, plus all the other stuff, and salad bar. Much more reasonably priced than I thought (especially knowing Texas de Brazil here in Memphis is usually $45 a person) and fun besides.
Didn't do a brewery tour. Didn't scale the arch (although I always thought it was metal, it appeared to be stone, like the Washington Monument), only drove by, didn't visit Busch Stadium. Didn't go to Drewe's Frozen Custard (more's the pity). Didn't have a camera (it went to NYC).
Now everything is sort of back to normal. All animals back in place. Clothes laundered. Next up - return of the women.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Aerospace
I got into the (free) Aerospace class this summer. Yay! The University, funded by Tennessee Dept. of Transportation, offers a class every year, with an advanced class every two years. It is a little weird, as there are four of us on the advanced list, but we sit in the same sessions as everybody else. The major difference (as the curriculum is not very different) is that we write a paper and do a different type of project (both easy).
The drawback - the class only lasts 3 weeks, and 3 days of the final week is a trip to Huntsville, home of the Space Museum.
The bonus - flight training. Monday and Tuesday were my days to fly, so I could complete it before having to be out on my pre-arranged trip. Monday was a refresher day - I remembered a lot but still had some brushing up to do. Plus it was super hot and humid, and I got a bit queasy in the back while my partner flew. Tuesday on the other hand was excellent. I knew what to do, checked my instruments, kept on my headings, stabilized the plane (using the trim controls rather than the yoke)...lots of fun and when it is that easy there is tons of time for sightseeing. The owner of the flight school mentioned there are a number of grants that will fund people to get a pilot's license, some with very few catches. It would be fun - I tell people it is no harder than learning to drive a standard transmission car, which is true.
No pictures from this year, though, since the camera is in New York with the family, enjoying sweltering temperatures. On the other hand, they are hobnobbing with NYTimes bestselling authors, enjoying various freshly made New York cuisine (mmmm....bagels) and all that kind of thing. I think they are going to the beach today (Jone's Beach, southern coast of Long Island).
The drawback - the class only lasts 3 weeks, and 3 days of the final week is a trip to Huntsville, home of the Space Museum.
The bonus - flight training. Monday and Tuesday were my days to fly, so I could complete it before having to be out on my pre-arranged trip. Monday was a refresher day - I remembered a lot but still had some brushing up to do. Plus it was super hot and humid, and I got a bit queasy in the back while my partner flew. Tuesday on the other hand was excellent. I knew what to do, checked my instruments, kept on my headings, stabilized the plane (using the trim controls rather than the yoke)...lots of fun and when it is that easy there is tons of time for sightseeing. The owner of the flight school mentioned there are a number of grants that will fund people to get a pilot's license, some with very few catches. It would be fun - I tell people it is no harder than learning to drive a standard transmission car, which is true.
No pictures from this year, though, since the camera is in New York with the family, enjoying sweltering temperatures. On the other hand, they are hobnobbing with NYTimes bestselling authors, enjoying various freshly made New York cuisine (mmmm....bagels) and all that kind of thing. I think they are going to the beach today (Jone's Beach, southern coast of Long Island).
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Walking in Memphis
is an oxymoron. The city is not set up for walking. There are sidewalks most places, but they are broken or cracked into impossibility, or there are sign or telephone poles smack in the middle of them.
Then there are the drivers. Today I walked to a store instead of driving (gas prices, you know). Twice I was almost hit - the worst was when a lawn-care truck with a trailer cut across a gas station parking lot without slowing down. I had to actually jump back out of the way of the trailer, which followed the pickup truck over the curb. Another time, the minimal sidewalk was blocked by utility sawhorses, forcing me into the street. The sawhorses protected recently poured concrete sidewalks....firm now these last 2 weeks.
I have said it before, Memphis is full of selfish people. They won't yield an iota to anybody, despite seeing need. Handicapped spaces? Closer to the store, screw the people that need them. And despite being constantly ranked one of the unhealthiest cities in the country (obesity is rampant, from toddler age up to early-death), there is nothing being done to improve walking areas, bicycling areas, etc. Mainly because there is major money in diet centers, medical care for obesity (which accounts for a large number of handicapped tags) and such, but no money to be spread among politicians to support health.
Last week, two teens drowned in city pools. The buck was passed from the director of aquatics to the director of parks, to the spokesperson for the mayor. Nobody could give information on how many lifeguards there were, if the pools were in compliance with regulations on lifeguards, etc. Mayor never showed his face. Same thing with violent crime, assaults or accidents involving police - invisible mayor. But recommendations to cut school funding - front and center!
Then there are the drivers. Today I walked to a store instead of driving (gas prices, you know). Twice I was almost hit - the worst was when a lawn-care truck with a trailer cut across a gas station parking lot without slowing down. I had to actually jump back out of the way of the trailer, which followed the pickup truck over the curb. Another time, the minimal sidewalk was blocked by utility sawhorses, forcing me into the street. The sawhorses protected recently poured concrete sidewalks....firm now these last 2 weeks.
I have said it before, Memphis is full of selfish people. They won't yield an iota to anybody, despite seeing need. Handicapped spaces? Closer to the store, screw the people that need them. And despite being constantly ranked one of the unhealthiest cities in the country (obesity is rampant, from toddler age up to early-death), there is nothing being done to improve walking areas, bicycling areas, etc. Mainly because there is major money in diet centers, medical care for obesity (which accounts for a large number of handicapped tags) and such, but no money to be spread among politicians to support health.
Last week, two teens drowned in city pools. The buck was passed from the director of aquatics to the director of parks, to the spokesperson for the mayor. Nobody could give information on how many lifeguards there were, if the pools were in compliance with regulations on lifeguards, etc. Mayor never showed his face. Same thing with violent crime, assaults or accidents involving police - invisible mayor. But recommendations to cut school funding - front and center!
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