Why did cub scouts get so many members there in the 50's? We all took turns bringing the treats. Free food. We, as members looked forward to the variety of treats as they came. Ask kids today about which holiday they like the most. You would be surprised to discover it is Halloween.. free candy. It is more important than Christmas, or Easter or even their birthdays. Why.. the other holidays have politics or meaning ascribed to them. Halloween is free of social cost.
The popularity of buffets offer the promise of free food. Dad always thought that taking me to a buffet was a good deal because they wouldn't make money on me.. I think that they do make money on their customers if they can get them to come back. The first time someone is at a Hometown Buffet they think they have to eat a whole lot of everything. Then returnees know how to "spend" their appetites and choose portions that confirm business profit. The big issue in these establishments is the management of the personnel. Can you preserve your training investment before it goes somewhere else or deteriorates in quality. To make it work your employees must be happy in their work.
At what level does free food play in the heart of professionals? It can bring the faculty together if it is not viewed as a purchase of their loyalty. How can this be done? When the food supports the already supported program. It cannot be the only thing on the agenda. Yesterday we had a "welcome to the new principal" luncheon. As usual at Merced High, excellent tri tip sandwhiches, chips and a soda were provided as well as a roaring peer karioki time machine romp through the history of Merced High.. Guest performers where Frank Sinatra, Sonny and Cher, Micheal Jackson, Brittany Spears, and Justin Timberlake. All 150 faculty gave up some of their classroom set up time to free food and entertainment. The result.. we all became closer. What you want to do in schools.
Free food was part of it. It was what was the draw.. the appropriate program with our peers was what it really was about. It could not happen without free food.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Friday, August 10, 2007
The Muppet Show and VHS nostalgia
I bought the season one Muppet show 4 DVDs at Costco. Highly recommended.. it will at least make you smile a little and maybe laugh outloud.
I remembered using my clock on my first VHS player to collect the Muppet show when it went into syndication. It was on every morning at 8. I had it set to start recording after the intro which was always a certain amount of time and a lengthy commercial break. It worked out just fine until I realized that I had bought a low quality tape to do this. It was good for about 3 plays and it showed a lot of snow throughout and probably required more expensive head cleaning because of the choice.
I worked all summer part time at the Training center to be able to afford such a luxury. Tapes were very expensive, and even renting them usually required a "club" membership of some sort. If you didn't have a VCR you could rent one for 30 dollars a night and it came with two movies.. what a luxury. We did this before we bought our own.. 600 dollars at Gottschalks. It was a Fisher.
We donated the use of the VCR to a birthday party for one of Heathers friends.
The neighborhood kids used to come down and watch "Dumbo" with our girls.
VHS is just about gone. DVD format has taken over and soon we will be all digital in any media watching.
Thanks for the walk down the media hall of nostalgia. : )
Pat
I remembered using my clock on my first VHS player to collect the Muppet show when it went into syndication. It was on every morning at 8. I had it set to start recording after the intro which was always a certain amount of time and a lengthy commercial break. It worked out just fine until I realized that I had bought a low quality tape to do this. It was good for about 3 plays and it showed a lot of snow throughout and probably required more expensive head cleaning because of the choice.
I worked all summer part time at the Training center to be able to afford such a luxury. Tapes were very expensive, and even renting them usually required a "club" membership of some sort. If you didn't have a VCR you could rent one for 30 dollars a night and it came with two movies.. what a luxury. We did this before we bought our own.. 600 dollars at Gottschalks. It was a Fisher.
We donated the use of the VCR to a birthday party for one of Heathers friends.
The neighborhood kids used to come down and watch "Dumbo" with our girls.
VHS is just about gone. DVD format has taken over and soon we will be all digital in any media watching.
Thanks for the walk down the media hall of nostalgia. : )
Pat
Thursday, August 9, 2007
A Day of Gas
Walked this morning.
I found out that I will have two classes in the morning schedule at the same room.. wahooo!
The morning was spent welcoming in new teachers and honoring the most senor teachers. No one has more than 35 years of teaching. We have 26 new teachers all but 7 have experience they are bringing with them.
A 9 o'clock we had a presentation that lasted until 12. It was all EDI(elicited Direct Instruction) stuff reworked with a Language Learners flavor. He got his PHD from Greeley. He is a presenter for Dataworks... always teach at grade level..etc. gas gas and more gas
The afternoon was spent developing the background for Jotson's Renaissance program of student and teacher recognition. Quote.."We are one student away from Columbine." He was pitching hard for overall student recognition. This guy was really full of himself. We all had to deal with his rhetorical gas.
Tomorrow is a work in your classroom day. Monday the students will be there.
In the mean time I am being sued by the mold company for not paying what the insurance was supposed to pay. I was served at 11:30 last night with papers for a court appearance. They want 6300 dollars from me.
The plans are finally complete. I paid the contractor 4K last night to get it going. I am getting 12.5k wired tomorrow to pay the down payment and pay for the school tax and the energy tax and a part of the new air conditioner/heater.
Sue called the investment folks and we are getting more out to cover the cost of the rest down the road.
In the mean time the IRS needs some returns for 2001 and 2005. Still waiting for Sue's retirement STRS W4 for last year to submit.
I was down to 0 miles in the expedition at noon and had to get some gas.
Life can be pretty hectic.
All you have to do is keep plowing forward.
I found out that I will have two classes in the morning schedule at the same room.. wahooo!
The morning was spent welcoming in new teachers and honoring the most senor teachers. No one has more than 35 years of teaching. We have 26 new teachers all but 7 have experience they are bringing with them.
A 9 o'clock we had a presentation that lasted until 12. It was all EDI(elicited Direct Instruction) stuff reworked with a Language Learners flavor. He got his PHD from Greeley. He is a presenter for Dataworks... always teach at grade level..etc. gas gas and more gas
The afternoon was spent developing the background for Jotson's Renaissance program of student and teacher recognition. Quote.."We are one student away from Columbine." He was pitching hard for overall student recognition. This guy was really full of himself. We all had to deal with his rhetorical gas.
Tomorrow is a work in your classroom day. Monday the students will be there.
In the mean time I am being sued by the mold company for not paying what the insurance was supposed to pay. I was served at 11:30 last night with papers for a court appearance. They want 6300 dollars from me.
The plans are finally complete. I paid the contractor 4K last night to get it going. I am getting 12.5k wired tomorrow to pay the down payment and pay for the school tax and the energy tax and a part of the new air conditioner/heater.
Sue called the investment folks and we are getting more out to cover the cost of the rest down the road.
In the mean time the IRS needs some returns for 2001 and 2005. Still waiting for Sue's retirement STRS W4 for last year to submit.
I was down to 0 miles in the expedition at noon and had to get some gas.
Life can be pretty hectic.
All you have to do is keep plowing forward.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
How Much is Day Worth?
The district is offering buy back days.. voluntary attendance at $225. It has to be at least 6 clock hours to get this sum. Is it worth a day of "off time"?
They can be very productive times to learn about new things at the school. Or they can be dreadfully boring and uncomfortable, not applicable etc.
If you choose to skip it, it makes you want to make the day you choose to to stay home more valuable. It also ups the antee regarding what you do. Is it worth 225 before taxes to get up and get dressed. Is it worth 225 to just laze around for one more day?
Is it a day to go the movies as Linzi used to do as tradition with her buds?
Can your work buy more productivity from you? If you go you will be responsible for knowing more.. and doing more.
All good questions. What would you do with an extra 160. Its a two day pass to Disneyland and 40 dollars of food or 40 dollars of gas.
It won't clean your house or do your laundry or get those things done that require a weekday 9 to 6 connection which are so tough during the year.
I am staying home. I am getting caught up. I am making phone calls to get our home remodeling project going. I am possibly going to Turlock to get some adjustments on the lift so that won't drag on every driveway we drive over.
Its time to clean the office.
Leave me a note about how you feel about buy back days.
Pat
They can be very productive times to learn about new things at the school. Or they can be dreadfully boring and uncomfortable, not applicable etc.
If you choose to skip it, it makes you want to make the day you choose to to stay home more valuable. It also ups the antee regarding what you do. Is it worth 225 before taxes to get up and get dressed. Is it worth 225 to just laze around for one more day?
Is it a day to go the movies as Linzi used to do as tradition with her buds?
Can your work buy more productivity from you? If you go you will be responsible for knowing more.. and doing more.
All good questions. What would you do with an extra 160. Its a two day pass to Disneyland and 40 dollars of food or 40 dollars of gas.
It won't clean your house or do your laundry or get those things done that require a weekday 9 to 6 connection which are so tough during the year.
I am staying home. I am getting caught up. I am making phone calls to get our home remodeling project going. I am possibly going to Turlock to get some adjustments on the lift so that won't drag on every driveway we drive over.
Its time to clean the office.
Leave me a note about how you feel about buy back days.
Pat
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Another Day of Hearing Screening
Today we started screening at 7:30. It was too old for these old ears let alone some high school students.
We had 4 testers. The students would enter in the room 25 at a time. Then with some help of an expediter, we would plow through the group. Then they would all move on to the next station in the room next door. UC Merced is conducting a study of teenage nutrition and eating habits. It is a move to work on student obesity. Some kids were even getting their fingers pricked (with parent permission) to check for blood sugar levels.
We saw about 670 students. Only 4 had recheck issues.
Its been beautiful weather in Merced, temps have been in the high 80's. Apparently we missed a lot of really hot weather last week when we there enjoying the wonder weather in the So Cal. The smog was something else again. It aggravated the asthma on my account. Sue got some dizzy thing going with her middle ear.
We went to see the latest in the Bourne movies this afternoon. It was very action oriented and employed the latest cinematic techniques that include the hand held camera following action. (Some of that was a little much for me) Sue thought it was really good. I enjoyed the plot. It is one that if you have seen the first two it would help you would understand the motivations of the movie, although Jason Bourne is still trying to discover where he came from before the big government experiment. In this episode we reunites with the girl he found in Stockholm. And the female that he is working his case.
Sue is working her chair, and learning how to drive precisely. The lift thing is hanging way too low off the back end of the expedition however. We need to go to Turlock and get the whole works moved to the proper holes. Its scraping when ever we descend from a driveway cut.
Mowed the lawn last night and busy working the laundry loads. I can appreciate Acacia's comments about the laundry.
Georgie and Nigel are not letting us out of their sight. The white and black cats are enjoying snuggling as close to us as possible whenever we are flat. Georgie the white Manx has decided that it would be fun to play with my earphone connections to my IPod.
We are now eating grapes off of the backyard arbor. Sue is not too fond of them because they are so small. I did not thin them this year and I am paying the price.
The frontyard plout tree is still kicking out hte bright yellow variety. So sweet.
Love all Pat
We had 4 testers. The students would enter in the room 25 at a time. Then with some help of an expediter, we would plow through the group. Then they would all move on to the next station in the room next door. UC Merced is conducting a study of teenage nutrition and eating habits. It is a move to work on student obesity. Some kids were even getting their fingers pricked (with parent permission) to check for blood sugar levels.
We saw about 670 students. Only 4 had recheck issues.
Its been beautiful weather in Merced, temps have been in the high 80's. Apparently we missed a lot of really hot weather last week when we there enjoying the wonder weather in the So Cal. The smog was something else again. It aggravated the asthma on my account. Sue got some dizzy thing going with her middle ear.
We went to see the latest in the Bourne movies this afternoon. It was very action oriented and employed the latest cinematic techniques that include the hand held camera following action. (Some of that was a little much for me) Sue thought it was really good. I enjoyed the plot. It is one that if you have seen the first two it would help you would understand the motivations of the movie, although Jason Bourne is still trying to discover where he came from before the big government experiment. In this episode we reunites with the girl he found in Stockholm. And the female that he is working his case.
Sue is working her chair, and learning how to drive precisely. The lift thing is hanging way too low off the back end of the expedition however. We need to go to Turlock and get the whole works moved to the proper holes. Its scraping when ever we descend from a driveway cut.
Mowed the lawn last night and busy working the laundry loads. I can appreciate Acacia's comments about the laundry.
Georgie and Nigel are not letting us out of their sight. The white and black cats are enjoying snuggling as close to us as possible whenever we are flat. Georgie the white Manx has decided that it would be fun to play with my earphone connections to my IPod.
We are now eating grapes off of the backyard arbor. Sue is not too fond of them because they are so small. I did not thin them this year and I am paying the price.
The frontyard plout tree is still kicking out hte bright yellow variety. So sweet.
Love all Pat
Monday, August 6, 2007
Back in the Saddle Again
I am off to Atwater High this morning to start the school year. Rosemary and I are the only Speech and Langs in this district. We join forces with the nurses to check hearing of sophomores as a state mandated requirement of the schools. Freshman, at a different time of the year get their vision tested. It takes a lot longer to do vision than hearing.
If there are 5 of us testing we will do 600 hearing tests in 2 hours. That is 6 tones and placement of earphones on each student and about 7 rechecks each.
We get comp time for doing this. The district makes 22k for getting it all done.
This afternoon we will do Merced High.
August 6 and we are back at work. Some teachers are back today to get do an all day inservice for 225 dollars. The new teachers have so choice, their indoctrination in the Merced Union High School life starts today as part of their calendar year.
ohmPa! Pat
If there are 5 of us testing we will do 600 hearing tests in 2 hours. That is 6 tones and placement of earphones on each student and about 7 rechecks each.
We get comp time for doing this. The district makes 22k for getting it all done.
This afternoon we will do Merced High.
August 6 and we are back at work. Some teachers are back today to get do an all day inservice for 225 dollars. The new teachers have so choice, their indoctrination in the Merced Union High School life starts today as part of their calendar year.
ohmPa! Pat
Sunday, August 5, 2007
We are Back Back and More Back
5 Days at UCLA
Food was great. Sue had a great time met some others that were along for the ride while pappa as doing advanced bargaining training.
We enjoyed movie night each night together. Sue and I ate all meals together. She learned how to maneuver her new chair in ways only she could. At first I teased her about being a painter's job security. We both had a great laugh about that.
We were housed in apts that were made for the 86 Olympics in LA. They were very comfortable and had a handicap bathroom. We had to move furniture around in some creative ways to accommodate the chair. It worked and we had fun taking the chair over the hill to the bookstore and suveying the UCLA campus.. huge. Weather was very comfortable.
2 days of Big D and CA adventure
Lindsay, Sean and Heather flew down Friday night and met us in Disneyland. We had such a great time. Sue was our ticket to the long lines.. yes we say nemo.. and closed the park down both nights.. !AM. We had nice accommodations at the Holiday Inn.. No parking charge and plenty of room for the chair. 79 dollars a night 3 star through Hotwire.
We drove home today.. Sunday.. 3:30 PM after leaving LA and dropping off the kids at the Orange County airport at 10AP. Not a tough drive.. no backups and mostly 65 the whole way. More later.
Food was great. Sue had a great time met some others that were along for the ride while pappa as doing advanced bargaining training.
We enjoyed movie night each night together. Sue and I ate all meals together. She learned how to maneuver her new chair in ways only she could. At first I teased her about being a painter's job security. We both had a great laugh about that.
We were housed in apts that were made for the 86 Olympics in LA. They were very comfortable and had a handicap bathroom. We had to move furniture around in some creative ways to accommodate the chair. It worked and we had fun taking the chair over the hill to the bookstore and suveying the UCLA campus.. huge. Weather was very comfortable.
2 days of Big D and CA adventure
Lindsay, Sean and Heather flew down Friday night and met us in Disneyland. We had such a great time. Sue was our ticket to the long lines.. yes we say nemo.. and closed the park down both nights.. !AM. We had nice accommodations at the Holiday Inn.. No parking charge and plenty of room for the chair. 79 dollars a night 3 star through Hotwire.
We drove home today.. Sunday.. 3:30 PM after leaving LA and dropping off the kids at the Orange County airport at 10AP. Not a tough drive.. no backups and mostly 65 the whole way. More later.
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