Vannoy (Update)

The scoop from Beaver Falls High School is that Mr. Vannoy returned to school Monday (1/30/2006) after national media attention for wearing a Bronco's jersey to his high school in "Steeler country". He apparently received a "massage chair" from John Elway, whose number was on the jersey Mr. Vannoy wore, which by the way is the same number that Ben Roethlisberger, current QB of the Steelers, wears. I wonder if that was on purpose or if it was coincidental? I heard from another source that the Mr. Vannoy's mother says the chair doesn't match the living room. :-) Anyway, the Friday before he returned to school the principal of the high school gathered all of the students in a group and explained that Mr. Vannoy would be returning on Monday. They were told to not to even "look at him funny", let alone touch him, or they would be expelled!... Not placed in detention, or suspended for a few days... Expelled... i.e. kicked out of the school! They were also told to not hold a protest or rally for Mr. Kelly (the teacher), or to wear shirts or buttons mentioning Mr. Kelly or anything like that. For the these last two days in school, Josh has been escorted by a police man through the school, and two teachers. During lunch they put extra staff (teachers) in the lunch room while Mr. Vannoy was eating. It sounded to me like the school officials feel our school is full of a bunch of hooligans that would want to hurt Mr. Vannoy... Which begs a very interesting question? If the teacher was the one who was wrong, and Mr. Vannoy is the victim, why are they protecting Josh from harm? Are they afraid that more paper would be thrown at him? I mean, if the teacher was truly as bad as the newspapers portrayed him, then Mr. Vannoy shouldn't have anything to fear, he should be respected for bringing to light a terrible problem within the school. Josh could be rallying the students, parents and school officials to be up in arms against this bad teacher... Instead the school had to quash a rally in support of Mr. Kelly because the students and I assume parents don't want to see Mr. Kelly let go... Reality often tells a better story than the newspapers!

Child Drowning

My youngest daughter attended a birthday party at a pool on Sunday. The party she attended was at a pool that is located indoors at our local Holiday Inn. She attended the party with other family members including, I believe, both of her older sisters, and her mother. After she came back from the party she told me that a little girl drowned at a pool party...

I tried to appear calm, but my ears perked up, and I paid a little more attention to her. She said that the girl was at a party at a different pool, and that she heard about it from the Beaver County Times, our local newspaper. My youngest is ten, so hearing that she heard it from the newspaper surprised me quite a bit. Her usual form of entertainment and news gathering are usually from the Nickelodeon, Disney, and Cartoon network channels. After a moment of surprise at my daughter's apparent maturity at reading the daily newspaper, she returned me to reality by telling me that her step-dad told her about it.

She told me that the kids thought she was just trying to see how long she could stay under water, so no one seemed to notice that she had been under the water for a long time. I did a quick search on the newspaper's website, and read the article. The coroner said she was probably under water for 10 minutes. The girl was only 5 years old, and couldn't swim. Her parents weren't at the party, they just dropped her off, and never expected any problems since there were lifeguards, and tons of adults at the party.

The article said the mother was called back to the pool when they found the girl, and she got there while they were trying to revive her. Unfortunately they couldn't bring her back. I can't imagine the agony those parents must be going through. I only had a nightmare about one of my kids drowning, and the feelings that dream brought to me were unbearable. I was able to wake up, but this poor mother and father will never have that.

I am not sure what the family is doing for arrangements, but my heart really goes out to this family. Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers.

Today a second article came out that said they are investigating the security video to see if they can determine what happened. There is very little consolation in that tape for the parents, but hopefully it will relieve the guilt the lifeguards and other adults are most likely feeling. If it is someone's fault, then I hope the tape shows it so that person can be dealt with!

NOTE: Picture copied from the Beaver County Times website article.

Excited

Those that know me, know I am generally not much of a sports fan. I don't generally follow the teams, players or stats. I do enjoy going out and actually attending a game and I really enjoy a going to good baseball game. But for me, watching sports on TV just hasn't been as much fun. Last Sunday I was invited to watch the playoff game between the Steelers and the Broncos with someone I care about. Instead of my normal "ho-hum" attitude about the game, I actually "got into" the game. I was cheering the players on the TV, jumping up and down when a great play happened, and biting my nails on close calls. As you probably know, the Steelers won and have made it to the SuperBowl XL. This will be the first time in 10 years, and if they win, will have accomplished something they haven't done for 30 years (most of my life). Yes, I was ten years old the last time they won a SuperBowl. The playoff game was so exciting, that it really drew me in... Now I can't wait until the SuperBowl. Since the game, I have been wearing my only Steelers sweatshirt as often as possible, and I even found an old Steelers cap that I throw on to cover my hair that needs cut. :-) This week at work, we are having a SuperBowl bash (party) with wings, chili, nachos, and desserts. Everyone will be wearing their "Black and Gold", and tossing the pigskin around getting hyped for the game. I even scoured the Internet for every Steelers fight song I could find and made a CD for the party. BTW: Most of the good songs can be found at Steeler GridIron site. If you need a permission slip to wear the colors at work, school, or wherever, you can get one here! With all my newfound sports-related excitement I decided to throw caution to the wind, and without worrying (to much) about monthly costs, I ordered a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) from Comcast. After a quick call I have an free install for Sunday morning before the game! The DVR will allow me to pause the game if I need to go to the bathroom, or rewind live TV and get my own "instant replay". Of course it has many other features too, but that's not important for this Sunday, so I will save that for another story. I can't wait until Sunday, and the party at work on Friday will be, for me, the kickoff to the weekend. So don't call Sunday, Feb. 5 after 6 p.m. ET, as my TV, DVR, and attention will be on the network TV station ABC to watch the Steelers crush the Seahawks!

Happy Lunar New Year

Happy New Year - Well, Lunar New Year... Which is also called the "Chinese New Year". This is the "Year of the Dog", or the year 4703-4704 on the Chinese calendar. The Chinese calendar is based on the "lunar" or moon based cycle rather than the "solar" or sun based cycle that our calendar is based on. A lunar year is comprised of 12 cycles of the moon, or from "new moon" to "new moon". A pure lunar calendar uses 12 cycles of the moon, and each day of the month is a specific "phase" of the moon. This type of lunar calendar is not very practical because there are slightly more than 12 lunar cycles in an actual year. This means that from lunar year to lunar year the seasons shift and happen in different months, than they have in earlier years. As a matter of fact this shift requires the addition of another lunar month every 33 years in to keep the seasons in line. A calendar that uses this combination of lunar (phases of the moon) and solar (sun based seasons) activities is called a "lunisolar" calendar. The Chinese calendar is considered a lunisolar calendar. So get out your firecrackers, and red clothes to scare off the evil spirits, and celebrate the start of the new year!

BlogJet

I have been exploring different ways to post my blog postings.  I have tried a few different ones.  I am now using one called

 

It offers a nice editor, with a built in spell checker, smilies , and an easy way to add photos/graphics from my harddrive, as well as from Flickr.

It “integrates” with Blogger, so I can edit posts and publish without logging into and using the HTML editor on the Blogger website.

Other than the ability to link with Flickr, it doesn’t offer any other unique features that aren’t just as easily available with the Blogger site itself.

Later
Lou

Beaver Falls / Vannoy

I first heard about the Josh Vannoy Bronco's shirt "fiasco" on the radio while I was at work. I usually don't give much attention to the newscasts, but it caught my attention because it mentioned Beaver Falls High School. I live in Beaver Falls, and have two kids in that school, so my brain tuned in. I decided to do a quick web search and find out some more details. I was listening to KDKA radio at the time, so I looked there first. I found a really short "blurb" about it on that site, but today it has a little longer article. However, did I found a pretty lengthy article on the Denver Post. So I looked around some more and read a few more articles, and my first reaction (actually my second) was that this whole thing is blown out of proportion. I know the school, and a few of the teachers, not well, but I know them. I couldn't believe that a teacher could do that in my school. When I re-read the articles, I noticed a very 'down-played' comment. The teacher stated that the class was on diversity, and ethnicity, and that Josh "learned a lesson". I realized that while it was a harsh way to teach the lesson, that it was an important lesson... A lesson that I think that the media attention is washing away. Mr. Vannoy learned what it feels like to be discriminated against. I have been fortunate and I have never personally experienced it, and he has been given a special insight into how many people feel often! The problem is that in today's world we don't allow people to be "humiliated", to fail, or make mistakes. We are afraid of how these things may affect their self-esteem. Today our society does not get an opportunity to learn from our own hardships, because we are "helped" from experiencing them. I think this saps the strength from our culture, and creates a bunch of simpering weaklings. I talked with my son today, and he "heard" (meaning that this statement is all hearsay) from the school grapevine, that Mr. Vannoy doesn't really support the Broncos, and that he only wore it because he knew it would bother his teacher. I also heard that Mr. Vannoy is going to be interviewed on a few TV shows... It may have already happened. I wonder how many shows will give the teacher equal time? I bet Beaver Falls High School is going to lose a good teacher over what I am calling an over-reaction. It's sad because my kids may not get to experience a teacher that's willing to walk the line, push the envelope, and challenge them. Even if they never have this teacher, other teachers of the school will be much more leery in how they interact with the students.

2005 Mayfly

Same home. Same kids. Same job. Same expenses. Less money. Trip to Dallas. Tumultuous relationship. Cub Scout Pack problems. Daughter became driver. New laptop.

Sum up 2005

I was browsing random blogs, on Blogger.com and I was reading a entry where they summed up the whole year of 2005 in 24 words or less. The limitation of words, supposedly helps to force you to think about what was most important to you for the year. If you click the title of this post, you will go to the site that is promoting this and see other people's examples. Before I post I want to sit and reflect on last year, and see if I can get it within 24 words... I have never been known for using just a few words, but I will give it a shot... Stay tuned... Can you sum up your year in 24 words or less?

I miss my best friend.

It's only been three days, but it seems like an eternity. I want to talk to her, but I don't think she wants to talk to me. I feel like I have become a thorn to her rose. I am not the poet my son is, so I don't have the words to express my feelings, so I guess I will just say, "I miss my best friend." I hope she is happy. Later Lou

Bad Movie Weekend

This past weekend, we watched a bunch of what can only be called "bad movies". It seemed like a bad movie marathon! There were a few interesting or even a few parts that got a small laugh, but for the most part I am pretty good with not watching any of those movies again. Check out my movie reviews at the bottom right to get more detail about the shows we watched. Later Lou

PB&J

I made a Peanut Butter and Jelly (PB&J) sandwich last night as a snack before bed, and as I was making it, I thought about the effort I was going through to do it. First I got out a paper plate to build the sandwich on, and then eat from. Then I got out two slices of bread, the peanut butter, the jelly, a knife and a spoon... I like my sandwiches toasted, so I put the slices of bread in the toaster and then opened the PB and J, placed the knife on top of the PB jar. I opened the grape jelly and put the spoon on the upside down lid on the counter. When the toast popped, I took the first slice out, and coated it evenly with peanut butter, and put the excess from the knife back into the jar. Then I got the second slice from the toaster, and plopped a spoonful of jelly on the slice and spread it with the back of the spoon. Then I put the two slices together, put everything away, got a napkin and a drink and started chowing down. As I was doing all of that I realized that making a PB&J sandwich, which is really easy, has to be done a certain way. I thought about why I did the peanut butter first? Why didn't I put both the PB and J on the same slice when I was making it? Why did I use both a knife and a spoon? Why make this simple task so complicated? Well then I wondered... Am I the only one that makes it this way? How do other people make their PB&J sandwiches? Do they just slop it all together, or do they do it a special way? Do you put the peanut butter or jelly on first? Do you toast it? Do you mix the two on the same slice? Do you use only one slice of bread and fold it over? Do you like a special bread for PB&J? What about the jelly? Do you use jam or marmalade? Do you use a knife, fork, spoon, fingers or some combination to make the sandwich? The Smucker's company that makes Jelly and Jam is fighting a legal battle to "patent" a special technique to make a PB&J so the jelly doesn't soak the bread. These must be very important questions, and I want to know what is the best way, no, the perfect way to make a PB&J?

Ratchet and Clank: Deadlocked

Josh got a new game for Christmas this year, and we have been enjoying it together. The game is Ratchet and Clank: Deadlocked This is the 4th game in the series, and we have owned, and played all of them. This installment has less weapons, and the levels are not as difficult to complete, however there is a new part to this game that makes it worth it: Co-operative play. In the previous game they added a multi-player mode that allowed two or more players to go to special arenas and shoot each other, or work toward a common goal. They have included that feature in this game as well. The new feature of this game is that two players go through the actual story part of the game together as a team. In this mode, each player has their own "split screen". You share the same weapons and ammo, and both players can't use the same weapon at the same time. The game forces cooperation by requiring the players to stay within a certain distance of each other, and requiring both players to work together to get past obstacles.... For example the one player keeps the robots away long enough for the other person to open the door. This game allows Josh and I to play together. We have to work as a team, each using our individual strengths in the game. But don't tell him, but when he isn't around I play it in single player mode, and create mayhem, and destruction all by myself!

New Posting Method

I am trying a new way to post to my blog using “Blogger for Word”, which is an addon that allows me to post using Microsoft Word.

It’s nice, because I can use the formatting, and spell check and stuff from Word, however, it doesn’t allow me to add images in the post … Bummer.

          

Movie

I took Marianne, Josh and Richie to see Chronicles of Narnia today. It was a great movie, and definately worth seeing for the second time. Marianne had not seen the movie before today, and it was fun watching her reactions to the movie. Richie has a new blog, and he has already posted about the movie... Check it out. As a matter of fact, he has been posting a lot on his new blog.

Zit...

I setup a new blog for my girlfriend's son, Richie today... Check it out. It's called "A little shallower". While I was setting it up, Richie checked out my blog, and my photograph in my blogger profile, and pointed out the huge ZIT on my forhead right between my eyes... Thanks Richie! :-) Later Lou

Blog Changes

I have been playing with the Blogger settings for changing the layout of the blog. I have added a few features:

• Links to each of my kid's blogs with pictures
• A list of movies I have watched recently
• A list of books I have read recently
• A "Chatter box", so instant comments can be added to the blog.. Leave me a message!
• A new look, yeah, green is my favorite color! :-)

I creating the lists by "including" two additional blogs into one. So I can just post a message to a book list blog, or a movie list blog, and it automatically updates the main blog... Sweet. Clicking on the titles also brings my "review" or comments about the book or movie. You can find my lists on the sidebar to the right, all the way on the bottom.

I haven't posted here in awhile, but I wanted to wish everyone a great start to a great year.