morning constitutional...

So, about a week back, Bibi's car went kaput. We talked and decided that we were fine as we are, and we didn't need to worry about getting a replacement...we became a one car family. I gotta say, it's been a breeze so far! I mean, I'm at work all day, so I obviously don't need a car, and the town we live in is small enough that, in all honesty, I really don't need to worry about it all that much anyway. Take today, for example.

Bibi had a late night of studying last night, so this morning I drove over to her house, and dropped off the car. I didn't want her to have to get up, so I walked the rest of the way to school. It was about four blocks-ish, maybe a quarter to half a mile. (FYI--My ability to judge distances is not to be trusted...). It was 7:00, and I had to get to school in time for a meeting about the infamous MAP testing. Needless to say, I was NOT looking forward to the meeting, but couldn't help but enjoy the walk...it was a breezy 40 degrees, I'd wager, and the sun was shining...it was absolutely peaceful and serene...I had my coffee, the sunshine on my face, and a balmy (Bibi and I looked it up...it means mild and refreshing!!!) breeze brining alive every inch of my skin. It felt glorious..it really did! In fact, the morning has been less than ideal, (challenges, problems, situations, etc.), but all I can think about is how damn good my morning is REALLY going!

I might want to continue doing this!

Maybe not when it's raining though...(c;

Thanks for reading...
Tommy

Personal Update

So, before you read any further, know that this is a post that will be delving into a fairly personal topic. However, if you would like to read on, please do.

Bibi and I have discussed in the past the idea of "charting" as family planning, and pregnancy achievment. I had ironically read a little about this at a friend's blog, and my favorite tv show has done some really funny episodes all about cervical mucus, cervical position and temps. So, I was prepared somewhat.

However, Bibi's mom gave us a book called, "Taking Charge of Your Fertility", which is basically a really well written guide to fertility and the changes a woman's body goes through during their monthly cycle. Bibi and I agreed that we would read it together, and I have to say...it's been AWESOME. The book is absolutely fascinating, and we are having such a blast learning about the charting process as a couple.

Just a couple of things that I've though about as I've been reading...(nothing profound, but interesting nonetheless)

--why is it that most of the "responsibility" for birth control is placed on women, when women are fertile for only about a 1/4 of their cycle, and men are fertile ALL the time?!

--why do they not tell men about the crazy range of side-effects related to common birth control methods, so that we could possibly be a bit more understanding?!

--the human body is absolutely AMAZING. it's awesome, in the TRUE meaning of "awesome". It's awe-inspiring.

All right...that's all.

Oh, still reading Good Omens, still enjoying it. Also bought a book yesterday called "New Religious Movements," that was edited (put together) by a good friend of mine who works at Truman. I'm excited about it!

Ok...thanks for reading...

Tommy

Good Omens

I'm reading a new book by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, called Good Omens. It's mainly a humorous take on the end times, with the misplacement of the Anti-christ, all hell breaks...well, um....loose.

Anyway, I liked this one passage, and thought I'd share it...

"It may help to understand human affairs to be clear that most of the great triumphs and tragedies of history are caused, not by people being fundamentally good or fundamentally bad, but by people being fundamentally people."

Yeah.

Tommy

Pimp name

So, in honor of....well, um...it being a....Monday...I though I'd revisit an old site and rephresh things....so, here it is...my pimp name.

Fine Ass Estlund Skillz

Word.

Peace out Homies....I be chiggity checkin' you all latas....

today

Well, we just had a "distinguished guest" in my classroom...the honorable president of our local university came to our classroom to see our 7 wonders of kirksville project. It was cool...the students--entirely on their own--spoke about the wonders of the CDC (now defunct, thanks) and the theatre department (which is basically being shat upon regularly.)

It was quite heart-warming to see. (c;

Oh, and here are my 7 wonders of kirksville...

1. The window seat at Java Co. (Left hand side, facing the square.)
2. The steps of Kirk Memorial building.
3. The "fort" at the old school building adjacent to Centennial Hall.
4. The house on Jefferson Street where I used to sit on the porch drinking iced tea with Souther Comfort with Brendan and Brad.
5. Rainbow Basin.
6. The lounge in the 300's of MO Hall, where I spent so much time my freshman year.
7. My classroom. It's where I learned what teaching meant, where I learned so many lessons about life, and love, and human nature, and most importantly...where I met the love of my life.

Oh, crap, that sounds REALLY bad. My fiance, Bibi...we met when she was observing in my classroom. Yikes....gotta be careful how I put that, eh? (c;

All right...

later!
Thanks for reading...
Tommy

Oh, weather report says 5-10 inches of snow....here's to hoping....

Hello from KC...

Hey everyone! It's me! I'm typing this at Dave's computer, pretty late in the night, over Spring Break. I hate his keyboard, so this will be short. Bibi and I came to KC last Friday, and we've been going going going ever since. I will say two things... (maybe more...I'm not really planning this thing...)

1. LOVED the book Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbradnt. (Spelling?!) Absolutlely amazing storyteller. I couldn't put it down--a man who hasn't watched a single horse race in his ENTIRE life. GREAT story.

2. Wedding planning has been great. Got the tuxes, got the food, working on the DJ. Great stuff.

3. www.chucknorrisfacts.com is FREAKIN' GREAT!!!!!!

4. I love Bibi.

5. Reading Portnoy's Complaint by Phillip Roth. It got a lot of flack as being quite controversial--which it deserves, but the underlying themes are pretty damn good.

That's all. Back to KVille tomorrow. Fun times, fun times.

Thanks for reading...how's your week going?

Tommy

Realization...

You know...

I'm pretty damn blessed.

That's all.

In other news...

Todays been a really great day. Other than the very sad news this morning, today has been very good. I'm enjoying a new book (Postville turned out to be an excellent book...you should read it Brad!) on Seabiscuit. The woman who does Karaoke in town bought it for me at a garage sale about a year ago. (talk about small town life; it was very sweet of her.) One of the after school teachers is sick, so I've got about 8 more students in my group than usual, and it's going REALLY well. I've got a couple of the kids that teachers talk about (vis. problem kids) and it's going swimmingly. They don't really know what to think of me, (they've seen my around, know that I'm somewhat strict, but they're a little afraid to test me.) I like it. (c;

All right...more later...

Tommy

Kirby

Today is a sad day. It's a sad day for baseball, for America, and for me. Kirby Puckett, Minnesota Twins great, died yesterday, one day after having a stroke. The reason this is so striking, is that when I was growing up, one of the things I remember so vividly is watching the Twins playin the world series with my dad. I still have The Twin's Homer Hankie from '87. My dad let me stay up late just to see the Twins play, and Kirby was our favorite player. In fact, my dad's Golden Retriever is named Kirby, in honor of Puckett.

He will be missed.

Postville Part Deux

So, almost finished with Postville. I have to say, it has turned out to be quite interesting. Once I got past the constant stereotyping of Iowans, it was really well written. The author, Stephen Bloom did an excellent job of laying out the complexities of the conflict. You take a group of Fundamentalist Hasidic Jews, who believe it is crucial to separate themselves from those around them as they are the Chosen People, and put them in a very unique setting, such as rural Iowa, and it set the stage for an interesting battle ground.

Bloom was sympathetic to both groups, all the while struggling with his inherent link to the Jewish population as a fellow Jew. Throughout the book, the reader sees Bloom's open and honest struggle with what is right and wrong. He sees how off-putting the Jew's behavior is (arrogant, condescending, racist--and proud of it!!--, and their immediate claim that any and all arguments against them is anti-semitism) as well as the close-mindedness some of the Iowan's exhibit. Sometimes, as we see in this story, there are reasons that generalizations are made, (not to say it's right) and it's easy to get caught up in an emotional state. Bloom is often caught in the middle of these two battling groups, and comes to find that he is reluctantly--but inevitably--drawn to the Iowans in this conflict. The behavior of the Jews of Postville--while right in their own minds--is too much to expect the Iowans to put up with. The pentultimate and proverbial last straw was a crime--viscious and unimaginable that was ignored and condoned by the Hasidim. An elderly shop clerk was shot, at point-blank range, by one of the Hasidim, and the Lubavitcher's (the Jew's in Postville) came out in force to show their support. For the SHOOTER. Because the victim was "just a gentile", it wasn't that big of a deal, and was not worthy of their sympathy.

Obviously, this is an accouting of the situation in Postville, and this case-study should not be extrapolated unto any other groups, and certainly not used as a description of Hasidic Jews as a whole; but it is an interesting view of one horrible experience of race problems in recent history.

I'd recommend it as an interesting look at race/religion relations in present day Middle America.

Thanks for reading...

Tommy

Lent

I'm giving up Sarcasm for Lent.

I feel like I'm in a bad episode of Friends.

And, it's going to last for 40 days.

New Deal

I recently stopped reading a book, which I rarely do. In fact, I don't think I've "quit" on a book in almost four years. Last time I did it was shortly after my sister moved to Kansas City. Man...how long ago WAS that Sarah?

Anywho, I'm not reading a book I bought about 6 years ago, that I never got around to. It's called "Postville", and it's a recounting of the conflict that occurred in Postville Iowa between the residents of the town and the Hassidic Jewish population that moved in, in order to run a kosher slaughterhouse. So far I'm only a little way into it, but it's been exceptionally frustrating. The author is a self-proclaimed big-city journalist from San Francisco, who is blown-away by the quaintness of small town Iowa. He moved to Iowa City (just 25-30 minutes away from my hometown of Cedar Rapids) and continually lambasts the community for it's "backward" qualities. He mocks the "behind-the-times" rebelliousness of the U of I student body, the back-roads, country-bumpkin, hill-billy, barely veiled antisemitism he meets at every corner.

Now, to be sure, I have no doubt that he--unfortunately--met with some ignorant people in his time. But his only visit to Cedar Rapids was to visit the Linn County Pork Festival (which, by and by, I've NEVER heard of) instead of visiting the Science Station, the Symphony, the Community Theatre, or the Cedar Rapids Art Museum.

It's frustrating to see my home town portrayed in such a two-dimensional and stereotypical fashion. I'm sure that moving to Iowa was a shock to his system, but his account of his co-workers at the University of Iowa only choice of recreation being hunting, is hardly the case. Sure, people in the midwest hunt. But there's more to do than that!!!!

When I bought the book I was looking forward to an analysis of two very different cultures coming together in an unusual way...not a static and one-sided description of how small-minded and sad our midwest way of life is.

I will continue...I will read on...but I'm frustrated for now.

That is all.

Thanks for reading...
Tommy

Yea Hump Day

So, today has been incredible so far. Man! Last night started it all off. It was kind of...um, well...crappy for Bibi. Her basement is flooded with sewage. Um...again. So, her landlord put her and her roommates up in a hotel her in town, and we all hung out in the hottub for a while. Then, I went to karaoke, which was great, and I overslept a LITTLE this morning, which meant that I'm well rested.

Today though...man aLIVE today. (c; Well, I absolutely LOVE teaching Social Studies, and this morning has been a Social Studies-tastic day. Both classes have been ON. I mean, bing bang boom, we're answering questions, explaining causes and effects, etc. etc. etc. It's been GREAT!!!!

And, it's like 65 out, which translates to NICE. (c;

All right, I'm going to go spread my sunshiny happiness somewhere else. Have a GREAT Wednesday everyone!

(c;

Tommy