Christmas Time

So, I opened up my class Christmas presents today. One of my students wrote a poem for me, and rolled it up as if it were a scroll. I will copy it here, for your enjoyment...

'Twas the Day Before Christmas Break...

'Twas the day before Christmas Break,
And all through the room,
Not a face showed unhappiness, not even some gloom.
For Mr. Estlund was their teacher, so funny and cool.
He was the best teacher they'd had, the best in the school.
Mr. Estlund at his desk, and us in our seat,
We'd just settled down, for a party no one could beat.
When out in the hall, there arose such a clatter,
We sprang from our seats to see what was the matter.
When what to our wondering eyes should appear,
But a man in a suit, standing so near.
"May I come to your party?" he asked with some zest,
"With Mr. Estlund as your teacher, it's always the best!"
"Yes!" We all cried, "Mr Estlund's one of a kind,
He teaches us well, he fills up our minds!"
So we partied together, a right happy bunch,
With cookies to eat and popcorn to munch.
And I heard him exclaim as he flew out of sight,
"Oh Captain, my Captain,
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"

I really liked that. (c;

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and to all a peaceful and loving New Year!

Thanks for reading....

Tommy

Books...

I finished "I Know This Much is True." Wow. What an awesome book...there were so many themes and elements running through the whole book, it's going to take some time to process it. But, yeah...great book. I've started a new book. "America: A Narrative History" which was one of Bibi's text books for her history class last year. It just looked really good, so I'm reading it. (c;

Later!

Hump day

So, yeah, I was just kidding yesterday when I said that I was going to give you the answer to the trivia question. However, typing doesnt' quite express the appropriate tone that my voice (or, at least what I HOPE my voice) does. So, instead of being clever and amusing, I just looked forgetful. So the answer is...

Today is Wednesday. My class is having a Read-In. We are going to relax and enjoy ourselves while reading for pleasure. (I think it's absolutely crucial to instill a love of reading in my kids.) Then, this afternoon I'm taking my class to the local Humane Shelter to donate all kinds of stuff to the shelter, and to play with the puppies and...(ugh)...cats. Tonight some friends are having a Winter Solstice party, and Bibi and I are looking forward to that. Tomorrow is one big party, and I"m playing Santa Claus for the kids. Good times....good times.

Last night, to celebrate selling my house, Bibi and I went all out and had a REALLY nice dinner together. We just sat and chatted for a long time and enjoyed each other's company. It was great.

Home on Friday and Christmas with the family!!!

Hope things are going so well for everyone reading this...

(A: Toto.)

...Tommy

Trivia Answer...

Ok...here's the answer....

Trivia P.2

Anyone know what band performed the background music for "We Are the World?" (c;

Quickie

Ok, so for those of you who don't know, I do trivia with my students. It's a chance for them to get a comfortable looking up different pieces of information, often times very random, and fairly obscure. (I.e: What was Jane's last name in Tarzan? A: Porter; What animal were the Canary Islands named after? A: Dogs.)

Well, I have a legal pad full of REALLY good questions, and I've not been able to find it all year, and it was REALLy getting me down. I FOUND IT!!!!! WHoo HOO!!!!

Oh, and my new house is great. I accidently set my alarm for 6 PM instead of 6 AM, and woke up at 6:30, but was still able to get to school (without rushing!!!) by 7:10. Yeah!

All right...thanks for reading...

Tommy

"have a little help from my friends..."

All right, so last night the moving began. I had packed up about 10 boxes worth of my crap (not to mention thrown out about 5 garbage bags FULL of crap) and I got all that moved over to my new house. My friend Dan came over then to help me move. Well, I was out of boxes. God bless him, Dan...was not out of boxes. He had a plethora of boxes, of all sizes. So, while I helped Bibi jumpstart her car (love you babe!!!) Dan went to his house and got the boxes situated. Then, we spent about an hour and a half boxing up more of my crap, listening to the Who (greatest band EVER) and then hauled the stuff back into town. (I'm SO excited about not having to drive that drive anymore.)

So, to Dan...who is as strong as an ox and as anal as an OCD librarian, who understood the need to pack the books I HAVE read and the books I HAVEN'T read in different boxes. Thanks man. I owe you a beer. (Or two or three or...)

Peace out...

Thanks for reading...oh, wait! "I Know This Much is True" is AWESOME! I'm REALLY enjoying it. It's been a very interesting journey; the book discusses family, history, patterns in one's life, grief, blame, forgiveness, religion, spirituality (of course theres a difference) as well as a host of other things. One of the lines in the book, and, I just tried to find it, but I couldn't, so this is a paraphrase, says something to the effect of, "books reflect ourselves. Through reading, we are able to look at ourselves and see who we really are." Ah, that was horrible, but you get the idea.

Oh, and from www.bookcrossing.com: books change people....people change the world.

Ok, really...thanks for reading...
tommy

Good morning!

So, the weekend was fairly eventful. My friend Dave came into town, with the idea that he was going to help me move. However, the renob that was bidding on my house decided that he wanted me to lower my price by a LOT in order to cover EVERY single item on the inspection list. (For those of you who are unaware, the inspection USUALLY highlights SAFETY concerns, not cosmetic crap.) So, we needed to get something checked on over the weekend, so I was unable to move. Dave and I had a good time. Spent all of Saturday afternoon looking at teacher's magazine's for new lesson plans and new theories in the world of education. It was very cool. We also went out and got each other Christmas presents. I got him two Kanye West CD's (he's REALLY good!!) and he got me Season 2 of Arrested Development. (Which, by the way, is just one more piece of evidence that FOX is run by a bunch of constipated monkeys--why that show got cancelled, well, I'll NEVER understand.)

Anyway, so, yesterday when I left school I called my realitor to see what we should do. He told me that I should lower my price by a fraction of what the guy was asking, and if he didn't accept, then walk away. I told him that was totally fine by me.

He accepted. However, as is the case with this mental case, there is a catch. I've gotta be out by Friday at 4.

Any friends wanna help me move? (c; (I'm taking Friday off to do it!!!)

Thanks for reading...
Tommy

Almost the Weekend

Hey ya'll! Well, last night was a blast. I was Elvis for the Fifth Graders' Music Program, and it went really well. Bibi came to it, and that was really cool. Afterwards we hung out at her house and just enjoyed each other's company while sipping piping hot cocoa. Tonight I am Santa Claus for the neighbor/coworker's kids. That'll be fun. I'm very excited about it, and my friend Dave is coming into town for the weekend. Good times will be had by all. (Oh, I'm not moving this weekend. The guy who is bidding on my house is playing hardball and trying to screw me over. Rest assured, I'm standing strong.)

Ok...well, have a great weekend, and all of you who might have finals coming up...Good Luck! And, to all of you who, like me, are out of school....heh heh heh...we don't have finals anymore!!!! (c;

Love ya all...and thanks for reading....

Tommy

school dayze

So, things are winding up toward a screeching end of the semester. I'm moving this Saturday. Thursday night, the fifth grade is putting on their musical program (a review of the last five decades of music...guess who's playing Elvis?--I had to learn the words to Teddy Bear), and Friday night I'm playing Santa Claus for the kids of a few of my coworkers. That'll be fun...I did it last year, and it was a good time.

However, the coolest thing that's coming up in the next few weeks, as far as school, is my class Christmas party. Instead of having a gift exchange, we're going to raise donations for the local Humane Society. Then, the day before break, we take a field trip out to the Humane Society, and play with all the animals for a hour or so. It's a really cool way to focus on someone (or something) other than themselves this time of year, and besides, it's good for the animals, as well as the kids. (I think there were a couple of adoptions after last years trip.

Oh, and we have a small Christmas program the day before break, where we sing carols, and have a rolicking good time. Last year, during Frosty the Snowman, I dressed up in a Frosty costume and came out dancing and prancing around the gym. The kids LOVED it. Well, this year, the kids are learning a song, "Skateboarding Santa." So, yours truly is indeed going to be dressed as Santa...and I'm going to SKATEBOARD around the gym. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully someone will be videotaping, so there will be documentation of the exact moment I break my head.

Oh, and as far as books? Still reading "I Know This Much is True", and so far it's GREAT. Really, really enjoying it. Oh...and it's snowing out...so it's absolutely beautiful.

Ok...well, have a great day...and thanks for reading.

One final note...I was asked where I'm moving to...well, lucky me...I'm moving to a house about four blocks from my coffee shop. (c; (You should see the contented smile on my face....)

Bye!

My House

So, Bibi and I have been discussing for a while our need to sell my house, so that we can have a 'home' together. So, I put my house on the market to see what kind of response I got. Well, today a guy accepted my asking price, and wants to close in two weeks. SO...that means, baring any unforseen complications, I could be moving next weekend. Whoa. So, obviously, I need a place that allows dogs, and I can afford. Well, my realitor is going to give me a REALLY good deal on a four bedroom, two bath, two story hard-wood floor rental for, what basically amounts to, what I'm paying now in my mortgage (which is rediculously low). I'm going today after meetings to see the house. Wow...I REALLy didn't expect this to happen quite so quickly. My head is SPiNiNg. Wow. So, anyway, that's all that.

Have a great weekend, and I'll keep ya posted...
thanks for reading...
Tommy

update

So, in response to the question of what book I was thinking about dropping; it was "The Majority Rules", by...oh, I don't know...some judge...Eugene? I don't know. Well, I finished it. The story was great, but the writing was subpar. The author MAY have been trying to use repetition for effect, but came across very poorly. It seemed like he was afraid that his audience might not follow, so, he beats you over the head with important "subtleties." (Unfortunately, subtlety was not his strong suit either!)

However, like I said, the story was good. All about case-rigging in the U.S. Court of Appeals, murder, intrigue, etc. Good story.

So, now I'm reading "I Know This Much is True" by Wally Lamb. So far, it's GREAT! I don't want to get too much into describing it yet, but it's really captivating so far.

Ok...well, tonight's my first Friday night not working at the Spaz that I'm in Kville, and I'm looking forward to it. Bibi finished her Senior Seminar class yesterday for one of her majors, and that went really well, so we're probably going to celebrate a bit. Good times.

Thanks for reading...
Tommy

Post Thanksgiving Slump

Hey ya'll! So, the title sounds kind of negative, but I'm really not. It just seems like I'm never ready for the onslaught of the holiday season, and this year is no different. It's too warm out, and I'm just not feeling Christmas-y....you know? Ok, maybe you don't. This was the first year that I was not with my family for Thanksgiving. I had a great time with Bibi's family, and it was really neat to experience the holiday with another family (let alone, my future family)...(sidebar: I majored in English and I just used the word "neat"?!?!)Anyway, I just don't feel like it's time yet, and I'd like to be my usual chipper self, so we'll see if that happens soon, all right?

Anyway, over the break I read a couple of books...I read another book by Christopher Moore, "Practical Demonkeeping". I tell you, if you haven't checked him out, he's amazing. "Lamb" is still my favorite, but all of his books are hilarious. Then I read "About a Boy" by Nick Hornby. I saw the movie a couple of years ago, and it really didn't impress me. Didn't much care for it at all, to be honest. However, this one came recommended, so I read it, and it was really good. VERY different from the movie, which probably made it enjoyable for me. The book alternates between narrators, first Will, the Hugh Grant character, and Marcus, the odd, quirky, yet strangely endearing 12 year old. Good story about how life REALLY is...not about how it should be.

I've now started a book that so far isn't very good, and i"m actually considering stopping, which RARELY happens. I'm going to give it a couple more chapters, but we may be cutting it short.

Ok, so highlights from the long weekend: (in no particular order)
1. Watching Harry Potter with Bibi and just LAUGHING hysterically, and just really, really enjoying myself.
2. Playing Texas Hold'Em with Bibi's family, and her 7 year old sister kicking everyone's butts!!!! (That girl is SMART!!!)
3. Playing Cranium and laughing hysterically. (There's nothing quite like trying to do an impression of Elvis in front of your future inlaws. (c;)
4. Kaya "attacking my friend Dave's mother's dog, Cassie," getting in to pull the two dogs apart, and realizing that Kaya couldn't hurt a fly, because SHE"S GOT NO TEETH!!!!
5. Putting up my Christmas tree, listening to Christmas CD's, while baking cookies with Bibi, and her whole house.
6. Realizing that I COULD survive a Thanksgiving without turkey. (Although, if anyone has any leftovers, I wouldn't mind helping you eat them!!!)

I'm sure there's more, but that's all I've got for now.

Oh, there is one other thing. Something odd struck me as we were driving home yesterday. Bibi was reading a Spanish novel for one of her classes, and I was driving. We were basically just driving with the radio on, and it was quiet. Now, I've always been one to sing loudly whenever I drive anywhere. And, it struck me that whenever I travel I always look in other people's cars, and observe them. I've always thought that I was having more fun as I was driving. I don't know, it just seemed like it was so boring, all the cars where people were not talking, or singing...I don't know.
Anyway, as Bibi and I were driving yesterday, in silence, I would glance over at her every once in a while. My heart was just filled with this sense of love...I know that love is NOT just a feeling, but at that time, I was filled with knowing how much I loved her...and that, regardless of how much fun I have had in solo drives while I sing, and talk to myself...there is NOTHING sweeter, at least nothing I've experienced, than being able to sit in my car with the woman I love, for three hours....just being able to be close to her, and watch her read her book...she looked SO beautiful, so peaceful sitting there. It was...I don't know...it was magnificent. Yeah...that's what it was.

Ok, that's all I got for now. Hope everyone had fun, and remembered to be thankful...

and I'm thankful for you all for reading...
Tommy

Thanksgiving

So, I've decided to follow Sara's lead and write a blog before Thanksgiving about all that I am thankful for. So, here goes...

Ahead of eveything...God.
1. Bibi. I love you! I am thankful for how much fun we have together (Taco Bell sauce packet fights, nicknames, and deep conversations about COUNTRY MUSIC?!). I'm thankful for our ability to be total dorks in front of each other. I'm thankful for the conversations we have, and the way that you just "get" me...you know? I love you babe!
2. My family. As I grow I realize how important my family is, and I feel like more of a doofus every day for not appreciating what I have.
3. I'm thankful for the fact that I'm one of the lucky few who actually LOVES his job...I don't just like it...I don't tolerate it...I LOVE it...even on the days when I'm tired and cranky...this is an unbelievable honor to be able to do this every day.
4. Good coffee.
5. Frank Sinatra.
6. Johnny Cash.
7. Books, books and more books. Or, more to the point, the fact that I'm able to read!
8. Kaya, my sweet dog.
9. The view out my front window.
10. Sunrises.
11. Sunsets. (in that order)
12. Quiet, autumnal days, sitting in the window seat of Java Co, with Bibi reading and sipping coffee.
13. Life, in general.
14. All of my friends.
15. All of my memories.

Thats all. Thanks for reading...
Tommy

Walk the Line

So, I saw the movie Walk the Line today. Wow. That is all I can say. First of all, Johnny Cash was amazing, and second of all, Joaquin Phoenix WAS Johnny Cash. I gotta be honest--before this movie? Didn't much care for the guy as an actor. However, the fact that he (and Reese Witherspoon, who was ALSO AMAZING) sang the songs, was unbelievable! Holy cow...just, absolutely amazing.

Also, I'm reading a book now called New Found Land, by Allan Wolf. It's a poetic re-vision of Lewis and Clark adventure. The story is told through fourteen different perspectives, in such an amazing way. Sacagawea, Lewis, Clark, York, as well as many others. The interesting thing about the book is that each character is a COMPLETE character...each person brings his or her own personalities and view points (Sacagawea's poetic spirituality, York's yearing for freedom after the trek, Lewis' dark and tormented struggle with depression, etc.) to the narration.

Also, Lewis' dog, Seaman, is the main narrator of the story. He is, as an animal, able to have certain insights that other character's can't have, and is the glue for the whole story. I'm almost four hundred pages into it (nearing the end) and I can't stop reading...this book is DEFINITELY one of the rare "WOW!!!" books that one is lucky to find.

Ok, that's all...

Thanks for reading!

Tommy

Funny stuff...

So, for the last six weeks, I've been using a Pilot Communication Arts text with my class, and right now (literally, as I type) my students are sharing their final projects. One of my kids made a Jeopardy Game over one of the books he read. He's playing it up, he's such a ham; he even had a commercial break, where he walked away from the front of the room, grabbed a drink, and then came back. Now he's having the students introduce themselves. Wow...this is fantastic.

Seriously, these guys are ALL cracking me up. (c; Wow.

(He's even imitating me in the front of the room!)

Here is a picture of Bibi and me at her sorority's formal last weekend. Yeah, we look hot. (c; That's my girl!

Questions O' The Day...

1. Anyone know what effect the water falls of the Fall Line had on the development of the Middle Colonies circ. 1600's?

2. What impact did the glaciers of the Ice Age had on the Middle Colonies?

My fifth graders know....do you?

(c;

Tommy

Occupational Hazards/Benefits...

Odd things that a fifth grade teacher has to/gets to do....

Tell a student to get "that thing out of your nose!"
Hold an eleven foot Burmese Python while my class squirms and giggles in awe.

Just to name a few. (c;

I realized today, that, partially due to schedule demands, and partially due to negligence on my part, I have not, as of yet, spent as much team-building time with my class as I have in the past two years. I believe that it's not indeed too late, and that it WILL be accomplished in the near future. In fact, I'm not doing another thing academically with my class (for the most part) until we come to a better understanding of what our class room can be like.

Fortunately, I have a theme already in place for my class that lends itself quite well to this concept. I have ships, boats, maps, and captains all over my room. (For those of you that don't know, I also allow my students to call me, "O Captain, My Captain" if they need my attention.) So, during our class meeting, we're going to be working on realizing that on this "jouney of discovery", we are in fact a crew...and every single person in the room--regardless of anything else, by virtue of the fact that they are IN this room--is a valued and needed member of our crew. I'm excited because, although it may sound cheesy to anyone that doesn't work with fifth graders, we're going to actually grow closer as a class and many of the behavioral problems will be eliminated due to the realization that, by God, every single person is important.

Ok...gotta get on that...
thanks for reading...
Tommy

funny stuff

So, we're studying the founding of New York and Philadelphia in Social Studies. We read one of Ben Franklin's quotes..."Laziness travels so slowly that poverty soon overtakes it." I thought there was a connection to John Smith's quote, "If a man doesn't work, he shall not eat." So, I rephrased Franklin's quote, and asked them what it reminded them of. One of my students raised his hand really enthusiastically, so I assumed he knew what I was looking for. His response? "It reminds me of me!!"

I laughed out loud. (c;

More later...

Tommy