Beneath the Wraps

          People pick careers for different reasons.   Some people seem to focus more on their paychecks than the occupation.   Others pick their jobs in hopes to create a better world.   Take education, for example.   I don’t know any one teacher that picked his/her career in hopes of seeking financial wealth.   I don’t think teachers get paid near enough.   Many of them make huge sacrifices.   They sacrifice time as well as money out of their own pockets.   I don’t think the majority of students appreciate that – or may even be aware.           I know of two music instructors in the school district   that I work for.   One of the instructors spends three months at three different schools working with elementary children.   In addition she teaches before or after school band at Canyonville.        ...

          When Jenna and I were both in middle school, we would roll our eyes over the dramatics of “couples” displaying affection and expressing emotion only to break up and express drama.   Gag.   Both of us were determined not to experience the stupid emotions ourselves – at least not in school.   Not middle school.   Not high school.   She had plans of “not ever”.  I succeeded with keeping my emotions in tact all through high school.  No love interests.  No broken hearts.  She, on the other hand, has had two "shedding tears" experiences.           She and Nathan were friends, but he was starting to like her as more than a friend and told her so.   Things would have been perfectly fine if he hadn’t said anything.   They would have remained just friends and no stupid emotions would have entered the picture.   It was nerve racking...

When we had purchased juice, sodas, bottled water and so forth in Salt Lake, we were not required to put a deposit on the containers.   Here in Oregon we are.   Some people don’t seem to care that they are paying ten cents extra and will carelessly toss containers away as recycling seems to be such a bother – which it is.   I was not opposed to tossing cans into the recycle bin when we lived in Salt Lake, but all of those cans and bottles add up – especially for party animals or those who drink by the pack.    There are some areas that offer services by providing machines outside of their stores, others who have tried their hand at providing the service but doing away with the service when it becomes more work for the store who has to send employees out to empty bins, clear jams and what have you. The local store Rays has a couple of machines out front. But for those who have bags and bags of bottles, Roseburg BottleDrop Redemption Center is a really great...

          There was a sub in the eighth grade math class yesterday.   The instructor had left the instructions for the students to write out their 9 times tables from 1 – 25.   They were required to do in their heads and not use a calculator.   It’s not so bad doing in order.   1X9 of course is 9.   Just add 9 to it for your next answer 18 + 9 for your next answer: 27 and down the line.   Or you could use my lazy method which I have been doing since third or 4 th grade (whenever it was that we were taught)           I never did memorize my 9 times tables, but tens were easy.   All you had to do was tack a zero to the end of the number being multiplied and then take that number away.   Thus 70 -7 is the same as 9X7.  I find subtracting a number is easier than trying to multiply:           ...

                I believe it was Thursday when the kindergarten celebrated the 100 th day of school.   They had used 100 beans to fill in the number 100 on a paper and glued their beans in place.   I wasn’t there for that part.   I saw their papers set aside to dry.             It had rained on Sunday.   I’m assuming that the rain chased the fog away as there was none impairing my vision during yesterday’s drive.   It was cold and the sun remained hidden and so was not blinded as I approached any off the exits.               First class: 7 th grade math.   17 students who for the most part are respectful to the instructor and pay attention to what she is doing on the board – except for two who constantly visit.   I can’t stand between them as there are...

                I left the house later on Friday than I had on Thursday.   The fog lingered longer.            On Saturday morning Roland and I went up to Roseburg.   We left the house before 9:00 and rode in fog all the way there.  I expect it will be the same each morning I leave the house this week.

          Canyonville School caters to grades K-8 and so it doesn’t seem far-fetched  that the middle school age kids will use the playground just outside of the cafeteria.   Coffenberry also has a playground to use.   We never had that option when I went to junior high.   I honestly don’t remember where I went after lunch – although I am quite certain that I did not intentionally hang around the cafeteria.           It seemed like there were some kids who went out to the field to play ball – or tag or something.   I was not a part of any athletic crowd – or any group for that matter.   I was mostly antisocial. I really didn’t like the loudness of school or being there in any way, shape or form.           I used to dress up for spirit week – not because I had spirit but just to get away with dressing up in someth...

          Driving to Canyonville should only take 11 minutes according to Google.   Though I have arrived at the school in less than 20 minutes, I generally allow myself at least 30 minutes on the road and arrive to the school just a few minutes early which allows me time to store my belongings in the staff room.           When I start to approach exit 101 and see I have plenty of time, I will take the ramp that leads to Stanley park and avoid the 99 exit.   Sometimes I have missed the exit and will take the off ramp at 98 – which is where the school is located just on the left hand side.   But it also requires turning left onto Main Street (which can get busy during certain hours) and make another left into the parking lot.   Google maps, the GPS and other sources will always have car exit 99 and drive through town.   I left the house earlier than normal yester...

        I don’t generally work on Wednesdays as it has been set aside for meeting with the RS presidency.   They used to meet on Mondays but I had asked if we could change the day as Mondays are generally the most requested days off and I can pick up sub assignments more easily than any other day.           Wednesdays are short days.   I don’t particularly care for short days.   Normally I leave the school a half an hour to an hour before the students let out, but on Wednesdays the kids get out of school at the same time as the aides – which makes for craziness in the parking lot and then driving home.   At least for two of the schools.   I have never worked the others on a Wednesday and guess I never will – at least for the time being.           Our meetings are usually at 10:00 – sometimes 1:00.   Two weeks ago it was announced that we’d...

          Valentines Day is a non-Federal holiday full of traditions and legends which may or may not be true.   There were at least two, perhaps three, patron saints who bore the name St. Valentine.   Their lives ended in tragic massacres; perhaps it was the way they lived that got the Valentine’s celebration started.   There are many websites to choose from when “Valentines” is the subject entered into a search engine such as Google.   I have never been much into the Valentine spirit.   The concept behind Valentine’s Day seems noble enough, but the commercialism is what keeps the holiday alive and I could do without that.  No one gets off of work or school in honor of Valentines. https://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day             President’s Day was created in honor of George Washington, first president of the United States.  President’s Day was initiall...

Sorry for not explaining certain item used in my last post.   I still have ideas in my head but have not had much opportunity for sitting down and turning them into posts.   Today feels like a Saturday and I don’t know how I will be able to get into the swing of things as I have accepted a work assignment at Canyonville for the remainder of the week – and so may not get things typed up still.   APA can stand for American Planning Association or American Poolplayers Association.   I created one post in which I refered to APA as American Preparatory Academy.   For the most part my APA references and what seems to be most popular for Google Reference is American Psycholgical Association -   which is a style of writing.   The “proper” style.   It often seemed like APA format was more important than the contents.   What’s up with that?   Also, many professors seemed to prefer third person as opposed to first.   I am grateful to tho...

          February 14 was the deadline for the short essay contest through the University.   The topic to write about one of the following: Most memorable class or instructor, most valuable lesson or how the university changed my life .   I guess I could have gone for the third one and stayed with the 150 word maximum limit .   But I was certain that I would have well more than 150 words for the others. Recently I have gone back to revisit some of the discussions that were posted.   I notice that I got a late start on the discussions in my first two classes.   I had wondered why as I have always been among the first to post to a discussion but then remembered that unlike most of my classmates who had actually started on Monday, I was not given the opportunity to do so until Wednesday.   (That definitely feels like a run-on sentence) There had been a miscommunication on the parts of administration an...

            The RS Pres. asked if I would pick up a food order in Winston.   I Googled the address but I did not like the option it showed on how to get there.   I DON’T wish to stay on the freeway so I can exit at 119 just so I can return back down.   There had to be another way.   I blew up the map and paid attention to the landmarks that were near the dentist office that I go to.   The addresses are on the same street!   I’m not going to get off 119 when I can get off 112 and work my way up.   That’s what I’ll do.             Yesterday morning – before I was even out of bed – I thought about two streets in Myrtle Creek that don’t go through.   One cannot get from the post office on Broadway to a resident who lives towards Chestnut or Neal.   It ends at Spruce on one side and dead ends on the other.   ...

             The earth spins around as it faces the sun and away from the sun.   It takes 24 hours to complete each spin.   We call the spin cycle of 24 hours a day.   While the earth spins, it also circles around the sun.   It takes 365 ¼ days to circle the earth.   Thus a full year is 365 days except every four years when we have a February 29 added to the calendar. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/02/26/leap-day-february-29-calendar/80618064/              The earth has a northern hemisphere and a southern hemisphere – each experiencing seasons opposite of one another.   For example, someone from Minnesota may comment about how cold it is and how much snow they’ve had to shovel while someone in Indonesia may express how hot and muggy it is.   Both of these examples were posted the very same day – though maybe roughly twelve hours apart as one was expe...

Another Facebook quiz - just for the sake of posting - I guess 40 things about me 1. Do you put ketchup on a hot dog? Sometimes.   Mostly just mustard and relish, but ketchup (catsup?) is good too 2. Choice of soda? Code Red Mountain Dew 3. Do you own a gun? No, Not even a squirt gun 4. Can you swim? Yes – perhaps it’s a lame version of swimming.   I can hold myself up and move quicker on my back than on my stomach. 5. Hot dogs or cheeseburger?   Cheeseburger usually 6. Favorite type of food? Italian 7. Do you believe in ghosts? Yes 8. What do you drink in the morning? Water, juice, or milk (usually in that order) 9. Can you do 100 pushups? No 10. Summer, Winter, Spring, or Fall? Autumn 11. Favorite hobby? Compiling Memories 12. Tattoos? No 13. Do you wear glasses? Yes 14. Do you have a phobia? Accounting (numbers) 15. Do you have a nickname? Husband calls me “Sweet Pea” – but there’s no one that many peo...