Search results matching tag 'me'

A Thought and a Cartoon for Your Friday

Anonymous — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:49:19 GMT

I hope everyone has had a good week. Hopefully some of you reached a few goals this week. I didn’t reach all of mine, however, I did make a lot of progress. I posted a few cartoons from Andertoons to bring a smile to your Friday.

I’m posting about Mark and his cartoons to remind us to not find ourselves caught in the “one way” to be successful and sort of dismiss those students that don’t go that way. Now Mark is a smart guy, not only because he has a degree in music (like me), but because he had a plan to do one thing with his life and ended up making his hobby his livelihood. Isn’t that what many of us are doing/want to do? I’m not saying this to get you to quit teaching, I’m saying this to remind you (and me) that the dreams of our students are important. Now Mark is doing what makes him happy everyday. Let’s not quench those things our students do that isn’t purely educational. Be sure to check Mark and his blog out!

Have a Good Weekend,

Charles

Monday is the BEST day of the week.

Anonymous — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:30:25 GMT

Now before you get all bothered. I think of Mondays as the best of the week because of the following:

We can set goals and we haven’t failed to meet them. We can plan to do as many things as we want this week. You can plan the rest of your year, you can officially apply for the jobs you’ve been wanting to. You can clean your house, or even start the process of buying a new one.
Mondays is better than Friday. Too often, we’ve failed at what we’ve hoped to get done in a week. The worst part of the feeling of not getting things done by Friday is that there is nothing you can do about it. You just think to yourself “maybe Monday”. However, on that following Monday you aren’t wanting to be up and going again.
We can conquer the world…on Monday. Let’s make our plans big. I mean really big. Plan to do something awesome. If you’re continuing your education do your projects with excellence. Plan a project that will “open your student’s eyes”. Believe that you can do incredibly amazing thing …on Monday.

Set your goals with me every Monday (in my comments) and see what you can get done. Help to keep me accountable as I can help keep you accountable.

Our Fridays can be something to be proud of even if we don’t meet all of our weekly goals. Thinking of Mondays as “the best day of the week” has helped me to start a website and a blog. While lofty as my goals may be, I love feeling of having a productive week. Here are my goals:

Catch up on grading.
Come up with a theme for my choral concert this year.
Order new gowns for my choir students.
Finish with the links for important authors for grades 9-12 on my websites.

I’d love for you to comment with your professional goals this week. I’d love to laugh at you, encourage, and praise you. I hope you’ll do the same for me.

Wishing You the Best,

Charles

There is No Place Like New Orleans for Mardi Gras

Anonymous — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:01:52 GMT

While most of the world doesn’t live in New Orleans, to many people New Orleans is their entire world. I’m not from New Orleans, and my wife and I are still getting to know the people and the culture. We see things that make us laugh and other things make us say “only in New Orleans.” New Orleans is not only separated geographically from the rest of the country by water, but it’s also separated from the country culturally. There is no place like New Orleans

Many of you may have heard of Mardi Gras. Down here they call it carnival season. From February 4th to the 21st there are more than 71 parades in the New Orleans area. Many of the schools get out during the week of the 21st, the actual Mardi Gras day; everyone is happy and merry. Mardi Gras is more than the Bourbon St you may have heard about. It is an incredibly big party that lasts for about a month. There are tons of fun from the young child to the college kid gone wild, from the young couple to the superannuated couple (big word!), and the ones in the middle. Honestly, if you haven’t been here for Mardi Gras, you should consider visiting during carnival season regardless of where you are from. I highly recommend visiting at least once in your lifetime.

Here are somethings you may not know: Mardi Gras is French Fat Tuesday. The actual Mardi Gras day is always the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent for Catholics. Catholicism is huge in this area. Lent means to sacrifice, so Mardi Gras is the big bash before Lent starts. At midnight on Mardi Gras, the quarter is cleared by the New Orleans Police Department with their mounted patrol. You can read more about the history of Mardi Gras here

Just this past week some good friends of ours invited us to sit along the parade route from Friday to Sunday. Last year my wife and I went out on Mardi Gras at 5:00 in the morning and had seen 4 long parades by 4:00. There are kids everywhere and everyone is having fun. All these things are normal in New Orleans. Families will stake out their spots hours and even days in advance to see parades. Families bring their own couches, ladders, and port-a-potties.

Of you course you don’t need these things. Don’t let your lack of supplies not allow you to consider putting Mardi Gras on your bucket list!

I posted wonderful website below that really captures parades in their glory. This photography is on St. Charles, however this atmosphere is happening all around the New Orleans Area.

http://www.asergeev.com/pictures/archives/compress/2006/504/01x.htm

Have you ever seen someone put a sound system, DJ, generator, and all on a trailer to play music for the girls dancing behind it? This sight is a regular occurence in parades here.

(picture taken by my wonderful wife)

http://crossing-bridges.com/home/2012/02/10/mardi-gras-2012-sound/

The Party is Over!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9am-LG4QqY

Ever heard of spontaneous parade called a “second line” here is one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LVeMpWp2J4&feature=related

Take Care,

Charles

I am Generation Flux

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:05:44 GMT

I love talking with smart journalists. When they’re good at what they do, journalists can really prompt me to think deeply (and differently) about issues. Nothing makes me happier than coming out of a discussion with a journalist with my brain on fire. My conversation with Bob Safian from Fast Company did precisely that. I [...]

ALL THE GREAT THINGS THAT HAPPENED TODAY, JAN. 2

Anonymous — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 20:02:00 GMT

I copy pasted this off of BrainyHistory.com. Click for the list on their site.

Make sure you scroll down to see the entry between 1972 and 1974! COOL, RIGHT!!!

2010	A 28-year old Somali male is shot for breaking into Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoonist Jurt Westergaard's home and threatening his family with an axe
2008	Oil reaches $100 per barrel for the first time
1998	Autopsy of Chris Farley shows he overdosed of opiates and cocaine
1997	Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in Columbus, Ohio on WBZX 99.7 FM
1995	Bus crashes in Luzon Philippines, 29 killed
1995	Carquest Bowl 5: South Carolina beats West Virginia, 24-21
1995	Most distant galaxy yet discovered found by scientists using Keck telescope in Hawaii (est 15 billion light years away)
1994	"Abe Lincoln in Illinois" closes at Beaumont New York City after 40 performances
1994	"Shakespeare after My Father" closes at Helen Hayes New York City after 266 perf
1994	Battles between army and rebellious indians in South Mexico, kill 57
1993	"Gypsy Passion" closes at Plymouth Theater New York City after 55 performances
1992	Test debut of Shane Warne, vs. India at Sydney
1991	Colorado wins its 1st AP national title poll
1990	Dow Jones hits record 2,800 (2,810.15)
1990	Sting joins wrestlings 4 Horsemen (Flair, Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson)
1989	Notre Dame beats West Virginia for college football championship
1989	UCLA wins a record 7th consecutive bowl game
1988	Ashland Oil storage tank spills 3.8 million gallons, Penn
1988	Mulroney and Reagan sign Canada-U.S. free trade agreement
1987	Penn State upsets Miami in Fiesta Bowl for college football champ
1987	Troops of Chad President Habre conquer Fada oasis
1986	191.66 million shares traded in New York Stock Exchange
1986	New York Islander, Mike Bossy, scores his 500th goal
1985	90th hat trick in Islander history-Brent Sutter
1985	Australia beat WI by innings at SCG, Bob Holland 10 match wkts
1985	Egyptian President Mubarak reappoints Coptic pope Shenuda III
1985	Nevada-Las Vegas beats Utah 142-140, highest college basketball score
1985	Undefeated BYU becomes college football champions
1984	Darryl Cullinan, 16, scores his 1st first-class cricket century
1984	Miami beats Nebraska in Orange Bowl for college football championship
1984	Riot in Tunis kills over 100
1984	Wilson Goode, sworn-in as Philadelphia's 1st black mayor
1983	"Annie" closes at Alvin Theater New York City after 2,377 performances
1983	"Sophisticated Ladies" closes at Lunt-Fontanne New York City after 767 performances
1983	Don Muraco beats Pedro Morales to become WWF Intercontinental Champ
1983	Gary Trudeau takes a 20-month break from writing "Doonesbury"
1983	Ken Anderson of Cincinnati completes record 20 consecutive passes
1982	"Camelot" closes at Winter Garden Theater New York City after 48 performances
1982	70th Australian Mens Tennis: Johan Kriek beats S Denton (62 76 67 64)
1982	Islanders start 23 undefeated home streak (21-0-2) 14 straight wins
1982	San Diego Chargers beat Miami Dolphins, 41-38 in 13:52 of OT
1981	Mary Terstegge Meagher swims female record 200 m butterfly (2:05.65)
1981	Sylvester Clarke knocks out spectator with brick, WI vs. Pakistan
1980	68th Australian Men Tennis: Guillermo Vilas beat John Sadri (76 63 62)
1979	30th Islander shut-out opponent-Glenn Resch 9-0 vs Vancouver
1979	Gavaskar gets twin tons for India for the third time (v WI)
1979	Sid Vicious' trial for murder of girlfriend Nancy Spungen begins
1978	Bulent Ecevit forms government in Turkey
1978	Rhino Records releases their 1st album "Wildmania"
1977	Bowie Kuhn suspends Braves owner Ted Turner for one year due to tampering charges in Gary Matthews free-agency signing
1975	U.S. Department of Interior designates grizzly bear a threatened species
1974	55 MPH speed limit imposed by Richard Nixon
1974	Worst fire in Argentine history destroys 1.2 million acres
1970's 1972	Steven Eric Bossenberger is Born! His Exact year of Birth is kept secret. Why? Just Because! "Rothschilds" closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theater New York City after 505 performances
1972	Dallas Cowboys beat San Francisco '49ers 14-3 in NFC championship game
1972	Mariner 9 begins mapping Mars
1972	Miami Dolphins beat Baltimore Colts 21-0 in AFC championship game
1971	A barrier collapses at Ibrox Park football ground at end of a soccer match in Glasgow Scotland, killing 66
1970	Dutch premiere of musical "Hair" in Amsterdam
1970	U.S. population is 203,302,031
1969	"Fig Leaves Are Falling" opens at Broadhurst Theater New York City for 4 performances
1969	"Soviet Sport" calls Emile Zatopek a public enemy
1969	Lorraine Hansberry's "To be Young, Gifted and Black," premieres in New York City
1968	"Zizi" closes at Broadway Theater New York City after 49 performances
1968	Christian Barnard performs 2nd heart transplant
1968	KBHK TV channel 44 in San Francisco, California (IND) begins broadcasting
1966	1st Jewish child born in Spain since 1492 expulsion
1966	Green Bay Packers beat Cleveland Browns 23-12 in NFL championship game
1965	Martin Luther King, Jr. begins a drive to register black voters
1965	New York Jets sign quarterback Joe Namath
1965	Obverse design of all Canadian coins is changed to depict present-day
1964	Ayub Khan elected president of Pakistan
1964	Failed assassination attempt on president Nkrumah of Ghana
1962	Nighttime version of "Password" with Allen Ludden premieres on CBS
1961	1st AFL Championship Game, Houston Oilers beat LA Chargers 24-16
1961	Hawaii's, then all time low temperature, 14 degrees F recorded atop Haleakale
1960	1st redshank old world shore bird reported in North America (Halifax)
1960	John F. Kennedy announces run for U.S. Presidency
1960	John Reynolds sets age of solar system at 4,950,000,000 years
1960	Roger Sessions' 4th Symphony, premieres
1960	Senator John F Kennedy, announces his candidacy for president
1959	Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista flees
1959	U.S.S.R. launches Mechta, Luna 1, for 1st lunar fly-by, 1st solar orbit
1958	Dmitri Shostakovich' 2nd Piano concert, premieres in NY
1957	San Francisco and Los Angeles stock exchanges merge
1956	Poujadists/communists win French parliamentary elections
1955	1st "Bob Cummings Show" premieres on NBC (later on CBS)
1954	Herman Wouks "Caine Mutiny," premieres in New York City
1953	NBA Baltimore Bullets begin a 32 game road losing streak
1952	"Pal Joey" opens at Broadhurst Theater New York City for 542 performances
1951	Philip Barry's "Second Threshold," premieres in New York City
1949	KDKA TV channel 2 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (CBS) begins broadcasting
1948	WNDT (now WNET) TV channel 13 in New York-Newark, New York (PBS) begins
1947	Mahatma Gandhi begins march for peace in East-Bengali
1945	Allied air raid on Neurenberg
1945	Kentucky begins 130 home basketball game win streak, ends in 1955
1945	Radio Orange ends cooperation at Liese-Aktion
1944	1st use of helicopters during warfare (British Atlantic patrol)
1942	28 nations, at war with Axis, pledge no separate peace
1942	German troops in Bardia surrender
1942	Japanese troops occupy Manila Philippines
1939	Bradman scores 107 SA vs. Victoria, his 4th consecutive century
1938	Book publisher Simon and Schuster founded
1936	1st electron tube to enable night vision described, St. Louis, Missouri
1936	Bradman scores 357 for SA vs. Vic, 424 minutes, 40 fours
1935	Bruno Hauptmann trial begins for kidnap and murder of Lindbergh baby
1934	1st state liquor stores open, in Pennsylvania
1934	Bradman scores 253 NSW vs. Queensland, 204 minutes, 29 fours 4 sixes
1933	Bradman scores 103* against the Bodyline attack in the 2nd Test
1933	Ijmuider fishing strike begins (till July 11th)
1933	U.S. troops leave Nicaragua
1932	Young gang shoot dead 6 police in Springfield Missouri
1929	U.S. and Canada agree to preserve Niagara Falls
1925	Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region established (now in Tadzhik SSR)
1921	1st religious service radio broadcast in U.S., KDKA-Pittsburgh
1921	DeYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park opens
1920	10,000 U.S. union and socialist organizers arrested (Palmer Raids)
1919	Anti-British uprising in Ireland
1919	Lithuania gains independence
1918	Dodgers trade Casey Stengel and Cutshaw to Pitts for Grimes and Mamaux
1918	NHL Montreal Wanderers disband after Westmount arena burns down
1917	Royal Bank of Canada takes over Quebec Bank
1914	Philips installs research department in Eindhoven
1913	National Woman's Party forms
1911	Brooklyn Dodgers President Charles Ebbets announces purchase of grounds to build a new concrete-and-steel stadium to seat 30,000
1910	1st junior high schools in U.S. opens (Berkeley California)
1909	1st official Dutch 11 city skate (Minne Hoekstra in 13:50)
1908	Canadian branch of the Royal Mint opens in Ottawa
1905	Elara, a satellite of Jupiter, discovered by Perrine
1905	Japanese troops capture Port Arthur
1903	President T Roosevelt shuts down post office in Indianola Miss, for refusing to accept its appointed postmistress because she was black
1900	E Verlinger begins manufacturing 7" single-sided records (Montreal)
1900	Gustave Charpentiers opera "Louise," premieres in Paris
1896	Battle at Doornkop, South Africa (Boers beat Dr. Jamesons troops)
1893	1st U.S. commemoratives and 1st U.S. stamp to picture a woman issued
1890	Alice Sanger becomes 1st female White House staffer
1890	Record 19'2" alligator shot in Louisiana by E A McIlhenny
1885	General Wolseley receives last distress signal of General Gordon in Khartoum
1882	Because of anti-monopoly laws, Standard Oil is organized as a trust
1881	Camille Saint-Saens' 3rd Concerto in B, premieres
1879	1st Test match hat-trick, Fred Spofforth at the MCG
1879	British battleship Thunder explodes in Gulf of Ismid, 9 die
1879	Dr. Benjamin E Mays, named president of Atlanta Board of Education
1879	Northwestern League (minor baseball league) organized, Rockford, Ill
1871	King Amadeus I of Spain inaugurated at 25
1870	Construction of Brooklyn Bridge begins
1863	Battle of Murfreesboro (Stone's River) ends
1861	South Carolina seizes inactive Ft. Johnson in Charleston Harbor
1861	Colonel Charles Stone is put in charge of organizing DC militia
1843	Wagner's opera "Der Fliegende Hollander" premieres, Dresden
1842	1st U.S. wire suspension bridge for general traffic opens in Penn
1839	1st photo of the Moon (French photographer Louis Daguerre)
1832	1st Curling club in U.S. (Orchard Lake Curling Club) opens
1831	Liberator, abolitionist newspaper, begins publishing in Boston
1818	Lord Byron completes "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" (4th canto)
1814	Lord Byron completes "The Corsair"
1811	U.S. Senator Thomas Pickering is 1st senator censured (revealed confidential documents communicated by the president of the U.S.)
1800	Free black community of Philadelphia petitions Congress to abolish slave
1790	Mozart's opera "Cosi fan tutti" premieres, Vienna
1788	Georgia is 4th state to ratify U.S. constitution
1776	1st revolutionary flag displayed
1776	Austria ends interregation torture
1757	British troops occupy Calcutta India
1678	Staatsoper Hamburg opens with Theiles "Adam und Eva"
1602	Battle at Kinsale, Ireland: English army beats Spanish
1602	Spanish force in Ireland surrender to the English at Kinsdale
1585	Spain and Catholic France sign Saint League of Joinville
1570	Tsar Ivan the Terrible march to Novgorod begins
1492	Spain recaptures Granada from the Moors (Granada Day)
1235	Emperor Joseph II orders Jews of Galicia Austria to adopt family names
533	John II begins his reign as Catholic Pope
69	Roman Lower Rhine army proclaims its commander, Vitellius, emperor

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

Anonymous — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 17:59:00 GMT

YES, TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY! Feel free to send me gifts and shower me with praise. The least you could do is wish me a Happy Birthday :)

Do You Want to Get To Know Me Better?

Anonymous — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:56:00 GMT

If you have any questions that you would like me to answer, please email them to sbossenberger@hotmail.com It can be about any and everything. Nothing is too personal (although please remember this is a PG-13 blog).

And keep those questions coming for my "Free Advice Fridays" posts. I have several questions from you, my readers, that I am working on.

Stay tuned!!!

This is My Thursday!

Anonymous — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 20:16:00 GMT

What a Crappy Day...Literally!!!

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 01:25:00 GMT

So today was totally Crappy! And I mean the Pun!

It seems that last night, my son decided to see how much toilet paper he could get in our toilet downstairs and have it still flush. Well, as you can guess, he hit that point and surpassed it. For some reason, the toilet bowl didn't spill over. So they kept flushing. It would get to the top and then go down after a few minutes. Then they would do it again. I guess they were entertaining themselves by watching the toilet flush.

Anyway, to make a long story short, our son came into our room sometime around 2 AM. He moves alot so I got up to go downstairs. When I got down there, I noticed the carpet in the Hallway was wet. Then I noticed the carpet in the playroom was soaked. Not just damp, but soaked! When I stepped on it, it was all squishy and water came up out of the carpet and covered my toes. The toilet wasn't flooded so I was flabbergassed. What was causing this.

THEN IT HIT ME! We have a back up drain in our storage room. If the sewer line going out of the house gets backed up, then that is where the water goes. I cautiously opened the door, praying for a miracle and hoping I was wrong! Unfortunately, I was right. There was almost an inch of water in our storage room and it had been seeping out into the carpet. And to make matters worse, there were turds floating around and bits of toilet paper and Lord knows what else! It was disgusting. Kind of like a mini-version of the Creston Sewer system in our own Basement! To make it worse, we all had taken showers before going to bed and had used the upstairs toilet numerous times. Since the kids were playing downstairs at about 7:30 to 9 PM, it was plugged when we took the showers. So all that water from the showers went into our basement!

So Liz and I got to cleaning, but the water would not go down. We cleaned what we could and decided to finish the job in the morning. We cleaned until 4 AM!

After about 4 hours of sleep, we got up and assessed the situation. Luckily, something happened overnight because the water had gone down. What was left was not pleasant. Toilet paper bits and damp Crap coated the floor! The basement smelled like a New York City Subway tunnel. It was rank!!! Luckily, we got a rug doctor from our buddy Greg Abbott and some rubber gloves and got to work. Everything in the storage room that was on the floor was ruined, and we had a lot! Papers, gift wrapping, toys, cables, one of my electric guitars. I am not a happy camper. We are hoping the carpet can be saved, but I doubt it. It is still soaked, even after having a fan on it most of the afternoon.

Anyway, I am off to bed! This Sunday was a bust!

PS: NO, I DID NOT GET THE TEST GRADED DUE TO THIS HOUSE CATASTROPHE! I will get them graded by Tuesday, so please do not ask! Thank you.

Sleep? What's That?

Anonymous — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 23:04:00 GMT

So today, I must have really looked like Crap! My wife told me I looked tired, my students asked me if I was sick, and the other teachers asked if I was OK.

Truth is, I slept only about 3 hours last night. I have no idea why! I have these phases. I call them my Insomniac Phases. About once or twice a month, I will go three or four days with little or no sleep. I will be tired, go to bed at my normal time and then just lay there for three, sometimes four hours before falling asleep.

Then, no matter what, I will wake up after only two or three hours. It never fails. It is not a true "Insomniac Phase" if I take forever to fall asleep and then sleep six hours. I have to be short-changed on both ends of sleep.

So anyway, a couple of my colleagues told me today that I need to start getting more sleep.

I looked at them and said: "Sleep, who cares! I will take a nice long nap when I die!"

Readers, I am so profound! WOW! That is brilliant! I think I am going to copywrite that one.