Please declare all fruits, veggies, pets, and strange relatives

Day 1 - Tues, May 5

It took a rough, very long start, but the roadtrip has finally begun. We are currently in Phase I, the California leg of the trip. Getting here was very interesting.

First there was the whole difficulty of getting ready. Karen and I had a formal event on Monday night and we did not get home till close to 2AM, and had to leave for the airport at 10AM. To make things even better, I still had to finish packing. Well, after dumping Karen's perfectly packed suitcase onto the floor (I really thought it was closed) and then almost forgetting my GPS, we got on the road.

We got to the airport later than Karen would have liked (11:45 arrival for a 12:45 departure) but I think it worked fine. We made it through security and to the gate without any trouble, and only had to wait 15 minutes for boarding to begin. Southwest flight #675 was going to stop in Midway and then continue through to Oakland. The ride was a bit bumpy. Similar to when I flew to Texas several years ago, the descent into Chicago caused an enormous amount of pain in my jaw. I would have tried to cuddle up into a Southwest pillow and cover myself with a blanket, but they had all been removed from the plane due to Swine Flu fears. We also saw several people wearing face masks, but they just looked ridiculous.

We managed to get really good seats. In the emergency exit row, there was a row of 2 seats - the window seat was missing, allowing for easier access to the window exit. Our loveseat was very comfy and cozy, and gave us plenty of legroom. Personally, I love reading the in-flight materials. Skymall offers 'great' products at 'affordable' prices like this Peanut Butter Maker. After I get home, I will scan the best pictures I found onto here for laughs. The Southwest magazine, Spirit, has very random information in it. Karen found a fantastic advertisement that I will scan in later. Sadly, this ad was on the same page as the puzzle answers and the next person to peruse the pages may be disappointed and confused.

With about 30 minutes left on the second leg of the flight, I noticed patches of people on the plane staring at the back. I kept looking but had no idea was I was looking for. I knew that the "buckle seat belt" light was on longer than usual, but my experience was going to get stranger. Once we landed and joined up with the gate, we were instructed to stay seated multiple times, even though no one was moving. A woman was walked to the front of the plane, then the back, then she returned to the front. At the same time, we also noticed a fire truck, an ambulance, and several cops with German Shepard's waiting outside of our plane. The woman was walked off and we all peered through our windows like curious little school children. She got arrested but we weren't sure why. MY first guess was that she had tried to light a joint in the bathroom, and got caught. The cops walked a dog onto the plane and we were told not to touch it. The dog didn't smell anything suspicious on the plane, so we were free to de-plane, provided that we all held our bags in our left hands so that the dogs could smell them again. At this point in time, I started to worry about the beef jerky I had brought with me. My neveres were calmed and all was well. We passed a Southwest employee near the gate and asked her what was going on. She said the woman on the plane got very intoxicated and said words she shouldn't have. I told her that Karen and I are in college, and used to seeing drunk people doing stupid things. We walked away laughing. (I am trying to find a news article about the arrest, but no luck yet).

For all the delays of getting off the plane, and the dogs smelling all checked luggage, the bags still arrived very quickly at baggage claim. I would imagine that even with the delay, the handlers still performed better than their Philadelphia counterparts. The air outside was amazing. Nice west coast weather. Shorts and a tee-shirt. Not many pictures yet, but expect to see a big post either here, or linked to several facebook albums.

...seeing the sights...

Earning the Right to Educate

Finals week at West Chester is just about over. I didn't even start until 8AM Thursday, and my other final is 1PM Friday. One class luckily did not include a final exam, the other class just had a final paper on the September 11th terrorist attacks (which may be posted later). I found out today that my application for Student Teaching is due at midnight. When I worked on it last, I just left one question to answer:

"Describe why I decided to pursue a career in education"


It took some effort for me to come up with an answer that was not generic bullshit. It would have been very easy for me to just say that I need a job, this is what I have spent my money learning how to do, and I want to do it and get cash. However, it would have also been easy for school districts to say no.

Somehow, in this brain dead state that I am in, I managed to come up with four main goals to accomplish while teaching, which I shaped into a comprehensible response. I am a little worried that some of my goals may be too vague though. These goals address the problems I had with high school. The answer I submitted is below, and I would appreciate any feedback or things you might want to see in a high school social studies classroom.

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My experience in high school left me desiring more knowledge and practical experience. I wanted more group learning (without group projects) and an education that embraced technology as an integral part of lessons, not as a separate class. I very often felt restricted by narrow viewpoints and topics that were difficult for teachers to relate to students. I have decided to pursue a career in teaching in order to bring what I wanted out of my education to a new generation of students. I hope that I can create a positive influence on students. I believe that with a proper and motivating education, students are able to achieve their maximum potential and accomplish great goals. I hope that by pursuing a career in teaching, I will be able to accomplish my goals and revitalize an interest in education for young students.

In order to accomplish this goal, I plan on teaching in non-traditional ways that will better engage students in lessons and activities. In order to create students with a better world view of social studies, I aim to accomplish four main goals. As an educator, I plan on entertaining the students while informing them. I believe that this will help students retain and recall information easily. Part of this entertainment will come from the next goal – an interactive education that utilizes technology to help students learn. Approaching lessons in multiple formats will make a quality education more accessible to students. I would like to have a classroom without the barriers that restrict learning. By drawing on a cooperative education between multiple educators, guest speakers, educational tours, as well as student experience, students will be well rounded and better prepared for life after high school. The final goal I hope to accomplish as a teacher is to help students understand how the past and the present relate to form a world view of social studies.

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Educate me with your feedback

I apologize for the font switching, Blogger was reporting HTML problems that I attempted to resolve.

It's Time to Time

Continuing with more information about this roadtrip (starting in less than 2 weeks), it's important to plan on how long specific drives might be. I got all of this information from GoogleMaps so be sure to blame them for any problems and thank me for anything good that comes out of this. Time was rounded to the nearest quarter hour and mileage was rounded to the nearest multiple of 25.


I hope you like my attention to detail with the fonts. Moving on then, onto Good News and Bad News:

Good News!
One other thing that can be done in California now. Karen discovered that the San Fransisco International Film Festival ends around the same time we will be leaving the state. I saw a few films that looked neat. City of Borders is about the sole gay bar in Jerusalem, one was about children learning multiple languages (Speaking in Tongues), The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle promises humor in a tale about janitors and male pregnancy. My Suicide follows a boy who announces he will film his own suicide.

Bad News!
I like to think of this is more of an opportunity for good news to develop. I got an exception made for my summer class, so it looks like I will be able to stay enrolled. However, the classroom observations begin on May 18 and extend through May 19 and 20. So that "day of fluff" I added to the calendar will actually be used for...schooling.

Don't Lock Your Keys in the Car...

Links of a Calendar

These are the other two possibilities that I could think up for the drive from California to Pennsylvania. I spent a little more time on these with clever clip art from Word. Version B, immediately below, skips Colorado entirely and instead has a long drive from Salt Lake City straight thru to Omaha....nearly a 13 hour drive. Instead of spending a day looking at the Red Rocks ( I was inspired to go there by some decent concert DVDs).

The final proposed itinerary I created includes less spent time in California - two days instead of the three originally planned upon. Of course, this may create more pressure to buy a car, but that's why this is a possible plan, not the definitive one.

It seems to me that the most fun will be had on the 2nd half of the trip, no matter which route we take. I think I am just more interested in Cleveland, Chicago, and Omaha.

About a week ago I updated the weather app on my iPod to display the weather in the places we will most likely visit. I was hoping for warmer weather, but it seems that all the weather we experience will be similar to the weather going on in PA (45 degrees) right now.

It has been difficult to figure out specific stops and sleeping arrangements due to not have a strict schedule. In Reno, I expect to stop for food, if at all, so picking a restaurant won't be too tough. In Salt Lake City, the LDS Church History Museum is open 7 days a week and is free! That should also be a good cultural experience. If we had stuck to the original plan and gone to Mitchell, SD, we would be able to bask in the glory of the Corn Palace. If you ever travel in that area, take an hour out of your day and visit. Omaha seems really exciting, for being in the middle of nowhere. The Henry Doorly Zoo there seems to have some more impressive exhibits than the San Diego Zoo, including a shark aquarium that you walk under in a tunnel, a Bio-Dome housing a rain forest, and an underground nocturnal environment. In Chicago, I'm pushing for a return visit to the Museum of Science and Industry (the historical aspect) and if the weather is nice enough, the Navy Pier. The main destination in Cleveland is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Since I got into some (better) music a few years ago, I am interested in the cultural phenomenon of Rock and Roll. During the final stint in PA, I want to try to stop in State College (Penn State main campus) for a meal. Dinner somewhere in downtown, ice cream at the Creamery, and Stickies at The Diner. After that, its back to the monotony of summer classes.

Another update in the next few days with driving times and maybe other interesting places to stop along the road.

Lists and Lists and Dates

My girlfriend and I have been planning a road trip for this summer for a while now. We are going to fly from Philadelphia to San Fransisco, buy a car, and then drive back just prior to the start of Summer classes and projects. Above is a map I drew on the back of some classwork (if you look closely you will see text on the other side of the image) with several different possible stops marked in green.

The bulk of this roadtrip will take place on Interstate 80, which runs from San Fransisco to north New Jersey. With luck and strategic planning, we should be able to make it from California to Pennsylvania. As of now, the planned stops are as follows:
-Tiburon, California
-Reno, Nevada
-Salt Lake City, Utah
-Morrison, Colorado
-Omaha, Nebraska
-Chicago, Illinois
-Cleveland, Ohio
-State College, Pennsylvania
-West Chester, Pennsylvania

I'll be posting updates on this trip as well as blogs from the actual roadtrip which commences within the next month. Below is the first of 3 different possible calendars we mayfollow on the trip. This one has us hitting each destination (excluding Seattle, Yellowstone, Mitchell, and Minneapolis) but for rapid fire visits at each location. The others have different advantages.

Safe Travels...

Dark for a While

Sorry, due to computer issues, this blog will be going dark for a while (if you haven't already noticed). I will continue to work on ideas while enjoying 'the off season.'

Kick the can, don't kick the bucket

It seems strange to me, that without thinking of it, I can just realize its been almost exactly one month since my last update (and 2 months since my last real blog). I don't have a lot to say. Obama won the election. Phillies won the World Series. I don't have any real judgments about that stuff yet. I'll wait till Obama has actually done something noteworthy, either as President or just President-Elect, before I devote an entry to him.

Change that. One thing on my mind, before it slips away into oblviion forever. I think it's a little sad how all the news about the Obama victory was because he was the first black president. I have nothing wrong with identification based on race, it is legitmate, but I don't think it's newsworthy. From the moment his name was entered into the primaries, it was always possible for the next POTUS (President of the United States) to be black. It's not that big of a deal. I'm thrilled for him and his family, but it comes down to this: Obama is an American first, and American at birth. Then culture and education and race are all taught later, after he is already defined as American. So we should be celebrating a new American President. Rather than celebrating his race as the most interesting thing about him, look at his home state of Illinois. Good old honest Abe came from there, too. Wonderful. Also wonderful, but not unexpected: the White House is in control of the Democrats again. Great for them.

I don't think I really see myself as identifying with one party more than another. I do say another, not the other, because I do not want to fall into the trap that most Americans do, and think we only live in a two-party system. I don't like the idea of letting a party, a group, or an affiliation define yourself. Rather, I think each individual should make up the larger group, creating a diverse group that is the background that chooses the actions of the larger group as a whole. I may not be a huge Joe Lieberman fan, but I do respect him for switching from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party. Do you remember when he ran in 2000 as the Vice President candidate with Al Gore for President when affiliated with the Democrats? I don't know when he switched parties. I don't really know why either, which makes this endorsement kind of hollow. But realizing that his good and well-being was not happening any longer with the Democrats and taking the active effort to seek change ? - Now that is fantastic.

End Tangent. That went on a lot longer than I had intended, and I'm not sure if I still have time (only so many hours in the day) to write the post I wanted to write. The title is irrelevant now, so maybe I should just get to my original topic and hope you ignore my excessive chit-chatting.

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About a week or so before Halloween, we were hanging out in my apartment. What we were doing, who was there - they don't really matter. This is what does: My building is an old house, divided into 6 apartments. The front door of the house/building has multiple doorbells. None are labeled. so I have no idea if my apartment has a door bell or even if it works. For whatever reason, we decide to head out. As we troop down the stairs, I see a silhouette through the glass. Only one way to find out who it is.

We open the door, and to my surprise, there are a few kids looking up at me, with the responsible parent hanging back, letting the children do their own dirty work (teaching responsibility, which I think is good). The young students were there, and I assumed they had rang the doorbell as I was walking out. To them it must have looked like they had summoned me with the bell, and to me it was just an awkward meeting.

They told me about their school project. In groups, they were to bring paper grocery bags to neighborhood houses. Attached to each bag was a list of suggested canned-food items that could be placed into the bag, which was going to be collected on or shortly after Halloween, and then donated to a local food bank for Thanksgiving. I was startled, even more so because I had not expected to see anyone or converse with anyone. I usually try to map out conversations and their possible tangents before I engage in them. I was not so lucky this time. I accepted their bag, but unwilling to go back to my apartment, I left the brown bag in the middle of the stairwell, where hopefully other tenants of my building would find it and donated accordingly.

Now it is about two weeks after Halloween. Thanksgiving is almost upon us (but if you look at major retailers, it's actually Christmas). That brown shopping bag has been forgotten. Somehow it is not on the small front porch of my building, stuck on the wooden railing. It is pathetic how empty and lonely that bag looks. Some of the sympathy I have for that bag is really blame and curiosity on my own behalf.

What would have happened if I had took that bag from the kids and just handed it back to them? Would they have just taken the bag back and walked away? Or would they have demanded an explanation. If they wanted one, would the explanation I offered have been enough? Or would it have been too much?

Yes, student, I will gladly fill this bag with non-perishable goods and return it to you promptly. But that is false. That is untrue, and the promise that is told though a smiling face, is never going to be fulfilled. I'm just going to leave this behind, like most of my generation, for someone else to deal with. I'm sure someone else will find this bag, and fill it with their unwanted items, while I am hidden away in my own little isolated world happily enjoying my food. We expect to be taken care of. In the words of Tyler Durdin, "We are a generation of men raised by women...an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't." So sorry Junior. I am too self-absorbed to help you. I am busy trying to take care of myself.

[Quick time-out. While in the middle of the above paragraph, I left the class I was in and returned to my apartment. Due to this transition, and the additional reflection allowed by the length of the walk, my tone may have shifted. Perhaps not. Just a brief notice.]

The walk I just mentioned in that little sidebar conversation made me feel guilty and curious. I never actually looked at the bag other then in passing. So I scooped the bag up before I came upstairs and am taking a serious look at it.

Help Hungry Neighbors Have A Happy Thanksgiving...just by putting groceries in this bag!

Ok, co-sponsored by the WCU Catholic Newman Student Association...benefits 2 distributors: St. Agnes Day Room, and Project 1 (serves local families affected by HIV/AIDS. [Later, I will (should/might) have an entry about religious organizations, and will serve as an update to my entry on author viewpoints.]

Leave the bag out front in a visible location by 11am on Nov 22 and it will be collected. So I can still do something. I know where some of these items are at Target, and I know I can afford them. Maybe I can do something. Maybe I can do 2 somethings. I'll try to take care of some items, and maybe you can too, and donate items to your own local food bank.

"Everything but the Turkey!
-Stuffing Mix
-Instant Mashed Potatoes
-Gravy (2 jars or cans)
-Canned sweet potatoes (1 large or 2 small)
-Corn, Green Beans, or Carrots (3 or 4 cans)
-Cranberry Sauce
-Applesauce of Canned Fruit
-Canned Pumpkin Pie filling
Box of Brown Sugar
-Hot Chocolate, Coffee, or Tea"

Fight Club had Project Mayhem. I don't have a clever name for this. Maybe we can just call it doing the right thing, taking care of business (TCOB), or actually belonging in our communities. Maybe we can calling it Kick The Can of the Community and give back.

Any other local charities that deserve consideration?




(this blog was updated on Nov 19, 2008 to fix some spelling errors)