As many of you know, I am preparing to take my Praxis II test.  I fell into the fortunate category of needing to finish my testing without having to take refresher courses in spite of having been out of the system for 7 years.  Wow!

One might think that this would be an easy obstacle to overtake.  One would be incorrect.  I have been reading, and reading, and yes more reading.  I have been typing my old notes.  I am really glad that I kept those.  Whereas my new self integration into collegiate coursework has its perks, the discipline to maintain focus and push myself into doing this is much harder.  I no longer have the pressure of fellow students to worry about.  I no longer have the support of the instructors.  I also no longer have the insistence of the teachers to attend and research this material.  What I do have is constant distractions and fatigue from a hard day’s work.  This coupled with growing responsibilities of raising two girls and helping my wife in whatever she may need.  Becky has been very optimistic about this endeavor, which means the heat is on. 

My biggest pressure throughout college was the fear of failure and embarrassment.  Now the biggest pressures have grown exponentially.  This one test could literally change the lives of all those in my family.  It is the difference of what I may do and what my family does.  It also has the chance of changing the way that my family looks at my profession.  It could open doorways that would not have been available before.  Sheesh, more pressure.

I know I would be a good teacher.  I loved the experience of teaching before.  Not to be too bold, but I enjoyed it and was successful.  The biggest hitch is this dang test.  Then it would be up to chance and God’s wishes as to whether I should be in a classroom again. 

For now, however, it is back to the books.  I am currently reading The Americans by Daniel Boorstin.  He is obviously a well learned and researched man.  He makes some good analysis, but is a little dry.  Sigh.  The curse of history.  It does tend to be a little dry sometimes.  Now what page was I on……

I was driving home the other day and caught this pic along the way (Poetic sounding huh?)

The picture quality is poor but you get the point.  Do you know how hard it is to take a picture with a cell phone while driving?  Thank goodness I was not texting, that is dangerous and illegal.

Here is a truck load of good ol’ boys going from one destination to they only know where.  I believe the man in the back had the better end of the deal.  Since their windows were down, one can only assume that the A/C did not work in the truck.

Other than this being a random picture, this scene struck some memories for me.  I began to recall a time when this scenario was not only acceptable but the norm.  It was common to see 1, 2, 3, or more people riding in the back of a pickup.  Many times this crowd would be kids, dogs, and various other supplies or tools.  Man, find a child restraint for the back of a truck.  Anyway, times seemed simpler then in my mind’s eye.  Obviously this is due to my being a child and not having any more worries than concern for Saturday morning cartoons and whether the president would make some speech and ruin the whole morning for me. 

I can remember several occasions where my family loaded up in an old 50’s model pickup to go camping.  The truck was named Old Blue.  It was an old truck and it was blue.  Creative name, huh?  If you want primitive transportation, here you go.  This truck had no power steering and large tires.  Tony Little would have to break a sweat to turn this thing.  You had to grind every gear to get up any speed.  Did I mention that it had no brakes, that is a story for later.  Once you did manage to shift you were rewarded with an exhilarating top speed of 35 miles an hour in 3rd gear.  No four speed in this old truck.  If you were lucky you could get it in the 40’s downhill.  We had my brother, next door neighbor, 2 dogs, a tire (with a rope run through it and the dogs’ collars to keep them in), and myself in the back of the truck.  Along with the living cargo was a large amount of camping and fishing gear.  My mom never believed in going camping and wanting for something while there.  She would make a boy scout blush with shame.  To her credit we never did without on our trips.

Still, while blustered, cramped, and without modern day conveniences, all I remember of these journeys is pleasant memories.  We would talk, or rather yell to be heard, make funny hand movements in the wind, and wipe the dog slobber off our faces when they wanted to be upwind of us while moving, Yech!  Many times the journey to our destination was not highlighted by our trip along the highway.  The best part was often the four wheelin’ through God-forsaken roads or trails and hoping we can still get as far as we did last year, lest we will have to carry our stuff even farther.  The ride was bumpy.  The times were lighter.  The relationships were enjoyable.  More importantly, the memories are never forgotten.  With the introduction of the BSF, our trips became less and less.  Now, there are few places that are passable or legal to travel to share this form of adventure with my children.  I have an old beat up truck and it longs (or I imagine it does) for trips to create memories.  I hope to be able to fulfill this for my family in some way, but it will never be like it was when you could ride down the road, bare backed, and simply enjoy the world through innocent eyes.

I owe a debt to these guys for reminding me of a valuable part of my past.  I hope you had similar experiences.

Don’t you just hate it.  You are sitting up late at night, playing you favorite video game (Halo3 or Rockband), when all of a sudden you hear it.  Engine revving high, teenagers yelling and hooting, and then the inevitable, WHAM!  You look outside and there sits your mailbox…on the ground with a huge dent in the side.  You pick it up, straighten it out, and put it back upon it’s rightful perch in the morning. 

Now here is an example of teenagers with too much ambition and time on their hands.  They went above and beyond the call of mailbox destruction. 

This poor mailbox has obviously been shot multiple times.  It has even been dragged off the pole and then maliciously ran over.  The owners told me they picked up the “Mail Pancake” and reshaped it.  When asked why they did not just buy a new one, their reply that this one has character.  I can see that.  Anyway here it is the ultimate mailbox carnage.  What do you think, keep it or buy a new one?

Everyone who knows me knows that I love my motorcycle.  I ride every chance I get.  I have had only one real complaint since I got the vehicle.  Man, that seat hurts after a while.  I was on a Poker Run one time and met up with an elderly man riding a dirt bike.  He told me he had a similar bike and just hated the abuse that the seat puts one’s derrière through.  He said that they quit making them for comfort and concentrated mostly on style.  I would have to agree.  Usually after about an hour and a half, my hindquarters are aching for some relief.  I am like most men when I make a trip, it is all about getting gone and getting there fast.  We seem to have a whole Nascar lap-time mentality.  I have heard multiple men state that they reached a destination three minutes faster than last time, as they puff up with pride.  Hey I am not criticizing, I do it too.  Anyway, I find myself, in the name of saving time, standing up on my foot pegs to ensure that I don’t have to stop and waste time.  Thus you may see me driving 60 mph, standing on those foot pegs just to save those valuable 3 minutes. 

What it all really comes down to is, I need a new bike.  No I am not willing to give up my old one.  I love my DR650.  It can go anywhere, as long as you don’t take a long time to make it there.  I am needing (or actually wanting) a cruiser.  So Suzuki, if you are listening, since I am a long time supporter of your products, you should gift me with a cruiser.  If you can’t do that, at least send me a more comfortable seat.  My rear is begging for it.

It may look sporty and comfy, but it will add new meaning to pain in the butt.

Well I have just gotten back from camping at Lilly dale.  Man it has been hot.  I actually missed most of the day yesterday as I had to work.  I did manage to leave work only to have my motorcycle to start blowing fuses like they were candy.  Luckily I broke down in front of Thompsons Yamaha and Suzuki Power sports store.  Thanx God.  Anyway, after I bought $5 in fuses and incorporated the help of the mechanics at the store, the fuses quit blowing.  Why did they quit blowing you ask.  I don’t know.  They just did.  Thankfully I have not had any more problems since.  Thanx again God. 

Anyway, I made my TWO hour ride to the campgrounds and met up with my wife, daughters, and in laws who went before me.  We had a good time in spite of the heat.  There was fishing, swimming, and a lot of talking around a campfire (built only for aesthetic scenery, nobody sat too close to that thing).  While I was there, I began to think upon my past camping trips of my youth which never involved the luxury with which we camp today.  Now we go to a designated campground, pre-leveled out, pavement leads the way, bath houses are available, and many (including us, thanks to the generosity of my father and mother-in-law) stay in a camper.  Gone are the days of hiking in, finding a worthy site, preparing the site, warding off the wildlife, setting up the tent, and sweating in heavy heat conditions. 

Some will argue that this new camping takes away from the communing with nature.  I can see that point.  But man, nature is HOT!  I have easily become accustomed to this new lap of luxury.  I can remember hiking for miles just to get out of the woods, all the while carrying as many as four garbage bags of clothes (dirty usually) and sleeping supplies.  Sometimes this trek required multiple journeys in order to retrieve all of our “gear”.  Many times the heat and fatigue caused me to lay down on a nearby rock, only to get up and see my little “sweat angel” left upon its surface.  Yep, really liked that air conditioner last night. 

I do miss, sometimes, the isolation of the old way of camping.  The peace, the lack of interruption, the random wildlife all bring fond memories to me.  For some, however, the people around us (and their misadventures) are just as interesting as the scenery.  The only hitch we had this whole trip was when Becky went to take a shower with my daughter.  She came back after a while looking very upset.  I instantly began thinking, “What did I do?”  She then went on to tell us that some man was in the women’s bathhouse with some woman.  She got tag numbers off the vehicle and some description as best she could.  I breathed a sigh of relief as I was not in trouble, but then we went to tell the persons over the site.  What will be done?  I don’t know.  But I feel this behavior is quite unacceptable in a “family campground”, which is what Lilly dale is advertised to be.  For the most part the grounds are kept nice and have a good surrounding and atmosphere.  It is a shame that some people don’t have enough consideration to follow good moral behavior in this environment.  Shame on you.

All in all, a good trip. The kids all had fun, the adults caught fish and talked, and we all sweat profusely.  Glad I went.  I am even more glad that I will be showering in my own house today too though. 

Those nasty little Xbox devils strike again!

My Xbox just decided to go down again.  I started to play a little Halo 3, when all of a sudden the picture got weird.  I decided to reboot the system and then I got no picture what so ever.  Now I am without Halo and the carnage that goes along with it.  Microsoft says they will have the console back to me within 2 to 3 weeks.  Man that seemed like an eternity last time.  Thank God that I took out the extended warranty.  That is the bright side to this story.  This repair will cost my nothing.  Still Microsoft should offer some consolidation for the time that I do not have my game system operable.  I am really starting to wonder just how long this will last after I get this next one back.  I am also starting to doubt the quality of the system itself.  The applications and flexibility are awesome, but it sure seems to go down often.  My Atari lasted over 15 years before I sold it.  My Nintendo lasted up until I sold it also.  They just don’t make ‘em like they used to.  So for now, I am Halo-less.  I cannot play with my friends online or trash talk the enemies that I beat, sigh, whimper whimper….

So we are making our bi-daily visit to Wal-Mart (c’mon you know you go this often too), I take the 3 year old daughter in one buggy while she takes the 9 month old in another buggy.  I am merely the distraction to the eldest daughter while my wife does the actual shopping.  We are just about done when my wife calls me and asks me to get some milk quickly, she is already in the checkout line.  Being the dad and not realizing the differences in milk, I grabbed the one that I thought had the proper color (wrong).  I then presented it to my wife to be advised that I had made a dairy big mistake (yea I know, corny joke).  She then went back to correct my poor milk choosing abilities.  She took an empty buggy and my 3 year old daughter.  While I waited for my wife to return, she called.  Then she called again, and then texted me.  For some reason I only heard the text tone and not the other two ringtones.  I called her back and she told me to take the already paid for groceries and come back; that our daughter had tipped the buggy (apparently excitedly reaching for some chocolate milk) and broken the glass out of one of the cooler doors.  CRAP!  I hurriedly did as I was told and return to the scene of the commotion.  Yes there were spectators and a swarm of Wal-Mart employees surveying the scene.  After inspecting my wife and daughter to verify the state of being unharmed (remarkably), I began to think “How are we going to pay for this door?”  After the messed was mostly cleaned up, the manager smiled and said, ”This happens all the time” (REALLY?).  Then he told us we could go.  Thank God.  We promptly made out escape and headed for home.  Wow, sure beats the monotony of the usual Wal-Mart trip.  Even my daughter was a little taken by the experience. 

Disclaimer:  Do not try this at home.

Well I finally signed up to take the Praxis II yesterday.  For those of you that don’t know, the Praxis is a series of tests that are used to certify one to teach in given areas.  The core test that I am taking is the U.S. History and World History part.  So let me get this straight.  I just paid $130 to be forced to sit in a classroom for two hours to take a test.  What was I thinking?  I can already feel that post-test zombie feeling now.  Wish me luck…I will need it.

It is a loss of an icon.  Ed McMahon died in the Ronald Reagan Hospital from what appears to be a multitude of health issues.  He is known for being as some call it “the best sidekick”.  This he did in many facets.  He appeared in various commercials, Candid Camera, numerous game shows, and The Johnny Carson Show (where he tagged the phrase; “Heeeerrrreee’s Johnny”).  He will be missed in almost every venue of entertainment.  McMahon was quick witted and even quicker to laugh at other’s jokes.  His career kept him very wealthy up until several years ago when he reached a financial snag and nearly lost his house.  All the same we will remember the man who set up the “front man comedian” and laughed harder than the audience  when the punch line was delivered.  Ed McMahon will be missed……..

While working on a  Heat and Air unit I came across this little fellow.  This was quite possibly the biggest Black Widow that I have ever seen.  This one was about 1in from head to posterior.  If you stretched out it’s legs it would be around 2 1/2 inches in any given direction.  Unfortunately this was the only picture that I was able to get.  I tried to coerce him to move but only managed to splat him.  Oh well, I won’t lose any sleep over that one.