Well it is March! The snow will soon melt, the plants will return to life, robins will return, Spring will be here before we know it, and McDonald's now has Shamrock Shakes. This is our one chance per year to enjoy those yummy mint-flavored shakes. Sometimes a year goes by when I forget about the shakes. Then in April or May I realize my mistake, and promise myself to "get one next year!" Fortunately, I didn't forget this year. I went to get a shake on Thursday nigh...
One of my third-graders wrote a really cute closing paragraph to a paper about penguins. He wrote: Penguins are birds that can not fly. They live in Antarctica. I hope someday I can be one of them. Isn't that cute?
This afternoon at work (I am an elementary school teacher) I went out to the playground to gather a few of my students. After looking around a bit, I found the kids whom I was looking for. Two of the kids that I found were playing in a rather animated group of first graders. There were about fifteen kids picking up handfuls of freshly-fallen snow, rubbing it in their hair, and exclaiming: "Look at me! I'm George Washington!" (I took a picture of this, and I e-mailed it...
We use Dish Network for satellite TV at my house. I am reasonably satisfied with the service. I see commercials on TV where they're offering four free receivers and a free Tivo-like device for new customers. I only have one receiver and no Tivo. I want what's on the ad! We use T-Mobile for cellular service. My wife and I have camera phones. We're satisfied with the service, but our phones are a bit antiquated. I want a camera phone with a flash.&...
We live in Monticello, Minnesota. Last night my wife received a call from out friend Chialing. Chialing was so excited. Even though I was about five meters away from my wife, I could hear Chialing's voice on the phone: "Go outside! Look up in the sky!" We went outside, and we were lucky enough to get a really good view of the Aurora (the Northern Lights.) Every once-in-a-while they shine down over Minnesota, but they usually aren't as bright as they wer...
In the United States, today is Election Day. I stopped by my city's polling place on my way to work. It took me about 35 minutes to get in, vote, and leave. After a person votes, he receives a red sticker which proclaims: "I Voted." I think that the red stickers serve as a good incentive to get people out to vote. It is a really behaviorist approach to it all, but probably surprisingly effective at getting people to the polls. As I was leaving, I grabbed two ...
Today while I was watching the Vikings' game, I became hungry for Taco Bell. With five minutes left in the second quarter, I decided to run down to pick up some tacos for the second half. So I get there... The entire crew was in the back screwing around. Eventually I heard, "Hey, you gotta get that guy." So some girl finally came up to the register. I ordered a chili cheese burrito, four tacos, and I wanted something else. I asked the foggy-eyed cashier, "What's ...
As an undergraduate, I spent some time in Saint Petersburg Russia. While there I both studied Russian and enjoyed life. The local beer in the Saint Petersburg area is "Baltika." Lighter lagers are numbered 1-3. Heavier ales are numbered 4 and above. I am a fan of lager beers, although I can appreciate the occasional ale. I like the Baltika number three, even though it is bitter. (Of course not as good as either Kirin or Molson!) Brings back good memor...
This afternoon as my wife and I were listening to the radio, we heard ONJ and ELO's song: "Xanadu." That got me thinking: In the movie "Xanadu," a downtrodden storefront album cover painter, Sonny Malone (played by Michael Beck), receives divine intervention to help open an extra-fancy roller-rink/nightclub. Considering that that roller-rink/ nightclub opened in 1980 (the year of the film's theatrical release,) I wonder what the prospects would be of it still being open today?...
Just yesterday my family and I were on an airplane. We had a nice flight, the baby was very well-behaved, and the food was about as good as any airplane food that I have ever had. The thing that struck me about the travel however were the stewardesses. Being a stewardess -although probably not the easiest or most rewarding job in the world- doesn't seem like all that bad of a job. The work is regular, the ...
Last school year I worked at three different schools as an ESL specialist. At each school, there was at least one kid who would play around with me by calling me "Mr. Crab." Each time I heard it I was a bit confused. Why are kids who go to different schools and don't know each other coming up with the same nickname for me? Well, I figured it out today. There is a character on "SpongeBob Squarepants" that is named Mr. Krabs. He is the owner of the restaura...
Hello there friends! I am enjoying a Friday evening here at the computer. My wife, son, and I have just come home from a nice dinner at a restaurant in Saint Paul. My friend Andy and his wife Chialing hosted a post-wedding party for family and friends living in Minnesota. (They were married a year-and-a-half ago in Taiwan, but they had a sort of "wedding reception" for visiting inlaws from Taiwan, as well as American friends.) I guess that my point about that is ...
Hello there! I have been teaching a class this summer for my newcomer students who have fairly low English skills. The term is almost over, and I feel that we have made a lot of progress. I have been working through a textbook (and accompanying videos) named "Side By Side" (and Side By Side TV.) For as long as I have been teaching ESL, the books in that series have been my favorite to use! They have clear, repetitive, and humorous exercizes focusing on basic English gra...
Hi there friends! Have you ever heard of Culver's? Culver's is a chain of hamburger restaurants that originated in Wisconsin. Their specialties are things called "Butterburgers," and their milkshakes. Currently, Culver's is only located in the Midwest (they've only recently come into Minnesota.) The food at Culver's is awfully good. I recommend it for any of you who live up here, or are traveling through. Over the past month or two, I have had frequent craving...
Well, just got the news that the President is doing a news conference tonight. That stinks. I was looking forward to watching my favorite television program tonight. Of course the broadcast networks are going wall-to-wall with it. I wonder whether the President on television draws better ratings than regular programming. With cable and public television, the general public could have access to whatever the President will try to do to untarnish his image in order to get himself re-elect...