GranolaBox

The Roman Empire, which the American empire is frequently compared to had a penchant for sick diversions. As much as I like to decry the violence in our society as well as the violence often shown in the mainstream media, sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy sick humor. This is [...]

Filed under: General Observations on February 12th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

We can see the light at the end of the construction tunnel now. The paint is on the walls and the kitchen cabinets are in, so the house has the look of a house that’s somewhere near approaching civilization.
DOUG and Bill did the priming and painting throughout most of last week and this [...]

Filed under: General Observations on February 11th, 2008 | 5 Comments »

I think this is the first snow day we’ve had all year.
The first thing you need to know about snow days for teachers is that most of us like them and look forward to them more than the students do. The reason is that not only do we get the day off, [...]

Filed under: General Observations, Teaching on February 11th, 2008 | 2 Comments »

This is an excerpt from Richard Heinberg’s Power Down: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World. I learn really well from analogies like this. This is why I like Elaine so much.
Much like the first time I listened to another alcoholic’s story with an open mind, this excerpt [...]

Filed under: EWAKI, General Observations, Politics on February 10th, 2008 | Add Comment! »

I think this was a line from a spaghetti western, which the Very Big Food Corporation of America co-opted into a Pizza ad.
I hadn’t thought about it much until the Queen of the Universe and I took a hike to the local cemetery. There was an abolitionist guy who worked on the [...]

Filed under: General Observations, Music on February 2nd, 2008 | Add Comment! »

Shortly before Christmas, Queen of my Universe and I visited a local mall to kill time before a movie and to look for something to put my daughter’s birthday present (a piece of hip jewelry) in. Normally, I avoid malls except in the company of my daughters, who are budding mall rats and QoMU [...]

Filed under: General Observations on January 18th, 2008 | 3 Comments »

My second period class is in an ultra-large room divided by a removable wall. Usually it’s a curse because it doesn’t block any sound, but this morning it was one of the greatest blessings I’ve ever received.
My friend Jim teaches Genocide Studies on the other side of the wall, and asked [...]

Filed under: General Observations, History, Politics on January 14th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

One new thing in our house that’s actually installed is our new wood furnace. We wanted to go with the wood furnace to cut our energy bills and to use a renewable resource. Along the way I’ve stumbled on what may be the next great fitness craze - “The Wood Furnace Workout.”

Here’s how it [...]

Filed under: General Observations on January 11th, 2008 | 2 Comments »

My road to work is mostly rural backroads, and most of us that drive on them, especially during non-peak hours tend to do so at excessive speeds. Given this lack of law and order in the backcountry, and perhaps a slightly lower level of education, when there’s a particularly odious intersection at which stopping [...]

Filed under: General Observations on January 9th, 2008 | Add Comment! »

I don’t need to justify myself… but I will anyway.
A few weeks ago my ex2 saw me for the first time in my New England Patriots gear and accused me of “jumping on the bandwagon.” Not in a malicious way. She knows how little history I have with football.

There’s never been much [...]

Filed under: General Observations on January 6th, 2008 | 2 Comments »