..........automatic toilet flushers and velcro shoes.

So what's the deal with automatic toilet flushers? I went into the boy's restroom at school yesterday to relieve myself at a urinal. I went past all three urinals while looking for one that had been flushed. No luck. Then to the three stalls - agian, no luck. All the urinals and toilets had human waste and tobacco products in them. I think we are raising an entire generation of people who either don't know how to flush a toilet; or, they spend too much time at the local WalMart where the toilets do all the work for them. Do they have automatic toilets at home? Do they flush at home? I am truly concerned for this generation of people - not so much for their welfare, but mine. Why me? These are the people who are going to support me in my retirement years. This is the thought that wakes me in the night! Now it's toilet flushing - what next?

I am completely convinced that the whole thing started with velcro shoes. Why were these "made for slackers only" things ever brought onto the American retail market? I have a couple theories. Number One: the parents are too lazy to teach their kids how to tie their own shoes. These are probably the same parents who love the automatic toilet flushing idea. If velcro shoes, that allows the parents more time to sit on their butts and do absolutely nothing! Number Two: The oil companies are in charge of all the velcro production. They will bring us to our knees by whatever method is necessary to accomplish their mission. The thought being; "Today velcro shoes, then automatic toilet flushers. After that we can sell a war in Iraq with no problem at all. They will never question us - we have dulled their sense of responsibility to accept any of our ideas! We'll raise gas and diesel prices to unheard of levels and just tell them that our investors are getting nervous."

Responsibility of the individual citizen is the real problem. Our senses are so dulled by so many things that we don't think we can change - our reaction - accept it and go on with our lives. Speak out America!!! Fight the things in our society that cause the senses to be dulled. Don't patronize establishments with automatic toilet flushers and those that sell velcro shoes. Stand up for all Americans and make a difference with your individual protest! Above all, beware of the elephant in tall grass!!!

..........and now, some humor at the expense of musicians.

Life is pretty serious in the life of a musician. Here are a few descriptions that will make the struggles in our lives have true meaning..............
Why do obnoxious whistles exist at some factories? To give us some sort of appreciation for flutes.
What is different about seeing a dead racoon and a dead saxophonist in the road? The racoon has skid marks in front of the body.
What is the difference between a trumpet player and a Hezbollah terriorist? You can negotiate with the terriorist.
What do you call a drummer without a girlfriend? Homeless.
How many flute players does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Only one. She holds the bulb while the world revolves around her.
What is the difference in a saxophone and a lawnmower? Lawnmowers sound better in small ensembles.
How do you get two piccolos to play in tune? Shoot one.
How many clarinetists does it take to change a lightbulb? One, but he'll go through an entire box of bulbs before finding just the right one.
What do you call a bass clarinetist with half a brain? Gifted.
How many trumpet players does it take to change a lightbulb? Five. One to handle the bulb and four to tell him how much better they could have done it.
What is the definition of a gentleman? Somebody who knows how to play the trombone, but doesn't.
How many trombonists does it take to change a lightbulb? Eight. One to change the bulb and seven to stand around and make lude sexual comments while he does it.
It is difficult to trust anyone whose instrument changes shape as he plays it!
What is the range of a french horn? About 20 yards if you have a good arm.
These three tuba players pass a bar.....well, it could happen!
How do you confuse a drummer? Put a sheet of music in front of him.
How many conductors does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Only one. But then again, who is really watching? ................and there it is!!!!

..........going, going, gone!!!

Well, today it happened - I went down in class! For the first time since we have been here at the new high school, I went down. I was on the field directing the marching band rehearsal. I normally wear a wireless headset to communicate by way of the portable loud speaker system (the Long Ranger). I often start talking to the students while I am backing away from the group and going up a small hill where I can see and hear them better. There was a one-man blocking dummy that the football team left in my path from the day before - need I say more? I had not even hit the ground before I heard the laughter from all of the 96 members! I heard things like; "I've wondered when that was going to happen";"serves him right". At any rate, it made for a great day for most of the band. Life does come at you fast!!! Now for my next trick...........

.........good luck to Josh! How about that hurricane stuff?

I heard from a good friend of mine, Josh, via "the blog" over the weekend. He is on his way to Brigham Young University in Salt Lake City, Utah where he will be a graduate student. Based on all the information I have seen, all is going well. He, his wife Megan, and daughter Isabella will get settled soon. All my best wishes and prayers go out to them for safe travel and a great life in Utah while Josh gets his degree.

On a different note, tomorrow is the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina hitting the Gulf Coast area. My family and I love New Orleans. We try to visit once each year. There have been numerous programs on TV about the hurricane, all that happened during the storm, all that has happened as a result of the storm, and whose fault is was for everything that went wrong. I saw one of those shows on Discovery last night. I thought it was fairly objective in the blame department. As many of these shows are, this one centered around what happened in New Orleans. Based on the information that I have gained through the media and from people I have talked to person-to-person in New Orleans, many are to blame. It was a total breakdown of many jobs and responsibilities. FEMA has managed many hurricanes with success throughout the years, but never really imagined that anything would be as catastrophic as that of Katrina. Too many things went wrong to react and fix them all. Who is to blame? I think of it like this - I learned a great lesson from my Army Drill Sergeant in 1984. He gave me the task of taking some men in my squad out to a classroom building where I was to have them pick-up all the trash and rake the sand (the Army is big on raking sand). I got the men there, assigned them their tasks, and told them to return to the barracks area when they were done with the job. I left and awaited their return. Sure enough, about two hours later, the men returned and told me the job was done. I reported it to my Drill Sergeant. He went to the area to inspect, because he was responsible for the job completion in the first place. He took me along for the inspection. The job was not finished. Trash was present, and the sand was not raked as assigned. I was punished. The lesson learned - assign tasks and delegate; but, check to make sure it has been done to the standard expected. I think many tasks were given for the hurricane relief effort in New Orleans, but very few checks were made to see that tasks were complete. I'm sure my Drill Sergeant should have been in charge of this process. I'll speak more of the mess in New Orleans later. My only hope now is that they can rebuild their shattered lives.

...............in the beginning.

Wow, my first posting! I've always wanted to start a blog, but didn't think that I would have anything very interesting to say. I guess it really doesn't matter - what does matter is that you are expressing your thoughts, whatever they may be. All of you that know me are sure of one thing - I've got an opinion on most everything. I love to talk politics and solve our country's problems. My opinions are a mix of left wing liberal to mid-register (band talk) conservative values. I like a little bit of everything (although rap music - did I say music? - does not fit into that statement). I try to respect others opinions and beliefs. I try not to seem better than the other guy, because I'm not. We all have the right to believe and be what we want (within the limits of our society's laws). I believe in the persuit of happiness, and hope that everyone is doing something to get themselves to that point of happiness in our great nation. I have devoted my professional life to public service as a teacher in the North Carolina public school system. I feel that I have done some good here. Teachers have the opportunity to provide many great opportunities to the youth of America. As fouled-up as it seems sometimes, the public school system in America is the best in the world! I truly believe that, and I am a proud participant in this system. I have a beautiful family that you will hear alot about in the coming postings. My wife, Lisa, is an elementary teacher who is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Educational Technology (I'm sure she will help me with my blog from time to time). My daughters, Megan and Lauren, are both students at the high school were I work. My wife and children are the center of my life. I am a United Methodist Church member, and I direct the choir at my church. I have strong religious convictions. I'll let this posting serve as an introduction for myself. I hope to share more thoughts with you as time progresses. I welcome your comments and look forward to working on this blog.