..........another big step.

This parenting stuff is all well and good; but, it can also take a lot out of you! I have enjoyed nothing more in my life than raising my girls. Our oldest is off to college in the Fall. Wow, it seems like just yesterday that we were getting ready for our first day of kindergarten. She is a fine young woman who wants to become an elementary teacher like her mother. We have been looking for a college for a couple of years now. Just recently, Megan chose my alma mater, Lenoir-Rhyne College. Lenoir-Rhyne is a small, private, liberal arts college of only 1,500 students, and is supported by the Lutheran Church. Here is a picture of the Rhyne Building, where I had many of my classes. All of the older buildings have been renovated since I was there, and provide outstanding places to learn. I know this will be a great decision for our daughter; but, it's going to take its toll on mom and dad to see her leave. These big steps in life are often hard to deal with; but we can't always remain where we are completly comfortable with our lives. Our kids grow up, move on, and begin their own lives and families. While sad that she'll be leaving, I'm excited all at the same time.

..........a great basketball game!

Normally, I wouldn't post about a basketball game that we lost; but in this case, it really was an outstanding game. The Ashe County Huskies traveled to our rival, Starmount, on Tuesday night. The whole place was packed with fans and supporters of both schools. Many of the Starmount students were dressed in overalls, beards, and hillbilly hats in their student section. We took a busload of students down for the game. We call our student section the "Dogpound". Our student section is getting quite the reputation for noise and chants. It's really entertaining to watch and listen to the student sections go at each other. The game was back and forth with the lead until right before halftime, when the Huskies went into the locker room with an eight point lead. Now, the big thing about the Starmount team is their big man, Victor. I was really looking forward to seeing Victor play; but, he didn't do much during the first half. It was really a luke warm performance, in my opinion. Now comes the second half and what we all paid to see. Victor seemed to really come alive during the second half with both the offense and defensive play. I don't know how tall this kid is; but, our biggest guy is 6'-5", and Victor appeared to have several inches on him. I really wanted to see him dunk one. I soon got my wish. When this guy went up to dunk, his entire head and part of his chest was above the rim! Now that's a dunk! This kid has already signed to play at Virginia Tech! At any rate, the Huskies soon came upon a real dry spell with scoring and fell to a twenty-two point lead that they just couldn't break. In the end, we lost; but, it was a fantastic game. Our fans, of course, blamed the refs for our defeat. Too bad we couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with a bass fiddle after halftime.

I also got the opportunity to visit with Josh's mom. Josh is really like a brother to me and I really enjoyed our short visit. She shared some great news with me. As always, I look forward to the next time we can visit with Josh and his family.

..........Sith Lord comes to Charlotte, NC.

Vice President, Darth Cheney is scheduled to speak at 11 a.m. today to the directors of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. His speech, which will take place at the Charlotte Chamber's headquarters on South Tryon Street, is not open to the public. All Storm Troopers, galactic bounty hunters, and members of the Empire are welcome.

.........."Helicopters kin fly gud cuz.....

.....they flap their blades so durned fast." Here the leader of the free world explains the science of lift.

..........I had the same look on my face after the State of the Union Speech last night!

Luckily, I got my times wrong, and I made it home in time for the speech. I love the part about less taxes and more programs. I know, we can take money away from the mentally handicapped and the public schools. They can't really fight back! Hey, and while we're at it, the old people do well eating dog food. Let's take some of their money, too. It's been done in the past and I'm sure history will repeat itself. Pell Grants for the inner city kids will be money well spent (yes, this is sarcasm). It sounds a little like entitlement-type programs of the evil Democrats. Shouldn't a real "Conservative" be talking about their parents working to get them out of the inner city and into better schools. Or better yet, they should have the motivation to get themselves a good education. Real Americans need no assistance!!! I know this for sure - if I were a defense contractor, I would go ahead and put down that deposit on the new Hummer and summer home! There's gonna' be contracts galore before this guy's gone!

..........how about singing this with me: Goodbye, Rudy Tuesday............

In the real sense, today should be enough to get rid of Ron Paul, Rudy the 9/11 Reindeer, Rev. Back-up-bass, and John Edwards. Let's just get down to Barack vs. Hillary and McCain vs. Romney. All the major media have had it there for months anyway. We can then choose a nominee in each party, take off the gloves, and vote until we puke!!!

..........we definitely stick to the real issues here in the South.

Huckabee Challenges Romney Over Fried Chicken: Mitt Romney's failure to eat fried chicken with the skin on is nothing short of blasphemy here in the South, according to GOP rival Mike Huckabee. Romney, of Massachusetts, dug into a piece fried chicken at KFC while campaigning in Lutz, Florida on Saturday, but not before peeling off what most would consider the best part — the crispy skin. "I can tell you this," God's chosen candidate said, "any Southerner knows if you don’t eat the skin don’t bother calling it fried chicken." "So that's good. I'm glad that he did that, because that means I'm going to win Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma … all these great Southern states that understand the best part of fried chicken is the skin, if you're going to eat it that way. "Nice to see them debating the most important issues of the day.

Next: The two way debate over the proper way to cook and eat squirrel.

..........what makes teaching music in the public schools so bad?



A friend of mine sent this article to all of us on the bandmasters listserv. It is exactly the reason that teaching an elective course such as band is becoming so very frustrating. You can always tell when things are going pretty well......the worthless administrator types try to re-invent the wheel; and when it doesn't seem to make much sense at all, they blame the changes on getting our kids ready for the global economy. And what always suffers? You got it - the arts courses. Not many administrators are smart enough to consider the worth of arts courses. Most of them are ex-coaches anyway. At any rate, read this article. I'm sure more PE and more foreign language is exactly what our kids need to get ready to compete in the global economy. This article has to do with the NC Public Schools



Middle-school students will have to take three years of foreign language starting next year, a new requirement that has some parents worried about the effect on arts education.
The foreign-language requirement, which will start with next year’s incoming sixth-graders, will take up one elective slot for all students. Another will be taken by a mandatory physical-education class, leaving two elective slots in which students can take classes in the arts, career and technology education and other subjects.
But students who want to participate in band or chorus in eighth grade will face a choice. Band and chorus classes meet for two elective periods in eighth grade. With the language and physical education electives, that will leave no time for band or chorus students to take electives in other subjects they are interested in.
School officials said they are still working out the details of the policy. Some students, such as those enrolled in study-skills classes, may be exempt from the requirement, Superintendent Don Martin said. Members of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school board will discuss the policy again at their retreat Tuesday.
School officials said that the new language requirement will help students earn high-school credits in foreign language and learn a skill that will be valuable in the global economy.
“One of the state-board goals - and as a result, our school-system goal - is graduating students who are prepared for a global economy, and with the way that society and the business world has changed, students have to have knowledge of a foreign language,” said Leslie Baldwin, the school system’s program specialist for foreign languages. “It doesn’t matter anymore whether a student is going to college or going straight on to the work force. These skills are needed.”
Parents, however, have their concerns.
Dee Oseroff-Varnell, the organizer of the group Forsyth Advocates for Musical Education and a mother of three high-school students, said she is concerned about the new foreign-language requirement.
“If they don’t have a choice, if it is going to be mandatory at the expense of some other classes they might want to take, I’m not sure I agree with that,” she said.
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school system is one of the few in the state that still teaches foreign language in its elementary schools. Students in third, fourth and fifth grade receive 90 minutes of instruction every week.
School officials said that by requiring middle-school students to take a foreign language, they will ensure that the skills that were learned in elementary school aren’t forgotten.
The requirement also takes advantage of a new state regulation. The State Board of Education changed its policies in May to allow students to get high-school credit for foreign-language classes they take in middle school, as long as the classes meet the requirements, said Helga Fasciano, the section chief with K-12 programs for foreign language.
“It is still up to each district to determine how they’re going to do that and whether they are going to do that,’’ Fasciano said. “Winston-Salem is being innovative in how they’re looking at that.”
At the high-school level, students are required to take two years of classes in the same foreign language if they are taking the university/college course of study.
Students who take foreign-language classes in middle school and earn high-school credit may free a slot in high school for an additional elective class. Taking the course in middle school also allows students, if they choose, to take an advanced language class in high school.
The school board has been debating the foreign-language requirement for middle schools for about a year. Some members, such as Jeannie Metcalf, have voiced concerns similar to Oseroff-Varnell’s.
“I don’t want kids to have to give up something they really want to do to take foreign language,” Metcalf said during a discussion at a school-board retreat earlier this month. Metcalf suggested that school officials look into alternative scheduling or different ways of teaching foreign language.
Other board members pointed out that research has shown that students learn language more easily when they’re young, so the middle-school requirement is a good idea.
“You absorb it so naturally and quickly,” board-member Elisabeth Motsinger said.
Board members have acknowledged the pressures that the language requirements will place on the arts, as have school officials and parents.
If middle-school students have to choose between taking band or two other electives in eighth grade, it’s possible that some will choose to skip the music class, which could end up hurting high-school bands, said Ian Hargis, the director of bands at Reynolds High School.
“I do think it will have a direct impact on enrollment,” Hargis said. “If they don’t have band every day at least in the eighth grade, it makes it very, very hard for us to have the quality high school bands that we’ve gotten used to.”
Middle-school music classes are important, he said.
“The middle-school teachers are the ones who really teach the kids how to play music,” Hargis said

.........."This is our new Nancy Pelosi droid.

We couldn't be more pleased with the results. We can bring her to all the meetings, tell her to sit quitely, and vote only when and how we want. It's great! Not hearing her voice has revolutionized all our lives. She is also programed to never speak to the media. Our labs are currently working on a Larry Craig model that never has to use the restroom."

.........."tax the rich? No it'll make me hurl!!!"

Well, the last State of the Union Address by George W. McNocommunicate takes place tonight. I hate I'll miss it. I have a special drum rehearsal tonight from 6:30-8:00. I'll have to tape it and watch after my dinner settles. At least it will be the last one of these speeches he will read to us. What has really amazed me with this administration is the total lack of communication to the American people. No, I don't want to know all about our military objectives; but, I would like to get some encouragement to push forward. No wonder everyone speculates all the time. There's little if any communication. That's what made Ronald Reagan so great. He knew the media could become his tool. George W. Bush has the greatest media machine at his disposal, and he's too inept to use it!!! I know all of you think I'm a left-wing nut job who has no standards whatsoever; but, I really have some good old standard conservative views. I wish the President was a Conservative. Oh well, enough of that. I'll eagerly await the speech and I'll draw my own conclusions. And "no", I won't let the liberal media do my thinking for me - I'll decide myself.

.........."daddy, what is politics?"

A little boy goes to his dad and asks, "What is Politics?"

Dad says, "Well son, let me try to explain this way:

I am the head of the family, so call me The President.

Your mother is the administrator of the money, so we call her the Government.

We are here to take care of your needs, so we will call you the People.

The nanny, we will consider her the Working Class.

And your baby brother, we will call him the Future.

Now think about that and see if it makes sense."

So the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what Dad has said. Later that night, he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him. He finds that the baby has severely soiled his diaper. So the little boy goes to his parent's room and finds his mother asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny's room. Finding the door locked, he peeks in the keyhole and sees his father in bed with the nanny. He gives up and goes back to bed.

The next morning, the little boy said to his father, "Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now."

The father says, "Good, son, tell me in your own words what you think politics is all about."

The little boy replies, "The President is screwing the Working Class while the Government is sound asleep. The People are being ignored and the Future is in deep s**t."

..........where has all the "change" gone that we voted to have with this Congress?

Sure, and I would expect you to give me a good 'ole; "I told you so", for this one.

It should be obvious by now that oversight is something that the Democratic Congress never intended to do in the first place.

Last week it was "pretty certain" that House Democrats would quickly move forward with contempt citations against two Bush administration figures who were stonewalling Congress. Then the economy started circling the drain. (Because nobody could have anticipated the rape and pillage of our economy?)

The planned citations now appear to be on hold as Congress and the White House work on a bipartisan economic stimulus package, the central tenet of which involves cutting virtually everyone an $800 check. An $800 dollar bribe to the have-nots so that the "base can have permanent tax cuts.....sweet! But in the spirit of bipartisanship and just like a ginshui knife commercial there's even more! Congress will be more than willing to bend over on FISA.

When [Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid] tried to get a thirty-day extension to that date last month, Republicans blocked it. So this morning he said on the Senate floor that he’d try again. The time pressures are real, he said, and suggested that even if the Senate were to somehow pass a bill, it would be mighty difficult to get it through the House and to the president’s desk before February 1st. So - if we don't pass the law that Bush demands, and we fall back to the earlier FISA bill, the President will just ignore the law; and the Majority Leader will excuse him for it. It seems that impeaching the entire nadless Congress needs to be on the table.

..........with Valentine's Day rapidly approaching

.....don't forget your "significant other". Give her/him some Republican conversation candy. It's great for starting and maintaining that perfect "loving" relationship. Order now from the FOX Network Store before they're all gone!!!!

.........."I bid you all, farewell.

And now it's off to 'an undisclosed location' where I'll be trained in the way of the Dark Side. Then and only then will I be ready to fulfill my destiny as a Sith Vice Presidential Candidate."

..........here lies the Rudy Giuliani Campaign.

Born: New York City 9/11/01

Died: 1/29/08

Time to realize and cut your loses, Rudy.

.........."but why is 'mah sword bent?"

.........."this merely makes it official. You now belong to me."

..........it must be a Middle Eastern thing that all the rulers of Iraq do.

..........so what's the deal with bowl game names?

I know, I know; it's all about the money these companies put out for the game sponsorship - and I hate it! I guess I'm a bit of a purist on the whole college bowl game thing. I've been watching a couple of games today, and it just sickens me to see a company logo all over everything you see. Sure, the companies that pump in the money do need some recognition; but changing the name? I don't like that. The traditional name of the big bowl games should be kept. The Chik-fil-a Bowl doesn't even mention the Peach Bowl anymore. The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, the Allstate Sugar Bowl, the Konica-Minolta Gator Bowl, the Outback Bowl; and I can't even remember what they called the Independence Bowl this year. Even the national championship is the Allstate BCS National Championship Bowl. I am currently watching the Rose Bowl - yes, the Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl Committee hasn't completely sold out the soul of the Rose Bowl. It is the Rose Bowl sponsored by Citi Bank. That's the way they all should be. Give us the name of the bowl first and sponsored by following. It makes amateur sports seem so commercial with the corporation names listed first.

Now on to another bowl game sticking point with me. There are too many damn games! The addition of so many games has taken quite a bit of wind out of all the big games. There were teams going to bowls (like the Independence Bowl) that have barely had winning seasons. Now, I've talked about this before with the high school playoffs here in NC. There are entirely too many teams going to postseason play. Only the best should be going. In my opinion, there should not be a college team in a bowl game with less than a 70% winning season. It's all about money; with cities trying to bring money into their economy, and colleges trying to bring recognition to the institution; as well as, money. Expansion does not always mean success. As I stated earlier, I feel the large number of games has taken away from the traditional prestige of the big games. It will only be a matter of time until we see corporate America creep into our high schools with more sponsorship. There will come a day, and soon, when we will see business names on uniforms and field logos. When that happens, you will also see more infractions on recruiting in high school athletics. Hark, I think I strayed from the original subject of the post.