Tommy's First Vet Visit

I took Tommy for his first official vet visit today, expecting it to be quick and routine.

It wasn't.

It turns out he has a broken tooth which may be exposing a nerve. The vet recommended that we do some tests to make sure he is old enough for anesthesia and then remove the tooth.

She also noticed tenderness and pain in his lower abdomen. She did some bloodwork to figure out what it is, but I am giving him a dewormer once a day and antibiotics twice a day as a precaution.

She also suggested giving him a wet food option in addition to his dry food in case he is not eating a lot because it is painful to chew the dry food.

I'm waiting for her to call me on Monday to see what the next step will be.

Scavenger Hunt

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Welcome Tomato

On Tuesday, I adopted Tomato (I'm calling him Tommy).

When I got him home, the first the he wanted to do was eat. Then, unlike everything I'd read about what happens when you first bring a kitten home, all Tommy wanted to do was be petted and lie on my chest.

He's only 6 months, 2 weeks old...the youngest at the shelter. He seems to be in pretty good health, but I have a vet appointment tomorrow to make sure we're starting off well.



He's a pretty laid-back kitten. So far I haven't found anything to get him running around and active. He has no interest in the toys I bought him or the scratching post. He is fascinated by the kitchen faucet though and tries to lick water out of it. I tried to show him that I put water from there into his bowl, but he wanted nothing to do with the boring bowl and proceeded to keep working on the faucet.

First Hopewell Valley Marching Band Rehearsal

Last night was the first full rehearsal of the newly created Hopewell Valley Central High School Marching Band. There are a series of four rehearsals for their upcoming Memorial Day parades. Attendance was required of anyone currently enrolled in symphonic band or wind ensemble and was open to anyone interested in joining the new marching band in the fall including color guard.

The director and I spent over an hour talking before any of the students arrived and we seem to be on the same page about how we want the band to run. We are in a unique position because we get to design and craft every detail because there has never been a marching band before.

He and I began with the winds and percussion together with some very basic visual things like to-the-ready and attention. Then he took the drumline and I had the winds to myself where we worked on instrument carriage. Then I spent 40-minutes running them through a music sectional of the parade tune.

They responded fairly well to me as a new instructor. The band in general is not used to realities of marching band style rehearsal so they weren't happy about standing during rehearsal, holding instruments up, etc. Some of the seniors, who won't be in the marching band, were a bit annoying, but we'll take care of that once we get into real marching band rehearsals in June and July.

There were an impressive 11 girls at the guard rehearsal. If everyone in the wind/percussion sections actually joined the marching band, we'd be a Group II or Group III band, but we are anticipating losing many of them and fielding a Group I or II band.

So long as the teacher association contract negotiations go well, there will be money in the budget for me to write the drill in addition to serving as assistant band director.

On Monday of next week, there is an information meeting for parents and students that will be really important I think. Then we have another rehearsal on Wednesday.

April 29 declared Joseph Kempf Day in PA

Joe was the drum major of Crossmen in 2002 when I marched.

From www.yea.org:

Crossmen alumni receives posthumous honor

Sunday April 29th, 2007 will officially be Joseph Kempf Day in the state of Pennsylvania, as ordered by the Pennsylvania State Legislature.

Joe was a member of the Crossmen hornline in 2001 and the drum major of the corps in 2002. He was also a former member and drum major for the Reading Buccaneers DCA corps. Joe was tragically killed on December 19, 2004 while assisting victims in a multi-car accident on I-80 in central Pennsylvania. He was a member of Neffsville Fire Company since 1995, and achieved First Responder status. Joe was posthumously elected to the Crossmen Hall of Fame in 2005.

According to Lori Kempf, Joe's mother, the Neffsville Fire Co. is dedicating their new squad in Joe's honor on Sunday, April 29th, and they asked their localstate representative John Bear to attend. Upon visiting the state capitol building in Harrisburg as special guests of Representative Bear, the Kempfs were met with an astounding and unexpected surprise.

"When John Bear took the mike, the House became dead silent" said Lori Kempf. "He noted that after 9/11, America depends more on volunteers than ever before. A volunteer fire company is more than bricks and mortar but is made up of dedicated individuals. He told of Joe's certifications and described the accident scene on December 19, 2004. He said that the Neffsville Fire Co. is dedicating their new squad this Sunday in Joe's honor for his heroic efforts. He asked us to stand and be recognized. There was a standing ovation from all members of the House. Many came up to us personally to thank us. It was incredibly touching - and difficult."

Neffsville Fire Co. did not request this honor. They simply asked Rep. Bear to be present at the dedication ceremony as a local dignitary. His staff researched Joe and turned some information over to the legislative panel for special affairs. This group of attorneys decided something more than a visiting local dignitary was warranted. Sunday, April 29th, will be Joseph Kempf Day in Pennsylvania."

As anyone who knew Joe can attest, this is an honor he was more than worthy to receive. On Sunday April 29th, be sure to say a prayer and give thanks that Joe was such a meaningful part of our lives, and that his life touched so many in the drum corps community and beyond.

You can view the Pennsylvania State House Resolution No. 183 here.

I want a pet

Okay being petless has gone on long enough.

I really want a dog, but I go away to often and spend too much time away from home to give a dog the attention it would need and deserve. Cats are much more independent and so I've been looking into adopting one for a couple weeks now.

Since I don't have school this week, it's a perfect time to pick one up while I am home a bit more and can get the cat used to my condo.

I like Tomato (Tommy). His shelter isn't open for adoptions until Tuesday so I think I'll go check him out then!

Through the gloom, Virginia Tech band serenades hospitalized victims of campus shooting

An AP news story that I got from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — The bullets from Cho Seung-Hui's gun slammed into Hilary Strollo's abdomen, head and buttocks. For four days, a cluster of tubes has run through her neck as she waits in a hospital for her body to heal.

But the pain could not keep the smile off the 19-year-old's face when the Hokies marching band arrived unexpectedly Thursday outside her hospital window to serenade Strollo and five other victims recovering there. Strollo, a freshman majoring in biological sciences, is a 2006 honors graduate of Pine-Richland High School.

It was a rare moment of joy at the hospital, where authorities took many of the victims of Cho's rampage. Nine people remain hospitalized after Monday's massacre that left 33 dead, including the gunman.

Their windows cracked open while the band blasted out Tech Triumph, the Hokies fight song, revealing patient rooms filled with colorful balloons and flowers. Inside, people peeked out and waved.

Strollo, a freshman, stood at the window, gazing down at her classmates with a smile. "Let's go!" she suddenly called out.

After a surprised pause, the band shouted back in unison, "Hokies!"

Every band member who lived close enough eagerly agreed to play at the hastily arranged serenade, said drum major Stephen Shelburne, a sophomore music major.

"Music, I've always been told, and I believe — it's the universal language. Everybody understands it's the same thing as a hug," he said. "It touches you in a way that words cannot."

After the performance, hospital chief executive Scott Hill thanked the band. "This is the best medicine of all, knowing you all stand behind them," he said.

Despite her injuries — bullets tore through her liver — Strollo said she was feeling "good — a lot better."

Strollo's good spirit and seeing the other patients come to their windows surprised Shelburne — and also brought him some comfort.

"Just look," he said, glancing toward the windows. "They're OK, they'll be fine. We all will be. It'll just take time."

Administrative Internship

I've been doing my secondary internship with one of the assistant principals at Ridge for a few weeks now. A few months or a year ago I would have said I had no interest in being a building administrator. Building administrators only get to know the kids who are in trouble all the time and have to deal with a lot of issues that don't seem all that educational in nature. They are more like police officers than teachers at times.

Through my experiences, I find that that's not so bad.

Curriculum supervisors have almost no interaction with students at all. Even through discipline, building administrators at least make connections and can hope to positively influence a student's decisions in some way. Sure it doesn't always work out that way but it's possible.

I have found a lot of the activities I've been involved in interesting as well. I've spent a lot of time observing the meting out of discipline and the big issue right now is dealing with crisis management. In the wake of Virginia Tech and the growing number of copy-cat threats across the country, we are taking a hard look at our lockdown and evacuation procedures and I'm in the middle of those discussions.

Over spring break next week, I'll begin my elementary internship with the social studies curriculum supervisor so I'll be working with K-5 social studies curriculum. That will be something completely foreign to me so it should be pretty interesting.

New Position in BTEA

Although I lost in my bid for vice president of the teacher's association, the co-presidents offered for me to take over as chairperson of the health and safety committee. I have accepted. I don't know much about what I'm doing, but I'll figure it out.

School Elections

April 17 is election day for schools in NJ. In Bernards Township, there are 3 Board members running unopposed. That's a shame. Without letting my personal feelings get involved, when public officials at any level run for office unopposed, democracy does not function. There is no debate or dialogue on the issues, there is no accountability. The best candidate does not win; the candidate most willing to fill out the paperwork does.

This is a huge election for Bernards Township too. With huge construction projects ongoing, next year's regular budget is going to include significant spending increases to furnish, heat and staff the new classrooms. The entire district is dangling over the edge right now and a budget defeat tomorrow would be demoralizing.

On the other hand, my resident district, Hillsborough, includes 3 incumbents and 3 challengers. Both sides included extensive information in a local newspaper interview and on the district's tv channel there was a broadcast candidates' night so I could find out where each stands on the issues.

I'll also be keeping a close eye on Hopewell Valley. The fate of the proposed marching band there hinges on budget approval.

Decisions in Bernards Twp Potentially Strand Teachers

I ranted this morning about the decision to keep school open.

Well, no early dismissal came either.

At this time US-206 is closed in both directions just south of the Somerville Circle in Raritan. As a result, any teachers who live in Hillsborough or further south are stranded. The alternate secondary roads are all flooded. You'd have to drive through Manville, which has been completely shut down. They are bringing rescue boats in from all over the state to get people out of their homes and to shelters in Manville and its neighbor Bound Brook.

The safety and well-being of teachers and staff are clearly not a high priority.

Another Stellar Weather Call

Here is the list of schools closed today due to th storms: http://www.news12.com/NJ/closings.

That includes the town I live in and the towns I travel through to get to school. It does not include Bernards Township.

Acting Governor Codey declared a state of emergency and told NJ residents to stay home and not travel. Yet the students and staff in Bernards Township, the hundreds of buses that transport those students, etc. are all up and running. I'm pretty sure there's even 1 left over snow day this year so it wouldn't affect things too much to be closed.

I was out on a sick day anyway, but I imagine what the mood is at school. There's still another hour left that they can move to early dismissal.

Visit to Gettysburg

It took me 9 days to get this posted. Oops.

On Saturday, April 7, Ali and I found ourselves with a free Saturday. As these are few and far between, we decided to do something interesting and left early in the morning for the 3 hour drive out to Gettysburg. I had only been there once before, while marching in Crossmen, but I had never visited the battlefields or anything.

We began at the visitor's center and picked up a CD audio car tour that allowed us to drive the battlefields for 3 hours with narration. Before heading out for that, we ate lunch at a cool little tavern in a house built in 1776. The food was good and the ambiance was unique.

It was a cold day, but that may have been a blessing as it wasn't all that crowded. Walking among unmarked graves at the cemetary, standing at the place Lincoln delivered his famous Address and looking out over the wide open fields where Pickett's ill-fated charge took place were probably the highlights for me.

The sheer number of monuments and stone markers was amazing. Everywhere you looked there was yet another token of rememberance. It is pretty well-known that Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle ever to take place on American soil and the realities of hand-to-hand, line-versus-line warfare are pretty harsh. You have to respect the courage it must have taken for the soldiers to line up knowing that most of them would die, even if on the victorious side.

We spent most of the day around the area and then began the 3 hour trek back to NJ. We used the GPS about halfway to pick a dinner place. We wound up in an empty Chinese restaurant somewhere between Reading and Lancaster. It turned out to be great with huge servings and good food.

All in all, quite a successful day.

Example of Imus Uproar Craziness

New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine was in a serious automobile accident yesterday, breaking most of his ribs, breastbone and a leg so severely that it is now held together with metal rods. Senate President Richard Codey has assumed the duties of acting governor.

This is a huge story.

But the main headline on Google News is: Corzine in crash HEADED FOR RUTGERS, IMUS (caps in the original).

Is the near death of a governor not important enough to warrant its own attention?

Don Imus Controversy

I'm sure everybody is tired of hearing about this. I'm sure I'm not breaking any new ground here with my editorializing.

Don Imus has now been fired from his radio show and his tv show for comments that took less than 10 seconds to say. He broke no law nor any FCC guideline. Could his comments have been offensive to some? Of course. Should his career be over? Certainly not.

My political views tend to sway left of center, but the outcry over this situation is ludicrous. There are far more serious issues in black-white race relations to be spending our time and energy on. The double standards and hypocrisy surrounding Al Sharpton's diatribe on the issue are laughable.

Not to mention the first amendment concern. Freedom of speech is under attack in the United States, not just in this way, but all over the place and we Americans don't seem to care too much. Offending someone is not illegal. There is a difference between offensive speech and hate speech.

I hope this blog post doesn't get me in trouble...

BTEA Election Results

I never got around to updating last week with the results from the BTEA election.

Both my colleague and I lost. My race was 250 votes for my opponent, 125 for me.

Oh well. We did succeed in creating conversation and debate within the organization about issues; that was clearly evident at the last meeting held before the election. Hopefully that will continue into the future.

Bernards man accused of bias crime at condo

The follow article appeared in today's The Star-Ledger. The alleged is a 2006 graduate of Ridge High School.

Bernards man accused of bias crime at condo
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
BY JENNIFER GOLSONS tar-Ledger Staff

A Bernards man was charged with a bias crime for allegedly spray painting a racially motivated exple tive on the side of a condominium, authorities said yesterday.

Matthew Kelly, 18, of English Place, will be arraigned tomorrow on four counts of biased intimidation, said Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest.

Kelly was linked to the graffiti found at the Society Hill complex in Basking Ridge on March 15, For rest said.

He allegedly used green spray paint to write several phrases, including the N-word and an exple tive on the building, and spray painted "BR 07" on the victims' front door, authorities said.

Kelly, who is Caucasian, specifically targeted an African-American man, who lives at the complex with his wife, Forrest said. Kelly lives in the same development.

Bernards Detective Jon Burger interviewed the victims on March 21, a week after the incident. They told police they believe racism was at the heart of Kelly's actions.

Kelly has previously denied any racial motive, police have said.

He is accused of committing harassment and criminal mischief against the husband and wife, for a total of four counts, Forrest said.

While the condominium is responsible for the exterior of the building, the association "has not been listed at this point as a victim," Forrest said. "The investiga tion is continuing."

The victim and his wife were not home at the time of the inci dent, but the husband later gave police Kelly's name, based on a previous encounter. In November, Kelly was charged with being drunk in public and disorderly conduct for entering the victim's vehicle, police said.

Living Without Freedom history institute

"On behalf of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, the National Constitution Center, and the National Liberty Museum, we are delighted to have you participate in our History Institute on May 5-6."

So I'll be one of 40 teachers heading to Philadelphia for the weekend of presentations, discussion and curriculum development related to the theme. It should be pretty interesting.

I'm also finalizing my application to the Korean Studies Workshop that would take me to Korea (aka South Korea) for 14 days in late June/early July. That should be in the mail in the next day or two.