State of the Union

Statements are Bush’s words or paraphrase. Bullets are my commentary.

We should make tax cuts permanent.
Who is paying for the tax cuts? We are approving sending tax rebates, but we have to borrow money to fund the rebates.

I will veto any bill that raises taxes.
All of President Bush’s defense spending has increased taxes.

I will cut bloated programs and balance the budget by 2012.
The budget WAS balanced was President Bush took office. It hasn’t been balanced since then.

Some people say they are willing to pay higher taxes. I am happy to report that the IRS accepts checks and money orders.
Boy, the president is sure a comedian tonight.

Congress should openly debate any earmarks instead of allowing hidden spending.
Okay, this is actually fair.

Bush wants Congress to reform health care.
Fat chance. He wants a Democratic Congress to make new policy that goes against what the leading Democratic candidates for president support.

We must trust students to learn when given the chance. No Child Left Behind – no one can deny its results. Scores are on the rise. African American and Hispanic students posted all-time highs. Now we must increase accountability, increase flexibility for states and districts. NCLB is succeeding and we owe it to children and teachers to strengthen this good law.
States are running away from it. Teachers and teacher associations do not support it. What is he talking about?

White House summit to strengthen non-public school options. $300 million program of grants to help “liberate poor children trapped in failing public schools.”
I thought Bush was going to veto any new taxes? Maybe he’s going to lower federal funding to public education to pay for private education.

Increase tariffs on foreign goods.
This was a miserable failure in the past. Check out President Taft and the Hawley-Smoot Tariff.

It’s always funny to watch when half of Congress stands to applaud and the other half remains seated. The whole State of the Union is an antiquated, overdone fiasco. I actually started yelling at the television.

Government should help American workers learn new skills and find new jobs.
Are we going to ask people to do this for free or is this going to require increased funding (ie. Taxes)?

Reduce dependence on oil. Fund new technologies to generate coal power while capturing carbon emissions.
This is still fossil fuel NOT alternative energy.

Help developing nations make greater use of clean energy sources.
China is already better at using renewable energy sources than the US in terms of automobiles.

Slow, stop and reverse the flow of greenhouse gasses.
Did Bush just say global warming is for real?

No economy should get a free ride with helping the environment, energy, climate change, etc.
The US didn’t sign the Kyoto Protocol. We are the problem as far as the world is concerned and Bush is acting like we are the solution and leader in finding new, creative ways to solve these problems.

We need to double federal support for research in physical sciences.
Oh yeah, this doesn’t cost money either. Bush won’t approve new taxes, but he wants Congress to fund his pet projects. Then he’ll veto it because there is no money available. This is crap.

Pass legislation that bans unethical medical practices. Buying, selling or cloning of human life. He also patted himself on the back for stem cell vs. skin cell use.
Moral/ethical mumbo jumbo.

Faith-based volunteer organizations need federal support.
I’m not sure what he’s talking about here.

Reaffirm pledge to help rebuild in Gulf Coast. Host North American Conference in New Orleans.
Good sound bite; doesn’t mean much. We do have a war in Iraq don’t we? It’s been 30 minutes and he hasn’t mentioned it yet.

Immigration. Secure the borders. Increase work-site enforcement, fences, end catch-and-release. Double border patrol agents. Must create a lawful way for foreign workers to come here and support our economy. Illegal immigration must be dealt with by upholding our laws and our highest ideals.
Does this mean he doesn’t want to kick out illegal immigrants? Uh-oh…he’d better call the leading Republican nominees for president.

9:34 and President Bush still hasn’t mentioned Iraq. Oh there it was in passing at 9:35. THIS IS THE MOST PRESSING ISSUE FOR AMERICANS. AT LEAST IT SHOULD BE.

We will stay on the offense and we will deliver justice to our enemies.
Bush doesn’t sound nearly as confident as in past years. What happened to we will prevail and we are winning?

“We are spreading the hope of freedom.”
I think this is a “nice” way of saying the United States is invading the world.

Afghanistan is a success story of American nation-building. Adding 3,200 Marines to forces in Afghanistan.
If we’re doing so well there, why do we need more troops in a country that we’ve been in since 2001? I thought the country was freely voting and working and living – that’s what the president said 30 seconds earlier.

Surge of American forces in Iraq. New mission by working with Iraqi forces to deny enemy sanctuary. Those who were worried about America preparing to abandon them so forces flowing into their country, their neighborhoods. Our military and civilians have the gratitude of our whole nation.
Extremely broad and general statements about what is defining our success followed by something that everyone has to clap for. Of course, all Americans support those serving in the military, but that does not have to mean a support for the war or Bush’s policy.

Anbar Awakening.
I just read about this. There is a lot of concern b/c the US is training regular Iraqis to use their own weapons. There is significant tension between Sunni and Shiite groups in Iraq b/c we are training the group that never had power under Saddam Hussein and there is belief that when the US leaves, the majority power will retaliate against the minority.

I’m glad the presidential candidates made it for the State of the Union. It’s annoying that active members of Congress take off for months and months and don’t vote because of campaigning.

Al-Qaeda is on the run in Iraq and this enemy will be defeated.
Al-Qaeda wasn’t even in Iraq at all when the war in Iraq started. We are now getting an enemy on the run that didn’t exist when we invaded the country. This is fake victory. Maybe we should have thought this out a bit better in the beginning.

Implementing a policy of return on success. Surge forces are beginning to come home. Bush then speaks to servicemen and women directly. We make you a pledge. You will have all you need to protect our nation.
Another empty applause-getter. Where was this promise BEFORE sending the troops so they could have body armor and armored personnel carriers?

Fully fund our troops.
More borrowing. He won’t approve taxes, but he wants to keep upping spending. I agree that we can’t underfund troops already deployed, but he’s sending two very different messages.

In the coming months, 20,000+ troops coming home. Further drawdown will be based on conditions in Iraq and recommendations of our commanders. Danger of withdrawing too quickly. We must not allow this to happen.
Thinly veiled jab at Democratic Congress, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Sunni, Shia and Kurds are coming together.
This isn’t true. Kurds want an independent state; no one, including the US, has any interest in doing this. Government is still dominated by 1 ethnic group – albeit the opposite of the group of Hussein.
Repeated rhetoric of a “free’ Iraq from 2002/2003. It’s like he is trying to re-justify why the war in Iraq is happening. Most of the assertions have already been proven false.

Extremism in the Holy Land. We have new cause for hope. Palestinians have elected a president who will confront terror. Israel also wants a peaceful Palestinian state. Bush will help achieve a peace agreement that defines a Palestinian state by the end of this year with a democratic Israel and democratic Palestine.
Bush is making a last-ditch effort to preserve something positive in the Middle East. It’s been conflict since 1946 in this area and Bush, of all people, will fix it? Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton got close; I don’t know that Bush can be the one.

Iran. Threat to peace in the Holy Land. Still developing nuclear technology. Message to the people of Iran – we respect your traditions and history and we look forward to the day you have your freedom. Message to leaders – come clean about nuclear intentions, stop oppression, cease support for terror. America will confront those who threaten our troops, we will stand by our allies and we will defend our precious interests in the Persian Gulf.
This is a threat plain and simple. This can’t go well.

Protect our homeland. No attacks on our soil since 9/11.
This is a success, no question and maybe a bit surprising given the way things seemed on 9/11.
Bush made a somewhat confusing statement about legislation that is going to expire on Friday. I think it relates to wiretapping without warrants, but he doesn’t come out and say it. I wonder why.

America opposes genocide in Sudan. We support freedom in Cuba, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Burma.
Wow, way to go out on a limb. Why not do something about it instead of more rhetoric?

Millenium Challenge Account. Fully fund this initiative.
More funding w/o offering new revenue or cuts to find cash for it.

Purchase crops directly from farmers in the developing world.
Isn’t this outsourcing? This is exactly what Bush said we wouldn’t do for industrial production. We should buy corn from India instead of the American west? What is he talking about?

Approve $30 billion of funding to fight HIV/AIDS globally.
First of all, NBC cut to a black woman and child for the AIDS comments.
Second, $30 billion more with no taxes allowed.

Meet the needs of veterans from a new war and a new generation. We have a responsibility to provide for military spouses and families. Transfer unused education benefits to spouses or children, access to child care, etc.
He’s finally trying to help the people who have been suffering since going to war in Afghanistan and Iraq. I support this concept, I just wonder why it’s taken until 2008.

He’s talking about “We the people.”
Good. End your speech by talking about great Americans who accomplished lasting legacies. Not a bad tactic although he fumbled over the Articles of Confederation.

The New Hampshire Debates

Here are some of my observations after watching nearly 4 hours of debate coverage last night.

Republican Debate:

• Most of the Republicans completely discount Ron Paul with derision and laughter whenever he talks and by ignoring anything he says that has legitimate value.
• Mitt Romney talks in circles and refused to answer questions directly. I found myself yelling at the TV whenever he spoke.
• Rudy Giuliani also ignores questions and takes them in his own direction whenever he can.
• Mitt Romney advocates kicking out all 12 million illegal immigrants currently in the United States but could not offer any viable way to achieve such a mandate. The other candidates, namely McCain and Giuliani, seem to support kicking out any illegal immigrant found guilty of committing a crime but support fines and eventual citizenship for other illegal immigrants already here.
• Ron Paul, who used to be registered as a Libertarian, is primarily focused on the economic basis for everything. He supports getting rid of welfare altogether and leaving Iraq so the money can be redistributed elsewhere. He is far and away the main Republican candidate among 18-29 year olds on Facebook polling, perhaps because of these positions.
• Romney doesn't shut up.
• Fred Thompson specifically called out the National Education Association (of which I am a member) as a liberal interest group that needs to go away.
• McCain sent quite a few barbs at Romney, maybe too many to come across as the right choice.
• Romney and Giuliani want to increase the size of the military dramatically. They do not mention where they'll get new recruits from. They also want to decrease the size of the civilian forces supporting the military.

Democratic Debate:

• Bill Richardson sounded like a fool when talking about Pakistan.
• Barack Obama and John Edwards teamed up against Hillary Clinton. I smell the beginning of posturing for a President/Vice President ticket.
• Richardson turned out to be the funniest, most entertaining of the candidates. He also talked a few times about the importance of education, the need to pay teachers more, and the need to get rid of No Child Left Behind.
• Obama writes with his left hand.
• Edwards came across as the most passionate, but he did eventually get repetitive about how his family has had to work sooooo hard for sooooo long and therefore he is a champion of the working class. This may be true, but like every other candidate, he is in the upper class.
• Clinton comes across negative even when she's right and on target due to her tone of voice and facial expressions.
• Richardson talked about the need for public sacrifice to overcome difficult economic and diplomatic times. This is a big risk, but he is right and most candidates ignore the issue of telling us how we'll have to pay for whatever is going to happen down the road. He mentioned forgiving 2 years of college loans for anyone who agrees to 1 year of public service.
• Richardson talked about making his cabinet up of Democratcs, Republicans and Independents.
• Edwards licks his lips weirdly.
• Obama mentioned the work sacrifice when talking about the energy crisis.
• Clinton was the only one willing to say the big R word (recession).

2007: Year in Review

My second annual year in review:

January

• Completed the Diner Dash with Ali. We visited a diner in each of New Jersey's 21 counties.
• Made a presentation to a Bucks County, PA People to People delegation traveling to Japan.
• Began month 5 of my suspension.

February

• Accepted the position of Assistant Band Director and Drill Designer at Hopewell Valley Central High School for the fall of 2007.
• Was reinstated at Ridge High School to begin on March 1 after six months off.

March

• Returned to Ridge High School.
• Toured the Lamington Slave Cemetery in Bedminster after reading an article about it in The Star-Ledger.
• Ran (unsuccessfully) for Vice President of the Bernards Township Education Association.
• Made a presentation to Ridge's Japan Club about my experiences.
• Applied for a program to travel to Korea, similar to the Japan program (I did not get it.)

April

• Accepted to the Living Without Freedom conference in Philadelphia sponsored by the Foreign Policy Research Institute.
• Visited Gettsysburg with Ali.
• Accepted position as Bernards Township Education Association's Health and Safety chairperson.
• Began internships with social studies supervisor and Ridge assistant principal to finish up my Master's degree.
• First Hopewell Valley Marching Band rehearsal ever.
• Adopted Tomato (Tommy).

May

• Attended the Living Without Freedom conference in Philadelphia.
• My male kitten Tomato turned out to be pregnant. He/she returned to the shelter for foster care through the pregnancy/birth (and stayed there afterwards).

June

• Found out I'd be going to Japan in 2008 with People to People.
• Was told I could not return to any extracurricular positions at Ridge. Began looking for a new job.
• Flew to Florida for a Japan reunion weekend with Roger, Karen and Rachel.
• Completed the year (and it turned out, my career) at Ridge.

July

• Completed my Master's degree in Educational Administration from the University of Scranton.
• Finished my first (and only) season as Visual Caption Head at Spirit of Newark/New Jersey.
• Served as a teacher/counselor for two weeks at Camp Bridge at Ridge High School.
• Traveled to Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium, The Netherlands and England with People to People.
• Accepted a position teaching social studies at Montgomery High School.

August

• Completed the trip to Europe.
• Taught the Hopewell Valley Central band camp and Montgomery band camp and spent 1 day at Park Ridge's camp to see the drill on the field.
• Attended Opie & Anthony's Traveling Virus show at PNC Bank Arts Center.

September

• Began my tenure at Montgomery High School.
• Back to being busy with teaching, judging and marching band.
• 1 year since Ali and I met for coffee that first time.
• Took Ali and my Mom to a Yankees game.
• Judged Westminister (MD), Whitehall (PA) and Voorhees (NJ).

October

• Judged Maryland State Championships.
• Successfully completed the first season of the Hopewell Valley Marching Band.

November

• Attended Ali's senior recital.
• Went to see the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City with Ali, Allie and Matt.
• Began a basketball pep band at Montgomery just like I did at Ridge.
• Accepted into and attended the Nathanael Greene Liberty Fellowship.
• Saw Ali perform her favorite piece of music at NJPAC.

December

• Saw Trans-Siberian Orchestra in Philly with Ali.
• Agreed to write Kearny High School's drill in 2008 (along with Park Ridge and Hopewell Valley).
• P2P social event at a museum in New Brunswick with about half of the 2008 group that is going to Japan.
• Saw friend/old roommate Dave perform in a reunion show with his band.
• Began Holiday Hike '07 with Ali.

Holiday Hike - Day 11

The final day!

We got up a little after 8am for the light continental, hotel breakfast and then a short drive to the Monticello visitor center. We took our time going through the in-depth exhibit describing Thomas Jefferson's life, especially in relation to Monticello, and then decided to get on the road.

We stopped to return our last audio book to Cracker Barrel and had lunch in the parking lot, some leftover pizza from the previous night's hotel dinner. Other than bathroom/gas stops, we drove straight and smooth from Charlottesville all the way back to Princeton where I dropped Ali off and we ended the Holiday Hike.

We never got the final few states, but we'll still put Holiday Hike '07 down in the records as a success in line with Diner Dash '06.

Any suggestions for '08?

Civil War Cruise...Yankee Yuletide...Midwest Madness...European Excitement...South American Sojourn. We are open for ideas.

Holiday Hike - Day 10

We woke up and had coffee, delivered before we woke up to our butler's pantry. Then we headed to the dining room for breakfast. We began with fresh strawberries and then had ham and cheese omelettes and English muffins and fresh-made jam and sweet bread.

After breakfast, we decided to get on the road right away because it was raining heavily and wanted to be able to take our time. We started with a quick drive through downtown Chester. The town seems to be half a century past its prime, but there were some historical areas including a Confederate monument.

Then we were on our way toward Charlottesville, VA for our final night of the trip. The rain continued heavily all day long through our lunch stops, gas stops and everything. It was tense at times with one shaky hydroplaning incident, but we made it safely. After a nice nap, we ordered some Papa John's and I ran out to get some beer and we had a nice, relaxing night with tv.

State Update - None today. All that's left is: Hawaii (although my Mom saw one), Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah, Wyoming. Today was rough for states because the rain was really bad so it was tough to see other car license plates.

Holiday Hike - Day 9

We woke up to a cloudy day in Jacksonville that would turn into light to moderate rain for most of the driving part of the afternoon. The hotel provided a pretty decent breakfast; Ali was especially fond of the waffles. After breakfast, we set out for a return to Savannah for lunch.

During this time, we were listening to former president Jimmy Carter read "Sharing Good Times" to us, one of the few good audiobooks we were able to find at Cracker Barrel.

In Savannah, we stopped at a restaurant we looked up the night before - Soho South Cafe. It turned out to be a warehouse turned eatery that was really good. At Soho South Cafe, Ali had Andalusian chicken and rice salad and I had a chicken panini. After lunch, we were on our way to Chester, South Carolina and our first Bed & Breakfast experience. The rain began, slowed us down and caused a number of accidents, mostly going in the opposite direction thankfully.

We started listening to Stephen King's Blaze, but abandoned it because it wasn't getting us really excited. We stopped and picked up an Anderson Cooper book about his experiences as a correspondent, mostly in 2005 (tsunami, Katrina, etc.).

The interstate highways gradually gave way to smaller highways and final a two-lane road leading into Chester, SC. We were clearly in a rural, country area. We got a little nervous as we drove in passing church after church, few houses (although some shantytowns and mobile homes were around) and even a Deer Processing Plant. We pulled into Colvin Farms, our stopover for the night and met the innkeeper.

The B&B included a quaint bedroom with private bathroom and access to a butler's pantry with drinks and washer, cookies, books DVDs and ladybugs galore. Built in 1835, it seems ladybugs have taken over much of the house as we saw them on the ceilings and walls all over.

Downstairs was a nice sitting room with faux fireplace in place of the original fireplace and a cool little dining room where we had our dinner and breakfast. We decided to explore the outside areas to sit on the swing the porch and walk the grounds to meet the animals and see the area. We quickly found a very friendly cat and then found an even more friendly goat. The goat, once he/she came over for a quick pet, would not go away no matter what we tried. In fact, we spent the next 30-45 minutes trying to get back inside without the goat following us. I know this probably sounds funny, but we really couldn't get back inside. Eventually. Ali went inside while I tried to trick Mr. Goat into staying outside. At one point as I sprinted up the front stairs to get in while he was distracted by a stick, he made a quick comeback and jumped hooves first into the door convincing Ali that it was me trying to get in. It was a close call, but Goaty stayed out and I eventually got in.

We decompressed from our adventure until dinner was ready at 7pm. We ate by candelight with some champagne and a wonderful dinner. We started with salad and warm bread, then had chicken francaise with pasta and snow peas. For dessert - strawberry cheesecake.

After dinner, we retired to the drawing room (we sat by the fireplace) drinking the rest of the champagne and then watched a movie in our room before a relatively early night.

States update - Ali got Missouri, Arkansas, Rhode Island, Kansas and Nevada. I got Colorado. Ali has 26 overall and I have 17.

Holiday Hike - Day 8

We slept in this morning, then lounged around having coffee out in the lanai and generally taking it easy. Lunch was at Sonic - my second visit and Ali's first to the often advertised yet seldom realized drive-in fast food joint. The food was pretty good including my pineapple sundae and Ali's Orea Blast.

After lunch, we did some more lounging around, got our things together, took a short walk and enjoyed a great dinner that Allie and Matt made before getting back out on the road for a relatively short (3.5 hours) drive to Jacksonville for the night.

The drive was pretty smooth except our attempt to get off the highway to rent a new audiobook at Cracker Barrel in Wesley Chapel, Florida. Due to road construction, there was a ton of traffic and we never actually got to the Cracker Barrel due to bad signage and awful roads. We ended up getting back on the road and stopping a few miles later.

This was my first entry into a Cracker Barrel and I think I know why. The place was packed with mostly older, all white and primarily white trash, patrons. The audio book rental selection consisted mostly of fiction stories and evangelical Christian testimonies. We did manage to pick up one of Jimmy Carter's books which has been pretty good so far.

We're staying the night at Wingate by Wyndham in Jacksonville. We picked it due to it being the cheapest, decent looking place on our route, but it turns out to be a really nice place with a full, hot breakfast.

1 more license plate on the drive - Minnesota for Ali. Totals - 16 for Matt, 21 for Ali.

Holiday Hike - Days 6 & 7

Wednesday, December 26

We got up early to get on the road towards Disney. After a brief stop for bagels and coffee, we were on our way. It took a little over an hour to get to our hotel, Disney's All Star Sports. Check-in went smoothly until we drove to our section of the resort and attempted to get into our room. It turns out the cast member who checked us in told us we were in building two while we were actually in building ten. Once that was all squared away, we jumped on a bus to Epcot.

At Epcot, we just walked around a bit, grabbed a Fastpass, and watched a film about Canada in the World Showcase. Then it was time for lunch at Tokyo Disney in the Japan pavilion. We enjoyed great service and some excellent sushi and tempura.

After lunch, we rode the newly redone Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land and Soarin and then it was time to meet my parents, sister and borther-in-law for dinner at Biergarten in the Germany pavilion. There we had a great buffet, a flight of German beers and a lively musical show right in front of us.

After dinner, we all took a boat to MGM Studios via the Epcot area resorts. At MGM, we all walked through the Osborne family lights together. Then everyone else left and we headed into Star Tours and the Great American Movie Ride before heading back to the hotel for the night.

Thursday, December 27

We got up later than most Disney visitors on our second day and headed to the Magic Kingdom around 9:30. We jumped on the Walt Disney World Railroad to sneak around to Frontierland, grabbed a Great Thunder Railroad fastpass and spent almost no time in line at Pirates of the Caribbean. We took in the Hall of Presidents show, rode the GTR and then walked over to Fantasyland where we grabbed fastpass for Peter Pan and Mickey's Philharmagic. Philharmagic was a cool 3-D show featuring songs from Disney animated movies. The kids in the audience went crazy for it which made it fun for everyone.

We had a low-key lunch in the very crowded Starlight Cafe, a good find for quality of food that was unexpected. In Tomorrowland, we rode the Peoplemover, checked out Carousel of Progress, and Stitch's Great Escape before walking down Main Street to exit around 2:30.

We took the monorail around the resorts to the Grand Floridian where Ali really liked the large (enough to hold a store inside) gingerbread house. We made a snap decision to see if any restaurants had room for dinner. The concierge hooked us up with 5:00 seating at Yak and Yeti, a new restaurant at the Animal Kingdom, so we got on a bus from the Grand Floridian and made it over in time.

Getting around Animal Kingdom was pretty tough because a parade began just as we arrived and made it nearly impossible to get to the Africa section and the Kilimanjaro safaris that we wanted to do before dinner. We ended up in a bird area of Asia for 30-45 minutes of waiting for the show to start and then had to get to the restaurant before actually seeing any of the show. The food turned out to be great the restaurant. The waiter made a mistake with Ali's order and delivered the wrong entree. He corrected it and took the charge off of our bill as well. After dinner, we made a break for the exit, a bus ride back to our hotel and then the drive back to Land 'O Lakes.

One of our pasttimes in the parks was watching couples and families that were dressed alike, family reunion shirts, Disney shirts and hats, whatever they could find to be conspicuous.

Holiday Hike - Days 4 & 5

We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas day in Land O'Lakes. On Christmas Eve, we headed to a beach near St. Petersburg with my mother to enjoy the nice weather and do a decidedly Florida-style activity for Christmas.

After the beach, the three of us had lunch at a Mexican restaurant in St. Pete and then headed back to my parents' house.

During the day, Ali made pumpkin and apple pies, we took a nice walk. We went out for Christmas Eve dinner at an Italian restaurant with a faking piano player and took a detoured drive home to see some Christmas lights. We all watched Ratatouille once we were back at home.

Throughout the day, Matt spotted South Dakota and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Manitoba. My mom had Alaska and Hawaii. Ali didn't get any. Overall, that means Matt has 17 and Ali has 20.

On Christmas Day, we watched the Disney parade, hung around watching tv, playing frisbee, etc. during the day before a great dinner. We finished the night in the hot tub and then with some movies.

Holiday Hike - Day 3

We got up and headed into Savannah for breakfast at a cafe-style place (Clary's Cafe) recommended on some web sites as an historical locale. The food was good and, since the weather was so nice, we took some time to walk around the city's old squares to see the architecture and read some plaques identifying important civil war events.

Next, we were on our way to Florida.

We drove along pretty empty state highways across much of Florida so we had trouble finding a good spot to stop for lunch. We eventually stopped at a Wendy's for something quick.

We arrived in Land O'Lakes in time for a dinner with my parents and then a walk through the neighborhood and some relaxation time.

Not a lot to report on the license plate spotting competition as we are running out of needed states.

Ali spotted Nebraska and Michigan and Matt had West Virginia, Louisiana and Oregon. Today - Matt: 3, Ali: 2. Overall....Matt: 16, Ali: 20.

Holiday Hike - Day 2

We woke up at 8:30am and found that water had leaked somewhere from the second floor and was dripping through the ceiling onto the floor on the first floor at Ali's brother's house. We shut off the water upstairs, mopped up the water and set up a bucket downstairs. Because her brother and sister-in-law are both in the Navy, we did not have an easy way to contact them, but did get in touch with their pet sitter who comes three times a week to feed and play with their cats. There wasn't much else we could do unfortunately. It turns out the pet sitter has been trying to get in touch with them to no avail as well due to their furnace not working.

We set out for downtown Norfolk and the National Maritime Museum and USS Wisconsin battleship. We arrived early, headed inside, and found out that the maritime museum and battleship were actually free entrance. We only had to pay if we also wanted to go into the science museum. We skipped that and focused on a tour of the American navy from revolutionary times through the present with special emphasis on the importance of Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads to all kinds of American history events. On the Wisconsin, we met a few volunteer docents, naval and marine vets. One guy was very talkative and shared his opinions on everything from New Jersey governmental corruption, to the war in Iraq, to the use of casino profits, to his recent triple-bypass. While the Wisconsin is not currently in active service, placards told us that is in a state of decommission that allows it to be returned to active service if needed. It most recently served in the Operation Desert Shield as the center of sea-based attacks in Kuwait and the primary hospital and dental facility at sea. It also served in the Korean War and World War II.

After leaving the museum, we began heading in the direction of Savannah, Georgia. Our next stop came a little before 1pm in Emporia, VA for lunch at Wendy's. Due to its location at the meeting point of US-13 (the road we had been traveling on) and I-95 (the road everyone else in the world was on), it was incredibly busy.

Once on I-95, we counted the South of the Border signs (49 in all). We hit quite a few annoying traffic tie-ups, mostly due to no good reason along I-95. It wasn't until we got into South Carolina and out of daylight that we really moved along smoothly for good.

We stopped for dinner at a Shoney's in South Carolina. It was extremely odd there. We both ordered from the menu and then were allowed to also take from the fruit, vegetable, salad and soup buffet. Each day there is also a rotating buffet at the same place. Tonight was seafood. We weren't sure if we were allowed to eat from there as well. If we were, though, why did we order full meals too? If not, why was it all in the same place? There were also a number of people ordering steaks, sometimes as add-ons late in the meal. I mean, a steak on a plate with nothing else. One after another. Is this some kind of Shoney's thing? That was our last Shoney's visit for this trip.

We got to Sheraton Four Points - Savannah Airport at 9:30pm and found a brand-new hotel. After some showers, we plan to head down to the bar for a drink and then bed for the next leg.

By the way, we spotted 17 state license plates on Friday. Matt was first to see 8 of them while Ali was first to see 10. (We both called out Delaware at the same time.) Matt: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi. Ali: New York, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Florida, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Iowa. Ali also spotted Quebec, but we aren't counting it in the final tally.

Today, we spotted 13 more, bringing us up to 30. Matt had Tennessee, Texas, Kentucky, South Carolina, Ohio. He also had Washington, DC and British Columbia. Ali had California, Vermont, Washington, Idaho, Oklahoma, Illinois, Arizona, New Hampshire. She also had Ontario. For today: Matt 5 - Ali 8.

Overall: Matt 13 - Ali 18. (For the record, Matt has driven 100% of the time so far.)

Holiday Hike - Day 1

Ali and I set out from Princeton around 3:15pm for the first leg of our 11 day journey to Florida and back. We made our first stop after about 2 hours drive for dinner at Applebee's (courtesy of a giftcard I received from a student today) in Newark, Delaware. Some light rain and heavy traffic was a bit of an annoyance during the first two hours. Then, we got off I-95 and took DE-1 and US-13 south through the state and the Delmarva Peninsula, over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel and into Norfolk, VA. We did make a pit stop with about 2.5 hours to go in Maryland for gas and a stretch. Total travel time, including dinner, was about 7.5 hours today.

I spent most of the US-13 time working with an SUV from NJ and another car from NY. They served as good pace cars for me and I just hung behind them all the way down. Driving on 13 instead of 95 was a good choice I think. It provided more interest and diversion than the constant drone of the interstate, which we'll experience most of the rest of the trip.

We spent the first few hours of the drive listening to Opie & Anthony on XM and then switched over to audio books. Our first was a Bill Bryson book about traveling throughout the US. Most appropriate, we thought. We finished that one and began a second Bryson book - this one about hiking the Appalachian Trail.

We're now camping out at Ali's brother and sister-in-law's house in Chesapeake, VA for the night. Neither of them are home - both out doing Navy stuff I presume. We're looking to get some sleep and get out early tomorrow to see some things in Norfolk before getting back on the road to our next destination - Savannah, GA.

Weekly Schedule (and then some)

Monday, 12/17: AM Duty, School, Department Meeting, Food Shopping

Tuesday, 12/18: AM Duty, School, Extra-help, Basketball Band

Wednesday, 12/19: AM Duty, School, Kohl's/Food Shopping, Dad's Birthday

Thursday, 12/20: AM Duty, School, Basketball Band

Friday, 12/21: AM Duty, School, Depart for Florida *Watch for on-the-road updates here, Princeton, NJ -> Norfolk, VA

Saturday, 12/22: Norfolk, VA -> Savannah, GA

Sunday, 12/23: Savannah, GA -> Land O'Lakes, FL

Monday, 12/24: Land O'Lakes, FL

Tuesday, 12/25: Land O'Lakes, FL

Wednesday, 12/26: Disney World

Thursday, 12/27: Disney World

Friday, 12/28: Land O'Lakes, FL

Saturday, 12/29: Land O'Lakes, FL -> Chester, SC

Sunday, 12/30: Chester, SC -> Charlottesville, VA

Monday, 12/31: Charlottesville, VA -> Hillsborough, NJ

Tuesday, 1/1: Happy New Year!

Weekly Schedule

Monday, 12/10: School

Tuesday, 12/11: School, Basketball band rehearsal

Wednesday, 12/12: School, Basketball band rehearsal

Thursday, 12/13: School, After-school extra help/tutoring

Friday, 12/14: School, Basketball band first performance (7pm), Dave's reunion concert (9pm)

Saturday, 12/15:

Sunday, 12/16: P2P social gathering at Rutgers Japanese art exhibit (1pm)

Weekly Schedule

12/3: AM Duty, School, Faculty Meeting, Food Shopping

12/4: AM Duty, School, Basketball Band Rehearsal

12/5: Delayed Opening (Parent-Teacher Conferences), School, New Teacher Meeting

12/6: Delayed Opening (Parent-Teacher Conferences), School, Extra Help, Tutoring, Pot Luck Dinner, Evening Conferences

12/7: Delayed Opening (In-service), School

12/8: Trans-Siberian Orchestra in Philadelphia

12/9:

Band marching to Bernards Township

Bernards Township is where Ridge High School is located.

From the 12/2 The Star-Ledger:

A high school marching band from Louisiana is traveling 26 hours by bus to come to Bernards Township to marchin in the 10th annual holiday parade Dec. 20 through Liberty Corner.

They're doing so to offer a down-home Cajun-style "thank you" to the chamber of commerce, which adopted the band's community base, Houma, La., after Hurricane Katrina devastated the town. The chamber sent six tractor-trailers with more than 500,000 pounds of supplies to keep the town going.

The students from Terrebonne High School in Louisiana raised $300 each to make the trip by bus.

To welcome them and make sure they're well-fed, Hunterdon Central Regional High School's marching band hosted a fundraiser, donating $900 to pay for meals while the band is here.

And the Olde Mill Inn of Basking Ridge discounted the price of its rooms for students to help cut costs.

Bernards Chamber Executive Director Albert LiCata said the local chamber is working with Houma's chamber and their community "for the long haul" to establish a true community partnership with them.

Weekly Schedule

Monday, 11/26 - School, Basketball band leadership meeting, Assessment for Learning meeting

Tuesday, 11/27 - School, Department meeting, Hopewell Valley marching band banquet

Wednesday, 11/28 - School, Basketball band rehearsal, new teacher meeting (not attending)

Thursday, 11/29 - School, Home instruction and/or after school help

Friday, 11/30 - School, Ali's performance at NJPAC

Saturday, 12/1 - Bucs camp (maybe)

Sunday, 12/2 - Bucs camp (maybe)

Weekly Schedule

Monday, 11/19 - Before School Duty, School, Faculty Meeting

Tuesday, 11/20 - Before School Duty, School, MTEA Co-curricular meeting at 4pm

Wednesday, 11/21 - Before School Duty, School (1/2 Day)

Thursday, 11/22 - No School, Montgomery Football Game, Thanksgiving

Friday, 11/23 - No School

Saturday, 11/24 -

Sunday, 11/25 -

Japan - 1 Year Ago

My first day in Tokyo was one year ago today...

http://mrmingle.blogspot.com/2006/11/tuesday-november-14.html

Great article about marching band

This is from the Argus Leader's (South Dakota newspaper) web site:

I don't want my wife to get any ideas, but if I had to do it all over again, I would want my children to play in a high school marching band.

Because those who do learn what life is like:It is raining and dark and cold, yet there on the hill above the school, they are practicing their show for the hundredth time, the thousandth time.

No part of them is dry. The water has found its way to them, inside their jackets, through their jeans, down their socks and into the bottoms of their shoes. It is like performing in an ocean.It rained on them yesterday. And the day before. And today a cold wind blows as well. The rain makes it difficult to grip their instruments. But the cold is worse. It pinches their fingers, numbs their lips. When they stop to listen to their director, his words seem to come from some distant place.

With the ground beneath them turning to mud, their minds recede to the summer before spent on the hill. They wore shorts and T-shirts then. Sometimes they kicked off their shoes, and the grass felt warm against their feet.Those summer days were not cold and wet. They possessed their own burdens. Huddling on the edges, whispering, their uneasiness evident in their eyes, the ones who had never performed in a high school marching band wore a collective concern. No less worried were the ones whose turn had finally come to lead. And like it is every year, the show was foreign to them all. The music, the drill, none of it was the same.They felt like children learning to walk.

And walk they did. Up and down and back and forth and around and around. Their nine-minute show was portioned into pieces, links in a chain, each only seconds long, and they marched for hours, repeating each ephemeral part - over and over, again and again - until it filled their dreams.

March. Stop. Listen.

March. Stop. Listen.

The heat of the sun seared their skin while inside, their muscles burned. Every part of them was on fire. Under their breaths they cursed themselves and each other. But mostly they cursed the director.Above them on his stand where he could see their every move, their every mistake, he seemed to them to have broken free from reality. They wanted to tell him there were limitations to their abilities. He demanded perfection, they wanted to tell him, and perfection was too much. Wasn't it enough, each thought at some especially insufferable moment, to just be good? Is being great that much of a difference?

They wanted to seize his megaphone and grind it into the dirt. Instead, they marched. They marched to the end of July and then through August and September and deep into October. And now on this fall morning, they march in a persistent pre-dawn drizzle while most of the world around them sleeps. They are bone tired. They have spent their Saturdays on often interminable bus rides to marching band competitions in communities across the prairie, rising early and returning late, and except for Sundays when they did nothing, every day of the week had been devoted to painstaking preparation for the next competition.They persevere even though their accomplishments go largely unnoticed. Television cameras do not capture their highlights. Nor do the front pages of the local newspaper revel in their deeds. They lack the incentive of celebrity that is so much the society in which they live. Unlike their taller, faster, stronger classmates who play sports to applause and adulation, in the halls of their school they are anonymous by comparison, and although they never confess it, that indignity bothers them, but they shrug it off, more determined and more resilient for it.

Shrouded in the rain, hunched and shapeless, they are shadows on the hill above the school. They are preparing for their final competition. Already, it has been a good season. They beat their cross-town rival the Saturday before - a band three times their size and under whose reputation and tradition they have toiled. Only once before in the 17-year history of their school had they or their predecessors done that, and when word of their victory was announced, they roared before jubilantly spilling into each other's arms, laughing. What their director understood about sacrifice, about excellence, they now did, too.The rain falls harder. Bracing myself against it, I look up at them and shake my head in wonder.

They are a marvel to me.