The Great White North

The one thing I have found so far is that it is hard to blog in the car! So, I'll catch you up later...

A Hybrid, of Sorts

I was outside a gas station yesterday and came across this interesting vehicle. Maybe it's not a hybrid, it's more of a crossover vehicle. This new model came equipped with a rear-view mirror (attached to the handle of the mower deck), daytime driving lights and tail lights. To save on fuel costs (I'm guessing) the mower deck has been removed.

The future of travel? We'll see.

Visit from 'The Ladies'

Okay, they didn't come to see me specifically...they came to see Jennie! But, it was nice to see some of my WDIV posse tonight. We tried a new place in Lapeer called Abruzzo's Piano Grille. We went in hopes of pizza, but didn't find any. The food was pretty good, none the less. Thanks for inviting me, ladies!

Updated

The Blue Water post has been updated.

A Blue Water Phenomenon

For most people, coming across a new-looking bag with a new-looking box of shoes inside, may seem like the find of the year. Especially, if they are your size! But for me, someone who grew up just south of Port Huron, these "great finds" are actually more like Canadian calling cards. Let me explain.

Located just north of Port Huron is an area called Fort Gratiot (it's not technically a city, probably a township.) Fort Gratiot is home to the Birchwood Mall and dozens of other big-box retailers. The Blue Water Bridge--one of the major crossings from Michigan to Canada--is also in this area. Since the mall was built in 1991, millions of Canadians have crossed the bridge looking for great buys. Even though the Canadian Dollar is much stronger now, Fort Gratiot is still the closest shopping Mecca for many Canadians. And, it seems that many are in need of new shoes.

In order to avoid paying Duty on their purchases when they cross back over the border, Canadians often come to Fort Gratiot in some of their worst looking apparel. Then, after purchasing the new goods, they simply discard their old clothes in the parking lots of the malls and stores in the area. Tacky, but very common. That's why I've become immune to seeing such 'goody bags' being left behind in the lots.

Now, I'm sure that this problem also shows up in other 'border' towns, and on principal, I guess I expect our often eco-friendly, tree hugging neighbors to the North to have a little more class. Come on all you Canadians, use the trash can!!

So, if you are ever shopping in Fort Gratiot and see a new box of shoes on the ground, leave them be---trust me!

Back in Business

This lovely icon courtesy of m macbook pro.

It's all because of our ISP

I noticed that my last post was May 3, 2007. That is because our Wireless Internet Service Provider--who shall remain nameless for now--SUCKS!

We've called a dozen times and still no respone. It's currently 2:50am, which is why I can finally get on!

True Champions!

Last weekend, eight of my Interactive Media students, Mrs. Lieske and I went to Lansing to compete in the annual Skills USA State Contest. Skills USA is a student and professional organization that was developed to help all students be successful both in their chosen fields of study and in the world of work. Their website has more information if you're interested.

Anyway, on with the story...
The event was held Friday through Sunday. So, on Friday, we left school around 8:30 and headed for Lansing. After a stop for breakfast in Davison, we continued to downtown East Lansing. I think my students were both excited and pleased to find that our trip would only be about an hour long. Many had never been there before. Once there, the first thing we did was go shopping! After perusing the books at Barnes and Noble and checking out the sweet digs at Urban Outfitters, we decided to take a walking tour of Michigan State Univeristy. We walked through the Union, past the Library and Beaumont Tower, over the Red Cedar River and past the International Center until we reached my Alma Mater: The College of Communicaiton Arts and Sciences. I had not made any reservations for a tour, so we looked at what we could through the glass windows. Our next stop was the MSU Dairy Store for some delicious ice cream.

After our circle tour or MSU, we headed to the Holiday Inn South to check in. From there, it was Laser Tag and dinner and then the Opening Ceremonies. Students had about 2 hours for fun before they had to be back in their rooms.



Saturday morning, the vibe changed from fun to frenzy as we rushed to take care of last-minute issues in preparation for our contests. Jamie and Brittney competed in Web Design and I had three teams for TV Video Production: Matt R. & Molly, Jeff and Matt B. and Jaimie and Andrew. Keeping track of the details of two contests, while trying to run the TV Video contest proved to be a bit hectic. Luckily, they were at the same building and even in the same hallway. Also, Jill was a big help in the orchestration of people and equipment. We got to the M-TEC center at 7:30 and finally all left around 3:30pm. At least the students. Jennie and I had to organize the judges and make sure they had everything they needed to judge the videos. We were done around 6:30. At that time, I headed back to the Holiday Inn to round up my students for dinner

Because Jennie and I were in charge, we knew that evening how our teams had done. I knew it would be easy for me to play dumb, but I was worried my lovely wife would spill the beans. Surprisingly, we both held our tounges!



Sunday morning was the Awards Ceremony.

The first of my contests to be called was Web Design. I'm very proud of the hard work my ladies put in, and we both knew that they had Silvered because only two teams were competing. I was still very happy for them when they took the Silver. Most importantly, we now know how the contest is run for next year!

The second contest to be announced was TV Video Production. Once again, I had known since 6pm Saturday that one of my teams had placed...in fact...all of the teams did quite well. I had to pretend that I didn't know anything, though! I was down front taking pictures when their names were called, but I could tell they were totally thrilled to be in the top 3. Then, the words I was waiting for "The Bronze Medal Goes to Lapeer County Ed-Tech!" Followed by the words I knew were coming..."The Gold Medal goest to St. Clair TEC!" My wife and one of her teams took the gold! Out of about 22 high school teams, my teams took 3rd, 4th and 5th places. Not too bad, considering we did practically no video production in class this year.

It's funny how many people came up to me and jokingly said "I bet the converstation around the dinner table is gonna be tense tonight!" Actually, that's so very far from the truth. Jennie and I are blessed to have the best jobs ever. What's more, we teach the same thing and are both very passionate about it. I think of jennie's students as an extension of my class and I think she feels the same way about mine. In fact, we both offered input to our students on a few occasions.

What a weekend, indeed. The reason for my tardy post is that I have just now FINALLY caught up on sleep from the weekend!

Congratuations to all who participated!

California Adventure

The open road calls...and I listen!

Being the adventurous sort, I decided that when I arrived in Vegas, I would immediately hop in my rented Dodge Caliber and head south and west to California's West Coast. After a few hours of shut eye, I continued my trek. It was a fun, yet brief trip. An even briefer summary starts below...

7:30am - Laguna Beach

After a few hours of shut eye overnight, I drove from Vegas to LA. More specifically, I headed for Laguna Beach, somwhere south of Los Angeles. I was temped by signs for Disneyland--and I actually drove up to the main gate. But, it was early in the morning and the park didn't open for a few more hours. So, I resisted temptation and moved on. I spent some time on the beach and enjoying the downtown area during my stay in Laguna Beach. L.B. is a place I could totally move to, it has the small town charmed combined with fabulous beaches and friendly people. If only I was independently wealthy!

10:00 am - Heading North

Time to get going. After all, I was on a strick (hardly) schedule. I went through several great little beach communities while heading up Highway 1 - aka the Pacific Coast Highway.

12:00 pm - Hollywood

Highway 1 was nice, but the closer I got to Los Angeles, the thicker the traffic was. It didn't take long for me to find myself back on the freeway dealing with the never-ending rush hour traffic. Eventually, I got to "Hollywood."

3:00 pm - The Drive Back

All good things must come to an end. This was true of my whirlwind tour of the CA pacific coast as well. Around 3pm, I started my trip back through the mountains and Mohave desert towards Las Vegas.

7:00 pm - Welcome to Caesar's Palace

Upgraded to a sweet, just for being so charming and good looking. Nice!

Touchdown...

It's 9pm and I just touched down at McCarren International Airport in Las Vegas. Since the conference does not start until Sunday, my plan is to hop in the rental car and drive to California.

Out of the Box....Back in the Box

Have you ever seen those stickers the Red Cross gives you if you try to give blood but, for whatever reason, cant? Well, "I Tried."

When Jennie and I were at a conference in Detroit a couple of weeks ago, we fell in love with an HP laptop that was also a tablet PC. You could open it up as a standard laptop, or spin the screen around and write on the touchscreen. A million uses ran through our heads. We could use it for productions, writing directly on the screen and taking notes. In class, I could make notations and have them show up on the projector. Etc. Etc. Etc.

But...it's 12.1" screen made it WAY too small. I think what really turned me off, though, was speed. If this had been a $700 laptop, the speed would have been okay. You get what you pay for. But for a, well, much more expensive laptop, it took forever to accomplish anything. And the pop-ups started almost immediately for me!

So, I'm staying true to my true desires. We're getting another MacBook Pro...sometime before our big trip.

A Better Blogger

Alright, I'm going to try to be a better blogger from this point forward. I actually have lots to post, the only problem is that I need a personal assistant to type it in for me, since I seem to find other ways to keep myself busy.

But, I am responding to popular demand (Jennie.)

Welcome To My iTunes, Edie Brickell!

As is the case most Friday nights, I was driving home from WDIV last night around 11:30pm, scanning the FM radio dial looking for some amusement. I have recently spent about every Friday night coming back from my shift at the station. During this 'late nite' drive, most Detroit radio stations are airing some sort of "Friday Night Dance Party" programming. I find this one of the most interesting times to skip around the FM dial and see what's going on. Most of the time, I'm listening to Sirius which has many great features like Song and Artist display. This feature would have been helpful last night.

I was on 93.9 (a Canadian station now called "The River"--changed from "Lite Rock") when I heard a pleasing sound, both vocally and instrumentally. Quite possibly, one of the best examples of well-balanced musical tone. The voice was female and sounded familiar, but I could not--for the life of me--figure out who I was listening to (this is where Sirius has the edge.) So, all I could do at that moment was make a mental note of the chorus..."I quit, I give up, nothing else is..."

When I got home, I Googled those few lyrics I had managed to remember and came up with the answer I was looking for. The song was called "Circle" by Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians. Hmm...a new band, perhaps? Not exactly. It appears that the band actually came on the scene in the mid-'80s. The most recognizable song is "What I am" (what I am is what I am, is that what your are or what.) After perusing the band's catalog (and Edie's solo stuff), I can honestly say that I like them. I'm not in love yet, but I appreciate what the band has to offer both musically and lyrically.

The thing that impresses me most about the song "Circle" is its Timelessness. The song is 20 years old, but can easily pass for one produced last week. Edie has one of those unique and unmistakable voices that once you hear, you immediately fall in love with. Her voice is coarse, but controlled. Which makes the experience of listening to her quite pleasant.

Interested in hearing Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians? I suggest stopping by their web site, downloading their album on iTunes or perhaps calling "The River" and making a request. You know me, I'm not one to post copyrighted music on the Internet. I'm a good boy.

Enjoy!

The Best Thing about MACUL