Now that I know there is a cat food party mix, I’d be just as upset.
I’m sure the real reason that cat is unhappy is that its name is Burgers and Fries. Try putting that on a coffee mug or a drivers license.
The only thing better is probably eating the cat food out of one of those goblets that they show in the commercials.
Maybe my parents didn’t love me…they never fed me out of a crystal goblet…but Admiral Snuggles our cat always got top of the line means served from one of those fancy trays.
I actually love cats and prefer them over dogs…just my personal preference.
There is actually starting to be a reason to be a Reds fan: Optimism and Positivity are usually not words associated with Reds fans. However, the chips are starting to fall into place for a pretty decent team this year. I won’t be reserving my World Series tickets just yet but for the first time in a long time I think I have a reason to be excited about the coming season.
The Reds have reportedly signed Orlando Cabrera to play shortstop this year. It is also possible that a deal for Jonny Gomes is in the works. The Reds usually have gaping holes in their lineup and pitching staff…now they have minor weaknesses that can be addressed later in the year or next year if necessary. Even better, they have a minor league system that is chock full of future stars…Chapman, Leake, Wood, Frazier, Heisey, Alonso, Francisco are all names we are probably going to be hearing in the next few years…especially if you read this blog.
Bowling Scores for the Week: 183, 166, 159. My team won all 3 games and continues to contend for the top spot but there is a long way to go before the end of the season.
Glad to hear that many of you thought the test was easy. I also heard something very similar while grading the scantron. The machine buzzes every time there is a wrong answer and yesterday, the machine barely buzzed…a great sign. Part B is almost completely graded. Now I need to work on the essays, which isn’t easy…especially on the weekend.
This Day In History
1933-Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany…certainly not a great day in world history. You don’t need me to tell you what atrocities would happen after he came to power.
2003-Richard Reid, The Shoe Bomber was sentenced to life in prison.
Today is also the birthday of Gene Hackman. Hackman is a great actor who in the 80s seemed to be in every movie. A great war movie that he was in and is worth seeing is Bat 21. It is also the birthday of former Vice President Dick Cheney. Happy Birthday also to Christian Bale of Batman. He might be the best of all the batmen besides Adam West of course.
It also would have been the birthday of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Here is a picture of the political cartoon we discussed in class with FDR trying to cure an ailing Uncle Sam. In a simple google search you can find several great political cartoons with FDR.
I read the newspaper every day but Sundays are always jam packed with info and articles and ads etc. that I spend over an hour reading Newsday and Daily News (I like their sports section).
While reading through the coupons last week I stumbled upon this.
Even odder, if you went to the website, you probably noticed that there are 5 varieties!!! First of all, do cats really need all of this variety? Second, WHERE DO THESE CAT PARTIES TAKE PLACE???????
The last school day of January. Where does the time go? I guess time flies when you’re having fun, which I do every day at school.
Today is also the last day of the quarter.
Hopefully the test grades are good. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
COOOOOOOOOOOOLD today! I want winter to go away. Especially if we’re not getting any snow days out of it!
This Day In History
It is fitting that on the day of our American Revolution test King George III died (1820). It is also fitting that this would have been the birthday of Thomas Paine.
1850-The Compromise of 1850…a bandaid on a huge wound called the issue of slavery. It basically delayed the inevitable, The Civil War. More on this towards the very end of the year. It is coming sooner than we think.
Birthdays Today include Oprah (Say No To the O) and Tom Selleck from Magnum PI. The Magnum theme song is one of the greats of all time. It is right up there with Hawaii 5-0 in my opinion. It also was the birthday of former President William McKinley.
I think we need to discuss our favorite topic…..FOOD! Only this time we should point out that there are these healthy things out there called vegetables. They’re actually good for you. They don’t have to be deep fried or covered in chocolate or anything.
I personally like carrots (usually not cooked), cucumbers, broccoli (both cooked or raw-with a vegetable dip), peas, corn, peppers, lettuce. I don’t eat tomatoes.
We shouldn’t forget that there are foods that taste good and are good for you too. Question of the Day What are some of your favorite healthy foods?
It is becoming a daily plea so here goes: I’m begging the Reds to fill in a hole at SS or LF. It is reported that Johnny Damon is interested in the Reds (among other teams). However, I’m sure he’s more interested in money. There are outfielders out there without a home. The Reds don’t have to get Damon, but they can’t strike out on the likes of Jermaine Dye, Jonny Gomes and Johnny Damon. One of them (in my opinion) needs to be in a Reds uniform for 2010. If that doesn’t happen, I wouldn’t mind seeing Orlando Cabrera at SS if the price is right. I don’t think Miguel Cairo (signed yesterday to a minor league contract) is the answer as a backup to Paul Janish. The problem is the Reds have already committed too much money to Willy Taveras and that guy is just terrible.
This Day In History
1959-Vince Lombardi becomes the coach of the Green Bay Packers. Of course, the Superbowl Trophy is named the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Today is also the birthday of Elijah Wood. Not the student, the Lord of the Rings actor.
Wyn expressed his disappointment in me for actually discussing (gasp!) healthy foods. I felt that I was promoting a non-healthy lifestyle. Hopefully you can tell that while I do enjoy unhealthy foods, I do try to mix in healthy ones also. I even drink vegetable juice from time to time. I didn’t mention fruits because I honestly don’t eat them that often (unless they are in a pie-ughhhh…back to unhealthy foods again) but I do like bananas and pineapples. Actually, grilled pineapples are AMAZING. If you’ve never had them, give them a shot this summer. Another good fruit is grapes. Even frozen grapes are enjoyable in the summer.
Potatoes are good too…but usually not very healthy.
I don’t think we’re quite ready for the Superbowl yet. I’m still in the early stages of creating those videos. That and I don’t have the 3 million dollars it costs to create a superbowl add. But you have to admit, it would be pretty cool if I did have a Superbowl commercial.
You can practically do anything with the websites that now exist. I’m hoping to use these “cartoons” more often, perhaps to create short review clips. However, I doubt they will work in school (they likely will be blocked) and I don’t know if I have the time to devote to something like this.
I was reading in the newspaper a few days ago that this month marks the 50th anniversary of bubble wrap. What would we do without bubble wrap? Interesting fact, bubble wrap was originally intended to be used to create textured wallpaper. According to the article, the company has revenues of more that $4 billion.
This Date In History
2006-Western Union sent its last telegram. Obviously the telegraph machine became very outdated after the phone, email and cell phones began to be used widely.
Today is the birthday of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. It also would have been the birthday of author of Alice in Wonderland Lewis Carroll.
Enjoy the day!
We didn’t get as much done as I would have liked. It wasn’t because we didn’t work hard, I guess I just had lofty goals for today. Thankfully we have another review day tomorrow. Also, Core Extension will include review including our original plans and anything we don’t finish in Extra Help and class.
A student mentioned that we are behind all of the other teams. For the record, 2 houses are having their American Revolution test on Thursday. We are having ours on Friday. No cause for concern there. Yellow is ahead content-wise, but it isn’t a race…or at least I’m not participating in one. The only concern I would have is if we were behind last year’s pace. We are doing fine and I expect to finish all of the work on the wall.
Emily asked about the “little agreement before the Declaration of Independence”. I’m not sure what she was referring to. Perhaps it was Common Sense, a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine to get people to support independence. Another possibility is the Olive Branch Petition, the colonists one last attempt at peace with Great Britain. The Treaty of Paris (1783) took place at the end of the war (something we will discuss in class today). Remember, the Declaration of Independence doesn’t actually give the colonists their independence. It just makes it clear to Britain and the rest of the world why they want independence.
Political cartoons are due tomorrow.
Answer the yesterday’s word puzzle will appear at the bottom of this post.
VA DERS
Today’s Birthdays Include new American Idol judge Ellen DeGeneres, Mr. Baseball himself Bob Uecker, Wayne Gretzky and Long Island’s own Emily Hughes. It also would have been the birthday of American General Douglas MacArthur.
Answer to the puzzle: Space Invaders.
Can you come up with any similar puzzles?
Copies of the practice test still remain. It might be helpful to take one tomorrow and then we can go over it Thursday during Extra Help (or even Core Extension). For the next 2 days it is all review (and Valley Forge). I wrote out an agenda for class on the board at the end of the day and it is easily more than 2 periods of work. On top of that, there is a separate agenda for Extra Help and of course your questions.
I will not be having extra help tomorrow morning. I have a meeting. There also won’t be extra help Friday morning.
Johnny Damon remains unsigned. Rumors that I heard from the Michael Kay radio show is that he might end up in Oakland. I’d love to see the Reds try to get him but the economics probably won’t allow that. The Reds continue to have a hole in left field that needs to be plugged in.
How much longer until Brett Favre retires…only to unretire?
You have to consider this a great season for the Jets. Never in a million years did anyone expect them to make it to the AFC championship, especially with a rookie Quarterback. Expect them to only get better. However, the competition in the AFC will be doing the same.
Reds rumblings
“I would not be surprised to see Jermaine Dye wind up in Cincinnati…maybe even a guy like Gary Sheffield.”
-Bob Nightengale, USA Today Baseball Writer
Dye nearly became a Red last year. Luckily for the Reds he didn’t. Not because Dye is bad but because it would have meant the Reds traded Homer Bailey. Now the Reds have the chance to have Bailey in the starting rotation and Dye in the outfield. If the Reds have the money, I’d take Dye.
I’d say no to Gary Sheffield. NO, NO, NO!
A new American Revolution practice quiz has been added to my website. Check it out as part of your studying over the next few days. Remember, this week there is no homework other than studying (and perhaps to get your political cartoon project grade signed).
Naturally, you do need to complete the Political Cartoon assignment this week. It is due Wednesday.
On This Day In History
1787-Shays Rebellion is in full swing but failing. This rebellion was one of the signs that the Articles of Confederation, the framework for the US’s first government, was not working and needed to be revised. It would actually be completely removed and The US Constitution was created to take its place.
The weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation will be one of our first topics of February.
Happy Birthday today to Alicia Keys. It also would have been the birthday of Confederate General George Pickett.
Can you figure out this word puzzle?
VA DERS
For those who have not seen 1776 during Core Extension, below is one of my favorite clips.
Bowling Scores for the week: 137, 170, 154. I definitely didn’t come back with a bank after a one week layoff. Hopefully next week is much better.
Baseball Player Retires to Enter Priesthood
Good to see some people still to their morals and follow their dreams. This youngster (who I have never heard of before watching the MLB Network yesterday) was ranked as the 8th best prospect in the Athletics minor league system. At 23, you have to respect that he is giving up a lucrative career to do what he believes he was called to do. Perhaps it would have been more fitting if he played for the Angels.
Last night was Conan O’Brien’s last night as host of The Tonight Show. Some people don’t think he’s funny but I’ve been watching his show since he started back in the early 90s. I don’t watch it often because the time it is on, but when I do I am always entertained. Hopefully he lands someone else on our television sets soon.
The Reds have signed Jose Arredondo, a pitcher. Arredondo is injured and will not pitch this year because of Tommy John surgery. However, he will pitch in 2011 and figures to play a major role in the Reds bullpen if he returns to his 2008 form with the Angels. In 2008, Arredondo was 10-2 with a 1.62 ERA in the bullpen. Hopefully this works out.
Also on the Reds front, it sounds like Jonny Gomes might end up signing with the Cubs. It is a shame because I think he would have been a good fit for the Reds this year. Unfortunately, economics plays a big role for small market teams and they weren’t able to afford him. Hopefully Jay Bruce and Drew Stubbs have great seasons and Chris Dickerson proves that he belongs in the lineup on a regular basis. We’re only a few weeks away from spring training.
This Day In History
1845-Congress decides that Election Day will always be on the first Tuesday AFTER the first Monday in November. This was done to avoid having election day on All Saint’s Day, a Christian Holiday.
Historical Birthdays include John Hancock. Am I the only one humming 1776 songs in my head all day now that we are watching the musical? Probably!
It is also the birthday of Tiffani Thiessen. She played Kelly from Saved by the Bell and Valerie on 90210. You know you are getting old when the stars of shows you watched as a child are turning 36!
I had a good time at the cooking workshop that Mrs. Dowling and I went to. I was in a bit over my head but I never found myself to be useless or in the way while my more seasoned partners prepared food.
My dislike of Oprah has been well documented. However, while talking to my mom on Friday, I did have the show on and she actually had a pretty good theme. It was about texting while driving and overall use of cell phones while driving. People are making pledges to not use phones while driving because of the high risk of accidents, sometimes even deadly ones. When I use my phone while driving I always use a hands-free device or speaker phone. As for texting, I can barely do it while doing nothing so I would never attempt it while driving.
If you parents or others that drive you around text while driving, perhaps this is something you should bring to their attention. For some reason, if Oprah says it, people listen.
My prediction for today’s football game, Colts over the Jets. However, I’m rooting for the Jets.
Depressing Article from Wall Street Journal
It seems that Cincinnati is experiencing one of the longest droughts in sports championship history. Hopefully, they can reverse this as soon as possible.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the following towns with at least two pro-sports teams have gone the longest without an appearance in an existing league’s championship round.
1 New Orleans N/A
2 Milwaukee 1982 World Series
3 Kansas City 1985 World Series
4 Cincinnati 1990 World Series
5 Minn.-St. Paul 1991 World Series
6 Toronto 1993 World Series
7 Washington, D.C. 1998 Stanley Cup Final
This Date In History (Sunday, 1/24)
1993-Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court Justice dies. Marshall is also known as the lawyer for the family of the young girl in the case Brown vs. The Board of Education. This case established that segregation in schools should not continue and that separate but equal can never be equal.
2003-The new cabinet position of Department of Homeland Security officially opens. This cabinet position was made necessary after the terrorist attacks in 2001.
There are many celebrity birthdays today including Neil Diamond, Ernest Borgnine, Aaron Neville, Olympic Gold Metalist Mary Lou Retton, and Tatyana Ali from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire.
