At what age is it necessary to have a cell phone?
When did you first have a cell phone?
Although it was a different time, I got my first cell phone when I was 18. I barely used it then and I still limit my use.
Archive for August, 2010
31
Aug
Question of the Day
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31
Aug
The Cuban Missile Is About to Launch
No, no, no…Don’t get worried…there isn’t another Cuban Missile Crisis. The Reds are set to call up their Cuban phenom Aroldis Chapman. Chapman signed with the Reds this winter for $30 million and his fastball has been clocked in at over 100 mph. In fact, last week it was reported that he threw 2 fastballs in 105 mph!
Other than Stephen Strasburg, Chapman got the most press this offseason. By the way, Strasburg is done for the rest of this season and will likely miss all of next year with an arm injury.
Reading is FUNdamental
I just finished reading The Cincinnati Reds. Although the book is an “Illustrated History”, there was a lot more reading than expected. I learned a lot about the teams of Reds seasons past. This book was a gift from a former student a few years ago so thanks to Tom G. (although I doubt he is reading, there was no blog back then).
Speaking of the Reds, they now have a 6! game lead over the 2nd place Cardinals. This weekend they face the dreaded St. Louis Cardinals with the opportunity to bust the race wide open.
The last day of August….UGH!
30
Aug
New Students
As we posted a few days ago, Welcome!
If you intend to post a comment on the blog please be sure to post your name. Since I don’t know who any of you are yet, it would be helpful if you posted your first AND last name. If you only post your first name, you run the risk of having your comment deleted (at least until I know who you are.).
posted by Mr. Dowling in Uncategorized and have Comments (5)
28
Aug
The Last Weekend of Summer…
…at least for teachers. We go back to school on Thursday (for one day). It shouldn’t be too bad but it is the first time we’ve gone back to school before Labor Day.
Finished Another Book
I finished reading Game Change, a book about the 2008 Presidential Election. It is actually a pretty good book. Surprisingly, there were a lot of things that went on during the election that I had forgotten. It is a great read into what makes an election and the amount of time, energy and money that goes into running for President. The book will also give you an idea how the small states like Iowa and New Hampshire are really important in picking our nominees for President.
Everyone in this book (except for perhaps Obama) comes out looking less than good. Even if you aren’t an Obama fan, this is a book worth reading if you are into politics.
Reds Rolling
It takes 3 home runs by Jay Bruce to overshadow the Sports Illustrated cover boy. Bruce’s 3 homeruns, along with the first career HR by Chris Valaika and 8 solid innings propelled the Reds to a big victory over the Cubs.
The Reds are a bit banged up with injuries to Brandon Phillips, Laynce Nix and Mike Leake but it looks as if Aaron Harang is just about ready to return and we could be seeing Aroldis Chapman soon.
If you check out the top left corner of our page, you will see the Reds magic number. Any Reds win or Cardinals loss reduces that number. If it gets to 0 the Reds will be in the playoffs.
Next week is the big weekend…3 games against the Cardinals. In addition to the Cardinals being in 2nd place, there is a lot of bad blood from the brawl these two teams had a few weeks ago.
A Message to the Oblivious
A drove past a certain oblivious blog visitor twice yesterday. Despite honking my horn repeatedly, this person did not notice. Perhaps this person could not hear me because of his I-Pod. I won’t give away his name, but his initials are C.H.
Don’t play your music so loud…you won’t be able to hear anyone! Besides, it is bad for your hearing.
25
Aug
Welcome
My new students are checking out socialstudieswithasmile.com for the first time and are probably stumbling upon the blog. This is one of my favorite parts of the website. I hope it gives me, students (current and past), and possibly even parents the opportunity to communicate about things that don’t always have to do with school.
I am excited about getting to know my new students. We have a great team this year!
See you soon in school!
25
Aug
The Reds Are Jinxed???
They say being on the cover of Sports Illustrated is bad luck. Uh Oh!!! Look at this week’s coverboy:
Judging by the Reds performance the last two nights, there might actually be some truth to the Sports Illustrated Jinx.
23
Aug
High Five Anyone?
What do you think the record is for most high fives in a 24 hour period? According to the article from The Daily News, a man broke the record with 3,132 high fives.
Personally, I think the record should be taken away from this guy (Sam Kass). If you look at the picture below, he wore gloves on his hands to high five people. If you are unwilling to actually touch the hand of another person, it shouldn’t count as a high five!
Do we know anyone as passionate about food as this guy?
How about the Reds taking 2 of 3 from the Dodgers. Joey Votto came up big with 3 RBI including a 2 run single in the 9th against Broxton. The at-bat was a ten pitch classic with Votto fighting back from an 0-2 count to slap a single to left on 3-2.
Now it’s on to fact the Giants. The Reds are currently 5-1 on their current West Coast trip. This is usually where Reds teams go to die but there’s plenty of fuel left in the Big Red Machine.
On the left hand side of the page, you’ll find the Reds current Magic Number. As of Monday, a combination of 37 Reds wins and Cardinals losses will put the Reds in the playoffs.
20
Aug
Question/Challenge of the Day
I forgot to add a question to my recent post about books…so here goes:
What book(s) have you read over the summer?
I know the 8th graders have required reading, so if you haven’t started, get to it.
If you haven’t read a book at all this summer, I’m challenging you to do so.
Libraries have tons of books (and other resources). Also, a trip to the bookstore is always enjoyable. It is more than just books. My bookstore has games and movies and music and snacks. If you haven’t been to a bookstore, check it out one day.
Reading can actually be fun. I tend to read history, some fiction (mysteries, thrillers, etc.), and sports books.
20
Aug
To Make Me Seem Smarter…
I just finished reading a rather lengthy book, A New Literary History of the America
This book covers a variety of literature, art, music, speeches, etc. from American History. I didn’t love all of this book. In fact, I glazed over some of the parts that weren’t interesting to me. I did take a few notes that will likely help me in class, which is important.
I’ve only read 3 books this vacation. This one was over 1000 pages and I’ve also read Game Six, a book about Game Six of the 1975 World Series, and The Machine, a book about the 1975 Cincinnati Reds aka The Big Red Machine. The 1975-1976 Reds are often named as one of the best teams ever. Reading for fun is much harder during the school year so I try to get in as many books as I can during the summer. I still have 2 weeks!
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend these books unless you are a baseball history fan. Of the two, Game Six was written better.
