Woo hoo!!! The local news – as if those of us trying to keep warm don’t already know this – just said our local weather station at the Greater Binghamton Regional Airport is the coldest location in the Northeast with the exception of Mount Washington. That is quite a feat. Of course, Mt. Washington has some unique weather associated with it so I don’t want to have its winds or its cold.
It is a whopping -3F and -19F with the wind.
Bundle up or snuggle up!
Below are my comments on a proposed vote setting for a school building project. You can see more about the project by visiting an article archive at our local paper - M-E project vote to be set – or at the school web site.
I have to say that I am extremely disappointed in the Board of Education and the current scope of the building project you are set to vote on a date for a public referendum tonight. I have also found that getting detailed information from the school district has been interesting. I am basing my comments on what was printed in the January 23rd Press and Sun-Bulletin and previously known items. They may not all be correct which should cause some concern among the district.
I do totally support and agree that the classroom needs at MEMS and Maine-Endwell Senior High are of the utmost importance. While our students excel in what they do and have gone on to higher education at prestigious institutions, they have done so being at a distinct disadvantage from their peers at other high school in the Southern Tier, in NYS and in this country.
What I fail to understand is why an artificial turf football field is more important than a new swimming facility and thereby, was put in the proposal with the classrooms. The current field is used only for football games and the track for modified and varsity track meets. The public does use the track for exercise purposes also. If the proposal passes, I have not seen where current usage would change. The current school usage, as I see it which may not be complete, is three football teams in the fall – modified, junior varsity and varsity – and two track and field teams – a modified and a varsity. I know that there is talk that more teams would use the turf field. I want to know that this is the case. I, having been the parent of more than one student-athlete, know that reality is the football program tends to take ownership of this field during the season and other teams do not use it frequently. The modified football team may use it once during a season but other than that, it is used for the home games in an eight or nine game season and that is it. I also know that it has been discouraged that spring teams use the field. I have only, since 1998, seen one lacrosse game on that field in the spring. I am not certain that the change in attitude that is necessary for the costs – not only initial, but maintenance – of a turf field are warranted in Maine-Endwell.
The current high school swimming pool is used for swimming across the district, which is mandated by the physical education curriculum by New York State. Elementary and middle school students are bussed to the pool to take part in the swimming component of physical education. There are swimming lessons offered at the pool in the summer months. These lessons are a community use of the pool. Also, in the past, Union Aquatics has held practices at the pool – another community use. The school district fields four teams that utilize this pool – a modified and a varsity girls’ swimming and diving team and a modified and a varsity boys’ swimming and diving team. These teams practice under extreme circumstances. While other teams are kept off the playing field the football team uses as “home” field, our swimmers, but not our divers, are sharing a “home” pool with the entire district. This is what the case should be with athletic facilities. Our divers never see a “home” pool. They practice at a neighboring school district and, if lucky, get to compete against this school district at their pool so they can dive in their training facility. Another issue with the divers is how they operate at an extreme disadvantage. Each week of competition a different type of dive is the required dive – forward, inward, back, twist – but at Maine-Endwell, our divers go weeks without diving in competition because home meets do not have diving.
Spectator capacity is still another issue that is being unfairly looked at by putting the pool upgrade on a separate proposal or proposition. While I totally agree that the seating at the football field does not meet new building codes and is unsafe for most people, there is adequate seating in the home and visitor bleachers to seat those who come to the games. I have never seen a game where both sets/sides of bleachers were filled to overflowing. On the other hand, the two small portable aluminum bleachers that are in the pool area downstairs do have enough space to seat the families of our team members, let alone the families of opposing team members. I am sure that the Owego meet last Friday had attendance that, if a fire marshall had been in the building and looking, would have been above the number of people that the pool area can safely seat. There does not seem to be any concern for the seating of spectators at the pool area as there has been for the spectators at the football field.
To this end, I respectfully request that the Maine-Endwell Board of Education reexamine the way the upgrades to our facilities are placed before the voters. Equal attention needs to be given to the overall use of the athletic facilities that are included in the proposals. It is not fair to include one athletic facility – the football field – in the main proposal with the classrooms and not put another athletic facility – the pool – in the same setting. I would like to recommend that either both athletic facilities be put in the main proposal or both be put in separate proposals and the voters can vote on three proposals instead of the two currently under consideration.
I have waited a few days so that I have had time to really think about what was said when President Bush addressed a joint session of Congress for the 2007 State of the Union. I have to think that if I were to place myself in his shoes, I might sound different than I did in other speeches. After all, there were close to ten people listening in the chamber that want his job and are more than willing to criticize regardless what he says. Add to that all the Republicans that are seeking re-election in the next two years who do not think he has any “coattails” to ride on and the audience was definitely hostile. Still, I have to say – as I have on many occasions – I think the speech would have been better if someone with more oratory skills had given it.
George Bush is not the best public speaker. He should have, during his eight years in office, realized this and taken steps to correct it. It is possible that he could act more comfortably and spoke much better while governor of Texas. Unfortunately, he should have taken a page from Gerald Ford’s book and gotten help on how to speak. When it comes to formal speaking, he is poor at best. He doesn’t have the right inflection nor the correct facial expressions to detail what he is really saying.
Yes, he looked more somber when giving this year’s State of the Union. I do not think that is because the weight of what he was saying was on him. Nor do I think it was due to the hostile audience. I think it was due to different speech writers and not being comfortable with his own speaking abilities. I think this State of the Union would have received totally different review – under the same circumstances – had it been given by someone else.
we want the best
we want what’s fair
will we ever hold each other tight
will we really care
the day has come
the road is long
we will see and hold each other
our true heart’s song
This topic is so odd as I was just completing – or making more complete – my profile on a dating site yesterday. One of the topics was what’s on your playlist?
I don’t know for sure that my soundtrack would ever be listened to by anyone else. It is extremely varied and depends, not only on my mood but also time of day, season of year.
I love Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
I also would have Diana Krall singing – anything but I particularly like the CDs When I Look in Your Eyes or The Look of Love most of all. I was turned onto Diana Krall by a Canadian friend who picked her out as singing a number on the soundtrack of a movie we were seeing. I can’t remember if it was Random Hearts or the other movie we saw that weekend.
I also would have to have some new Red Hot Chili Peppers from Stadium Arcadium. This is one of my favorite CDs currently.
I think I would round the soundtrack out with:
I have always been a bit odd but there you go – a weird but definitely me soundtrack.
I know that this topic has been a big one for me this month – or maybe it is just the past few days. I have a friend who is a published author and also a webmistress. I was caught by an article on her web site that I know I have read before but was drawn to re-read again.
Annual goal setting should help reinforce the lessons students learn in elementary, middle and high school along with college. I have seen students who are ranked high in their classes go to college and be totally lost. They do not understand how to set goals and then take the baby steps to reach these goals. This becomes a continual problem because without this skill, how does a student finish a long-term project?
The article on CEO’s OrganizedHome.com is about what we can learn from athletes about goal setting. I had never really thought about it but athletes do know how to set and reach goals. They also, by simple virtue of competition seasons, know how to evaluate each step to a goal – the part that a lot of students never know exists. This article is well worth your time to read.
So what is it about a new year that makes people want to set resolutions? Does the average resolution setter realize there is more to reaching a goal than just setting a resolution? What are the steps necessary to reach that resolution?
Okay – say that the resolution is to lose weight in the new year – no, not one of mine as I like to set aspirations – things to aspire to with goals along side to help me reach them. Does saying you want to lose weight help in any way the actual lose of weight? Not likely. Usually, you need to have new eating habits, new exercise habits. These items need specifics to go with them. I will menu plan and be sure to drink plenty of water – still vague, I know but slightly better than lose weight. Possibly even mentioning in a resolution how much weight you will lose would be better.
So, do you set New Year’s resolutions? If not, do you set something else? And more important, how do you hold yourself accountable for what you want to achieve?
I know, why aspirations? I have always thought goals were those little steps you take to reach a loftier, higher aim. Therefore, and based on Sarah Ban Breathnach’s Simple Abundance, I have aspirations for the new year. I realize I have already missed a good portion of the year.
I have spent some time going over last year’s aspirations. I don’t think I did very well with them so, to that end, I will post monthly progress – at the end of the month – throughout this year to help myself be more accountable.
A lot of my aspirations are the same but there are a few new ones.
Aspirations 2007 (look for monthly goals a bit later, start February)
I know this is all great written down. Stay tuned for progress throughout the year.
I admit I am a bit behind. In 2006, I had reviewed the previous year and managed to set new aspirations (similar to goals but loftier in my mind) by January 2. This year it is 19 days later and I am just reviewing.
I am, once again, in the market for a new computer. My initial thought was I was going to get a laptop but since the desktop I use for work at home and my kids use for school and such has no fan anymore, it is a desktop I am getting. A little background – I use to, millenium ago in computer years, sell computers. I have programming knowledge. I know what I want in a processor and a machine. That having been said, I hate shopping for computers.
There are two reasons that it bothers me to shop for computers. I would prefer, having nothing to do with computers but more with local economy, to purchase the computer locally – even if that means at a big box store. The unfortunate truth is there is no where really to purchase locally. The local computer stores are way out of wack with price. The big box stores are limited in what they are – Staples, Circuit City, WalMart, Sam’s – not much choice.
The other thing is that I would prefer an HP. I know there is little difference these days. I have, ever since I have bought my own computers, had HPs and love them. One client I work for is working with me on getting a new machine and recommended a Dell. I went in and built one. Something happened in the shipping process and no computer. I was set. Thought the decisions, the shopping were done. Now, it has to start all over. YUCK!
