Sunday, October 5, 2008

For your reading pleasure.....

Interesting perspective from one conservative that I respect, David Brooks:

A thoughtful read from Roger Cohen:

On McCain's vs. Obama's plans for health care reform, by Paul Krugman:
(p.s - my health care plan is indeed one that fits into the $13,000 range per year paid by my employer)

And a great one from my favorite for the last 7 years, Maureen Dowd:

Oh!  - just saw one more that's sure to make you smile, again from Maureen:

Time flies....

Can't believe it's already been six (or more!) weeks since my last post!   I wanted to be posting very regularly (a few times a week?) - now I'm going to shoot for at least a few times a month....

Anyway, I'll start with some photos from the summer trip to Illinois and Ohio - we had such a great time!  Highlights of Illinois were the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum with Tony, mini-golfing, swimming with the whole gang every day, and picnics/BBQs at parks and in the backyard. Highlights from Ohio were swimming, the Colombus zoo (vampire bats!), and lots of fun watching the Olympics (and definitely for Bridget a highlight was make-overs with Emma - Emma was wonderful and patient!  Thank you Emma!)  On our way from Ohio to Illinois we were able to visit my old friend Georgie and her family - her husband Jeff is a farmer who lives only about 2 miles away from Zionsville High School - it was fun to see the school again and visit their farm - the corn is so tall and the tractors/combines are enormous!

Thanks to Tony and Lynne and family and Lisa and Loren and family for giving us a wonderful Midwest vacation!



F, K, and B at a local Lincoln-era museum

K is AWESOME at tennis!

Thanks for the nice picture, Lynne -

Midwest beauty.


World's largest Lincoln statue - kids down below....

It was hot that day!

My kids were so hot....it was very different weather!

We had a great time at the pool - 
we wish we had one like that here!

Freddy having fun in the pool....

Glamour Girls - :-)

The gang at the Colombus Zoo -

Cool in shades at the zoo -

Recreating a picture from 2004 - not all were in the mood to participate.  We had already walked for hours.... should have recreated earlier!  :-)

Vampire bats - see in relation to zoologist behind plant

S'mores

Tie die pals!
A ride on the combine - really fun!
Tall corn.


Saturday, August 16, 2008

It's summer....I'm not in the mood to grade....

Ugh...I've been back for 4 full days now, and I still have not had the ability to sit down and grade the Music 103 final exams and compositions from the class I taught this summer.  On Tuesday I returned home from my trip to Ohio/Illinois thinking that grades were due on Friday.   I found out that they were not due until this coming Monday night....so, did I decide to get it done right away so that it wasn't hanging over my head?  Of course not....I'm sitting here at 10:00 p.m on Saturday night, staring at a huge pile of grading and calculating that I simply do not want to touch.  Besides the fact that it seems like the class ended a million years ago.... It was only on July 31st, but I am so far removed from it.  Oh well........ it was 90 degrees and sunny today.  So, what did we do?  2 hours at the beach, and 4 hours for swimming and pizza at our neighbor's house.  Much better than grading.  But now I have to get serious - I told myself that I will do a quick post and then I must get to work!  I'm going to do the first two pages of the exam, and then tomorrow I'll do page three and all of the compositions.  I would much rather upload my pictures from the trip and make a nifty slide show (because I want to learn how to make a slide show) - but I gave myself the requirement that the grading must be finished before I dive into the photo project.  So, pictures are coming, and when you see them you'll know that my summer has really officially started (august 17th??) 

- better late than never - 

- meanwhile, check out lynne's slideshow - the bat picture is incredible!  I'm still freaked out that we were eating lunch on a bench two feet over from where about 75 bats were cuddling up, upsidedown.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Welcome!

Tony and Jen - August 2008

Hi Everybody - I'm out here in the heartland and Lynne helped me set up a blog! I'm looking forward to being an active part of the blog world - yay!

More to come once I return home.....we're having a great trip!

-jb