Our Tommy

My tribute to Tommy.

Tommy Is At Rainbow Bridge

We are heartbroken. Our precious, wonderful alpha cat Tommy stopped eating this weekend. We took him to the vet today and they were running tests on him. He was jaundiced and his kidneys were compromised. While he was there he suddenly threw a blood clot and had a heart attack. Tommy died immediately so at least he did not suffer.

Something in the back of my mind was telling me that we might not have Tommy with us much longer. I spent a lot of time petting on him this weekend as he gradually got worse. Of course our vet was closed Sunday. In retrospect I don't think there would have been much they could have done for him. The heart attack caught the vet completely by surprise since Tommy had been rallying somewhat and moving around the cage.

We found Tommy in the road around 11 years ago. He had been hit by a car a moment before and he was trying to crawl out of the road. I jumped in front of a semi that was bearing down on him and frantically flagged it around him. We rushed Tommy to the emergency vet where they took out part of his crushed jawbone. He always had a limp afterwards but otherwise Tommy was a very happy cat. He was the most intelligent cat we had. Tommy would talk to us like a human at times and he always seemed to understand what we said to him. He had a friend, Sir Francis the bunny, who bonded to him for more than nine years until Francis' death.

We just finished burying Tommy in the front yard next to our fig tree. He loved to sit in the front window and watch the world go by so I thought it was a good spot for him. We will greatly miss you, old boy. Rest easy at the Bridge and we will see you again one day. Goodbye, our faithful top cat.

Sebastian

Here is Sebastian, AKA "Little Protege", again. This time our 12 year old munchkin has just been chased around the house by a playful Freddy cat. Sebastian is telling me all about it.

The Teacher Hallway Guard Award

Here is the infamous award I gave to teachers who are protecting our school hallways from theft.

My Rules Of Life

Sometimes I go back over some of my old posts and become very annoyed that much of what I write fits in the category of griping. I'm really not that negative in real life but I guess I use this blog to blow off steam so I won't go to school, strip off all of my clothes, and run screaming through the hallways.

Since I usually seem to spew about the things I DON'T believe in, I thought it might be refreshing to tell you the rules I follow for life that I DO believe in. In fact, these are my core beliefs that drive my insane life down whatever road it is going down.

1) Don't say anything behind a person's back that you wouldn't be willing to say to their face. As a result I am considered rather abrasive and too direct by some at work. What my fellow teachers consider tactfulness I consider dishonesty. I'm not a very tactful person and I don't hide my thoughts from others. That's why I have given the name of the school I work at and the real location. The only times I have held back actual names of coworkers it was to save them from hurt or embarassment in the unlikely event they actually run across this blog.

2) For the love of God, laugh! People take themselves way too seriously, especially in the field of teaching. Many of my coworkers write emails with "PhD" prominently displayed after their name, followed by a litany of accolades they have received. Unfortunately, this is usually the most entertaining portion of their emails! They would rather die than express any humor in their writing. A robot could have written most of the emails I read at work. This behavior extends to our staff meetings as well. Everything is serious, even the discussion about the students who snuck in one evening and placed a large boulder in the middle of the campus. We are expected to behave like robots in our duties, guarding the hallways between classes (are they afraid the hall will be stolen?), teaching the FCAT test so our school image will shine (let's be honest here and state that the FCAT test is one of the crappiest standardized tests I have ever seen), and never complain when our teaching is wrecked by the administration pulling out kids with little notice so a group can give them a one hour sales pitch on why they need to buy a school ring! (and I didn't even get a cut from this enterprise!) Loosen up, guys! Have a little fun and the teaching will be much more effective. Forget about the FCAT test and image for once. Our job is to teach the kids and get them excited about our disciplines. That's hard to do when they face a grumpy bunch of unsmiling teachers who only want them to cram for a stupid FCAT test.

3) Act in a caring, honest way towards students. They aren't stupid so treat them on as adult of a level as they can handle for their age. Don't talk down to them and don't ignore them.

Well, it looks like I've managed to complain again! Oh well. It's my nature to bring up those pesky little things that others don't want to hear. That's why I tend to get ignored a lot at faculty meetings. If I weren't right so often it would really hurt my feelings! *grin*. So I will continue to be the conscience of our school, using humor and "inappropriate" comments to point out where we need to change. If no one listens, at least I will know that I've made an effort to improve education.

As an example, the administrators have been patrolling the hallways with notepads in hand looking for teachers who are not standing at their doors between classes. Unbelievable treatment of professionals! I've made up a great little poster proclaiming the recipient is a "Handy Dandy Guard". It has an absolutely hilarious screaming cat photo on it as well. Impressed? I'm going to patrol the halls tomorrow with a legal pad and pen in hand and give these "awards" to all of the teachers I see standing at their doors. Sometimes you just have to laugh!

Meme-o-Book

Tagged by Michelle. I have never done a meme before but Michelle is a really good teacher and kind person at heart so I'll bare my soul a little just for her!

Total Number of Books Owned

Geesh, I have no real idea. I have somewhere around 100 chess books, 100 computer books, several hundred fiction, several hundred nonfiction. I suppose the total would be in the neighborhood of 800 or so books in bookshelves around the house.

Last Book Bought

Morbid Curiosity by Deborah LeBlanc, a fantastic New Orleans horror writer.

Last Book Read

Audubon Field Guide to Florida. What can I say, I'm a nerd! I am also a very eclectic reader, digesting everything from books on Tarot to Rudyard Kipling.

Five Books That Mean a Lot to Me

1) Pet Sematary by Stephen King. Death is a concept I've been grappling with for years. What happens when we die? What if we could bring loved ones back? Analyzing King's story gives insight into his own struggles with this topic and his doubts and concerns about the afterlife.

2) Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get a glimpse into what goes on in the mind of a true genius.

3) Walden by Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau's thoughts are beautifully displayed in this novel. His search for God in nature is the same as mine. If there is meaning to our lives beyond ourselves I think he was on the right path to find it.

4) Star Hopping - Robert Garfinkle. This book rekindled my interest in astronomy and led to my building a 10 inch Dobson telescope that has given me great joy looking through the heavens these past few years.

5) The Bible. I have very mixed emotions about this book. The barbaric acts in the name of God just don't fit with the merciful God of the New Testament. Which is the truth? Or do our lives and times color our perceptions so much in these books that we are reading not about God but about our own inner selves? Reading through these chapters I get the impression that through the ages we have twisted the concept of God to fit our own needs and desires. If that is so, perhaps God is not to be found in this book but somewhere deep within our hearts.

Tagged : Terrakat, Josh.

The Usual Stresses

Ah, yes. Now I remember why teaching is so stressful. I've had 2 parents contact me this week about their little darlings not understanding the material. These are "honors" level students. One parent said that her daughter was struggling to understand mitosis. This concept should have been understood by the 7th grade! I know this because I used to teach 7th grade gifted students and I went over mitosis thoroughly. *sigh* The other parent complained that her child was having to study 3 hours per night just to keep up with Biology. I find this fascinating since I give about 2 evenings of homework per week and the students usually complete the work in a few minutes. I also find it interesting that neither of these students have ever graced my door for extra help though I offer it each morning. When I suggested to the parent and assistant principal that the child was misplaced and should be transferred to a regular class the parent suddenly said "never mind" and dropped the discussion. Sometimes parents just want to whine and complain about teachers. These guys don't want their child moved out of the class because it would disrupt their social lives. I hate the games and politics wrapped up in teaching. I am working my ass off this term trying to teaching these kids. The last thing I need is a parent giving me a hard time for no reason just because their child whines that they are being worked too hard. Trust me, they are not working that hard either in or out of the classroom. With their dating, phone calls, and visits from friends I am surprised they have any remaining time to even think about school. That may be the main problem. School has a priority level right below cleaning the grout on their bathtubs. Sorry if I sound a little bitter here but my patience for this sort of crap has diminished over the years. I am not as politically correct as I used to be. I should be like the new teachers here and just pretend that the kids are progressing great in my class when, in fact, they are doing the bare minimum to get by. I find it hard to believe that these parents are so naive as to believe their kids' excuses when they come home with a low test grade. Has it been so long that they don't remember trying the same cons on their own parents? Maybe they don't want to face it because then they might have to face the fact that their darlings are not the perfect students they pretend to be. I keep having to tell myself that I am talking about perhaps 5% of the parents here. The other 95% are very supportive of their kid's educations and of teachers' efforts.

Let's put all of the garbage aside and look at a nice backlit photo I took down the street of a squirrel eating a pine cone. The squirrel was young and he was having a tough time hanging onto this large cone. He managed to whittle the whole thing down while we watched and eat the seeds inside.

My Triops

Triops longicaudatus are fascinating fresh water shrimp. Here is some information about my current batch, which I call Norah. The video is around 4 minutes long. It shows the gracefulness of these little guys.

The Magic Of ESIS

ESIS is a grade and attendance program that our county's schools are now forced to use. It constantly crashes and hangs up. Sometimes grades inputted simply disappear.

Initial cost : $200000
Number of experts in the county who can explain this Canadian program : 0
Kickback amounts under the table : $??????
Moments when it actually works : Priceless!

Beau and Velvet

This afternoon Beau and Velvet were lying around. Velvet had his paw out and his son Beau had his head lying across it. How sweet is that?

We adopted them from Goliath and Bebe's World 2 years ago. It was after Daddy Cat died and we were just going to take the dad Velvet. They offered both of them for one adoption fee and I am SO happy that we took both of them. They were part of a local tragedy called the '50 cat rescue'. A lady who hoarded cats had to move in with her daughter and they dumped all of the cats with the rescue group. Goliath and Bebe's World had to really hustle. All of the cats were eventually adopted, going to families all over the state.

Our two guys are really nice. Velvet is sitting here on the arm of my chair as I write this. He is the proverbial 'lap cat' who constantly follows me around. Beau, or "Crazy Beau" as we call him, is a kitten at heart. He loves to carry foam balls around and toss them in the air.

September Blast From The Past

This is me around the age of 2. I was eating a grapefruit and the photo was taken just as I squirted myself in the eye.

Karen's Surgery

It's been a VERY long day here. We got up at 4:30 AM and went to Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine, Florida for Karen's arm surgery. She had spent most of the night walking the floors so I got about 2 hours of sleep and was at my very best. I took a wrong turn at one point and almost ran off of the road. We made it in one piece and she checked in. I knew it was going to be one of those days when the lady who checked us in took a look at her arm in a sling and asked "Which arm is hurt?" Oh boy!

They had Karen disrobe and put on one of those stupid, tacky open-backed gowns. Amidst questions by one nurse about her bowel movements another nurse stripped her to the waist and slapped sensors all over her boobs for an EKG. Why is it that hospitals have to treat you like a piece of meat? I don't have the answer to that one.

They wheeled Karen into pre-op at 9 AM and she was wheeled back to the room, albeit pretty much out of it, at 11 AM. They had given her an upper shoulder pain block, Valium, and gas. By 11:45 AM she was talking coherently again. I helped to dress her and we waited for the orthopedic surgeon to come in and tell us about the results. And we waited....and waited...and waited.... He never showed up to answer questions so the nurse's station paged him twice. No response. We wanted to talk to the doctor, an esteemed member of the orthopedic staff, about the hydrocodone pills he had prescribed. Karen told him that she was violently allergic to codeine but he gave her this anyway. He also wasn't around to answer our questions about aftercare. We finally just checked out of the hospital and went home. She called both his office and the hospital twice. A lady at the hospital said that he was in surgery again and that 2 other patients were also trying to contact him with questions since he apparently doesn't bother to visit his surgical patients after operating on them. How in the world can a human being treat others this way? I thought that doctors were supposed to care about their patients. He appears to be in a race to earn enough money to buy a new Porsche. Call me cynical if you wish but I am mad as hell that he NEVER talked to Karen. This is truly shoddy medicine. His office never reached him but they did finally call in a different prescription for pain. It's a weak drug but I guess it is better than nothing. They were probably afraid to give a pain reliever that will actually block most of the pain due to the possibility of lawsuits. At least she won't itch and get hyper on it like she did the codeine derivative. He didn't even bother to call her between surgeries later in the day. We sat by the telephone waiting for his call that never came.

We talked to a patient liason at the hospital and asked her if this attitude is typical of the doctors there. She said no, but she didn't know if it was typical for him (!) How can they not know the typical behavior of one of their favorite orthopedic surgeons??? All I can tell you is not to go to Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine, Florida if you ever break a bone. I'm surprised that this physician hasn't already been sued over ignoring his patients, letting them suffer, and even giving his patients drugs that he knows they are allergic to. Surely this is not what med schools are teaching as good medicine.

I can't say whether the surgery (putting a plate in the forearm, cleaning out bone chips, and casting it)was a success. Again, this is because her doctor never told us. All I know is that Karen goes back to this "compassionate doctor" Monday. A physician's assistant did tell her via telephone that she will be out of work for at least a couple of weeks and also will not be able to drive. Since I can't stay out of school any more Karen will have to take a taxi to and from the doctor. This whole experience has been a nightmare for us. Karen is doing ok so far because the block is still working. Tonight will probably be rough for her.

Karen

It's been a rather stressful evening. The wife Karen tripped over a hose at work and badly broke her forearm. I met her in the emergency room and we go back to the hospital tomorrow so she can have surgery to put a plate in to hold the radius, clean out some bone fragments, and put a cast on the arm. She will get to come home tomorrow afternoon if all goes well. Karen is holding up well so far but is in a little discomfort. She is on pain medication, which helps.

Blast From The Past

I was looking through old photographs and found this one. Remember Boris Spassky? He was the Soviet chess world champion who lost to Bobby Fischer in 1972. In 1982 I played Boris in a simultaneous match. He won 24 games and drew one game against competition that ranged from novice to master level. I lasted for 40 moves before resigning. It was an exciting experience to be able to play a famous former world champion who was part of chess history. Boris was a very kind and entertaining individual who had an obvious affection for the eccentric genius Bobby Fischer.

I had the audacity to play the black side of a poisoned pawn Sicilian Defense against him. From an even position Boris slowly ground me down. I was one of the last few to finish my game.

End of a long week

Well folks, I finished my first week teaching Anatomy and Biology high school kids and I am bushed! We did a couple of labs and had our first chapter tests. Thursday evening I received an email from a parent telling me her child had lost points on the Biology test (she made a D) because she had dyslexia. I wrote back and suggested that she contact the guidance counselor and arrange an IEP for the student so I could make the accomodations for her disability that the parent was asking for. Stuff like this is exactly the sort of thing I am not going to miss when I retire. I still enjoy teaching but it seems that everyone has an excuse for why they didn't perform well and they always want special treatment. Fine. I'll do it but it has to go through proper channels and be done legally. Otherwise every other parent I have will scream that I'm not treating their child with the same degree of fairness. I handled it very diplomatically and all is well now. The kids did very well overall on their tests. The Biology average was 86B and the Anatomy average was 89B. Dealing with parents, kids, and the administration is just exhausting. I will say that our administration this year seems to be doing all they can to support the teachers here at my high school. It's just the huge workload of teaching, planning, grading papers, attending meetings, and conducting labs is turning me into a zombie by the end of the week.

If it wasn't for the presence of our sweet cats like Velvet here to comfort me I would go screaming down the street. I'm decompressing today by watching videos and playing guitar. Maybe I'll feel human again in a day or two.