My Week

Last week Ernie, My Computer Hero, took my computer home with him to work on. It was a very sick computer, but it is doing much better now. I still don't quite understand how a small phone company like Pioneer could have DSL to their country customers while a large company like SBC has such bad phone lines that even Ernie could not speed my connection up much. Oh well, I am just happy to have my computer back. Thanks Ernie!

My sister came to visit last week with her kids. Jes and I took them to Ft. Sill to a recreation area on a small lake there. It had two wonderful water slides and a roped off beach area great for swimming. It all cost six dollars a car load. You can't beat that. Everyone had a great time - the kids were begging to go back the next day. There were quite a few military guys at the lake while we were there. They seemed a bit white - like they had not seen sun for a while. Some seemed a little heavy, not too coordinated coming down the slide or playing football on the beach. A group of us women/girls were sitting in our chairs lined up on the beach watching kids and, of course, military guys when a few guys went by in front of us. One had coke bottle thick glasses and was particularly funny trying to tiptoe across the rocks and sand. Jesse asked, "Don't these guys have to pass boot camp?" It took me a few minutes to answer her because I thought she said "boob count" (which I was not sure they could pass either). Jesse was just not able to picture these guys getting through boot camp which she thought was suppose to be pretty tough. I will have to let someone else explain it to her, because I had trouble with that picture too. After sunburning my self like a school girl, who am I to critisize the army nerds.

Later Jesse had a two ball games. She did not get to play in either one even though her mother, aunt and two cousins came to watch. I felt that old-time need to give the coach a good talking to, but I refrained. Actually, I left early knowing that I might tell the coach a thing or two. Through the years I have had my share of men coaches who can't think past a pretty leg in choosing who plays. I don't have pretty legs so this has always been a sore spot with me. It makes me want to fight.

Speaking of fights, I witnessed three girls fighting at WalMart in the quick checkout line. My first instinct having been a school teacher, was to try and break up the fight. Then I realized that I don't have to do that any more. So I just watched. The girls were all rather large and wore skimpy clothing. Their vocabulary was lacking. The fight was not impressive. I have broken up better fights in junior high classrooms. The girls who started the fight left rather quickly when the security folks showed up. The whole thing made me laugh. I teased the girl checking me out asking her why she did not get in the middle of the fight. Other people around us were quite shocked. What would they do if they knew what went on in their public schools?

The fight in WalMart made me think of all the fights that I have broken up while teaching school. While teaching in Mission, a large 5-A high school, I never even saw a fight and only heard about a few. That was back in the 80's, and they had a tough superintendant. Their policy was to kick out kids who fought - end of story. I can't even start counting the fights that I saw, was a part of, or heard about in the schools of NM. When there is no discipline, there can be no learning. Innocent kids are at risk just walking down the halls of public schools. Maybe I will tell about a few fights in future blogs. Right now, it is good to be back on the old computer.