Good Bye, Mr. Nelson

When you view this posting, I will be in an Airplane, which is sad, because Leslie Nelson is no longer with us. I believe my corny humor began when I was imprinted by the dumb jokes from that movie (and its sequel). I love wit when it is mindless and nerdy, which he excelled at. Good Bye, Leslie. Your work made a tremendous difference to this world.

Which reminds me of a knock knock joke I read yesterday.

Knock Knock.
Whose There?
Tank.
Tank Who?
You're welcome.

Let's hope my Texas hotel has internet service!

Oops, almost forgot

I've been so overwhelmed with my own agenda and research, that I haven't found time to do final evaluations for the student teachers I supervised for the last twelve weeks. Knowing that grades are due in two weeks and that each evaluation takes some time to complete, I decided I'd better take a night off from my own work, and begin evaluating the work of the student teachers. A part of me wishes I could just say: SEE THE OBSERVATIONAL NOTES FROM THE SEMESTER, but as with everything educational, someone always wants a number applied.

Applying numbers is where my head goes upside down and that is what grading is all about.

It would be nice if karma magically scored all the students for me, but I know that won't happen, so I should get back to work. Grades are due real soon.

Chicken Noodle Poop

Did Saturday already end? I forgot to experience it, so I wouldn't know.

Actually, I did live a little and got a Hoffman sausage at the dome that probably was the highlight of the day. I worked for five (plus) hours so Nikki could have $25 put into her colorguard account (I'm claiming the solo as my investment). I came home, worked out at the gym, then went to writing for seven straight hours. Wola! My life.

I also made homemade chicken noodle soup with materials I could find. I had a cooked chicken from Price Chopper, broth, spices, beans and noodles, so I experimented. If no one hears from me on Sunday, you should know I failed. With a fire in the stove and soup in my tummy, I didn't mind too much that I was a dummy behind a computer screen again.

Karma is slurping, that's for sure.

Tool Time with Butch

Having decorated my house for the holidays post turkey, I spent most of yesterday's black friday working on my research. I did, however, accomplish another pre-hibernal goal with my father - repairing the snow blower in anticipation of the blizzards to come. Specifically, my father and I rewired the clutch cable auger without killing one another. This shows excellent karma indeed.

As with any mechanical snafu, the project required more patience and perseverance than expected. We had to work with rusted bolts, stubborn wheels, and difficult hooks in order to get the machine back to its working condition. The whole episode reminded me of Tool Time on Home Improvement and the humor that comes from manual labor.

I am extremely thankful, however, that we were successful and I am totally appreciative of his assistance. Neither one of us killed the other, even with the stress of working with small parts, tight spaces, and stubborn nuts. Instead, we achieved.

Ballin'

To entertain ourselves during the gravy and stuffing, Cynde brought a self-entertain basketball hoop that we could wear on our heads and do our Central New York moves. Between pies, wine, green bean casserole, and corn, we had the ability to throw red and white ping pong balls at each others head.

Karma comes from being a good sport and from throwing things at family members out of complete love. Karma also comes from the incredible ways we Crandalls look while wearing hats.

Turk-Day Happiness

I was officially booted off the Island for this holiday event and, because (karma clap) my potatoes were supposedly lumpy at last year's turkey festival, I was assigned to wine and rolls. Although I've lived my life for 365 days rather proud of my mashed potato skills, it turns out that there was an undercurrent of gossip that my mashing was inadequate and sub par.

The result of this is the assignment of pre-bottled wine and packaged rolls so that I can do no wrong.

My older sister made me a potato-turkey, however, as a table centerpiece and named him "Lumpy." Mike added the feathers and he is displayed above. I am proud of this creative bird as he is a true indication of the Thanksgiving festival that lies ahead.

Happy day of gravy, universe! Let family take over all the joy there is to have in this world and pray that no one gets hurt when you sit down to dine with your loved ones.

After all, after today, comes black Friday and the season to be jolly. Oh, Joy to the World! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Scooting the way toward karma

While preparing for a move, Tricia gave me a scooter she bought for her daughter that was the "toy of the year" when she got it. A child sits on it and by rotating the handlebars back and forth, the vehicle moves across a hard surface. I brought it to a family I knew had lots of kids and they sent me this photo last night on my cell phone.

The smile, the tapestry and the scooter put happiness into my world view. Karma is the ability to both give and to receive. In a culture of excess, success comes from finding a home to help others.