I take a walk...

This was the temperature this afternoon in Des Moines (the app for Ames read about 10 degrees cooler.... I didn't trust it).  Matt has been trying to get some color on his skin - Casper the Friendly Ghost has a deeper tan.  He asked if I'd like to go for a walk out at Ada Hayden Park, and as much as I would have liked to have stayed home and watched "Castle" reruns (I do loves me some Nathan Fillion), I decided to join him.  I've not been great about getting exercise recently, so it just made sense to get out and sweat.

The walk was a really great workout.  Matt and I walked a little over 3.5 miles in just a bit over an hour.  We took the upland trail at the park which is a gravel with a good bit of climb.  Because of the heat, not a lot of people out "enjoying" the park, but there were some.  I was really impressed with the cyclists who rode the trail around the lake.  Those dudes were FLYING!  

Ada Hayden Heritage Park is one of the best things about living in Ames.  The park was created from an old quarry pit that has been dammed up and allowed to fill with water.  The park has both paved and gravel trails that surround the lake.  Every day during the non-winter months you can find people of all ages at the park walking, running, cycling, rollerblading, etc.  

The park reminds me a lot of Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis with some pretty noticeable differences.  Ada Hayden is just on the north part of Ames, while Lake Calhoun is very near to downtown Minneapolis. Even on the busiest of days, Ada Hayden doesn't actually look that busy, but in Minneapolis that's not the case.  Lake Calhoun is often PACKED with people and let me just say that the people watching there is MUCH better than in Ames. Of course it helps that Minneapolis has a metro area of a couple million people.

I'm hoping to get to the Cities in a couple of weeks and plan on making a stop at Lake Calhoun.  I plan on taking some photos.  My goal for next summer is to take a "me" vacation and spend some time up there.  

My "Kids" Go Back To School

For the past few days I've been reading blog posts about the beginning of the school year.  Being a teacher (and childless), it is always interesting to read of the experiences of parents as they watch their kids grow.

Matt and I have decided to not have kids and I am VERY okay with that.  As one of my best friends in college told me, "Robert, I don't see you as a parent.  I see you as the really cool uncle."  Boy was she right.  I just know that I'm not a parent, so I consider my students to be "my kids".  So instead of having one or two kids, I've had hundreds.  LOL

Today's Back To School post from MAC really made me think about things from a completely different perspective.  He is reflective of his son's first day of kindergarten and how time is flying by watching his son grow up.  It's truly a beautiful reflection from a parent.

Over the years I have had the honor of teaching hundreds of students, and like I said, I consider each of them to be "my kids."  But the thing is, I would have these kids for 2 years at my old school, and just 1 year at my present school.  Add that I only see them during the day and then send em home to their real parents.  I still made sure to get to know them as well as I could, learning their likes and dislikes, as well as senses of humor.  I also tried to help them become better people. People often don't realize that teachers do more than just instruct the subject that they are hired to teach.

I realized that I only get a "snapshot" of my students' lives.  After they leave my class, they move on and grow up.  I'm lucky if I get to see them after middle school as they make their way in the world. But when I do see them, I'm often told of what a difference I made to them.  They'll often share a memory of something that happened while they were my student.

I truly cherish every hug that I get from a former student.  It's the best "thank you" I can ever get.  It's truly my honor to have been a part of their life.

Sunday Selfie - Scruff Edition

I'm loving the Sunday Selfie project started by Jim.  I took today's selfie out behind the house and from looking at it, yes I need a shave.  

Here's the thing - I hate shaving, but I also hate having a beard.  LOL  Oh these First World Problems! 

I have sensitive skin, which means that when I shave everyday, I get pretty good razor burn.  In addition, I'm never able to shave really close, so even after I shave it looks like I have 5 o'clock shadow at 8 am.  Any thoughts on how to beat razor burn would be greatly appreciated.

On the other hand, I could let my beard grow out and go with that look.  I had a beard in college, and a goatee for years (up until a few weeks ago), but I hated how it itched my face.  So I've settled on the clean shaven look, just not on the weekend.

Alright.  Time to get ready for school tomorrow.  I've so wasted this weekend.  teehee

2500!

I hit 2,500 page views today!  I know that's not a lot for major blogs, but it's a huge number to me. Thanks to everyone who's visited my little corner of the internet. :-)

My Saturday Jam

This is one of my Top 5 favorite songs of all time!

I don't think this song gets the credit it deserves for just how awesome it is.  Plus the video is just damn sexy.  

When I hear "If", it takes me back to my grad school days in Tallahassee.  I was obsessed with this song - watched the video about 100,000 times (give or take a few thousand).  I'm pretty sure that the people who lived in the apartments around mine were ready to kill me.  LOL

And even better, I was thrilled that I was able to snag tickets to see her "Janet" world tour when it came to Tallahassee.  In high school I was lucky to get tickets to see George Michael's final show of the "Faith" tour and it was one of the best shows I had ever seen.  So getting tickets to see Janet was going to add to my list of great show.

Alas, Janet had to cancel the show due to illness and she didn't reschedule.  Turned out that "If" was the opening number of the show.  Oh I would have been in heaven!  But alas it was not meant to be.  I never did get to see Janet perform live. :-(

Of course every time this song comes on, I crank up the volume and rock out.

The Calm Before the Storm.....

Tomorrow is the first day of classes.  I've spent the past three days getting my classroom ready in addition to attending various meetings.  Normally I spend at least a few days in my room before our workdays.  That way I have a jump on the year and feel ahead of the game.  This year, I wasn't so fortunate.

In the weeks leading up to us coming back, I helped my Mom move to central Iowa along with Matt and my trip to Washington D.C..  I really didn't have any time to get up to school to work, so on Monday I felt like I was starting at Square One.  In addition, I found out I will be mentoring a 1st year teacher AND I was selected to be a 7th grade Team Leader (which means a lot more work, but more money in my paycheck).  One the plus side, my mentee is amazing and many of my co-workers were very excited that I was the one chosen for Team Leader (I've only been at the school for two years).

So with everything, I feel about 70% ready for tomorrow.  The first couple of  days are primarily for getting to know the kids and figuring out schedules, etc.  I'm excited to meet my new students and to start helping them discover math.

On Saturday though, I am SOOOOOOOO sleeping in.  LOL

Tonight Matt made a wonderful dinner for me.  Now it's time to dance......

My Sunday Addiction

Since debuting two years ago, "Revenge" has been required viewing in our home.  Matt was in San Francisco when the show premiered.  I watched it and thought, "Okay. I really like this show."  I left him a note to watch it when he got home from the trip.  He did and his email response was, "I LOVE THIS SHOW!"

For those who don't watch, Revenge is the story of a young women, Amanda Clarke, who's father was framed for a terrorist act.  She returns years later in under the name Emily Thorne.  She's rich (thanks to a wise investment by her now-deceased father) and she's out to destroy the people responsible for her father's downfall.

It's basically rich, beautiful people doing bad things to one another.  The show is this generation's "Dallas" or "Dynasty".  Oh and did I mention that Madeline Stowe plays Victoria Grayson, the matriarch of the Grayson family?  She's simply awesome.  The following is my favorite scene EVER!  I wanna use this on my Christmas cards!  (I couldn't embed the video, so click on the link.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqKendHtSEQ

Sunday Selfie - State Fair Edition

Today we took my Mom down to partake in an annual Iowa tradition - The Iowa State Fair.  It's one of the largest in the country (along with Texas and Minnesota), but I think ours is taken the most seriously. And in all honesty, it's where one goes when one REALLY needs a boost to the self-ego.  LOL  

You truly see the broadest spectrum of people at the state fair, although it leans towards the "shallow" end of the gene pool.  I also have to say that Iowa also most likely has the "obeseist" of the state fairs. Man is there a lot of junk in the trunk.  But the food is so freaking good.  Everything from Porkchop-On-A-Stick, gigantic Pork Tenderloins, to fried candy bars.  There's even an "Iowa State Fair Food Finder" app for your smartphone.  Oh yeah.  

Usually there isn't a lot of eye candy to see at the fair, but today was different.  I was finding a lot of yuminess, but as my friend Pete often says, "no pics, didn't happen."  Damn, why didn't I take photos?!

As much as I rag on the Iowa State Fair, I truly love it.  We go every year, see the same things, and go back again and again.  It's tradition in this state and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Oh, and I was even able to renew my driver's license at the fair.  My picture will look like crap, but no standing in line at the DMV!!! :-)

The Grand Concourse

Yes, we have a SkyLift

And of course tractors

The Teacher I've Grown To Be

While Matt and I were in Washington, one of our favorite experiences was a rooftop barbecue hosted by our guests.  A number of their friends attended and it was a wonderful evening.  There was great food, plenty of alcohol and stimulating conversation.

Eventually the talk turned to my teaching career.  One of the DC gays asked if I ever wondered about which kids were gay, to which I gave a resounding "No" as an answer.  It's always been my belief that my 7th graders are kids and I want them to still be "kids".  I see these bright-eyed students come into my classroom each day and I just want them to enjoy the last bit of childhood before the dreaded "teenage" years.  But this doesn't mean that I ignore the fact that I do have students that are discovering who they are; and this is when I take my role as an educator very seriously.

Thirty years ago, growing up gay in the South didn't provide me a lot of role models.  The gay men that I saw in the media were ones that were commonly featured during stories about gay pride parades - the ones in thongs and leather.  Come to think of it, those are the ones still featured today, but I digress.  I never really saw anyone who was like me - a kid who liked sports, pop music (but didn't get the "dancing" part of the gene), loved tracking hurricanes and trivia.  I kept thinking to myself that I couldn't be gay because the people that I saw on tv weren't like me.  And I'll be honest, I didn't know any gay people in real life.

My first teaching job was in a rural school district.  I was scared to death of losing my job for being gay (this I was never in danger of, but as a rookie teacher every little thing made me fearful of losing my job, ah paranoia...lol), so I kept my sexuality a secret.  Over the years, me being gay was kind of the open secret among the kids.  I knew they knew, but I never discussed it.  I rationalized that I taught math and that, again, it was a rural school district.  I didn't want to see one of our school board meetings on the news because the town folk were angry over the "homersexual" teacher (while they were holding pitchforks and torches).

Eventually gay marriage became legal in Iowa.  Matt and I got married and just about our entire staff was able to make it to the wedding.  In fact a couple of my students attended the ceremony.  I was touched.  So the following fall, when the kids asked what I did over the summer, I told them.  I wasn't hiding who I was, but I also wasn't shouting it from the rooftops.  Again, know your district.  LOL

Moving to a larger district was an eye opening experience.  Being in a university town, the kids are a little more "worldly" and the city more liberal.  I felt more encouragement to share aspects of my life and my marriage with the students - things like "we went to see a movie" or "my husband I went out to dinner last night", etc.  I realized that there more than likely I was going to be teaching students who were like me when I was a kid and that it was my opportunity to be that role model that I never had.

Last school year I was challenged by a student to put pictures of my family and friends behind my desk - "all the other teachers have em up, " she said.  So I have photos of our wedding and other special events.  I also have my favorite photo from our Hawaii trip on my desk.  The students thought they are pretty cool.

I've taught hundreds of kids through the years and I'm hopeful that I've had a positive effect on those students who might be gay.  I also hope that I've been able to change the minds of those students who might have had a negative view of gays.  I really regret that I wasn't more open with who I was during the early years of my teaching career.  I know that I've not only grown as a teacher in instructional ability, but also in the area of being someone that all my students can see a positive role model of a teacher who happens to be gay.

Sugar Sugar

My family is of English / Scottish / French heritage.  But I swear that someone in my ancestry had to have reproduced with either a Greek or Italian.  Why do I think this?  Because I have hair ALL over my body – and I ain’t happy about it.  I know there are guys who perfectly okay with being “furry” all over, but I hate it.

Now I’m a gay guy, so I’m a little vain.  Over the years I’ve taken to having my husband shave my back using an electric razor, but that usually only lasts about 3, maybe 4, weeks.  I swear, my pelt grows like a weed!  Then inevitably, we do it all over again. 

So my friend Michael suggested I try “sugaring”.  It’s a process similar to waxing that removes the hair and leaves you skin baby-butt smooth.  Plus I read that it was supposedly less painful than waxing.  The “sugar” material is made just from sugar, water and lemon juice.  It apparently originated in the Middle East and is starting to gain popularity in the U.S.

I showed up for my appointment a little early and I guess I looked a little nervous (in truth, I WAS).  Stephanie, my sugarer, was great; answering every single question I had and explaining the process in detail.  Then, it started.

I can’t say the process was painless, far from it actually.  There were a few times when I thought I was gonna pass out from the pain.  But the pain passed and I got through it.  Stephanie did tell me that the more often I get my back done, the less painful it will be.  My back has never been smoother AND there really wasn’t a negative reaction afterwards (no bumps or burns on my skin). 

I think I’ll be doing this again.  Gulp.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

Matt and I have been in Washington D.C. on vacation.  For our last night in town we attended the San Francisco Giants vs. Washington Nationals baseball game.  Matt is a die-hard Giants fan so this game meant a lot to him.  The game wasn't a success from the Giants, they lost 4-2.  We did have a great time and had incredible seats along the third base side.  

First pitch

And then the skies opened up in the 5th inning.  It caused an hour rain delay.

We got to see the legendary "President's Race".  George Washington won.

Sunday Selfie #2

So this is my 2nd selfie photo.  Matt and I are in Washington D.C. right now on vacation.  We've been busy seeing the sights and spending time with friends.  The weather has been okay, but the men have been HOT. :-)

I'll be posting more about the trip when I get back home to Iowa.  But true to my promise, I wanted to make sure I posted a Sunday Selfie.

Why Georgia?

I've always been amazed at how a song, scent, picture, taste or feeling will bring back an intense memory.

Last night the hubby and I were in JCPenney's doing some window shopping.  This song played on the in-store music system, I just stopped.  Few songs have a truly emotional effect on me and this is one of them.  Mayer captures what I was feeling living in Tallahassee after graduate school - kinda lost and directionless.  "Room For Squares" is one of my all-time favorite albums and this is by far my favorite song.

What songs bring back memories (good or bad) for you?

The Kindness of Strangers

This is why I love Ames....

My Mom has moved to Ames and we are in the process of finding things for her new place.  Mom is a very savvy shopper and loves a great find at Goodwill.  Today we were there and found a great Lane sleeper sofa.  It was in incredible condition.  Furniture at Goodwill is 50% off if you can take it right away.

So, I don't have a truck and none of my friends one. Yikes! I'm sitting there in Goodwill texting like a crazy man trying to find anyone with a vehicle to use.  Meanwhile, my Mom is working her magic. She approaches one gentleman who didn't have a truck, but then she asked a college student who was more than happy to move it.

The guy was great and it turned out he was a math education major at ISU.  We did give him some money for hauling it for us and I also gave him my contact information for when he needs to do observations.

In other cities we might not have been so lucky, but in Ames, it just seems par for the course.  :-)

Sunday Selfie #1

Jim from Jim's Stuff issued a new challenge along the lines of the "Throwback Thursday" photos. Each Sunday, I'm to post a "selfie" and blog about whatever I want.  So I'm accepting that challenge (it gives me a reason to blog).

The past couple of weeks have been adventurous.  I spent 6 days in Pensacola helping my Mom pack up her residence and move the belongings to Iowa.  She's moving here after 30 years in Florida.  It's time. She'll be working at my school as an Educational Assistant and I'm looking forward to seeing her on a more regular basis.

The week in Pensacola wasn't easy.  It was difficult for Mom to say goodbye to certain things and to decide what to take and what to leave.  On the last day in the city, Matt flew down. He and I drove the U-Haul truck up to Iowa, while Mom went to Jacksonville to visit my brother and his family.  

The drive to Iowa was long and mostly uneventful.  We did stop in Sikeston, Missouri to have lunch with our Flower Gurl, Heather.  The restaurant, Lambert's Cafe, is famous for their "throw'd rolls". The kid with the rolls would stand on one end of the dining room and throw them to people who wanted them.  The guy had pinpoint accuracy and the rolls were freaking delicious!!!!

Since I got back from Florida, the trip really caught up with me.  I was working my butt off and trying to keep my stress level under control.  This week I was exhausted and I've just felt off.  I haven't been to the gym and I've felt it.  I really understand the saying, "a body in motion tends to stay in motion, a body at rest tends to remain at rest."  

Thinking about it today, before I left for Florida I was active almost every day at the gym.  Since I've been back, it's just been easier not to go.  I've convinced myself that my body simply needed the rest, and I'm sure that for a few days that was the case.  But now, it's time to get back on the horse and drag my ass to work out.