#eh

sums up how everything is in life lately, doesnt it? Thanks Timmy the Greek for a fantastic phrase that I can use to describe just about everything in Goldsmithdom lately. The weather. School. Home. Health. Running. Firewood. And everything else. 

The doldrums of March. The 26th isnt it? We still have FEET of snow in our yard--front and back. Nothing melts. Wind howls. I still prefer it to spring and summer, but a little variety can be a good thing. 

The kids need (and want) to go outside. But there is really nothing for them to do there. It is that completely useless time of year for kids; it is too cold and windy to be outside....and there is too much snow and ice to ride bikes and play ball and stuff like that...and you cant do 'snow things' because it is 'old snow' which is frozen, granular, and crappy: it has no fluff factor or fun, redeeming qualities. 

We are running out of things to do inside! Haha. The other day we brought out the 'air brush' thingy that the Favrys gave to Callum for Christmas. He wanted to make a shirt. It works...............interestingly. We'll leave it at that. It is an interesting piece of equipment......

yeah. 

Amanda has a book club she does with some friends (actually she has two book clubs...one with some moms from church, and one with some other friends) She had a meeting the other night. Beth is in the club with Amanda, and Andy is away on business--so I told Beth to drop the gurlzzz off with me. Lin happened to be here too, and we had a blast. We got pizza, formed a rock band, watched some Mary Poppins, and played about a million other things......and dont let the terrified expression on Maira's face fool you....she had a blast!

 Then the other day during an all day workshop I came home at lunch and found that no one was home. So I decided to play a joke on the kids by setting up a bunch of their little Agway farm animals and having a trail lead to a big box of CatCookies from Trader Joe's. Jawn, if you are reading this, this idea was somewhat spawned from the masterpiece of 21st century literature CHICKEN CHEEKS. I guess the kids were very surprised and impressed with this upon walking into the house....

Imagination

Callum and Maira, deviating from Legos for a bit, have been really into their Playmobil stuff lately. I never had Playmobil as a kid, but I definitely LOVED using my imagination to set up 'scenes' with my Lincoln Logs and GI Joes and other 'props' I had lying around. Playmobil makes it a bit easier for the kids to set up 'scenes.'  I wanted to post a few pictures of how they set up a 'deer camp' and 'Santa scene' and stuff. I love all the role playing that is born out of this stuff. A blast to watch them and listen to them play....

The Playmobil stuff (EDITOR'S NOTE: I am not a huge Playmobil fan at all...but it has its merits) comes with ULTRA detailed stuff, as you can see if you blow up the picture

Notice, too, the logging trucks, axes, firewood piles, and more....a lot of attention went into the design....

And the proud creator of the whole 'scene' sits with his world......

Local Access

Even though I have configured the trailer to bring my snowmobile TO the trailheads around central Maine, sometimes, the way our life is structured, we might only get a random hour or so to hit the snowy pathways and fields; when this happens, it almost isnt worth going through the work of getting the snomobile up on the trailer, secured etc. (getting the snowmobile onto the trailer is actually a pain in the butt). 

Luckily, even though we live right in town and not in the 'woods' we still have a great opportunity for snowmobiling....right across the street. Our neighbor owns a ton of land--connected to a power line trail--that connects to ANOTHER trail that brings you right into the Fairfield town sports fields (see September's blogs about Callum playing soccer...those are the fields of which I speak). I asked permission to ride on his land, in order that I could access some trails, and he was gracious enough to let me. It actually is a win-win situation, since his wife and daughter love to xc ski, and me riding my machine on the trails really packs down the snow for skiiers. 

So, in less than a quarter of a mile from our house, we are privvy to a whole other world of solitude, field, trail, and silence. It is fantastic. I leave from my house, go through the Shores' backyard, go out to the end of Military Ave, and then just have to drive across the street to the Marcoux's place....and poof! Snowmobiling trails. 

The trails go all the way up to the interstate 95 and below you can see a photo I snapped looking out AT the highway....there were no cars going by at the moment of the photo being taken...but you can almost make out the banks on the side of the road. No? If you go way into the woods, there is actually a culvert/tunnel that goes UNDERNEATH the highways. I guess people used to take this on their snowmobiles years ago to access other trails. I am all set for now....haha....I hiked in to find the tunnel once...I like exploring....but I am all set taking an engine under there....too dark..haha

From the top of a 'crusted butte' looking eastward--the cluster of buildings you see in the middle of the photo is Lawrence High School; if you were to put your finger there and go exactly right across the photo, you would, in 810 yards, arrive at our house...haha. On a clear day, from here, you can see some of the windmills that exist on the coast in Freedom and Unity #hippytowns.

Ever since I was a little boy I have loved exploring in the woods; part of the allure, for me, is wondering how trails and old dirt roads got to 'be there' in the first place. Whether it is with my snowmobile, my running sneakers, or my snowshoes, I ALWAYS love finding and exploring a trail. With snowmobiles, I get an extra bonus because, to me, there is just something exciting and beautiful about seeing a freshly packed trail--the outline of the skis...the width of the track...the metal 'picks' in the track that aerate the snow....it is just really exciting because you follow the markings of the last snowmobile that made them...and you wonder where they will take you. Beautiful aesthetics. To me, anyway....(and you can tell from my shadow that YES I was wearing my helmet...)

A glimpse from the other side of the field--now, way up top, you can see the trees that outline the highway...off to the left, where they look scrubbier, you can find trails that head into deeper, more secluded woods; they are beautiful for running or 'shoeing...but too narrow for a snowmobile. But just look at all the tracks that snowmobiles make....a lot of folks use this great area! But, beware: As you might guess from the lack of trees on the large, expansive field, wind is HOWLING most of the time!

Art Attack

The kids continue to be in their huge 'art phase' and I am sure that, perhaps, the only person more excited about this than me has to be Lydia! Haha. The kids watch the show on youtube (it is a BBC show jay, tib, and deadguy) called 'art attack' and this guy just does tutorials on how to draw and design different things. Callum somehow stumbled upon it, and he and Maira love it, watching it each day while I cook dinner and we wait for Amanda to get home from work. 

Below, the three 'kids' work on their art. Maira is drawing a 'map,' Callum is working on a whale, and Sally is coloring in something...I cant remember what. I would tell my mom to notice that Maira has a snack bowl filled with broccoli, and she takes after her Auntie KK.....but my mom doesnt read this blog....

The dining room table is kept in a state of perpetual 'artness' and I cannot remember the last time that art box (markers, crayons, pens, etc) was not stacked on pile upon pile of paper. I love every minute of it...our dining room constantly looks like the drawing room for a syndicated cartoon or something....haha

Below, Callum and Maira, per tradition, check out some Art Attack (and sometimes they watch a show called MISTER MAKER too!) on the ipod touch....they always sit in their 'art recliner' to watch these 'sodes....

More art....Callum wanted to make a Boston Bruins logo to mail to Papa...but then he liked it so much that he taped it to the headboard of his bed. He also made a Burger King logo (go figure), cut it out, and taped that to his bed too. Callum--whether the grandparents believe it or not (probably not cuz 'I' am saying it)--is constantly making pictures to send to Nannie and Papa...and to give to the Geographics...but he never does, because he is a TOTAL perfectionist, and he always finds fault with what he does, and only wants to send things out if they are perfect....

Switching gears: Many of my students were on spring break over the last couple of weeks....and I got to see a bunch of them (and I didnt get to see some that I wanted to). Last Friday, after the winter carnival assembly, I had three ALL STARS stop by for a chat. Moments like these truly make teaching the best job in the universe. One such student was Sydney, who is a sophomore at the best college in New England (UNH of course) and is an RA. I thought it would be appropriate if we got our pic taken in front of the 'cut out' from her graduation two years ago....haha

A selfie times four: Me, Sydney, Christine (who often babysits, and did this past Saturday) and Nick Shuckrow, a devastatingly fast runner who hold the Winslow XC course record and is KILLING IT on the NCAA circuit at St Joseph's.

Have a nyss da.

1st March Blizzard....

And here's to many more!! I hope we continue to get slammed! I HATE SPRING. 

We got out of school early yesterday and obviously we had no school today. This storm was a huge one--wind, ice, driving sleet, and TONS of snow. I dont even know the snow totals. Drifts everywhere and such. 

Every year we have HUGE frost heave problems with our garage and breezeway; usually, our breezeway door does not close (because the floor shifts so much--we sit on tons of clay by the river) from roughly January to April. Last night, with the wind whipping around, and the snow being blown up against the house, we were greeted by a couple of inches of snow on the breezeway floor....lovely. 

The State House opened at 10...I am surprised they were open at all, since they have been closed on days when it was not so bad out. It continued to snow through about 3 or 4 or so...I brought the kids out, finally, because they were chomping at the bit. But it was VERY cold and windy, so they didnt last as long as they wanted to. They have a blast 'helping' me clean up snow, shovel, roof rake, etc....

I am excited to get the snowmobile out this weekend! Can you believe it is mid March and we are still getting these storms? My friends with 'camps' on lakes like Moosehead, Embden, and more report that the ice is 4.5 feet thick. That is amazing; it is as thick as I have ever heard of it being. Kids at school are talking about if there will even be a baseball season, since, if or when this snow ever stops falling/starts melting, the fields need AT LEAST a good three weeks of drying out from being covered by snow all winter....

Look at all this global warming!!!

You can get a sense of the depth of snow from the snowblower 'marks.'

I'll try to post pictures soon....

So if you came here just looking for those, you can go back to your candy crush game. Cuz there aint any pics.

Like I said last time, we havent really done much with pictures lately. I am leaving my dad wide open here for a battery joke....

Truth be told, I have been pretty down lately about my shoulder. So if you dont want to read about my shoulder, or you think I am 'complaining' about it my documenting what is going on so I can look back years later (this is a chronological blog after all) then feel free to go back to FB or Farmville

I havent really told many people about what is going on...but I am going to have to get surgery again. And it is going to be way worse this time. I have re-torn my labrum--along with a couple of ligaments. Same arm. Same labrum. But some minor differences. LAST year, I had surgery for a torn labrum and ligament that was torn on TOP--it is important to note that I had a very 'loose' ligament on the bottom of the labrum that he tightened up for me, in his words 'as much as we do in a normal clinical context." However, he told me (his words not mine...haha) that I am "way stronger and more flexible than I thought!" So, he didnt tighten that ligament enough, and it tore. And so did (according the the MRI) the bottom of the labrum.

I have no idea how this happened. All I know is that,, last year before surgery, I would rate my 'basal state pain' at about a 3...and it only got worse when I moved it in certain ways. Right now, just sitting here, I am probably at a 6 out of 10. It really sucks.

So I go see a specialist, to which my surgeon referred me, in a few weeks. I really want to NOT get surgery, but it looks like it is inevitable. And, as my ortho. surgeon told me, this time he would not be able to do it with a scope...he would have to open me all the way up. This would severely elongate my recovery time.

So the whole thing has me pretty down. To have done, basically, a whole year of recovery, PT, weight training, and stretching......all for absolutely nothing (actually MORE than nothing...because it got worse) is pretty sucky. I havent mentioned any of this on here yet. But I figured I would write it down so I could look back in several years. I dont even think my mom knows I re-tore it. Well...I guess she would if she looked at the blog...but she doesnt...haha

So that's all for now I guess.

In case you like English

and you are wondering what is going on in English land of Jared Goldsmith's class, I will tell you. Especially cuz there is nothing else going on lately. We havent taken any real pictures of late. And the weather sucks--extremely cold and dry with no new snow...and the snow that is there is disgusting. Crust. Black crust. And tomorrow is Daylight Savings Time, which depresses me immensely. It will stay light out and people will automatically think that it is summer and, even though it is still 17 outside, will "barbeque." But, alas, since they use lazy American gas grills, they will merely 'heat up' their food and, judging by the smells that permeate my street,, most likely burn their meat. They are in too much of a rush. You can tell by the smell when the sugar of the Kraft BBQ sauce they use has burned, rendering crusty carbon. Take your time. BBQ must be done low and slow.

This is a rough time of year for teachers and students alike. So I try to stray away from longer, more intense units like The COunt of Monte Cristo and Hamlet. And, rather, I do some shorter units. For example, I am doing.....

Sentence variety and sentence enrichment: We practice varying our sentence structure and length using semicolons, colons, dashes, and appositives. If you have a section like They ate rolls. They drank coffee. Ann was suddenly hungry. She wanted to order a burger then you have sentences that are too short and not 'smart' enough. What about doing this: Ann was suddenly hungry as they ate rolls and drank coffee; she wanted to order a burger--one with plenty of mushroom and bacon--and some french fries.

Introductory paragraphs and thesis statements: We try utilizing the 'reverse pyramid' technique in writing, starting very broad in order to catch your reader's attention....and then honing in on a BAMMM thesis statement. For example, it is very easy to say "Chinese food is a cuisine that appeals to most Americans." But that is silly. What if we worked some BACKSTORY into the mix, in order to engage the reader, in much the same way a telemarketer engages (or tries to) his caller without GIVING AWAY the reason he is calling....and then, 3 minutes later, you find out he is selling Phen Phen. For example: Americans are a finicky bunch; one minute they are obsessed with a television show on AMC, and the next they are drinking the Kool Aid for whatever new reality show is on MTV. Try to capture the culinary tastes and features and desires of Americans is certainly no small task. Chinese food restaurant cooks, for years, have tried to capitalize on the 'ADHD taste buds" of Amerikans, mostly by trying to incorporate a myriad of flavors into their dishes. American Chinese food is definitely the perfect food for Americans, since it combines tastes, textures, and appearances that appeal to the masses." 

We are also doing argumentative writing. Claim, Data, Warrant. I would explain more, but at this point, the only person still reading is Lin, and I can just explain it to her when I see her......

#.....
#crickets
#nopicsofkidsequalsnoonecares
#gonnagowatchTV
#tired
#funwithhashtags
#hi

Two things about coffee, and some other stuff

Maira wasnt feeling well on Saturday....I got to hang out with her....I hate when our kids are sick, but they are so darn cute when they are.

Hey guys, hey. Hey! Hey guys. Guys, hey. Hey guys. Guys! GUYS! Hey. Hey guys. 

You know what is really, terribly, and tearjerkingly sad?? Not the war in Ukraine (even though it is). Not the genocides happening in Syria (even though they are) Not the demise of the polar bears (because who gives a crap about them anyway). What is REALLY sad is the new campaign launched by Dunkin Donuts on Twitter "Share your Dunkin' story!" #mydunkin

What is sad? Perhaps it is fact that some people are so vain that they think their story about how they drink/where they drink/when they drink/with whom they drink coffee is somehow entertaining, meaningful,, or important. They think people care about this. How interesting can a story be about coffee? When I get/drink coffee, there usually is no 'story' involved. Is there for you? I make or buy coffee, I drink it, and I move on. I dont know...Perhaps, though, what is really sad is that it has come to pass that some people actually take time out of their day read stories on Twitter about other people--people they dont know--drinking coffee. Very very sad. Parasocial relationships on meth, if I ever saw it!

I had an idea about how to make K-cups less wasteful and actually more useful! I am going to talk to my colleague Chris who teaches chemistry, but I think I am onto something: What is the white plastic 'cup' of the K-Cup was no longer made of PLASTIC, but, instead, some kind of 'polymer' (I dont know if polymer is the right word...but it sounds chemistry-ish enough) is used...and the polymer itself is made up of some type of solidified 'milk solids' or something like that (hey...if they can condense milk and powder milk and evaporate milk then they can solidify milk...). Then, when the white 'cup' is dropped into the hot liquid coffee, it dissolves, rendering the cream that people use in their drink. Tell me this is an awful idea! What else are we gonna do?

I know I mentioned this on my FB last week, but I am mentioning it on here so I have a record of it :Why do we care so much about saving the polar bears? I mean, they hate us and would eat us if they could. Maybe it is time for them to go. Sorry bears. But seriously, this is the biggest push I have ever seen to save/help something that can offer no oil whatsoever to the United States  But I am serious here: Why are we messing with nature?? Things become extinct, and that is the way it goes. Polar Bears are cute in those Coke commercials, and I wish they were more friendly because I'd love to have one. But what's the big fuss? Should we really be doing stuff to try to preserve animals? Perhaps it is their time. I mean, if we could, would we go back in time and save the dinosaurs too? Things become extinct. Deal with it. Anyone who wants to save species of animals should go read Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder" (when you're done posting your coffee story on #mydunkin

Easton, MA 02375

http://www.wcvb.com/chronicle/an-industrious-town/24652792


One of the Boston news stations--Channel 5 to be exact--ran a story about my hometown, Easton, MA, last week. I thought it was neat to see some familiar scenes and places from the town where I grew up.

I have many memories from Easton--some fantastic, and some not--but Easton will always be my 'hometown.'

I think some of my favorite memories from Easton would be:

• Easton Youth Baseball at the Militia Park field complex (Hurley field, Baxter field, Militia field, etc...)
• Half days at Easton Middle school (big yellow building) walking downtown to eat lunch at Bill's Pizza and then go check out the latest rookie cards at "the Baseball Corner" card shop, and thennnn over to the Ames Free Library to do the 'project' we lied to our parents about so we could go downtown on the half day
• When my mom worked at Parkview Elementary school as a secretary and she used to let me bring my bike into work with her in the summer and I used to ride all over the place, all around the side streets of Spooner, Columbus, Lothrop, and more...
• Meeting Zin _, Jawn, and Efth, three friends who are more than just friends to me in ways they could never imagine
• Ultimate Wednesdays at Frothingham Park (I invented this guys)
• HONEY DEW DONUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dunkin what?? Dunkin Donuts doesnt hold a CANDLE to Honey Dew #enjoythelocalflavor
• The crazy guy in black leather who sold flowers out of his van in the parking lot of the village store
• Teachers like Mr Chapman, Mr Lemish, and Mr Kent
• Working Maplewood Restaurant with Jay--hands down the single best job I have ever had in my life (we used to rape the kitchen of the poor owner of that place, which was fine cuz he was a terrible person...we'd fry up lobster, clams, and more....we'd help ourselves...and sometimes we would wait on customers too)
• Holy Cross Church Peer Ministry--still one of the defining experiences of my life--Rest In Peace Mrs Merriam
• Rolling Pines--in particular, playing football on the well manicured lawns of the condo complex, only to be yelled at by the 240 pound Irish immigrant woman who took care of the grounds
• Street hockey at the cul-de-sac at the end of Hilltop Lane
• Oliver Ames High School-I cannot complain about this place at all as, now working in public schools for 13 years, I can say that OAHS was a first class institution with fantastic teachers and great administrators.
• The lighting of TheRockery
• Crescent Ridge with Susie Tuite and Danielle Bosquet--each time I went there with them 'as friends,' I secretly wished I was on a real date with them--I was 'friendzoned' before the word even existed...
• Sing Yee--how this place continues to still be open certainly defies the laws of physics, space, time, logic, and every other law in the world
• Stores you dont see anymore: Lil' Peach, Sedell's Pharmacy, Christie's, Dixie's Hit and Putt, Betty Jean Shop, EmpCo II
• "Easton Jackets." I had a corduroy one, black, with my name on a sleeve and EASTON embroidered on the back...everyone had one. 

PLEASE comment and share your memories of Easton--either on this blog or on FB...it is fun to reminisce....