Blog Archives - The Land of the Weird

The Land of the Weird

Booked

2/28/2019

I recently received, and accepted, the invitation to grade AP World History essays this summer (June 2nd-9th). For the first time in many years, instead of being held at Salt Lake City, the Reading will take place in Kansas City, Missouri. Today, the reservations for airfare and lodging were made available. Although the website had multiple issues, I was finally able to make my roommate request (sympathies can be sent to Cameron Fong) and book my flights.

Setting the flights was more difficult than I expected. For reasons beyond my understanding, the service that ETS (the company that hires readers) uses does not show the dates of the flights as well as the times. Equally perplexing was the fact that about half the flights the service offered were not eligible as they arrived a day earlier than my hotel bookings. I could only discover this by selecting flights and booking the trip, at which point an error message would alert me that the flight arrived on the wrong day. It was only after six or seven attempts that I finally found flights that fit the parameters needed.

I'm looking forward to attending a Reading again. I've made good friends there through the years. Although the essay grading is grueling, it also serves as a unifying experience for those of us who take part, creating bonds through both mutual interest (world history) and shared torture. I anticipate that we will be both exhausted and exhilarated by this year's Reading as we have in the past.

Dear Colleagues:

2/27/2019

Do not lose heart. Things look bleak--no contract, state cuts--but this is the time when we must stand firm. It's easy to give in to hopelessness, to feel that any action we take is feeble and unnoticed. Perhaps we even think about taking the meager deals that have been offered to us out of fear that something worse will come. We must not waver.

Considering the threats made by our governor on the health and well-being of our public education system, some might consider the idea of taking an easy offer from the district as a way to show that we are willing to sacrifice for our students. Having gone through this situation in another state and two other districts, let me inform you of two things:

One, the contract offers that our bargaining team have set forth already are sacrifices on our part. A two percent, let alone a half of a percent, increase does not cover the growing costs that we face as we support our families. Meanwhile, the sudden and forced increase to our health care contributions demonstrate our sacrifice in our monthly checks. This is all from a budget that has already been made, work we have already done. The funds are there, as our bargaining team has demonstrated.

Two, I have worked in districts where the teachers have decided to take great sacrifices for the sake of their students. I saw five years with no step increases, three of those with further salary cuts. Instead of demonstrating to our naysayers our deep commitment to our students and district, the enemies of public education used our cuts as "proof" that we did not need the money, healthcare, or benefits to begin with.

We need our district to stand with us. They should offer us better than we have asked to show the state that they value us, our experience, and our commitment. Together, we can then push back these negative attacks on our children and their education. United, we can make our fellow Alaskans see that short-sighted promises should not be fulfilled at the cost of our state's future--the future embodied in the students we serve.

It may not seem like much to wear something red on Wednesdays, to enter and exit our buildings together, or to show other seemingly small acts of community. However, these "small" acts show a deeper fire burning within us; a fire that is stoked every time we look into the eyes of our fellow colleagues and friends and see the same longing for justice within them. Standing with one another, we see that we are not alone.

It is not time to despair. We will stand together and be stronger for it.

Crossing Over

2/26/2019

Connor is officially a full Scout now (it's difficult to not call them Boy Scouts), no longer a Cub Scout. Today was his last Cub Scout meeting. In it, he received his Arrow of Light award as well as his final Cub Scout achievement pins. For him, his next Scout meeting will be on a Monday instead of a Tuesday.

He seems so young to be a Scout. I had to ask my father today if Boy Scouts had always been this early. For some reason, I thought that I was thirteen before I joined, but I guess that I was eleven, just like Connor is now.

I didn't make it past "Star" when I was a Scout, but I'm hoping that Connor has a better experience. He seems to be a bit more driven than I was. Hopefully, that will help--that and his continued willingness to try new things.

I also wonder how Rowen will do, now that Connor won't be going to the Tuesday meetings with us.

Getting Ready

2/25/2019

I drive to Anchorage to pick up Katrina this Saturday. Trevor and I just cleaned the cabin. This cleared the cabin bedding out of the guest room that Katrina will be using. I also made the bed. We only need to move Janelle's prepacking for her trip and the room should be ready.

Meanwhile, I switched out the kitchen holiday lighting. We had red lights up through the end of January and most of February in honor of St. Valentine's Day. I took them down and put up green lights in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Our other holiday lights are still up in our living room and office areas. They all come down at the beginning of April when we put up the Easter decorations.

I've also double-checked our bookings for our trip to Fairbanks. A conflict arose with our house-sitter's schedule, but we were thankfully able to get another one pretty quickly. Trevor got a call today, asking if he wanted to stay at the dorms around the day of the tour (next week Friday), but we're getting in REALLY late on Thursday (perhaps early Friday) so I don't think that will work.

I'm also making mental plans for our Spring Break Middle Earth Movie Marathons. I'll need to spread out our shopping at Costco between our two trips that we are making up there before the marathons as we will have luggage to contend with both times. I think that I have it worked out.

The next several weeks are going to get busy.

The Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

2/24/2019

Jesus says, "... love your enemies, do good to those who hate you." As our pastor said during his homily, this is not an easy message to hear. Sure, the concept is easy but the execution is difficult.

I certainly was having problems listening to this particular message today. Instead of focusing my mind and soul in prayer during church today, I was running my mind through things I could have said to the state legislators at yesterday's caucus. I had some zingers.

It was while I was in the depression of thinking about how ineffective anything I could have said would have been that our prayer of intentions was being said. One of the last in the list was for the Lord to help us learn to love those who make us upset, who disagree with us, and to work at keeping an open dialogue with them.

In truth, I wasn't ready to hear it. I would rather have those who disagree with me see the error of their ways and come to acknowledge the greatness of my beliefs ... oh ...

I don't know the best way out of this, but I need to stop thinking of anyone who disagrees with me as stupid or evil. It's a trap that I regularly fall into because it's so seductively simple. I need to learn to love as Jesus loves ... and I have a long ways to go.

Permanent Fund Dividend [controversial]

2/23/2019

For those who do not live in Alaska, our state has a permanent fund into which a percentage of revenue from Alaska's resources are deposited. This fund is then managed through investments. As it grows, a portion of that growth is given to each resident of Alaska who has maintained a full residency for at least one year. We apply for it by March and receive the deposits of this Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) in October. It is a nice bonus to living in Alaska, and I am very much in favor of it.

It is, however, surprising how much Alaskans are determined not to lose a cent of their PFD considering how much most Alaskans usually claim to be against "government handouts." The PFD is, by definition, a government handout. Most Alaskans do not take a direct part in the creation of the revenue which generates. Meanwhile, the PFD is given to everyone who lives here, including infants born the year before. Again, I approve of this concept. By providing all Alaskan citizens the same base amount, the economy improves as more people now have funds to buy the things they want. This generates more revenue, grows jobs, and makes for a healthier overall economy.

However, it is not a benefit to the economy if generating those funds requires cuts in the basic services that the state provides. The poor and disabled are often the direct targets of such cuts, and as they do not have the financial clout to pay for politicians (as oil companies here do), they are the easiest targets. It does them little good to receive a check for a thousand or two when their services are cut by the tens of thousands. It does little good for parents if they receive a check for a couple thousand, but then see their children's education cut by more than that per student.

Now, personally, I believe that the state government can generate more revenue (in both the short and long term) by reevaluating the deals that have been made with oil companies in this state. I know that we should fix the loophole that allows other states to charge income tax on non-Alaskan residents who work in Alaska. I believe that the poorly designed Tier III and IV retirement systems have actually caused a greater (and growing) liability to the state that must be rectified.

It's for these reasons that I also believe that the PFD should not be doubled these next couple of years, especially at the expense of needed programs and services.

More Moose

2/22/2019

With the multiple days of snow, the moose are coming out of the woods and mountains, looking for food where the snow is not quite so deep. Because of this, we have seen quite a few of them these past couple of weeks. Although I am in awe every time I see one, I am also a little bit fearful, as they do not always mix well with our society.

Last week, we had a baby moose looking in our large dining room window at three in the morning. I believe it came up to investigate our dogs who were barking at it through the window. I was captivated, but also concerned that it decide to walk through the window and into our house. As such, I flicked on and off the lights (after taking a couple of pictures) which seemed to motivate it to look elsewhere for its entertainment.

Yesterday, Connor came running up our driveway while we were shoveling, telling me that a moose was right there. Sure enough, a young moose came out of the woods between us and our neighbor, and walked down our freshly shoveled drive. It seemed completely oblivious to our presence.

This evening, while driving to Sterling, we saw two larger moose hanging out by the side of the highway. An oncoming car flashed its lights at me as a warning. I wouldn't have noticed them had I not already known to look for them. Even when the sun is out, they can blend in with the trees and brush--after dark they are nearly invisible.

They are stately creatures who clearly view us as lower life forms. It's sometimes easy to forget that they don't follow our expectations, let alone rules.

Unfortunately Familiar [political/controversial]

2/21/2019

I went to the borough meeting Tuesday evening and both my building's site council and the district's budget meeting on Wednesday evening. None of the information was heartening. About a week ago, our recently elected governor released his proposed budget. It is excessive and devastating. The cut that most directly affects me is the 25% cut to education, but it is not the only problem with the budget.

Not only is it robbing our schools, but it takes was from local revenue that provides emergency services. This will require a greater burden on property taxes. It takes away from a bond sharing measure, which will also place the burden on local taxes. It's cutting a local prison and shipping the inmates out of state, cutting a large employer in the area. By cutting jobs, fewer people will live here, further increasing the tax burden on those who stay.

The budget is only a proposed budget; however, in Alaska, the governor has the ability to line-item veto to make any budget he receives to meet exactly his terms. The only way to override this is if 45 of the 60 legislators agree to do so.

Here's how this goes down. Political agreements are made, and a "compromise" in cuts will be instituted (perhaps from devastating to merely decimating). After having strapped local areas from being able to adequately fund themselves, a provision will be introduced to allow a specially appointed "consultant" (perhaps called an "emergency manager") to take over those governments and agencies that are in financial distress. These mini-dictators will have the power to nullify contracts (including negotiated benefits and contracts) with no oversight other than the governor himself. They will eradicate local control of areas, cutting services while providing tax breaks to large businesses.

More people will leave the state. The recession (directly caused not by the drop in revenue, but by a poorly thought-out tax rebate program to the state's main industry when times were better) will intensify. Despite a conservative majority in the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, somehow "liberal" policies will be blamed, further cuts will be made, and suddenly a major city is without potable drinking water for years.

Sure, what happened in Michigan less than a decade ago might not happen in Alaska. After all, the cuts proposed by Governor Dunleavy are greater than the ones proposed (and instituted) by Governor Snyder. It could be much, much worse.

Too Angry To Write

2/20/2019

When I started writing a daily blog, I read a few articles on tips for blog writing. Number one at a couple of the lists was "don't write angry." I am currently furious at the attacks on education and educators--specifically in Alaska and its proposed budget cuts. I need time to cool and to do more research before I fully go off because I'm bound to write something I shouldn't otherwise.

I think we will all be better off for it.

Recertification in Michigan

2/19/2019

Last week I received a letter notifying me that my teacher certificate in Michigan is due to expire this June. Having spent three years acquiring my Alaska teacher certification, the thought of dealing with more bureaucratic nonsense is a bit wearying. When I moved up here three and half years ago, my plan was to stay (as it is now). There's no reason to spend time, frustration, and money on a certification that I will not use.

That's not to say that I'm not tempted to re-up "just in case." I didn't know the retirement situation when I came up here (the short of it is--I can't). Then we ended up in the current contract negotiation mess which is all too familiar to me. Meanwhile, the new governor's proposed budget includes a 25% to the K-12 fund. To be clear, I don't fully understand the ways that Alaska funds its education, but that fund (as I understand it) is one of several components that determines school funding. However, the cuts to that fund alone would cut school funding overall by about 10% (if I have that right). Plus, other cuts might still come due to this. Sure, this is just a proposed budget cut, but this is also the first year of this governor's term.

I don't believe that my employment is in jeopardy--at least, not in the near future. However, I am concerned about the overall environment in education as well as the stresses (increased class sizes, less planning time, even more reduced medical insurance) that are certain to be down the road we are currently headed. Together, these have made me wonder if keeping my certification in Michigan active might work as a bit of a safety net.

That said, I'm not going to do recertify in Michigan. It's not just that it would be financially impractical for me to return to a teaching job in Michigan (and thus start over again on the salary/seniority scales). Rather, it's because I am where I want to be, and I plan on continuing to fight to stay here.

Star Trek Discovery Season One [mild spoilers]

2/18/2019

This is a show that could be better, but continually holds itself back. Like the Enterprise series before, it tries to make Star Trek more relevant by making it edgier. However, the writers clearly did not think that Enterprise was edgy enough, so this series ups the ante in everything but quality.

On the plus side, the visual effects are stunning. This is the highest quality Star Trek series when it comes to the ships and their lighting. There are also a couple of entertaining characters and scenes that reminded me of previous Star Trek shows. There is also some interesting interconnection between the events and characters in this show and those in the original series (such as Sarek and Mudd).

Unfortunately, so much more goes wrong. Despite being a prequel, it uses a higher level of technology than the Next Generation movie timeframe. The plots are both convoluted and predictable (I called nearly every betrayal, double-cross, and "surprise"). They messed up nearly everything about the Klingons, and then forced us to read a huge amount of subtitles as we listen to excessively long speeches in Klingon. They build up complex situations only to have them resolved in unbelievable and anti-climactic ways. They toss in a needless amount of gore to make certain we know this is "edgy" Star Trek.

Probably the biggest disappointment for me was that this was the first Star Trek series to focus almost exclusively on a single character. Sure, there are some other characters who get brief moments in the spotlight, but this is Michael Burnham's story. In another odd departure, Burnham isn't even the ship's captain. She also seems to get a bit more credit (and blame) for situations than she deserves.

And yet, I will probably watch the next season when it comes out on DVD. None of the Star Treks have had great first seasons, but nearly all of them developed into something better as they continued. I see elements of potential greatness, but not enough to subscribe to another streaming service (although the new series about Picard might change my mind on that).

The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

2/17/2019

"Who do you trust?" was the primary question in today's homily. Do we trust in money, our own strength, our possessions? All of these will give out over time. When we put our trust in God, we are open to an unlimited resource. God's love is greater than the wants and desires we have in this world.

Luke's Gospel today combines the "Blessed Be" list with the "Woe Be" tally, but the message stays true. Those who rely entirely on their abilities and wealth are doomed to feel loss. Meanwhile, God brings hope to the hopeless.

I struggle giving myself over to God's care. I fall into the trap of thinking that if I only had more money that things would be better. I often try to do things my own way on my own strength rather than open myself to God's will and care. Inevitably, my own strength fails. Yet when I trust in the Lord, my life finds blessings that I had never imagined on my own.

You'd think that I'd simply keep my trust in Him no matter what. Unfortunately, I start to think that those blessings were somehow due to my own abilities. I become complacent and overconfident, and I lose sight of my true benefactor.

I need to remind myself to keep my trust in Him.

The Punisher Season Two [mild spoilers]

2/16/2019

Netflix and Marvel have continued their trend of making quality superhero stories (decidedly not looking at Iron Fist). It’s a little bittersweet, as I’m certain that it will soon get cancelled just as the others have lately. Still, it was an enjoyable, if violent, story.

Actually, it was more like two stories. One of the season’s shortcomings was that the two main plot threads never really intersected in a satisfying way. In fact, the few interconnections tended to be rather forced. The other shortcoming was the strange turns that Nadine’s story took not to mention that so much attention was given to her at all. I could have also done with less of Russo or Krista.

The season shines when demonstrating why the Punisher, despite being a “normal” man, still shares space with superheroes. Unfortunately, superheroes are only briefly mentioned in this season as it focuses more on a “realistic” story. Don’t get me wrong, I love how humanized they make the character of Frank Castle; I just would have liked to see a stronger connection to the world of superheroes.

I missed Micro’s character, but I liked the deeper focus on Curtis. Amy was an interesting addition that I grew to like. However, this season’s show-stealer was the character of John. I would have liked a more satisfying conclusion to his story, but I still enjoyed his development.

I recommend the season, but one should expect a great deal of blood.

R.I.P. Chris Deneka

2/15/2019

Chris and I were not good friends. In fact, there were times that I could not stand being around him (and probably vice versa). That did not stop us from having good times together, nor did it stop me from mourning when I heard that he passed away today. I'm still in shock. He was talking about haircuts or something else mundane just a couple of days ago (probably moaning about women ... he did that a lot). Now he's suddenly gone.

Chris and I shared a lot of common interests; although he tended to go a little darker than I preferred. The first I really knew about him was after he dumped one of my friends. Then the jerk had the audacity to be fun to hang around when we were in the Sound of Music together our freshmen year. We only had small speaking parts, but in one scene we self-choreographed a hostile encounter between the two of our characters, utilizing a prop cane that he carried.

He, Chad, and I sang a trio version of "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" at one of the first Spaghetti Dinner concerts. We, with Derek, were part of the quartet of Keystone Cops who received silver chalices in recognition for our crew work (as well as singing and dancing) in The Pirates of the Penzance. He and I stole Paul Chamberlain's lines every time Paul didn't show up for a South Pacific rehearsal. The two of us and Aaron were the low basses in the Men's Choir that was state ranked.

The jerk dated my sister (I'm talking about Chris here, not Aaron--although he did too), and I did not think the best of him when that didn't go well. Then he would get me laughing again about some off-color Dungeons and Dragons joke. He broke a couple of my friends' hearts, but we still commiserated together during the times when our hearts were broken too. Like many high school connections, we lost touch during college.

Once Facebook was invented, we reconnected. Again, I cannot claim a close friendship, but we read each other's posts and commented from time to time. I had expected to be able to do so for decades to come.

Not this. I did not expect this.

I mourn his passing and pray for his children.