I'm not at all Irish, but neither was Saint Patrick, so celebrating his day by wearing green (my favorite color) is an annual joy of mine (when I remember). Janelle also uses this holiday as an excuse to cook an excellent corned beef dinner. Even though Connor may have slightly over-spiced the green beans (he was experimenting), the meal was excellent.

The main blemish on the day was that I really lost my temper on one of my students, unleashing a full diatribe on the idiot. You see, the student in question had been randomly selected to be a part of today's discussion on the poem "The Unknown Citizen" by W.H Auden. He blurted out, "Nobody's even read this."

I ... had ... JUST ... finished ... reading ... it ... out ... loud ... to ... the ... class.

He had been present. I had twice reminded him to pay attention. Thus, I felt justified in releasing the full fury of my frustration at just how disrespectful someone would have to be to make such a claim. Furthermore, considering the disrespect shown, I felt no compunction in refraining from expressing just how thick-witted someone would have to be to make a comment such as he had given the circumstances.

The discussion actually went quite well after that.

I'm tired, so I'm keeping this short. The Russian assault on Ukraine is taking longer with more setbacks than nearly anyone had anticipated. The optimist in me believes that Russia's equipment and abilities were overestimated due to shifty contractors and overall governmental corruption, meaning that Ukraine will be able to effectively push back as more weapons and materials come from NATO nations. The cynic in me worries that this is part of the Russian military's plan to lure in NATO into an "easy" direct engagement while leaving the more effective offensive ready for that diplomatic misstep to "justify" a larger war.

I don't think that the latter is likely, but I can't shake the feeling that there has to be more to Russia's endgame than we have seen so far.

Thanks to one of my coworker/friend's reminders, I spent much of the day either warning ominously or outright shouting "Beware the Ides of March" at people today. Each student of mine who asked "What does that mean?" was met with an incredulous stare and the response, "What do you mean, 'What does that mean?'?!" Sure, there was a recent spring break, but we JUST finished reading Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Out loud. As a class. I wish I had the presence of mind to say, "Et tu, [student's name]?" Alas, those were missed opportunities.

It's interesting to me that, in trying to defend their Republic from tyranny, Julius Caesar's murderers actually set in motion the destruction of that very Republic. Certainly, they must have felt that the ends were going to justify the means, only to discover later how very wrong they were. Most of them would not live to see Octavius crown himself as Augustus Caesar, founding the Roman Empire on the ashes of the Republic. 

Beware the Ides of March, indeed.

Sadly, my Pi day once again included no amount of pie. I heard that today was also (unofficially) National Napping Day--a day that is celebrated on the day following the switch to Daylight Savings. Unfortunately, no amount of napping was included in my day either. However, I should note that both circumstances were born from my own choices. Had I really wanted to, I certainly could have bought a pie or taken a nap. Instead, I have been perfectly fine with how my day has gone.

Even if I didn't celebrate them, I still am happy that they are there for me to recognize. Some people might say that celebrating a day for Pi is irrational. For me, I prefer to have such celebrations and to enjoy the small pieces of life. 

In both the First Reading and the Gospel, God the Father descends as a cloud of shadow or darkness. I both cases, the people (Abram in the First Reading, and Peter, John, and James in the Gospel) within the shadow become frightened--even terrified. It is then that the Lord speaks to them, bringing a message of glad tidings.

It is often in our darkest hours that we turn to the Lord, only then realizing that He was there, waiting for us, all along. Darkness is no obstacle for God. In the first day of creation, He created light and divided the day between darkness and light. While God's light is eternal and can reach anywhere, darkness also belongs to Him. Darkness hides nothing from Him. He can use darkness as well as light to bring about His works.

We are often afraid of the dark, of the uncertainty that it presents to us, of the confusion that it brings to us. So too do we stumble through the uncertainty of our future and the confusion of the times we live in. To us, the future is in darkness--which can be frightening, even terrifying. However, God speaks to us through that darkness, guaranteeing a wondrous future beyond our wildest imaginations. 

​Do not be afraid.

The day Connor and I left on our trip, our home received over half a foot of snow in a short period of time. The temperatures then warmed and most of the snow from the roofs fell, making enough of a pile (when added to what was already there) for our dogs to walk over the fence that surrounds their dog yard and escape. They had been hesitant to do this the last time the snow got this high (which was earlier this year), but they decided to risk it this time.

Thus, while I was gone, the dogs escaped time and time again as they were let out. Janelle and Trevor worked a bit on the reducing the size of the snow piles, but they had layers of compacted ice, and the foot or so reduction was not enough to dissuade the dogs from jumping. It wasn't until the day Connor and I returned that Janelle, out of concern that our wandering dogs would get injured by a car or moose, bought a short dog chain. It stopped the excursions, but added a level of frustration for both us and the dogs.

Today, I waited until the air had warmed and the rain had passed before spending over an hour outside, trying to create a ditch at the three places where the snow was high enough for the dogs to jump the fence. In each of the places, I dug down about three feet (or more) from the top of the fence, and cleared a space about three feet away from the fence. I used the gravel shovel I bought last summer as the snow shovels didn't have the strength to push through the ice layers.

Once I finished, I decided to test the moat that I placed on the inside of the fence. I let both dogs out together. Immediately, they ran along the snow ridge like they were going to jump the fence, but they both skidded to a stop when they saw the trench. After some investigation at the other sites, they decided to just do their business and ask to come back in.

Thankfully, it seems that they don't want to risk the longer jump. ​I certainly hope that this solved the problem. My arms are too sore at the moment to consider widening the moat even more. 

After a long day of traveling, Connor and I are finally home. I’ve already unpacked, distributing the various gifts that we got from our trip. Despite doing little else other than sitting in various vehicles, I find that I am quite exhausted.

It was a great trip, but I’m glad to be home.

I started the day by discovering that Connor had broken his glasses. One of the parents had some electrical tape, so we created a temporary fix. Thankfully, he has a new pair of glasses waiting to be picked up when we get home.

Much of today was spent on the bus. We left Philadelphia in the morning and headed to Lancaster for an Amish Experience which included a five screen movie experience and a tour of a reproduction of an Amish schoolhouse and home. We then had lunch at a Golden Corral, which the kids seemed to like.

We then spent another couple of hours on the bus as we returned to Washington D.C. where we went to the Smithsonian museums. We only had a couple hours there before they closed. Sadly the American History Museum and the Air and Space Museum were both closed today. Instead, I went to the National Museum of the American Indian which had many interesting displays, including a modern Tlingit display that retold the story of how Raven released light into the world.

On our way back to the bus, we posed in front of the Capitol Building as it was the closest that we had been to it this trip. We then had dinner at the San Antonio Bar and Grill. From there, we returned to our hotel so we could pack up and be ready to be on the bus by 5:30 AM for our flight home.

We we’re not in D.C. at all, but rather spent the day in Philadelphia. Despite the cold and rain, there was something special about being in Old Philadelphia and “the room where it happened.” We began with a cold, wet walking tour through Historic Philadelphia which included stops at the Liberty Bell, Carpenter’s Hall where the 1st Continental Congress met, the site of Washington’s residence as President (including the secret basement where he kept his slaves), the site of Benjamin Franklin’s retirement home, Betsy Ross’s house, and Christ’s Church (including the cemetery where Franklin is buried).

From there, we went to Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was ratified and the Constitution was created. It also held the early Supreme Court. We were originally supposed to have lunch at the Bourse, but our guide instead insisted that we eat at Reading Market (formally part of Reading Railroad of Monopoly fame and pronounced “redding”). It was an amazing choice! There were so many wonderful choices that it led to indecision and then overeating (at least on my part). Connor and I settled on the iconic original Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches which were worth the hype.

After lunch, we went to the National Constitution Center which was filled with displays and performances about the Constitution and its Amendments. The kids were pretty worn out by then, but I was having a blast! However, we all got our energy back as we visited the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, immortalized by the iconic scenes from the first two Rocky movies. If I had a bucket list, I would have just crossed a line through one of its items.

Our dinner was at Philadelphia’s Hard Rock Cafe and was followed by a cold outdoor tour that was advertised as the “criminals of Old Philadelphia,” but ended up being ghost stories from the time of the Revolution.

Tomorrow, we leave Philadelphia and head to Amish country before returning to D.C.

Much of today was spent on the bus. We left D.C. this morning for Gettysburg. There, we watched a movie about the conflict before heading up to view the Cyclorama: the largest oil painting in the world (?) that depicts a 360 degree picture of the battle from the top of Cemetery Ridge. The display includes 3D elements that blend into the painting as well as narration and special effects to highlight the third day of the battle. From there, one of the park curators led us on a bus tour of the actual battlefield, ending at Cemetery Hill where I was given the opportunity to real aloud the Gettysburg Address.

We picked up our lunch from the Dobbin House Tavern, which resides in a building that was constructed in 1776. We then drove to Philadelphia where most of the group (after a short stop at the hotel) watched the Philadelphia Flyers defeat the Las Vegas Golden Knights. A small group went on a ghost tour instead. At this point, I have not had the chance to find out what that was, let alone how it went. For my part, I spent too much on food at the hockey game, but I enjoyed the experience—and was often in awe of the overall production behind it.

We got moving a little bit earlier today (although, not Connor and his friends, who all slept through their alarms and had to be woken by the pounding of one of the chaperones on their door) because we had a set appointment at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery. We saw the changing of the guard and four of our students participated in the wreath-laying ceremony. While there, we also saw the tombs of Joe Louis and the Kennedy family (with its perpetually burning flame).

Next came the part that Connor (and many of the other students) most looked forward to doing: riding on the subway. Connor said that it was a great experience, but it gave me flashbacks to The Last of Us. We arrived at the Pentagon mall for lunch before heading to Mount Vernon.

Washington’s residence is an impressive estate, with a great view and a fantastic museum. While it was interesting to see the bed in which he died, I was more impressed by his and Martha’s tomb, the 4D experience that recounted his contribution to the Revolutionary War, and his infamous teeth—about which I have read so much.

From their we spent some time in Old Town Alexandria which had no fewer than five ice cream-type shops in a two block area, as well as one store with a name that made me feel a little targeted. We then went on to tour another set of monuments: Martine Luther King Jr.’s, Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s, and Thomas Jefferson’s. Each was impressive in its own, unique way. I would have liked to see FDR’s when the fountains were running.

We capped the day at Crystal City Sports Bar with hundreds of TVs as well as pulled pork, grilled chicken, and macaroni and cheese for dinner. Tomorrow, we need to get up even earlier as we are leaving D.C. for Pennsylvania.

After breakfast at our hotel, our day started with the International Spy Museum (where I could have spent more time). We then tried to go to the National Mall for an early lunch, only to discover that the food court was not open on Sundays after going through the security screening. Instead, we went to the National Archives for WAY too short of a time and were not allowed to take any pictures, but I got some replicas of the historical documents that we saw.

We then arrived at Ford Theater for our noon appointment. Again, we did not have enough time. I only went looking for one thing at the gift shop, but it was a bust—of Lincoln. We then headed to the National Zoo, hoping to also eat a, now late, lunch there. The place was PACKED with long lines everywhere and closed two hours earlier than any of the signs said (again, not enough time).

With more time on our hands than expected, we went to the exterior of the White House, saw the protest in support of the Ukraine, spoke with a Secret Service agent (I was too nervous to ask for a picture), took pictures, got Connor a hat from a street vendor, went to the other side, and took more pictures (including getting poked by the Washington Monument). We then attempted to go to a museum, but found that it was closing earlier too, so we got ice cream and hung out at the Washington Memorial. There was something almost spiritual when I was able to touch it. We also found Jefferson’s Rock (Pier)—where he wanted to make a new Prime Meridian.

We had dinner at We the Pizza before heading to see the WWII, Vietnam War, Lincoln, and Korean War Memorials. I found both Kilroys at the WWII Memorial. We just got in a little while ago and have an early morning tomorrow, so I’m keeping this short on the details.

Most of the day was spent traveling across the country. I need to remember to pack snacks for future trips. Our tour highlights included the Iwo Jima memorial and the statue of Albert Einstein (it turns out that you’re supposed to RUB his nose … not pick it).

Connor and I are getting ready to board our flight from Kenai to Anchorage. Connor packed rather lightly. I brought a carry-on and an unfilled check-in bag. I wanted plenty of space for the souvenirs that I plan to purchase.

It doesn’t feel quite real that we are about to head out and that we won’t be back for a week. My plan is to take plenty of pictures each day and post them in the evenings so I can share this trip with anyone who is interested. I will need to practice my selfies.