BS: Settling in Guam

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: The Barden of England
Date: 08 Sep 09 - 01:55 PM

So good to hear from you Brett. Keep up the good work (and word).
John Barden

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 08 Sep 09 - 11:16 PM

Really good to hear from you, Brett. I hope things look up for you in the classroom; darn kids, anyway. They are lucky to have you.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 Sep 09 - 04:46 PM

The weekend! Oh how lovely is a weekend.

I have discovered the real value of working is to highlight the wonder and delight of Friday night and all day Saturday and Sunday. Not that we actually DO anything with that time. It's just that it is OUR time to do with as we please.

Of course this usually entails writing lesson plans and correcting homework. But is is OUR CHOICE to do that... isn't it?

My car is dead... or severely injured. It died a couple of times on the road and now will not start at all. It was acting as though it wasn't getting enough fuel. I changed out the filters but that did not help. I don't know what to do. The shop cannot figure it out. It has been there a couple of times. Sigh.

On the up side a friend of ours has a pickup for sale. It's a 2000 Ranger 4 wheel drive extended cab. It was a company truck for an archaeological company here on the island and they don't need it anymore. Wakana and I are going to the credit union later to arrange a loan.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Amos
Date: 11 Sep 09 - 05:05 PM

Yay!! A voice from the Other Side!!

"But Brett!", he replied softly. "Isn't that why you retired from Gummint Woik in the first place?"



A

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 11 Sep 09 - 05:36 PM

Go, go, ex-archealogical Ranger, go!

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 12 Sep 09 - 09:12 AM

No, I retired from the government because it was a stupid pointless soul sucking job that I had hated for 24 years. My current job of telling disinterested teens about the wonders of the world around them is way better though sometimes it does seem rather pointless.

This week we will explore the wonders of the Indus River Civilizations (sophomores) and the Puritan settlement in New England (juniors). I can just hear them all out there preparing to be bored out of their minds.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 30 Sep 09 - 04:25 AM

What a weather week.

Last week all we had was rain. When it wasn't drizzling it was pouring. Then the sun came out. Now we are under the gray roof of clouds again.

There is a simple explanation. Last week a typhoon ran south of us. It is battering Viet Nam now. This week we were missed again by a typhoon. And today we were supposed to be hit by a tropical storm. This weekend we will get yet another typhoon.

And the Floridians complain if they get one hurricane. Sheesh!

Today's storm has not materialized though the schools were closed in anticipation of the weather. It seems to have evaporated.

Who knows what will happen with the next typhoon. It's still a tropical depression but the forecast shows it strengthening to full typhoon before it gets here. Melor will arrive on Saturday with 75 knot (86 MPH) winds and gusts of 90 knots (104 MPH).

The beauty of the situation is that preparations for today's storm showed some serious problems with our (mine and Wakana's) readiness. The storm shutters I wanted to put up are inadequate and we have too few of them. I get two afternoons (Thursday and Friday) to make up the difference. Then we get clobbered for real... maybe.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 30 Sep 09 - 05:36 AM

By the way, we bought our plane tickets for our Christmas journey home. We will arrive in Portland, Maine, on December 21 and head stright up to the farm to visit my parents and my kids. I get to see my granddaughter, the fabulous Sabra.

We fly out on January 1. We have to be at work on January 3. I hope to get a little time in southern Maine to visit with friends. Can we set something up?

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 30 Sep 09 - 12:53 PM

Good luck on the shutters and other preparedness. Stay safe!

Yeah! On Christmas...have fun!

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 30 Sep 09 - 01:03 PM

See my PM Brett.

And keep an eye out for tsunamis.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 30 Sep 09 - 10:21 PM

Brett-

Something between Christmas and New Year's is not out of the question. We could do a picnic down at Reid State Park but Wakana might never forgive us for such a freezing experience.

The usual 3rd Friday and 3rd Saturday scheduled events don't work at all.

We are open to better suggestions.

Cheerily,
Charley and judy

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 02 Oct 09 - 05:53 AM

I'm sure most of you are familiar with the infrared weather images. You know the ones, the darker the color the harder the rain is falling.

Looking at the local images is very exciting. I have never seen that much scarlet in my life. Last week, before the tropical storm petered out, we had three huge scarlet swirls rotating around Guam. Tropical Storm Palma, recently upgraded to super typhoon, Tropical Depression 18W, which petered out on Wednesday, and Typhoon Melor which is now building up to super typhoon strength.

Luckily Melor will run off to the north. We will get some tropical force winds tomorrow afternoon and evening as it pounds Saipan and Tinian. We shouldn't see much more than that.

Driving into town this afternoon was an education. All the storefronts have their protection in place with signs saying that they are open. The grocery stores are mobbed but that just might be the regular Friday crowd.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 03 Oct 09 - 03:43 AM

Melor did run off to the north. We got a little wind and the northern part of the island got a little wet but they canceled the official warnings about the same time as I mounted the last of my typhoon shutters.

Wakana and I wne to a new restaurant, Gyoza Yatai. The main theme of the restaurant is gyoza. This is a Japanese dumpling, a folded rice tortilla full of cabbage and spices and a little meat. They are either fried or steamed depending on the type of gyoza. We also had ishiyaki, a rice mixture with meat seaweed, broccoli, mushrooms and slices of bamboo served in a large hot stone bowl. The bowl is so hot you can hear the food crackling from its contact with the bowl. All I can say is YUMMY!

On the way home we stopped to watch the surf. The typhoon may have wandered off to the north but the effect can be seen in the water. Pretty impressive. The rollers come in long lines one after another. They curl and break on the reef line, bright green blue topped with white foam. They break and run in but hit a second wall that throws them up into the air. The surf is white and above it is the mist of salt water flying in all directions.

Very nice if you are standing on dry land or, better yet, sitting in a car.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 03 Oct 09 - 11:32 AM

I find storms like that exhilarating IF, as you say, I can be safe and dry. When Hurricane Bob, I think it was, hit CT, my girls and I stood out on our porch and watched the wind whip through the town. We were probably a little stupid as it threw bricks off of our chimney and knocked down some tree limbs nearby, but we still loved it!:-)

Stay safe!

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 04 Oct 09 - 02:13 AM

Nothing to worry about. The storms have gone by and we are untouched... so far. Who knows when the next storm will come?

Wakana and I went to a new(ish) restaurant for lunch yesterday. Gyoza-Yatai serves gyoza as their central food. Gyoza is a Japanese dumpling but it is originally from China. I grabbed an ingredient list off a website. Here is what's in a typical gyoza.
Ingredients:
(for 30 Gyoza)
    * Dough:
          o 170 mL water
          o 200 g strong flour
    * Filling:
          o 200 g ground pork
          o Cabbage
          o Nira*: can be substituted by leek or green onion
          o Leek or Green onion
          o Garlic
          o Ginger
          o Sake*
          o Soya sauce, salt, and pepper
          o Sesame oil
    * Dipping Sauce:
          o Soya sauce
          o Vinegar
* This ingredient may not be available in Western supermarkets, but you should be able to find it in Japanese grocery stores that exist in most large European and American cities.

This is a "typical" gyoza but there are many kinds. Look them up to see what they look like. They are either steamed or fried and are very tasty. The restaurant does a very good job on them.

The other part of our meal was a stone bowl full of a rice dish. The bowl was so hot that the food inside was crackling with the heat.

It was all great. I told Wakana that I had a new favorite place to eat.

Today is Sunday and we are making a lazy day of it... well, as lazy as a teacher can make it. We are each working on making tests or correcting papers.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 09 Oct 09 - 01:36 PM

Wakana got hurt at work this week. She was holding the door open and calling her students into the room. One of them hit the door hard and smashed her hand between the doorknob and the wall. For a while we thought her finger was broken but the x-rays cleared up that worry. Not sure what's going to happen to the kid. He's one of those who is not careful and is too rough. They should boot him out.

I got home from work this afternoon and felt like a steamroller had run over me. I laid down for a nap and slept for over three hours. Wakana slept longer and she'd had the day off. By the end of the week we are exhausted.

The other day the woman who runs the Good Morning Market, our little convenience store, asked me how I was doing when I stopped in at the end of the day. I just looked at her and said "75 teenagers!" She knew what I meant. Her store is next to a bus stop and they crowd in there after school.

It's 3:30 AM and I cannot sleep. The down side of a long nap.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: maeve
Date: 09 Oct 09 - 08:04 PM

Brett- I'm so sorry Wakana was hurt. I do hope she recovers soon. Do you have any arnica gel/ointment on hand? It is very helpful for such an injury as recommended by my physical therapist.

maeve

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 09 Oct 09 - 08:42 PM

Brett-

I'll send you a copy via e-mail of the poster Roll & Go is using for its Pirate Party at the Sidedoor Coffeehouse; it might cheer you up. Could you book us for a concert at your school?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 09 Oct 09 - 10:49 PM

I got the poster. Looks great. I'm going to take the file to the local copy shop and get a large size done for my classroom.

Who's the new woman? She looks a lot like the new guy.

Wakana is doing better today. She keeps the hand wrapped in an ace bandage but she did come out to help me repair some bookshelves. The pinky on her left hand is painful when touched but otherwise it is OK.

The Micronesian Islands Festival is this weekend. Wakana and I will go tomorrow. Today is a lazy recovery day. I will take her to Hoa Mai for lunch.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 13 Oct 09 - 02:01 AM

A lesson in how to be nice to people. Wakana and I went to Gyoza Yatai for lunch the other day. As we walked in we caught the waitress grabbing a bite of her lunch. She apologized as she came over but we told her not to worry. I commented that we believed that waitstaff are humans too.

The manager came out and recognized us from our first visit. We made small talk and said nice things about his restaurant. We mentioned that we live in Talofofo which is quite a distance from the restaurant (as things are measured on the island).

After our meal we were preparing to leave when the waitress came over to our table with a tall tapered glass full of white gooey creamy deliciousness. It was the desert we did not order but that the manager and she agreed we needed to have. It was full of fruit and whipped cream and jello and, at the bottom, corn flakes. Yummy!

Oh, and the Micronesian Islands Festival is next weekend. We went down to Ypao Beach Park and found what could only be described as a party day for all the employees of all the largest companies on Guam. It was pretty exciting but it wasn't the Micronesian Islands Festival.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 13 Oct 09 - 08:40 AM

Brett-

The "new woman" you referred to in the Roll & Go pirate poster is Carol Davis, a former garage rockbandmate of Jeff Logan but not otherwise related. She and Eli do some nice harmonies together, swapping back and forth. We'll be bringing out a new CD in a month or so titled Roll & Go: Watch Out! Be sure to reserve a copy, for the entire edition will sell out in a week, or a month, or maybe a century!

Happy festivities!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 15 Oct 09 - 05:28 AM

Last night I was lying in bed surfing the net with my laptop. I was looking for living history museums with internet programs I could use with my students. I dropped into Mystic Seaport to see what was available. As I scanned the page I noticed a link to some kind of letter about sailing the Morgan. I clicked on it.

Next thing I knew I was crying and so happy! They are going to fix up the Morgan and SAIL HER! My tears surprised the hell out of me.

Way back in the misty depths of time, when I was in grade school, my parents took me to Mystic Seaport. I walked on the Morgan for the first time. She sat at the dock firmly bedded in sand. It was so sad. I could see that even as a kid.

Fast forward to adulthood. The Morgan wad been rebuilt and was floating. I was so happy for her. I walked the deck and, if I stood very still, I could feel her moving. It was so great! And when the crew set the sails and they pulled you could feel her move just a bit.

NOW however, they want to set her free! They will let her sails take her out of the cramped river where she has been sitting for the last 68 years and out on to the ocean once more. I am so happy. I HAVE to be there when they move her. I MUST see her sail.

Last night when we went to bed the skies were clear and the breezes wafted softly through the carport. This morning we woke to wildly tossing branches and torrential rain. Overnight a tropical depression established itself and grew to a tropical storm. It ran off to the south of the island today and has gone on to intensify into a typhoon. It's aimed at the poor Philippines. I don't know how many of these have gone on to hit them but they don't need any more.

It is a lesson in how quickly these things can grow around here.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 15 Oct 09 - 09:22 AM

Brett-

You must have missed my comments about the Morgan hauled out for major rebuild when I was down at Mystic last June for the Sea Music Festival. Sailing her is the goal. I'll send you an image of what she looks like out of the water; the hull looks amazingly ancient!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 Oct 09 - 09:27 AM

I'm afraid I have not been watching the threads. I am getting really homesick. I don't sing anymore. I don't play my guitar. I can't remember many of the songs I used to do. I get really grouchy around the students... oh, wait, I'd do that anyway because they are such.. uh, dunderheads.

Friday was Parent Teacher Conferences. I had forty some parents roll through my door. Most of the conferences were pretty good but it was exhausting. They don't understand why their little angel doesn't do well in my classes. I have made some pretty serious promises.

I will be instituting a seating plan for several of my classes.

I will require certain students to sit up front at the request of their parents.

I will email worksheets to parents so they can sit over their darling angels and force them to do their work.

I will learn that failing kids who do not deserve better grades means I have to pay the price in long discussions with parents who believe their snot nosed little brat is a perfect angel and that he may not be able to read but at least he can beat people up! What? What do you mean that isn't a Christian attitude? Just because he is supposed to be a good Catholic...

I think I'm getting bitter about parents who buckle under the pressure and spoil their kids.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 24 Oct 09 - 09:54 PM

Say, Brett, what's your latest schedule for your holiday visit to Maine? We'll be in residence and would very much like to see you and Wakana.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 Oct 09 - 11:16 PM

We arrive on December 21 and head straight up to the Farm. We fly home out of Portland on January 1. I'm hoping to get a day or two in the Portland area before we come home. Sinsull has invited us to her house and I think we'll take her up on it. I'm having trouble getting Wakana to plan that far ahead.

I really want to see everyone I can and get in touch with my roots again. I also need to visit a number of stores to stock up on some items I cannot get on the island. I'm making a list.

I spent most of yesterday (Saturday) asleep. I was beat. I felt better this morning and used my energy to take the riding lawn mower apart so I could figure out why it was eating drive belts and to put my bicycle in the back of the truck so I can fill the tires. Now I'm exhausted again. It's as though I have no reserves of energy any more. I gotta get on that bike and work out some more. My back is starting to trouble me. I'm too damn fat.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 07 Nov 09 - 08:41 AM

Wakana and I went to Gyoza Yatai AGAIN. We always seem to end up there on the weekend. While there the manager told me he'd Googled the name of the restaurant and found this thread. He realized it was my thread from my description of Wakana's injured hand. So...

Hi Frank and Ha'ana!

Just in case he looks again.

On Friday morning we woke to the alarm, eventually rolled out of bed, went through our usual morning routine, Wakana left for work and I was getting ready when I looked closer at the clock. I had been glancing at it off and on to make sure I was on track. Then I realized it was NOT ten minutes after seven. It was ten minutes after eight! Somehow we lost an entire hour! I got to work in time to miss my homeroom and just in time for my first block class.

Wakana didn't realize it until she got to school and wandered around wondering why everything was quiet and all the kids were in the classrooms.

We've been laughing about it but the only explanation we can come up with is alien abduction... or some kind of time shift.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 07 Nov 09 - 10:08 AM

I arrived at my physio's exercise class an hour late one morning.

I normally wake two & a half hours before I need to leave, but stayed up several hours longer than normal, so didn't set the alarm & woke an hour later & just did the usual (I must have still been tired!)

As I was approaching the bus I realised it wasn't 10.40, it was 11.40, so I said a rude word or two, & kept going. I called into the class as it was finishing to explain.

sandra

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 29 Nov 09 - 03:38 AM

This is the end of the Thanksgiving vacation.We had a pretty good time. We went to Capricciosa for a spaghetti lunch and bought enough to have leftovers all weekend. On Friday we went out for a doctor appointment for Wakana and a little shopping. I went to my favorite place, Home Depot. Wakana went to hers, KMart.

Mostly we've stayed close to home. Not hard to do when you live on an island. We are trying to save money for the trip home. Every time I am tempted to buy something I stop and remember it is time to swell the bank account.

Last Wednesday I hit a low point at work. I was really depressed at how resistant the students are to acquiring knowledge. I spent a week talking to the Sophomores about the Romans and making it as grisly and sexy as I dared and the lessons dribbled off them like water off a duck's back. The Juniors slept through the War of Independence and grumbled all the time. I'm afraid I said some rather insulting and angry things about them while at home. Tomorrow we go back into the classrooms again. Sigh.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 10 Dec 09 - 04:53 PM

PM me with your tentative schedule. If Wakana expects to visit the Christmas Tree Shop for the AFTER CHRISTMAS SALES,SHE BETTER COOPERATE.
Not really. We can be flexible with people we like.
SINS

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Amos
Date: 10 Dec 09 - 05:29 PM

Brett: Get some Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar while here and start taking one half a teaspoon in your OJ every morning.

It will improve your energy and help burn off the reserve stores.

Only 1/2 a TEAspoon, mind you.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 Dec 09 - 06:52 AM

Amos, what happens if you take a whole teaspoon?

Sorry to be so quiet. This school year is tough on both me and Wakana. She has a particularly difficult set of students. I spend a lot of time listening to her decompress at the end of the day. A husband's work is never done.

Recently she introduced me to one student who has given her a lot of trouble. I smiled, looked him in the eyes and shook his hand... the way we shake hands in Maine... you know, the strength contest between hairy-chested males? I could see the pain in his face. I told him that Wakana had told me all about him and that I was glad to meet him. Later he complained to Wakana that I hurt him. She innocently explained that she had told me all about his antics and that I had been looking forward to meeting him.

It worked for a few days.

Wakana and I talk about dogs using a phrase I picked up from a stand up comic. "Every time they blink they open their eyes on a whole new world." Our students are like that. At some point this kid blinked and he forgot the whole thing. I need to shake his hand again.

We have a new teacher at the school. The Spanish teacher took a medical retirement and Mr. Catling came in to take her classes. It wasn't until he arrived that I realized some of what I've been missing. Mr. Catling is a new age kind of guy. He's small, dark, and wiry and has long Afro hair that he bunches at the back of his head. He is back on Guam after trying out the life of a professional actor. He learned Spanish in Spain.

I really like him. He is like a number of people I know back home. New age, interested in a lot of things, plays music, has his own drums, etc. He wants to get the drama club running and healthy at the school. He is trying to plan a trip to Spain for his students but that will be very difficult because he will need about $60,000 to pull it off.

Plus, he spent a few months working in The Old Town School Music Store in Chicago and is very familiar with folk music.

Of course, he had a little misunderstanding with the administration. Our windows are covered with plexiglass panels. He had his students paint them in a swirl of colors and styles. I guess this did not sit well with the administration. I don't think he did anything bad. He's like a breath of fresh air. It is one of the few really positive things to happen in a long time.

Anyway, I wanted to post my itinerary for all to see. We'll be spending most of our time with family in Houlton. I'll finally get to see my granddaughter again. The last time she was about six months old. Now she's almost two years old. She's walking and talking. Too cool.

Here is our itinerary.

Arrive Portland - Dec 21 at 10:42 PM

We'll be picked up by my sister, spend the night at her house and then head up to Houlton.

We are planning to go to Mary's for her New Year's Bash. Dates and times for our return to the Portland area are uncertain.

Depart Portland - Jan 1 at 2:05 PM

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 11 Dec 09 - 10:41 AM

Bragg's Vinegar is g-o-o-d stuff! I would not put it in my oj, though.:-) A little water, yes.

Have a wonderful and safe trip, Brett and Wakana. Bring warm clothes!:-)

kat

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 11 Dec 09 - 10:57 AM

Have to admit, Brett, I was bored to tears by history classes. It was all about wars fought by people who were long dead. Age has given me a perspective on the importance of it all but then I frankly didn't give a damn. Had one teacher make us memorize the entire battle plan of the final offensive of the Civil War - fascinating stuff. YAWWWNNNNNN.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: ClaireBear
Date: 11 Dec 09 - 12:36 PM

This is primarily for Mary.

My father was a university history professor and a department head for many years. He was one damned fine teacher, and he built a department of damned fine teachers (who then taught me, so I know this to be true). This was his policy, as best I can articulate it:

Teach about trends, movements, cultures, and principles; abjure memorization. Make sure that your students understand what happened; why it happened; to whom it happened; and how it interacted with what else happened -- earlier, at the same time, and later. Don't waste your time or your students' time requiring them to memorize facts that they could easily look up in a book -- just make sure they know how to use a library (and, these days, the Internet) and that they can tell a reliable source from a dubious one.

Your teacher is probably now resident in the same circle of hell as the one who told my very dyslexic husband (when, as a junior in high school, he finally mastered enough reading skills to develop a love for the poetry of Robert Browning and proudly announced this to said teacher) that "a liking for Browning is a sure sign of a second-rate mind."

Claire

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Amos
Date: 11 Dec 09 - 04:15 PM

Wal, you can read up on it in various health-food forums; it can cause a lot of flatus and burning sensations in inconvenient locations if you take too much. The standard prescription is usually one-half teaspoon. If you found it was working well for you you could see how you did working up to one teaspoon, but in my experience with it you don't want to go much past that. YMMV. However, I did find that it raised my energy and metabolism, and helped me burn off some weight.


A

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 11 Dec 09 - 04:36 PM

Any teacher who would belittle any student for loving Browning (or any other poet or author,etc.)ought to be shot.When my son read a comic book, I encouraged him to read another. Any reading is better than none.
By the way I have a brother in his 60s who brags that he has never rwead a book since he quit high school at 17. Brilliant.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 19 Dec 09 - 08:35 AM

Tonight Wakana and I drove over to the other side of the island to have a last dinner at Hoa Mai. We stopped to put air in one of the tires. While there I looked at the sky and made her turn around to see it.

There was a thin haze of high altitude cloud turned pale pink by the sunset. To the west of the line of cloud the sky was a beautiful turquoise fading to pale lavender. To the east the sky faded quickly to dark space shot through with twinkling stars. And shining through the pink haze was just the barest fingernail of moon. It was gorgeous.

We got out our cold weather clothes and tried them on. They still fit and do not smell too musty. I ordered some boot from Beans. They are at my sister's house now. I'm not sure we can fit everything into the suitcases.

A couple of my students were selling calendars to support the Gef Pago Island Dance troop. I bought five to use as Christmas presents and looking at them I wish I had bought more. Several of my students are in there. The pictures are so pretty.

We'll arrive at the Portland Jetport around 1045 Monday evening. My sister will pick us up and take us to Monmouth for the night. Next day we'll head up to Houlton.

I'm a little worried about my Dad. He's been fighting some form of leukemia, a form that apparently is common in the elderly. He's been getting blood transfusions and chemotherapy. I think Mom is worried too. Don't know how things will play out but I've gotta see what's going on.

I spent the day working on my correcting job. It's an impressive pile of paper the students have generated. All I have left are the final exams and the extra credits then I get to load it all into the computer.

Why did I think being a teacher was a good idea?

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 19 Dec 09 - 10:32 AM

wow - what a wonderful sky -I would love to have seen that it.

around 6 tonight I was trying to photograph a silvery circle that looked like a full moon as it appeared & disappeared in the thick & thin fast moving clouds. Then it passed behind a space in the clouds & it was the setting sun. I got an uninteresting series of pics of clouds about the mid-Victorian Town Hall - bummer, it was not what I was trying to get. I do have sunset pics from my suburb on a hill above Sydney's CBD, including some with the Town Hall tower, but this was so different.

best wishes for you visit to your family, Brett.

sandra

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 19 Dec 09 - 11:34 AM

Safe journeys, Brett and Wakana and may there be an ease of mind and heart concerning your dad.

The sunset sounds spectacular!

luvyakat

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 19 Dec 09 - 01:36 PM

Brett-

Our best to your father and mother.

Charley Noble and JudyB

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 20 Dec 09 - 11:14 AM

I saw that same sunset in Maine with just a touch of purple added. The sliver of a moon was stunning. I wonder how many people all over the world, rich or poor, healthy or ill, in peaceful homes or caught in war, shared that same sight.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Dec 09 - 10:09 AM

Weather looks good for flying into Portland, Maine, this evening.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 23 Dec 09 - 11:37 AM

Arrived at my sister's house in the very early7 morning of December 22 after 33 hours traveling. Exhausted.

Next day we drove up to New Limerick in my sister's car. Just north of Bangor we ran into snow. By the time we got to Patten we were down to 45 MPH with whiteout conditions every time a car or big truck passed us. It's still snowing. I may not be able to0 get back to Guam.

Did I mention the cold?

And the dry air is killing my sinuses.

Some more whine, my dear?

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 23 Dec 09 - 11:44 AM

Never thought of New England having "dry" air...but that was compared to the high desert.:-) What did Wakana think of driving in the white-out? Glad you arrived safe and sound, at least!

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 23 Dec 09 - 12:14 PM

Cold and dry. I never got chapped lips until I moved up here. Dry fluffy snow you can sweep with a broom - weird.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 23 Dec 09 - 01:22 PM

Gee, Brett, we thought you'd be pleased by being greeted with a major snow storm. After all, you haven't had a chance to shovel this stuff for years. Hope you brought your ice scrapper.

Looking forward to seeing you and Wakana after Christmas.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 23 Dec 09 - 04:34 PM

Sins, that's what my sister says the snow is like in Alaska...she never has to shovel her driveway it is so dry and light. That's not always normal for Maine, is it? Don't you have a lot of humidity in the summer?

(Sorry, Brett..carry on.:-)

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 23 Dec 09 - 07:29 PM

have you contributed to the 'Is it snowing where you are' thread!

sandra

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Amos
Date: 23 Dec 09 - 07:44 PM

I accused my boss of whining this morning and he laughed and told me that a TexAs buddy has once informed him, "If you want sympathy, it's right between shit and syphilis in the dictionary...".

A