KP's Typing

Spring Semester

2008-01-05T16:25:00.001-08:00

I haven't posted in a long while, but at least (unlike Stoberg) my page can still be found. * Spring semester begins Monday. In my experience the spring semester is always better than the fall semester. * I have had a good break. Got some much needed rest. I was getting worn out there toward the end of the fall semester - partly because I traveled out of town four Saturdays in a row in November and December to watch Eagle football, which made for short weekends to rest up before the next week.

It's a great day to be an Eagle!

2007-08-29T18:01:00.001-07:00

Just read where I got spanked by both my daughters at the end of July for not posting beyond one sentence at the first of that month. Today's read was the first time I had seen those comments, and here it is almost September. * We are off and running at The High. Well, I don't know if we are running yet, but we are definately off. I have 160 some odd students for Jr. and Sr. English, and most of them seem like fine, polite, nice, interesting young people who I look forward to getting to know. On the first day of school I handed something to one of my Jr. boys and he said "thanks homes." "Yeah," I responded, "we're going to be a bit more formal than that." "Oh, sorry," he said, "thanks homey." I did not get on to him for this because I thought he has a quick wit, and besides, I did say we're going to be a bit more formal, which his response was. * There are many good people at Abilene High(staff and students), and I am happy to be there. I especially enjoy eating lunch with Kate and other English teachers every day, and of running into Kate at random times in the office or teacher work room.

Back

2007-07-06T09:37:00.000-07:00

After an almost one year absence from blogging, I am back.

Home again

2006-07-07T09:34:00.000-07:00

Home again home again jiggity jog. This is what my Mamaw Holland would always say when she arrived home from a trip. * It is good to be back where life is comfortable and easy. (I had to show my passport at approximately ten different security checkpoints before I was able to board the plane in Tel Aviv.) I was in a jetlagged lethargy most of yesterday, but am feeling better today. * Am headed to the Walterses' to babysit my sweet grandbaby while Summer does some interior design consulting. * Thanks to all readers for taking this trip with me. Thanks especially for your thoughts, prayers, and comments. Love, KP

Promoting Peace

2006-07-03T09:23:00.000-07:00

Monday, 3 July. 7:21 p.m. Writing from a hostel in Tel Aviv. * This morning at 6:30 I decided to take one last walk through the narrow, serpentine lanes of Old City Jerusalem before catching a cab for Tel Aviv. Few people were out yet, so I expected it to be peaceful and nice. I was about half way to the north entrance of the West Wall when I passed two IDF soldiers going the other way. Following shortly after them were six Orthodox Jews wearing side ringlets, hats, and prayer shawls. They were carrying holy books. Perhaps they had been to the West Wall for an early prayer. Ahead of me I heard angry words. An Arab man on a trash collecting tractor and trailer had evidently turned in front of a Jewish man, part of the earlier group who had fallen behind. Quickly the men went from yelling to shoving. The Arab man jumped off his tractor in an angry, defiant manner and the two men started trading punches. I turned around and whistled loudly for the soldiers, then ran down to the men and jumped between them, yelling "No! No!" I got them seperated with strong pushes to each chest and then stood between them with arms extended until the soldiers ran down and took control. As they were checking ID's I picked up the Jewish man's glasses and handed them to him before they were stepped on. With the soldiers distracted by radioing identification information into headquarters the two men continued occasionally to trade insults. I gave the Jewish man the universal sign for "chill out"; two hands palms toward him with a raising of the eyebrows and a slight shake of the head. After awhile the soldiers headed up the street with the two men in custody. * I continued my walk and shortly saw an Arab man hiding behind a corner and pissing on the threshold through which the Jews must walk to get to the West Wall entrance. Thresholds are very important in the Jewish religion, and this man was making sure that each Jew who walked by must pass over his urine. Later, as I was riding out of the Old City through the Jaffa Gate, the last thing I saw was two policewomen stopping an old Arab woman and going through her bags. -There is a good deal of ill will and unrest here. * This afternoon I swam in the Medeterranian Sea. I have finished my responsibilities on the dig, and have done what I can to promote peace between the Arabs and Jews. I guess my work here is done. I fly back to the U.S. tomorrow.

Christ Church

2006-07-02T02:43:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 12:40 p.m. I just came from a nice worship service at Christ Church. Built in the 1840's, it is the oldest Protestant church in Israel. Before going to church Jason and I walked to the Temple Mount. I touched the Western Wall, the holiest site in all of Judaism. We then climbed up to the Dome of the Rock, the third most holy site in Islam. This is the place from which Muhammad supposedly ascended to heaven. I took pictures and touched it also.* My time here in Jerusalem has been fascinating, but the fact that many places are disputed negates much of the excitement of seeing them. There are at least two places which claim to be the upper room where Jesus ate the last supper with his disciples. ((Interruption: there is a mosque near here, and I am now hearing the call to prayer.)) There is also a dispute as to the location of Golgatha. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is built on the traditional site. It is only two hundred yards from Jaffa Gate Hostel where I am staying, and where I am writing this. I plan to walk to that church as soon as I post this writing. * At church this morning we were only a few words into the first hymn when I got choked up and could no longer sing, because there are some things which are beyond dispute. Jesus loves me, and he loved this city. He was crucified and buried here so that I might know God and have eternal life. The tomb into which they put him could not hold him. And one day he is coming back. Awesome. I wish he would come back while I am here, but he will have to hurry because I leave tomorrow. Yo Gabriel, get out your horn. Time's a wasting.

O Jerusalem!

2006-06-30T03:49:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Jerusalem! Arrived here yesterday evening around 5:00. Checked into the Casa Nova hotel inside the walls of the old city near the Jaffa Gate. It is a church/monastary/pilgrim's hotel built by the Italians in the early (I think) 1900's. Beautiful place. Everyone there, including all of the guests I have seen, speak Italian. * I am writing this from the Jaffa Gate Hostel, where I plan to stay the 1st and 2nd. (Could only get Casa Nova for two nights.) It is quite a bit scruffier, but okay. Located in a beautiful part of the city. Walk out the front door and see the Tower of David. * Am hanging out with four dig team members. Last night I sat with one of them on the roof of the Petra Hostel and enjoyed a nice visit while overlooking the Old City. Church of the Holy Sepulchre only a fungo shot away. (Not one of my shots; one of Stover's.) Temple Mount and Dome of the Rock about as close as when I stand in my front yard and look over at the bell tower at ACU. Amazing. I was fearful that I had unrealistic expectations of Jerusalem because everyone I have spoken to has said it is the most amazing place. But they were correct - it is amazing. * It does, however, resemble a war zone in that machine gun toting young people are everywhere. Most are wearing uniforms of the IDF, but some are not. There are many tour groups of American Jewish highschoolers here. Each tour group has their own guard. Some guards look like sixteen year old mall rats, complete with flipflops, torn jeans, t-shirt and baseball cap - except that they are casually carrying large, black automatic rifles. * The peace of last night's rooftop visit was shattered by a boom. I flinched involuntarily and looked behind to where it had come from. Fireworks were being shot over the Tower of David. I told Jason that at times like these I wish they would give a person a warning before shooting off fireworks. * This morning I saw the room where the Last Supper occured, saw Shinleder's grave, and walked bent over for 40 minutes in the cold spring water through Hezekiah's Tunnel. (Google search for info. on this.) * My best to all.

Tomorrow: last day on the tel

2006-06-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

Last day on the tel tomorrow and I must say I will not miss moving dirt. Everyone was excited because we found the ancient temple floor in two of our squares today, and I tried to get excited about it, but just couldn't. This has been an interesting experience and I am glad I have done it, but three weeks is enough. We will be back at kibbutz at 1:30 tomorrow afternoon, then board a bus for Tel Aviv at three. I plan to catch a bus to Jerusalem and stay there for a few days before returning to the USA. * Many people here upset over the kidnapping of the Israeli soldier and the difficulties this has caused. IDF back in Gaza. * Tonight we had a end-of-session party. I had a good conversation with some Jews (American and Israeli) about the Holocaust, the State of Israel, and the current situation with the Palestinians.

Nazareth

2006-06-27T09:59:00.000-07:00

After work today instead of riding back to the kibbutz with the expedition team I cleaned up as best I could in the bathroom at the gift shop, put on some clean clothes, and rode to Nazareth with the Megiddo guard. This man lives in a Bedouin village outside of Nazareth and agreed (through Dan, my interpreter) to drop me off at Nazareth on his way home. * I am glad I got to see Nazareth. It is a very interesting place. I hung out for a few hours in the Old City, where the Biblically historical sites are. The places I saw were the Catholic Church of the Annunciation (Large, modern - built in 1969 - beautiful, with an archaeologically preserved grotto where it is believed by some to be the place where Gabriel visited Mary with The News.) Also The Church of St. Joseph, built on what was thought to be Joseph's workshop. I then walked through the old market area as I headed to the next site. The old market area is interesting in that the narrow streets wind up and down in a way in which one could easily get lost, which I did. It is also interesting in that the shops are set inside what looks like grottos from hundreds of years ago (and they probably are) and basically all the merchants are selling is cheap stuff from China. After hiking up one of the steepest paved roads I have ever been on I realized the error of my ways and asked directions. Found an English speaker who set me right. Walked back down to the Church of St. Gabriel (Greek Orthodox) where perhaps the actual visit of Mary by Gabriel occurred. This was a beautiful old building with almost all interior wall space painted in frescos. While there a man began to pull on the rope which rings the large bell in the tower above. Shortly thereafter two priests entered wearing long robes and tall, cylindrical hats, and swinging their containers of incense. I stood back when I realized it was a funeral. Six men carried in the body of the deceased man in a shallow, crudely built wooden casket with no top. This they placed in front of the alter. Twenty or thirty men gathered around (no women present) and chanted and sang along with the priests. Interesting experience. * Old City Nazareth is almost fully Arabic. It is a combination of a few modern stores and hotels, lots of centuries old buildings and streets, and many broken down slums. Mary's well, where Mary almost certainly came to get water (it was the only water source in Nazareth during the time of Jesus) was full of trash. * When I got ready to come back to the kibbutz I found a taxi driver and negotiated a price for transport. Since he did not speak English we used sign language and writing. (Fortunately we both know Arabic numerals!) He said 150 shekels. I countered with 130. We settled on 140. * While driving through Nazareth proper I saw several IDF members with their M 16's patrolling the streets.

Home team bats last

2006-06-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

Imagine if the Texas Rangers held a lottery and the winner was afforded the privilege of suiting up and traveling with the team for three weeks, being in the dugout during the games, and acting as assistant bench coach. Imagine also if the person who won wasn't really into baseball, but had entered the contest for a variety of alternative reasons. During a tense and crucial part of the first game the person turns to Buck Showalter and says "home team bats last, right?" - That's how I sometimes feel with this group. World class archaeologists leading the dig. Archaeology, anthropology, and ancient Hebrew majors digging. And then there is me. * My three weeks of digging will end this Thursday. Many of the students on the team will stay for the second session, which is a four week session. Replacements for us "three weekers" will arrive this Saturday. At lunch the other day a student said "I feel sorry for those three weekers who have to leave." - The thing is that the people who are into this stuff get really excited about it. Myself - I think it is interesting, but not as much at they. So, we are digging along and someone scrapes some plaster with his pitiche. It might be significant! The area director and his assistant are called. They come and look at it. Maybe get into the square and check it out for themselves. The command goes out - get out the leveleer and calculate a new height. Write up a new loci in the notebooks and open a new bucket for pottery, bone, flint, and artifacts. Everyone's excited, and I am thinking "come on people, it's not like someone just hit for the cycle." * So this archaeology stuff is largely lost on me, but I am doing the best I can. (As I was writing this I had to ask a girl nearby to remind me of the name of that mini-pick axe that we use - the pitche. I probably misspelled it.) I prefer the large pick axe anyway. Nobody but Hai can match me when it comes to doing damage with that thing.

Decline of the kibbutzim

2006-06-25T09:50:00.001-07:00

The hipppies gave communes a go in the 60's, but couldn't make them work in the long run. The Jews have made them work since the first commune (kibbutz) was started in southern Galilee in the early 1900's. But they are now on the decline. Like many aspects of our modern lives, they are being privatized. Ramat Ha Shofet, the kibbutz where we are staying, is no longer a true kibbutz. The dining hall is run by a private concern, as are the store, laundry, and swimming pool. The original kibbutzim were truly communal - to the exent that parents didn't even raise their own children! Children were put into a residential nursury at birth, and parents were allowed to see them only a few hours a day. * All members of the kibbutz shared in the various jobs required to keep the kibbutz running. To make money they usually operated a business of some kind - fruit orchards and dairys were popular businesses for this purpose. The members of the kibbutz lived in small, unassuming apartments or dorms. They had few possessions of their own. They did not even own their own clothes. All clothes were kept in a central area near the laundry. When a member needed a shirt or pants, they would go there and get them. When the clothes were dirty they would turn them in for washing. The clothes would be washed and placed in the central room for someone else to pick up and use. (I am not sure about the underwear. Hopefully they did not share those.) Hai, a born and raised Israeli who works in my area, says that the kibbutzum represent the heart of the Israeli culture. He regrets their decline, but is not surprised by it. "People want their own place," he said. "They want their own stuff."

Decline of the kibbutzim

2006-06-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

Tiberias

2006-06-24T10:25:00.000-07:00

What do baseball coaches do on days when their team is not playing? They go and watch other teams play. What do archaeoligists do on their day off? They visit other dig sites. I went with a group to a dig site on the border of Lebanon yesterday, then down to a dig site at Bethsaida. The Bethsaida site was cool because of its Biblical connections. Spent the night with several group members at a hostel in Tiberias. (Had dinner of "Saint Peter's Fish" at lakefront restaurant.) Arose at 5:30 this morning and rented a bicycle which I rode up to a Crusader Castle where I sat and enjoyed the espresso that I had bought from a sidewalk vendor. I then rode 15 kilometers along the shore of the lake to Capernaum, the city that Jesus moved to when he left Nazarath. Home to several apostles. Nice place. Visited the site nearby where Jesus told Peter to "feed my sheep." Then to where Jesus increased the fishes and loaves to feed the multitudes. Then a tough, hot ride up to the Church of the Beatitudes, built on the traditional site where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. - All interesting places. * Back to Tiberias where I swam in the Sea. (The Sea of Galilee is below sea level and the weather there this weekend was Houstonish. Still. Hot. Humid. Hurtful.) I tried to walk on the water but I was so hot and sweaty from my ride that my heart wasn't in it. I really wanted in. Therefore I sank. (Perhaps also there were other reasons I sank.) * Am back now at the kibbutz in the Carmel Mountains (hooray for dry, cool air) and will be back to work tomorrow. * Love and peace to all.

T.G.I.T.

2006-06-22T10:11:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness it's Thursday! The work week in Israel runs Sunday through Thursday. Friday is a holy day for Arabs, Saturday is the holy day for Jews. We are now off duty until Sunday morning, which makes me happy because I am tired. * Tomorrow I will board an expedition bus with other workers for a trip to the Sea of Galilee. Plan to spend the night in Tiberias and return to the kibbutz Sat. even. * A dozen or so Arabs have been hired to haul dirt in Area L (Solomon's palace and stables.) They sit at picnic tables on the outskirts of the area during breakfast. This morning they started clapping in rhythm and singing a song. One of the women in the group got up and started to dance an Arab folk dance. It was cool looking. * A group recently got together in a sheroot (ten person cab) for a trip to Nazarath. Since they were wearing shorts they were not allowed to go into the Church of the Annunciation (the church built supposedly on the site where Mary received the visit from Gabriel informing her that she would bear the Christ child.) The girls went to a store nearby and bought large scarves which they wrapped around their waists - and thus were let in. When the boys saw this they went and bought their own scarves and wrapped them around their waists, but were still denied entry. Boys in skirts not wanted in the Church of the Annunciation. * Yesterday evening three young people and I hired a taxi and rode into Yoknean for a falafel (Middle Eastern "sandwich" featuring deep-fried chickpea balls and salad on peta bread) because we were getting tired of kibbutz food. Nice change of pace the falafel. * Today I didn't work in a square, but hauled dirt in buckets and a wheelbarrow. Hauling dirt is the hardest job on the tel. After a while Mollie, a nice 19 year old Jewish girl from the Northeast, asked if I needed a rest. She volunteered to spell me for a bit. I told her I was fine. "Are you sure," she asked. "Yes, I'm okay." "Well, let me know if you need a break." "Okay. Thanks." "And wear your sunscreen. And drink plenty of water." "Mollie," I said, "you are acting like a typical Jewish mother." She gave me a big smile and said "I'm in training."

Thank you readers

2006-06-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

Mucho thanks readers for taking a moment to write to me and to let me know that you are tuning in. Always nice to read your comments and to know that you are sharing in this experience with me. * Dear Fam: I love and miss you. Look forward to seeing you again in a couple of weeks and showing you pictures of my time here and telling you about it. * There are approx. 70 college students on the dig team. Most of them are under 21 years of age. The legal drinking age in Israel is 18. Many students are taking a bit too much advantage of their opportunity to go into the kibbutz store and emerge uncarded with armloads of beer and wine. Occasionally renders them uneffective on the tell the next morning. * Some in my area are calling me McGyver for my tendency to grab my Leatherman and rig whatever needs to be repaired - tent poles, new tie downs for the tent ropes that keep the tent from flopping in the afternoon wind, equipment repair, etc. * Students converse about various things on the tel to overcome the boredom of digging, and to distract themselves from the discomfort of the heat and dust. I thought today about my girls when they were playing "Saved By The Bell" trivial pursuit. "When was the first time (so and so) showed up on the program?" (Answer.) "Wrong - he didn't show up until episode five of the second season." * I was able yesterday to educate a bit. Girl asked the group "what the heck is Juneteenth?" No one knew. "It's on my calendar," she said. So I explained where that "holiday" came from.

Alter

2006-06-19T08:09:00.000-07:00

I work in area J. The temple area of the tel. The middle of this area is dominated by a Canaanite alter from around 2,000 BCE. This was 1,000 years before the children of Israel crossed the Jordan to take possession of this place. The alter is made of thousands of soccer ball sized stones. It is four feet high and 40 feet in diameter. This is where the high priest of the temple (perhaps a temple to Baal) would sacrifice animals. This morning when I arrived in our area a bit after five o'clock I climbed up onto the alter, and as I looked out over many miles of the fertile Jezereel Valley drank some Starbucks coffee from my thermos, played a few notes from my shakuhachi, and said a prayer of thanks to God for allowing me to be here.

Jael

2006-06-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

Several of the students on this trip are Jewish. One Jewish girl from New York is named Yael. (Pronounced YA el.) She is named after Jael, who Denise told me is a hero to Jewish people. Judges 4. Big battle. Opposing commander trying to escape. Falls asleep in Jael's house. Jael drives a tent stake through his skull and into the ground. This occured near here in the Jezereel valley. * Two booms heard this morning from the direction of the West Bank. I was afraid that perhaps the Israeli airforce had dropped bombs, but I saw no indication of explosions. Jets streaked by. I think they had flown over the West Bank and broken the sound barrier just to annoy the Palestenians. * Hot, hard work digging and hauling dirt. Very similar to the labor I used to do for the Texas Highway Dept., only here tour groups will gather on the bluff above our dig site and watch. Makes you feel like you are doing something important.

Shabbot

2006-06-16T22:12:00.000-07:00

Shabbot is Hebrew for "the Sabboth." Few people here, even if you are speaking to them in English, call it "the Sabboth." We were released from responsibilities yesterday at 1 p.m. I and two other guys hired a taxi to take us into a city about ten or 15 kilometers from here. Just to get off the kibbutz and see a local town. The only stores open were liquor stores and small grocery stores. I saw a can by the cash register of a store where I was buying water. Phillip, an American Jew, explained to me later that this is for those who would contribute to a fund designed to keep Hassidic Jews in college so that they do not have to serve in the military. Hassidic Jews are opposed to the idea of Israel being a state because they believe the Kingdom will not be restored until the messiah comes.Some Hassidic Jews are 50 years old and still in college. We could not get a taxi back, and thus had to walk. No biggy. The weather was nice and the view great.* People in this country know which towns are Jewish and which are other. I was talking to a person here at the kibbutz about which towns nearby to visit. They would say "that's a Jewish city, everything will be closed on Sabbot." Of other places, like Nazareth, "that is a Christian/Muslim city. It will be open." "How can you tell the difference?" I asked. They shrug and say "it is very confusing." - I hope to join a group hiring a small bus to take us to Nazareth today. * Denise is a 60 year old staff person who makes me laugh. She is the quintessential Jewish mom. When going through the buffet in the dining hall I have heard her say to a college boy "get more food. Look at you! You are so skinny I can hardly see you! Eat! Eat!" * The swimming pool is 200 yards from my bedroom. We keep our windows open for a breeze. (No air conditioning, but we don't need it.) No need for screens because no mesquitoes. A party for local kibbutz and towns people began at 10 last night. Loud music. Drinking and dancing. I awoke at 4:30 this morning and it was still going on. I dressed and walked over to investigate. People were leaving, but over 200 of them were still there partying on. There was an ambulance and security guards at the entrance by the parking lot. One security guard glared at me and spoke. I said "English." He looked at me for a few seconds and said something about speaking Arabic. He, an Israeli, had spoken to me in Arabic because evidently he thought I was Arabic. This would explain the glare. There is a good deal of prejudice here. Since he was wearing a 9 millimeter handgun I decided not to grab him into a headlock to try and teach him a lesson. That plus the fact that four of his dangerous looking friends were looking on. And it is Shabbot. And I am a pacifist. - Otherwise I would have taken the guy down.

Judiasm

2006-06-15T07:51:00.000-07:00

One of the interesting aspects of this experience is the high educational level of many of the college students who are participating. One of these is Dan, a student who speaks Hebrew and Arabic. He is from the USA, but can converse with the Jewish natives, and then go over and have breakfast with the Arabs who are working on the tel and converse with them in Arabic. He is an orthodox Jew, and I have enjoyed asking him about Talmudic law. It is amazing to me. The kibbutz is kosher, but not as kosher as Dan. We have meat lunches and dairy dinner. I noticed that Dan had a plastic disposable plate as he stood in line at the dining hall. I asked him why he had brought his own plate. He said that he cannot eat off of a plate that has had dairy and meat both on it. He briefly explained to me the law. If the plate is made of ceramic (something that comes from the earth) and you have eaten meat off of it, you can bury the plate and leave it for 4 days, then unearth it, wash it, and eat a dairy meal off of it. If it is made of metal you must heat it until it is red (right before it begins to melt) then you may use it. - Since Jews are not allowed to work on the Sabboth, many hotels have elevators that stop automatically on every other floor. This way Jews can ride the elevator without having to push a button, which would be working. They may have to get off on the floor above or below the floor they want, but they just walk the stairs to get to their floor. (Walking stairs is not considered working.) * I met an Arab man named Mohammad who speaks passable English. Enjoyed visiting with him. Asked him if he could go with me to show me around Jenin, a large Arab city in the West Bank near us. He said that he would not be allowed through the checkpoint. I later met a young man here in the kibbutz who recently finished his manditory three years of service in the Israeli Defense Force. He was stationed near Jenin, and worked that checkpoint occasionally. I asked him if he could get me through the checkpoint, and perhaps accompany me on a walking tour of the city. He said no, that he would only go into Jenin with other soldiers and in an armored vehicle. -- I may decide to give up on the idea of visiting the occupied territories because it is too dangerous.

Daily schedule

2006-06-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

Awake at 4 a.moo. Make coffee, eat snack of peta bread, peanut butter and jelly. All 90 of us in the expedition on two buses at 4:40 a.m. Drive 15 minutes to the Tel Megiddo. Climb up to our work site. Set up tent cover. Get out tools. Start to work. Dig. Put dirt into buckets. Dump dirt into wheel barrels. Dump dirt into old dig squares. Drink water. Early and often. (Today I wore my 70 oz. Camelback. Refilled it 3 times.) at 8:30 a.m. walk off of tel to park area for dairy breakfast of bread, tomatoes, boiled eggs, fruit of some kind, corn flakes. 9:15 a.m. climb back up to work area and get back to it. 11:00 a.m., much needed break, as team members beginning to show signs of fatigue. 1: 15 p.m. clean up work area. Lock away tools. 1:30 p.m. walk down and board buses back to kibbutz. Eat lunch in nasy, dirty, sweaty clothes. Meat lunch. Free time. Swim. Shower. Rest. 4:15 p.m. pottery washing. (Much pottery collected. Pottery sherds just lying around on the tel. Pottery was like the plastic bottle of ancient civilization.) 7:00 p.m. Dairy dinner. Crapes, cottege cheese, salad, tomatoes. 8:00 p.m. Evening lectures by world class archeology scholars. After lecture I come over here to the kibbutz office and wait for someone to finish with their computers so that I may borrow and write. It is now 10:15 p.m. and I am headed to bed. Tired, but happy to be having this excellent experience. * To be on the tel and look over to my left to see a clear view of Nazareth. (I never knew that Nazareth was built on a hillside.) Slightly to the right of that Mt. Tabor, where Jesus was transfigured. To the right of that Mt. Gilboa where Saul and Johnathan died. To the right of that Jenin in the West Bank. As we are working all day in one of the most fought over areas on the planet (Josiah, the last righteous king in the lineage of David, was killed here by Pharoah. (Read 2 Kings 23:29-30.) jets of the Israeli Defense Force are taking off from a base nearby and heading with rockets loaded under their wings for the West Bank and elsewhere. Seems almost cruely appropriate. This area is still being defended by the armies of waring groups. * Am off to bed. I will not edit this. Sorry for mistakes. Thanks everyone for your prayers and your love.

Shalom

2006-06-13T12:08:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Israel. I arrived here at the kibbutz Sunday night, having traveled for 27 hours. Unfortunately my luggage had traveled only about one hour. I filled out Lost and Found forms at the Tel Aviv airport. The man who worked at that office took my information, made a few clicks on his computer, looked up at me and said, "Your bag is in Dallas." So for two days I made do with only what I had carried on board the plane, washing my clothes out in the shower every evening and wearing them again the next day. Fortunately my backpack arrived today. It felt like Christmas! Especially to get the Starbucks coffee I had packed, which means no more instant coffee for me. * This experience of digging in the Early Bronze area of Tel Megiddo is one of the most interesting and coolest things I have ever done. I arrive at the dig site every morning and hang my day pack on a rock jutting from a wall that was built approximately 1400 BCE. (For some perspective - the Parthanon was built around 447 BCE.) * That's all for now. It is 10:15 p.m. and I must get to bed. The bus leaves for the tel every morning at 4:40 a.m.

Israel

2006-05-31T12:35:00.000-07:00

I have been attempting lately to educate myself in preparation for my trip. I have read books, magazines, and newspapers, and have watched educational TV programs. Some notes from these sources: The attitudes of Jews at present are largely informed by the Holocaust. This is reflected in the Jewish slogan “never again.” The Jews invaded and took over much of Palestine in 1947. Due in large part to the Holocaust, the UN was willing to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a free republic. The Palestinians protested, of course, but the Jews countered with the claim that God had given them this land 3,000 years ago. The slogan of the Jews was “a land with no people for a people with no land.” The problem was that it was not a land with no people. The Palestinians had been living there for hundreds and thousands of years. In the seven day war of 1967 the Jews took over the Palestinian territories of Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, forcing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into refugee camps. Israel recently returned the Gaza Strip to the Palestinians, and plans are under way to return parts of the West Bank as well. There is also talk of creating a Palestinian state, if agreement could ever be reached as to what that should look like. *Presently checkpoints are set up in various parts of Israel. These are a source of humiliation and frustration for Palestinians. – I hope to visit one of the territories, perhaps Hebron or the West Bank, to go through a checkpoint, and hopefully to talk to some Israeli soldiers (if I can find any who speak English) about their experiences, and about their views on the above topics.

Thanks for Adams's safety

2006-05-11T08:57:00.000-07:00

I went to Adam Andress’s house Tuesday night for a welcome home party. It was very good to see him (thank you most kindly, Lord, for bringing him back from Iraq safely.) His experience there could have gone a number of ways. He showed us his stainless steel Starbucks coffee mug with holes on either side where a bullet from an AK47 passed through. * While at the party I mentioned that I plan, Lord willing, to be in Megiddo for most of June. A man asked me if I would be there June 6th. I told him no. He said there is speculation that something catastrophic may occur there on June 6th because of the Megiddo/Armageddon connection, and because it happens that June 6th of this year will be the sixth day of the sixth month of the sixth year - 666. I plan to arrive on June 10th. Hopefully Megiddo will still be around at that time.

Race/Taks

2006-05-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

The race went well. No breakage. Much mud. Much fun. * The TAKS scores came in today. English Language Arts scores were excellent, thank goodness. The scores were high enough to receive an exemplary rating - the only subject at our school which received such a rating. It is nice to know that the effort you put forth produces a positive outcome.

Bike race

2006-05-05T13:41:00.000-07:00

I will be participating in an outdoor adventure race tomorrow. Will be riding the six mile mountain bike portion of the three part race. (Other team members will be canoeing and running.) It has been raining here and I expect the course to be muddy and treacherous. I plan, however, to take it easy. At 52 years old I am no longer interested in competing with (as we used to say when I played high school football) reckless abandon

Dig file

2006-05-04T11:25:00.000-07:00

The application for joining the dig made it clear that I was applying not to sit under an awning with a paint brush swishing away at an artifact, but to use pickaxe, shovel, and wheelbarrow to haul dirt in the desert sun. That’s fine with me; I like to exercise, and am not afraid to break a sweat. * Two nights ago I was standing in our backyard watching a thunderstorm and counting after every lightning bolt to judge how far away they were. (Five seconds until you hear the thunder equals one mile.) I would see lightening and count “one thousand, two thousand, three thousand…” After one bolt I only got through “two thousand” before hearing an impressively loud boom. It occurred to me then that I need to inform Sandra as to where the file containing information about the dig is, in case I die and can’t go. Someone needs to let the program director in Tel Aviv know that I will not be there. I went inside and explained to Sandra how to contact the appropriate people if it should become necessary. Sandra joked that if it turns out I can’t make it then maybe she will go in my place. “Yes,” I said, “good idea. Write the director and tell her I’m no longer around, but that I left a nice insurance policy, so please change the name on the paperwork from ‘Kregg’ to ‘Sandra’ and you’ll see her in June.”

Can you dig it?

2006-05-03T10:48:00.000-07:00

I have been accepted to join a team at an archaeological dig in Israel this June. It should prove to be an interesting and enlightening experience, and I am looking forward to it. This will be the first time I have ever participated in a dig. I have often thought that digs were intriguing, and so decided that I just needed to try and join one. My friend Dr. John Willis gave me an archaeology magazine which led me to web sites about digs taking place in Israel this summer. From information gleaned from those web sites I applied to join the team digging in Megiddo, and was accepted. * Megiddo is mentioned in Revelation 16:16 as the place where Armageddon will occur. (We might want to set up a phone chain. If The Last Decisive Battle Between the Forces of Good and Evil begins while I am there, I will call you with a heads up.) * For helpful information about Megiddo do a Google search and click on Wikipedia Encyclopedia, or any of the other sites that will come up there. * I will use this blogsite to write about the process of getting ready to go to Israel, and I hope to be able to send periodic entries while in Megiddo. * I will leave for Israel June 10th, and will be there approximately four weeks.

Feedback

2006-04-07T10:55:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday Mike preached on the Golden Rule. I know that this rule is a good one to live by, but I wonder if people really want me to treat them the way I want to be treated. – I want to be told the truth. I want to be confronted if necessary; even at the risk of getting my feelings hurt. If I have done something to offend or disappoint someone, I want them to tell me. If I am behaving in a way that could be damaging to my quality of life, I want to be confronted with this. * When I was a freshman at ACC a friend of mine pointed out to me that when I say “Meskin” instead of “Mexican” it sounds disrespectful; perhaps even racist. I assured him that I did not intend the least bit of disrespect, but that it had simply never occurred to me to pronounce the word any other way. I tried pronouncing the word using the three syllables and hard X. The first few times I did this it sounded strange, but I stuck with it. I changed. – I am thankful that my friend pointed out to me this questionable behavior so that I could alter my actions and improve my life. * It seems to me though that we as Christians are often reluctant to provide helpful feedback to others. We excuse ourselves from doing so, saying it is none of our business, or we do not want to hurt someone’s feelings. Or we wimp out, saying “If I tell him this thing he will probably just get mad at me.” * Some people hire life coaches or join accountability groups in order to get helpful personal advice on how to improve their lives. Shouldn’t the church be an accountability group? Shouldn’t we as Christians love each other enough to provide potentially life enriching feedback and advice?

Papa

2006-01-09T10:49:00.000-08:00

Chad, Summer, and Ava are living with us until they can move into their place next month. It is a delight to have them with us, and an especial joy to have the happy, healthy grandbaby in the house. She calls me "Papa." When I see her after a short absence she waves and says "hi Papa!" I say "hi Ava." Then she repeats "hi Papa." She will continue to repeat this until I somehow change the pattern. One day I continued to respond with "hi Ava" just to see how long it would go. I gave up after about a dozen "hi Papas." Usually when Summer or Chad brings Ava into the kitchen for breakfast I am sitting in the Morris chair writing in my journal, but I was not there this morning. Sandra told me that Ava waved at the chair anyway and said "hi Papa." What a precious young person.

Biking in the cold

2005-12-08T13:13:00.000-08:00

Chris's post put me in mind of expericences I had when living in Asahikawa. I got to where I could accurately perceive when the temperature had gotten down to around 3 or 4 degrees F. It was at these temperatures that when riding my bicycle to work the vapor from my breathing would freeze on my face. After starting my ride I would shortly begin to feel as if my face were coated with a think layer of something. I would open my mouth widely and could feel that substance crack on my cheeks. When passing my the bank I would look at the digital thermometer and surely enough it would read -14 C or colder. This phenomenon never occured when it was warmer than that. When arriving at work I would go into the bathroom and wash the icicles out of my moustache and beard. * I also became adept at judging the relative slickness of ice. At the first part of the winter I fell several times from hitting an ice patch unawares, but toward the end of winter I had gotten to where I was hyper-aware of this hazard and could ride for several days without hitting the deck. * The temperature in Abilene this morning was 12 degrees F. Not nearly cold enough to freeze your breath vapor, and besides, I now drive an Explorer to work. What luxury.

One of the hottest meals ever

2005-11-28T07:22:00.000-08:00

Over the Thanksgiving break I traveled west for climbing of Guadelupe Peak, hanging out in Ft. Davis, and then on to Marathon where I went into a small Mexican food restaurant for dinner. I ordered "Ruben's Guiso," which was the special concoction of Ruben the cook. The waitress asked me if I wanted it hot or mild. "Hot," I said. "It is very hot," she told me. "You might want it mild." I told her I frequently eat spicy foods, and that I would like this dish hot. She went into the kitchen and placed the order. I could hear her arguing in Spanish with Ruben. Ruben then came out and explained to me that when people order the dish "hot" they cannot eat it. "There is only one person who has ever been able to eat it as hot as I make it," he said. "So I would be the second?" I asked. "Yes," he said. I felt at this point as if my personal pride were on the line. "Make it as hot as you want," I said. He raised his eyebrows, said "okay," and headed back into the kitchen. About ten minutes later the waitress set the plate in front of me and said "good luck." I asked her for a large glass of water and dug in. The meal was extremely hot. One of the spiciest meals I have ever eaten. Shortly I removed my cap and with a napkin wiped the sweat off my head. Then I blew my nose and kept eating. I finished every bite, but it was a challenge. Ruben came out and smiled and nodded his head in approval. I could tell he was impressed. I told him it was delicious and thank you very much. I then paid out and drove back to the campground, wondering what kind of troubles this would cause with my digestive system. Fortunately there was minimal damage, and I lived to tell about it. My advice: if you are ever in Marathon, stay away from the guiso.

Note to Fam

2005-11-14T10:48:00.000-08:00

Note to the blogging family: This weekend when we were in Brownwood Patsy told me that Carly has a blog site. Please visit for a nice picture of Carly and friend in front of the Alps, and for descriptions of some interesting experiences. I am sure Carly would appreciate hearing from us. The address: cbheidelberg.blogspot.com. * Peace.

Thank you Philly

2005-11-10T13:30:00.000-08:00

One of the more encouraging things to occur in the world of sports lately: the Philadelphia Eagles suspended Terrell Owens for the remaining six games of the season. Good for them. Too often we hear of teams tolerating all kinds of unfortunate behavior from star athletes because those teams have, in my view, a convoluted value system. They want to win at any and all cost and are therefore willing to compromise their standards and continue to play athletes who they wouldn't otherwise hang on to. But this week they said to Terrell, one of the most talented players in football, "adios." I realize that they may have done this from a selfish standpoint, having arrived at the conclusion that they will be better off without him - better off not having to deal with his constant criticism of McNab and the Eagles management, better off not having to deal with his selfish, self-aggrandizing on-field antics - but still I say "go Philly." It takes some guts to say to the best wide receiver in the game "clean out your locker and go home. We would rather try to live without you than try to continue to live with you."

Found objects

2005-10-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

I found an object this week and kept it. Redeemed it. Saved it. Prevented its being hauled to the landfill and dumped ignominiously into a trash heap. Buried with so much moldering and smoldering refuse. *The object was lying next to a dumpster in an alley near an apartment complex. I walked past it on the way from my work to the Family Dollar store. Also strewn nearby were several old tires and a broken bookcase. *The object was an old mountain bike that someone had cheaply spray painted. Miraculously there was still air in the tires. I got onto the bike and rode it to the store. On the way back I saw three employees from Drug Emporium throwing stuff away in that dumpster. I asked them if the bike was theirs. They said no, that someone had thrown it away. "I'm going to keep it then," I said. "Have fun," one of them replied. And I have. A couple of days ago during my lunch break I rode over to Austin Elementary to check on the progress of the remodeling job. Austin - where I started my teaching career in 1977. * I love bike riding. I ride my bike at home almost every day. I love the forward motion feel of cranking the pedals and experiencing the speed that is faster than running, the wind whistling past your ears, and the tires singing over the pavement. And it is nice now to have a bike here at work that I can take for a spin whenever I want. Also there is a satisfaction, a sweetness, in making use of something that others have rejected. * In the last school paper of my high school senior year the staff made predictions for all of the seniors; predictions as to what each person would be doing ten years from now. For me they said "Kregg will still be riding his bike." They predicted well, because 34 years later it is still true.

Modified prayer

2005-10-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

My mom died two years ago today. For a year after her death I found that I was still in the habit of praying for her, even though she no longer needed my prayers. I would, out of habit, start a prayer: “Lord, please bless and watch over my mom…” and then would remember that she is no longer here and thus no longer in need of such prayers; and so now I modify the prayer from one of supplication to one of thanksgiving. “Lord, thank you for my mom. Thank you that my life was enriched by her presence. Please take care of her there in heaven. Thank you that she is happy and is living without pain.” * My mother led a difficult life and was often in need of prayers. (Who among us is not?) She was an interesting and caring person. I miss her, but I am glad she is with her family.

Longboard

2005-10-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

I purchased a new skateboard over the weekend. Got it at a local bike/skate shop where one of my students works. It's called a longboard, and unlike most skateboards it is designed specifically for riding in the streets. It stands about waist high and has wider trucks and softer wheels than a traditional skateboard. (For you non-skaters "trucks" are the metal apparatus which attach the axels and wheels to the board.) It is a far cry from the skateboard I had when I was ten, which was a metal skate nailed to a two by four. Saturday evening I rode the board for about an hour up around ACU and let me tell you - it's pretty sweet. * I realize some people may worry that I am having a mid-life crisis, but there is no cause for concern. A mid-life crisis is where tell your boss to shove it and then you buy a convertable and hit the road. This longboard is just another way I have found for having fun and getting a little exercise.

Prayers

2005-09-20T13:31:00.000-07:00

There is a fine young man who came to our house the first time when he was an 8th grader. He used to drop by frequently when he was in high school. Now he is a 2nd Lt. in the United States Marine Corps and is the commander of a platoon which has recently been deployed to Fallujah, Iraq. If you watch the news you know that Fallujah is one of the most dangerous places on the planet. This man is more concerned for his troops than he is for himself. If any of them gets hurt he will suffer emotionally. If he gets hurt I will suffer emotionally. Please pray for his safety and for the safety of his men. * I do not mention his name because I didn't ask his permission to post this. But God knows who he is. * I think that God needs His people everywhere, which includes leading combat platoons in war torn areas. Selfishly speaking, though, I wish He had found some other mission for this polite, gentle, kind person. * I do not understand prayer. I don't think it is exactly like voting or shouting, where someone may pay closer attention to the concerns of fifty people than he will of five, but I am pretty sure that when it comes to prayer - numbers are good. So please, lift this man up.

Fandom

2005-09-02T12:39:00.001-07:00

I have been thinking lately about how I am a fan of various things. "Fan" is probably not a good term for what I am thinking, since it is short for "fanatic," but there aren't many good words in the English language to express this idea. Supporter, encourager, sender of positive energy to a person or persons so that they will be inclined to continue to strive diligently toward a goal of higher and higher achievement in their particular field - whether that field is sports, the arts, or living a good life on a daily basis. It's this last point that to me is the important one. I am not inclined to cheer for or to support an athlete who I know is a jerk in his daily life - regardless of how good he is in his sport. Likewise in the arts. John Updike is one of my favorite authors. I want to encourage him to keep doing what he does so that I can continue to enjoy the result of his labors, but if I were to find out that he is a wife beater I could no longer enjoy his books, and could no longer be a fan.

Why wear the team colors and cap and show up at the games, matches, races? Why sit in the audience and clap at the end of the play, and then tell the actors personally that they did well?
First of all, obviously, because you enjoy being a spectator at these events; but also because you want to recognize people's efforts in their area, and you want to encourage them to continue striving for excellence. And - perhaps most importantly of all - because you are convinced that this striving, this straining to improve will make them better people.

So go for it good people; do your best! I'm behind you all the way.

Post summer

2005-08-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

The summer is officially over and I am now back to work, which means, among other things, that I can get back on the Internet and catch up on blogglandia. We do not have Internet access at our house, so I tend to be out of touch in the summer, unless I use the computers at the library or at Java City. I actually like my life this way. I want to try and keep my life at least somewhat simple, and I enjoy being a bit out of touch in the summer. * Excellent summer I had. Travels (with Carly and Kate) to Kansas to see Sto's baseball team, to Omaha (with Kate) for College World Series. Ft. Worth to see the grandbaby (and her parents.) To College Station for Jason's 7 on 7 tournament. And to Colorado for a week of backpacking. Very good. But now it's back to work, and I actually don't mind. This is a good job, and I am glad to have it. * A bit of advice: don't start eating Planter's Sweet n' Crunchy peanuts, because they are addicting.

Education Reform

2005-05-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

I have read that 50% of first year teachers will quit the teaching field within five years of starting their careers. No other profession, including law enforcement and air traffic control, suffers such a loss. In order to survive teaching in the public schools you must know how to conserve your energy; to concentrate on those things that you can effect, the foremost being doing what is right by your students, and not allow the nonsense to bring you down. * I started teaching over 25 years ago. I recall that at my first in-service training the presenter talked about education reform and unfunded mandates. Best I can tell we have been “reforming” education ever since then.You might think that at some point we could have gotten it “formed” and would go with that for awhile - but no. Part of the problem here is that education reform is enacted by politicians who do not know what they are talking about. These people visit a campus for two hours once every 6 months and then think they can speak authoritatively about how to fix the problems that they see. I think we should create a law in which no one gets to vote on an education reform bill unless they have substitute taught at a school for at least six weeks. And not a rich school like Southlake Carroll or Austin Westlake, but a school where 70% of the population is on free or reduced lunch. If they were to do this then they would not allow the creation of a law, like in No Child Left Behind, wherein only one percent of a school's population may be in special education. (They have recently revised this up to 3%. Thanks a lot.) * In order to survive as a teacher in the public schools you must focus your energy on doing what is best for the students and not allow yourself to be discouraged by asinine edicts that come down from on high.

Encouragement

2005-04-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

Three affirming things happened to me yesterday. At lunchtime I was shopping at United on S.14th. The carry out girl was a former student of mine. I asked her what she had been up to lately. She said she was a sophomore education major at ACU, studying to be a middle school English teacher. She said that she wanted to teach on the middle school level because it was such an important developmental age, and that she remembered from her middle school experience that only Mr. Kiser and I managed to inspire her; then she thanked me for what I had done. - The second affirmation occurred when I went into Walgreen (it seems like that should be "Walgreen's", but it isn't. I looked it up in the phone book) after work. I was talking to the lady in the camera department. Her name was Sophia. She looked at me and said “Mr. Pierson?” I said “Yes. Do I know you?” She told me that I had been her English teacher many years ago. (Usually when this happens I look more carefully and then recognize the person's face, even though it has changed over the years – but this time I recognized nothing. There was nothing familiar about this person.) I apologized that I didn't remember her, pointing out that I have had thousands of students over the years. She said she understood and that's okay. “I hope you don't remember me for a bad reason,” I said. She said no, she remembers that I was fun, and used to play my guitar. -The third moment of affirmation came when I was sitting in the dugout at ACU visiting with players after practice. Joel Wells brought me a book about baseball that he had bought for me at Hastings. He said that he had seen it there and thought of me and wanted to get it for me. He had written a nice inscription in it which mentioned that I had inspired him intellectually, physically, and spiritually. That was a very nice thing. Joel is a good guy. (Though I cannot figure out how I could possibly have inspired him intellectually. He is way smarter than I am.) * Three affirmations in one day. You've got to appreciate that. I wish that I could carry these in my pocket and take them out for review on days that I am feeling discouraged.

New Computer

2005-04-08T11:50:00.000-07:00

I have ordered a new computer. I do not know what kind. Actually it will be new only to me. I ordered it at a small computer store on S. 7th - a little mom and pop operation. The computer will have Windows 98 software, which will enable me to type postings at home. (I originally said "at my leisure," but I erased that. Writing is not a leisurely activity.) The man who owns and runs the store said that he will put one together for me and give me a call when he has it ready. He will put it together from whatever spare parts he can locate. I am looking forward to getting it. Presently the only computers we have at the house are two Macs, both of which are over ten years old. * I like owning things that have been discarded by someone. It's like recycling. Someone else used it and rejected it for some reason, and now I am giving it a new life. Almost all the shirts and pants that I own have someone else's name (from the cleaners) in them. I have never owned a new car, nor do I expect I ever will. * This is one reason I enjoy teaching at the school where I presently work. Our students all used to go to school somewhere else, but for some reason (and the reasons are numerous) the schools either rejected them, or they rejected their schools. And so they have chosen to be here with us, and we are doing what we can to try and help them out. * Hopefully my computer will be ready soon, and I will increase my typings.

Hip replacement

2005-03-24T09:41:00.000-08:00

Recently two new students were assigned to one of my fitness classes. As I was leading the class in stretching exercises the new students were amazed at how limber I am. "I'll bet I know why," one of them said, "it's because he has had his hips replaced."

Ghandi

2005-03-23T16:18:00.000-08:00

One of my students just told me that I remind her of "some old dude" she saw in her history book. She couldn't think of whom. Another student helped her out. "Ghandi?" she asked. "Yeah, that's it! Ghandi!" the student said.

I love teaching. I am not kidding. This kind of stuff makes me laugh, and is one of the main reasons I enjoy spending my days around young people.

Ozymandias

2005-03-22T14:07:00.000-08:00

Ozymandias. How far the mighty have fallen.

I watched with interest last week the congressional hearing on steriods in baseball. (C-Span. My favorite channel.) Players, administrators, union reps, and owners were being questioned by various congressmen about their knowledge of steroid use in baseball and about their ideas on how to resolve the problem. I don't really like Donald Fehr or Bud Selig, so I rather enjoyed watching them squirm at some of the direct questioning they were getting from congressmen. It was especially funny to hear congressmen misprounce the names of Fehr and Selig.

What I did not enjoy was watching Mark McGuire as he was being questioned by congressmen. (I like McGuire. I think he has been good for baseball, but I cannot have much sypmpathy for him if he cheated.) He had said in his opening statement that he had been advised by counsel to not answer questions about the past - specifically about whether he had ever used illigeal performance enhancing drugs. Yet (as you might guess they would) congressmen asked him directly whether he had ever used steroids. Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro, two other players on the panel, had already answered that question with an emphatic "No; never." You could tell that McGuire was uncomfortable emotionally: his mouth was dry; he was struggling to put words together into meaningful sentences; trying to answer "around" the question without actually responding to it. (McGuire doesn't have the gift of doublespeak like most politicians.)

As I watched this I was reminded of a poem, "Ozymandias," in which a traveler in a barren wasteland encounters the toppled and broken statue of a former king. The inscription on the statue invites the reader to "look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" But around the statue now spreads nothing but sand.

I remember the night that Mark McGuire broke Roger Marris's single season home run record.
Thousands of cameras flashed to capture the glorious moment as he rounded the bases, hugged his son, and acknowledged the Marris family seated nearby. -- And now here he was squirming on national television as he was being accused of cheating, and had no answer. How far the mighty one has fallen.

exercise

2005-02-17T08:23:00.000-08:00

I teach not only writing at my school, but also a fitness class. I have two groups of students. Each group meets every other day. My Mon/Wed class is made up of boys who for the most part are unfamiliar with exercise. I have tried to teach them the proper ways to use the exercise equipment that we have, as well as the benefits of living a lifestyle of fitness. I try to motivate them to work hard when we are in the class, and to get into the habit of working out when they are away from school as well. One way I try to motivate them is by example.

When I am in the class with the students I work out rigorously myself. Last week the weather was wet and cold. I knew I wouldn't feel like riding my 11 mile bicycle workout when I got home, so I decided to ride a workout on the programable stationary bike that we have. I plugged in a ride of 40 mins. on "rolling hills" at 300 watts. Twenty-five mins. into the ride I hit the steepest "hill", which is the portion of the ride where you must crank 300 watts for four mins. I was aerobic when I hit this section; my pulse rate was 140 beats per minute. One minute into the hill my pulse rate was 180 bpm and I was anaerobic. Sucking air. I know that I am anaerobic when I cannot breathe deeply or quickly enough to supply my body with the oxygen it needs to continue to function. Two minutes into the hill my scalp started to tingle (I guess this is from oxygen debt.) Three minutes into the hill I didn't think I would be able to maintain the 80 rpm cadence I was determined to keep, but I hung on and got to the top of the "hill" and the machine eased up. I immediately leaned over and wretched. Fortunately I had nothing on my stomach and it was a dry heave. My students looked worried and asked if I were okay. I told them I was hurting, but I would be fine. (I have often in my life exercised to where I threw up. When I was running high school track if you didn't throw up at the end of the workout we felt like you had not really pushed yourself.)

I don't know if this has motivated my students to push themselves, or has just convinced them that I am an insane person. But I do know that I don't hear the kind of complaints that I used to hear from them, which is that they are tired or sore thus need to take it easy.