Perspective

I have recently become a facebook user. I didn't think I would ever go down this road, but after Hilary began making contact with people from her distant past I thought I would give it a try. Some of my students thought it was really weird for their teacher to have a facebook page. Perspective, people. As a teenager, it is difficult to foresee 10-20 years down the road, that the people you have strong friendships with now, may not be living even in the same country as you. Having had such strong friendships, I am often curious what those people, who mean a lot to me, are doing in their lives. While my students and alumni have found my facebook and joined my friends list, that was not my primary goal in getting started. My farflung family members, long lost high school friends, with whom I have not spoken since graduation, fellow missionaries I served with in Seoul Korea; these are some of reconnections that I have found blessings in. Some of my students are not even as old as the friendships that have been reconnected. That is a different perspective. Hopefully, wisdom continues to come with age. To all my friends young and old, thank you for including me in your circle of friends and family.

Happy 2008

Welcome to 2008! Happy New Year, sae hae bok mani padu seoyo, and all that fun stuff. Hope all is well with you and yours.

School Thy Feelings

Miracles will never cease

That's right I am actually putting in a post within 2 mos of my last post. Lots of things have happened: school back to full swing, Conner has played several soccer games, football games, general conference, etc. With all these things going on, I am going to try to update at least once a week. So Alan and Alby, if you are checking here is evidence that miracles do happen.

Some Days...

Some days are great. Today we had a meeting on educational equity-bridging the gap in education. Alot about recognizing our own racial identity, even on a personal basis, and recognizing that while we may not see, from a first impression, our students on a basis of race they probably see us on that basis. It was also a lot about building relationships of trust to be able to teach students. Great meeting, left on a great note. Then I had a bad experience with a student this afternoon. A very dependable student, whom I value a great deal. We have a gig for a brass ensemble this weekend. Because it is Sunday and "short notice" (I haven't pushed those involved about it because I know that most of them were already involved in 3-4 different music camps or other summer activities) some are not able to perform for this gig. To that student, I apologize. I understand. I don't think I have been arrogant or mean spirited about this at all. I apologize to all who feel that way. So I feel very much like a failure, and perhaps I am. Life will move on and tomorrow is another day. Hopefully I can have more good days than I have been having of late.

Where have ethics and decency gone?

I really shouldn't be as bothered by this as I am. But this really rubs the wrong way. In-n-Out Burger, which I highly enjoy is suing a restaurant in UT County, American Fork specifically. How did these people not think they were going to get sued? I am still unclear if there is only one facility or 2-3(Chadders). However, anyone who has been to In-n-Out in 5 years can see the striking similarities. These are not the similarities one finds between McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and the like. No, these are glaring similarities: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsZ61RJLngs. Once again someone in Happy Valley thought they could violate intellectual property protections without asking for permission or other appropriate avenues. Why does this always happen in American Fork? I know great people there, and this reflects badly on them, badly on Utah Valley and badly on Utah in general. Regardless of how the lawsuit goes, this is a slap in the face for all the ethics classes taught in universities throughout the country.

Better than the Majors

Monday we went to the San Jose Giants game (the trombone choir was playing for several of the events). I have been to a Padres game in San Diego, and wasn't terribly impressed. This was a completely different experience. The arrangement of the stands puts everybody close enough to the field to feel a part of it. Our performance was good, but the other entertainment made it a full evening. Kudos to SJ Giants for putting on an excellent show and for a great win. It was an exciting game and those who know me know I don't say that about baseball often. The fireworks were awesome, especially from being able to be so close. It was a great time for the Erickson's and I think for the other fans participating.