The Beginning of the End?

After the school board meeting last night and the public forum (I did not attend both), I gathered a few "intuitions" about what went down.

As far as my position goes, my 7th grade baseball contract was approved, although the feeling through the crowd was that the athletic director wanted me to volunteer my time after school with the boys. If it were during the summer, yes -- I'd be more than willing to volunteer my time, pay-free, to help out a baseball team. But during the school year, it is a different matter. It takes a pretty big chunk of time during the day (it may not seem like much, but it adds up) and I believe a little compensation is in good order.

If it was decided by the school board that I should volunteer my time, I would have stepped up and said no. Sometimes, as a teacher, I get the feeling like they like to "push us around," so to speak.

As far as I heard from the public forum, there were strong sentiments for the teachers and a lot of people against the administration. It's just what the impression was from another attendee who was at the meeting. But he also got the message that they were going to cut one teacher from every department in the school. Since I'm at the bottom-of-the-heap in the Business Ed. department, I could be screwed.

Then, looking through my Master Agreement last night, I remembered that the other Business Ed. teacher is also fully certified to teach high school social studies. I began to feel a little bit of hope, only if the adminstration does realize that she can teach another subject matter, then I would be the only Business Ed. teacher in the school district -- thus my job saved.

It's wishful thinking through an extrememly volatile and stressful time. Some days I think that I should just approached the already-let-g0 principals and ask them how safe my job really is. They'd probably give me a comforting answer, only to delay the inevitable. As a teacher, yes -- I do have an obligation to finish out the school year in the best interest of the students. But, if I'm let go, it's going to be tough to carry on with a positive attitude.

The cuts are just around the corner -- thinking that by April 15, everybody will know who stays and who'll go. Hope for the best.

"When In Rome..."

I figured after the "New Year's Fiasco," I wouldn't be able to drink again. Just the smell of Captain Morgan would probably give me the gags -- and beer wasn't too far off the mark, either.

It was late February until I had my first drink -- a simple Miller Lite. Since then and up 'til now, I was taking 'er easy.

Until last weekend.

My old South Dakota buddy and once-college roommate Josh was throwing a house-warming party for a new home that he and his wife had just built. Josh's instructions were: "BYOB, plan to spend the night." My eyes opened, knowing that my tolerance was shit. But I figured -- what the hell.

As the night wore on, I was extremely relaxed, although I was getting fairly tired. Late-night sprees went hand-in-hand with my past life style, but now -- with a career and a huge responsibility -- that all went to the wayside. If I had it my way, I probably would have been in bed before midnight. But I trudged on, continuing to watch the NCAA tournaments on TV, drinking Miller Lites and socializing as much as I could.

At one point during the night, I almost lost it due to the smell of Josh's Bacardi. The wave of the smell, and even the offer for a sip, almost sent me running for the bathroom. After removing myself from the poker table (I did not play), then my stomach came back to normal.

I'm not completely sure what time I actually crashed, but we did manage to close down the local bar at 2 in the morning, then stayed up a little while afterwards and got to see the many phases that Josh goes through during a period of heavy drinking. It's all good:

• Mellow Josh
• Happy Josh
• Kissy Josh
• Dancing Josh
• Sweaty Josh
• Hometown Hero Josh
• Fighting Josh
• Snoring Josh

All-in-all, great fun. Although I didn't drink a whole lot, I sure felt it the next morning. I slept and slept and slept, like I never slept before. I didn't want to wake up, but when I did -- my head sure felt it. Slightly shaky, I managed to get by through lunch.

Then, I had another obligation.

An old classmate of mine was having a softball fund-raiser at a bar and lounge. For 5 bucks, you could drink all of the tap beer you wanted (5 kegs in all). Prizes were also given out, like t-shirts, caps, signs, lava lamps, glasses, and even a TV. In the end, I didn't win anything, but I was nervous showing up in my state -- still a little shaky with a headache -- knowing that tap beer could possibly be the "end-all" for me.

But as it turned out, it was a-ok. Jarrod was the "master of ceremonies" of sort, drunk as usual, and Mike and Lacey even made an appearance. Another old friend, Jason (who we affectionately call "Mac") was there, catching up on old times. The highlight of the night was when Mac and I were talking movies, and "Anchorman" was brought up. The quote from the movie, When in Rome... was widely used -- every story, every witty comment -- When in Rome... was used. Good times...had to be there!

Surprisingly enough, the tap beer was tolerable. I had my fill, even ate some supper, then towards the end of the night, I gave it and downed a Morgan (luckily for me, it was fairly weak). I had planned on staying on another night at Jarrod's place, but I was completely pooped from the night before.

A great weekend to start back up. I needed a great weekend like that, considering what's currently happening right now in TonyTimes. Weddings are just around the corner, softball is starting to gear up, and the future is looking optimistic.

One Long-Ass Weekend

No motivation at all.

I'm so bloody shot from Thursday until now. It was either watching high school basketball, watching the NCAA tourney on television, or drinking beer in-between.

I woke up with a solid headache this morning after our "coaches' meeting" yesterday. Seriously, that was some unexpected fun.

Tomorrow will mark my debut as a baseball coach. I'm fired up for it, although I really haven't a clue what I'm doing. As a rookie coach, I have tons of questions, but we've got a great veteran coaching staff here that totally understands that they'll help me out whenever.

The NASCAR race in Atlanta got washed out, so it's rescheduled until tomorrow. Man -- guess I'll have to fire up the TrackPass during class then!

More later.

The Genius That Is White Lion

I tell you what, no matter what reason, no matter what mood a person is in, the band from the Glory Days of Rock called White Lion had it all figured out.

The reason why I bring this up: there's this little guy, a sixth-grader. It's been a few weeks ago that his "girlfriend" dumped him for the most un-holy of reasons. Ever since then, he's been in this senseless funk, wondering how he can carry on.

I was doing my PowerPoint unit for my sixth graders. I requested the students to do an autobiography presentation. But this hurtin' dude -- dedicated his slideshow to the break-up of his loved one. I've seen my share of dudes hurting from break-ups, but this lil' shaver takes 'em all.

Sure -- why should I care? He's only in 6th grade! But there's something about this little guy that I can relate to. He's one of the most respectful guys, nice as can be -- and physically, he's probably the shortest boy in his class, something that him and I share in common.

Then, this is where White Lion steps in.

Back in the day, I was saturated with White Lion through Mike, who used to blast this back in his old Ford Bronco. Rarely, I listen to music for the lyrics (I like a good steady beat, something that sounds good -- probably why I just like musical scores so much), but as Mike pointed out -- White Lion had it all. Whether it's love, hate, war, politics, family ... it's absolutely stunning how White Lion pulls it off.

With all the knowledge that I had gained from White Lion, I felt an obligation to pass it on.

Two songs come to mind: "Broken Heart" and "Little Fighter." I have a small collection of my CD's at school, so this guy stops in my room after school, already looking like he had a rough day.

I told him to hang around a little bit -- while I played him the two songs. I also printed out the lyrics so he could read and better understand them. During "Broken Heart," I thought the guy was going to lose it, but I said, "Hey, listen ... 'there is life even after a broken heart.'" He just nodded.

Then, I played "Little Fighter." He read the lyrics, then he smiled. Rise again, little fighter!

I got the "pound-of-the-fists," a quick thank-you and good-bye, and he was off with a renewed confidence and vigor.

Even though this guy wasn't even born yet when White Lion was in full-force -- they still speak today. I was just glad to pass this on to a new generation.

More On Puckett

Early this morning, I stopped by the library in my school building to pick up my daily StarTribune. It was everywhere -- the death of Kirby Puckett, the most recogizable figure in Minnesota sports history.

It's still humbling. A baseball player, a Hall of Famer, who seemed to be an immortal on the field can be cut down in an instant. I cannot help compare Puck's similarities to the Yankee great Lou Gehrig, who died from ALS, or the disease that eventually took his name. Gehrig was young also, cut down in his prime from one of the greatest dynasties ever in baseball history. Seems ironic now that when Puck made his retirement speech to the the Metrodome crowd, he quoted Gehrig saying, "I'm the luckiest man on the face of the earth." Both players would not see their great careers last as they should have, both players cut down by tragedy.

Watching ESPN last night and even reading the paper this morning, it was all tastefully done. Folks in Minnesota, when it comes to sports, do not have a lot to cheer for compared to the super-teams like the New York Yankees or the Boston Red Sox. Everybody in Minnesota with their Midwestern-like values kept Puck to heart. It just seemed strange to me that Puck just wasn't in the Minnesotans hearts, either.

He was just truly a great baseball player. Back in the day at Centennial Park in my home town, we would try to imitate Puck by robbing home runs over the fence. For a guy who only stood 5 foot, 8 inches tall, that guy had some serious ups.

Overall, it was just nice to see that Puckett was well known outside the state of Minnesota. Then I thought, how could you ignore a player like that -- with a smile and a passion to play the game?

A Sad Day For Baseball

A person, or a fan of the Minnesota Twins during the 1980's and into the early 1990's could not help shed a tear tonight of hearing the tragic news of the passing of Kirby Puckett.

Puck suffered a major stroke on Sunday morning and then succumbed today at the age of 45.

I got up close and personal to Kirby in 1986 during a Twins photo day on the Metrodome surface. Back in the day, they would let the fans approach the players, stand right next to them and have their picture taken. I could get close to any player on the Twins roster that season, but when Kirby and Kent Hrbek came around, you could barely get near them because they were literally mobbed. My parents pushed my brother and I to at least get next to Puckett, but we managed. The only thing we got was a quick picture of Dan and I standing next to Puck.

The next season, 1987 -- it was one hell of a year, with the Twins winning their first World Series championship. The picture was at my grandparent's farm during Game 6 of the 1987 World Series, when the Twins played the St. Louis Cardinals.

But it was 1991 when I remembered Game 6 and Puckett literally carried the game. Puck robbed Ron Gant of an extra-base hit off the plexi-glass in left-center field and finally capped off the game with a home run in the 10th inning. I just remember Puck running around those bases, pumping his fists. It was absolutely nuts.

Now days, when you're in an empty Metrodome, you'll see a lonely golden seat in the left-center field where Puckett hit his home run in that Game 6 in 1991.

Everybody knows about his glaucoma and his retirement troubles, but that didn't stop the fans in Minnesota from loving the best player to put on a Twins uniform. I cannot help think that his increasing weight problems probably could have contributed to his stroke. The media must have killed him after the divorce and the sexual assault charges.

Overall, the guy was just a stud. His number retired, a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Today's generation has Torii Hunter. My generation had Kirby Puckett.

He will be sorely missed.

Post #500

A historic achievement for TonyTimes, as this ol' blog hits Post #500. Ridiculous, if you ask me. Just goes to show people that I've got lots of time on my hands.

It's already approaching midnight here in southwestern Minnesota and I'm still awake. I've already thought to myself several times since 9:30 p.m. this evening: man, I should go to bed. But I had such a productive weekend in the "sleep" department -- I mean, man -- I slept GOOD. Probably some of the best sleep I had in a long while. It just just for a short period of time in which it seemed like I did not have any worries ... all was well in the world.

Sunday afternoon -- probably the best day of the year so far. A person couldn't help notice how fine the day was. Temperatures neared the 60's, not a cloud in the sky. People walking around without their jackets on and the air smelt clean. I just had to stand there for a few seconds and soak it in.

I jumped in my truck and drove to the grocery store. I couldn't help but drive by the old high school here in town, which is just located a few blocks away from my house. Although I didn't actually stop, I drove around the old school building's block and soaked it in. The school closed down a couple of years ago, built in 1911-1912, with its jasper stone shimmering in the sunlight. I could easily tell that it had been added on throughout the years, but it didn't matter -- it just seems to give it more character.

I've always had a thing for old buildings and architecture (a failed attempt at a major in college). I was glad back in my HOME TOWN that they converted the old high school there into a museum. I still think it's beautiful to walk through there, especially the gymnasium where the old basketball lines are still painted on the hardwood. My great-grandfather was a one of the first school board members there when the building was erected in 1939, the place where my grandfather and grandmother graduated in 1951. My dad attended elementary school there until they closed the building in 1969 due to -- you guessed it -- drops in enrollment.

Then my mind races to the budget cuts the district is going through as I drive around the abandoned school building. I hear all of these opinions about why the new school was built in the first place -- there was nothing wrong with the old one -- then there are other opinions about how the new building was needed, due to crumbling foundations and leaky pipes (from what I've heard through the media and other people, the building needed to be replaced). One of the thing that still bothers me the most is all the old trophies from years before are still in the old building, very comparative to my Home Town's old school building, in which the trophies are still there. Now, it's nice to see that building has a purpose, but now in case of an abandoned school building, who can appreciate the people and the history and seeing what those people have accomplished as they passed through the district?

The school board meeting last month was not a good one. The school board already announced cuts of over $400,000 by cutting the middle and high school principals and saving on other things. It wasn't much of a shock as it had been rumored that the administration was going to get hit hard. Three teachers have already put in their resignations due to retirement, which will also save some money. So far, I still have a job, but that can all change in the next couple of board meetings.

My mind sways back and forth regarding if they're going to keep me on or not. Some days I have such a shitty attitude, filling my head up with ideas on why I'm not going to be around. Other days, I'm confident in thinking that I'm going to be around next school year by listening to other teachers, saying that they cannot imagine cutting my position.

It seems like I'm already dreading the day when I'm called into the office to learn of my future. Emotionally, how should I handle it? It's going hurt something fierce, but I'm also afraid that I'm going to burn some bridges. With news like that, it's hard to keep me in check and I'll probably "fly off the handle," but I should leave with some dignity and maturity.

I just wish we'd get an idea and some answers. June 1st is too late to find out. And if I do get cut, man -- that really forces myself to look into the educational system and my lack of faith in it. Why bother getting another teaching job after an event like that? A first-year teaching job and a person gets cut right away. Lots of confidence, I tell ya.

But like I keep saying, I'm going to keep pluggin'. You'll know when I know.

Crash Productions, Inc. -- Comin' Out in '07

I don't think I've ever felt this excited.

Starting tomorrow afternoon, I'm finally going to get my desktop fixed. Ever since I've gotten it, I've had problems with my USB ports and the computer has had troubles detecting the "new hardware." I'm not completely sure if there it's a driver problem on the computer's part, or something iffy with the OS itself, but I'm finally going to have it looked at. I hoping that everything will be peachy-keen by Friday.

One of the main reasons why I purchased my Super-Sony was not only the horsepower behind it in terms of RAM and graphics, but as a few people know, I'm attempting to become an amateur movie-maker. With the computer I've got now and software that I had specially purchased (I'm not relying on Windows Movie Maker -- I'm going "big" with Adobe Premiere Pro), I'm finally ready to make things happen. It was just the matter of importing the video, either from a VCR or a digital camcorder -- hopefully things will be righted!

As for 2007, it's going to be a big year. I'm already pressing for a special 10th Anniversary release of the timeless classic, "The Highlight Tape, Vol. #1." Although I cannot improve the quality a whole lot from analog to digital, I'm looking forward to meeting the players from "The Owl Garden" with interviews 10 years later. Maybe an emotional visit to the actual place where the magic took place? As far as I understand, there is only one hoop standing at "The Owl Garden," the ground probably overgrown by now.

That's my project so far. I'm wishing that these computer guys can figure out my problem.

But that's not all! Crash Publications, Inc., a division of Crash Productions, will finally release the story that I've been working on for the past three years. It's by far the longest work of mine to date -- already approaching 200 pages. I'm going to publish it through Microsoft Publisher (I don't have Adobe PageMaker), the best I can do.

Big year, baby. Two-thousand and seven.