I got to work and set things up for my day today.  It was a busy day because I was doing my second day of final exams.  Today started the performance portion of the exams.  This is the point at which some of my students break down and actually out and out-right refuse to try to do their best.  I am not there to judge their attitude, but their performance.  For some reason, they don’t understand that even thought I try to make it clear with them.  After working with my students, I spent my prep periods grading finals and came close to being done with most of the grades of the students who finished their exams today.  After my instructional day, I headed straight home because the kids were home alone because Heather was out on a bus trip.

I got home and helped Ruth get dinner going a little bit and then they cleaned the kitchen and I went into the basement and recorded my next episode of “The Clone Wars in a Galactic Minute” for my podcast.  After that, I watched “Dog the Bounty Hunter” and worked on this blog.  After that, I went upstairs and the kids and I had a dinner of mashed potato soup and some pork steaks.  After that, I headed off into the basement and edited out the latest episode of CWGM and then I watched “Dr. Phil” with the kids before getting ready to go Binghamton Community Orchestra rehearsal at West Middle School.

Our orchestra rehearsal was okay.  We started out the later beginning rehearsal with Dvorak’s “Slavonic Dances” and I have to say it’s only my second time playing these pieces and they were fun to play both times.  After that we played a piece by Ernest Bloch and all I’ll say is that I’m not really a Bloch fan and after that we played the “Egmont Overture” by Beethoven.  After rehearsal, I came home and Heather and I watched “Big Bang Theory” followed by “Rob” and “Parks and Recreation” and then went to bed.

Okay, let’s talk about Part 5 of Chapter 20 of “Star Wars:  Jedi Trial” by David Sherman and Dan Cragg……

Chapter 20 (Part 5):  The recon teams were briefed as they agreed that one team would take the left flan, the other the center, and L’loxx’s team the right.  Even though they were given comlinks, the intelligence chief warned them ont to use them.  they were then told to form up at Izable and when they are ready to move out, the artillery will lay down a cover fire.  Each team was then given a code to use upon their return for some cover fire.  They then headed out.  They got to Izable and waited for the barrage.  L’loxx warned his team that the enemy would be waiting for them and they were all wearing specialty clothing L’loxx designed to partially mask them from infrared.  He told them they would sneak around to the rear……

I got to work and set things up for my day today.  Today was the first day of final exams.  I usually am missing quite a few students on the first day, which means I’m playing catch up for the next several days.  But today I had most of my students there, which means we are off to a good start on the exams.  I was fairly happy with behavior today and most of my students put their best foot forward in the exam, which is all I can ask of them.  It was a straightforward day and when I got done with my instructional day, I headed home.

I got home and helped Tara and Ruth with their homework for a bit and then headed into the basement and started to watch “Dr. Phil”, but was interrupted by Heather freaking out about the fact that her “baby” (her sewing machine) not working anymore.  She quick raced the machine over to “Grandmother’s Thimble” for repairs.  She then came home and we all had dinner together.  After dinner, she got a call from the shop and it’s going to cost about $300 to fix the machine.  Let’s hope that is all it will cost!  After that, I headed into the basement and started a game of Madden 2011 on my PS3.  I won the game on Franchise mode, but then the game froze and I lost ALL my information!  I was so upset.  So, I cut my losses and got off the system.  I finished up “Dr. Phil” and then uploaded two new episodes of the GalaxyCast Podcast onto the server and then I started watching our usual Wednesday night shows with Heather, including “Whitney”, “Are You There Chelsea”, “Criminal Minds” and “CSI” before heading to bed.

Okay, let’s talk about Part 4 of Chapter 20 of “Star Wars:  Jedi Trial” by David Sherman and Dan Cragg…….

Chapter 20 (Part 4):  Pors Tonith told his commanders that their enemy would not be foolish enough to attack the center.  He said they would feint towards the center and then try to flank them, so he put reinforcements in place to deal with this and then warned them that they would be seeing probes all night long.  He told them that neither they nor their droids would sleep as they discussed reinforcing the hills on their left, but Tonith said they could worry about that as the attack develops.  He told them they have their orders and then let the know he is confident that reinforcements are on their way.  Tonith had B’wuf woken after his commanders left and went to his bunk and insisted to only be woken if there are further developments……

I got to work and set up for my day.  Today was a day to have a Music Jeopardy game with all of my students. I have had some great success with this type of review in the past. It gets students to think and use their notes to review before their final exams start tomorrow. It also helps to get a little bit of a competitive spirit going and I also make sure that all the students are participating in some way, which ensures that I’m grabbing everyone’s attention.  It was a very successful and got my students interested in reviewing for the exam that starts tomorrow.  I got done with my instructional day and prepped things for SMASH.  I finished grading papers and when the SMASH students arrived, we talked a little bit and then started to go over our stick routine.  That took all of our rehearsal, but we came close to having something that is finished by the time we were done.  After SMASH, I invited Jim over for a Superbowl party to our house and then we left and went home.

I got home and ate dinner with my family.  After dinner, I went into the basement and watched “Dr. Phil” and then I played COD:BO for about a half an hour while I dealt with another issue that popped up today.  After that, Heather and I sat down together and watched “Shipping Wars” and “Storage Wars” before we headed to bed.

Okay, let’s talk about Part 3 of Chapter 20 of “Star Wars:  Jedi Trial” by David Sherman and Dan Cragg……

Chapter 20 (Part 3):  Rader insisted he would be good and L’loxx said the help would be appreciated and said that if he had to, he could leave behind Rader at their base at Izable if things were not working out.  Halcyon ordered Anakin to coordinate these efforts with the clone commandos and to meet back here in fifteen minutes.  Anakin then followed Grudo into a private room and said he wished the Rodian would not venture out as he asked his friend if he was married.  Grudo laughed and said he had married several times, but Grudo said duty goes above all else as Anakin said he was just curious.  Grudo told Anakin he would be fine as he asked the Jedi if he knew the woman they saw earlier.  Anakin said he did not know her, but she looked a lot like his mother who was killed.  Grudo said that as hard as that may have been, he was sure his mother was probably very proud of him.  Grudo said he will be a great commander and it was an honor just to know him.  Anakin wishes Grudo luck, but the Rodian insists skill outweighs luck, but thanks the Jedi for the sentiment.  Grudo then grabbed Anakin’s hand and disappeared silently into the night……

One thing I did not talk about yesterday was the death of Joe Paterno.  Yesterday Joe Paterno died and I have to say that my heart was broken, even if just a little bit.  Joe Paterno was the heart of the PSU Football organization.  He was more than just a coach to one of the most “winning-est” teams in football history.  He was a legend, an icon, and a saint in his own right.  I know many want to remember Joe Pa (as his fans referred to him) as the man that couldn’t stop child sex abuse in the PSU Locker Rooms at his facilities.  But unfortunately, with his passing, we will never know to what extent (if any) Joe Pa had in that particular scandal.  I will tell you what I do know of Joe Paterno.  He was more than just a coach to his players.  He was a friend and colleague.  He demanded excellence of them at all points in time.  Under Joe Pa’s time as a head coach at PSU, they instituted some of the most rigorous academic standards ever enforced by a University football team.  As he told many of his players, life demands them to be a success on and off the field.  Well, Joe Pa himself was exactly that, a success on and off the field.  He donated over $4 million to the Penn State library because he believed in academic success so much and eventually that library was named after him.  He had five children with his wife and has left behind an enormous legacy. But to me, the most important thing Joe Pa did for sports was emphasize the academics of sports and not the brutality of sports.  He has the most career wins in the NCAA Football Division I and the NFL considered Joe Pa’s players some of the best and brightest that they have ever received.  Joe Paterno died on January 22, 2012.  However, he will live in the hearts of Penn State fans and Americans for decades to come.  So, rest in peace Joe Paterno.  I know that you are still coaching games up in Heaven, but now God is on your team, so you can only win from now on!  Read more on Joe Paterno at Wikipedia.org.

Well, now that I’ve gotten sappy on all of you, the kids and I watched “Fox and Friends” and after some time, I was off to work while the kids were off to school.  I got to work and set things up for my day today.  Today was a day to catch up on work and give students time to prepare for their final exams which are going to start on Wednesday.  So, my sixth graders worked on any back work they owe and then grabbed keyboards to practice their scales for the final exam.  My seventh graders did the same thing and so did my eighth graders.  It wasn’t too bad of a work day and most of my students worked to try and get in their work that they owe me before the end of the quarter.  I was happy with my instructional day and then headed home right after work.

I got home and no one was there. That’s when I realized the kids were all off at their piano lessons.  So, I opened and envelope that came in the mail for me, and sure enough, it was my 501st badge.  I was a little over-excited and immediately posted pics of it on Facebook!  After that,  I headed into the basement and started working on rewiring parts of the podcast studio.  I had wired in a whole bunch of speakers into the studio, but to be honest, they speakers sounded awful and didn’t work half the time.  Normally, we were using a set of computer speakers at our events to play our podcast.  But now we have a hot “monitor” to do that with, so I am able to actually use the computer speakers for the computer.  So, I moved everything around, rewired the system and it looks and sounds much better now.  While working on this, I had to go upstairs for dinner.

After dinner, I headed downstairs and continued to work on the podcast room and then watched “Dr. Phil”.  I got done with the episode on drunk driving and then checked TV and found out that almost everything I normally watch was into reruns.  So, I played COD: BO for about an hour and then switched over to watching Pawn Stars and American Pickers before heading to bed a half an hour early with Heather.

Okay, let’s talk about Part 2 of Chapter 20 of “Star Wars:  Jedi Trial” by David Sherman and Dan Cragg…….

Chapter 20 (Part 2):  Slayke then said they would send a strong force at the center with a stronger force around the flanks, but said they need to scout the positions first.  Slayke then calls forward Sergeant L’loxx and orders him to recon the enemy positions by dawn as it is midnight now.  L’loxx said he was positive he could do it and reconnoiter at their position.  Anakin said they could send in three probes, and also suggested clone commandos.  Anakin and Halcyon assigned three commandos, each to a different sector and asked L’loxx how many men he will need and L’loxx insisted he would work by himself.  Halcyon wondered what happens to him when he goes down and then Grudo steps forward and offers to go along.  Slayke said it was ridiculous, but L’loxx said Rodian’s make great scouts as they are able to sneak into places that other people are not able to.  Anakin agreed that Grudo was in, when Corporal Ram Raders, of Halcyon’s personally picked guards, insists upon going along.  Halcyon then insisted they were not just sending out the entire army to scout the enemy positions and insisted that Rader sit down…..

I headed into the basement and immediately watched “American Idol” Season 11.  I watched the first two episodes and put together the question sheets for my students to go along with it.  I worked on those sheets for about an hour and a half or so and was able to have that lesson plan ready to go.  While I worked, Heather had stopped at “Sip of Seattle” and gotten us some smoothies and then she stopped at Dunkin Donuts and we had some donuts for breakfast as well.  After that, I continued my work on my Mandalorian buckets while I continued to watch “Star Wars:  Episode 2 – Attack of the Clones”.  I have to admit that movie looks much more crisp in the Blu Ray look and sound.  It was actually quite nice.  After that, I ate some lunch with the kids and then started to watch some football as I continued to work.  I have several projects on my work bench that I worked on as well as trying to clean up the workshop so I can continue to use it.  My hope is to get a majority of my work off the bench by the end of February, because the month of March is looking like complete chaos!  Heck, My wife and I aren’t going to be able to celebrate our March 1st Anniversary until the third or fourth week of the month.  Insane!  Anyway, as we watched the games, I also left the house to drop Austin off to “God and Me” class, take Ruth to Binghamton Youth Symphony Orchestra rehearsal, and then picking up Austin from “God and Me” class.  I felt like I was a taxi driver for a little bit.

After I got home, I continued to work on the helmets and even started to work on one version of “The Clone Wars in a Galactic Minute” while I waited on Heather.  She went out and picked up Ruth and then stopped at Taco Bell to get dinner for the entire house.  We sat down and ate dinner while we watched the dramatic ending to the AFC Championship between the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens.  All I can say is that I feel bad for the Ravens quarterback.  One mistake and Joe Flacco’s season is over.  It’s a shame that such a talented guy had to end the season on such a downer.  After dinner, I headed downstairs and started to watch the NFC Championship game.  I was rather irked though because the game was so choppy because of our reception.  Heather called DirecTV and said there wasn’t much they could do about it as it was a Fox affiliate problem.  However, not too long after that, the problem was fixed.  I watched the game as I finished out the next two “Clone Wars in a Galactic Minute” and started to finish up fixing up the shop.  It took almost all day, but the basement is looking almost normal again.  After watching the close game and seeing San Fransisco blow the game at the end of the day, Heather and I stayed up a little later and watched some of “American Idol” while I worked on this blog, but after some time, we went to bed.

Okay, let’s talk about Part 1 of Chapter 20 of “Star Wars:  Jedi Trial” by David Sherman and Dan Cragg…….

Chapter 20 (Part 1):  Soldiers who were tired were either purely exhausted or they were well trodden veterans.  The strategy session, which lasted all night moved from Slayke’s outpost to Halcyon’s because they had better supplies.  Although it took a while to come up with the overall plan, each commander was given their commands and only knew about each of their individual tasks.  Slayke argued that a frontal assault is suicide since casualty rates usually end up being four to one on the attacking force.  But Halcyon said said the assault would be a feint so they could flank them adn attack from the rear.  Anakin suggested they use transports for a vertical envelopment as Halcyon asked what the enemy’s anti-aircraft capabilities are.  One of the intelligence officers warned them that they had sent drones out in anticipation of this discussion and that their air defense looks fairly dense.  Slayke said it was too big of a risk to try a vertical attack as Anakin pointed out that even if they attempt to outflank the enemy, he can reinforce any position within a matter of moments.  Slayke commented that the young man is quite the strategist as Halcyon joked that is full of surprises…….

I got home and started to work on printing out the templates.  I then headed into the basement and watched yesterday’s “Dr. Phil” while I cut them out and started to prep the templates to be put together.  After some time, I got some lunch and the kids joined me.  We watched “Dog the Bounty Hunter” followed by an episode of “Shipping Wars” and then the two latest episodes of “Storage Wars”.  While they watched, I put the templates together, got them cut out of the sintra and worked on getting them filed down on the edges.  While I worked we watched “Hot in Cleveland”, “The Exes”, and I watched “Fringe” on my own.  After that, I started to work on a plain black helmet for the group that I intended to make for the Falco Clan with some plain black armor so that if someone wants to troop with us, they can get an idea what it’s like to get into a kit.  After working all afternoon, I decided to take a break and played COD: BO for about an hour before dinner.
Heather made a nice pork roast for dinner and we had pork, fries, and corn for dinner.  After that, I headed back downstairs and worked on Gary’s helmet as well as mine.  I sanded the helmet down and did the same with Gary’s and formulated a plan on how to fix both helmets to help them fit regulations.  I then played a little more of COD:BO and then hung up some posters around the basement and moved some things around to get the new posters up.  After that, I watched “Star Wars:  Episode 2 – Attack of the Clones” and worked on Gary’s helmet until it was time to go to bed and Heather and I headed to bed around midnight.

Okay, so no more reading again tonight.  Instead, head on over to the GalaxyCast Website and check out episode #73 of our show.  Also, thanks again to Mike Wilkerson and the 2 Guys Talking Podcast Network for all their support.  Don’t forget our feedback contest and MAY THE FORCE BE WITH THOSE WHO LISTEN!

It was a busy day at work.  My sixth graders finished up working on their music history units.  I was hard at work as well, because I was giving my students a chance to correct their grades.  So, if they turned in sheets, I tried to grade them in a five minute turnaround so they could then make any corrections they needed to make.  My seventh graders did their last bit of recording for their podcasts and then we did some audio intervals.  My eighth graders were split with their work.  One class worked hard and got in their last workbook pages as well as being able to watch the end of “West Side Story”.  My other class did not quite finish their work, so some of them even had some homework.  It was a hard working day and I got a lot done and I was excited to see that I’m starting to catch up on paperwork.  Even on emails.  I even had a moment today to organize the contacts in my cell phone which I have been waiting to do for some time now.  After work, I headed straight home.

I got home to a house with only my two youngest kids in it.  The sintra I ordered had shown up, which was good because I had some rather larger projects to get done tomorrow and they required sintra (well, some of them do).  I opened up the sintra and took it to the shop in the basement and then I sat down and watched last week’s episode of “Star Wars:  The Clone Wars” and then sat down and recorded two “Clone Wars in a Galactic Minute” episodes in hopes of getting those edited out tomorrow or Sunday at some point in time.  After getting some things put together and watching an episode of “Dr. Phil”, Ruth came home and we made dinner and set up the table for chili.  After dinner, Gary showed up and we sat around and talked a little bit and then David showed up as well.  After some time, Dan showed up and we went into the basement and talked about a few things.  We then sat down and watched tonight’s episode of “The Clone Wars”.

After watching the show, we then recorded our next episode of the GalaxyCast Podcast and then the guys headed out since the weather was rather bad tonight.  Heather and I talked a little bit as her brother and her sister-in-law had gone to the hospital this morning and they looked to have a baby within the next day or so.  After watching “Kitchen Nightmares”, we then went to bed.

Okay, so no reading tonight.  Instead, head on over to the GalaxyCast website and check out Episode #72.  Yet again we thank Mike Wilkerson and the 2 Guys Talking Podcast Network for all their support!  Also, don’t forget about our feedback contest to win a Slave One ornament from Hallmark.  Simply listen to the show and you’ll find out more!  MAY THE FORCE BE WITH THOSE WHO LISTEN!

I got to work and set things up for my day.  My sixth grade students were tasked with getting some of their music history work done on their own.  They didn’t quite finish today and will have to go into tomorrow to get it done.  My seventh graders continued their work on music history as they recorded their podcasts in my room.  My eighth graders finished their Scale Building lesson and then did a Final Exam Review Packet.  I got a lot done with my students and we even had SSR today.  After school, I headed straight home.

I got home and the package had come from US Plastics.  I was excited.  I had two plungers for liquid lubricants for my trumpet.  I had a sprayer for mouthpiece cleaner and I found a nice cart that I bought to DJ with and to use for costuming.  After unpacking everything and putting together (while I watched “Dr. Phil”) and then ate some dinner with the family.  After that, I went into the basement and watched a few shows on DVR.  I watched “How are You, Chelsea” and “Dr. Phil” from yesterday before having to leave for Binghamton Community Orchestra rehearsal.  I got to rehearsal at the time we were instructed and apparently I was a little late.  I got done with rehearsal and came home and watched “Big Bang Theory”, “The Office”, “Parks and Recreation”, and “Rob” with my wife before heading to bed.

Okay, let’s talk about Part 4 of Chapter 19 of “Star Wars:  Jedi Trial” by David Sherman and Dan Cragg……

Chapter 19 (Part 4):  Slayke cooly asked if he had anymore days and then told the Jedi he’s beginning to like his style.  Anakin then got frustrated and reminded them that Bpfassh was over!  As Halcyon went to speak and agree, his comlink went off and his communications officer said they have received a rather interesting transmission from the Senate chamber and asked if he had a HoloNet transceiver available.  Slayke guided them toward his and gave the comms officer the codes to it.  At that point, Reija Momen appeared on the screen as she gave her speech and then ordered her people to attack.  Slayke asked them to play it again as Halcyon admired her courage.  As everything went on around them. Anakin stared at the image and when Halcyon finally got him out of the odd daydream, Anakin said there was something odd about that woman.  Slayke then took the opportunity to address his officers and told them that this woman’s courage has given them the cause to keep fighting.  He then went over to the Jedi, shook hands with them both and said his army is theirs and asked for orders.

I got to work and set things up for my day.  It was a busy day, but I wanted to get a lot of things done.  My sixth graders did their last Music Theory lesson in their book and did some Music Definitions along with a Crossrhythms puzzle with me.  My seventh graders started recording their podcasts while they finished up their Music History in their book.  My eighth graders did a few more examples of Scale Building and then started working on finishing out that unit.  We did a lot of work and got much done.  After school, we had a staff meeting and our department ended up presenting at the meeting.  I think our presentation went okay and I am happy that we finished that up and got it done and over with.  I got done with the meeting and headed straight home.

Once I got home, Heather revealed to me that she had gone to AT&T today while I was at work and she wanted to go tonight to get a new phone since she was able to get an upgrade.  So, we looked online when I got home and then Heather left to get some pizza for dinner tonight.  After we sat down and ate, Heather and I headed out right away and the kids headed over to our neighbor’s house to head over for Youth Group tonight.  Heather and I got to the AT&T store and we looked around at phones and we found an Samsung Inspire that she liked.  It has a qwerty keyboard, which is what she was looking for.  We then looked at some other things and I found out it was extra money a month in order for me to make my phone a mobile hotspot.  Probably something we really can’t afford anyway.  After that, Heather talked me into getting Ruth a phone now as well as letting our son use our old phone.  I fought it at first, but truth be told, it would be piece of mind, so we got it.

We did our check out, paid for our things and then left AT&T.  We got home and started to watch “Dr. Phil” on DVR and then switched over to “Whitney”, “Sons of Guns”, followed by “CSI” before going to bed.  The kids showed up after Youth Group and when Heather revealed the phone, Ruth went nuts!  I think we just became the parents of the decade!

Okay, let’s talk about Part 3 of Chapter 19 of “Star Wars:  Jedi Trial” by David Sherman and Dan Cragg…….

Chapter 19 (Part 3):  Slayke said the Senate can kiss his toes and told Nejaa Halcyon to look around himself.  He said his men are battle tested and still have a fight in them that the clones could never match.  He also told Halcyon that the Republic Army took their sweet old time getting here.  Anakin pointed out that Slayke’s men would never have survived the last attack and that they owe them.  Slayke joked that maybe he should be given the Republic flagship for his valiant effort, until Halcyon reveals that the flagship was scuttled in their attempts to land and restore comunications.  Slayke said he didn’t care about the ship or it’s crew when Halcyon activated his lightsaber faster than the naked eye could see…..

I got to work and set things up for my day today.  It was a day to try and start wrapping up the Music Theory lessons in our workbooks.  My goal was to try and get out of the workbooks by the end of the week.  My sixth graders finished their lessons on octaves and then did a review page with me before we started to do some music definitions.  My seventh graders continued their video on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart from the Biography Channel while they worked on Music History Pages.  My eighth graders did their lesson on Scale Building.  I got a lot accomplished with my students today and I was happy with my instructional day.  After my instructional day, we had a SMASH rehearsal.  We reflected on our performance from the concert and talked about our expectations for a SMASH audition which will be happening very soon.  We then went over the stick routine and then discussed possibly going to the STOMP concert in February and agreed we would buy tickets for the group.  After SMASH was done, I started to head home.

I had called Heather earlier today and begged her to get me a new pair of work shoes because my current work shoes have holes in them.  So we met at “Payless Shoe Source” after she picked up Ruth from musical rehearsal.  After finding me and the kids some shoes, we headed back home and dropped off the van.  We then went out to “Moe’s” for dinner and then over to “Barnes and Nobles” for the kids to spend some gift cards they got for Christmas.  They all got some books and then we headed home.  When we got home, the kids went to bed and Heather and I watched some TV shows.  We watched “Last Man Standing”, “Glee”, two episodes of “Shipping Wars” and two episodes of “Storage Wars” before heading to bed.

Okay, let’s talk about Part 2 of Chapter 19 of “Star Wars:  Jedi Trial” by David Sherman and Dan Cragg…….

Chapter 19 (Part 2):  Slayke welcomed the Jedi and their counterparts to his last remaining stronghold.  He then stood up and greeted the infamous General Najaan Halcyon.  He then asked the Jedi if he had anything else to steal, but Halcyon ignored him and instead introduced Commander Skywalker and his personal guards Corporal Raders and Private Vick.  Slayke then said a smart commander listens to the men among the ranks.  Slayke then commented about Grudo and Anakin insisted that the Rodian goes where he goes.  Slayke then joked that hard nosed commanders are harder to steal than a ship.  Halcyon then asked if they could talk in private and Slayke insisted that whatever the Jedi was going to say, he could say to him in front of his staff.  He then warned them that their army is untested and invited them to sit down so he could tell them what his army had been through.  Slayke then tried to explain his plan to battle the Seperatists when Halcyon interupted and said they needed to get something straight frist.  He informed Slayke that he was sent here to lead the force on Praesitlyn and that his remaining men will now be under his command.  Anakin knew this was the wrong tact to take with Slayke, but bit his tongue…….