Piece #37 - Dreaming of England!

I have to admit that this post was inspired by a reader who made a very nice comment from England. Understand that there is a lot more to the story than just a comment, my wife and I have always want to"go on holiday" to England! As I've mentioned in a previous post, I have always had a fascination with Doctor Who so that is where I first had my interest in Britain. For my wife, when she was growing up she loved the Bronte sisters and Jane Austen's books. I have been to Europe, although that was back in 1987; but I did get to visit Belgium, France and Italy. So jolly ole England has eluded me for decades now and I really want to go!

I'm not completely sure, but I believe I did have ancestry from England so there alone is some motivation. I remember when I was taking my undergrad and we had a guest professor from Bath, England. (Funny, I first thought the Education Department was joking with me when they told me he was from "Bath"!) For Doctor Who, it was more than just a show; I loved it because they would film on location all over the countryside so it was the best way for me to see different things...better than a documentary anyway! It inspired me to watch other British shows like Monty Python, Benny Hill, Fawlty Towers, etc. And then there's Bond...James Bond, I loved watching the movies and reading some of the books; I mean who wouldn't want to go to England for him?

In recent years, a new thing has emerged, though they are rather old fictional stories, The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia were the icing on the cake! I do remember watching the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings (animated) when I was really young, but nothing prepared me more like watching those current live-action films. Talk about REALLY wanting to go to England...WOW! To visit the places where the two authors use to work and live is just too much to be true. And speaking of writers, I would be remised if I didn't mention...Shakespeare. If you've read previous postings you would know that I was big into theater so this shouldn’tcome as a big surprise. To be able to visit Stratford-Upon-Avon and see all things Shakespeare would really be a dream come true.

Currently, I'm teaching History so this is a no brainer because I have studied the British monarchy and I have been watching them since I was young. I remember staying up really, really late to watch Charles and Diana get married and sadly the funeral for Diana as well. I always found the British monarchy to be one of the most interesting families to study. From Henry the VIII to Queen Elizabeth I, I remember watching several reenactments of their lives on TV and in the movies. Yes, I did watch William and Kate get married...I'm sure Di would have been proud of the both of them. It’s amazing how much Kate reminds me of Diana in how she cares about the people and how she presents herself.

I hope someday soon Jaimee and I will get the chance to visit England. It would really be a dream come true. Somehow I think this is a reachable goal, I just hope it will be sooner more than later because Jaimee and I really want to see the whole country; not just one city...sorry London.

Song of Inspiration [Check it out on iTunes!]:

Song: “Kings and Queens"

Artist: Audio Adrenaline

Album: Kings and Queens

This is a picture that I took when I was in Paris back in 1987 and I used a 110 camera (just google it). [and...Yes, I took the picture!] I would like to have a picture of Jaimee and I being in England!

Piece #72 - Brant Hansen, the radio voice for Asperger's

This might seem a little unusual for my blog to be talking about a certain person, especially one that I've never met in person, but he still has a special place for me because of how much we have in common...mostly because we both have Asperger's. Brant Hansen is or as of Monday July 7th, 2014 was a DJ for a national syndicated Christian radio station called Air 1. He and I have exchanged messages through Facebook from time to time in pleasant conversations, but we have come to a point that is a little more serious. Brant has never shied away from his disability and if anything he has been a positive voice to anyone who would listen about his Asperger's. As I mentioned though, Air 1 is ready to shut him down. Here is what Brant had to say about his departure from the radio station:

"If you've been a listener to our radio show, please know this: I’m heartbroken over the end of the show. I've counted every day as an honor to be able to have a platform like that.…

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Lost Piece #1 - The Gospel Truth

"I know my Jesus, I love Him, and I think if he needed me to believe that homosexuality was a sin, He would have mentioned it. He didn’t. When Jesus said that marriage was between a man and a woman, he was responding to a question about divorce, not sexuality.* And even the Gospels... well, even though they are gospel to me, I accept that they are also interpretations of what Jesus said and did and meant -we don’t have a single written word directly from Jesus. He could have left us something - he could have left another list of rights and wrongs when He came to Earth, but he chose not to." Glennon Doyle Melton - Aug 25, 2013
These words were penned by Ms. Glennon Doyle Melton who is an author and Christian blogger. Back in February of 2017 she announced that she was engaged to Abby Wambach a former Women's Soccer Champion. Glennon had been married to her husband (Craig Melton) for over 14 years before she divorced him due to his extramarital affairs. Glennon had also o…

Piece #108 - Unemployment

I had the experience of something I hadn't been a part of in nearly twenty years... unemployment. I learned something rather quickly about being unemployed is that this is more of a journey than a simple trip. Trying to make the move from the world of education to the vast universe of basically...everybody else can be rather frustrating and confusing. One of the first things I had to learn was the new jargon, for example: Lead - the person just above the regular worker but, just under the supervisor. In teaching, there is no such thing; I guess the best version I can come up with is either a coordinator or a vice-principal. Production performance - the means of how well of an output one creates within a certain time and/or quality ("quota" is another term used). In education, test scores sadly are used as a barometer for how well a teacher is performing but, there are checks and balances on how well the information is being delivered and received by the students. I reall…

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