I didn't think I was going to make it back to Boston for the family reunion this year, but it looks like I am. I haven't been east of Denver in more than 15 years, but this year is a bit special. My great-aunt is turning 100 this year. My little brother and his wife have been planning on going all along, but my older brother and I were not quite sure. We talked about it a little bit over the weekend, found out from our little bro' that it wasn't going to be too expensive so we were debating on going or not. I'll have to use all of my personal days from school, and I hate having a substitute, it's usually more work that it's worth, which is why I still have 88% of my sick days left. But big bro' called dad, told him we were thinking of going and he was quite excited about it, said it would mean a lot to our great-aunt, and fun for him. So we decided damn the torpedos and full speed ahead, we're going. It's not for a while, and as usual you'll have to wait until I'm back to know I've gone, but I'll bring some good pictures, and hopefully a few good stories.
9 comments:
Well. Well. Well. Welcome to the east coast. I am looking forward to seeing the photos and reading the stories.
About Subs. I also hate taking days off from work. In the 10 years I've been working, I've only missed one day (long story). One of the reasons for not wanting a sub is that ask you correctly stated, "it's usually more work than it's worth".
Have fun at the family reunion!
Yeah, it's going to be short but great, we fly in on a Friday night and out on Monday morning. It will be great to see the family again, and we're planning to get a chance to visit the house we grew up in. You'll all hear about it when I get back. And if we were going to be there longer I'd come down and harass you in NYC too.
Sounds like you will be on a tight schedule. Hopefully, you will have time to really enjoy yourself. Thanks for the NYC nod. Don't worry, I'm sure my students will be more than willing to "harass" me.
I think it's "dam the torpedos," but you can curse them if you really want to.
I'm glad you're going to Boston, but I pity you with the sub stuff. Ugh. This is why I have 216 sick days left.
I now have regular internet access. C'mon over and check out my latest posts -- the tale of last Tuesday.
jannx : Since we're not planning much, just the reunion and the old house, we should have time to enjoy ourselves without feeling rushed. I hate being pushed for time when on vacation, which is why I'd rather miss seeing a few things so I can really enjoy what I do get to see.
Writer : I'm pretty sure it's damn, because if I'm correct it comes from WWII submarine warfare and basically means "To hell with the torpedos being fired at us, put the pedal to the metal and let's get through this". I vaguely remember the actual quote coming from a WWII movie, but that could be my imagination just filling in details.
Nope, just googled it and found out that it comes from the U.S. Civil War. It is a popular parahrase of Admiral David Farragut's order in the Battle of Mobile Bay. The actual quote, according to Wikipedia, is "Damn the torpedoes! Four bells. Captain Drayton, go ahead! Jouett, full speed!"
Hmmm...
That's not what I heard. I seem to recall that it had something to do with actually readying the torpedos before blasting the heck out of whatever you were aiming at, and that it was frequently misunderstood, rather like Hamlet's saying (about drunken carousing) that he was "to the manner born," and most people quote it as if he were saying "to the manor born," thinking it refers to his being wealthy.
But, I know a LOT more about Shakespeare than I do about torpedos.
Ain't that the truth that it's easier just to go ahead and work the day than it is to get a sub! When most people take off work, they just call in. We have to meticulously plan each minute of the day and make copies and...yeah, easier just to go in sick and work.
And then we have to clean up the mess afterwards. Not ot mention the wasted day, because you can never count on having a substitute that understands the material. I subbed for a couple years before getting my degree and I subbed everything from 2nd grade to sewing.
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