New neighbors rock!

…. I can’t remember whether or not I mentioned it before, but I have new neighbors.  They bought the house next door, moved in about a week ago and have been renovating ever since.  I haven’t met her, but I’ve talked to him a few times now.  They are in their mid-20’s and seem like a really nice couple.  He and I have talked about the things he is doing and plans to do to the house, and it sounds like some great improvements.  Inside won’t matter to me much, but he wants to get rid of the white vinyl siding (he thinks it’s too boring) and change it to a rust colored siding with wood trim, a rustic style. The picture he showed me looks kind of like in this one, but without the green and the rock.  It should be a lot nicer to look at out my window than the blinding white, not so well fitting, vinyl.

 …. Anyhoo, he’s storing a truck for his sister and asked me if I owned the property behind my garage.  When I told him that I did, he wanted to know if it was ok to park the truck back there for a while.  …. I told him that since I won’t be starting any projects back there until at least next summer, that it wouldn’t be  a problem until then.  He said thanks and then asked me if I liked Fuze, since he is the regional distributor for them in this area.  I really like the sugar-free flavors, I buy tons of them whenever they are on sale, so he goes “Well, there are 5 flavors of the sugar free, I could give you a case of each - - - every month.”  So today he looks over the fence, just like Wilson on Home Improvement, and says he’s got some Fuze for me, and just starts piling cases on the fence ledge for me.  You can see it all in the picture there, including a case of NOS and NOS shots (their energy drink).  When I told my friend Adele about this she said “You could fall in a pile of horse shit and come out holding 2 dozen roses.”  I don’t think I’m that lucky, but every time I get a little down I remind myself I really do not have anything to bitch about.

…. Even without the freebies, I think the new neighbors are going to work out well.  (Sorry Writer, I know misery loves company, but I’m still glad I didn’t get my own “The Blob” next door.)

I’m baaaaaak….

…. I committed my first act of mayhem at the new school today, and it felt good.

…. Last week I was talking with the 1st year science teacher and we were goofing around pretty good.  She’s one of the teachers there that I get along with really well.  At one point she pretended to sneeze into her hands and wipe it on my shirt, so we got into this little back and forth thing.  At one point I threatened to put sticky notes all over her car, and she didn’t believe me.  She jokingly said to just make sure I take pictures of it (duh, like I wouldn’t).  So today I gave a stack of sticky notes to each of my students in my advisory class, we went out and plastered them all over her car, I took pictures and emailed them to her.  Yeah it was fun.

…. The really funny part was that another teacher saw it happening and next thing you know, right after school let out, a bunch of them were out there checking it out like they’d never seen anything like it before.  You’da thought Martians had landed a big green spaceship right there in the parking lot.

 

…. Which just goes to show that this faculty needs a little craziness added to their days. 

…. Ms. Science Teacher (Ms. W) didn’t get the email until after school, so she’s in the hall offering students candy to help her pick all of them off her car.  I ran into one of the students later and she had a bag full of sticky notes.  I’m a little worried as to why she saved them, but whatever.  Sticky notes aren’t damaging.

…. When I walked out to the parking lot to see if Ms. W had left yet, I caught her red handed placing sticky notes on my car.  Not a lot, but they did have something written on them.

…. We had a nice chat out there at my car.  She made it clear that this wasn’t over.  I made it clear that any retaliation would be met with more retaliation.  We both agreed that no damage would be done. 

…. Yeah, things are looking up.

What a drag it is getting old…

---- The summer before last we went back to Boston to the annual family picnic.  It was a big occasion since my Great-Aunt Grace had just turned 100, and I hadn’t been back in quite a while. I took this picture at the dinner, it’s of the 3 remaining siblings of the 12 that included my grandmother.  On the left is Grace, in the middle is Uncle Dickie and on the right is Alba. 

---- Dickie passed away last year. I got an email last week informing me that Alba had just passed away, and today I found out Grace is gone too.  It saddens my heart that this dynamic, funny and loving group of siblings is gone.  I have people tell me all the time that I’m a funny guy and I’ve often heard “where do you come up with this stuff?”  I don’t know, it just pops into my head, but I have no doubt that these people influenced my sense of humor. 

---- My grandmother, the oldest of the siblings, passed away sometime in the 90’s, and her funeral is a perfect example of how these siblings lived.  We were at a funeral home that had a second service going on in a room next to my grandmother’s.  I’m standing out in the lobby, the other room is silent, nothing other than soft music emanating from the room.  On the other side, where her sisters were, laughter is coming out.  I walk in, listen for a little and realize what is going on.  Her sisters are telling “Nonni’s favorite dirty jokes” to each other.   I can’t remember any of them, but that scene made me proud to be a part of this family.

---- I’ll be honest with ya, I’m feeling a little old right now.  I’m creeping up on the age my mother was when she passed away and I’ve just lost a whole level of my ancestors.  On the other hand, I’m feeling way too young to be this close to being the oldest generation in my family.  I know it’s a few years away, my dad is in great health and has the genes to last another 25 years.

---- Well, that was headed in a really depressing direction, it’s probably time to cut it off.  And I’ll get up at 6 tomorrow morning to head off and face classrooms full of 13 to 15 year olds and realize I can’t be too old, after all, I can still relate to them.

Enough blame to go around.

In honor of those who died on 9/11

I got an email about a trucker that painted his truck with all the names of the people who died on 9/11. Usually I don’t pass on these ultra-patriotic propaganda emails, but if this is really true, it’s kind of a cool tribute. So, here’s the pictures.