Happy Easter!

 I am going off the top of my head this morning and not all of this is taught in traditional divinity schools, so please bear with me. 

The first Easter was celebrated by 2nd Century Christians, and in typical Christian form, the term Easter is "borrowed" from the Germanic word Ostern, and in typical German fashion, we don't know the origins of the word. 

That said, they believe that the word is stolen from the word Eostre which is the old Anglo-Saxon goddess of fertility. That was first linked in the 800s. 

There is now widespread belief that the word derives from the Christian term of Easter week as in albis, a Roman Latin phrase that was understood as the plural of alba (“dawn”) and became eostarum in High German the forerunner of the modern German and English term.( This was taught by Dr. Penrose St. Amant when I was in seminary....and yes, I dug out my old notes for this one.)

In all seriousness, who knows who is correct. The Christian community has always been one to appropriate other customs whether they are considered "pagan" or not. 

The date of Jesus’ death and resurrection was not recorded. As a result, Easter is not fixed. It can fall any time between March 22nd and April 25th. This is because Easter is linked to the Jewish Festival of Passover, which was taking place when Jesus died. The timing of Passover depends on the cycles of the moon. In the 4^th Century church leaders agreed that Easter would always be on the Sunday following the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. But to add to the complexity, they referred to the mathematically, calculated ‘Paschal’ full moon( Passover full moon) which is not always the same day as when the moon appears full in the sky.....By the way, the next time Easter will be on March 22nd in 2285. ( I won't be around and I looked the date up.)

This of course is the day that the religion of Christianity is based upon.

I'm not going to go into the significance of rabbits, eggs, eating  lamb( No one coming here today for Easter would eat lamb with the exception of me. I got enough Coonass in me that I'll damn near eat anything, you got remember I ate lamb's liver and chips in Scotland) or this blog will be about 5500 words.  

We are having the "Southern" traditional " Big-ass ham" today. 

I hope you have a good day, enjoy family, friends if you are visiting, or you are entertaining. As always, you're in my prayers.

 

 

 

Spring Break???

 I was somewhat surprised to see that LCM-ISD has had Spring Break this week, in an old tradition of having it the week before Easter. ( Old school break was always Easter, even for the first 10 years I taught school, going to a university type Spring Break is somewhat a "new" thing for East Texas schools.)

I don't know, having taught seniors most of my adult life, I was always in favor of a later Spring Break or heck push it to the end of May and get the heck out of school a week early.

It makes no difference to seniors when they come back from the "break." They are toast.....Seniorities. 

Heck the last few years I taught I had what I call and I am sure the CDC has it coined someplace in their files...." Senior teacherities. "

My last year I had senior teacherites so BAD. I had the point and could retire at any moment in the Spring. I almost didn't come back after Spring Break, after Easter. Hell, I got mad a couple of times and said to myself, " I don't have to put-up with this anymore." 

Sorry, just rambling today.....

I Quit Too......

 The Gallup Poll has the latest numbers on people who go to church.....And Americans have stopped going. Or are in the process of stopping. 

I am not shocked. I am a seminary alumni, still ordained in a denomination and I am can't stand to attend church. I literally feel like a " fish out of water" when I go, even when I am asked to speak in some form or fashion at a church I feel somehow like " Shouldn't be here." 

That said, drive anyplace between my house and "anyplace" and I'll pass all sorts of churches, most now not affiliated with any set denomination. 

Only 30% of the Protestants attend every Sunday, 53% seldom, or never. Catholics, 23% every week. The most attending group is the Mormons at 54%, but of course, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is only 2% of the U.S. population.  

18 to 29 year olds, the numbers are at 22%, the lowest number ever for that age group of adults. 

All in all, this means only about a third of Americans attend church on a regular basis. This is down from 42% two decades ago.

I don't know, as you know, my wife and I often travel to the UK and Britain's churches are what I am going to assume American churches are going to become. Many just abandoned. This is especially true in rural areas.( Heck, urban areas too.) 

Heck, the last time I attended church was in Wales at the Church of Wales( Anglican) cathedral in Cardiff last Easter.  

I don't plan to attend this coming Easter Sunday, it would almost be hypocritical if I attended. 

I don't know, a few years ago I try to start going back to church and in retrospect, I am not sure why I did. I was miserable each time I went. I got nothing out of it. 

And trust me, I would never "beat you up" for not going, trust me, I understand. I really do.

So, and certainly no judge here, but when's the last time you went? And is the American church dying?

Surely This Isn't True Buna Schools?

 I hear more and more stuff coming from Buna. 

Alleged assaults on teachers.

Teachers doing nothing....How this is new, well, I don't know? There has always been teachers I've looked at and went, " How in the hell aren't you fired? " Then again, with my envelope pushing, and sometimes usage of Anglican-Presbyterian theology in class mixed in with my belief that seniors are well, grown-ass people, I am sure there are people who say the same about me. 

Supposed assaults on teachers, and they being kept hushed, I am not shocked. That happened in the Houston area schools I taught in during the 1980s. Hell, for a while in Dayton it was like " Gillette's Friday Night at the Fights" every damn day.( Yeah, I am old enough to remember the old "Friday Night at the Fights" on NBC.)  You want people to quit the profession? Tell them there's a chance you might get the hell beat out of you when go to work, other than cops(And they carry stuff to stop it), I can't think of another profession that might happen. Prize fighters?  

And trust me folks teachers getting assaulted happens more than you think, it is just never reported. And it's not something they talk about in teacher's courses in college. 

You know I had some person on Facebook saying, " Teachers knew what the job was when they took it." 

Not really. It is so different than what you think it is, and if you are actually good at it, you have to work at it. And even then, there are somethings you never feel you get right....I taught economics for 20+ years and I never think I got what I really wanted you to learn in the 87 days I had you in economics class. 

It's so much harder than you think, and this is coming from a guy who made it look easy. Trust me, I got anxious before 1st period....Every damn day.

It's why almost 50% of new teachers quit 5 years after going into the profession. And with the price of a college degree, well, why get a degree and get paid peanuts?

And I know the 4.5 day with early out on Friday is an attempt to placate and improve the morale of the Buna staff, but I wonder if it is too little, too late.....Or will it actually make he district more attractive to potential faculty? And looking at the 24-25 calendar, I still see teachers have to stay late 7 Fridays for meetings. in 31 years of teaching, you know how many faculty meetings I went to that were worth a damn? I seriously can't think of any....The entire time I was either stirring up trouble in the back or thinking, " I got actual important stuff to do, let's go!"

As of this morning at 5:30AM March 26th, there are 8 teaching positions open in Buna, One administrative.

Let's Upset Some Folks- So, Buna ISD is Going to Have a 4.5 Day Week?

 So, I do not know. 

I know Jasper is changing from a 4 day week back to the traditional 5 day week in 24-25. 

But rather than try a 4 day week, Buna is going to a 4.5 day week. 

They will be getting out at 1PM. And I heard from someone who thinks "politics" is involved with the time. And I'll let you figure out what they are talking about. I'm not even going there. And the person who sent me a PM about " lost their mind."

I also understand the faculty voted 88% for the 4 1/2 day week. 

I still do not understand how the class schedule will work at the high school level on Friday. I am assuming shorter classes. 

And I wonder how much Friday will evolve into just keeping the kids from killing each other because in the kids minds at the secondary level, it is, " We only have xx minutes in this class, and every Friday, the kids will be asking, " It's Friday, we only got a short time, let's not do nuthin'. " It will be a battle every Friday. They already don't want to " do nuthin'."  And it will get worse as the year progresses. They already don't want to do anything, and whine to the parents, and trust me, my understand, the parents will be to the school whining about Mr. Thomas making the kids do work on Friday. And trust me, I would.

And, that asks the question, how many teachers will see it as a day to " do nuthin'?" Start the weekend early?

Trust me, I was serious about my class. Perhaps too serious. I was complained to, often, by other faculty about me needing to " Let off of the seniors." I often wondered why? ( I know why, but I'll let you wonder?)

Now, would I be against a 4 day week? As a teacher, I'd love it. I could "make it work." Why Buna didn't go there, I do not know?

The real question is, what kind of a mess is a 4.5 day week going to make for parents? They have to make arrangements of some sort, and yes I know, that is not the ISD's problem.....However, something to think about. 

And I know this is an incentive to keep teachers in the district, but I wonder? 

Anyway, something to think about on a Wednesday. 

Not Going to Lie, It Scares Me

 As most of you know, we often fly around the world here at the Compound. We've been across the Atlantic 5 times and across the Pacific once in the last 8 years. 

That's not including flights within North America. 

Most, were on Boeing made aircraft.

Yes, Boeing who has had wheels fall off a plane, hydraulic fluid pour out of an aircraft, an aircraft shake so violently it had 50 people on board were injured. Another who had a door fall off in flight, still another a cargo door fall off with live animals inside,and still another, in which an engine started shooting fire out of it. 

These all occurred this year. Most in the month of March.

That's not including a Boeing in which a bathroom door stuck shut and the man inside could not get out without two male passengers, and a co-pilot all yanking on the door before it was pulled open.   

All of these were 737-Max, 777, or 787 Dreamliners. All made by Boeing.

To make matters worse, a whistleblower who had testified about the working and construction conditions at the Boeing 787 Dreamliner plant in Charleston, SC...Including shoddy construction and widespread drug use by the workers on the assembly line....Was found dead in a hotel parking lot of a suspected " suicide." 

Except for my last trip to England on Singapore Airlines on an Airbus 350, and our China trip in which our second leg was on a China Eastern Air Airbus 330 Hong Kong to Kunming, most of our flights have been on an American made Boeing aircraft. 

Most Boeing 777s. 

For years and well up until recently, I was told, " You got to quit buying the foreign made junk." 

But you know, my son driving my old Honda, with 300,000 miles. 

My wife has a Subaru with 150,000 miles.

I am hoping to keep my Honda until I die. And yes, they are Japanese companies, but they were made in Ohio and Indiana.But, the Japanese are requiring quality products. 

I have a friend who has already replaced two fuel pumps and is having transmission troubles on their 2021 GMC truck. American engineered and made. ( 40,000 miles)

Another friend had a Ford F-150 that had an engine replaced, by Ford at 20,000 miles. And there is something wrong with the new engine.They're looking at trading in it for a Toyota. 

But back to airliners, never would I ever think of preferring riding on a French made Airbus over an American made Boeing. But you know, I seriously question both American manufacturing and labor. 

And we plan to fly at least 2 flights later this year in which the airlines mostly fly Boeing aircraft. 

Not going to lie, thinking twice about flying....

I May P*ss Off Religious Folks......

 And as Monty Python would say, " Now for something completely different."

I was perusing social media the other day and was looking at the number of people, many ex-students who live with their significant other, without benefit of marriage.....And they've been that way for a significant number of years. 

They're actually doing better than a lot of people who are now on wife/husband number 3-4. They are literally a lot happier.

At one time, I got upset with people living together. Old fashion mores. The religious ideology that was beat into our heads as kids back in the 1960s and 1970s. 

Now, I still believe in the institution of marriage, and have been married coming up on 43 years this August, but you know, it doesn't work for everyone. 

And the older I get the more I think about it, it ain't none of my business, your business, how people live, and what makes them happy....It ain't hurting anyone, leave them the hell alone. 

I know I have married folks that have several kids, after living together for years, and invariably, it is often the teenage daughter(s) who want them to marry. ( Not sure the psychology as to why?) And I am happy to do it. 

It has taken me a long while to come around to this thinking, but you know, the older I get, the more I see things differently.

 

Okay South Jasper County, Please.....Actually, I Won't Be Nice

 Hell, I am not even going to be nice.

My brother won his race for District Attorney of the 33rd/424th District of the Hill Country. That's Burnet, Blanco, San Saba, and Llano Counties. 

There is no opponent in the general election in November. 

So, don't go to Marble Falls and kill someone......

Don't go start a meth lab in Johnson City. 

Or what I really expect you to do, kill 47 deer one night in Llano County with a headlight and a .22. 

Don't be calling me for help. 

Hell, 16 year old me thought first thing, "Man, I need to borrow a BMW and drive Hwy 29 west of Llano at 2AM to see if I can hit 180mph."

66 year old me snapped and thought, " Nope, you'll flip it about 22 times and next thing you'll wake up talking to St. Peter about how nasty fish caught from the Sea of Galilee taste......"

Besides if I got caught, my brother would probably put me in Llano County Jail for a week for something I did to him in 1970. 

I'll do a lot of stuff for y'all. 

I still get up and pray at 4AM. Still have my list. ( If you need added, let me know.)

I'll marry you. ( Provided you're not going on husband/wife number 6.)

I'll speak at your funeral, be careful here, I might do 15 minutes of amusing stories about you. 

But don't commit a felony in the Hill Country and be asking me for help......Once again, my hypocrisy knows no bounds. My reply will be, " Feck you and the clap dripping mule you rode in on."