Still here....Misc. reports from a not quite so "terra del firm"

Yes, I am still here. THANK YOU for checking in here and reading my blathering. We are still shaking a bit here.....aftershocks they call them. We, at least I am, getting used to them. Mrs. Polski3 doesn't not like these smaller quakes at all. There have been lots of Richter scale level 4 quakes, and a few in the low 5's. Nothing bigger, thank you very much.

Local service clubs raised some money by having a bar-b-que last weekend. I helped out, putting in about 8 hours. Gads, I've never seen so much meat and beans. Unfortunately for the fund raising effort, there was lots left over. But that was beneficial for all the local social service agencies who could use it to help their people. Our local service clubs (mainly the Kiwanis, I think), got the meat, beans, salad, rolls, and cans of salsa donated, so all the funds raised can go to help those with damages from the big Easter Sunday Quake. These funds are necessary because as we found out, FEMA will not help out individual families who lost their home or whose home (mostly mobile homes) were damaged. And of course, California cannot even pay its usual bills, much less fork out money to help the poorest of the poor in the most illiterate and most unemployed folks county in the USA.

As for school, yeah, the year is winding down. As usual, we teachers are required to turn in grades two weeks prior to the end of our school year. I must be learning; I did not bash my head on that brick wall this year; not once have I brought up to my principal why the seventh grade teachers cannot turn in grades when we check out for the summer. No, because of the computerized system in another county, we cannot split our grade reporting. I didn't even ask if he'd asked if it was possible to do that.....my head feels better this year.

Going to our tainted State Capital this weekend for a parley with state lawmakers. I am a "teacher" representative who is supposed to tell any lawmaker or their minions who show up, about how the decline in funding is hurting our schools; providing an experienced teachers perspective about testing, funding cuts, etc. This is a California School Boards Association function; up to Sac. Sunday morning, back home Monday night. No time to visit several nice, interesting people I know in Sac. The district is paying for it and I am supposed to have my own hotel room. Damn, too bad Mrs Polski3 can't come along.

And, and I admit I was surprised by this, Monday will be the only day I have missed this school year! Been a fairly healthy year. Most years, I burn a personal day to journey over to San Diego to see a Padres day game. However, this season, IMO, they screwed up their schedule by having day games start at 3:35 (instead of 1:05 as they have done for the past several decades). To me, driving about two hours to get there, watch the game, have some dinner and drive about two hours to get home and to bed was doable with a 1:05 start. Not doable with a 3:35 start. Anyhow, no game this "spring." I might get a free ticket for being a blood donor; San Diego Blood Bank has a day in Sept. against the Cinn. Reds honoring their donors who have bled alot.....I just went over 13 gallons. Is this too much talk about community service? Well anyhow, I hope my sons see me do these things and learn that it is good to help people and your community. OK....blathering done for now.

Until next time, Thanks for reading this and I hope you can leave a comment or two.