halomatt

Spent the last three weeks emptying lockers of 800 students, bagging their personal contents, coming up with a plan for returning items to students, collecting our textbooks, and then having the pickup days for the grades. That was an ugly three weeks. Lots to do at the school site. It's pretty safe right now. There's about 7-9 of us on campus on any given day, and the four custodians are good about cleaning and sanitizing counters and door handles. Masks are worn. (It's district policy.) It's good to work though. Burns the calories and keeps the mind sharp. School year is officially over and we're waiting on our school board and leadership to tell us what the next year will look like. We have not created a master schedule yet, which ensures we'll be at the school site creating and populating the students' schedules. Cheers.

hahaha! Yep. Worst part of "assimilation". I was not taught Spanish at a young age and have struggled my entire life learning it. It was not valued, when compared to the larger society. I'm actually embarrassed when one of my parents addresses me in Spanish. I'm working on it, but it's pretty difficult when there's no one to practice with in the family. (Except my 20 year old daughter, who took four years in high school, but is a surly child, still and rolls her eyes when I try.)

Appreciate your reflection. Kap's position was (is) a difficult position to understand, especially if one doesn't have the shared experience. I grew up in a home where assimilation was practiced. My parents are second generation Hispanics. My great grandmother was a California Native. Everything my parents stressed to me was, "Be respectful of adults and people in power", "work hard, always", and "take care of your family". Growing up in California, I never really witnessed or experienced racial discrimination that was overt. It wasn't until I was older that I began to see the effects of institutionalized racism. The school I teach at was once a top school with kids and families that understood the power of a good education. Over time, however, we became a Title 1 school. (Title 1 schools have a disproportionate amount of students in poverty, and thus qualify for federal funding.) Over this time, I have seen first-hand the effects of institutional racism in our school system. That's when I began to better understand Kaep's view. America values freedom and equality for all. However, America doesn't practice those values equally with respect to races. i believe that, for the majority of Americans, it's very difficult to look at the viewpoint of blacks and other people of color without using the filters or our own familial and personal experiences. Indeed, it takes a active and conscious willingness to put aside what we know and grew up with and start from scratch to try and understand completely what others experience in America. This is a very difficult exercise for people. Since our school has been designated Title 1, it has forced me to reevaluate my previously held positions on education, race, America, personal rights, and the difference between "Equality" and "Equity". In all, my lesson was this: Always Be Learning. We are never finished products and we should always be questioning. Most importantly, I believe we should always be questioning our own beliefs first. Our biases are strong, and they can distort truth to confirm to previously held beliefs. We should always be seeking truth from multiple sources, not just ones we affiliate with. Search out "the other side". It takes courage, but it's worth our time. True understanding comes from freedom of thought, absent of bias. (I'm currently reading Keith Law's book on bias in baseball. As with his first book, he dispels common myths in baseball, identifies errors in thinking, and does a good job of making the complex themes accessible. I recommend.) Cheers again to you for your reevaluation and reflection. Have a great day, everyone.

Tank, hands down.

They all use the same hair tint: Trump #2. Available at fine salons everywhere. and is that a dude in the middle???

Molina

We've cancelled all promotions for middle schools. Logistics are too difficult. They get a virtual pat on the shoulder, and a, "go get 'em!"

Selling his homes and living in girlfriend's home. Wow. He's like a monk, this guy.

In this time of pandemic, whatcha playing? Currently, I downloaded the Uncharted series for PS4 and have been having some fun playing those games. I always have a great time with the Uncharted series. I tried MLB the show and I really don't get it. I just want to play against the league as the Angels. There's too much other shit to wade through, so I got frustrated and gave it a rest for Uncharted.

I made homemade ricotta once and surprised at how different it was than store-bought. It was waaaaayyyyyyy better than that tub of paste you can get at most stores.

Stuck a chicken in brine and it's now in the fridge drying out for three days. Tomorrow, I roast.

It's not perfect, but if MLB can protect its employees effectively, then I look forward to it. Side note: How would people feel about canned audience noise? Maybe even overlaid fan special effects in the stands? It sounds kinda hokie, but it might be a better fan experience from the television viewing perspective. Yes, we'd all know it's fake, but it gives the sense of realism. Just a thought.

If it is proven to help, sure. But really proven. That sample size is too damn small. I did read somewhere (no link, sorry) that it was shown to reduce effects in some of the milder cases. However, it's really unknown how sure medical science can be.

This result based on a sample size of 2200? Without control groups? In variable settings, with different hospital treatments and regulations? All without proper science protocols, and in a anecdotal report without peer review. This kinda reads like the opposite of science and evidence-based research.

Did a beef tenerdoin (2 lbs) last night. First time doing one. Turned out okay. Made an error that kinda messed with the finished product, but did not really alter taste that much. Make some pretty good homemade Italian meatballs. Cooking is fun and creative, but it can get difficult when you have kids who are pretty limited in their palates. (Young adults, so screw them. I make it. You eat it. I still try to be considerate, though.)

Sooo...the Angels should keep Simmons? I'll admit, your analogy is confusing to me.

There's a replay on this afternoon. Set yer DVR!

Kotchman McPherson Wood Bummer...

Hope you're feeling better soon!

I read them. They did not persuade me. About all I got from those articles was, "it's possible."

Baseball writer Craig Calcaterra had this idea. He admits it's a general idea and would need some polishing, but he advocates for an August start and do a bracketed, tournament-style season. I think it's a good idea, mostly because I don't believe that July 4, as a start time, is going to be and achievable goal. I also agree with him when he says that baseball might as well try something totally different that might make money and thrill the fans, and what better than BRACKETOLOGY!! https://mlb.nbcsports.com/2020/03/16/mlb-throw-out-the-schedule-and-turn-2020-into-one-big-tournament/

Re-landcaping our backyard. Gets me focused, physical, outside and off the couch and out of the fridge.

What subject do you teach? I'm sure you said before, but I've forgotten. Are there youtube videos you can link with Google Classroom that show the hands-on experience? Or maybe you create them and upload them? Maybe get the parents involved as well. Something they can do as a family in this time of pandemic?

Since schools are closed, my wife (a teacher) and I (an administrator) have decided to work on our backyard. We like to do these things ourselves. It's kinda our "hobby." So we decided to start today. My first task was to till the soil. I don't think I've ever been this excited to go to Home Depot and rent the rototiller in my life. It was a real treat to go and do "normal" shit.