Round

Round

Round here we're carving out our names
Round here we all look the same
Round here we talk just like lions but we sacrifice like lambs
Round here she's slipping through my hands

"Round Here"

- Counting Crows

Coming to you live from Starbucks where I'm enjoying a Peppermint Hot Chocolate while contemplating what to do with my day off tomorrow.  Thanks to Mother Nature, the school district has already called off classes for tomorrow.  The forecast calls for temperatures in the low teens with wind chills up to -30 to -40!  It's gonna be brutal out there, so the district just went ahead and told everyone to stay home!  :-)

I'm not sure how I'll spend my day off tomorrow, but in the evening I'll be heading to Des Moines to have dinner with friends and then see "The Book of Mormon".  I'm excited to see the show as I've heard a lot about it.  I'll make sure to post my review of the show.

Love you Awesome Nerds.

Robert

P.S. - If anyone has any insights on how to wrap text around a photo, I'd be very appreciative.  I was about to throw my laptop out into the snow!

Pic-A-Day in 2015

I've tried not to make resolutions this year.

I never keep them.

But I am making "intentions", and my big one is to expand the "Pic-A-Day" to the entire year.

5 days down, 360 to go.

I'm using an iphone app developed by Fat Mum Slim.  She's a blogger from Australia who does a lot of blogging/pic-a-day stuff.

Full Disclosure - when I first saw the site, I read it as "fat muslim".  I thought, "WHAT?!"  This is why I teach math.  lol

What I like about the app is that it reminds me daily of the theme and from the app, I can post to both Instagram and Twitter.

I've also tried to find song lyrics that fit the theme as well.  I also hope to be a bit more introspective and loquacious.

So on that note, I've shoveled the driveway twice in the past 5 hours. My back is letting me know it's not happy with me. I'm hoping for a two-hour late start tomorrow, but I'm not optimistic.

Love you Awesome Nerds!
Robert

Square

Square

Is there anybody out there who is lost and hurt and lonely too
Are they bleeding all your colors into one?
And if you come undone as if you've been run through
Some catapult, it fired you, you wonder if your chance will ever come
Or if you're stuck in square one

"Square One"

- Coldplay

The Pic-A-Day theme is "Square" and I was struggling to come up with something creative. While out taking care of the snow on the driveway, I checked my phone and noticed the temperature - BINGO!

Winter arrived in full force today. Don't get me wrong, it's been cold, and we had a system move through on Saturday that brought cold temps, but that was just the first punch.  Today an Alberta Clipper arrived, bringing 6 inches of snow.

Shoveling was my workout this afternoon as there was no way I was going to be able to make it to the gym. 

Once the system moves through, then the wind and COLD arrive. Of course, after last winter, this won't be horrible. But I'd still rather it be warmer.

Love you Awesome Nerds!

Robert

I Hear...

I Hear...

Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'

Into the future

Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'

Into the future

I want to fly like an eagle into

the sea I want to

Fly like an eagle

Let my spirits carry me

I want to fly like an eagle

Till I'm free

Oh, Lord, its a revolution

"Fly Like An Eagle"

-Steve Miller Band

Well my two week vacation ends today. Tomorrow it's back to work with my students.

I can say it has been a VERY peaceful 14 days. One of the most relaxing winter breaks that I've ever had. It was very needed for my mental health. I feel ready to head back to work tomorrow (mostly).

The one "regret" I have is that I left school work undone until today. I had plenty of time to get the work done during my vacation, but I was L-A-Z-Y. It's been a mad dash today to get caught up and get my grades entered into my grade book.  

But I wanted to make sure I got my daily post done. 

Mission accomplished. :-)

Love you awesome nerds.

Robert

Me Today

Me Today

Darkness on the edge
Shadows where I stand
I search for the time
On a watch with no hands
I want to see you clearly
Come closer than this
But all I remember
Are the dreams in the mist
These dreams go on when I close my eyes
Every second of the night I live another life
These dreams that sleep when it's cold outside
Every moment I'm awake the further I'm away

"These Dreams"

Heart

Yeah, not my best look, but it was necessary. The wires you see are part of a sleep study that I did last night at the hospital.

I've been having trouble sleeping for a long time now, but I didn't think that I had sleep apnea because Matt never indicated that my breathing stopped while I slept.  A few weeks ago I had taken some medicine to help me sleep, and while it should have knocked me flat, I kept waking up throughout the night.  My doctor told me that the drug had relaxed me so much that it exaggerated my possible apnea.  So we scheduled a sleep study.  

I showed up around 9:30 on Friday night for my appointment.  The technician showed me to my room and gave me a few moments to get settled and change into my sleeping clothes.  Then it was off to get me prepped - this involved taping/gluing various sensors to my face, neck and scalp.  I got an idea of what it would be like to be a member of the Borg Collective.

My primary physician prescribed me an Ambien to help get me to sleep.  I took it and was settled in for a "good night's sleep".  The technician would monitor me during the night and would intervene with a c-pap machine if it was necessary.  It seemed like forever, but the Ambien FINALLY kicked in and I fell asleep.  

Around 6 this morning, Gabe the technician, awoke me.  Evidently I had slept through the night and didn't need him to put the c-pap machine on me.  Gabe told me that I did snore (no surprise there), but that he doubted the doctor would recommend the machine for me.  His primary recommendation - lose weight.  I'll meet with a specialist in a few weeks to go over my treatment options. 

On that note, I left the hospital and headed straight to the gym (that was the plan from the beginning). I rode the stationary bike for about 45 minutes and then get a nice hot steam and shower.  Small steps Sparks, small steps.

Love you awesome nerds!

Robert

Something Yellow

Something Yellow

Look at the stars,

Look how they shine for you,

And everything you do,

Yeah, they were all yellow.

I came along,

I wrote a song for you,

And all the things you do,

And it was called "Yellow".

So then I took my turn,

Oh what a thing to have done,

And it was all yellow.

"Yellow"

by Coldplay

Today I took a shot of my sweaty shirt from the gym.  It was my first day back in quite a while, but it's the start of a new year and I NEEDED to do it.  

I did 10 miles on the stationary bike and I know I'll feel it tomorrow.  I took a steam afterwards and then showered and shaved.  I really like the way I feel after a good workout/steam/shower.  I feel very relaxed and accomplished.

Plus as always, there's the eye candy at the gym.  Sigh.

I chose to do the stationary bike today because in July, I'm gonna do it - RAGBRAI.  But more on that later.  Time to grade some papers. :-)

Love you awesome nerds.

Robert

The Sky

The Sky

Birds flying high
You know how I feel
Sun in the sky
You know how I feel
Breeze driftin' on by
You know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good