Good Morning and welcome to a nicer day!

Every school has them this time of year (most sometime this past week), it's time for Back-To-School Night (or Parent Night or Teachers Don't Have Enough Time to Really Say Anything Night).
They are all the same. Everybody gathers in a central location. The principal gives the same speech he/she gave last year. The teachers are introduced. The teachers leave the room in a parade. There is a call for involvement in a home/school group. There is a call for fundraising. There are calls for volunteers.
Meanwhile, parents are either zoning out, snoring or trying to figure out who made those ridiculous chairs and if the inventor really found them comfortable.
Then the parade of parents head for the door, which is really too small for everybody to fit through at once, although, as if the principal has some really bad halitosis, everybody tries to fit through.
There is a rush to your student's room. A quick look around, a lot of squeezing into too-small desks and the teacher talks. And talks. And talks.
Then, after more talking by the teacher about school work, the genious of homework, classroom rules and how 'this is the best class she/he ever had,' it's time to go home.
The parents stagger out with too much information crammed into their old brains.
What was said? I don't know.
What are the students doing this year? I don't know.
How's the teacher? I don't know.
What's your name? I don't know.
Is there a better way to do all this? I don't know.
Hey, at least there was no loud snoring this year.
So, since we all need a wake up call, here you go:

Good Morning and hopefully you got a good night's rest!

By about 8 most nights, I'm pretty much out of it. That's what happens when your alarm goes off every morning at 3 a.m.
So, about 7:30 p.m., it's time to get the troops ready for the bedtime ritual, which usually involves a lot of arguing and, sometimes, yelling.
Coming off the summer bedtime of about 9 p.m., the school-time sleep schedule appears to start too early for these three children.
Here's how it goes:
7:30 p.m.: "OK, guys, time to get ready for bed. Let's get a quick bath and put on the pajamas."
Five seconds later (spoken in unison): "WHY? WHY?"
7:40 p.m.: "OK, it's time to get ready for bed. Everybody upstairs."
Five seconds later: "It's TOO EARLY!"
7:50 p.m.: "Really, guys, lets get moving upstairs."
Five seconds later: "Your not going to bed why should we."
8 p.m.: "All right, enough fooling, up."
Five seconds later: "WHY? WHY? WHY?"
Five seconds later: "Move it."
So, after getting everybody bathed and dressed, the dance continues.
"OK, everybody's teeth brushed?"
"NO. No. No."
"All right, brush teeth."
A little while later, everybody's in bed. It's time for the 'Good Night's'
"Wait, I didn't brush my teeth."
"ARGHHHH!"
It would be kind of funny if it didn't happen EVERY NIGHT. Then again, it wouldn't be so, I don't know, interesting?
Eventually, everybody gets to sleep. Eventually.
Soon, it will be time to start it all over again. Maybe, I'll try some soft music tonight (although I don't know if this one would work for me).

It appears to be a good morning to fly a kite!

It doesn't take much (sometimes) to see the world as it really is or can be.
Take for instance all that much ado about nothing yesterday when President Barack Obama was about to make a speech to school students. I actually saw a parent on morning television saying he would keep his child out of school on the first day as a protest against the school showing Obama's speech.
Now, what exactly is wrong with the president (or anybody really) talking to students about the joys of school.
Do you really think it's the downfall of society? Are some brains really so much jelly they have to 'protest' anything out of Washington?
Truth be told, it's probably a small minority of people who were upset. How come those people get the most play.
I have a theory about all this hubbub. Maybe Fox News gets such high ratings because it's funnier than the Comedy Channel. The comedians (intentional or unintentional) are what get our blood boiling. It's good for water cooler talk and arguing.
Then, thanks to a little dancer, you can easily be brought back to the real world.
Instead of worrying about the 'socialists taking over,' we can step back, see that people are trying to make things better and go along for the ride.
The blither blather can fade away in one fell swoop. Just take a 4-year old girl who wants nothing more than to dance to a ballet class.
If it doesn't give you hope for the future, nothing will.

OBAMA SAYS "SKIP SCHOOL TO STAY IN SCHOOL" - watch more funny videos

Good Morning and welcome to the real end of summer!

Today is Back To School day at the house. Most of Labor Day was spent getting clothes together, putting names on notebooks (and everything else) and packing the school bag for the first day.
For the first time, Liam (10 going on 15) is excited about going back to school (he's starting fifth grade). Sure, there is some nervousness, but nothing like the last few years. In fact, I'm probably more upset than he is about school starting. (I always get a few stomach pains at the end of summer. I enjoy being with the family so much, that any break from that routine is tough).
Anyway, while walking the dogs Monday night, the neighbor was asking Liam about starting school. Then turned to me and said, 'Don't you wish it was you getting ready for school?'
Now, that is a rather innocuous question. He was laughing. I was laughing. I said, 'Yeah. That way I wouldn't have to worry about going to work.'
Then, while lying awake last night, I thought about my answer. Sure, being of school age is fun. Sure, learning (although I didn't realize it then) is fun.
If I had never gone to work, though, I never would have met an angel. It happened, in of all places, a library (work library, but a library all the same).
For some reason, the angel smiled at me and I knew, just knew, the world was (is) a beautiful place.
After that day (through even today), I saw (see) the angel everywhere. The angel is in the clouds. In the sun. In trees. In flowers. In the other room. In this room. In the rain. In music.
Now, I have to go back to school to make the angel see the amazing world she has created.
Thank you.

Good Morning out there in the great wide world!

So, Bill Clinton upstaged the rest of the speakers at the Democratic National Convention last night. Really, though, is that much of a surprise. Here's a former two-term President who knows how to work the crowd. When you watch somebody who is the best doing what they do best, it's exciting.
By the way, skeletons and all, Bill Clinton would probably be elected president again if he could run.
Anyway, the Phillies head to Chicago after coughing one up against the Mets last night, the Eagles are fleecing their fans with another 'preseason game' against the Jets tonight and Larry Mendte is still floating around out there somewhere.
So, how is all that connected. Well, it's not really, but as we approach Labor Day weekend and the unofficial end of summer, the mind does wonder.
Funny thing about summer. In June, when school is done and the children are at home, there seems to be a long stretch ahead. Then comes July and you're into some kind of routine which usually means keeping them occupied so they don't want cookies all day (it doesn't work).
Now, we are a week away from school (Yeah, I know, some have already started) and the routine shakes up. After getting all the school supplies, there's a small amount of nervousness and excitement running through their little bodies. It can lead to some intense times where the energy level leaps through the roof. Of course, they are getting up around 6 a.m. and ready to go. Let's do everything we did all summer in the next two hours, then start over.
Somehow, though, when school does start, getting them up by 7:30 a.m. takes a lot of work. That is, until the weekend, when the summer returns.
Speaking of the mind wondering and back to school:


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