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| Macworld Expo 2006 | | Date Created: Jan 11, 2006, 03:39 PM |
| Once again here I am at my yearly pilgrimage to the Apple MacGeek capital of the world. What can I say, I'm a MacGeek at heart. Plus being here in San Francisco doesn't hurt since many of the things I love are here. |
| Yesterday was Steve Jobs' Keynote address to the all of us Mac enthusiasts and loyal followers and I could not help get caught up in the electric atmosphere that is always accompanied by the keynote every year. While I stood in line for over an hour I started to look around at my fellow MacGeeks and made some interesting observations. It seems that most of the Mac users are middle aged white men that possibly at some point in their life were probably viewed as geeks or dorks in school. Now here they were standing in line waiting to see the keynote address of one of the biggest geeks in the world. The funny thing about this is that the line I was standing in was for those of us that were fortunate enough to have purchased a Combo Package which cost approximately $1500 - $2000 per person, and Jobs is one the CEO of one of the most successful computer companies in the world. I wonder who had the last laugh there... |
| It is obvious that the computer industry is dominated by men, but it is nice to see women starting to become experts in this field. As men we cannot continue to dominate this field, and I'm sure that more women could bring a new fresh perspective to an already saturated field of testosterone. Where am I going with that? I have no idea. I just thought it was an interesting point. Anyhow, while in line there was much speculation of what Jobs might be unveiling to the world. A lot where speculating a new iPod with more video, a new desktop computer and so on, but I continued to hang on the hopes that Apple would introduce a new G5 PowerBook. Things got underway with the usual update of the dominance of Apple in the music industry and the world of MP3 players. iTunes and Holiday profits. The numbers where staggering. Really cool!! |
| Jobs then continued to introduce new updates to the entire iLife suite which introduced a new addition to iLife. The suite already comes with 5 very powerful software programs that are connected to our digital life. Now comes iWeb. A new application designed to make publishing a new website easy. Very, very easy and still produce beautiful content. A couple of years ago Apple introduced GarageBand and right away I saw the benefits it would have in the classroom. When I had a chance to I planted the seed of the possiblity that GarageBand had in the classroom and voila! It worked. It has started to spread like wildfire at our school and teachers are using it in the classroom. The kids are creating awesome content with the application. This new software, iWeb, presents the same ideas for me as the technology coordinator of OCEAA. I can already see the benefits of having teachers create their own sites from their computer without having to access the .mac account on the web. No longer will they have to create their pages from a web browser. Now they can create their work straight from their iBooks. Plus all of the new features that iMovie, GarageBand and iPhoto present are exciting. It gives me a whole new energy to push OCEAA to be a digital hub of creative student base projects. Art can take the shape of many things and this suite offers me a great tool to inspire my students to unlock their creative instincts. |
| Also walking around the exhibit hall I have gotten an opportunity to make some valuable connections with people in the computer industry. One of the most valuable contacts was with the Education Specialist at Lego. He mentioned that he would be sending me a free sample of one of their Lego kits and curriculum that could help our Science teacher and help our students with some much needed instruction in this area. Also the 2 day workshop on Dreamweaver has given me some new ideas and instructions on how to improve the website at OCEAA and how to make my work a whole lot easier. Overall, I love coming to this conference for all that it has to offer me and other fellow Apple users. I just wish that Macworld would offere a specialized Education (k-12) strand specifically designed for educators. The education segment is a segment of the Mac community that would benefit a great deal of learning how to implement these powerful tools to be used in the classroom. Hopefully next year there is a little more. I know this Friday there is a symposium targeted to education, so I will have to attend and find out what it's all about. |
| It's been some time | | Date Created: Oct 19, 2005, 09:51 PM |
| It has been some time since I last posted a message on my blog. Since I got back from Europe this summer I have been going non-stop with work. It has completely consumed me. I think right now about the only time I have to somewhat recover from the amount of work is during the weekend on either Saturday or Sunday. I usually spend it washing my clothes, running erands or playing golf. I wish I had more time for myself, but I feel like my work has to be done right. So the pressure to do a great job is pretty heavy. |
| So about work... It has been a complete whirlwind. I am finally back in the classroom teaching and I'm certainly happy about that. I took me some time to get adjusted to being in the classroom and I can remember the first day almost being like my first. I stumbled a few times in my delivery and it almost felt like my mouth just didn't want to cooperate. However, right now I feel like I've got my legs back. Things in my classroom are working well and students are working hard on their Book Project. I'm also doing my Native American unit and things are moving quickly. However, I am begining to get frustrated with the lack of materials and sometimes support. I'm still waiting on some of my classroom materials and it's mid October. I'm not sure why this has taken so long. If we had an idea of what was needed prior to school begining why am I still waiting? The worst part of that frustration is that the material are for my students. Not for me! I think most of my frustration is centered around my inpatience with slow and unfocused leadership. I am a very demanding person when it comes to my work because I feel that it is a reflection of my reputation. My motto is to go all out 110% or nothing at all. Anyhow, I really hope that things improve at work. Not necesarily for me, but for the good of the school and all those people that sacraficed a lot to get where we are. |
 On a positive note that is work related has to do with the inspiring event that took place last Friday at the Apple Store. it makes the hair on my arm stand on end. We had the Teacher Laptop Rollout where teachers received their computers. The Apple Store did a great job of providing us with our computers and a great workshop on how to use their computers effectively. I wanted the Apple workshop to plant some seeds of inspiration. There were a great deal of teachers with wide open eyes and great big smiles. I saw a lot of light bulbs flashing and many glimpses of inspiration. I am truly grateful to be working with an amazing staff of teachers. Although most of our teachers are new to their profession their energy and dedication is what has moved me to put out more than 100%. It is for them and my students that I work my tail off. |
| Now, I think that I just lost the last paragraph I typed here, so I'm gonna try and retype it again. I'm not sure why that happened. Anyhow, I think I typed something to effect of hoping that things will get better at work. Also something to the effect of the amount of work that I'm doing at school. Between teaching, preparing my lessons, setting up our technology infrastructure, working on PowerSchool, and sometimes "disciplining" some students it has been a bit overwhelming. Especially when there are some people that don't completely appreciate my work or the amount of dedication I put into my work. Anyhow, that is enough venting on my part for today. I am going to try and keep things under control for now and continue to do my work as best as I can. In the mean time sure hope things get better soon, and hopefuly this last paragraph doesn't disappear. That is all for now. Until next time... |
| Came and Went | | Date Created: Jul 03, 2005, 03:23 PM |
 Here I am on my last night in Venice. It's acutally my last night in Europe. I should be asleep right now, but I've just finished packing my stuff for tomorrow morning. I am supposed to be up at 4:30 am to make my flight at 7:00 am to Paris and then I'm off to Los Angeles. I've had a great trip to Europe, but I'm glad to be heading home in a few hours. I miss home and my family, but most of all I miss sleeping in my own bed. I'm also running out of clean clothes and money. Anyhow, we have been in Venice for about 48 hours and it's been non-stop since we got here. Venice is a beautiful city, but it is full of tourist and I get the idea that it's more of a tourist city than a historical one. We have been staying at the Hotel Universo Nord near the train station. |
 As soon as we arrived in Venice we tried to get on a tour boat to Murano, but we just mssed the boat and had to do the tour today. On another note related to our tour, I had no idea that my last car beared the name of an island in Italy, and that that island was famous for blown glass. Anyhow, we ended up walking around Venice most of the afternoon and evening when we arrived. I did not see a single car here and the means of transportation is by water. The buses are water boats and the taxis are smaller boats. The streets are mainly water canals and there are small narrow streets to walk on where you find many small shops that sell everything from glass and jewlery to shoes and clothes. The bars are also small restaurants and food shops, and ice cream is really a big hit right now since the weather has been really hot. |
 The gondolas are a major part of the landscape as well as larger ships and even had a glimpse of a few cruise ships. Today we even got a chance to see a rather large yacht with a helicopter on the rear part of the boat. Definitely something really cool to see here. I bought a few last minute things for some of my family and some of my co-workers. We did an aweful lot of walking around Venice and I would have liked to have spent more time here, but I think that will have to be on another trip. Maybe I could spend one week here and one week in Florence. Traveling in a large group was also a challenge. Accomodating every single person can definitely be tough to manage and there were many times where I just simply felt bad for Mr. Ponce. He worked awfuly hard to make this trip a reality for all of us and there were many instances were people were unhappy with a decision made. The worst part about it was hearing those same people making negative remarks, and it just seemed a bit uncomfortable. |
 Overall, everyone was great and we tried very hard not to piss anyone off, and we all were very flexible regardless of how hard things may have been. I think we all enjoyed our adventure here in Europe. This region is very interesting and I definitely saw a lot of commonalities with the United States. I did see a great deal of beautiful men and women here in Italy and in Greece. I swear some of the people that I came across looked like they had just steped out of Vogue and GQ. That was something interesting to witness. Everthing was also very expensive here and my money was running out like water on a hot day. Back to the trip, we got a great chance to go on a gondolar ride today, which made the walking around well worth it. I just figured that if I was going to be in Venice I would have to the take a gondola ride. It was nice and short, but the area is just beautiful. |
| One of the people on the trip asked me to pick which places I would like to spend a more relaxing time, and my response was that of Paros in Greece and Florence in Italy. Both places seemed smaller and less invaded by tourist's. I had a more relaxing time in those places and I would not mind returning there sometime in the near future. Anyhow, that is all for now and I going to get some well deserved rest for a few hours. I will write more when I return to California. |
| At the boot in Europe | | Date Created: Jun 30, 2005, 03:12 PM |
 Today I'm in Florence, Italy or Fierenze as it's spelled here in the country. I don't know where we get "Florence" from Firenze, but I guess that's that. Anyhow, we just got in from Rome today. We are staying at this nice and small hotel called the Argentine Hotel. It's a 3 star hotel. It's acutally a little bit better than the one we stayed at in Rome. The Rome hotel was the Hotel Noto, which was a bit interesting. It was like staying at a hotel in the Tenderloin of San Francisco. It was in an interesting area of Rome about a block from the train and bus station of the city. There was also a Chinese food restaurant right in front of the hotel where I saw enourmous numbers of Asian tourist come to the restaurant. Rome was very expensive and it definitely gave the impression it was a large and busy city. |
 We were there for about 3 days and had an opportunity to see quite a bit while there. We went on a bus tour of the city where we ended up seeing more of the Coloseum. It is an impressive structure that has to be seen to be appreciated. Pictures certainly don't do it justice and it must have been a massive and impressive structure at it's height. Our tour guide was interesting and we certainly got a feel for Italian people in general. I believe his name was Antonio and he certainly was a fast paced impatient man. He has the entire group moving pretty fast throughout the tour and we ended up cutting some of the tour short because we spent a great deal of time at the Coloseum. |
 We ended our tour at the Vatican City. We got a chance to see the Sistine chapel where Michael Angelo's masterpiece was on display for all to see. I know we weren't supposed to tak pictures there, but I just could not help myself. I had the camera on my chest pointing up and I snapped a few pictures without the guards seeing. Later we also went into St. Peters Basilica. Another impressive structure. It was super massive and opulent in some ways. There is nothing painted in that building. It is all marble, stone, bronze and gold. Although I'm not a religious person I can definitely appreciate the historical sense and meaning of being present at these important sites. I also appreciate the accomplishment that these structures represent. |
 On the last day that we were in Rome I spent it walking around the city on my own. I visited tomb of the unknown soldier and entered the museum that is inside it. Later I walked to a castle near the river area located next to the Vatican. I had lunch at a decent restaurant and felt so guilty that I ate an entire pizza by myself that I ended up walking back to the hotel. Later I took a nap and went out to dinner with some people from out group. We ended up near the area where I walked during the day. On the first night in Rome I walked around with some other people and we got a chance to see some very beautiful fountains and had a bite to eat around the area. On one night we ended up hanging out at a free music concert near the restaurant we ate at. It was pretty cool, but the walk back to the hotel was an adventure in itself. |
 Rome was extemely hot. I think the temperature was somewhere in the hight 90's to low 100's every day we were there. It was also very muggy and most places just didn't have any air conditioning. I noticed some people walking around in long pants and even suits, which made me feel even hotter just watching them. Overall, Rome is a very beautiful city full of historical areas and impressive fountains and structures. However, I'm not much for hanging out in large European cities . Comparing it to other European cities such as Paris, I would have to say that Rome was dirty and not as well kept as Paris. I remember Paris almost feeling a bit like Disneyland in the way things were nicely kept and maintained. I also realize that Rome is a much older city and with more archaelogical sites than Paris. |
| My day in Florence today was great. It is a smaller city with a much larger population than that of Rome. I actually like it much better than Rome. Thre are many small shops in the area near the hotel where we are staying at. This hotel is also a bit nicer. The bathroom actually has a shower curtain and the air conditioning works! I walked around one of the main squares of Florence and did a little bit of shopping. I found some really cool earings for my Mom. They look a lot like a pair that she had lost recently. I also bought a bottle of chianty wine for my Father, but I sure hope he likes it. Speaking of wine, a couple of days ago I had my first real glass of wine. I actually liked it. It was a glass of Castinelli Romani Cabernet, and for the first time I actually enjoyed it. I'm trying to get over my sense of not liking alcohol. Anyhow, so far I'm really enjoying this trip. I've met some really cool new people on this trip and I've reconnected with some old friends along the way. I am looking forward to doing this again next year where ever that journey may take us. That is all for now since I feel like my eyes are struggling to stay open. |
| Last Night in Greece | | Date Created: Jun 26, 2005, 10:17 AM |
 I'm still here in Greece. What a cool place. However, the opposite could be said about the weather. It is super hot!! This might be a long blog entry since I haven't typed in a few days. When I left Paros for Athens I didn't have much of an opportunity to type. I've been here now for about 3 days. I took a boat ride from Paros back to Athens with some of the people from the group. A few of the families stayed in Paros and arrived last night here in Athens. We took a speed boat back to Athens and it was then that I realized that I was going to get sick. Not so much sea sick, but rather a small cold. I was already getting a sore throat while in Paros, but by the time we were on our way back to Athens it was already something I had for a couple of days. When we got into Athens it was beggining to become a head cold with sinus congestion. |
| I'm sharing a small hotle room with two other gentlemen, Jose and Mark. Nice guys! Jose offered me some medecine that I've now been taking for two days. It's actually medecine that my doctor would have prescribed to me, Amoxicilin, and another lady from our group had some Sudafed. So I actually am doing better today. The congestion is pretty much under control and I believe that so is the infection. All is good now. |
 I'm actually sitting in a Starbucks. Of all places to find a Starbucks I never thought I would find it a block from my hotel. I'm staying at the Polis Grand Hotel. It's a decent 4 star hotel. It's near the Plaka, which I believe is like a very popular shopping area. I'm not sure that I would put it under the Rodeo Drive of Greece, but it's really cool to see a lot of small shops, store fronts and coffee shops. Something interesting that I saw near the Plaka was a live manequin show. There were live people in the window modeling the clothes in the store. It was very interesting. We've walked in the area for the last 2 nights and last night we had dinner at a cool restaurant at the foot of the Acropolis (Akropolis). We had a spectacular view of the Parthenon as we were leaving the restaurant. So far one of my favorite foods I've had while here in Greece has been the Greek salad that most restaurants serve. Tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, bell peppers, olives, olive oil, and feta cheese make up this great salad. I think I'm gonna have to learn how to make it because it's great. |
| Yesterday we made a trip to Delphi, which is an archaelogical site located north of Athens. We got on a bus early in the morning and had a tour guide show and tell us some very impressive things about the landscape of Athens as well Delphi. I remember a great deal about the site, but I must admit that I was not completely intrigued about Delphi since I had no prior knowledge about it. However, I did find interesting the information about the oracle and how she would chew laurel leaves and go into some trance saying uncomprehensible things. A priest would translate that information to people and for the most part the prophecies would come true. Although it was interesting how the predictions were made since they were not clear answers, but more or less vague answers to questions. The example that our tour guide gave us was that if someone would ask if their unborn child was going to be a boy or a girl the oracle would respond with something like, "girl not boy". The guide pointed out that it could mean that it's a girl and not a boy, or a girl not... but a boy. This was left up to interpretation of the people that asked the questions. Nevertheless it was an impressive site to visit and it was located in an amazingly beautiful place. |
| Much of Delphi is still how it was found and some restoration has been done. There is a small museum adjacent to the site, which has many of the original statues and figures found in Delphi. One very interesting thing that I learned at the museum was that there was no flash photography allowed in the museum, but people were not allowed to pose in front of a statue for a picture. At first I thought there was some religious meaning behind it, but it turns out that the main reason is that they don't want you to diminish the statue by taking a picture in front of it. What are they saying? That we are not worthy? Anyway! Nevertheless, it is interesting to have had the chance to visit such an old archaelogical site such as Delphi. One interesting fact that I kept hearing our guide mention was that there are 6 million sheep and 9 million goats in Greece. He would point this out every single time we would see sheep or goat along the country side. This is an interesting fact that makes a lot more sense in the next paragraph. |
 Today, we took a city tour of Athens by way of bus. The historical sites of Athens seemed to be more or less located around the area where we are staying at. We saw a very ancient stadium where the 2004 Olympic marathon ended. We also made it out to the Acropolis. It was during this tour that our guide, another person, mentioned that there are about 10 million Greeks living in Greece and about 4.5 million of them live in Athens. Then I thought, that the population of goats and sheep is greater than that of all Greeks in Greece. Just an interesting thougth that my tiny little brain thougth of as she mentioned that. Anyhow, the Acropolis is a very impressive thing to see. It sit quite high above the city and once there you can completely appreciate the magnitude of Athens. The Acropolis is currently under restoration and seems to have been since 1983. I think that it would have been an impressive sight to see in it's full splendor. One other interesting fact that I learned today was that there are many Acropolis since Greece and Rome had many sites that had temples built at the very top of a hill, which is what Acropolis means. |
 Did I mention how weird it is to be sitting at a Starbucks in Greece. I swear I look up from my computer screen and everything seems as familiar as when I'm at the local Starbucks near my house. The only thing that gives it away are the signs outside the Starbucks. It is interesting. Something else that I observed was the lack of black people in Greece. I wasn't expecting to see black people, but I've seen very few, and forget about seeing Mexicans or Latinos here. That makes a lot of sense in any case, but what I did find interesting was the following. I noticed a great deal of people selling illegal copies of movies and music, flowers, and other merchandise. What is interesting about this you ask? Well all of the people I noticed selling this were dark skinned. They seemed Indian or actually Black. I also observed a small group of gypsies sitting outside a small restaurant. They also seemed poor and disenfrancised from the local Greek society. Something else that I noticed was that WiFi communications are still a bit behind. The cyber cafe's don't provide it very much, but they seem to want to move in that direction. |
| Overall, I'm having a great time in Greece and tomorrow we leave for Italy. I think we are arriving in Rome first and then making our way to Venice and then Florence. I'm looking forward to seeing a whole new country and possbily understanding a bit more of the language. I've had a hard time making out what people are saying here and forget about trying to decipher what is written. It's almost like reading what is on those obnoxious fraternity sweatshirts, but much longer. Anyhow, I would love to come back and see more of Athens and get out to more of the islands such as Mikonos and Santorini. That is all for now. Until Italy... |
| Beautiful island | | Date Created: Jun 22, 2005, 03:44 PM |
 Another day in Paros has been great. I actually woke up pretty late today. I guess I'm still jet lagged from my arrival here. I can see that it's about 3 pm in California and here in Paros it's about 1 am. I'm gonna have an interesting time adjusting to the time change. Anyhow, I got up and had breakfast at this really cool place on the beach. It is a beautiful sight to see in the morning or at any time of the day. Right next door there is a car/motorcycle rental place, so I decided to get out of Alyki. I rented a small scooter for about 12 Euros for the day and took a ride over to the main port town of Parikia. There I was able to find an internet cafe where I was able to take care of the email account issue that had been plagueing me for the last few days. It was a nice short ride and the country side of this island is just breathtaking. The hills were scattered with beautiful homes made of concrete and stone. Most of them painted white with blue trim, and the ocean was amazing. The water is so blue and crystal clear. I rode through the west side of the island taking in all of the scenery offered. I stopped a couple of times to take some pictures and appreciate the beautiful images. |
 Later I headed back to to Alyki and caught up with the other folks at the beach. I rested and had a drink and later on that afternoon I decided to go for a ride northeast of the island. Alexis' parents had also rented a scooter that day earlier and they invited me to go along for the ride. Sadie also came with us and we headed as far as Drios where we stopped and walked around the town. We walked into a small shop where I bought my Mom a small wind chime that had an angel. She loves angels and chimes and I loved the way both came together. The lady at the shop mentioned that the wind chime should be placed near the door where the wind would move it and scare away all of the negative energy in the house. She also mentioned that if I was unable to place it near the door that it should be placed in an area where i could move it to get the same effect. |
 We headed back to Alyki and rested. We got to hang out in the hotel where we are staying at. It is a simple and comfortable place that is nice to stay at. The people that run this place are distant relatives of Mrs. Henderson. They are great hosts and are attentive to our every needs. This afternoon the lady brought us some home made cake that was delicious. Later on we sat on one of the balconys and watched the sun set. It was awesome! I could not believe that I was in Greece. It has been like a dream. I can't help but to compare it to other places I have been like in Mexico minus the smog and trash. We all ended up going out to dinner to the same place we had dinner at the night before. The calamari is great there and the Greek salad has some of the sweetest tomatoes I've ever had. All the while having dinner I came to realize how much older I was. Here I was in Greece with a great group of people, but seeing Sadie drinking wine made me realize that she was now of close to drinking age and I was a whole lot older. I see her and I can't forget to see her as one of my former students. The image that is imprinted in my head is that of hers in pigtails for the family history project, and now here she is all grown up having wine at the table with us. I never imagined that one of my students would be in my prescence, but it was really cool to realize that here I was in Greece enjoying this time. |
| It has been a great experience for me to be here with this great group of people that are a mix of families that I've had the pleasure of teaching their children and former colleagues. Everyone is enjoying their time here and are all so kind and considerate to each other. It is great to travel with such people that I feel I'm around family. Tomorrow I plan on heading a bit more towards the north of the island to take some more pictures. In a few days i will be headed back to Athens to do a tour of Delphi and other historical land marks. For now I'm just grateful for the wonderful time I've spent here with these great people on this beautiful land. |
| Today I'm in Paros | | Date Created: Jun 21, 2005, 02:36 PM |
 We arrived in Paros this morning. Got up early and headed to the airport and made it to this small island called Paros. It's really small. Apparently you can circulate the entire island in about one hour. Gladys and her son and Adriana spent most of the day hanging around on this islan. Our hotels are right on the beach and it the town seems to be very small and sleepy. I think I'mkinda getting adjusted to the time thing, but I still feel overwhelmed. Currently it's about 12:30 am on Wednesday. I'm so sleepy as I write this blog, but I hope to be in better shape tomorrow. |
Part II
I was pretty tired last night when I was typing the first part of this blog. My eyes were closing as I was typing, so I decided to call it a night. So I'm here in Paros. Its's the third largest island in the Cyclades chain. It's actually in the center of this chain of islands. The town we are staying in is called Alyki which is on the southwest region of Paros. I spent most of the day with Gladys and her son as well as with Adriana. Most of the time was spent on the beach relaxing and eating. It was nice to finally relax, but unfortunately I could not completely relax since I had one main thing on my mind. I had to finish setting up an email address for someone that will be working at OCEAA getting funding and donations. I had set up her email address, but I forgot to set up her password and she called me while I was arriving in Athens about it. I had not been able to relax until I finished setting that up. Needless to say I spent most of the day thinking about how to do this. |
 Something great about today was that we finally met up with the rest of the group we will be traveling with. They were arriving from Turkey and finally joined us here in Paros. One wonderful family we are traveling are the Hendersons. Three of their children are traveling with us on this trip, one of them being a former student of mine. It was really nice to see Sadie here along this trip and it has been nice to catch up with her and how much she has grown up. Another family along for the trip is that of Alexis whose both parents are here, but Alexis could not make the trip. Both of these families are wonderful and were great supporters of teachers like myself. It was also really nice to see Mr. Ponce and his wife also. They are particularly responsible for making this trip a reality for all of us. I am so convinced of what a wonderful opportunity this is that I am already making plans to join them next year. It is great to be on such an experience like this with wonderful people also. |
| In Greece | | Date Created: Jun 20, 2005, 08:24 PM |
| So here I am finally in Greece! It was an all day trip just to get here. Ieft on Monday afternoon from LAX at about 3:30 pm and arrived in Paris at about 2:00 am LA time. I was there for a few hours and I met up with some of the people from the group I will be traveling with for the next 2 weeks. From Paris we boarded another plane to Greece and arrived here at about 8:00 am LA time. We got a couple of cabs that brought us to our hotel in down town Athens. We will be staying at the Polis Grand Hotel for about one night and then are supposed to meet the rest of the group at the airport again to head to an island for a few days. I'm not really sure I remember the name of the island right now. It is about 8:00 pm LA time as I write this. I am a bit jet lagged right now. I'm not really sure what day it is and for that matter what time it is either. I think it is now Tuesday around 6:00 am. |
 The group of people that I'm traveling with are former colleagues from James Lick Middle School and some of the parents that we were close to. One of those colleagues is Gladys and her 2 year old son Issaias. Also traveling with us is the daughter of one of my former colleagues, Mr. Ponce, and her husband and young daughter. They are very nice people and have allowed me to tag along for this trip. Right now I'm up a little early since my internal clock is totally off. |
| Arriving to Athens was a long trip, but finally when I got here I realized many things. Greece is no different from many other cities I have been to. One thing that I found interesting as our plane was landing was the presence of American commerce. As I looked out of the window of our plane I was expecting to see all of those beautiful small white houses speckeled along the coast, but as the plane got closer to the airport I saw a large blue building with hugher yellow letters. I was suprised to see an IKEA here and also along our ride to Athens I notices a Pizza Hut and an Applebee's. I guess the American influence is inevitable and it in my opinion it is bothersome and strange. |
| Riding in the cab I noticed many similarities in Athens to that of driving in Mexico. Everyone drives in what ever lane they want and forget about the speed limit. It's all about getting to where you want to go as soon as possible. I also noticed a great deal of motorcycles and scooters. The buildings are very similar to those in Mexico in that they are mostly built of concrete and brick. Everything is pushed up against each other and the streets are bustiling with traffic all hours of the day and night. I could not help myself be reminded of being in Mexico, but the only thing missing was the smog and the children selling gum on the road. I also forgot how small things are at times. My hotel room is small in size and not large as I'm accustomed to seeing in the U.S. It reminded me of the hotel I stayed in while visiting Paris a few years ago. |
| Last night we had dinner at the hotel's restaurant and the food was great, or maybe it just tasted that way since we had been traveling all day and any food other than plane food was better. I noticed that the hotel advertises high speed internet, but they fail to tell you that it's not free. As a matter of fact I get a weak wireless signal in my room, but no access to the internet. I need a password and the hotel would not give it to me. The wanted me to rent their laptop for internet access, but I tried to explain to them that I needed to upload some files from my laptop. No luck there. I'm gonna try and find some other place to get some wireless access from. I feel a bit disconnected although my cell phone does work here. I was very pleased considering the awful experience I had with T-Mobile while I was in Mexico a few weeks ago. It is nice that Cingular has access here. At least I can send and receive email while I'm here and be able to make a phone call also. |
| That is all for now, and I will try and get some of this up as soon as I have an opportunity. |
| Leaving Guadalajara | | Date Created: Jun 07, 2005, 07:22 AM |
 We're on a plan back to California as I write this entry. The trip was a success and we had a good time visiting with my family. The only wrinkle is the second car we sent to Guadalajara. We drove a van down through Mexico, but we sent a second car by transport. We hung around as long as we could to wait for the arrival of the second car, but the truck never showed up. Now we have that little problem to contend with upon our arrival back home. Overall, the trip was great and it was a bit sad to leave. I know that every time I leave my place of birth it is a bit sad for all of us. I could tell that my grandmother had a lump in her throat and tears in her eyes as she gave me a hug and kiss last night. This is something that happens frequently upon my visits to Guadalajara. |
| Yesterday I had the option of going to play golf once more, but I decided that two days was enough for this trip. Maybe in December when I plan to return I'll spend more time in Guadalajara and hopefully I'll get a chance to play some other courses. One of the caddies I had during one of my rounds was mentioning to me that there are some great courses in the Melaque area which is near my uncle Vicente's home. I spent most of the day yesterday getting last minute gifts and things that my Mother ordered from us. My Father, Joel and I were running errands most of the morning esuring that we would deliver on our promise to bring back that special salty bread my Mother loves. |
 My Father drove most of the day as we ran our errands and he took me on a mini tour of places in Guadalajara which had a great deal of historical significance to my family. He took me by the house in which my Mother grew up along with her siblings. He also mentioned that it was at the doorway of this house in which he first saw my Mother and he fell in love with her. Luckily I had the opportunity to take some pictures of this dweling and he also explained to me where he would drive the city bus and where my grandmother would wait for him at a bus stop with a basket of food. The neighborhood has changed a great deal, but there were still some local people around and my Father sparked up a conversation with a neighbor. |
 Later we drove around the neighborhood and he showed me a local church in which he had partaken of church classes preparing him in his catholic upbringing. I wish I could remember what that was, but I was more interested in the fact that I was walking on ground that both my Mother and Father had walked on over 40 years ago. I could just ask my Father, as he sits next to me on the plane, but I certainly don't want to wake him up from his sleep on this plane. Everytime I have the opportunity to visit a particular place such as these I can't help myself indulging in the fact that I am witnessing history first hand. I love this aspect of getting to know where I come from knowing more where my parents grew up. I always keep in mind that my family's history is beginning with my parents and I feel it almost an obligation to keep a record of it. |
 While we drove around the city my Father told me some marvelous stories involving city landmarks which I had the opportunity to record with my camera. One of these great stories involves my Dad driving a taxi. On one late night my Father made a pick up in front of one of the city's cementaries. He says that he stoped when an old lady dressed in black with a shawl over her head gave him the taxi request sign by raising her hand. He stopped and he heard the car door open and felt the car move as the weight of someone stepped into his cab. He began to drive away as he counted his money and was waiting for this old lady to tell him wher to take her. He drove the length of the block and heard nothing, so he asked her and got no response. He looked over his shoulder and saw nobody sitting in the back seat of the taxi. He even leaned over the seat to get a good look to make sure, but the back seat was empty. Legend states that many taxi drivers have experienced similiar events. He decided to call it a night and went home. This picture shows the exact location where he made that scary pick up. I used to tell my eight grade students this story every year for Halloween. It always got good reviews from them. |
 Another interesting story involves one of my uncles and an electrical post that is leaning to one side. Turns out that my Dad was a city bus driver for one of the local city bus companies and my uncle Fernando was showing off to his buddies. My Dad let Fernando drive the bus full of passengers on his city route. Fernando was showing off to his buddies that he was able to drive this enourmous stick shift city bus with ease like my Father. On this particular route the street sort of zig-zaged and the took the turn a bit too fast for his hands to maintain control. He ended up crashing against this electrical post you see in this picture. Interestingly enough the post is still leaning to one side as a result of this crash. My Father reported the accident as one that he had while driving in order for the insurance to fix the damage to the vehicle. After the insurance adjuster for the bus company finished writing the report he asked my Dad to tell him the truth because he could not believe that my Father would have had such a riddiculous accident. Apparently my Father had a reputation as a great city bus driver and the insurance adjuster just could not believe this accident was my Father's doing. I think these are some of the reasons why my uncles look up to my Father. |
| BBQ in GDL | | Date Created: Jun 05, 2005, 09:03 PM |
| After a long day of golf yesterday today was a day I spent with my uncles. My Dad and I went to a local swap meet called a "tianguis" where you find just about anything. A lot of used items such as clothes and electronic equipment. It was interesting to see people selling items that we, in the United States, would consider trash and maybe not items sold at a local Goodwill store. Nevertheless people were actively looking for a great deal on an item that could be of great use at home or in their car. I could not help but notice that some of the items may be hot, but I guess people were just trying to make a living. I saw a lot of knock-off items of clothes and computer equipment and software. The day was super hot like the surface of the sun. It was outrageous. We must have lasted about an hour and then we just headed to my grandmothers house. |
| One of my uncles arrived to Guadalajara today from La Huerta, Jalisco, which is a small costal town south of Guadalajara about 3-4 hours away by car. Soon after we arrived to my grandmothers house a couple of my uncles arrived. We spent some time there and then decided to head over to my uncle Ramon's house to have some drinks and continue swaping stories. Everything was improvised. We got some meat and drinks and began to have a BBQ all while having some drinks and telling stories. I love spending time like this with my uncles and extended family. I hear stories that make me laugh and imagine what each of them was like in their younger years. We must have spent about 5 hours just eating, drinking and laughing all while enjoying the warm afternoon air. |
 There was a point during the afternoon where I could not help but smile and realize that what I was witnessing was something that I would probably not see again for a very long time. I could see how much my Father means to my uncles. My uncle Ramon, Vicente, Mike and Fernando appreciate and certainly respect my Father much like a son does their own Dad. They really look up to him and on numerous occasion I heard them refer to my Dad as their hero. They all swaped stories that made me laugh and they tried to remember evens in their life that changed them and made them who they were. Luckily I had a digital camera today so I decided to take som pictures. In this picture from left to right is one my uncle's friends named Mario, then in orange is my cousin Joel, then my uncle Ramon, my Father, my uncle Vicente and standing up is my uncle Mike. |
 My uncle Ramon and his wife Tila were extremely hospitable and great host's of something completely unplanned. They were great and opened their doors to us with out any problem or hesitation. It's funny but I have a great time when I'm with them everytime I come down here. I laugh until my sides hurt. Each time I witness this I learn something new and great about my Father and my Mother's brothers. They get along great and they share about themselves freely. However, not all of my uncles get along great. We are missing my uncle Roberto, but he is a bit sick right now since he had a tumor removed from his face a few weeks ago and is still recovering from the surgery. Nevertheless I love spending this time with them. |
 My uncle Fernando showed up almost by the time we were ready to call it a day. After a lot of side splitting laughter and many drinks later we were done. Once again I was glad that I had my camera with me since I want to cherish these days for the rest of my life. Again in this picture you can see Mario, my uncle Fernando, my Father, My uncle Vicente, my uncle Mike, Me (with the red Make Love Not War T-Shirt) and finally my uncle Ramon. As you can see we all have one characteristic in common. We all have that pronounced belly. Some bigger than others, but for the most part it is a trait we all share. However, I'm working hard to avoig keeping that belly ang letting it get out of control. Well, that is all for today. |
| Visiting in Guadalajara | | Date Created: Jun 04, 2005, 08:37 PM |
| My Dad and I have taken a trip down here to Guadalajara, Mexico. We left on Tuesday and arrived here Thursday evening. We drove along the US/Mexico border entering Mexico at El Paso, Texas. The purpose of the visit has been to leave a well conditioned vehicle for my grandmother to get around. She actually doesn't drive and she needs someone to take her to her weekly doctor visits, so we got her a nicely equiped minivan that would make it easier for her to get in and out. |
| I've had a chance to see some of my extended family here so far. I've spent some time at my grandmothers house in the last few days, but I try not to spend too much time there since the mosquitoes have a field day with me. I keep my visits to a minimun, but I enjoy seeing my grandmother. I can see that she has gotten quite old and has lost a great deal of her hearing. However, she is a great lady tha always worries if I have eaten. She reminds me a great of my mother in this aspect. |
| We are staying at the Crowne Plaza hotel near the Plaza del Sol area in Guadalajara. It is a very nice hotel with a great deal amenities. There are a few small stores, a gym, a beauty salon, pool with sauna, a nice kiosk for dinner, a restaurant and business center. The service we have received here has been fabulous. I am very impressed with the attention that the staff has given us. I have been able to play golf over the last two days simply by asking the business center to help me make reservations. I would definitely consider staying here again if I were to return to Guadalajara for a visit. |
 So far I have played golf at the El Palomar Country Club, which is not a private club. It is a very nice golf course. I have played here on two other occasions. It is a very challenging course with some great risk/reward holes. Yesterday was not a great day of golf since I'm pretty sure I ended up shooting somewhere in the high 90's. I must have lost approximately 6 balls to some of the more challenging holes. However, today was a much better day. I ended up shooting an 88 with about 5 pars and a few bogeys. I only lost 3 balls today, but was able to recover nicely. The weather was very hot, but nice in the area. Yesterday my uncle Mike and his son joined me on the golf course although I was the only one that played. The caddie I had for that round was very good, but I was an idiot since I forgot to bring my camera along for the round. I should have done so since I ran into the lead guitarist for the Spanish rock group Maná. Also I found out that earlier on that day LPGA golfer Lorena Ochoa had played there earlier.
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 Today was a better round of golf at El Palomar country club. My cousin Joel joined me today for my round and today I didn't forget to bring the camera along. He actually took some of the pictures in this blog and some video of me in action. It was great to see this since I can now see some of the flaws in my swing. Overall, I'm very impressed with the golf course and I plan to play here again sometime in the near future. I also would love to stay here at the Crowne Plaza whenever I return to Guadalajara. I wish I could write more, but today has been long and I am going to get some zzz's. |
| Interesting times... | | Date Created: May 13, 2005, 11:56 PM |
I have conflicting feelings about this blog. I am very excited about what is happening at OCEAA. Things are moving along well. We have been conducting teacher interviews and there have been some promising candidates in the last few weeks. There is so much to say, I am having some conflicting feelings about some of what has been happening in my life.
I have been in negotiations with some of the business consultants from Apple and I have received a great poposal for computer equipment for OCEAA. I am very excited about the possibilities that exist in what that equipment will bring to our school. We had a great presentation from PowerSchool today and I am very pleased about what it will offer us as a new charter school. All of this is great, but I can't get it done without any money. We still have a long way to go to open OCEAA the way I envision it.
I have been reading a very interesting book by Deborah Meier titled, In School We Trust. I am finding it very fascinating. There are a lot of parallels with starting OCEAA and what I think we will encounter next year. I know that I am reading it with a filter for next year and keeping in mind what I can learn from it for next year.
On a personal front I have to say that I'm feeling a bit frustrated, bored and at times a bit sad. I feel like my attempts at personal relationships are tharted by unknown invisible forces. Almost like I am invisible. I have no idea why and what to do about it. For now I'm just going about my daily life and just letting things happen as they come. However, I am still alone and tired of not being able to share part of my life now. |
| Great day to be part of OCEAA | | Date Created: Feb 08, 2005, 11:40 PM |
 We finally had our school charter approved by the school district today! We all have been working very hard to have this school charter approved, so that we may have a new school next school year. Jane, Monique and Cynthia have been working very hard to make this school a reality for all of us. We are all very happy to have had this vote become a reality for us. We have all been waiting very patiently to have this charter school approved and we have really bent over backwards to ensure that the district has had all of their questions answered. Needless to say there was a small group of people present at the board meeting tonight that were speaking against our charter approval. I think it was a last ditch effort to have the charter denied, but I think that all of the board members had their minds already made up. The bottom line is that the district is just not liable for anything and we are a financially viable organization, which seemed to be the board's major concern. It was a final 4-1 vote in favor of approving our school charter. Rosie Avila "abstained" from approving our school charter. We figured that she would not support our school charter, and it was just not a suprise. In my opinion she is just not a "real" educator. I don't think she has one pure drop of intelligence, but that is just my personal opinion. Not a problem right now since in about 4 years I am planning on running for her seat on the school board. |
 Later on we ended up going out to celebrate the good news of our charter. We ended up celebating at Original Mike's. I fel that this was something that should have happened a year ago, but better late than never. Some of the parents and possible future staff were present as we celebrated our final victory. We all felt like a hughe weight was unloaded and now we are looking forward to moving forward with the dream that we've been planning for. I am very excited to see that there is still some interest in our school and that people are wiling to work hard and make this dream a reality. I know that the work ahead for all of us will be hard, but the reward will be great. |
 We all had a great time and were lucky enought that it was karaoke night at Origina Mike's. Carol is a pro at the karaoke machine and Norm and I were there to play as back up singers to Carol's talent. We sang "Stand By Me", but I felt that both Norm and I were just ruinning the song. Carol has a great voice and I wish sometimes that I had more courage to do this on my own. Overall, I'm just super happy that today's vote turned out to be a very positive one for all of us.
On another subject completely not related to the school charter. I had the opportunity to observe one of my student teachers. She was very nervous and had a hard time with her delivery, but I hope that my words of encouragemet made an impression on her ability as a teacher. I really want her to improve and continue to grow as an educator, but she needs to be more confident in her own ability and talent. Also I am finding her to master teacher very attractive. I am attracted to her and I wish I had the courage to ask her out for coffee or something |
| Better times... | | Date Created: Feb 08, 2005, 12:07 AM |
| Things are slowly getting back to normal around here. Mom is back from the hospital and is feeling a little better. I don't think she is anywhere near being 100%, but I'm just glad she's home. She will be under treatment for some time and will have to maintain a healthier lifestyle. The house is still under construction and it is begining to take better shape. There is a lot of dust around the house and it is frustrating and annoying to have that much dirt around here. I'm getting the feeling that my keyboard has been affected by all of this dust. Anyhow, tomorrow is a big deal for OCEAA and we're hoping that we will get approved the school district here. I will post tomorow if possible. |
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