manlypoodlekip

Am excited and hopeful for the success of the Mars rover project. Maybe they will find some trace of Mr, Rutschman’s early life as a vagabond on the red planet. Perhaps even an early Dr Pepper bottle cap. If not that the some sign of life or perhaps a little stream of water. I will be watching tonight. Have finally been watching the series Battle Star Galactica on Netflix. Am thinking of a series about teachers in a faculty meeting suddenly being placed in space hunting for that illusive perfect school. Of course there would have to be all kinds of conflict and disappointment as they search using the standards  as their guide for the utopian institution. I am going to have to tweak that idea a bit before it hits the silver screen. As  for Beasts of the Southern Wild, thought it was a great movie but want to deny the rumors that it was filmed in my home town. We didn’t have that much water.

That brings me to the Virgin River Narrows which are located in Zion National Park. I believe it was a Sunday that some members of our group decided to hike a few miles up the Virgin River. Many years ago this would have been a lark, a walk in the park but now it became an epic like the movie The River. At least I think that was the title. An aging body makes the once simple act of crossing the river with an endless number of uneven rocks a great life defining feat. It was beautiful and I  just wanted to get home alive so I could write about the scenery. There were two young men, four women. including my wife . Maybe we could turn that into a mini series. I’m sure many of you had great adventures this summer. Speaking of that for LA teachers and students the excitement and anticipation of the new school year must be overwhelming. No longer do they have to wait  until September. That is another good reason to be retired.

When I was younger one of the most dreaded events was the first back to school ads. It was like the Titanic hitting an iceberg. It was a wake up call that was so unwelcome. I think I sort of wanted an endless summer though I did not really mind school when it started. Perhaps I really miss Monday mornings, faculty meetings, ISIS and getting letters from the Selective Service. But maybe not. Still I felt a chill when I saw the first ad sort of like pain in a phantom limb. One last thing to brighten your lives, there is a termite in French Guiana that can as it ages and is attach, explode and secrete a liquid that is toxic to the attacker.