Santanaaaaaaa

Chuck Knoblauch for Brian Buchanan, Christian Guzman, Eric Milton, and Danny Mota.

Frank Viola for Kevin Tapani, Rick Aguilera, and David West.

A.J. for Joe Nathan, Boof Bonser, and Franciso Liriano.

Cy-tana for Carlos Gomez, Philip Humber, Deolis Guerra, and Kevin Mulvey???

The Twins front office has made so many trades that didn't seem right when they happened, but have turned out fantastic. So far what has Bill Smith done?

1) Let Hunter leave
2) Traded away our starting SS and 2004 MLB pitching prospect of the year Matt Garza
3) Signed veteran players for "bargains"--Mike Lamb, Adam Everett, Craig Monroe (Remember Tony Bautista, Bret Boone, Phil Nevin, Reuben Sierra, Sidney Ponson, Ramon Ortiz...the list goes on)
4) Now he's traded away (apparently) a 2-time Cy-Young winner for a AAA corner OF (which we have plenty of), a AAA pitcher, AA pitcher, and A pitcher.

Not bad for the first four months on the job...

Considering we still need a 5th starter, espeically now that Santana's gone...we still need a CF...and we still need a lead-off hitter because apparently we're going to wait until Alexi Castilla is 83 years old before we let him take over at 2nd base.

Oh, but since I don't know the whole story as just a normal fan...it'll probably be OK. I'm sure we'll be competing with the Tigers and Indians...and don't worry, we can't get any worse than the Royals...can we?

Alright, it was a whole lot more fun to write about all that than the day of trying to control 1st graders in P.E., avoiding two crashes on the way home from school, and trying to track down missing assignments.

Maybe I should become an assistant GM for the Twins...its so easy to spend someone else's money...

Elk Hunting

It made it up to 66 today, officially. It was awesome, but we're going back down again I guess to the 30's, which is still fine for January, and it might snow tomorrow.

I got to go elk hunting today with Mark DeNooy and a couple other guys. It was a ton of fun, he dropped one after less than a half hour out in an 11,000 acre ranch. It was literally just 15 min south of the school, which is still in the city, so it was really cool how fast the scenery changed. We saw a herd of over 50 file by less than 100 yards from us. I was watching through the binoculars, and it was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. These elk, I guess a few hundred of them, are totally wild and have made their home on this ranch. Later in the day we saw 6 mule deer buck standing and staring back at us from about 50 yards, it was amazing, and they were huge--8 to 10 pointers. After I got back I was exhausted, the air is so much thinner here, and after walking those hills I was spent.

Went to the De Nooy's house tonight too for pizza, it was a good time and I must not have been too weird because they're letting me come back to watch the Super Bowl next week.

Well, all of this hunting and pizza left me short on time to plan lessons for tomorrow, so long!

52 and climbing...

Yes, that's right, its 52 degrees here right now, and its projected to be around 60 tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm not quite sure how to make the most of it. I did spend some of the afternoon washing the Beretta, because it was a tad black and white from all the dirt and crud on the roads. I went to one of those "put quarters in and use the pressure washer" car wash places. But since it was 50 degrees out, the rest of Denver had the same idea, so the line was quite long. Since I didn't have much else to do, I just sat there and listened to the radio....because you all want to know:) I won't lie...I'd never been to one of those before...and not because I never wash my car, I just always did it in the driveway with the hose and nozzle, so if you watched me, I didn't look like I knew what I was doing. I don't like doing it that way at all, since you get all of 15 sec/quarter, so I spent like 8.75 washing my car between soap and pressure washing it 80 times to get all the dirt off. I think it would've been cheaper and easier to do the automatic one.

Well, that wasn't the only exciting thing I did today. I got to have the privilege of watching The Rivalry game between Calvin & Hope. The baseball coach at school went to Calvin and invited me to come, so I show up at this sports bar in Littleton, and walk into a room where there's already over 100 people there watching on about 8 big-screen TV's. Apparently apart from actually being at the game, this is the largest crowd watching it. It was on satellite feed on CSTV, and I guess there's people gathering together to watch all over the country. The game was great, except Hope ended up winning by 3, 79-76. I think if I'm ever living in the area, it would be a ton of fun to go and watch in person.

Well, I'm halfway done teaching at Highlands Ranch. 14 days done and 14 more to go before moving on to the high school. It's getting to the point that I wish I could stay here the whole time, the teachers are great and the middle schoolers are a ton of fun.

Weekend

Went to the Nuggets-T'Wolves game this weekend. I hadn't ever been to a NBA game before, so it was pretty cool. We were sitting in the 3rd deck, on the end, so they weren't the most spectacular seats, but it was fun anyways. The Wolves started out up 8, but it was tie at the half. We were down like 12 or so in the 3rd quarter, but came back because Carmelo had the flue or something. But, didn't matter much, AI took the game over, scored 35 points. He's quite somethin'. Somehow Antonie Walker came off the bench and almost won the game. I honestly didn't think he was going to make it up and down the court more than 3 or 4 times.

Anyways, no school today because of MLK day, which it a pretty big deal here in Denver. A parade, a march, the works. Good thing it was all of 8 degrees for a high today. I got a bunch of stuff done, lesson plans for P.E., filling out applications for schools, watched a movie...the normal day.

No Big Deal

So you can tell you're from a small town when...
...you tell kids that you didn't get a ride to elementary school, you had to walk the whole way, halfway across town...the whole 3 blocks
...you lock your keys in your car because you're used to leaving them in the ignition and unlocked
...you find out that a school psychologist is actually a profession, and kids need one because apparently a 12-year-old struggles with anxiety
...the kids complain about a basketball game on the other side of the city, because it is the longest road trip of the basketball season

...and...

...famous people are a big deal because you don't know any personally

Well, I told you about seeing Mike Timlin, but today there was a little bit more of a shock. So we had "Tailgating with Dads" for lunch where all the kids dads could come in and have chili and root beer floats for lunch. Well, towards the end of the day, the English teacher was talking about the irony of having two particular kids in the room at the same time talking about great memories. I was a little confused, so she asked me if I knew Timlin's kid, which I did, and then she asked me if I found out who this other kid's dad was. I didn't have a clue, but she told me he was Vinny Castilla's kid. Here I had been teaching him in science and P.E. for two weeks and hadn't had a clue. So anyways, back to the dads being in school today. I guess they were both here, having lunch in the cafeteria. Good thing I didn't know and was in the teacher's lounge eating when they were in the room right next to me...I might have flipped out...a little.

But yeah, I was just thinking how its no big deal for the people that live here. I guess if you see famous people all the time, its not as big of a deal. Anyways, I just thought that was an interesting story/thought.

It finally snowed again today, it was nice, about an inch or so at school, but nothing here at the house. No school on Monday because of MLK Day, so a longer weekend to make lesson plans, grade papers, write up reports. All just wonderfully fun stuff!!!!!

I might go on an adventure and find a Wendy's to get a Frosty...

January 17

Wow, I can't believe I haven't written anything since Sunday, I guess that means the week is flying by. Today was a long day. I got up early to meet with a group of teachers about a few students. It was good to see a meeting like that and how it all works. I didn't have any input, but it was cool anyways. So yeah, I had to be at school 45 min earlier, and setting my alarm for 45 min earlier didn't seem like the greatest option. Normally I get up at 6:15, so.....5:30, not a chance, especially if you know me. So I set it for 6:00, and still made it there on time. But....I forgot that my Thursday schedule is different and I don't get a lunch break during the day, so I need to pack things that I can eat between classes or while the kids are working on something. So what did I pack??? A bowl of chicken noodle soup. Real bright Matt. So I went hungry all day because the teacher's lounge and microwave was on the other end of school. So that was the type of day, hardly a break at all.

Yesterday I went with the math teacher to Hobby Lobby.....yes, you read it right....and we bought 13 rockets for the 8th graders. We decided that kids today don't get enough math and science in practical situations, so we decided to correlate our units and build rockets, measure flight times, altitude, and all that good stuff. So tomorrow is Build Day and next Friday is Launch Day, assuming the weather cooperates and gets back into the 40's and 50's......:)

Well...I see the job openings on the CSI website are beginning to pile up, so I better start balancing my time between applications and lesson plans.

I hope everyone in the Midwest is enjoying the snow!

Sunday Drive

This afternoon Gwyn and I took a little drive into the mountains. We didn't get in there far enough to see snow-capped anything, but it was a good change of scenery. I ended up using the rest of the night to do some planning for my Science classes. If anyone has any good ideas, labs, or activities I could use in Astronomy or Vertebrate animals (reptiles/amphibians/birds/mammals), let me know!

I'm not sure if its a good thing or not, but I'm already looking forward to this weekend because I'm hoping to take Gwyn to her first HuHot experience, she's never heard of it before, so it should be a good time. Also, that professional NBA team from Minnesota is coming to town to play the Nuggets on Saturday. I don't think I can use their name until they at least have the same number of wins as letters in MINNESOTA.

Anyways, I hope everyone's getting back into things now after all the parties and such. For me, this seems like the longest part of the year...from New Year's until Opening Day, just because its still cold, everything's brown, and I'm usually ready to be done with the school year already......can teachers say that?

On another note, if anyone feels moved to send me anything through snail mail, you apparently can't send it under my name, you have to send it to Gwyn, because Linds sent me a letter and got it back 8 days later.

Until next time...

Craziness

First thing today was chapel. Mr. De Nooy introduced all the new students, then introduced me, we sang some songs, then he talked for a bit. He started out by bringing out a bag and he told the students that he had the most powerful weapon on earth in there. The first answer was the Bible, by about half the students, but when he said that it wasn't, he opened the doors to the minds of elementary kids. Some thought there was a poisonous snake in there, some thought a gun, or a grenade. The kicker...and the one that everyone laughed at was when a little 1st grader guessed a light saber. It was hilarious. Anyways, he pulls out a tongue...of a cow. It was massive, and messy. Of couse you can't have something like that without wanting to drop it on the kids in the front, and he pretended to. It was alot of fun.

Anyways, yeah...today was alright. I "taught" 7th grade science, 8th grade science, and 2nd grade P.E. The first two...no problems whatsoever. It was when I got to the 2nd graders that I thought I was going to lose it. Didn't go very well at all. Oh well, you do what you can. I guess next time instead of just 2 min of running I just have them run for, oh i dunno....the rest of the day. Then at least they'll sit and be quiet.

Me: "Alright, I need everyone to drop the parachute and take two GIANT steps towards the wall."

A good 90% of them did exactly that. It was the two kids that decided that going under the parachute and running around underneath it that was the problem. So...when everyone else saw that it looked like alot more fun to be under the parachute yelling and screaming than standing 5 feet from the parachute being very quiet, I was speechless. So I pulled the parachute off and told them to put their shoes on, we were done for the day. Nazi. That's right, Matt's the P.E. Nazi. At least for the second section of 2nd graders.

So long everybody...

quotes

I don't have much to say about today, but I do have a couple quotes that made me smile a little...

1st grader putting on his shoes after our parachute activity in P.E.
"Yo, Mr. V, I can't get my big bad shoes back on."

1st grade girl whispering to her friend...
"Mr. V is really nice"

Awesome, I'm done, I think I'll teach 1st grade P.E. from now on. Even with all the untying the double-knotted shoes and then retying them after class, all the runny noses, and all the "Mr. V...he spit on me!!!" After 25 min with the class, the quietest girl there called me nice, and I overheard her. Boo Yah.

Oh, and I met Mrs. Terpstra. I had forgotten that she taught at Sully Christian, so when I told her I was engaged to a girl that went to Dordt, she asked who. I said Lindsey Van Wyk...and she about freaked...it was sweet. So...Verlan and Sally, she says hi.

Day 1

Well, I could tell you about what I all did today, which was a little overwhelming, especially when I found out that I'd be teaching a class in two days and be teaching a full day (7 classes) in two weeks. I could also tell you about the snow that started falling around 2:30 and is supposed to last until midnight. I could also tell you about the laptop that the school gave me to use while I'm here (which is a Mac by the way, not too sure what I think about that yet).

But...none of those would be the biggest story of the day. This morning, around 8:15ish, I was walking past the middle school office where I noticed a new family to the school being welcomed. I looked at the dad and he looked somewhat familiar, like I had seen him before. But I couldn't put my finger on it, so I forgot about it. Anyways, during 7th period, I was talking to the baseball coach during 6th grade P.E., and he pointed out a kid shooting a basketball. He asked me if I knew who Mike Timlin was, to which I responded that of course I did. Well, turns out that was his kid. And the guy who I had seen earlier in the day was in fact, Mike Timlin himself...MIKE TIMLIN!!!!! Ok, so maybe the CAPS and the !!!! were a little over the top, but still... Anyways, at the end of the day when everyone was going home, he walked right past me in his "2007 World Champions Boston Red Sox" fleece. Sweet Matt, don't go and all freak out now. End of story...didn't talk to him, but if he picks up his kids everyday, maybe I end up getting the courage to.

Pre-First Day

Well you all know how much I love snow, and on the news tonight one place in the mountains along the Continental Divide got 40". The only question I had was...who is up there to measure that? Luckily, I guess, the mountains stop most of the snow from reaching the metro area, so we might get a little dusting or so in the morning, which might slow traffic down a little, making my 20 min drive a 45 min drive. Now I just need to decide when to leave the house...maybe super early because I'm such a morning person...

I really have no idea how to figure out how long its going to take me to get there. It's a little different than bucking the drifts at home when I was walking to school...for the whole block.

I still haven't completely figured out which direction is which when I can't see the mountains. I know there's a grocery store about two blocks away, a Taco Bell two blocks away in the opposite direction, and a Starbucks two blocks away in a different direction. I figure if I leave to go to the store to get a frozen pizza and come back with a burrito or a white chocolate mocha, it was meant to be.

The Rockies now have a promotion to buy tickets for the opening weekend in a package before single-game tickets go on sale. Good idea for them...not for me though. It looks as if Matt and Gwyn's Opening Day just might turn into an Opening Weekend. Feel my pain?? :)

That's all for now...

Denver

Well, I made it to Denver, after a pit stop in Sioux Center, another in Columbus, NE and a mere 10 hours of driving time. I thought it was going to take me around 12 hours, but the Beretta was running like it was 1993 and we somehow cut off two hours.

The first night, my aunt Gwyn took me on the route I would take every day, which isn't too bad, a total of about an hour every day. We also did a little sightseeing along the way, where she pointed out different places to eat, a number of parks, and good old-fashioned CRC churches.

The next day I had to make the trip to school by myself for a meeting, and I won't say that I got lost...but rather that I missed my turn on the way there, just two blocks from my aunt's house. I got there alright, and the meeting went great, but on the way back, I missed another turn, this one to get on the interstate and ended up taking about an hour to get back after being frustrated and finding a Wal-Mart to stop at for a bit.

All in all, it was a good day, school starts Monday morning, so I'm a little nervous, but the people I've met at the school so far seem really cool, so I'm trying not to worry about it.