Weekly Incident of Injustice

Yesterday I was surfing the internet and ran across this story about a gay student in Florida. What surprised me was not the support of the town, but the initial reaction of the principal. A student came to him with a valid problem -- that other students are taunting her -- and the principal effectively told her she is evil. This is a person of power, who has been charged with the duty of educating young people. His personal opinions on the concept of homosexuality should have never entered into the equation. Whether he believes sexuality is a choice she is making, or something in her genetic makeup that makes her gay, neither point of view has any bearing on the education of students.

On the flip side of this, when the principal went on his "witch hunt" (really the most appropriate term for what happened), it sounds like he created a huge disruption in the school system. This would have an impact on education.

My favorite part of the whole article is the realization at the end. It is dawning to at least one member of the community that the world is changing....

I've Been Busy!!

What happens when I don't post for almost a year??

1. I got engaged...

2. I got married......

3. I went on my honeymoon......

4. We filed for Permanent Residency....

What's next??????

Not yet (I hope)....

Almost Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is almost here, and I haven't written for a long time. (a reoccurring theme for me...) I guess I haven't done much. I went to Chicago with Yuka, but now we are back. I'm still doing the same jobs, hanging out with the same people. It's fun, though.....but I am about ready for Thanksgiving break. Two uninterrupted days off. Two beautiful days where I have nothing to do, no responsibilities except eat. It will be great!

I hope to post again soon. Probably about the Chinese sausage found in Chinatown, and how it is best to just stay away from it.....

I'm a Hero!

I saved the life of everyone in my office building yesterday. Yuka says I'm exaggerating, but its true - I saved everyone. I'm a hero. Yesterday, I was walking by the front counter on the way to take a much needed break, when the new girl at the office stopped me. She said, "Craig, you're good at computers. What should I do with this?" and she motioned to the floor under her desk. Looking down, I could see smoke rolling out of the power strip. It is one of those super-duper strips in black that look more like a black shoebox with holes on it. Smoke was pouring out of the plug holes.

I said "Oh, No!!!" and flipped the power switch. Quickly, I unplugged all of the wires running to the power strip, but I couldn't unplug the strip from the wall. The wire actually ran into the removable wall and around the corner. I got Andrew, the computer specialist, and together we took the desk apart and unplugged it. The power strip ended up in the trash can..... And that's how I saved everyone, (and by extension, the University!).

Other than that, my day was pretty boring.

The Chicago Trip is Set

I would have posted much sooner than this, but work kept me busy. In the past two weeks alone, I have visited all of the area high schools (about 20 in all) to talk with the counselors about a change in state law. I ended up driving over 200 miles of in-city, stop and go traffic. The good news is that I should get re-imbursed.

And....finally, after 3 days of heavy searching, including an additional 2 hours yesterday, we have finally purchased plane tickets and a hotel room for Chicago. Yuka and I will be leaving next Wednesday morning and will be returning on Saturday. It should be a great time. So far we have not planned anything out other than the tickets and hotel, but after looking at random tourist info, I really want to visit the Museum of Science and Industry and the Japanese market. I would also like to walk through the various "ethinic" areas of town, like Chinatown or Little Italy (keeping away from mafioso's!!). I will probably also look up the Sears Tower.