Tuesday, August 21, 2007

A Work In Progress

I had forgotten just how challenging this particular population can be. Today, alone, I broke up one fight and sent three kids to the recovery room for behavior problems. These are not unusual events in a school like Fairfax. That said, the new Art program that I'm building seems to be popular among the students. Several times throughout any given day, I'm met at my door by a student who has walked out of their class to come by my room to see if they could sit in on my lesson. Or, at the very least, to ask for a paper and pen so they could sit outside and draw. It's with these requests that I'm forced to play my adult role and redirect them back to where they rightfully belong. Rufus and Dave, the principal and vice principal (and the two coolest people I've ever worked under, with the exception of Paul from Olathe Medical Center), are excited to finally have something therapeutic in place. I'm glad to finally be in a school where I feel like I'm making a difference in the lives of young people.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Three Babies

I swear we didn't set this up.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

A Couple Of Bobs



It's been a while since I posted anything here. Since my last writing, I have been swept up in the world of education. Specifically the world of a pre-school year educator. It's been hectic, to say the least. Nevertheless, I report for duty tomorrow morning for the first day of the 2007-2008 school year in the Kansas City, Kansas School District.

In the meantime, I've decided to dig up an old character. Bob The Limbless Man was a staple in my drawings throughout my high school career. He still made an appearance or two afterward, but was soon left by the wayside, along with the very politically incorrect nineties. I've decided to pull out some old favorites. Here's a couple of them to start off with. Enjoy.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Home Sweet Home

Well, here I am. Back home after a full week in St. Louis with Lisa's family. Good times were had, yet I can't help but feel like it wasn't so much a "vacation" as it was a "trip." What's the difference? As a child, I remember "getting away from it all" with the family. We'd pack up the car and drive to the Ozarks for a nice, relaxing week with the hillbillies. By the time we arrived home, I was well rested. But what about my folks? No. As a parent, vacations are anything-but. Really, all you need is some time to relax. To feel rested. To sleep in. Without waking up to a baby crying. Or singing. And, let's face it, these two things happened every morning. Or all night long.

Needless to say, I was ready to come home a couple of days ago. Not that I don't like being with Lisa's family, but whenever we arrive in town, it turns into a huge whirlwind of scheduling. Since we're in town for only so-many days, we need to fit in as much "quality time" with as many relatives as we possibly can. And with Lisa's brother, John, getting ready to depart to Poland, with his wife, Rachel, for close to a year, there were that many more reasons to see people.

Lisa's other brother, Curt, is scheduled to arrive in St. Louis at around 10:00 tonight. Since we were due to leave this morning, Lisa lamented over breakfast how she was going to just barely miss him. I offered to drive home by myself today since I'm starting work tomorrow, and then I can return to pick her and Audrey up on Saturday. Lisa pondered this and suggested I come back on Sunday instead.

Hall pass.

As I drove east on I-70 with Murder Ballads by Nick Cave blasting through the speakers, I pondered how I would spend my next few days of freedom. First things first--update the blog. I can put up some sketches I did over the past week. But what's this? I left the digital camera with Lisa so I'm unable to take a picture of one of the sketches. Okay, I'll post something I have saved to my Mac that I have never used before.

After I got home, I picked up the mail from our neighbor, mowed the lawn, and then sat down to hundreds of emails from the past week. Now that my weekend has opened up, looks like I have a full plate. A cookout at my principal's house tomorrow night and then drinks with Brandon and Jeff afterward. Saturday night I'll probably just watch a couple of movies with the same people. Is that relaxing? I guess all I need is a chance to sleep without having to wake up to a baby singing.