Counter

I am adding a site meter to my blog. Keep your knarled fingers crossed and pray that this works.

Memoir: Mrs. Macrae (final)

One of my fondest memories of you is that of visiting an ice rink near the school. A few days before our class was to go ice skating, my father and I went to Canadian Tire and bought a pair of CCM skates. The next day I watched my friends lace-up their skates and imitated them the best I could. I got on the ice with your help. Somehow you coaxed me away from the sideboards and then I was skating.
You pulled me forward with both hands, as you skated backwards. I felt so special on the ice with you - my teacher. I did my best version of skating with your encouragement. This is one of my fondest memories of you.
If I had to pick out a time that stands out more than the skating lesson it would have to be your thank-you note to me. It was the end of the school year. I had a cold and stayed home on the last day. Unable to attend class, I sent you a beaded necklace through a fellow classmate. A necklace which was one of a number of gift items my parents brought with them to Canada. My intent at the time was a end-of-the-year thank you. Not an unusual thing for a student to do, especially in the primary grades.
In retrospect, I must admit that I was smitten, had a crush on you. I can only imagine that this is not so uncommon an occurrence. And the cold? Well, I did have a cold but I suspect that the necklace meant so much to me that I was simply too shy and scared to actually hand it to you in person.
True to form though, you accepted my gift, delivered by proxy and went one better: You sent me a thank-you note. A totally unexpected turn of events. It was a simple note; a thank-you for the necklace from 'a far away place.' But it meant a lot to me because the note was written by my first teacher, my first real contact with a Canadian and the object of my first crush.
Once again, through that note, you had made me feel special, and by-the-by way, taught me the appropriateness and importance of thank-you notes. Nearly 30 years after receiving that note, I still have it amongst my keepsakes and memorabilia.
This is all to say: Thank-you.
Thank you for being there for me, for being an educatorand an exemplar. Thank-you for taking time out for me, and no doubt, many other students. And know that even now you are thought of and remembered with the greatest respect and fondness.

The Sky is Falling!

"On the basis of research conducted since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has published a report concluding that there is a 62% probability of at least one magnitude 6.7 or greater quake, capable of causing widespread damage, striking the San Francisco Bay region before 2032. Thus, a major quake is about twice as likely to happen as not to happen in the next 30 years."

(The above material is lifted from the Association of Bay Area Governments' website. To visit the site, click on the title of this post.)

'If New Orleans is Sinking, Baby, I Don't Wanna Swim'

Don't tell me 40,000 people are coming here. They're not here. It's too doggone late. Now get off your asses and do something, and let's fix the biggest goddamn crisis in the history of this country.


-- New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin