Thursday, October 30, 2014

A few disturbing things I have learned recently...

A few disturbing things I have learned recently...


Anthropodermic bibliopegy refers to the practice of binding books with human skin. This was often done with the skins of executed criminals in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries; although skins were obtained from other people as well, most notably the anonymous dead who were dissected. 


Kellogg's Cornflakes were developed by Dr John Harvey Kellogg who believed that a diet rich in fiber and poor in taste would keep people from engaging in lustful acts.


There is a website devoted to everything about the guillotine. It even has instructions on how to make your own.


There is an organization based in Switzerland that helps people with terminal illness and severe physical and mental illnesses to die, assisted by qualified doctors and nurse. 


When a person is hanged, the hyoid bone, which is located inside the larynx (voice box) and sits at the base of the tongue, is encased in muscles and ligaments and therefore very well protected from breakage and injury. However, during slow strangulation, the hyoid begins to crack, eventually snapping in two. A person can dangle at the end of the noose for as long as his neck muscles will allow. In some cases, this can be as long as 30 minutes. Apparently there was a malevolent executioner in Ireland that knew the shorter the rope, the longer it would take his victim to die. 


After the disaster of Hurricane Katrina, there was a hospital in New Orleans where over 40 corpses were found. They had not died because of the hurricane; they had dies because a doctor and two nurses decided it was easier for them to be murdered than to be evacuated.


In 1985 it was still a common practice at hospitals to perform surgery -- major and minor surgery on infants without any anesthetic, only with muscle relaxants to keep the child from moving while the surgery was being performed. Surveys of medical professionals indicate that as recently as 1986 infants as old as 15 months were receiving no anesthesia during surgery at most American hospitals.






















Tuesday, October 28, 2014

things to think about...

just because you think you're right doesn't mean that you are.

you can't live a positive life with a negative mind.

you are always responsible for how you act, no matter how you feel.

the first time someone shows you who they are, believe them.

too much ego will kill your talent.

sometimes you're not always right. sometimes you should just listen.

get over yourself. your problems seem HUGE to you, but they mean much less to everyone else.

some people need multiple anti-depressants. 

and xanax. xanax can fix anything... ;)

 

 


Thursday, October 16, 2014

Rural Decay

I think most people who come from and live in small towns have a love/hate relationship with that town. 

I love my hometown.

It is where I grew up, and where I still live.  

There has only been a short amount of time in the past 35 years that I haven't lived in here. For a couple of years I lived in SmallTownville while I worked and went to community college there. And I also lived in the quaint community of AnotherSmallTownville for 6 or so years.

But the remainder of my life has been lived in this good, down-home town..

There have been times I have loathed living here. When I couldn't find a job in town (hence having to move to SmallTownville to work after college), when I went through my divorce in 2010 (not so long ago actually), and when I went through a rough time with an acquaintance that decided to slander my name around my lovely little town.

But for the most part, I love this town. I am glad I get to live here now and that I get to raise my children here.

I have been taking pictures for a few years. I think I have been a Flickr subscriber since 2007, so that makes 8 years.  I went through all of the images I have stored there and  made two new albums:


https://www.flickr.com/photos/leigh49137/sets/72157648384566409/



https://www.flickr.com/gp/leigh49137/05tHsi/

The first one is pictures of various places in the south that I have visited over the past eight years. I tried to concentrate on places that were forgotten - urban decay type pictures. Although most of the places I like to visit aren't and never have been urban by any means. 

So I should describe them as rural-decay.

The second set is of various places all over the state of Alabama. I really thought I had more images than what I found. I now have a mission -- take more pictures!

As if I needed to define a mission... ;)



Photog

"You don't take a photograph, you make it." - Ansel Adams

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Fire Prevention 2014

It's Fire Prevention Day!

This is a BIG deal in our town. Our local volunteer Fire Department conducts an annual Town Inspection and hosts a Fire Prevention Parade.

 This year's Firemen’s Banquet, which recognizes the court, will be held last night. The parade is today at 3:30.  Floats are judged on theme, originality, and appearance. The top 3 winners are awarded cash prizes. The band judged to be the best is also awarded a cash prize. A poster contest is held at the elementary school also. 

Here's our Fire Court:

All of these girls are seniors from JHS. It's the best looking court yet!!

We get out of school early today (at 1 o'clock) so that everyone who is participating in the parade can come. 

The JWL (Jackson's Women's League) is having a float. Janie, Si and I are supposed to ride it. I have to go buy some candy for Janie to throw.

This is going to be FUN!!!

Here's my picture collage of past Fire Parades:





I hope I get some good pictures today! :)






Sunday, October 5, 2014

Meridian

This weekend we went to Meridian, Mississippi. Let me tell you one thing... there is NOTHING worth looking at in between our little home town and Meridian. There's only one town worth mentioning and even it isn't much to look at.



Meridian, however, has lots to look at. I wish we had taken the stroller with us, then I would have taken more pictures of the beautiful buildings they have in downtown Meridian. There is even one that is falling down that is magnificent! Currently a group is trying to restore it (although I somehow doubt they will be able to finish).

Here's a few images of our weekend:





 Then we found this beautiful cemetery. The saddest thing was when I found children's graves... Some of them only a few months old... Makes me hold Si even tighter...


We drove past an abandoned school on the way to Meridian somewhere near Sweetwater, Alabama. On the way back, I got Jason to stop so I could take some pictures.  Nanafalia is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Marengo County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 94.



Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Test day!

I love test days :) it gives me the chance to see how much of an impact my teaching is really doing with my students. And since I  have started teaching IT, it has been awesome!!

I am finally doing what I have always wanted to do. I am teaching Information Technology and these kids are actually getting it! It is amazing how well some of them are doing.

Right now we are working on the Microsoft Technical Associate Networking Fundamentals modules. It is test 98-366 and it is much harder than anything I had to do in high school.  When I was in college, I became a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (it took me over $1000 to get that certification, btw) and no one has ever paid much attention to it.

Until now.

To be certified to teach Information Technology, one must have a technical certification. There is a list of the certifications that the teacher can hold to teach certain courses. This list has changed over time (because they have realized how important some of these certifications are). There is also a list of the certifications that we are supposed to offer to our students. That is why my Information Technology Fundamentals classes are studying for the MTA 98-366 exam. I hope that some of them will be able to pass the exam in a few weeks. I am pretty sure a couple of them will.

There is another teacher in this county teaching this class also. But, bless her heart, she is not an IT person.  I have given her all the help I can think to give her -- including all of the presentations, study guides, lecture notes and videos that I have for my students. 

This has been my favorite year teaching so far :) 

Next week is Fire Prevention Week, and midterm exams. I have a JWL meeting on Tuesday night. We get out early on Wednesday (for the parade) and Thursday (for in-service). On Friday, I am working the football game and Janie is going to spend the night with Isabel for her birthday slumber party.

It's going to be a busy week!

And just for fun, here's a picture of Si's big hair-do from yesterday :) hilarious!!!!