tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99793132011-07-08T13:17:42.447-05:00"Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." - Galatians 6:9John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.comBlogger4151100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-81753811037485213342010-02-01T10:46:00.002-06:002010-02-01T10:55:05.619-06:00

Kalyn finally got me to blog again by challenging me to a contest on guessing the Oscar nominations for tomorrow. This is obviously silly, but you only get so many opportunities in life to humiliate your sibling. And it's a big brother's duty to take every one of those opportunities. We actually did make some sort of bet on this, but I've tried all morning to remember the stakes. I don't think

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-11975593490002767982009-07-14T20:28:00.002-05:002009-07-14T20:57:05.361-05:00

I should probably clean house more often.To tell the truth, I've not been as bad as previously in my life the last year. I've cleaned my toilet more than three times in the last year. I've ironed my clothes a few times. In 2009, I've washed my dishes more than once a week on average (that's the biggest accomplishment of the year so far). I've ironed a couple of times. This summer, with the extra

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-90160340792868295712009-07-12T23:20:00.002-05:002009-07-12T23:28:24.415-05:00

We Pierce's don't always think about what we're saying. I spent most of the last couple of weeks in Menard, and my father, as is usual, cracked me up.One evening, we had taken an elderly woman from the church out to eat (or, really, she took us out to eat, I guess). Anyway, the occasion for the meal was that this older woman's two cats had recently died, and Dad had made a couple of grave markers

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-62586081552198318182009-06-16T21:26:00.004-05:002009-10-20T20:54:33.128-05:00

It's really been a slow year of reading so far. I've been busier this semester than at any other point in my life (which is saying a lot), and reading's just not been any sort of priority. That's going to change though.44. Selected Poems - R.S. Thomas 8/1043. The Gravedigger's Daughter - Joyce Carol Oats 7/1042. This is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, About Living the

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-59868251785426431152009-03-24T22:27:00.003-05:002009-03-24T22:28:31.135-05:00

I was really looking forward to American Idol tonight. Now, I have to wait until tomorrow. And then, the kick-off show will be on Thursday, the same night as 30 Rock and The Office. Couldn't he have picked a Monday?

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-18476185424358419672009-03-20T22:38:00.000-05:002009-03-20T22:41:28.454-05:00

This Spring Break, Kalyn and I are both home in Menard. We’ve spent part of the week going through my Grandma Pierce’s old things that have been stored in the garage for a decade. Now, many of you probably know some things about our relationship with my grandma. She was a little crazy—in a good way, and she was our babysitter growing up. We played very elaborate games at Grandma’s house involving

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-51320586314093109672009-03-11T20:42:00.002-05:002009-03-11T21:11:01.656-05:00

I was fascinated by the article yesterday posted at the Christian Science Monitor about a predicted collapse of the evangelical community. I think the author, Michael Spencer, is generally right, especially in citing as a top reason for the collapse, "We fell for the trap of believing in a cause more than a faith."That was the first thing I thought about today when I happened across Glenn Beck's

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-29017481607071778902009-03-02T21:57:00.002-06:002009-03-02T21:58:25.878-06:00

I'll admit that figuring out what the heck the first two lines of this poem meant took a few minutes. But once that's clear, wow. It's a wonderful poem.Petition – W.H. AudenSir, no man's enemy, forgiving all But will its negative inversion, be prodigal: Send to us power and light, a sovereign touch Curing the intolerable neural itch, The exhaustion of weaning, the liar's quinsy, And the

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-62264158636102740082009-02-08T12:31:00.003-06:002009-02-08T12:38:13.157-06:00

A couple of days ago, I bought something I'd been meaning to buy for years. I'm glad I did.It's the Los Angeles Master Chorale performing some of Morten Lauridsen's music. I've loved Lauridsen's stuff, and particularly O Magnum Mysterium (below), ever since I played the concert band version of the song with ACU's wind ensemble a couple of years ago. I'd really recommend it.If you like it, I'd

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-53347589382539974012009-02-07T10:31:00.001-06:002009-02-07T10:31:56.511-06:00

Mail all of my Christmas cards before February next year.

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-71747540531818951012009-02-04T22:28:00.001-06:002009-02-04T22:29:20.364-06:00

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-56627505277150954992009-01-30T22:30:00.002-06:002009-01-30T22:33:20.940-06:00

I got tagged with this over at Facebook and thought I'd double-post it here. I think anyone who reads my blog has already been tagged with it.Except my mother. Mom, you're tagged. So is anyone else who hasn't been forced into this yet.25 Random Things About Me:1. I’m a good bit better singer than I let on. I’m just shy and am stuck at baritone (rather than a tenor or bass), so most music, church

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-82085462640366593952009-01-27T12:42:00.001-06:002009-01-27T12:42:55.374-06:00

Yesterday at school, we teachers had all heard reports of possible bad weather today. As a result, we went to bed with a prayer that regularly graces the lips of West Texas teachers.“Oh Lord, I am tired, and my students are stupid. Oh yes, and we happen to need rain again, too. So please, if it be thy will, I know you can address two of those needs with one big hail storm so that we can have a

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-28270423960538233512009-01-27T09:27:00.000-06:002009-01-27T18:36:43.662-06:00

It's strange that the columnist I agree with the most is a conservative, but I think David Brooks is outstanding. I think I'm going to make my students all read the column he wrote today about respecting institutions. It's a beautiful piece. They should read it.And with that notion of respect in mind, John Updike, the absolutely outstanding writer, died today. Last week, Andrew Wyeth, who had

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-91741444980318030992009-01-24T15:20:00.003-06:002009-01-25T15:23:48.380-06:00

No matter how little is on tv, no matter how bored I am, no matter who is with me, no matter how much I want to make fun of him, there is never any good reason to watch Dane Cook's attempts at being a comedian.

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-11172828032477151022009-01-21T20:54:00.002-06:002009-01-21T21:12:19.042-06:00

I'll admit that during the inauguration yesterday I wasn't overwhelmed by Elizabeth Alexander's poem. Moments of it stuck out, for sure. I kept thinking, though, that I'd have to read it to evaluate it. It wasn't sinking in. It was too hard for the ear. I was really curious to look it up, though, since my class is in the midst of our poetry unit, and when does poetry have such a stage? They'd all

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-10133242440113200422009-01-20T23:41:00.001-06:002009-01-20T23:43:04.567-06:00

Believe it or not, I can cook a little. I can follow a basic recipe, and I don’t eat too badly. It’s sort of funny that several people at the school are convinced that I’m practically a chef, but I’m certainly not that. I’m just proficient enough.Usually. Tonight, I got hungry and decided to scramble myself a couple of eggs. That’s pretty well all I had in the house. Plus, what is difficult at

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-41162769005138810972009-01-19T18:19:00.001-06:002009-01-19T18:20:30.259-06:00

....otherwise known as National Tomorrow Obama's Going to Be President Day!It's been a pretty good day today.

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-85741571251576344262009-01-17T19:14:00.001-06:002009-01-17T19:16:30.042-06:00

So, the other day, my sister and I were talking on the phone. I’ve applied to a couple of Ph.D programs, but of course, I’m not entirely sure that’s the direction I want to head next. You’ve just got to apply now to have that option later on. I’d called Kalyn to tell her about a semi-promising email I’d received from one of the schools.Anyway, Kalyn got to reflecting on me moving somewhere, and

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-45752015676139006152009-01-15T19:42:00.001-06:002009-01-15T19:47:15.428-06:00

I have a bad habit of vacuuming my living all of the time--and then neglecting to put up the vacuum cleaner. Yeah, that doesn't do me much good, does it?

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-60053605391351365012009-01-13T22:27:00.001-06:002009-01-13T22:28:38.348-06:00

As is typical, the year of reading started out very quickly, especially since I was desperately searching for poetry and prose pieces, but slowed dramatically when I started the school year. This fall was extremely slow because I’ve been so busy (as is pretty evident from my lack of blogging). Still, I did read some pretty good books. Here is my top five ranking. 1. Walking to Martha's Vineyard -

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-53593206317544897012008-12-06T20:13:00.001-06:002008-12-06T20:14:36.182-06:00

My parents are funny. I’ve got two stories from recent trips home.One was before Thanksgiving. We were supposed to be looking for a particular gift for someone for Christmas on ebay, and we had decided to bid on it. Mom and Dad didn’t have any sort of account, though. Typically, that would be easy to remedy.I got online with them and set the whole account up for Mom. They were both watching me,

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-87501006702232004572008-11-24T19:36:00.002-06:002008-11-24T19:52:18.317-06:00

Irony isn't an all bad thing. An ironic viewpoint is much maligned, but you know what, you need it in high school sometimes. I remember the first week I started work at a high school. I remember back in high school going to pep rallies, and I thought they were pretty neat. I played in the band (after I quick football itself), and certainly never got totally caught up in them. But they were

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-40231684150852440332008-11-23T20:27:00.001-06:002008-11-23T20:28:24.183-06:00

I decided to put my blog on hiatus as long as the election was going on. I’d been ranting too much. I’m back, now, and I think I’ve only got one more election story left to get out of my system. Here it is.I’m a smart-aleck. It’s in my genes, and if you know my dad, you know where I got it. Kalyn got it, too. We’re neither nice like Mom. So it goes.So, I was supposed to go to a wedding in Alabama

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-31162622088173107812008-10-21T23:11:00.002-05:002008-10-21T23:14:38.586-05:00

Garrison Keillor writing on just about anything is great. This one here is one of my favorites: "Love Will Outlast Bush." I read that essay pretty regularly.But reading Keillor write about Abilene, TX, for which I'm pretty sure I'm always going to feel a pretty homelike tug, is very interesting. I'm so sad I didn't get to see him.

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-80706746037141620432008-10-03T19:42:00.001-05:002008-10-03T19:42:38.520-05:00

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-63318937558522952842008-09-28T22:29:00.004-05:002008-09-28T22:36:32.418-05:00

Ok, you’ll need some background for this story. First of all, I give my English classes a weekly grammar/vocabulary quiz. The second half of the quiz always requires them to read a chapter from The Elements of Style (or some other writing book) and to improve sentences with either grammatical or stylistic errors.It sounds boring, but I’d rather my quizzes not be too boring. So, I make up

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-22334611907560056492008-09-26T21:26:00.000-05:002008-09-27T21:27:12.438-05:00

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-27876987074654758852008-09-22T21:22:00.002-05:002008-09-22T23:35:29.381-05:00

km tagged me. 1. What is the most powerful thing you have done in the last 5 years? I learned to stand in front of a bunch of sixteen-year-olds every day and survive. 2. What is your super power? I care about stuff. 3. If you could choose another super power now, what would it be? I seem to be in need of some extra seductive powers. 4. Describe your superhero outfit. I’m shirtless so as to

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-25003456848968031472008-09-18T21:55:00.001-05:002008-09-18T21:55:59.808-05:00

Yesterday, I finally moved the twin mattress from my extra bed into the living room floor. I’d been resisting the move for a little while since, you know, a mattress laying in your living room floor is probably not the most stylish look. Plus, I’d have to step around and over it. But it sure is more comfortable than the floor when I’m watching a Cubs game. And I don’t think any of the few people

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-38064399330789096942008-09-14T21:28:00.004-05:002008-09-14T21:35:30.930-05:00

It's more than a hypothesis. Whenever I watch the Cubs, they have a significantly higher chance of losing horribly. They only do well when their games aren't televised in Texas or when I'm too busy to watch. I've documented this. It's a fact.But there are exceptions.Carlos Zambrano just finished throwing a no-hitter against the Astros (who are a Cubs nemesis). It was the first no-hitter for a Cub

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-10437751983411565292008-09-04T21:11:00.007-05:002008-09-04T21:20:02.253-05:00

I hate to do another political post, but I guess I’m about to.The Republican Convention has really bothered me this time. I should say some things before I go on. I’m much more a Democrat than a Republican. But I don’t think the normal demarcations between the two parties make much sense. I hold a number of viewpoints that fit with each party and a number that fit with neither. I think I’m more

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-75480362988025395352008-09-01T15:56:00.004-05:002008-09-01T16:01:15.428-05:00

I always give my writing class an easy, fun writing assignment to kick things off. There are several prompts, always, but they all seem to choose the same one: “The world ended yesterday, and everyone’s gone but you. You’re pretty sure that you’re the only one left…Suddenly, the doorbell rings."So, I just read through 13 of these essays, and I’ve read through several more over the years, and I

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-49482858541067069492008-08-31T22:37:00.000-05:002008-08-31T22:38:35.736-05:00

Pretty Girls, Books, My Favorite Band...Yeah, this couldn't be much better.

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-51270703524594441332008-08-29T22:39:00.001-05:002008-08-31T22:47:15.467-05:00

Ok, about a year ago, I happened upon the little ezine Defenestration when I was looking for funny poems to use in class.Anyway, I really enjoyed it (and found a good bit to use), and I've read it pretty regularly since then.So, last spring when I wrote that series of stupid, silly poems about me shaving off my beard, I decided, "Heck, I'll send it to Defenestration." I thought that would add

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-61092135542672748912008-08-23T22:43:00.004-05:002008-08-23T23:11:15.093-05:00

Tonight, I was talking to Dad on the phone about the choice of Biden for VP (I like it, by the way--he's been a long-time favorite). Anyway, at the end of the conversation, Dad revealed that he's a little worried about how invested I am in the campaign. He asked, "So, what do you think you and Kalyn will do if McCain wins?"Immediately: "Move to Europe, maybe to heav-- Canada."He laughed, and we

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-9410528356625045572008-08-19T17:03:00.002-05:002008-08-19T17:20:32.199-05:00

I agree with just about every word Jack Caffertywrote about McCain's performance in the recent forum at the Saddleback Church. Over and over, Rick Warren's questions opened up an opportunity for thoughtful reflection on the ways Christian faith should be translated into political action. And over and over, McCain offered brief, empty answers that nevertheless appealed to the conservative audience

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-52240262502602582732008-08-15T11:59:00.002-05:002008-08-15T12:00:35.766-05:00

Don't smell asparagus pee.

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-25418674306942551082008-08-14T21:19:00.001-05:002008-08-14T21:27:10.326-05:00

I like NPR. Admitting that probably puts me a step or two closer to being one of those elite, overeducated, liberal snobs you hear so much about, but so be it, you know. I like lattes, too.Especially, I like the program Speaking of Faith, and I recommend it very highly. All the shows are free as mp3s, so you can download them anytime. I like to listen to them when I’m doing boring, monotonous

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-44407707375821666922008-08-11T21:32:00.002-05:002008-08-11T21:36:03.971-05:00

It really does, and I do seem to take after the crazier sides of the family. So it goes.Anyway, I got a bit of confirmation about my family's mental quirkiness yesterday while visiting my parents.We were eating asparagus at supper, and Dad said, "Have you ever noticed that asparagus makes your urine smell awfully funny? It happens almost immediately. You eat it and go straight in there, and it

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-71930677990398848782008-08-03T15:39:00.004-05:002008-08-03T17:06:14.054-05:00

I really keep trying to ignore the election. I've done my homework, and I've known for a while who I'm voting and rooting for. He's not perfect, but I certainly like him more than most politicians. And I respect him. I figured it's best, at this point, to not pay too much attention to the election cycle. It's only going to be ugly right now (on both sides), and I'm only likely to become nervous

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-45783202158755570462008-07-09T19:55:00.002-05:002008-07-22T22:21:15.936-05:00

Sometimes, companies are stupid. For instance, my cable company's offered bad service ever since I got it. Really bad. I've never gotten to watch PBS, for instance, even though I pay for it.Things got rather better, though, when Comedy Central was suddenly added to the channel line-up. I got back into shows that I'd always been a fan of (The Daily Show and Colbert Report especially), and really

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-71554868210485250392008-07-07T15:28:00.001-05:002008-07-07T15:30:26.423-05:00

I just cleaned the toilet for the THIRD time this year already!!That's a new record already (to tell the truth, the old record was one time--back in 2004)!!And it's only a little over half-way through the year!!!My New Year's Resolution, I guess, has already been completed.

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-52852849399527423982008-07-01T21:23:00.002-05:002008-07-01T21:25:06.338-05:00

I've added a link to Pandora Radio to my blog. It's maybe the most wonderful site ever. My thanks to Emily for recommending it on her blog.

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-5648496126045271732008-06-29T21:29:00.001-05:002008-06-29T21:30:56.149-05:00

I've sort of been hooked on Sex and the City for a while, though I'm kind of ashamed of the fact (the movie was pretty decent, by the way).Anyway, the other day I was watching it, and in the episode I saw, Carrie had moved in with her fiance and was having a difficult time having somebody live with her. She has a conversation with her friends in which she laments not being able to do the

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-50919885011543200202008-06-24T21:12:00.002-05:002008-06-24T21:43:48.563-05:00

It rather sucks to have your computer crash. Such happened to me last Friday. What's worse, the hard-drive is gone-gone. Fried. They could get nothing off of it. So it goes.---------------My mother is funny. The other day, she was about to email a recipe to me, and for whatever reason, it wouldn't go through to my normal email account, so I told her to send it to a different account: "pierce1301@

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-37969600219640172942008-06-16T16:38:00.002-05:002008-06-16T16:47:55.547-05:00

The Abilene Book Sale is wonderful. I got a lot of books this weekend for cheap.Here they are, in the order I'm excited about owning them:1. Wesley for Armchair Theologians - William Abraham2. Barth for Armchair Theologians - John R. Franke3. Maxims - La Rochefoucauld4. The Thanatos Syndrome - Walker Percy5. Hannah Coulter - Wendell Berry6. The Way of the Pilgrim7. the Song of God: Bhagavad-Gita8

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-12037595526548484662008-06-08T20:33:00.000-05:002008-06-08T20:34:32.668-05:00

Wash my tomatoes before eating them.

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-55658247831951003742008-06-08T10:32:00.001-05:002008-06-08T10:34:35.154-05:00

A Mystery – Wendy Cope People say, ‘What are you doing these days? What are you working on?’I think for a moment or two. The question interests me. What am I doing these days?How odd that I haven’t a clue. Right now, of course, I’m working on this poem,With just a few more lines to go.But tomorrow someone will ask me, ‘What are you up to these days? What are

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-3688878210936583252008-05-30T20:57:00.000-05:002008-05-30T20:58:25.949-05:00

I’m ashamed of myself. Here awhile back, I did a blog post on all of the things I’m boycotting because I hate their commercials so much. Axe deodorant and body spray was on that list. If you’ve seen the commercials, you probably know why. Anyway, I’m ashamed of myself. I’m a hypocrite. I’m a liar. I’m a fraud. I’m definitely a sell-out (though I guess calling myself a hypocrite maybe covered

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-84423271573407039162008-05-30T20:03:00.000-05:002008-05-30T21:09:30.637-05:00

This article disgusted me like no article has recently. How do you possibly argue against a commencement speech that encourages service to the community?Please help me to hate it.(This is going to be quite a political season.)

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-87890568586033295532008-04-29T21:33:00.001-05:002008-04-29T21:35:22.826-05:00

Today, I had a lot of free time since the TAKS test was going on, and I was one of the few people not giving one. So, I started making a memory sheet for a student who’s going to state later this week in Literary Criticism. I decided on this memory sheet to do as I’d done in high school and attach silly examples with the definitions of terms the student needed to memorize. I mainly, of course,

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-62388665618496543662008-04-29T00:06:00.003-05:002008-04-29T00:20:05.201-05:00

I can throw one heck of a prom. I’ve always hated prom. I hated it back when I had to go to it in high school, and there was nothing I dreaded more this year as a sponsor than the thought of having to put one together and attend it as a chaperone. Things didn’t start real well. I was skeptical about the theme: “City of Lights.” After all, we were throwing the prom in the

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-89922537948103800802008-04-17T18:41:00.003-05:002008-04-17T18:54:55.764-05:00

Lou Dobbs annoys me.Partly, it's his politics. I think he goes way too far on the immigration issue, approaching fairly closely to bigotry as he tries to blame illegal immigrants for America's economic woes. And I think he's too much of a cynic (not just a skeptic) when it comes to politicians. Plus, he's one of those journalists who proves himself ignorant any time a religious topic comes

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-46683909466153953642008-04-03T20:08:00.004-05:002008-04-03T20:14:03.332-05:00

I have this student who is cool but also (and he would admit it) a little eccentric.Anyway, he walked up to me the other day and asked in a tremendously nervous voice, and in all seriousness, “Mr. Pierce, is it really true what the students are all saying that the person you take to your junior prom is probably going to be the person you marry.”He was a little scared of his date.I told him, “No.

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-84118248966122285872008-03-30T23:41:00.002-05:002008-03-30T23:48:36.066-05:00

Sad tidings this week in my household. Two of my three best friends in Winters have gotten ill. Xavier, my X-Box 360, went down last weekend. The dreaded flashing red light. No reason for it. Oh, the (closest thing I’ve got) to humanity! And then, Tuesday, my friend Pierre, my piano, went down with a loud crash and a broken string. This all made, obviously, for a rough and very long

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-53644276948320284072008-03-28T17:52:00.000-05:002008-03-29T17:57:51.085-05:00

"If our Christianity has ceased to be serious about discipleship, if we have watered down the gospel into emotional uplift which makes no costly demands and which fails to distinguish between natural and Christian existence, then we cannot help regarding the cross as an ordinary everyday calamity, as one of the trials and tribulations of life. We have then forgotten that the cross means rejection

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-20724151134912541252008-03-25T22:10:00.005-05:002008-03-25T22:28:15.140-05:00

First, I noticed this little nugget in Hillary Clinton’s interview today in which she was explaining the reason for her inaccurate sniper fire comments concerning her trip to Bosnia as First Lady. “I did misspeak the other day. […] Occasionally, I am human like everyone else.” – Hillary Clinton That changed my outlook on the matter. At first, it had bothered me a little that she’d lied

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-50240416654275491862008-03-18T14:28:00.002-05:002008-03-18T14:42:51.016-05:00

So, my sister is a great, great cook, and since I've been visiting her the last few days over spring break, she's provided some excellent meals. Much more edible than the formerly frozen semi-food I get at home.Today, she was going to cook some catfish. When she opened the package, though, the fish smelled slightly funny. Though Kalyn's an outstanding cook, fish is not something she's worked with

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-81893067526321213252008-03-11T20:15:00.003-05:002008-03-11T22:37:24.579-05:00

So, yesterday was the day when our contracts at the school were either to be renewed or not. We were basically all going to find out if we had been fired.I was, honestly, feeling pretty good about my situation going into the day. I really feel like I’ve done a good job this year, and I’ve gotten good feedback from everyone.Nevertheless, a lot of rumors had been going around for a while about who

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-28324735271353567972008-03-09T22:45:00.003-05:002008-03-10T16:40:55.275-05:00

I had retired the "Arch Enemy" series on my blog. My last such post was two years ago. I just felt like a meany whenever I added another enemy to the list.But I saw one-too-many Jared commercials this weekend. I've hated Jared for a while now, and really, who hasn't? This is justified.His story was worth one commercial, maybe two. His personality suggests just the one. Definitely not eight years'

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-80644878652982064592008-03-04T23:34:00.002-06:002008-03-04T23:43:38.623-06:00

This wasn't a very good day.The husband of my sister's best friend was injured in Iraq today. I don't know much about it. It's a head injury, and he's been flown to Germany for surgery and treatment.His name is Sean. I don't know him all that well since I've only met him a couple of times. But I know he's a really excellent man and husband. They've been married just over a year.I know Theresa

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-66250882917595805732008-03-03T20:19:00.003-06:002008-03-03T22:31:49.740-06:00

[I've been really bothered by the plans of a lot of Texas Republicans to vote for Hillary Clinton because they consider her the easier one to beat in the fall. This has been especially troubling since the Republican factor seems to have moved her to a tie or a narrow lead in the polls, whereas he had a 5-6 point lead in polls two days ago. Of course, I'm an Obama supporter, but I guarantee you I

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-13087246660731034912008-03-02T20:41:00.002-06:002008-03-03T22:32:17.577-06:00

So, two events occurred last week that propelled me to newer and higher heights (or lows). Unfortunately, these were, of course, new heights of wussiness and absent-mindedness. Wussiness: I injured myself playing the piano. Twice. You see, I got really, really, really, really bored one day (this was during Valentine’s week, and I live in Winters, so that probably had something to do

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-32471412007257178982008-02-27T17:59:00.002-06:002008-02-27T18:11:58.859-06:00

[Ok, I'll admit I got a little bored and carried away last night. You see, I was typing up a simple assignment for my students--write a fairy tale. I wanted the write-up, though, to be at least mildly amusing (I never give assignment write-ups without at least one joke in them). It seemed fitting to begin 'Once upon a time..." and present the write-up in a brief, fairy tale story form. What

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-22254797729374089012008-02-24T14:43:00.005-06:002008-02-24T20:44:15.335-06:00

This poem needs a little background information.Don Marquis was this humorous poet whose poeticvoice was as his creation Archy the Cockroach.Hence, the lack of capitalization. A roach hoppingaround the typewriter couldn't hit the shift key.Anyway, this poem is about a conversation betweenArchy and a moth. the lesson of the moss – don marquisi was talking to a moththe other eveninghe was trying

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-64111813461084016092008-02-21T18:11:00.001-06:002008-02-21T18:12:49.674-06:00

Add the sauce packet. Hamburger Helper sucks without it. So does Rice-a-roni.

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-21060906477838286282008-02-19T22:21:00.003-06:002008-02-24T20:45:42.452-06:00

I made my students write a whole bunch of those formula poems that they often make you write in high school (you know, a cinquain, a "why" poem, a poem where you have to pick something and decide what seasons it's like, a comparison poem). It was sort of fun, and they actually produced some neat stuff.Anyway, yesterday was our poetry reading day, and I thought that if they had to write all those

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-47029157290510662482008-02-15T20:45:00.005-06:002008-02-24T20:46:08.936-06:00

One thing I've discovered this year is that my sense of humor never quite progressed out of high school.This is fortunate at the moment, since I'm back in high school. I guarantee you that my students currently think I'm funnier than pretty much anyone else has ever considered me (perhaps that doesn't say much, but it says something). They definitely consider me a lot funnier than my college

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-5460325105666100912008-02-14T20:57:00.002-06:002008-02-14T21:17:05.434-06:00

I gave up coke for lent (not the illegal kind, fyi). That's sort of normal, I guess, but man is it hard.This is like the ninth day of Lent, and I think I've messed up five days (maybe just four--I can't quite remember). Anyway, I guess lent is supposed to make you more thankful for the things you normally have and is also supposed to help you work on your ability to discipline yourself.My problem

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-44235406159796257182008-02-03T19:55:00.000-06:002008-02-03T20:00:03.818-06:00

Check this out. Really.

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-21355442592341965702008-02-02T11:01:00.001-06:002008-02-24T20:46:36.134-06:00

The Poem - Franz WrightIt was like getting a love letter from a treeEyes closed forever to find you--There is a life whichif I could have itI would have chosen for myself from the beginning

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-36878378904055661952008-01-31T20:08:00.000-06:002008-01-31T20:10:09.834-06:00

Obama is left-handed!!!I like him even more.

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-76404626663163338472008-01-29T21:07:00.001-06:002008-02-24T20:52:26.549-06:00

You know that old Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times.” Well, I’ve noticed that my blog is only interesting when I do stupid or horrible things. Thankfully, I guess, I seem to have quite a bit of material lately. Sooooo…… I shaved my beard this weekend. Accidentally. You see, the beard trimmer is always set on 3.5. ALWAYS ALWAYS. Except for this Sunday when I was in a

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-80213062049988521302008-01-26T18:45:00.035-06:002009-01-04T22:36:35.285-06:00

70. Selected Poems - W.H. Auden 8/1069. The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories - Tim Burton 7/1068. Voss - David Ives 7.5/1067. The Tales of Beedle the Bard - J.K. Rowling 7.5/1066. The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming - Lemony Snicket 7/1065. Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell 8.5/1064. Amusing Ourselves To Death - Neil Postman 9.5/1063. All of Us - Raymond Carver 7.5/1062. Weather

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-74949016124681516142008-01-16T17:44:00.001-06:002008-03-30T23:45:27.529-05:00

You know that episode of The Office where Jim spends the whole day dropping hints to Dwight to make him think the day was Friday, rather than the actual Thursday, so that Dwight wouldn’t come in the next day. Of course, it works, and Dwight comes racing into work halfway through the next day. The sad thing is, I’m about as bad as Dwight, and the Jim isn’t here. Yesterday was Tuesday. I

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-45158315722942784612008-01-14T22:46:00.000-06:002008-01-14T22:47:43.421-06:00

I’ve learned something about myself. I like wearing novelty t-shirts. I think I know what I like about them. You see, when you’re walking in the store or in the park or in the library or at the zoo or, you know, wherever you happen to be, people look at you. And then they look at you again, because they’re interested in what Mr. Rogers on your shirt is saying (“Feeling good in the

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-60798615618155507112008-01-11T23:54:00.000-06:002008-01-11T23:56:10.096-06:00

Ok, it’s time to reenter the world of blogging. I’m not quite sure why I left, why I do that sometimes. So it goes. Reminder #34 I have a blog. I do have a theory, I guess, about why I haven’t blogged in a while. I do have a (sometimes broken) rule against blogging about my job (other than really harmless stuff). I think since I moved to Winters that my life is pretty much my job and

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-33151899902194054592007-10-29T22:18:00.000-05:002007-10-29T22:20:31.424-05:00

PRAYER At some point you praynot because you’ve made itnot because you see the stony handopening before youbut somewhere the sky leans a familiar grayinto the trees and they acknowledge itreweaving the shroud of their deep roots nothing in particular happens to youthe sky becomes a still white moundand suddenly your knee goes down. Emma Howell

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-68440905549274490802007-09-17T18:55:00.000-05:002007-09-17T19:16:13.779-05:00

I guess I'm one of those people who just doesn't live entirely in the world. This isn't to say that I'm some kind of holy person. No, I'm just occasionally a stupid one. Quite often, my mind is just not very close to where I happen to be.For instance, tonight I was fixing myself a frozen pizza for supper. This should be a rather simple task. At the same time, though, I was trying to figure out

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-22490406730551825402007-09-15T21:40:00.000-05:002007-09-15T21:42:57.126-05:00

Tonight, I was picking up around my house. Last week was rather hectic so it had gotten into rather a mess (though I’ve been doing much better than in the past of keeping my place neat). One problem I encountered while cleaning was trying to discern the dirty clothes from the clean ones among those laying in my bedroom floor. This is a normal problem, and I usually resolve it by just washing

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-34432353785863429612007-09-11T21:42:00.000-05:002007-09-11T21:55:10.440-05:00

Funny thing.I got cable TV today. It's already set up.It's sort of strange how it happened, especially after all of the frustration that went before.I decided this morning to call the first company I'd called several weeks ago when I was trying to get set up. They'd gone three days in a row of not showing up when promised. Still, they seemed by best chance of getting some sort of set-up before

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-4050326363844599622007-09-10T18:48:00.000-05:002007-09-10T18:52:14.894-05:00

I hate to return to blogging with a rant. I’d been doing so well blogging, had seemed to have hit a stride. I was actually blogging regularly. But then I moved and didn’t have any internet service for several weeks. I’d hoped that at my return I could pick up on the previous rhythm. Alas. A Rant One of the worst things about living in a small town again is that you can get no service

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-9086538765665487322007-08-10T09:52:00.000-05:002007-08-10T10:01:58.809-05:00

This morning, I was going through my internet rounds, checking out the sites I haven't gotten to read all week because of bus driving school.One of my first stops, as usual, was the Cubs website to see how last night's game went and to see when they play today.I was greeted at the site by the sight of a fan holding a sign emblazoned with a large W. The Cubs had won last night was the message.This

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-84383179886274579692007-08-09T23:59:00.000-05:002007-08-10T00:23:56.387-05:00

The Barry Bonds fiasco was pretty depressing. As unlikely as it was, I had held out hope that once he tied Hank Aaron he would abruptly retire. It would have been entirely out of character for him to do, but then, he would at least have had a little class. It's not as though San Francisco was actually going anywhere with or without him.Anyway, he doesn't have any class. No big surprise. It was

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-24856369264615472272007-08-05T19:11:00.000-05:002007-08-05T19:13:46.753-05:00

My coming week is going to be almost impossibly busy, so I’ve been spending today getting all the little stuff done so that I won’t have to worry about it later. One such thing was to get hold of a copy of the DVD of Twelfth Night. I’m supposed to show it to my class on Wednesday (we’re discussing the play on Monday and Tuesday). I thought I could get it at the library, but I was wrong. It

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-50769975507575920562007-08-02T11:03:00.000-05:002007-08-03T11:07:13.997-05:00

'I am reminded [...] of one of the greatest ballerinas of all time. After one of her great performances somebody had the temerity to ask her what the dance meant. Her reply was simple and speaks volumes to us as we consider mission in the postmodern world. "If I could have said it," she said, "I wouldn't have needed to dance it."'--N.T. Wright, The Challenge of Jesus

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-80710233620415066722007-08-01T21:00:00.000-05:002007-08-04T22:44:48.754-05:00

Things this week didn’t start off that well. Indicative of the week was this afternoon. We’ve been having problems on our cell phone bill. They’ve been pretty massive, mainly because my sister (with whom I currently share a plan) had a lot of unavoidable daytime calls necessitated by her and my brother-in-law’s move last week. This pushed us well over our limit, and I’ve been trying to cut

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-71082484032256851622007-07-28T12:01:00.000-05:002007-07-30T16:51:13.535-05:00

KM and Tam have tagged me. The rules are: We have to post these rules before we give you the facts. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-23150998512804292752007-07-27T23:30:00.001-05:002007-07-27T23:32:35.950-05:00

I read a lot. A whole lot. A slow year of reading for me is about eighty books. And I'm really good about picking out the books I'll like. So, I read a whole lot of books that I really enjoy.There are different kinds and levels of enjoyment though. I've read a lot of fantasy and swashbuckling adventure sorts of books, and I'm always amused by the brief escape they offer. They're like the old

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-52380818138824716122007-07-26T22:34:00.000-05:002007-07-26T22:35:58.963-05:00

"There is no way to peace along the way of safety. Peace is the great adventure. It has to be dared." - Dietrich BonhoefferIt scares me that I think Bonhoeffer's right.

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-85864325426496388542007-07-19T12:33:00.000-05:002007-07-19T12:34:36.450-05:00

I was hungry. I’d just gotten out of work, and I wanted a grilled chicken sandwich. It was 10:56, and I pulled into McDonald’s. They have good grilled chicken sandwiches there. I pulled up to the menu thingy and ordered the sandwich. Simple really. “We are only serving breakfast right now,” the voice said. “Oh….When do you start serving your lunch menu?” I queried. “11:00.”

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-36126651012697042692007-06-28T16:20:00.000-05:002007-06-28T16:22:12.850-05:00

This could only happen to me. And to some other people.My last pair of glasses hasn’t been great. I didn’t really notice how tight the frames were when I bought them two years ago, and there’s not really any way to bend them into a more comfortable shape. They are too tight at the temples, and I can’t do anything about it.This gives me the occasional headache, and more devastatingly, it makes my

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-31285396813512085472007-06-27T14:36:00.000-05:002007-06-27T14:41:20.255-05:00

Things did work out on the job front, it seems. I didn't get job number one after all (I was runner-up), but that's ok. As KM pointed out, the interview process told me a couple of things about them that I wasn't sure I was going to like anyway. I'm not broken-hearted.Job #2 worked out in the end. It's going to be sort of a hybrid thing. I'll be half teacher, half librarian at a little high

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-62258266435009677052007-06-19T16:01:00.000-05:002007-06-19T16:02:43.506-05:00

I don’t like looking for jobs. The interviewing process is, for the most part, degrading. Most of the employers really seem to feel almost no obligation to treat the potential employees with dignity or courtesy. That’s how it’s been this summer on my job hunt, at least. Recently, the job hunt has gotten me into a bit of a quandary. Last week, on Monday, I interviewed

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-233615884769789932007-06-10T18:45:00.000-05:002007-06-10T18:58:59.964-05:00

Every year, I go to the Abilene Public Library Book Sale if I can possibly make it. It's massive. The whole convention center is covered in them. This is about half a football field of cheap books. I've been looking forward to it all year.The problem was that I've been in Menard, and I didn't have internet access all last week. So, I was having to remember when the sale was on. I thought that the

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-1140631495656192592007-05-29T18:32:00.000-05:002007-09-15T21:41:47.031-05:00

When you're trying to clean a lot of vines off of a fence and you plunge your hands and arms all the way into the mess, make sure that none of it is poison ivy or poison oak.

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-88652035056605326282007-05-24T15:33:00.000-05:002007-05-24T15:42:19.276-05:00

Back in Menard for a little while, about a month.The other day, it hit me that I was back while I was sitting in the parking lot of the local convenience store. The store had a sign hanging up advertising its breakfast food. Of course, normally, advertising makes the food look really good. This store is honest at least though; the food pictured on the sign looks even more disgusting than the

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-19325872238162213232007-05-13T23:01:00.000-05:002007-05-13T23:04:36.330-05:00

I was just eating a bowl of Apple Jacks, and I kept trying to think to myself what exactly it was that Apple Jacks tasted like.After about ten minutes (two bowls), I finally decided that Apple Jacks taste vaguely of apples.

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9979313.post-79638079734519451072007-05-04T20:39:00.000-05:002007-05-04T20:55:38.552-05:00

I try not to write much about my students. I just don't think that's very good practice, at least as long as they are your students.Honestly though, I don't think it can be avoided sometimes.I've been grading a batch of student arguments, and they are supposed to be presenting the opposing viewpoint and then rebutting it in one section of the essay.To paraphrase one student's position on capital

John Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01196649482071873332noreply@blogger.com2