Our Land

This book was better than I expected. Lotta heartbreak but also a lot of joyousness. Woody Guthrie of Okemah, Oklahoma always stood with the down and outers, the forgotten, the impoverished, and those outta luck. He fought against fascism of all types and told the story of the working class of America. He didn't only tell the story of the rough and tumble, he lived it. He had many a chance to live the high life but he always eschewed riches and stood true with the poor and huddled masses. We used to sing his most famous song every day in elementary school during announcements: This Land is Your Land, this Land is My Land…

 

Perspective

 

Isms

 Wise words from Woody Guthrie in his 1943 autobiography “Bound for Glory.” 

One More…

 One more day off from school today. Three in a row! 

Almost Over

Looks like the worst has passed. We are scheduled to return to school tomorrow. 

Shoveled

How to tell if someone who grew up in the Midwest lives in your Texas neighborhood during an ice storm. 

A Lament

 I often feel helpless and not sure what I can do when I see five year olds being detained coming home from school and Americans being executed in the streets of Minneapolis. But, as one of my favorite authors once wrote: 

“We are not helpless. We can sing the truth and name the liars.” 

Lord have mercy.

The Storm is Here

 

Sauron and the Ring

 Lord of the T-Shirts

Outta Here

You know the upcoming ice storm will be bad when Senator Cruz is seen heading to the beach! 

Get Back

 

Funeral

Attending a funeral for a former colleague today. Patti Fay. We worked together for over 20 years. She was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in November. Two months later it took her life at age 61. A real shock. Life is too short and cancer is a horrific thing. 

Migration

During the 2020 Pandemic M Ward released this amazing album called Migration Stories. It was one of those albums that helped divert my attention from the horrors of what was happening in the world. For Christmas I received the album on vinyl. Purchased from Guest Room Records in Norman, Oklahoma which has a fantastic selection of records. 

 

Amnesia

Bought on New Years Day at Good Records. The 20th anniversary double LP transparent white edition of M Ward's 2001 End of Amnesia. It was a good album to listen to before heading back to work after two weeks.

 

LOTR Returns

Peter Jackson introducing the Fellowship of the Ring to theaters for its 25th anniversary theater run. There were some dressed as elves last night at the theater. 

Sing the Truth

 

6-7

Yep, even a hundred years ago, John Muir was on the 6-7 bandwagon. 

Neighbors

 

New Old Tech

Added another piece of vintage tech to my classroom today. I inherited this projector from my Grandfather-in-Law a few years back. Finally brought it to the workplace today. 

This Isn't America

The murder of Renee Good in Minneapolis by an ICE agent is horrifying. To add to the horror of this murder is the government's deliberate lying about the incident. As Orwell predicted, they are asking us to not believe what we are seeing with our very own eyes. This isn't America. 

Towers

| started 2025 reading Fellowship of the Ring. So I started 2026 with The Two Towers. The plan is to start 2027 with Return of the King. This is my second read-through of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. They really are a fantastic read. They make the movies (which I enjoy greatly) seem like a hurried abridged version of a larger story. Sometimes you need to have a few minutes to escape the awfulness of what's happening in America at the moment. But in this story you see regular folks taking on great evil and are reminded that maybe we need to get up and do something about the evil we face in our current world.

Hoosiers

Indiana may indeed be unstoppable this year. Who da thunk it? At Texas Roadhouse last night the crowd erupted with cheers of shock when the Hoosiers pulled a pick six on the first play of the game. Most in the restaurant weren’t even watching that game. But that caught everyone’s attention. 

Training

I have been accused of training him from an early age. I denied it but evidence from nineteen years ago has been brought forth.

HBDJDW!

 Happy Birthday to this guy! 

75

Yesterday would have been my Dad’s 75th birthday. He was taken from us too soon. We always enjoyed sharing Mexican Cokes together. 

Good

 

On New Years Day, me and Ava went Good Records and bought a record. Also stopped in at the Half Price Books Mothership Store. 

One Year

 Well, yesterday I made it a full year on Duolingo. 

Back to Work Tomorrow

 

Dusty Boots

 You know it was a good day of hiking when your boots are dusty. 

First Hike

Bluebird day for our first hike of 2026

 

Books Read in 2025

Happy New Year! Another year begins for the old Internet Lounge. Last year saw the most posts in a single year. I’m pretty sure my readership is down to zero but I maintain The Lounge to force myself to look around and jot my observations down somewhere. I use a journal as well but a blog allows for photos. Above is the list of books I read in ‘25. It was a good reading year.