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. 

Christmas Albums

A couple of must listens during the Christmas Season. My Dad’s 1964 Beach Boys Christmas Album and the 1980 Star Wars Christmas Album: Christmas in the Stars. 

 

Cats and Christmas

 

Christmas Eve!

 

A Day in Fort Worth

Spent yesterday in Fort Worth. Went to the Stockyards. Went to the rooftop cinema and watched Elf under the open sky. A good day.

 

Last Day of the Semester

 The First Semester is done!

CiCi's

My daughter and I were invited to a Friends and Family soft opening for the new CiCi's. It is the biggest CiCi's I have ever seen. It's right across from the high school and I've never seen my students so excited about a restaurant opening. 

 

The Little Corporal

The goal in the AP European History curriculum is to get to Napoleon by Christmas. Today my class celebrated this achievement by having a funeral for The Little Corporal. 

The Problems of Philosophy

Finished another one of my Long-Term Reads this morning during breakfast. The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell. Two or three pages every day which was good because I found it pedantic. This is due to a couple of factors. One, I'm just probably not intellectually up to snuff for Russell's insight. And secondly, I often find philosophy too abstract to be meaningful in my daily life. In my younger days I had a greater appreciation for the study of philosophy. But as the days have been added to my life, my patience for esoteric quibbling has lessened considerably. Arguments that seemed so important in the dorm rooms or campus quads now seem trivial or a waste of energy. Now, Russell does address these issues, particularly in the last chapter but it was not enough to convince me. Some philosophy I do find interesting. Camus, Sartre, Robert Solomon etc. But so much of the discipline relies on highly specialized vocabulary and intricate thought paths that I tire of quickly. Guess I'm just getting old and cranky! 

Smashed

Came home one day last week, walked into the kitchen and found this. One of our decorative plates smashed on the floor. Only our cat Lola leaps up above the cabinets where this plate was located. And our other cat, Athena, had thrown up in the middle of the living room floor, obviously anxious about the whole incident. Typical day. 
 

Letterman

My Mom gave me my Dad's old high school letterman jacket this week. Perfect shape and actually fits. Tulsa Will Rogers High School, Class of 1969. You can see guys wearing this jacket in the movie The Outsiders. My Dad went to junior high and high school with the author SE Hinton. They called her Suzy Hinton.

Christmas on Main

Last week also walked downtown to the annual Christmas on Main  

 

Dubliners

I re-read Dubliners this past week.  This is my favorite of James Joyce's works. Although written in the early 20th century and meant to describe life in a particular place, the stories ring true with the modern experience. Each short story is an entire world. It had been over fifteen years since I had read these stories. They meant more this go-around. 

Loss of a Maverick

I found out a couple of days ago that the great Raul Malo had passed away on Monday. I was shocked and saddened to hear this. He had been fighting a battle with cancer. Both as a solo artist and as a member of The Mavericks he never ceased to surprise me with his breadth of musical talent. It's hard to describe his genre. He melded country, rock and roll, Mexican, Cuban, Tejano, blues and many more influences into a unique and fantastic sound. His voice was amazing and he always seemed to play with a joyous spirit. He will be missed. What a spectacular presence. 

Tao

I finished up reading this translation of the Tao Te Ching yesterday. This version was translated by Ralph Alan Dale. Often attributed to Laozi (Lao Tzu) in the 6th century BCE, scholars now believe many of the sayings go back as far as the 3rd century BCE. Eighty-one sections, I usually read one a day during lunch during the school year. Very calming during stormy days. I'll start up a different translation of the Tao tomorrow.