Damien Riley HQ

I always wanted to be able to play the sax. There’s a killer solo in Chris Deburgh’s Fatal Hesitation that I’d love to rip through alone in my room. Guitar has been my instrument of choice all my life.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Practice Makes Perfect?.”

I’ve messed with some wind instruments like flute and harmonica. They just come as naturally to me as the guitar, my chosen instrument. Baker Street by Dan Rafferty has that signature sound and melody. I’d also love to play that one. It’s such an emotional sound, the sax adds so much to a band. Another amazing sax tune in in The heat is On by Glen Frey. I’m quite sure it’s too late for me to start sax lessons, I barely practice my guitar anymore. Still, when you hear someone talented play, you feel like you’re playing it yourself.

I’m not too happy with some of the misconceptions about 4th of July out there on social media. America was formed because an unruly, righteously driven group of colonists would not accept taxation from Great Britain. My whole concept of being a proud American stems from this basic knowledge.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Familial Feasts.”

I’d like to have a holiday honoring the Irish immigrants. They were killed in the streets just because of their ethnicity. They were drive to America by the potato famine and were not prosperous at first. My Riley ancestors went through a lot of crap and struggle so I could enjoy the freedom of education and career I enjoy today. I’m grateful to them for that. But back to the 4th of July. I’m also not too happy with WordPress Daily Post for not creating a 4thn of July prompt. I hope that was not intentional. WordPress is right up there on my “proud to be” list along with being an American. I get most of that from how it was and still is largely an open source technology by the people and for the people. I am eternally grateful for the revolutionary rebel soldiers who won the war and enabled the writing of the Declaration of Independence.

Moment of silence.

Onward and upward … the ribs, corn on the cob, and swimming in the 88 degree weather is calling me. As a teacher, I thought it proper to post for you these 3 minute videos to help your kids and other curious folks understand what the 4th of July means. Schoolhouse Rock says it better than I! Happy 4th of July proud Americans!

Since I tend to worry a lot, even subliminally and out of my control, I truly appreciate it when a stranger I run across in my life urges me to “not worry about it.” I need to be that way with strangers from my end as well.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “The Kindness of Strangers.”

It can be as small as being short a few cents when checking out at a store. “Don’t worry about it” is like music to my ears. I actually had a checker once spot me one dollar when I was short. I told her I’d come back and repay her which I did. When I said thank you the second time, she said those magic words. If I’m nervous at the doctor or dentist, those words are so helpful. If I’m being evaluated at work, they are like a million dollars. To have an evaluator use them is heartening.

Stress is necessary in life. When a runner goes off at the gun, he needs to stress his muscles to win the race. In making a presentation with hopes of landing an account, a salesman must stress himself. Butterflies in the stomach are unavoidable sometimes but when you learn to not worry about it, you get those butterflies “flying in formation” and you can do great things. Would you like more people to tell you to not worry about it? I recommend you start telling others that. That’s my plan. We’ll see what karma can do for my struggle with worry.

We’ve been working our fingers to the bone over here at the Riley house, most specifically, my inlaws have been but my family is helping however we can. The vision is for a retaining wall at the back of our property, done, a pergola, almost done, and a paved stone area with a firepit, also almost done. I’ve been keeping my pool up. It had some really aggravating algae in it after sitting all year. Now that temperatures up to 106 some days here in the high desert, it’s great to have it cleaned and balanced with chemicals.

My father in law is doing the mainstay of the work on everything else. I’ve even been teased for being the lazy one on the computer but I’ll tell you that is an out and out lie. At any ratem just to get the pool ready for the summer I’ve spent close to $1,000 on various sundries and chemicals for the pool. After a couple months of fighting the pool, can I tell you I’m done? Almost. Actually with pools, you’re never done. You just get smooth spots.

I had a 6th grade teacher who brought bluegrass instruments and players into class one time. They played a song for us called “Bony Fingers.” That’s where I got the line for the title. If you thik about it, it’s easy t get a bad attitude about physical labor. It can physically hurt. Most the time it’s just uncomfortable. Looking back at the weeks we’ve been working on the backyard, I can tell you it has been quite uncomfortable at times. My wife’s birthday was in May and in lieu of a gift she asked her parents for a new backyard. They rose to the occasion.

They’ve been great but of course there is a small element of strain with your inlaws in your backyard. If were anyone but them, I might have objected. As it is, it feels like a trip to the lake every weekend, we even jump in the water most every day. When the process is complete it will have been worth all we put into it. My wife will have her wish of a new backyard and I can make me up some roasted marshmallows and hot dogs in the firepit.

See all the photos at my living album on flickr.

There’s something to say for relaxation. But there’s something much more important to say about bony fingers!

This post is in response to Stream of Consciousness Saturday and The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Festivus for the Rest of Us.”

I learned a lot in college, both in and out of class. The bills, the jobs, the bosses, the coworkers, the professors, etc. yadda yadda. Everyone who went to college can recall I am sure. I remember one of the coolest things I learned in college was keeping a schedule. I’d start with a 3×5 card and neatly write in a weekly schedule with all my classes and their room numbers. Walking around campus, I often referred to it when I wasn’t sure of my next destination. It sounds weird but I miss that. The feeling of being a small fish in a big pond trying to get from point A to point B and pass all my classes. The best tome was the beginning of a semester. I’d have fresh notebooks, paper, and pens and the chance to excel all over again. I learned a lot of college tricks that worked for me.

One system that I used n college was the manila file folder system, so called by me. Instead of notebooks, I used manila a separate manila folder for each class and kept them in my satchel. I used a clipboard for the class at hand and filed all my notes into the file folder and then stored it in the satchel. This was a great system! I liked it a lot, especially because it broke with the “norm” of carrying a backback around. Although I hated college sometimes, I do miss the artistry of being a student. Most students don’t realize what they are capable of until they go through the challenge of college. You learn where all the 99 cent menus are in town and a million other little tricks to help you get through. It was some of the hardest work I’ve ever done but I do miss that challenge to be creative and make things work every day.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Fifteen Credits.”

I learned a lot in college, both in and out of class. The bills, the jobs, the bosses, the coworkers, the professors, etc. yadda yadda. Everyone who went to college can recall I am sure. I remember one of the coolest things I learned in college was keeping a schedule. I’d start with a 3×5 card and neatly write in a weekly schedule with all my classes and their room numbers. Walking around campus, I often referred to it when I wasn’t sure of my next destination. It sounds weird but I miss that. The feeling of being a small fish in a big pond trying to get from point A to point B and pass all my classes. The best tome was the beginning of a semester. I’d have fresh notebooks, paper, and pens and the chance to excel all over again. I learned a lot of college tricks that worked for me.

One system that I used n college was the manila file folder system, so called by me. Instead of notebooks, I used manila a separate manila folder for each class and kept them in my satchel. I used a clipboard for the class at hand and filed all my notes into the file folder and then stored it in the satchel. This was a great system! I liked it a lot, especially because it broke with the “norm” of carrying a backback around. Although I hated college sometimes, I do miss the artistry of being a student. Most students don’t realize what they are capable of until they go through the challenge of college. You learn where all the 99 cent menus are in town and a million other little tricks to help you get through. It was some of the hardest work I’ve ever done but I do miss that challenge to be creative and make things work every day.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Fifteen Credits.”

Bloggers love lists. They can be short and sweet or developed as much as one chooses. They are also great for task management. The Summer can be a time for me to “Vege out” and not accomplish anything. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, As Neil Young says, “There’s a lot to learn from wasting time.” Still, it helped for me to sit down in a straight-backed chair and write in my paper journal the things I hope to accomplish this Summer. Sharing them as an online diary is helpful to me and hopefully entertaining if not helpful to someone reading this.

Today I am participating in Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop. This is one of her suggested topics for the week.

This summer I hope to accomplish the following things, not in order of importance.

1. Rest and rebuild. This sounds like the opposite of accomplishment to a workaholic but it isn’t. In fact, the more you stop to sharpen your axe and the better sharpened it is determines how productively you cut trees down. The brain needs rest. Of course it must always stay challenged but there’s a lot to say for stopping and tending to your body and mind over the Summer.
2. Journal at least weekly about innovative ideas for running my classroom. A few creative, well-placed ideas can improve the learning environment immensely. I am not so much worried about the kids who misbehave in my class as about those who try to do the right thing but are hindered by the kids who make wrong choices. I want the class to be a sanctuary for learning and I need to create and innovate some new ideas to that end. Summer is the perfect wide-open thinking time to do it.
3. Take my wife out at least weekly. I’ll need to coordinate with my son’s work schedule and plan dinners for the kids when I take Sarah out to the places where she can relax and have a good time. Sometimes when I get so into my routine, I forget to show her how valuable and attractive she is to me. I do not want this to happen over the Summer.
4. Swim, get sun and Vitamin D. This may seem like part rest and it is but ot is something else as well. The sun grows vitamin D in our bodies. My being in the sun a sensible amount of time, we build our immunity and overall health. Not to mention that I spend so much time and money on the pool, Summer is the time to use it.
5. Blog once a day or more. My blogging life has stretched and contracted over time. It has stretched again and even gone into hiding at times. I’ve learned it is something I cannot ever quit. It fits me. It’s become a natural tool where I sort out my thoughts and make connections with other bloggers. Like I said, the way I blog has undergone many changes as has my routine. Over the Summer, I plan to blog once a day. I hope to do a WordPress.com Daily Post prompt each day because I find it an effective networking device. In fact, so far the best I have found for the sort of online diary blogger I am. I am also checking out two other days of writing challenges: Mama Kat’s Writing Workshop of Thursdays or another day I choose, and SOCS, Stream of Consciousness Saturday which I have participated in a few times and very much enjoyed. Anything beyond this will just be regular posts I may feel so led to share.
6. Attend Summer Institute for my teacher’s union at UCLA. I’m scheduled to stay in the dorms there and study website and communications. I’m not overly thrilled about leaving my wife and kids for a week but I feel the training will hugely benefit my teachers union so I’m doing it.
7. Go to Laguna Beach. I just love this place. Sand and salt water here I come! If I go twice it’s a huge accomplishment.

Bloggers love lists. They can be short and sweet or developed as much as one chooses. They are also great for task management. The Summer can be a time for me to “Vege out” and not accomplish anything. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, As Neil Young says, “There’s a lot to learn from wasting time.” Still, it helped for me to sit down in a straight-backed chair and write in my paper journal the things I hope to accomplish this Summer. Sharing them as an online diary is helpful to me and hopefully entertaining if not helpful to someone reading this.

Today I am participating in Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop. This is one of her suggested topics for the week.

This summer I hope to accomplish the following things, not in order of importance.

1. Rest and rebuild. This sounds like the opposite of accomplishment to a workaholic but it isn’t. In fact, the more you stop to sharpen your axe and the better sharpened it is determines how productively you cut trees down. The brain needs rest. Of course it must always stay challenged but there’s a lot to say for stopping and tending to your body and mind over the Summer.
2. Journal at least weekly about innovative ideas for running my classroom. A few creative, well-placed ideas can improve the learning environment immensely. I am not so much worried about the kids who misbehave in my class as about those who try to do the right thing but are hindered by the kids who make wrong choices. I want the class to be a sanctuary for learning and I need to create and innovate some new ideas to that end. Summer is the perfect wide-open thinking time to do it.
3. Take my wife out at least weekly. I’ll need to coordinate with my son’s work schedule and plan dinners for the kids when I take Sarah out to the places where she can relax and have a good time. Sometimes when I get so into my routine, I forget to show her how valuable and attractive she is to me. I do not want this to happen over the Summer.
4. Swim, get sun and Vitamin D. This may seem like part rest and it is but ot is something else as well. The sun grows vitamin D in our bodies. My being in the sun a sensible amount of time, we build our immunity and overall health. Not to mention that I spend so much time and money on the pool, Summer is the time to use it.
5. Blog once a day or more. My blogging life has stretched and contracted over time. It has stretched again and even gone into hiding at times. I’ve learned it is something I cannot ever quit. It fits me. It’s become a natural tool where I sort out my thoughts and make connections with other bloggers. Like I said, the way I blog has undergone many changes as has my routine. Over the Summer, I plan to blog once a day. I hope to do a WordPress.com Daily Post prompt each day because I find it an effective networking device. In fact, so far the best I have found for the sort of online diary blogger I am. I am also checking out two other days of writing challenges: Mama Kat’s Writing Workshop of Thursdays or another day I choose, and SOCS, Stream of Consciousness Saturday which I have participated in a few times and very much enjoyed. Anything beyond this will just be regular posts I may feel so led to share.
6. Attend Summer Institute for my teacher’s union at UCLA. I’m scheduled to stay in the dorms there and study website and communications. I’m not overly thrilled about leaving my wife and kids for a week but I feel the training will hugely benefit my teachers union so I’m doing it.
7. Go to Laguna Beach. I just love this place. Sand and salt water here I come! If I go twice it’s a huge accomplishment.