I know what might be crossing people's minds right now, "Tim....updating....huh?"  I know, it's been many months, almost a full nine months now.  But After reading many of my past entries I realized how much I missed this. Writing a journal entry about how things were going and what my thoughts were about life.  Needless to say a lot has changed over the past nine months, and I have changed significantly.  But, I wanted to tell a story that freaked me out yet got me wondering at the same time.

It started yesterday at 5:30 AM, which is the time that I usually get up to go to work (A 1 hour drive to the school sucks as it is, but to do it at 6 AM sucks even more).  I wasn't feeling particularly terrific that morning, especially my throat which was irritated from my student's home made salsa the night before (I don't think they did a very good job of cutting the garlic).  So I stayed in bed for an extra 15 minutes.  I finally got up and went through my usual routine of showering, dressing, and having a glass of orange juice then hitting the road.  However, I needed gas badly.  Problem this time around though was that the gas station was particuluarly packed.  How a gas station can have a line of 3-4 cars at 6 AM was absolutely astounding.  So, I got stuck at the station for at least 10-15 minutes when it usually only take 5 minutes.  Then I got back onto the road, but there was a traffic jam.  No particular reason or anything, just a lot of cars before the Parkway.  I lost another 10 minutes there.  So in total, I lost about 40 minutes from my trip.  I thought to myself, "Damn, for the first time in 9 months, I'm gonna be late for work."

Well, as I was driving on the Parkway, approaching Exit 74, I saw a huge puff of black smoke.  I thought, "Man, that doesn't look good."  I slowed down and saw an overturned car.  I've never seen an overturned car close up before, so it freaked me out, but on top of that, there were no paramedics, police, or EMT's.  I realized that it must've been something that happened recently, so I pulled out my cell and called 911.  At this point, other drivers started slowing down and some even got out to get the guy out of the car.  Weirdest thing was there was one gentlemen yelling if anyone had a cell phone and nobody seemed to have one.  I jumped out of my car without even turning it off and started yelling that I had 911 on my phone.  Needless to say, my heart was racing, so I basically started the 911 conversation with where I was on the parkway and explained what happened.  The other drivers had pulled the driver out of the car and it was an older gentleman.  He seemed alright, but the 911 responder told me to get him onto the ground and keep his neck straight, I realized she was trying to tell me that he might have a spinal cord injury.  In retrospect, the other drivers shouldn't have pulled the guy out of the car, but hindsight is 20/20.  So anyway, I got him onto the ground and told a woman to hold his head in place.  She then told me to check and make sure he could feel all the parts of his body, so I started tapping him on the chest, arms, legs, and back.  By this time, I started hearing sirens.  So, I got off the phone with the 911 responder and moved back up to the man's neck and head.  The woman just suddenly left, I don't remember why.  The police then basically took over and I stayed with the man for another 20 minutes.  In the meantime, I tried getting in contact with the school.  Man that was scary!  Took me 3 attempts and waking Michelle up to get in touch with the school.  Anyway, the police kept asking him questions, which was really funny actually.  His name was Tony and he was on his way to work at ACE Hardware.  He was joking around with the police that he usually lies about his age, so he didn't want to give them his real age.  The paramedics finally showed up and we got him onto the backboard and eventually the stretcher.  After the police took down my name and information, I got back into my car and drove back to the school.

Along the way it back it seemed so surreal.  It felt like an hour that I was with Tony, but it was only about 20 minutes total.  All of my lifeguard and First Aid training came back in those few seconds I saw the accident.  Entering the school was just as surreal.  The principal was actually in the office and basically said if I needed a permanent sub, I could've taken it and she was very proud of me.  One of the school psychologists was also in the office and wanted me to sit in the conference room for a drink of water just to get my bearings.  The weirdest thing of all was that around the school they started saying things like, "Wow, you're a real hero" and "You really are Superman!" Also,as it turns out, many of the teachers actually saw my car and the accident and thought I was the one in trouble.

When they started calling me things like "hero" and "Superman" it was just weird.  I don't feel like I did anything different than any other respectable person would do in that situation.  But it kinda scares me to think people WOULDN'T do that.  Have we become so self conscious and so self centered that we can't think about others anymore?  Why is it that we have to think only about ourselves even though there are others in trouble?  I've always said, "Those who have the most, must give the most," and I feel like we've become a society who doesn't take care of other people unless they have something that they can give back.  I'll probably never see that gentleman again, but he was released from the hospital only a few hours after he was brought in.  I don't want to say that it was because of me that he survived, because it was really his seatbelt that saved him, but what would have happened if I didn't stop and take out my cell phone?  Someone else would have done it?  Probably, but then again, if people don't do that like so many people claim, he might have died.

Well, whatever the answer is, I'm glad I was running late and I was there to help.  One thing is for sure, I have a renewed respect for the police and paramedics.  Sure, I may complain about them sharking on the Garden State Parkway, but the fact is, when you need them, they're there no questions asked and will help you.  I wish there were more people out there who would do that.  The world would be a better place.

The year goes through 4 seasons.  As one season ends, another begins.  Every book has a sequence of events, when one page or one chapter ends, another begins.  Every life has seasons and chapters.  When one season or chapter ends, another one begins.  This is such a time, I've decided that this will be my last xanga entry for good.

I'm sure this might come as a shock to some people.  I know I will be asked, "Why?"  I'm sure there will be speculation, but the truth is, this has created a burden on me and in turn, people I care about.  It will also have serious repercussions on me if things go badly in the future.

College life is over, and there is no security for me anymore.  In a few short weeks, I will have my own classroom with my own group of students.  If anything I say on this space is read by someone other than a friend, I leave myself open for ridicule and/or rumor.  We live in a world where words can be twisted to someone else's benefit.  Those words could cause serious damage to the person who perhaps didn't even say them and it's a world where technology has created a stranglehold on parts of our daily lives.

This must end.  I cannot take a chance where one comment I make about something can be twisted and turned into something that is far from the truth.  Even the most innocent comment can be made into something totally wrong and totally different.  What if an employer reads something on this xanga?  What if one of my parents reads this xanga?  What if one of my students reads this xanga?

I am an adult now and I must put my personal protection and the protection of the ones I care about as top priority.  I must look out for my aunt, whom we finished constructing a 16 ft ramp, install metal handles in the bathroom, and completely cleaned the house from top to bottom.  I must look out for my family, whom I would protect with my life.  I must look out for my girlfriend, whom I would give my life for.  And I must look out for the protection of my friends, whom I carry all secrets to the grave with.  There are people in this world who would put all of them in serious jeopardy, and I must do everything in my power to protect them and myself.

The sub-profile was something from college, then it evolved into this.  These profiles and xangas are the things of college and now college has ended.  The 4 years of college will be a time in my life I will not forget, just like my 4 years of High School.  There were many great times and there were many bad times.  They were all experiences that I have accepted and learned from.

I find myself difficult to conclude my final entry with a catch phrase, witty remark, stupid joke, or a quote.  I feel like there really isn't need for one.  Have I said too much?  Have I said too little?  I don't think there really is anything else that needs to be said.  If there is any question about anything I have said here, all you have to do is trust in me to know that every word that I say here is true.

The diploma is on my wall, the job is starting in two weeks, and now this chapter must close itself. 

The Arizona Entry

I write this now on Sunday, the last official day of being here in Arizona.  I guess it’s been a little late to truly get all my thoughts down somewhere, but the truth is that a lot has been going on yet nothing has been happening either.

Basically, it all started Thursday morning at 4 am when we arrived at the airport in Philly.  That’s when we found out that absolutely NO LIQUIDS were allowed on the plane.  Now, at the time, I just thought it was annoying.  Bob, on the other hand, didn’t find it annoying.  He had to give up his entire bottle of contact lens solution.  That’s at least $6 down the tubes.  What made things even better though, was while we were waiting to get on the plane, there was a family of 4 sitting next to us completely outraged that the stuff was taken out of their carry-on.  Then, they started complaining that they’d probably search through our checked-in luggage and take out anything liquid.  Now that just pissed me off because they were obviously upset and they were just getting us stressed out.  It felt like they were scared, or just generally tired at 4 AM, but one way or the other, it pissed me off.

On a side note:  A lot of people, my mother in particular, seems to get REALLY scared when I’m flying and the terror threat gets elevated to a higher level.  Sure, a terror plot was averted, but it was just that, AVERTED.  In other words, it didn’t happen.  That gives me a lot more confidence in flying than if something did happen.  Additionally, now that something has happened.  Security is going to go through the roof.  So, the way I see it, this is the safest time to travel on a plane.  So, don’t tell me that I’m in more danger now, because I’m not.  In the words of Superman, “this little incident hasn’t put me off of flying.  Statistically speaking of course, it’s still the safest way to travel.”

But I digress.  First flight was from Philly to Atlanta.  All I did was sleep, because I didn’t have a choice and I felt like I had to in order to keep my sanity.  For one thing, the woman I sat next to had the most sour face I have ever seen.  I mean literally, every time I turned my head to say a little hello, she had that sour facial expression.  She had the sucked in lips, scrunched nose, and squinty eyes.  It reminded me of either a principal or a teacher from hell.  Funny thing was, she worked for McDonalds, and I think she was working on something kid-related given the cartoon characters on the adobe document she was typing up.  So, I slept, and I’m glad I did.

The flight from Atlanta to Phoenix was pretty good.  Although, the only thing I found a bit funny were some of the passengers.  First, there was a kid who would not stop crying for the entire trip.  There was another kid who walked up and down the plane continuously.  And, to top it all off, sitting about 8 rows in front of me, were two Arabs, turbans and all.  Bob and I looked at each other and said, “Uh oh.”  Luckily, they didn’t do anything……except for cuddling REEEAAAALLY close to each other, which was scary.

Then we landed, and thank God we got our luggage.  I was worried that there would be a miss-communication between airports.  Additionally, I was worried that the cops might have gone through our bags to find any more liquids.  What would have made it worse is if they took out my $80 toothbrush I got for Christmas.  Luckily, there was nothing missing.  So, Bob and I got our first break, but it didn’t last very long.  The cab ride to the hotel cost us $50!  Talk about sticking your nuts in a vice, but either way, we made it to where we needed to be.

Now, I gotta talk about this hotel.  HOLY SHIT!!!!!  I’ve done a lot of traveling, but nothing compares to this one.  I mean literally, someone just looked at the desert and said, “I’m going to build a paradise right here.”  Golf courses, 2 pools, a huge spa, water slides, 4 restaurants, playgrounds, waterfalls, 24 hour room service, you name it, they have it. 

When we both walked into the room, we didn’t really crash as quickly as I would have liked, mostly because we were both hungry.  Here’s the thing though, we didn’t want to take any more cab rides.  Can you blame us?  To quickly give us some nourishment, Bob grabbed a Snickers from the mini-bar in our room and I grabbed a granola bar.  Then, basically to get some real lunch, we walked out the door and walked over to a shopping center.  Funny thing though, we went “east coast style.”  In other words, we just walked across traffic with no regard for the cars on the road.

Side Note:  I found it funny that here in Arizona, Bob and I were on the same par.  We were not a New Yorker and a Jersian, we were East Coasters.  I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but I find it funny how when two people from states that seem to be in a constant war with one another can find equal ground on the far end of the United States.

We had lunch at a Quizno’s because we figured it was the cheapest thing to do.  As you’ll find out later, it was.  But aside from the food, it was DAMN HOT!!!!!  I know this sounds like I’m surprised, but I kinda was.  Not because of the heat, I knew that, but turns out we were in the middle of the monsoon season, so it wasn’t dry heat, it was humid heat, like the heat we had just left on the East Coast.  Talk about irony huh?  One of the reasons I went on this trip was to escape the humidity.  Oh well, I digress.

After lunch, we got back into the room and scoped out the mini-bar some more.  We had a package of cookies, but then noticed something we probably should have noticed when we walked in the door.  The mini-bar wasn’t complimentary, we had to pay for each item we ate.  How were we supposed to know?  Bob had to fork out $700, with a $300 deposit, for the hotel.  You would have thought they would have given us SOMETHING for free?  But here’s the best part though, for a granola bar, chocolate bar, can of soda, and a package of cookies, we paid $16.  I nearly fell out of the bed on that one.

I personally didn’t do much on the first day because we had been up since 4 AM and we had lunch at 12:00 Arizona time, which was 3 PM home time.  Basically, I had jet-lag pretty bad.  So, I crashed in the hotel room and slept for a few hours.  One thing I will give the hotel credit for, the beds were niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.  In the 3 days we stayed here, I think I had the best sleep of my life in that bed.  They weren’t the temperpedic foam stuff, but they were still damn comfortable.

After sleeping/reading for a while, I realized it was 6, and I was hungry.  So, I picked up the room-service menu.  GAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I ordered a cheeseburger and a soda and it cost me $26.  Why?  The burger was $15 by itself and they charged a 21% service charge.  Thank god it was a good burger otherwise I would have raised hell.  After dinner though, I just sat out on the balcony for a while, reading The Lost World, and started working on some lesson plans.  It was really relaxing.  I’ll get more into that later, but let’s just say I needed it.

Next morning was when Bob and I were ready to take the bull by the horns and do some exploring.  Bob was up early to go to a meeting and something called “boot camp.”  I don’t know exactly what transpired, but when Bob returned at 7:00, he was exhausted.  We had breakfast in the ballroom which wasn’t too bad; scrambled eggs with mushrooms, REALLY crispy bacon, sausages, assorted pastries, and assorted juices.  Not bad, but not great either.  During breakfast, we asked around to see if there was another alternative to taxi’s, because we had 2 places in mind and we couldn’t walk there.  We found out there were buses that were around and they cost, get this, $1.25!  JACKPOT!!!!  We got another lucky break there, and this time, it would continue.

First place we stopped was for Bob.  We went to Arizona State University.  Funny thing about it was I was almost sure I had passed it 6 years ago when Dad and I did one of our Dinosaur Expeditions in Arizona.  I distinctly remember him pointing it out to me and I also distinctly remember a mountain right by the football field.  So, that was really cool.  Bob and I walked around the campus and took a quick view of the football field.  MAN it was big!  We also stopped in the Sports Complex and while Bob looked around the gift shop, I took a look at the mini-museum they had in it.  It’s nice to see the awards of schools and see how they format it.  Put it this way, TCNJ doesn’t exactly put out their sports awards in an obvious place and even with that, it’s not exactly impressive to look at.  Not so much for the awards themselves, but the presentation kinda sucks.  They’re all put on shelves inside a case.  That’s about it.  ASU on the other hand, went all out.  Everything was organized by sport, they had little information sheets for each award, and there were even some TV screens displaying some of ASU’s crowning moments.  Oh well, I guess when you have the money, you can do that kind of stuff.  Like they say, “When you got it, flaunt it.”

After ASU, we made our way over to the Southwest Mesa Museum.  First of all, I read on the internet that it was the largest collection of dinosaur fossils in Arizona.  That’s probably true, but it wasn’t as big as I would have thought.  But to tell the truth, for $8, I was completely fine with that.  Before I get into the big, and I mean BIG stuff, let me say something right off the bat.  According to the people I work with at Dinosaur Walk, they say that Fred designed and built all the dinosaurs himself and built them for his own museums.  Well, I can say at this very moment, that that is total BULLSHIT.  The reason why I know that is because they actually had some of our dinosaurs in this museum.  Now, I had always suspected that they were lying, but I didn’t have the proof.  Now I do.  Not only that, the dinosaurs in the Mesa were placed in, get this, DIORAMA’S!!!!!!!!  There’s a reason why this little pidly museum is doing a kickass job, it’s because they’re doing something right!  They have bones, the sculptures, and they even have some robotic dinosaurs.  Granted, they kinda suck, but it’s still better than the solitary dinosaurs.  Not only that, they also have what they call a “Flash Flood” mountain.  I shall explain.  Basically what they do is they situated 4 dinosaurs and a prehistoric mammal on this huge rockface.  It basically illustrated the progression of geologic time from the Triassic Period to the present day.  And going down this rock wall is a little waterfall.  Every 10 minutes, they have a “flash flood,” which basically is an increase in water from a little trickle to a gushing rush.  It’s not what I would consider a flash flood, but it’s something that kids enjoy watching.

But, that’s only a part of why this museum was big for me.  In the corner of the dinosaur exhibit was a little ceratopsian dinosaur.  I recognized it instantaneously as Zuniceratops, the dinosaur I had helped excavate 6 years ago!  The funny part about it was that they never had a complete skeleton, so we weren’t sure what it was going to look like.  But now, 6 years later, the dinosaur was complete and on display. 

It was a rush to see the dinosaur in a museum and on display.  I had actually purchased a few replica bones of the skull, so I got a really close look and actually saw how they all fit together.  It was funny to be able to recognize all the bits and pieces of the skull and see how they connected.  But generally though, that display made the trip completely worth it.  I was proud to have been a part of that expedition in the first place, but now I was just thrilled to see it in person.

As exciting as that was, it gets better!  I looked across the museum over to a wall of photos.  They were photos of the different expeditions that the museum was a part of and the very last picture struck my attention.

When I saw the picture up close, there were some things that were very familiar about it.  The tent looked exactly the same as it did the very last day of my expedition.  What’s more, the rainbow on the top was just like the rainbow that was over our expedition on the very last day.  Then it slowly dawned on me…It WAS from our last day of my Arizona expedition!  What’s more, when I looked closer at the image, in the very center of the picture was a person who looked just like me!  He had my body build, my posture, and my hat. Then I realized, HOLY SHIT!  IT IS ME!!!!!!

I was completely floored when I saw that.  Bob couldn’t believe it and I couldn’t believe it!  I actually talked to one of curators of the museum about it and he said that one of the benefactors of the museum, Doug C. Wolfe took the picture during one of his expeditions.  Apparently he specifically wanted a picture that did not show any geographic formations that might lead to where the site was.  I then told him the story of what happened on that last day of the expedition.  Basically, after we saw that rainbow, Doug and the other scientists quickly rushed us to throw tarps on the bones and re-bury them because a storm was on the way.  Sure enough, within an hour after we buried the bones, a HUGE storm came over us.  Now, when a storm happens in Arizona, it immediately turns all dry roads to mud slides.  So, our van actually got stuck in a gully when that rain hit us.  It took us 3 hours just to push the van 2 miles.  Finally, a few of the group leaders hiked over to a farmhouse nearby and asked if we could use their diesel truck to get us back to the hotel.  As it turns out, in that museum, that story is legendary.  So, yes indeed, it was a picture of our last day of the expedition and I’m smack dab in the middle of the picture!  I’m in a dinosaur museum in Arizona!  Who would have thought that!?!

So, that did it for me.  We spent the next few hours walking around the rest of the museum, which was pretty nice.  The dinosaurs were great, some of their historical exhibits were nice, and the museum in general was nice.  The weird thing was it closed at 3:00, which kinda confused me.  How can a public facility close at 3:00 on a Friday?  I continued my confusment (I know it’s not a word, but you get the idea), later that night when Bob and I went to dinner with some people in Old Downtown Scottsdale.  Basically, it was supposed to be a hubbub of over 50 stores and restaurants.  Well, when we got there at 7:00, all but 2 stores were closed!  On a Friday night no less!  It must be some kind of curfew policy or something, but we were all surprised about that.

After we did some quick shopping in the two stores that were open, we went to dinner and actually walked into a Karaoke bar.  That was a lot of fun.  Bob and I sang two songs each.  Bob sang two country songs and I sang “Twist and Shout” and “Johnny B. Goode.”  Bob’s songs were hits with the crowd because they were definitely a country kind of crowd, but I brought the house down with my two songs.  Funny thing about it was that the other people in the bar were definitely regulars, because they just kept going up and singing.  More than that, they weren’t half bad…not half good either, but generally ok for non-professionals.

Next day was pretty much my tidying up day.  Bob and I were pretty tired from the other two days of doing stuff, so we made a quick visit to Barnes and Noble (apparently Barnes is the good guy and Noble is a self-righteous condescending dick.  Go figure!) and took a look around.  I actually picked up a shark book and dinosaur book which I intend on using for my classroom.  Not so much for activities, but they’re really good reference books so when we go over sharks and dinosaurs, it’ll be something for them to use.

After that, we returned to the room, Bob went out to do some Golden Key stuff and I typed up some more lesson activities and read some more from The Lost World.  Aside from all the dinosaur stuff that happened the day before, the most important thing I’m gonna take from this trip is the relaxing.  Just reading in my room and being hundreds of miles away from home was refreshing.  Given all the BS that’s happened over this summer and in my life in general, it was good to just get away from it all.  The moments of just reading in my room or having a clear enough head to come up with some decent activity ideas made a big difference.  It reminds me that no matter what happens, I should go on vacations more often.  We never really did that growing up, and I got a feeling that’s half of the reason why I’m high strung every now and then.  So, more vacations to clear the noggin’ will be high on my list for the future.

After that, Bob and I went to the end of the program social that was supposed to start at 9, but it didn’t start until 10.  Want to know why that was?  4 awards, a gospel choir, and a presentation about Georgia………Yeah, try figuring that one out!  Anyway, when the social started, I kinda felt out of place.  Mostly because I’m not a member of Golden Key, so I didn’t feel like it was really my place to be there.  It was their celebration and it was for Bob, so I didn’t want to mooch too much more.   Aside from that, they played sucky music…as would be expected.  You know how it is, the BS club music that has a beat and no real musical quality to it.  They also played the Cha Cha Slide…which I wanted no part of.  Basically, during a song, I went out and did the worm, then I was done.  Bob is actually writing up a thesis paper about how modern “dancing” can be compared to a mating ritual.  It’s actually really insightful.  I can’t wait till it’s done!

Then, this morning, Bob and I got up, checked out at 12, and grabbed some lunch at a sports restaurant.  It actually reminded me of Hooters without the…well…hooters I guess.  The food was good, and cheap!  Burger for $7.50, I was home again!  But the funny thing about it was there were no bathrooms!  You’d think in a restaurant, a sports restaurant no less, would have a public bathroom!  But, that was ok, because we walked back to the hotel, and now we’re here sitting in the lobby waiting for Super Shuttle to pick us up.  Turns out that WE don’t get to choose when they pick us up, THEY do.  So, our flight leaves at 10:50 PM Arizona time, guess when they’re picking us up?  7:50 PM.  So, we have 6 hours to kill before we can go to the airport.

As I conclude this rather long xanga entry, I think it’s safe to say that this was a great trip.  Not so much for things we did, which totally rocked, but for me, it was just the time to get away from everything in New Jersey/New York to just relax.  You can relax all you want at home, but it’s just not the same.  To fully rejuvenate yourself, you have to go far away from everything at home and pretty much cut yourself off.  No emails, no specifics on phone calls, no work to do, and just take some time for yourself.  It really helped me out and now I feel like I’m ready to take on the world when I return.

I now end this xanga entry with a great quote from The Lost World…

“Why on earth people who have something to say which is worth hearing should not take the slight trouble to learn how to make it heard is one of the strangest mysteries of modern life.” – Sir. Arthur Conan Doyle.