Sad news today. Please brace youself, but a dear friend of many,PFC Tam Nguyen, passed away last week. 

The Daily News

1   So...

2   That's tough to do.

3   Tam was a student of great enthusiasm and drive, loving life with all he had. His smiles and laughter brought smiles to the faces of everyone who knew him, or better, who still knows him.

4    At this writing, I have little information to share about any of it except that he will be remembered this Sunday in a ceremony that begins at 9:15 at the Starbuck's at the Plant Mall, corner of Montery Road and Curtner in San Jose. The Patriot Guard Raiders will provide a Fallen Warrior Escort for PFC Tam Nguyen, and funeral services will be at 10 a.m. at Oak Hill Cemetary in San Jose.

5   All our love and prayers go out to his family and friends.

6   Smile on us, Tam. Your smile will be in the dew on the morning flowers, in the rays coming through the clouds, and in the brightness of the Spring. You lived life, you fought hard, and you gave so many so much.

7   We will miss you, guy.

8    Thanks for the time.

9    Tough stuff, but good memories for all of us. Let us take a moment and look up at the sky today. PFC Tam Nguyen, you are a hero.

10   Moving on: It's Friday, and that's always a pretty good thing. There's lots to do, and lots to ponder. Tell someone you love them today, because the running theme of the past month has been that life's pretty darned short. We take so much for granted, and it is just sad that we can't smile and get along. Talk to old friends; I've been doing that for a few weeks now and realize how important all of them are to me.

11   Whew.

12   Moving on, Part the Second:  I for one wish publicly to say that I love my family with all my heart.

13   On top of that, I'd like publicly to say that I went to a celebration last night for my beautiful daughter, Caitlin, who was sworn in as an official Court Appointed Special Advocate for Child Advocates of Silcon Valley. Superior Court Judge Katherine Lucero did the honors, as Caitlin and other volunteers took an oath to help dependent youth in our county cope with such things as foster care, drug abuse, family counseling, and nearly anything that could take a child away from their parents.

14   She shall serve a minimum of one year as an official child advocate, and will get to know young people who need support and a real human hand that is outside of the usual cases. She'll learn of their loves and of their laughs, and of their needs other than merely shelter. She will know what they love to do, and what makes them happy, and present these things in court as a CASA.

15    I have never been so proud as I was watching her get sworn in, and then when she received her certificate from Judge Lucero.

16   That's my girl, and we all celebrated last night.

17    There is still good going on in the world, thank goodness. I ate too much, and laughed a bit too much as well, but it was hearty, healthy, and well received by all.

18    So to my beautiful Caitlin, congrats from your Daddy. I love you more than life itself.

20    Moving on, Part the Third:  This DN was originally going to be a list of all the things you could do when you get here for Christmas, but I have the info still in my notes, and I'll probably throw it out there on Monday.

21    But I should say that the traditional Downtown Holiday Parade will happen Sunday beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the HP Pavilion. ATFNL always participated in that, and Tam was also a huge part ATFNL. Pretty tough to attend both, but I thought I'd at least mention it.

22   Moving on, Part the Fourth: If you are in town, on Monday, December 7 at 7:30 p.m. the San Jose Symphonic Choir in conjunction with the Mission Chamber Orchestra performs a You-Sing-It Messiah, with Maestro Leroy Kromm conducting. This will take place at the wonderful California Theater at 315 South First Street , a few doors down from Original Joe's. Tickets are $20 general and $15 for students/groups. Call 408-286-2600 ext. 23 for more info.

23   Well, we also have Downtown Ice to January 18, Christmas in the Park through January 1, and Winter Wonderland through January 3.

24    So if you're in town, or even comin' to town, there's lots to smile about, and to enjoy about the holiday season.

25    For me, a Messiah and a steak at Joe's might just be the ticket!

26    To those of you college sorts stressing pre-finals blues and finals blues, home is close, and on Monday I'll provide a list of all the wonderful winter magic coming to town when you get home!

27    I'd also like to take a moment to send out a warm birthday wish to my daughter Nicoley's guy Matt. Happy birthday, big guy.

28    Meanwhile, it's Friday. I can only say that we love you Tam, may you knock things around and make people smile wherever you are, and to Caitlin: congrats once more to you my princess! To Matt, many happy returns. And to everyone else, let someone know you're thinking of them today, or even that you love them! Life is far too short not to.

29    Live life.

30    Love life.

31    Peace.

~H~

www.xanga.com/bharrington

So You Think You Can Dance?

Check this.

 *

The Daily News

1   Three words.  Ellenore and Jakob.

2    So, you think you can dance?  ^_^   <---happily cute little emoticon smiley dude. 

3    Awesome. Soooo awesome that there are no pics yet! But I absolutely loved their piece dude.

4    The advantage of having been schooled by dancers.

5     What absolute fun!

6     I wanted to get up and dance, which is truly a threat to the very existence of the planet.

7    Ah, let's all give it up for the absolute fun and amazement of movement through space.

8    Great show, wonderful art.

9    Mary Murphy is hilarious, but she is totally a put-on.

10   For all her screamin' and goofiness, she is actually a pretty sophisticated and studied artist. Her entire schtick is pretty much all acting and boushit, but boushit that we all can enjoy.

11   But I digress. Enough of that.

12    Is there a more beautiful art than dance?

13    Rhetorical question, unquestionably.

14    Moving on:  I  had the luxury yeserday of having been caught up in all my stuff, AND having the entire evening to stretch out, relax, and enjoy. Ah, ya gotta love it! So what did I do?

15     I fell asleep like a lunkhead.

16     Ah, I deserved it.

17     Sometimes, boy, I tellya. Sleep is the answer to all of it, truly.

18     Sometimes we just put up with enough boushit that we decide that sleep is the only answer to all the idiocy, and man! Is there EVER idiocy, everywhere we turn.

19     So the sensible thing is to enjoy golden slumbers.

20     That happened to me last night.

21      I got home from the gym, felt absolutely no stress, nor anything worth giving a hoot about, and thought, "You know, sleeping like a lunkhead might just be the best thing you could bring right now!" Carefree and relaxed is such a rare bird. So falling into a serene and relaxed state seemed the order of the day.

22     And so I did!

23     So let it be smitten. So let it be written. So let it be done.

24     I had delivered two straight days of fun and goofy lessons, felt healthy and alive, and really, couldn't think of a reason to be stressed. Got home from the gym early, ate a grand salad, and then entered the nether world of gentle and peaceful sleep.

25    Sometimes, boy.

26    Isn't it just grand every now and again when everything just makes ya smile, and the world just rolls along merrily? For once, I had entirely nothing about which to stress.

27    Well. Something so right.

28    My world, and welcome to it.

29    Ah, life's wonderful for one brief, shining moment!

30    Gotta grab those moments, and not write poetry, log, slog, dog, hog, or even blog them. You just live the fine moments, and live life with laughter, joy, and absolute merriment.

31    No point in doing much else now, is there?

32    Every now and again we all have idiocy and humor thrust upon us. We also are handed a moment of absolute peace.

33    I just had a great night, and wish to share it with the world. Laughter, good times, and absolute tears of hilarity. Can't even tellya.

34    Good times. We should all embrace moments and nights like these. There's a full moon. Love it. It's times like these we learn to live again.

35    It's times like these, time and time again.

36    Live life.

37    Love life.

38    Peace.

~H~

www.xanga.com/bharrington

*  All apologies for the obvious gratuitous glam chick sexist means of pulling in readers. Notice it got YOU here though! Personally I prefer the kite.  <--real winky emoticon dude

OPA!!!

...and now, ladeez and gents,

the Greeks!

OPA!!!!!

The Daily News

1    OPA!!!!!! It is time to teach the Greeks!!! Wow wow!!! But first...

2    I just counted, and I've been to the gym 25 out of the past 29 days!!!! SERIOUSLY dude!  I thought earlier it was like 20 out of the past 24 days, but nope; it's more!!! = ) 

3    I have been putting dots on a Giants' calendar, and I couldn't believe the stat, honestly. I recounted last night and smiled a HUGE smile!

4    What's amazing is that physically, I've probably shed around ten or fifteen pounds in that time. I'm not pleased with the results, naturally, but whoever IS?

5    Mentally, on the other hand, it's been astounding! When I first started this, I was already a bit of a screwball. Lots of stuff, but I have pulled water and put all of it behind me.

6   I really hadn't noticed that mentally, I have been totally on my game, in every area of life.

7   Like, looking back, right around Halloween, I was a complete basket case in all areas of thought.

8   Once I began pulling water, I was totally focused on getting myself in shape both physically AND mentally.

9    But really, I wasn't noticing how incredible it has been on the psyche to invest so much time in exercising AND getting more rest.

10  When Dad had to go back to the hospital, all mental focus on anything else became miniscule, and everything was placed in proper perspective.

11  I actually began thinking WAY rationally about everything. I think I had already started doing that, but the mental strength was happening without my even thinking about it.

12  Once I found that I needed to be strong for everyone else, my own stuff seemed contrived, and almost trivial.

13  Things I thought would be impossible to deal with somehow miraculously righted themselves, like a boat that was rocking dangerously suddenly finding the ability to right itself, and to make everything normal again.

14   Thank God for normal.

15    Without really even thinking, I turned all my love to my Dad, and to my family, and then to my students. Clearly, THAT is where that love needs to turn.

16    Happy to say it worked!

17    Yesterday, for example, I decided that EVERY day should be the best day of the year for my students!

18    When they came in, I had my computer hooked up to my wonderful Bose speaker, and brought this amazing classical Greek music playing delightfully as they entered the room.

19   Instead of starting with any sort of lecture, I began thus: "When I count to three, you yell OPA!!!! One! Two! Three!" This was met with loud cheers of "OPA!"

20   I raised my arms and had them dance, and kept encouraging rowdiness, shouting over the throngs, "We JUST celebrated a great time, so let's start Monday with joy and celebration and continue the party!!! WHEN I COUNT THREE, YOU SAY OPA!!!!"

21   The energy soared all day!  I then went on to tell them that we were going to get rid of Edgar Allan Poe and that we were going to "go Grick (Greek!}!!!" The joyous music played, I cheered and danced, and the students kept chanting, "OPA!"

22   Haha!

23   I talked briefly about Myths and Legends, and introduced all to the Greeks, AND brought in, for the first time in YEARS the very awesome King Arthur legend!

24   I teach seasonally, so if you know the Arthurian tales, then you know that the Sword and the Stone appeared at St. Paul's Cathedral courtyard on Christmas day.

25    I gave only ten vocab words, and only if they shouted, "OPA!" The kids just jammed all period, each period, and we had a ball coming in from Thanksgiving.

26   That's been my focus, my passion, and my goal: to take everything I have to love, and to throw it into my classes!

27   It is like a new "golden age" for me. I just blew everything away and poured my heart into my lesson.

28   We're going into The Odyssey in English 1A, and into the immortal Antigone in English 2, and THEN English 2 will be the recipients of my classic King Arthur unit!

29   I have opened up creatively, and now look forward to every single day with strength, humor, music, celebration, and legendary tales.

30   Amazing changes, explosive and powerful.

31   Feels good to be sane again lol!

32   I'm back working on songs again, and writing, and singing, and loving all of it!

33    It feels wonderful to be back, can't even tellya.

34    Sometimes you just need a bit of stress to show the entire world that we can all bounce back and become more powerful and creative than ever.

35    You can do that too! It's so easy, honestly. It's all mental, as is most of our challenges. If we get into the right physical space, and work ourselves into a much healthier mental state, the world will open its arms to incredible miracles.

36    Sorry, but had a wonderful Monday, and can't wait 'til Tuesday!

37    Live life.

38    Love life. Give it your all man! And always, always, listen to the last word.

39    Opa!!!! Oh yeah! and...

40    Peace.

www.xanga.com/bharrington