I love me some me!

As much as I would like to take credit for that quote, it actually belongs to Terrell Owens. I don't much care for T.O., but I dig the tee shirt that you can buy from his site.

The quote was said to me by a student at school today - how's that for a segue to ...

Topic #1

School was a-buzz today with ... that's right, you guessed it, the President's speech. Frederick County had made the decision last week to let each teacher decide for him/herself about viewing the speech with students. As parents began to call and write about their child being excluded from any speech activities, our front office staff (they are a great bunch, by the way) complied names and proactively sent the list to teachers. Teachers were instructed to check the list for student names before beginning any classwork related to the speech.

I guess Frederick County was on the right track to leave the decision up to each school staff. Harford County did a quick about-face - after announcing Friday that the speech would not be viewed today, the system issued a statement that students would have the chance to see the speech on Thursday.

Let me throw this out there - which of the President's advisers thought it would be a good move to make the speech text available for preview ON A DAY OFF OF SCHOOL? Were school employees supposed to interrupt their barbecues and beach days for a look at the speech? Maybe things would have been a bit smoother if the speech preview was available on Thursday or Friday before the long weekend ...

Topic #2

Football is two days away. Several publications / pundits rate the Ravens as the tenth (approx.) best team in the league; the Steelers sit atop most lists. The Redskins land around the 20th position. None of this really matters - that's why they play the games. But here are a few predictions for you:

• The Ravens and Steelers will split their two games, with the home team winning each time.
• The Cowboys will win the NFC East.
• The 49ers will win the NFC West.
• The Saints will win the NFC South.
• The Vikings will win the NFC North.
• The Patriots will win the AFC East.
• The Chargers will win the AFC West.
  
• The Titans will win the AFC South.
• The Ravens will win the AFC North - what else did you expect me to say?

Topic #3

Breaking news - we ate at home tonight. Pam whipped up a batch of Parma Rosa sauce from Knorrs; I sauteed some chicken strips and shrimp (thanks Costco); I tossed in some peas; we boiled a box of wheat blend pasta, and BAM - what a meal! I'll be enjoying the leftovers tomorrow night.

This came on the heels of a delicious Labor Day BBQ - there was the classic burger and dog fare, along with pasta, potato and fruit salads. We rolled in with a platter of wings - half "honey barbecue" and half "spicy." There was not a single wing left on the dish.

Until next time,

Marty