Cornerstone Christian School Technology Department

Haiku: Hunting

CCS Technology Department — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:53:37 +0000

The seventh grade are writing haiku. As they say, write what you know. Here is the first submission. I’m waiting for a photo to post with it.

The deer is running

It is a big buck with horns

I want to hunt it

Hour fIfTeEn PawB11: Preschool Loves Animals

CCS Technology Department — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 01:34:20 +0000

OK, I finally got ALL of the Preschool videos to upload, so, even though some of them are scattered through the blog and you may have seen them, here they are in order and all in one place.

Five Year Old…and the vacuum cleaner…

Three Year Old? “Look!”

Five Year Old. “My dog always bites my dad.”

Four Year Old “She eats like a hog.”

Four Year Old. After speaking Preschool for too long, I do believe I actually said, “they get dead.” Get dead? She apparently didn’t notice my lack of verbal acuity and gave a great interview.

Three Year Old “I want to keep them for God’s heart.”

Four Year Old likes rabbits and cows and running horses. “When are we gonna do the computers?” Gotta love a kid that’s excited about my computer class!

Three Year Old “I love her the most.”

Five Year Old has a lion?

Hour fOuRtEeN PawB11: More To Come

CCS Technology Department — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:48:32 +0000

It’s time to run out the door again so I will not be able to finish my posting yet, but here is a little something from the fifth grade to tide you over while you’re waiting.

Fifth Grade Plea for Texas

Hour tHiRtEeN PawB11: Band Geek

CCS Technology Department — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:02:28 +0000

This is a Make Up Post for Hour Thirteen…which I slept through.

I am a band geek. I don’t deny it. I embrace my geekiness and pass it along to my children with great pride. In fact, one of my greatest regrets of high school was not going out for marching band. So, when my oldest son got to fourth grade at Cornerstone, we threw him into the band and helped him choose the French horn. I wanted him to have every opportunity available, and in my mind, the less common (more difficult) the instrument he could master, the higher the demand would be for his talent. (Patting self on back) I was right! He not only excelled at the French horn, but was often requested to join an older band that needed a French horn. Now he’s in high school and just made All Festival..something…and this past week the band was at the BOA competition. The Marching Jaguars of North Laurel High School under the direction of David McFadden have had an excellent season and had the opportunity to perform their show “Heroes Fallen, Not Forgotten” on Veterans Day at BOA. I bet there wasn’t a dry eye in the house…stadium.

So, when he came to me just now and sent me to YouTube, I had to share. He says this show was even more impressive at BOA and it’s pretty cool just on YouTube. Enjoy.

That band was in Semi-Finals at the BOA and I’m not sure what their final standing was, but they’re in a higher division than my Marching Jaguars. Watch the far left at 3:15 and you’ll see Alyn back into position for his six note solo. You’re right. That’s not a French horn. They’re extremely difficult to march with so French horn players generally switch to the mellophone during marching season. At 7:13 you’ll see the only other mellophone player get in position for his solo…on the flute. Yes, French horn people are a special breed. Alyn kneels right in front of the field commander to deliver a whallop on the mellophone before Hagan resumes his solo. It’s a very powerful program and the kids delivered it with emotion every time getting better and better with every performance. You can probably find better recordings than mine.

So, just a little brag on my kid and a high five to band geeks around the world. (Yes, I’m too geeky to fist bump…plus my students complain my ring is too sharp.)

Hour Twenty-Four PawB11: Not Done Yet

CCS Technology Department — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 19:13:18 +0000

Hard to eat lunch and blog, but this is when the Blogathon is supposed to wrap up. But I’m not DONE yet! So, this may be the “time” ending of the Blogathon but it’s not the “posting” ending, for me anyway. Here is a throwback from the 2010 Blogathon when I submitted a guest post for Riley and James and my good friend and co-Blogathoner Dr. Finch posted it. Why it’s still in my phone I’m not sure, but here it is. If you have enjoyed this Blogathon, please support one of the causes we’ve been representing. To support some animal affected by the Texas wildfires, visit Pawsitivelytexas.com

Repetition, Redundancy and Routine

Sometimes when I’m talking to a client I hear myself saying something I’ve said a blue million times a purple million ways and wonder, “Is the glazed look in this owner’s eye just my imagination?” I try to be considerate and not keep telling people things they know, no matter how important it is to remember what our ancestors passed down to us–stock phrases to throw at our children like “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” and “A stitch in time saves nine.”

The reason I am saying this is because it is sometimes in these “Why do I bother?” moments that a big “THAT’S why!” slaps me in the face. Today was such a moment. Here’s how it happened.

For a winter day it was pretty hopping. I like to whine about how busy we get but I really do enjoy working up front when it’s hustle time. Not only did we have four new clients bring in animals (which takes more time and concentration but what fun!) but had the full run of appointments and purchases and emergency surgeries and of course BOARDERS! While so many things that happened today were so very bloggable, from the vet almost being eaten whole (“Not sure I can hold him down, Doc!” to vaccination allergy (“…her nose is swollen…” “Please bring her back *right now*!”), this mundane tale is about a boarder: a perfectly healthy little dog being dropped off for a few nights with us.

For dogs to board with us, we require three vaccinations: some kind of DHP combination vaccination, the legally-required veterinarian-administered rabies vaccination, and this little trick of a vaccination known as bordetella (AKA Kennel Cough). The client wasn’t complaining about her otherwise up-to-date dog needing to be vaccinated for KC (as our whiteboard shorthand calls it) but simply had that classic, “Why?” look on her face. I launched into my standard spiel about KC being airborne and very contagious in a kennel environment and how it’s not typically life-threatening but is a total pain to treat. I even threw in my old story about how I was ready to throw my dog out the window when she caught it and kept me up night after night quacking like a hoarse duck. The “That’s enough” nods began as I was explaining that we hadn’t seen a case in a while, but that they do pop up on occasion.

As she left I had that “Why did I ramble on about a disease that pampered pup will probably never encounter when I could have been entering these other clients into the computer or filing or something?” let-down. An appointment was next in line and I went back to see about an empty exam room. A tech said, “Room One is empty but don’t put anybody in there yet. I have to clean it really well first.” Of course I’m thinking parvo or an expelling of some egregious bodily something, but she says, “Kennel Cough.”

I’m sure I babbled something incoherent about just having talked to a client about that but I was really thinking, “For real? I’m not just talking and talking for no reason?” and of course “I’d better get them checked out and out of here fast!”

It’s not like we don’t see these diseases and parasites we babble about in our sleep. We really do. Some are more rare than others, though, and we begin to think, “Is that really something I need to push?” and suddenly there it is, staring us in the face saying, “That’s exactly for what I was waiting.” (No dangling preposition, Dr. Finch!) We stop emphasizing that heartworm prevention isn’t just a one-time deal and BANG! three positive heartworm tests in one week. We stop reminding people that their dog is at risk for leptospirosis and POW! a report of a kennel tech dying from caring for a lepto-positive pet.

So, if I begin one of my spiels about something you’re totally savvy on, it won’t hurt my feelings if you say, “I’m familiar with that.” But if there’s something you don’t understand or aren’t sure you heard correctly, please ask me! If I don’t know I will find somebody who does! I want to help you keep your pet safe and happy. If you have lettuce between your teeth, I’ll tell you that, too!

[I'm going back to sleep now, Dr. Finch. I woke up and realized I'd nodded off on proofread. I guess that's how counting sheep works: Repetition, Redundancy and Routine. LOL]

Hour Twenty-Three PawB11: The Message

CCS Technology Department — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:27:27 +0000

Aww. I lost my post when my phone battery died. But I’m going to have to keep posting to put up all the stuff I’ve managed to collect and couldn’t stay awake to finish uploading and posting so, while you’re waiting for my make-up posts, enjoy another song by The Lundys and wave at our veterans since you can’t hug their necks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R26t9_w7HdI
And don’t forget Pawsitivelytexas.com

Here’s a bit of what my post was before it got lost. We chose words for the year and these are my notes on my word. See if you can guess why.

Message
For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. (1 John 3:11 KJV)

He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage. (Proverbs 26:6 KJV)

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5 KJV)

And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat. (Judges 3:20 KJV)

But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. (Luke 19:14 KJV)

Then spake Haggai the Lord’s messenger in the Lord’s message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord. (Haggai 1:13 KJV)

And it came to pass, when Ben–hadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, that he said unto his servants, Set yourselves in array. And they set themselves in array against the city. (1 Kings 20:12 KJV)

message
Parts of Speech: noun
Definition: communication, often written
Synonyms: bulletin, cannonball, communiqué, directive, dispatch, dope, earful, epistle, information, intelligence, intimation, letter, memo, memorandum, missive, news, note, notice, paper, report, tidings, wire, word
message
Parts of Speech: noun
Definition: meaning, idea
Synonyms: acceptation, import, intendment, moral, point, purport, sense, significance, significancy, signification, theme, understanding

mes·sage
[mes-ij]
- noun 1. communication
- Related Form in·ter·mes·sage- noun
get the message
- idiomInformal 1. to understand or comprehend, esp. to infer the correct meaning from circumstances, hints, etc.
[Origin: 1250–1300; ME < OF < VL *missāticum, equiv. to L miss(us) sent (ptp. of mittere to send) + -āticum -age]

Main Entry: 1mes·sage
Pronunciation: \ˈme-sij\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin missaticum, from Latin missus, past participle of mittere
Date: 14th century
1 : a communication in writing, in speech, or by signals
2 : a messenger's mission
3 : an underlying theme or idea

Main Entry: 2message
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): mes·saged; mes·sag·ing
Date: 1583
transitive verb
1 : to send as a message or by messenger
2 : to send a message to
intransitive verb
: to communicate by message

Main Entry: instant messaging
Function: noun
Date: 1995
: a means or system for transmitting electronic messages instantly
— instant message noun or verb

Hour Twenty-Two PawB11: Good Friends, Good Music

CCS Technology Department — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 16:55:35 +0000

We have known the Lundy Family for about ten years now. Whenever we are in service with them, the blessings flow. When The Big Blue Lundy Bus pulls in to the parking lot, we know we’re going to be tapping our toes and praising God for His miracles in the lives of this family and their willing hearts to share His love. I have already uploaded many of their songs on http://YouTube.com/nasuSremlE and I hope you’ll search them out. One is uploading right now as we take (their warmup just published at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4KnbevHlB4 so enjoy that) prayer requests. I’ll finish this later.

Just found my note from last time I uploaded the Lundys. It should be pretty close:
The Lundys
John West
Jonathan West
Jonah West
David Lundy
Nathan Lundy
Diedra West
Christina Lundy
Chloe Lundy
Duran Lundy
David Dwayne Lundy
Mt. Pleasant Homecoming 9/4/2011

Hour Twenty-One PawB11: God and Country

CCS Technology Department — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 15:58:45 +0000

Friday was Veteran’s Day. My dad is a veteran. He was in the Air Force for thirty years. I like to tell people that my dad is googleable. He would have been googleable back before there was Google. I like saying that. Googleable. It’s funny because I remember Dad bringing home a Zenith 100 desktop computer when I was little. It had something on the order of Microsoft Word 1.0 and was back when the Esc key was something you had to know and HTML code was right in your word processor status bars.
Rabbit chasing aside, today is our Veterans Day service. Sunday School is starting now so I must cease my rambling. Don’t forget Pawsitivelytexas.com.

To google my dad, look for Ret. Col. James D. Elmer. Happy Veterans Sunday! Hug all your vets!

Hour Twenty PawB11: Fra Martino

CCS Technology Department — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 15:00:24 +0000

There are things that you get used to over the years that your brain just does not want to relearn. For example, “Fra Martino.” That’s Italian. I don’t know Italian. I learned “Frere Jaques” and my brain doesn’t want to make the switch from French to English. “Mom, sing this round with us!” Ok. Sure. I love to sing rounds with my girls. “Fra Martino campanero something something. Blah blah blah. Morning bells are ringing. Morning bells are ringing. Ding ding dong. Ding ding dong.” “Mom! It’s ‘Din don dan!’” Not in my head it’s not.
Now we’re at church and the morning bells are ringing “ding dong ding” and it’s all very confusing. But pretty. I still love a good round with the girls.
Let’s go to Sunday School. I wonder if I’m subbing today…Look! Harley wants to come, too!

Hour Nineteen PawB11: When Your

CCS Technology Department — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 14:28:49 +0000

In Hour Six I really wanted to include this song, but the only version I had uploaded wasn’t very good, so please go back and read Hour Six while you listen to this song:
Your Hands
When your world is shaking, do you have somewhere to stand? Texas has been shaken. Please find it in your heart to go to PawsitivelyTexas.com and lend a hand.