Joseph M. Jamison: August 2008 Archives

Across America, Moms and Dads are spending freely to make sure that their children are prepared for the upcoming school year. Most of the crap that is purchased in unnecessary and arbitrary, but looking cool is much more important than learning, I'm sure.

As a teacher, this also means that it is back to work for me. I always get random emails and phone calls all week about what my students will be needing for the year. My advice to parents everywhere: if you're going to purchase your child mechanical pencils, please choose wisely.

This piece was written in the Spring of 2006. Enjoy.

Editor's Note: If you are looking for Tim's weekly entry, he and Joe have done the ol' switcharoo. Tim will now be posting on Fridays with Joe posting on Mondays.

Now that the Michael Phelps saga is over, we can turn our attention to the other athletes and events that make the Olympics worth watching.

A few times in the last couple of weeks, I have mentioned some members of my fanboy list. So, in order to avoid any curiosity on your part, I've decided provide you with it. Some of my choices are a bit bizarre, but so am I. The list has grown over the years with very few people being removed, so in order to make it easier for you, I've divided the members into categories. Yes, it's that long. I may have even missed a few people. Anyway, without further adieu, in no particular order, here we go.

Numerology

And we're off!

At 8:08 pm tonight, the torch will be lit at the opening ceremonies and the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics will begin. For some reason, soccer started on Wednesday and Archery got going this morning, but I digress.

So, um, what's with all the 8's? Apparently, the Chinese associate numbers with words that sound similar to them, and are categorized auspicious (吉利) or inauspicious (不利) based on that Chinese word. The word for the number eight (八) sounds similar to Chinese word which means "prosper" or "wealth." Numbers also have elements in Chinese Numerology. The number 8 has the Earth element which gives stability and enhances the determination to reach goals.

No offense to the Chinese, but that sounds as about auspicious as Communism.

I'm a Dumbledork

When it comes to Harry Potter, I'm pretty much a nerd. In the summer of 2000, when J.K. Rowling's fourth installment in the Harry Potter Series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, was published, I became fascinated with Harry's adventures at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The series was recommended to me by a friend, and I pretty much laughed it off as fairytales and nonsense. My job for that summer, however, was incredibly boring. I proceeded to read all four novels in two weeks, and my inner geek inside was at an all-time high. Until now, that is.