James Dempsey » General

Obscenely cool tree houses

James — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:39:01 +0000

I had a really cool tree house my dad built me when I was a kid. It was about 10-12 feet off the ground, set on 4 posts with a ladder to get to the main deck. Once on the deck, you could go inside, sit at a desk, pop open one of the windows, or climb up on the roof. I have plenty of fond memories hanging out with my best friend in the thing. It was awesome.

Baumraum Tree House in Osnabrück, North-West Germany

But absolutely nothing compares to some of the insanely creative and obscenely cool tree houses on display at Toxel.com. I never knew what I was missing until I saw these.

Teachers got it rough

James — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:39:49 +0000

Teachers got it rough!

I received one of those stupid email chain letters, and for whatever reason decided to actually read it. I’m glad I did, because it’s one of those things that makes you take a step back and think.

After being interviewed by the school administration, a prospective teacher said the following.

“Let me see if I’ve got this right;

You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning.
You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride.
You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job.
You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams.
You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.
You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps.
You want me to do all this and then you tell me. . . I CAN’T PRAY?

Somewhere along the line, this country’s priorities have gone astray, me thinks!

We’re recovering nicely…

James — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:29:51 +0000

Janet, Kian and I had one heck of a busy week, with out-of-town relatives visiting, my nephew’s birthday, Father’s Day, job interviews and a host of items on our “to do” list. We’re pretty much spent any spare minute sleeping.

Zzzzzzzz!

We’re getting back up to speed this week – hopefully we’ll have more interesting news to share soon.

100 best movie lines

James — Wed, 27 May 2009 22:49:38 +0000

I don’t know if these are necessarily the best lines in movie history, but most all are memorable. But how could they possibly leave out “show me the money?”

Most dangerous bridges in the world

James — Fri, 15 May 2009 22:52:24 +0000

I came across a post at DirJournal titled Most Dangerous Bridges in the World and thought it was too cool not to share.

Kakum National Park Canopy Walkway in Ghana, Africa

My fear of heights aside, some of these bridges I wouldn’t get caught even looking at, let alone walking across. Sometimes you just gotta go around!

Snowball, the dancing bird

James — Fri, 01 May 2009 22:54:10 +0000

The video is 4.5 minutes long, but worth watching. The stupid bird dances better than anybody I can think of off the top of my head – most decidedly including myself!

Impress your friends with a newspaper

James — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:04:55 +0000

I’m not a beer drinker, but seeing this makes me want to start, just so I can try it in a bar.

Male Restroom Etiquette

James — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:08:10 +0000

Coffee saucers are useless

James — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 23:12:45 +0000

I came across this article and couldn’t stop laughing. Not because it was funny, though it is. No, I was laughing because just the other day I was putting dishes away in the cupboard and saw the stack of saucers and tried to think of the last time I used one. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the answer was never.