Archive for the 'Bowling' Category

Mar

The Weekend of 3/19

Bowling Scores For The Week: 145, 153, 233. My team is likely to move up to a 2nd place position after yesterday’s bowling. We have a lot of ground to make up if we hope to take 1st place.

Staying strong in the March Madness basketball tournament. Louisville losing hurt. In one of my brackets I had them going to the Final Four. I didn’t have a good feeling about St. John’s this year in the tournament. I think they are going to be strong 2-3 years down the line. Villanova’s lose was disappointing and I thought Xavier was better than they played. What happened to Georgetown? And wow…the Big East is everywhere in this tourney! There is some amazing competition in that division, especially this year.

So Long Ago: It was on this day in 2003 that the US began its war against Iraq. I hope that it can come to a safe conclusion for the world and especially our men and women who risk their lives every day to protect us. They are true heroes and should be treated that way.

Did You Know? The most commonly sung song is Happy Birthday to You. It was written by Mildred and Patty Smith. I wonder where the Green House song is on the list of commonly sung songs.

The Mets finally cut ties with Luis Castillo. I’m sure Mets fans are glad to see that they can finally turn the page. His tenure was starting to become Bobby Bonillaish.
Is Oliver Perez next? I’m surprised that he never rebounded from his troubles a few years ago. I thought he would eventually become a dominating pitcher. If Perez wants to rejuvenate his career he should move to the NL Central. That way he can play more often against the Reds. Perez is 9-5 in his career against the Redlegs, his best record against any other team. He used to kill us. Then he went to the Mets.

More of the same for the Mets?

WOW! Did anyone else see the end of the Butler-Pitt game? There is no denying that the NCAA tournament and college basketball in general is extremely exciting. I tuned in after seeing the blue blinking light on CBS alerting fans to a game worth watching on another channel. At that point Butler was up by one with 9 seconds remaining. Pitt had an extremely wild pass into play. Had Butler stayed away, the clock likely would have run down and Butler would have won. Instead, Butler accidentally fouled putting a Pitt player at the line. He happened to hit one shot and miss the second (1.4 on the clock). The only problem is that A PITT PLAYER FOULED A BUTLER PLAYER! Oh the drama! Howard of Butler sank his first shot and then intentionally missed his 2nd to let the clock wind down and put Butler into the Sweet 16. Pitt had a number one seed. Who knocked them off? I guess we can officially say that “The Butler Did It!!!”–Yes, that is about the 1,000,000th time someone has used that pun but it’s only the first time on this blog.
You can never have enough arms on a baseball team. Johnny Cueto, slated to be the Reds number 3 starter this year has experienced tightness in his arm during his last two spring outings. Cueto, who signed a 3 year $27 million extension this offseason, is very much in doubt for the start of the season. Lucky for the Reds they also have Arroyo, Volquez, Bailey, Travis Wood and Mike Leake who are all capable starters. The Reds have a few options:

1. Give Cueto some time to heal and then slot him back in the rotation. He’s running out of time to get regular-season ready.

2. Slowly allow Cueto to get better and see if he’ll be ready by April 9. The Reds will not need a 5th starter until that date because of off days. Volquez, Arroyo, Wood and Bailey could hold down the fort until then.

3. Start Cueto on the DL and allow him to get ready for the long haul. I know the Reds definitely don’t want to see what happened to Volquez (Tommy John surgery-missed an entire season) to happen to Cueto.

One thing is for sure, the Reds cannot afford mediocre seasons out of the likes of Bailey, Volquez and Wood. If this is a playoff team, they need to pitch like playoff pitchers.

This Day In History (March 20)

1942-General Douglas MacArthur solemnly swore that he would return to the Philippines after being sent to Australia by FDR. One month later the American troops in the Philippines were subjected to a huge surrender and the 65 mile Bataan Death march to prison camps.

Eventually MacArthur did return to the Philippines after “island hopping” his way to victory.

Did You Know?

Ever had a twin popsicle?

What a tasty treat! Did you know that this treat was invented before the Great Depression so that two children could share one treat? Pretty interesting (and economical). In fact, I could go for one right now and I’m typing this at 7 am!

posted by Mr. Dowling in Bowling,Food,Television,The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball,history and have Comments (3)

Mar

The Weekend of 3/12

Bowling Scores For the Week: 180, 170, 170. However, my team only won one game. There’s always next week.

Did You Know?
The Hollywood sign in California was originally “Hollywoodland” but the last four letter fell down during World War II.

This Day In History
1947-President Truman issues the Truman Doctrine (I wonder how he came up with such a creative name). This was when the United States government, during the early stages of the Cold War, sent aid to countries like Greece and Turkey to resist Communism.
1912-Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Scouts. Interestingly enough it is always around this time that I end up with boxes and boxes of girl scout cookies. I have 3 boxes already and I haven’t even gotten my entire order from my nieces.
1933-President Roosevelt has his first fireside chat. For those of you that don’t know about FDR and fireside chats, this is when Roosevelt would perform radio addresses to the American public during the Great Depression urging calm and faith in the American banking system. You will be learning about this next year.

Laughs and Lunch continues…Believe it or not, we’re almost finished with the Looney Tunes portion of our sessions.
We say this one yesterday which to me is two of the better Looney Tunes cartoons.
For your enjoyment, I bring to you Laughs and Lunch: The Home Edition

I’ve never seen this one but it seems to be a sequel to One Froggy Evening, a great cartoon.

For those of you who have been at Laughs and Lunch, what was your favorite cartoon that we’ve seen this year?

posted by Mr. Dowling in Bowling,School,Television,Uncategorized,history and have Comments (2)

Mar

The Weekend of 3/5

It seems like we just started March…yet it feels like it is already over. Time is definitely flying by this year.
This weekend will be a blur with DJ’s party. I’ll try to post a picture. The only problem is I don’t know how to put them on the computer. I’m technically savvy with a few gaps in my abilities. Oh well.

Bowling Scores for the Week
There was a large Weber presence at bowling this week as there were a few teachers there for a school function for their children. Mrs. Convey, Mrs. Sanicola and Mr. Buchman were all in attendance. I was especially sparked by the visit from Mrs. Dowling and DJ. DJ was more thrilled to see Mrs. Convey who gave him not one but two munchkins!
My scores were 187, 158 and 138. Overall it was an average week. I guess I’ll never be more than a 160ish bowler. I should point out that my best game was when Mrs. Dowling and DJ were around. Once they left I went downhill. Thankfully my team was still able to win all 3 games that we played.

Did You Know?
Your skin weighs more than your brain.
What I’d rather know is what morbidly crazy person weighed both of these objects.

This Day In History
One of the major events that we discussed this year took place on this day.
It was on this day in 1770 that a snowball fight/protest turned into bloody and tragic scene. News of the Boston Massacre raced through the colonies especially after the help of The Sons of Liberty. Although only a handful of people died, the events were sensationalized by the likes of Sam Adams and Paul Revere to make more and more people hate the British and desire independence.

1933-FDR declares a bank holiday. You will learn next year that this is when Roosevelt closed all of the banks in the US for 4 days. This kept panicked depositors from withdrawing all of their money. After the four days only banks that were strong enough were able to re-open. This was during an event in American history called The Great Depression.
1946-Winston Churchill refers to the “Iron Curtain” that had fallen across Eastern Europe. Of course, he was referring to the Communist control of that area. The Cold War was on.

Television Alert: The MLB Network is presenting their 30 Clubs in 30 Days programs throughout spring training. You can find out all about the Reds on 3/8 at 10 pm. Of course you can DVR it or watch it during the multiple repeats that will take place in March. There will be a test!
Speaking of tests, we have a big one on Wednesday. Study! Study! Study! There will be Extra Help on Wednesday as well. I will also have Homework Club on Tuesday. That could be used an a place to study for the test as well.

posted by Mr. Dowling in Bowling,School,The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball,history and have Comments (4)

Feb

The Weekend of 2/19

Hollywood lost another one of this character actors as Len Lesser aka Uncle Leo from Seinfeld recently passed away.
You can read more here.

Bowling Scores Of The Week: 182, 146, 158

Did You Know?
4 out of our last 5 Presidents were left handed. President Obama joined Bill Clinton, George HW Bush and Ronald Reagan as recent left-handed Presidents. George W. Bush is right-handed.
It is a proven fact that left-handed people are more talented than right-handed people. Or at least that’s what I tell myself.

This Day In History
It was on this day in 1942 that President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. It was with this decision that the U.S. ordered thousands of Japanese-Americans into internment camps. The U.S. was coming off of the devastating Pearl Harbor attack. To be clear, most of these people that were put into camps were American citizens.
It wasn’t until 1988 that President Reagan signed a law that offered a national apology to Japanese-Americans. The government also gave $20,000 to any living Japanese person that was interned in a camp.
This is definitely a black eye in American history.
Those of you in 7th grade will be learning about this next year.
1807-Former Vice President Aaron Burr is arrested in Alabama on suspicions that he is scheming to establish an independent republic.
1878-Thomas Edison receives a patent for the phonograph. Do you think he ever envisioned an iPod?

posted by Mr. Dowling in Bowling,Television,Uncategorized,history and have Comments (2)

Feb

The Weekend of 2/12

Bowling Scores For The Week: 172, 124, 157.

Did You Know?
Yesterday I asked about the Obama Superbowl Party. It sounded like they had lots of tasty treats despite sending out a message of healthy living. Of course, moderation is the key. Did you know that besides Thanksgiving, Superbowl Sunday is the biggest US food consumption day.

This Day In History
Today marks the birthday of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was born in 1809.
1909-The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) was founded
1999-The Senate acquitted Bill Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. The was after Clinton was impeached. Since the Senate acquitted him, Clinton was never removed. Removal is a two step process. We’ll actually learn about this either this week or when we come back from vacation.
Ignore the 8th graders who tell you “The House is peaches The Senate improves”.

There is an Earth Science test this week. Good luck on that. Earth Science was probably my least favorite class in high school. I didn’t exactly like Philosophy in college but I got by. I dreaded Italian but at least it was a fun class. Italian was also my first (of many) A’s in college.

posted by Mr. Dowling in Bowling,School,Uncategorized,history and have Comments (8)

Feb

Superbowl Weekend

I think there’s a big game or something this week. I’m not sure. They should probably do a better job publicizing the Superbowl.
Any predictions? I’m going with the Steelers.

Sadly, we did not raise enough funds for the socialstudieswithasmile.com commercial to air during the Superbowl. However, you can see it here for free.

Bowling Scores for the Week: 160, 184, 134…I also had a cheering section for awhile. It turns out that 10 Weber students also happened to be bowling at the lanes this week. A special thanks to Hannah, Sam, Kara H., Kara C., Alyssa, Kate, Taylor, Anna, Julia and Michaela. I’ve been saying it for more than a year now…bowling can be fun. Apparently seeing me at bowling is like seeing Dr. H at the supermarket so be on the lookout for your science teacher at Stop and Shop or King Kullen.

Don’t forget, the Puppy Bowl is also this weekend on Animal Planet. I always check it out for a few minutes, especially the Kitty Halftime Show.

Speaking of Cats…Did You Know?
Here are the top 10 cat names from 10 to 1
10. Princess
9. Spike
8. Tigger (I once had a cat named Tigger)
7. Molly
6. Boots
5. Boo
4. Tiger
3. Shadow
2. Smokey
1. Kitty (How original!)

This Day In History
1937-President Roosevelt suggests increasing the number of Supreme Court justices. This led to the criticism that FDR was trying to pack the court with justices that would do things to his liking. You’ll learn about this next year with Dr. Hollis.

As you’re watching the Superbowl think about your favorite commercial/least favorite commercial. We’ll discuss the game, commercials and anything else Monday here on the blog.
You may recall this was my favorite commercial last year:

posted by Mr. Dowling in Bowling,Commercial,School,Uncategorized and have Comments (8)

Jan

The Weekend of 1/28

The last weekend of January. Do you think it is possible for January to take its snow with it?
A weekend without football? What are we all going to do?…And the Pro-Bowl doesn’t count.
How about the Knicks beating the Heat! There’s plenty of exciting things coming out of the Garden this year. I’m liking the excitement (and I’m not even a Knicks fan…although I’m starting to lean that way).

The 8th Grade Section has been updated with a quiz and some brief notes. Feel free to use while studying.

Bowling Scores of the Week
134, 164, 187…not bad for a guy with a bad back

Did You Know?
If you engage in many sesquipedalianisms, you like to use big words. Hopefully Zareen or Elizabeth don’t get that word in the spelling bee.

Today would have been the birthday of William McKinley. I wouldn’t celebrate with a trip to Niagra Falls…just saying.
It was also on this day in 1900 that the American League was organized. Sticking with the baseball theme, in 1936, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced its first inductees. You may have heard of some of them: Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth.

Here’s a future Hall of Famer for you:

posted by Mr. Dowling in Bowling,The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball,history and have Comments (5)

Jan

The Weekend of 1/22

Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes. I was humbled by the multiple birthday greetings, the card from homebase, the entire 8th grade lunch crew singing Happy Birthday, lunch with my teammates among others. It was a great day even if it does mean I’ve moved on to my 30s.
By the way, this would be when you stop reading the blog and immediately post a comment about how I don’t look a day over 21!

It sounds like we have snow in the forecast again for mid-week. According to the news this morning, it is still to early to tell whether it will be rain or snow. Stay tuned.

Bowling Scores for the Week: 153, 163, 146

You may recall the story of the octopus that successfully predicted the outcome of World Cup games this past year. Unfortunately, Paul the Octopus passed away several weeks ago. However, his memory will live on. The aquarium that housed Paul unveiled a sculpture of the most famous aquatic animal this side of Flipper. See below.

In class the other day I mentioned the Honorary Citizens of the United States. Unfortunately, I goofed. It wasn’t Kosciusko that was named a citizen, it was Casimir Pulaski. Pulaski was given this honor in 2009 for his contribution to the American’s in their victory over the British. I believe we have discussed this before on the blog. Other notable honorary citizens include The Marquis de Lafayette, William Penn and Winston Churchill.

One week to go before the end of the quarter. We’re halfway there.

Did You Know?
200,000,000 M&Ms are sold in the United States each day. I once had to return a bag of M&Ms because they were defective…it was an entire bag of W&Ws.
Now would be a good time to share my disappointment for the pretzel M&Ms. Not worth it at all.

Jets or Steelers? I’m going with the Steelers on this one. It is either comforting or a bad omen that every sportswriter from Newsday (with the exception of one) predicted that the Jets would win this one.

As mentioned earlier, Frank’s was the spot once again for my birthday dinner with Mrs. Dowling. The food was great but the experience wasn’t nearly as good as last year. Despite having a reservation, we had to wait 45 minutes to be seated. We barely ever saw our waitress and the manager was not the nicest guy in the world. While another couple was experiencing similar frustration for waiting with a reservation they complained to the manager. The manager’s response was “Don’t worry, the cows aren’t going to run away.”!!! We’ll probably be looking for another steakhouse next year.

posted by Mr. Dowling in Bowling,Food,School,Uncategorized,history and have Comments (10)

Jan

The Weekend of 1/15

Time sure is flying by…we’re halfway through January already.

Bowling Scores for the Week: 153, 184, 146. One guy in the league had 11 strikes in a row. You only need 12 for a perfect game. He then lined up for his final shot, hoping for a perfect game. He approached the line, fired and……threw a gutter ball. A 290 game!
As a matter of fact, he finished his first game with 8 strikes in a row and then threw 11 in a row in his 2nd game. That’s 19 in a row for those of you without a calculator. WOW!

Just Wondering
What do you say when God sneezes?

This Day In History (1/15)
It was on this day in 1929 that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born. Be sure to take a little time during this weekend to think about the impact that King had on the lives of all of us. This weekend is not just an opportunity to sleep in or go shopping. I’m sure there will be shows on the History Channel or BET. To some, MLK is a guy from a LONG time ago…He would have been 81 years old today.

1967-The first Superbowl was held with The Packers defeating the Chiefs. I don’t think the Jets will be making the Superbowl this year as they will be losers to the Patriots tomorrow. 35-24

posted by Mr. Dowling in Bowling,Uncategorized and have Comments (11)

Jan

The Weekend of 1/8

Just as a follow up to yesterday’s weather. I did have bowling last night and I can tell you that there were spots on the road (but especially in parking lots) that were extremely icy. I still believe the school did the right thing. I’m not just saying that because I got out of work early. As a matter of fact, I would have preferred to give my test before the weekend.

Speaking of bowling, here are my scores for the week: 189, 164, 211. If only I could do that every week. To top it off, my team won all 3 games this week. We’re either extremely hot or extremely cold…like the Mets only without injuries.

We talk a lot about movies and television here so we might as well continue that tradition. One of the great comedy duos in history was Laurel and Hardy. The Turner Classic Movies Channel is running a marathon of movies and shorts beginning this Tuesday at 8. I think it is worth checking out. One of my favorite holiday classics is The March of the Wooden Soldiers. These guys were great.

U.S. Officials Recommend Reduced Fluoride Levels in Water
I guess I picked the wrong time to switch to tap water.

Just Wondering
Would getting sick at the airport be considered terminal illness?

This Day In History (1/8)
1790-President Washington delivers the first State of the Union Address. We’re due for another one of those in a week or two.
1918-This should sound familiar to some of you…President Wilson outlines his Fourteen Points for peace after World War I. It didn’t exactly go according to plan for him or the rest of the world for that matter. Wilson probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves for the job he did as President. What do you think?
Today also would have been the birthday of one of the all-time great entertainers, Elvis Presley.

Elvis was one of my favorite Halloween costumes.

posted by Mr. Dowling in Bowling,Movies,Television,Uncategorized,history and have Comments (10)

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