Newest Net Addiction

I like Boggle. I like Scrabble. This "wise old duck" has created an online game, free and plays against real people, that brings the best of both games together. I have been playing every night for about a week. I'm an addict. I'm not as good as some of the long term regulars, but I can hold my own.

The game is called -- ZChurk

Follow the link. I play as kurteeck.

Mom's Eulogy

Mom's eulogy, written by my brother Todd and read at the funeral by long time family friend Dan Danaker.

Sorry about the resolution. I'm working on getting the actual file vs using the scan. In the meantime, click the image to view at a more readable size.



Link to -- I Corinthians 13:1 thru 13




Link to -- I Corinthians 15:50 to 52

March Madness

I don't really follow NCAA Basketball that closely. Nor do many of my colleagues at work. That hasn't stopped us from playing "The Bracket". We are doing the 10 points for first round, 20 points for second round, thirty points for third round system for scoring. No money. Losers buy winner lunch.

Here are our current scores (first score is 10,20,30,40...second score is based on 10,20,40,80...) --

• Tiff -- 610/760 points
• Carrie -- 680/990 points
  
• Karen -- 670/750 points
  
• Michelle -- 810/1130 points
  
• Kurt -- 940/1680 points

updated 2:18pm on April 1

I'm in a snotty mood and Liz Dietrich is not right

I won't go so far as to say Liz Dietrich is wrong. She asserts in an interview in the Daily Slightem that there is a myth about bad parents. She says --

Liz Dietrich, clinical supervisor, said the agency wants to dispel the “myth of the bad parent.”

“Parents think, ‘My kid is acting this way because of something I did,’ ” she said. “We want to show them it’s not their fault. Some kids have these issues because of a chemical imbalance. You could be the best parent in the world; kids are still going to make mistakes.” (from the Daily Slightem)

Sure, there are families out there who have done everything "right". The parents were good parents. Something is just wrong with the child's wiring. And yes, Concern does a great job with these families (especially with clients who fall into the category of autism spectrum disorders).

However, it is naive to think that all parents are good parents. Sometimes the parents are the fault. Dad is a heroin addict and mom is a welfare leech trading her food stamps for smokes while the kids are running the streets. The kid steals. Why can't we blame the parent?

I think parents should be asking themselves if their child's behavior is a reflection of their parenting. In cases other than those with a true biological abnormality which effects behavior (autism, schizophrenia, bi-polar disorders, etc.), the cause must be partly a reflection of parenting.

Where do we learn how to behave, what is acceptable, our moral character? If your children are 'acting out', maybe it is your fault.

A short video in memory of my mom

Carol Eck

Carol Ann Eck, 66, of 442 McElhattan Drive, McElhattan, Pa., went to be with her Lord surrounded by her family on Thursday, March 6, 2008, at her home.

Carol was born August 9, 1941, in Jersey Shore, the daughter of Gordon Glaes and the former Vivian Maffett.

She is survived by her husband, Edward L. Eck, they were united in marriage July 11, 1964, in the St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jersey Shore. Ed and Carol purchased a home in Avis. It was at their home in Avis where they raised their two sons, Kurt Edward and Todd Matthew. While raising their children, Carol served as a member of the PTA, was a Den Mother and volunteer in the Scouting program, and a member of several bowling leagues. For many years she was a member of the Trinity United Methodist Church in Jersey Shore.

Carol graduated from Jersey Shore High School in 1959 and continued her education at the Williamsport School of Nursing. She practiced nursing throughout her life, initially working in the Maternity ward at Williamsport Hospital. During her career she worked fro Dr. Dunkle, Dr. Nicholas and at Susqueview and Manor Care Nursing Homes. When she left Manor Health Care she was the Assistant Director of Nursing. Carol would want mentioned that it was during this time that she made the acquaintance of Cathy Brooks, also a nurse. Cathy has always been more than a neighbor and Carol recognized her as family. Carol’s sons think of her as their older sister. After Carol retired from nursing, she and Ed moved to McElhattan. She continued to be active, helping with Red Cross Blood Mobiles, distributing food at local churches “Angel and Food Program,” and dressing up for her jaunts with the Red Hatter Society.

She also enjoyed having the time to sit on the front porch of the new home and watch the birds and squirrels play in the multitude of feeders and bird bathes in her front yard. Carols also took care of her pet cat Sparkles. Sparkles was a diabetic and, like Carol, required daily insulin shots. Carol never really retired completely from nursing and never stopped caring for others.

Also surviving are two sons, Kurt E. Eck of Milton and Todd M. (Janine) Eck of Woodsville, New Hampshire, two grandchildren, Daniel L. Bucharski Eck and Samuel V. Eck, one sister, Vivian L. Davis of McElhattan, and one brother, Alan G. Glaes of Avondale, Arizona,

Funeral services will be Monday, March 10, 2008 at 12 p.m. in the Trinity United Methodist Church, corner of Allegheny and Glover Streets, Jersey Shore. Friends may call from 10 a.m. Monday until the time of services at the church. Burial will be in the Jersey Shore Cemetery. The Rev. Richard Cartwright, her pastor, will officiate. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions be made in her name to the Trinity United Methodist Church.

Frederick B. Welker Funeral Home, 125 N. Main St., Jersey Shore, is in charge of arrangements.

CNN Student News

We (Ms. Carrie and I) have been using CNN Student News every morning with our students.

It has been a very worthwhile endeavor. The students seem to retain a good bit of the information. Most of the students can name the major candidates in the primaries. They all seem to grasp where Iraq and Chad are on the world map. They may be getting smarter. Scary.

To help check for retention, each daily news cast comes with a ten question news quiz. Friday's quiz tests knowledge for news from the entire week. Most students get the answers correct. Sometimes we do get an answer that causes a good laugh. Most recently, two examples stand out.

A question on Monday dealt with the upcoming Super Tuesday Primary. When asked which candidate they would vote for, one student answered with "John McRomney". A hawkish liberal Republican who could balance the budget and capture the Evangelical and LDS vote?

On the same day, the news covered the violence in Chad. The questions on the quiz dealt with the current political situation in Chad and how the violence could lead to many deaths. The United Nations and US intervention were discussed. The final question asked the students to explain what they thought would happen if no-one intervened. I enjoyed, being a sarcastic and sardonic personality myself, one of the students answers. He explained that if the violence continued, there would be a lot fewer starving people in Africa. (Waa waa waaa)

I can't feel my hands

You know the rest of the jingle --

"I'm freezing at Pee Wee Hockey."

Then dad shows up with Dunkin' Donuts Milky Way Hot Chocolate.

The kids and I fell for the promotion and went to Dunkin' Donuts and bought the Hot Chocolate. They got the Milky Way and I got the traditional Hot Cocoa.

Sorry Double D - not as good as advertised. Mine tasted like burnt Styrofoam and I don't think the boys could discern any Milky Way Carmelness in their drinks. Kudos for a good advertising campaign though. We got pulled right in to the excitement and you got my money.

Finished Painting

The classroom has been painted. We still have a few items to finish.


I didn't get the border for the wall screen painted out yet, but you can see where it is by the blue painters tape.



I've also put an American Flag behind my desk. I'll get a picture of that up later.



After we add a few more plants, I think we will be ready to start the exclusion room.

They're Back - American Gladiator

Oh yea!!!

After all these years, they are back - bigger and badder and twice as tacky. I love it.

I watched the first double episode tonight and will be glued onto the TV tomorrow night as well. The Hulkster (Hulk Hogan) is the perfect commentator. The contestants are vetted better than the original and I felt like I got to know them. And the Gladiators are HUGE! My favorite gladiators to date are Wolf and Siren (varoom - she can pugel me anytime), but it is to early to tell who will reign as the ultimate BA.

Check out the NBC site -- AMERICAN GLADIATOR

A Christmas Video

Thank You Aunt Lee

Mom has been undergoing chemo and radiation therapy. She has not been doing well and feels miserable most of the time. My Aunt Lee hosted our family dinner so that our family could get together for dinner.

I like to refer to this clan as the 'Eck'stended family.

Thank You Aunt Lee for all you do!

Return to posting

I have not been posting. The three or four of you who actually continue to check my blog already know what happened. For the few stragglers who stumble across my little project, I now offer an explanation for the gap between this and my past posting.

In the first week of November I was assaulted with a storm of personal crisis. In the span of five days I was informed by the IRS that my 2007 taxes may have been wrong, was accused of sexually molesting three of my past foster kids, found out that my mom’s cancer had returned, and was puked on by a kid in swimming lessons.

Getting puked on wasn’t all that bad.

Everything else stressed me out pretty bad. I just couldn’t find the mental calm to type anything worthwhile. It wasn’t that I require a lot of serenity to write; it was that my mind was that chaotic. I was reduced to reading Anime’. I couldn’t concentrate enough to read a novel or anything longer than an article in a newspaper.

It took almost forty days to resolve the allegations against me. As a result of the length of the investigation I lost a foster kid I really enjoyed having in my home and had thoughts of adopting. The whole experience has really soured my outlook on being a foster parent. It has also enlightened me (further) on how screwed our State’s Child Welfare system is.

Now that my life is more stable, I will be writing further on topics relating to my recent experiences. Be patient. I will try not to rant.

That’s all for now. More to come.

One of the first Egg Bros Inc vids

This is one of the first Egg Bros Inc Videos. I made it about a year ago after I attended a friends baby shower. It is, as always, a little rough.

I have posted it at the request of some of my coworkers.

Yep - I'm going to try the NaNoWriMo again. 50,000 words in thirty days.

I only made it to 15,000 words last year. I had kids at home all the time. This year, the kids will be at the program center until 7 four days a week, so I should be able to find more time to write.

If you are interested, you should check out the website. If you decide to write, let me know so we can suffer together.

Concert!!

The concert was six hours long! The line up was Seether, Collective Soul, Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin, and LIVE. It is the only concert I have been at where I was hollered a for standing. I also had beer thrown on me. I have had that happen before; just never thrown on me because I was standing at a rock concert.

The weather was summer weather. Due to a late start, Jerry and I did not have much time to tailgate. We did get lucky enough to park next to truck that was playing the Penn State game. We were, for a short time, the Penn State HQ at Hershey. Everyone who walked by just needed to know what the score was. Shame we didn't have a portable white board. We could have posted the score and avoided unnecessary conversations that cut into my pre-show tailgating feast.

Seether was just opening the show as Jerry and I made our way into the stadium. It was very sunny and warm. The crowd was happy. Jerry watched our seats while I went to get the requisite concert t-shirts (let's not ask how much). Then I went and bought the infamous six-dollar beer. That's about 25 cents an ounce. Uumm, uummm. Good beer.

Seether only had a 35 minute set before they had to leave the stage. It took about 20 minutes for the next band, Collective Soul, to be set up. They played for nearly 50 minutes before another break. Three Days Grace set-up and started playing.

It was during this third performance that things got whacky in the stands. I picked the front row of section six because it is above the crowd and I have a railing to lean on while I'm standing. Every concert I have been to, the audience stands and goes nuts while the band is rockin' away. As I get older, I like having something to lean on. Apparently the lady (well, she wasn't acting very lady like) behind us a row or two bought stand tickets so she could sit. I'd like to think that she was older than I, but I probably beat her by a decade.

She starts demanding that I, Jerry, and the 5 or so other people in front of her sit down so that she can see. If we wanted to stand, she informed us rudely, we should have gotten tickets on the ground. Jerry remained calm. The girls to his right did not. They told the . . lady (I don't really know why I feel compelled to censor this) to . . . be quite. (OK - they told the f***in B**ch to shut up.)

The lady continued to go on a tirade, trying to gain support from other less enthused members of the stands. Some jumped into the shouting, but most just ignored her. I think I may have asked her something stupid like "why do you think they call this the 'stands'?" or something. Then to further irritate her, Jerry had one of the girls climb up on his shoulders in order to further block this woman's view.

That is about when it started to rain beer. And at 25 cents an ounce, it was a very expensive shower.

I don't know what happened to the lady. Two of the girls went down on the stadium floor and asked for security. Eventually, after the yellow shirt security person contacted a red shirt security person, who in turn found a 'suit', the 'suit' said he didn't have the time to go up into the stands to deal with a crazy woman. He told the girls to go get her friends and he would let them go up to the stage.

By the beginning of the Breaking Benjamin set, Jerry and his new friends were about 5 rows back from the stage taking in the concert. I was happy to stay in the stands and, well . . . stand.

I was thrilled when Jerry came back and said he liked LIVE. He originally thought that they would be 'gay'. Turned out he really liked them. He listened to them in the car on the trip home as well.

Concert!!!

Jerry and I went to see Seether, Collective Soul, Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin, and LIVE at the Hershey Stadium.



More on the concert in the next post.

In case you didn't hear

Steelers 2-0
Eagles 0-2

The Pig Roast Video or Worst Music Video Ever!

It took a while, but I finally put together a short video from the pig roast. I didn't have a lot of video to work with and I decided to use Michael singing. Most of you won't get it, but I do; and that is all that matters.

What a great weekend

Pig Roast and Trace's Birthday party were wonderful, but let me mention the other excitement from this weekend --



Penn State beats Notre Dame! Roar!



Then Pittsburgh beats Cleveland! Wooo Whooo!



Then, to make it the perfect weekend -
Eagles get BEAT by Green Bay! Yessss!