Tonight we went to Dodger Stadium for what will be my first of three Dodger games this weekend. A buddy at work got some awesome seats and was nice enough to invite us to watch the Dodgers pound on the Pirates 10-4. Not only did the Dodger bats come alive, but Brett Tomko had one of the best outings he’s had in a long time. It looks like hurt himself though, so apparently he pitches better when hurt. Jae Seo pulled his normal crappy outing, but luckily a 10 run cushion was enough for him. You can’t put Seo into any situation that is really going to matter, so at this point pitch him in games you’re winning by 10 or when we’re losing by 10. I also caught a foul ball hit by Izzy, and that made me feel special.

I’ve never been to this many Dodger games in such a short period of time, so we’ll see how it goes. At least we only have to pay for one of them.

This is it. A half day and summer is here!

I have to make this short, because I need to be at school by 7:15 because I’m on the search and seizure team! I have to stand at a gate and make sure kids don’t get into school with contraband! Shaving cream, silly string, water guns, all that jazz. Hopefully there will be no problems.

Knott’s yesterday was fun, but tiring. I think the reliefband worked pretty well. I rode on a bus there and back and never felt queasy. I still got a little light-headed on the way home, but that might also be because I went on ghostrider. I’m pretty sure I’ll need it again this weekend, so I’ll be trying it some more.

HELLOOOOOO SUMMMMMER!

I missed "three more days." Yesterday the kids watched Mr. T’s BE SOMEBODY!

Today I’m going to Knott’s Berry Farm. I’m actually very excited to ride on the bus and try my new ReliefBand. I get motion sickness very easily, and if this device really delivers, I will be extremely happy. It’s a device you wear on the underside of your wrist, and it actually sends small "shocks" every few seconds into the nerves in that part of your arm. Apparently this disrupts the communication between the brain and the inner ear that causes motion sickness.

Usually I would be skeptical, but there are a TON of reviews from people who say it really works. There are cheaper straps (this one costs $50-$80) that merely press on an acupuncture point on the wrist, and they cost $5. Those I’m a little more skeptical of, but if it’s shocking me that seems more scientific. It feels like one of those gag devices that buzz you when you shake hands. I will be sure to post a full review when I’ve decided whether or not it really works.

Today we played a Pentae Tournament! I even went to Sav-Ons and bought the winners sweet prizes. I enjoyed it because all the kids had a chance to win. However I did not enjoy the ones that think they deserve to win even though they lost.

Tomorrow is a movie, Thursday is Knotts, and Friday is DONE!

Last night we watched a new show called Treasure Hunters, and I’m hooked. Da Vinci Code meets Amazing Race. Ten teams (now 9) race across the globe chasing clues and solving puzzles in pursuit of a treasure. I’ve never watched The Amazing Race, so I’m not sure how much it differs, but I get the feeling they’re similar. So far Treasure Hunters has been physically demanding, but equally about solving puzzles and interpreting vague clues.

Right now I’m rooting for the Brown family, but the redneck fellas are hilarious. He’s turning over trashcans and looking under totally random rocks for clues. At one point he holds up a rock, and turns it over and over, and finally decides it’s just a rock. At another point he looks under a trash can, finds a folded up piece of a paper flag, and starts to ponder the "hidden meaning" in his "clue." On again next Monday at 8 pm on NBC, starting with a recap of the opener, and a new episode at 9 pm.

Other than this there are a ton of reality shows hitting primetime while everyone else is on break. Since there’s nothing to watch I’ve decided to record pretty much everything. Reality Stars Fear Factor was interesting, though I only recognize the Survivor and Apprentice players. I’ll be checking out the America’s Got Talent show, mainly just to see David Hasselhoff talk to his wristwatch. There’s another called How to Get the Guy, and I’m sure there are more, but might as well fill the DVR.

Finally, most the networks are already hyping their new Fall shows that are still months away. So far the only one I’m looking forward to is Heroes on NBC. Basically a bunch of people wake up one morning with superhero type abilities. While not an original concept (X-Men meets Rising Stars), I’m curious to see what can be done in a TV show format.

Much like Amy’s graduation countdown, here is a shorter "summer countdown." Today we’re playing a game called Pentae. It’s like connect four meets othello. The kids are gonna play each other, and it should be easy. DodgerBlues and I were talking about having a crazy school-wide league next year with standings and playoffs and championships. They’ve never played it in my class, so today will just be teaching them how to play.

And a quick note on my weekend….on Friday we went to a friend’s house for an end of the year work party. I have to say that Jr. High teachers are a lot of fun. Saturday we went to El Dorado Park for father’s day and had a picnic. The dog was in heaven. Then Sunday we had father’s day lunch with the other fathers at Chili’s.

Five more days.

Jae Seo = I just wasted 5 hours.

Before you decide I’m a total retard, let me explain. Today one of my kids broke the stapler, so I had to unjam the thing. I did, filled it with new staples, and when I proceeded to close the darn thing, something bad happened. I only meant to press the "loaded" part back up, so it was ready to use again, but for some reason I pushed it too far, causing it too staple. My thumb at the joint found a staple lodged all the way inside. Luckily one of the prongs went wide, but the other was in the middle of the thumb as far as it could go. I missed the fleshy part of the thumb, and it went in palm side right where the thumb bends.

Surprisingly, there was no blood. I squeezed and a little came out, but the wound was so skinny it kept it from bleeding. At first it didn’t hurt much, but as the day went on it became sore. I figure it went so deep it could have hit my bone or muscle or something. The sweet part was a bunch of my students were standing around watching. When I stood there and pulled it out I’m sure it looked totally rad, maybe like a warrior removing an axe lodged in his thigh.