Mr. Roush and Julius Sumner Miller

About ten years ago I had a physics teacher named Mr. Roush that brought a very unique way of teaching to my attention. Walking into his classroom was like walking into Wonka's candy factory, it seemed like this crazy guy came up with some saying or action that would cause you to fall on the floor laughing. The best part was we never knew if he was serious or doing it as one elaborate prank. He would stand at the front of the room with a meter stick and as you were asking him a question or answering one of his he would be playing an imaginary game of golf or baseball with previously said stick. He would even pause after swing, admire where the ball landed and then answer your question. It was fantastic. He would refer to everyone as Mr. and Ms. and he loved putting you in awkward situations. I had a buddy that slept in his class all of the time, and Roush loved calling on him because of that exact reason. He would be sarcastic and yet sincere in his drubbing of him "Ah, Mr. (Smith) it's so nice of you to join us, I will let you get back to sleeping in a minute but could you help us out". The best was when you tried to lie to him about something, he would get all huffed up and say "Now, Now, Now don't be telling me that" He would repeat that about three times in a row....you either cracked up or told him the truth.

One of the greatest memories most of his students have from his class is a man by the name of Julius Sumner Miller. I think it was at least once a chapter we would watch this old cable TV show of a professor doing physics experiments. He was quirky and yet entertaining. Here is a clip, don't watch all of it, but at least watch his intro.

Mr. Roush was all of those things I mentioned above, but now that I am a teacher and I look back, he was the guy I would want my kids to have. He was real, even though I couldn't tell if he was spoofing us all. He made me enjoy physics and I even remember a good amount of the experiments we did. He wasn't like other teachers and that is why I can remember him now. I have to admit, over the years I have stolen his technique of the meter stick swing....and I get the same crazy look from my students. Maybe it was his way of dealing with a job like teaching, whatever it was Mr. Roush made an impact on many students, including this guy.

Coming up Short....

You ever feel like in life no matter how hard you try you end up short on some things? Your intentions are there, you make an honest go at it, but you fall short. I can't tell you the number of times in my life I've set out to do something and fall short, for whatever reason I didn't reach my goal. But I was taught to get back up and try it again, or in a different way. That one time you succeed erases all the other failures.

This boy knows what I mean.

Wanna be startin' something....

My phone started buzzing around 6:00 with the same message. Michael Jackson: Dead at 50.

Thriller was my first and only record I can remember having. My brother and I had this fisher price record player that we would spin the wax on for hours. We could speed it up so it sounded like the chipmunks were singing "billie jean" or slow it down so a deep voiced homeless man was singing about a "PYT". A moment of honesty if I may; I was scared to death of the creepy voice in thriller. To go with the official record we had a white glove with sequins on it (actually made at vacation bible school i believe) my father had a black hat, and I had an obsession of trying to mimic his every move.

For years his music would accompany me in my cassette player, portable CD player, the black mazda truck, and finally on every computer I've ever owned. It was his music and his dancing ability that made him such a phenomena to me at least. Like a sports star he was on top of the music world, whatever he did was gold, and you can see the influence in today's stars.

The shame of it is, is that most people are going to reflect on him today for the blemishes that stained his career. I can't argue with that nor can I blame them. But to each person that thinks about a crazy guy that held a baby over the railing of a German hotel I say this.... no one will be remembered for one single dance move like he will be for the moon walk.... no one could entertain an audience on the fly like he did at each of his concerts..... you can take your memory of a broken masked man, I'll take my memory of the guy in the white tux in smooth criminal, putting any other dance solo to shame....ever.

When it's all said and done you'll remember MJ for every song he recorded and the mind blowing dance moves he performed with the same ease as you and I putting on our shoes. For me, MJ died today, but in a weird way he hasn't been alive for the better part of a decade. His music has been living on and the memory of who he was is stronger for me than the person he is. MJ was talking about a comeback, 50 show tour, I had my heart set on finally seeing him live, until today, but the wax record will have to continue to spin, chipmunk or homeless voice, it's still a solid gold #1 hit.

Shamoan....