I AM IN LOVE WITH STEVE JOBS ::: OK, NOT REALLY, JUST iTunes

I do not have a T.V. here. This is not a problem.

I am addicted to Grey's Anatomy. But without a T.V. how can I get my hit of addiction?

iTunes.

I can purchase the episodes for $1.99 and watch them as often as I want. The only problem is I have to wait until the next day...so, no spoilers please. And believe me...it gets pretty quiet living by myself until the house is ready for our team to move in. Right now, the ladies are in the other quarters and I am by myself. Gets pretty quiet around here. Thankfully, iTunes gave free copies of a few shows and I have been playing those while doing housekeeping things around here.

The laundry tends to pile up fast. Imagine doing your laundry in the equivalent of a 5 gallon bucket. That is about the size of the drum on the washing machine. Hey...at least I don't have to use a washboard...although it might be fun to do a little Country Bears hoedown impression. I'm just sayin...it might be cool!

Speaking of addiction...here is a dude huffing paint on the MTR on my way home from hanging out in Central.




In case you are not familiar with huffing paint...ask someone...i am not going to explain it so some young webby kid can find directions on my blog. No sir, you are going to have to go else where for that mister. This is a family blog pal...sort of.

Well, it's been a few days...and I have stewed without even knowing it

Well, It's been a few days...and I gotta tell ya...I've missed you!

I have had a slow down in updating the 'ol bloggy blog blog. I am adjusting. My school schedule has gotten pretty busy now that I am grading worksheets and the like. I am actually handing out marks and the like.

It is crazy. I look out into the eyes of these kids and I see a few me's...is that right?...can you say me's? It's my blog...so I say I can.

I see these kids who are diagnosed with some sort of pshycho-babble disorder and usually drugged with a chemical to 'slow' them down enough to help them concentrate. I was fortunate enough to fight enough to keep my parentals from taking me to the doc for such a thing. I know that they tried and looked for everything possible to help me in school and spared no expense along the way. They truly offered every option to me. The solution to these tears and frustrations that they had for me...interest.

I needed something more...I needed more than rote material that I was just supposed to memorize. More than just some "things I learned in the past, so you should too" and much more than what some jack-ass at the school board decided I needed to learn so use this text book kind of thing.

I needed a school like I teach at. I needed a Principal that thought like Mr. Yau. Teachers who were hired because they were creative. Teachers who could not just teach, but reach. I needed attentive and creative people who made me laugh and got me excited about what I was learning. People who are adult enough to admit that school just isn't about grades. It is about choices and consequences, and life. People who taught us what we needed to learn based on our development. People who wrote their own curriculum.

I know a few guys that I went to school with that were freaking geniuses. But, their grades have done nothing for them in choosing. They are absolutely smart...but they have no sense. They had the grades that I should have cared about but didn't. They have degrees that most of us dream about having as little kids...and the paychecks to match. But, they are so wrecked...and they are so small in life. Sad.

Academics are nice. They hang on our walls. They make us look like the perception someone else already has. They categorize us.

I was categorized.

"They" were wrong.

Each time I apply for something, I come upon a challenge and usually a second look becuase of my academics. Then I get selected....9 times out of 10.

Then....

Then I get pulled aside at some point, and someone in the panel, or who was a part of the decision making process says..."You know, we almost didn't select you...We sure are glad we did! We would have passed up something great and made a terrible mistake. Thank you for being a part of our _______."

I am not writing this because I need to feel good about myself. I am not writing this because I need a lot of comments saying that, "I am smart enough, I am good-looking enough, and...Doggonit, people like me!," (give it up for stuart smiley...for those who don't know who that is...you must be a part of the google generation...look it up).

I am writing this because categories suck.

They may pseudo-help in knowing where and what someone should get as far as attention goes...but why is this always first to spending time with them? Why is it never the option to spend time with the student? To know them. To give that little one a friggin coke and share a snack with them and say...hey man, tell me about what you absolutely love to do? What do you just get so excited about you want to scream?...(this kids reaction is what I am talking about!)

I have a student who when I give him enough thought at the end of the day, I am forced to deal with a lump in my throat. Mainly because I would rather discipline him in some way rather than reach him. I crave conformity on his part to that of the other kids. But he is different. He needs more. He needs more than just someone to listen to. He needs more than just someone to give him worksheets. He needs more than chemicals and detentions. He needs someone to engage him.

How do you balance him knowing what is and out of bounds, and engaging him? This is a challenge my friends. I would love to effect this young man in a profound way. That he might be my Opus...(Mr. Holland).

But...I was reminded today in a rather interesting way. You know when someone shares something with you that puts your back on the floor? I had received a message of someone who I am so challenged by, of the effect that I have had on his life. This message literally felt like a kick in the stomach with tears to follow...in a good way.

I really do feel that God ( The Father....the other One of the trinity including Jesus, and the Holy Spirit one for the sake of clarity ) gives us gifts...or to put it another way, graces us. He sends these little messages in the clouds, flowers, a quiet star lite night, a smile, a laugh, a cry...a message, straight from Him. He sends these messages to say many things. In despair when we think we hear Him not...He sends a peace. In celebration, He speaks in a proud way...I guess I can give you my examples, but maybe you have your own.

Lately, He speaks to me in favor. For some reason, I am being accepted here quicker than others. I have been evaluated and approved of highly, I have been asked to participate in projects and responsibilities, school parents have commented, students have commented, and peers and leadership have commented. All too flattering and somewhat embarassing.

And then...the college students have commented. Students whose lives I was fortunate enough to be in. Students who challenge me. Students who I absolutely would do anything and did do everything for. Some students who seemed disinterested at what I offered, now offer me encouragement and words that are far too humbling for someone like me.

Interest. It is something that has many definitions.

something you take in someone/something

a return on investment

for me...it is a word that describes my curiosty to why I am being shown favor. To why all of this encouragement is coming my way now, seemingly all at the same time.

It is 4:17am...and I am wiped. Spent. Stick a fork in me...I am...overwhelmed. And tired. So, know spell-checker tonight...

M

I live in Hong Kong...I...LIVE...in Hong Kong!!!

It dawned on me today as I read my newspaper...

I actually LIVE in Hong Kong.

I drag my sorry, redeemed being out of bed confident that today I will honor God in a significant way but, knowing i most likely will do more harm than good. A good yawn, and a stretch...usually with arms punching through the air, followed up by a pround pat on my belly...I put one leg in front of the other and go brush my teeth. On a good day, I won't stub my toes on anything.

As I walk around, I look more like a person who has been worked over by 'da guys' working for the Sandman...left humanly unrecognizable with a lot of crap in my eyes.

I look out through the windows and I see the landscapes of Tsueng Kwan O*, the district of Hong Kong I live in. I smell the smells of early morning Hong Kong...absent is the smell of roasted arabica, bacon, eggs, and that smell that only pancakes can produce. QUESTION: Why is that smell so hard to describe?

But, these smells are just as pleasant and intriguing to my nose, so much that it can awaken the slumber-ridden man behind the beast inside me.

I pass little exuberent chinese kids with messy locks bouncing around as they run to line up before school, backpacks swaying side to side and those annoying** little red lights flashing on their shoes with each stride they take. I think to myself...'adopting a Chinese kid WILL be happening one someday.' I smile as I walk by...I may have even daydreamed about what that family photo might look like. Little Sai Lo*** sitting in my father's lap smiling with a big smile surrounded by the rest of our family!

As I arrive into my office at the other campus,**** I pick up my subscription to the South China Morning Post, open it up and begin catching up with the rest of Hong Kong. I turned the page, and saw this:




Yeah, it is a little blurry but it was taken on my cell phone. The weather. That's all it is, a stupid weather report. They happen every day for cities around the world.

But.

But, this one was for Hong Kong...and it mattered to me. It determined, like all weather reports, what I will wear. What I will put into my messenger bag. What shoes I will wear. And all in all my outlook on the day from 7am forward.

This was personal. It didn't matter to you, or to my parents, my sister, or even Cheryl. It mattered to me. It might even determine whether or not I go hiking up the mountian next to where I live after school for a nice panoramic view of the place.

It matters because I live here. I dwell here. I wake up here, I go to bed here. Not vacation, not a trip, not a tour. I LIVE here.


And...I love it. One month. Nine to go. Care to visit?...What's wrong McFly...Chicken?

*pronounced CHUNG ( like Connie) KWAN (like Michelle) OH (as in __ sh@*! )

**the only thing annoying about them is that I can't have them...that wouldn't be mature. I say, why start now?

*** That is a Chinese word for little girl or little boy...kind of like 'tike.' But being that I never use the word I thought Sai Lo would about cover it.

**** I live above the school at the Primary Campus and teach at the Secondary Campus a half-mile away

::: an aside :::

I am writing a lot more these days.

Perhaps it is because of your encouragement. Or the fact that I have more time...it seems. Or the fact that I am back in my 'room' again.

So, in order to keep this blog about what it is said to be about...i am posting again to my old blog. If you care to see it, click here.

Today is the first post in quite a while, and the post below today's was written before I left. The post before that...almost a year ago. So...keep that in mind while reading.

On MALDANIS.BLOGPSOT.COM, I write more about what I am thinking about things in general, through the lens which with I look through.

In the words of dirrrty Christina..."Come on over..."

Earthquake Update....

Here is some excellent reporting from my favorite expatriate here in HKG...

He gives all the answers you all have asked via email and phone calls about the earthquake.

the...um...'soulbrain'...has atrophied

In my dash out of Dallas I have realized the my soulbrain has been neglected.

What the (insert your choice word here______)* is a soulbrain? don't know but i think i just made it up...(mental note, September 15th: I did something significant by adding a word to the world's vocabulary)

Well, I haven't been in "conversation" about things of heaven, hell, and various stops in between. Of course not all of life falls into these categories...stay with me here.

But, if you think about what you think is below (our minds revert to the idea that hell is below because our cartoons tell us so at age nipple), or above (again, age nipple allows us to build a belief that it is in the sky)...then in between those places is all of life, IE: earth and everything taking place on it.

I read one of the college students' blog today. He has always been a thinker and is super creative. Reading some of his posts were so thought provoking. I believe I have been in 'move and adjust' mode I have shelved the soulbrain.

Reading challenges me. Conversing about what I have been reading in these deep thought provoking books makes me feel alive.

If my God is who I say he is, then there is a lifetime of discovering Him that would take millenia...and even then would I only scratch the surface of his finger-nail, albeit that would be pretty fulfilling...not all fulfilling. I mean think of it this way: ever have something that taste so good your body had to actually pull you away from that taste to vomit to make room for more? Hm. Not sure if that analogy works...but it does.

Taste and see. Look it up. I dare you.

You want an image to describe what I am really getting at?

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
















This is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign,
Sail the unshadowed main,--
The venturous bark that flings
On the sweet summer wind its purpled wings
In gulfs enchanted, where the Siren sings,
And coral reefs lie bare,
Where the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair.

Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl;
Wrecked is the ship of pearl!
And every chambered cell,
Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell,
As the frail tenant shaped his growing shell,
Before thee lies revealed,--
Its irised ceiling rent, its sunless crypt unsealed!

Year after year beheld the silent toil
That spread his lustrous coil;
Still, as the spiral grew,
He left the past year's dwelling for the new,
Stole with soft step its shining archway through,
Built up its idle door,
Stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old no more.

Thanks for the heavenly message brought by thee,
Child of the wandering sea,
Cast from her lap, forlorn!
From thy dead lips a clearer note is born
Than ever Triton blew from wreathed horn;
While on mine ear it rings,
Through the deep caves of thought I hear a voice that sings:--

Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,
As the swift seasons roll!
Leave thy low-vaulted past!
Let each new temple, nobler than the last,
Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,
Till thou at length art free,
Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea!

By Oliver Wendall Holmes (1809-94). (...stolen from blupete.com)

















Life is full of these little rooms that we 'live' in for a time. We transcend the walls throughout our lives...moving in and out of life stages of growth and change...some people call these chapters in their book of life...puke!

Instead why don't we just think of these challenges as God taking us through our life?...a life that if we let him lead us by grasping at His strong hand, will author a story unlike any you could ever dream of? Why are we so bent on wandering away from our Father to build a story of our own...I guess the bottom line is that we really,...when it comes down to it,... think that God is an absolute Ass and has no idea what the hell He is doing. Or do you really think, and do I really think it is all just happenstance...you, know, "Life Sucks Then You Die So I Better Make Something Of It?"

I am in a new room. You may say my new room is in Hong Kong across the world from where you are likely sitting...hopefully you are sipping a good cup of coffee. But I am choosing to say that there are a lot of ways I am in a new room, not just where I am...but,...where I AM.

So, I say these words to you o' dear reader of my fodder...Jesus Christ is not who you think he is.

HE is so much much than you know Him to be. I dare you...to taste. Perhaps you should, as the Nautilus does, build a new room at His design ...a new dining room perhaps?

sho nuff, the rumbles were real!

and you thought i was just making up stories for the fun of it...

mold has officially been in an earthquake...click here

earthquake?

I believe I was just in an earthquake.

Obviously I am okay...nothing seems odd or out of place. No one is actually even looking around. All I know is that I was sitting here on the 7th floor minding my own business and then rumbles in the floor...in waves.

Weird.

Chicken Soup for the Soul

I hate those books.

I love chicken soup.

I love my grandmother's chicken soup.

Especially when I am sick.

Today is such a day.

I know. I know the begging question in your mind right now...what do you do in a foriegn city when you get sick? You ask the healthiest person you know where they go to the doctor and roll the dice. Remember, this whole thing is an adventure, and at worst will provide MOLDINASIA blog-fodder if it is a disaster. That is, unless it is the Avian Flu...in that case you bend over and kiss it* goodbye.

So, what is it like going to see a Chinese Dr. for a visit? Well, you have two choices:

DOOR # 1) Medicine Man...ok, not really. They actually hand out degrees for Chinese Medicine and it is highly respected among the world community. In fact, the Pharms are getting nervous because with the rise in organics, more Americans are moving to this type of health care.

DOOR # 2) Normal Medicine Man we call Doc and pay a rediculous amount of money to because of the addiction to immediate relief we in America are so addicted to. Oh, silly America...let's just slow down and stop eating all the crap we shove in our faces and see what happens... ( says the man who on the BMI index chart at the Docs office read that I should weigh 165 lbs...Hmmm...how do I say this gently...Um, well, let's try this...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Have you seen my chest size? Big boy, not fat boy, but BIG boy. I am listed as stage II obesity. Stage II...not Stage I, not In-Danger of becoming, but a secondary stage. This is like the terrorist threat level rating...ambiguous at best. Granted I could drop 20 lbs but that would still only put me at 200lbs. )

I chose #2. Not that I am not wanting to go to #1...I am , almost did today. But I needed something in my system to bring relief, and to ease my way into this thing of organics and elk poop as a remedy. Oh, and Ox testicles, and I saw some other dried things that are pretty nasty. But hey, if God gave it to us and it works...and it is not a friggin cancer ridden chemical...I say bring it. Unfortunately you have to get all of this dried "stuff" after you get assessed by the Chinese Medicine Doc, then take it home, reconstitute it and boil it for some reeeediculous amount of time to bring out all of the essentials in the tea/broth liquidy thing. So, i needed quicker relief and went with traditional medicine.

My Dr.'s visit cost me $150HKD, that is roughly 20 bucks and included 2 days worth of prescriptions. Not too bad at all. Of course the Doc spoke English and he spent 20 minutes welcoming me to Hong Kong and telling me what opportunities I have here...of course while he is talking...my eyes teared, my nose ran, and my throat went from sounding like my voice, to Bea Arthur's voice, to Barry White's...RIP my souljah!

Better news is that this doctors visit landed me with a day off tomorrow and I get full reimbursement for it.

So, who knows...I may post more tomorrow than normal. I have a few things on my chest...other than phlegmatic residues.


* That would be your @ $ $. And, last night I cooked a chicken breast that was buy one get one free. Great deal! Then I saw the fact that it was from China...he shudders...Most of the poultry, including eggs (yes I know they classify as poultry but who thinks like that) is imported from the U.S.

Two more for Okie...and one of them is for my favorite Penn State fan!

This was an all-nighter night. I napped too long today and have been up all night. It sucks, I am already fighting a cold and now I am going to be off schedule and my body worn down. So, to make me feel better and like I am not wasting time, I am posting. By the way, Notre Dame is crushing Penn State.

This is a photo from my goomba's visit last year in April but my other buddy, Mr. Crissey as many of you know him, emailed it today. Thanks Scotto! (if you clicked the link...go with definiton 2&3)



And this one...this one is me in action. Three days into school and I am already being observed. I was given the thumbs up, so I guess that means I am going to make it!

That's a lot of candles Dad...

My Daddy...

My Dad's birthday is Friday and for me that is now, for you...tomorrow. Not only is it his birthday, but, it is his 60th birthday!

I cannot believe my father is 60. If you are reading this, then you likely know him. And if you know him, then you likely love him, cause everyone does. He is an amazing man, and an ever present support, simply waiting in the background if you need him. His voice can sooth in a time of stress, and it can make a 30 year old son and a 33 year old daughter still see him as our daddy in a matter of a word uttered...or breathed loudly. (He breathes real loud) And, if you have ever called our house, then you know he can mumble too!

(AS A MATTER OF FACT YOU SHOULD CALL HIM AND WISH HIM A HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! HOW GREAT WOULD IT BE FOR HIM TO GET FLOODED WITH CALLS FROM PEOPLE HE MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW!!!!...email me for their phone number)

He can scare the crap out of just about anyone. And a little secret is how much of a teddy bear Dad really is (sorry to let the secret out there Big Fella). But he is always someone you want to spend more time with and listen to tell stories or random crap he knows.

He is smart...real dang smart...so smart it kind of pisses you off. Everyone seems to have been consulting my Dad for something ever since I can recall. Car trouble, construction, resume building, lawn care, landscaping, computers, lifting (not so much anymore), you name it...he seems to know something about it. Kind of pisses you off even more doesn't it?



...He is an amazing man, and an ever present support, simply waiting in the background if you need him...

Well, Dad...you are my hero...and I love you more than I have ever told you or could ever tell you. Happy Birthday and bring on the 80's! I AM SO VERY PROUD OF YOU POPS!!!


a few words from a friend...



ON TURNING 70 "You still chase women, but only downhill".

ON TURNING 80 "That's the time of your life when even your birthday suit
needs pressing."

ON TURNING 90 "You know you're getting old when the candles cost more than
the cake."

ON TURNING 100 " I don't feel old. In fact I don't feel anything until
noon. Then it's time for my nap."

ON GIVING UP HIS EARLY CAREER, BOXING "I ruined my hands in the ring ...
the referee kept stepping on them."

ON SAILORS "They spend the first six days of each week sowing their wild
oats, then they go to church on Sunday and pray for crop failure."

ON NEVER WINNING AN OSCAR "Welcome to the Academy Awards or, as it's
called at my home, 'Passover'."

ON GOLF "Golf is my profession. Show business is just to pay the green
fees."

ON PRESIDENTS " I have performed for 12 presidents and entertained only
six."

ON WHY HE CHOSE SHOWBIZ FOR HIS CAREER " When I was born, the doctor said
to my mother, 'Congratulations.You have an
eight-pound ham'."

ON RECEIVING THE CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL "I feel very humble, but I think
I have the strength of character to fight it."

ON HIS FAMILY'S EARLY POVERTY "Four of us slept in the one bed. When it
got cold, mother threw on another brother."

ON HIS SIX BROTHERS "That's how I learned to dance. Waiting for the
bathroom."

ON HIS EARLY FAILURES " I would not have had anything to eat if it wasn't
for the stuff the audience threw at me."

ON GOING TO HEAVEN "I've done benefits for ALL religions. I'd hate to
blow the hereafter on a technicality.

Choose the alternative option...

Over the past few days I have had countless conversations...well, more like "help me with this PC!...it is doing something weird and not working". They could be described as urgent S.O.S's. At least 10 of them or so. All of them were about how to do technical things.

For example, LOGOS gives each teacher a PC laptop in order to help support their creativity in teaching. Again, nicely done LOGOS. But, between changing all the settings in the Display menu after getting into Control Panel, and then knowing what to adjust the output in order to get the right sized image onto the projector, SmartBoard, or Digital Overhead...all you have to do on the MAC is plug it in and go.

So............I have been fairly silent for awhile...
















WELL NO LONGER!!!!!!

Click here and read what computer recommendations are being made for this year's Freshmen

Click here for 12 really good reasons and JUST DO IT ALREADY PC PEOPLE!!!!

And click here to make the move...c'mon you know it is the right thing to do!

DISCLAIMER : THIS ENTRY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT MY GIRLFRIENDS COMPUTER IS LESS THAN 3 WEEKS OLD AND ALREADY NEEDS TO GO BACK FOR SERVICE...I would never manipulate her like that.

got google earth?

So, the blog is still not making you feel like you are a part of this excursion? Download Google Earth, a satellite image of the entire earth that you can zoom in and out of.

I can email you some pin points of local landmarks so you can check out the neighborhood and have a point of reference to some sense of these sordid entries.

According to J.Fischer, it also may make you feel like a voyuer too...OK, so there is the down-side.

Addicted to Google, I am.

These are for OKIE...

I was thrown a going away party two nights before I left, and it was something else. I was blown away by the gifts and the amount of creativity that went into some of the roasting that went down.

Probably the most creative was Okie's impersonation of me. He strolled up to the front of the room with sweaty armpits galore and had me rolling from the minute I noticed. He left a comment yesterday demanding two pictures a day on this blog.

Well, space may be limited, but here you go my friend...










This is a picture of some of my kids...we ran into them while out for lunch today.










This is a picture of a teacher from Zhuhai, a nearby mainland city, who teaches at a sister school. He is in town for the weekend and staying in the same quarters. He and I ventured out for dinner after the first day of school Friday.



BY THE WAY, CLICK ON ANY OF THE PICTURES TO SEE THEM BIGGER

Did I mention it was the 1st day of school...

As a kid, Mom would always buy me new school shoes, or some new outfits...sometimes both. Even into college she would offer to buy me new schoolie shoesies (Make fun and I will send someone to break your face...I am Italian...and it CAN happen).

Well, no new shoes for me this year...I don't need them. And, to be honest the thought of raising my kids with that expectation, it kind of made me ill...the idea of kids didn't make me ill...but them having that superficial expectation sure did. I am sure I will find every little reason to buy my kids something, a small personal battle.

But, I have a new office...( find the mac...and you will have found my desk )
















A new school...( this is the great hall, full of kids )



















And...a lot of Chinese kids around me...







They are amazing! I really do like this school and the students here at LOGOS seem to be something else. I have already picked out the two guys who are the campus thugs...at least in their own minds. How thuggy can you really be when you are from a super rich part of Hong Kong and you were dropped off in a Mercedes? Ahhh...memories of Malibu's Most Wanted. I lasered in on these two and they are my guys...my project if you will. I saw them and felt like these two dudes may be the reason I am here this year. But, being that they are in another grade than I will be teaching, we will see. I will definitely see them on campus often.

So...you've got nothing else to pray about? Then pray about why I am here...and for God to show me clearly those I should invest in, be surprised by, and feel burdened for.

Oh, and did you see the picture below of my hot girlfriend? Not only is she hot...but she is a super amazing woman. Just checking to see if you saw her. That's all. Nothing else.

Nice Once LOGOS...nice one.

A few days ago the other teachers were telling us how they do lunch here at the school. Basically it goes like this, "You have an hour...use it how you like."

Some colleagues do bring their lunches, and there are eateries nearby here so you can actually get food to go for pretty cheap prices. For example, today I had Beef Stroganoff (that really turned out to be curry beef over rice with potatoes...so not really Stroganoff at all) for the grand total of $3.25...not too shabby! A little walk...lunch, and a walk back to campus...all in all a stress reliever if you ask me.

Then I remembered that the teachers can request a meal lunchbox at the school for $15HKD (that's Hong Kong Dollars, and the ratio is $1 = 7.8HKD)...a grand total of 2 bucks! That is when I realized something...there is no cafeteria.

Where are these boxed lunches coming from?

I kept walking back from lunch, turned the corner and there they stood. About 25 women with about 50 coolers. I knew lunches must be in there. Then...the giveaway...Yellow shirts with the LSG SkyChefs logo on them.

As soon as I saw the logo, the brilliance of the plan hit me. I was actually pretty blown away by the sense of it all.

Follow me here for a minute. Think about the space a cafeteria takes up. And, it may be used at the most 2 hours a day in a busy school. What does it do the rest of the time? Nothing. Empty space. Sucks up AC use. Maybe if you get lucky you rent the space out for special venues.

Now think about all the mixers, ovens, spoons, spatulas, microwaves, trays, cooking sheets, cutting boards, sinks...and other fixtures and appliances needed to complete a functioning kitchen. Add that cost up and you are swimming in partially used assets that are depreciating. Not to mention staffing.

Well, now consider that cafeteria space being freed up for classroom use. Which if the school is decent should be at a premium. If it is a private school especially, think of the revenue you just added by being able to handle a good number more students or being able to lower the teacher:student ratio. You now have added an incentive for prospective parents yielding more face time per student from the teacher.

Now, how do you still feed the students on campus? How do you give them a hot, balanced, nutritious, chef prepared and planned meal at a minimum cost but still made with premium ingredients?

Volume. You simply tap into a resource that is already producing at a large rate and minimum cost. You tap into the local airport catering services! You bring in selections of airplane food made for Lufthansa flight. I looked...these lunches are awesome looking. Complete meals, and good ones at that.

Kids?...fed. Building capital?...student driven. Unusable space?...minimal. Decision?...a creative, economical solution and a good one.

Nicely done Sirs. Nicely done.