I know you are, but what am I?

Names are funny to me. Whether an appellation or eponym; moniker or sobriquet. Names make me smile.

For example: Eudora Jones Wafflesniffer. Or Jasmine Harbinger McTickelburger. Jo-Jo Blue Toes. Even Magnus "Love Letters" Thunderbucket brings a satisfying chuckle to my day.

So, right around the end of 3rd qtr I start allowing my students to call me something other than "Mr. Herbert" or "Mr. H." Now, before anyone goes all, "Teacher's shouldn't be friends with their students and let them call you by your first name!" on me, I do put a few caveats with it.

Rule 1. No first names.
Rule 2. Nothing mean, rude, or derogatory.
Rule 3. Creativity impresses me, so if they can come up with something I haven't heard before, the better their grade in class (just kidding...making sure you're actually reading!)

Here's a sampling of the most common names I've gotten in the past:
- Herbalicious
- Herbie
- Herb
- MC Herb

Not bad. This year, I laid out the same rules and one student took the creativity challenge to heart. Here's what he came up with.

- Herbizzle
- H-Dawg
- H-McGravy
- Herbcream
- H-Lights
- Herbwhite
- H-Grizzay
- Herb-e-que
- Herben Turk
- H-Sully
- Herbie Mike
- DC Herb
- H Cap
- Bumpy Bear
- Techman Herb
- Gear Guy H
- Ferry Fish
- Tall Man Waters
- Holy Herb

{sniff} I'm so proud!

mbh

Wonders and One Liners from CS Lewis.

You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you. It is easy to you believe a rope to be strong and sound as long as you are merely using it to cord a box. But suppose that you had to hang by that rope over a precipice. Wouldn't you then first discover how much you really trusted it? ... Only a real risk tests the reality of a belief.

Nothing is yet in it's true form.

Enough had been thought, and said, and felt, and imagined. It was about time that something should be done.

This year, or this month, or, more likely, this very day, we have failed to practise ourselves the kind of behaviour we expect from other people.

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket — safe, dark, motionless, airless — it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.

I need Christ, not something that resembles Him.