I specifically remember some things about my and my family's move from Pennsylvania out here to Illinois. For one thing, I remember meeting with the then principal of the elementary school which I attended. I think it was me, my mom and brother who attended the meeting. Anyway, the principal immediately invited us in and gave us a tour. He was very friendly, and talked to us about the school and the district's services for special education students. He was a great principal. Unfortunately he died in a car crash. At least that's what I heard. He fell asleep at the wheel or something. But anyway, that was only the beginning of what became a great educational experience for me. I won't speak for my brother or anyone else in my family. I also had a great educational experience in Pennsylvania. I was there through 4th grade. I only wish I could say the same about state services here in Illinois. To cut a long story short, they are pretty much a joke and everyone knows it but little if anything has been done to remedy this situation.





I had a great Christmas once again with my family. My sister and her husband came down from Wisconsin with the kids and his mom, and my brother was in town from Virginia. Since we are a big family, we just do the Secret Santa thing. I got some nice presents, including stuff for my iPhone and Mac.