Welcome to the false end of the decade, if we follow the numbering convention for years. Currently, we are in the 9th year of the decade and next year will be the 10th. 2011 will be the official beginning of the next decade and most nobody actually cares. Enough with that.
It's been a busy couple of months since the last post. I don't really have interesting stories like I did from the last school year. We had the drug dogs come through and cause the police to break the lock on one student's locker. It was science project time and they made a huge baking soda bust. That kid will be lucky to get into any college with that on his record!
I don't know what to think about the Vikings. They were hot, now not so much. Sidney Rice may be the next Chris Carter, which would be awesome. Percy Harvin has a lot of promise. Adrien Petersen needs to stop fumbling. Favre is doing great, but we need a QB for the future. I hope they can win this weekend and get that #2 spot. We could use some time to heal up and then make a big playoff run. With this season, nothing short of a Superbowl will be considered success.
I've decided not to run the marathon in May. With kids and work, I just don't have the quality time to commit to training. My student from last year has thrown down the gauntlet in multiple ways and is out for my blood in this year's Humdinger. I beat her last year, but now she has a season of Cross Country training and racing, so I'm even less confident than I was last year that I'll beat her.
Day care closes in 1.25 hours and then we have three days before the school year resumes.
Here we go 2010!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
And thus ends Rocktober
Halloween always makes me sad. It's not because winter is coming (I like the cold and ignore the driveway). It's not because it means 25% of the school year has passed (I'll get to that later). No, it saddens me because it signals the last day of Rocktober. Yes, the month in which all that rocks rocks a little bit more and that guy who does voice-over commercials for every classic rock station in the nation rocks a little harder is almost over. Take heart! Even though Rocktober is ending, that does not mean that we cannot continue to rock. In fact, we must take up the battle cry and continue to rock during all of the months that won't rock for us. Rocktober doesn't just exist as 31 days of the year. It exists deep inside every one of us that refuses not to rock just because it is November.
Anyway, the first nine weeks of the school year ended on Tuesday, and those limbo days between the end and when grades are due are torture. This year may have been worse than others. We had an outbreak of the symptoms of H1N1. I'll never know if many of our kids actually and the pork bug, but they sure acted like it; they didn't come to school - for days. The timing couldn't have been better because everyone was missing the week before then end of the marking period when we cram tests in to make the cutoff and be able to grade them before the grades are actually due. You would think they would be a little more considerate and think of some of the consequences of their not coming to school and how if affects me. I can't stand it when people make everything about themselves!
Vikings are looking good at 6-1. Another win over Green Bay this weekend would make for a very nice record, especially in the division.
Rock on
Anyway, the first nine weeks of the school year ended on Tuesday, and those limbo days between the end and when grades are due are torture. This year may have been worse than others. We had an outbreak of the symptoms of H1N1. I'll never know if many of our kids actually and the pork bug, but they sure acted like it; they didn't come to school - for days. The timing couldn't have been better because everyone was missing the week before then end of the marking period when we cram tests in to make the cutoff and be able to grade them before the grades are actually due. You would think they would be a little more considerate and think of some of the consequences of their not coming to school and how if affects me. I can't stand it when people make everything about themselves!
Vikings are looking good at 6-1. Another win over Green Bay this weekend would make for a very nice record, especially in the division.
Rock on
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Tale of the Brat Thief
I still can't decide if I'm upset with the events of last night or proud. I made a couple of brats that I had roaming in the freezer and cut them up to eat with some pasta. I was working on something else and when I turned around, about half of the brats were missing. My daughter was there and said, "I love brats!" and proceeded to continue pilfering my stash. I lost my cool a bit as I didn't have any back-up brats and told her to stop. She took the plate to the table and the next time I turned around ate all but two little pieces. I was really looking forward to those brats, but the enthusiasm she was exuding about them may have made up for not eating them. I quite proud of how much she likes brats. She even chooses them over hot dogs.
Tuesday night was one of the best nights of volleyball I've played in a while. Even though it was in a gym with a concrete floor and the end lines were the walls, it was a lot of fun. We played what was probably one of the best teams, and it turns out that we may also be one of the best teams. We split the 4 games and could have won all 4. I felt a lot more comfortable this week getting use to playing 6's again after three summers of doubles. This is going to be a fun season.
I even went for a run the following day and felt good, not unbearably stiff. Anyone who read my last post saw that I found a new shoe store. It's really my new store. I decided that shoes were too big and contacted them to see if they could do anything for me. They have a 30 day return policy, regardless of the condition of the shoes. I'm glad that I decided to boycott Dick's Sporting Goods. I tried to buy shoes there and couldn't get someone to help me. It was clear that I was looking for shoes and wasn't just looking casually. I had my 1-year-old in a stroller, so I was definitely motivated to find a pair and make a purchase. You don't go trying on shoes for fun with a 1-year-old. As I stood looking at the display, holding shoes and looking intently at the sales people, the only response I could get was a curt notification that they only had that shoe is size 14 as one guy rushed to help someone else. I waited for a good 15 minutes and couldn't even make eye contact with anyone. No one even gave me so much as a, "I'll be with you in a minute," or, "Are you being helped?"
Anyway, I'm heading back to get some shoes that actually fit on Saturday and may get some more wool socks. I love those socks. I want to get some SmartWool clothing too. A friend of mine clued me into a site called Steep and Cheap that has some amazing discounts, so I'm watching that because I can't afford $70 for a running shirt.
Big game on Monday. I'm hoping the Vikings are for real and we see an Adrien Peterson extravaganza as he leads the Vikings to a rout of the Packers. Buffalo wings will be made and the kids will go to bed so I can watch this game.
Tuesday night was one of the best nights of volleyball I've played in a while. Even though it was in a gym with a concrete floor and the end lines were the walls, it was a lot of fun. We played what was probably one of the best teams, and it turns out that we may also be one of the best teams. We split the 4 games and could have won all 4. I felt a lot more comfortable this week getting use to playing 6's again after three summers of doubles. This is going to be a fun season.
I even went for a run the following day and felt good, not unbearably stiff. Anyone who read my last post saw that I found a new shoe store. It's really my new store. I decided that shoes were too big and contacted them to see if they could do anything for me. They have a 30 day return policy, regardless of the condition of the shoes. I'm glad that I decided to boycott Dick's Sporting Goods. I tried to buy shoes there and couldn't get someone to help me. It was clear that I was looking for shoes and wasn't just looking casually. I had my 1-year-old in a stroller, so I was definitely motivated to find a pair and make a purchase. You don't go trying on shoes for fun with a 1-year-old. As I stood looking at the display, holding shoes and looking intently at the sales people, the only response I could get was a curt notification that they only had that shoe is size 14 as one guy rushed to help someone else. I waited for a good 15 minutes and couldn't even make eye contact with anyone. No one even gave me so much as a, "I'll be with you in a minute," or, "Are you being helped?"
Anyway, I'm heading back to get some shoes that actually fit on Saturday and may get some more wool socks. I love those socks. I want to get some SmartWool clothing too. A friend of mine clued me into a site called Steep and Cheap that has some amazing discounts, so I'm watching that because I can't afford $70 for a running shirt.
Big game on Monday. I'm hoping the Vikings are for real and we see an Adrien Peterson extravaganza as he leads the Vikings to a rout of the Packers. Buffalo wings will be made and the kids will go to bed so I can watch this game.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
More volleyball and wool socks
Started a new volleyball league last night. It's been a long time since I played 6's, especially with a full team. It's been even longer since I played on a a gym floor (note to self - need to dive less). That being said, last night was a lot of fun. It helped that we won all four games. This will be a good cross-training activity to give the short-twitchers a jump start and give me some speed back when I run.
I finally got some new running shoes. It's been three years since I bought my last pair, but I have to confess that I didn't really use them until this past January. Our local store closed down and I'm boycotting Dick's Sporting Goods, so I went on a search for another local running store. I found one, but it's 45 minutes away. If you are in the area, check them out. It's Elite Feet in Montoursville. They were very helpful, but I think I may have gotten the shoes a little too big. I'm not sure. The last pair was a little too snug, so it may just be a reaction to actually having some room in the toe box. I also wore my new socks, my first pair of wool running socks (Smart Wool to be specific). The guy at the store said I would be amazed at the difference between them and cotton socks. I have to agree, they did feel pretty good. The only problem is I only have one pair.
Today was the first full day of Autumn and we reached 84 degrees in my classroom. We got an email on Monday saying the AC would be off for the week. Anything above 75 and it gets difficult for anyone to concentrate in a classroom. We were spoiled up to this point. The new system put in over the summer (or fixed or whatever...it worked) kept the temperature in my room below 72, often below 70. It was really nice. Today, not so nice.
I finally got some new running shoes. It's been three years since I bought my last pair, but I have to confess that I didn't really use them until this past January. Our local store closed down and I'm boycotting Dick's Sporting Goods, so I went on a search for another local running store. I found one, but it's 45 minutes away. If you are in the area, check them out. It's Elite Feet in Montoursville. They were very helpful, but I think I may have gotten the shoes a little too big. I'm not sure. The last pair was a little too snug, so it may just be a reaction to actually having some room in the toe box. I also wore my new socks, my first pair of wool running socks (Smart Wool to be specific). The guy at the store said I would be amazed at the difference between them and cotton socks. I have to agree, they did feel pretty good. The only problem is I only have one pair.
Today was the first full day of Autumn and we reached 84 degrees in my classroom. We got an email on Monday saying the AC would be off for the week. Anything above 75 and it gets difficult for anyone to concentrate in a classroom. We were spoiled up to this point. The new system put in over the summer (or fixed or whatever...it worked) kept the temperature in my room below 72, often below 70. It was really nice. Today, not so nice.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
A new year, a new outlook
Tomorrow I'll be finishing my 3rd week of the new school year. By this time last year, I had pinpointed with laser-like accuracy who the major a******s were going to be (I take pride in an uncanny early detection system that seems to cut through a b******t facade faster than most others). So far, I am not detecting any. Sure, there are some squirrels and some who will be followed by a plethora of people in the south saying, "Bless their heart," but I don't think anyone is going to be be an enemy combatant. This year is looking good.
That's my initial reaction, but it could also be the fact that I'm playing with my new toys every day in the classroom. I got my smartboard (actually it's an Eno board), projector, and laptop - no more running Windows 98 at home anymore. Now I have a Mobi which is a handheld, portable, and wireless device that lets me control the Eno board from anywhere in the room! It is so cool and so much fun. I can stand right behind a talkative student and put notes on the board from there. I can stand in the back, write on the board, and watch what everyone is doing. They have their backs to me instead of the other way around! Even with new expectations placed on us including looming intercession from the state if test scores don't go up, I am having fun. I hope to carry this through the whole year.
That's my initial reaction, but it could also be the fact that I'm playing with my new toys every day in the classroom. I got my smartboard (actually it's an Eno board), projector, and laptop - no more running Windows 98 at home anymore. Now I have a Mobi which is a handheld, portable, and wireless device that lets me control the Eno board from anywhere in the room! It is so cool and so much fun. I can stand right behind a talkative student and put notes on the board from there. I can stand in the back, write on the board, and watch what everyone is doing. They have their backs to me instead of the other way around! Even with new expectations placed on us including looming intercession from the state if test scores don't go up, I am having fun. I hope to carry this through the whole year.
Monday, August 31, 2009
What do Kubla Khan and Cheese have in common?
In Madison did Eric find
A tasty cheesy treat well-fried.
Within the cafeteria
Behind the plexiglass clear shield
Held waiting under heat.
So first he asked to have a bowl
And then he tasted new delight.
Crispy with a melted center,
Yellow, not that mozzarella.
Though close cousins the two do be,
A stronger personality –
More individuality.
But oh! That gooey goodness did go know I not
And I did decree within that place that day!
A savage a place as I have ever known
For foodstuffs’ lives depend on fickle students
And their tastes do wax and wane amongst many!
From this place I would save my new favorite treat.
As if in my power it had been to save them
A mighty fountain of my willpower
A deluge in the comment box commenced
Did soon sway the gods themselves to my mind
And within a week fried cheese curds had returned.
That with music loud and long,
I would taste in my mouth,
That crunchy crust, that cheese ooze!
And all who saw would want them then,
And all who smelled them, not resist.
For all who came on fried cheese fed,
And ate the cheese of paradise.
A tasty cheesy treat well-fried.
Within the cafeteria
Behind the plexiglass clear shield
Held waiting under heat.
So first he asked to have a bowl
And then he tasted new delight.
Crispy with a melted center,
Yellow, not that mozzarella.
Though close cousins the two do be,
A stronger personality –
More individuality.
But oh! That gooey goodness did go know I not
And I did decree within that place that day!
A savage a place as I have ever known
For foodstuffs’ lives depend on fickle students
And their tastes do wax and wane amongst many!
From this place I would save my new favorite treat.
As if in my power it had been to save them
A mighty fountain of my willpower
A deluge in the comment box commenced
Did soon sway the gods themselves to my mind
And within a week fried cheese curds had returned.
That with music loud and long,
I would taste in my mouth,
That crunchy crust, that cheese ooze!
And all who saw would want them then,
And all who smelled them, not resist.
For all who came on fried cheese fed,
And ate the cheese of paradise.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Ok, Brett, now you have to win!
Silly me, I thought that Favre was a non-issue. I actually thought that it was now down to Jackson and Rosenfels and I was wondering how well we could count on them to hand off and throw a pass once in a while. It seems that Favre is now a Viking. Everything I've seen said it was pending a physical today, but if he was going to fail a physical today, it would have happened anymore. I feel a little sorry for Rosenfels. Jackson has had enough chances to prove himself and we can't spend any more time waiting for him to develop. I remember when Favre was a newish quarterback and I always looked forward to the games we'd play the Packers because the Vikings defense always feasted on his wild throws. Little did I know then that he would develop into one of the best QB's ever. Even then, Favre was exciting. I don't get the same feeling from Jackson and have been giving him the benefit of the doubt these past few seasons. But even with Adrian Peterson consuming the opposing teams' attention, he couldn't manage to make the throws he needed to make. Rosenfels, even though he hasn't been a great QB in the past, made this move with the idea that he would be able to compete for the starting position. But, this is professional football, and you need to be the best at your position on a team to start and if a team can get someone better, you're out of luck. I think the saddest part is that Favre is the best QB we have now, even at 40. We've had how many years since Culpepper imploded to develop some talent? At least we didn't go after Jeff George!
Saying all of that, the Vikings are a better team today than they were yesterday. Show us the wins, Brett.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
New Marathon Plan
Grandma's is too far away and will cost too much to run. More specifically, it will cost too much to travel and stay for the weekend in Duluth. So, I have decided to run the local marathon in May instead. The River Towns Marathon will be on Saturday, May 8, 2010. I'm putting my goal out there right now. I want to run it in under 4 hours. I think that's a realistic goal. I would love to do it in 3 or even under 3.5, but I'm just not sure I can do that at this point. Closer to the actual date, I'll reevaluate this goal and see where my training is. 9 minute miles would put me at right around 4 hours. 8 minute miles would put me right around 3.5 hours. I have not raced any 5k's lately (I plan on doing one in September), but I can't seem to get a training run of 5k in 8 minute miles, so I'm not sure that I can get that pace for 26.2 miles in May. We'll see.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
No more travelling!
Ok, the two trips to the relatives are done for the summer. We had a great time in both Wisconsin and NJ, but I am done travelling. Actually, I'm done staying away from home for a while. The travelling itself was actually pretty good. We took the trip to WI in one shot each way. Of course, we got out to eat and stretch a few times, but we did the 12 hour drive each way without staying in a hotel (at least $200 saved). Both of the kids were really good in the car, and they slept through the sloooooow traffic through Chicago. As for how they slept in the two states, it left a lot to be desired. In WI, the little one slept great, but the other one kept crawling into my wife's twin bed and proceeded to try to sleep sideways and gave her a nasty bruise on the leg. In NJ, the older one slept great, but the little one screamed like a banshee at least twice each night and required multiple car rides to get settled down.
Now that we are home, we've had two good nights to sleep and I don't plan on taking them anywhere else anytime soon.
It was good to see some good things from the Vikings last night. It looks like Sage is putting the pressure on Tarvaris. I hope the QB competition will bring out the best in the team and we get a good QB out of it this year. I think I'm actually rooting for Sage because Tarvaris just hasn't shown much of a spark, ever.
One full week left until school starts. I really am excited about this year. I have three major goals (and none of them have anything to do with PSSA scores).
1. Stay positive - I'm not getting sucked into the complaining cycle or letting middle school students determine my mood.
2. Play - I have a lot of tech toys to play with this year and I plan on using them as much as possible.
3. Relax - This is similar to #1, but I got way too uptight in the classroom last year. By staying positive and playing, I want my classroom to be a relaxed place where I and my students feel comfortable and enthusiastic about learning.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Great Technology and a Broken Shifter
I had a great week of tech workshops at school. I'm pretty excited because my classroom has an interactive white board, I have a new laptop with some administrative rights, and I'm working on a tech heavy, interactive school year. After four days of great tech workshops, I hopped in my manual shift car without power steering and the shifter broke. I'm currently stuck in first gear and anything much over 10 mph gets me close to redlining the tachometer. I managed to drive back to school and, much to my surprise, I have wireless internet access in my classroom. That was a nice surprise considering I don't have an ethernet cable to plug in with.
Hopefully, the tow truck will be here soon (they said half an hour), so I should pack up and wait with the car.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Faulty microwaves and plumbing
What a weekend! Yesterday, our microwave oven starting giving long, loud beeps, putting F3 on the display and refusing to work. I checked the manual - nothing. I checked the website - nothing. General Electric does not want us to know what their fault codes are. I, however, was not so easily daunted. I continued searching and found that it meant that the keypad had a short in it. I also found that replacing that keypad would be an extremely annoying project, so I called in a professional. He can't get the part until midweek, so we are without easy leftovers until then.
Last night, we got home from a great wedding that was under a tent amid some serious thunderstorms and as we were brushing our teeth, the sink stopped giving cold water. The hot water worked fine. I checked the other faucets and nothing upstairs would give us cold water. Downstairs, everything was working fine. Unfortunately, all of our tubs/showers are upstairs. At least one toilet is downstairs. The plumber is coming tomorrow.
To top it all off, the sad rumors have come true. I heard that SciFi was thinking of changing its brand to try to distance itself from its own reputation for Science Fiction. That in itself is cause for mourning. But they did it in the oddest way. No longer named SciFi, they are now SyFy, which I can't help but pronounce in my head as Siffy (rhymes with spiffy), and that makes it very difficult to take the channel seriously. I have noticed a decline in their programming as it veered more and more away from science fiction and added all of that ghost hunters, etc... junk. I am saddened.
Last night, we got home from a great wedding that was under a tent amid some serious thunderstorms and as we were brushing our teeth, the sink stopped giving cold water. The hot water worked fine. I checked the other faucets and nothing upstairs would give us cold water. Downstairs, everything was working fine. Unfortunately, all of our tubs/showers are upstairs. At least one toilet is downstairs. The plumber is coming tomorrow.
To top it all off, the sad rumors have come true. I heard that SciFi was thinking of changing its brand to try to distance itself from its own reputation for Science Fiction. That in itself is cause for mourning. But they did it in the oddest way. No longer named SciFi, they are now SyFy, which I can't help but pronounce in my head as Siffy (rhymes with spiffy), and that makes it very difficult to take the channel seriously. I have noticed a decline in their programming as it veered more and more away from science fiction and added all of that ghost hunters, etc... junk. I am saddened.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Grandma's Marathon 2010
Well, now would be the time to commit. It's scheduled for June 19, well after school is out and planning now leaves no good reasons not to do it. Do I commit now? If I wait, I won't do it. If I do it, I'm doing it right this time - no pulled muscles at mile 17. The 34th Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN will be held at 7:30 am on June 19, 2010. Who's in?
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Goodbye Cafe Montmartre
It's a sad day for the Madison, WI downtown. My all-time favorite bar and home of the best rusty nails is closing. Cafe Montmartre was a staple for me and my roomates my senior year. This travesty of the economy is made worse by the fact that in the two years of grad school I also spent in Madison, I don't think I made it there once. I loved the atmosphere and have been missing it since I moved. While it seemed the place that would exude a slimy feel of superficial hippness (which really rubs me the wrong way), Cafe Montmartre managed to retain an actual identity without any pretentiousness. Other, similar bars that I've been to have not been able to capture the authentic feel that seemed so casually comfortable within the crumbling brick exterior just off the capital square. Cafe Montmartre, you will be missed!
It reminds me how we need to support the things we like, even if it means spending a little bit more. If there is a running shoe store that gives great service, buy your shoes there. Don't take their services and order online. I fully appreciate the need to save money and am a regular customer at Amazon, Borders, Target, and other large warehouse-type stores, but places that offer a unique atmosphere and add color to the local scene need to thrive.
It reminds me how we need to support the things we like, even if it means spending a little bit more. If there is a running shoe store that gives great service, buy your shoes there. Don't take their services and order online. I fully appreciate the need to save money and am a regular customer at Amazon, Borders, Target, and other large warehouse-type stores, but places that offer a unique atmosphere and add color to the local scene need to thrive.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
NTN Trivia National Champion
I just got back from Damons for what may have been my first night out (without my lovely wife) in over four years (since my firstborn was born). I love playing the trivia game they have there and various other places as well. I've always done decently, but tonight may have been my crowning achievement. On one game, I got a perfect score and got the national ranking of #1 for that game. I've broken the top ten before, but I've never come close to a perfect game before. This was even after 50 oz of beer. I was on and on fire. It was my first night of volleyball this summer and I got to play with my brother who was subbing for my normal partner. We split the 6 games, but it felt really good. Playing 20 pounds lighter than last year really made a difference. I still can't believe I got the perfect score and I only had to guess on one question. I only wished one of us had a cell phone to take a picture of my name listed at number one. I guess I'll have to keep trying so that I can get a picture of a repeat.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Transformers!
For only the second time in close to 4 years, I saw a movie in the theater. The first one was 'Dan in Real Life' and it was a waste of theater space. Today, however, I saw the new Transformers movie and it was awesome. I thought the first one was really good, but didn't have enough with the robots. This one made up for it and I have to say, Optimus Prime kicks ass! I won't say anything else; just go see it.
I decided a few days ago not to do summer tutoring. I had a list of six kids who needed 30 hours of math tutoring to avoid repeating the same grade next year. I decided on a reasonable rate to charge and started contacting parents to get it set up. The first number that had been given to the school was no longer in service. Somebody didn't really want the school contacting them. The second parent went off on a mini-rant saying that her child messed around all year long and would have to repeat 7th grade all over again. The third parent informed me that he already set it up with somebody else, but asked what I was charging. I told him and he proceeded to give me a hard time because the other tutor was charging less and why should he go with me when he could get the same hours for less money. I said that I was merely trying to provide a service. At that point, I decided that this was no longer worth my time and I've felt a little bit happier ever since.
Now if we could just get our daughter to do what the swim instructor asks...
I decided a few days ago not to do summer tutoring. I had a list of six kids who needed 30 hours of math tutoring to avoid repeating the same grade next year. I decided on a reasonable rate to charge and started contacting parents to get it set up. The first number that had been given to the school was no longer in service. Somebody didn't really want the school contacting them. The second parent went off on a mini-rant saying that her child messed around all year long and would have to repeat 7th grade all over again. The third parent informed me that he already set it up with somebody else, but asked what I was charging. I told him and he proceeded to give me a hard time because the other tutor was charging less and why should he go with me when he could get the same hours for less money. I said that I was merely trying to provide a service. At that point, I decided that this was no longer worth my time and I've felt a little bit happier ever since.
Now if we could just get our daughter to do what the swim instructor asks...
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Shenanigans!
Borders and their minion Waldenbooks have irked me. That's right - irked. I don't particularly like Waldenbooks in general because the selection is lousy. If I want them to order a book and have it sent to me, I'll go to Amazon and get a better price. The staff, in my experience, while nice and earnest, is not very knowledgeable of the books they stock. Perhaps it's the categorization system they use and all of the other miscellaneous places that books can be displayed, but they can never find anything. Last week I asked if they had a particular book. The woman helping me looked it up in the computer and told me that the computer told her that they might have it. What kind of system is that? What kind of inventory system gives book statuses as might be in stock? Do they have other statuses such as likely in stock, not likely but not impossible, or even probably, but I'm not going to tell you where? Well today, they pushed me over the edge. I get the weekly coupons from Borders which work at Waldenbooks. One of the coupons was worth $2 off of a fiction book. I took a book and the coupon to checkout and the lady at the counter said that I had a Fantasy book; the coupon is only good for fiction. I won't even go into how many responses went through my head in the next second. She seemed like a nice old lady, so I only said that fantasy is fiction. She said the book had to come from the fiction section. I'm giving Waldenbooks the benefit of the doubt here. I assume that they don't actually think that all of the sub-genres of fiction aren't actually fiction. I've read some pretty interesting stuff with a very strong leaning towards sci-fi and fantasy and I would be a bit worried if it weren't actually fiction - no matter how cool some of it is. Waldenbooks, you just continued to disappoint me, but Borders, you have taken a huge step back that took me close to five years to be willing to go back into one of your stores again. Granted, that was because you were half an hour closer than Barnes and Noble, but I say this to you now. I am looking forward to the Barnes and Noble opening locally in 2010.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Back in Action - Volleyball Style
Tonight is the first night of summer volleyball this year. I'm still not sure that doubles is my favorite, but I am sure that I prefer sand to grass. That aside, it's still fun because it's still volleyball. Each year we start off really strong, stumble into the playoffs in the upper-mid section or lower-high section of the standings. Then we knock off a higher level team, but can't get any farther. One thing I'm not looking forward to is tomorrow. The day after the first set of matches (we play 2 or three matches in a night). Two years ago I could barely move. Last year was better. I'm hoping that the weight loss and somewhat better conditioning will help, but those muscles that I just don't use outside of volleyball are going to be yelling at me tomorrow.
It feels so good to be out of school. I'm working the lazy out so that in a week or two I can get down to getting things done. Until then, I'm content to do very little. The one thing getting in the way of my sloth is the naming ceremony we have coming up next Saturday for our little guy. Keeping the house orderly with two kids, two cats, and a dog is not that easy. But it should be fun.
Ok, here's something that's been bugging me for a while now. Pennsylvania is becoming more and more smoke-free. I am very happy about that. But the thing that I've been noticing is the way in which employees of food-related establishments smoke. It's becoming more and more obvious. A couple years ago I was in the Lycoming mall and we ate at the pizza/Italian place there. I looked back and saw a guy smoking in the kitchen. That kitchen was not very hidden and he didn't seem to be trying to hide it at all. On top of that, I noticed that he was the same person who took our order and he had on something that designated him as the employee of the month. Suffice to say that I never have or will eat there again. The grocery stores around here have tables for their employees to take breaks on in front of the store. No problem there, but guess what these employees are doing on those tables in front of the store near the entrances. You got it - smoking! It gives me a deep feeling of disgust when I see the person who was cutting my lunch meat or bagging my groceries sucking on a cigarette. I've watched them as they go back into the store, and often they go right back to their stations without even washing their hands. These people are handling my foodstuffs? I don't know why smokers feel that they are entitled to do whatever they want. Aren't they getting the message that (slowly) society is realizing how disgusting that habit is and how dangerous it is for other people? Can you imagine telling your boss that you need to take a break to satisfy some drug habit other than tobacco? Then tell the boss that you are going to do this in front of the store where all of the customers can see (and partially participate in) your activity. At least I can go into most restaurants in the state and not have to worry about inhaling smoke that came from inside somebody else's body entering mine. It's a start.
Game 7 Friday. Go Red Wings!
It feels so good to be out of school. I'm working the lazy out so that in a week or two I can get down to getting things done. Until then, I'm content to do very little. The one thing getting in the way of my sloth is the naming ceremony we have coming up next Saturday for our little guy. Keeping the house orderly with two kids, two cats, and a dog is not that easy. But it should be fun.
Ok, here's something that's been bugging me for a while now. Pennsylvania is becoming more and more smoke-free. I am very happy about that. But the thing that I've been noticing is the way in which employees of food-related establishments smoke. It's becoming more and more obvious. A couple years ago I was in the Lycoming mall and we ate at the pizza/Italian place there. I looked back and saw a guy smoking in the kitchen. That kitchen was not very hidden and he didn't seem to be trying to hide it at all. On top of that, I noticed that he was the same person who took our order and he had on something that designated him as the employee of the month. Suffice to say that I never have or will eat there again. The grocery stores around here have tables for their employees to take breaks on in front of the store. No problem there, but guess what these employees are doing on those tables in front of the store near the entrances. You got it - smoking! It gives me a deep feeling of disgust when I see the person who was cutting my lunch meat or bagging my groceries sucking on a cigarette. I've watched them as they go back into the store, and often they go right back to their stations without even washing their hands. These people are handling my foodstuffs? I don't know why smokers feel that they are entitled to do whatever they want. Aren't they getting the message that (slowly) society is realizing how disgusting that habit is and how dangerous it is for other people? Can you imagine telling your boss that you need to take a break to satisfy some drug habit other than tobacco? Then tell the boss that you are going to do this in front of the store where all of the customers can see (and partially participate in) your activity. At least I can go into most restaurants in the state and not have to worry about inhaling smoke that came from inside somebody else's body entering mine. It's a start.
Game 7 Friday. Go Red Wings!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
It's finally over
The hardest year I've had teaching is finally over. The kids left the building at noon on Friday and didn't look back. I'm taking time this summer to revise the way I teach. My classroom is getting a Classrooms For the Future makeover this summer and it's the perfect opportunity to put new life into my courses. I'm getting a Prometheus Board (similar in function to Smart board), projector, and laptop. I'm still holding out hope for a document camera, but we'll see what happens. The laptop also means that I'll have a computer to use at home that runs an OS newer than Windows 98!
Here at home, I'm a little ashamed to say it, but I think we are getting a gas grill. Actually, I'm more than a little ashamed. It's not even grilling. It's really just an upside down gas broiler. But in life, compromises must be made. If I want to continue cooking outdoors, I need to reduce the time commitment that using charcoal requires. Once the kids are older, things may change.
Here at home, I'm a little ashamed to say it, but I think we are getting a gas grill. Actually, I'm more than a little ashamed. It's not even grilling. It's really just an upside down gas broiler. But in life, compromises must be made. If I want to continue cooking outdoors, I need to reduce the time commitment that using charcoal requires. Once the kids are older, things may change.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Ambushing the Ambusher
I just got a call from the NRA. I'm pretty ambivalent about gun control. I don't think it's a conspiracy to ensure that the American populace cannot protect itself against a totalitarian regime emerging from our present or future leaders and I have a reasonable understanding of what the spirit of the 2nd amendment most likely was. That said, I just had one of the most fun 14 minutes on a phone that I've ever had, and I hate talking on the phone. I just finished giving a test to three of my classes that included basic methodology for surveys. Keep this in mind. The call started off asking me to listen to somebody from the NRA giving a "reasonable" description of some new gun control legislation that is going through the channels. After hearing a thinly disguised rant, someone comes on to ask me the survey. The guy asks, "Do you trust congress to protect your 2nd amendment right?" I answered that I do and was met by a long pause, followed by an incredulous, "You do? You trust congress to protect your rights?" I repeated my answer and the guy started thanking me for taking the survey and was about to hang up when I decided to have some fun.
I mentioned how difficult it would be to actually take away the 2nd amendment right because of the long arduous process it takes to change/repeal an amendment. He very slowly agreed. I then asked if he was in favor of the system that requires that we license drivers so they know the rules associated with operating a motor vehicle. He said he did. I then asked if it made sense to him that we require this for people operating cars, but not for people operating machines that are meant to kill. He said that he guessed not. At this point (I think I was channeling Socrates...where's my hemlock?), I asked him what about the bill the NRA was opposed to. No response. At various times I had to say, "Hello?" He would always say that he was there, I would repeat my question, and he often sat silently again and we'd repeat the whole process. At no point could he come up with something specific that the NRA was opposed to in the bill. I tried to explain that I didn't see what they were opposed to from the information given and that I'd like to know more if I was missing something. I figured he would jump at the chance to proselytize me, but I was met with silence.
At this point, I decided to give him a break (heh heh heh) and I asked about the methodology of the survey. I asked if people ever answered in the affirmative after listening to the spiel. He said people didn't trust the government. I replied that was because the sample they were getting was self-selected, voluntary. People who agree with the position already are going to sit through the minute mini-rant to voice their opinion, but people who didn't wouldn't want to waste their time listening to a prerecorded message, so the sample of the population was biased. On top of that, the question itself was biased. Asking if you trusted congress to protect your rights is a biased question. It suggests that you answer, "No." All of these points were followed by even more silence. I then asked what the NRA was going to do with this "data" they were collecting. When he finally answered, instead of just being silent, he said they just wanted to know.
This is when a very loud, intermittent beep began and he said he had another call coming in. I reminded him that he called me, but he said they were still taking calls. I again, because I do want to be well-informed, asked what exactly the NRA was opposed to in the bill. After another beep, he thanked me for participating in the survey and hung up.
That was fun.
I mentioned how difficult it would be to actually take away the 2nd amendment right because of the long arduous process it takes to change/repeal an amendment. He very slowly agreed. I then asked if he was in favor of the system that requires that we license drivers so they know the rules associated with operating a motor vehicle. He said he did. I then asked if it made sense to him that we require this for people operating cars, but not for people operating machines that are meant to kill. He said that he guessed not. At this point (I think I was channeling Socrates...where's my hemlock?), I asked him what about the bill the NRA was opposed to. No response. At various times I had to say, "Hello?" He would always say that he was there, I would repeat my question, and he often sat silently again and we'd repeat the whole process. At no point could he come up with something specific that the NRA was opposed to in the bill. I tried to explain that I didn't see what they were opposed to from the information given and that I'd like to know more if I was missing something. I figured he would jump at the chance to proselytize me, but I was met with silence.
At this point, I decided to give him a break (heh heh heh) and I asked about the methodology of the survey. I asked if people ever answered in the affirmative after listening to the spiel. He said people didn't trust the government. I replied that was because the sample they were getting was self-selected, voluntary. People who agree with the position already are going to sit through the minute mini-rant to voice their opinion, but people who didn't wouldn't want to waste their time listening to a prerecorded message, so the sample of the population was biased. On top of that, the question itself was biased. Asking if you trusted congress to protect your rights is a biased question. It suggests that you answer, "No." All of these points were followed by even more silence. I then asked what the NRA was going to do with this "data" they were collecting. When he finally answered, instead of just being silent, he said they just wanted to know.
This is when a very loud, intermittent beep began and he said he had another call coming in. I reminded him that he called me, but he said they were still taking calls. I again, because I do want to be well-informed, asked what exactly the NRA was opposed to in the bill. After another beep, he thanked me for participating in the survey and hung up.
That was fun.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Red Wings Rising
They had me worried after games 2 and 3, but after the last two games, I'm feeling good about Detroit. So far, after 9 games, I've seen one, last Sunday's loss in triple overtime. These games need to get on a station I can get (stupid cable company putting VS on digital only tier). Anyway, hopefully the Wings will put the Ducks away Tuesday and move on to the conference finals!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Sick Day
I'm home today. I am not sick, but my daughter is. After a weekend of bad coughing and one day home from daycare, the doctor diagnosed her with an ear infection and bronchitis. Yesterday was an epic battle of wills. You see, my daughter does not like medicine. It's not necessarily the taste, because she doesn't even know what it tastes like. It seems to be more the concept of medicine to which she is resistant. I called home during lunch to hear her screaming for me to give her the medicine instead of mommy. I know how this game goes. As soon as I get home, she doesn't want me to give her the medicine anymore. She's too clever for a three-year-old and I'm getting afraid of the teenage years already. I got home and she still hadn't taken her medicine. I came home with many different bribes (nutty bars, chocolate milk, donuts). Bribes don't really work because she has such a strong will that she is willing to forgo these treats to make her point. Reverse psychology doesn't work either. She is a master at managing cognitive dissonance. She has no problem stating one desire and then denying its very existence with her next breath, as long as it makes her point. The key to dealing with her is somehow working out what we want to end up as her idea. She eventually started saying that she wanted the medicine in bed in a cup. I said we couldn't do that. Then she really started to want it, so I said we could try it. We put the medicine in a sippy cup, took her upstairs, and she drank it.
As she was throwing a fit this morning because we wouldn't let her drink chocolate milk in an open cup next to the computer, she started screaming that she wanted more medicine. She definitely keeps us on her toes.
Today is a well-timed break. My students are driving me crazy. I cannot believe how mean they are. There is absolutely no empathy whatsoever. I would not want to be on an island with them. It would end up like Lord of the Flies or Battle Royale (which is an awesome book by the way). I know it's the end of the year, but the trends I've been seeing, just in the last three years are not promising. Of course there are some great kids, but even the best can resist only so long. Some of the elements in my classes are so toxic that they infect everybody. 20 days left!
As she was throwing a fit this morning because we wouldn't let her drink chocolate milk in an open cup next to the computer, she started screaming that she wanted more medicine. She definitely keeps us on her toes.
Today is a well-timed break. My students are driving me crazy. I cannot believe how mean they are. There is absolutely no empathy whatsoever. I would not want to be on an island with them. It would end up like Lord of the Flies or Battle Royale (which is an awesome book by the way). I know it's the end of the year, but the trends I've been seeing, just in the last three years are not promising. Of course there are some great kids, but even the best can resist only so long. Some of the elements in my classes are so toxic that they infect everybody. 20 days left!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Fort Knox Pants
I guess I've been a bit busy as my last post was on April 1. We've made it though April and the last of the PSSA tests (today and yesterday were for Science). Now we've got the final push through May and the crazy last week. Lately, I've been noticing that the natives are getting restless, more restless than usual. That's actually putting it mildly. Let me try that again. Lately, I've been noticing some open hostility from my students. Various students are upset with me because I insist on not letting them chew gum, make them keep doing work even though there is only a month left and we finished our state testing over a month ago, or expect them to stay in their seats for more than two minutes at a time. The list goes on. What really surprises me is the level of apathy present in so many students. In one class, I have about 7 of 17 passing, with a majority of those being D's and C's. The F's aren't even close to passing. 60 is passing and I have students in the teens, because they refuse to do a single thing and never complete assignments. I really don't understand the mindset that would allow someone to be that apathetic. Some basic need is not being met.
I have one student who, despite everything he's done this year, I still like. He, in turn, continually lets me know how he feels about me. Whenever I see him, whether it's in the halls, in the classroom, anywhere else in school, he doesn't let more than ten minutes go by at a time without letting me know that he hates me. The other day, as I walked into school, he was in the stairwell window and pounded on the glass a la The Graduate and yelled that he hated me. The rewards from teaching never end. You have to think that if someone goes through that much trouble to let you know that he hates you, he must not actually hate you.
One mini-rant to close out this post: I am tired of wearing Fort Knox Pants. Why do dress pants have so many security devices built into the fly? If I ever had a bathroom emergency, I would be in big trouble because it takes a team of nimble-fingered gnomes to get me out of some of my pants. I have one pair of pants that has a zipper, two buttons, and a slidey-clasp thing. Whoever has been designing these pants must have had a traumatic experience with a fly technology malfunction.
I have one student who, despite everything he's done this year, I still like. He, in turn, continually lets me know how he feels about me. Whenever I see him, whether it's in the halls, in the classroom, anywhere else in school, he doesn't let more than ten minutes go by at a time without letting me know that he hates me. The other day, as I walked into school, he was in the stairwell window and pounded on the glass a la The Graduate and yelled that he hated me. The rewards from teaching never end. You have to think that if someone goes through that much trouble to let you know that he hates you, he must not actually hate you.
One mini-rant to close out this post: I am tired of wearing Fort Knox Pants. Why do dress pants have so many security devices built into the fly? If I ever had a bathroom emergency, I would be in big trouble because it takes a team of nimble-fingered gnomes to get me out of some of my pants. I have one pair of pants that has a zipper, two buttons, and a slidey-clasp thing. Whoever has been designing these pants must have had a traumatic experience with a fly technology malfunction.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Small beef, big hands
I haven't indulged in a good rant lately, so here's one that's been more of a slow simmer than a boil over, but it will have to suffice. I am getting really tired of commercials for food that is clearly either smaller than it used to be, or so cheap that it cannot be a very large amount trying everything it can to make the food look large. Burgers, in particular, seem to be the worst offenders. I don't know who came up with the idea that if the actors actually use two hands to hold the burger and hold their elbows pointing straight out, the burgers will look bigger, but that person needs to be found and beaten. I don't care how many times you hold a burger with two hands, it does not have the ability to grow to fill the space. That property is reserved for gases, class sizes, and the miscellaneous stuff I have in my house. As for holding the elbows pointing straight out, that just looks too ridiculous to examine further. Ok, that's all I've got for a rant.
The school year is working towards its close, but I can't help but be a little bitter as my wife has two or three weeks left in her school year, and I have almost two months. I definitely miss the university schedule.
Red Wings are in the playoffs, but I hope their three-game losing streak does not indicate what will come. I still don't have Versus, so I'll have to hope for an occasional game on one of the big networks.
The school year is working towards its close, but I can't help but be a little bitter as my wife has two or three weeks left in her school year, and I have almost two months. I definitely miss the university schedule.
Red Wings are in the playoffs, but I hope their three-game losing streak does not indicate what will come. I still don't have Versus, so I'll have to hope for an occasional game on one of the big networks.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
I Don't Look That Dumb...
Over the course of this year, I've changed my tactics when handing out consequences. For a while, I was doing after-school detentions. Apparently, they became too difficult. I actually made the kids do a writing assignment in which they would, at least superficially, reflect on the actions that got them there. After one or two detentions, my students started telling me without hesitation that they were not going to serve my detention and that they would prefer an office referral because those detentions were easy. How, exactly, was I supposed to respond to that? Rather than make my life more difficult, I decided to assign writing assignments specific to the action with a bit of gentle mocking built into the passage. The standard passage is about four or five sentences long and is to be written 20 times by the beginning of school the following day. If this is not done, then I have a 40 times assignment that discusses how the student had an opportunity to write less and now they have to waste even more time and it ends with the hope that the hand will not cramp up. At this point, if a student does not complete this assignment, I issue an office referral and it's out of my hands. Often the assistant principal will ask for the assignment and make the student complete it during the detention (she's great).
I've only had one student try to type the assignment (now each one says "no typing"). I had a very interesting situation yesterday though. I had a student use some choice language as I entered the hallway the other morning. I decided to cut him a break and give him a writing assignment instead of an office referral. The following day he turned it in, but had decided to paraphrase. He replaced the word intelligent with smart, and left out sentences he apparently didn't think were really necessary for him to write. Now, I actually have an assignment specifically for this occurrence, but it was created in response to the last time THIS VERY SAME STUDENT had a writing assignment. It actually states that I (meaning me) am not a complete idiot. Knowing that I check the assignments, he did it again. So, I made him write more for the following day. He comes in the following morning with 30 copies of the passage. Now when I say copies, I mean COPIES. The kid actually wrote it twice on one page and then photocopied it for the rest of the assignment. When I asked him if he seriously thought that using a copy machine was acceptable, he responded, with a straight face, looking me in the eyes, that he traced it because it would be more fun that way. I asked why the same words were cut off at the ends in the exact same way on each page. He replied that that was how the paper was. This same reason was used for the line at the top of the page. He did have a different reason, however, to explain why dots that had no punctuational purpose appeared on every page. Because he was tracing, he wanted every page to look exactly the same. He would not budge on this story! Later in the day, I spoke with him in the hall and he broke down and said he had copied it. I told him that I was going to give him another chance (largely because I don't deal well with tears), but he would have to write more times. The next time I saw him, he asked if he could have detention instead because, and I quote, "I don't really like doing writing assignments. Nobody does." I was almost speechless, but managed to remind him that it was a punishment. I could not believe this kid. He better have them written in the morning.
I've only had one student try to type the assignment (now each one says "no typing"). I had a very interesting situation yesterday though. I had a student use some choice language as I entered the hallway the other morning. I decided to cut him a break and give him a writing assignment instead of an office referral. The following day he turned it in, but had decided to paraphrase. He replaced the word intelligent with smart, and left out sentences he apparently didn't think were really necessary for him to write. Now, I actually have an assignment specifically for this occurrence, but it was created in response to the last time THIS VERY SAME STUDENT had a writing assignment. It actually states that I (meaning me) am not a complete idiot. Knowing that I check the assignments, he did it again. So, I made him write more for the following day. He comes in the following morning with 30 copies of the passage. Now when I say copies, I mean COPIES. The kid actually wrote it twice on one page and then photocopied it for the rest of the assignment. When I asked him if he seriously thought that using a copy machine was acceptable, he responded, with a straight face, looking me in the eyes, that he traced it because it would be more fun that way. I asked why the same words were cut off at the ends in the exact same way on each page. He replied that that was how the paper was. This same reason was used for the line at the top of the page. He did have a different reason, however, to explain why dots that had no punctuational purpose appeared on every page. Because he was tracing, he wanted every page to look exactly the same. He would not budge on this story! Later in the day, I spoke with him in the hall and he broke down and said he had copied it. I told him that I was going to give him another chance (largely because I don't deal well with tears), but he would have to write more times. The next time I saw him, he asked if he could have detention instead because, and I quote, "I don't really like doing writing assignments. Nobody does." I was almost speechless, but managed to remind him that it was a punishment. I could not believe this kid. He better have them written in the morning.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Insert Explitive Here
Today marks day three of the Pennsylvania state tests. We have had two math test and two reading tests with one of each left to go. Monday, the kids had to take one of each back to back and I'm sure glad that they did the math one first because when it came towards the end of the reading test, even the best students were about burned out. That was three hours of straight testing. The rest of these days are a little better with just one test, but that's still 1.5 hours of testing time every day. Then we have classes. And study hall times. And we are not allowed to have tests, quizzes, or homework this week. Did I mention I teach 8th grade? So far, no casualties, but we still have two days to go. I really feel for the kids though. This week has nine hours of testing. A month ago, we had three days of writing tests and in about a month, we have two or three days of science testing. Next year we get to have all four tests in the month of April. I hope we do math first; sorry other subjects.
On a good note, I decided that I need to start doing some speed work if I ever want to get my miles faster. I planning on a 5k in April (25th) and I just don't have any speed these days. I chose to do some pace work, headed to the track (that felt nice), and enjoyed the temps in the 60's with twelve 400m repeats, attempting a 96 seconds pace for each with one minute rest between. It has been a long time since I did any sort of speed workout. When I was passing the 200m mark in 45 seconds, I realized that I used to finish the entire 400 in less than 10 seconds more than that, but could not even comprehend how I could run that fast now. But, I'm starting and the speed will return. It has to. My science teacher teammate decided to announce to some of the kids that I was planning on running the 600 at field day. I have until the beginning of June to get ready.
On a good note, I decided that I need to start doing some speed work if I ever want to get my miles faster. I planning on a 5k in April (25th) and I just don't have any speed these days. I chose to do some pace work, headed to the track (that felt nice), and enjoyed the temps in the 60's with twelve 400m repeats, attempting a 96 seconds pace for each with one minute rest between. It has been a long time since I did any sort of speed workout. When I was passing the 200m mark in 45 seconds, I realized that I used to finish the entire 400 in less than 10 seconds more than that, but could not even comprehend how I could run that fast now. But, I'm starting and the speed will return. It has to. My science teacher teammate decided to announce to some of the kids that I was planning on running the 600 at field day. I have until the beginning of June to get ready.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Race Wrap-Up
As I said in the last post, it was a good race. I cannot believe how well I did considering I've only been back running about 2 months now. I hit the 3 mile mark at about 25 minutes. At that point, I felt like I could finish in just over an hour. Then I hit the really steep parts. Or, maybe they just felt steeper because I had already run 3 miles, mostly uphill. The course map includes an elevation profile, but even it doesn't truly capture how torturous the last few hills are. What I thought had been the last big hill was just a little blip around mile 4. A mile later, I found out how wrong I was.
All in all though, it was a great race. I actually averaged under 11 minutes/mile, didn't get beaten by my 8th grade student, and they had beer and chili at the finish line (actually, it was inside a little ways away from the finish line).
All in all though, it was a great race. I actually averaged under 11 minutes/mile, didn't get beaten by my 8th grade student, and they had beer and chili at the finish line (actually, it was inside a little ways away from the finish line).
I did it!
This morning I ran what may have been the hardest run I've ever done. This felt harder than the marathon. Granted, the marathon was 11 years ago, but this 7 miles on single track with extreme inclines and declines was really hard. The course fooled me too. I knew that at mile 5, there was one last 1/2 mile hill. I thought I had already gotten it and was flying down the "last" hill and then I saw, coming around the bend the biggest and steepest section yet. The hill and his friend gravity sucker punched me in the gut. The very last part of that hill was a section that everyone actually had to climb because it was so steep and muddy. I was so tired, I could hardly get myself to run downhill. As I started that uphill section, I saw my student's mother who really wanted her daughter to beat me. As I got to the crest, half a mile later, I heard her cheering for her daughter and I knew that she wouldn't catch me. I actually finished the race in 1 hour, 17 minutes. I never thought I'd be that close to my goal of 70 minutes. Maybe next year. It was a great finish though. My daughter came up to me with a paper medal she made a school and gave me a medal.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Race Time
Well, in about 12 hours, I start my race. I'm ready. I have no idea how I am going to do. I was going through last years results and there were only about 15 guys in my age group. Looking at the times, I was thinking that I can place top 5. Of course, that's my 7 miles on the roads with on big hill, as opposed to their times on the actual course that gains about 1500 ft over the entire course. The elevation of the course starts around 503 ft and reaches a peak of about 1184. It's been warm the last couple of days and should be even warmer tomorrow. We haven't had rain yet, but I don't know how frozen and thawed the course will be. It should be interesting. I think I'll still shoot for 10 minutes miles. That's probably unrealistic, but once I realize that, I may be just getting myself to climb up the trail rather than worrying about keeping a pace.
BSG starts in a few. Good hunting!
BSG starts in a few. Good hunting!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Is it really worth my effort?
I hate feeling this way, but I'm reaching the point with some kids where I feel like any attention I give them isn't worth the effort. There are so many good kids who want to learn and do better, and they lose out because my attention is taken by those who would rather distract. I keep telling myself that by imposing consequences and following through on what I say I'm going to do that I am at least teaching these students a life lesson (if not an academic one), but I honestly feel like there is absolutely no response to any given consequence. I've reached the point where I don't bother assigning after-school detentions. It punishes me more than the kids, if they even show up. To my face, multiple students have said that they would rather have an office referral and office detention, because mine are too hard and boring. How am I supposed to deal with that? I don't know.
Sour feelings aside, I am getting geared up for my race this Saturday. I was hoping for it to stay cold through Saturday, but it's going to warm up to around 50 with some possible rain on Friday and Saturday. That should make the trails nice and mucky, exactly what I was hoping to avoid. I don't mind running in foul weather, but I wanted to turn in a good time. Muddy, hilly trails are not the best suited for fast running. It should still be fun then. Maybe others' lack of speed will be more of a benefit to me.
Only three episodes of Battlestar Galactica left. I am sad.
Sour feelings aside, I am getting geared up for my race this Saturday. I was hoping for it to stay cold through Saturday, but it's going to warm up to around 50 with some possible rain on Friday and Saturday. That should make the trails nice and mucky, exactly what I was hoping to avoid. I don't mind running in foul weather, but I wanted to turn in a good time. Muddy, hilly trails are not the best suited for fast running. It should still be fun then. Maybe others' lack of speed will be more of a benefit to me.
Only three episodes of Battlestar Galactica left. I am sad.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Smashing walls
Today's theme is walls. Walls come in many varieties. Some are brick; some are not. They can be tall, short, or somewhere in between. The first types of walls are the angry types that I get to try to teach every day. For some reason, many of my students are angry at me. They are angry because I want them to learn. They are angry because I have expectations for them. They are angry because those expectations are higher than what they can achieve with their questionable good looks and work ethics. But, most of all, they are angry because I ask them to think and it hurts to use muscles you are not used to using.
Seriously though, another teacher said that if felt like he was teaching to a bunch of walls. I commented that my walls were angry and the metaphor fit. I cannot believe the resistance I'm facing this year. A full fourth of my students are failing two or more subjects for this third marking period. To be honest, it all comes down to trying. I think that so many of these kids are convinced that they will fail, that they are afraid to even try, because that would be a bigger failure. So, I'm stuck teaching angry walls who want to keep others from learning as well.
The other wall I would like to discuss is the one I eventually dismantled (it wasn't exactly a smashing because it took me a few minutes to get past it) on my run today. The past two weeks have been a bit weak for the running, but I think I needed to slow down a bit. My body must have realized that I was doing something consistently that I hadn't been doing for quite some time and the poor guy got tired on me. But I came back with a vengeance today and ran another 7-miler and actually averaged 9:18 miles. About 3 miles in I face a huge headwind right as I started up a significant hill. It almost stopped me in my tracks and left me barely moving for the next half mile. I made myself proud though, because I fought through it and got back on pace and finished faster than I started. It was not a pretty run. I felt nothing like a gazelle. There was little fluidity of motion. There was little effortless movement. This run was a test of will power and I found more than I thought I had. I'm making my way back. I can go the distance. Now I need to find my speed again.
2 weeks to go until the Humdinger. I'm getting worried. I no longer plan to finish in under 70 minutes. Now I think I will make my goal to finish with 15 minutes of my student who is also running. Should be interesting. I just hope the course isn't gloopy.
Seriously though, another teacher said that if felt like he was teaching to a bunch of walls. I commented that my walls were angry and the metaphor fit. I cannot believe the resistance I'm facing this year. A full fourth of my students are failing two or more subjects for this third marking period. To be honest, it all comes down to trying. I think that so many of these kids are convinced that they will fail, that they are afraid to even try, because that would be a bigger failure. So, I'm stuck teaching angry walls who want to keep others from learning as well.
The other wall I would like to discuss is the one I eventually dismantled (it wasn't exactly a smashing because it took me a few minutes to get past it) on my run today. The past two weeks have been a bit weak for the running, but I think I needed to slow down a bit. My body must have realized that I was doing something consistently that I hadn't been doing for quite some time and the poor guy got tired on me. But I came back with a vengeance today and ran another 7-miler and actually averaged 9:18 miles. About 3 miles in I face a huge headwind right as I started up a significant hill. It almost stopped me in my tracks and left me barely moving for the next half mile. I made myself proud though, because I fought through it and got back on pace and finished faster than I started. It was not a pretty run. I felt nothing like a gazelle. There was little fluidity of motion. There was little effortless movement. This run was a test of will power and I found more than I thought I had. I'm making my way back. I can go the distance. Now I need to find my speed again.
2 weeks to go until the Humdinger. I'm getting worried. I no longer plan to finish in under 70 minutes. Now I think I will make my goal to finish with 15 minutes of my student who is also running. Should be interesting. I just hope the course isn't gloopy.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
You must be Slow or something
Great quote today. I had a student who likes to be belligerent every once in a while (what's the opposite of hyperbole?). He came in to class to day in rare form with nothing but a pencil. The moment I saw him he said not to even ask and that he didn't have his books. I rolled with it, as I do most things in the classroom. My team mates don't call me Mr. Patience for nothing. I just asked him not to talk or disturb anyone else. Moments later, he's starting a tirade and I ask him to stop talking. Yadda yadda yadda and he ends up saying, and I quote, "...but you keep talking to me like you're slow!" That is one line that I need to keep in a file as some of the best things people have said to me.
I love teaching Algebra. We are currently hitting the algebraic concepts pretty hard in one of my Pre-Algebra sections, and it's just fun. I don't think many of the students share my enthusiasm yet, but that were happy to see the calculator projector out today. Just wait until they get to start graphing on the calculators in a week.
Just about two weeks to the Humdinger and my confidence is less than it was. I can go the distance, that's no problem, but the more I look at that elevation map, the more worried I am. I think my initial goal of about 70 minutes might be out of reach. We'll see what happens. My wife was kind enough to knit a little pouch for the Nike+ sensor and I had my first successful outing with it yesterday (after I got it flipped over).
I love teaching Algebra. We are currently hitting the algebraic concepts pretty hard in one of my Pre-Algebra sections, and it's just fun. I don't think many of the students share my enthusiasm yet, but that were happy to see the calculator projector out today. Just wait until they get to start graphing on the calculators in a week.
Just about two weeks to the Humdinger and my confidence is less than it was. I can go the distance, that's no problem, but the more I look at that elevation map, the more worried I am. I think my initial goal of about 70 minutes might be out of reach. We'll see what happens. My wife was kind enough to knit a little pouch for the Nike+ sensor and I had my first successful outing with it yesterday (after I got it flipped over).
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Cruel and Unusual State Testing
Two days into four days of the Pennsylvania State Writing Assessment for 8th grade and I'm exhausted. I don't even have to take the test. I'm getting tired just watching the kids. This year a third writing prompt was added to the test. Now the test consists of a day of multiple choice "pick the mistake" or "how would you correct" questions. Days 2 - 4 are five paragraph essays. Most of my students were busy for a full two hours planning, drafting, and writing the final version. It was great to see them actually using a graphical organizer and writing a draft, but they have to do it two more times! There weren't too many complaints today, but I'm already hearing the sore hand comments and it's just going to get worse. This is too much. So far, I've taught in two states and both of them are getting a little test crazy for federal dollars. I hope the new administration does a massive overhaul or complete re-tooling of NCLB. Five weeks from this week, we get to do the state tests for reading and math (which always stresses me out) and then within a month the 8th graders also have a science test. Somewhere along the line, I'll find time to teach.
Today was one of the worst runs I've had. I planned to get in 5.5 miles, but after about 1 I decided to just do 4. As it was, it took me over 12 minutes per mile. I was just trudging along with the deadest legs I've felt in a long time. Maybe it was too much pacing around monitoring the kids taking the test this morning. I hope it passes. Less than a month to the Humdinger.
Today was one of the worst runs I've had. I planned to get in 5.5 miles, but after about 1 I decided to just do 4. As it was, it took me over 12 minutes per mile. I was just trudging along with the deadest legs I've felt in a long time. Maybe it was too much pacing around monitoring the kids taking the test this morning. I hope it passes. Less than a month to the Humdinger.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Nike+ iPod thingie
I've had the Nike iPod attachment for a couple of years now, but I've never used it. One, I hadn't been running. Two, my computer still runs Windows 98 and, therefore, cannot run iTunes. Three, I haven't figured out a good way to use the accelerometer without buying Nike+ shoes. Last time I checked, they seemed to cost about $10 more for a removable part of the insole to place the sensor. This seems ridiculous to me and I can't justify it. Also, Nike (which I have always had a soft spot for) doesn't make a shoe that fits me well as a runner. For comfort and every day wearing, I still love the Pegasus, but they just don't quite fit me for running.
I finally tried it out today and had one of the worst runs that I've ever had, mainly because of the sensor. Some people have said to just put it in the sole. These people need to see a podiatrist immediately because they have lost sensation in their foot. That feels like running with a rock in your shoe the size five stacked quarters. Suffice to say, that did not work. Other people say to just lace it into the laces. I think that Nike foresaw this solution to not buying their shoes. Placed as securely as possible within the web of lacing, the sensor failed to last more than ten strides before not just falling out, but being launched out and skittering across the road in hopes of finding a nice car to help it get a little slimmer. I finally found a solution that kept the sensor in place. Wedged towards the toe box, upside down, it actually stayed in place with no difficulty. When I stopped the workout finally, Lance Armstrong came on and congratulated me on my longest workout yet. In just 19 minutes, I had managed to run 0.3 miles - that three tenths of a mile. The sensor does not work upside down.
Now I guess I need to find some sort of pouch that will lace into my shoes. This is starting to seem like more of a hassle than it's worth, but I shall persevere. One additional gripe: why is it so difficult to find a belt clip for my iPod. I still refused to wear the arm bands because I think they look ridiculous.
Any suggestions on where to get a pouch?
I finally tried it out today and had one of the worst runs that I've ever had, mainly because of the sensor. Some people have said to just put it in the sole. These people need to see a podiatrist immediately because they have lost sensation in their foot. That feels like running with a rock in your shoe the size five stacked quarters. Suffice to say, that did not work. Other people say to just lace it into the laces. I think that Nike foresaw this solution to not buying their shoes. Placed as securely as possible within the web of lacing, the sensor failed to last more than ten strides before not just falling out, but being launched out and skittering across the road in hopes of finding a nice car to help it get a little slimmer. I finally found a solution that kept the sensor in place. Wedged towards the toe box, upside down, it actually stayed in place with no difficulty. When I stopped the workout finally, Lance Armstrong came on and congratulated me on my longest workout yet. In just 19 minutes, I had managed to run 0.3 miles - that three tenths of a mile. The sensor does not work upside down.
Now I guess I need to find some sort of pouch that will lace into my shoes. This is starting to seem like more of a hassle than it's worth, but I shall persevere. One additional gripe: why is it so difficult to find a belt clip for my iPod. I still refused to wear the arm bands because I think they look ridiculous.
Any suggestions on where to get a pouch?
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Re-evolution of my running
Four weeks have now passed and in each of those weeks I have run four times. That makes my number of runs this year and this incarnation of my running life my wife's favorite number, the square square sixteen. This has been the most consistent and steady my running has been since I hobbled to the end of Grandma's marathon almost 11 years ago. This time is different though. Usually, I have no problem going fast, but have absolutely no endurance. Having completed a seven mile run already, this is not the case. Speed is what's lacking, but it's coming back. Over the last four weeks, I've been rediscovering my form. I have been so tight, with a tiny stride, that speed was not possible. However, I'm finding that after a mile or two, my strides start to loosen up; my hips begin to open up, and I actually hit a flow that I do not remember hitting in the past eleven years. Something is different about this return to running and I think it is making the difference regarding whether or not my current running renaissance flourishes. I think it will. I need running now. It was always a part of my life before, but I think it's more important than ever before. When I'm out on the roads, especially country roads, I feel about as calm as I can. These days, that's worth a lot. Four weeks to the Humdinger!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Breaking the 7-mile barrier
I can't remember the last time I actually ran seven miles. It was probably when I trained for the marathon in 1998! I was worried for a bit that I wouldn't be able to do it. After school, there was strongly blowing snow, but I was not to be deterred. I headed out and felt extremely clunky and figured the run would take over 1.5 hours. But, after about a mile, I got used to the stinging snow in my eyes and fell into a rhythm. After that, it felt great. I was out on country back roads (one even gravel) and I felt more like me than I've felt in a long time.
Unfortunately, when I got home, my car slid into a snowbank at the bottom of my driveway. We had to pack up the whole clan to go down to the bottom of the driveway so I could push the car out while my wife was behind the wheel. It took about 20 seconds of pushing, but now the car is sitting at the bottom of the driveway and I get a fun walk to my car tomorrow morning. Good times.
I currently am wearing a band-aid on my right nipple because it was a very wet snow while running and I got my first chafed nipple in about ten years. And if you're curious, the band-aid does nothing. It hurts just as much as before, but now I get the swell anticipation of ripping off the hairs when I take the band-aid off to look forward to. But, I did run over seven miles!
Unfortunately, when I got home, my car slid into a snowbank at the bottom of my driveway. We had to pack up the whole clan to go down to the bottom of the driveway so I could push the car out while my wife was behind the wheel. It took about 20 seconds of pushing, but now the car is sitting at the bottom of the driveway and I get a fun walk to my car tomorrow morning. Good times.
I currently am wearing a band-aid on my right nipple because it was a very wet snow while running and I got my first chafed nipple in about ten years. And if you're curious, the band-aid does nothing. It hurts just as much as before, but now I get the swell anticipation of ripping off the hairs when I take the band-aid off to look forward to. But, I did run over seven miles!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Redemption
Quick addition to the last post. I'm glad I kept the game on and happened to be looking during the best part. There was a preview for the new Transformers movie.
Go Joe!
I have to admit, I'm having a bit of trouble getting into the Superbowl spirit. I even live in a state with one of the teams, but I just can't get myself to care. I may even pass on making wings tonight. So far, the only thing that has interested me in the slightest was the trailer for the G.I. Joe movie. I didn't get the same chill as when I first saw the Transformers trailer, but I wasn't into G.I. Joe as much as the Transformers. Even so, it looks good.
If I have to hear Madden say that the Steelers have the best defense in football one more time, I'll quietly seethe in anger.
If I have to hear Madden say that the Steelers have the best defense in football one more time, I'll quietly seethe in anger.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
I think it's become a habit
I'm about to complete my 3rd full week of running, with 4 runs each week. I think I can say it is now a habit. What do they say, it takes 21 days to break or start a habit? I try hard not to think about my times too much or expect high school cross country paces...yet. I am almost down to consistent 8 minute miles for my short 2.68 runs and managed under 9.5 min/mi for a 5.4 mile run, but I really would like to debut in a 5k in under 20 minutes with the ultimate goal of breaking 18 minutes, which I missed by 3 seconds in my last high school race over 14 years ago. There's a 7 mile trail run coming up that I think I'll enter, but then I'll be competing against one of my students who told me she just ran a 4.5 mile race in 23:44. That's a pace under 5.5 minutes per mile. That's faster than I ever ran a 5k before. But, I have to jump in somewhere, and a tough trail run may be just the race to get me started.
We had another snow day yesterday, so we start chipping away at spring break. It is now down to Friday through Tuesday. Tuesday is next on the chopping block. Next Friday is an inservice day and then we do not have a day off until April 10. During that stretch we have the state tests. Should be a blast.
We had another snow day yesterday, so we start chipping away at spring break. It is now down to Friday through Tuesday. Tuesday is next on the chopping block. Next Friday is an inservice day and then we do not have a day off until April 10. During that stretch we have the state tests. Should be a blast.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Thoughts from the midpoint of the year
Well, the 1st semester has ended. We know who the players, slackers, grade-monkeys, followers, and leaders are. Too many of the first four, not enough of the last. This is not to say that we don't have a great group of kids, but I'm not seeing a lot of initiative or individual thought out of this group. Hopefully, some more will surprise me heading into the second half of the year. This week may be my first 5-day week since before winter break. No snow days, vacation days, or sick-child days (I hope). I think I'd be all in favor of a four-day week.
I've been running consistently for two weeks now. I even managed two runs of 4 miles this past week. I feel better running in this attempt to return to running form than I have, probably since I did the marathon in college. In fact, I think that I want to set the goal of running Grandma's marathon in 2010 so that I may avenge myself and not half to say that I've finished a marathon, but had to walk to last nine miles pulling a leg with two pulled muscles. I was on pace for a 3.5 hour finish. Granted, I have consistently said that I had no desire to ever do that again, but it's been nagging at me that last few years now. This summer is out. Having a sub-one-year-old in the house and a 3.5 year-old is not conducive to real training. But I think that it's doable for next year. Anyone want to volunteer to watch the kids for a long weekend?
I've been running consistently for two weeks now. I even managed two runs of 4 miles this past week. I feel better running in this attempt to return to running form than I have, probably since I did the marathon in college. In fact, I think that I want to set the goal of running Grandma's marathon in 2010 so that I may avenge myself and not half to say that I've finished a marathon, but had to walk to last nine miles pulling a leg with two pulled muscles. I was on pace for a 3.5 hour finish. Granted, I have consistently said that I had no desire to ever do that again, but it's been nagging at me that last few years now. This summer is out. Having a sub-one-year-old in the house and a 3.5 year-old is not conducive to real training. But I think that it's doable for next year. Anyone want to volunteer to watch the kids for a long weekend?
Monday, January 19, 2009
More Than Meets the Eye
On a rare day off when the kids have daycare and neither one of them is sick, I got a chance to actually watch a movie with the volume up a bit. As I graded papers, I decided to watch the Transformers movie (live action, not animated, have both). Watching the beginning when we are first treated to the Autobot symbol on Bumblebee's steering wheel, I remembered the chills I felt when I first saw the preview and didn't know what it was until that symbol appeared. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I got chills. I get that same feeling throughout the movie. Why is this? I will admit that it's not the best movie and it has it's fair amount of cheese (Optimus saying, "My bad," comes to mind), but it captures something that this current generation of kids may not get to experience. Sure, the show was made to sell the toys, but it was still really cool. It was also never made into a movie, and I'm glad it wasn't until recently. Every franchise now is turned into a movie almost immediately. It might be straight to DVD, but it gets the movie treatment right away. It wasn't so with Transformers. There were plenty of series, but never a full movie (other than the animated). When the movie opens up and the Decepticon transforms from a helicopter, I think they nailed the coolness factor. That robot, was unstoppable (until they stopped it). The amount of effortless carnage, mobility, speed, and agility it embodied was awesome. That is a big giant robot to be proud of. With the sequel coming out this summer, I'm really excited and I'm seeing this one in the theater. The first movie was a lot of set up and not enough robots. I hope this will be remedied in the second. Time for a run.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Ok, that was cold...
I went for a run 4 days this week, and one day was not Wednesday or any day on the weekend. That means that I went for a run on Friday. Anyone who's been paying attention to the weather recently will realized that most of the country was experiencing rather cold weather (possibly relative to wherever that part of the country is, but cold nonetheless). I checked the temp before I left school (11.5 degrees), and I figured I'd be ok for a little while. The fact that my nostrils only got a weak, partial freeze in the morning only solidified my confidence. It was about 10 degrees when I started the run and I have to admit, I almost quit after the first five minutes. Given that this is my first week back running, I know that I need to keep things consistent, or it becomes too easy for me to not run. So, I ran the entire route and for the first time in a long time I began to think that it was actually cold outside. To be honest, I did forget my jacket at home, but the only parts of me that were actually cold were my eyebrows (or the ridge of bone behind them) and my hands. Apparently, the gloves given out at the December of 1994 Jingle Bells run in Madison, WI are not all that warm. By the time I realized how cold they actually were, I was at the point of no return. Happy ending though. I finished the run 1.5 minutes faster than I had managed the entire week. I guess you could say I was somewhat motivated to get back in car sooner rather than later.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The Honeymoon is Over
I should have known yesterday's run felt too good to be true. I made sure I went out two days in a row, because one of anything a pattern does not make. I headed out today and had forgotten what sore shins feel like. It still felt great though! I even got to finish with a bit of snow falling around. It's going to be a whole new Mr. Johnson at field day this year!
Crunch time with BSG. Due to shipping errors and delays, we now have the final two discs we need before new episodes start on Friday.
24 has started in earnest, but I'm not sold on it yet. I'm not sure I like how hard they are pushing the picture of Jack as an out of control maniac who can be relied on to be brutal. I will not stand for this smear campaign against Jack Bauer!
Crunch time with BSG. Due to shipping errors and delays, we now have the final two discs we need before new episodes start on Friday.
24 has started in earnest, but I'm not sold on it yet. I'm not sure I like how hard they are pushing the picture of Jack as an out of control maniac who can be relied on to be brutal. I will not stand for this smear campaign against Jack Bauer!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Nostril Freezing Cold
Would you believe me if I said that were something that I miss? Weird, but I do. Those of you who have experienced taking a deep breath and having your nostrils briefly freeze shut know what I'm talking about. I have not experienced it here yet. We are supposed to have a high of six degrees on Friday. Maybe it will happen then.
I finally got back running today. Enough excuses. I'm just getting out there and running. I get changed at school, head over to a course and take a run. This was my first run since September, and it felt great. Maybe it was just running that felt good. Maybe it was the 20 pounds lighter I currently am. Maybe it was the relatively flat course compared to the .7 mile rollercoaster loop I was running before. Whatever it was, it was worth it. It was the best run I've had, probably since I moved to PA and the first winter run since 2005.
I consider myself a running purist, but I did something for the first time that I didn't think I'd do. I ran with an iPod and it was great. So for all of you running purists who think that it spoils the experience, you need to lighten up. Does this mean I will never again take a run through the woods and listen to nature? Not in the slightest. It is a nice distraction from the mundane thoughts of whether or not I should keep going, if I'm going fast enough, if my strides are the right length, and so on... I quite enjoyed my run today. It may only have been 2.43 miles, but it was one of the best times I've had in a while.
The Running Me is Back!
I finally got back running today. Enough excuses. I'm just getting out there and running. I get changed at school, head over to a course and take a run. This was my first run since September, and it felt great. Maybe it was just running that felt good. Maybe it was the 20 pounds lighter I currently am. Maybe it was the relatively flat course compared to the .7 mile rollercoaster loop I was running before. Whatever it was, it was worth it. It was the best run I've had, probably since I moved to PA and the first winter run since 2005.
I consider myself a running purist, but I did something for the first time that I didn't think I'd do. I ran with an iPod and it was great. So for all of you running purists who think that it spoils the experience, you need to lighten up. Does this mean I will never again take a run through the woods and listen to nature? Not in the slightest. It is a nice distraction from the mundane thoughts of whether or not I should keep going, if I'm going fast enough, if my strides are the right length, and so on... I quite enjoyed my run today. It may only have been 2.43 miles, but it was one of the best times I've had in a while.
The Running Me is Back!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
A quick "Thank You"
I recently re-implemented the last 10 visitors code because it hadn't changed for a couple months and I was extremely surprised at my vast international audience. I just wanted to thank everyone who's been checking out my blog. Let me know what you prefer: more corporate rants, or more school stories, or anything else.
I watched the first two episodes of Season Four from Battlestar Galactica. I am on track to have the first half of the season finished before next Friday when the second half premiers on SciFi. I've even converted my wife to the point that she's putting The Wire on hold until we finish these discs. She's sharing her Netflix queue to make it happen. Now that's love and commitment!!
I watched the first two episodes of Season Four from Battlestar Galactica. I am on track to have the first half of the season finished before next Friday when the second half premiers on SciFi. I've even converted my wife to the point that she's putting The Wire on hold until we finish these discs. She's sharing her Netflix queue to make it happen. Now that's love and commitment!!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
400 lashes and don't be gentle!
I can't believe what happened today. I'm experimenting with puni...I mean deterrents of a different sort these days. To be specific, I'm trying not to use up all of my free time after school and I refuse to give up my lunch for detentions. I'm trying writing assignments in which the students are reminded of the silliness of their behavior while enduring some mindless tedium - writing sentences. I gave some to a student because he would not stop talking. I had to have given at least 10 warnings until I assigned 20 sentences. He didn't stop. I changed it to 25. He didn't stop. I changed it to 30. He just didn't get it and the next thing I know, he's up to 400. That is not a typo. I actually assigned 400 sentences. It's worse though, I gave him about three sentences that have to be written 400 times. I am absolutely in shock. 400 sentences...unbelievable.
Monday, January 5, 2009
1st Day Back
Well, we started back at school today. The Vikings lost last night, so the many Eagles fans thought it their duty to remind me of that constantly. They were not, however, very clever or original. What follows is a rather faithful reproduction of a conversation I had many times today:
Student: How about them Vikings?
Me: They lost
Student: They lost
Me: I know. I just said that.
Student: Yeah, they lost.
Sometimes this continued a few more times.
A more amusing conversation went like this:
Student: How about them Vikings?
Me: They lost. How did the Colts do?
Student: They've won nine in a row.
Me: Yeah, but they lost on Saturday.
Student: They did? At least they are in the playoffs.
Me: So were the Vikings, but they lost and now neither team is in the playoffs anymore.
Student: But they won nine in a row.
Me: Once you lose in the playoffs, you're out.
Student: The playoffs were this weekend? I thought it was the end of the regular season. Well, I didn't see it, so it doesn't count.
8th graders are interesting.
Go Red Wings!
Student: How about them Vikings?
Me: They lost
Student: They lost
Me: I know. I just said that.
Student: Yeah, they lost.
Sometimes this continued a few more times.
A more amusing conversation went like this:
Student: How about them Vikings?
Me: They lost. How did the Colts do?
Student: They've won nine in a row.
Me: Yeah, but they lost on Saturday.
Student: They did? At least they are in the playoffs.
Me: So were the Vikings, but they lost and now neither team is in the playoffs anymore.
Student: But they won nine in a row.
Me: Once you lose in the playoffs, you're out.
Student: The playoffs were this weekend? I thought it was the end of the regular season. Well, I didn't see it, so it doesn't count.
8th graders are interesting.
Go Red Wings!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
The final season cometh
The first half of the fourth (and last) season of Battlestar Galactica is released on DVD on Tuesday. I have one disc to go to finish season three and the second half of season four starts January 16. We can do this, but it means 5 discs of BSG in 12 days (the last disc of Season three won't arrive until Tuesday). I have to admit, I am saddened by the end of this show. I can honestly say that it has been the best show I've watched on TV, better than 24. I'm not sure that the prequel series, Caprica, will be able to take its place. The one question remaining is if I'll be able to get caught up in time to watch the rest of the series as it airs.
Tomorrow the Vikings are the top seed playing in the playoffs. I did not see that coming two months ago. They are playing the Eagles. Either I will be upset going back to school on Monday, or most of my students and fellow staff will be. I hope its not me. I really don't need that to put up with from 8th graders the first day back from vacation!
Tomorrow the Vikings are the top seed playing in the playoffs. I did not see that coming two months ago. They are playing the Eagles. Either I will be upset going back to school on Monday, or most of my students and fellow staff will be. I hope its not me. I really don't need that to put up with from 8th graders the first day back from vacation!
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