Last year, I was proud of my good New Year's Resolution: Be. Here. Now.
I followed through on my resolution until about the first week of March, when it suddenly turned into: Get. Out. Of. Here. Immediately. If. Not. Sooner.
My revised resolution for 2011 didn't work out as well as the original one. I'm thinking about what my resolution should be for 2012, the year when the world might supposedly end.
It's something I've been walking around trying to do since around the first week of March, and now I'll make it official by putting it in writing: Be. Useful.
And I'll end with a "pithy quote" from George Bernard Shaw on the topic:
"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."
Good luck with those resolutions, loyal readers!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Notes on Misc.
That's Buddy with the Abominable Snowman, Rudolph, and... ...ahem... an anonymous lumberjack?
Merry Christmas.
I don't remember when or where I heard the following story, or whether it's true, but I'm reminded of it today: Once upon a time, a man wanted to convert to Judaism. He went to the synagogue and asked the rabbi to give him instructions on how to convert. The rabbi refused him and told him that conversion was too hard, that he would never really do it, and that he should go home. The man stayed outside the synagogue gate for three or four days in the elements. Finally, the rabbi let him in, saying that the first step in conversion is to prove your seriousness/sincerity. Most people give up and go home. They don't really want to convert.
It's silly of me to think of this story because a very simple web form that I should be able to fill in quickly as I court a certain potential employer WILL NOT let me finish. It freezes, therefore disabling my whole machine. Like the successful convert, though, I will prevail. After all, in exactly a week, the year that is supposed to end the world will begin.
Now is no time to be a wuss.
Santa brought me lots of tools to use to prepare myself for impending doom, but that's another story for a different blog.
Patience, perseverance, and the Panama Canal.
Those are the lessons that 2011 has delivered to me, mostly via ABC-CLIO.
I will be back to expound on other lessons as the week unfolds. Perhaps after I have finished some more fruitcake.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Attack of the Gingerpeople!
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| Me, looking irrationally thrilled about cookie decorating... |
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| 1st gingerperson ever! Ugly, but delicious! |
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| Oh no! A maiming accident! |
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Happy Holidays
I'm not sure when during the past six years Russian Carrot Pie became my traditional Thanksgiving dish of choice, but it did.
This year's carrot pie was an epic fail, all soggy and runny and, as Granny would say except true this time, "not fit to eat." It was a good thing Krista was busy cooking all afternoon so that I didn't starve on the year's most thankful of days, on which I was thankful for many things including the opportunity to eat a good dinner and learn a good new game called "Bite the Bag," which is exactly what it sounds like.
I am also thankful for my shiny new passport, my renewed teaching license with the TESL endorsement, the little turkeys that my students colored and wrote notes on for me, and I'm also thankful for Black Friday.
When the alarm went off at 4 a.m. yesterday morning, I muttered, "yeah, right," rolled over and went back to sleep. But by 6:30 I was standing in line at the K-Mart, along with what seemed like the rest of the entire populace of the Las Vegas metro area although I'm sure that's not true, with my one little Lupe Fiasco CD. My only Black Friday purchase is in fact this gift from myself and Miss Gokey for Mr. Demetrius Johnson. Of course I purchased it at K-Mart to support the personal economy of my favorite former student, who works in electronics there.
Today I put up the little socialist tree, so named because, before Jeff fixed it last year, it leaned severely to the left. This year it leans ever-so-slightly to the right, but it will still be socialist to me, because "moderate Republican Christmas tree" just doesn't have the same ring to it. I enjoyed putting up the tree, although I did miss Jeff and Jodi, who have been here the past two years to cheer me on when I decided that the 2004 tinsel would stay in the box, or the tree wouldn't have any ornaments on it, or the angel topper would stay in her plastic sleeve because she is, as they say, a falling angel.
I haven't sent any cards yet, but I am feeling in the Frango-minty holiday spirit, so I look forward to doing that soon. The cards have arrived from Syracuse Cultural Workers and are better than I'd hoped they'd be. I absolutely have to wait until Morgane Guillou's present arrives in the mail, however. Amazon promises that it will be here by Wednesday, November 30, so if I have your mailing address, start looking for your holiday cards sometime early the week of December 5!
Morgane sent me a long letter and a CD in the mail, so I promised myself she would be my first card this year.
In the meantime, rather than waste your time rambling on as a procrastination strategy to avoid grading tests, I'm going to go...grade tests. I'm NOT going to shoot cartoon zombies, I'm NOT going to shoot cartoon zombies, I'm NOT going to shoot cartoon zombies...until after I've graded some tests.
"Some" is a very subjective word. No zombies right now. Instead...tests. Really. I mean it. Haha.
Happy Holidays 2011!!!
This year's carrot pie was an epic fail, all soggy and runny and, as Granny would say except true this time, "not fit to eat." It was a good thing Krista was busy cooking all afternoon so that I didn't starve on the year's most thankful of days, on which I was thankful for many things including the opportunity to eat a good dinner and learn a good new game called "Bite the Bag," which is exactly what it sounds like.
I am also thankful for my shiny new passport, my renewed teaching license with the TESL endorsement, the little turkeys that my students colored and wrote notes on for me, and I'm also thankful for Black Friday.
When the alarm went off at 4 a.m. yesterday morning, I muttered, "yeah, right," rolled over and went back to sleep. But by 6:30 I was standing in line at the K-Mart, along with what seemed like the rest of the entire populace of the Las Vegas metro area although I'm sure that's not true, with my one little Lupe Fiasco CD. My only Black Friday purchase is in fact this gift from myself and Miss Gokey for Mr. Demetrius Johnson. Of course I purchased it at K-Mart to support the personal economy of my favorite former student, who works in electronics there.
Today I put up the little socialist tree, so named because, before Jeff fixed it last year, it leaned severely to the left. This year it leans ever-so-slightly to the right, but it will still be socialist to me, because "moderate Republican Christmas tree" just doesn't have the same ring to it. I enjoyed putting up the tree, although I did miss Jeff and Jodi, who have been here the past two years to cheer me on when I decided that the 2004 tinsel would stay in the box, or the tree wouldn't have any ornaments on it, or the angel topper would stay in her plastic sleeve because she is, as they say, a falling angel.
I haven't sent any cards yet, but I am feeling in the Frango-minty holiday spirit, so I look forward to doing that soon. The cards have arrived from Syracuse Cultural Workers and are better than I'd hoped they'd be. I absolutely have to wait until Morgane Guillou's present arrives in the mail, however. Amazon promises that it will be here by Wednesday, November 30, so if I have your mailing address, start looking for your holiday cards sometime early the week of December 5!
Morgane sent me a long letter and a CD in the mail, so I promised myself she would be my first card this year.
In the meantime, rather than waste your time rambling on as a procrastination strategy to avoid grading tests, I'm going to go...grade tests. I'm NOT going to shoot cartoon zombies, I'm NOT going to shoot cartoon zombies, I'm NOT going to shoot cartoon zombies...until after I've graded some tests.
"Some" is a very subjective word. No zombies right now. Instead...tests. Really. I mean it. Haha.
Happy Holidays 2011!!!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
In Defense of What is Still My Favorite Month
Shakespeare said, "Time is the justice that examines all offenders." Well, I must be really offensive, because my favorite month has flown by and will soon be coming to an end. I am going to spend Nevada Day in Utah, although I'm not sure yet how that's going to look.
Last week was an absolute blast. I got to see Krista for a minute in passing while scarfing up loads of free stuff - some good and some not so good - at the Southern Nevada Council for the Social Studies Colloquium at the Natural History Museum. Ooh, look at all those hyperlinks! This will be an informative post, if nothing else. I attended the colloquium to try to win a free trip to Washington, D.C. Helas, my membership is now renewed through 12/2013, and the most valuable thing I came away with was the district (or is it state? so confusing sometimes) password for Culturgrams, which has already proven to be worth several times its weight in platinum.
On Wednesday night, I attended the first Tupperware party of my little life at a coworker's house. I was excited to go to the Tupperware party because I wanted the Flat Out! bowls. I have wanted them for years and years. Now, for the price of just five cups of coffee...they will be mine! I was also excited to go to the Tupperware Party because the host was the lovely Kay Sedia. Drag queen AND top Tupperware seller, what an awesome combination! A great time was had by all.
Last week was also the week when I finally got "boo"ed. Getting "boo"ed is apparently a time-honored tradition in middle schools. Someone anonymously leaves you a treat bag, and in return you leave two anonymous treat bags for others. I chose to "boo" two other teachers who are new to my middle school because, like me, they got "turned around." I'll put a photo in here of the treat bags I made.
Last week was an absolute blast. I got to see Krista for a minute in passing while scarfing up loads of free stuff - some good and some not so good - at the Southern Nevada Council for the Social Studies Colloquium at the Natural History Museum. Ooh, look at all those hyperlinks! This will be an informative post, if nothing else. I attended the colloquium to try to win a free trip to Washington, D.C. Helas, my membership is now renewed through 12/2013, and the most valuable thing I came away with was the district (or is it state? so confusing sometimes) password for Culturgrams, which has already proven to be worth several times its weight in platinum.
On Wednesday night, I attended the first Tupperware party of my little life at a coworker's house. I was excited to go to the Tupperware party because I wanted the Flat Out! bowls. I have wanted them for years and years. Now, for the price of just five cups of coffee...they will be mine! I was also excited to go to the Tupperware Party because the host was the lovely Kay Sedia. Drag queen AND top Tupperware seller, what an awesome combination! A great time was had by all.
Last week was also the week when I finally got "boo"ed. Getting "boo"ed is apparently a time-honored tradition in middle schools. Someone anonymously leaves you a treat bag, and in return you leave two anonymous treat bags for others. I chose to "boo" two other teachers who are new to my middle school because, like me, they got "turned around." I'll put a photo in here of the treat bags I made.
Last week, I also became the proud owner of a Play N Freeze. "You bought that?" YES, I bought it, and it's really cool (no pun). It's so good for so many reasons! First, you get to practice your delayed gratification skills. Secondly, you get to get an arm workout WHILE preparing to eat ice cream. Finally, you get to take anything you like and turn it into ice cream. Win-win-win.
Tonight, however, it is not ice cream, but the carmel apple that is on my mind. Apparently (according to Google et. al.), carmel apples have existed since ancient times, when dipping fruit in heated sugar helped preserve it. Personally, I thought salt preserved and sugar aided decomposition, but what do I know compared to Google? It was popular in Britain, and when carmel became inexpensive in the 1800s, it caught on here, as well. All I know is that the carmel apple is the best thing since the jack-o-lantern!
And on that happy note, I bid you adieu until the night itself: All Hallows Eve, when I will wear to school and in the evening either the Tavern Wench or Alexander the Great, I haven't decided yet. In the meantime, enjoy what is left of this splendid month.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Until You Walk a Mile in Their Moccasins
Is that how you spell moccasin? I'm not sure. All I know is I am still freaked out by the Human Footprint.
We are watching the DVD in geography class because I was so deeply disturbed by it that I decided to diffuse my disturbance by making 120-some captive 13-year olds share it.
Of course they're like, "meh," and not disturbed, which I find even more disturbing.
The best part is that you can go to National Geographic's interactive consumption page and figure out how you compare to world averages.
And on that note, I will end with an apology for using one word, "disturbed" too much in this nightmarishly-hyperlinked post.
We are watching the DVD in geography class because I was so deeply disturbed by it that I decided to diffuse my disturbance by making 120-some captive 13-year olds share it.
Of course they're like, "meh," and not disturbed, which I find even more disturbing.
The best part is that you can go to National Geographic's interactive consumption page and figure out how you compare to world averages.
And on that note, I will end with an apology for using one word, "disturbed" too much in this nightmarishly-hyperlinked post.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
October's 2nd weekend, 2011
I just finished watching The Company Men with Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones and some other famous people.
My only regret is that I rented it instead of buying it outright. I knew it would be good, and I think I'm going to buy a round of copies for people for Christmas.
Other than that, I don't have much to say this week. I've been happy to see that Pastor Dana of Kaleidoscope Faith is making her way steadily home to Michigan. I'm following her progress via posts from the people she's staying with along the way.
Jeff Dick has landed safely in Australia and is settling in.
There you go: since nothing momentous has happened in my own life, I'll update you on my friends.
Which reminds me, Mizz Jodi is about to start her job at Ivy Tech soon, so good vibes to her as she starts that new adventure.
For myself, I'm having a heck of a time trying to find a natural resources map of the United States. I found a whole bunch of other thematic maps, including maps of frog coverage, time zones and farm values, but try finding the one you remember from grade school with the little carts of coal...no dice. National Geographic rarely disappoints, however, and while looking for one thing, we find another.
It is in that spirit that I will conclude this short post by attempting to embed one of my favorite thematic maps of all time. Let's see... Haha! Good old Wikipedia! Since Wikipedia is, as the name implies, a wiki, I figure its content is ripe for stealing. I'll paste the description below the image, too. Heheh.
"The image shows the urbanization of the world's cities through the use of the DMSP satellite system. This image of Earth's city lights was created with data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS). Originally designed to view clouds by moonlight, the OLS is also used to map the locations of permanent lights on the Earth's surface. The brightest areas of the Earth are the most urbanized, but not necessarily the most populated. (Compare western Europe with China and India.) Cities tend to grow along coastlines and transportation networks. The United States interstate highway system appears as a lattice connecting the brighter dots of city centers. In Russia, the Trans-Siberian railroad is a thin line stretching from Moscow through the center of Asia to Vladivostok. The Nile River, from the Aswan Dam to the Mediterranean Sea, is another bright thread through an otherwise dark region. Even more than 100 years after the invention of the electric light, some regions remain thinly populated and unlit. Antarctica is entirely dark. The interior jungles of Africa and South America are mostly dark, but lights are beginning to appear there. Deserts in Africa, Arabia, Australia, Mongolia, and the United States are poorly lit as well (except along the coast), along with the boreal forests of Canada and Russia, and the great mountains of the Himalaya.
Date 21 October 2006 Source Imagery by NASA and/or the US Geological Survey.
Processed by Terra Prints Inc.
Author Data courtesy Marc Imhoff of NASA GSFC and Christopher Elvidge of NOAA NGDC.
Image by Craig Mayhew and Robert Simmon, NASA GSFC."
Don't let the bedbugs bite. ;)
Other than that, I don't have much to say this week. I've been happy to see that Pastor Dana of Kaleidoscope Faith is making her way steadily home to Michigan. I'm following her progress via posts from the people she's staying with along the way.
Jeff Dick has landed safely in Australia and is settling in.
There you go: since nothing momentous has happened in my own life, I'll update you on my friends.
Which reminds me, Mizz Jodi is about to start her job at Ivy Tech soon, so good vibes to her as she starts that new adventure.
For myself, I'm having a heck of a time trying to find a natural resources map of the United States. I found a whole bunch of other thematic maps, including maps of frog coverage, time zones and farm values, but try finding the one you remember from grade school with the little carts of coal...no dice. National Geographic rarely disappoints, however, and while looking for one thing, we find another.
It is in that spirit that I will conclude this short post by attempting to embed one of my favorite thematic maps of all time. Let's see... Haha! Good old Wikipedia! Since Wikipedia is, as the name implies, a wiki, I figure its content is ripe for stealing. I'll paste the description below the image, too. Heheh.
"The image shows the urbanization of the world's cities through the use of the DMSP satellite system. This image of Earth's city lights was created with data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS). Originally designed to view clouds by moonlight, the OLS is also used to map the locations of permanent lights on the Earth's surface. The brightest areas of the Earth are the most urbanized, but not necessarily the most populated. (Compare western Europe with China and India.) Cities tend to grow along coastlines and transportation networks. The United States interstate highway system appears as a lattice connecting the brighter dots of city centers. In Russia, the Trans-Siberian railroad is a thin line stretching from Moscow through the center of Asia to Vladivostok. The Nile River, from the Aswan Dam to the Mediterranean Sea, is another bright thread through an otherwise dark region. Even more than 100 years after the invention of the electric light, some regions remain thinly populated and unlit. Antarctica is entirely dark. The interior jungles of Africa and South America are mostly dark, but lights are beginning to appear there. Deserts in Africa, Arabia, Australia, Mongolia, and the United States are poorly lit as well (except along the coast), along with the boreal forests of Canada and Russia, and the great mountains of the Himalaya.
Date 21 October 2006 Source Imagery by NASA and/or the US Geological Survey.
Processed by Terra Prints Inc.
Author Data courtesy Marc Imhoff of NASA GSFC and Christopher Elvidge of NOAA NGDC.
Image by Craig Mayhew and Robert Simmon, NASA GSFC."
Don't let the bedbugs bite. ;)
Monday, October 3, 2011
Meep Meep!
That's right, folks! On my way down the mountain for probably the last overnight until after the snows (which will begin falling this week) thaw in May, I saw a road runner (I think) for the first time (I think) in my life. That was yesterday, and clearly where the blog is concerned, I completely missed the weekend. I was busy grading papers, making money proctoring the SAT, and sleeping at McWilliams campground.
Today, something arguably better than spotting a road runner happened: it rained! It may in fact still be raining in some parts of town. Granted, it rained twice last month, but that was September. Today's rain is proof positive of the unrivaled greatness of October. It started raining about 10 minutes before school let out, and then kept raining for about 25 solid minutes, until I had arrived at the intersection of Nellis and Bonanza.
I had the most fun commute home from school ever. Unbeknownst to me, apparently my windshield is badly Rain-Xed. Adding insult to injury, when I turned on my wipers, I noticed that one of the wiper blades had dry rotted completely off. I remembered that I knew that, because I showed Miss Gokey my nonexistent wiper blade a few weeks ago. (These are the things you have to deal with when you live in a climate where there are 361 days of sunshine.) When I remembered that, I started laughing. And then I remembered the time that I accidentally turned on the wipers when I meant to turn on the cruise control, on Highway 58 (I think), and I laughed some more. Unfortunately, I passed the inevitable wreck, and pulled over for the inevitable ambulance, and stopped for at least one soaked crossing guard...
As I turned onto Nellis from Craig, I noticed two passenger aircrafts and two helicopters flying in the sky. I laughed again as I thought to myself, "the Air Force is out monitoring the "rain" situation!" Now that the cover of darkness is upon us, the lightning is better than a Cirque show. Thank you, Mother Nature! It's a good evening to watch a horror movie.
Two days ago, I watched a movie called Brotherhood. It was very dark, filled with violence, blood, death and painful bad choices, but it ended well and I enjoyed it very much.
The movie I'm watching right now is much more terrifying, IRL. It's a documentary called Tapped. It makes me feel like the main character in Brotherhood, a victim of my own bad choices regarding my water consumption. But, like Adam in the first movie, I have seen the error of my ways. In the meantime...what are "adverse reproductive effects?" What exactly is that supposed to mean? With apology to my 3 loyal readers, I must bastardize the John Muir quote and say horribly, "TV is calling and I must go."
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Ticky Tacky
Well, I hear that early birds get worms, and since I have a craving for some worms (but more realistically because I am headed up the mountain again tomorrow where I'll have no signal), I figure I'll post now.
Tonight I had the pleasure of going onto a military base for the first time in my little life. As we drove in, I was reminded of the theme song from WEEDS, thus the title of this post. I will admit it: I was creeped out. And I guess I expected to be creeped out. So I'm glad the ASL class that was the reason for my visit was in a part of the clubhouse that really could have been any old room in any other apartment complex on Earth.
It's good to know people with military IDs, or to know people who know people...etc.
Our first of 10 classes went over fingerspelling, numbers 1-10, a few emotions and the word for "homework." I think that all 9 of the students are teachers. 6 of us come from my school. This is a great opportunity for me for many reasons. Our school is a feeder to the high school that has the deaf program. Although I don't have any deaf students yet this semester, taking an ASL class will make it easier for me to communicate if I ever do. It also gets me back into studying a language, which is one of my favorite things to do, and it gets me further into the community of my new school.
It's intense. Our teacher is a deaf man, and we don't have an interpreter. So it's "immersion" ASL. But he's a really good teacher who knows how to scaffold his instruction so that nobody gets lost. And I mean nobody. Because there are 9 of us, he can take the time to make us all practice until our hands hurt, or until we get it right, whichever comes first. It's really cool.
Did I mention that it was intense? It's really difficult to be in a room for 2 hours with so little sound. Even though all of us (students) are hearing, it was a very quiet lesson. I can tell you that I have rarely sung along with the radio louder than I did on my way home from my first class! I'm looking forward to learning more.
Speaking of learning more, tomorrow is Grade Day. I have long been of the opinion that grades are not really a measure of learning, but I am required to assign them, and to religiously report them, so I do. The fact that it's already Grade Day proves that time is flying, and I am happy that my geography students' Five Themes Unit will be reflected in the grades.
I sent some student letters and photos of the project to our class's Vicarious Voyage partner, Nastasa. I'm hoping it'll inspire her to send us more photos and notes from her Semester at Sea trip. Now, it's time to add my hyperlinks and go update the school blog, and then to bed to rest my eyes after their long day of interpreting hand signals.
Tonight I had the pleasure of going onto a military base for the first time in my little life. As we drove in, I was reminded of the theme song from WEEDS, thus the title of this post. I will admit it: I was creeped out. And I guess I expected to be creeped out. So I'm glad the ASL class that was the reason for my visit was in a part of the clubhouse that really could have been any old room in any other apartment complex on Earth.
It's good to know people with military IDs, or to know people who know people...etc.
Our first of 10 classes went over fingerspelling, numbers 1-10, a few emotions and the word for "homework." I think that all 9 of the students are teachers. 6 of us come from my school. This is a great opportunity for me for many reasons. Our school is a feeder to the high school that has the deaf program. Although I don't have any deaf students yet this semester, taking an ASL class will make it easier for me to communicate if I ever do. It also gets me back into studying a language, which is one of my favorite things to do, and it gets me further into the community of my new school.
It's intense. Our teacher is a deaf man, and we don't have an interpreter. So it's "immersion" ASL. But he's a really good teacher who knows how to scaffold his instruction so that nobody gets lost. And I mean nobody. Because there are 9 of us, he can take the time to make us all practice until our hands hurt, or until we get it right, whichever comes first. It's really cool.
Did I mention that it was intense? It's really difficult to be in a room for 2 hours with so little sound. Even though all of us (students) are hearing, it was a very quiet lesson. I can tell you that I have rarely sung along with the radio louder than I did on my way home from my first class! I'm looking forward to learning more.
Speaking of learning more, tomorrow is Grade Day. I have long been of the opinion that grades are not really a measure of learning, but I am required to assign them, and to religiously report them, so I do. The fact that it's already Grade Day proves that time is flying, and I am happy that my geography students' Five Themes Unit will be reflected in the grades.
I sent some student letters and photos of the project to our class's Vicarious Voyage partner, Nastasa. I'm hoping it'll inspire her to send us more photos and notes from her Semester at Sea trip. Now, it's time to add my hyperlinks and go update the school blog, and then to bed to rest my eyes after their long day of interpreting hand signals.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
The Mysterious Case of the Disappearing Pie Iron
That's right. Or, otherwise stated, "Vanishing Pie Iron 2011," because when a year is assigned to something, it becomes a landmark event in life.
Last night I returned with Miss Gokey to the Old Mill camping ground in Lee Canyon at Mt. Charleston. We were excited to set up Miss Gokey's new orange tent, then to EAT a scrumptious camping feast which includes our own specialties: pie iron blintzes and pie iron pierogis. After cooking my frozen pierogis, I left the pie iron open in the fire while I ate the delicious thing.
I must say that I doubt Mrs. T is a true Eastern European: who ever heard of a cheddar-jalapeno pierogi? I returned to the fire to retrieve my iron, and lo and behold...half was intact, but the other half was just a pointy stick! I poked around in the fire and did not see the top of the pie iron. This morning again, I looked for my pie iron and did not find it.
Speaking of irons in the fire: I have finished my lesson plans for next week for geography! This means that the pizza's on its way and I'm about to watch disc 3 of season 3 of True Blood. YES, I'm that far behind in True Blood, but it will be a fitting reward for finishing my work.
I've also decided to ask donorschoose for a grant for a book Jodi told me about called Schooled. I've been looking for a school-appropriate read for my Explorations classes, and I think this is it.
I'm considering asking the students what they actually want to learn in explorations instead of foisting social studies on them. But I might ditch that idea, because social studies is, in my opinion, underappreciated, so it will do them good to hear about cultural diffusion and social contract theory NOW, before it matters to them. They'll recognize these terms and concepts LATER, when it matters very much so that they can graduate from high school.
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance
The planet that I'm looking at right now is apparently JUPITER. Go Jupiter!
That's where the Understanding the Earth chapter comes in.
Well, I find this post a little boring, although my week wasn't boring at all.
I survived my 6th Parent Night with quite a bit of panache. I'm well into the book I am reading, Seeing and Being Seen: Tourism in the American West, as well as the book on my Kindle, which I read about on HydroJen's Book Envy blog. It's called All These Things I've Done and I've only just started it, but it seems promising.
I'm glad to be reading, since the principal gave the whole school the homework assignment to "read," making reading a habit like playing video games, ordering pizza or watching True Blood.
Hmm. Maybe it was boring, after all. But boring is awesome sometimes. Next week: my triumphant return, once again, to Old Mill. Last time I stayed at #12, this time #11. Next time? Remains to be seen. But I'll keep you posted, I'm sure.
Last night I returned with Miss Gokey to the Old Mill camping ground in Lee Canyon at Mt. Charleston. We were excited to set up Miss Gokey's new orange tent, then to EAT a scrumptious camping feast which includes our own specialties: pie iron blintzes and pie iron pierogis. After cooking my frozen pierogis, I left the pie iron open in the fire while I ate the delicious thing.
I must say that I doubt Mrs. T is a true Eastern European: who ever heard of a cheddar-jalapeno pierogi? I returned to the fire to retrieve my iron, and lo and behold...half was intact, but the other half was just a pointy stick! I poked around in the fire and did not see the top of the pie iron. This morning again, I looked for my pie iron and did not find it.
Speaking of irons in the fire: I have finished my lesson plans for next week for geography! This means that the pizza's on its way and I'm about to watch disc 3 of season 3 of True Blood. YES, I'm that far behind in True Blood, but it will be a fitting reward for finishing my work.
I've also decided to ask donorschoose for a grant for a book Jodi told me about called Schooled. I've been looking for a school-appropriate read for my Explorations classes, and I think this is it.
I'm considering asking the students what they actually want to learn in explorations instead of foisting social studies on them. But I might ditch that idea, because social studies is, in my opinion, underappreciated, so it will do them good to hear about cultural diffusion and social contract theory NOW, before it matters to them. They'll recognize these terms and concepts LATER, when it matters very much so that they can graduate from high school.
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance
The planet that I'm looking at right now is apparently JUPITER. Go Jupiter!
That's where the Understanding the Earth chapter comes in.
Well, I find this post a little boring, although my week wasn't boring at all.
I survived my 6th Parent Night with quite a bit of panache. I'm well into the book I am reading, Seeing and Being Seen: Tourism in the American West, as well as the book on my Kindle, which I read about on HydroJen's Book Envy blog. It's called All These Things I've Done and I've only just started it, but it seems promising.
I'm glad to be reading, since the principal gave the whole school the homework assignment to "read," making reading a habit like playing video games, ordering pizza or watching True Blood.
Hmm. Maybe it was boring, after all. But boring is awesome sometimes. Next week: my triumphant return, once again, to Old Mill. Last time I stayed at #12, this time #11. Next time? Remains to be seen. But I'll keep you posted, I'm sure.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Two. Words:
Cowboy Astronomer!
But before I get to that, I have to say that keeping up with the comments on my school blog has prevented me from posting here in a timely manner! In previous years, the blog has died off after a month or two of school. But if I keep showing it to the students on the nifty LCD projector that dangles like a constellation from my classroom ceiling, perhaps I can keep them interested in it this year.
Speaking of constellations (yeah, that was a bit of an awkward transition), tonight I had the pleasure of attending the Cowboy Astronomer presentation at the CSN Planetarium. I'm actually hoping someone approaches me trying to sell me an Entertainment Book so that I can get the coupon to see more shows. It was awesome and hilarious and unsatisfying all at the same time.
First of all, the planetarium is tiny. Which is good, since including the three of us, there were 8 people who went to see the presentation. That's a shame. It starts with a little cartoon pickup truck driving into a dark landscape. Then a voice with a thick drawl starts telling the story of how the narrator became a Cowboy Astronomer. He points out the Big Dipper and Polaris, the only two stars I think I'll ever be able to positively identify. He talks about Orion and Sirius and mentions stories that various cultures throughout history have attributed to the Pleiades.
Somewhere near the end, before you hear the little blue door of the cartoon pickup slam shut and see it drive away, the Cowboy Astronomer advises: "Make friends with the Universe." Is there any better advice than that? I think not.
A wonderful time was had by all, which was necessary. And it never hurts to be reminded that, "all you have to do is go outside...and look up."
But before I get to that, I have to say that keeping up with the comments on my school blog has prevented me from posting here in a timely manner! In previous years, the blog has died off after a month or two of school. But if I keep showing it to the students on the nifty LCD projector that dangles like a constellation from my classroom ceiling, perhaps I can keep them interested in it this year.
Speaking of constellations (yeah, that was a bit of an awkward transition), tonight I had the pleasure of attending the Cowboy Astronomer presentation at the CSN Planetarium. I'm actually hoping someone approaches me trying to sell me an Entertainment Book so that I can get the coupon to see more shows. It was awesome and hilarious and unsatisfying all at the same time.
First of all, the planetarium is tiny. Which is good, since including the three of us, there were 8 people who went to see the presentation. That's a shame. It starts with a little cartoon pickup truck driving into a dark landscape. Then a voice with a thick drawl starts telling the story of how the narrator became a Cowboy Astronomer. He points out the Big Dipper and Polaris, the only two stars I think I'll ever be able to positively identify. He talks about Orion and Sirius and mentions stories that various cultures throughout history have attributed to the Pleiades.
Somewhere near the end, before you hear the little blue door of the cartoon pickup slam shut and see it drive away, the Cowboy Astronomer advises: "Make friends with the Universe." Is there any better advice than that? I think not.
A wonderful time was had by all, which was necessary. And it never hurts to be reminded that, "all you have to do is go outside...and look up."
Sunday, September 4, 2011
The First of the Great Long Weekends
On Thursday, I received a happy e-mail from the Spring Mountains NRA announcing a night hike in Lee Meadow on Friday night. I said to myself, quoting John Muir, "The mountains are calling and I must go."
I decided to pack my sleeping bag and tiny tent in the car on the off chance that there might be an open campsite on...Labor Day Weekend. Ha! Fat chance! Except...there was! At the Old Mill picnic area about a mile down the road from the rendezvous point for the hike. Therefore...
The tent was only slightly wobberjawed due to disuse.
The program was fabulous! Our guide, Elise, led 12 of us all together on about a mile walk from McWilliams campground to the meadow and back. When we arrived at the meadow, there were wild horses grazing.
At the 7pm start of the walk, it was twilight, but by the time we finished, all the gorgeous stars were out, and it was dark. She stopped us at times and had us explore our senses. One thing I love about the educational programs in the Spring Mountains is that the guides always make you do two things: stand still and quiet for at least a minute, and walk up and stick your nose on a Ponderosa pine to smell it!
When I returned to the Old Mill area after using my night vision for an hour, all I had with me to guide me back to Hotel Hendrix was the wind-up flashlight from Yosemite. Despite the little power trip that comes from generating your own light, the Yosemite flashlight has limited usefulness and consequently...I got lost. Twice. Finally I recognized my camping neighbors from the afternoon, and ended up in my camping chair, wrapped in a blanket staring up at the stars until my eyes closed on their own and I moved into the tent.
Because I was convinced that I actually wouldn't find a campsite, I had scant provisions with me. When I descended the mountain to meet with Miss Gokey for our day trip to Utah yesterday, I stopped at Walgreens and made a little "impromptu camping kit" including nail clippers, a comb, disposable flossers and other assorted travel toiletries to keep in my trunk organizer for future use. I have resolved to return to the Spring Mountains in two weeks. It's only an hour or so drive from North Las Vegas, which means I can get to my campsite as quickly as I can get home on a Friday afternoon.
Yesterday's trip was to Cedar Breaks National Monument, where we hiked above 10,000 feet for the second time in our lives, the first time being last Labor Day at Great Basin National Park. Our hike took us to a 1,600-year-old bristlecone pine:
and offered us spectacular views of Utah's unique and amazing rocks:
We agreed that it was pretty much a *perfect* Labor Day weekend all around, and we treated ourselves with dinner at the Cracker Barrel in St. George after our very full and very rewarding day.
Since there are two more days off, today begins "normal weekend" mode, wherein I grade papers, blog, facebook, text, and otherwise lay around in my pajamas.
I absolutely love long weekends.
I decided to pack my sleeping bag and tiny tent in the car on the off chance that there might be an open campsite on...Labor Day Weekend. Ha! Fat chance! Except...there was! At the Old Mill picnic area about a mile down the road from the rendezvous point for the hike. Therefore...
The tent was only slightly wobberjawed due to disuse.
The program was fabulous! Our guide, Elise, led 12 of us all together on about a mile walk from McWilliams campground to the meadow and back. When we arrived at the meadow, there were wild horses grazing.
At the 7pm start of the walk, it was twilight, but by the time we finished, all the gorgeous stars were out, and it was dark. She stopped us at times and had us explore our senses. One thing I love about the educational programs in the Spring Mountains is that the guides always make you do two things: stand still and quiet for at least a minute, and walk up and stick your nose on a Ponderosa pine to smell it!
When I returned to the Old Mill area after using my night vision for an hour, all I had with me to guide me back to Hotel Hendrix was the wind-up flashlight from Yosemite. Despite the little power trip that comes from generating your own light, the Yosemite flashlight has limited usefulness and consequently...I got lost. Twice. Finally I recognized my camping neighbors from the afternoon, and ended up in my camping chair, wrapped in a blanket staring up at the stars until my eyes closed on their own and I moved into the tent.
Because I was convinced that I actually wouldn't find a campsite, I had scant provisions with me. When I descended the mountain to meet with Miss Gokey for our day trip to Utah yesterday, I stopped at Walgreens and made a little "impromptu camping kit" including nail clippers, a comb, disposable flossers and other assorted travel toiletries to keep in my trunk organizer for future use. I have resolved to return to the Spring Mountains in two weeks. It's only an hour or so drive from North Las Vegas, which means I can get to my campsite as quickly as I can get home on a Friday afternoon.
Yesterday's trip was to Cedar Breaks National Monument, where we hiked above 10,000 feet for the second time in our lives, the first time being last Labor Day at Great Basin National Park. Our hike took us to a 1,600-year-old bristlecone pine:
and offered us spectacular views of Utah's unique and amazing rocks:
We agreed that it was pretty much a *perfect* Labor Day weekend all around, and we treated ourselves with dinner at the Cracker Barrel in St. George after our very full and very rewarding day.
Since there are two more days off, today begins "normal weekend" mode, wherein I grade papers, blog, facebook, text, and otherwise lay around in my pajamas.
I absolutely love long weekends.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Blastoff!
So one week, two baseball games and three parties later, I was so enthusiastic about Clark County School District's Curriculum Engine (from the CCSD website: "The CCSD Curriculum Engine is a tool to help teachers lead their students to success. The Curriculum Engine provides fast access to the curriculum, powerful collective knowledge stored in one place, and a collaborative instructional planning tool.") that I nearly forgot to compose my last blog post before meeting my 7th and 8th grade students!
For those who visit this blog on a regular basis, feel free to check out the destiny of my magazine rack:
If you squint, you can see it there in the top left of the photo, underneath the flag. This photo is from mid-week. That's not how my classroom looks. All of the posters and other random flotsam have been shoved into the wardrobe closets (that's right: plural). Haha. You can also see that my room is nicely sized and well-equipped. I'm looking forward to calling it home for the next 180.
I'm thinking about saying something about Hurricane Irene, but I don't know what it would be. How about this: come visit Las Vegas. We're about as far from having a hurricane as you can get. It's a good place, they're doing some nice things in an area known as "East Fremont Street," again proving last week's point about constant change. Don't rent a car, though. Figure out a way to get a ride from here to there with locals, or to use the public transportation system. Or, how about this:
As I build layers onto my curriculum engine calendar, my thoughts are with those rebuilding the eastern shorelines. Good luck to us all as we blast off to our new challenges, however different each of them may be.
For those who visit this blog on a regular basis, feel free to check out the destiny of my magazine rack:
If you squint, you can see it there in the top left of the photo, underneath the flag. This photo is from mid-week. That's not how my classroom looks. All of the posters and other random flotsam have been shoved into the wardrobe closets (that's right: plural). Haha. You can also see that my room is nicely sized and well-equipped. I'm looking forward to calling it home for the next 180.
I'm thinking about saying something about Hurricane Irene, but I don't know what it would be. How about this: come visit Las Vegas. We're about as far from having a hurricane as you can get. It's a good place, they're doing some nice things in an area known as "East Fremont Street," again proving last week's point about constant change. Don't rent a car, though. Figure out a way to get a ride from here to there with locals, or to use the public transportation system. Or, how about this:
As I build layers onto my curriculum engine calendar, my thoughts are with those rebuilding the eastern shorelines. Good luck to us all as we blast off to our new challenges, however different each of them may be.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Our Changing World (Goodbye to Borders)
10.7 miles really isn't all that far to drive, even when you have this in your car:
But I'll say more about that later.
Last week, in Portland, Alex attended a science camp, and I got to attend some of the events with Jodi. One of my favorite events was the 20-minute planetarium show. As you will note if you read last week's short post, I also enjoyed looking at waterfalls. AND of course Jodi and I talked about how our activities underlined the idea that everything around us is constantly changing.
New stars are constantly being born, old ones are collapsing, and the universe expands. Water is constantly flowing, changing the shapes of the rocks. The city where I live, Las Vegas, prides itself on its constant reinvention. Few who have visited in the last 5 years can say that the Strip looks the same now as it did the last time they were here. After flying in from being away, I like to note the billboards that line the airport exits, as they have always changed since the last time I saw them. Wednesday's Review-Journal has an article about our economic decline, and how it affects children in the city. Any teacher can tell you that the students move from school to school at an alarming rate.
Another sad symbol of our changing economy is the closure of my favorite big-box bookstore, Borders:
If you squint, you can see the "Going out of Business" sign in the window. I lamented my personal loss, not to mention the job loss of all the store's employees, to my roommate Amanda, who announced that one of Las Vegas's flagship stores (above) was still open, having sales, and selling its fixtures.
Remembering that one of my favorite pieces of furniture growing up was a table-and-bench set that my parents got when Long John Silvers remodeled, I resolved to own a piece of the interior of Borders, and I drove to the bookstore. Two considerations were important in my quest: how expensive is what I want, and will it fit in my car?
At first glance, the interior of the store looked pretty normal...
...until you went digging around among the books to see if your favorite title had been discounted, only to find the shelves unlabeled and the collection picked over.
That first day, I came home with just a stool:
Last night, I couldn't resist going back to see if a magazine rack from my first visit was still there, and it was. After trying my best not to annoy the busy salesperson, I hauled the rack across the parking lot and carefully stuffed it into my car, to the comic relief of my fellow shoppers, I'm sure.
It may not be a table and bench, but at least I can say that I have some small piece of American economic history. When it gets to the front corner of my classroom, fully assembled, it will look like this:
That's why I was moving a magazine rack across town.
What exactly will fill it as it sits up there is still anyone's guess, but I know one thing about whatever it displays: it will be constantly changing. And it is left to you-all to judge whether my comparing the closing of a chain store where I have often gone to meetings (dates?), gotten work done, written letters, graded papers, and more-or-less taken refuge can be compared to the expansion of the Universe. Perhaps that's an inappropriate stretch. You decide.
I promised my car that if she successfully hauled the rack home with a minimum of whining, I would reward her with a fresh tank of new gas and a bath. So now, after some minor updates to my class blog and an e-mail to home, I'll get those things done.
Happy transitions to all!
But I'll say more about that later.
Last week, in Portland, Alex attended a science camp, and I got to attend some of the events with Jodi. One of my favorite events was the 20-minute planetarium show. As you will note if you read last week's short post, I also enjoyed looking at waterfalls. AND of course Jodi and I talked about how our activities underlined the idea that everything around us is constantly changing.
New stars are constantly being born, old ones are collapsing, and the universe expands. Water is constantly flowing, changing the shapes of the rocks. The city where I live, Las Vegas, prides itself on its constant reinvention. Few who have visited in the last 5 years can say that the Strip looks the same now as it did the last time they were here. After flying in from being away, I like to note the billboards that line the airport exits, as they have always changed since the last time I saw them. Wednesday's Review-Journal has an article about our economic decline, and how it affects children in the city. Any teacher can tell you that the students move from school to school at an alarming rate.
Another sad symbol of our changing economy is the closure of my favorite big-box bookstore, Borders:
If you squint, you can see the "Going out of Business" sign in the window. I lamented my personal loss, not to mention the job loss of all the store's employees, to my roommate Amanda, who announced that one of Las Vegas's flagship stores (above) was still open, having sales, and selling its fixtures.
Remembering that one of my favorite pieces of furniture growing up was a table-and-bench set that my parents got when Long John Silvers remodeled, I resolved to own a piece of the interior of Borders, and I drove to the bookstore. Two considerations were important in my quest: how expensive is what I want, and will it fit in my car?
At first glance, the interior of the store looked pretty normal...
...until you went digging around among the books to see if your favorite title had been discounted, only to find the shelves unlabeled and the collection picked over.
That first day, I came home with just a stool:
Last night, I couldn't resist going back to see if a magazine rack from my first visit was still there, and it was. After trying my best not to annoy the busy salesperson, I hauled the rack across the parking lot and carefully stuffed it into my car, to the comic relief of my fellow shoppers, I'm sure.
It may not be a table and bench, but at least I can say that I have some small piece of American economic history. When it gets to the front corner of my classroom, fully assembled, it will look like this:
That's why I was moving a magazine rack across town.
What exactly will fill it as it sits up there is still anyone's guess, but I know one thing about whatever it displays: it will be constantly changing. And it is left to you-all to judge whether my comparing the closing of a chain store where I have often gone to meetings (dates?), gotten work done, written letters, graded papers, and more-or-less taken refuge can be compared to the expansion of the Universe. Perhaps that's an inappropriate stretch. You decide.
I promised my car that if she successfully hauled the rack home with a minimum of whining, I would reward her with a fresh tank of new gas and a bath. So now, after some minor updates to my class blog and an e-mail to home, I'll get those things done.
Happy transitions to all!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Approaching the Apocalypse
I arrived home (Las Vegas) around 11 p.m. last night. Today I've been wandering around the house, unpacking, doing laundry, all of those things one might expect of someone who is still ostensibly on summer break but who has just gotten home after 9 weeks away.
Going through stuff is like getting Christmas gifts - I was able to make several piles: a donation pile, a keeping pile, and a take-to-school pile. Then I went grocery shopping at the most convenient place: Wal-Mart (IKR!?!?). It's a far cry from where I was last Tuesday:
Yeah, that's Mt. St. Helens.
Oh, and I also shot some cartoon chickens today. :)
It's a far cry from where I was Friday:
That's the top of Multnomah Falls.
That was vacation, but this is real life. Currently, I'm eating a Stouffer's vegetable lasagna and watching the episode of the History Channel's "The Century" that shares its title with this post.
I'm that kind of tired you become when you know you had an incredible amount of fun and accomplished an unbelievable lot.
Maybe tomorrow, I'll act like a tourist, but tonight, as I have both hands on the keyboard and try to keep Tabby the Cat out of my frozen dinner...
it feels very good to be at home.
Going through stuff is like getting Christmas gifts - I was able to make several piles: a donation pile, a keeping pile, and a take-to-school pile. Then I went grocery shopping at the most convenient place: Wal-Mart (IKR!?!?). It's a far cry from where I was last Tuesday:
Yeah, that's Mt. St. Helens.
Oh, and I also shot some cartoon chickens today. :)
It's a far cry from where I was Friday:
That's the top of Multnomah Falls.
That was vacation, but this is real life. Currently, I'm eating a Stouffer's vegetable lasagna and watching the episode of the History Channel's "The Century" that shares its title with this post.
I'm that kind of tired you become when you know you had an incredible amount of fun and accomplished an unbelievable lot.
Maybe tomorrow, I'll act like a tourist, but tonight, as I have both hands on the keyboard and try to keep Tabby the Cat out of my frozen dinner...
it feels very good to be at home.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Je Suis un objet d'art!
That means, "I am an objet d'art" in French. Haha.
I'm about midway through my last week away from the vicious cartoon chickens and the NERF dart board of my now-native Las Vegas. I spent this morning with the Fulkerson family at the Portland Art Museum.
I semi-unexpectedly became part of an exhibition there called Object Stories.
I took a few photos, which I'd like to paste in addition to the hyperlink above, but some hotel-related, or blogger-related, SNAFU is preventing me from uploading them here. My object story is already online. I also get a shout-out in Jodi Fulkerson's object story.
There is something really uplifting about taking part in an art project like this. Being art is something that I have only started doing while I've been 34. My first participation was in the I Am Equal project. To find me in that exhibit, you have to scroll down the full gallery. You'll know you're getting close to my photo when you see the jabbawockeez and some showgirls. Heheh.
The other adventure of this trip so far has been climbing 450 stairs for the closest possible view of Mt. St. Helens without actually climbing the volcano itself. I look forward to more adventures tomorrow and of course Friday, when Jodi and I plan to go to Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River gorge.
I'm about midway through my last week away from the vicious cartoon chickens and the NERF dart board of my now-native Las Vegas. I spent this morning with the Fulkerson family at the Portland Art Museum.
I semi-unexpectedly became part of an exhibition there called Object Stories.
I took a few photos, which I'd like to paste in addition to the hyperlink above, but some hotel-related, or blogger-related, SNAFU is preventing me from uploading them here. My object story is already online. I also get a shout-out in Jodi Fulkerson's object story.
There is something really uplifting about taking part in an art project like this. Being art is something that I have only started doing while I've been 34. My first participation was in the I Am Equal project. To find me in that exhibit, you have to scroll down the full gallery. You'll know you're getting close to my photo when you see the jabbawockeez and some showgirls. Heheh.
The other adventure of this trip so far has been climbing 450 stairs for the closest possible view of Mt. St. Helens without actually climbing the volcano itself. I look forward to more adventures tomorrow and of course Friday, when Jodi and I plan to go to Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River gorge.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Delicious
It all started with a question on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
The question had something to do with Mario's video game identity before he was Mario. So last night I found myself enthralled with the screen you see below:
It's a good thing Jumpman Jr. starts with about 50 lives, because I wasted 30-some of them trying to get past Level 4. I made it all the way to "Spellbound" when my life count fell below zero and my jumpman sat there with little stars swirling above his head.
I found some Jumpman Jr. videos on YouTube for you to enjoy if you'd like to see what I've been up to.
Not that Jumpman Jr. videos will help me teach 8th grade Geography or 7th and 8th grade Explorations next year, but it is what it is. Since I don't have a Commodore 64 in Las Vegas on which to practice my skills at the classics, I figure I'll soon return to Chicken Riot and Resident Evil not long after my triumphant return to town.
I've also been fond of NERF Darts recently.
Which reminds me, this is my last posting from Hammond, IN for the summer of 2011. I've had a splendid and yummy time. Day after tomorrow, I will head to Portland, OR for my first trip to the Pacific Northwest. I'll probably play the PacMan app that I have installed on my phone for at least part of the plane ride.
Speaking of technology, I've set up my first post on my class blog for 2011-12 and look forward to adding more. If you visit the site, feel free to give me some feedback on how to make it better.
I've also signed my classes up for Vicarious Voyage, which is great fun, as I remember from 2008. I like to print and laminate (can't forget the LAMINATION!) a little photo of the ship and move it around my world map as I follow the semester's itinerary. :)
So, that's it. I've been eating (and eating) and geocaching (and geocaching some more), playing, web-surfing, and scheming...
and that's What I Did on My Summer Vacation.
Oh...one last thing...
U.S. Department of Defense
Psychology Today
Happy Gaming!
The question had something to do with Mario's video game identity before he was Mario. So last night I found myself enthralled with the screen you see below:
It's a good thing Jumpman Jr. starts with about 50 lives, because I wasted 30-some of them trying to get past Level 4. I made it all the way to "Spellbound" when my life count fell below zero and my jumpman sat there with little stars swirling above his head.
I found some Jumpman Jr. videos on YouTube for you to enjoy if you'd like to see what I've been up to.
Not that Jumpman Jr. videos will help me teach 8th grade Geography or 7th and 8th grade Explorations next year, but it is what it is. Since I don't have a Commodore 64 in Las Vegas on which to practice my skills at the classics, I figure I'll soon return to Chicken Riot and Resident Evil not long after my triumphant return to town.
I've also been fond of NERF Darts recently.
Which reminds me, this is my last posting from Hammond, IN for the summer of 2011. I've had a splendid and yummy time. Day after tomorrow, I will head to Portland, OR for my first trip to the Pacific Northwest. I'll probably play the PacMan app that I have installed on my phone for at least part of the plane ride.
Speaking of technology, I've set up my first post on my class blog for 2011-12 and look forward to adding more. If you visit the site, feel free to give me some feedback on how to make it better.
I've also signed my classes up for Vicarious Voyage, which is great fun, as I remember from 2008. I like to print and laminate (can't forget the LAMINATION!) a little photo of the ship and move it around my world map as I follow the semester's itinerary. :)
So, that's it. I've been eating (and eating) and geocaching (and geocaching some more), playing, web-surfing, and scheming...
and that's What I Did on My Summer Vacation.
Oh...one last thing...
U.S. Department of Defense
Psychology Today
Happy Gaming!
Friday, July 29, 2011
Another Link in the Fence
In case you haven't heard, and I'm sure you have, I got placed at Johnston MS in North Las Vegas for the 2011-12 school year! I can finally resume watching back-to-school commercials with a critical and covetous eye! If you consult their website, you'll notice that one of the social studies teachers has an A+ logo instead of a photo. I think that's me. Still no word on what grade level or subject I'm to teach, but if my careful reading of the district calendar is correct, I may find out as early as Monday!
In gratitude for this, what we might call...cushion against the elements, I thought that I might owe the Universe a little bit of free labor. Although I slept in this morning (I'm still on vacation!) and arrived after most of the labor was already done, I did manage to make an appearance at Community Day at my alma mater, Hammond High School. Here it is now:
Ooh look at the pretty black fence!
There was music playing on the loudspeakers, there was flag football for the kids, sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club, and there was free food and Gatorade. I didn't leave until some lady insisted four times that I eat a hot dog. In the meantime, I had a good conversation with the athletic director. Apparently, this is Hammond High's first Community Day. They put it together in about a month's time. The idea is to get the community and alumni to come out in support of the school "and hopefully," he said, "get some pride back in this place."
I told him that I understand how important that is.
Then I came home and spent the afternoon staring at everybody's favorite database, ABC-CLIO, before heading to my most preferred pizza joint, Aurelio's, with my cousin Joshua, who is almost halfway through his college career at Purdue Calumet.
So it's been a pretty awesome 24 hours. Let's see if we can't keep the awesomeness going.
In gratitude for this, what we might call...cushion against the elements, I thought that I might owe the Universe a little bit of free labor. Although I slept in this morning (I'm still on vacation!) and arrived after most of the labor was already done, I did manage to make an appearance at Community Day at my alma mater, Hammond High School. Here it is now:
Ooh look at the pretty black fence!
There was music playing on the loudspeakers, there was flag football for the kids, sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club, and there was free food and Gatorade. I didn't leave until some lady insisted four times that I eat a hot dog. In the meantime, I had a good conversation with the athletic director. Apparently, this is Hammond High's first Community Day. They put it together in about a month's time. The idea is to get the community and alumni to come out in support of the school "and hopefully," he said, "get some pride back in this place."
I told him that I understand how important that is.
Then I came home and spent the afternoon staring at everybody's favorite database, ABC-CLIO, before heading to my most preferred pizza joint, Aurelio's, with my cousin Joshua, who is almost halfway through his college career at Purdue Calumet.
So it's been a pretty awesome 24 hours. Let's see if we can't keep the awesomeness going.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
In Defense of Witchcraft Fear, Kid Fiction and Soft Serve
The local temperatures in Hammond, IN and the whims of nature have conspired to keep me indoors for most of the week. With no adventures to speak of, I feel compelled to report on two selections from my lite summer reading list: The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England, by Carol F. Karlsen, and Wicked Girls: a Novel of the Salem Witch Trials, by Stephanie Hemphill (on Kindle).
I was able to read them both this week while mostly trapped in the house. ...Devil...starts by summing up New England witchcraft beliefs, most notably this: most witches were girls. It sets up some demographic and economic hypotheses about WHY most witches were girls, covers some theology, and dedicates a chapter towards the end of the book to the identities of the accusers and their relationships to the accused. Because Karlsen includes the stories of real-life alleged witches, complete with misspellings-and-all excerpts from their trials, ...Devil... is fascinating: a crime novel, except historical and nonfiction. Dwelling on the fact that most witches were girls may have been an important contribution to the field in 1987. Or, perhaps, when it comes to history (especially long-gone eras like the 1600s), we get so used to the "givens" that we hardly ever ask what circumstances may have set the "givens" up. I'm glad I read Karlsen's book before reading the much shorter, lighter, and fictional Wicked Girls.
Wicked Girls is a book written in verse which took me five hours in total to read. It follows seven fictionalized "bewitched" or "afflicted" girls through the course of the Salem outbreak of 1692-93.
Following is my brilliant plan, assuming that I will one day teach U.S. history again (feel free to use it if you can, it's 'open source,'): I will devise a 10-minute lecture on the witch trials, take a "math break" and have students draw many of the same conclusions Karlsen draws based on tables and charts from her book, and then the whole class will read together Wicked Girls. This plan assumes that I will have a class set of Wicked Girls that I won from a grant. A girl can dream.
On a mostly unrelated matter, I must confess that I am using a calorie-counter app on my Android. The calorie-counter app is almost as fascinating as the Salem Witch Trials, because every day it sends you an e-mail telling you whether you met the previous day's calorie goal. In the e-mail, it tells you what nutrients you're missing, what you may be getting too much of, and what you should either eat more or less of in order to balance your diet. The calorie-counter app is called The Daily Burn, and there's a free version.
Anyway, on Friday I attended my long-awaited geocaching event, MsHendrix's Twisted and Rainbow-Sprinkled Social. Despite the 97-degree weather, it was fairly well attended and went over like a charm, considering it is the first caching event I've ever planned. There were many travel bugs to be discovered, and much fun conversation. I named the event after my favorite ice cream treat: the twist cone with rainbow sprinkles. I have resolved to get three this summer: the one that I got shortly after arriving to Indiana, the one that I ate at the ice cream social, and the one I plan to eat after Pierogifest next weekend.
On Satuday I received an e-mail from The Daily Burn, saying I should limit my intake of "soft serve chocolate and vanilla ice cream." Haha. Be that as it may.
Speaking of geocaching...I'd like to do some today if the rain clears up.
Otherwise, perhaps I'll have more adventures to share next week. Be well.
I was able to read them both this week while mostly trapped in the house. ...Devil...starts by summing up New England witchcraft beliefs, most notably this: most witches were girls. It sets up some demographic and economic hypotheses about WHY most witches were girls, covers some theology, and dedicates a chapter towards the end of the book to the identities of the accusers and their relationships to the accused. Because Karlsen includes the stories of real-life alleged witches, complete with misspellings-and-all excerpts from their trials, ...Devil... is fascinating: a crime novel, except historical and nonfiction. Dwelling on the fact that most witches were girls may have been an important contribution to the field in 1987. Or, perhaps, when it comes to history (especially long-gone eras like the 1600s), we get so used to the "givens" that we hardly ever ask what circumstances may have set the "givens" up. I'm glad I read Karlsen's book before reading the much shorter, lighter, and fictional Wicked Girls.
Wicked Girls is a book written in verse which took me five hours in total to read. It follows seven fictionalized "bewitched" or "afflicted" girls through the course of the Salem outbreak of 1692-93.
Following is my brilliant plan, assuming that I will one day teach U.S. history again (feel free to use it if you can, it's 'open source,'): I will devise a 10-minute lecture on the witch trials, take a "math break" and have students draw many of the same conclusions Karlsen draws based on tables and charts from her book, and then the whole class will read together Wicked Girls. This plan assumes that I will have a class set of Wicked Girls that I won from a grant. A girl can dream.
On a mostly unrelated matter, I must confess that I am using a calorie-counter app on my Android. The calorie-counter app is almost as fascinating as the Salem Witch Trials, because every day it sends you an e-mail telling you whether you met the previous day's calorie goal. In the e-mail, it tells you what nutrients you're missing, what you may be getting too much of, and what you should either eat more or less of in order to balance your diet. The calorie-counter app is called The Daily Burn, and there's a free version.
Anyway, on Friday I attended my long-awaited geocaching event, MsHendrix's Twisted and Rainbow-Sprinkled Social. Despite the 97-degree weather, it was fairly well attended and went over like a charm, considering it is the first caching event I've ever planned. There were many travel bugs to be discovered, and much fun conversation. I named the event after my favorite ice cream treat: the twist cone with rainbow sprinkles. I have resolved to get three this summer: the one that I got shortly after arriving to Indiana, the one that I ate at the ice cream social, and the one I plan to eat after Pierogifest next weekend.
On Satuday I received an e-mail from The Daily Burn, saying I should limit my intake of "soft serve chocolate and vanilla ice cream." Haha. Be that as it may.
Speaking of geocaching...I'd like to do some today if the rain clears up.
Otherwise, perhaps I'll have more adventures to share next week. Be well.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
The Inaugural Postmodern
After taking me to the Hendershot cabin in Michigan, a U2 show in Chicago, to Valparaiso, IN where I snagged Aunt Nikki's delicious granola recipe, and finally to Sandusky, OH to witness the nuptials of the resplendent Oberle couple, my epic summer adventure of 2011 took another surprising and awesome turn.
If anyone had told me a week ago that I would spend yesterday bushwhacking my way through the spiderwebs at Ensor Sink Natural Area in Cookeville, TN, taking a tour of Andrew Jackson's house at The Hermitage, and then stopping off at the National Corvette Museum, I probably would have doubted them.
But that is the extraordinary way that life works.
Needless to say, my impromptu trip to Tennessee provided a great opportunity to add TWO states to my geocaching map, and that's what took me to the stone that I would have otherwise left unturned, the Ensor Sink. It's one of many caves in the KY/Tennessee vicinity. You are aware that these states are cave-rich if you have ever been to Mammoth Cave National Park, where I myself have not yet been. Hiking around in the natural greenness of Cookeville and doing math for an Earthcache were peaceful and relaxing ways to begin my day.
I hit the road for home late, but determined to stop at The Hermitage. I had NO IDEA that my route would take me directly past it! Another auspicious coincidence.
For me, Andrew Jackson is the embodiment in U.S. history of the dichotomy between the liberty enshrouded in the founding documents, and the amazing adventuresomeness of the few that advanced the country to the place of greatness that it found post-WWII, in stark contrast to the oppression of many of the people who called America home.
Here's a photo of a guide in period dress welcoming people to the tour of the plantation mansion.
The mansion tour is the kind where the rooms cannot be entered by tourists, but peered into through plexiglass. Since I loitered to better see the family parlor, I was able to ask one of the guides if the staff get to hang out inside the plexiglass rooms, and she said YES! She clarified that they enter the rooms for study meetings, to make sure that they're up on all of the latest information about the artifacts. HOW AWESOME IS THAT!? She said, "Oh it's really fun! It's not so fun on payday, but it's great as a part-time job, after you're done doing what you're meant to."
Good to know. [Adds Nashville to potential retirement destinations.] The down side?
"Summers here are always hot and sticky," reported the upstairs guide, before announcing that in the summertime in the early 1800s, guests would vacate their stuffy rooms and come sleep on the floor in the hallway. I asked whether any foreign dignitaries did this, and the guide responded, "Sam Houston." Heheh.
My only regret about the side trip is that I didn't have a full day to spend there.
I didn't make very good time on I-65 headed north, but I can't have a geocaching map with Indiana, Tennessee, and NOT Kentucky colored in. When I saw the sign for the National Corvette Museum, I knew that I would at least find a micro cache. Turns out, I found an ammo can. Sadly, I wasn't able to enter the museum and photograph myself with any Corvettes, because I pulled into the lot...at...5:02 p.m.
Ah, well.
I'm overnighting in Indianapolis now, and I'm already late for a party. The summer just keeps getting better and better. :)
Let's see if the book of Andrew Jackson's lessons on leadership, which I couldn't resist buying at the Hermitage, has any appropriate closing thoughts for this inaugural entry of my repurposed blog!
While I do that, allow me also to invite feedback on the new format.
Here's one. There may be better ones, but I feel that this is pretty good for a quick, random perusal:
"The enemy is near," he cried, "his 'sales cover the lakes,' but the brave are united, and if he finds us contending among ourselves, it will be for the prize of valor and the rewards of fame."
Well, alrighty then.
If anyone had told me a week ago that I would spend yesterday bushwhacking my way through the spiderwebs at Ensor Sink Natural Area in Cookeville, TN, taking a tour of Andrew Jackson's house at The Hermitage, and then stopping off at the National Corvette Museum, I probably would have doubted them.
But that is the extraordinary way that life works.
Needless to say, my impromptu trip to Tennessee provided a great opportunity to add TWO states to my geocaching map, and that's what took me to the stone that I would have otherwise left unturned, the Ensor Sink. It's one of many caves in the KY/Tennessee vicinity. You are aware that these states are cave-rich if you have ever been to Mammoth Cave National Park, where I myself have not yet been. Hiking around in the natural greenness of Cookeville and doing math for an Earthcache were peaceful and relaxing ways to begin my day.
I hit the road for home late, but determined to stop at The Hermitage. I had NO IDEA that my route would take me directly past it! Another auspicious coincidence.
For me, Andrew Jackson is the embodiment in U.S. history of the dichotomy between the liberty enshrouded in the founding documents, and the amazing adventuresomeness of the few that advanced the country to the place of greatness that it found post-WWII, in stark contrast to the oppression of many of the people who called America home.
Here's a photo of a guide in period dress welcoming people to the tour of the plantation mansion.
The mansion tour is the kind where the rooms cannot be entered by tourists, but peered into through plexiglass. Since I loitered to better see the family parlor, I was able to ask one of the guides if the staff get to hang out inside the plexiglass rooms, and she said YES! She clarified that they enter the rooms for study meetings, to make sure that they're up on all of the latest information about the artifacts. HOW AWESOME IS THAT!? She said, "Oh it's really fun! It's not so fun on payday, but it's great as a part-time job, after you're done doing what you're meant to."
Good to know. [Adds Nashville to potential retirement destinations.] The down side?
"Summers here are always hot and sticky," reported the upstairs guide, before announcing that in the summertime in the early 1800s, guests would vacate their stuffy rooms and come sleep on the floor in the hallway. I asked whether any foreign dignitaries did this, and the guide responded, "Sam Houston." Heheh.
My only regret about the side trip is that I didn't have a full day to spend there.
I didn't make very good time on I-65 headed north, but I can't have a geocaching map with Indiana, Tennessee, and NOT Kentucky colored in. When I saw the sign for the National Corvette Museum, I knew that I would at least find a micro cache. Turns out, I found an ammo can. Sadly, I wasn't able to enter the museum and photograph myself with any Corvettes, because I pulled into the lot...at...5:02 p.m.
Ah, well.
I'm overnighting in Indianapolis now, and I'm already late for a party. The summer just keeps getting better and better. :)
Let's see if the book of Andrew Jackson's lessons on leadership, which I couldn't resist buying at the Hermitage, has any appropriate closing thoughts for this inaugural entry of my repurposed blog!
While I do that, allow me also to invite feedback on the new format.
Here's one. There may be better ones, but I feel that this is pretty good for a quick, random perusal:
"The enemy is near," he cried, "his 'sales cover the lakes,' but the brave are united, and if he finds us contending among ourselves, it will be for the prize of valor and the rewards of fame."
Well, alrighty then.
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