I have been illin’ on and off (mostly on) for over a week. I have attended an exquisitely useless meeting, forced to grind my molars to powder in order not to make enemies of an entire department, the kids are on glue, and Modern Family was a rerun after I stayed up to watch all dopey and sick. I have been a little crabby lately. But I have also been doing a lot of lying around in bed, reading on my various devices. (I wish I had thought before just now, to convert my e-books to Palm format, so I could have been auto-scrolling, and not even had to move a finger to swipe.) So I’ve been reading some great books lately. Rant: I missed the Puppy Bowl for the first time since its inception eight short years ago. I always catch at least a quarter or so, but this year we were somewhere where the “real” Super Bowl wasn’t even mentioned. Too busy chattering about the upcoming David Beckham undies ad. I was too hungry to complain. I also miss the Bud Bowl. Rave: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party and the sequel,
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I know, I know. Thanksgiving is over. Time for a new post. Well, I’ve been busy… I’ve been learning a lot about maintaining a thirty year old pinball machine. And, ummm, playing one. Digesting food. Seriously. I weighed myself TDay evening, and then again then next morning (barely–it was almost afternoon). Six pounds difference. I don’t know where it goes. Well, I guess I know where at least some of it goes. Trying to stay ahead of my video class. Since there aren’t as many hardware issues this quarter, things are moving along much more quickly. I have a couple of pairs who are two weeks ahead of last quarter. D’oh. Enjoying our 70+ degree weather. In November. Sorry. It’s one of the reasons I live here. Reading. Latest in progress: Damned (narrated from Hell by a 13 year old girl…there are certain contexts when a 13 year old girl’s perspective is the best one to have), by Chuck Palahniuk, the same guy who wrote Fight Club (never read it or seen it… I might now). Damned funny. Sorry. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (an epic in three parts totaling 1000+ pages — I’m about 1/4 of the way in). I love his work. It’s
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I turned fifty last week. Or as we like to say in my room, fitty. I’d like to think that’s accurate too. Although, my sister-in-law gave me a big sticker to wear at my (surprise) party that said, “I’m 5 Today!” That’s probably most accurate. Then she went and wrote “decades” in small print under the five. D’oh. My nephew was over playing my pinball machine this weekend. My wife had told him that she got it for my 50th birthday. “I can’t wait ’til I’m 50.” He’s 21, and he was totally serious. His girlfriend said the same thing. So did another nephew. Who knew fitty could be so desirable? All it takes is the right toys. Meanwhile, I’m feeling closer to 100 after this weekend. I will see you all on Wednesday. Here are a couple of books to check out. I especially liked Downtown Owl. Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman. Even though nothing really happens until the end, the characters are just so great, you don’t really care about the plot. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. Narrated by a precocious nine-year old, who isn’t too annoying. Very touching and funny too.
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Yesssssss, as the kids say when we’re checking a quiz or something, and they get a few in a row correct. If they’re on a streak as we go over it, it’ll be… “Number seven… D – savvy, the opposite of naive.” “Yesssssss.” “Number eight… E – none of the above.” “Yessssssssss.” It gets longer each time. “Number nine… there there… let me help you with that… C – patronize.” “Yesssssssssssss.” “You sound like you’re leaking air. Puh-leeze.” “Number ten… C – aghas–” “Nooooo!” “I mean E – none of the above. ” “Yessssssssssssssssssssss.” “Would you just stop it? Now?!” “Yesssss.” But anyway… Yesssssssss! The intervention was a success. Thanks for the update Mr. M. We are all glad to hear that your colleague has seen the light, and if she actually reads Readicide and gets it, we might see some real change. Just think how many kids we saved. (Do the math.) And I guess great minds think alike; I was just going to start blogging my way through Nurture Shock . I’m going camping this weekend, and we have a Survivor, Modern Family, Psych triple shot of tv love tonight that is like a long-awaited fix for a tv junkie
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My. Oh. My. It’s been awhile since I’ve been here. Hafta to dust off the cobwebs before we get started. June has done disappeared, and July is well on its way to doing the same. How did that happen? I know I’ve been taking a lot of naps, but… I sound like a grandpa. Now get off my lawn. Actually I hope there are still at least few of you out here, because , what with me attempting to create a new video class from scratch (well I do have $120K to play with), and a whole buncha new “initiatives” (one of which is a pledge to raise our 90% of ALL our students to the proficient or advanced levels in math AND English) coming down the line from our new supe, and a host of other things I’ve been trying to ignore for the summer, I think this year is going be miiiiiiighty interesting. (Now THAT is one looooong sentence. Assignment due Friday: Diagram it.) At least I won’t have any S(ullen) and R(esentful) 8th graders this time around. I don’t think so anyway. What I’ve been doing this summer: Going to the Live Oak Music Festival. Peace, love,
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(Friday Flashback – Last Year) “Mrs. G” has been teaching in our district for over 40 years. She’s been at our school since it opened in 1980. She’s taught English, art, social studies, music, and much more. She is literally an immovable object, and doesn’t need to rise from her chair to strike fear (well, not exactly fear any more, but…) into 8th graders’ hearts. She doesn’t care what people (parents, admins, other teachers) think of her, and speaks her mind whether it’s “appropriate” or not. She currently teaches 8th grade US history, and has been going toe to toe with a particularly pesky student I had last year. Now, this “Steve” sends me e-mails about how the posts he’s reading in the discussion forums on our Moodle don’t have enough thought behind them, and he has a real brain. But he’s a loud-mouthed pain in the rear, whose parents it seems, are wrapped around his finger. I was probably the only teacher he got along with…until Mrs. G. He’s still a pain, and though, like me she recognizes and likes the Steve underneath, she’s not afeared of giving what she gets. So… Food is not allowed in our classooms. [...]
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