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That would explain the forty extra pounds. Maybe I’m stuck in some sort of ST:TNG “Cause and Effect” loop. Either way, it’s that time of the year where I’m supposed to reflect and give something up to show restraint and mostly self-abuse myself. I would like it to involve me getting less fat, but if you have any ideas, feel free to add it it to… THAT’S RIGHT! THE NEW POLL!
(I love polls.)
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The second grade show comes every year at the end of February, and every year I promise myself I won’t get too attached. But it’s these kinds of productions that make me proud and happy to be in my profession.
Daaaaaammmnnn those little cherubs for sucking me in. This year, the second grade proudly offered “Bugz.” I’m not exactly sure what the show was about, because the kids were so freakin’ adorable.
This is not a walk-on stage, sing three songs, bow, and walk off. Friends, this is a full-on, only slightly-off Broadway production involving costume changes, full lights, and yes, jazz hands, jazz legs, and jazz tentacles. This that the last three weeks have involved extra rehearsals where the music teacher steals my children for 15 minutes here, 30 minutes there. Suddenly, the last two weeks of February have passed, and I don’t remember the last time I taught social studies. (Just kidding, I never teach social studies. Wait, I mean I always teach social studies, as in I almost have a minor in it.)
The “story” revolved around all the insects working on getting to the picnic, making puns, and ignoring the stink bug. Eventually, of course, they accept the stink bug for who he is, blah, blah, blah, all learn a lesson, and get to eat lots of food. The highlights included:
1)Glitter. Dear God, the glitter. The butterfly costumes were made out of cheap plastic picnic table covers, and then doused with Elmer’s glue. Here’s a Martha tip for all y’all: GLUE DOESN’T STICK TO CHEAP PLASTIC PICNIC TABLE COVERS. But when you don’t check to see if the glue sticks, you can’t possibly know that. When the butterflies and ladybugs put their costumes on (IN MY CLASSROOM) the glitter did mot make it to the stage. It stayed on my floor, where I am still finding pieces, a week later.
2) The fireflies brought flashlights, and during their song, they walked around the audience, singing. Me heart done melted.
3) The ladybug tune, in which the ladybugs teach everyone manners, and the entire crew sings a squared-out version of “She’s a Lady”, complete with shimmies and girl-like moves for everyone.
4) Yes, the songs were cheesy, but dear Lord, when the butterflies took off their second layer of costume (white garbage bags) during their “Things Change” number and unfurled their wings, well, golly gosh, I’m not ashamed to admit there was a lot of dust in my eyes.
I would post pictures, but that’s illegal without permission. This show kicked last year’s butt, and the kids worked hard and did a terrific job. Being a big proponent of multiple intelligence theory, the musical allowed students who don’t always shine academically a chance to demonstrate that their are other ways to be involved and contribute to developing our community of learning (Gag if you must, but I believe in that crap.)
Next up, a discussion of subtraction with regrouping.
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Then go read Siberia, Minn. It’s well-written by a buddy of a buddy (does that make us friends?), and anyone who reads dooce is an alright guy. {/snark} Seriously though, this guy knows how to write, and pays attention. Enjoy. I’m going to keep working on my less than funny, lame stories. I’ve got a load of school stories that are begging to be written, along with what a bull moose looks like on skis. But now, I go to sushi. Later!
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Enjoy this pic… we were rocking out tonight!
Also, here’s the postcard that was referenced here :
Good times.
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For the first time in a long time (months? I’m thinking back to August now…) I have a free weekend. Free in the sense that if I don’t get to my thesis, the world won’t exactly end for me it’ll just make things a tiny bit more difficult. There are about a billion and three things to do that I’ve been putting off, and had to put off, but they don’t involve progress reports, or grad school. Therefore, I’m more than happy to do them, because I’ll feel like a normal grownup who doesn’t spend unnatural parts of their free time not being free. I’m also not going out of town, much to the chagrin of a certain Strong/Dead Guy. I’m staying put. So, what do I do with my free time, you ask? How about YOU help me decide! Vote early, vote often, there’s a new poll up!
| Category: General, School Daze | 3 Comments
A quick story:
In my classroom, we are a community. We work together, have fun together, and learn together. As a communtiy, we all have jobs. My job is to help students learn, to give them band-aids, and to be surly at them when they don’t realize how smart they really are. The students’ jobs are to work hard, ask questions, and do their best. To foster the sense of community, instead of me passing out papers, sharpening pencils, sorting papers, etc., the students get to have jobs in the classroom. We have have approximately 18 jobs in the room, including 2 alternates for when students are absent or out of the room. Howver, since I couldn’t think up any more jobs (”Uh… you’re in charge of turning off the lights…”) there are around 8 students during any given time that do not have any jobs. We say in the classroom that they are on vacation, and the running joke is that they should send postcards, and relax. Every once in a while, a student tells me that they’re enjoying their vacation, and I’ve even had students that make fake post cards at home and bring in to share. It’s all in good fun, all in the name of building community.
At the end of the day today. I go to my mailbox in the office and I see a polar bear postcard sitting with the rest of my teacher crud. I turn in over, and yes, it’s a real postcard. That got sent in the mail at the beginning of the week. It read “Dear Mr. K. I am having a lot of fun on my vacation. I can’t wait to get my next job. From,
‘Bob’.”
Seriously? The kid sent me a real postcard! Made my day, made my week, might’ve even made my month, because it shows that at least ONE student is buying into the community idea, and enjoying themselves. I can’t wait to share it with the rest of the class tomorrow. I’m still chuckling over it.
I heart teaching.
| Category: General, WTF? | 2 Comments
So last week, my car turned over at 100,000 miles. I even tried to take a picture. But that’s hard when you’re driving 45 miles an hour in rush hour traffic. This was Thursday. On Friday, as I left school, and with my odometer reading 100.036 K, my car wouldn’t start. Rather, the ignition wouldn’t turn. I called Olson, resident guy who knows stuff, and we were unable to solve the problem. So instead of working out, and rocking out on Guitar Hero, I got to stay at school for an extra two hours. (Of course that just happened!) It turns out that my key has been tearing up the inside of my ignition cylinder thingamabob, mostly because I was jamming it in and ripping it out in my rush to eat, sleep, or teach young children. Lesson 1) Relax when starting and stopping the car. Lesson 2) See lesson 1, lest you want to spend $250 on a new ignition system. Not the best way to start off my three day weekend of skiing and fun.
I picked up the car on Monday, and thanks to attentive mechanics, they also fixed my tail light malfunction (”You have a tail light out.”) because it was under a recall. So now not only can I turn my car on, but others can see me.
Lame post.
Tomorrow’s on my first-ever experience with downhill skis. Every one survived, except my pride.
Hasta luego.
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02-18-06_1537.jpg
Originally uploaded by bonemuse2004.
On the slopes
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1) I got my new glasses. Now I am safe(r) on the roads. I havena decided if I like them though. It’s nice to be able to see.
2) Zigzag moved his blog, because he’s a pain. He’s also only so-so at cribbage. 
Feel free to check out his new site; I’ve updated my blogroll to reflect it. He’s now the most recent twin to post. (Awwww, snap! )
3) Welcome back to planet Earth, my Illini bretheren. I kept a seat warm so you can sit alongside me and see normal basketball. We’ll make the tourney, no one should be panicking. We’re just not going to be a 1, 2, or 3 seed. Life goes on.
4) I (kinda) finished my review of literature for my thesis. It only checked in at 7 pages. It’ll be more by the time my thesis advisor is done bleeding all over it with her mightier than the sword.
5) I apologize for my lack of posting, but things have been more busy than the Red Light district in Amersterdam on Valentine’s day. Business includes a) finishing my last class, b) working on my thesis, c) oh yeah, TEACHING, and d) progress reports are due in less than two weeks. (Why is this good news for you? Because then you don’t have to read this drivel.)
Later, taters. I’m tired.
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February is here. It’s a controversial month, what with it’s limitations on how many weeks it has, only allowing the number 29 to show up every four years, and the month when most of us give up on our resolutions. So, there’s a new poll featuring optimism in February. Um, right.
Also, I got a comment which I’m pretty sure is spam, but just in case it’s not– what program/app do you run so that you can get email notification of updated blogs? Thunderbird? Stuck, isn’t that what you do?
Happy b-day to my brother Luca (today), and happy belated to my brother Zane (last week), and happy more-belated b-day to Frank the Tank (1/29). I am enjoying being a month younger than Tank. He’s so old!
Vote. Live. Stop eating those cookies.
| Category: General, Entertainment Tonight | 4 Comments
Congrats to the Jo’s!
DaveJo was one day off on his prediction. I see a fine prognosticator of football and beer ready to grow up and join our tailgating crew.
Congratulations to parents and family— we can’t wait to see him!
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I’m here, mostly coporeal. After being sick this weekend, having two big projects in my grad class, trying to be a good teacher, and OH YEAH, my stupid thesis to work on, it’s a miracle that I’m ambulatory. Things slowed down just a piece tonight, so I thought I’d get you caught up on the wonderful world of blech that has been the last week or so.
It’s cold and flu season in my classroom. Let’s kick things off! Friday morning, minding my own business in reading groups, desperately clinging to the idea that I’m accomplishing things, my subconscious hears the unfortunately-too-familiar splash (yet it fails to register with my brain, because I can’t be distracted where Nate the Great is concerned), and the accompanying “Mr. Kaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy…” and then more urgently “MR. K!!!!” I look up to see one of my young ladies holding her hand over her mouth staring at me.
“Do you have a nose bleed? Do you need a tissue?”
And then everything clicked.
Oh Lord, we got a puker!
“Go! Go! Go! To the bathroom! NOW!”
I look over to the girl’s table, and (WARNING, gross details coming! You’ve been warned!) I see a nice combination of what looks like cottage cheese swimming in melted red Jello, all over one of my books. Thankfully, nothing got on the carpet, lest I have to deal with the DC-10. I quickly let my Blood Borne Pathogen training take over (snark), grabbed my latex gloves, and started the Clean-Up Procedure, leaving my poor reading group left to discuss the merits of Nate the Great’s fascination with pancakes. (Seriously, I was going for the obscure Dennis Miller reference there, and if you got it, YOU are laughing like no one’s watching right now. Damn, I did it again.)
So I cleaned it up and didn’t think much else of it. Went and checked on the girl, sent her home, and went back to business as usual.
And then I woke up Saturday morning. Someday, I’ll go into the battle of “To Puke or Not to Puke,” but I’ve been gross enough for today. Waves of nausea started within the hour, and choosing to work out? Bad idea jeans. I came back to the apartment, and got ready to go work on my case study. Despite the roiling in my stomach, I chose the “Not to Puke” route and that made all the difference.
Saturday was not the most fun I’ve ever had. At least the Illini won, and I got to go to my nephew’s birthday party.
Hint for all you iron-men and women. I don’t care how tough you think you are, if you’re nauseous, and running a fever, DON’T go out for sushi. It’s just not a good time. I learned that the hard way Saturday night. Special props to the Zigzags for putting up with me on Saturday night. Oh, and the Pepto is still in your truck.
In other news, my new class website is almost up and running, and should be rolled out soon. Instead of Dreamweaver, we’re now using RapidWeaver, which is very nice for people who don’t want to take the time to develop all the plugins. Too bad it’s Mac only… it’s a great little piece of software.
Super Bowl this weekend: I’m taking the Steelers to win and cover. We’re on a Bus with no brakes! (beep, beep.)
Miss you, Internet. Hopefully I’ll talk to you soon!
