Anyway, back to the point of this post. I was looking around on YouTube this evening checking out music videos. As I was looking up some of Bruno Mars' songs, I discovered the cover below:
November 27, 2011
Is this the next JB?
Anyway, back to the point of this post. I was looking around on YouTube this evening checking out music videos. As I was looking up some of Bruno Mars' songs, I discovered the cover below:
November 22, 2011
Thanksgiving Dilemma
This afternoon I was speaking to my father on the phone. We were discussing a number of items that have been going on over the past week. Then came the discussion of Thanksgiving Day plans.
For decades (am I so old that I can actually use "decades" to indicate time periods in my life...ugh!) the plan for Thanksgiving Day has been my immediate family getting together at my Aunt Sue's home for dinner. In the beginning of this tradition it was me, my brother, father, my grandparents, my Aunt Sue and Uncle Gary, my Uncle Paul, and my two cousins. In the past few years, with everyone growing up and the grandparents passing away, the annual gathering at Aunt Sue's has shrunk to five or six of us at the house.
What has been consistent through all of these years has been gathering at Sue's house. That changed last year!
Last November, I was told that it was decided our Thanksgiving dinner would not be at Sue's for the first time in my life. We were going to be having Thanksgiving Day dinner at a restaurant. I was not at all thrilled by this concept. Change is never easy, and neither was this...especially for me. I went to dinner last year, but it did NOT feel like Thanksgiving to me. It simply felt like another dinner we would have had on any other night. While I was happy to get together with my family, I just had this sense of sadness.
To be honest, I had forgotten about last Thanksgiving's dining-out experiment last year...until today! My father informed me tonight that we would be eating out again this year for Thanksgiving. My heart sunk on some level. Dad went on to say that he was unsure what my plans were, but he would love for me to be there. Of course, I am going to be there! Where else am I going to be going?
Here is my question to all of you...Am I being ridiculous for having such strong feelings about eating out for Thanksgiving instead of going to my Aunt Sue's for dinner? Why am I having such strong feelings? Why am I feeling so lost on this holiday?
On another note, I really wanted to say how thankful I am to have gotten to know so many of you over the past two years. I have made some truly amazing and life-long friends through this outlet. I love you all so very much. Thank you for being there for me!
For decades (am I so old that I can actually use "decades" to indicate time periods in my life...ugh!) the plan for Thanksgiving Day has been my immediate family getting together at my Aunt Sue's home for dinner. In the beginning of this tradition it was me, my brother, father, my grandparents, my Aunt Sue and Uncle Gary, my Uncle Paul, and my two cousins. In the past few years, with everyone growing up and the grandparents passing away, the annual gathering at Aunt Sue's has shrunk to five or six of us at the house.
What has been consistent through all of these years has been gathering at Sue's house. That changed last year!
Last November, I was told that it was decided our Thanksgiving dinner would not be at Sue's for the first time in my life. We were going to be having Thanksgiving Day dinner at a restaurant. I was not at all thrilled by this concept. Change is never easy, and neither was this...especially for me. I went to dinner last year, but it did NOT feel like Thanksgiving to me. It simply felt like another dinner we would have had on any other night. While I was happy to get together with my family, I just had this sense of sadness.
To be honest, I had forgotten about last Thanksgiving's dining-out experiment last year...until today! My father informed me tonight that we would be eating out again this year for Thanksgiving. My heart sunk on some level. Dad went on to say that he was unsure what my plans were, but he would love for me to be there. Of course, I am going to be there! Where else am I going to be going?
Here is my question to all of you...Am I being ridiculous for having such strong feelings about eating out for Thanksgiving instead of going to my Aunt Sue's for dinner? Why am I having such strong feelings? Why am I feeling so lost on this holiday?
---------------------------------------------------
November 20, 2011
Musical Mathematics for You
Lady Gaga + A Classical Twist = TOTAL AWESOMENESS!!!!
This year, I have become a huge fan of Aston and their classical version of all these current pop songs. It is wild!
Another Full Weekend
This has been quite the weekend!
On Friday, I lost it with some of my kids at the end of the day. This week I was assigned study hall for students who had not completed their work this week. That meant 30 minutes of these kids who just don't care about getting their work done. They just kept talking. After asking over and over and over I finally just let them have it. These kids know I love them, so I am aware that it will be forgiven and forgotten by Monday. (Honestly, they will have forgotten it before they got home.)
The problem is that I just always feel awful after letting loose on them. I hate being the bad guy. They don't deserve me losing my temper, and I didn't mean to let it happen. However, it had just been building all week. The kids were crazy all week long. Luckily, I was not alone in this thought. Every teacher I had spoken with had the same thing to say about their kids. LOL!
I got home around 4PM on Friday, and my plan was to take a nap before attending a party with the teachers from my school. The party was at my teammate's home. I ended up sleeping until around 1AM. I completely missed the party. I found Facebook messages, voicemails, and texts from friends looking for me. I never heard anything while I was sleeping. Evidently, I slept hard!
I wake up on Saturday morning, and I get a call from my father. He called to let me know that one of my great-aunts had passed away on Friday night around 9PM. She had been quite ill for several years. I knew she was worse over the past two weeks. Many of the things happening to her at the hospital were similar to what my grandmother had went through just before she passed away a few years ago. I knew it was only a matter of time. It is sad that we lost such a wonderful and hilarious woman in our family. She will certainly be missed.
I don't yet know about funeral details, but I am going to try and make it. Friends from school have been asking if I will be taking time off this week for the funeral. I have been talking with my family, and they are adamant that I not come home for the funeral unless I can get away without affecting my kids. My family really is wonderful. I have not made a decision on whether I will attend or not. It is all dependent on when the services will take place.
On Saturday evening, I had tickets to see the national tour of "In the Heights." I have been excited for weeks to see this musical again. It is one of my favorites. I love the music and the story line. I was even more excited by the fact I had 2nd row orchestra center seats. I was ecstatic. The show started at 8PM! I was sitting among several retired couples. I was curious to see how they reacted to the story and the music. As the show began I took off singing every single word of the musical. (Yes, I am one of those people who will sing the entire show if I know it.) Just a little FYI, I ended up just mouthing the words. I did not want to disturb those around me. One lady behind me noticed me singing throughout the first act. During the intermission she and I were talking. She knew I had seen the show before, and this was her first time seeing it. I was surprised at just how much she had loved it. We talked about the story line, the writer of the show (Lin-Manuel Miranda), and the history of the show. It was the best intermission I have ever had. She and I became soul mates!
One new experience for me in this show was the fact I cried during the second act. It revolves around the loss of one of the most beloved characters in the show. There are two songs in the show that get me every time. Some how I caught myself actually crying this time. It was just moving. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact I was on the second row and I could see the emotions on the actors' faces. It is one of the reason I love being up close during a show. It was wonderful.
Seeing the show was exactly what I needed as a release from the week. I left that theater with just an overwhelming feeling of peace. Love it!
The drive home was difficult. It was a two-hour drive to get home. After about an hour of driving, I was exhausted. I pulled off and decided to lock down the car so I could nap for about 30 minutes. (Right...30 minutes.) That supposed-half hour ended up being 3 hours. I was supposed to get home around 1AM, but I did not make it into my driveway until 4AM. I instantly hit the bed when I made it in the house. I was out.
Today, I did not get up until around 11AM. I had to get some work done, so I got up and showered. I made it out of the house around 12:30, and instantly headed for school. I was there for about 2 hours today writing lesson plans, finishing up PowerPoints, and making copies needed for Monday. What's funny about this is that I am not teaching. Why am I doing so much work when my student-teacher should be doing all of this? It doesn't make much sense.
This afternoon, I decided to go to the movies. Yes, I went to see Breaking Dawn: Part I. It was definitely an interesting sequel to the series. I won't say it was the best of the series, but I did enjoy it. I am excited to see the final movie next year.
It has been a weekend of ups and downs. Luckily, this week is only a two-day workweek!
Talk to everyone soon!
Joey
On Friday, I lost it with some of my kids at the end of the day. This week I was assigned study hall for students who had not completed their work this week. That meant 30 minutes of these kids who just don't care about getting their work done. They just kept talking. After asking over and over and over I finally just let them have it. These kids know I love them, so I am aware that it will be forgiven and forgotten by Monday. (Honestly, they will have forgotten it before they got home.)
The problem is that I just always feel awful after letting loose on them. I hate being the bad guy. They don't deserve me losing my temper, and I didn't mean to let it happen. However, it had just been building all week. The kids were crazy all week long. Luckily, I was not alone in this thought. Every teacher I had spoken with had the same thing to say about their kids. LOL!
I got home around 4PM on Friday, and my plan was to take a nap before attending a party with the teachers from my school. The party was at my teammate's home. I ended up sleeping until around 1AM. I completely missed the party. I found Facebook messages, voicemails, and texts from friends looking for me. I never heard anything while I was sleeping. Evidently, I slept hard!
I wake up on Saturday morning, and I get a call from my father. He called to let me know that one of my great-aunts had passed away on Friday night around 9PM. She had been quite ill for several years. I knew she was worse over the past two weeks. Many of the things happening to her at the hospital were similar to what my grandmother had went through just before she passed away a few years ago. I knew it was only a matter of time. It is sad that we lost such a wonderful and hilarious woman in our family. She will certainly be missed.
I don't yet know about funeral details, but I am going to try and make it. Friends from school have been asking if I will be taking time off this week for the funeral. I have been talking with my family, and they are adamant that I not come home for the funeral unless I can get away without affecting my kids. My family really is wonderful. I have not made a decision on whether I will attend or not. It is all dependent on when the services will take place.
On Saturday evening, I had tickets to see the national tour of "In the Heights." I have been excited for weeks to see this musical again. It is one of my favorites. I love the music and the story line. I was even more excited by the fact I had 2nd row orchestra center seats. I was ecstatic. The show started at 8PM! I was sitting among several retired couples. I was curious to see how they reacted to the story and the music. As the show began I took off singing every single word of the musical. (Yes, I am one of those people who will sing the entire show if I know it.) Just a little FYI, I ended up just mouthing the words. I did not want to disturb those around me. One lady behind me noticed me singing throughout the first act. During the intermission she and I were talking. She knew I had seen the show before, and this was her first time seeing it. I was surprised at just how much she had loved it. We talked about the story line, the writer of the show (Lin-Manuel Miranda), and the history of the show. It was the best intermission I have ever had. She and I became soul mates!
One new experience for me in this show was the fact I cried during the second act. It revolves around the loss of one of the most beloved characters in the show. There are two songs in the show that get me every time. Some how I caught myself actually crying this time. It was just moving. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact I was on the second row and I could see the emotions on the actors' faces. It is one of the reason I love being up close during a show. It was wonderful.
Seeing the show was exactly what I needed as a release from the week. I left that theater with just an overwhelming feeling of peace. Love it!
The drive home was difficult. It was a two-hour drive to get home. After about an hour of driving, I was exhausted. I pulled off and decided to lock down the car so I could nap for about 30 minutes. (Right...30 minutes.) That supposed-half hour ended up being 3 hours. I was supposed to get home around 1AM, but I did not make it into my driveway until 4AM. I instantly hit the bed when I made it in the house. I was out.
Today, I did not get up until around 11AM. I had to get some work done, so I got up and showered. I made it out of the house around 12:30, and instantly headed for school. I was there for about 2 hours today writing lesson plans, finishing up PowerPoints, and making copies needed for Monday. What's funny about this is that I am not teaching. Why am I doing so much work when my student-teacher should be doing all of this? It doesn't make much sense.
This afternoon, I decided to go to the movies. Yes, I went to see Breaking Dawn: Part I. It was definitely an interesting sequel to the series. I won't say it was the best of the series, but I did enjoy it. I am excited to see the final movie next year.
It has been a weekend of ups and downs. Luckily, this week is only a two-day workweek!
Talk to everyone soon!
Joey
November 13, 2011
Why?
Today I was reading several different papers online, and I stumbled across the following article.
CLICK HERE
Let me just begin with saying that this supposed state representative is a complete and udder idiot. Not that I am saying my local representatives are much better. However, this guy is the king of the idiots. I am sitting here in such disbelief by the comments made by this man. What's worse is some of the public comments to the article made on the paper's website. Obviously there are other idiots who feel the same way. I thank God that I am not one of them.
It is times like these that I am ashamed to be living in a state where such hatred, racism, and bigotry are alive and well. I would love nothing more than to kick people like these idiots out of my state...and eventually my country. However, I know that no matter where we go, there will always be stupidity. What's worse is that stupidity seems to lead the ignorant.
I know teens and adults who believe such nonsense simply because they don't know any better. They haven't taken the time to get to know those who are Muslim or done any research into the Islamic faith. I work very hard each day to teach tolerance, acceptance, understanding, and appreciation for those who are different from you and I. I love being able to teach students the truth out there in the world. What gives me hope is the look on these kids faces when they hear of such stupidity in the world. They cannot understand the levels of hatred being spewed in this world. My hope is that the upcoming generations will be able to eradicate hatred, racism, and bigotry.
To my friends who are Muslim, please know that I love you, and there are so many others in this world who love you. Please don't let the stupid ramblings of the uneducated and intolerant get to you. Please ignore them. The only reason most of these people make such comments is to get into the news. Well, it worked in this case.
CLICK HERE
Let me just begin with saying that this supposed state representative is a complete and udder idiot. Not that I am saying my local representatives are much better. However, this guy is the king of the idiots. I am sitting here in such disbelief by the comments made by this man. What's worse is some of the public comments to the article made on the paper's website. Obviously there are other idiots who feel the same way. I thank God that I am not one of them.
It is times like these that I am ashamed to be living in a state where such hatred, racism, and bigotry are alive and well. I would love nothing more than to kick people like these idiots out of my state...and eventually my country. However, I know that no matter where we go, there will always be stupidity. What's worse is that stupidity seems to lead the ignorant.
I know teens and adults who believe such nonsense simply because they don't know any better. They haven't taken the time to get to know those who are Muslim or done any research into the Islamic faith. I work very hard each day to teach tolerance, acceptance, understanding, and appreciation for those who are different from you and I. I love being able to teach students the truth out there in the world. What gives me hope is the look on these kids faces when they hear of such stupidity in the world. They cannot understand the levels of hatred being spewed in this world. My hope is that the upcoming generations will be able to eradicate hatred, racism, and bigotry.
To my friends who are Muslim, please know that I love you, and there are so many others in this world who love you. Please don't let the stupid ramblings of the uneducated and intolerant get to you. Please ignore them. The only reason most of these people make such comments is to get into the news. Well, it worked in this case.
CLICK THE PICTURE TO GO TO AN AWESOME MUSIC VIDEO
REBA MCENTIRE - WHAT IF
November 6, 2011
There is Hope...In the Heights
Having a pretty rough day. All the thoughts of the week just flooded back over me as I was at the school today preparing for my observation that occurs in the morning. I had to get out of there. I came straight home. I felt completely lost. Been sitting on the couch most of the day waiting to fall asleep.
However, there is some hope!
A few minutes ago I decided to see what was playing in the area...concerts, shows, etc. I was surprised to find that the North American tour of "In the Heights" will be near me in two weeks. I absolutely love this show. It is truly amazing. There truly are no words to describe how it can make you feel.
Instantly, I bought my ticket to the show. The nice surprise is where my seat is located...2nd row center. This made my day and week. Hopefully this will give me something to look forward to and get my mind off of the past few days.
However, there is some hope!
Instantly, I bought my ticket to the show. The nice surprise is where my seat is located...2nd row center. This made my day and week. Hopefully this will give me something to look forward to and get my mind off of the past few days.
Worst Day of My Life
This past week is one that I am more than happy to forget, but I doubt that will happen anytime soon.
Wednesday was a day that I was not looking forward to seeing. We had a meeting scheduled with the parents of one of my students. This is a student who has a hearing impairment, but it is totally corrected with his hearing aids. His mother continued to make excuses for his behaviors and his lack of work ethic. She continually sends us nasty emails and wants us to make concessions to lower our expectations of him. Sorry, I don't lower my expectations for any student. If we don't push them beyond their limits they will never strive for more.
So we get to the meeting at 12:45 Wednesday afternoon. In attendance for this meeting were me, my two teammates, the hearing specialist for the school system, the system diagnostician, our principal, the director of special education for the system, the parents, and the psychologist hired by the parents. As we all sat down for the meeting I saw the stepfather lean over to the mother and whisper "It's us versus them." I knew at that point we were headed for trouble.
The meeting began with the mother expressing her concerns and demands. We spent the first hour explaining what we expected in our classes and our daily routines. The psychologist continued to interrupt us and kept saying what we were doing would be ineffective for the child since his learning disabilities were so severe. At 1:45 I stopped the meeting to let them know our kids were coming back to class. I asked my student teacher to go back to my class, one teammate went back to her class, and two of us stayed in the meeting to finish up.
For the second hour of the meeting, the school psychologist decided he wanted to run the meeting. He kept shelling out all these observations he had made and what needed to be done to help the child. At one point, the psychologist made an inappropriate comment about the teachers and how we had no clue what was going on with the student. It was right then that I stopped him. I basically told him that his comments were offensive and not appreciated in the slightest. I told him I have been teaching for a number of years and have seen all types of students, and we continually work to make sure ALL my students succeed. I was fed up with all his comments and it had to be stopped. He was doing nothing except add tension and issues in this meeting.
Around 2:20, I excused myself from the meeting because it was about time for our students to transition to the end of day activities. I was needed with my kids more than in that meeting. I get back to my classroom and was filling in my student teacher as to what had happened. As I spoke with her I noticed my left hand was twitching...not shaking, it was twitching! I felt my anger begin to rise, so I excused myself from the classroom and headed for one of the workrooms.
I shut the door to the workroom and totally lost it. I was leaning against the wall and began to cry. My anger continued to rise, and I was then yelling out, kicking the wall, hitting the doors, stomping the floor, praying, etc. I had never been to this level before. I lost all control of my emotions. I stayed in the workroom because it was a safe and secure place to be. I finally calmed down and went back to my classroom. It was the last few minutes of the day, and I saw my kids off for home. They knew something was up, and kept asking if I was okay. I assured them I was okay and would be back to normal in the morning.
Once the kids left, I kept thinking back to the meeting. I once again lost control of my emotions. I just sat in the center of my classroom and began to cry. There I was just rocking back and forth as I lost control of myself. I had to turn on some music just to calm myself down. A few of my friends came into my room to just chat (which was normal), and they were shocked to find me in that state. I asked them all to leave so I could compose myself. It took me a while to quit the crying, shaking, rocking, etc.
Our faculty meeting began at 3:00, but I was in no state to attend. I finally gathered my composure at 3:30 and went to the meeting. However, as I sat in the meeting all I could think about was the earlier events. I just got angry again, and I left the meeting at 3:35. Once I got back to my room, the crying resumed. However, this time I was pacing the floor by doing continuous laps around my student desks. As I was pacing, I also found my left hand continue to twitch. I could not stop it. I was not myself in any manner. I had lost all control. There was no stopping the twitching, the crying, or the pacing. It just had to play out. I continued it all until about 5:15 or so.
What stopped it all? One of my friends came down to my room after the faculty meeting to check on me. I was able to stop and focus enough to talk with her. I could not sit down, though. The hand was still twitching, but I had stopped the crying and pacing. After talking with my friend, I was able to sit down and try to relax for a bit.
I gathered myself and my belonging, then I left the school around 6:30. I got home and fielded several phone calls from those who found out about the meeting and my breakdown. As I tried to explain what went down, I saw my hand begin to twitch again. I finally made the decision to not speak of it again for a few days.
All I can say about what had happened is that I have never seen myself in that state before. I am typically excellent at controlling my emotions. However, something snapped that day, and I had no control. I have been left completely confused as to why I was unable to control myself. It has scared me for days. It has seemingly controlled my life since then. I am afraid that I can somehow get to that state again, and I NEVER want to see that side again.
One more point...the worst part of all this is the feelings of being alone that I have felt.
For now, I am good. I am being careful about what I discuss when friends and family call to check up on me. I have been distancing myself this week just so that I can get back in control of my emotions. I have spent the weekend not interacting with anyone. I have just been keeping to myself.
Thanks for listening, my friends! Talk to you soon.
Wednesday was a day that I was not looking forward to seeing. We had a meeting scheduled with the parents of one of my students. This is a student who has a hearing impairment, but it is totally corrected with his hearing aids. His mother continued to make excuses for his behaviors and his lack of work ethic. She continually sends us nasty emails and wants us to make concessions to lower our expectations of him. Sorry, I don't lower my expectations for any student. If we don't push them beyond their limits they will never strive for more.
So we get to the meeting at 12:45 Wednesday afternoon. In attendance for this meeting were me, my two teammates, the hearing specialist for the school system, the system diagnostician, our principal, the director of special education for the system, the parents, and the psychologist hired by the parents. As we all sat down for the meeting I saw the stepfather lean over to the mother and whisper "It's us versus them." I knew at that point we were headed for trouble.
The meeting began with the mother expressing her concerns and demands. We spent the first hour explaining what we expected in our classes and our daily routines. The psychologist continued to interrupt us and kept saying what we were doing would be ineffective for the child since his learning disabilities were so severe. At 1:45 I stopped the meeting to let them know our kids were coming back to class. I asked my student teacher to go back to my class, one teammate went back to her class, and two of us stayed in the meeting to finish up.
For the second hour of the meeting, the school psychologist decided he wanted to run the meeting. He kept shelling out all these observations he had made and what needed to be done to help the child. At one point, the psychologist made an inappropriate comment about the teachers and how we had no clue what was going on with the student. It was right then that I stopped him. I basically told him that his comments were offensive and not appreciated in the slightest. I told him I have been teaching for a number of years and have seen all types of students, and we continually work to make sure ALL my students succeed. I was fed up with all his comments and it had to be stopped. He was doing nothing except add tension and issues in this meeting.
Around 2:20, I excused myself from the meeting because it was about time for our students to transition to the end of day activities. I was needed with my kids more than in that meeting. I get back to my classroom and was filling in my student teacher as to what had happened. As I spoke with her I noticed my left hand was twitching...not shaking, it was twitching! I felt my anger begin to rise, so I excused myself from the classroom and headed for one of the workrooms.
I shut the door to the workroom and totally lost it. I was leaning against the wall and began to cry. My anger continued to rise, and I was then yelling out, kicking the wall, hitting the doors, stomping the floor, praying, etc. I had never been to this level before. I lost all control of my emotions. I stayed in the workroom because it was a safe and secure place to be. I finally calmed down and went back to my classroom. It was the last few minutes of the day, and I saw my kids off for home. They knew something was up, and kept asking if I was okay. I assured them I was okay and would be back to normal in the morning.
Once the kids left, I kept thinking back to the meeting. I once again lost control of my emotions. I just sat in the center of my classroom and began to cry. There I was just rocking back and forth as I lost control of myself. I had to turn on some music just to calm myself down. A few of my friends came into my room to just chat (which was normal), and they were shocked to find me in that state. I asked them all to leave so I could compose myself. It took me a while to quit the crying, shaking, rocking, etc.
Our faculty meeting began at 3:00, but I was in no state to attend. I finally gathered my composure at 3:30 and went to the meeting. However, as I sat in the meeting all I could think about was the earlier events. I just got angry again, and I left the meeting at 3:35. Once I got back to my room, the crying resumed. However, this time I was pacing the floor by doing continuous laps around my student desks. As I was pacing, I also found my left hand continue to twitch. I could not stop it. I was not myself in any manner. I had lost all control. There was no stopping the twitching, the crying, or the pacing. It just had to play out. I continued it all until about 5:15 or so.
What stopped it all? One of my friends came down to my room after the faculty meeting to check on me. I was able to stop and focus enough to talk with her. I could not sit down, though. The hand was still twitching, but I had stopped the crying and pacing. After talking with my friend, I was able to sit down and try to relax for a bit.
I gathered myself and my belonging, then I left the school around 6:30. I got home and fielded several phone calls from those who found out about the meeting and my breakdown. As I tried to explain what went down, I saw my hand begin to twitch again. I finally made the decision to not speak of it again for a few days.
All I can say about what had happened is that I have never seen myself in that state before. I am typically excellent at controlling my emotions. However, something snapped that day, and I had no control. I have been left completely confused as to why I was unable to control myself. It has scared me for days. It has seemingly controlled my life since then. I am afraid that I can somehow get to that state again, and I NEVER want to see that side again.
One more point...the worst part of all this is the feelings of being alone that I have felt.
For now, I am good. I am being careful about what I discuss when friends and family call to check up on me. I have been distancing myself this week just so that I can get back in control of my emotions. I have spent the weekend not interacting with anyone. I have just been keeping to myself.
Thanks for listening, my friends! Talk to you soon.
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