A Day In The Journey

...to say that I was reading a blog and read this statement: "Twilight is something that I hated because I am old and I no longer have any tolerance for romance!"

Aside from the lack of a comma in her compound sentence, I am bothered by this sentiment. I would brush it off as joking (which the exclamation point would support), but I have read her review-ish statements regarding Twilight, and her joke is only partial. It's why she rather doesn't like the book she is discussing in the review in which this statement appears. I just want to say that I certainly hope at no age to lose my tolerance for romance in its many and varied forms. I don't wish to be so jaded/cynical that I dislike a book or a film or a song or a story because it happens to be a romance. That is all I have to say this barely morning. You may return to your regularly scheduled activities.

Posted by Renee at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

So the first week of school is down. Just about 35 left to go. haha It feels like it went really well. Such an interesting group of kids. Since I only teach Language Arts, the 5th graders switch classes between me and my team teacher. Last year, we just switched at lunch. This year is a little more complicated. Because my team teacher was averse to teaching Math (not that I blame her), the 6th grade Math teacher also teaches 5th grade Math. This means that both my homeroom and my team teacher's homeroom have to have Math in the morning, since the Math teacher only teaches half a day. The result is that we must switch classes for Math in the morning. So, I teach both sections of Language in the morning opposite of the Math class. Then, in the afternoon, we switch for Reading as well. I only teach one of the classes Spelling because of the craziness of the schedule. We are slowly rounding the edges off of all the switching. Once again, I'm fascinated by the difference between the two classes. There's always such a different chemistry or vibe or something with each class. It keeps me on my toes, I guess. haha

A couple of my students have already decided to try and fix me up. It occurred in this manner:
girl: so are you married, Ms. D?
me: i am not.
not-a-shy-bone boy: you should be; you're one gorgeous woman!

Next day:
not-shy boy: Ms. D, can I totally hook you up with a guy?
me: I don't know. It depends on your idea of taste.
not-shy boy: *gasp* Ms. D, I have awesome taste! You doubt me?

Yeah. It's amusing. It might become obnoxious, but we'll see. Students are awesome. Totally awesome.

In other news, two more grad classes are down. I'll be embarking on the next two beginning tomorrow. I suppose I could begin them today, but why? :-P

Working my way through season two of Lost. Oh man.

I also watched for the first time Bridget Jones's Diary and Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist. I enjoyed them both. The first is moderately a girl movie. I found myself rather unempathetic to Bridget at times, but overall, I definitely got her. And the movie was quirky in the fun way. Nick and Nora is an odd little indie flavoured film with a fantastic soundtrack. It's unexpectedly laid back so the when you get to the end, it's just...there. You wait for the moment, and you smile when the pieces fit.

Well, off to input lesson plans. The previously promised fairy capture tale will be arriving as soon as I capture the final picture. So if you're waiting in anticipation, it won't be long. :-)

Posted by Renee at 02:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So I'm composing an entry that deals with capturing elves. Yes, I said "composing" and also "capturing elves." Deal with it. haha I need a single picture to complete the entry, but things keep preventing me from getting it. Argh. Therefore, I thought I would insert a small, middle-of-the-night, filler post to entertain everyone. Assuming anyone actually read this anymore. :-P

*I used part of my graduate loan to update my computer property to a new (almost triple the hd space) MacBook. I'm very happy with it, although I miss the compactness of the 12' iBook. The fact that this one is much lighter is a huge plus, though. Now, see, I actually have something tangible to pay off rather than mere classes with grades listed on Blackboard. haha

*School starts on Monday. I'm always nervous about the first day. I think it's going to be a great year, though. I met most of my students and parents today at orientation. It seems like a good group. Both groups have several more boys than girls, unlike last year where both classes were almost evenly split. It will be interesting to see how that works out for the group dynamic.

*The air conditioning has been broken in my class room the last two weeks while I've been getting things ready. It has been beyond bearable. It should be fixed tomorrow, though.

*Tomorrow has turned into cram day for both of my second term summer courses. I don't think I've had a last-day cram session so far into this degree, though, so it's time. Big, sarcastic "yay."

*I do not ever wish to be a school administrator or have anything to do with finance. Thanks.

That's probably enough filler for anyone's taste. I'll end this, then. With hope, there will be a much more entertaining post in the next few days. Until then.

Posted by Renee at 11:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The days of my summer vacation are growing less and less. My summer has been pretty fantastic and fairly dark and largely enjoyed. I do not feel completely ready for school. At any rate, it makes me glad that next summer I will not have classes competing with planning time as the summer draws to its inevitable close. Alas. Haha. So, some thoughts and journey markers for this month-ish:

*Watching old black and white science fiction movies is a fantastic way to spend time. Earth vs. the Flying Saucers is my latest discovery. I can’t even remember where I read or heard about it, but I do remember that the description hastened me to add it to my Netflix queue. It was totally worth the add. Something that sets these old, special-effects light films apart is the focus on what the characters are experiencing. The shock and struggle of the story becomes something very personal. This was one thing I appreciated about the story change for the most recent War of the Worlds film. Instead of being just a big action-fest, it offered you characters with whom to feel. At any rate, these old b&w movies might have moderately negligible “special effects,” but you tend to thrill with the scientist, soldiers, and townspeople who are trying to survive and beat the aliens/large ants/super-sized scorpions or whatever big, bad scary happens to be coming for them. Which leads me to invite any of you that have fantastic suggestions of underrated b&w sci-fi films to post them for me. I will watch them. ☺

*On a related rant, the marketing team of the channel previously known as “SciFi” is moronic. Seriously. “SyFy”? What exactly is that supposed to accomplish. As my sister astutely pointed out (yet no-one on the marketing team seems to realize), “SciFi” actually means something: it is an abbreviation of “science fiction,” the genre in which this channel presumes to specialize. “Syfy” doesn’t stand for anything. In fact, it’s more likely to add to this generation’s inability to spell simple words than to their viewing audience. Frankly, I don’t understand their obsession changing perceptions about their channel. Cable channels succeed because of a niche market, not by avoiding. It. It’s all very ridiculous, really. Sigh.

*I had a lovely week in Louisville catching up with my dear friends, Kelly and Justin. Also, I’m apparently both silly and a cherry (nom nom nom) according to their delightful son. I am now hopelessly entrenched in the mysteries of Lost, thanks to them.

*Two days is not long enough to really give anyone a sense of Baton Rouge and surrounding area, particularly when part of the second day is spent dealing with a flattened tire. Poo. Ah well.

*My new classroom is fantastic. So much more everything than my previous one. Yay! Once I get everything set up for the year, I will have to post pictures. Now if I could just get all the things ready for the year that I need to. Haha. Such is life.

*You can watch a lot of Law and Order without getting tired of it. Also, you learn awesome legal trivia.

Well, that’s probably enough randomness for now. If it’s not, too bad for you! :-P

Posted by Renee at 07:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)