Snow Day Hooray!

Today the mother nature was kind enough to drop some snow on us at just the right time that we ended up with a snow day.  I'm not entirely sure that it should have been a snow day, and practically no other schools had a snow day. However, I am not going to complain about having a snow day. For one, it gave me some free time to get a bit further ahead with my reading for class.  I wasn't behind or anything, but by having the day off I was able to do it during Sal's nap and not have to cram it in at the end of the night. It saved me from having to rush and devote time I could be spending with Sal or Becky.

It also meant that I had the entire day to spend with Sal. We had a good time playing "tea party" which meant that I sit in the chair and she gets "tea and coffee"and then sometimes she'll call me on the "phone"which means there is a lot of just sitting around. She also brought me a huge pile of books books to read, though she was nice enough not to make me read any of them more than once. We also colored, and doll house. Basically all of Sal's favorite things.

It was a great day to just hang around the house, do a little work, and spend some time with Sal. Having to work, lesson plan, and read for class means that weekends I don't always have much time to just lounge around.  Sitting around today was very nice, and it gave me a moment to kind of reflect on where things are now, and how much better they are than they used to be. It's especially noticeable when I'm going through timehop and  see some of the crap that I had to deal with, and how that never happens anymore. lt was nice to have that time. It was nice to get stuff done. It was nice to just chill for a bit.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 31
Sal has been big on the aviator hat the past few nights. Every night she has someone put in on her, then she runs around a bit before she eventually takes it off.

Catching Up

So, I've been trying to catch up on some of my YouTube subscriptions that I basically stopped watching when I left UM.  The daily vloggers that I used to follow I have actually caught up on, which is nice. I liked watching them and it's good to see what they've been up to over the past 18 months. There are a few shows that I'm still catching up on, but I am actually getting caught up. It's making me feel like I'm coming back to a being a normal human being. I'm able to do things that I like, and have a little bit of time that isn't just reading or lesson planning.

Just a short post today. Trying to avoid thinking about what's going on in the world.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 30
Sal found her flying cap and though she'd have some fun tonight. I missed this, but Becky sent me this picture since I was working/reading.

Almost Human Again

Today I almost was like a human again, I came so close. Then Sal decided to wake up really early, and we had people over really late. And so instead of getting ahead of things I had to work on lesson planning literally all day.  I had thought I'd be able to do normal Sunday chores like the grocery store, and then take Sal to visit my gran. Alas. No.

The upside is that I'm not stuck reading all day on Saturday, since I've been trying to read during the week. Also, I thought I should give a bit of an update on the health goals. I planned to try and lose 1.25 pounds a week.  We're about 4 weeks in at this point, so I should have 5 pounds down. I was making good progress and was about a loss of 4 pounds last week. However, this week I back slid a little bit. I'm down three pounds, which isn't too bad. So, perhaps I can catch back up this coming week. I'm going to try to start running again if I can.  We shall see how it is next week.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 29
Sal loves sticking stickers on her face that she gets from the grocery store.

The Never-ending Bullshit

I'm not sure how long I'm going to be able to deal with the world. Yesterday the ban was announced despite it being illegal and unconstitutional. It's simply a racist power grab. However, even more terrifying was the less publicized changes that were also announced where the Director of National Intelligence and the Joint Chiefs were removed from the principal group on the National Security Council. You would think that these two people, with their position, would need to be at these meetings. However, that was not enough, he then added to that permanent list of the Council Steve Bannon, his strategist and super racist piece of shit. He is now a permanent member of that council. What qualifications does he have?

Each day it becomes more of a problem what is happening here. It's also starting to look more and more like Trump is merely a puppet of Bannon. If that's the case it seems like there has been a coup d'etat. We did not vote for this racists asshole, and yet here he is pulling the strings.

I really can't deal with this shit. It's becoming too much to deal with.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 28
Look at this fuzzy bastard sitting in the laundry basket for no apparent reason. At least it's not clean clothes.

What The Actual Fuck?

I don't even know how to process what has happened today. Today of all days, to sign an executive order that bars the most vulnerable people in the world from entering the United States is unconscionable. Over the past two days my classes discussed the question of "why didn't the Jews just leave" and why that wasn't possible. We talked about the SS Saint Louis and how a giant boat full of refugees was turned away and two thirds of the passengers would perish in the Holocaust. Then to slam the door on refugees on a day that we remember the Holocaust is beyond comprehension.

Surely this can't hold. There are a number of laws that this would seemingly violate, but to put out that kind of message turns my stomach.  Do we not remember the image of three year old Aylan Kurdi dead on a beach after his family fled violence only to pay with their lives?  Do we not remember the image of that little boy in Aleppo covered in dust and blood, sitting silently among horrific violence? Do we not remember the pleading of Bana Alabed pleading for America to save her?

When did Americans become such cowards? I'm disgusted by this country, this administration, and those that support such cruel actions. We are better than this.

"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 27
Sal loves some chips and cheese!

8th Grade Sucks

The past two days I've been teaching the Holocaust to all my classes.  Basically, the ELA teachers are all doing novels on the Holocaust. I asked if it would be helpful to do a lesson on it to give them a bit of a background so they understand the context of the books, and they agreed that it would be great for me to do that. So, yesterday and today I did a brief overview lesson. We talked about the origins of events, and then watched some testimonials of those that experienced it.

This taught me some things about my students. The first being that the 7th grade classes are far better students. They were engaged, even the classes and students that are usually problems. By comparison, the 8th grade was a fist full of assholes. They were disengaged and seemed unconcerned about any of these events. Some decided to simply sleep through the lesson or kept asking how much time was left in class. However, even some 8th graders were more engaged than usual, and I was really able to hit home the reason why being a good citizen and understanding social studies is important because it can prevent events like the Holocaust.

These lessons also made me very excited to be going to D.C. over the summer to participate in the teacher conference at the Holocaust Memorial Museum. I think I will learn a lot more and be far more effective on a subject that I think is so vital for students to learn.

Overall, the lessons went generally well. I was glad that I got to teach it, and many of the students were more engaged than usual. They were getting the material and making connections. Some even started asking questions about what was going on today and if it was similar, because they thought it was sounding similar. They were thinking, and that was great to see.

Tomorrow is Holocaust Remembrance day, so I plan to wrap up lessons tomorrow after their vocabulary quiz. I'm encouraged that they seem to be making connections and absorbing these important lessons.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 26
Sal decided that all her toys should go in the bathroom. I'm not sure why, but they look like they are about to perform in front of the toilet.

Coming Home To Roost

Remember that time that not even four days in and everyone is now freaking out because Trump just undid the Dakota pipeline issue, started striping the ACA, raised fees on home buyers, will limit refugees in from Syria, had his press secretary lie to the press and world, is already being sued for a conflict of interest, silenced the EPA, removed any information on Climate Change, removed LGBTQ issues from government webpages, and has nominated a slew of utterly unqualified candidates for cabinet positions.

I don't want to just say "I told you so" but there are people out there who made the absurd case that they should vote for a third party because there was no difference between Trump and Clinton. Well we are only four days into this nonsense, and those same people are talking about having to stand and fight what he's doing.  Well you know what? You fucking had that chance in November, and instead you threw away your vote because you said they were the same.

However, we wouldn't be talking about the cabinet positions, much less see candidates so vastly unqualified like Betsy DeVos. We wouldn't be talking about millions of people losing their insurance. We wouldn't see first time home buyers being hit with higher fees. The press secretary would not be out there on day one telling blatant lies to the press. We wouldn't have a White House that removes scientific data from their website or tells agencies they are not allowed to talk about scientific fact. And we would not have rumblings of a coming immigration executive order.

There are VAST differences, and those people who threw away their vote, and who badmouthed Clinton and helped propel Republican propaganda against her are responsible for where we are today. This election came down to 100,000 people in three states, and by not enthusiastically rallying behind Clinton in the face of the greatest existential threat to our nation in two generations helped convince people to waste their vote or to simply not vote. We learned this the hard way in 2000, and the results were terrible. The stakes were so much higher, and we decided to again learn this lesson the hard way.

These fools were warned, and now the chickens have come home to roost. We are in for it.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 25
I saw this online and thought it was pretty accurate.

Going Rogue

Well, after the red flags over the weekend with lies about the attendance for the inauguration, the idea that such lies that the administration put out are similar to those of the party in 1984.  Apparently that message is resonating because sales of the book have gone nuts over the past few days, and it's coming to the best seller list. I feel that's a bit encouraging that so many people are getting it and looking into those ideas. At the same time, they are still holding to this idea of "alternative facts" which are just lies. We are also starting to get information about how mad Donald the Illegitimate is that his press secretary didn't lie harder and more convincingly.  The flags are still there, and the fact that they aren't stepping back form this nonsense is raising more red flags.

Similarly, the administration silencing groups like the EPA and barring them from posting on their social media is also raising some red flags.  The administration is telling agencies that they can not pass factual information (or any information) to the world.  That is troubling. However, in the storm cloud of negativity that hangs over us due to this action, we do have some other encouraging news. Rogue park rangers.

That's right, the National Parks are going rogue! Shortly after a number of National Parks social media started tweeting facts about climate change in clear defiance of the gag order. Can we all give it up for the parks? They are showing more spine and courage than many out there who are just putting their political pursuits above the needs and responsibilities of the country as a whole. In normal times this wouldn't be as troubling, but these are not normal times and this is not a normal administration. We can not simply look the other way because he's on the same team. I would hold the same standards for my own party.

So, three cheers for the National Parks, and let's hope some people come to their senses and start doing what's best for all of us, and not just the party.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 24
After dealing with my family the other day and explaining repeatedly that disliking a Facebook post in no way insults or attacks the person that posted it, I felt like this meme when they still just didn't get it.

The Drama Is Nonstop

Well, the family drama is back in full force, and this time we can blame it on Donald. Over the weekend a family member posted a post that originated from Ben Carson. It was an absurd argument that the country is divided and that to make it better the author was going to be nice. This niceness of holding doors, and saying hello to strangers would help solve the issue of division. Another family member posted criticism of the post saying that real division would be solved by giving rights and freedoms to those being oppressed and that they can hold the door for themselves ending by saying "you condescending twit."

Having read the comment and seeing other posts I knew that the ending was directed toward Ben Carson, but apparently the assumption was made that it was directed at the family member who posted it. The result was a couple of Trump supporter family members jumping town the throat of the critical family member. This sounds a bit convoluted. So, in response to what I saw I clarified the original point that little things like that would have nothing to do to solve division and that in that Ben Carson was a condescending twit.

Cut to people jumping down my throat for "attacking" my family member who posted it. However, my post had nothing to do with the person who posted it, but rather the idea that people like Ben Carson put out are a distortion of reality, a minimizing of the real divisions in our country, and ultimately damaging. However, again the idea was put out that by questioning the post was somehow an attack on the family member who posted it, despite never once mentioning them nor them even being involved in the conversation.

Apparently the idea that a challenge to a post's idea equals an attack on a person, and a disagreement means that there is no love. This is such a terrible and unhealthy way to look at relationships. There is no trouble with disagreeing, especially when it is done respectfully. It also creates a situation where people can't be authentic and the entire relationship becomes fake.

I really can't deal with that level of nonsense. It's usually stupid but at this point I'm ready to burn the place down. I'm sick of dealing with people the emotional maturity of middle school students. It's uncalled for. The first to cause drama are the ones that are so easily offended and touch about anyone ever questioning them or showing the slightest disapproval of their actions. It's time to grow up.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 23
A pretty creepy faceswap with Sal and Becky. Quite freaky, actually.  Not as bad as the one that I did with Sal, but still.

Red Flag!

The illegitimate conman has already in less than two days in office has already lost trust and integrity for ultimately inane nonsense. Of course, those watching the inauguration noted that the crowds were not nearly as large as previous inaugurations. In the end the number people present don't matter at all. Sure, it's something that Democrats can be smug about, and it's all fun and games to point out that fact, but in the end it doesn't matter because it doesn't change anything at all in the country. He is still the president regardless of how many people showed up to see it.

However, apparently that does matter to Donald. He can't take the idea that he isn't the greatest and has to always put forth the idea that he is always winning at everything. To know that he wasn't winning meant that he had to protect that "brand" and the idea that he never loses.  The problem is, he isn't a brand anymore, he's the President of the United States. A better man would have let it go and ignore something that holds no weight.  However, he isn't a better man. Instead he sent out his press secretary and instructed him to lie to the press and the American people.

This is a matter that is inconsequential. Yet he decided that in his very first press conference he was going to lie. To eliminate trust like that makes no sense. To start off on the food that you are willing to lie to the public about something that doesn't matter sends the message that you will certainly lie about things that will matter. For someone who has such little trust to begin with and then to erode it immediately with something that is verifiable. It also immediately brings up the ideas of 1984 where the party is asking you to ignore what you see and know and instead believe what they are telling you. There were pictures and the park service gives estimated numbers. He didn't have the biggest attended ceremony "period."

These are some major red flags for an administration in the first days. It was clear that the honeymoon period would be small. However actions like this make it nonexistent and makes the majority who lost the elections not because they weren't wanted but because of the archaic rules and the decisions of about 100,000 voters in three states.  This doesn't help, it is highly worrisome.

Vigilance is in order more than before.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 22
Some more fun with Snapchat! This time with mommy too.

The Resistance Has Begun

Many people I know today are in Washington marching in protest of the disgusting positions this new administration. I'm so proud that it seems like such a large crowd has turned out to have their voices heard. I'm also encouraged that these protests occurred not just in Washington, but in cities around the country, even in Ann Arbor which had a huge crowd far larger than they expected.  I think it's even more encouraging that these protests also occurred around the world. As if the voice of millions of voters did not say it enough that Donald was not the preferred choice, now millions around the world have stood up again to say that he and his policies are not what reasonable and intelligent people want.

Ultimately this falls on deaf ears, but while we may not be able to make it clear to him, he is not the only person in a position of power.  Others are seeing that this is not acceptable, and that we will not stand silent and let this dangerous man and these dangerous ideas go unchecked. If there is one thing that I will give him credit for, I feel that he has united and motivated so many progressives in a way that wouldn't have happened if we had won the election. I think people would have wanted change in the vein of Bernie Sanders, but the mobilization to change would not have been the same and as such the results would not have been the same. The question is can this mobilization be sustained so that it translates into real change. I feel like given the lightening rod that is Donald, it may be possible.

The resistance has officially begun, and boy was it a kick off.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 21
She looks like the kind of person that's angry because you owe her money.

The Ministry Has Fallen, They Are Coming

For this president, I have begun my protest by refusing to watch his assumption of power. I've watched every inauguration in my adult life until now. Part of me couldn't bear to watch it. At the same time, I know that this thin-skinned narcissist wanted a huge crowd, and he wanted high ratings, so I made sure not to give him what he wanted. I left my television on educational channels that were not showing the inauguration to be sure that ratings for something else were logged by Comcast.

We know that he Donald has been pissed that he lost the popular vote because it goes agains this image of him being such a winner. That's why he's made the ridiculous claims that he actually won the popular vote but there were three million undocumented immigrants who voted illegally.  We know this is a lie, but this man is so fragile that he can't stand the idea that many will rightly view him as an illegitimate president. He wants to claim he has a mandate, but he lost so thoroughly that such a narrative is impossible to maintain.

I was so gratified to see that he will not be able to make those claims, because he clearly had lower attendance, and hopefully the television ratings will tell us that it wasn't this grand event. This would further destroy the idea that there is this great mandate. To any other president, this wouldn't matter. It really doesn't matter that President Obama had larger crowds than Bush, or than Clinton. It really doesn't matter that Reagan had the largest ever. However, for this man, he can't stand the idea that he, like his gaudy gold leafed decorated apartment, is a fraud. However, he is an illegitimate president, and I hope his ego took a hit today.

In the end, this may be petty, but today has serious consequences. We have a vision of who could be leading the agencies. We know the kind of man that Donald and Pence are. We see the difference of an Obama administration with a head of the EPA who was a Nobel prize winner or a professor at MIT, and the proposed EPA head for Donald, Rick Perry. The day has come, and they are now in control. They are coming for us all...

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 20
While this ultimately doesn't matter, I think it at least sends a message and gives a real idea of what it really looks like when the people are behind you.

Thanks, Obama!

I sit here on the last night before I go to bed that Barrack Obama will be my president. I think many of us on the left realize how much things are going to change, but at the same time I'm not sure that we really appreciate how much our current president has shaped this world and our country. I don't think that we fully understand how just his tone and attitude have change things. I think about how open and inclusive the White House has been by having someone like him in the oval office. I think about that clip from years back when Lin-Manuel Miranda came to the White House and did a demo of what became Hamilton. I can't imagine that sort of thing happening over the next four years.

We've had a cool president. A president who is modern, who has a great sense of humor, who brings a different perspective, who is a symbol of change. I remember that excitement and hope in 2008 as he spoke from Chicago. It was so exciting, it was so emotional. He brought a message of hope, and sure he didn't get everything done that liberals wanted. Sure, he didn't do everything that I would have wanted him to do, and sure I disagreed with some of his policies. However, I think for many people in this country they felt the difference of tone the past eight years.

Tonight I feel thankful for this president and for the way he has inspired the country. I am thankful for his class, and integrity. I am thankful for his thoughtfulness, and kindness. I am thankful for Michelle Obama and her intelligence and grace. I am thankful for the Obama family, who have endured such warrantless negativity. Yet, they are such an amazing model for all of us.

So, as I sit here and reflect on all that this president has brought us, I find such gratitude. I will miss this president. I will miss his vision of America. I will miss his hope and optimism. I will miss his intelligence and eloquence.  He faced unprecedented obstruction, but I feel he will remembered kindly by history.

So tonight, on this last night of the Obama presidency, I say thanks, Obama!

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 19
Midcentury librarian Sal.

Why So Silent, Quippy?

So, readers of my blog (of which I think there are four), may have noticed that I have not posted much of anything political in ages. In fact, I don't think I've had a single blog since the election dedicated toward politics. If you're friends with me on Facebook you know I haven't been silent, but here I have. I think part of that is that political posts take an amazing amount of time for me to construct. Sure I have some where I just shoot something off, but a good post requires that I do some reading, research, revising, and it's time consuming. As you know sometimes there is a lag with postings because I'll type stuff up but then the photos I have to do from my phone then come back and format.

I think the other situation is that I want to just savor these last few days with a president that I support. I don't want to face the future until I absolutely must. That being said, I'm going to be addressing things. In fact I've considered starting a blog specifically for politics. However, much of that is so I can post it on Facebook without posting my personal blog on Facebook. I've also considered starting a podcast to discuss some things that are going on.

Either way, expect political blogs soon. I've been quiet, but tomorrow is Obama's last day, so my silence ends soon.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 18
Some more Snapchat filter fun. She thought this one was quite funny.

Future Planning

I've been thinking a lot about vacations and trips. I know I posted about this recently, but again it's just something that's going on in my brain, so here it is again. I know I'm going to be in Chicago in June, and I'll be in Washington D.C. in July, however I want to go other places as well.  I'd love to go to LA for VidCon, but I don't feel there is anyone that would really be into going with me, and I don't think it's something I'd prefer to do alone.  Though, then again maybe doing something alone like this would be good? Then again I'll be going to D.C. alone most likely too.

I'm also still all about the National Parks. I'd love to go out and visit Kara and there are tons of parks near here. Rocky Mountains National Park, Arches, Mesa Verde, Grand Canyon, Zion, etc. etc. etc. I mean, obviously you couldn't go to all of them, but it's so close that any of those would be in range. I've been wanting to go to Arches for ages, especially Natural Bridges dark sky park. I also think it could be really cool to go rafting through the Grand Canyon, though that would involve camping and a lot of people seem to think that wouldn't be something that I'd be suited for. I think people misjudge my drive and willingness to have new experiences in life. That leads me to another idea to get a group of people and rent a cabin or something somewhere for a weekend or something.

There are so many options. I need to have some free time to actually think about these things and do some research. I fear I won't be able to do that until May when I'm done with EMU for the summer. It takes up so much time!

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 17
Just some daddy and baby selfies. Sal insists on looking at "picturebaby" so sometimes we have to make new ones.

Some Past Thoughts

Today is MLK day, and today my thoughts are about my experiences four years ago on this day. In 2013 the family went to Washington and got to stand on the National Mall and watched Barrack Obama be inaugurated for his second term. That day fell on MLK day, which seemed appropriate given the events of the day. Prior to heading to the Mall we decided to visit the monuments and memorials, and we stopped at the MLK memorial. It was so positive to stand along the Tidal Basin and see so many people visiting the and honoring and reflecting on his life. At the same time it was also uplifting to stand looking at that giant statue and know that I was about to see the second inauguration of a man that just decades ago would never have had a chance.

It was a fantastic experience filled with such excitement and joy. The crowd was so energized, the spirit was exhilarating. It's an experience that I would love to participate in again.  I look forward to a time in the future when such a thing can happen.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 16
Just some Snapchat fun with filters here. We did a whole bunch that I'll post over the next few days. I feel like some crazy old Sherlock Holmes kind of detective.  Or that guy from the Pixar chess short.

Isolated

The extreme business of the past few months has meant that I've barely had time to do anything with anyone. The semester centered around teaching all week, and reading and lesson planning all weekend. That left me feeling pretty exhausted, but also somewhat isolated. I think part of the business helped though because in general I think that I am quite isolated. My blog last year talked a lot about the disintegration of my social base, and I'm coming to the point where I don't feel I have many people in my corner. I also find that is pushing me strongly toward those that I have longer connections with, even though some of those connections haven't been as active. I think for me that is because I feel some level more of trust toward those people. I have very little trust in much of anyone anymore.  There has been too much abandonment, too many times being stabbed in the back, to much falseness. It leaves me feeling unsure where to turn and who is trustworthy. It leaves a feeling of not really sure if anyone can be trusted anymore, and makes me want to draw back in general.

I'm not sure where this blog is going. I just know that I generally go days on end without speaking to anyone other than the people I live with and my students.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 15
So, it occurred to me that that flower she was wearing yesterday reminded me of something. So, who wore it best?

It's All Downhill From Here

Teaching takes a lot out of you. I think people don't necessarily understand what it's like being a teacher. I know a lot of other jobs you have things like presentations, or meetings that you have to run, interviews you have to conduct, and so on. Well teaching is like being in a performance. From the second you walk in the door you are on. You get an intermission for lunch and then you get 40 minutes or so for your "prep" but that gets eaten up by staff meetings, one on one meetings, parent meetings, returning e-mails, and then if you're lucky you actually get to plan or grade.

That means the actual planning and grading take place after eight hours of teaching or during the weekend. That kind of constant grind is exhausting. It's not like when you have an office job where you get down time, or slow times. That being said, the hardest part of the year I think has passes. The long trek from September until the end of November. Being constantly on for that long makes is really hard to get through things. To add to that was the grad school. By break I was totally destroyed and ended up sick nearly the entire break.

However, we're now in 2017 and it's all downhill from here. We are nearly at the halfway mark for the school year, and there are a number of weekends and breaks to allow for recharging. That's not to say that I'm counting down to breaks, I'm just happy that there are pitstops along the way to help refuel. One of these pitstops happens to be this weekend, which is a bit nutty. We were only back a week and we already have a three day weekend!

I also feel that it's downhill from here because I've got some systems that I feel are finally working some in class. Organizational things to help make classes move smoothly, and some that I'm about to put into place that I'm quite excited about. All in all I have the vague feeling that things are going in the right direction, though still a lot of work.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 14
We went out to La Fuente and Sal insisted on wearing this giant flower.  Apparently it was off of some sort of decoration at grandma's house but she wanted to wear it, so here it is.

Friday The 13th

It's been quite an eventful week!  So, there was talk about me starting a drama club at school, so I put in the paperwork today and apparently it had already been talked about so the principal was just waiting for me to give her the proposal.  She promptly approved it, and our first meeting is going to be on February 1st!  It's pretty exciting, and I think it'll be fun too.  I also made a proposal about how we do classes with the switch between science and social studies.  See, since we don't have state testing in these subjects they don't matter, so I only see my students every other day. Well, that means that some days I have them three days, some days I have them two days.  This is pretty disruptive, so I suggested we model it after how we did it at Plymouth and it sounded good to everyone, and it got approved this morning.

This evening got sucked in to some old movies apparently according to AMC. First they had on Armageddon, which I watched a few minutes of before we switched it to Sherlock.  I'm loving Sherlock! However, Becky fell asleep and now I've gotten sucked into freaking Pearl Harbor.  It's such a terrible movie, and really I should just go to bed, but I've come this far, surely I should finish it.

Or maybe I'll just go to bed.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 13
Sal wanted to read the book on the table. She was particularly fond of the ice cream.

Uncle Joe

Ok, I'm just going to have to take a minute and talk about what happened today when President Obama surprised Joe Biden with Presidential Medal of Freedom.  I mean, he was already having a great week with Obama's farewell address where he got to do some classic finger guns. But then to be surprised like that? It was awesome to watch.  As you may have noticed I've been back to blogging for about three weeks now, and I have not once addressed politics.  I think part of that is that I'm in denial or something. In a week Obama and Biden will be gone, and I don't think I want to think about it.  In reality I really don't feel up to talking about it anymore.  I think I spent all of my energy in the first days after the election fighting what was going on.  A lot of people after the election turned in and avoided any talk of what happened, but I was out there going at it.  I think it must be my time to not be able to deal and stepping back.

But for today, I get to watch two great role models, two men who have set such an excellent tone for our government and our country. We are losing a lot when they leave the White House next week, not simply from an ideological sort of way, but just by the kind of men they are and have been the past eight years. I'm not going to lie, the Joe Biden memes are what have been getting me through the past two months.

Soon I will finally talk about politics, I've just not been able to bring myself to do it.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 12
Sal generally enjoys Snapchat filters, but this one she really didn't enjoy. She said "noooooo. Baby."

A Long Crusade

Tonight was my first late class where i had to work all day. Basically from being exhausted I really couldn't even get the reading done, and apparently for this class that isn't going to be something that could be done. The professor goes around the class and asks every student to answer all the questions. He also just cold calls people to talk about sections of the book.  So, if you don't do the reading then it's going to be a very uncomfortable class period. This week I didn't get the final two chapters finished, so I was really glad when he decided not to cover the final chapter.

I will say that after working but not having a class directly before this class it wasn't so bad being on campus so late. I also like that this professor is direct and doesn't like "chatty."  This was kind of amusing since there is a student in the class who is a bit long winded.  He's quite smart, and I do like him, but he just goes on and on.  He did that today and the professor told him that, "you could have stopped after the first sentence." I also like that he is very clear about what he wants.  He asks very specific questions that leave no question to what you are looking for. I don't mean that in the way where he's looking for a specific answer (he makes it quite clear when that's not the answer to a question), but instead it's open ended but specific. I hate professors who ask very vague and open ended questions.  "What do you think of this?" Well, you had us read 200 pages, which part?  What do you mean by "what do I think" because that's too much with to vague a question.

In sickness update, I'm still not doing well. I'm now developing a hacking cough, so that's fun! Ugh. Make it stop.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 11
Little chef got some really good costumes and a ton of new food for her kitchen.  I may be a bit biased, but I have to say that she's one cute little cook.

Summer Seminar!

Today I remembered that the National Holocaust Memorial Museum does a seminar every summer for teachers to learn about how to teach the Holocaust better. I've known about this for a long time, but given that I want's a teacher until this year I could never register. Well, I remembered that the 2017 registration should have been open by now since it is 2017. You have to be quick with it because it's a first come first serve kind of thing and fills up quickly.  So I hopped over to the registration website and sure enough the event was open for registration. They had the standard warning that it's first come first serve and that it fills up quickly, so I register to see if I had a chance.

Luck would have it there was still space so I actually got in. That means in July, I will get to head down to Washington to participate for a few days in some teaching development! I'm super excited about this because I've been wanting to go for some time now. I'd also like to learn to do this subject better since I'm teaching it for my elective. Looking at the agenda from previous years it looks like there are some really great events involved including some time to tour the permanent exhibit after hours and a lot hands on sort of activities.

So, looks like I've already got one really good experienced scheduled for the year!

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 10
Sal decided to sit an do some homework with Jasmine and Logan. Look at that, already going to college. She sat between them for quite a while.

I've Been Ursula-ed

Well this freaking illness is hitting me hard.  After the first day back at school I have basically lost my voice. I'm not sure if it's long term, of if I just did too much talking and shouting at students on my first day back. I hope that tomorrow I wake up with my voice back to normal, but I'm feeling like total buns today. I had to go to class right after school for the first day of my other class (History of Phoenicians), and I was supposed to start reading the 150 pages that are due by Wednesday but I had a fever of like 102 and felt like shi-poopie and ended up just going to bed at like 8:30.

Other than being exhausted, I'm not feeling that bad. I've got a lot of congestion, but I don't actually hurt all that much (other than just some general aching tonight). I'd love to be back to normal again, I'm really tired of being sick. Remember way back when I had an awesome immune system?  Where did that go?  It's also keeping me from my workout routine.  I ended up not running the past few days. I still lost almost a pound last week, though I also started doing less at the end of the week due to the illness starting to take hold.  However, I haven't run since Friday, so if this thing hangs on much longer this week I'm not going to do well on my goals this week. I suppose exceptions can be made for illness.

Ugh. Can we get some Star Trek medical things where I can just pop in and get a quick scan and fixed up all quick please?

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 9
Sal was helping make dinner.  She shouts for her "ladder" and says "baby help!" We've always just called her baby, like a title and she does it now.  Though she's starting to say Sal. I want her to use Sal, because using baby as a nickname seems like a terrible idea. At the same time, it's a little bittersweet because she's really not a baby anymore.

Florida Bug

Alright, friends.  I'm really getting a bug and drive to go to Disney.  I'm not sure what is causing this, I mean I suppose some of it could be that it's been three years since Becky and I went, and four years since we went as a family.  Something about the thought of a nice themed hotel, some time in the parks, some delicious food, and that Florida weather are really calling out to me right now.  I suppose part of it is probably that we always have such a really good time when we go.

I've also been thinking about the Disney cruise we went on three years ago, and I think I'd really love to do that again.  I wonder if it'd be a really fun trip to celebrate Jasmine's graduation.  Though, it's entirely possible that I will be graduating with my masters the same time, so it could be a nice joint party. Sun, cruise, Disney.  It sounds so freaking nice.

At the same time we've been doing a lot of travels lately to places we've never been, and I know a Disney trip would really not help us succeed in our goals of going new places. We've also been talking about visiting Kara and seeing the Grand Canyon. Florida wouldn't really fit that whole scheme. I really haven't had time to think about travel much given how crazy last semester was, but with it now being 2017 and there is vacation time on the distant horizon, I think I should probably start considering what we want to do for the year.

I'm just saying... Disney is calling me.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 8
Another freaky faceswap with me and Jasmine.  I think it's a little less freaky than the one that I did with Sal, thought the glasses thing kind of made it weird. Well, I mean it's all weird.

Derpfdey Party

Today was Salinger's birthday party. It's kind of a long way from where we were last year, and it was a much smaller affair. We had the family over, but that was about it. The first birthday is a much bigger deal so it made sense to invite more people.  But two and on, that's not necessary to invite other people to other than family.  Perhaps we should have made a larger event out of it, or maybe we saved people form feeling obligated to come to a toddler party.  Who knows.

So, the party we decided to go with this year was Winnie the Pooh. Sal is a huge fan, and generally speaking we end up "watching" it a few days per week. I mean, she likes that we turn it on, and she'll watch a little bit of it, and then decide to go off an play.  She really enjoys the first portion of it with the honey tree, but then she gets bored in the other stories afterwards. She loves the bees, and has pointed out all the bees that are in the background in Pooh's house, which is kind of cute. She also likes that he eats the sticky part of the honey, and when Becky painted the flower pots for the forks and straws Sal saw it and shouted "Sticky!"

We had a lot of Pooh themed foods.  PB&J sandwiches cut into bear shapes. My mom made some pretzels dipped in chocolate that were stripes that we called "tigger tales." Becky made some chocolate dip to eat with Teddy Grahams and called it "the very muddy place" where Pooh rolls around in to become a little black rain cloud. Then Becky decided to ad a veggie tray and say it was from Rabbit's Garden, and then pink lemonade was piglet punch.  Of course there were "derpfdey cake" and Sal enjoyed having everyone sing to her.

The party was a good time, Sal had fun opening presents, and eating snacks and cake. She also had a really good time playing with some other toddlers.  Becky did a freaking awesome job planning it.  She is very creative and really gets the details down to make a really awesome theme.  It was a great party, and we had a really good time in the grown up after party playing the new game we got where you have to say phrases in different voices. So, a nice day in all.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 7
Becky does some really good theme work for parties. Both Jasmine and Sal got some really awesome themed birthday parties. It's all in the details, such as the blue balloon to ride up the honey tree.

That's Sick

The -itis has struck in multiple forms. So, Sal had a bit of a runny nose the past few days and has seemed a bit off.  Well, today Becky found out that the niece and nephew have strep throat, so worried that Sal may have the same thing we decided to take her in to be checked to make sure her fever and runny nose is that or not.  Turns out no, it is not strep throat, but instead is she has a double ear infection. This is her first ear infection that we're aware of.  The good news is that Sal, other than having some symptoms of being ill, hasn't really acted that bad.  Though, she's been saying things are loud and crying that things are loud, so perhaps that's related.  But other than that, she hasn't really been acting too sick.

At the same time, I feel like I'm starting to come down with something.  I can feel it in my ear/throat/nose/sinus area.  I'm glad that Sal doesn't have strep because I can take that one off the list. I'm so annoyed that it's hitting me now because it'll probably be sick going back into work. I was sick before break, and I thought I was getting over it, though I wonder if I every kicked it and it's not just hitting me again.  Ugh. can I just not be sick? I'm popping immune health supplements for now, hopefully it's just some sniffles that will blow over quickly.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 6
Sal asked for a cookie with some M&Ms on them.  Reather than eating the cookie she just wanted to eat the M&Ms off it. And rather than just picking them off she decided to just mow off the top.  She ended up a chocolatey mess.

Break Up

Well, break is nearly over. It went by way quicker than I feel like it should have, but I did get a good deal of relaxation time.  However, Sal has been a bit needy lately and that means I'm not getting as much done as I anticipated.  I expected to have all my grading done by yesterday, and as of today I still haven't even finished one complete assignment, and I have a total of six assignments to grade. That means that the other project that I wanted to take care of still haven't been completed and I'm not going to head into the post-break period as ahead of the game as I had wanted.

Some good news is that I was able to organize all my old files, using my fancy new label maker I really got a lot done.  This has been sitting around my class for the entire school year and not at all the way I want my stuff to be organized. That in itself makes me feel like I got a lot done, and I mean I suppose I did. I had an entire crate full of papers that are now in neatly labeled folders.

The one thing that is nice is that I'm coming up the end of break and I have absolutely no dread with the end of break coming. Like, it's sad that I won't have as much time with Sal, but it's not stressing me out and I'm not feeling upset or depressed that I have to go to work. I also feel like 2017 part of the school year will be a bit easier than the 2016 part of the school year because it's not such a long slog between short breaks.  Like the week back has a three day weekend at the end of it, and then there are little breaks in every month for the rest of the year.  This is way better than going from September to November with no breaks.  Having to deal with 150+ middle school students requires a break now and again or one may beat them to death with a pool noodle.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 5
When we went to get breakfast the other morning Sal decided that she was going to "watch" for her "pancakes!" After she informed us of this, she sat and watched the kitchen area until they arrived.  It was pretty freaking cute.

EMU return

I'm not sure who was in charge of the EMU master calendar, but they are a bit of a bastard.  Barely two weeks off between semesters is not enough, especially at how crazy last semester was. But, sure enough classes started back up again tonight, and it was one of my longer night classes that go until 10pm.  Though, perhaps it's not so bad because this week I'm still off work, so that's one less class I'll have to go to after work.  Last semester they were all after work.  I also will have one during school's spring break, which is nice.

This semester I'm taking the only two classes that were available for me to take.  The class tonight was a history of the crusades. I've never really had any classes about ancient history.  Basically my classes haven't gone back further than the 1600s, so it's a little strange to have an both of my classes this semester being so old.  I really don't know much about either subject.  I've never really studies much about this time period, though I feel like I kind of like the whole ancient history thing.

The professor I was unsure about. I had him once in undergrad and we had a bit of a disagreement.  It was an online class and I had an issue with mixed up dates and missed a test by a couple hours.  He refused to let me take it and gave me a zero, implying that he can't give tests to undergrads who miss stuff because they were out partying.  In the end, that test, that class, and that professor is the reason that I did not graduate with highest honors due to the grade I got for missing that one test. However, from class today I think perhaps he's not too bad. He seems kind of funny, and a lot of students say he's great.  We'll see, I suppose. I will say that I felt more inspired to actually go further down the path of becoming a historian after going to class.  However, perhaps that has to do with the fact that I'm not burned out because I've had two good weeks to rest and recuperate.

The class itself is in basically a closet.  It's an interior room with no windows and is maybe the size of my bedroom, with 15 people and a professor crammed into it.  I'm not going to like that at all.  It feels very cramped and uncomfortable.  The good news is that there are now only 14 more classes this semester and then I'm off all summer from grad school.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 4
A picture from getting dinner with mommy yesterday.  She thought that she's stick her tongue out instead of showing me what her shirt says.  I love that she is ordering for herself.  When the waitress asks us Sal will shout "PANCAKES!"

Birthday Baby

I now have a two year old!  It's a bit crazy that it's already been two years, though at the same time it also feels like it's been so long.  This morning when she got up I told her happy birthday, and she got right up in my face and then whispered, "Derpfhdey Cake!"  In fact, she insisted that she should have birthday cake for breakfast, and then got really upset when I told her we didn't have any birthday cake. I tried to pass off some banana bread as birthday cake, but she was having none of that and continued crying.  However, she then reset and decided that it was sufficiently cakey and calmed down and ate her cake.  Though, she's a real weirdo because she ate around the outside and left the center.  The norm is to not eat the crust, but she was all about it.  I don't even like eating the bottom part of banana bread because it gets too browned. Though I suppose we can agree that the top of the bread is the best.

She had to go visit grandma because I had to get my hair cut and go to the dentist, but she got to play in the bounce house, which she had a great time. Then when I came to pick her up she had a special birthday cake and she thought the singing was the most hilarious thing. She only got one bite of it though, because we had to have dinner.  For dinner we took her to her favorite restaurant, La Fuente.  She loves chips and cheese, and the waitstaff there.  They were nice and brought her this churro sort of thing and sang to her, which she also thought was funny.

When she got home she officially got some "derpfhdey cake" and we sang to her.  However, she informed us that her cake needed candles, so we had to get one first before we could sing to her.  Again, she thought it was the funniest thing ever, and then ate all the icing off the cake and ate nearly none of the actual case.

It's exciting to have a goofy two year old.  She's getting to be really funny and silly as she's getting older.  It's so rewarding to watch her develop a personality, a sense of humor, and interests and preferences. It's hilarious to watch her intentionally do something that she thinks is funny, where her intention is to be a little comedian.  One of her new things is to scare people with her dragons.  A lot of people I think feel sad that kids grow up, and I can understand that they are no longer tiny little nuggets any more, but they get so fun as they get older, so I can't be too sad.  She's a delight to have, and I'm sure this year will be another exciting year of fun, though I'm sad that next year she'll probably be able to say birthday cake instead of derpfhdey cake. I look forward to watching her learn and grow more, and become a goofy little ball of personality.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 3
Just eating a little bit of derpfhdey cake!

Picture It

I have a lot of pictures. And I don't mean digital, I mean, physical photos.  Though, I do have a lot of digital photos too.  I have been going through the new faces tagging thing that iPhoto has and tagging people in photos, I've got about 900 of my 28,200 photos tagged. So, at that rate I should be done with that sometime in the middle of February.  However, I'm also trying to organize my physical photos, and to help with that we went to get some new photo boxes because I literally have photos laying all over the place.  So, we picked up some boxes to consolidate and organize my photos and now I have three very large boxes full of photos.  I'm going to need to organize them too, but as of right now they are at least safely stored in fancy new boxes.

The next thing I have to do, as per my goals list, is to get all of those boxes of pictures scanned.  I have about 75 rolls of film negatives of 25 photos per roll that I need to get done, but then there is a large portion of photos that were from other people or that are really old that I have to do also.  This is a huge project, which is why it hasn't been knocked off my goals list, and I think this is the third year I've had it on the goals list.  So, I'm going to focus on this one really hard to make sure it gets done so I can take it off the list.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 2
Ok, Kroger, you got Jackfruit (whatever that is), but you have no cilantro? And not just one, but you have five of these giant spacepods?

2017 Goals

So, the question is, was 2016 a singular shitacular dumpster fire, or was it the harbinger of 2017?  Will any of us be here in December? Will the world still exist? Well, if we are still here in December and President Orangutang doesn't get us all killed, then here are my goals for 2017.

Goal Number One - Read at least 12 books: I've been pretty good at this one, and I should probably up this to more than 12 since I'm reading a lot for classes, but I think I'll keep it at 12, but right now I'll say that my stretch goal is to read 18.  I expect to hit 12, so that gives me another goal to work toward knowing that classes give me a bit of an advantage.

Goal Number Two - Lose 1.25 pounds per week:  So, I've had a few goals about being more active, but they aren't very measurable, so I decided to go with a concrete goal.  This isn't a huge amount to lose per week and well within a healthy weight loss plan. It also would by the end of the year put me in a healthy weight range.  Of course this is also an average, so I'm not going to freak if some weeks don't quite hit where I want to be, but it's measurable, and a good plan. I plan the first 100 days to be very active, and my new treadmill should help make that easier since the winter can be hard to go out and run.  I also plan to try and buddy up for something to help keep me motivated (so Becky is going to have to help me out).

Goal Number Three - Log my meals and activity every day: I tend to be far more successful when I take the time to log my food and activities, but I've been really lax.  So, my goal for the year is to every day to log what I do, without missing any days. I know this is the hardest when I travel because logging food from restaurants is hard, and that's usually where I get off track.  So, the goal is to log it every day.

Goal Number Four - Digitize and organize my photos: I have far too many photos on film that need to be scanned, and I've been really bad about getting them taken care of. By the end of the year I will have them all scanned in.  Once they're scanned I will organize them all.  To do that I'm going to have to just dedicate a little bit of time each week to chip away at it.  I think I have something like 75 rolls of film that need to be scanned.  The problem is they aren't easy to scan because it's Kodak Advantix film. However, this will get done this year.

Goal Number Five - Landscape the backyard: We've been in the house now for seven years, and we still haven't put a deck on the back of the house, or done much in the form of landscaping.  We have a dead tree out front that needs to be replaced, we've got the side of the driveway that used to have rocks and still hasn't been seeded properly.  Basically, we need to get some stuff done to the outside, so that's one of my goals for the year, to get some outdoor stuff taken care of around the house.

Goal Number Six -  Create a longterm goals list:  Perhaps some may call it a bucket list, but that seems more like something that you create when you feel like you're older and need to figure out what you want to do before you kick said bucket.  That's not something that I'm worried about, but I was thinking that there are a lot of things I want to do, and perhaps it would be good to create a list for things that are more numerous than I'd like to put on an annual goals list, but also a little more specific.  Such as "visit the Harry Potter studio tour" which isn't a goal for the year, but is something I'd like to do.  I figure much like my goal seven, it will help me clarify things I want to experience, and thus work toward them.  I've been thinking about some of the things I'd like to put on there, and some are more long term goals, such as learn to play the piano, or learn a foreign language, or other things like that.  So, my goal is to compile this list. I don't think this is a goal that will have a "completed" except that the list was created.  I see it more as a rolling list that will have things come and go, but the list itself needs to be created.

Goal Number Seven - Have Seven New Experiences:  This is always my favorite goal of the year because it focuses on doing things, not getting things.  It also focuses me to do things that I haven't instead of simply doing things I like and staying in my comfort zone.  For example, for a few years we went to Florida every year, which was fun, but wasn't new.  However, in the past few years since I've added this we've gone to a ton of new places, some that we really have loved.  So, another seven new experiences this year!

So, if we are still here in December, then we can check in and see how things went.  Good luck, 2017.

For my fitness update, today I took the dog for a nice long walk, and did 45 minutes of yoga, so off to a decent start.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 1

Some Snapchat filters for 2017!