Home Stretch

    I hope everyone is having a good week so far.  Thursday happens to be one of my favorite days because it's that much closer to the weekend.  I definitely think next week should be just one giant weekend with all the work I have to complete.  The end of my semester is coming and I couldn't be more calm.  Usually I'd be extremely stressed thinking about all of the papers and projects I have to do before the beginning of May, but this year it's different.  I'm completely aware of the amount of work I have to do, but I'm not worried.  I have faith in myself to get everything done on time, or even early.  It's always nice to get a break for the summer.

    Three of my assignments are relatively large: a literature review, a unit plan and a multimedia narrative.  For the literature review I have to read an entire book and focus on a central issue regarding 21st century literacies.  I've created a unit plan surrounding one of my favorite movies, Harriet the Spy, using both the book and the film to draw conclusions around identity and character development.  For my multimedia narrative I'm supposed to reflect on my semester and make light of my experiences from the course using multimodal technologies.  I think I'm going to use Storify, which is a site dedicated to mashing up various aspects of social media to create a coherent story.  I'll be posting my thoughts and rough draft of this project tomorrow on my ENGL 889 page.  All of these projects are labor intensive and require a huge amount of reflection and organization.  I'm curious about what I'll discover while working on all of these simultaneously.  I've already found that some of the readings I've done in both classes have the potential for crossing over.  I'm looking forward to getting down to business and putting as much effort into these as I can muster.  I may even share one of these finished projects on here in my ENGL 889 page, so stay tuned for a finished product.

    On top of this school work, I've been working on finding a summer job.  So far I haven't had any bites yet, but I'm still waiting to hear back from two places that seemed promising at first.  Honestly, I don't know what will happen with either of them, but I'm still trying to keep my options open.  Hopefully I'll hear something from one of them by next week, but who knows.  Honestly, I didn't think I would be on the job hunt again so soon.  I've also never applied for summer jobs before, so most of the application deadlines for opportunities in my area have been closed since mid-March.  It's actually more stressful than my projects.  The good news is that the after school program goes until mid-June, so I have some time left, but not much.  I'm praying for some much-needed beach time, so fingers crossed.
    As for TV reviews, they're very similar to last week.  Heads up for some SPOILERS...

  The Amazing Race brought the laughs this weekend with the Globetrotters attempting to ride the smallest donkey's in Italy.  Or maybe they just looked tiny underneath Big Easy?  Needless to say it was another frustrating week for me, being a fan of the Globetrotters.  I didn't like that they went home, but I have to say I can't really defend them this week.  They've been having trouble reading the directions on their road block cards...or maybe just with common sense.  Besides screaming at my television every time the Globetrotters were on screen, it was a decent episode.  I didn't like that Brenchel won again, but I have to give Rachel props on her calligraphy skills.  Is it sad that that road block was one of my favorites?  I would've loved to have taken that one on, but alas, I don't think my dad and I will ever make it to the Amazing Race.  I can still dream though.

  Once Upon a Time answered some questions for us this time around.  We finally found out what Zelena is planning to do with all her body parts, why she wants to go back in time and who's brain she needs.  How she plans on getting it is a whole other story...and it's probably not pretty.  You know what else wasn't pretty?  Rumple and Zelena's make-out session...EW.  There was a time when I thought any romanticism with Rumple would've been gross, but I'd give anything for Brumple to be whole again, without Zelena.  She's becoming an annoying wicked thorn in everyone's side, so I hope her demise is quick and painful.  My favorite person from this week was definitely Regina.  With her acting brave and working hard to help everyone, it's obvious that she's turned over a new leaf.  Also, her kiss with Robin was AMAZING! (and so over due).  Needless to say I can't wait to see what next week has to offer.  Especially with Hook being so shady, now that he's pissed about the curse.  Still hoping for a Emma/Hook ship to happen!

  Game of Thrones was also great this week.  I don't think I'm the only one who loves the dynamic between Arya and The Hound.  It won't last, but I like that they hinted at Bravos as a potential ending point.  I would like to know what Baelish wants to do with Sansa, but honestly I think she's safer with him.  I wouldn't want to go back to King's Landing under any circumstances, even to save poor Tyrion.  I definitely don't think he'll die, but his dialogue with Podrick was so moving!  He really is the best squire ever.  We're still not sure who actually killed Joffrey, but at this point I'm just glad he's dead.  Obviously, if you've read the books, you do know who killed him, but I haven't gotten that far yet, so I think we'll find out soon.  Another one of my favorite relationships is the one between Daenarys and Daario, who proved he was as badass as he claimed to be this week.  From the look in her eyes at the end of that miserable excuse for a showdown, she likes what she sees.  I'd ship them.  There were a lot of things I didn't like about this episode though: Sam sending Gilly to that nasty brothel, Jaimie raping his sister near their dead son's body, (c'mon man, even Cersei wouldn't do that...), and those damn cannibals killing and eating everyone.  Poor Stanis doesn't have a leg to stand on anymore, so I don't know why they even bothered giving him a two minute scene.  Who knows what will happen next week, but from the looks of things it's going to be good.

    I'd like to take this opportunity to mention something I'd like to start for the summer.  I'll be reopening my book reviews page and starting a summer reading list.  Now that I'll have more time to read, I can keep you guys updated on my progress and what books I'm reading through my GoodReads page, which has become severely neglected since I started classes.  I'm not sure about how much time I will give myself to read each book, but I don't really believe anyone should put a limit on reading time, so I think we'll leave that up to chance.  I will be reviewing each book once I finish them, so be on the lookout for which book I will start reading first, starting as soon as I finish all my projects.
    That's all for reviews this week.  I think it would be good for me and all the work I have to do to take a break next week, so unless something ridiculous or miraculous happens, there won't be a blog.  Sometimes you need to take a break in order to get stuff done, so that's what I'll be doing.  I'll have my recaps and reviews of next week's shows and hopefully more interesting information regarding my life for May 8th.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Oh, and this...

Sorry Not Sorry

    Hey guys, I understand that it's Friday and I missed yesterday's post.  Just be thankful that I'm here because I was considering not posting at all after the week I've had...  Early mornings, long days and late nights coupled with papers, unit plans and watching elementary school children every day has made me hate the world at this point.  Let's just say I'm glad next week is April Vacation.

    With less than two weeks left until the end of the semester, things are looking pretty tight.  I finished my case study, but now have to revise it, on top of the already scheduled term paper due at the end of finals week.  I also have to finish leading the discussion we were supposed to have Wednesday, but because of case study work shopping, it got pushed back.  In my other class, I just finished up my gaming and literacy unit with my friend Jess, so that's one less thing I have to worry about.  We still have a multimodal reflection due by May 1st as well as a unit plan due by the end of the semester, so I have to get cracking on those.  I was supposed to revise and resubmit my interview research paper, but I really don't think that's going to happen.  With everything else I have on my plate, I may barely scrape by with what I have to do now.  As for my new job, I now have to create three lesson plans for them and have them in by Monday.  I've resigned myself to a few facts: I can't be great at everything I do, I have to make sacrifices to stay sane, and I can't keep stressing about everything.  Hopefully I'll get a good chunk of work done while I don't have to see my kids next week until Friday, but we'll see.
    As I've been pretty swamped, I managed to finish all the TV shows I usually watch that were on this week so far by last night, so I could talk about them today in my reviews.  SPOILERS AHEAD...

    The Amazing Race was great last weekend solely because of the change in scenery.  The only part I found difficult to watch was when the Globe Trotters were at the Spanish Steps and were trying to count them and write the number down, but they forgot to do it in Roman numerals.  He never thought to check the Road Block instructions to see if maybe he was doing something else wrong besides guessing the wrong number.  The other groups seemed to fare well in all of the challenges and no one really stood out to me as doing a brilliant job, mostly because everyone caved and got help from some locals, or even tourists, (which is sad really, when you think about it).  Even the team who went home weren't really that exciting to me, so I'm still waiting for Brenchel to disappear...  Hopefully next week will be more exciting because I just wasn't feeling the vibes this week.

    Once Upon a Time, however, turned up the volume on some stuff this weekend.  I loved seeing more of Hook because, let's face it, he's dreamy in an evil kind of way, (IE: the best kind).  His tangled past with Ariel was a good back story to add to the betrayal Zelena pulled at the end.  Now Hook can't have Emma or tell her the truth without hurting everyone she loves, which right now doesn't really include him.  Sure, she cares about him, but she doesn't love him...at least not yet.  So I'm thinking he's going to go back to keeping his distance from her so that he doesn't ruin her chances of beating Zelena.  He may even take Smee's offer to go back to pirating, just to get away.  Who knows, but I hope he doesn't just sulk in a lonely corner at Granny's blaming himself for everything that goes wrong from in on out.  I also loved seeing Snow and Charming trying to be "cool grandparents" to Henry, even though he doesn't remember them that way.  Driving the truck through town probably wasn't the best idea, but I don't think anyone really cared that much, (except Regina...oops).  Can't wait for Sunday's episode!  I'm hoping we finally found out what else Zelena needs for her spell.  There's also talk of a Frozen crossover involving Kristin Bell, so that might be interesting, (although it seems like Frozen is taking over every aspect of our lives as human beings at this point...).

    Game of Thrones was the big one this weekend with the Purple Wedding shenanigans.  Everyone was talking about it so much that the spoiler disputes made the news.  Luckily, now there's an app for that.  Needless to say we all really wanted that ending to happen, but Joffrey's death wasn't the only embarrassingly disgusting thing that happened.  Joffrey's treatment of Tyrion made me and my husband cringe through that entire scene, so I can't imagine how everyone else felt watching that humiliation unfold.  I felt bad for Tyrion, but I also knew what was coming, so I knew he would get retribution for his mistreatment.  The big question still remains: who really killed Joffrey?  I have only read the first book so far, (my funds and time are both severely limited), so those who read know the truth, but luckily I haven't heard any spoilers for that yet.  Everyone has their own theory and they all seem valid, so I guess we'll have to wait and see.  I think we'll find out sooner rather than later, but my money is on Cersei.  She who blames the imp must be guilty of foul play!

    Agents of Shield didn't really impress me this week.  I liked seeing Patton Oswalt in the cast, but the fake Ward act meshing with the "real" Ward is already starting to bug me.  The saddest part was when Coulson was giving up his badge, telling everyone that it "means something."  It's disheartening to know that they don't have anywhere else to really go at this point, and now Ward is on his way to them.  Hopefully everything works out, but as of right now everything is up in the air.  I am curious to see what Ms. Flowers ends up doing with all of that technology they gave her.  She could just as easily turn on Hydra and use the stuff to enact her revenge for their lies, but she could also genuinely be on their side now, so who knows?  Her character confuses me the most, so I'd like to see her become more developed.  I'm excited to see Cobie Smulders reprise her role as Agent Hill in an upcoming episode.  Also, can we just ship Fitzsimmons already?  This petty back-and-forth is getting old.
    Something cool that also happened this week occurred during the MTV Movie Awards, in which they showed a TV spot featuring the TMNT with none other than SPLINTER in some very brief new footage, added to the already released trailer.  There were flashes of Raphael pushing a guy out of his way with just a forearm and Splinter from behind, adding a new voice-over to the action.  Mikey also apparently has his rocket skateboard back, so that should be cool.  I CAN'T EVEN.  Let me know what you think of the spot below!

    Welp, that's all folks.  As I stated above, I'm extremely tired and severely drained from this week, so I didn't really enjoy anything I watched, besides maybe GOT.  Hopefully this weekend will give me the much-needed rest and recuperation I need to re-energize before next week starts.  I have some fun things planned for this weekend, including a Harry Potter night with one of my favorite Phi Mu's and some Easter family time.  I'll be baking my brownies for a second time in order to contribute to the dessert feast, so they should go over well if they come out like they did last time.  Easter for Italians is basically like the Spring equivalent of Christmas dinner, so it should be a good time!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Nerd Alert

    Welcome back to Thursday!  I can't believe it's been a full week already, but I guess time seems to move a lot faster towards the end of the semester.  As you probably could've guessed, I've been neck-deep in readings and writing assignments for both of my classes with even more on the way.  Not to mention I may be taking on more responsibility at work, meaning more hours for me, but less for subbing.  In fact, I will most likely have to give up substituting all together, seeing as I won't be able to return next year.  It's bittersweet because I love those kids and I will miss them terribly, but I will probably see them again.  They were the ones who made teaching fun for me, so I owe them a lot, including the credit for how I teach in the future.  I'm currently trying to get in to two different summer camp opportunities, one right in town, so if both of those fail, I have a few back-up options available.  Hopefully something works out because I definitely need some sort of summer job.
    As promised, I have almost a full week of reviews lined up from the latest batch of shows and I'm ready to get started!  If you don't know by now that there are SPOILERS ahead, you don't deserve the ability to read.

    1. Once Upon a Time this past Sunday was very informative.  We got to learn a little more about the witch, where she came from and how she fit into the Oz story line.  What I wasn't expecting was the reasoning for her skin condition, ("green with envy" seemed a bit too cliche for my taste, but that's just me...), and the fact that Walsh, Emma's ex-fiance, was once the Great and Powerful Oz before being turned into a flying monkey by the vengeful Zelena.  I am curious about how Charming's courage and Regina's heart will play into Zelena's secret spell, as well as where she will ultimately find the brain she undoubtedly needs.  My money is on Rumple, but obviously anything goes now, so we'll just have to wait and see.  Where will Zelena find the brain she needs for her spell?  Will Regina finally let the the people ship Robina?  WHY does the witch still want Snow's baby?  Sound off in the comments below.

    2. Game of Thrones premiered this past Sunday as well, but I only watched it yesterday.  I have to say, it didn't wow me, but it did provide the perfect transition into the new season.  The recap was surprisingly tame with hints of the slaughter at the Red Wedding.  We haven't gotten a close up of those traitors yet, so who knows what'll happen to them.  My guess is nothing, so long as the Lanisters remain in power and no one stands to oppose them.  There is also a wedding on the rise as Joffrey and Margaery Tyrell prepare to tie the knot, (possibly physically as well as figuratively...hopefully).  We all see how this could potentially be his undoing, but we'll see if this minx can sink her claws into him.  I have a feeling that they're both going to be around for a while, so get comfortable with that.  I'm glad we got to see a little more of Jon Snow's dark side, coming back from the wildling ambush last season.  He's bitter and hopeless, exactly what you want to fight a raid of wild people and some frozen zombies headed your way.  He seems a lot stronger, now that he has no need to worry about what might be left of his family.  I'm sure he'd be mighty proud of Arya if he saw her now, but who knows if we'll ever get that tearful reunion, (I would sob).  I hope they build her character into the warrior she should be because she's probably my favorite character of this entire show.  I know she makes it pretty far, so we'll see.  What do you think will happen to Sansa?  Or Shae, for that matter?  How about the sudden repulsion from sexual contact by more than one couple?

    3. Bones this week impressed me greatly.  I don't usually talk about Bones, but it has been one of my Monday night shows for a very long time.  The scenario was that a murdered woman worked at a cannabis dispensary, growing her own super-medicinal strain on the side for terminally ill patients.  This woman also had Lupus, which is something I've struggled with for the majority of my life.  These two facts bring together some legal and moral issues that I don't think any show has tackled so far.  They are very touchy subjects with very little positive messages attached.  There is minimal research and known treatments for Lupus, so having cannabis provide the relief not only for the terminally ill, like Wendell, who came back for this episode after starting chemotherapy, (I cried seeing him because I love his character so much!), was great to see.  This episode brought to light some issues regarding holistic cancer treatments and the legal use of cannabis as a medicinal aid for joint pain and other maladies associated with Lupus and other chronic illnesses.  It just made me really happy to see those issues addressed in a public forum, even if it was a television show.  Best episode of the season so far!

    4. Agents of Shield brought the WOW factor this week, as we come back from watching Captain America: Winter Soldier.  The events of this episode coincide directly with the events of the movie; everything is happening all at once.  If you didn't get to see the movie before Tuesday, you may have been totally lost, but it was still an eye-opener to be sure.  We see S.H.I.E.L.D. overrun with Hydra forces, allowing two of Coulson's close friends to become moles within his team.  We didn't get to see who the Clairvoyant was until the end, but I had an immediate feeling that Agent Hand, although a huge bitch, was not the bad guy.  She would've been too obvious!  I think the fact that it was Coulson's friend Garrett made it even harder for him to take, considering all they had been through together up until that point.  Garrett gave absolutely no sympathy, but was promptly arrested and taken into custody by Hand and Ward, who forced himself into that situation by claiming he needed to take revenge on his role model.  Needless to say I wasn't surprised when Ward pulled the trigger on everyone but Garrett.  I'm disappointed with Ward, after all he did for Skye and Coulson, to turn on them like that.  I have a feeling that he will switch sides again by the end of the season, but we'll see.  Where do they go from here?  Will FitzSimmons EVER become a thing?  Will Simmons's dark, handsome friend be joining the team now that Ward has defected?  You can't trust anyone...

    Those are all the reviews I have for this week.  If there is a particular show that you'd like me to check out, (if I haven't already), let me know in the comments below.  At the moment, I'm creating a unit to teach to one of my classes next week on gaming and identity practices using RPGs.  It's been an interesting ride so far and I've learned a lot about my own game play decisions.  We'll be using Skyrim, Balder's Gate and Pokemon as references.  I'm pretty excited about this lesson and hope that it'll shed some light on different teaching ideas when combating similar situation in an English setting.  I'll also be completing a close-read of a public figure for my Friday class blog post this week.  I think I'm going to do Tyler Oakley, seeing as he's the most spread out over social media.  I'll be looking closely at how Tyler portrays himself in public as well as through his various social media outlets in order to gain a deeper look into his true persona.  All of the work I'm doing right now in my classes is super fun and imaginative, so I highly recommend going to grad school if you have the chance.  I never thought I'd get this much agency into what I learn about and how I learn it, even though it can be difficult at times, (seriously, when is school not difficult?), I've enjoyed every minute of this experience and don't regret a thing.  I'm looking forward to May and the teacher I will become next year.
    Speaking of teaching, I've reconnected with my advisor and I've been set up with a few prospective teachers in different areas who haven't been placed yet.  First stop is a high school, which isn't really where I thought I'd be, but at this point, I'll take it.  I may very well end up in an eighth grade classroom, but for now I can't be picky.  I'll keep you all updated on how that's going and as soon as I know my placement I'll be shouting it from the rooftops.  Until then, I just have to keep trucking on this reading assignment.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Changes

    Hello all!  As you might have noticed, I didn't post on Tuesday this week.  This was slightly because of pure laziness, but as I was debating whether or not to post at 11:30pm I realized that maybe I shouldn't.  Maybe I should post once a week instead of twice.  So I've decided to limit my blog posts to just Thursdays because of my lack of interesting educational content and the fact that my semester is ending, so my work load will only increase.  Plus, by Thursday I would've watched all my important shows so I can talk more about them.  So basically what I'm saying is that I'm downgrading for now.  Hopefully this summer I can update and expand my book list to include more reviews.

    I haven't really been up to much lately, just getting caught up in my work and praying that this last month of school goes by quickly.  As I have mentioned before, I started my new job on Monday and even though the weather was a bit dreary it was still fun.  I can't wait to go back tomorrow and I can't wait until May when I can be promoted to Site Director at a different location.  More hours and more money would make me very happy!  I also have another interview next Tuesday with the summer camp in this area, so hopefully I will come out of it with a summer job as well.  I'm feeling really good about this opportunity and getting to work with children is a lot more fun than retail, so I'll take it!

    Speaking of working with children, I've been working one-on-one with one kid in particular for a case study I'm doing in one of my courses, of which I'm supposed to be working on right now.  She goes to my local school where I substitute and she's one of my favorite kids.  I've made a good impression on the eighth grade class and I'm glad they know me and think that I'm the coolest sub ever.  It makes me feel great to know that they look forward to seeing me.  The kids at my local school have made such an impact on me and my outlook on teaching, so I don't know where I would be without them.  The case study has been a complete success and I'm going to be really sad when I don't get to see them anymore next year when I'm doing my internship.

    As for television this week, (from Sunday onward), I have a lot to review, so SPOILERS ahead...  First up is The Amazing Race, in which after all that hard work pushing the blonde country singers down to last place, it was a non-elimination round, (DAMN you Phil!).  It seems as though every time there's a team that should obviously go home or really needs to go home they do not go home.  First they saved Team "Brenchel,"which was a travesty, and now this.  All I know is that I hope the Globetrotters make it to the end because they are literally the best part of this show so far.  I am happy about their upcoming trip to Italy though.  Finally, somewhere that's not a third-world country!

    Next is Once Upon a Time, and BOY was it a doozy...  I mean really?  Did you HAVE to kill off Neal?  I understand the concept of "a life for a life" but WHY does it always have to be Rumple or Neal?!?  I'm betting that they will bring him back somehow, (probably another death...), but where and when I cannot say.  I just know that without that event, this episode probably would've been pretty boring.  Although I do like the relationship between Regina and Robin now that she finally realized he's her OTP.  Again, not sure when that will end up actually happening, but I'm looking forward to it.  Next OTP should definitely be Emma and Hook, now that Neal is dead.  I'm predicting some vulnerable consoling to happen within the next two episodes.

    How I Met Your Mother finally ended on Monday and there were mixed reviews on the ending.  It was bittersweet to see it end and you could tell that at times the actors were not acting when addressing their feelings about leaving each other.  There were a lot of tears shed by me that night.  My opinion of the finale was that it was good.  It filled in the holes and closed all the gaps that we needed to see closed.  I think everyone hoped a little on the inside that Ted and Robin would end up together, but it just seemed impossible.  Looking back, I would have noticed that this whole story was about Robin, but it took until Ted's kids noticed it for me to really think about it.  Although the mother was an important character, (as in no one would've been where they are now without her), and she made Ted happy, Robin was really the main lady in his life.  I had a feeling it should end the way it did when she panicked about the locket, but like everyone else, I knew she would marry Barney and be "Aunt Robin," so I didn't think anything of it.  But in the back of my mind I thought, that's strange, it feels wrong for her to not be with Ted right now...  I guess I should have seen it from then on, but I wasn't disappointed with the finale at all.  Also, if you didn't cry when Barney held his daughter for the first time then YOU HAVE NO SOUL.  I'm just sad it's over and they're trying to do it again with different people.  We'll see how that goes.

    Lastly, Agents of Shield was very interesting this week as we see Agent May get caught up in some drama.  I also had a bad feeling about the other lady at The Hub with red bits in her hair, (her name escapes me, but it's bad news bears).  I think she'll play some sort of role with compromising S.H.I.E.L.D. and Captain America, but we'll have to wait and see.  I don't know how I feel about Skye and Ward either...maybe it's the age difference?  Ward and May looked even worse together, so I'll give it a shot, (if it even happens).  Deathlok's character is getting really intense too.  What did they do to him?  It doesn't sound like he's doing these things against his will anymore, so who knows who he's working for and what made him change.  Coulson went crazy in this episode and understandably so; he's paranoid about everyone knowing things that he doesn't.  I wish someone, (mainly May), would give the poor guy some answers!  The "clairvoyant" didn't help either, (can you say creepy?).  I'm curious to see how this episode will play into Winter Soldier and also next week after it happens.

    That's all I have for this week.  As for Winter Soldier, I'll be seeing it this weekend with some friends and I cannot be more excited!  I'm looking forward to expanding my knowledge of the Marvel cinematic universe and I'm also excited to potentially see another trailer for the TMNT.  To prepare ourselves, my husband and I are having a Marvel Movie Marathon, (say that five times fast), starting today to lead up to Saturday night.  Everything from Iron Man to The Hulk to The Avengers will be watched.  Another exciting thing happening this weekend is Game of Thrones is FINALLY BACK and I can't even watch it because I don't have HBO, but I will find a way!  Hopefully I haven't forgotten what happened last season already, but I don't feel like watching the Red Wedding again, so I'll deal with the recap that's bound to come before.  Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend and I'll talk to you again next Thursday!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.