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.

The Dark Days Are Over

    Happy Tuesday everyone!  I'm very pleased to announce that after last week's depressing post I have good news!  Although I've still been sick and it's not all happy-fun-town over here, I'm really glad things are finally starting to look up and get better, (hopefully).

    The first big thing is that I FINALLY got a call back from the coordinator at the YMCA and they officially offered me the job as a Group Leader!  I will be employed as of Thursday after signing all the necessary paperwork.  I'm excited and glad to be starting a new chapter in my work life outside of retail and, even though the money is not terribly great, I know I'll be a lot happier and a lot less stressed here than I would be anywhere else.  I've always wanted to use my educational degree towards my job and now I get to do that.  It won't be a lot of time, just two days a week, which may or may not kill our finances and drive my husband crazy, but I'm hoping that I can grow with this company and next year move up to a higher paid position for more hours.  I'll just be glad to get out of the house and play with kids after school!  I'm super pumped and I can sort-of relax for now.
    Speaking of my husband, I do feel bad about not pulling my weight around here.  It's not that he minds, but I can see how much pressure he's under to provide for us while I've been out of work and I just wanted to take the time to let him know how much I appreciate all of the support he's given me during this difficult time and all the praise he's given me for sticking to it.  I have no idea what I would do without him pushing me and reassuring me that everything will be alright.  He has been the absolute best and I hope that someday I can repay him for all the kindness he's shown me, but for now I just love him unconditionally like any wife would.  I love you Bear:)

    Ok, so moving on out of Sapville, I also have some not-so-good news regarding my internship.  For the past two months I've been visiting and observing teachers in their natural habitat, looking for a classroom to call my own for next year.  It felt a lot like The Bachelor in the sense that I was seeing all these potential matches and looking for one to give my final rose to, not knowing how the other teachers felt about me.  Well, it looks like I won't be proposing to anyone yet...  Out of the three top teachers I chose to move forward with, NONE of them wanted to pursue a relationship with me.  So I'm back to square one, scratching my list and waiting to hear from the internship coordinator about my options.  I have no idea who is left to chose from, or if I'll be outsourced to a completely different school district, but I'm so over this process that I just want to be done with it.  I spent all that time for nothing and now I don't even know where I'll be.  I don't know if anyone will like me, but this time around I will probably do things a little differently.  Before I was focusing more on the relationship between me and the teacher and I should have been focusing on what age group I prefer and the area I'd like to be in.  I need to put more of an emphasis on the educational aspects and less on the personal aspects in order to get a match and I feel bad that I ruined my chances with mostly everyone already...  Hopefully they can find me someone I'll enjoy spending a year with.  We shall see, but now I have to wait even longer, until the end of April, to find a match.  Wish me luck, I'm going to need it...

    That being said, I do have some TV reviews to get to, so strap on your spoiler helmet and let's get cracking.  First up is The Amazing Race!  I can't say I was sad to see Luke and his mother go, but they did alright.  I felt like it was their time to go and better now than further down the road when it gets even more difficult.  I think that for someone who is deaf they had a really great communication system, (only flawed by Luke's inability to keep his cool during certain situations).  Overall I feel bad for them, but my new favorite team is still in it!  The Globetrotters have made this race so much fun for everyone and they just keep bringing the smiles, so I hope they make it to the finale.  I would also love to see them get out of the third-world countries sometime in the near future, so hopefully that happens soon.

    Once Upon a Time was also new Sunday night and boy am I lost.  Rapunzel, although an important fairytale character, just felt kind of shoved in there and the whole thing with Zelena is getting weirder.  I was talking with someone last week about how Rumple is back and that must mean someone has his dagger, but I wasn't entirely sure.  Now it turns out that Zelena has it, but how did she get it?  Why is he spinning gold for her?  Where the hell did he go at the end of the episode?  Why does Zelena need David's courage sword thingy?  Where are all the flying monkeys being held?  What does Zelena want with Snow's baby?  WHAT'S GOING ON?!?  I'm just really confused now and this episode wasn't one of my favorites, but I'm sure the next one will answer at least one of my questions.  The whole scene with Regina and Henry was adorable, so I hope he gets his memories back before the end of the season, although I think they might need Rumple for that.  Who knows?  God knows I don't anymore.  This is really an interesting development.

    Finally, we're down to I think ONE episode left of How I Met Your Mother and I'M DYING.  We FINALLY get to see Barney and Robin's wedding and for a second I really though she would run away with Ted, but now Ted is a wise one and he talked her out of it.  Did anyone else think Robin looked stunning in her dress?!  Marshmallow and Lily pad made me cry a little, thinking about my own husband and how much like them we really are.  I'm sad we won't get to see little Daisy grow up like Marvin, but I'm glad things are getting settled.  I love how "the mother" has helped everyone in the group, (except Ted, obviously), find some balance in their own lives.  Hopefully I can keep it together next week for the finale...  All of this closure has to be bad for you, doesn't it?
    One last thing: there is a new trailer for X-Men: Days of Future's Past out now, so if you haven't seen it yet, the video is below.  Enjoy!  I know I did!

    That's it for today.  Along with my internship anxiety I also have about half a book to read, a four-page reflection to write and a couple revisions to spit out before the end of the week, so I'll be pretty busy by Thursday.  I'll be happy to start my new job soon and get back into the swing of things.  I'm not sure if I have a break in April, but I'm kind of hoping I do at this point.  After the semester I've had already, I can safely say I'll need a vacation ASAP.  If you have thoughts about this weeks TV recap, let me know in the comments below.  I'm nearing the end of my March photo challenge with the North East Blogger's Network, so if you're not following me on Instagram yet, now is the time.  Also, if you ever want to see me live-tweet The Amazing Race, I do every Sunday, so you can follow me there too.  All my links are up at the top!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Spring Break!

    Hey everyone!  I hope everyone is having a good start to their week so far.  As most of you already know, I'm on spring break this week, so I'll be spending a lot of time inside or at schools for observation hours.  Much better than going somewhere warm with plenty of alcoholic beverages, (said no one ever).  Eventually I will be able to relax and relish my educational accomplishments, but until then, the work never stops.

    Good news!  I applied to another job recently, (Saturday), and received a call back complete with a phone interview yesterday.  I have another in-person interview on Thursday, so fingers crossed I nail it!  I don't think I've wanted any other job more than I want this one, so I hope I get it.  It would be perfect, not only for my educational background, but for my schedule next year.  A part time job where I get to work with kids and still get to finish my Masters degree is like a dream come true!  I'm trying to keep my excitement on the down low, but it's hard when I've been bored out of my mind lately...  I'm determined this time to impress everyone and leave no doubts.  I'm feeling good about my chances!

    There were a few important things to happen on my TV list this week so far, (SPOILERS, obviously).  First up is The Amazing Race.  Sadly, my favorite team of YouTubers ended up getting eliminated this past Sunday.  They made a valiant effort, but in the end luck wasn't on their side.  If I could tell them directly, I would say that they made the show more enjoyable and they made their viewers proud.  It's not every day that you get to run a race across the entire world, so that accomplishment is enough in my eyes.  They shouldn't be so hard on themselves!  My new favorite team I think, especially after this last leg, is probably the Globetrotters.  They are hilarious and make everything they do a party, so it'll be fun watching them progress in this race too.  Rachel and Brendon still make me want to punch infants, so hopefully they're the next to get axed...

    Sunday was also the premier date of one of my favorite shows Once Upon a Time!!  I have been so pumped for this premier that I was actually sad that I decided to watch The Amazing Race.  Everything about this episode made it worth the wait.  I am patiently waiting to ship Emma and Hook because that just needs to happen.  Also, I totally called Walsh, (or whatever his name was), being a friggin flying monkey!  Both my dad and my husband think that the flying monkeys are a bit much, but if you're going to have the Wicked Witch be the new villain, she HAS to have her monkey minions.  I'm also thinking that it might take forever for Regina to recognize Robin as her true love, but I think we'll all be a lot happier when she does.  This episode just got me all excited for next weekend all over again!  Sound off in the comments below about things you liked or didn't like about the mid-season premier.
    The Bachelor finally ended yesterday and, from what I read on Twitter, it was a shit show.  Juan went from "most eligible bachelor" to "most hated and misunderstood bachelor" in the span of about two weeks.  I was originally a fan at the start of the season, but as the weeks wore on more and more people, including myself, became detached from his Latin charm and focused more on his exasperating logic.  He made so many bad decisions that it was hard to stand up for him, so I just stopped watching because it was too painful to witness him digging his own grave.  That being said, I'm glad they made Andi the new Bachelorette because I think she may bring a sense of dignity, ingenuity, and reality to this "reality" show.  Being a lawyer, she has to have some common sense, right?  Plus she's a Phi Mu, so she better live up to those standards.  If she does, I promise it'll be a good season.  Thoughts?

    Last on my list is How I Met Your Mother, which also aired yesterday.  I think the closer they get to the end, the sadder the episodes are going to be.  I was barely paying attention to what Robin was going through with Barney and her mother while Ted was determining, (unsuccessfully), what Lily was up to at The Captain's residence at 3am.  Needless to say I didn't see the real answer coming, but it made me cry nonetheless.  I can understand why Lily wanted to keep her new pregnancy a secret until after the wedding to prevent any attention deviating from Barney and Robin's wedding, (which STILL hasn't happened...).  My guess is that the wedding will happen next week with the finale being the reception, where Ted is supposed to FINALLY meet the mother, (whom we've already met through other people's varying circumstances).  I'm getting more and more confident with the idea that she may already be dead, but anything can happen at this point.  It's a true testament to their scripting prowess.
    That's all I have for today.  I really have to put a sizable dent in my "Born Digital" novel for next week, (I'm only on chapter three...).  The next two days are full of observation hours, seeing one of my favorite students and going to my potentially life-altering interview, so wish me luck and I'll tell you all about it Thursday.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Panic Mode

    Hello there everyone, it's already Thursday!  This week I've been super busy, which has been both nice and horrible at the same time.  Nice because I'm not just sitting around doing nothing and horrible because I've been running around trying to get everything done...  I'm doing my best not to get discouraged with my job search, but I'm taking a little break this week from looking so I can look more next week while I don't have classes.  I also have two papers due this week, (one was due yesterday and the bigger one due tomorrow...yikes!), so I haven't had a lot of free time to peruse the Internet.

    One thing I am feeling a bit uneasy about is the internship I'm lining up for myself for next year.  This whole process has been daunting, to say the least, as well as uncomfortable.  It's literally like we're on a dating show; the interns visit prospective teachers to see what it's like in their classrooms, then, at the end of the month, we put our top three choices on a form and send it in to wait for a response, (the teachers do the same thing, only with their top three interns).  During this period of observation hours, you have to go into their classes and watch them teach.  I've always been one to sit in the corner and watch, responding to anything the teacher might say to me during the time we have together.  It's all very nice and you get to see what it's like to be in there with them without the responsibility of actually teaching.  More of a fly-on-the-wall thing.

    My issue right now is that everyone in my group of interns kind of already has their top three, which I think is supposed to be "secret," (I don't think we're supposed to tell anyone who we like the best just in case it doesn't work out or they're seeing the same person).  It's awkward most of all because I know a few people who have been seeing my favorite teacher when I'm not there and I'm afraid that we're going to lose that connection we made the first time I saw her.  I also don't know what everyone else is doing when they're in there: Do they help her out?  Organize classroom supplies? etc.  I never know if I'm doing too little or more than enough to make myself known and show that I'm interested, but you just have to wait and see.  It's frustrating because I don't want to lose out on my top picks by putting all my eggs in three symbolical baskets and having none of them put me on their lists.  It's a very confusing, stressful process and I already can't wait for it to be April so I know where I'm going to be.

    I guess I'm just nervous about potentially not finding anyone...  I want to make a connection with someone in a way that is comfortable for both parties, but it seems so forced sometimes.  You have to think about being with this teacher for an entire year, not getting sick of them, supporting their teaching style and being there for them when they need you.  That's a huge deal, and if everyone else isn't freaking out about this like I am then they are completely desensitized.  I'm also the type of person who HATES not knowing ahead of time what's going to happen.  I'm a planner: I have to plan EVERYTHING.  If I don't know what's going to happen, I get anxious and I do research, (if possible).  For example, while watching a TV show on Hulu that has already aired, I will look up the recap of the episode online to see what happens.  I do the same thing with movies, books, etc.  I don't know why, but I just don't like surprises.  With my life already unbalanced, I feel like I have no idea where I'll be next month, let alone next year.  I have to figure out what's going to happen to me, preferably soon.

    On a slightly happier note, let's talk about TV this week!  The two shows that I watched were Agents of SHIELD and How I Met Your Mother, and both had an amazingly good storyline.  SPOILERS AHEAD!...  So the main event in Agents of SHIELD was most definitely the blue man torso in T.A.H.I.T.I. when they broke into the "Guest House."  There are apparently many speculations about who this guy was, what species he is and where he comes from.  My husband and I took a guess and figured he may be one of the frost giants from the Thor series, which seemed most probable to us considering the relationship Thor has with the Avengers, (SHIELD as part of the Avengers), and also the appearance of some familiar Asgardians for the next episode, so we'll see about that.  We are also still researching other alien possibilities from the Marvel universe, including the Kree and an alien tribe on Centauri IV, but without any real clear clues as to who this may be, we're stuck wondering, probably until the end of the season if the previous episodes are any consolation.  I would also like to point out the fact that whatever "drug" Coulson and Skye were injected with has obvious alien properties, so now they have that to bond over.  What's that all about?  If you'd like to voice your opinion on this development, voice your opinions in the comments below.

    How I Met Your Mother was really sad this week, at least in my mind.  First with everyone realizing that this may be the last time in awhile that they will all be together in one place.  Then they hit us with a fast-forward to Ted crying over The Mother's comment about a mother being there for her daughter's wedding, which apparently made everyone believe that she's going to miss her own daughter's wedding, (meaning death).  I think, after this many years of not knowing, if they have the mother be dead at the end of all this, it might actually make sense.  I can see why a lot of people may be angry about waiting this long only to find out that she's already dead.  But I can see where the creators are coming from.  Why else would Ted spend this much time and effort telling his kids about how he met their mother?  I would have to go back to the very beginning to see how he started this conversation, but he may be paying homage to her in his own way.  She did tell him to not "live in his stories," but isn't that exactly what he's doing?  I don't know, I just know that I haven't wanted to cry like that about a television show in awhile, (not since "Same as it Never Was" from the TMNT animated series).
    I think that's it for now.  I have a paper to write!  Speaking of, my topic is actually quite interesting; it's about exploring the possibilities of technology as it pertains to understanding our students as people instead of just students.  I hope I do the subject justice.  If you want to learn more about what I'm researching or what I'm reading about digital literacy, let me know and I can put links to all my resources on my class page.  This weekend will be most welcome, considering I actually have plans and I can relax a little!  I have a birthday party tomorrow night and family dinner with the in-laws on Saturday, so that should be fun!  Spring Break starts next week too and, although I'm not going anywhere, I hope my husband and I can find some time for just the two of us.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Happiness is the Truth

    Welcome to Thursday's post!  While my husband and I are meticulously cleaning our apartment, I thought I'd take a break, (we've been at it for about 10 minutes...)

    First off, I'd like to point out that I'm down to one potential job as of today...a little disheartening, but I'm not going to let that bring down my spirit.  I refuse to let depression take hold of me like so many others who are unemployed.  Besides, it's only been about two weeks, so what is there to worry about?  A lot of people spend more time than that looking for a job, so I should consider myself lucky that I might have a job by the end of next week.  I'm trying to stay happy.  I re-read the job description for the one I have the interview for a week from today and I feel like I would love that job!  I hope your fingers are still crossed for me, (although you might want to think about taking a break because if you leave your fingers in that position they may get stuck like that...)

    While I try my best to control the outcome of my future, I've been roped into an interesting concept for a project for one of my classes.  We are looking at affinity spaces, that is spaces where people congregate, (in person or online), and collaborate, share and interact with each other based on a mutual interest.  They are a relatively new, complex and extremely modern idea surrounding today's students and classrooms.  One theory is that students learn just as much outside of school as they do in school.  I found a fun article on The Huffington Post about parents with teens using digital media here.  

    By using digital media, (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and games like Minecraft, Pokemon and World of Warcraft they can enhance their communication, social interaction and organizational skills while simultaneously creating a tactfully-designed alternative universe in which to engage with others who share the same passions.  I find the whole concept absolutely fascinating!

    So, in dealing with this idea of "affinity space" and gaming, I'm working on some research that involves Minecraft and Pokemon as they relate to students outside of the traditional classroom environment.  Who plays these games?  Is there a common pattern?  How do players get their inside information?  How do you play?  How do you learn how to play if you aren't already familiar?  What kinds of sites are at students' disposal when confronted with an issue?  These and many more questions will hopefully get answered as I dive into this complex and relatively new terrain.  I might post more about findings as soon as we start researching, but check back for more info later on.

    

**SPOILERS AHEAD MATEYS**

    For my television reviews this week, I'll start with The Bachelor.  CLAIRE IS DRIVING ME CRAZY!  I know she loves him and everything, but we have a Stage Five Clinger in the house and she is all sorts of wrong.  She's not nearly as bad as some of the other wackadoos they've had on this show, but if she makes it to the final four, I may shoot myself.  My Top 3 as of this week are Renee, Andi and Nikki.  I know a lot of people don't like Nikki, but I can see things from her perspective and I think she just had a rough week last week, (not to mention I feel like they're highlighting a different girl each week to be the "problem child," so keep an eye out for next week's fire starter).  I think Renee could win because like Juan said, she's just like him.  I feel like they look good together and I'm hoping to see her in at least the final four.  Let me know who you think should go home next in the comments!

    Bones and Castle were pretty standard.  Not a whole lot going on, and Bones just totally ignored the whole Wendell-cancer fiasco by bringing in another, (horrible), intern.  I miss Wendell's gorgeous face already...  Meanwhile we can see Beckett is getting her first case of wedding jitters as she dons that beautiful wedding gown.  I'm still no the fence about it, so let me know in the comments if you loved it or hated it, but I feel like she would look so much better in something a little more form-fitting.  Thoughts?

    How I Met Your Mother tore at my heartstrings yet again as we see Ted FINALLY, (and literally), letting go of Robin once and for all.  It's sad because of all the years they spent with each other but relieving at the same time.  Now, hopefully, they can get on with the whole wedding business that they are taking forever to get to.  I was anticipating that they would have the wedding happen next week, but seeing as they like to draw things out for as long as possible, I doubt that'll happen.  We haven't seen the mother back yet, and we know they meet at the reception, so we'll have to wait a little longer.

    New Girl after the Super Bowl was hilarious!  Prince was a nice added touch, but I loved the ending.  Also, this week's Tuesday episode didn't disappoint either.  I know I don't talk about it much, but it's one of my favorite shows to watch.  So is Agents of Shield, and this week made me question what they were doing completely.  I'm liking the dangerous situations they've gotten themselves into, but I've totally forgotten the reason behind it.  Also, I knew that whole romance between May and Ward wasn't going to last, but I never saw Skye getting shot, let alone almost dying.  We'll see if she turns into some sort of superhero to save her own life, but the official introduction of Deathlok was refreshing.  My husband and I had looked into it and figured he was the only logical explanation for Mike being kept alive, although the original Deathlok's story line is completely different.  Obviously he has motivation to do the Clairvoyant's bidding.  Let's see where this goes.

    Lastly, I've been spending a lot of time inside, re-watching old shows I haven't seen in years, one of them being Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  I've been more into them lately, probably because of all the hype over the Michael Bay production coming along, but also because they've been a long-time favorite of mine and I refuse to give them up for the sake of being an adult.  Luckily, I found at least the first and second season of my favorite cartoon reincarnation from 2003 on YouTube and have been getting reacquainted with it.  I absolutely love this particular season because of the graphic artwork, more reminiscent of the comic book style drawing, the humor in the dialogue, and the relationship between the brothers.  I think all of these aspects give the show a more authentic TMNT and they stay relatively true to the original story arc of the comic books.  I have always been infatuated with the Raphael in this series.  It's been nice to go back in time for a bit and relive my glory days as a thirteen-year-old nerd.

    Well that's about it for this week.  I think that covers most of what I've been thinking as of late.  I'm excited for this weekend because I am actually leaving my house, (gasp), to go visit and have lunch with my best friend Katie up in Portland, ME, so that should be fun!  I'm also starting my orientations at different middle schools next week, so hopefully I find where I belong for next year.  I'm subbing on Tuesday, so for all my kids who read this I'll see you then!  Also, I'll be posting again tomorrow until my class page about the "Walk My World" project, so stay tuned for that.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Highs and Lows

    Hey everyone!  Welcome back to the work week, (for most of you).  This weekend was great for me because I met my very first nephew on Sunday!  Tanner James was born around one o'clock Sunday afternoon to a warm welcome from a very happy family.  They are coming home this afternoon so I will be making plans to visit again this weekend once they get settled in.  Welcome to the world little buddy!  I am so happy to be your auntie and can't wait to spend more time with you!!

    Unfortunately that is the only good news I have this week...  I was regrettably let go from my job last night.  It was an unforeseen circumstance and one that I will not soon forget.  I cannot begin to describe my grief upon experiencing my very first, and hopefully last, termination, but I understood the company policy and that I had severed it inadvertently.  Although I had been unhappy there as of late, I will truly miss all the friends and colleagues I have gained over the last three years there.  I wish none of this had happened, but it was my fault and I will have to live with my repercussions.  I got right on the job hunt last night, however I have certain qualifications I have to adhere to based on the rest of my schooling and my internship coming up this fall.  I wish I could have the freedom to chose any job I can get, even a job in a school system besides the one I already have, but I can't and it sucks.  Hopefully I will find a new job by the end of February, but we will see.  Keep your eyes open for me and your prayers thoughtful.
    On a positive note, after the first week of classes I've found that, yet again, both courses seem to relate well with each other, making my semester a lot easier.  I've been immersed in my reading and trying to keep myself otherwise occupied from my current predicament.  Now, on top of my readings and various assignments I'm also looking for employment, so it's a bit distracting.  In about a week I will be attending a meeting for prospective secondary intern students, so I'm excited to finally put in my picks for schools and learn a little more about the process.  Fingers crossed everything works out in my favor!  Lord knows I need some help these days...

**(SOME) SPOILERS!**

    On the television front, I have yet to watch The Bachelor due to all this drama happening in my real life, but I have heard who got eliminated and I am glad it wasn't anyone in my top three, however I also heard that Nikki was a bit cheeky this week, so we'll see if she can handle this in the long run.  I managed to watch the 200th episode of How I Met Your Mother and it was fantastic!  I'm glad they did a back track on the mother and the ending was so perfect!  I'm still not sure where Lily is going, nor do I know when or where she reconciles with Marshall before the wedding, (should be next week if they find Barney, which they should).  I'm looking forward to seeing where they go from here.

    I've also started watching a newer show, based on my recent infatuation with Jonathan Rhys Meyers.  Dracula on NBC has finished it's first season, with little information regarding a second.  It follows the life and happenings of a really hot version of Dracula, or Vlad in Impaler, as they call him.  I find the suspense and plot line interesting, (in addition to the obvious charisma of Dracula), and hope it is renewed for a second season, however I won't keep my hopes up.
    So that's it basically.  I don't have a lot to report, seeing as the baby and losing my job have taken up the majority of the last few days.  I haven't had a lot of down time following the start of classes, so I will be back Thursday with a hopefully more educational post, (but who knows?).  I will also post my "walk my world" from this week.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Walk My World

    Here we are, on a Friday.  I apologize for the lateness of my post, but I was busy all day with reading, then a much-needed family night.  Trust me, it was entirely worth it.
    Speaking of family, I have some great news!  My sister-in-law is being induced tomorrow and will have my highly anticipated nephew this weekend!  I am so happy for her and I'm very excited to become an aunt.  My only hope is that when I have my first child I am as lucky as she is to have all the love and support that her family has given her.  They've had a pretty rough time the last few months and her family dropped everything and made room for them and the baby, gave them a place to stay and a new job to help support them.  My in-laws are the most selfless, honorable people I've ever met in my entire life.  They surprise me every day with their unwavering kindness.  I suppose that's sad for me to think that that kind of love is unnatural or special when it should always be that way.  Regardless, I have no doubt that that child will be brought up in the best of circumstances.

    On a less emotional note, I have started classes this week, as you all know, and have been engrossed in reading and other preparations for future projects and case studies.  I will be posting on a new page later today directly connected to my Special Topics course about our readings pertaining to participatory culture.  I have also been making preparations to start an observation case study on a student at the school I substitute at.  I already have consent from three different parties, so as soon as I get her class schedule we can start!  I'm super excited to start looking at her writing and see what connections and inferences I can make.

http://wiobyrne.com/walkmyworld/

    In addition to the blog posts and readings for my Special Topics course, we are trying to participate in the "Walk My World" challenge, which is a research study created by William Ian O'Byrne, (you can follow him on Twitter here).  The purpose of this project is to explore the use of digital texts to see how people connect and communicate with each other.  For ten weeks, I will be posting a picture or video snippet of my life accompanied with the hash-tag #walkmyworld in order to provide a glimpse into what my "world" is like.  There are no guidelines or requirements to the posts, but it has to be about your life.  I take that to mean I can continue to post random pictures from various moments of my life, but more diligently.  That is to say I haven't been keeping up with my Instagram as of late, so I will be posting at least once a week for the next ten weeks or so, starting next week.  Should be fun, and I'm excited to be participating in someone else's research!  If you'd like to participate or learn more about Will or the "Walk My World" challenge, you can visit his website here.

**SPOILER ALERTS GALORE**

    On a completely different note, I did get to watch the latest Bachelor, Bones, Castle and How I Met Your Mother episodes from this past Monday.  So far my current Top 3 ladies for The Bachelor are Renee, Andi and Nikki, but we'll see how long that lasts.  I'm just glad that Lucy Lewd went home, finally.  I really like these girls because they seem really down to earth, they're not too young or immature and they seem to really have his best interests at heart.  Again, not sure how it'll turn out, (my father insists that he never picked anyone at the end), but I feel god about this Top 3.

    Bones made me cry AGAIN this week.  I'm not sure what it is with all these TV shows tearing at my heart strings, but apparently they're in a phase.  Wendell was diagnosed with a rare form of terminal bone cancer, so he now has a 10% chance of living through chemo and other treatments.  I died a little, not only because he's been on the show for so long and has been an undeniable asset to the team, but because Brennan SHOWED EMOTION.  If you've watched the show for as long as I have, you'll understand that when Brennan shows emotion, it's a big deal.  Her being sad at his diagnosis, which SHE discovered, shows that it's definitely a hard pill to swallow.  I wish him all the best in this season, but I'm definitely expecting him to die in the finale...fingers crossed I'm wrong.

    Castle was your typical Castle plot again.  After the tumultuous burning building episode we kind of needed a break from the drama.  I was happy to see Alexis (hopefully) break it off with Pi, seeing as he brought nothing more to the story and was basically dead weight in her life.  We'll see if she caved next week, but I'm guessing they're officially over.  It's sad that that was the highlight of that episode for me.

    How I Met Your Mother is getting more and more daring with their story line as we saw Lily and Marshall finally had the fight they needed to have, but it ended in disaster.  Lily ended up leaving in a random vehicle after calling an unknown person for a ride out of the inn.  She didn't say where she was going either, so we could be following her anywhere next week, but I'm most curious to see who it was that she called.  Marshall will most likely be heartbroken so close to the wedding, but we all know from previous episodes that Lily makes it back in time for the ceremony with everyone else, so we'll see what happens.  We haven't seen the mother in a few episodes either, not since she helped Marshall, so I'm eager to see her during the wedding reception.
    That's all for this week.  I'm expecting to post pictures of Tanner when he arrives, so look out for those on Tuesday, but for now I'm going to try and enjoy my weekend.  Here's to more reading and two blog posts today instead of one!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Digital Chats and The Final Countdown

          This week marks the last week of my vacation.  Sadly I didn’t accomplish much of anything, but I’m hoping to be more productive in the coming weeks, partially due to the fact that I should have more actual work to do.  I’m excited to start my final two courses: Special Topics in English Teaching and Teaching Writing in the 21^st Century.  I’m excited partially because one of my classes is taught by the same professor I took Digital Literacies with.  Should be a good last hurrah before I start my internship next fall.

            In other news, I got new glasses yesterday!  I have had the same red pair since 2006, with no change in prescription, so I thought it was finally time to change it up.  Plus I’ve been squinting even with my glasses on lately, so for my own sake I didn’t want to have any more headaches from strain.  It was difficult to choose a pair of glasses because I’ve been so used to my old pair and we’ve been through a lot together, so I was a little unwilling to change at first.  But with a little help from the nice eye guy and my wonderful husband’s opinion, I decided on a completely different style and I love them!  I will miss my signature red, but hopefully these will be just as good, seeing as I stuck with the pop of color.  Here’s to new beginnings and a new style!

            This week I will also be attempting my first online chat sessions.  The New England Bloggers Network will be hosting a blog chat tomorrow night through Twitter which I will be participating in.  Also through Twitter, there will be a “Digital Learning” chat from the National Council of Teachers of English, (NCTE), this Sunday night at 8pm if any of my teacher friends want to join me in that one.  This is my first attempt to participate in one of these digital chats, so wish me luck.  Hopefully it will help me better understand that type of community in the event I’d like to participate more openly in the future.

            For my TV menu this week Castle returns as well as How I Met Your Mother, so I’m looking forward to getting caught up with those episodes which aired yesterday, (as some of you already know, I do not have cable, so I watch everything the day after through Hulu and Netflix through my Roku box).  Also, premiering tonight is the new season of Face-Off, which is a show on the SyFy network about make-up and special effects artists competing for a contract and cash prize.  They are already in their 6^th season and it’s extremely interesting to see what they come up with for various themes and characters.

            Keeping with my Victorian Era kick, I’ve been thoroughly invested in The Tudors series on Netflix, (I’m already on season four…after about a week, maybe?).  Even though you know what’s going to happen to some extent, it’s still a very well done series, so I’m interested to see how they ended it.  Since I’ve been watching Reign as well, this story line ties directly into it, being that Mary, Queen of Scots is related to the Tudors line of succession, (Margaret Tudor, sister to King Henry VIII is her grandmother).  I was thinking about starting The Borgias series after I finish with The Tudors, so let me know what you think in the comments.

            That’s it for this week!  I can’t post a review of The Bachelor from this week yet because I haven’t seen it, but I will Thursday, (maybe), if it still seems relevant.  As for the rest of this week, it’s pretty much wide open.  My sister-in-law’s due date is this coming Saturday, so I could be an aunt as early as this weekend!  Fingers crossedJ I’m hoping we can visit, but we’ll see what happens.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.