Holy Hoth, Batman

    Sorry I'm a little late, but at least I didn't take another month.  My most recent affliction is a sinus infection, so I've been feeling a little crappier than usual.  It's also been snowing quite consistently up here and I'm beginning to think we've become New Greenland instead of New England.  Apparently we've already surpassed the blizzard of '78 in regard to total accumulation.  I will most likely need a Tauntaun to get anywhere tomorrow.  I've been enjoying my time off from doing anything, but I think it's about time I left the house and actually did something productive.  If only I could learn how to not panic driving in the snow...  You'd think after living here my whole life I would be used to it by now, but unfortunately I still get anxious.  Luckily, my job allows me to relieve that stress by making staying home during a storm mandatory.  However, there's only so much Netflix I can watch before I get cabin fever.  I do have some good news, another Bachelor review as well as another book review on my Reviews page.

    The good news is that I finally found a middle school placement!  The extra good news is that it's in my own town, which means it's super close and convenient for me to get there.  I also have more connections there, which might work in my favor.  The teacher I'm supposedly working with is younger, male and very good with technology, which are all great.  He also spent his sabbatical last year researching and doing a case study on the flipped classroom model, which is a model of teaching centered around providing students with lectures and other content online to watch from home and doing supplemental work and discussion in class.  I've always been curious about this method of teaching and it looks like I'll get a front row seat to this concept when I start my internship again this week.  I'm hoping that with my extended background in technology I'll be able to integrate seamlessly into his classroom and work well with him.  We'll see how it goes, but I'm looking forward to meeting him and getting back in the classroom with some middle schoolers!

    As for The Bachelor, I'm still sticking with my Top 3 of Kaitlin, Jade and Whitney.  Mainly because they are probably the only genuine people left in the house, besides maybe Casey.  I actually didn't even watch the whole episode last week because I got bored halfway through and didn't really feel like watching Kelsey's "panic attack" for the fifth time, (because they showed it so often in clips of the previews).  It's only week six and I'm already sick of the unnecessary drama that's been happening.  I'm usually ok with it, because that's what this show thrives on, but this time it's just sad.  Like they're all trying way too hard to be THAT dramatic, it doesn't even feel real.  I know that show is at least partially not real to begin with, but still.  I'm hoping tonight's episode and the two-on-one date will shed some light on what Chris thinks about all this.  I feel like we've barely heard him talk this entire time.  If it were me, I'd send both Ashley AND Kelsey home, but we'll see.
    That's all I have for this week.  It's short, sweet and to the point.  I'd probably have more if I actually did anything with my life these days, but sadly I haven't.  I don't mind being an introvert, but sometimes, if you get stuck in a rut of being home all the time, it gets harder to leave when you actually have to.  I'm going to try to make more plans with friends and see if that helps.  I've already planned my spring break vacation, which is unusual because I've never gone anywhere for spring break while I've been in college.  I'll be visiting my best friend in Colorado and I'm really excited about it!  I've never been and I can't wait to see the mountains and hang out with her again because it's been way too long.  I wish it were April now:(  While I've been shut in, I also managed to read Looking for Alaska by John Green, which is another book I got for Christmas.  I'll be putting the review for that on my Reviews page later today.  In the meantime, I'm going to go cue up my LOTR marathon and bake another batch of chocolate chip cookies.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Updates!

  I'm back!  Sorry that took so long, but I really needed a break.  A lot has happened since the holidays, so I'll try to catch you up to speed.  I have announcements, health updates and even a review of The Bachelor so far, which I've missed terribly!  I'm also going to be updating my "Book Reviews" tab with my most recent finished novel, The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon.  At this point, I'm going to try to get back into my regular blogging routine so I don't lose my luster, so we'll see how that goes, but I'm at least going to give it a shot.  Can't hurt, right?

  First things first: health.  Not that I really need to update you all on this, but I've been doing alright.  Over the holidays I did have a serious flare up situation, (just Christmas Eve and Day mostly, you know, the important days...), in which I could barely walk and that is not an exaggeration.  My husband had to carry me around at times, (which was less than stellar and incredibly degrading), but it was all due to a lack of drugs and once I got those back I went back to "normal."  Needless to say the holidays were a lot more stressful than I had originally anticipated, but I'm glad I survived.  More recently I've been battling the ever-present virus that keeps circulating around my profession.  Working with kids has its downsides and constant exposure to various illnesses is only one of them.  I ended up catching some sort of upper respiratory virus, which was actually the flu in disguise, and gave that to my mother, who has been miserable.  We currently have at least three boxes of Puffs Plus Vicks going downstairs as well as two boxes each of DayQuil and NyQuil, among other things.  Luckily I haven't been working because of back-to-back snow days, which have picked this week to drop at least two feet of snow on us.  So I've been spending most of my time inside, in comfy pants watching Netflix, reading and working on my colloquium for my internship.

  Nice segue, self!  Right now my internship is at a stand-still.  I recently made the decision, after the holidays, to forgo teaching at the high school level in favor of having the opportunity to teach at the middle school level.  Although I'm glad to be out of my high school nightmare, I'm currently in limbo regarding my middle school placement.  It's been about two weeks at this point since I officially left my freshman and although I miss some of them, I miss being in the classroom more.  I've been trying to be as patient as I can, but it's difficult when you aren't in control and there's literally nothing you can do to speed things up.  I've been trying to keep myself busy, but I feel like I'm slowly losing my sanity.  I don't want to lose anything I've built up over the last few months.  I feel like I haven't done anything meaningful with my life in awhile and that I need to do something productive to help reaffirm my passions.  That's partially why I've been trying to read more for leisure, just so I can become a more literate English teacher, (which should be a no-brainer).  I don't want to lose the connection I have to my subject matter and I don't want to lose my excitement over the prospect of teaching my preferred age group, but it's slowly getting less bearable.  I've been trying to come up with curriculum units I could do with an imaginary class, seeing as all my other intern friends are either planning or currently teaching their solo week plans.  I feel like I'm falling behind, but not by choice, and it's frustrating.  Hopefully I hear something about where I'm going by next week, but at this point I'm not holding my breath.  I'm just hoping something happens for me so that I can continue to improve and finish strong.  I didn't realize just how close we were to the end up until a few weeks ago, but by April I'll be expected to look for jobs for next year.  By May I'll hopefully have my Masters degree and register for graduation.  My final months of university are approaching.  YIKES.

  As I said before, I have a lot more free time on my hands at the moment, so I'd like to use it accordingly to improve on and rediscover my passions.  I got a lot of books for Christmas, so I plan on trying to get through as many of them as possible and add to my collection along the way.  I've been spending a lot more time on Goodreads, updating my profile and my lists so that I can get more accurate recommendations.  I've also been watching more BookTube YouTubers to get book recommendations and to see what's out there, what's popular and what other readers are most excited about.  I was seriously considering turning my YouTube channel into a BookTube channel, but I'm still working on that.  I've determined that I really don't like being on camera, especially now that I don't look my best when I'm sick and I'm very self conscious about my appearance.  I would, however, like to continue to blog and write about books, seeing as that's my area of expertise.  I will see if I can update my tabs to include a link to my Goodreads account, but until then you can find me here.  I will try my best to keep up with this and hopefully my love of books will continue to grow.

  Lastly, we have reviews.  I have been watching this latest season of The Bachelor with much enthusiasm.  Starting with over 30 women was exhausting, but now that we're already down to 11 it feels manageable.  The most important things I took away from the first three episodes are that Ashley's are still my least favorite kind of people, Canadians are awesome, there IS such a thing as too much country, (and whiskey), muscles and competition aren't everything, and there can be more than one virgin in the house at a time.  Needless to say it's been an interesting season so far, culminating into what I believe are the three top ladies at this point: Kaitlyn, Whitney and Jade.  It's obvious that Chris has a natural connection with Kaitlyn.  She's obnoxious, care-free and ridiculously funny.  She's not afraid to get down and dirty outside or open up about her feelings.  She seems like an all-around great girl and a great fit for Chris, who seeks normalcy above all else.  She's my front runner at the moment, so I'm rooting for her.

  Jade is my second favorite, solely because of her genuine nature and girl-next-door vibe.  She's quiet, but respectful and patient, and Chris notices her anyway.  I also think they would be great together, but we'll have to see if she stands out over Kaitlyn.  Jade totally deserved that Cinderella date!  Ashely I. was getting on my nerves, complaining about her lack of pampering.  The reason the sisters chose Jade is because she doesn't normally get this sort of treatment and deserved to get some, not because she would look good in the expensive, outlandish ballroom attire.  That wasn't the point and the fact that Ashley somehow missed that makes me think she's not long for this show.  Obviously she's not right for Chris.  Those Jersey girls can't be trusted around shiny objects...

  Whitney I'd rather not like, but I can't deny that her and Chris had a pretty rad date crashing that wedding.  Their connection is also obvious, so I'm curious to see if it will eventually outshine or succumb to Kaitlyn's or Jade's.  Next week's episode looks like we'll be seeing more drama unfold from unlikely sources, so anything is possible!  If you'd like another place to get recaps of The Bachelor, I particularly love Mel Got Served.  She's hilarious and has a unique approach to reviewing each episode.  She also does recaps of other popular reality television programs, so if you're into that, please go check her out!
  That's all I have for this week.  I think that's enough actually...  If I'm still not doing anything next week, I should be able to upload my blog on time, or at least at a decent time.  I'm thinking about adding one or two more shows to recap along with The Bachelor, but I'm having trouble narrowing it down.  I just started watching Agent Carter, in addition to Arrow, The Flash, Gotham and Agents of Shield, which are all returning from their mid-season finales.  I've gotten to the point where I have too many shows to watch that I've gotten behind, so I'm trying to catch up.  The Amazing Race is starting again soon, as is Vikings, which I'm very excited about, so maybe I'll leave it at that.  Let me know what you guys think and what shows you'd like recaps and/or reviews of.  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.

Founder's Day

   Happy Tuesday to all!  I'm having a surprisingly good day so far, but that could all come crashing down at any moment, so let's keep our wits about us, shall we?  I spent some time with my favorite teacher this morning, had some Dunks for second breakfast and now this, so I'm doing well today.  It's also Founder's Day for Phi Mu Fraternity, of which I am an alumnae member.  Love, Honor, Truth!

    As usual, I don't have much to talk about on the personal front.  I'm actually getting over my cold, (I think...knock on wood, or whatever is closest), so I feel better and school is back in session, so I don't feel as useless as I did last week.  That being said, I do want to talk about a few things, one being an ultimatum I gave myself whilst wallowing in my self pity.  I'm going to make it a point to try harder at things like cleaning around the house, getting out of said house and making more of an effort in general.  I've been really lazy and bored lately and I'm tired of feeling crappy, so I want to do more.  Obviously having no job makes being lazy really easy, so I'm going to try to fill up some of my free time with more beneficial activities, like reading for leisure and getting caught up, (or ahead!), in some of my homework and other projects.  Since I don't really have an excuse not to, I should be doing more instead of letting distractions like TV take over my down time.  I have about four books lined up for me to read and review, so I want to make it a goal of mine to start one this week or during vacation next week.  I would also like to be more active, maybe even go back to the gym, (it's been at least a year since I've been to the gym I keep paying a membership for...).  Or at least yoga or something.

    Speaking of TV being a distraction, two things that happened on TV this weekend were The Amazing Race and The Oscars.  SPOILER ALERT for Amazing Race: I was sad enough when they introduced the show with Bopper being sick and leaving Mark to race with Mallory, but then she had to go and ruin it again for all of us by losing the second leg.  I can't see how, being an obvious fan favorite, they can keep doing the show and leave with nothing, but we'll see if they ever get to come back.  I don't think they'd do two "all-stars" in a row, but you never know with reality television...
    As for The Oscars, I think it's safe to say that it was one of the best Oscar events in the history of the show.  Ellen was almost flawless, (that snide joke about Liza Minnelli rubbed some people the wrong way), and there was pizza, so it was pure gold in my book.  So glad that 12 Years a Slave won a few awards, including the big one.  Also, I think it's time for me to see Frozen now.  I've compiled a few of my favorite gifs, memes and pictures from the night, so enjoy those below.

That time Ellen scared the crap out of Leo and Sandra.

The Selfie Heard Round The World (on Twitter)

Everybody getting pizza!

My personal favorite.  Poor Leo...

    That's all for today.  Like I said, I'm trying to get back in the swing of things with my school work, so hopefully that will pay off for my paper due at the end of this week.  I've also started observations again, so hopefully this will get me closer to a potential cooperating teacher for my internship as well as my focus student, who is cool beans by the way.  I will most likely have my TV show reviews by Thursday, although I've stopped watching The Bachelor for now, (I think it's gone downhill super fast, so I think I might just wait for the end to see who he ends up with, if anyone).  I'm very invested in Arrow on the CW as well as Vikings on the History channel, which just started back up again last week, so stay tuned for at least those.  If you're not already following me on Instagram, click here to check my progress so far in the Northeast Bloggers March Photo Challenge!  I still have almost a full month to go, but things should get interesting.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Vacation Land

    It's Tuesday again, so you know what that means!  Another boring blog.  It's school vacation week around here, which means no visitation/observation hours at schools and no work substituting.  I haven't even had class since last Wednesday.  I've also been really sick, so that's been no fun at all...especially since I've been a snot zombie and can't feel my face from all the congestion.  The good news is that I have at least one fun thing planned for this week, which I am excited about: tubing!  Maybe I'll remember to take pictures this time when I leave the house so I have proof that it actually happened...

    Operation Employment has been stagnant of late since the botched interview last week.  I'm still hopeful and I have at least four or five other jobs lined up, so we'll see what happens.  I've caved and applied to some retail stores, seeing as that seems to be all I'm good for, so maybe I'll hear back from someone this week.  Maybe not...  Who knows?
    As I currently have no steady job with any way to make payments on anything consecutively, I've resigned myself to the fact that I will probably not be getting a new car this year:(  I was holding out for it and very excited, but since getting fired put a damper on my funds I really don't have the means to purchase even a newer used car right now.  This couldn't have come at a worse time, and the savings I had up until this point would've been great towards a down payment, but I've had to use it to live off of, so it's slowly dwindling down to nothing again.  Maybe someday I'll be able to get myself a new car so that the Red Baron can finally retire, but it is not this day.

    Let's have some good vibes now!  So far, my two big TV reviews are for The Bachelor and for The Amazing Race, which premiered this past Sunday, (unbeknownst to me, but my father called and let me know we missed it so I could watch it yesterday).  Unbelievable, (for both shows).  SPOILER ALERT!!...  I can't believe Renee got eliminated!  And yet I can, because she was really the only normal person left besides Andi and he obviously wasn't giving her enough attention.  That being said, he probably should've let her go a little earlier, considering he ended up meeting her son for no apparent reason.  I don't know how I feel about that, and the fact that Nikki has already met Camila.  Does that mean he likes her the most?  Meeting someone's child should be a big deal, in my mind, and Renee tore down a lot of walls to make that happen with JP and Ben, but to no avail.  It's really sad, but at least they won't be burdened later on with the fantasy suite fiasco set up to happen.  I'm still rooting for Andi, but at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Nikki won.

    The Amazing Race started off with a huge disappointment!  Of course Mark and Bopper were one of my favorite teams to come back and race for the all-stars, but they couldn't let me have that.  Poor Bopper, all ready to go, then BOOM, inflamed pancreas, (or whatever).  Poor Mark too, since he's stuck to that Mallory from now on.  Despite this obvious set back, (and set up), I will be supporting Joey and Meaghan for this race, seeing as they're the only people I really know.  That's a little sad to say, isn't it?  Claiming you "really know" someone from YouTube.  But it is possible I think.  We'll see what this race holds for everyone, but there are already people in this one I don't like so I'm not sure.  That's all I have for TV right now.  I don't think all of my shows are back just yet, but they should be by next week.  Also, Vikings is back on Thursday and I couldn't be more excited!  I should have a review of that by next Tuesday, so if you're into that, be on the lookout!

    For Thursday I think I'm going to be talking about the book I'm currently reading called Born Digital, which focuses on understanding our generation of young people as they master new technologies.  Even for someone like me, born in the beginning of the growing digital age, there are still some things I don't understand about today's technological advances and how kids know how to use them.  It should be interesting and I'm reading the first six chapters, so I will do an overview of that with a book review to follow after I finish in a few weeks.  I want to start getting back into doing educational or English-related blog posts on one of my blogging days, so let me know what you think about that and any topics you'd like for me to discuss.  I will be updating and monitoring my Good Reads account a little better to let everyone know what I'm reading right now and what I plan to read in the near future.  Now that I have a lot of downtime, I'm hoping to at least start a new book, but I have to decide which one first.  Until then, homework awaits!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

The Luck of the Irish

   Hey everyone!  This week has been hectic, to say the least, and I've had a lot going on.  Early mornings, observations at various middle schools and job hunting have all surrounded my school work in a never-ending vortex of misery that is unavoidable.  I'm hoping the next month goes by quickly because I'd love to feel a sense of relief.
    I have good news and bad news surrounding the job hunt.  The bad news is that my interview this morning, although I feel it went well, revealed that I was not who they were looking for in terms of availability.  It didn't feel as bad as I thought it would, partially because of the good news.  The woman conducting the interview mentioned that she loved English majors and that she would pass on my resume to another department looking to fill a different position with more flexibility.  I'm hoping this works in my favor and if all goes well I'll have another interview next week.

    While I was waiting to go into my interview I had a lot of time to think about things, about what I wanted and about how desperately I need a job, (I'm starting to feel sad just sitting at home by myself all the time...).  Then I thought about God and asking Him to help me, which I've done before.  I apologize for anyone who reads this who is very religious, but I swear my views are only my own and not meant to hurt anybody's feelings.  I've prayed before to God for help, for answers and for life and I don't think it's ever worked for me.  This may be my fault for not getting accustomed to my original faith of Catholicism, but I don't think God has ever heard me in a way that we both understand each other.  I don't doubt His existence, nor do I condone it.  I've never been an overly religious person, but I've learned about religion for various kinds of people, including Judaism, Protestant, Mormonism, etc.  There are aspects of other religions that I agree with and can see as probable, at least in my eyes.  That is to say I do think there's a higher power with some divine control over what happens around us, but I can't explain it further than that I'm afraid.

    Back to my original thought, as I was sitting there, waiting to go into the interview, I clutched my lucky clover bracelet and asked my grandmother for help.  I don't know why because she probably wouldn't be able to help me get a job even if she were still alive, but I miss her wisdom.  I would always ask her advice to get to know situations from another perspective besides my own and I can't do that anymore.  I think what I'm saying is that I'd rather pray to my own family than to someone I don't know because I know my family will hear me and listen.  I do believe that they can see us from where ever they are and they are watching over us.  I'm so unsure of myself sometimes it's amazing I'm still a functioning human being, but I was nervous and didn't know what else to do, so I called out to her, (not vocally, but internally so the other people in the lobby wouldn't think I was crazy...).  I guess I felt like I needed a little bit of extra luck today, but obviously I didn't get it.  Us Irish girls put a lot on luck and I think sometimes we treat it as an alternative form of religion, but it doesn't always work for us.  I don't blame them for not offering me the job because my availability wouldn't work for them but I was still disappointed in myself for getting my hopes up.  Some things are non-negotiable and you have to just run with it.  I'm hopeful that I will find a job soon, I just don't know where at this point.
    Sorry that was sort-of deep and somewhat off-topic, but let's skip to something more fun now!  I have two pop-culture-related things to talk about, number one being The Bachelor, (SPOILERS if you haven't already guessed yet).  With this episode in Miami, I'm not sure what's going to happen now.  My dad's vision may come to light because at this point, especially with the previous for next week's two-day home town visit, I don't know if he'll actually end up with anyone.  He must be quite a dumb pervert to mess this up: having over 25 women at your disposal and ruining it at the last second.  We'll see what happens, but I'm still routing for Renee and Andi as my top two girls.  I'm on the fence about Nikki now, but I think her attitude may have an explanation just because of Claire and her bat shit crazy ways of manipulation working against Nikki's rejection of this alternative reality.  Again, we'll see.
    The second thing is the new Guardians of the Galaxy trailer has premiered on Jimmy Kimmel the other night and OH MY GOD it is amazing!  The video is posted below for your viewing pleasure.  I'm not sure how authentic to the comic it will be, (judging by my husband's gripes about certain character's origin stories, there's bound to be some confusion and outrage among comic fans).  But the trailer proves that it will at least be a kick-ass action film, so I am excited nonetheless.  Please join me in my enthusiasm!  I'M HOOKED ON A FEELIN'!!!

    That's all I have for this week.  If you want something interesting to look into, I posted a neat article in my ENGL 889 tab this week about "Twitch Plays Pokemon" and his continuous game play project.  There are links to the live video stream, an article that gives a great explanation of what's going on, and a link to the Google document with all the goals and achievements to date that have been tracked by the participants.  It's really cool stuff if you're interested in affinity spaces, gaming or just Pokemon Red/Blue.  Next week is school vacation week, so I'm hoping to focus more on my job hunt while my internship and observation hours are put on hold for the time being.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Thanks a lot Pax.

    Hey everyone!  I feel like absolutely no time has passed since Tuesday, but here we are.  Obviously everyone has shut down because of this nor'easter, so I'm once again stuck inside.  Although it sucks that my interview and open house today had to be rescheduled for next week, I'm glad I don't have an excuse to go outside in this weather.  I'm better off going into hermit mode for a day.

    As many of you may be aware, tomorrow is Valentine's Day.  Most people deem this to be an unnecessary Hallmark holiday in which men buy pointless gifts for the women in their lives.  I'd like to think of it as more of a tradition passed down through generations of stupid people, but I'm not en expert.  Obviously I love chocolate; I am a female after all.  I also love flowers, possibly more than chocolate, (but really, who am I kidding?)  These would both be nice every once in awhile, but I don't think we need a day devoted to them, or him for that matter.  I see him every day!

    I've cooked a nice dinner for my husband every Valentine's Day for the last four years and it's my favorite part of the holiday.  Going out to dinner is overrated; I'd much rather make him something from scratch than wait around and make reservations to spend more money we don't have.  I make him the same thing every year, but he loves it, so it's totally worth it.  Plus, it's delicious because I'm an awesome cook:)  All I want to do tomorrow is cook sauce and drink wine with my mother, make a fabulous dinner for my husband and spend some alone time together.  If I can get him to sit next to me on the couch, I've succeeded in my efforts.

(courtesy of: http://www.melgotserved.com/)

    Speaking of "love," I got caught up in The Bachelor, so get ready for some spoilers if you haven't seen it already!  I still hate Claire and think that she's crazy.  I also still think my top three are Renee, Andi and Nikki, but you can never tell with this show.  My favorite part, by far, was the group date dinner at Hobbiton.  I can't even tell you how much I was fangirling at that moment.  I think it's safe to say that was the best group date so far in the shows history.  Although I also feel that anyone who would truly appreciate that set wouldn't be caught dead watching The Bachelor, but to each his own.  If you want to read a recap of this episode or any other, check out this blog called Mel Got Served.  She does various recaps of TV shows and they are most humorous.  Check her out for a good laugh!

    Unfortunately none of my other shows were on this week due to the Olympics.  I can't even comment on them either because I don't have cable and therefore can't watch them until Sunday:(  I will say that 15-year-old Russian girl, Yulia, who claimed the gold in the women's figure skating last weekend, was amazing!  I've never seen anyone do anything like that before in that event, let alone a teenager.  To think of my students pulling off something like that...it makes me cringe just thinking about how uncoordinated they'd be on ice.  The laughs I would have!  Note to self: arrange field trip to the skating rink asap.
    Well, that's about it I'm afraid.  I'll be spending the day getting caught up on some reading and some TMNT.  I'll also still be having class via Google Hangout, which should be interesting to say the least.  I may or may not have a new "Open Letter" up soon.  I at least want to get one up by the end of the month.  This weekend I'll be pretty busy: Valentine's Day cooking all day tomorrow, my mom's 50th birthday party Saturday and my dad's birthday Sunday, (yeah, I know, I couldn't have planned that any better myself).  It's great that I don't have to work, otherwise I would probably be screwed.  Here's to the minimal benefits of being unemployed!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

    *I'd also like to say that I'm super excited that Camp Takota comes out tomorrow as well!  You can pre-order the movie here.  Watch the extended trailer!  Congrats to Grace, Mamrie and Hannah on your success!

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.

Reviews Galore!

    Hey all!  I promise I'm not rushing this time, (even though it seems like Tuesday's post did pretty well for itself, all things considered).  I start my last set of classes on Tuesday, so this may very well be the last random post for the winter vacation.  We'll see how much work I have next week.

    The first thing I'd like to address is that it's my Nana's birthday today.  She would've been 71 today if she hadn't passed away three years ago tomorrow.  I miss her a lot and sometimes I wish she was still here so I could ask her questions and get her opinion on things.  I know I'm an adult and I should be able to think for myself, but sometimes everyone needs a second opinion.  I was her oldest grandchild and shouldered a lot of responsibility.  I took today off because I wanted to celebrate her life rather than her death and so that I could go see her because I haven't in awhile.  I usually bring her flowers because she loved them so much and I hope the little pop of color will help her think of spring and of all the gardening we used to do together.  I'm still somewhat bitter about the amount of time we got to spend together before we were rudely interrupted, however I am grateful I at least got to say goodbye.  I love you now and forever always Nana<3

    So to keep myself happy and in good spirits today, I will start out with my review of the latest Bachelor, as promised on Tuesday.  I would like to take a moment and recognize a select few ladies for their potential and their utter embarrassment on public television.  SPOILER ALERT!!!!!

•   Claire- I like Claire, really I do, but I feel like she's just way too into this.  Everything excites her and she seems to be impervious to any negativity whatsoever.  This could be a good thing in the long run, but I found her to be very annoying for her first one-on-one with Juan Pablo.  She seems to have it set in her mind that he's already perfect for her and that he could be "the Juan" she's been longing for after only about a week, so we'll see if she lasts.
• Renee and Cassandra- I like these two because they are "the moms" of the group and they have that in common with Juan Pablo.  He treats them differently because they have children and he understands where they are coming from on a deeper level than any of the other ladies can understand, so for that I commend them for taking the risk.  I know that he can't chose both of them and although Cassandra has shown remarkable maturity for a 21-year-old, I think that Renee would be a better fit for him and his little girl.  We'll see if I'm right.
• Nikki- She is a little ball of sunshine, (not in the almost fake way that Claire demonstrates), but it's manageable and controlled.  Juan seems to like her a lot and she's obviously great with children being a pediatric nurse, so I feel like she'll go far if he doesn't get too attached to some of the other ladies.
• Lucy- What a gem this one is.  I'm all for being comfortable with your body, but unfortunately we don't live in a world where public displays of nudity are acceptable, (outside of nude beaches and certain European countries).  I like her attitude thus far; she seems nice, genuine and relaxed, not at all caddy or anxious about dates and what-not.  But I honestly don't see her as proper mom material for Camila, so I think that's the ultimate deal-breaker for me with her.  That and the fact that her job as a "free spirit" probably won't go over very well with him either.
• Victoria- I AM SO GLAD SHE'S GONE.  I actually had high hopes for her, being 24 and from Brazil she seemed to have at least something in common with Juan Pablo.  Alas, I was terribly wrong...who would've known she was an adult?  Her behavior at the group date was appalling to say the least and reminded me of something you might have seen in The Real World house, rather than The Bachelor.  Definitely not mommy material and the self-inflicted dramatic rampage was completely unnecessary.  Have a nice flight back home to Miami.

    Those are my immediate thoughts so far after seeing the last episode.  If you want to read a great and thorough recap, check it out here at Entertainment Weekly.  Literally made me laugh out loud reading it.  Can't get enough of that satire!

    Another review I wanted to do was for the new Pokemon Y game for the Nintendo 3DS, which I purchased yesterday, (after almost no deliberation).  Yes, I am an adult and yes, it's awesome.  After about 24 hours I've accumulated 84 Pokemon in my Pokedex, one gym badge and a new fossilized Pokemon that I am very excited about, (he's called a Tyrunt and he will eventually evolve into a Tyrannosaurus Rex-type thing).  I've logged about 9 hours of game play so far and I'm very impressed with the graphics and overall layout of the game.  I am currently in Ambrette Town getting ready to move onto the next coastal city.

    If you're curious, the three starter Pokemon you are given to chose from are Chespin, (grass-type rodent thing), Froakie, (water-type frog thing), and Fennekin, (fire-type fox thing).  As opposed to the Professor of this region giving you the choice of one of these three Pokemon, your characters meets with his or her friends to decide amongst themselves.  It's a weird concept, but I understood why after we met with the Professor and he gave us three more Pokemon to choose from: Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle.  To say that I was excited would've been an understatement.  After having a coronary, I chose Charmander, (obviously).  I have always chosen fire-type or water-type Pokemon from each game, so I got to choose both this time.  For my main Pokemon I chose Froakie, solely because it was a frog and it was adorable.

    I used to nickname all my Pokemon, but I now find that to be tiring because there are about 12,000 more Pokemon now than when I started back in 1998, so I stuck to nicknaming just a few so far.  My Froakie's name is Remy, (something French, so I used Remy LeBeau as inspiration because it's a ninja frog).  I named my Charmander Drogon because it'll eventually become a fearsome dragon lord due to Mega Evolution, which is also new to this series.  Only certain Pokemon can mega evolve and you have to possess a certain stone to make it happen.  For example, in each game, Pokemon X or Y, Charizard mega-evolves differently, (see picture above).  Depending on which game you get, the mega evolutions vary.  I'm excited to see what other special secrets there are in the game as I go along.

    Another thing I like about the game is that you can connect wirelessly with anyone else who has either game to trade, battle, etc.  I remember the good old days of linking up with cords and you had to sit right across from someone to battle them on a tiny screen.  Now you can be worlds away with the right Internet connection and battle in 3D.  Pretty neat, huh?  I haven't met anyone else who has this game, so let me know in the comments if you do so we can play together!  I'm still figuring out how all this new technology works, so bare with me, (I haven't used a Gameboy since they were still called Gameboys...).

    So that's my post for today.  Now I'm going to grab some lunch and see how much farther I can get within a reasonable hour; I ended up losing track of time last night and played until 3am...not good.  If you have any comments, tips or predictions about The Bachelor or Pokemon X or Y, let me know in the comments!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.