Hey guys, I understand that it's Friday and I missed yesterday's post. Just be thankful that I'm here because I was considering not posting at all after the week I've had... Early mornings, long days and late nights coupled with papers, unit plans and watching elementary school children every day has made me hate the world at this point. Let's just say I'm glad next week is April Vacation.
With less than two weeks left until the end of the semester, things are looking pretty tight. I finished my case study, but now have to revise it, on top of the already scheduled term paper due at the end of finals week. I also have to finish leading the discussion we were supposed to have Wednesday, but because of case study work shopping, it got pushed back. In my other class, I just finished up my gaming and literacy unit with my friend Jess, so that's one less thing I have to worry about. We still have a multimodal reflection due by May 1st as well as a unit plan due by the end of the semester, so I have to get cracking on those. I was supposed to revise and resubmit my interview research paper, but I really don't think that's going to happen. With everything else I have on my plate, I may barely scrape by with what I have to do now. As for my new job, I now have to create three lesson plans for them and have them in by Monday. I've resigned myself to a few facts: I can't be great at everything I do, I have to make sacrifices to stay sane, and I can't keep stressing about everything. Hopefully I'll get a good chunk of work done while I don't have to see my kids next week until Friday, but we'll see.
As I've been pretty swamped, I managed to finish all the TV shows I usually watch that were on this week so far by last night, so I could talk about them today in my reviews. SPOILERS AHEAD...
The Amazing Race was great last weekend solely because of the change in scenery. The only part I found difficult to watch was when the Globe Trotters were at the Spanish Steps and were trying to count them and write the number down, but they forgot to do it in Roman numerals. He never thought to check the Road Block instructions to see if maybe he was doing something else wrong besides guessing the wrong number. The other groups seemed to fare well in all of the challenges and no one really stood out to me as doing a brilliant job, mostly because everyone caved and got help from some locals, or even tourists, (which is sad really, when you think about it). Even the team who went home weren't really that exciting to me, so I'm still waiting for Brenchel to disappear... Hopefully next week will be more exciting because I just wasn't feeling the vibes this week.
Once Upon a Time, however, turned up the volume on some stuff this weekend. I loved seeing more of Hook because, let's face it, he's dreamy in an evil kind of way, (IE: the best kind). His tangled past with Ariel was a good back story to add to the betrayal Zelena pulled at the end. Now Hook can't have Emma or tell her the truth without hurting everyone she loves, which right now doesn't really include him. Sure, she cares about him, but she doesn't love him...at least not yet. So I'm thinking he's going to go back to keeping his distance from her so that he doesn't ruin her chances of beating Zelena. He may even take Smee's offer to go back to pirating, just to get away. Who knows, but I hope he doesn't just sulk in a lonely corner at Granny's blaming himself for everything that goes wrong from in on out. I also loved seeing Snow and Charming trying to be "cool grandparents" to Henry, even though he doesn't remember them that way. Driving the truck through town probably wasn't the best idea, but I don't think anyone really cared that much, (except Regina...oops). Can't wait for Sunday's episode! I'm hoping we finally found out what else Zelena needs for her spell. There's also talk of a Frozen crossover involving Kristin Bell, so that might be interesting, (although it seems like Frozen is taking over every aspect of our lives as human beings at this point...).
Game of Thrones was the big one this weekend with the Purple Wedding shenanigans. Everyone was talking about it so much that the spoiler disputes made the news. Luckily, now there's an app for that. Needless to say we all really wanted that ending to happen, but Joffrey's death wasn't the only embarrassingly disgusting thing that happened. Joffrey's treatment of Tyrion made me and my husband cringe through that entire scene, so I can't imagine how everyone else felt watching that humiliation unfold. I felt bad for Tyrion, but I also knew what was coming, so I knew he would get retribution for his mistreatment. The big question still remains: who really killed Joffrey? I have only read the first book so far, (my funds and time are both severely limited), so those who read know the truth, but luckily I haven't heard any spoilers for that yet. Everyone has their own theory and they all seem valid, so I guess we'll have to wait and see. I think we'll find out sooner rather than later, but my money is on Cersei. She who blames the imp must be guilty of foul play!
Agents of Shield didn't really impress me this week. I liked seeing Patton Oswalt in the cast, but the fake Ward act meshing with the "real" Ward is already starting to bug me. The saddest part was when Coulson was giving up his badge, telling everyone that it "means something." It's disheartening to know that they don't have anywhere else to really go at this point, and now Ward is on his way to them. Hopefully everything works out, but as of right now everything is up in the air. I am curious to see what Ms. Flowers ends up doing with all of that technology they gave her. She could just as easily turn on Hydra and use the stuff to enact her revenge for their lies, but she could also genuinely be on their side now, so who knows? Her character confuses me the most, so I'd like to see her become more developed. I'm excited to see Cobie Smulders reprise her role as Agent Hill in an upcoming episode. Also, can we just ship Fitzsimmons already? This petty back-and-forth is getting old.
Something cool that also happened this week occurred during the MTV Movie Awards, in which they showed a TV spot featuring the TMNT with none other than SPLINTER in some very brief new footage, added to the already released trailer. There were flashes of Raphael pushing a guy out of his way with just a forearm and Splinter from behind, adding a new voice-over to the action. Mikey also apparently has his rocket skateboard back, so that should be cool. I CAN'T EVEN. Let me know what you think of the spot below!
Welp, that's all folks. As I stated above, I'm extremely tired and severely drained from this week, so I didn't really enjoy anything I watched, besides maybe GOT. Hopefully this weekend will give me the much-needed rest and recuperation I need to re-energize before next week starts. I have some fun things planned for this weekend, including a Harry Potter night with one of my favorite Phi Mu's and some Easter family time. I'll be baking my brownies for a second time in order to contribute to the dessert feast, so they should go over well if they come out like they did last time. Easter for Italians is basically like the Spring equivalent of Christmas dinner, so it should be a good time! Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.
Welcome to Thursday everyone! I really could use a weekend right about now, so I'm glad it's finally here. Not to do fun, exciting things one would normally do on a weekend, but mostly to catch up and finish/start all the work I have to do by next week...
For starters, I have not one, but TWO heavy-duty revisions to do, one of which is due by tomorrow, so I better hustle. I also have a rough draft of my 10-page case study due Wednesday as well as a proposal for a unit plan due next week as well. On top of all that, I still have to read another book before Wednesday and stuff to get done for my new job, (testing, fingerprints, etc.). I felt so overwhelmed yesterday I thought I might cry, but I stuck it out. Meanwhile, my body decided to play a cruel trick on me and make me feel like I got hit by a car... Needless to say it wasn't the best time for a flare, but I feel better today, thankfully, and hopefully it won't come back anytime soon.
That being said, I had a lot of fun filling out paperwork today for my new job, (that's funny, isn't it? "Fun" and "paperwork" in the same sentence...) I have no doubt that my new superiors as well as the other staff members are really fun, caring and genuinely good people. I was even reunited with one of my old friends from summer camp, who now runs the local branch summer camp. Hopefully we'll be working together this summer because I'd really love a chance to get back into summer camp, even if it's only day camp. I have no idea what I would do, whether I would just be a basic counselor, or if I could potentially fit into one of the program areas. I was thinking about my strengths and realized that camp really isn't a good place for reading or writing, it's more about the outdoor activities. I think since I've already done recreation that I would be good at that, but I'd like to try something new, (but relatively easy), like arts and crafts or drama, something I might be good at but have little to no experience in. We'll see, but I hope my summer is just as fun as my new job should be!
All the work I've been doing has kept me pretty busy, but at least it's mostly good news. Unfortunately, that means I really don't have a lot to report on today... I didn't get to meet with my favorite focus child this week, some of my shows weren't on or I haven't gotten to them yet, (like Arrow, which I heard was really good), and it's just been a really hectic week. I did, however, learn about a premier of the first trailer for the new TMNT movie coming out this August, (SQUEEE), so I've linked that video below. I can't tell just yet whether or not it'll be great from a TMNT fandom standpoint, but I do know that I'm really excited about it! Even if it might be bad, I HAVE to see it.
That's it for me. Time to get cracking on some stuff before I run out of time. I'll be posting another blog post tomorrow about a lesson on cyber-bullying we did in class today and Tuesday. That will be in my ENGL 889 tab, so look out for that! Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.
Howdy-ho everyone, it is officially Thursday and I am officially still not hired by anyone in particular... Oh well. That being said, I have made some progress that I assumed was impossible, given the current state of things. Since being let go on Monday night, I have received one email notifying me that my resume and application are currently under review as well as an impromptu phone interview yesterday with a company that may allow me to work mainly from home, which would be super sweet! Not sure what I'd be doing exactly, but I'll take it. Fingers crossed for me to get a job by the end of February! (or hopefully sooner than that, if I keep progressing at this pace)
I forgot how hard and long applications can be, (that's what SHE said?). It's annoying filling out all this information that you think is unnecessary. Most applications take about an hour to complete by themselves, let alone creating a completely new cover letter from scratch for each job you are applying to. You have to be convincing and you have to sell yourself, both of which I am terrible at. Just yesterday, after my random phone interview, (which I was NOT expecting, let alone prepared for), I remembered about a dozen things I could've said that I'm good at that would've made me seem perfect for this job, but alas, I never said any of those things. Instead I told her where I lived...which I'm sure is important, however not viable enough to warrant giving me the job. Hopefully I don't screw myself with my inability to speak directly to people...
Although this has been a shock to me, my family has been very supportive and caring in my time of need. My husband was the first person to bring me ice cream, which has helped me immensely in coping with my unemployment. I've accepted it and have hopefully moved on to a better place, but I'm glad I have my own support system who are willing to help me with anything, including finding another job. I'm not the type of person you'd think would get fired, and they know it, so it's nice that they have my back. It's always good to have people in your life who know the real you and who love you for who you are.
So while I'm dealing with all of that, I still have homework and various reading assignments I have to do, (like the one I should be doing while I'm doing this instead...oops). Technically this is also homework, so it's justified. It's tough to juggle all of this together at once. Like yesterday, my phone interview happened right as I was about to leave to catch the bus to campus, and because I thought the call was important, I stalled in getting ready and was then late to catch the bus, (after running, in the cold, both up and down the hill behind my house, then had to trudge back up again). Needless to say I was exasperated, but I'm not sorry I took the call because I could get that job. Sometimes it can be hard to decide what's more important, and I'm sure I'll have to make more of those decisions as the days go on as well as in the future.
On a completely different note, as some of you might know I am completely obsessed with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. There is another reboot in the works from Michael Bay, who will probably ruin it, but at this point I'm not one to judge. Recently there were pictures leaked of the turtles in all their CGI glory, along with a possible movie poster. Supposedly the pictures have since been pulled by Paramount, but you can still see the turtles for yourself here. Although I am extremely skeptical about this production, I will obviously be seeing it in theaters this summer to either confirm or deny my suspicions of a horrible reboot. More on that to come, as soon as I get a glimpse of a trailer. I found out about the turtles pictures on Nerdist News, which is a subdivision of the Nerdist Channel on YouTube. They cover various nerd news and updates on popular nerd culture, so if you're interested in anything from Skyrim to Dr. Who, you can watch Jessica Chobot here on Nerdist News and explore more of the Nerdist Channel.
That's all I have for today. Tomorrow I will be posting again on my ENGL 889 page about sponsors in literacy and how they shape the way we write, read and perform in schools, (and outside of schools). If you'd like to follow my progress in the "Walk My World" project, you can do so through my Instagram link as well as through my Twitter page. Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.
Hello there! It feels like it's been awhile, but I guess it really hasn't... I had a busy week last week, but I'm proud to say that I actually caught up with my work this week already and only have my grammar assignment to do for Thursday, (snaps for that). It feels good to not be behind or have to cut out some necessary reading just to get things in on time. Hopefully I can keep this up!
This week is the week I get to pick my last two classes ever, (the internship for next year is technically a class, however it is still an internship, so I will treat it as such). It's surreal how long it's been since I first started college, to be here after getting my Bachelor's degree this past winter, getting married this summer, and now finishing my Master's degree already and going on to finally become a teacher! It's so awesome, and I feel like I've gained so much more from this experience than I had ever hoped to. You always hear people talk about the benefits of higher education and how it's definitely worth it to make the sacrifice and do it, but I don't think you actually appreciate it until you're done. Actually, I can see myself not knowing what to do after all this work every day for the last five years. Luckily I'll have lots of grading, lesson planning and curriculum development ahead of me...JOY abounded.
I've also realized I really have to work on better motivating myself to do things. Whether it's just a simple phone call to someone or cleaning the apartment to getting to the gym, (last time I went was probably April?....I think....that's horrible). I need to work on getting myself out from behind this computer and actually DOING things, things that make me happy. I was thinking about maybe getting back into baking, since I did it a lot when I lived with my dad. I really enjoyed making things for other people, and I'm not very crafty, so food was a natural choice. You can ask anyone about my Blondie brownies;) I just miss cooking in general and I wish I didn't have to work late so I could take the time and prep meals for the two of us.
I've been so focused on school and work that I've been in a lull for a long time and I don't know how to get out of it. It's like, right after the honeymoon in June I just went right back into my routine without really getting a chance to have everything sink in and enjoy it. It's like nothing even happened...and that's partially due to the fact that we've been together for so long that it just felt normal to be married and that nothing significant had occurred because we already felt it.
I actually had an interesting thought the other day about us. I had determined our wedding theme, (much to the distaste of my husband), to be "Beauty and the Beast" inspired, because I love that movie so much and I like to think of us symbolically as "beauty" and the "beast," (nothing weird there). Our color scheme was dark blue and yellow, (with some teal), I had a full A-line dress, and I danced with my father to "Tale as Old as Time," (I can't even watch the movie anymore because I tear up just thinking about it...). From an aesthetic standpoint, I think we nailed it, even though there were a few things I wish we could've had, like glass covers for floral arrangements on the tables, (like the rose).
The one thing I hadn't thought of until now was our story, and how it corresponded to the story in "Beauty and the Beast." As an English student, soon-to-be teacher, I like to analyze and pick apart story elements and themes because that's what I do. The story, to me, symbolizes impressions, acceptance and that not everything is what it seems on the outside. "Don't judge a book by it's cover," comes to mind, (because she loved books, get it?). When I look back on how we met, it made sense to me because we didn't necessarily like each other at all. I thought he was an older, weird guy who sweat a lot and he just thought I was cute. There was absolutely NO intention of going further with our relationship.
So we were friends, mostly acquaintances, for quite awhile, until I went off to college, after I went through what could possibly be one of the worst summers of my life to date. He was there for me when no one else was, when he probably should have just let me be, but he didn't. We grew together and I think the beginning of our relationship wasn't perfect, but it worked out. There were times where he rescued me, in a way, from myself and things I would've done if it hadn't been for him stepping in and taking care of me, and for that I'm eternally grateful. I just thought that, even though the theme of the wedding was solely for my benefit and it wasn't exactly right from a visual standpoint, I realize now that it sort of fits perfectly for our relationship. I am in no way a product of Stockholm syndrome nor do I agree with bestiality, but I think the underlying message of the story holds true to our relationship, and I'm really happy about that. My prince is real <3
That's all I have for this week. Very mushy and so-on, but it was a relief to get all that out! I'm going on another trip this weekend, to Vermont, to spend time with some friends. I might film the experience, however I'm still backlogged from the last few weeks of footage, so we'll see. Since I'm so on top of my work, maybe I'll actually get on that. It's getting closer and closer to the holiday season, so that means I'll be both extremely annoyed with all the retail aspects and really happy about all the family time coming up in the next 40-ish days, (don't judge me, I'm not exactly counting the days yet). If you're interested in following me, my links are on the right and the tab for my YouTube channel is now up top. Keep checking back for updates on my latest upload! On Thursday I'll be doing a bit on multi genre projects, so be on the lookout for that! Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.
