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.

Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

    Greetings and salutations!  It's already Thursday and boy do I want the snow to stop.  Not only is it below twenty degrees, (plus a nasty windchill), but we got a couple inches of snow too, resulting in some power outages last night.  Hurray for the end of winter!  I DO have some good news though!  I had mentioned on Tuesday that I had a pretty important interview today for what I would consider one of my dream jobs and I am about 93% sure that I got it!  I went into the interview feeling nervous, but also excited about the prospect of doing something I like with kids for the rest of the time I'll be in school.  I also felt pretty confident in my experience, coupled with my degrees and educational background.  I just have to wait for my references to check out and I could start as early as next week.  AAHHH!!

    Obviously I'm a little excited about the possibility of being employed again while still holding onto my subbing position until the end of the year.  Even though I wouldn't be working a whole week, I would still be way happier there than I would if I ever had to set foot in a retail environment again.  I think it's important to keep your options open and if the opportunity is there, I have to take it.  I won't get too many more opportunities like this; a chance to do what I've always wanted to do again is too good to pass up.  It seems like the perfect fit, so here's to hoping the dark days are behind me.

    That being said, this week wasn't too great until today.  Town elections were on Tuesday and my town was voting on the prospect of building a new school building for our kids.  If you saw the school in its present state, you would've voted yes: they are fighting and working hard to alleviate the obvious structural and spacial issues facing the school as it stands.  Unfortunately, a small margin of voters pushed more for basic renovations rather than spend their tax money on a new building.  This made me angry because the town is basically saying there are more people here that could care less about these kids and their education than they do about their money.  The population of elderly voters outweighed the percentage of younger voters, who obviously would've voted for a new school.  The older generation doesn't have kids who go to school anymore, so why would they vote to pay for a school that won't benefit them in any way?  They don't see the ripple effect this causes in the community either.  These kids believe their elders don't care about them or their future, which in turn won't provide them with an adequate outlook on life.  It'll only make them want to leave this school district even more than some already do.  As a substitute teacher, as well as someone who values student opinion, I see the vote as one for these kids, not for taxes.  The backlash and negativity on social media after the vote was decided was immense.  The only reason I know that is because I respect these kids and I think they deserve better than what they have been given.  All the more reason for me to do good by them.
    Speaking of students and respect, there was an incident at one of the schools I am observing at involving a hate crime.  To think that middle schoolers are capable of this magnitude of cruelty is mind-boggling.  I keep thinking back to my own time in middle school, in a different world.  Although I have fond memories of meeting new friends, some I've kept to this day, and of fun teachers, I also have memories of sickness and backstabbing.  I was diagnosed with Lupus at the beginning of my middle school years, so I remember more about hospital visits than of school work.  I was also the victim of bullying, mostly by people I had once considered friends.  It's tough in middle school, to gauge who you really are and what you believe in.  I think that might be one reason these kids are more likely to become bystanders than those who are willing to take action against hatred.  I know that I felt somewhat alone within all of that silence, so I would assume the same holds true for these abuse victims.  We have to learn how to be nice to each other, or our future will most likely be bleak at best.

    Enough of that sad talk for now.  Things are looking up, at least from where I'm standing.  I've made it a goal of mine to always impact kids in a positive light, and that's exactly what I plan to do, especially if I get this new job.  That being said, I plan on doing some premature celebrating this weekend.  I will be attending a fundraiser for cystic fibrosis at the local Margaritas restaurant with my husband and parents.  All proceeds from the event will go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, so I don't see any harm in drinking margaritas for a good cause!  What better way to celebrate my probable employment?

    I've done something I never expected to do this week: watch Frozen.  I liked it, surprisingly, and now understand why all my kids are obsessed with the songs, mainly "Let it Go," seeing as it's been stuck in my head for the last few days.  That, and "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?"  I liked the movie because I saw a lot of similarities between my relationship with my own sister in Elsa and Anna's relationship.  We grew apart as adolescents and I wish I could go back and change that, but we're better now and get along really well together.  I like the symbolism of "sisterly love" as opposed to the usual "romantic love" aspect of most Disney movies.  It shows that they are veering away from the typical story lines in favor of a more modern approach to things.  I look forward to seeing more of Disney's new creations, seeing as Frozen has done so unbelievably well.
    Monday is also St. Patrick's Day and, for most of us, that means day drinking and wearing as much green as possible.  For me there is an entirely different element to this holiday, considering the fact that I am mostly Irish, although it might be hard to tell from my maiden name and my dark hair.  While my mother's side is almost strictly Irish, my father's side, although we identify more with our Italian roots, we are partially Irish as well, from my grandmother's side of the family.  Because my family treated St. Patrick's Day as a family event, we would always get together for the traditional Irish supper of corned beef and cabbage, which hasn't changed.  I am in charge of making my Nana's Irish soda bread, which is my favorite and very easy to make, however rather sticky.  I love this holiday because I can tap into my roots and get together with family just like Christmas and Thanksgiving.  Also there's usually a Boondock Saints marathon, which is nothing to scoff at.  It's a time to celebrate life and good luck, which a lot of people do with booze.  Good thing I always keep a spare bottle of Jameson in the freezer!

    That's all I have for you this week.  If you want to see this week's TV reactions and predictions, check out my last post.  Next week school is back in session, so I will go back to having a full schedule.  I'm in the middle of an X-Men marathon right now, so I'll have to decide between that and the homework I still have to get done...  If you are interested in following my progress in the Northeast Bloggers March Photo Challenge, the link to my Instagram is among the rest of my social media links at the top of the page.  I know I've said this before, but if anyone has ideas of what you would like to see me post about or review, let me know in the comments below!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

North Eastern T-Rex Alert

    Another Tuesday taken by a rogue storm.  I swear someone up there is out to get me, but what can you do really?  The weather clearly doesn't want me to have a job, but as I have done before I will continue to be optimistic.

    The snow could not keep me from my observations at the middle school, although they did have an early release.  I got to see two teachers I really admire and I think they are my top two contenders for my internship next year.  They both have different teaching styles, but they are both fun, energetic and bring a lot of activity into their classrooms.  I would benefit from having either one of them as a mentor, but unfortunately the tough part is picking only one...  Next week is winter vacation for us, so I'll have to wait two weeks to see them again and make some decisions, but I'm feeling better about my chances.

    One of the two teachers I got to visit with today had Lupus.  This is a huge deal to me because usually I don't find random people in public who know what Lupus is, let alone have it.  It's not one of the common diseases everyone knows a lot about; in fact, it's the exact opposite.  So to find a teacher who has Lupus, who I can talk to, who understands me from not only an intellectual level but a physical level, is huge for me.  That sold it for me and I believe we were fated to be together in this journey, however I have to make a minimum of three school visits, so I have to wait.  But I think we both understand each other and know that we'll end up together.  She makes me feel excited, so I hope I get her!  Fingers crossed, knock on wood and all that jazz.

    That's literally the only exciting thing happening in my life right now.  I have some homework to do that involves actually seeing and talking to people and I don't feel like doing that.  I also had to reschedule my very important interview AGAIN, for a third time, for Thursday morning, so fingers crossed again for me doing ok with that so I can FINALLY have a job again.  I feel like I'd really like it there and that I'd be good at the job, so I hope it's mine.  They already took the posting off the website, so either they are holding out for me and already plan on giving me the job, or they are giving me the benefit of the doubt out of pity and already have someone else in mind.  UGH, the suspense is KILLING me...slowly.

    Since I've been spending so much time indoors and slowly getting less involved with the TMNT, I've picked up another series I had been eyeing for some time.  The Borgias has been very similar to The Tudors in the sense that they are both Show Time programs with a lot of drama.  I like seeing the plot line unfold from the Borgia perspective, having viewed them in a negative light since seeing the family featured in the Assassin's Creed games.  In this series they are very much a troubled family with many secrets.  There's a lot of death and less sex, which I guess is great if you like that sort of thing.  Personally I like watching how certain relationships unfold, destroy themselves and come back again.  The intrinsic properties of this show are the engrossing story line, the historical elements and the strife of the warring nations.  I'm looking forward to the second season now that I've finished the first.

    Comic book geeks may enjoy the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" show tonight, around 11:30, when they show the trailer for the Guardians of the Galaxy movie coming out this August.  My husband is extremely excited about this, having more than one collection of these comics to his name.  I am intrigued by the plot line and the characters, but then again they are what makes the story work in harmony.  I only hope that it will live up to his expectations, but I'm not going to jump the gun.
    That's it for me today.  Hopefully Thursday I will have more to report after my interview:)  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Meh.

    Happy Tuesday everyone!  Sadly I have almost nothing positive to report...  It's been pretty dismal and boring on my end and unfortunately I don't see that changing any time soon.
    This week is open house week and so far I've only been to one in Dover, NH.  It was nicer than I expected and extremely welcoming.  I felt like I was being bribed almost, but it was nice to have so much coffee cake to eat in the morning.  There were only two English cooperating teachers to choose from and believe me, they were very busy.  It's as "urban" a district as you'll get in New Hampshire.  We'll see if I fit in there, but it definitely feels familiar to my own middle school.

    Speaking of my own middle school, I'm heading over there in the morning for my second open house.  I was more excited yesterday for the prospective teachers list which got emailed to us with all the bios attached.  I saw some familiar names in other departments, but the good news is there are six English teachers to choose from, so I should have more luck here.  I have my eye on one particular teacher already, but I've heard a rumor that her intern from last semester wants to be with her for a full year, so I think there might be some competition for her at this point.  Fate will tell.
    The last open house is scheduled for Thursday, but I doubt it will happen this week due to the snow storm headed our way.  Currently, we're projected to get about 8-12 inches from Pax all day Thursday to Friday morning.  Thus postponing not only my last open house opportunity, but also a job opportunity.  My very important interview is supposed to be at 3pm on Thursday, but I've already emailed the HR manager to ask what we should do in this situation.  I should know by tomorrow whether or not schools will be closed and my interview can be rescheduled, so please keep sending good vibes my way.

    All the stuff I have going on this week coupled with the constant early mornings and barely any sleep has made me quite irritable.  I've been feeling an awful combination of frustration, nerves and exhaustion.  I'm starting to lose the wind in my sails...  I think I need a break sometime soon, or I will likely lose faith in humanity, (and my own abilities).  I've applied to a few more jobs, but I'm really gunning for this one, so I'd really appreciate it if I could acquire some divine intervention, and soon.
    Well, that's pretty much it.  Like I said before, not a lot going on.  I didn't really have a lot of time this week to devote to the blog, so I apologize if this seems rushed and brief.  I promise Thursday, (might), be better, especially if I have some good news.  Either way, I'll have my TV reviews from this week and more on this coming weekend's plans.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.