I apologize for being MIA for the last week or so, but it's become increasingly difficult for me to meet my Thursday post goal. I have a lot going on right now with the holidays fast approaching and my education on the line, so unfortunately blogging hasn't been my top priority. I haven't really been in the best mood and a lot has been getting me down lately. I'm also very VERY behind in TV, (I've only been keeping up with Once Upon a Time at this point since it's the only one I can watch when it airs on Sundays). I'll explain...
As you know, I've been doing a year-long internship through my university at a local high school in the English department. So far it's been an upward struggle, with my health declining and issues with overall teaching performance. At this point, I've been given my class back and have been teaching mostly on my own for the last few weeks. Unfortunately I have not been as successful as I would like to be at this point. I'm still having noticeable issues with classroom management and the delivery of lessons. I always think that I'm doing better than I actually am, which has hindered my progress. Because of my substituting background, I've noticed that I tend to deliver lessons directly and methodically with little to no real explanation or real-world connection. I need to work harder at humanizing the lessons for my students and making sure that we're using discussion adequately in class instead of just going through the motions. I also need to start pulling the trigger with discipline. I have a bunch of kids who talk over me during class and I need to take care of that as soon as possible before I lose them. I wasn't expecting to have as much difficulty with this as I have been, but the reality is that my future is on the line at this point. I'm not getting credit for this first semester until I prove myself worthy, so I really have to step it up and make these next few weeks count. Luckily I still have some time, but I've been feeling really discouraged lately and uninspired. My lack of progress and apparent noncompliance with the regulations set down by the program have made me doubt my abilities and it's really stressing me out, to be blunt. Hopefully I can get my shit together soon or I'll be looking at repeating the internship next year and adding another year of school to my already mounting college debt. I understand what's at stake and that's not making me any less anxious and stressed, but maybe that's what I need. I don't want to panic, but I might be by the end of Christmas vacation, which is not what I want. Keep your fingers crossed for me that I make it out of this alive and worth certifying, or I'm going to be looking for a new career path when it's too late...
Besides the obvious problems I'm having with teaching, I really don't have a lot going on. We recently moved, (another reason I haven't been on top of the blog lately), and have been unpacking for the last few weeks as we get settled in. So far it's been really nice and comfortable and I really appreciate where we live now. I don't come home to an empty, cold apartment and I have access to a great kitchen stocked with food, so I really can't complain. Having animals again has been nice too! Money has also been less of an issues, at least on my end, and I've been working on saving as much as I can already and reorganizing my finances so they fit my new needs. My project for this weekend is finishing reorganizing my filing crate so I can fit all my bills, paperwork and other things in one accessible spot. It's also been nice to have some extra help and expertise with these types of things because most of the time, when it comes to budgets and other adult things, I have NO idea what I'm doing yet. Still trying to figure out a new routine for our new space, but so far I think we're settling in nicely and everything will eventually feel more natural.
I'm looking forward to the holiday break mostly. Next week is my birthday week, so I have that to look forward to. I'm turning 25, which for some people is a big deal, but I feel like it'll just be another birthday for me. I don't really know what age I actually feel like; sometimes I feel like I'm still 18 and other times I feel like I'm 30, so 25 should be interesting. The following week there's a day and a half of school before break starts Wednesday. After that, we don't come back until January 5th. It will be nice to spend more time with my family and hopefully put the worries I have about my teaching future out of my mind for a few weeks. My little sister is flying home from Texas on Saturday and I can't wait to see her! Spending the holidays with family is greater than any gift I could receive. It took me a long time to realize what Christmas should be about and I'm glad that we get to see everyone from both sides and spend a little time with each family. It's worth it to me and that's all I really need. That and lots of great food:)
Once Upon a Time was really emotional last weekend! I wasn't expecting what happened, and I love when shows do that because it keeps you on your toes. With the last few episodes being very straightforward and predictable, it was nice to see a change. I was getting pretty sick of the crazy family-hungry snow queen thing and it was heartbreaking to find out her sister really regretted her actions form the past. The last time we saw that bottle was the very beginning of the season, so I had been curious to see what she had written in the letter, but I hadn't expected that. I also wasn't expecting the flashbacks to Emma's past and the fact that Ingrid was very close to adopting her. I can understand why Ingrid took Emma's memories upon her arrival to Storybrooke. Now that the curse has been lifted due to Ingrid sacrificing herself, everything seems to be back to normal. But wait! Rumple is STILL a conniving bastard! For next week's mid-season finale, I'm predicting Rumple attempting to take over the world one more time and get that dagger off his back, someone finding out about him lying to everyone, spreading that around and it getting back to Emma, who will have to stop him with the help of everyone else in town. Elsa and Anna will probably help too before they go back to Arendelle to return those memories. I'm hoping we at least see the Sorcerer or something because we've kind of taken a back-seat to the whole "author of the book" mystery, so that's the only other curiosity I had. We'll see what happens, but I anticipate a lot of Rumple hatred next week.
That's all I have for you this week. I had to take some time and write this during school so I don't leave you guys hanging again. I'm not sure if there will be continuous posts from me every week, but I will try to post at least one more time before Christmas break starts. Hopefully I'll have some good updates for you. Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.
Good evening everyone! It has certainly been an exciting and hectic week... I had lab work to get done Monday, baking and other preparations for the last few days for both parties taking place this afternoon, (hopefully the one I couldn't be at went well, or else I may be in trouble...), a team meeting during a delayed opening, finishing my pedagogy, (FINALLY), AND, to top it all off, we're officially moving in six weeks, which means they're starting to show our apartment tomorrow. That is a long and very stressful list of things that I have had to get done without a lot of time to do any of them.
Firstly, I did get my kidney biopsy results back with not a lot of good news, (not that I was expecting any). My Lupus has spread to my kidneys, as we had thought, so now it's time to devise a plan for treatment. Hopefully it won't be too difficult, but I'm anticipating at least some mildly uncomfortable side effects and/or long term damage to some other organ in my body. It has been great feeling relatively normal these last few weeks, but I know that eventually I'm going to have to face whatever is coming and it won't be good. Needless to say I have so much support it's ridiculous, so I wanted to publicly thank my husband for his understanding and his unrelenting patience when it comes to dealing with me when I'm needy. I'd also like to thank my parents, both of whom have provided me with enough support, advice and love to last even the longest lifetime. I honestly don't know what I would do without my family.
Speaking of family, my mother has graciously offered us a place to stay. We'll be moving back to my childhood home very soon, but it's a very different place. We will practically have our own private apartment upstairs, complete with a full bathroom, bedroom, common area and even an office, (in the foreseeable future). There is a lot of stigma surrounding adults moving back in with their parents, but in my situation it's actually a positive thing. Moving back home does not always have to symbolize failure or disappointment. It can actually be a great opportunity to get back on track, save money, live a healthier lifestyle and get in touch with your goals and aspirations. Both my husband and I are very excited about this opportunity and this arrangement and look forward to reaching our goals so we can live the life we want to live. If you told me six years ago that I would be living with my husband at my mother's house, I would've told you that you were crazy. I'm very excited about the prospect of happiness and look forward to moving into a better environment. Although, I'm not a huge fan of the moving process in general... Boxing everything up and storing it for years at a time isn't my idea of fun, nor is moving said boxes from Point A to Point B in various vehicles. I'm not looking forward to the process, but I am definitely looking forward to the end result. We've already got a head start on cleaning because of all the scheduled showings, so it'll be easier to pick through the debris. We're hoping to be out of here by Thanksgiving break at the latest.
In teaching news, I've been working on setting up teacher observations anywhere and everywhere: within my school and subject area, outside my district, outside the state, etc. Every opportunity is precious, so I have to make them count. I'm looking forward to seeing how other professional teachers teach and the strategies I can take away to use in my own future teaching practices. In seminar we've been asked to think about what constitutes a "professional teacher" and I'm hoping to find out through these observations. If I've learned anything from this process so far, it's that the preconceived notions you may have going in aren't necessarily going to ring true by the end of your journey. In other teaching news, I created this great lesson plan for a Halloween-themed "hero's journey" activity that I would really like to do with the kids, but don't think it'll happen because of time commitment issues, (and the fact that the 30th and 31st has already been planned...). I just wanted to do something fun with the kids and take a break from the monotony of The Odyssey, but it may not be in the cards I guess. I'll keep you posted on how it goes if it really does come to fruition, but I'm not holding my breath on this one.
TV this week has been sparse, but I did get some Once in. It was crazy confusing this past weekend. The best part of the entire episode was Hook, (or Killian), and Emma's date, which was almost as awkward as I thought it would be. Still very sweet, but we definitely need a second date in the near future. That should give Hook time to sort out what the hell is going on with his hand. I have absolutely no clue what's going on with Rumple at this point. He seemed to have changed last season with his marriage to Belle, especially after he gave her back the real dagger. But now, he's being a complete asshole to everyone for what seems like no reason. The sorcerer's hat has triggered so many memories and events so far, so it's importance is imminent. I'm excited about the prospect of introducing more elements of Fantasia into the mix, but when the poor apprentice got sucked into the depths of that black hole inside the hat I got a little scared. The hat seemed so innocent and unknowing in Fantasia and now it's this evil black hole weapon thing... I don't know how I feel about all this, but I do know by now that when Rumple wants something he will stop at nothing to get it. Who knows what's going on with him ever? I do think it's cute that Henry is attempting to infiltrate Rumple's "lair." We'll see how well that works out.
There's one more thing I've stumbled upon this week that I thought was interesting. There's a community of book-loving readers on YouTube called "Booktube." This community regularly posts videos and vlogs regarding book reviews, suggestions, book hauls, and more. Each Booktube vlogger brings there own personal flair to their channel and I'm intrigued enough to explore this new community that might actually interest me. I've been looking back into vlogging again and this might be an avenue I travel down, considering my profession. Let me know what you think in the comments below. I have everything I need to start, just need the time and the confidence to do it.
That's all I got! Even if I don't start my own Booktube channel, I will do my best to revamp my Book Reviews page on here and keep it updated as frequently as possible. Now that I'm starting to read more for leisure it should be a lot easier. Fingers crossed! Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.
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.
Hello again! It's Thursday already and oh, how the tides have turned. Tuesday I was filled with hope and happiness and today not so much. A lot has happened and by now I've already been able to remedy some of my situation, but even I can't work miracles.
First off, I've had a sinus migraine for the last two days, which would've been great if I were still on vacation and didn't have stuff to do. For instance, the two revisions I have to do on the papers I passed in before vacation, which I thought would be fine. I always think my work is satisfactory and when I miss the mark on something I get frustrated and disheartened. Who wants to do a revision? Nobody. Then, to add to my disappointment, one of my prospective teachers for my internship contacted me to let me know she was no longer interested in working with me. Now I only have two teachers left in my remaining intern pool and I'm hoping they don't crap out on me because I have no other options. I'm starting to panic because the form is due by next week and I'm already down by one. What's to stop the other two teachers from backing out on me too? This whole situation has been awkward from the start and only makes me more anxious. I just want this to be over and know where I'm going already.
On top of all THAT, I was (mis)informed about my eligibility for financial aid and REALLY started to panic because of the amount of money I would need to pay for my internship. Thankfully I fixed everything with the financial aid office and am covered for next year with at least half time status. With my job situation still in limbo, it was hard for me to envision paying off a personal loan without any money coming in. Speaking of jobs, I found out through my potential employer that one of my references, (my old boss), got transferred, so his contact information I had been giving to other potential employers was invalid, which caused a lot more problems for me than he did originally... With ALL of that stuff having happened in the last few days, this weekend will be a welcome relief, at least for a little while. I went from elated to struggling within 24 hours and it wasn't fun. At this point, I've accepted the fact that revisions are a necessary part of school and shouldn't be viewed as a punishment. The fact that I don't have a particular due date helps too. I'm in a much more positive mood now that I've assessed my situation and applied the necessary patchwork solutions for now. You wouldn't think my life would be this hectic and stressful without a job to burden me even more.
Hidden Harley Quinn foreshadowing?
All of that aside, I have two new television reviews for you this time. As some of you might remember, I believe I've mentioned the fact that I watch Arrow on the CW every Thursday, (because it airs on Wednesday and I watch everything on Hulu Plus). It's really one of the only good shows on that channel, which is frequently plagued by good-looking murderous teens who always seem to end up at a dark club. Anyway, Arrow follows a traditional DC comic book storyline about a green-hooded vigilante figure protecting his city from injustice. If you've been following the series, you should be caught up to what I'm about to say about this week's episode. If you aren't, then I suggest you should start from the beginning, especially if you're looking for a new show to watch. Watch out for these spoilers! We left off with Oliver agonizing over the realization of Slade being alive and ready to kill his entire family, but we don't really focus on that in this episode. It was all about the Suicide Squad, (another DC reference). Including Diggle and his ex-wife/lover, (weird), there are also con men involved in this team of ruffians. They end up dealing with an old terrorist "ally" of Diggles when they find out he's harboring some sort of chemical weapon that I'm still unsure about. The whole story line was great, but the best part, by far, was one scene in the base where we hear one sentence uttered by what we can only assume is the Harley Quinn, judging by her very familiar tone. Although it may just be a one-time gig for my favorite DC villain, there's always potential in these shows, so we'll see.
The other show I watched tonight was The 100, which premiered its pilot episode this week. According to the description and from what I gathered from the show, it centers on a small cluster of humans on a space shuttle almost a hundred years after a nuclear disaster destroyed the Earth. Obviously some people escaped to form this group and they are attempting to maintain the population to keep themselves alive for as long as they can, (or until they find a habitable planet). Cue the imprisoned teens, 100 of them, sent to Earth to test the environment, because they're "expendable." The range of their crimes vary from serious murders to mindless pranks to just having been born. The teens touch down on Earth, not knowing what they'll encounter or how much radiation they'll be exposed to, but their reactions were priceless. Even though the premise seems very "Hunger Games" like, there were a few issues I spotted. One being the obviously pretty cast, although that doesn't hold true for everyone this time. I do like the fact that one of the original April O'Neils from the 80s TMNT movies is one of the main characters. Unrealistic attack sequences left me scratching my head, (why didn't she lose her leg in that monster's mouth?). And the kids' rebellion screamed Lord of the Flies. It's only the pilot, so I will keep watching because it seems interesting and very unnatural for the CW, but I'm hopeful for it's success. If anyone else wants to sound off on this or on the developments in Arrow thus far, you can do so in the comments below.
Well, sadly that's all I have for this week. Like I said, I'm looking forward to this weekend because I actually have plans. I have a baby shower on Saturday and dinner with family Sunday, so it should be a good time. Hopefully I'll have more good news by next week, but we'll see. I'm getting tired of saying that and then coming up with nothing, so I won't be making any more promises. I'm just going to enjoy the time I have to myself and keep looking forward. Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.
