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.

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.

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.

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.