Finally.

    Hey guys, sorry about the impromptu break last week, but I really needed a legitimate break.  I've been really busy lately with finals and moving that I just wanted to sit down for a bit without needing to to anything important.  That being said, exams are over and Thanksgiving break is upon us.  Not to mention we're officially moving on Saturday, so we'll be out of this apartment.  Everything is slowly coming together and I'm FINALLY looking forward to something coming up!
    In school, it's the start of a new trimester, (as I believe I've mentioned before, my high school has trimesters instead of the traditional semesters), which means that most teachers have new students in at least some of their classes.  My full-year freshman course is an exception, but I'm glad I still have them, for now...  They've been tough on me and I haven't exactly been helping myself, but I'm determined to get back in control this trimester.  Operation: Retake 5th Block has begun and I am confident in my abilities to successfully succeed.  So far we've started our poetry unit to introduce them to the Poetry Out Loud project.  Since Thanksgiving break starts a mere three days after today, we decided to give them a break from reading so much and watch a movie.  We will be starting The Dead Poet's Society tomorrow and I can honestly say that I am already way more excited than my kids are about watching it.  There is so much they can gain from this film, so I hope they take away at least something from it.  It will be awesome to get to experience their first exposure to good film.

    My first day back in charge didn't go as well as I had originally thought, but it still went better than I anticipated.  I improved my projection and volume and did a decent job maintaining classroom management before lunch, but after lunch it went to Hell in a hand basket...  I had some technical difficulties, which resulted in a rowdy and distracted group of Freshman and a flustered teacher.  Obviously I have to keep reminding myself that I still have plenty of time to improve my strategies and come up with new ones that work for me, but it's daunting sometimes to think about whether or not I will actually be able to run my own classroom at the end of this.  I don't want to be overconfident, but I want to be sure I'm making the right decision and not wasting my time.  The thing I gained the most out of this experience was actually listening to what my cooperating teacher had to say for feedback without trying to defend my actions.  I need to work on thinking more on my feet and stopping to think when I need a minute to collect my thoughts so that I don't panic.  I also need to work on explaining WHY we do things, introduce the unit and set it up so that the students understand what we'll be doing, how it will impact them and what they can expect to learn.  I'd rather take away some good advice and work on it than waste time defending my horrible ideas.  I also started another co-teaching opportunity this trimester with a different teacher in a World Literature class.  She just came back from maternity leave and needs to leave the classroom every day for the last 15 minutes or so, so I'm running the SSR, (Sustained Silent Reading), and writing program for her.  It will be great to get to see another teacher teach and also get a taste for what it's like to teach juniors.  World Lit. has never been one of my strong points, so I'm hoping to learn more about the genre myself in order to add more books to my repertoire.  I just had a thought: I can spell "repertoire" without a problem, but I still have to check to see if I spelt "possession" or "conceive" correctly...what is wrong with me?

    I had a really great out-of-school observation last week at the school I work at in the afternoons.  It's a combination elementary/middle school, so I went to visit some of the middle school language arts teachers there.  One in particular, an 8th grade language arts teacher, stuck out to me.  She was genuinely kind, upbeat and quirky.  I felt honored to be included in their classroom group and honestly, I had one of the best times in that class.  We sat in a circle and had a truly engaging discussion about the dystopian short stories they had read and journaled about the night before.  I've never been so impressed with a group of 13-year-olds and the way they handled that freedom.  This teacher reminded me of why I love the middle school environment and what kind of teacher I'd like to be able to be eventually.  She was an inspiration and I learned so much in the short time we were together, but that exposure will only further my career in the long run.  I will never forget that class.

    Since we've been so busy working, moving and such, my husband and I have not had a lot of time to devote to TV in the last week or so.  We JUST got caught up on everything we missed from LAST week, (which was almost everything, so it took awhile).  So for now, I'm only going to post on Once Upon a Time, which seems to be the only show at the moment that I can watch on time.  Things have taken a turn for the weird in Storybrooke...  I'm starting to understand all the pieces, but it still doesn't leave me with many answers to the questions I've been asking.  We still have no idea what the hell Rumple is trying to do, but I have a hunch that it has something to do with revenge for the death of Neal, (who I am still not convinced isn't coming back, since Rumple may be trying to resurrect him in his own twisted way).  After this episode, with the potential foreshadowing of Hook's imminent doom, we may want Neal to come back and pick up the pieces of Emma's already complicated heart.  But that's beside the point.  Ingrid already started the black plague of hatred and now we finally know that Anna is frozen with my poor Kristoff back in Arendelle, so at least that's settled.  For me, it seemed a bit anticlimactic to go through all that back story and hunting around just to have her be frozen across the sea for the last few years.  I'm glad Emma has found a friend in Elsa, but I'm a bit disappointed in Snow and Charming for losing a little faith in their daughter.  They've been kind of lack-luster this season, so I'm not really sure what's in store for them.  The one thing I was wondering about is who the sorcerer really is and who wrote the book, now that we know someone has been tampering with the pages.  I have a few different theories, but they could all be horribly wrong for all I know.  My first theory is that the apprentice is actually the sorcerer in disguise, considering the extreme longing way he looked at that box the second Ingrid gave it to him.  That one makes the most sense.  My second theory is that Henry is the sorcerer, but this is where it gets tricky.  Henry could have been the sorcerer back when everyone was still in the Enchanted Forest.  He may or may not have had a "past life," and obviously doesn't have any memory of it at this point, so we'll see if this comes up later.  My last theory is that Henry is the author of the book.  Again, this would play into the alternative life theory as well, but we'll see.  I have no idea either way, but it should be fun to see all these play out together.
    That's all I have for this week.  I'm so excited about watching Dead Poet's Society tomorrow and moving into our new place this weekend!  A lot of good things are happening right now and it's been nice to have things to look forward to besides doctor's appointments and hospital stays.  Hopefully this good vibe sticks around through the holiday season, because that's only making me more giddy:)  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Thanksgiving Week!

    It's finally here!  The week everyone usually has some form of vacation and family time ensues.  But more on that later, as I feel the need to spill my guts about other things that matter, like DWTS...

    Some of you may know that I watch Dancing With The Stars with my dad, and let me tell you, if you haven't been watching, you should be!  It has been one of the best seasons I've ever seen, although there have been a few hiccups.  One being Bill Engvall, the "cat with nine lives" as they say, who persevered through this season mostly on fan votes to make it to the first part of the finale, but was sent home last night.  I have to say, if Bill had made it any farther I feel like there would've been riots in the streets, (at least in New England, where rioting serves as both a sign of extreme happiness and anger).  His last performance really got me in the heart region though, being so daddy-daughter-ish and lovely, his relationship with his professional partner really made you want to hug him.  I am a fan of his stand up comedy, so seeing him on the show doing the best a middle-aged man can do was great fun.  I will continue my undying support for Corbin Bleu, however, as he heats up the dance floor, as well as every woman's nether regions.  Can't wait for part two!

    As for Thanksgiving, I'm really looking forward to it this year.  Last year we spent Thanksgiving with my husband's family, so this year it's my turn.  My family tradition has changed drastically over the course of my lifetime so far, and I can predict more changes to come in the future I'm sure.  When I was younger and my parents were still together, we would have Thanksgiving at my great grandmother's house, complete with what my Nana called "cranberry apple relish," which is SO much better than cranberry sauce, (believe me when I say this).  Since then, I've been spending Thanksgiving with my father's side of the family, where we Italians still like to have the traditional meal, plus a heaping side of home-made, 8-layer lasagna.  Totally normal to have all of that on, let's be honest, two plates.
    I really do enjoy spending time with my whole family.  Having to live with my dad for the last almost 6 years of my life has taught me a lot about humility, values and selflessness.  I've spent the majority of the holiday seasons making sure everyone is happy, including my dad, but sometimes that's not an easy task.  We've spent a few years, including last year, without presents, in deep depression and an overall funk.  Family is what matters the most, so wherever I am I try to focus on how much I love the people I'm with and that makes all the difference.  I love spending time with both families during the holidays and I love seeing everyone smiling and laughing and joking around.  I never used to see it, but now that I'm older I think I have a greater appreciation for the simple things and quality time.

(photo credit: kivalophotography)

    My in-laws are some of the best people I've ever met.  I've never seen any family so happy and positive about everything life has put in front of them.  They have shown me the value of kindness and they have supported and accepted me from the first day I entered their home as a stranger.  I have nothing but great things to say about them, and I truly have no idea what I would do without them in my life.  It is such an honor to be a part of their family, and I thank God for bringing them into my life when I needed them the most.  I love all of them to death and I would take a bullet for any of them.  So grateful and thankful to be able to enjoy the rest of my life as one of them.  Thank you for all you have done for me Shelly, Tom, Danny and Beau.  I love you guys so much!
    I'm most thankful for my dad and my husband.  Without their love and support, I don't know where I'd be right now.  There were times where I thought things were hopeless and there wasn't a point to trying to fix everything, but they've kept me going.  Depression, hardships and personal tragedies have made the holidays a difficult time not only for me, but for my dad as well.  I can say with great certainty that I have put a lot of effort into his happiness because I love him like a daughter should always love her father.  But you can't live your life trying to make everyone else happy because sometimes people don't want to be happy.  However, when you do see them finally ready to commit to being happy, it makes it so much sweeter.  I'm feeling so much better this year and I can't wait for what next year has in store for us.

    So I will be spending the next few days shopping, working on some of my final projects for the coming weeks until the end of the fall semester, and spending time with both of my families.  Thanksgiving is such a pivotal time for rejoicing and sharing with one another.  As the gateway to Christmas opens, it will be bittersweet, partially because it'll be Black Friday and I have been dreading it's impending doom since last year...  But I will suffer through to get to the days to follow, which will bring me closer to Christmas and all the good tidings and cheer and what-not, (plus my 24th birthday!).  Hopefully it'll also bring me closer to seeing Catching Fire, since I heard it was amaze-balls.  Sunday is my sister-in-law's baby shower and I can't wait to give her all the presents we got baby Tanner!!!  I WILL BE AN AUNT in January you guys!

(credit: Literally, Darling Twitter)

    I would like to end this blog post by referring you to another blog called Literally, Darling, which is a blog run by various female 20-somethings who write about everything from academics to organics to music to foodies; they have something for everyone.  I haven't explored as in-depth as I would've liked to, (yet), but I've recently read their reviews on Pokemon: X and Y and Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, which were both really good, as well as an article about "finding forever in your 20s."  You can also follow their Tumblr here.  If you need a new blog to follow, this should be it.  I have nothing bad to say about it besides, "Why aren't I writing for them?..."  Anyway, time for me to continue being productive on this lazy Tuesday.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.