Still Feels Like Monday

    Here I am, all alone, sitting on the couch watching The Avengers.  This has been one of those days where you pretty much wanted it to end the moment it began, save for the one hour I got to spend with some of my favorite students.  Other than that one small event, I haven't wanted to do anything all day.

    I guess my health could possibly be to blame for my lethargy.  This isn't really anything new, but it has taken me for a bit of a loop lately.  With Lupus, it's hard to tell what's wrong and what's "normal."  Usually I have the typical joint pain coupled with some minor fatigue.  Today it's been more like having been hit by a vehicle and struggling to keep my burning eyes open...which has been slightly uncomfortable.  I have an idea about what's causing this to happen: I've been taking some antibiotics recently to combat a completely different ailment and those tend to weaken your immune system.  Add antibiotics to an already barren wasteland and you have a giant rave going on between your white blood cells and anything that moves, (ie: everything).  So, long story short, I feel like complete crap and I'm just waiting for all of this to go away and feel normal again.  I don't like not feeling like myself.
    With all of this going on, I'm still waiting to hear back from the YMCA about my job opportunity, however I have been informed that my references have been contacted and she's gotten a call back from at least one by now.  Hopefully, if all goes well, I should be employed by the end of this week.  Keep your fingers double crossed for me still because you never know what could happen.  Even though this job would only last until the end of the school year two days a week, I still feel like there's more of an opportunity for me to grow there and have fun at my job, so I'm holding out for it as long as I can!
    You hear some people say, everything happens for a reason.  I'm still not sure if I buy into that concept completely, but something tells me there's some sort of higher power at work here.  Although I've suffered a lot of setbacks recently, including my unemployment and health issues, I've realized that I am truly happy.  Some people feel incomplete or unhappy with the choices they've made thus far.  As for me, I can say with certainty that I am finally really happy.  I'm working towards my Masters degree, (which will be my last degree), I have a loving and devoted husband who supports me in everything I do and has for the last six years, plus we're lucky enough to have a mutual understanding of each other which means our fights are virtually non-existent, I no longer have to worry about the stressful retail environment I was subject to as of January, I have spent loads of time with my family lately and I've been loving every second of it, I'm an aunt to a wonderful little boy and I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be right now.  I feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be with who I'm supposed to be here with and I wouldn't have it any other way.  I have small moments of epiphanies every now and again and the one I had today only boosted my spirits even more.  Despite my shortcomings, I am happy nonetheless.

    That being said, let's talk about TV, shall we?  As you might know already, right now my shows are Once Upon a Time, The Amazing Race, and Agents of SHIELD.  We'll be focusing on the two from this past weekend.  Spoilers beyond this point, obviously.  First up is The Amazing Race, and let me tell you, disappointment takes on a whole new meaning after this weekend.  To say that Brendon and Rachel have overstayed their welcome is an understatement in my opinion.  They are possibly one of the most annoying couples that have ever been on reality television and I CAN'T STAND THEM.  I was so happy that they were going to be last because of that ridiculous challenge Phil made them do, but he pulled the "non-elimination" card out on them.  I was beside myself with rage.  Really Phil?  NOW you pull that out?  C'mon man...  They better screw themselves over next week or I'm going to be super pissed.  I hope she chokes on her stupid sequins...

    Once Upon a Time was also new this week and it was great!  I made a few predictions last week about the Wicked Witch and her relationship to the Evil Queen that ultimately came to fruition by the end of this week's episode, (thank you, thank you...).  The only thing I didn't count on was the Witch turning all the missing dwarfs and Little John, (poor bastard), into her personal flying monkeys.  That can't be comfortable.  What does the Witch want with Snow White's unborn child!?  If only Snow knew who was caressing her stomach, she would high-tail it out of there so fast.  By the way, where the heck is Neal?  Everyone else is wondering, but we probably won't find out until much later, knowing them.  Now we know that his father is still alive, so what's up with that?  Also, why is Rumple acting like such a sniveling little worm again?  It's almost as if he reverted back to his old self when the Witch, (?), brought him back from where ever he sent himself.  Who knows...with this show, anyone could be behind all this freaky stuff.  I just hope poor Belle doesn't have to spend half her lifetime trying to get Rumple back to loving her again.
    Well, that about does it.  I just finished the movie, so now it's time for some last-minute reading for homework I already know I won't finish by tomorrow.  If I wasn't so cold and unwilling to move I would totally go grab some McD's right now, but sadly, I'm still too lazy.  I have high hopes for the rest of the week, considering spring is almost, (FINALLY), here.  Hopefully I'll have a lot to talk about on Thursday.  Just a reminder, keep up with my progress on Instagram with my link up at the top of this page.  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.

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.

There and Back Again

    Hello again, and welcome to my terrific Tuesday post! (alliteration is key)  As you might've guessed, not a whole lot has happened since last week.  I saw my nephew again this past Saturday and he's still ADORABLE.  Unfortunately that might be the only good thing to happen within the last two weeks.

(Which one is cuter?)

    Although I do still feel indifferent over the whole unemployment thing, I'm starting to get antsy, sitting at home all day either reading for class, typing up assignments or looking for jobs.  I feel like I started in a good place and now I'm back in a meh state of mind where I definitely don't want to stay.  I have a promising interview a week from Thursday, so we'll see how that goes.  Right now, that's my only promising lead, having been dropped from the contenders list of the first job I applied for already.  Fingers crossed for some good news!  Luckily I got called to substitute next week so, baring the inescapable weather conditions, I could be bringing home some bacon, (if only that were really true...)

    Speaking of jobs, I had my secondary education intern orientation this afternoon and I feel really good about all the prospective intern sites at my disposal.  Number one being my alma mater middle school, with two in close proximity to where I live being close second and third.  All of the schools have a lot to offer, and right now I'm thinking I might want to give high school a second go, but for now all I can do is wait and see what happens at the open houses next week, (again, weather permitting).  I swear to God, if these blizzards all pile on top of each other the ONE WEEK I have significant life decisions to make about my future, there will be HELL to pay.

    In YouTube news, video footage released on the first of this month by Shay Carl Butler and Corey Vidal announced some new information regarding the popular and much-anticipated documentary feature Vlogumentary, which will hopefully be in theaters this coming summer.  Obviously they couldn't say too much without giving stuff away, but we shall see the final product soon, which is more than we could say about a year ago when all this started.  To say that I'm excited about this would be a severe understatement.  You can view the two video announcements here:

    Well that's about it.  I'm pretty sure I had more to offer you today, but sadly I left my blogging planner at home and have since forgotten what I had originally planned to do for today.  More to add to next week!  Thursday I will be talking about the various things that happened in TV this week as well as other stuff, (probably).  How's that for a vague description?  I will also hopefully be starting observation work in addition to my open houses next week or this week, so stay tuned for more on that!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

PS: THIS JUST IN!  SNOW DAY TOMORROW!! HUMP DAAAYYEEEEE YEEEAHH:)