Zzz

Today was a bit of a snore. I had to go to a training workshop as part of my new teacher orientation. Basically just people reading from a very dry script for seven hours. I understand that they wanted us to have the information and all, but couldn't they have just given us the written packets and trusted us to read them on our own? We are supposed to be adults after all? Teachers no less.

Oh well, at least I get paid for my time.

So, then I get home and get a taste for fried chicken for dinner, so I walk down the street to the local KFC. They were out of chicken! Sure, they were cooking up more, but I was going to have to sit around and wait ten to fifteen minutes. How does a Kentucky Fried Chicken run out of chicken? It's what they do...It's even in their name! Shouldn't they always have some ready?

Orientation

I've begun my new teacher orientation. It continues for the next couple of weeks and then I start teaching on September 4th. I am both very excited to begin my teaching career and very nervous, being a first time teacher. I got my school assignment yesterday; I'll be teaching at Harney Elementary School. I still don't know what grade yet, but I look forward to getting out to my new school and making my classroom my own. In the meantime I've settled into my new apartment (and am very glad to be out of that dorm room, ugh!).

Anyway, stay tuned to see if I crash and burn as a teacher, or if everything turns out to be great.

Back to School

Today was my second day of classes in my teaching program here at UNO (the first class was Friday). I haven't been out of school that long, but I had forgotten how much work it could be. Oh well, given that I'm training to be a teacher, I'll have plenty of opportunities to share the pain with my future students.

Today we got our first homework assignment (which I'm procrastinating rather than doing right now). There's about four chapters worth of reading and a written assignment. I have to create a set of classroom rules as well as a system of rewards and consequences to go along with it. Sounds simple, but it's actually pretty tough (hence the procrastination). It's a good assignment though; definitely a good thing to think about before I run a classroom of my own.

Hovel Sweet Hovel

So, I moved into my temporary lodgings in New Orleans this past week. They're pretty simple, but they'll do for the month or two until I find a permanent place. Here's a picture I snapped with my phone (don't you like how I'm getting all multi-media lately?):


Sort of has a prison cell-like charm, eh? It's a dorm room at the University of New Orleans, where I'll be taking classes this summer. Living here a week has reinforced one thing in my mind, that I've reached a point in my life where I'm far too old for dorm-room living. Oh well, it won't be for long, I'll just have to tough it out.

Limited Release

I am dying to see the movie "Once", unfortunately it's currently in limited release and isn't out here in New Orleans. The reviews I've seen have been overwhelmingly positive, but that's not what has me chomping at the bit to see the film. I'm excited about it because of the music, and because music is central to the plot. Here, I'll try to add a bit of video of the stars singing a song from the film. I found it on Fox Searchlight's website for the movie:



There, isn't that a great song (audio's a little shaky, but you get the idea). Anyway, if anyone from Fox Searchlight happens by my crappy little blog; please, please, please get this movie out in New Orleans.

Packing Up

My big move to the Big Easy is rapidly approaching and the packing process is underway. I have come to the conclusion that I've accumulated far too much junk over the years. What do I need right away? What can I store for a couple of months? More importantly, what can I bring myself to throw out? All pressing questions that I'm not looking forward to answering.

My feeble excuses

So, I was barely at the haiku thing a week and I've already gone and missed a week of posts. Well, I'm back today and intend to stick with it. Not that any of it is particularly good, but it has served as a fun little exercise to try to come up with something new each day to fit in the very restrictive box of haiku.

Now, on to my afformentioned excuses: I been sick! I'm not sure if it's been a cold or allergies or what but I have been absolutely miserable the past week and it's something of a minor miracle that I've managed to get anything at all acomplished in my day to day life.

My Crappy Poetry

As a writing exercise I've decided to try and write a Haiku a day and post it online (at http://jgvhaiku.blogspot.com). I don't claim it to be good, but it seems like a quick way to exercise my creative muscles each day (for however long I can stick with it). Some might take issue with my calling my little works haiku, I'm just using the most basic formatting rules and not worrying too much about theme, but I can't think of a better term, so haiku it is. Anyway, I invite anyone interested to check out my little endeavor.

Mooninites Cripple Boston! Law Enforcement Stymied!

Read this: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/31/boston.bombscare/index.html

Maybe I'd find this less hilarious if I actually lived in Boston and was somehow inconvenienced by this, but from my vantage point down here in Atlanta (home of Cartoon Network, by the way) I couldn't help but laugh when I heard about this. So, apparently these little light boxes have been up in a number of cities for a couple of weeks now, but today someone saw one and. . . would it be too harsh to say "freaked out"? To be fair, when they're not lit up I suppose they just look like a weird circuit board, and it's reassuring that people would report strange devices popping up around a city to the authorities. What I don't get is how it got to the point where two bridges were shut down and the Pentagon got involved. I'm no explosive expert, but given that there don't seem to be any enclosed spaces on these things, where exactly were the explosives or chemicals or biological agents supposed to have been concealed? I was flipping channels earlier and I saw footage of the bomb squad blowing one of them up! I think the city officials do derserve some credit. The fact that they were able to coordinate the bridge closings and other actions as quickly as they did does speak well to their ability to handle a real crisis. Still seems like they should have been able to figure out that this was not a genuine crisis sooner, however.

I suppose the real question here is this: What is President Bush going to do about this unprovoked act of aggression by the Mooninites? I demand an immediate invasion and occupation of the Moon. We'll teach those poorly rendered hooligans a thing or two!

Peace Through Food

So, I was driving home the other night and I passed this restaurant that I'd never noticed before. The sign said it was Indo-Pak Fusion Cuisine. I take that to mean it's a fusion of Indian and Pakistani food. This strikes me as very odd given the ongoing hostility between the two countries. I can only assume that the foods of the two countries get along better than their respective governments. I'm tempted to go and eat there as a political statement, if for no other reason (I'm afraid I'm not the most adventurous of eaters normally, and besides, the place looked far too hip for me...not sure they'd let me in the door). I have no idea if the menu at this place is any good, but I find that I quite like the symbolism (probably unintentional) of the concept. And so, I arrive at my Pollyanna-ish thought for the day: Maybe if everyone just got together and cooked we could have world peace.

Where's My Mail?!

After going to check the mail box a couple of times this evening I've just discovered that the post office closed today due to Gerald Ford's death. Now, President Ford seemed like a genuinely good guy and from what I can tell he did a decent job during his brief tenure as president, but did they really have to stop the mail? I don't mean to make light of the man's death, certainly it's sad, but I want my mail!! Call me self-involved if you want (I'd probably agree with you), but it's just got me aggravated. Of course, having said all of this I fully realize that I'll see nothing good in tomorrow's mail.

Still, I want my mail!!