A small update, a mini movie review, and a poem

It was a weird week of testing at the school I work at. I think sitting quiet for two hours, for these kids, is like putting new batteries in a slow moving toy. All of a sudden that toy is moving with new purpose and can't wait to show you all the new tricks it has learned. What I am getting at is the rest of the day is filled with very excitable students who need to express themselves. Expecting them to focus after the test is over is simply insane. I tried to ask for their attention for brief periods and then allow them to work on their own at a reasonable noise volume. Of course my definition of reasonable noise volume is slightly higher then it was when I walked in as a brand new teacher. Either way it was relatively painless last week. This week we finish up the testing and I am trying to figure out how to be better prepared. I would like the week to be even smoother.



During the week I happened to fit in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. I was hesitant to see this movie because the previews turned me off for some reason. I am happy to report that I was completely wrong about this movie. It was a very fun and entertaining little flick. I recommend that you check it out. I have heard it is based off of a comic book, more specifically I believe it was a Japanese comic book. I have done no research so I might be completely off my rocker. I don't plan on doing research for that matter. The movie is set up kind of like a video game. Scott Pilgrim fights ex-boyfriends of a dame he has the hots for and when he defeats them he gets rewarded with coins. There is also cheesy old school game music in the beginning. The movie is based around a guy named Scott Pilgrim who had his heart broken by a now famous rock chick. He seems to have a pattern of being in relationships he is not invested in since his dumping. He is in a floundering rock band and lives with a friend, and it is a studio with one bed, for free. He starts the movie off dating a seventeen year old girl with a cool name, Knives Chau, who ends up being a little stalkery and definitely a little intense. He then meets Ramona Flowers and is instantly enchanted. Of course because he is kind of a jerk, though a likable jerk, he fails to end the relationship with the 17 year old until a little later. He doesn't like dealing with emotions or something. Anyway eventually he discovers by choosing to pursue Ramona that he must battle her 7 evil exes to win her. This is not her idea but something she has been putting up with because of her habit of dating evil guys. It is kind of fun to watch the silly battles and see this scrawny kid come up a winner. It is kind of a strange movie but after my skepticism faded (like 2 minutes in) I really fell in love with it's quirkiness. In fact, I think I even had a mini crush on Scott's special lady friend. It has since passed (or has it?) but I do believe you might develop a crush while watching the movie too. Like I said go grab this flick and watch it!

And now for my first poem in months (hope it doesn't suck):

Spring: The Haiku
Warm days lure me out
for fantastic walks, hikes, runs and hoops.
Hold off summer heat!!

Coffee, Motivation and Job fairs

I pass a lot of my Roseburg life in coffee shops. I think it is kind of strange how comfortable coffee shops are for me to frequent. I can come in, grab a coffee, and connect to their internet. Some internet services are easier to use then others but they all offer it. I tend to be more productive in a coffee shop then I am at home. Which is why I end up here so often. Sure, I can be distracted anywhere, but for whatever reason getting out of the house causes me to get stuff done. So I am sitting in this coffee shop getting some job hunting work done.

Motivation is a big issue with me these days. I want to be working but the entire fiasco over the teaching certificate has sapped my drive. I have to do everything I can to keep motivated in this job hunt. So a cup of coffee and a change of locale to get some crap done seems worth the price of admission.

I have ideas and plans floating around in my noggin. Of course all of them are contingent on this current job hunt. I have one back up plan if the job hunt ends up less then successful. Of course I am hoping that I am successful. I am headed to Tacoma this week for a job fair. I will keep you appraised of the hunt as it develops.

The Haps: December 29th edition

I hope the holidays treated everybody kindly. It was a rough December for me and I am more then glad to have survived it. I wrote a giant blog post about the issues that caused the bad month to be had but decided against publishing it. Everything is going to work out and it seemed smarter to just let it all lie. I have too many things that I want to happen to start stirring the pot.

I can say I walked away a little smarter and a lot bruised from the experience.

The good things. I am headed to Phoenix to visit family and friends in January. It will be a nice and necessary break. If you are a Phoenician drop me an email and we will try to get together. crazedlunatik@gmail.com

Christmas was spent in Roseburg with my dad, stepmom, step-sis and her two sons. We had a good time playing with their toys ever since. I did take a trip up to Portland to hang out with a few friends visiting from LA. We had a wonderful dining experience and a nice evening. I am back in Roseburg and ti seems that I missed the snow in Portland by hours. Hopefully it clears up or at least is drivable (we probably won't get that much) by the time I head up on Thursday (the 31st).

For those of you awaiting Christmas cards... sorry, I am a bit behind. I think they will be Happy New Year cards..... maybe... if I get them done in time to mail them. For the 4 people that got them... Cheers!

I plan to start working on my next chapter of the story this week....