Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson!!

Star Trek - Saw It

Thursday night kicked off an interesting weekend for me - more of which to follow, but it all kicked off with Molly being invited to spend the night at a friends house Thursday night - all we needed to head out the door for a trek across the stars with some old friends.

First, I really, really liked it. Loved it even. It has grown on me since leaving the theater.

Since Dan and Pat have made comments based on their experience - I'll build on their previously astute comments and observations.

Mixdorf's: "with Karl Urban pretty much channeling Deforrest Kelley" - I couldn't agree more -

I pretty much agree with Dan on the other characters - Sulu was purely based on being an Asian swordsman - nothing else to the character - perhaps future installments...Uhura was hot, but she was always hot in her way, just a little more junk in the trunk..Kirk - very good, great potential, not as good looking as Shatner, but how could anyone compete..

I loved Scotty (though he walked a cheesy line or two) and look forward to more of that maniac.

But, I wasn't crazy about Chekov, the accent seemed like a struggle and at times made it seem like he had a stutter while the rest of the cast visibly looked like they were exercising patience

Spock is a tough one, I hope he drops his "baby act" for future movies - long way to go with that character

Dan - I, too, was surprised (and touched) by the many many references to episodes and movies, beyond Space Seed and ST2.

They could have done so much more with the green animal woman.

The plot: Dan I think Vulcan still exists in the one reality - that was the whole deal with this movie. The plot was clever, at once satisfying the possibility of the two realities co-existing (for characters and the fans) yet connecting the two as well.

The Kirk birth was excellent - powerful and revealing. Vulcan and Romulus being blown up - WOW! That is huge. One wonders if the Klingons become dominant, unlike the federation dominated series of the 60s.

I could have used a little more information regarding Red Matter - gee - that is some powerful stuff, inject it a person, instant black hole, but really? How did they get it, how did they get so much, how do they contain it?

I LOVED LOVED the ship that Spock piloted. I saw it and I almost fell out of my chair. What a fucking crazy-assed space ship. That it was CG almost blows my mind. CG was taken to a new level. CG made something look like a tinker toy invention. I loved it. Of course Spock would be cruising around in that thing. That ship was nuts!!!!! Possibly my favorite ship of all time.

The Enterprise was beautiful. She always was. But wow, again with the effects, but wow - I've never seen a ship on screen where you could feel its structure being knocked around by force - so solid, yet so fragile too. Excellent take on the Enterprise.

I do agree with Mixdorf's take on the Romulan ship. It was related to the ship from Nemesis, but yes - what an awful design.

Mixdorf's:

"And since when would it Starfleet protocol to shoot a disobedient officer off onto a dangerous and largely uninhabited planet? To have that result in a meeting with both future Spock and Montgomery Scott is truly plot shenanigans."

That was a little wild. I suppose if you consider time, in that certain people will meet certain people, if it enters into the realm of destiny, Kirk would have to meet Scotty so he could be his engineer, Spock was a wild card, for sure.

The grand canyon thing didn't bother me, that could be any number of things, probably just the swift moving Iowa River doing its work.

Dan - I totally understand what you are saying about Nimoy. Ouch. It looks as though that was all dictated by fear. Fear of fan response. It should have all stayed in the cave (Plato's Cave) and only between Spock and Kirk - Spock should have never talked to HIMSELF!!!! What were they thinking. It really should have all stayed in the cave with Spock giving us a little more reason as to his reaction upon seeing Kirk (or at least reason into his insight).

I enjoyed it. I look forward to future movies. I hope they do not always involve the Klingons and that tired set of politics.

Excellent fun.

Like Kirk, Spock, and McCoy . . .

I, too, can now communicate on away missions and while planet side. My frequency is:

812-229-3732

in the words of Dolores O'Riordan . . .

"and the daffodils look lovely today"

It seems to be the best year for these guys since we planted them, and when I spied them fluttering in the wind it was as if they were asking, demanding that I take their picture - they knew they were looking good. It does amaze me each spring that things come back. Everything comes back. Leaves, mulch, snow, ice - the earth keeps stuff ready. We don't even know. Verne perhaps. But we do not know. That daffodils erupt like they do is the earth saying, "look what I can do" which is really the earth saying, "hey, look what I can do." That is beautiful AND scary. Happy Spring.

Today, at 3:15 Eastern time

I am done with college - AGAIN! Yippee!!

I am not walking or going to the ceremony, so I am done!

I have a week off and then I go back for the long-term substitute gig.

Had to give a little shout out! Pizza tonight, of course.

The Substitute, the Interview, and the Pile of Cash

The Substitute

The opportunity was a big round ball and it took a while for me to see it. The big round ball being the pregnant protrusions of a former classmate and current first year teacher preparing for maternity leave. Every morning I would see her. Then it occurred to me. My student teaching run ends April 24th and she is planing on her last day as being May 1st. I approached her about it and she was delighted as to the solution. She was actually relieved. I then talked to the principal, giving me a chance to plug myself for more permanent employment. Later that day I was informed that the principal may "drop in" to observe me teaching. The biggest hurdles for me in getting a teaching job (as far as I know) include 1) openings and 2) who else might be in line ahead of me. I can only proceed as if both hurdles will be successfully leapt, but there are no guarantees. So, yet another application - this time a substitute teaching license, another fee, and on Monday @11:30 I have an interview with the agency that handles substitute teaching placements, which fortunately for me, should simply be a formality. The good things about this gig: keeps me at the school that I have been targeting for employment, keeps me in an English department, pays me, and allows me to have a week off (except for JCP) between the end of student teaching and the beginning of substitute teaching. Unlike other substitute teaching gigs, I will have a chance to get to know her classes and schedule long before I take over. I believe I will be teaching novels (one each) to freshmen and sophomores. It will be interesting to take a class through to the end of the school year and teaching a novel is my favorite thing to do as far as teaching goes.

The Interview

From a teacher job fair conversation about a month ago - I have an interview this Wednesday at 3:30. At the fair I talked to the principal, the interview will be with the department (English) chair. It is just over the border in Illinois and will be my first official interview in my quest to land a teaching job. I really do not know what to expect as I really do not know anything about this particular school district. I am curious to test out my resume, references, and other "tools" of the trade. Given today's economy, I have to tackle almost any lead.

The Pile of Cash

So money has been tight. I know I am not the only one. It was especially and dangerously tight Jan. and Feb. of this year. We got through March and it is pretty much a race to get through April, and we are not quite half-way through yet. So, all things considered, May looks to be a good month on account of substitute teaching, especially the last fifteen days of the gig- believe me, that is relatively speaking. It saddens me, deeply, money limits and concerns. Money limits and concerns - that is all it ever does. So, I'll be substitute teaching and working at JCP. BUT - THAT IS NOT ALL.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

An old, Jewish woman gave me $40. A twenty, a ten, and two fives. I held the cash close to my heart as I went downstairs. The girls (and even the dog) reflected my excitement. I threw the cash down on the desk and oh how we danced for joy. We poked and prodded the cash. Counted it and sorted it. Wondered at its potential. We would take bits of it and spend it and for a while it seemed as if the pile was growing. A single twenty converted nicely to a ten and four ones after a trip to the coffee shop. Wow! - what miracles of commerce had commenced upon our fortunate home. But soon the pile did begin to dwindle. Like a memory. Should we take a picture? Invest? No...we let it go. But how did we manage this cash and how could it happen again?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Isn't it a pity. The woman, in her highest of hopes, had talked to me last fall about mowing her grass. I could not do it then - nothing more was said. Suddenly, she leaves for Passover, but leaves me an envelope of money and a phone message. So, I guess I am mowing her grass without saying I would, because well, the pile of cash is gone. No matzo for me. So, the only pilgrimage I'll be making is to her yard to mow her lawn on Easter Sunday. She'll be traveling back from Passover while I am mowing, full of chocolate.

For forty bucks a week, I am to mow her yard. You see, she likes my environmentally friendly lawn mower and me.

I almost cannot believe that I am working part-time at JCP and mowing grass.

Happy Easter - May All Your Large Stones Be Moved Aside

Student Teaching Part Two

My time at the middle school ended with excellent final evaluations, three going out celebrations with teachers and fellow student teachers, and several notes and letters from students, including a song and dance routine by two of the seventh graders. That said, I have and continue to want to teach at a high school. Mostly because of the greater selection of literature that you can or are allowed to teach high schoolers.



I just finished my fourth week at the high school. Unbelievable. After next week we have spring break, then only two more weeks (three weeks total). High School is going great. Here is a snapshot of my schedule during this student teaching assignment.



I arrive around 8:00. There are five periods, each 70 minutes long. Third period is longer and includes the lunch schedule which is staggered. The school year is split into trimesters and schedules change with each trimester. That sucks if you have a great schedule, but it keeps it fair for those that have a sucky schedule during any given trimester. Ideally, I prefer two semesters. I was a little worried about the 70 minute class period, and it can be long, and I might prefer the 50 minute period, but it is proving to be not so bad.

OK, so my first period is planning. On one hand, it is nice to have the time in the morning to prepare for the day, but then that only leaves lunch until the end of the day. Second period is senior composition, then I have lunch at 10:36, the earliest lunch in the world, called "A" lunch - this is the suckiest part of my schedule right now. My mornings are a breeze, but the afternoons can be taxing. After lunch I have a class of freshmen. 4th hour is another class of senior composition, followed by fifth period, which is a class of freshmen that require a little extra help and a slighter slower pace. I am usually walking out at around 3:25. There is an occasional meeting and sometimes the schedule is slightly altered.

The middle school certainly has a much better schedule and the facilities were vastly superior, however, I much prefer the "act of teaching" at the high school level. Some highlights of teaching that I have been able to develop and attempt include: a short story segment focused on plot and characterization using the short stories: "The Open Window" and "The Birds." This culminated with a viewing of The Birds by Hitchcock with a subsequent compare/contrast essay. With the seniors, I did an exercise in which we tried to prove how individual perception of a sensory experience inspires written expression, because, after all, it is a composition class. Basically it was a four part exercise that began with the viewing of five clips (ranging from three minute clips from movies such as 2001, Princess Bride, and Time Machine) and the development of words or phrase to describe what they were exposed to. Then, we disconnected ourselves from the clips (or the sensory experience) and used the words or phrases to develop sentences, then paragraphs. Ultimately, the students traded their paragraphs and attempted to trace the words back to the original clips with a discussion regarding inspiration - in other words we tried to track inspiration. It gave them an opportunity to write several sentences and paragraphs with a different kind of prompting and to talk about their own writing. I also tried to connect this with thinking on your feet and how to answer questions in interviews - drawing from personal experiences and working it into the task at hand.

Lately, and unfortunately, I've been working at JCP on the weekends - that sucks. I applied for my teaching license this last week, confirm my graduation this May (I may need something from Iowa State - I am hoping for no nasty surprises).I still need to get CPR certified, finish my Vigo County application, and continue doing what I can in terms of trying to get a job. The pressure has been mounting as the time is getting closer and the funds continue to deplete beyond depletion.

I wanted to share a little bit concerning the second half of my student teaching, which ends April 24th!