minor setbacks
It's sad to think that simple things such as the flu that develop into severe things like bronchitis and pneumonia, that become critical enough to keep you down and sick for almost three weeks, including a hospital stay, can make you so far behind in academics, and life. It's amazing to see how such a nagging virus can take toll on your life and make you stressed to the core as you try to catch up… For me, it's not just catching up in grad school; it's also catching up students I'm teaching. Of course, this all occurred in October, just after I got back from New York, but one of the major consequences just hit home.
I've been going at the fastest pace that I can go, and there is no way that I can keep up, and last week, I waved the surrender flag for one of my graduate classes. I'll have to withdraw, which means that I'll either have to take an overload next semester if I teach, teach and take only 2 classes and take the final class in the summer (meaning no graduation ceremony; at my school, on May & December), or take my last three classes in the spring and don't teach. I feel like I'm stuck with a massive decision that I don't want to make. Either way, it's a pretty major consequence that doesn't give me much breathing room for error.
Hah. Breathing room… and that's where it all started… stupid pneumonia.
october epic
Yes, I know. This post is so far beyond delayed, it's not funny. My life is so far behind now, it's not funny. But, you know what? What'll you do? At least I'm posting it. Why? Well, for one. I want to remember this.
From the beginning, October Epic (or from what the Twitter hashtag became #OctoberEpic) started as a joke. I said that I wanted to visit New York to my friend Dani (@dani3boyz), and it just continued. I hadn't taken vacation in about 6 years. And I knew that I would've LOVED to see the new #1 draft pick John Tavares play with the Islanders, so I knew that a trip was in order. I also knew that I was going stir crazy, as I spent the entire summer at home searching for a job and having no success, which mean the inability to do anything, since I was saving my money. Read more
halloweening in history
Yesterday in class, I gave an extra points opportunity, which I like to do from time-to-time to help those who really are trying in the class and just can't quite get over test humps, pop quizzes, etc. I know they are studying; their answers are reflected in essays. They know the material, but they get test anxiety. They are in essence, me as an undergrad.
For fun, I offered them the chance to dress up for Halloween. Now, it's a Tues/Thurs class, so Halloween didn't fall for a few more days, but still. It's a points-based class, so anything and everything helps, too! They received 5 bonus points for ANY Halloween costume, and 25 bonus points for a historical costume. Of course, the historical costume had to be relevant to the course (Western Civ I=premodern to c.1300, Western Civ II=c.1300 to present), and they had to be able to tell something about themselves. Boy did I have no idea what I was in for during class… Read more
sudden outburst
What in the world is wrong with people? Our country? Our world?
First, Joe Wilson shouts back at President Obama during the Joint Congressional speech. Then, Kanye West takes the mic from Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech. And it seems like everywhere else, there are random complaints about how kids today don't know the proper way to socialize or conduct themselves in a classroom or in a group.
Folks, what we have here is a failure to communicate. Or even… to learn the basics of communication.
Here are a few handy, dandy ways to combat the breakdowns in communication that perhaps you might be facing*:
- Don't be a copycat.
Do not in whatsoever way, try to impersonate the British Parliament. Seriously, they're on Sunday night TV for a reason in the U.S.: it's entertainment for us. We can't do that here, so we get to watch it. They make themselves out to be downright crazed lunatics by talking to the Prime Minister in whatever form they like, and we address the President with utmost respect no matter how much we like or dislike him. Also, we don't have soldiers that can pull off the demeanor of those in England. Those are the rules. Obey them. This is the way it works. George Washington said so. - Get your facts straight.
George Bush doesn't hate black people. George Wallace did. Kanye got it completely wrong. He's blaming the wrong George. In fact, I'm pretty sure if he had blamed the correct George in the first place, this whole ordeal wouldn't have taken place, and poor Taylor Swift wouldn't have been shaking in her boots. And quite possibly, Lady Gaga wouldn't have terrified every living soul on the planet with "art." - Don't be "that guy."
You know "that guy." He's the "guy" that eternally lives on in the butt of all jokes. For example, who will ever forget Poland now? Or, who can ever mention the planet Uranus now that some person made a dirty out of it? Or, remember "that guy" who yelled out during the President's speech in 2009? Or even "that guy" who yanked the mic out of Taylor Swift's hand to declare that someone else should've received the award? See… you know exactly who I'm talking about. "That guy." - Lose the cameras and TV.
Remember when people actually read the news? And then formed their own opinion? And then remember when they stopped and all of a sudden people simply regurgitated ideas from talking heads like cows chewing on cud in the field? Yeah, me too. It's like we're living in Idiocracy, and I'm looking at the sharp decline of society.
Just a few ideas of ways that we can get back to basic forms of communication. Heck, if you'd actually make a phonecall or visit someone, it might build that communication instead of just sending a chat message, a tweet, or a Facebook message. But, of course, the Wall Street Journal is print, and print can be wrong, right? Perhaps it might not be in some cases. But still, I'm banking on print, because right now, the voices coming from the television are absolutely crazy.
Joe? Kanye?
That's what I thought.
*This is totally meant to be satire, folks… I LOVE watching the British parliament on TV, and totally respect them, and history still is unsure that George Wallace was or was not a racist in his later life. And who knows, maybe Lady Gaga's performance actually was "art."
just sayin’.
line change
Well, it was shorter than I anticipated, but I had to pull the Goalie… and all bets are off.
So, I know he's a Ranger and all, but if anyone has Lundqvist's number, feel free to hook me up, since I've got some free time now… Hands down, I'm a Caps fan, but I'm not ashamed to say that he's my favorite NHL goaltender.
government lessons
Bureaucracy sometimes is a beautiful thing. Of course, I'm being sarcastic, are you kidding? There's nothing worse than having to sit around in an office waiting to do something that would be so much easier to do online. Enter the Social Security Administration and the adventure of a new social security card.
This isn't the first time I've had to do this. I had to apply for a new one in October of last year, in order to take care of my DC registration. It was my first replacement ever from the one I had from birth. However, during the move from DC to Birmingham, it's been put away in a box, and I'm not really sure which one. And, Alabama is a little crazed with the new hire forms and verifying social security numbers with cards (which I've not had to do, this is a new thing… but maybe it's because this is a state job). So, instead of tearing apart every box in storage that I have to find it and making an utter mess in the possibility that I might have lost it, I figured it would be just as easy to reapply for a replacement card.
Now, the downtown office was a madhouse yesterday. So, I opted for the Birmingham "East" office. It was quite a change from the office in DC. In DC, I was the ONLY "white (not hispanic)" person in the place. And everyone was there to do what they needed to, no one talked, and everyone looked hacked off while we were there. But, in the Birmingham-East SSA office, I'm pretty sure every area in state of Alabama made sure to send representation. And what did I do? I sat back and watched… and took in some life lessons.
As the scary looking man that looked like he could kill me, whose fingernails were longer than mine, kept staring at me, this cute, little African-American boy was singing songs into the bottom of his grandmother's cane. The scary man's woman had her kid's names tattooed on her left arm, in about 36 pt font, horizontally, perfectly readable and in flowy cursive. Names like Perthashia and Jameem. I was just amazed at how large the tattoos. Down the row from those folks were an Asian couple that had just gotten married that couldn't keep their hands off each other. And she had some bling on that left hand. A few rows back was an Army man in his fatigues, sitting with his Army son, in jeans and a tight tee, discussing something that had been stolen the night before, apparently while the son had been partying. How do I know the son was Army? When you live in DC and you have family that is Army, you learn to know who's young and within their first few years. A few seats down from them, high-school aged teens, brother and sister, fighting and punching each other. Behind them was a family from the sticks… the wife looked like she was probably on meth, the dad looked high, and the dirty, barefoot kids were running around without any supervision… and as their, albeit cute, little, chubby boy (about 3 years old AND with a pacifier) was about to run out the door, the dad (too lazy to get up) simply yells, "GAGE!" I'm wondering if he's named the kid after a truck or a shotgun. Friends have mentioned that he's possibly named after the kid from the movie "Pet Sematary."
Luckily, my name was called about 2 minutes after the "GAGE!" moment. All this in about 30 minutes. The only part that was comforting was the American-Idol-to-Be singing into the bottom of the cane.
Things running through my head during my experience today at the SSA:B-E…
- If you name your child after a gun, a truck, or a horror film, I will judge you.
- If you want to tattoo your child's name in a font bigger than 10 pt, put it somewhere that I can't (and won't) see it.
- If you look like you're from the movie "Deliverance," I really want to yell "I Hear Banjos!"
- Men, you're not meant to have long fingernails. Leave it to the women.
- Hey, new couple, mazel! But, c'mon… we were about to puke.
- Excuse me, Officer and Son, I don't know what was stolen, but everyone knows about it now, and God forbid that you ever have to talk about a classified mission, because you sir, will fail miserably.
- Also, if you name your child after a gun, a truck, or a horror film, I will judge you. Yes, I felt the need to repeat.
Color me Judgy McJudgerson all you want. But, this is exactly why you should give people that feel like Yankees in the South an option for bureaucracy online instead of having to sit around in an office. This is the result.
I love the South, but after that experience… seriously, paddle faster. I heard banjos.
a step in the right direction
Well, long before I expected it, I will (pending the completion of the paperwork and the verification of my transcripts) begin teaching on the community college level. It's an emergency situation for the school, since the semester is beginning in less than a month. My predecessor was a colleague from grad school, and gave me as his recommendation for the position. Strangely enough, as I went in for what I considered my first interview, I walked out with the textbook, the instructor's manual, and sample syllabi to help me construct my own, in addition to the class schedules. So, I'll be teaching two classes per week, Western Civ I and Western Civ II, on the same days, so I only have to commute twice, which is great. It's a fantastic opportunity, and the History Department Chair has offered herself to help out whenever I need, since I'm learning.
It's quite amazing… especially for the situation, since they had to find someone. I had to find a job. And this one was RIGHT up my alley. I can't put into words how exciting it is! I'm nervous as all get-out, since my predecessor is practically brilliant. I hope I don't let him OR the department chair down.
Here's to learning experiences, new adventures, and steps toward my big goals in life. Now just to get that Ph.D. program under my belt.
laughter is the best medicine
Since the last two weeks were a little rough (and hot as hades here in the deep South), this week, the Goalie and I sat down to watch a few humorous YouTube videos. However, it all started from the last post about the infamous hockey be with the Goalie (of which he's still taunting me about, even in the comments of my own blog). He laughed hysterically about the Bruins "Don't Date Within the Division" commercial, which he had apparently missed at some point along the way (and he calls himself a B's fan… psh).
The one commercial turned into the entire series of the Bruins' playoff spots, and then as I was browsing through my favorites, I remembered one of the funniest videoes that I had seen in a LONG time. Now, it's debated on whether or not the guy actually does have a medical condition, or whether he's faking it, but holy crap, it's funny. And seriously, the Goalie and I were laughing so hard, I was crying. Here's a best-of clip so you get a taste of it:
And then we swapped over to MY favorite YouTube video which had me laughing so hard that I was in tears and my sides were hurting… Not quite the same as the Tourette's guy, but oh wow, it's cute AND giggly.
And of course, the video that makes me giggle and think: "You stupid kid, but I love you because of your stinkin' cute British accent. Plus, your chubby little brother is adorable."
So, we spent an entire afternoon laughing… and laughing… and laughing some more. Who says laughter isn't good for the soul? I think it's perfect. I'd have any day just like that, because the laughter made me keep giggling too, even if it had been rainy and gloomy outside.
Oh, and believe me… There are so many Tourette's Guy video jokes one-liners made amidst conversation between the Goalie and I to try to break the serious moods sometimes, it's not funny. But, it cracks me up. Anyone who can yell "Bob Saget!" anytime something goes wrong gets points for hilarity and originality in my book.
is it october yet?
In the hockey off-season, fans do some incredible things. Some visit Montreal to go to the draft. Others join in UFA/RFA prediction contests (yes, I'm one, and I'm losing). Almost everyone goes nuts on July 1 on the opening of Free Agency (let the frenzy begin!).
What did I do? Apparently, I jumped ship in a strange, dramatic way. I moved to Alabama… quite possibly the most unrelated place to hockey. Down in Alabama, they worship college football 365 days a year, and attend football games more frequently than church. But, instead of joining the craze, which I do have a team from living here before, I still continued my love for hockey. Less than 2 weeks after I had returned, I met another hockey fan… and not just someone who knew about the Red Wings playing in the Stanley Cup. This guy had PLAYED hockey. Enter: the Goalie.
The Goalie is from Boston, making him a Bruins fan by nature, but an even bigger Red Sox fan. I kid with him all the time, but it's quite similar to the life of the move "Fever Pitch." He knows his players, their lives, and he gets sentimental when he's talking about Fenway Park. It's quite adorable. And while my team, the St. Louis Cardinals, lost to the Sox in 2004 in the World Series, I let him have his fervor for baseball… I just don't like to talk about that year… even if everyone in the entire country was cheering on the Sox. Probably even the Cardinals, just to break the streak.
We talk hockey smack all the time, and he's been amazed that I've followed the free agency. In fact, I've been sending him info since the trades began over text messages and phone calls. But, the worst news ever came a fews days ago when I found out about the opening game of the season for MY TEAM… the Capitals take on the Boston Bruins… in the Garden. This is gonna get interesting.
The Boston Bruins made a commercial about dating within hockey during their playoff run this past season. It's one of the funniest hockey commercials I've seen.
Luckily, the Caps AREN'T in the same division as the B's, but they are in the same conference, which also means that they can't play each other for the Stanley Cup. But, I'm getting ahead of myself…
Since the initial game of the season is both of our teams against each other, we thought we'd make a small bet. Pending the winner, the other has to face the humiliation. If the Caps win, the Goalie has to wear my old Caps jersey on a visit TO BOSTON. If the Bruins win, I have to wear one of his B's jerseys on a visit TO D.C. Either way, one of us is gonna look like an idiot. I'm just hoping since he's a funny guy that it's him, and not me. If I have to wear a B's jersey in D.C., it'll be on top of a burka. But, a bet is a bet, right?
So, with that… is it October yet??? Because I need a good Caps road win to start the season off right! 
UPDATE (8/11/2009): All bets are off.
