Obviously you are not a blogger...

Ok, so RE my last post.  I thought I had published it on my furlough day...hence my cute little title and my promises of more posts!  Then, I started giving my sister crap (in my head) about how she hadn't posted anything new on her "I'm studying abroad" travel blog.  But I went there today and found A HA! She had updated.  Which caused me to think.  Go update your blog, hypocrite.  At which point I realized...duhh you didn't publish your last post.  So lost, so lost in this interweb that is supposedly dead.

Moving on.  I'm not so great a blogging.  I'm really trying folks.  I must win this battle.    

                      Like the ocean triumphs over the land

I've gotten really into using visual supports with my students this year.  Literally I support them....with my eyes.  No.  Usually if we're reading a story, or creating a classroom rule I try to create a picture that helps illustrate whatever is written.  I have no gift for the visual arts.  I think I've mastered through the level of stick figure.  So I end up spending a lot of time of google image search.  And it is amazing.  For example, when I type in the word solemn many things pop up.  A sad faced homeless woman.  People marching at a funeral.  Other serious things.  But there are some words that my students don't know that aren't easily defined by pictures.  For example, avoid, I get a bunch of pictures that look like this: 
  
 
 
Students you must AVOID the white man....actually, that might not be bad advice.  But I digress, so I'm getting really into google image search and I have a pet turtle named Squishy.  Two completely unrelated things, I know.  Squishy is my class pet.  I don't have an actual photo of him but he looks a little like this:

 

But he's also much bigger.  Last week I decided he was having neck problems.  Trust me readers, his neck looked weird.  So I decided to google image search, "Red ear slider necks".  I don't know why but I did.  And then I got caught by my student.  He said, "Why are you looking up pictures of 'turtle necks'?"  He suggested I type in "fat neck" I don't know why I listened to him.  Safe to say fair readers, maybe you should google image search fat neck.  It's bizarre.  And on that note, I'm off.

There are bigger fish to fry and flag football games to supervise.  A la prochaine! 

Furlough or not to...lough

Here in the California the economy is not good.  Maybe you've heard about it.  Though I'm starting to think nobody knows about anything.  Including myself.  So maybe you don't.  But as a result of the state having almost no money...this year they made teachers take 3 furlough days...well maybe that's just in my school district as a way to save money.  I think so.  Hello internet obviously I know nothing!

  I have the day off.  That's all I'm trying to say.  And I'm not getting paid for it.  I got it in my head that since I'm not making any money today then I shouldn't spend any.  Unfortunately as with most rules I make for myself I broke it.  That paragraph has a lot of I's.

It's the 6th week of school and things are finally starting to feel normal again.  Each day it gets harder and harder to get out of bed on time and I find the students less annoying and the faculty more funny than anything else.  Being over it has never felt so good.

Things get faster as we get older

So, a summer in review, mainly based on a loose time line I have created.  My summer falls into four sections.  I find it appropriate to give each section two names.

Summer of 2010 Part I: Summer School i.e. Having a excuse to wake up for World Cup games.
   The World Cup came and went.  And as with every four years, it was awesome!  I was really rooting for North Korea but mostly I wanted to see a team that has never won before win.  So that happened and it was awesome.  Total feel good moment!  Favorite two parts of the Cup:  France's team (Mais qu'est-ce qui passe?) and the sports anchors 30 second pitch for South America as the final word of the cup.  Heartfelt, unedited and raw!  And summer school was a mild distraction during the cup.  It was good though.  The kids were super special and totally awesome.

Summer of 2010 Part II: Dog Sitting i.e. Deciding to move
   Next stop on the Stay part of my vacation was dog sitting for my friend.  Her dog is my best bud and we spent quality time walking around her neighborhood, getting lost, and barking at the mailman.  Well she barked and I egged her on.  I spent about three weeks living in Oakland and basically decided I 100% needed to move.  I already had thought this would be a good idea but I began to realize how to make my plan take action.  So I went to look at a bunch of apartments.  Hated them all.  Started to feel overwhelmed.  Then, changed my plan of action.

Summer of 2010 Part III: Moving Day i.e. It ain't life if there isn't a time crunch
  After giving up on finding an apartment through craigs list I returned to the old fashioned way.  Pounding pavement.  Or really driving around different neighborhoods and writing down the phone number for any available apartment.  It worked amazingly well!  Found a place in about 2 days.  Realized I had to give my 30 day notice about 28 days too late.  Threw some cash into the wind and moved all my shit.  With the help of three all star friends!  Then decided, "Hey! I'm going to Boston two days after I move".  Why not? Right.  Right.

Which brings us to.......wait for it......
Summer of 2010 Part IV: The joys of home i.e.  It's been a month this has been sitting in my edit box clearly I don't value blogging.
  That's right folks.  Summer is OVER.  That's O (oh) V (vee) E (eeeee)  R (arrrrgh).  I did go to see Arcade Fire last night.  That was fun.  And this is the only way I can figure out how to post the video so my sister can see.

I'm back folks.   The blog begins again and again and again and again...BUT THIS TIME FOR REAL!!!!