Finally! I got hired! (cross-post)

Finally! i got hired!

My new job as an English Teacher for high school grades 9-12 started this past week with several days of inservice training. Yea!
Waking up at 6 am -- not so yea! but is part of the deal, soooo...
Did I ever in my wildest dreams think I would be a high school English teacher? Nope! I was figuring on science or social studies, but we take what we can get!

My students are in a charter school that services drop-out recovery. These students are going to be between ninth grade and twelfth with ages between 14 and 20. Some are students who dropped out to have a child, others are students who ,for whatever reason, dropped out because of their home situations. Still others are students who went the whole way through a regular high school, but failed the exit test and need support and guidance to finish and earn their diplomas. A few will be court ordered to attend.

I will be earning $7000 less than a first year regular ISD recruit, but that is not all. My hours will be longer by far than a regular ISD teacher too. Our school is open from 7:45 - 5:00 and on Saturday mornings for additional tutoring sessions. This all means more work for less money, but it means I can finish my certification, and help a bunch of students that really need the boost.

And now for something totally irrelevant- The Witcher RPG

And now for something totally irrelevant- The Witcher RPG

The Witcher--- A Game for the Seriously Recluse Yep, I have spent the whole summer engrossed in a game. This is the first time that has happened for me. The game is wonderful. The action is swift (tho, not on my machine) There are plots and subplots--enough to keep anyone busy for 200+ hours. The game has Sex, political intrigue, monsters, wacky religions, drugs, and plenty of mercantile fun. The character earns money through fist fighting and poker, or through drinking contests. It is expected that the main character will loot every house in order to finance his needs. There are three options for the main quest, follow the left, the right , or remain neutral. Each choice influences the remaining path of the game. Does this not sound exactly like The rest of life? Did I mention there is very little linear direction in the game. No one "tells" you what the next thing to do is. Just like life. Oh, and the main character is such a good looking one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qlOE...qlOE1-0wA0 game players may want to double check that their system can handle this game, as it takes huge amounts of power and a fairly new system to run the game. My recommendation: 8/10 for execution 9/10 for story development 6/10 for technical geek factor 10/10 for forum support overall a solid 9/10 for being a great game. It has won over 90 awards in the gaming / geek community. Worth checkin it out! Thanks Luke!

cross post from efx2 that came back up yesterday

Thank You Chica! Thank You Treasa!

For those who may have missed it, Chica has saved the day by getting this community back up. I really appreciate her work!

My sister Treasa stayed up all night last night making copies of both our blogs on both computers. She is a treasure!

soap box warning:
1. Now we will all be treated to the inevitable grumbling from those who just cannot graciously be thankful and who feel inclined to make petty jabs at those who may not have done all that they feel should have been done in this last crisis. This is a blog community- that means that people with a certain amount of narcissism feel entitled to complain about the world and let others know their minds on every subject (yes, I will admit that I have the narcissism problem to a certain degree as well) Let the mud start flying and don't forget to duck!
Party favors are on the table near the door for those who are deserting.

2. There is no such thing as a bug- free system. Every blog exists only as long as the system remains stable. Big does not mean stable. Notoriety does not guarantee stability. Look at the universe in it's natural state and you will see there is always a tendency for decay and chaos. Learn to live with it. This chaotic part of nature is a good thing. It has a cleansing quality that makes room for change and creates an appreciation for the beauty of what is now. It also creates regret and fear of loss. It depends on how one views the world, half full/half empty, blah, blah, blah. Perhaps what is needed is a Plan B- where we all learn to make back-ups so we can have continuity on other online blog sites.

3. Thanks for those who made the effort to keep us all in contact over the crisis over at Vox. That was a stroke of brilliance. It shows that many do care about others and that we have a strong community.

4. Has anyone who is complaining stopped to think that maybe there is a problem with the Big guy? Have we forgotten that there are fires, floods, natural disasters and minor but impactful problems in all of our lives? we have no way to know what is going on that Kieth cannot be reached. Let us hope that nothing unkind has happened to him or his family.

I am probably going to make sure I cross post from now on, but blogging isn't my main thing. My main thing is seeing what all of you all are thinking and doing. I am not jumping ship until the thing is completely undone by chaos. We will see what this chaotic event makes possible in the near future, I am sure.

Final Installments for Lady Visine

Final Installments for Lady Visine

Her true love died at 3:25 pm central today. She gave her permission to update you all last night. She wants all of you to know that she has felt the effect of all of us holding her in our hearts and that it has helped quite a lot.

Last night, he was showing signs that the end was about to come. His breath was ragged or raspy and some signs of dehydration were there. She decided to follow his wishes and not let the nurses do anything that would involve tubes and wires. She has been by his side for the last day and a half and was able to keep her promise to be near when the end came.

Last night, when I was on the phone he was clear of mind enough to wave a hello, so she was thankful for that. He slipped quietly in the afternoon today. She is sort of still in shock and is having to coordinate the final arrangements. She will go home tonight. She is selectively taking phone calls, but don't be surprised if the line is busy.

She thanks everyone for all of their support.

BTW: The Entlebrucher Sunnerhund (the dogs they bred for the last 10 years or so) were just yesterday accepted into the AKC as a working dog/ miscellaneous group dog. This is something that her husband had been working for and he was coherent enough to know about it before his demise. He will be getting the credit in the dog journals for this monumental achievement. His dream was to see the Entlies at the Westminster Dog show, and now they can go! Good Job!

Other posts are at my other blog site about this subject.

October is Breast Cancer Month!

October is Breast Cancer Month!

Ok, So everyone knows someone who is female, right?
Did you know that Breast Cancer can affect men as well?
There is a button on Patty's blog that goes to a site that gives screening to women based on need and the number of clicks


go click it!!!

We really need to support efforts to evade one of the top killers of women.
do it every day, you're online anyway, like brushing your teeth or eating, or breathing. It's that important.

Things I get ticked off about

1. missing one little > in the code that makes the whole thing stupid
2. working 6 hours to make a pretty thing in PSP and then not saving the darn thing
3. having teachers and parents falsely accuse my son, without going through a proper interrogation of the matter
4. reading really dry text books about curriculum building blah!
5. waking up two hours too early when I could have had a good night's sleep for a change


now I realize that in the greater scheme of things, none of these are permanent disasters, but good grief! I really hate being inconvenienced.

wow! what a week!

1. Lady Visine>>> HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

2. I substituted in a class while I had a horrific cold. They needed me, honest! I just hope they gave it to me and not the other way around.

3. etainne@ efx2blogs is up, sort of. It used all of my free time on Wednesday, and then I accidentally reset something and lost all of the stuff I had... Ack... shoot!

4. I have to wonder about my loved ones. One is haveing a problem w/ her hubby, My grandmother needed a pacemaker upgrade. Can't really go see her since I have a cold.

5. Treasa has been really busy working on updating blogs and such. She is amazing.

6. Son of mine is being sneaky about his schoolwork. I cannot tell what his homework is or anything.

7. Thanks PD for everything! Thanks to Chica and others too!

8. Does anyone really have a favorite inexpensive lunch that I can take on campus for when the cafeteria food is inedible? Taking suggestions... I eat meat, no mayo, no cheese, veggies and pasta or fruit or grains are all ok.