Wow! It's been a long time

So much has happened in the last 6 months, I really wish now that I had made more of an effort to write it down.

Jan 2012 -- I started my last semester at Texas A&M student teaching math in a fourth grade classroom in Madisonville, TX that was about an hour away.  Everyday, M-F for 12 weeks.  That was torturous, between the amount of time I spent on the driving and the insane road construction going on.

College Station to Madisonville

View Larger Map

Scooby Dooby Doo!

In case you were unaware, College Station is suddenly 'expanding' thanks to Johnny Football and the awesome first season in the SEC. 

Definitely a Heisman

And always a pimpin' bow-tie

Proposed Kyle Field upgrade

And then there is Texas A&M President Bowen Loftin who has done an amazing job to put Texas A&M in a great position among colleges, while growing not only the Texas A&M brand name but growing and renovating the campus.  

But most important thing in College Station 

as with most Texas cities, 

is that all the roads to the stadium 

can accommodate game day traffic.

So long Mustangs!

Apr 2012 -- Early in April I finished my student teaching.  It was bittersweet to be finished with my last semester at Texas A&M. On one hand I was surprised how hard is was to be leaving the kids that I had spent 12 weeks with everyday and on the other hand I was about to graduate.




May 2012 -- In case you haven't already heard, I ACTUALLY GRADUATED!!!

I am officially a college graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in 4-8 Math and Science.  I can't believe I did it.  Four years ago I had a hard time imagining this day.

Since then I have been going to interviews with different districts around here hoping to find a place to start my career.  It's been tough though.  A lot of districts would rather take a displaced experienced teacher over a recent graduate.

I have been talking to Navasota ISD about a Junior High Science position; at this point I am just waiting to hear about a contract.  In the meantime I keep applying for other near by positions.

NHL Lockout?

ESPN NHL Lock-out

Apparently the NHL is following suit after recent lockouts and has decided to have one of there own. . .

What?!?

And it kinda sad that people care even less about the NHL as they did about the NFL Refs; but there they are, negotiating dollars and bonuses.

I'm feeling cynical this evening and I have to admit that I don't care; although I do feel bad that the NHL has to follow up all of the other sports (that actually make money) when going to the negotiating table.

I don't feel bad for them.  NHL, Refs, NFL, any of them. They all make a lot of money getting to play a game, be part of a game that I would gladly trade and take half.

-----------------------

Somehow thinking about doing their jobs brought me back to contemplating mine (my future job, if I can get my sh!t together and graduate). 

I honestly cannot wait to be in the classroom.  It is the one place that I feel confident that I am smarter than most of the people in the room.  And more than that, . . . I remember that age.

This is strictly a side note, but I remember a lot of things.   Seriously. Hardly ever useful things, but I can recall numerous moments of my life. The moments are like old black and white film though, the picture is grainy and the audio sucks!!!

*ADD* So yeah, the classroom, I'm ready.  I'm still scared about the one actually being in charge (of anything) and even more scared that I am not really getting the opportunity to be in the classroom this semester, but I still feel ready.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that I am not going to have all of the answers when I get into the classroom but I feel that I am prepared.  I have had some outstanding professors in class and some very unique experiences of my own.  

One thing at a time. . . but I know that there is a reason that I am supposed to be in a classroom.  I just hope it's a good reason.

Bright and Early

I have been working my tail of this semester and am taking less classes while doing it.

I'm actually only taking one class this semester.  I tried to take this class over the summer and it kicked my ass.

I'm sorry.  There just isn't a nicer way to put that.

Unfortunately, this one class was the one class I needed before I could student teach and I can't graduate until I student teach.  It ended up being a rough situation (bouncing all over the B/CS this summer moving) complicated by a sh!tty situation (that class).  Now my graduation date has been pushed back until May 2013.

I can't even begin to explain how pissed this actually makes me (at myself of course).  Have you ever listened to a CD (???) so many times that you knew every line of every song including those weird skips/scratches and then tried to listen to the same CD on shuffle.  That always through me off because I knew the songs were coming out of order but even if you put it back to normal there was already one song that came out of place and you'll hear it again.  I feel like my life is on shuffle, like everything is out of order.

I know what I want.  I just seem to be taking the bass-ackwards way of getting there.

I want to graduate from Texas A&M this spring 2013.

I want to find a local job teaching middle school math.

I want to be able to buy a house in a couple of years.

And I want to have kids before I am too old to enjoy seeing them grow up.

Seems simple right?

Yippeeeeareyouf*ckingkiddingme

So it's obviously been a while since I've written anything here, but today I'm back.

I need to write, I've been struck with a pretty terrible week. [Except for A, who is always my saving grace if she can wait two seconds to figure me out] this week has been trying to kick my a$$.

I would like to start this bad adventure off on Monday, but truth is my bad week started Sunday.  More than I would like to admit out loud, my buddy leaving for Cali put me in a funk.

You ever meet someone by accident that you instinctually knew you met on purpose, for some reason they were brought to you. . . 

Then Monday morning I got a phone call saying that I owe this semesters tuition by Wednesday or I'm being dropped from the ONE class I need before I can graduate.  Yippeeeeeeeeeearefuckingkiddingme!!

Tuesday is that one class. . . on the way home from class, I got a #@&ing speeding ticket.  Again, yippeeeeeeeeeareyoufuckingkiddingme!!

I felt it appropriate to pay homage to my buddy tonight after the way my week kicked off.

Wednesday now. . . half way through the week, I can do this.

Be The Match Update

(Sunday, February 26, 2012)
For all of you who are wondering about the lady I donated stem cells to last month, I have an update if only minimal.

She received the graft and was released from the hospital.  Her doctor indicated that she was doing well and  now all we can do is keep our fingers crossed and should know more in July.

Horses and Congressman

(Sunday, February 26, 2012)

Yesterday, I got to follow the wife out to a dressage show at Topsider Farm and got some really good pictures.  This is probably one of my favorites, if only because it's so close to the house.  Although with that being said, there are some really awesome eventing locations.

I have to admit, and don't tell my wife I said it, but there are a lot of cool things about going to watch (I'm never sure what to call what the wife does) horse trials.

This is what went through my mind.

Sometimes it's only dressage that she does, still not sure it's not French for boring, and other times it's only jumping and then there are both; this can be either in an arena or out on a cross country course.  When she is really feeling frisky she and the other crazy riders (I say it with love) decide to do all three within 12 hour window.

And for those of you who don't know, there are quite a few English riders out there.  I never would have thought there would be, but there are eventing sites all over the place.  *They have meetings, and groups.  I think it's a conspiracy and they are going to try to take over the world* except that there really isn't a lot of money in it and it costs more than you think.  The horses are kind of like congressman, in that you are forced to give them money and what you get in return tends to be a lot of manure.

Seriously though, if you've never been to one of these events, horse trials,  I highly suggest you go. At least when the horses work, you see them sweat.

Another All Nighter

(Wednesday, February 22, 2012)

Only a little creepy

I'm sitting at McD's at three in morning, borrowing their wifi to work on my homework and wondering why.

Why am I up at 3a when I have class tomorrow?
Why do I care about homework that I am pretty sure is pointless?
Why am I blogging instead of working on homework that I wish was already done?

Well kind of like an exercise in "free-writing" I thought that if I sat here a minute writing words that had nothing to do with the homework I need to be working on then maybe I can trick myself into switching over to the homework while still letting my mind freely create words .....

Just in case you were wondering, the free-writing did work to get me started on my homework (for a couple of minutes).  Other things cross my mind and I'm distracted and back to the blog.
I don't like to be told to write, the blog feels like an assignment sometimes and that is what my homework is, writing essays.  Writing about topics chosen by my professor to see if I am actually reading the books.  I am, but that doesn't help.  I could write some cr@ppy answers and finish the paper, but I actually can't.  I can't do it, as much as I wish I could, I cannot turn in a paper that I am not happy with.  I'd rather take late points on a perfect paper than turn in a paper that I know is mediocre on time.

---------------------------------------------
(Friday, February 24, 2012)

Remember the good old days when an all nighter meant partying until dawn, well now my idea of all nighters usually include homework.  Man I got old :-0


This is why I never finish a blog page.  I start on a page and never finish the thought.  I did eventually finish my homework; came home Thursday after class and crashed out on the couch.  I was exhausted and thankfully classes were extra boring.  It was d@mn near to keep my eyes open.

So I guess this is what you can expect from here forward.  I'll just have to write and then finish the thought later.  The thought on my mind at the moment is the lesson I have to teach on Monday morning and the truly scary part is that I'm on my own.  My mentor is out for STAAR training.

(to be continued...)