Happy Valentine's Day

Last year, I shared my thoughts about Valentine's Day from a middle school perspective. This year, if I were to give a bad stuffed animal holding disgusting, cheap chocolate candies, I would give them to my television. I confess, I am in love with TV.

I used to have a love affair with movies. During college and before having kids, we would spend many nights at the cinema. We probably spent at least one night a week at the movies and were normally up to date with the movies that were up for awards. We had such a problem, that we even sunk as low as theater hopping--our most, 3 movies for the price of one. Now, we rarely go to the movies and if we do, it is either separately or to an animated movie with the boys and I don't think we have seen a single movie that is up for any awards.

In order to fill this void, I have resorted to a love affair with the tube. I love watching TV. I love sitting with my boys, one of them tucked under each arm, watching Ben 10: Alien Force or Star Wars: The Clone Wars. I love relaxing with Kristine and cheering on our favorite Survivor or analyzing whether we would dare do a challenge on the Amazing Race or trying to figure out what is going on during all of the flashbacks and flash-forwards on Lost.

I find it incredibly comforting to have a DVR that is full of shows that are just waiting to be watched. For example, I like watching Battlestar Galactica when I have two episodes to watch, because one just leaves me wanting more. But there are some shows, like Heroes or Friday Night Lights, that I need to watch the night that they air, because I just can't wait and I can't imagine why everyone doesn't feel the same.

I have an addiction. And for now, I am okay with it. This Valentine's Day, I declare that I am in love with my TV.

Why so sad?

I just finished reading two novels, Revolutionary Road and The Known World. I really wanted to enjoy both of them. There is so much about them that seem to fit right with my literary tastes. I love a book that deals with the complicated life of a married couple and I also love a book that delves into an historical context while providing a glimpse into what it might have been like for a single individual. It seemed like I would really enjoy these books.



However, I came away from both feeling a little bit more empty inside than when I started. When I read a book (and I can read almost anything, I am really not too picky), I want to come away with it feeling as if my life has been improved. I don't mean that it needs to be a life changing event; but most often I can find at least a few things that I can take away from the reading experience. It might be certain traits about a character that I find intriguing or enlightening. It could be a reminder of the the simple pleasures of life. It could be the poetic use of imagery and prose that somehow lifts my spirits. These two books, just left me feeling....nothing.

Perhaps it is the dreary, fog-filled, cold winter that we are experiencing right now or the economic situation of our country that we are reminded of everywhere that we turn; but these books seemed to make me more depressed. I don't know if I have it in me to read these books that seem to end without any redeeming qualities in the characters. This is coming from a person that used to be obsessed with Albert Camus and all of his existential novels. My favorite is of course L'étranger. Perhaps the stranger can sum it up best, "Voulez-vous, s'est-il exclamé, que ma vie n'ait pas de sens?"

The Beautiful Northwest

These photos were taken as we were waiting for the ferry on Vashon Island in Washington after a rocking Justin Roberts concert. (This dilapidated dock was not the one used by the ferry :)

Coming back....

(First congrats to our new POTUS, somehow I feel like we are living a great episode of The West Wing)

Just like all things, it is incredibly difficult to come back to something after such a long absence. I have a million reasons why I haven't posted, but don't we all have a ton of excuses. Nevertheless, to make me feel better, I shall create a list that will portend that I have been much busier than I have been.

1. Working full-time, going to school full-time, finishing my practicum hours to become a principal, and having an enormous amount of duties in my church have taken control of my life.

2. Having a pregnant wife that was insanely nauseous for weeks and weeks forced me to spend less time blogging and more time developing my homemaking skills.

3. I have recently become obsessed with CNN, ABC World News Tonight with Charles Gibson, and other news outlets.

4. It is too difficult to try to be an "active" Facebooker and a blogger.

5. I sit in front of a computer too much trying to put in grades for my students or reading some lame article for a class that I have no desire to look at a computer screen at any other time.

6. I have nothing important or worthwhile to say.

Ouch!

My heart hurts...

Election Fatigue

Is anyone else completely exhausted of this election? Doesn't it seem like we have been discussing these same candidates and same issues for years? Oh wait, we have. From the picture above (this is not a doctored image BTW), maybe McCain is getting exhausted too or just realizing his chances in this election are slipping away.

Last nights debate was by far the most interesting. However, I still couldn't stand to sit through the entire thing. I have become more and more cynical as the election has progressed and am looking forward to the end. Part of me doesn't even care who wins and just wants it to be over--okay, that isn't the truth, I do care who wins, but I do really want it to be over.


Unfortunately, (in what I think are some fairly desperate and ridiculous attempts by McCain to gain some points in the polls) the presidential election has turned pretty petty and ugly. However, nothing is as bad as the senate race in our beautiful state of Oregon. Jeff Merkley (D) and Gordon Smith (R-incumbent) have been slaughtering each other in personal attack adds for months. I am really struggling with choosing between either of them because I think that they have acted very similarly to my middle school students. It is like they are middle school girls that are passing notes and writing on the bathroom stalls a bunch of elaborated rumors about each other. It is pitiful and a poor example for the youth of America.

Luckily, only 18 more days.

The First Month of School

Here is a picture of me and James on our very first day of school---he woke up at 6:30 and as I was getting out of the shower, he opened the door and was completely dressed and singing, "Today's my first day of schoo--ool!" I just hope that he will always be this excited about school, I know that I was when I was a kid and still do, but this year was different.

I suppose that it has been long enough now that I need to face the reality of being back at school. Needless to say, it has been a rough adjustment back to work. I have never quite felt this way at the start of the school year. Normally, I relish in the back to school sales and look forward to meeting the one hundred or so 13 year olds that walk through my door. But this year was different.....I was annoyed that the sales on school supplies started at the beginning of July, a whole two months before school started. Don't get me wrong, I am still proud that I can get 100 folders for one dollar, but I just want to do that in August rather than before the fireworks of the 4th. And that was just the beginning.

I dragged myself to work the last week of August and attended my meetings, but had little motivation to put my room back together. Because we have carpet in all of our classrooms, they clean it during the summer and we have to have everything boxed up so that they can clean the floors. It is pretty obnoxious to have to pack everything up every year (perhaps it is a good thing, otherwise I would never sort through some of my junk) but this year I didn't care to put any of it back. I was overwhelmed by my class lists and couldn't imagine having enough room in my head to care about one hundred more adolescents. I also found out that I wasn't going to have the same prep period as my friends for the first time, and I know it sounds petty and childish, but I was real sad.

So now that we are a month in, I am slowly dragging myself out of my slump. I have some incredible students that are fun to teach and excited to be in my class. We have already had our Family Literacy Night and gotten Battle of the Books going and that is a huge relief for me. Something happens each and every day that reminds me why I love teaching---for me, it is all about the students. They make me laugh when they do something silly; they make me sad when I see them causing each other such heart ache; they make me proud when they accomplish something that they didn't think they were going to be able to do; and they make me cry when they share with me the hardships that no thirteen year old should ever have to deal with. I love teaching and am so grateful for the things that I learn everyday from these hormonal, drama-seeking teenagers.