WELL, THAT WAS PRETTY RANDOM.

Been meaning to blog since getting back from Birmingham, so I'll just cram it all into one posting. First, a rant. Not in the mood for a rant? Skip to paragraph 2. I'm now totally fed up with the lack of things to do on the Coast. While at my sister's for the 4 day weekend, I went biking on a spiffy trail and also walking at a beautiful garden. I found all kinds of cool foods at World Bazaar. And we shopped at Aldi, too. THAT'S RIGHT, Birmingham is so cool that they now have one of my favorite German groceries right there in town. Saves a lot on airfare if you suddenly crave stollen. I also got some Speculaas, vollkorn biscuits, and Bahlsen hearts. I loaded up on marzipan and bought a chocolate advent calendar, too. When I got home, I felt lousy that there's nothing that nice down here. I wish they'd stop building all these stupid condos and put in a decent bike trail someplace. I miss the one down by the boardwalk! There's nothing to do here. I want to go do something. I miss Funtime USA! I miss the bumper boats! Can't they at least build a putt putt place? What are all the vacationing kids going to do here now, spend all their time at the casino arcades? The only thing left to do is walk on the no longer pretty beach or eat at some overpriced buffet.

This afternoon, I got a little relief. Ryan's theatre department put on a show - a romantic comedy. So it got me out of the house. Thanks for that, Ryan. I especially needed a reason to go out this afternoon since my air-conditioning has been on the blink the last two days. Last night, Terry and I played Risk (to curb our boredom), but it was so hot I could barely concentrate on the game! The maintenance guy came by and put some more gas in it, so I think it's good to go now. You'd think that by late October, it would be cool enough to go without a/c, but not so in South MS.

It's 10 days until I leave for Camp with the 8th graders. We'll be in AL from Wed through late Sunday night at a Science Camp. At first I was reluctant to be a chaperone, but now I've gotten used to the idea and am starting to look forward to it. The kids are beside themselves with excitement, so that's helping me get into it. School is so busy now, I'm surprised I have time to ever get bored. I'm trying to not be a work-a-holic, but I haven't quite gotten the hang of having a social life since returning. I'm just at the point of having down time with nothing really to do. I guess I should enjoy that while it lasts. At first, work was kind of freaking me out. Junior High is more of a change from Elementary than I was expecting. But I'm getting more involved and I'm getting to know the kids better, and that's helping. I am working with the newspaper staff and the drama club. We just put the finishing touches on this year's first edition, and we'll distribute it this week. I hope we caught all the typos. In drama club, we are in the middle of casting for the winter show - a musical variation of Dickens' Christmas Carol.

The 8th graders put on their production of Hamlet on Friday. It was an OK performance, but it was hard to enjoy it because the kids in the audience were being so rude. It gave me an idea for a video short. It would be neat to have some really bad kid actors putting on Hamlet and to have the real drama in the video going on in the audience - along some of the same themes as the ones in Hamlet, but in modern terms. Maybe I'll file that idea away for later.

My brother's family will be coming over from Germany this month. I can't wait to see them! He emailed asking what kind of chocolate to bring me. I had to tell him to skip it, since I already went overboard at Aldi over here. Hopefully, he'll bring me some, anyway.

FALL BREAK

Fall Leaves, originally uploaded by Poundstone.

We have fall break this week! I'm averaging the kids' grades and wrapping up the quarter today and tomorrow. I have staff development training Wednesday (the kids have a holiday that day). And then Thursday morning I'm hitting the road - headed to my sister's house. I haven't seen her family in months. I think my last visit with them was January! I can't wait to see them! I'm counting down the hours. How is it that I've lost track of time and waited this long to see them?

BIRTHDAYS, LATE NITE YOUTUBE, AND OTHER SIGNS OF LIFE

I'm up really late (really early?) waiting for my nephew and his friend. They went to a concert in New Orleans and are crashing here before driving home in the morning. Looking for a way to kill the time, I'm checking youtube to catch up on the latest. The site just surprised me by turning up a gem, a young singer with the handle matthewlukesandoval. In this video, his diction and mannerisms remind me of my friend Stefan (who is celebrating his birthday this week), so I'm posting it here. Stefan is also a musician; maybe I can convince him to post a few songs.



Here's a bonus vid, thrown in for good measure

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!

Sea oats on Biloxi Beach, originally uploaded by ~ Sailor ~.

Today is my mama's 72nd birthday. We had the best phone conversation this morning. I was a little sad when I woke up, but by the call's end she had me laughing until my side's ached. That's my mom!

Terry, Jo, and I took the dog down to the beach this afternoon. We walked in the surf for a while. It's the third time I've been down to the water since Katrina. When I lived on the beach, I used to run the shoreline once in the morning and once at night. It's hard to go down there now, but I may start forcing myself so I can get used to seeing it the way it is now. Plus I could use the exercise. I'm shifting from post-Katrina depression eating back into a healthier lifestyle.

Before we headed out, we walked down to the end of the pier. We talked to some fishermen, and while we were there, one of the guys caught a big Red Drum. I'd never seen one before. It was about 3 feet, and, sure enough, it made a drumming noise.

Walking back down the pier, the sun and wind dried our feet and the dog's hair. Then we hopped into the car and drove up to Marble Slab. I had a Birthday Cake milkshake and only ended up taking a few sips before I trashed it. I guess my loss of appetite was a natural response to all those memories I'd just experienced of being in shape and running twice a day. That's my goal for this month - to finally start using the gym at my new apartment. And to go down to the beach more. And laugh!

PHIL IN THE CIRCLE

I know I haven't blogged in about a hundred million years, but this clip is worth posting, so I'm breaking my streak:

ONLINE NATION

Anybody can be on TV these days. Need proof? Check this out:

THE CUPBOARD IS BARE

I'm happy to be coming back to a top-notch, supportive school district and community. Despite that blessing, I'm a little bit freaked this week because my new classroom is a void: no books, no student computers, no art or school supplies. Yikes!

I don't even have a stapler or a pair of scissors; my desk is empty, without so much as a box of paper clips. I had to scrounge around and beg a filing cabinet from another teacher who had two. I know the principal, my department, and the parents will work together to help me gather resources this semester, BUT what am I supposed to do the first few weeks of school while those wheels are set into motion? I guess it's time to put on my creative thinking cap. They expect me to spin straw into gold. Anybody got any straw?

NEW KEY

Lock Down
Originally uploaded by Andrew Jalali

I've been assigned a classroom! Tomorrow morning, I'm driving over to pick up my key and see what resources are left in the room. I'm expecting tumble weeds and maybe a skull. I'm afraid that I may be stuck with the bare bones listed on the inventory (desks, a file cabinet, a TV, & a set of dictionaries, if I'm lucky). When the previous teacher left, I assume she either took everything else, or the neighboring teachers swept in like vultures and picked the room clean. I see a trip to the thrift store in my future.

I found out I'll be teaching 6th and 8th graders. The broad topics I've been assigned to cover the first semester are leadership, forensic science, space, and independent study. I've taught elementary units on all 4 topics, and I'm looking forward to modifying and building on them now that I have older students. I also found out that I'll be planning my lessons with another teacher who will be covering the same topics with her students. I hope to meet her soon, as I'm eager to get started. The students report August 3rd!

I don't know about you, but I remember when school started after Labor Day. Ah, the good old days...

SIMPSONIZE ME

Simpsons Avatar, originally uploaded by Tinker*Tailor.

To promote the new Simpsons Movie coming out in 10 days, you can now make a Simpson-style Avatar of yourself at a couple of websites. The first is the Official Simpsons Movie site. The other is the Burger King Simsonizer. I ran across some of the avatars on flickr - there are even a couple of groups that just formed for them. I tried the online movie one. It's not a striking resemblance, but it was fun to make.

DOUG MARLETTE

Doug Marlette speaking at VCU's Student Commons., originally uploaded by BwDoyle.

Last Tuesday, Doug Marlette was riding along an Oxford street with the town's high school drama coach. The weather was rainy, and the car hydroplaned and crashed into a big tree. The driver survived, but Marlette was killed.

Mr. Marlette had been helping the Oxford High School Theatre Department with their production of Kudzu, the musical adaptation of Marlette's comic strip of the same name.

The kids were preparing to take the show to the Edinburgh International Festival. As far as I know, they will still perform the show there August 17-22.

Besides creating Kudzu, the 57-year-old North Carolina native was a Pulitzer prize winning editorial cartoonist and a novelist.

Kudzu is one of my Dad's favorite comic strips. He often relates some witty thing that one of the strip's main characters, the Rev. Will B. Dunn has said. I've never taken much of an interest in Mr. Marlette's work, but after seeing a rebroadcast presentation by him on Book TV, I plan on reading his novel The Bridge.

In the presentation, he talked about what it means to be a Southern writer. I was engrossed in his speech and wish I could order a copy to watch again later. (It's coming on again Monday, July 16, if you are interested in seeing it.). I'm sad that I never took the time to follow his career, and I am relieved that he is survived by his writing.

NEW WEBCAM

new webcam,
originally uploaded by Tinker*Tailor.

I spent a few minutes tonight fooling around with my new Philips webcam & headset. Now I can finally use the video feature on Skype.

I'm not impressed with the picture quality, but I'm sure a lot of the blame rests on my poor bedroom lighting. The headset is the most uncomfortable I've ever worn; I'll have to replace it soon.


I dropped my home phone line years ago, relying only on my cell for domestic calls. But I'm happy to have Skype so I can still make calls to my family overseas. And it's free! Hard to beat that kind of deal.


Do you ever Skype? Think it will totally replace home phone lines someday?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOYS!

Happy First Birthday, Boys!, originally uploaded by Tinker*Tailor.

My oldest brothers turn 50 today. Happy Birthday, guys!

RYAN FINALLY JOINED FLICKR!

Welcome, Ryan!, originally uploaded by Tinker*Tailor.

Now you can check out some of his great photos! Take a look - and don't forget to leave him a comment to let him know you stopped by.

ROWANOAK

Originally uploaded by Tinker*Tailor.

While Ryan and I were in Oxford, we stopped by Faulkner's homeplace, Rowan Oak. It killed some time before the shows started, and it gave Ryan a chance to try out his new lens on the Nikon. Not often I get to play the role of model. They are nice enough headshots that I've posted a few to my flickr account. Now I'll have to practice and return the favor sometime this year. I'm hoping some of Ryan's talent will rub off on me.

THE STING

Szerszeń of Death
Originally uploaded by Jacek Becela

I had fun working the concession stand at South MS Speedway, and it looks like Terry and JoEllen and the rest of the team now have enough money for their 2 weeks in Africa.

Getting ready for bed later that night, I noticed a couple of strange bites on my leg. At first, I was worried the bites might be from a Brown Recluse Spider. To my relief, after checking on the web, I think they are from a hornet or bee. I'm surprised that I didn't feel anything earlier. I guess that means I'm not terribly allergic to whatever it is that stung me...

Before we got to the Speedway, my friend Alyssa and I stopped at a convenience store to buy Powerades. We were talking about recent TV shows that we like. She mentioned that she's a fan of Kyle XY. I asked her if she'd heard about Traveler. From across the store, a guy called out, "GREAT SHOW! That's a fantastic show!" I guess I'm not alone in being a fan of the new series. Have you caught an episode? My niece had the first couple episodes saved on her Tivo, and we watched them together on my last visit to her place. Now, I'll have to check and see if it's on iTunes, since I'll bet I've missed at least one broadcast. Ryan and I have been watching the DVD's of the first season of Lost. He's never seen the show before, and I never caught the first season. I'm impressed with the amount of irony and foreshadowing. Hats off to J.J. Abrams, Jeffrey Lieber, and Damon Lindelof!

Ryan and I are finally getting his flickr account up and running. Here's the link to his profile.

Don't have your flickr account set up? It's my favorite networking site, and it's free to join. Hope to see you there.

NEWS

Siamese on the wicker chair, 1957, originally uploaded by Tinker*Tailor.

A couple of my old photos were featured on the official flickr blog. What a fun surprise! Kudos to my dad for taking this outstanding photo of a Siamese. I wish I had more of his old photos to share.

I've rejoined the ranks of typical Americans, as I finally have a cell phone again. I decided to go with an ATT GoPhone until I can figure out which company to choose when I buckle down and sign a contract. The new phone just has $50 on it; we'll see how long that lasts. Hopefully I won't have to add any dough to the phone until my paychecks start in September. Oh, and I got a call back from OS and they offered me a different job. Can't forget to mention that good news.

Tonight I'm working the snack bar at the local race track. A couple of my friends, JoEllen and Terry, are going on a mission trip to Africa and the proceeds tonight will help fund their trip. It's a good cause, and I'm allowed all the popcorn, cokes, and hot dogs I want. (-which will be absolutely none, but that's beside the point).

I'm almost 100% moved into Ryan's house. (How did I accumulate so much junk?!) I got rid of 2/3 of my clothing - no other way to fit my mega wardrobe into my new junior-sized closet - and I don't have the budget for a storage unit. Purging so much meant some hard choices, but I think it will work out for the best. There are just a couple of boxes left to move down that I'll pick up Tuesday when I drive up to be with my Dad during his cataract surgery.

The first half of the surgery (last Tuesday) went well, and I'm expecting no problems again this week. Thanks to all of you who've been praying for him.

Ryan and I returned from Oxford yesterday. We drove up last Wednesday for the University's annual Shakespeare Festival. We saw some of his college friends for brunch at a dive called The Beacon and enjoyed performances of As You Like It and The Mikado. We also had dinner with a couple of my college friends, Sam and Emily, at an Italian place on the Square called Old Venice. On the way home, we had lunch at Haute Pig in Madison. It's great BBQ, if you ever have the chance to eat there, I recommend it!

I'm finding out that Ryan is a very patient roommate, as he's hardly griped about my moving in early on such short notice, and he didn't give me a hard time when I locked his keys in the car this week.

Rick and Erinne came over last night and we cooked dinner, watched Star Trek DVDs and ate organic ice cream and Godiva brownies. We also listened to some old tracks that I haven't played much since high school - and laughed at how much pop music has changed. I've missed our monthly geek-fests. Nice to see we are resuming the tradition.

I'm off to the races...

FOR SALE

Body Parts, originally uploaded by Jake Slagle.

Well, since the teaching gig didn't pan out, maybe I should do this for a living.

UPDATE...THE SEQUAL

Pavement is not grey!
Originally uploaded by www.DaveWard.net.

I found out today that I didn't get the job. I'm going to spend the rest of the weekend feeling sorry for myself and then go out Monday morning and hit the pavement - looking for work, that is. Not throwing myself off a building...want to be clear about that.

ME...ME...MEME

Julie tagged me with this meme. (A What?) I don't know 7 bloggers to pass this along to, but I'll happily fill it out :0) I wish I knew 7 bloggers...I can't even get most of my friends to sign up for MySpace.

1. Today, I'm wearing Umbros and a faded Gap t-shirt.
2. In Jr High, John Madden was my best friend; I haven't seen him since graduation day.
3. I love to bake cookies - from scratch, from a mix, whatever.
4. I wish I were in Ocean Springs signing a work contract for the next school year.
5. William Shakespeare is my favorite author.
6. Blue Hydrangeas are my favorite flowers - I'm fond of honeysuckle, too.
7. Chai (spiced black tea with milk) is my favorite drink. I mostly drink water.

The rules:
Each player starts with seven random facts about himself. People who are tagged post the rules and their responses to the seven facts on their own blogs. They choose seven people to tag and list their names and leave them a comment that they have been tagged with a link back.

PROJECT PLAYLIST

I like Marc's playlist he posted on MySpace, so I decided to make my own. Just to try it out, I stole a couple of his tracks and then added a few more I found online. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I really like this Sara Groves song. I'd never heard it before, but with lyrics like these, it's bound to become a favorite.