blasphemy

Talk today during lunch was based around how some students do not celebrate Halloween. In our school, we will have students dress up on Friday(because Halloween is on Sunday) afternoon after lunch. The classes form a parade around the schoolyard and then go back to their classes for a party and movie. However, many teachers were noting that students are being pulled home for the afternoon in order to miss the celebration. The other thing is that so many teachers are basing the morning activities with a Halloween theme. I was talking mainly with 2 other teachers and my gripe is this:

Plenty of children celebrate Christmas, and don't even know it's the birth of Jesus. Heck, most adults don't celebrate it as Jesus' birthday. People give gifts and eat like pigs. And Easter has become this bunny ritual of giving candy and eating hard-boiled eggs. I understand if your religion doesn't celebrate Christmas or Easter, but Halloween isn't celebrating the devil or whatever complaints people come up with. Let kids be like their friends and dress up in masks and costumes and get candy from trick-or-treating. When I was in school, every race, religion, and ethnicity did this. What's this world coming to?

So I feel bad for the kids, because I'm sure most don't even understand why they don't celebrate, and they can't be with their friends for the day...In other news, I have a pretty bad headache right now, and the humming of the computer isn't helping. Let's fix that.

How about them bungles?

Wow. My team's been on national tv twice this season, and they actually won both games. Unfortunately, they lost the other 4. But still, it was nice watching them win a big game on a Monday night. I'm a little tired today, but I'm tired if I go to bed at 10, so no difference.

Today I was: a gym teacher, a 2nd grade teacher, a 3rd grade teacher, a nurse's assistant, a computer teacher, and another 3rd grade teacher. My job is easy. I had a teacher tell me I don't talk much during lunch. Well, I'm the only male eating lunch in a room full of females. What do you want me to talk about, my period, or maybe the blouse I bought at macy's for only $49...She was only saying it as a way to get me into their conversation and make me feel a part of the table, and I understand that, but these are people I've seen for 3 weeks, and I don't really know them yet.

Tomorrow is Wednesday-signaling the week's resolution. Friday nite=Halloween party. Saturday=moving Kim into new home. Sunday=continued moving, assembling furniture, cleaning. Also, listen to WFAN 660 AM on Saturday and Sunday and my brother will be on the air, perhaps for a solid half hour between the 4 pm and 8 pm game layover.

It feels like I lost 5 pounds

The most exciting thing that I've done this week so far besides work was getting a haircut today. If you know me, you know that I am anal about my hair, and I always put gel in it, even though I hate when my hair is crispy. Today, however, the girl who cut my hair was on my side and understood why. She said it's because I have fine but thick hair. So my hair frizzes when it's damp, and the gel keeps most of that under control. So that made me feel a little better.

I was the teacher of a 1st grade class today, and it went rather well. They like to read, which was nice to see in the young 'ns. They're cute, but I can see why they're a handful. I have to buy a fake white beard and stupid hat so I can be a wizard for Halloween. All the teachers are dressing as witches, and since I'm the only male, I have to be something relative to a witch.

The Blue Jays will finally part ways with Chris Woodward at SS. He's had 3 years to prove he belongs in the majors, but never did much...I don't miss hockey...and I can probably count on one hand the number of people who will watch this Monday nite's football game featuring the Bungles vs. Denver.

In other news, I feel very lazy and need to run or something to get some cardio exercise, but it's been so crazily gross outside, I've been reluctant.

I went to teach this morning and ended up in the bowels of the school

Wow. Another week of teaching almost complete. I was a resource room teacher today, and her class was in the basement, as usual. Hey, let's put the special ed kids in a place where they'll feel even more intimidated by school, and where no one will find them. So I went in and noticed it was dark, as most basements are, but I tried to open the shades and when I did, there was a car in the window. What a view! I was waiting for the owner to get inside and let it idle for a while so the exhaust could seep into the room and asphixiate me and the students. No such luck. Anyway, this week's been pretty weird. Haven't really had a "normal" class yet, but I learned a lot. Yesterday was the best. I was a basic skills teacher and really enjoyed it. It's something I would have great interest in doing, but I know many schools don't hire them as full-time teachers.

In other news, I am sickened by the Red Sox ineptness. Kevin Millar sucks. Play Mientkiewicz at first. Do something to spark the offense. I don't know, I still think they can win the series if they stop playing like a bunch of, I don't know, Blue Jays!

In my world, baseball's over

So the MLB playoffs are currently raging on, but my lowly Blue Jays have been out of the race for some time now. So in the world of last-place teams, this is usually the time to evaluate the past year and look forward to next. I'm going to give their team a review and most likely, you will have no interest in reading, but I am optimistic for next year already. In my opinion, Carlos Tosca isn't a great manager, but he got a raw deal getting fired because they had 5 starters on the DL, as well as 2 starting pitchers. The new manager, John Gibbons, did a job good enough to stick around for next season. The team was pretty terrible all year, but some of the young kids showed some promise for next season. Here's their individual grades...

A

1. Gustavo Chacin, P-Showed good composure in limited time as a starter.(1-1, 2.57 ERA)
2. Brandon League, P-Didn't allow a run in 3 games at season's end.(1-0, 0.00 ERA)
3. Russ Adams, SS-Called up in September, but showed good promise at lead-off.(.306 4 HR 10 RBI)
4. Ales Rios, OF-If he gains 20 pound for next year, he'll be best OF on team.(.286 1 HR 28 RBI 15 SB)
5. Chris Gomez, IF-Filled in nicely all year, and had many clutch hits. (.282 3 HR 37 RBI)
6. Frank Catalanotto, OF-Prototypical hitter battled injuries all year.(.293 1 HR 26 RBI)

B+

1. Ted Lilly, P-Carried team through first half and most dependable starter.(12-10, 4.06 ERA 168 K's)
2. David Bush, P-Will be a strong starter in future. Showed good stuff.(5-4, 3.69 ERA)
3. Carlos Delgado, 1B-Team leader fought thru injuries to finish with superb 2nd half.(.269 32 HR 99 RBI)
4. Orlando Hudson, 2B-Much-deserved gold glove candidate had solid numbers.(.270 12 HR 58 RBI)
5. Reed Johnson, OF-Most consistent during Jays' injury period.(.270 10 HR 61 RBI 6 SB)

B

1. Josh Towers, P-Inflated ERA, but consistently kept team in games.(9-9, 5.11 ERA)
2. Gregg Zaun, C-Lifetime backup seized starting job and never let up.(.269 6 HR 36 RBI)
3. Vernon Wells, OF-Injury slowed him, but he improved in 2nd half.(.272 23 HR 67 RBI 9 SB)
4. Frank Menechino, IF-Did whatever team needed him to do.(.275 9 HR 26 RBI)

B-

1. Jason Frasor, P-Started as closer, but got roughed up as season moved on.(4-6, 4.08 ERA 17 S)
2. Justin Speier, P-Not a good closer, but did admirable job in relief.(3-8, 3.91 ERA 7 S)

C+

1. Eric Hinske, 3B-Poor BA, but improved greatly on D, and had decent RBI.(.246 15 HR 69 RBI 12 SB)

C

1. Roy Halladay, P-Disappointing year for Cy Young winner.(8-8, 4.20 ERA)
2. Vinnie Chulk, P-Unhittable 1st half gave way to banged up 2nd.(1-3, 4.66 ERA 2 S)
3. Bob File, P-Not much action, but gave up lots of hits.(1-0, 4.81 ERA)
4. Guillermo Quiroz, C-Limited action, but not much offense.(.212 6RBI)
5. Ryan Glynn, P-Did OK in spot starts.(1-0, 4.05 ERA)
6. Gabe Gross, OF-Lots of hype, but little production.(.209 3 HR 16 RBI 2 SB)

C-

1. Miguel Batista, P-Disappointing production, but could've been worse.(10-13, 4.80 ERA, 5 S)
2. Dave Berg, IF-Good guy to have on team, but hasn't been great last 2 years.(.253 3 HR 23 RBI)

D

1. Justin Miller, P-Good start led to bullpen duty.(3-4, 6.06 ERA)
2. Chris Woodward, SS-Like the guy, but never produces.(.235 1 HR 24 RBI)

F

1. Sean Douglass, P-(0-2, 6.28 ERA)
2. Kevin Cash, C-(.193 4 HR 21 RBI)
3. Kevin Frederick, P-(0-2, 6.59 ERA)
4. Kerry Ligtenberg, P-(1-6, 6.38 ERA, 73 hits in 55 inn)
5. Eric Crozier, 1B-(.152 2 HR 4 RBI 19K's in 33 ABs)

The players who earned an F should not be on the roster come April, but who am I to say. They are more than likely going to lose Delgado, so with the money they gain from his contract, they need to address many issues, such as pitching, a catcher, a big hitter, and a speedster. I'm projecting their lineup based on them not signing anyone.

1. Russ Adams, SS
2. Orlando Hudson, 2B
3. Frank Catalanotto, 1B/DH
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Alex Rios, RF
6. Eric Hinske, 3B
7. Reed Johnson, LF
8. Gabe Gross, DH/OF
9. Guillermo Quiroz, C

The Bench will have:

1. Chris Gomez, IF
2. Frank Menechino, IF
3. Dave Berg, IF
4. Chris Woodward, SS
5. John Ford-Griffin, OF

Their rotation should look like this:

1. Roy Halladay
2. Ted Lilly
3. David Bush
4. Gustavo Chacin
5. Josh Towers

Bullpen:

1. Jason Frasor
2. Vinnie Chulk
3. Justin Speier
4. Brandon League
5. Bob File
6. Miguel Batista, CP

I just listened to this cd, and I broke out in Hives

Today ended the first week of subbing. I can't say enough how great it feels for my back not to hurt from work on Friday. The week went ok, looking back on it. I had the same 2nd grade class on Weds and yesterday. They were awful on Weds, but much better yesterday. Today I actually was an aide for a handicapped boy. I was a bit scared since I'm not certified for special ed. It turned out he was extremely sharp, and I was in a class that had a lead teacher and another aide. He couldn't write, so he takes his spelling test on the computer, and prints out labels on a p-touch machine for his science test. Absolutely amazing. He was such a cute kid, and I enjoyed working with him and the class since they seem much happier when they learn something, but I know it's not something I could do full-time. It takes a special person to do something like that.

Tonight = looking for furniture and eating at a diner of sorts. Of course, there's no way of bringing furniture home since I drive a Mazda 3 and Kim drives a Nissan Sentra. It's also been a while since eating at a diner, so I almost can't wait to look at the menu for 20 minutes and end up ordering a chicken wrap anyway. Here's to the weekend.

Round Two, Plight

Thanks to Kim's smart-ass remark, I deleted 4 of the 5 repeated entries. The first attempt I made was around 6pm, but the computer crashed as I was posting, so I tried again later, and the page was not found. I tried at around 8 or so, and the page never loaded. So that's only 3 times, and I honestly didn't think any of them posted. Where did the other 2 come from?

Day 2 was much worse than day 1. Not as a whole, but in small pieces that made you want to pick up the little motherfucker and glue his ass to the seat. He was a funny kid, but there's only so many times you should tell the same person to sit correctly in your seat. I did sub today in a 4th grade class. Most of the kids were well-behaved, but the same 2 kids were consistently slowing us down, and it came to a point where I stood in front of the class and stared at them for 3 minutes while waiting for them to open up a book to a certain page. This is something I figured I'd do in 2nd grade. So this happened while we moved from subject to subject. Other than that, the day was great. I haven't been able to eat lunch to its full capacity-probably since I'm not used to the earlier time yet.

I hope Kim feels better, and I'm trying to fight off getting a cold. I kind of feel it in my throat, but I'm battling. It's probably because I haven't slept the past two nights because of some strange dream sequences. Hopefully, I'll be out like a brick tonite. Looking forward to another exciting night of nothing. Scrubs is on at least!

Round One, Fight

Today was day one back as a teacher, and it is sooooooooooo much better than retail. I didn't have my own class today since all the teachers were there, but I helped a first grade teacher all day. It was fun working with the lil' ones, but I don't think I'd be able to do it as a long-term position. It's also nice being home before 5 o'clock. Most of the people seemed nice and the teacher I worked with today was very helpful. The principal is very well-liked and respected by the teachers. I do have to get used to eating lunch earlier, but we have an hour to do so. I think everything will be fine. I'm excited to be back in teaching and hope everything works out for the best. The bonus about it is that I probably won't be grading much or planning much since I'm a sub, so if I have a really bad day, I don't have to stress over planning. Kick ass.

i'd like to say it's been fun, but...

It wasn't. Today marked my last day in retail! Holy crap what a feeling. No rest really. I got work at GHT tomorrow and start subbing on Monday. I'm excited to mess with youngsters' minds again, but I'm also nervous as hell since I've been a year out of teaching. I had an interview on Tuesday down at Brick that I felt will be fruitless. I just didn't feel very confident afterwards, even though I answered their questions pretty well. Three weeks will tell if I get it, but I'm not overly concerned since I'm starting at Bloomfield Monday! Anyway, my last day consisted of moving, cleaning, and lifting. Not exactly what I pictured in my last day. Actually it went more like this: not going in, sleeping, and playing MLB 2005. Wah-wah-wahhhh. It's ok, though. I got a free lunch from my boss as well as a going away cake. I didn't know they made cakes for such occasions, but when Hallmark's making cards for Happy September 17th, I guess anything's possible. The cake was good, and I got a gift card to the movies from a fellow worker who treated me like her son. I'll miss her and some of the people, but the other demons can go back to Satan's asshole and maybe find a brain or personality or whatever ails 'em.

I'm actually home alone tonight. Kim's out with her work friends eating a post birthday dinner, and I have $7 in my wallet, so going out with Mike or Julio from work to celebrate isn't happening for a while. So here I am in some strange way talking to myself via blog.

I'm probably going to rifle thru my cd collection, which I realized is awful, to give my car a new lineup of listening options. I have a problem, however, because I have a lot of cds, but so many of them are by the same bands. For example, I have 7 No Use For A Name cds, so when I'm not in the mood for them, that takes away 6 other options to listen to. Same with 311, the Appleseed Cast, the Clash...I think I'm going to limit my car cd holder to one(maybe two at most) cd from each artist. Other than that, my night will be uneventful, which will lead to watching Family Guy DVDs. Peace out.