Second tournament is over. The varsity team almost beat the defending state champs (they have only lost one match in five years) on Tuesday. We came out really flat tonight and lost the first two games. The girls managed to come back and win the third game by two points. They then started to roll and won the fourth and fifth. By then, our team was emotionally drained again. We faced off against the same team from Tuesday and lost in three.
Still, we earned a berth in the state tournament next week!
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Brief Update
Tournament #1 is done. My girls finish the season with only two losses and as district champions. Now for the varsity.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Breaking News . . . .
I guess the following announcement should have been released about five weeks ago. I'll have to have the announcement department purged, flogged, and forced to run bleeding through the streets. Anyhow . . .
We interrupt this blog, to bring you volleyball season. Your regularly scheduled rants/movie reviews will return upon completetion of tomorrow's JV district tournament, next week's Varsity tournament, and barring an unlikely spoiler, the state tournament in two weeks!
A short preview: Matt may be documenting his reading habits out of vanity, but I will do it out of vanity combined with typical irrational male-male dominance competition. My booklist is longer than your booklist!
We interrupt this blog, to bring you volleyball season. Your regularly scheduled rants/movie reviews will return upon completetion of tomorrow's JV district tournament, next week's Varsity tournament, and barring an unlikely spoiler, the state tournament in two weeks!
A short preview: Matt may be documenting his reading habits out of vanity, but I will do it out of vanity combined with typical irrational male-male dominance competition. My booklist is longer than your booklist!
Sunday, August 27, 2006
I Just Don't Get It
Friday afternoon I left school after only 10 hours (shortest time period in 14 days). What to do with a little free time? I was exhausted but a co-worker mentioned sitting down with a beer. That decided it! I would return to a routine that I hadn't participated in for at least a year. First a burger and beer (while reading the paper) at Red Robin, followed by a film across the street.
This summer's weak movie offerings coupled with a busier schedule resulted in my viewing much fewer films than usual. What to see? I was tempted by Little Miss Sunshine, but ultimately decided on Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. I've never really been a fan of Will Ferrell but he has done good work in supporting character roles. The only reason I chose Nights was on the recommendation of several friends who told me that they don't regularly care for Ferrell but really liked this movie.
What a disappointment! There were a few moments of humor but definitely not enough to justify a $8.50 ticket. I know the film is intended to exaggerate human behavior and attitudes; however, only Gary Cole's character seemed consistent enough to be believable. Ferrell spends the film playing the exact same character he always does (see: Elf, Old School, Ron Burgundy . . . etc.). I am usually pretty good at putting myself into a film even when it's not good. But, I seriously contemplated walking out on this one, something I have never done or even considered before. I really could have used the sleep instead.
Now I will have to discuss with all my students who worship Ferrell why three laughs does not make a movie good. I just don't get it!
This summer's weak movie offerings coupled with a busier schedule resulted in my viewing much fewer films than usual. What to see? I was tempted by Little Miss Sunshine, but ultimately decided on Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. I've never really been a fan of Will Ferrell but he has done good work in supporting character roles. The only reason I chose Nights was on the recommendation of several friends who told me that they don't regularly care for Ferrell but really liked this movie.
What a disappointment! There were a few moments of humor but definitely not enough to justify a $8.50 ticket. I know the film is intended to exaggerate human behavior and attitudes; however, only Gary Cole's character seemed consistent enough to be believable. Ferrell spends the film playing the exact same character he always does (see: Elf, Old School, Ron Burgundy . . . etc.). I am usually pretty good at putting myself into a film even when it's not good. But, I seriously contemplated walking out on this one, something I have never done or even considered before. I really could have used the sleep instead.
Now I will have to discuss with all my students who worship Ferrell why three laughs does not make a movie good. I just don't get it!
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
LiveDigital is going down.
Just figured out that my school's web filter won't let me see images hosted by LiveDigital. Gonna have to drop that account and try another image host. Any suggestions?
PS - Can't seem to close a LiveDigital account. Once they have you; they don't seem inclined to ever let you go!
PS - Can't seem to close a LiveDigital account. Once they have you; they don't seem inclined to ever let you go!
Monday, August 21, 2006
179 more to go.
Twelve and a half hours later, day one is complete. Teacher's always joke that you can get so much more work done without any kids. But, a school just never feels right until you have masses of students moving, laughing, talking, and maybe even learning in it.
The 12.5 hours might seem a little long until you take into account the 75 hours I spent last week getting ready. I really enjoy learning how to use technology to make people's (read teachers) lives easier. Building a middle school's and a high school's master schedules is a daunting task. However, the middle school teacher's really wanted to keep their 7-period day while a 4-period block works better in high school. The trouble for a small school district (like where I work) is that the schools often share faculty members. Matching the teacher schedules, providing electives, placing students in their correct core classes, and balancing the class loads is the very definition of daunting.
I spent at least 200 hours throughout the summer working through the master schedules and setting up the Student Information System (SIS) on the network. Everything was great until the higher-ups stepped in with requirements that they had failed to mention in the beginning, when the fixes would have been simple. We had to move classes with less than 2 days to go. Then we had to rebalance both schools. Forty new students entered the district with various levels of documentation and they had to be registered and scheduled. At least 100 phone calls, requesting changes, came in on the first day after we mailed preliminary schedules home last week.
To compound the scheduling woes, our regular high school secretary was not around at all this summer. Her son was and is very sick with an infection of West Nile. Anyone who works in a school understands how crippling it can be to lose an extremely experienced secretary.
Merge scheduling responsibilities with volleyball coaching and computer system training/troubleshooting for the rest of the staff and you end up with 75 hours of work with less than 2 actually spent preparing your classroom and lessons. Therefore, I have to log off and spend some time reviewing and upgrading my chemistry notes for tommorrow.
PS - I doubt anyone will find any of this of interest but I still feel better for having written it.
The 12.5 hours might seem a little long until you take into account the 75 hours I spent last week getting ready. I really enjoy learning how to use technology to make people's (read teachers) lives easier. Building a middle school's and a high school's master schedules is a daunting task. However, the middle school teacher's really wanted to keep their 7-period day while a 4-period block works better in high school. The trouble for a small school district (like where I work) is that the schools often share faculty members. Matching the teacher schedules, providing electives, placing students in their correct core classes, and balancing the class loads is the very definition of daunting.
I spent at least 200 hours throughout the summer working through the master schedules and setting up the Student Information System (SIS) on the network. Everything was great until the higher-ups stepped in with requirements that they had failed to mention in the beginning, when the fixes would have been simple. We had to move classes with less than 2 days to go. Then we had to rebalance both schools. Forty new students entered the district with various levels of documentation and they had to be registered and scheduled. At least 100 phone calls, requesting changes, came in on the first day after we mailed preliminary schedules home last week.
To compound the scheduling woes, our regular high school secretary was not around at all this summer. Her son was and is very sick with an infection of West Nile. Anyone who works in a school understands how crippling it can be to lose an extremely experienced secretary.
Merge scheduling responsibilities with volleyball coaching and computer system training/troubleshooting for the rest of the staff and you end up with 75 hours of work with less than 2 actually spent preparing your classroom and lessons. Therefore, I have to log off and spend some time reviewing and upgrading my chemistry notes for tommorrow.
PS - I doubt anyone will find any of this of interest but I still feel better for having written it.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Freewheeling Flashback . . . with Fish!
We both have careers and responsibilities. He has a growing family. We are both feeling older and older as each summer passes . . . . and yet. If you put us in a boat on a lake loaded with fish, we instantly slip into the verbal rhythm we shared as college freshman fresh from high school. The only cares we have are having fun, making each other laugh and maybe bringing a fish to hand occasionally. You've gotta love having a best friend!
Me
and He
and He
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