At Least One Weight

Had my micro-lesson today. So much drama leading up to it (actually rushed back to the school last night at like 830pm because I found out we were storing the live specimens incorrectly. But everyone, including the students, seemed to enjoy it. At least that's one huge weight off my shoulders. Unfortunately, I've got these weights lined up till April...

really?

The ban on handheld devices is finally being put into place today. I can't help but think, really? First of all, I think it's long overdue. I don't spend a lot of time on the highway, but there's usually come across at least one cellphone user per trip. You can spot them from their sudden drop in speed accompanied by the ocassional swerving. Now, I'm usually on the highway during weekends, when there's fewer people on the roads. So, I can only imagine (with horror) at the amount of people doing this on a weekday, during rush hour. When you're going over 100km/hr, is this really a wise thing to do? There are enough people with poor driving skills already, do we need to add another challenge on top? If you want to put your life in danger, do it in your own driveway, not when I'm driving behind you. I don't understand why this is such a major news story. For me, it just seems like common sense.

Sunlight!!!

I miss the sun...We're in the period where we have all our tests and assignments before we go into our first teaching block...I feel like I'm spending all my time outside of class in my basement attached to my laptop. I'm surprised it hasn't overheated and burned the place down yet!
Can't wait till next week is over. Not that the work load will lessen, but because it means I can finally crosee my micro-lesson (demonstration class) off my list. My associate teacher (senpai) says that it looks fine, and that I'm just stressed because it's there. I'm just procrastinating for a few minutes before I get back to work...I haven't been able to see grandpa in a while because of the workload, and I've some things that need to be crossed off before I'll allow myself out of the basement tonight!

A Sign From Oprah?

I was watching a msNBC show on "the Oprah Effect" the other night. One of the products mentioned was a line fo cosmetics called "Carol's Daughter". It looked so relaxing (something I am in short supply of right now), that I actually started considering buying some. I figured that the only place in Canada that would have it would be Sephora in Toronto. But, it turns out that the only place (that's listed on the main site anyways) that sells it in Canada is in my town! Perhaps it's a sign from Oprah!

ALL LIES!!!

I've been trying to get my presentation for math ready for Monday. I'm supposed to be teaching multiplication of decimals. While getting ready for this, it turns out that we're no longer teaching students to "count decimal places". This was shocking. It felt like my mathematical exisitance has been nothing but lies! I really didn't know what to do...I went into shock. And it literally took me a day to recover. Still a bit shakey, but I have to calm down in time for the presentation. How am I going to do this?

今年の初雪

Yesterday we had our first snow. While it didn't stay, I couldn't help by smile. I think everytime I see the first snow fall of the season, I will always remember that day. We were in the middle of our morning staff meeting, when from the second floor classrooms, there came a chorus of high pitched shrieks from the girls. The teachers rushed out of the staffroom and ran up the stairs, expecting some sort of emergency. However, they returned shortly after, shaking their heads with grins on their faces. The girls were just excited about seeing that year's first snow fall...

Our own Dolly Parton

The new Michael Jackson single was released this week. I think it's called "This is it". From the clip I heard on the radio, I have to say it reminds me of some of the ballads from the "Dangerous" album (the only Jackson album I remember being released when I was growing up). It really reminded me of "Heal the World" and "Hold Me" (the Free Willy song). For me, that's a good thing.
The other interesting thing they said was that the song was actually written by Paul Anka, and that he would be getting 50% of profits. I couldn't help thinking that he was our Dolly Parton. Let me explain. They're both people who've had their own careers as singers. But, who have probably made more money writing songs (or having their songs covered) by other singers. So for example, Dolly probably made an insane amount of money when Whitney Houston covered "I Will Always Love You", and when "Islands in the Stream" was remixed as "Ghetto Superstar". Paul's most well known song is probably "My Way" from Frank Sinatra. I wonder if he gets a cut every time someone sings it at karaoke!

Small world

Some interesting moments today. First, I was absolutly exhausted, and pretty much passed out at lunch. I guess I keep forgetting that people here aren't used to people sleeping on the ground (althought at my old university's student center, it felt like there were bodies strewn every other step you took). Some of the staff were concerned that there was actually something wrong with me.
Then, in the washroom, where all the quality conversations occur, I bumped into this girl from my drama class. It turns out she's a relative of my senpai, and I was getting some pretty good reviews. That resulted in a smug grin, but also a case of the nerves...am I going to be able to live this down?
Last but not least, in my last class. We were watching a video today on learning disabilities. I couldn't help thinking that I wished I had this information when I was in Japan. There were a few kids that might have benefitted greatly. And then, the workshop on the video brought out "my cow". I used to do a review Jeopardy review with the students, and one category was just optical illusions. The cow was one of my favourites. I had a physical reaction when I saw it!

So I'm not crazy!

I remember when I first heard about the arrest of Roman Polanski on the news this week. I was shocked to hear so many people jumping up and defending him, and couldn't quite wrap my head around their reasoning.
Let's see if we can break it down...
- he's been through so much already- fine, yes, he's had a lot of trauma in his life, from surviving the Holocaust and having his wife murdered. But does that give have carte blanche? Can you imagine that being used as a trial defense? If family members of every murder victim went around committing crimes with that as an excuse, would that really fly?

-it was a long time ago- and he was arrested a long time ago, and he ran. He did the crime...

-he's a genius- so? There's no relation here. Does that mean any person who is remotely skilled or talented is above the law? I'm really good at Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings trivia, does that mean I can rob a bank?

Anyways, was really glad to see that some people have taken a step back and start questioning why people are supporting him.

Stumbling towards a memory

A few months ago, I stumbled upon a manga. It wasn't very popular (as far as I know), flashy or inventive. It was more on the reflective side. But, I kept reading it, because one of the characters reminded me of someone I know. Last week, I stumbled on the anime version of that same manga. The feel didn't differ much from the book. I again stayed because of the resemblance to my friend, but then the ending song started playing. The melody was simple and melancholy, with lyrics that I could understand relatively well, even without the translations. And it was those lyrics that stopped me in my tracks...because it was a pretty good reflection of why I kept reading and watching...hmmm...懐かしい、な。。。