PD Day

Had a professional development (PD) day today. Today's workshops were all on using technology in the classroom. Pretty exciting stuff. I find that sometimes, the workshops aren't helpful at all, but today's were pretty helpful. One was on a graphic novel builder, another was on BrainPop, and the last was using the Smart board for literacy. It was interesting how the presenter who had the most problems with technology (not his fault, awful internet connection) was probably the best presenter. Very dynamic, flexible, and engaging. Would love to see him in his natural environment.

Movie Review: きみにしか聞こえない

I started a movie about a week ago, and I finally finished it. Called Kimi Ni Shika Nikoenai, it's a great example of the tragic love story between two people who have never met. After a bit of a slow start, it had me bawling like a baby...my eyes still hurt. Ryo is a high school girl who is socially awkward, with low self-esteem. One day she picks up a toy cell phone on her way home. To her surprise it rings, triggering "the cell phone in her head". She starts having long conversations with the man on the other end, Shinya, a young man who lives in Nagano. They support each other and bring life to each other's exisitence. When they finally get the courage to met, it is tragic and bittersweet (trying not to ruin the ending).
Funny how I can cry over this, but not over myself...the lyrics from the ending credits song didn't help me either. It just opened a whole new can of emotional worms. Such a mess.
Next movie needs to be a happy one.

BOOMERANG SNAKE!!!

Wow! I was watching the Australian Open during lunch today, and saw a bit of the match between Nadal and Kohlschreiber. Nadal pulled off a shot that had me jumping up and down like a little girl. I think the proper term for the shot is buggy whip, but for other teni-puri fans, they probably know it as the boomerang snake. It's an around the net shot. Need to find video of that one! Getting psyched for Rogers already!

The Best Laid Plans...

Finally had a day off today. I made myself a long list of things to do, so I could stay ahead...and nothing worked out. I started off with doing some repairs around the house that needed to be done, but they were worse than I thought and none of the tools were working properly. The worse part was to see that the mold problem in my room was worse than before. So, I had to get out the bleach...which I quickly got on my clothes.
And I just realized, that I completely forgot about that mentoring thing...this is not working out at all. But, maybe with all the mentoring I did the first time, it will make up for the missed ones? (I missed last week because of car problems).
Trying to get things cleaned up a bit...papers are everywhere! And, I'm running out of clean socks!

The Calm Before the Storm

Well, after a hectic start to the new year at school, I have a little bit of a break. Much needed after a not so restful or happy holiday. But, the list on my desktop keeps growing...I get the feeling that this reprieve won't last long. Gotta start trying to get ahead in my work, so I won't get buried in February. But, when I get home, it feels like I can barely move. Maybe I need more beauty sleep (- -) ..zzZZzz

I tried contacting "Kids for Kaga" about volunteering again. I got a reply to my first email, but am still waiting for a second response. I really hope that something happens this time! I think this would be a really interesting thing to get involved with.

むかつく！！！！

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Long Time No See

Well, it's been too long. Quite a few things happened. Most importantly, my grandfather passed away right before Christmas. And the family is definately still dealing with that. For me, I'm still not really sure as to what I feel. It's almost as if I've been too busy and I've gone a bit numb. First there was taking care of all the arrangements, and logistics of getting family together from a few different continents.
And of course, the rest of the world doesn't stop, even when you feel like it should. Dealing with a death during the holidays is a strange thing (the entire experience in general). Everyone around you is so happy, when you just want to crawl into a hole somewhere. But, you don't want to spoil someone else's happines, so you grin and bear it.
School definately doesn't stop. Especially when you have 3 presentations due. So, life has been a bit hectic.
One bright point was the Olympic torch relay. I took some quiet time (5am tends to be quiet), and drove to Guelph to see the relay. I was planning to see it when it was in town, but it was on the same day as the funeral. It was nice to have some quiet time, just me, the car and the sunrise. Once I got there, I spent about half an hour talking with an elderly woman whom I met on the sidewalk. But the best part was the energy. Everyone was just so happy, even the dogs seemed to be joining in on the Olympic spirit.