Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Finally

After hours and hours of screen time, my seniors' rough drafts are finally graded. Managed to finish the last one during the first 10 minutes of my last period class. (I know, I cut it close) Huge weight lifted. After another couple hours I got sub plans written, my classroom organized and ready for the next two days. At the moment I'm trying to get Roe to sleep so I can hit the road and head to Sacramento. Tonight I'll be staying with my little bro and jumping on a plane to Chicago at the crack of dawn tomorrow. I haven't seen my sister since Christmas, and I haven't been to Chicago in a few years. The point of the trip is to watch her defend her thesis and move on to her next step on her way to being a doctor. I'm so proud of her. I'm sad to leave my family, especially my wife, who is super pregnant and needs my help around the house and with Roe. I'll miss them both terribly, but I'm stoked to get outta dodge for a couple days and see my family. I'm not prepared at all for next week but that's Sunday's problem. Now if only this daughter of mine would close her eyes...
By the way, my two YouTube vids are perma linked on my blog so check it out!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

In need of a W

For some, sports are second nature. It comes naturally, and with practice, they only get better. For others, it's takes time, effort and all the mental power they can muster to be just okay at a sport. Take a wild guess which category I fall into. Unfortunately, it's the latter. I've always loved to play, but whether it be confidence, ability, drive or all of the above, I've always been just okay at just about every sport I've tried. My shining abilities as a kid was that I could run fast, and jump high. Yes, I know, I'm black, so stereotypically it makes sense. That aside, after a brief ride on the bench as a sophomore on the freshman basketball team, I figured my abilities should be used far away from the gym's hardwood floors. (I won't even mention middle school bball with my dad coaching no-less!) I found a new place on the dirt track of my small ass school. There I did well, being good at the two main skills required of a track athlete. I ran fast, and jumped high. My record for the 100m dash was 11.88, and my highest high jump was just about my height at the time. Somewhere around 5'6". Sound impressive? Maybe for a small school competing against other really small schools, but it was only enough for 2nd. There was always a guy from Mariposa who beat me in the 100m and I was too short, (even jumping my height) to win the high jump.
Toward the end of my junior year my dad was really getting into golf and sometime later I acquired his old clubs. The perfect sport for a guy in my situation, right? Yes and no. For a solid decade I played occasionally (it's an expensive habit I used to say) and improved in barely conceivable increments during that time. If my high school had a golf team I think I would have improved faster considering how often I would have been playing and competition (in golf anyway) I play better. My school naturally waited until I had graduated to start a team and I had to get rounds in when I could, paying out the ass all the way.
Long story short, I have always loved to play golf. In the last four years or so, I finally found a way to play more often. I always liked having consistent buddies to play with so I dragged my brother in law out onto the course one day. Being the former in my little intro, he got hooked and started playing a lot. When I say a lot, take what you think a lot of golf is a double it (at least). Needless to say he got better, fast. My father in law's bed business FloBeds sponsored our team and we compete in match play events Monday nights starting in April. Unfortunately, I'm back where I started, feeling like the bench warmer on a team of stars. Granted, my handicap has dropped from roughly a 28 to hovering near 16. Team Flobeds won season 2 (see early post for my heroics) and placed 2nd last year, losing in a playoff. Still, last year I won only 3 matches and one was because the other team only had 3 guys, so I won by default.
This year I felt great going in. I've changed a few things mentally and physically with my game and I figured I really couldn't lose if I came to play. Then I remembered, it's golf. I tied my match last week, and last night, the only reason I tied was because the guy I played choked on his last putt, on the last hole. Upon reflection, I can't help but feel like I used to. The rest of my team is undefeated and playing great, and once again I'm just okay. I'm ready for my first win of the year, so I can at least contribute to a team, and a game, that I love.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Easter ups n downs

It's Easter Sunday and once again, up before 7am. Love my little girl for that! Anyway, once I got my ass out of bed Roe was just adorable looking for Easter eggs around the living room. The downside to the day is the stress has returned. I'm back to work tomorrow, and I haven't started the senior papers, and honestly I'm not sure if it's gonna happen. I feel like I'm letting the kids down, but my goal today is to be a good dad and husband. I've just finished my 1 of 2 church services of the year with the in-laws, and yes, Mass is still the same. After attending Catholic school from K-8th grade, two times a year is more than enough. Anyway, seven weeks of work and probably less until my little baby Zoey enters the world. I just have to remember to take one thing at a time. Gotta find done time to work today...







Friday, April 22, 2011

Procrastination and PB&J

I'm trying out this mobile blog thing and it's pretty cool. The wife wants to go on a walk, but what I SHOULD be doing is grading senior papers. Will it get done? Not likely today, but it really should be done by Monday. Let's see, that's forty 6-8 pages papers edited and commented on during my spring break. Since it's vacation do I actually have to work? Sadly, the answer is: always. I worked one day this week already and I feel that's plenty. Shouldn't English teachers be able to take time off too? My fear is that the answer is no. On the other hand my daughter got a silly amount of jelly on her shirt, so now it's off, and she's decided to make "spicy" pretend peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. That makes me smile.







Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Star Wars: The Old Republic


A new, bad ass, Star Wars MMO. Trying to be really patient since there is still no release date. Should be sometime this year (fingers crossed). If you are into MMOs and love Star Wars, here are some of my favorite sites with very frequent updates about the game. Feel free to join my guild here.


Official SWTOR site.
TORWars (my favorite fan site)
Correllian Run Radio



Dragon on the Ledge

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

When we met

Nine years ago I met someone. Four years ago I married that someone. Yes, it's been that long. As long as it's been, I can still remember the night I met my wife like it happened yesterday. Sure, that's a bit cliche, but what else can I say. Let me take you back nine years...

I was taking a poetry class my second quarter at UCSC. I had a small group of poetry nerds I hung out with, and every Tuesday we'd head down to 99 Bottles of Beer on the wall to take over the upstairs area, drink pitchers of discounted beer and write poetry. One Tuesday night, my buddy Tim brought his newish girlfriend, Freda. It just so happened that Freda had a roommate named Katie. That night I walked into the restaurant and I saw Tim talking to his girlfriend at the bar. I walked up to meet his new girl and Freda introduced me to her roommate.

Never in my life had I met someone so unique. (Keep in mind that I was going to UCSC) This girl had short red hair following the curves of her rounded face. Bangs hanging draped over one eye. Her eyes were not the same color and her smile was just so sweet. She was wearing socks on her hands cut into arm warmers. One was pink and one was purple. Her black skirt hung knee length hiding the tops of her black knee-high socks which disappeared into low top Doc Martins...

The next thing I remember, we were sitting upstairs with everyone else, only talking to each other. We sat across the table from each other, lost in our own bubble of a conversation. At some point everyone else left, leaving behind many empty pitchers of beer. Buzzed and not wanting the night to end, we decided to close the Irish pub down the block, Rosie McCann's. Every day after we spent together...that was 9 years ago.

To my best friend, wife and love of my existence...Happy Anniversary!!!

Dragon on the Ledge

Fear of Children

Misleading title aside, I fear for my students. I fear for my sanity dealing with them, of course, but what's more is that I fear that they won't survive what our society's future holds. Simple things like talking to adults in a respectful manner, or learning how to turn off the F-bombs when it isn't appropriate. Or, (this happened an hour ago), calling me fat during a discussion when all I do is support and encourage success. WHATEVER JERK! They can't see the future. Shit, they can't see that the decisions they make today might have something to do with tomorrow! All I can say is wow. It wasn't this bad when I was a kid. (Warning: old man rant likely to follow). When I was in high school we didn't have anything right away. If we wanted to find out something, we couldn't pull out our smartphones and Google it. The library was the spot, and not just a room filled with books no one needs. No, the library was a place where the information was. Sure the internet existed, but not the way it does now. High school students now have what they want when they want it. Think about it, food is faster and easier to get (and worse for you). Info is everywhere and violence, drugs and hip-hop culture has saturated their mentality's to the point that they don't think they actually have to work. The natural conclusion is that if they play the game right, life is easy and they'll be rich and English class isn't necessary. Shit, the sheer volume of kids that say they have never, yes NEVER read a book is more than you could possibly imagine. So, yes, I am afraid. Afraid that when I'm older the generation that will be running the world will be lazy, stupid and the have the life goals of an ADHD 3rd grader. More than anything I am afraid that since I turned 32 last week, I'm just a old fucking man...

Dragon on the Ledge

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

6 Word Memoir

Black gamer still needing to write.


Dragon on the Ledge