Blog Archives - The Land of the Weird

The Land of the Weird

Web-based Learning

8/16/2016

For our first day of inservice, we were given time to work through the many hours of online coursework that we had to complete for this year. Information on workplace injuries, bloodborne pathogens, identifying suicide, conforming to 504 regulations, and several other topics were all given to us through the miracle of the Internet. By the end, I was putting their exercises to reduce eye fatigue to the test.

One of my goals for this year is to have most, if not all, of my classes available to my students online. I'm still working on the online courses to keep my Alaskan teaching certification. By the end of the month, I start my online degree program toward my Ed.D. (actually, I've already started the online orientation). So much of the current swing of the educational pendulum seems to be focused on putting learning online.

The Internet is certainly a powerful tool for learning. As an advocate of technology, I certainly approve of using it to improve our lives in many ways, including education. Still, there were a couple of moments today where I couldn't promise that I learned anything from what I was watching. Just being online isn't enough to make content engaging. I find it ironic that at a time when so much focus is placed on making educators responsible for the learning of their students, one of the primary alternatives is online learning which has no such accountability and generally uses the least engaging methods to distribute information.

I am convinced that we can use technology effectively to promote learning, but I don't think that we're quite there yet.

Seward

8/15/2016

Our day trip to Seward started a little slower than we expected as Trevor and I went to his school for registration this morning. The sophomore line was long, which led to a not-as-long nurse line, which then led to a nearly as long locker line. All told, we were in lines for about an hour and a half, a fact that really made me appreciate how streamlined the process was at Skyview.

Despite the late start and the rainy forecast, I was excited to see Seward for the first time and was not alone in that regard. Katrina and Peter were continually amazed by the scenery on the drive over. Even the weather cooperated for the most part with it no more than sprinkling any of the time that we were outside.

We had a good lunch at the Peking Palace, so much so that Connor told one of the ladies who worked there that they had the best food ever (she seemed quite tickled by his enthusiasm).

We brought the puppies along, but had to leave them in the car during the hike up to Exit Glacier as we only found out there that pets weren't allowed. I'm still glad that we went for the mid-length hike as one of the park rangers was there to let us know that the gushing water flow we saw shooting from the left side of the glacier was new that day. She didn't know if it was due to a lake-sized pocket of water suddenly breaking through or if some other runoff had been diverted to the glacier. I was amazed at how much the glacier had receded based on both the pictures in the visitor center and the signposts along the path.

We didn't end up doing everything on mine or Janelle's lists, but that just gives us more of a reason to come back to Seward later.

Together

8/14/2016

As of about 3am this morning, all of my children are under one roof since a little over a year ago. I'm only on a few hours of sleep, but I've had a pleasant day. Katrina and Peter were given a tour of our house and cabin (they even got to meet our neighborly moose). Katrina sang next to me at mass. Connor got to celebrate his birthday by opening presents and eating cake (with melted Andes chocolates as a frosting). Janelle took Katrina and Peter to the ocean (and they saw caribou). We've also just spent time together enjoying each other's company.

At this moment, I am quite content. I'm trying really hard not to think about how soon this visit comes to an end.

Connor's Busy Birthday

8/13/2016

Connor is now nine years old (although in some ways he already acts like a teenager). We're saving our main celebrations for tomorrow, that still keeps us quite busy today beyond our normal Saturday chores. Janelle has a list of cleaning that she wants done today both in the house, for Katrina and Peter's arrival tonight, and in the cabin, as we have a monthly renter arriving tomorrow.

We are also making the drive into Anchorage tonight to pick up Katrina and Peter from the airport. Their plane arrives shortly before midnight. Thus, I'll be doing a lot of nighttime driving (yes, it's dark up here at night again; although there's still more light than farther south) and will only have a few hours of sleep before tomorrow's mass. We are also getting the sleeping arrangements set up so they can go to sleep soon after we get home. It's for this reason that I'm writing today's post quite a bit earlier than normal.

Connor just ran by singing, "I'm opening a present, a present, a present." Even though we're waiting until tomorrow for most of the birthday celebration, Connor's stipulation was that he could open one of his gifts.

We just have to wrap them first.

Registration Day

8/12/2016

Although I've been in my school building multiple times a week for the purpose of working out, today was my first day back in the building for actually working. It was our registration day, with students and their parents coming in, filling out forms, paying fees, and getting their schedules. I saw students who I will have in my classes this year, students who I had in my class last year, students who have been doing the summer crossfit workouts, students from my church, and students who are obviously related to some of the students I've had before.

We're truly back in the building for "captivity days" this coming Tuesday, but today helped kickstart my professional mode. I try to keep teaching thoughts out of my head for much of the summer (and am often not successful), but that becomes more and more difficult as the school year approaches. At least my teaching nightmares haven't started as early as they have in the past. Thus far I haven't even had one (that I can remember), although who knows what tonight might bring.

It's strange that my summer is simmering down and the school year is spooling up just as Katrina and Peter show up (almost exactly 24 hours from when I'm writing this). It's going to be an interesting couple of weeks.

Soldotna Year One

8/11/2016

Yesterday (well, technically Tuesday night) marked the one year anniversary of my arrival in Soldotna. That dark night when Trevor and I arrived was not that scary for me, despite all of the unknowns, rather it was exhilarating. That feeling of exhilaration still hasn't died off. In so many ways it feels both like I've just arrived and that I've been here forever.

Coming here has been a dream come true. My school, our church, my colleagues, my health, our house, and our new friends have felt like they've always been a part of my life. Even the weather has generally been what I would design for myself should I have that power.

That said, I also don't fully feel like I'm truly here, like this is still a sort of dream. More, I feel like there's a piece in the puzzle of my life that's missing, but I'm not sure of its shape, let alone what it looks like. It's strange feeling to have considering how great things have been. Perhaps it's just the feeling that the other shoe is going to drop, that things shouldn't be going this well.

One way or another, this has been a great year for me. I'm looking forward to see what the next one holds in store.

The Summer Olympics (2016)

8/10/2016

For as long as I can remember, I have loved the Olympics. The idea of the nations of the world gathering together (hopefully in peace) to highlight the pinnacle of human physical achievement is a model for how we should approach international relations in general. Every four years, we spend two weeks marvelling at what the human body is capable of doing.

I particularly like the stories behind the athletes, testaments to the struggles that they have overcome to become some of the best in the world. When it comes to the sports themselves, my favorite to watch are the gymnastics, with diving, track, and swimming following closely after. My appreciation for track was already pretty high, but after coaching hurdles, I have gained a new perspective in that area.

Watching the Olympics has been difficult this year. Normally, we are content to watch the prime time compilation, but it's not an option for us this year. I tried getting an HD antenna, but our home is apparently in too much of a depression to get a signal. We've settled on using Playstation Vue which gives us access to all of NBC's channels except NBC itself (which has the prime time show). Unfortunately, it requires higher connection speeds than what we have available to give us an uninterrupted presentation. Still, it's our best option for watching it on the television.

I've also been a little disappointed in the spoilers put out by Facebook and other Internet sources. This has been a growing issue for the past few Olympics, but it's been even more of an issue this year. Personally, I prefer the dramatic tension.

Still, it's been another impressive Olympic year. I'm looking forward to watching.

Sunshine

8/9/2016

Yesterday, the sun came out after days of hiding behind the clouds. It was almost too much, blinding in its brilliance. The weather today was also a marked improvement over the past week of wet weather. For the first time in a while, I actually walked the puppies on leashes rather than hooking them up to the tethers in the yard.

I've been glad for the rain. The nearby pond is still completely gone and its companion lake is closer to pond size. Considering that and the high level of fire danger we sat in for most of July, it's nice to have moisture back. Still, I was happy to see the sun.

The forecast is calling for more rain in our near future, but I'm encouraged by the sunshine suggested for next week. I'm hoping that Katrina and Peter will get a chance to see some of the more impressive sights rather than just being told "well, imagine that the clouds weren't here ...".

Overwatch

8/8/2016

My newest video game addiction is a futuristic off-the-wall multi-player first person shooter. I was hesitant to purchase the game as it isn't part of my normal wheelhouse (single player RPG and action), but Alex insisted that it was a great game so I gave it a chance. Now I can't stop thinking about it.

The game really has no part of the story that surrounds it. There's no real narrative to tie things together. It's just a series of six-on-six matches with simple objectives like "control the point" or "escort or attack the objective." Each quick play session only lasts about twenty minutes, and even when I lose I still have fun (although being in a group that doesn't work together is frustrating).

There are a wide variety of characters to play, each with her or his unique play style. Part of the fun is picking a character that complements the other characters on your team and working together to achieve the goals. While there is some space for people who like to just go on their own to eliminate the other side's characters, the game rewards group efforts more than lone wolf tactics.

I would not have chosen this game on my own. I'm glad that Alex gave it such a glowing recommendation. Sometimes it's good to play games outside of my normal comfort zone.

The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

8/7/2016

Our mass today was something special as it was held outdoors at Soldotna Creek Park. Although the rain down a few times, and the temperature was a bit chilly, the overall experience was positive. There was good fellowship, good music, and good food.

Today's homily also struck a chord with me. In essence, our pastor said that the purpose of a boat is not to be tied at a harbor, but to go out in the water. In the same way, the purpose of Christians is not to simply know about Christ, but to take His message into the world. Our Sunday services should be our harbors, places to replenish our stores of faith, but they should not be our only destinations. If all we do is read about God, pray to God, and worship God, but not share God with the world, then we are denying our own purpose in being.

For vain reasons, I went into today's mass with a bit of a chip on my shoulder. As much as I tried to put it in God's hands, I came to the park with a bit of resentment. Thankfully, God lightened my heart and soul through the experience. I experienced moments of grace, learned new music, had fun with friends (and learned about line-waiting cheesecake), and watched my boys get dragged through the mud in a tug-of-war (Rowen wouldn't let go of the rope for a while) as well enjoy playing other games. It was a good day.

Rock Eaters

8/6/2016

Our puppies eat rocks, and we are trying to break them of that habit. I had mentioned the rock eating to our vet earlier and he was concerned about it, saying that we need to do everything we can to discourage them from such poor food choices. There is a chance that River broke herself of it yesterday as she spent the evening, some of last night, and a bit this morning throwing up everything she's eaten lately, including a small handful of our driveway gravel.

Thankfully, River seems to be doing fine today and I didn't see her picking up any rocks during the times that I let her out. Starbuck, however, had a rock in her mouth the last time I let her in.

Kids these days pick up the strangest habits.

Puppy Doorbell

8/5/2016

We hung a bear bell at puppy height next to the door out of our kitchen and have rung it every time we take the puppies out. They are quick learners. While we've still had a couple of puppy accidents, they have become quite good at ringing the bell to let us know they need to go out.

They have also learned to ring the bell for when they just want to go out. Tonight's renters brought their huskies with them, and one of them got away enough to say hello to our pups. Since then, the puppies have been ringing the bell frequently just so they can go out and stare at our cabin.

The most astonishing incident with the bell happened the other morning. Janelle had let them out and back in when she woke up at 4am to get ready to go to work. She was a little irritated when Starbuck rang the bell only a few minutes after she let them in. When she opened the door, Starbuck walked away and went back to her crate indicating that she didn't want to go out. However, Ranger (one of our cats) came in from the arctic entryway. Janelle had inadvertently shut the cat in the entryway, and Starbuck used the bell to let Janelle know of the cat's plight.

Like I said, they're quick learners.

Blistered

8/4/2016

The exercise we chose for today's workout was a 30 minute row (on the rowing machine) with 10 toes to bar (where you hang from the bar and swing your legs up until your toes touch the bar) every 5 minutes. I managed to row 5000 meters in that amount of time, but by the fourth 5 minute row I noticed that, not only did I have blisters, but two of them had rubbed off.

This has been the summer for blisters. In Utah, I had them on my feet due to the amount of hiking that I did (sans hiking boots). Now I have them on the undersides of my fingers (as I was sans workout gloves ... I should get some of those).

I remember getting blisters often as a kid. However, as an adult, I haven't had them as often. I wonder if this shows how soft my life has become. After all, there aren't a lot of teaching blisters (although I have been told by a doctor that I have "teacher's shoulder"). Today's experience made me reflect that there are many people who have to put up with blisters and even worse in their day to day lives.

I'm glad I've been working out and even happy with today's workout, but I need to make certain that I don't injure myself, thus giving me the excuse to avoid exercise.

Cassette Tapes

8/3/2016

Last week, I was going through the two boxes of Transformers that I brought up from Michigan. Connor and Rowen (and even Trevor to some degree) were, of course, entranced by the process. We ended up putting together a couple dozen Transformers that had all been disassembled to nearly unidentifiable parts. The newer the Transformer, the more difficult the process of figuring out the missing pieces (or even how they transform). Still, it was an enjoyable experience.

There was one downside. The boys couldn’t identify what Soundwave and Blaster are supposed to be (a Walkman and boom box, respectively). They referred to the cassette tapes as “records” and were fascinated (at least, momentarily) by the idea that we used such things to listen to music. When I tried to explain the idea of magnetic tape, they were completely lost. They didn't understand that we couldn't instantly skip songs either. That said, they thought the tapes were "cool" and wished we still used them (although why was not clear).

It's amazing the things that make me feel old.