Blog Archives - The Land of the Weird

The Land of the Weird

Homecoming

9/16/2017

I was pretty impressed with Homecoming here at SoHi. With the exception of pajama day (which still had a good turn out), more than half of my students dressed for the various dress up days--a much better turnout than I am used to. Instead of one long assembly on Friday, we had short assemblies throughout the week. The students seemed pretty interested in them as well.

I was surprised that there were three class competitions: hallway decorating, float decorating, and bonfire pallet collection and building. My class is in the senior hall, and they put a lot of effort into their decorations. The pictures I've seen of the floats and bonfire shows some time and energy as well.

I haven't been to any of the games or other after school events thus far, but I break that trend in just a little while as I agreed to chaperone the second portion of the dance and to help with cleanup. I would be happier if my sinus headache was gone before going, but I think it will be fun anyway. I dropped off Trevor earlier, so I hope he's been enjoying himself. He had on a dress shirt and dress pants, but did text me to say he wish he had remembered to bring a tie. I, however, still plan on wearing a Hawaiian shirt.

Their Eyes Were Watching God

9/15/2017

Knowing that it was one of the books on our list to chose from for teaching our English 11 class, and having never read it before, I decided to read Zora Neale Hurston's classic American novel. I did not go into it with high expectations. Life of a black woman who is seeking love in the early 1900s? Yeah, that's not going to end well.

It didn't help that the opening was absolutely painful to read. The region dialect used for any of the dialogue required me to slow my reading down to a crawl as I had to sound out each individual word to make sense of what people were saying. Add in black, southern colloquialisms that are over a century old, and I'm still not certain what everyone said.

I was looking forward to finishing another American classic and, with the proper level of haughty ego that I possess, explain the reasons why I didn't like it.

... Except, despite all of misgivings and prejudices, I ended up liking the book by the time the hurricane hit (in the story. In actuality, Irma was already a mere low pressure front). I could not stop myself from liking Janie and Tea Cake no matter how ill-conceived their marriage was. Even knowing from the first few pages of the novel's frame story that Tea Cake was doomed to die, I found myself hoping against hope that he would make it through the challenges that they faced, only to be ultimately heartbroken by the tragic role that Janie had to play in his death.

I don't think that I can teach it. I had to get more than halfway through the book before I was able to truly get involved in what I was reading. For many of my students, I believe the dialect used will be too high of a wall to climb. Still, I'm at least glad that I took the opportunity to read it for myself.

Lost Track

9/14/2017

I seriously lost track of what day of the week it was today. I've been going through most of the day thinking that it was Wednesday. The good news is that I only have one more day of the work week. The bad news is that means I have a day less in my life that I had been planning on using.

I suppose there are worse things, but like the meme says, "time is a truly irreplaceable commodity." It worries me that we so willingly trade time for money ... bits of metal, paper, plastic, and electronic bytes of information. That said, I also need to better use the time that I have. Too much of it is spent simply waiting.

No wonder I was able to lose a day.

How's Work?

9/13/2017

The good news is that I have not drowned in work since taking the new job. Unfortunately, I feel like I am barely treading water. Every time that I think I have taken a few strokes towards shore, an unexpected wave puts me back in the same place. In terms of school, that means I'm only planned out about a week ahead of where I currently am, only a few days ahead of a few of the full materials I need for my lessons, and a bit behind on grading assignments that have been turned in.

The bright side is that this is still better than the first week of school where I was still working on some of the basic concepts for my classes. In that sense, I have made a great deal of progress. The analogy of building an airplane while it is flying seems fairly apt.

I like Soldotna High School. The staff has been friendly, the students are generally polite (I've had a couple of strange experiences too), and I'm quite happy with my room. Although I am still figuring out how things work, I can see myself fitting in really well. However, considering this past year's layoff, I'm a little superstitious about getting too comfortable.

Currently, I'm still recovering from this virus that has invaded my system. I have definitely noticed a drain on my overall energy and thought processes due to it. Hopefully once it has run its course, I will be fully up and running (or swimming) again.

Perks of Autumn

9/12/2017

Even though autumn is still technically more than a week away, I first noticed the trees starting to turn a few weeks ago, and now the bushes and shrubs are joining in. The yellow and golden birch leaves are being offset by a rim of orange and red groundcover. There are still many trees and other flora that are refusing to change from their summer greens, but we a clearly entering fall.

The sight is putting me in the mood for apple cider and pumpkin donuts (although I don't need much of an excuse to get into the mood for donuts). Pumpkin pie should be following shortly. Another thing I'll say for autumn is that it has some nice comfort foods.

While we are losing the nearly ever-present sunlight of the summer, we are once again gaining visions of the stars (assuming the weather cooperates). It has also already provided some spectacular sunrises and sunsets.

While autumn is not my favorite season, it certainly knows how to throw a party.

Chuckling

9/11/2017

I got enough sleep this weekend that I went into work feeling, if not healthy, better than the end of last week. I'm near what I refer to as the "euphoria" phase of this cold. I do not doubt that if I had less on my mind, I would be wrapped in blankets at this moment, pleasantly enjoying the experience. Alas, I had a few things to get done, and am still behind on my list [pointedly avoiding eye-contact with a stack of grading]. Thankfully, there were a couple other light-hearted moments to my day.

The first one will probably get lost in translation, but I will try anyway. Starbuck has been wanting to play fetch all day today, and I have been obliging her for hours while getting other things accomplished. I was sitting on my couch, having just tossed the ball downstairs when she trotted up and sat next to me, facing forward. I didn't see the ball, so I said, "Had enough, have you?" To which she turned so I could see the ball on the other side of her mouth. She then tilted her head and "smiled" with her tongue dropping out of her mouth as though she had just played a prank on me. I belly-laughed until I had a coughing fit.

Connor and Rowen each went to their school library today. Connor brought home Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which he has already read before, and had over half of it finished before we got home from the bus. Rowen brought home Harry Potter and the Cursed Child despite it being completely beyond his level (and already part of our home library). He, too, has claimed to have nearly finished his book this evening by "reading the words I know." I asked him what happened in the book, and he shrugged his shoulders saying that he didn't remember. We talked about the importance of understanding what you read, and then he surprised me by saying, "Well, I know he he just turned into him." Although Rowen didn't know who "he" or "him" were, it's worth noting that a significant event in the play involves the use of polyjuice potion, so Rowen wasn't exaggerating about reading the words he knows.

He did admit that we should probably read the book together once he's done by himself.

The Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

9/10/2017

Today's readings tell us what we should do if we know someone is doing something wrong: we should love them. Love is the ultimate fulfillment of God's will. Since we love them, we should speak with one doing wrong about our concerns, we should bring forth evidence to try to persuade them, and we should give them any help that we can. Should all of that fail, we should still love them anyway.

Jesus says that we should treat those who have ignored our attempts to help them as tax collectors and Gentiles. Some would say that means to wash our hands of them and turn away; however as today's homily pointed out, Jesus still dined with tax collectors and Gentiles and brought God's message to them. We should not stop loving people just because they disagree with us.

Our social networking sites and modern media lend themselves to the polarization of people and their beliefs. It is easy to only listen to those whose beliefs agree with our own while "unfriending" those who ideas we do not like. Sometimes, we need to do so for the sake of our sanity. Still, unless we make the effort to truly love and understand even those whose beliefs with which we disagree, we will not be able to heal the true wounds that bring this beliefs out of people.

Love is the way.

In My Prayers

9/9/2017

My prayers and thoughts go out to all of those affected by natural disasters that have struck or will strike our nation and world this past week. With family hardly able to breathe the air outside of their homes due to forest fires and friends who are dealing with one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit our shores, I keep coming back to my Facebook feed with anxiety. I trust in the Lord and His overall plan, but that does not mean that times will not be tough in the near future.

Even if I have not been posting much about this, those affected have been in my prayers. I've read about those who had to evacuate their homes, and those who are bracing for the danger that is coming their way. Do not get me wrong, I am grateful to not be facing what they are facing; however, a part of me wishes that I could be with them during these difficult times to give whatever comfort and aide that I could.

May we see the best possible outcomes for these situations.

Viral

9/8/2017

I am such a baby when I get a cold/flu type bug. Knowing this, I was really hoping that this virus was going to pass me by. Unfortunately, not only did it get me, but it sounds like it might be working on Janelle as well. Thankfully, we have a weekend to recuperate.

I'm really hoping that my voice is better by Sunday. Today, Rowen said, "Halloween is too far away." When I asked why he said that, he replied, "Your voice will be better by then. Right now, it's really scary."

Sick

9/8/2017

It caught me, dragged me into a metaphorical alley, and beat me until I became a sore, achy mess. Worse, it took away my voice, stole it like Ursula, without giving me any incidental benefits. Fluids and rest are now my best hope.

Am I still going to school tomorrow? Probably. Some sleep tonight and some cold medicine in the morning will hopefully propel me at least into newly-risen zombie status.

I should probably bring a bell to ring as a warning ...

Amused

9/6/2017

Despite the fact that throat feels sore and that I feel a bit overwhelmed with both what I am teaching and the class I am taking, it is hard to stay stressed when a playful puppy keeps dropping her ball at my feet. Thankfully, I was able to finish my course work and oblige Starbuck for a while this evening. Normally, just a couple of throws are good enough to wear her out for a little while before she heads off to just chew on the ball in peace. Today, however, she has been wanting nothing less than a dozen throws, and even then she will come back once she catches her breath.

Our last couple of toss challenges have had the added obstacle of River attacking her sister as Starbuck comes back with the ball. Since I've been throwing the ball from the top of the stairs, and River has been attacking as Starbuck comes up them, the ball has dropped back down the stairs a few times as Starbuck fends off her sister. I can tell that this is frustrating Starbuck a bit as she has been trying to block or catch my throws before the ball even gets to the stairs.

These dogs are certainly entertaining.

Power Outage

9/5/2017

We knew that there was a wind advisory for Anchorage, but I was surprised to see the wind kick up here. The trees near the road and in our yard were swaying to frightening degree for a little while. I guess that one of them went far enough to knock out our power.

We were without power for just shy of two hours. The boys and I did our best to still get as many tasks done as we could without electricity or water. The only person truly in a panic was Trevor, who had put off a couple of his school assignments that are due tomorrow. Thankfully for him, the power came back on soon enough for him to finish them ... we are not going to talk about the quality.

Even though this was a short-lived incident, it does reinstill in me the desire to get a generator for these sorts of situations. At least we haven't had as many power issues as we had at the last couple of places where we live. Still, it would be nice to be prepared for some future emergency.

Right now, I'm just happy to have our power back on.

Burgers

9/4/2017

Like many people around the U.S. on holidays such as today, I pulled out my grill and cooked some burgers for dinner. Considering the price of hamburger up here, we often wait for sales and then fill our freezer with premade patties. Our particular favorites are the ones that already infused with bacon and cheese.

I have gotten better at grilling lately. Rather than waiting until I see char, I have developed a better feel for when the burgers (or steaks, etc.) need to be removed from the heat. Before, it was more of a hit-and-miss situation when I grilled. Now, I've become a bit more consistent in getting the meat done to other people's liking (as I personally prefer more towards the well done end of the spectrum).

I almost didn't succeed today. I had stepped into the house for a moment to drop off the toasted buns. When I turned back to look at the grill, flames were shooting out of it. Although a few of the burgers were significantly seared, most of them escaped unscathed and tasty.

I made enough to have leftovers for the next few days as Janelle will be working a closing shift. It's a good thing I didn't turn them into charcoal.

The Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

9/3/2017

One of the fantastic things about the Bible is that it shows how humanity has dealt with many of the same struggles and problems for thousands of years. Today's first reading from Jeremiah, written over 2,600 years ago, shows a person who is mocked for his faith. Even some of his friends try to trick him out of his belief with seemingly logical arguments, poking at his ideals, and treating him as if he has lost his reason because of his faith.

That reading strongly resonated with me today. I often feel like I am on the defensive because of my faith, that even some of my friends are looking for a misstep on my part that vindicates their disagreement with the tenants of my faith. Sometimes, my frustration comes from others who claim to follow my faith, but who then misrepresent the actual teachings of Jesus.

Yet I am also comforted by this passage and the second reading that warns against conforming to the beliefs of the times. This means that my struggle is not a new one. People of faith, even those whose words have made it into the Bible, have had to deal with these same problems.

Just knowing that fact makes me feel less alone.