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Just for fun and from sheer tiredness, I decided to check drudgereport.com. There was not one positive story on the website. Tiger Woods was the biggest story with a huge picture and captions implicating Tiger in a cover-up. Who cares? Aren't there more important stories? I am appalled by the amount of negative media, but if the only positive part of your website are the ads that could be a bad sign. There has to be some good news for the conservatives that they can report on. Perhaps the only good news they have is the bad news for the liberals. By the way, the Drudge is ranked 115th in the United States in terms of views.

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This week of greatness winds down and now begins a week of trial. I have tons of work that needs to be done before the school year ends and that work starts tonight. My first "all-nighter" of Graduate school may be occurring as we speak. Motivation to do the work is lacking, but so is time to do it. This semester has been a lot like tonight and maybe that is a bad sign. However, my time spent in the classroom and my preparation work for actual teaching comes easily and with enthusiasm. I question my choice of career sometimes and then I remind myself that taking Education Grad classes is nothing like teaching High School Chemistry.

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Since I have not blogged in a while, I will do a little catch up on a huge topic. Our cross country team here at The College of William and Mary came in 5th in the country this past Monday. That is the best since 1974 and probably our best team ever considering that competition is higher now. A big shout out to our three All-Americans: Jon Grey (17th), Patterson Wilhelm (34th), and Colin Leak (40th). Also, Dirty Lewis Woodard may have had the biggest race of the day finishing 53rd after racing only one other time this year. I should not leave out Zach Gates who came through as our number 5 on his first trip to Terre Haute. Great Job Tribe!!

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I know I have been lazy and I have not posted on this blog in quite some time. I doubt anybody follows that closely to even notice, but in case you did...sorry.

I've had several thought-provoking conversations over the last few days and most of them have ended in positive conclusions. These experiences have made me think about what I am truly thankful for. My family does the whole "I'm thankful for (insert something to do with family and friends)" thing every year. My thoughts are these: a) I am grateful for the chances people have given me over the past year to make new beginnings and b) I am thankful for good humor in the light of adversity. Starting something new can be difficult and I do worry too much about what other people think. People have been kind to me every corner I turn and they are nice even when I do not expect it (that's to you Gibby). This past year has also made me realize that life is too short to worry. Currently, I am worried about getting work done; however, I want to take the time I'm given to laugh with people I really care about. My closest friends and family have been through a lot and continue to be enthusiastic about life with a smile and a joke. If I ever get down on myself or on others just slap me a remind me of this post.

Thank you to everyone in my life for being such wonderfully people.

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My new running life is starting with a drastic change to my outlook of the basics. I decided that I need to change something big in my running to stop my streak of injuries. My father recommended I run less on soft surfaces because that could be putting too much stress on my lower legs. That got me thinking about my lower leg strength and endurance. Maybe my problem is not putting stress on my lower legs, but instead my inherent weakness. I've heard about the benefits of barefoot running and I decided it makes a lot of sense for my situation. I have started transitioning to running barefoot by doing some barefoot walking and some running. To aid my transition and to protect my I bought a pair of Vibram FiveFingers Sprint. These "shoes" are merely rubber gloves for your feet. No support, just protection. My hope is to build up my lower leg strength gradually and to make running more fun and to experience fewer injuries. If you see someone on the street running barefoot please do not laugh; smile and wave because they probably are not crazy.

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The immenseness of space blows my mind occasionally. Well mainly only when people mention it, the sun, the solar system, the Hubble telescope, space travel, or evolution (don't ask me). Just for some fun numbers on Wikipedia about the universe- it is 13.73 billion years old and 93 billion light years in diameter (observable universe that is). Try to wrap your brain around that. Another thing that gets me is the Voyager mission. We launched two space probes separately into space in 1977 hoping to get more information about the solar system and the planets within it. Today, in 2009, these two probes are just leaving the solar system and are estimated to only work for another 10 years (sunlight gets too weak to power their communication systems). They have another purpose though. Voyager 1 contains a record of "Earth images and sounds" to let any future humans or aliens know about our world in 1977. I hope the Voyager finders have a record player and enjoy Hotel California.

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Two things from this weekend's conference:

#1: Steve Spangler has the best slime ever. If you are sick of your toxic, expensive, hard to make, harder to clean Flinn slime, then just buy Steve Spangler's slime. It will save you time, money, and heartache. Just buy it.

#2: The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center just outside of the Dulles Airport is one of the best museums in the USA. Greg, Nathan, and I took the extra trip to this hanger full of amazing planes, guns, helicopters, and rockets. It was definitely worth it. I think Greg and Nathan enjoyed a bit more than me because they are future Physics teachers. However, I found the experience once in a lifetime and I now have a few solid arguments for taking a class trip to a place like this. Thank you VAST for setting up the trip to see this exhibit.

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Today I leave for the VAST PDI in Herdon, VA. Right, VAST PDI= Virginia Association of Science Teachers Professional Development Institute. I'm not yet a teacher, but I view this experience as a great opportunity to gain some insight into what other teachers are doing and what I might use next year. My eyes are set on a few cool looking topics and I hope they live up to my expectations. However, my excitement is really only for the dance/auction on Friday evening. Think back to your own elementary, middle, and high school science teachers. Now imagine them all in a hotel ballroom for an organized dance. The DJ is of course a science teacher attending the conference. I'm packing my boogie shoes right now!

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Thank you Dr. Hideman. Your class has got me thinking about thinking almost all the time. It may even hamper my ability to focus in other classes or in daily life. I'm not sure if this is metacogntion, but it is the closest I have made it.

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Sorry for not posting yesterday. It was a busy day and there was a long drive involved.

Last week in one of my classes we looked at some famous paintings. This got me thinking about the arts and my participation in them. I enjoyed going to the art galleries in Europe and even the ones in the States I have been to. Should I be spending more time trying to be culturally aware of art and its place in...lets say Williamsburg? And on top of that, should I be supporting local/national/international art in order to keep something I love around? Buying music and supporting musicians is easy, but buying paintings or other art forms can be expensive and tedious. I also wonder if I were alive during the time of the Impressionists, would I even appreciate their art like I do now? Theater, film, writing, music, and performance arts are great and I support them occasionally. Painting, photography, sculpture, and modern art are also great and I never support them.