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I know I have not blogged in a long time and when I have blogged it has been incoherent at best. I guess I'm in that groove right now. Hopefully this post will be the start of consistency again.

I have been thinking recently about my age and how people my age act in the real world. As people come in and out of my house it is readily apparent that I am no longer a college student. I used to really enjoy hearing and telling about crazy things that my classmates do this time of year. Now it is the exact opposite. I am afraid someone is going to get really hurt or in real trouble for acting stupid. My most enjoyable moments over the past few weeks have been times I spent with my fellow graduate students. Going to visit Heritage High school was a blast last week and even going to the Leafe last night for a couple hours was well worth it. I didn't partake in the fun my elementary counterparts were having, but I did enjoy talking and laughing with them. (I still have a few more days of hard work ahead of me to finish the semester- Ugh.) It surprises me how young the undergrads look, even the seniors. Could I have switched my entire social group to that "young adult" age bracket? Is it because I am so close to teaching 16 to 18 year-olds? Either way, the people I have made relationships with this semester are the type of people I see myself associating with for a long time to come.

I posted a while back about this same topic. Looking back at that post makes me think that I was ready for a mentality change. That changed did not come until just recently.

A song lyric to close the post:

Pull out the fear of silence

Pull out the need for guidance

Put out your own devices

And don't be afraid of the cold

Afraid of the cold

Afraid of the time

You've got no where to go but here

Growing Old is Getting Old

Silversun Pickups

Swoon

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There are times in your life when you have to make the decision to get angry or just relax. I have had to make that choice over and over again this weekend. It started small with the blue showing up at my home and slowly progressed to destruction of property and early morning bed times. I will not get into too many of the stories, but these few made me laugh after taking a breath.

First, there was almost a brawl at my home on Saturday. There was an argument between two unnamed teams resulting in emotions in physical form. That passed. Out of nowhere, two gentlemen had another unrelated argument. This resulted in a headbutt and tons of blood in my bathroom. How great is that? A headbutt! Who headbutts?

Second, someone stole my W&M flag and it may have been a dude known as "the known thief". Not a good nickname to have. The flag is basically a way of supporting our school in the town. That is exactly what happened. The flag apparently got paraded around town and even waved around in Wawa. I'm glad "the known thief" had such a good time. Also, I hope to thank them for their Tribe enthusiasm and get my flag back.

Third, on another early morning I pull into my driveway after dropping a load of overindulged friends off only to find a group of eight pile into my tiny Honda Civic. As they snuggle up they tell me that there are "like 9 Columbians storming your house." Upon my return to the house I find 6 very friendly Columbian college students who are very articulate and just grateful to have a place to hang out. It turns out that they are here as part of the worst program that has them working at fast food joints to practice their English. I hope they return, but maybe this time they will come at a reasonable hour when we can show them better Tribe hospitality.

Although my life has been interrupted by several inconveniences and I don't see it stopping until break, I have to just laugh at the humor in everything that seems to happen. One day when my children are in college they will appreciate my stories and may even get to know some great people that shared these experiences with me.

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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.

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I drank coffee today for the first time in a week. It was more of a struggle than I thought it would be to keep the magical bean out of my diet. The rewards were definitely worth it. Amber and Sam took me to a vegetarian breakfast place today where they served me a mug of high quality coffee. Tyson, Mahoney, Skeet, and Max- you would have loved this little dinner. They had Indie rock playing at 11 AM and even have live music in the evenings. Even though there was no meat, they made up for it by adding plenty of butter. Next time you are in Blacksburg stop by Gillies on College Ave.

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Amber and I are about to watch the Friday the 13th remake. It was released this spring on one of the two Fridays that fell on the 13th. It has got me thinking about this newish trend in remaking old classic and even bad horror films. Let me a list of a few films I have watched recently that were either remakes or have recent (2000s) remakes: Amityville Horror, The Exorcist, The Wicker Man, Halloween, The Fog, Psycho, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The new films always seem to ruin the original by adding more blood and killing. Do they not realize that the suspense is what makes great horror films great. I would enjoy remakes if it meant just updating the quality and plot while keeping the suspense intact. Oh well, I guess progress means progress.

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Tomorrow, I substitute teach for the first time in my life. All I am doing is administering a Unit Test, but I still get to have a classroom to my self. That brings about a huge question of cheating. Which makes me remember how kids were cheating in my day. The internet was new, brand new, and it opened up cheating avenues no one thought possible. Now it is cell phones, smart phones, and Bluetooth. I still think the best way to cheat is the old fashioned way. Who will look for it these days? And pay attention to the reward. Writing a list of answers on your arm may be a death sentence, but it also gives you all the correct answers. Wait, teachers like me are out there on the watch for both old and new cheating methodology. Perhaps I never really cheated (sorry about my movie watching instead of reading); however, some of my best friends in high school were the best cheaters you have ever worked with. That's where my experience lies: knowing the mind of a cheater like my best friend.

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The weather in Williamsburg, and Tidewater for that case, is really bizarre. One day it is freezing cold and almost snowing, the next it is hot enough to wear shorts. The only things you can predict are hot muggy days in the summer and cold rainy days in the winter. Both of which I do not look forward to. I must not remember it correctly, but I liked Nebraska weather. It was hot sure, but bearable. And, at least it snowed for my fort building. One thing I enjoy about the weather here is days in the 70s and 80s in December or January. You can always count on a week of theme every year. Global Warming anyone?

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I am actually excited about tomorrow. My plan is to go out for a nice bike ride unless it is still raining like it is now. My alternate is to go for a nice long walk, but that just seems a little silly. I am also going to do a little cooking, some horror movie watching, and some school work. Oh yeah, I get to go into school where there are three classes of students I get to interact with. That is where my real learning happens. My challenge for tomorrow will be to actually be productive around all of the fun.

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When you get sick it feels cold and then hot without warning. I imagine this is what being an old woman feels like, except just really hot sometimes. Advil seems to help for me and my cold. Maybe that helps hot flashes as well. Oh well, I guess I don't have to worry about low estrogen levels.

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I have a new goal for this week: watch one horror movie a day. I know this may sound like a waste of time, but I already waste enough time during the week. Actually, I'm thinking if I watch a movie a day it will keep me motivated to do work until I watch my film. I am open for suggestions, but Saw VI is definitely on the list. The only down side I could see is if I get too scared by one movie and it keeps me from sleeping and taking even more time away from my week.

Tomorrow is also going to be beef stew night. I have been putting that off far too long.

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Sewell and I watched Stop Making Sense yesterday. It is a film of a Talking Heads performance. First of all, the premise of the show was outstanding. David Byrne came out first by himself and a new band member came out with every new song. Secondly, the dancing and "costumes" were outrageous. There were times when Sewell and I were in fits of laughter as the performers gyrated about the stage. Thirdly, the music was amazing. There were a ton of talented musicians in that band. David Byrne has one of the coolest voices ever and the band to showcase it.

Same As It Ever Was

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It is 6:02 on October the 23rd. Guess What. Mole Day! I know it is extremely dorky and not worth the blog post, but it is something I will probably get excited for every year. Today was Tie Dye Mole Day at Lafayette High. It was fantastic. Now I need to bake a pie to honor the day with my best effort.

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I know I do not really write anything personal in this blog. It is personal, but not emotionally so.

Here it goes. I decided to stop running for the Tribe this past week. Since then my life has gotten harder. I bring it upon myself, but I cannot seem to get away from myself. My time is my own now. First time ever. I have no time management skills. I want to do everything and nothing all at once. Even though nothing is an obligation anymore (okay- not true), I feel the need to fill my time with anything except my real work. Also, I keep volunteering for stuff to fill my time. I got to see Brandon today. That was great. Doing my work for class rushed was not great. Tomorrow is a day to get my new life in order and make priorities.

A note on coincidence. Not really coincidence I feel. Thank you Morgan, Sewell, Colin, Charlie, and Gibby.

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Charlie and I are planning a little presentation for tomorrow. It will be the most entertaining presentation by far, but I can not promise on how well the information will be understood. Be prepared for a lot of fun and some arguing as always. I think I get the last word this time. Maybe Charlie feels bad for me though. I don't think he does. He just has a good idea for what works.

Ocean Lakes sweeps Districts once again. Go Dolphins!

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I forgot to comment on this the other day, but I want to bring it to your attention now. IMDb turned 19 the other day. I know what you're thinking. Was the internet even available in 1990? Indeed the website was not available, but there was a movie database started with another name on October 17th, 1990. Four years from that date the internet started to make huge steps and the database became the Internet Movie Database. Now we can all search at our whim to make connections between movies and film makers. I wonder if there is anybody who spends actual time to learn all the nodes and connections within the database. People can memorize thousands of the digits in π.

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Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone

Just playing a little Sporcle and I was reminded of this song. It seems fitting for today because of the current state of sunshine within a dismal spell. Take time to appreciate the sun today and prepare for fall and winter. I know I have been reminiscing about summer, but it is time to move on to fall. I can only hope for crisp air and turning leaves. Maybe a bit of snow come December or at least not too much rain.

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It is cold outside. I feel cold inside right now. That's all.

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The cold weather and soccer on the television has made me think of summer. More specifically European summer. Even closer French summer. To be exact summer in Marseilles. I do not think I have been anywhere more beautiful to experience such great weather. Just look at it. And you would not believe the view from the Notre-Dame de la Gare. I need to go back to Europe at some point when I either have money or get sick of our next Republican President.

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Not Evil, Just Wrong

A new fascinating documentary about the wrongs of Al Gore and the Global Warming hysteria.

I want to scream!!!! There are so many things in this world that are messed up and wrong, but the hysteria behind Global Warming is not one of them. This new documentary is being shown at my college as a response to Al Gore's documentary and his actions to try and stop the environmental impact of humans. I agree that Al Gore is a politician and for whatever reason wants the publicity. Also, he may be too zealous in his attempts to make Climate Change a top priority. There are other problems in America and the world that are bigger problems: poverty, starving orphans, AIDS, rape, murder, drugs, etc. However, we must take our environmental responsibility seriously. As human beings we must treat the world given to us with respect and with conscious reflection. If we keep taking and taking, when WHEN will we take too much. When will Planet Earth snap like Ralphie on Scott Farkus. It might not be Climate Control that lashes out maybe it will be the dead oceans or infertile soil or acid rain. Maybe we will spend so much time fighting each other that nothing will be done to stop our greedy, polluting ways in time.

The title of this film seems to be appealing to intellectuals, but the trailer has things like crying babies, burning fields, and Al Gore with horns. That is to appeal to your intellectual side...right?

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It is a rainy day, so I think I am going to spend my pennies.

Time to take a break from life today. I hope everyone else agrees with me and takes it easy. It is a perfect day to brew some coffee and eat some cinnamon rolls (thank you Mahoney). Even walk around in your underwear after getting soaked seems to be in order. Since the weather will not lighten up, we will. Let the thunder roll. I'm ready for it.

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All my bags are packed

I'm ready to go

I'm standing here outside your door

This is the opening to a song I thought I knew. I was way wrong. The first time I heard this song was on a TV show before I remember caring about songs. The first time I cared about the song was on Armageddon. The last version of the song I heard was last night by Frank Sinatra. This lead to a Wikipedia search which brought about a mystery of results. You know when you think you have the answer (Sinatra had to be the first right) and then you discover something too surprising to believe. It turns out John Denver wrote the song and it was recorded first by the Chad Mitchell Trio. It is most famously sung by Peter, Paul and Mary, John Denver, Frank Sinatra, and Chantal Kreviazuk in that order. I will never listen to Leaving on a Jet Plane in the same light again.

BTW: It turns out cake mix is more versatile than I thought.

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Michelle Mack is a remarkable woman. Not so long ago, people believed that the brain was static and wired like a circuit board. That day is gone. A pre-birth stroke killed most of Michelle's left side of her brain. She is still able to live a full life and can even perform functions unique to peoples' left brain. Essentially, her right brain "rewired" itself in order to make up for important left brain functions. The most fascinating aspect of Michelle's story is that her loss and gain was not found until ten years ago when she was 27. Was it skeptics that kept her in the black or was it an unadulterated inability to diagnosis her uniqueness? Even without any knowledge, Michele and her parents knew something was wrong with other diagnoses. Michelle and her family in Falls Church, VA have been living life to the fullest knowing about their miracle. Now we can hopefully expand our faith to include this remarkable story.

This one I will call attention to the link (watch the video too): CNN Story

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I am finally finished with redoing my old Trek 1000 road bike. I still want a white seat and some white pedals, but this will do for now. I already have a fixed gear bike and a super nice road bike (thanks Mom and Dad). This is somewhere in between. I envision myself riding to work, to the store, or even to another state. There is room for cargo and it still rides very smoothly.

Celebrate Columbus day by remembering his accomplishment in the face of adversity, but also remember the real "first discoverers" who pioneered so much themselves.

P. S. I agree with Massam: NASCAR is a sport. Also, those engineers really know how to get the most from those vehicles.

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I have written about some things that matter a lot to me in some way or another, but I just noticed I really have not written about Chemistry. Chemistry is not some subject you learn in high school or college, it is a set of principles and theories that keep your daily lives worth while. I sometimes think about when people say things like, "Without English you could not communicate." or "Without Physics the Earth would not exist." Those are horrible reasons to learn a subject. People existed before language, before Issac Newton, and certainly before alchemy. These people lived abundantly, communicated prolifically, and learned necessarily. Then the question becomes, "Why learn Chemistry?" My answer is and forever will be, "Chemistry defines the nature of the world you live in. It is as the most fundamental aspect of your life." Do not learn chemistry in a vacuum. Learn it with Physics and Biology. Learn it with Philosophy and Government. Learn it with History and English. Learn it with Math and Economics. The principles you discover in Chemistry may not answer all of your questions, but they will give you insight into your dilemma to find the answer. Learn Chemistry to have control (mentally and physically) over your life.

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It was another win for the juicers last night. A Fraud (#1: $33,000,000) jacked a 3 ball pitch to straight away center to tie the game and then big money Teixeira (#3: $20,625,000) finished it off. Can a small time team like the Twins (#1: $11,600,000) or the Royals (#1: $12,000,000) or the Rays (#1: $8,250,000) ever have a chance. Look at who is the playoffs; only the Rockies (#1: 16,600,000) and Twins are not big time spenders. Even when an "underdog" make it to the playoffs they have little to no chance to win the World Series. How can you compete with roiders and a billion plus dollar budget. The Royals have no hope, but I would love to see it once in my lifetime. I know ever fan says next year...I will not. Instead I will say, not the Yanks this year. Go Twins! Roll Rockies! Baseball is no longer America's pastime, it is America's embarrassment.

Note of importance: I do have utmost respect for Derek Jeter (#2: $21,000,000) and Mariano Rivera (#6: $15,000,000). They should opt out of their contracts and play for a respectable team next year. Maybe go to the Nationals (#1: $8,000,000) and give them a chance.

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It is my honor to enlighten my readers to a new, exciting entry into the blogging community. Jameson Bilsborrow and Benjamin Massam have decided to start a blog together. These two teammate of mine are highly opinionated and will showcase this in a argument/counterargument format. I look forward to the first entry in Bilz versus Ben.

Actually, I have some insider information on the topic and will formulate my own argument to post as soon as their blog is up and running (sometime in the next few days). Get ready for a coffee drinking, cake eating good time.

For now, I will defend the principle of blogging. I enjoy the nature of having my own blog for reflection and discussion. I want to encourage others to blog just as much as I hype my own blog. I want you to try your hand at it. Document your life and share it. Who knows, you could inspire someone, someday to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

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Apparently the high school Chemistry book I will be doing my student teaching from is at a 16th grade reading level. Our professor told us the formula we use does over estimate the reading level of Science textbooks, but it still goes to show how poorly our science texts are written. I'll knock the grade level off by a few and say that the textbook is meant for high school seniors or college freshman. Now imagine a class of mostly 11th graders trying to read a book meant for students thinking and reading on a college level. Of course the reading is going to be frustrating. In the two sections of 200 words that I picked out to use (one on the atom and the other on solubility) there were an average of 5-6 bold words. This means that students are expected to learn these words by sifting through the text. If I had to read a high school English book like this, not one of my reading would have been done. And I already did not read that much. I understand why some students would be so frustrated with high school Science, especially if they do not have the same passion I had growing up.

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First, Amber figured out what the numbers mean and even corrected me from yesterday. I am surprised Dad has not cracked the simple meaning of the title.

Second, I added a history to the blog because I have now been posting longer than I even thought I would. I don't want to clutter the blog, but some things are just necessary.

Peter Gabriel is blaring (quietly) from my computer right now. Perhaps that means it is time to write about my favorite (or almost favorite) movie. Say Anything is a beautiful movie about young love and the confusion that brings. John Cusack is playing himself in a role where talking to a recorder is the best excuse the director, Cameron Crowe, has for filming some of Mr. Cusack's best monologues. Whenever I am driving in the rain in a bad mood I simply think "The rain is a baptism" and try to cleanse my spirit before I get to my destination. Mr. Gabriel is a great choice for the most pivotal point in the movie. He too is a confused man and as my father pointed out paranoid (We Do What We're Told).

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I have been missing trivia a lot lately. It seems like Monday nights are just not that much fun without some kind of competition to stimulate my useless mind. Maybe it is because Monday Night Football takes up the time or maybe it is because there is a new girl doing the trivia. Either way trivia is definitely missing out on the presence of the LuckDragons. Hopefully we can get a team together soon and take down all-comers. Also, maybe we can actually use the tokens this time as promised. It is always a let down when you can't use something you win. That reminds me... glasses/mugs are a great prize for road races. They are very useful.

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I do not watch television except for sporting events, well not intentional television that is. If there is a show I want to watch, I just watch it on hulu. Normal television is just not convenient anymore. In order to watch a television series at my house it requires: 1) Making time to watch the show 2) Making sure no one else needs the television 3) Combating the noise levels in the house. Watching shows on hulu allows for television watching to be enjoying instead of frustrating. The commercials are short, the quality is good, and (as long as the internet connection is smooth) the shows are available anytime after they air. All of the shows I watch are on hulu: Heroes, The Daily Show, Monk, Psych, House, Arrested Development etc. The only problem is that some cable stations (AMC, HBO, Showtime) are not online. I even enjoy a few web shows like DormLife or MayneStreet that only air online. Sooner or later television will be obsolete and web shows will be where it is.

P.S. Thank you Max for starting back your blog.

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There are very few things that are better than sitting around and talking about nothing in particular. Last night I got to do a lot of that with my favorite people. First, Amber and I went to a s'more making party where we sat around a fire and talked mainly about being scared. I envy the cowboys for being able to congregate around a camp fire every night. Though I doubt they had discussions like my friends and I do. Then we got to talked with Tyson in the Mermalair while burning some incense. Lastly, we finished the night off with Pete's interesting take on life. If I didn't ever have work to do, I would spend my time talking with people about anything. Wait, I already do that too much... maybe I should do some work tonight to make up for it.

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Drew and Max Embracing

Amber is here and she will be guest blogging:

Hello, I first want to say what a privilege it is to be part of Drew's blog. I have recently been thinking about starting my own blog because of the hype Drew has been giving it. I think Drew was influenced to start his blog through his friend Max, who is an avid blogger. To me, Drew and Max have a different kind of friendship. Let me explain...Drew and Max were both in Williamsburg this past summer and every time they hung out, it was allllll day long- to the point I think it is too much. I have never been jealous of Drew hanging out with any girls but for some reason, I get extremely jealous when Drew hangs out with Max. It is probably unhealthy for the only person I am slightly afraid could replace me is a guy, but hey, it's reality.

Sorry Drew, I'm sure you did not intend for me to guest blog about your possible relationship with another man.

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Yesterday we had to write about two very compelling subjects in Content Area Reading and Writing. The first was what we valued most. My sentence at the end was simple, but I have been thinking about it since class. It was: “If I were to have nothing else in this world, I will always have my faith and as long as they are alive my family.” We were only allowed to pick two things and I thought out of what is important to me these are the two things I want to be top. I know I may not do the best at making the priorities in my life feel like it, but at least I believe it deep down. The second subject we wrote on was our favorite place. Of course I chose Robertson’s Pond. The picture is of my childhood wonderland where Grandpa Ed and I would hunt frogs and catch catfish and learn how to be pondologists. Although the pond has long since dried up, I still run by while I’m in Maryville and cherish the memories. Without Mr. Robertson and his pond, I would never have enjoyed science or Chemistry or pie baking (okay maybe Grandma Mary had something to do with that, but she loved the pond too).

I hope my family, both actually and figuratively, continues to grow. I pray that everyone can find their own Robertson’s Pond.

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In case you did not notice: IT IS OCTOBER. That means Halloween is only a few weeks away and it is time for the horror movies to start airing on TV and in your local movie theater. I love watching a good scary movie with friends or even by myself. Make sure you go out and find your favorite movie to kick off the season. I will always recommend John Carpenter's Halloween. Its deliciously horrifying portrayal of Michael Myers will give you nightmares for weeks. Not really, but who doesn't like a classic that has inspired 10 sequels with more on the way.

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Growing Old is Getting Old

I was sitting in graduate Bible study last night sipping water from my coffee mug and doing some thinking. I thought about how aged our group seemed to be. We are comprised of graduate students and a few young professionals, but more than that we look older than college aged kids. Okay, so maybe I don't. It got me thinking about what Amber said and then what my Dad responded to it. Amber said she did not feel old at 22, she felt like her age. My Dad replied to this with, "Drew, you always feel your age and you never think that is old, but your peers do start to look older." I guess the same is true now.

P.S. Thank you Katie for your response to my last post. I am still a bit weary of rubrics, but I do see their purpose and place.

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In class last night we spent quite some time talking about rubrics. It made me think about my experiences with rubrics. I never liked rubrics because they made me include things in papers or assignments that I found needless. I thought doing a holistic approach would allow for students to have more freedom. Actually, it makes me look lazy and it gives students a chance to find loopholes. I guess we can't have trust in our students or work a little harder by letting students have some creativity. Give a rubric instead and make all the good Chemistry students hand in the exact same cookie cutter paper...year after year.

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Just on a whim I decided today would be a good day to search for a website to find a verse for the day. Something to knead on. Here is what I found: www.verseoftheday.com. It is interesting that the verse for today is a Psalm when Bils was just talking about a Psalm of his own. Todays message seems to be a hopeful thought for the rest of the week to stay on the path of righteousness. The chapter of the Bible that this verse references brings to my mind the image of a dog tired and weary asking for mercy and guidance. This week will be a good one for me to focus on running with guided footsteps.

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My roommate has been playing quite a bit of diverse music these days. I'm not sure if I like the tunes every time, but I do enjoy a little music in my life. The Mermalair has been blasting the beats every night as well. This influx of variety in my life has made me want/need to find new music. Right now Phoenix is on my mind. Smooth sound with a spicy lead singer.

A note about my living situation. Pence and I are not really roommates. We have two separate rooms with an opening between us. Before Johnny moved in it was wide open, but now there are some bookcases between us. They are not enough to keep us apart and definitely not enough to stop the music from flowing.

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Coffee is turning into my drink of choice in most situations. I am so addicted these days that I have some in the morning usually and then again before I run. Dark coffee is where it's at. Before I leave Williamsburg, I will have had a cup in every coffeehouse, restaurant, and dinning hall. Also, a goal of mine in life is to build a small wall in the forest somewhere just for fun. I guess this is a primitive thing, but it sounds fun.

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Time Is On My Side.

I was talking with Tyson a couple days ago about stressing. We have a race coming up and he expressed his stress for wanting to run well. I realized that I hadn't even thought about it yet. Thinking a bit about it know, I really don't care how this race goes. I've had bad races this time of year and done well by the end and I've had good races this time of year and done poorly by the end. My only worry is that Skeet's Mom brings the sweet corn pudding to the picnic.

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I have been searching for a reason to blog, or at least a reasonable blog theme. Unfortunately, I am neither interesting or creative. Usually in that order.

Here is my thought on the matter: Blog everyday before noon and make it short and sweet/sour/savory/insertfooddescriptor.

Western Missouri is a place for athletic disappointment, so I want to savor this moment from my parents' high school. Way to Go Maryville High School Spoofhounds and Congratulations Benton High School Star Matt Ziesel!