the liquid abyss...

T...M...I...

2010-04-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

In class today, a girl asked me if donating plasma was painful. Another girl asked her why she wanted to know and she replied that her boyfriend was donating it today and she was worried about him. I ended up walking away about this point to help a student across the room. A few moments later I hear this yelled across the room, probably much louder than she intended:

"I don't want him to get HIV! If he gets HIV I'll get HIV."

Sometimes I wish my hearing was a bit worse than it is.

2010-04-20T15:27:00.000-07:00

My anatomy classes have been learning about blood and the cardiovascular system this week. Today, we were learning about the shape, structure, and function of the heart. To illustrate, I passed around a pig's heart that we will be dissecting later in the week. As one girl passed the heart from her table to another, this is what I heard:

Girl throws heart onto table making a loud thump.

Boy: "It's just like a girl to throw the heart around like it's some chew toy."

It sounds like he's figured out women already at the ripe young age of 18.

Can I Quote You On That?

2010-04-19T18:43:00.000-07:00

Wow. It's been over a year since my last post, and honestly, I had thought I had given up on this blog thing. It just became such a gregarious task to find the time to blog. So this time, I'm going to keep it as concise as possible. And to do this, I've decided the purpose of my blog shall be to share with you some of the funny things I see and hear from my role as a high school teacher, quotes mostly. So, here's the quote of the day....

"I was a premie; I was born 3 months late."

Every New Beginning Comes From Some Other Beginning's End...

2009-01-24T20:03:00.001-08:00

If you don't know, the title of this post is also the title of a song by Semisonic. I find it appropriate considering that a new semester begins for Hoggard High School on Tuesday since the fall semester ended yesterday. I also find appropriate a quote from Sanda Bullock in the movie Hope Floats: "Beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but it's the middle that counts the most." This quote was posted in the classroom that I had to proctor an exam in earlier this week and for some reason it's stuck in my head. And then yesterday it clicked for me when a student sent me a message saying that everyone was scared of me in the beginning of the semester but grew to love my class as their favorite. In fact, I honestly feel some of them feel the same sadness I do about the semester ending. Regardless, it is the middle that has mattered the most this semester and it is filled with memories that I believe will last me a lifetime (and hopefully it will last them with some as well). Here are some of my favorite moments from the fall 2008 semester...

the Tori's face jokes
Zach's procrastination problem
threatening Campbell's life on a daily basis (I really will miss it and I think she will too actually)
stabbing Dane in the woods as part of the Haunted Hayride skit put on at Poplar Grove
my star student Ally losing her star status (she didn't really lose it though)
finally agreeing to become a pirate with Ward, Logan, Nick, and Grant (don't ask)
yelling at Budi for his potty mouth
Tori almost melting Logan's skin off with concentrated NaOH (not really a funny memory but it was funny after the fact)
Ally's excitment when she saw her EOC grade and her final average
motivating Grant to aim high
drilling Alex on her multiplication tables
DEFUGGGLES!
Nick almost killing me
Ellen's giddy-ness
Sydney's random outburts (there, I admitted it)
Ward's excitement when I called home to tell him his test grade
Zach's random laughs
never being able to successfully look at Logan without laughing

To all my students from this past semester, I will miss you terribly. Please keep in touch and visit whenever you are able.

GER...I mean GRE

2009-01-17T14:30:00.000-08:00

I am not a verbal connoisseur by any means. In fact, I used to find the art of neologism to be convoluted and onerous. But over the years I have learned to laud (and even envy) those with a prodigious vocabulary. But just because I have learned to admire those who practice erudite eloquence when it comes to speaking, I am nothing more than a verbal neophyte myself. However, I am hopeful that this post will help.

On Monday, I will be taking the GRE as is required for my admission into graduate school. I do not consider myself inured so I figured the extemporaneous approach would not work to my pleasing. Therefore, I turned myself into a linguistic ascetic this weekend and decided it would be germane for this post to utilize as many of the GRE vocabulary terms I have been studying in the hopes that I will score well on the exam (obviously I do not want taking this exam to become a perennial event). Unfortunately, this means that the majority of this post is going to be esoteric. For that, I apologize. I do not mean to sound grandiloquent or pendantic by any means and I certainly do not aim to obfuscate or vex my readers. I don't even want this to be a soporific or an enigmatic post; I just feel this may be the best way for me to proliferate my vocabulary in a short time. (I actually find it a bit facetious to be honest with you.) And who knows? I may even stupefy some of you. Others of you, however, will probably have queries about its effectiveness, but I am eager to essay this approach to see if it will serve as a catalyst to my learning of new terms. (NOTE: It is a stretch for me to classify "catalyst" as a new term even if it is on the GRE list. I am a chemistry teacher after all.)

So, what should I write about? Hmm...well, here are a few random thoughts...

Earlier this week, my roommate's cell phone was absconded. This was an aberrant situation considering it happened at church (obviously the culprit must not be a pious person). The timing of this event was ironic as my phone experienced a infelicitous and pernicious event not too long ago (submerging a water proof phone is not as innocuous as one might think). Both of us ended up losing all of our previously stored contacts. Now this could have caused either of us to become very querulous in our speech, but I was amazed that neither of us seemed phased by this fortuitous event. (Furthermore, Kyle, I am not in the least bit rancorous either, in case you were worried.) A nifty Razor supplanted Tyler's old phone and I got the Blackberry Storm which I wrote about in a previous post.
This was the last week of class for our students this semester before they take their final exams next week. Therefore I bolstered their knowledge of the concepts we've learned this semester by spending a couple of days just reviewing (although I am afraid that I will spend more time studying this weekend for the GRE than they will for their chemistry exam as most of them are dilettantes and most likely do not pine over chemistry).
I granted one student impunity this week so she would not have to stay after school for detention on her birthday (even though her garrulous behavior was unacceptable). I'm not nearly as truculent as I want everyone to think I am. I'm sure she was just suffering from ennui and I have been known to show magnanimity everyone once in a while.

Well, this concludes today's post. If anyone out there found this post to be lucid and not arduous, you are a truly redoubtable person and deserve my approbation. Thank you for reading, and wish me luck on Monday!

A Storm's a Brewin'...

2009-01-04T14:18:00.000-08:00

I know there aren't too many of you out there who read this blog, but for those of you that do...

It turns out my G'z One phone that was supposed to be indestructible was only indestructible for about a year and a half. Today during lunch, it just died and wouldn't turn back on. It wasn't the battery and when I took it to the Verizon store they said the phone was just fried. So, I ended up getting the new Blackberry Storm, which to be honest, I'm not quiet sure I like. It doesn't seem to be as user friendly as I had hoped. I'm hoping with time I will grow to love it. But, the purpose of this posting is to request your phone numbers. Since my phone just upped and died without warning, they were unable to transfer my contacts. So, please call or text my phone with your name (first and last since I know so many people and all). Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Truly Amazing...

2008-12-24T09:10:00.000-08:00

Two years ago I had the best Christmas imaginable. I, along with 41 others went to Nagpur, India to serve at an orphanage run by the Pawar Family who operate Crosspoint of India. Although I have some of my worst memories from those 2 weeks of my life (around 20 of us did get VERY sick on the trip, after all), I also have some of the best memories of my life. Those memories greatly outweigh the bad ones and that is what I would like to share with you on this post.

We all met on December 17, 2006 in Shelby, NC. The trip was set up by Crossroads Worldwide which is run and operated by Clayton King. The 42 team members consisted mostly of high school students, a handful of college students, and about 10 of us "older" folks. There were only 7 males on the entire trip, and believe me, being in a country where the American woman is idolized can make it very uncomfortable when there aren't a lot of American guys around. The only people I knew prior to the trip were the 4 others from my church in Wrightsville Beach: Dwight, a pharmacist, his daughter, Meredith, Angie, a dental hygienist, and her daughter, Sydney. However, I made many friends while on the trip and the memories we share will last an eternity (literally).

We flew into New Dehli and spent the first couple days doing the tourist thing: visiting Gandhi's birthplace, seeing the Taj Mahal, etc. Then, we drove to Nagpur - literally the heart of India - where we spent the remainder of the trip. The first thing I remember about visiting the Nagpur Children's Home is how excited all the children were to see us. They had spent hours preparing the most gorgeous leis imaginable. They greeted each of us one by one as they presented the leis. I was immediately awe struck at the pure expression of joy on each of their faces as they did this. How could a group of twenty some orphans, ranging from age 7 to 17, seem so happy when they are living in an orphanage and have none of the luxuries we are blessed with in the US? I quickly learned the answer: they all had the peace that passes understanding. It was Ch-anity in its purest form. Truly amazing!

Christmas Eve was probably the highlight of the trip. Prior to going to India we packed as many toys and school supplies as we could fit into our luggage. We then spent a good portion of one day packing all the toys into book bags which was given to the children in a special ceremony on Christmas Eve. I have honestly never seen so many toys in one room in my life. And the children....I wish all of you could have seen their faces. It really put into perspective how selfish we Americans are. On Christmas we EXPECT to get gifts. We EXPECT to get MANY gifts. And often times we are not hesitant with our expressions if what we get is not what we wanted. But here were children without families who had never been given a single Christmas gift before. Their faces lit up. I've never seen anything like it. And the funny part is they didn't understand that we were GIVING them the toys. They thought they we were only loaning them the gifts and they had to give them back. Try communicating to a young child who doesn't speak English that what you gave him was a gift for him to keep. Truly amazing!

Once again I'd like to reiterate that this was the best experience of my life. The children were amazing, the Pawars were amazing, the team was amazing, and God was (and is) amazing. Once while on the trip we were heard the song "Holy is the Lord" by Chris Tomlin. I think of this experience every time I hear this song, especially the part that says, "the earth is filled with His glory." I was in one of most unchristian places in the entire world, yet I felt His presence more than ever before. Truly amazing!

If you would like to financially help this organization, there are 2 easy ways you can:

Purchase the book Caste Aside: Hope for Orphans from the Heart of India. This book was written by Robi, a incredible woman from our team with an incredible gift. (She is also one of the followers of this blog so please check her blog out to find out more about her.) All money raised from the selling of this book goes directly to the Pawar family and their cause.

Purchase a t-shirt shown below. These shirts are made by one of my former students, Aisha, as part of her graduation project to raise money for the Nagpur Children's Home. The front of the shirt has a picture of India and "The Mission" written across it. The back side has a truly inspirational (and challenging) quote. The shirts cost only $10 each and come with additional information about the organization.

Thanks for reading, and Merry Christmas!

When I Was Your Age...

2008-12-10T14:32:00.001-08:00

Last night we hosted this semester's graduation project night. This is a time for all the seniors who are enrolled in English class this semester to present the research (on an approved topic of their choosing) that they've been working on for the last several months. While most people were filled with thoughts of, This is so neat!" or "I'm amazed at what our students are doing", I was thinking, "Wow! The world has changed so much since I was in high school." This thought, of course, allowed my mind to wonder to how things were when I was in high school. So, I figured it might be a little fun to have a little virtual flashback. Most of you who met me after high school probably won't understand half of the incredible memories I have from that time in my life, but, for the rest of you...

"Inside Out" by Eve6 was probably my favorite song

Driving 15 mph down a street on a cold fall night with Amanda with the windows down, the heat on high , and a flashlight out the window screaming, "STOP!" every few minutes when we passed a tree that we had yet to collect a leaf from for our advanced biology 2 project

Henry VII parties at Kellie G.'s house

MUSCH!

Singing "If I Had to Run" to Jennifer N. every morning in first period in the most hick voice I could

Losing Coming Home King to a kid enrolled in night school

Religiously watching "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (I know I know)

Finding any excuse we could to have full meal parties in Mrs. Harwood's senior English class (do you guys remember her, "Did you guys bring food AGAIN?!?!" for our Thanksgiving meal?)

Singing "My Name Is" to Kelly L. while trekking down the interstate at 85 mph from a track meet so we wouldn't miss the bus to leave for our senior trip

Staying out past curfew on the senior cruise with the twin teachers when Mr. Dodson showed up a bit upset

Meeting Jenni on the cruise (whom I still keep in touch with 1o years later)

Being in love with a girl who I knew was out of my league (some things never change)

Dancing in an abandoned parking lot late at night with such girl to "Iris" playing on the radio since I wasn't going to make it to prom that year

The "R-O-N-N-I-E" cheer

MOLE DAY!

Amanda's Baby Spice phase

Thinking Brittany Spears was hotter than Jessica Simpson

Our "Light in August" movie for our junior English class (I hated that book)

Our amazing "4th of July" float for the homecoming parade (which served as inspiration for a later parade in DC...check Kellie's Facebook pictures for details)

The senior video played at the senior breakfast which made me think I would never see or talk to half of you guys again (and then came Facebook)

Graduation

Graduation party at Kellie G.'s

Summer singing "Bawitdaba" in a British accent

Last trek to Asheville before leaving for college with Kellie G., Megan, Michael, and Jason

My 3 experiences cruising Patton Ave (once with Abbie and Lori where they made me lay down in the back seat and pretend to be passed out drunk so they could pick up boys and once with Kellie and Jason with Kellie blaring (and singing) the soundtrack to Grease

MathLab

Serving as an office assistant with Chesney and Jennifer H. and getting yelled at by Mrs. Burnette because we kept laughing into the intercom every time we called down to her classroom

The band love polygon involving Tracy, Stacy, Julie, Silas, Amy, Curtis, Geoff, myself, and probably a others I can't remember

Rojo, Lou, Vern, and a few others mailing me a hermit crab (who's name is unpublishable) to me in Lee Vining, CA all the way from Myrtle Beach, SC (and he lived)

Being forced to go see Titanic...twice

My best friend, Eddie, moving to Wilmington

Being forced to read an elaborately descriptive passage about a woman's breasts in my senior English class (which was filmed because Kelly L. was the female high school Heisman winner and they were shadowing her)

This picture at the senior rock:

It's amazing the things I remember from 10+ years ago. I'm really looking forward to seeing all of you that make up the MHS Class of '99 again in May at our 10 year high school reunion.

Saying Goodbye

2008-12-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

For today's post, I would like to pay tribute to my good friend, Melissa, who is leaving next week to begin a new life in a tropical paradise (Hawaii to be exact).

I met Mel about 3 years ago when she started attending Unfiltered, a college and singles ministy that used to be operated by Wrightsville Beach Baptist Church. But it wasn't until she moved into the MEEP house that our friendship really began to blossom. (The MEEP house was the social hot spot for my group of friends and was so named because of the amazing girls who lived there: Melissa, Emily, Elizabeth, and Peggy). Ever since, Mel has been my companion of choice when it comes to lazy days at the beach (what else is one to do with summers off?), playing a round of disk golf through the wretched trees of Castle Hayne, or watching a scary movie that none of my other friends would dare to do.

Tonight, we honored Mel and celebrated the time we've had with her before she makes the dreaded flight across the Pacific to the lonely and unexciting island of Oahu where she will be cursed to listen to the discord that is known as Jack Johnson from her back porch (he lives there you know). We're going to miss you, Mel. But don't worry...you'll see me for spring break!

Blackle.com - Saving energy one search at a time

2008-12-01T19:27:00.000-08:00

Thanks to some motivation from my good friend Kellie, I finally decided to get on board with one of the fastest growing technological trends the 21st century has to offer: blogging. I’ve thought about blogging for some time, but didn’t really think I would have anything to really write about that would interest my readers (this, of course, is me being optimistic that I’ll have readers). That being said, please do not expect this to be updated daily, or even weekly for that matter. I will write only when I feel I have something that others will find interesting, useful, or both.

For my first post, I could write about the new and current issues facing our society right now, such as the new president elect, how poor our economy seems to be right now, or even the sudden (and greatly appreciated) decline in gas prices. Or I could discuss the significance of my blog’s title. But instead, I have decided to write about something that has become more and more important to me over the last year - energy conservation. For those of you who know me well, you know this is a new passion of mine. And why shouldn’t it be? Everywhere we turn we are reminded of the damage we have brought upon our planet. I’m very thankful that businesses and organizations have started to support and ecourage people to “go green”. I’ve even seen references on popular television stations such as NBC and The CW encouraging people to take small steps to conserve energy such as utilizing public transportation. I think it’s time we all start encouraging each other to do what we can, however little it may seem, to “go green”, or in the case of today’s blog, to go black.

Blackle.com was first introduced to me this week by a former student, Liz, who left a post on my facebook wall telling me to “google it; actually blackle it, it saves energy.” (”It” being a career she thought I would find interesting.) Blackle uses Google Custom Search so it’s just like using Google, only it’s got a black background instead of a white one. So how does this help conserve energy? Lighter backgrounds require more energy to operate on your computer than darker ones. Since google uses a white background and is probably the most used search engine on the web these days, we could save quite a bit of energy if everyone who uses google started using blackle instead. So, my challenge to you (especially those who have your homepage set to google like I did), is this: the next time you need to search something, go to www.blackle.com instead. A little saved energy per computer can add up quickly. You might even want to add it to your email signature to help get the word out. Thank you, and happy conserving!