Weekend Round Up #8

I'm diving right into it. The Godzilla trailer dropped this week and I don't care what anyone has to say, I can't wait to see it. One of the first films I snuck out to watch was Godzilla vs The Smog Monster so I have fond memories of this series. (Though the Matthew Broderick debacle was painful...)

Here is the trailer - I was sold when I heard that iconic Godzilla roar!

I have a strange fascination with photography of deserted places. There is something haunting about seeing decaying buildings and the like and it makes me curious as to what happened there when there was life...

Christopher Payne, a photographer and author has released a book with a series of shots from inside a  State Mental Asylum and some of the pictures are amazing. It's definitely on my order list from Amazon. 

Photos by Christopher Payne from the article at Brain Pickings 

You can order the book through Amazon click here.

I'm a huge fan of Spoken Word Poetry/Slam Poetry and the folks on the youtube channel Button Poetry have some amazing videos from some powerful speakers. This is one I watched recently and I found the power behind the words almost captivating. 

 Check out their channel. 

Okay - this is serious. I have to recommend this graphic novel series by the amazing Joe Hill with art by Gabriel Rodriguez. I'm just waiting on the final book to arrive from Amazon. Seriously, this is a series that has me hanging on every word, panel and page. It starts with murder most foul and has some of the most realistic dialogue between characters that I have seen in a while.  Plus, the Lovecraftian undertones make you check doors and cupboards at night. I'm not going to give too much away because you have to read it. You can check it out on Amazon as well. 

And, in sad news for Geeks, Harold Ramis died this week. 

This is a fitting tribute to a great actor and director and was drawn by Ash Vickers. Source MegaCynics

Hope this has brought a little enjoyment into your day. 

Peace and pancakes

Jaime

Big words...yeah, but nah...

"Miss, do you use big words because it makes you sound intelligent?"

This is an honest quote from one of my students, bless them. My reply was this:

"I use profound words that appeal to my innate love of the English language."

After the baffled looks I responded:

"I use big words because I am intelligent." *

And reading that makes me seem like some giant know-it-all with a superiority complex. I can assure you, dear readers, that I am neither. I quickly followed it up with something about how I love reading and I love words so why shouldn't I use big words or different words. Then I tried to explain that it is better to have a lot of words in your mind because you never know when they may come in handy. They seemed satisfied with that but it got me to thinking...why do people think using words that may not be overly common makes one appear more intelligent?

I was reminded of a poem I saw by Taylor Mali where he said something about how he never uses the words 'um', 'uh', and there were a couple of others that I can't quite recall but his reasoning behind it was very interesting and I feel as if I have begun incorporating it into my normal conversations. I have found it difficult because you suddenly become aware of how often you actually use those words but it is also interesting to notice how many people actually do use those little words. Here's the link to it because it really is brilliant. Click here

Plus, I am an English teacher now so I should be allowed to use momentous words around my dear wee students. If I don't encourage them to foster a love of words who will? I swear, trying to get them to read is a job in itself.

Insert tangent here: I saw Cowboys vs Aliens last night. It was bloody weird and, as my father so aptly put it, it was as if the director was making a pizza and just couldn't stop adding toppings. It was a fun movie, don't get me wrong, but it seems as if it would have been more enjoyable had I been in a crowd of like minded people. I had to bite my tongue far to often to stop myself from shouting out "There can be only one" or "Dr Jones?" or even "Shaken, not stirred." Though I do believe I heard someone humming the Indiana Jones theme behind me.



*I actually think my proper response was, I use big words because I know how to use them but I can't be sure.

Mid Week Ramblings...

Kids have germs. These germs are passed to teachers who then pass them to me. This is a cycle of pure evilness coloured with a tinge of irony...

So, I'm halfway through my second week of teaching and I still have grip on the remnants of my sanity. Well, at least I haven't started pulling my hair out. It's an interesting job with a variety of challenges that I really did not expect. I'm constantly tired which, I'm told, is normal. I often find myself feeling sorry for some of my students - not in a pitying way just generally sorry for the environment that they have grown up in. And, I have been finding my students can be freaking hilarious when they are not trying my patience.

A perfect example was in one of my younger classes (I teach at high school level) where one student had moved from his desk and was making random animal noises. Even though it was annoying and I had to keep telling him to settle it was also hilarious. I would never have thought of something like that.

Unfortunately, I feel that the current education system does not do them any favours. This may sound harsh but I feel that the current system does not promote creativity, multiple intelligence or intelligence in general. But I won't go into any further detail regarding that.

Anyway, I shall leave you with a poem from one of my favourite poets. No, it's not Coleridge or Keats, though they are both great...instead it is Taylor Mali - a teacher from America who does a lot of performance poetry/slam poetry.

I hope you find inspiration from this like I have.

One Week Down...

 I survived my first week as a high school teacher. I didn't cry or scream. I didn't bang my head against a wall (although there were a couple of moments where I thought I was going too.) I managed not to blush or look embarrassed while watching awkward scenes in American History X* so it may be that my maturity level is a little higher than I thought.

So, in an attempt to disprove that last thought I give you Dean (Jensen Ackles) lip synching 'Eye of the Tiger' by Survivor, because who doesn't need a little eye candy while winding down from a long week at work.

Anyway, it's Friday over here and, even though there are freaking lambs crying out near the shed, I have a load of work to do and I have no alcohol nearby I am relatively content. If I am quite honest I haven't felt content in a long time but this is due to many reasons, most of which I won't get into because you don't read my blog to hear me moan about my health and lack of a life...well maybe the second one because who doesn't like making fun of the person with no social life on a Friday night.**

And now I'm thinking of things that would make this post so awesome that your eyes pop out of their sockets in amazement at my rapier sharp wit and my ability to recite Coleridge's Christabel or Keat's Ode to a Grecian Urn. Or maybe you're more into slam poetry in which case I'd have you watch this:

I showed this to my junior classes and their looks ranged from mild interest to utter confusion. I am determined to introduce all my students to so many different forms of literature whether they like it or not and if one, just one, student comes up to me in a years time or ten years time and tells me that I changed their view on writing, reading and all things literature based...well...that's all I feel you can ask for in being a teacher.

And, on that note, I'm going to wander around my house and pretend to clean and maybe, just maybe, I'll be daring and have a nice cup of coffee late in the evening even though I know it will keep me up all night and I might even throw in a piece of caramel slice...(I know you're all jealous of my daring...)

*It's the film that our seniors are watching though they have the empathy of a turnip. 
**Unless playing Just Dance 2 on the Wii by yourself counts as a social life...it doesn't...balls. It's probably a good thing that I have no alcohol near by then, isn't it.