The American version of SKINS.... and my opinion.

Before I start my lovely rant, just you go ahead and watch the trailer for the American version:

MTV Shows

Starting rant........ now:

Dear MTV,

Thanks for trying to create the American version of Skins. As a big fan of the original series in the UK, I was excited to hear about this new series coming to USA televisions.

However, after watching your preview, I have a few comments for you.

First of all, I was really disappointed to hear that you replaced the gay male character, Maxxie, with a female lesbian character, because Americans just wouldnt be too comfortable with a gay male character on TV. I mean, its not like America's youth are DYING due to lack of happy and positive gay male role models in the media. Oh wait....

Second, I noticed that you decided to do a line-by-line remake of the original. Which would have been splendid if you had chosen actors who could..... act. I mean seriously, I think me and my friends could have made a better remake using the original lines. You have an entire studio at your disposal, and this is what you come up with?  Now that I have iMovie '11, just watch. I'll make a better trailer than the one you just made. Hell, Ill film the whole thing with my iPod.

Third. What kind of American remake are you making? Its not enough to replace accents and throw in cheerleading. The reason Skins was so amazing is because we were getting an exaggerated look at what British kids do for fun. An amazing American version would take an exaggerated look at what American kids do for fun, NOT what American kids look like when trying to reenact what British kids do for fun. Thats just dumb.

Fourth, and perhaps most importantly: By putting this on cable television, you are instantly cutting out half of what made Skins so damn amazing. Let me just show you an example of what Skins SHOULD look like:



And you think you can even bring a quarter of this energy to American televisions without the Parental Television Control groups breathing down your necks? Please.

Im not sure what you are trying to do by creating an American version of this show, but right now its just an utter embarrassment. And I hope to whatever that you dont think the whole series can go like this and get any kind of solid ratings.

Because seriously, if THIS is the shit you are trying to sell us, we might as well just buy the UK Skins DVD.

Cheers.

Weekend

This week has been kinda weird, since I havent really felt like writing. I guess not a whole lot is going on in my life these days... something which I need to fix.

But for the time being, heres the wrap up of my weekend in song/video.

A Tougher Road

Maybe its the dark hour creeping over me, which is pretty standard for my life, but in this moment, I feel like life is going to be tough these next few months, and I can feel the energy to rise up over it slipping away.

Maybe its because Im broke for 7 more days.
Maybe its because I just finished Nip/Tuck, thus ending a common occurrence in my life.
Maybe its because Ive been sick with what the doctor thinks might be whooping cough (although I dont think it was based on what I found)

Who knows. And maybe its because of lingering questions that havent let me live in peace over the past week or so.

You have to just get up and be more positive.

So Ill try.

Positives.....

Positives are that my first tutoring sessions went really well today. Kid 1 is brilliant and keeps me on my toes, while Kid 2 is kinda nerdy like me and likes video games, which OF COURSE im more than happy to talk about while he/she works.

Ooh. And I got a new signature for my email, which was exciting, but really no reason to use it..... so..... theres that.....

im really bummed that tomorrow is the OS X 10.7 Lion reveal, and ill be in a staff training during that time. Oh well, Ill catch up when i get home.

Just an FYI - If it was the iPod announcement, i would have called in sick. Im serious, and you know it.

I called my friend Pat to tell him about the Apple event, and super forgot tomorrow is his wedding! 10/20/10. He and his soon to be wife have been planning that date for over 3 years now. Hell, they even registered the web address too I think. They just love the date. Man oh man, how times are changing....

Today I realized that while teaching is cool, I still miss being an RA and still miss student affairs and all the joy it brought me. It was always exciting, always challenging me to do better and be better, and to be honest, I think it really fits me for where I am right now. After working on my Im an Ally Boulder project this weekend, and managing a team and writing a proposal and hasing out the details, I realized how in love I am with being behind the clipboard and running the show that helps people and helps the community. Sure, part of it is the power and attention, I cant deny that. But is there harm in taking on the role when you help so many people and do it with good intentions?

Like I said, what draws you there doesnt really matter. Ultimately, its why you stay.

Sure, I cant say Ill do it til the day I die, but I can tell you that I still love it now, and Ill prolly love it for years to come.

Ill probably always wish I could do something with the tech field now and again, but Im sure Ill figure it out if its something I really, really want.

Ok, off to bed. quite exhausted. need rest.

Sunday

Sunday! Off to work from 12 - 1, got back at 5pm.

But! I got a new kid, saw him and his current teacher in action, and Im so excited to start tutoring! This kid is stubborn yet exceptionally brilliant, so Im super super super excited to work with him starting Tuesday.

Made some edits to a document Im working on for rule sheets, and came back feeling better about work in general. We have really been needing weekly team meetings, and it looks like I got my wish! So excited about that, I think work is really going to get better from here!

Only two quick notes for today - and both in the form of videos. One is the new Miley video, and the other kinds sets the right tone for how I felt about today.... even though I was rocking out to Ke$ha new single all day long in my car (like I told you I would).

But most of you dont like Ke$ha, so Im not re-including that video.

Heres the other two, though:

Miley - Since I cant embed it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXl4JyBC8P4

Saturday

Im still sick, and I had the 8 hour training from hell today, so Im using both as an excuse to write a piss poor blog entry.

A couple of small recaps before the main entree'.

#1. My new school rules were ratified successfully.
#2. The City of Boulder "Im an Ally" campaign is well underway, with some good fire under its feet. But its a big project, with several lofty goals that will require a good chunk of my time. But Im really excited about my teammates I have with me, and I think we can really pull this off..... by May.

Ok, main entree.

Just saw Waiting for Superman, and heres my quick blow-by-blow of what I was thinking as the movie rolled past me.

I need to find a good public school for my kids.
Im glad I went to good schools.
Oh wait, I went to a private school.
I need to find a good private school for my kids, but only for elementary school. They will be fine after that.
Oh wait, no they wont.
Ok, I need to find a good private school for my kids up through middle school. I really liked being at a public high school, and my kids should get to enjoy the same experiences I had. As long as they work hard, and have the solid background from their private school, they will be fine.
Oh wait, no they wont.
Ok. Private school all the way through to college.
I REALLY better start saving now. And planning to live where the best schools are. But that shouldnt be too hard to find.
Wait, what? Even our nation's top 5% of educated kids are only ranked 23rd in the world out of 29?
And I certainly wasnt in the top 5%..... Did I get a good education? Can I even hope to make 6 figures ever?
Wait, what about tech jobs that went unfilled? And filled by who? Oh, I knew that. But still, that sucks.
But I cant move to another country just to educate my kids. There are some parts of this culture I want them to grow up with.
Why cant there be a good section of this country that has really great schools?
Charter schools? Lottery? The only hope?
Wait, are you going to make me sit here as I watch all these kids dreams be crushed instantaneously?
I guess its all either luck or hopelessness, isnt it? Thats just awful.

Just awful.

On the Precipice

Like so many of my entries, I generally put some well-deserved thought into my blog titles, and this is no exception. In fact, the title may fit this blog in many, many ways.  For this week has been quite the week, and in many ways I stand on the brink of a lot of issues, places, etc. I may not even remember to list them all in this blog, but I will try.

Lets start with the reason why I havent really been able to blog this week. Well, the two reasons.

The 1st is a mute point. Not a moot point, but a mute point, meaning I cant discuss any of it. I made a promise to myself and others that I would keep this blog clean and professional, and I will always try to live up to that expectation. Even though my grandfather, who reads my blog, would define professional as cleaning up my room first before posting a picture of it for the world to see, I tend to not mind as much when it comes to those kinds of issues. Especially when it comes to pictures of my room. Yes, America, my room is a mess, and my floor is my 3rd shelf, and an expansive one at that. I clean it when I need to, and more importantly, when I have real time to.

But lets get back to the 1st reason, or rather, a lack thereof. I weathered quite the firestorm this week, and as things stand now, I do not know whether or not I should trust the peace presented to me. Time will tell, and Im nervous. Confident and holding my ground, but nervous. But thats all I will say.

Number 2. I hate to admit it, but Im still sick with that tiny cough/choke. The yummy and wonderful gunk known as "flem" keeps building up in the back of my throat and causing me the most ANNOYING cough that produces nothing, despite regular doses of Mucinex. For four days now, I wake up feeling not 100%, with that cough and gunk, take some medicine, and im fine throughout the whole day. Then as night comes around, my body grows tired and all the symptoms rush back. It hasnt gotten worse, and it hasnt gotten better.  In short, another precipice in my life. Im waiting for it to get better, and Im afraid to go out and have fun while I still have it. Let me tell you all the places I could have been tonight, but DIDNT go because of this tiny cough -

A) The Deadmau5 concert in Denver at Beta club this evening. SUPER pissed I missed this.
B) Tracks gay nightclub with coworkers. First time I was invited to go with them and had to turn them down.
C) Hanging out with my close friend Seth, who wanted me to go out clubbing with him. Ive really been missing hanging out with him, and I was sad I didnt have the strength to go.
D) Clubbing in Boulder with an old friend from high school who invited me out tonight.

Yea. Im upset about this whole SICK thing. Not sick enough to go to a doctor or miss work, but JUST sick enough to not feel like going out and putting anymore stress on my body.

And while we're on the subject of not being to hang out with people, lets talk about another precipice.

Number 3 - My relationships on a precipice. Now that I work a ton, I feel like I barely have time to throw my life together outside of work. Even the people I consider good friends, I barely see even once every two weeks! If Im not at work, Im driving home, or eating, or too tired, or studying for the GRE, or at a training. Its never ending, and people keep inviting me out, but its not right to say yes when I need to be getting rest and taking care of myself. But maybe the simple answer to this is to just say Fuck It and go out and get my hands dirty a little. I only get a year off from serious life once, I should take it more seriously.

Which leads us to Number 4 - Money. Ive been broke before, but this is a new level of broke. We'll just leave it at that. Ive never dipped into my emergency stash twice in a month, and 9 months out of the year I never even need to. Prolly should get this together sooner than later....... yea.....

Number 5 - The "Im an Ally" program. So for those of you who dont know, I was involved in bringing the Im an Ally campaign to the University of Oregon, and helped it flourish while I was there. I was talking with some OUT Boulder volunteers about this idea, and they want to bring it to the businesses of Boulder!  So tomorrow is my first meeting the team of volunteers I put together as we figure out our business plan for getting this thing off the ground!  Its a very exciting time for us, for Boulder, and for this nation. It seems like is a great time to be moving forward with Ally ideas like this!

Or at least.... it was......

Until Number 6 - The Obama appeals. Ive been hearing a trickle of news the last two days that Obama is APPEALING the Dont Ask Dont Tell injunction, and that he is also appealing some sort of Defense Against Marriage act case in one of the states. Talk about getting punched in the stomach by your friend and having all the air pulled out of you. I mean, wow. How is Obama supposed to still show face to the LGBTQ community and show he is still our ally? Legally, he had no obligation to appeal the injunction, but his administration did it anyways.  Man, and just when I was finally feeling like our community was on the rise. We stood at a precipice, and Obama gave it that bad push in the wrong direction. It just sucks.

So going into the weekend, Im just feeling a little shaken right now. Not 100% in health, on any of these issues. Like Im holding the solution in the palm of my hand, and I just havent quite close my fingers around it yet.

Oh man. And, to top it all off, I found out Kimber committed suicide this week! I was stunned. She was one of my favorite characters on Nip/Tuck, and she just goes and offs herself a full 6 episodes before the finale! Man. It was just another blow to the gut for sure.

Thank god for South Park though, and "The Snooki." Totally brilliant. What an amazing episode. I managed to snag the video below from PerezHilton.com, so enjoy it while you can!

Ok, Im going to get a full nights rest. Im sure I had more to say, but Im ok with what I wrote.

I will say this though. Despite so many precipices in my life right now, I cant really say Im sad or upset. Sure, I want things to be different, but I still have faith that things will get better and the sun will rise tomorrow a little brighter than it did today.

But first things first. I gotta kick this freaking cough. Yuck.

But before I go.... a little bit of trash to most likely ruin your day - the new Ke$ha single. I wonder how soon she'll tank.

Dexter thoughts from this week

So if you havent seen Dexter from this week and WANT to, then obviously dont read this post.

But I need to get this out there (especially to my trusty Dexter-forever sidekick, you know who you are) and post my thoughts about the episode this week.

First of all, if it turns out that the new Hispanic neighborhood female police officer is the part of the Santa Muerte group, I will totally disappointed (and I will have totally called it). I mean, come on. That was SUPER fast that the store shop dude got his head cut off, RIGHT after he spilled the beans about the group and such TO HER. She totally did it.

I was gonna add in a second bit about how I hope the dead animal collector dies soon, but he did, thank god. I was thinking during the episode - IF THIS is the new bad guy of the season, Ill be pissed.

But Im LOVING that Julia Styles is this new mystery woman that now knows Dexter's secret. And judging by next week's reveal that she escapes, etc, etc, Im STOKED for this season. Thank god, a show I can rely on to be good.

Ok done.

Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Its the 11th of October and I just spent a shit load of money yesterday - what did you think the title of this post would be?

But good news, Im not bankrupt..... because I havent checked to see what my account balance is. Hooray for avoiding the issue!

I just wanted to write a quick note to say a few things.

One - Last night was crazy for me. I developed a headache and cough last night, and things quickly turned downhill from there, hence the latter half of the post from last night. I went to work today, still feeling sick, but realizing that there are more reasons I do this job than just power or control. Because the fact of the matter is, those two attributes may always lead me to my next job from an initial standpoint. But they arent the reasons I stay, and they arent the reasons I do well in the position.

Two - Today I was a living example of my grandmother's favorite saying, "It is better to look good than to feel good." I have grown up with that phrase since I was 5 years old, and it has always stuck with me. As such, I managed to look utterly fantastic in one of my new outfits today, and I posted it below. PS - Those are cords and not jeans!

Anyways, Im signing off for a day or two to get better. So for now......

Im really hopeful some of you know what game.... that has a sequel coming up..... this is from.

The Weekend of 10/10/10

Hmm, its been a while since i posted. Where did I leave off?

Oh yes, Wednesday. So lets start with Thursday.

Thursday was a long day. A full day of work, plus some tough decisions I made with the students that I didnt feel great about afterwards. But as my Dad says - mistakes are how we learn.  So I tried to feel better about my decisions.

Later that night, i started to make plans with my friend Seth. It was his 21st birthday, and he wanted me to take him out, which I was more than happy to do.  Heres the blog post I WOULD have written (if I had had the time to write) before i went out that night:

(Edited for content)

So as you can see, I provide quite the treat for the person whos birthday it is.

So to start Seth's evening, I wanted to bring him something special. I decided that my Oregon famous Adam Bomb would be just the ticket, so I went to the liquor store, bought all my ingredients, and came home. My wallet was already hurting though, because all the ingredients cost me $80. Ouch.

Mixed the drink to perfection, and had my Mom try some. She just about fell over, asking me if it was possible to be buzzed from one sip. She said it was the best drink she had ever had, so i smiled and packaged three more in their special containers.

Picked up Seth, gave him his bday gift, then took him out on the town. We went EVERYWHERE, it was a long night, and even though we hit a few minor and major bumps in the road, he said he still had a good time. Total price of the evening, including the ingredients I bought earlier - $120. Wow. Am I a Good friend? Check.

I was exhausted when I finally got home around 3:30am, so I crashed.

Friday

Rolled out of bed, headed to work. Got home, had dinner with the grandparents who were in town this weekend. And this is the infamous grandmother who taught me from a very young age that it was always better to look good than to feel good. And she meant it. So thus, a full shopping weekend was planned.

Friday night, as about to pass out when my friend from work called me and asked me to come out. It was only 11:30, so out I went. She introduced me to this new dance club in Boulder, and so we danced the night away. But again, no sleep for me.

Saturday....... nothing much happened. 

Fast forward to Sunday, and we hit the mall.  I knew for some time now that I wanted to start looking older than a club-going teenager (even tough thats totally what I am) and start looking the part of a student affairs professional. And this meant facing the music and heading to Banana Republic.

So with the $200 my grandmother gave me as shopping money, I marched in and sheepishly started looking around. After 2 minutes, I realized that I no idea how to even begin looking in this store. I know club style stores like the back of my hand, but everything in this store was quickly blending together. So I found a nice looking woman who worked there and told her the following:

1. I have no clue what Im doing.
2. Im looking to completely redo my wardrobe.
3. I want to buy complete outfits.
4. And money is no object.

That last bit was a total lie, but I was not about to stop short of an awesome outfit just because of something like money. This was the Ross Logan redesign we were talking about! And I knew that since my Mom and Grandma were with me, I could always shake a few extra dollars out of their wallet to cover it.

60 minutes and 6 different complete outfits later, the three of us had settled on 3 fantastic new outfits. I had been obviously avoiding looking at any price tags up until this point, so now I was getting nervous. I knew I was over my $200 budget, but I didnt know by how much.

So I started counting all the price tags, and I wasnt surprised. Most everything I had picked out was about $80 a pop. Hell, the new belt was 50 bux. It was outrageous. But I didnt just spend an hour trying on half the store AND feeling belittled by the saleswoman (How the hell would I know what a French Cuff is???) to leave without everything I wanted (What can I say? I grew up spoiled and the rotten apple of being spoiled will always be lodged between my teeth).

So total price, including tax (fuck you, tax), was just under $600. Thats when I twittered, "Only in Banana Republic can $200 feel like $20."

So I went over to my Mom, and she pleasantly forgot that my parents had stopped giving me any sort of clothing allowance. Too bad she called my Dad to verify, and he un-politely reminded her. But they threw in a $100 consolation prize. Then my Grandma offered to buy me the cute messenger bag that went with all my outifts (MSRP $98) but I wanted to wait until I found something better looking. I never actually found a better looking bag, so I ended up losing out on that deal.

So total damage for just Banana Republic - $250. Which wouldnt have hurt so much if I hadnt JUST spent $120 on Seth. (Mind you, I was happy to do so..... just not so much.)

Anyways, I picked up a white argyle sweater from Express (it was on sale) and called it a day.

Came home, talked with Rachel on the phone for an hour (which I was very happy to do, since we have spent the last week playing phone tag twice a day), and then ate dinner.

Just got back from seeing the Social Network with my family, and they all loved it, but it turned into a very interesting conversation about why Facebook is so important. Of course, Im talking with my grandparents, who talk about how SAD it is that we dont hand write letters to each other anymore and mail them using the United States Postal Service. My step-grandpa tells me he misses the days when his mailbox was full of letters, not magazines. So trying to explain Facebook to them was a bit..... difficult.  I didnt even mention Twitter.

But it IS rather interesting. And, of course, meant for another blog post which I dont have time for. And sadly, it will a blog post that wont ever come to fruition. But this jist is this: I felt a connection with Mark while watching the movie, and I felt like we were similar in a lot of ways. Granted, I dont have his intelligence, but I do have his desire to run the show, steal the spotlight, and run the entire social network.

Im alone in my head a lot, a lot a lot. And during all this time, the question DOES pop into my head on occasion and beg to be answered. What are the real reasons im in this profession anyways? Being an RA, an SRA, a Rez Hall Director?

Being at Justice High, a job that comes with no glory, Ive realized that at least some of my intentions are honest and good. But I still worry about the others....

A saying always comes back to me, and Im afraid of it.

"Those who desire power were not meant to have it." I really try not to think about it.

I try to focus on some of the positives. Like, for example, that Im pretty good at what I do. I dont take second best lightly, so I struggle and run as fast as I can to be the best, and in my profession, that means providing the best to others. And as I learned this year, part of being the best also means knowing that the one in charge is really the one with the LEAST amount of power, and is really only there to support and guide those with the power, aka, the RAs.

Tick tock tick tock. This sabbatical year has just started, but time is already quickly running out.

Spring is a Long, LONG ways away

Ive only owned my PS3 for 5 days, and already its causing me problems.

Thank GOD there arent any super awesome games coming out for it this Fall. They have all been pushed back to Spring, which is nice.

But I just went over the Top 25 PS3 games of all time, and sadly, most of them look rather enticing.

But Im busy now, and I dont have time for that.

I dont have time for Metal Gear Solid, the God of War series, Little Big Planet, Kill Zone 2, or the Uncharted SERIES.

No, no. I dont have time for any of that. Not right now..... not right now........

Hell, next week Fallout New Vegas comes out, and then Force Unleashed 2, and then Fable 3. I mean shit, how am I supposed to get anything done even with these games on the release?

Heres the thing, and trust me, I ask myself this question A LOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT.

"Wouldnt it just be easier if I got paid to play video games and write about them for a living?"

The small, tiny problem is, this isnt a passion for me. This is, and might always be - a straight-up addiction. What you dont know- is that 50% of time, I GROAN a little bit at how LONG a game is, or how much MORE I have to go.  Its like Im fighting just to get to the end! In a bad way.

Games arent even super enjoyable for me anymore. They arent. Really, they arent.

I do it because Im searching. Im always searching for that something more. That one experience. That one moment of sheer brilliance where the game has successfully drawn you in, grabbed hold of your gut, and pulls you along for the ride with you believing every second of it. You arent just playing anymore, but you are feeling exactly what the character is feeling, and you wince with every difficult decision or move.

And in this moment, I realize what I have always know. I play video games because of exactly why all my counselors have told me I play - and that is to get away. To successfully make the jump from my life to another, better than my own, and live, even for a short, brief moment, in the shoes of someone else who has all the power and glory of success and magic that my life doesnt possess.

Its not quite as sad as it sounds, but then again it might be. Its 100% accurate that I only bother with the games that have garnered exceedingly high reviews. I dont have time for them all.  Its why I only got my PS3 just recently. By and large, the PS3 only pumps out 1, maybe 2 awesome games a year. While the Xbox guarantees 4 or more, at least. It was never worth it to have the PS3, for just like the Wii, it sits cold and out of use because I dont want to play any games on it.

Its also why I dont really care for first person shooters without a compelling storyline. All those do, as Halo:Reach just did to me, is feed me with an excessively high dose of aggression and madness. It throws me into war mode, and lord knows I dont need more of that. I have enough diva mode to last a life time, thanks. Besides, after so much aggression and violence, I get so desensitized that its not like Im even feeling anymore anyways. And thats not what I want, at all.

So what to do from here? You know, I cant say I actually know. I dont think this is about feeling better about myself. It is about escape, but thats not to say I dont love my life. I do, but Im also lazy, and love instant gratification. When I play, its a stones throw away from some sort of self satisfaction and achievement. But when I put the controller down, all I feel is empty and worthless, because I know that within the realm of my own life, I have actually accomplished nothing at all. That feeling hits every time.

The problem is that my mind is trained to procrastinate and be lazy until something dire enough occurs that forces me to change the pattern. Like an F on a paper or a test, I wont change my ways til something shakes me and makes me. And instant gratification is AWFUL nice, aint it?

Ho hum. Too bad I havent kept track of my hours playing video games over the years. I betcha a nickle I have enough video game hours, accumulated JUST over the last 3 years, to fill up OVER a month of my life. A solid month, 24/7, given to video games.

Damn. I was hoping thatd stir me in some way. It didnt.

Ive been writing and thinking for a while, and my workout from earlier has stripped my legs of ease, and im in a lot of pain now, actually, meaning I need to get to bed sooner than later.

But this is a conversation we'll continue another time, I suppose. Or not. Or maybe.......

Maybe I will just wait until Spring. After all, its not like I can deny myself the pleasure of games I have been WAITING for, right?

Oh dear.

Notables 10/5/10

We'll start with yesterday since yesterday didnt quite go as planned.

Monday -

Woke up at 9am. Was supposed to be picking up the carpool 20 minutes from my house at 9am. Fail. Called the carpool. One of them didnt need a ride, the other was in the same boat I was in - just waking up.  Good start to a Monday morning.

Started keeping track of the point sheets for the class, which helped us as a team stay on top of behavior in the class. (Note: Points are given or taken away based on behavior at Justice High.) Overall, it was a good day, and a lot of our students were doing really well.  The same proved true for the Denver school (I generally visit two different schools in the same day) which was really good. So good day overall.

Picked my Dad up from the hospital since he couldnt drive after anesthesia. He had some sort of 5 year checkup done, the likes of which I wont share...... but you may be able to guess if you know my Dad..... or not.

Got home and was wiped, so I scrapped the workout for the day. Dinner, then got back to Heavy Rain. Played for 2 hours, then PASSED OUT while playing, something I dont think has ever happened to me. But then again, Ive never had a setup that allowed me to play in bed, under the covers so comfortably. Woke up at 10pm, turned it all off, watched some American Dad (my new before bed TV show), and was out again by 11.

Strange dreams though....... Was driving the carpool, but the new SNL cast got in....... along with some theater kids from my high school. And I was always running from something.....

Tuesday

Woke up like I didnt just get 8.5 hours of sleep, which is a sucky feeling. ESPECIALLY when you do the time and GET over 8 hours of sleep. Oh well. Its prolly cuz I didnt eat a whole lot on Monday, skipping Breakfast and all to make up for lost time. AND I didnt eat a 4th meal, another often occurrence for me.

Got to school a little late, but it was ok. Immediately dealt with my favorite students...... you know, the ones with the most personality and character to them.  Its a love/**** relationship. Their the most argumentative about doing their work, but they also have the best and funniest ways of trying to avoid the conversation about work altogether. I could learn a thing or two about quick wit from these students.....

Grabbed lunch and drove to Denver. But there was a huge traffic jam, so (GASP!) I ate it IN MY CAR on the way there. Which was ok, cuz I actaully finished my Subway before the jam was over.

My partner in crime wasnt there today, leaving me with the class by myself. I thought I could handle it, since most of my favorite students werent there. But I miscalculated...... and it turned out ok, but it was a little rough around the edges.  Oh well. The important thing is that Im following through with what I say. If I say last chance, I have to mean it and act on it if they are disruptive again. And thats what they are learning. Slowly, but surely. I have a lot of lost ground to cover, and I may not be able to regain it all.

Got home, caught up on the sudden flurge on emails asking me to volunteer for this or that, now that Im an official Boulder PRIDE volunteer, which is exciting to start doing LGBTQ work again. Had a good workout, but hit a bonk moment when my body wouldnt go any further. Its cuz I hadnt eaten well yesterday, which sucks cuz thats my fault. Oh well. I ate really well today (Go manwich!) so hopefully tomorrows workout will be better.

Dinner, talked about kids with my mom (I feel kinda bad for my Dad. Almost every night at dinner, my Mom and talk shop for an hour, and he cant get a word in). Then read an AMAZING article that Amber sent me, an old supervisor of mine. Its about breaking out of the system and doing what you love because you want to and you actually love it. Not because it was the easiest path, earned the most respect or the most money. It really resonated with me, because I feel myself going down that path. It doesnt mean I dont love student affairs and residence life, because I do. But what it means is that this path IS the easiest for me, and Im not exactly paddling upstream or anything to try to change that.

But my year off is still just a child, not even to puberty yet. I still have time to make sure this is what I want to do, and more importantly, that there isnt anything else im denying myself the choice of.

I caught up on House and Glee, and finished Heavy Rain so I can return it to the store tomorrow. After that, the NEW adventure begins. No more video games til after the GRE. REALLY. Its hardcore studying for me. So expect my afternoons to become Exercise and GRE prep. Really really.

Ok, off to bed to catch up on Nip Tuck - Im almost done! Just started 6th season..... so close.......

Im SUPER Particular about my Sandwich.

Wanna know how particular I am?  My mom was at Safeway the other day and asked me to txt message the directions to her so she could order my sandwich for me (she was being really nice to me). And word for word, this is what I sent along.

The sandwich: Start with a soft French Roll from the Bakery. Bring it to the sanwich counter. Make sure they cut it all the way through (sometimes they fold it open like a subway sandwich, don't let them do that.) Put mayo on one side, and semi-light yellow mustard on the other. Then do lettuce, tomato, pickle, and REALLY light onion. I now do Havarti cheese and Cheddar cheese, plus ham, turkey, and roast beef. After they are done, I ask real nice for another layer of ham. Tell them to cut it in thirds and wrap it in plastic on the long black tray they have. Then tell them to charge $8.99 for it, cuz otherwise they wont know.

Ill take a picture of what I call the MAN-wich and upload it for show and tell later. Promise. (EDIT: PHAIL. The bread was burned a little too crisp, so you cant even tell how awesome it is. Oh well, another time.)

Friday, Saturday, Sunday Blur

So once again, I have let video games consume my weekend.

Ooops.

And yet again, I had a "good reason." I mean come on, my PS3 came on Friday, and I was playing through Heavy Rain all weekend!  Thats a good reason, right?!?!?!

Ok, lets go through the weekend, or at least what I ended up doing when I wasnt playing Heavy Rain.

Friday.

My PS3 came.

I had a Walk of Game.

And then I had a long chat with a beloved Oregon friend on the way home.

Saturday.

Rolled out of bed.

Training for 4 hours where I learned about better classroom management.

Watched Iron Man 2 on Blu-ray with my parents.

Heavy Rain til 4am, pounding headache and starving the whole way through. Ouch. (Remember, Im fully aware Im addict, and acceptance is just the first PART on the road the recovery. Ill walk the other parts when Im good and ready/50 years old.)

Sunday.

Woke up like I had been hit by a bus, and 8 hours of sleep wasnt cutting it. Ate a bagel, jumped back in bed.

Heavy Rainnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn til 6pm.

Dinner, chatted with my Mom about school and what this week will bring now that October Count is done. Talked about the students who may not work out at the school, given certain issues. (Cant disclose, for obvious reasons)

HEAVY Rainnnnnnnnnnn til 10pm.

Rented a car for my trip to Florida, cleaned my room, emailed an old head supervisor, thought about another one long lost in the wind, and then jumped on here to speed through my weekend update so I could.... yep! Jump right back into Heavy Rain before bed time.

I completed it once, but now of course I have to run through it again to get all the endings!

I mean, come on. You have to get all the endings.

But man, what a great game. Loved it.

The only sad thing is that I skipped Dexter AND Family Guy this evening for the privilege. Now thats tragic. :( Oh well. Ill grab it tomorrow online.