I have been seeing a lot of babies (with their mothers or fathers) out at the store or in the park or on television. I seem to see babies more in the spring. Or maybe I just notice them more in the spring? Most all of them suck on that rubber thing. Some call it a "nipple" which I always have a hard time saying. Others call it a "binky." But its scientific name is a pacifier.
People give these to babies when they cry too much or when they are hungry or thirsty. It literally pacifies them and appeases them so they start crying. I know this is not a new invention, but I guess it just clicked in my head what these were all about. And it got me to thinking...
Is there a grown-up version of this device?
Is there something that you could give a grown-up that would take their mind off of their hunger or off of their bad mood or off of the fact that they could use a drink? My first thought was beer, but then again, that's always my first thought. And you can't just drink a beer where ever and when ever you want. Then I thought about bubble gum. Can that pacify a person and make them forget they're hungry? Possibly. But I have never met a stick of gum that has gotten my mind off of my bad mood.
So now I'm throwing it out to you.
What are your thoughts on what a grown-up pacifier would be?
Give your answers in the comments section.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
I Need To Do More
The last time I blogged was 05/11/11.
Four days ago.
I'm not happy about that. I need to make a schedule for myself so that I can do more.
I overheard someone this afternoon say that they needed someone to be their scholastic boss. Someone to tell him when to write and how much to write and what to read and where to apply and who to talk to. I just kept thinking that this guy needed to be his own boss.
I should follow my own advice.
Don't worry. I'll be better. Trust me.
Four days ago.
I'm not happy about that. I need to make a schedule for myself so that I can do more.
I overheard someone this afternoon say that they needed someone to be their scholastic boss. Someone to tell him when to write and how much to write and what to read and where to apply and who to talk to. I just kept thinking that this guy needed to be his own boss.
I should follow my own advice.
Don't worry. I'll be better. Trust me.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.9
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Dealing With Slackers
So I have finally finished a year of being a student. In two semesters I took a Literature class (American Novel before 1900), a Drawing class, a Sociology class (Juvenile Delinquency), and an Anthropology class (Magic, Culture & Religion). I enrolled in classes at BuffState for a couple reasons, but mostly because I was bored while I was unemployed.
Being both a teacher and a student for the past eight or nine months have been interesting to say the least. I've written in the past about how I have a hard time flipping the switch to go from teacher to student. That's because the teacher in me just wants to jump up and yell at my professor to deal with the slackers in class. But it's not like I only came across slackers in my classes at BuffState. I have them as students in my classes as well. So I've come up with ways I deal with slackers:
If a student doesn't want to come to a class they've enrolled in, then they shouldn't show up. Just stay at home or go hang out with your friends or go to the mall or wander around on the internet if you don't want to be in class. But if you do want to show up, then show up! Don't just be a body. Actively participate. Do the work. In my classes Classroom Participation is at the very least sixty percent of the final grade. So if you have something that's more important than my class, fine. I ain't mad at ya. But don't get angry when you end up with a failing or near failing mark at the end of the semester.
I'm not going to chase you down for a paper or an assignment. If you don't turn it in when it's due, then you don't get credit. I'll accept it after the due date, but don't expect to get full credit for it. And as much as I appreciate and like class participation, my class is not a democracy. You can't just vote for the day the exam will be. I set the days and times for tests, quizzes, exams, due dates, etc. Not you. If you don't like it, come talk to me about it and we can maybe figure something out. But don't come to me with "I think you should push back the exam because I have too much to do." Grow up. You know ahead of time how much work you need to do for each of your classes.
A little something that many college students don't realize: Your professor expects you to do two hours of work outside of class for every hour of in-class work. For example, if you have a three credit class, you need to plan to do six hours of work (per week) for that class. That's nine hours of in and out of class work for that one class. So if you take eighteen credit hours, you should plan on doing fifty four hours of work per week. So if you have a job, you may want to cut back how many classes you're taking. Or how much you go to your job. Or maybe cut back on sleep. It's up to you.
Okay. I'll stop there.
I'm getting a little angry now, so I'm going to end this post now, before I write something really mean.
If you agree, disagree, or just completely hate what I've said, comments are welcome!
Being both a teacher and a student for the past eight or nine months have been interesting to say the least. I've written in the past about how I have a hard time flipping the switch to go from teacher to student. That's because the teacher in me just wants to jump up and yell at my professor to deal with the slackers in class. But it's not like I only came across slackers in my classes at BuffState. I have them as students in my classes as well. So I've come up with ways I deal with slackers:
If a student doesn't want to come to a class they've enrolled in, then they shouldn't show up. Just stay at home or go hang out with your friends or go to the mall or wander around on the internet if you don't want to be in class. But if you do want to show up, then show up! Don't just be a body. Actively participate. Do the work. In my classes Classroom Participation is at the very least sixty percent of the final grade. So if you have something that's more important than my class, fine. I ain't mad at ya. But don't get angry when you end up with a failing or near failing mark at the end of the semester.
I'm not going to chase you down for a paper or an assignment. If you don't turn it in when it's due, then you don't get credit. I'll accept it after the due date, but don't expect to get full credit for it. And as much as I appreciate and like class participation, my class is not a democracy. You can't just vote for the day the exam will be. I set the days and times for tests, quizzes, exams, due dates, etc. Not you. If you don't like it, come talk to me about it and we can maybe figure something out. But don't come to me with "I think you should push back the exam because I have too much to do." Grow up. You know ahead of time how much work you need to do for each of your classes.
A little something that many college students don't realize: Your professor expects you to do two hours of work outside of class for every hour of in-class work. For example, if you have a three credit class, you need to plan to do six hours of work (per week) for that class. That's nine hours of in and out of class work for that one class. So if you take eighteen credit hours, you should plan on doing fifty four hours of work per week. So if you have a job, you may want to cut back how many classes you're taking. Or how much you go to your job. Or maybe cut back on sleep. It's up to you.
Okay. I'll stop there.
I'm getting a little angry now, so I'm going to end this post now, before I write something really mean.
If you agree, disagree, or just completely hate what I've said, comments are welcome!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
A Plan?
I grew up in a very church-centered and Bible-oriented home. My mom was (& still is) very religious, I know anything and everything about what the Bible says about God, Jesus, the apostles, Moses, Jonah, and so on.
I grew up going to church at least three days a week.
That being said, while I was unemployed, I was told many times that God has a plan for me. I've heard this my entire life, but while I was depressed and frustrated and full of anxiety, I heard it a lot more.
There is an entire discussion here about free-will versus God's plan, but we can talk about that in another post.
My worry is this: what if I accidentally ignored God's plan for me? What if His plan didn't include me becoming a teacher? What if I was supposed This move to Baltimore when I was offered a job there five years ago? What if everything that has happened since then was not part of God's plan?
These are the thoughts that keep me up at night. I worry about this stuff. And the worst part is that I'm not really very religious. I don't go to church. I don't read the Bible. So why does this stress me out? It's too late for God's plan. I've missed my window of opportunity. Right?
So what is someone in my position supposed to do?
Just say "screw it" and drink more and eat food that's bad for me? Or maybe I should go back to church and see if God has another plan for me? Or maybe I should move to Baltimore?
Part of me would be happy if all this misery and depression and unhappiness is for a reason.
I grew up going to church at least three days a week.
That being said, while I was unemployed, I was told many times that God has a plan for me. I've heard this my entire life, but while I was depressed and frustrated and full of anxiety, I heard it a lot more.
There is an entire discussion here about free-will versus God's plan, but we can talk about that in another post.
My worry is this: what if I accidentally ignored God's plan for me? What if His plan didn't include me becoming a teacher? What if I was supposed This move to Baltimore when I was offered a job there five years ago? What if everything that has happened since then was not part of God's plan?
These are the thoughts that keep me up at night. I worry about this stuff. And the worst part is that I'm not really very religious. I don't go to church. I don't read the Bible. So why does this stress me out? It's too late for God's plan. I've missed my window of opportunity. Right?
So what is someone in my position supposed to do?
Just say "screw it" and drink more and eat food that's bad for me? Or maybe I should go back to church and see if God has another plan for me? Or maybe I should move to Baltimore?
Part of me would be happy if all this misery and depression and unhappiness is for a reason.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
A Memory of a Day Just Like Today
I have declared today Automatic Morrissey/The Smiths Day.
It's cold and overcast but the sun is trying its hardest to peek through the layers of grey clouds.
In other words, it's the perfect day to listen to The Smiths (or Morrissey).
When I was in high school one of my friends, Joe, used to pick me up for school. He was a couple years older than me and he had this rusty dirty white car full of mix tapes and sweaty baseball caps and empty packs of cigarettes. The only thing in his car that worked the way it was supposed to was the tape deck.
Every morning he would slow down just enough for me to hop in and he'd crack me a Miller High Life and pop in "The Queen is Dead" by The Smiths. We'd cruise around town tossing our empties out the window and feeling all melancholy. The first time I heard Morrissey's voice I was hooked. He was sad but angry. He was happy yet sarcastic. He was sexual but playing hard to get. We drove around until the last chords of side B had finished.
It seemed like every day that year it was grey and sunny.
Joe & I never kept in touch and I have no idea where he is now. I have no idea if he's alive or dead, married or divorced, gay or straight. And to be perfectly honest, I have no idea how we met. I think we met because we were dating the same girl. Maybe that happened later. Who knows.
But to this day I always have a spare copy of "The Queen is Dead" lying around.
It's cold and overcast but the sun is trying its hardest to peek through the layers of grey clouds.
In other words, it's the perfect day to listen to The Smiths (or Morrissey).
When I was in high school one of my friends, Joe, used to pick me up for school. He was a couple years older than me and he had this rusty dirty white car full of mix tapes and sweaty baseball caps and empty packs of cigarettes. The only thing in his car that worked the way it was supposed to was the tape deck.
Every morning he would slow down just enough for me to hop in and he'd crack me a Miller High Life and pop in "The Queen is Dead" by The Smiths. We'd cruise around town tossing our empties out the window and feeling all melancholy. The first time I heard Morrissey's voice I was hooked. He was sad but angry. He was happy yet sarcastic. He was sexual but playing hard to get. We drove around until the last chords of side B had finished.
It seemed like every day that year it was grey and sunny.
Joe & I never kept in touch and I have no idea where he is now. I have no idea if he's alive or dead, married or divorced, gay or straight. And to be perfectly honest, I have no idea how we met. I think we met because we were dating the same girl. Maybe that happened later. Who knows.
But to this day I always have a spare copy of "The Queen is Dead" lying around.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Daydreaming of Warm Weather Activities
Daydreaming about what I'm going to do once the weather finally decides to get nice doesn't help the fact that it is cold and rainy outside right now. In May.
But it does help the time go by faster.
And since I have the shades closed on my classroom windows, I can't actually see if it's still raining outside. I can pretend it's sunny and warm. I can pretend I'm getting ready to go camping with my cousins and aunts and uncles. I can pretend I'm getting ready to make the drive to Rural Valley, Pennsylvania to visit my extended family for the reunions. I can pretend I am enjoying a cold beer on a sunny patio.
Those are the only three things I want to do this year, once the weather gets warmer. It would be even greater if the above mentioned patio was in Toronto, because damn I miss that city. I miss the people and the pubs and even the public transportation. Every time we go up there, we find one more reason why Toronto is so great. Most of the time in Toronto is spent walking, which is always a good thing. Most of the time it's walking to a patio or a restaurant or a market. Sometimes it's walking to a cool unheard of shop. Toronto in the summer is amazing: People everywhere, street vendors and performers, open patios, even the random celebrity spotting takes place. But the problem is no matter how much I love Toronto, it's so bloody expensive to visit.
Going to the reunions and going camping is pretty inexpensive.
I pay for gas and beer and my share of food and that's it. The piece of land that my family has their sheds and trailers set up for camp is basically in the middle of nowhere, and I love it. It's just us and the animals. And we eat like kings and queens: meat on the grill or in the smoker, fresh veggies cooked over the fire... it's impossible to go hungry. I love being surrounded by family. I may not seem like the type that enjoys having large family gatherings or whatever, but I do. I don't get to see my extended family as much as I'd like, so going to the reunions is always a treat for me. Plus, many of my mom's aunts and uncles are getting up in age, so I like to visit with them and listen to their stories and what-not, because you never know how much time they have left. We have two reunions: one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Many of my cousins don't understand why we have 2 if it's basically the same people that show up for both. (Technically it is two separate reunions. One for my grandmother's mother's side and one for my grandmother's father's side.) My thought is: why drive all the way down there just for one meal? Some people drive between 6 and 12 hours to get to Rural Valley. Many of them won't travel if it was just a four or five hour get-together.
And besides, it's family, why would anyone ever want to reduce the amount of time spent with grandmothers and great aunts and uncles and second and third cousins?
There is of course a hundred other things I would love to do this spring and summer, but I'd like to save some money and I'd like to work as much as I can. This past winter has been horrible in the cash-flow department.
So from my vantage point it looks like the sun is trying to peek through my blinds. Could that mean that writing this blog has changed the weather from lifeless to radiant?
Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes..!
But it does help the time go by faster.
And since I have the shades closed on my classroom windows, I can't actually see if it's still raining outside. I can pretend it's sunny and warm. I can pretend I'm getting ready to go camping with my cousins and aunts and uncles. I can pretend I'm getting ready to make the drive to Rural Valley, Pennsylvania to visit my extended family for the reunions. I can pretend I am enjoying a cold beer on a sunny patio.
Those are the only three things I want to do this year, once the weather gets warmer. It would be even greater if the above mentioned patio was in Toronto, because damn I miss that city. I miss the people and the pubs and even the public transportation. Every time we go up there, we find one more reason why Toronto is so great. Most of the time in Toronto is spent walking, which is always a good thing. Most of the time it's walking to a patio or a restaurant or a market. Sometimes it's walking to a cool unheard of shop. Toronto in the summer is amazing: People everywhere, street vendors and performers, open patios, even the random celebrity spotting takes place. But the problem is no matter how much I love Toronto, it's so bloody expensive to visit.
Going to the reunions and going camping is pretty inexpensive.
I pay for gas and beer and my share of food and that's it. The piece of land that my family has their sheds and trailers set up for camp is basically in the middle of nowhere, and I love it. It's just us and the animals. And we eat like kings and queens: meat on the grill or in the smoker, fresh veggies cooked over the fire... it's impossible to go hungry. I love being surrounded by family. I may not seem like the type that enjoys having large family gatherings or whatever, but I do. I don't get to see my extended family as much as I'd like, so going to the reunions is always a treat for me. Plus, many of my mom's aunts and uncles are getting up in age, so I like to visit with them and listen to their stories and what-not, because you never know how much time they have left. We have two reunions: one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Many of my cousins don't understand why we have 2 if it's basically the same people that show up for both. (Technically it is two separate reunions. One for my grandmother's mother's side and one for my grandmother's father's side.) My thought is: why drive all the way down there just for one meal? Some people drive between 6 and 12 hours to get to Rural Valley. Many of them won't travel if it was just a four or five hour get-together.
And besides, it's family, why would anyone ever want to reduce the amount of time spent with grandmothers and great aunts and uncles and second and third cousins?
There is of course a hundred other things I would love to do this spring and summer, but I'd like to save some money and I'd like to work as much as I can. This past winter has been horrible in the cash-flow department.
So from my vantage point it looks like the sun is trying to peek through my blinds. Could that mean that writing this blog has changed the weather from lifeless to radiant?
Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes..!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
We Know Better Than You, or Ethnocentrism as Racism
As Americans, many of us believe that our way is the best way. After all, we DO live in the land of the free and the home of the brave. How could anything other than what we do be right? It's preposterous!
Maybe I'm not a good American, but it always turns my stomach a little when I hear the chant of "USA! USA! USA!" at a political rally or in rebuttal to something very "anti" American like attempting to speak your mind. I don't mind the chant at the Olympics, since everyone to cheering on their team/country, but then again, some Americans even take that a little too far.
If America happens to lose the hockey game, then it must be because Russia or Canada cheated or didn't get a penalty called against them. It couldn't possibly be because the US just got out played. AMERICA CAN'T WIN EVERYTHING.
And it's not just sporting events. Many Americans are under the assumption that if it's not American, it's not as good. When France decided to not participate in the war with Iraq, people started dumping French wine down the sewer. Many diners renamed French Fries "freedom fries" in protest. You couldn't order French Toast-- it was Freedom Toast now!
Forget the fact that there wouldn't even be a United States of America if it wasn't for France! And that little ol' statue that greets you as you arrive in Ellis Island? Yeah, the FRENCH built the Statue of Liberty and gave it to us as a gift.
A big thing that Americans seem to look down on is the Muslim woman's veil. For some reason this religious garb is looked at as a symbol of their oppression. Americans can't understand why a woman would purposely wear something like this. What many Americans don't know is that this garb is not a form of female oppression. The first people to veil themselves was the elite Greco-Roman woman. This occurred in B. C. Before there was a Islamic or Muslim religion. And the practice of veiling was not a form of oppression but a firm of secluding. If a woman was veiled in front of a man, it meant he was below her or unmarried. It was a protection for the woman. She didn't want to subject herself to his eyes.
But Americans see a woman in a veil and think she should just take it off.
"You're in America now. You don't have to wear that anymore!"
Many Feminist Middle Easterners wear the veil to show their strength. It is how they rebel. Not against Americans, but against those Muslims who are trying to be more "modern." Another Word For "modern" is "Western."
If I tell you that the only baseball team that matters is the Yankees, then I am also implying that you're wrong if you have a Red Sox hat on. That who you cheer for is wrong unless it's the New York Yankees. Now change "Yankees" and "Red Sox" to "American born" and "born outside America." What do we have?
It sounds like racism to be.
Part of what makes America great is the idea that people can be who they want and wear what they want and love who they want.
No matter what.
Maybe I'm not a good American, but it always turns my stomach a little when I hear the chant of "USA! USA! USA!" at a political rally or in rebuttal to something very "anti" American like attempting to speak your mind. I don't mind the chant at the Olympics, since everyone to cheering on their team/country, but then again, some Americans even take that a little too far.
If America happens to lose the hockey game, then it must be because Russia or Canada cheated or didn't get a penalty called against them. It couldn't possibly be because the US just got out played. AMERICA CAN'T WIN EVERYTHING.
And it's not just sporting events. Many Americans are under the assumption that if it's not American, it's not as good. When France decided to not participate in the war with Iraq, people started dumping French wine down the sewer. Many diners renamed French Fries "freedom fries" in protest. You couldn't order French Toast-- it was Freedom Toast now!
Forget the fact that there wouldn't even be a United States of America if it wasn't for France! And that little ol' statue that greets you as you arrive in Ellis Island? Yeah, the FRENCH built the Statue of Liberty and gave it to us as a gift.
A big thing that Americans seem to look down on is the Muslim woman's veil. For some reason this religious garb is looked at as a symbol of their oppression. Americans can't understand why a woman would purposely wear something like this. What many Americans don't know is that this garb is not a form of female oppression. The first people to veil themselves was the elite Greco-Roman woman. This occurred in B. C. Before there was a Islamic or Muslim religion. And the practice of veiling was not a form of oppression but a firm of secluding. If a woman was veiled in front of a man, it meant he was below her or unmarried. It was a protection for the woman. She didn't want to subject herself to his eyes.
But Americans see a woman in a veil and think she should just take it off.
"You're in America now. You don't have to wear that anymore!"
Many Feminist Middle Easterners wear the veil to show their strength. It is how they rebel. Not against Americans, but against those Muslims who are trying to be more "modern." Another Word For "modern" is "Western."
If I tell you that the only baseball team that matters is the Yankees, then I am also implying that you're wrong if you have a Red Sox hat on. That who you cheer for is wrong unless it's the New York Yankees. Now change "Yankees" and "Red Sox" to "American born" and "born outside America." What do we have?
It sounds like racism to be.
Part of what makes America great is the idea that people can be who they want and wear what they want and love who they want.
No matter what.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8
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