There was once an immigrant boy who came to a new country. He soon learned the language and went to school. He was very shy and didn't fit in with most of the children. He had very few friends growing up, and was typically a loner. As he grew up, he came to accept that he wasn't meant to fit in with the regular kids. He overcame many struggles, ( Read more... )

I've been feeling a lot of loss lately. I've been losing my friends to different parts of the country and even the world. I've lost my principal to administrative limbo. The Bears have lost the playoff. It's a sad January, indeed, but as conceited as it sounds, at least I'm not the one undergoing these changes. Although, having things stagnate has ( Read more... )

It's my 26th winter, and my 24th with snow. The students are gearing up for finals week, the deans are dropping the hammers and teachers are making the phone calls home to parents. I always liked finals in high school. I enjoyed showing up to school at 9am and leaving around noon. All the classrooms would be completely silent, I was at peace and ( Read more... )

My life has become a series of debit card swipes. Now that I'm on salary, I have been wasting money on so many things.  I've been hanging with friends that actually have careers and disposable income as well instead of those who are still working on their undergrad degrees. A few weeks ago, I went out to eat with Jeremy and his friend Brian. I've ( Read more... )

This new job as an English teacher has been one of the most trying jobs of my life. Although the school is located in suburban Hillside, it has the feeling of a city school. In my classrooms, the minority is the majority. I teach two classes of English III and two classes of English II. For the four weeks before I was hired, the students had a ( Read more... )

 This weekend I had the amazing opportunity to visit Cincinnati for the Midpoint Music Fest, a city wide SXSW-esque collision of up and coming indie bands. My good friend neilworms  drove me down in his Honda Civic. I came straight out of an interview at a school in Archer Heights, threw off my suit jacket and dress shoes and put on my knockoff Wayfarers ( Read more... )

 I feel that I have a deep connection with Mr. Belvedere. Not the actor, but the character. I am a portly fellow who I  believe carries himself with the upmost dignity. I enjoy the finer things in life, such as a good stiff Scotch and a glorious symphony. In fact, I have recently attempted to grow a mustache in order to feel closer to my fictional ( Read more... )

It's coming down to the wire. If I don't land a job in the next two weeks, I'm out of work for the school year. I'm applying to jobs like it was... well, my job. However, I take comfort in something I say to myself: We just don't disappear; no one gets left behind. I feel that if you have a skill that the average person doesn't have, you will not ( Read more... )

Since my previous entry, I made a ungodly amount of effort in my weight goals. In a little under two months, I have lost 30 lbs. Admittedly, though, if there was a Jedi way of losing weight, I am most definitely doing it the Sith way. Nevertheless, I have come to my unbreakable routine. After coming back from Mexico yesterday, I immediately ( Read more... )

Doc called this morning, told me my blood looked "good". He prescribed me an appetite suppressant as per my request for a different health concern. I'm still probably going to see a dermatologist about these weird discolorations, though ( Read more... )