you CAN improve your willpower!!

...or so says Discover Magazine. There was an article in a recent issue about willpower and how there is a mental reserve of something that helps you set aside energy for other tasks, like finding something else to do besides eat halloween candy. It's the same energy, according to them, that is responsible for willpower. The trick is to do things that require effort of will, like brushing your teeth or eating with your non-dominant hand. So, if this is true, then with practice you can become better at resisting your vices.

Misc and sundry

Wow, I haven't posted since September! Not that it matters - I think this is more of a diary than a blog. And, I have mostly been posting on my training blog.
I am planning our Christmas trip to Colorado. I typed up our itinerary, bought tickets, and reserved motel rooms yesterday. So far, this is what we are doing:

Saturday, December 19th
9:00 a.m. Departure for Truth or Consequences, NM
2:00 p.m. Arrival Geronimo Springs Museum
3:00 p.m. Departure for Albuquerque, NM
5:30 Arrival at Ambassador Inn One
6:30 Departure for River of Lights

Sunday, December 20th
10:00 a.m. Departure for Marianne’s House
5:00 p.m. Arrival at Marianne’s House

Monday, December 21st
11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Denver Christkindl Market

Tuesday, December 22nd
1:00 Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday, December 23rd
12:00 p.m. Denver Mint

Thursday, December 24th
Bake Christmas Cookies!

Saturday, December 26th
10:00 a.m. Departure for Albuquerque, NM
7:00 Arrival at Ambassador Inn

Sunday, December 27th
10:00 a.m. Departure for Home

It's a little neurotic, I know, but I planned so many things I had to make sure that I didn't overdo it and didn't plan too many things for one day. So we are stopping at a museum 4 hours or so into the drive. I thought the name of the town Truth or Consequences was so funny, we could not possibly drive by without stopping. That evening, we are having dinner and seeing the River of Lights in Albuquerque. This is a light display at their botanical gardens. It sounds spectacular!
In Denver we're going to do lots of different things. The Christkindl market is the local park dressed up as a German Christmas town. There will be lots of German and other European food and crafty things. It sounds awesome. I am really excited about touring the Denver Mint to see how the coins are stamped out and such. I love traveling! It's a shame we can't do it more often. It's really expensive though.
I am thinking that Marianne and maybe even Chris will have an awful time going to work instead of playing hooky and coming to our adventures with us.

Speaking of traveling, I am applying for a fully funded trip to Costa Rica next summer. It is for teachers and it's sponsored by Toyota. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

It isn't just black people thinking it...

This post really resonated with me this morning. Rep. Wilson's outburst during President Obama's speech really bothered me. The first thing I thought when I read about it on the news was, "This would have NEVER happened to a white president." In her post, Ms. Mitchell says that most African-Americans are thinking that racism is behind Wilson's outburst. It isn't just the African-Americans. There are some of us who know racism when we see it, regardless of the color of our own skin. I'm glad Jimmy Carter said it out loud.

Rat Poop

My new job is to take over for a math teacher that has been moved to an instructional coaching position. She has been in the same classroom for 10 years. Teachers, probably more than in any other occupation, accumulate stuff. Books, manipulatives, posters, calculators, magnets, ... stuff. This particular teacher seems to have had a problem throwing things away. Even broken things. In the classroom there is a tall cupboard with shelves, like a pantry. Today after school I was trying to get it cleaned out. (This teacher keeps telling me she is going to come and move the rest of her stuff, and nothing has moved an inch.) So I started at the top, cleaning out and organizing things. There is a Toshiba laptop with all the cords and a nice bag. There is a broken stereo speaker and a bag of unidentifiable, miscellaneous cords. There are paper bags, grocery bags, gift bags, garbage bags. Napkins, random plastic utensils, a razor blade. You get the idea. It hasn't been cleaned once. I got to the bottom shelf and was digging out paper bags when I got to some that had been chewed. I could actually see the little rat teeth marks. Very cautiously, I knelt down and peered in to discover droppings. I got a paper towel to swipe out the remaining garbage, fully expecting a rat to jump out at me. Fortunately, all I found was two boxes of VHS tapes from roughly 15 years ago, one of which was actually glued to the shelf with rat piss. HANTA VIRUS!!!! my brain is screaming. But I can't stop cleaning it... nobody else is going to do it and now that I know it's there, how can I live with it?? So I sprayed on a LOT of the industrial strength cleaner that was also in the closet, and let it soak. The stains didn't come out.... ugh.

Forced growth

Part of me thinks that all of this is happening because if my daughters and I are not forced to separate, we never will. And that can't be healthy for any of us.

What is wrong with this picture?

I have to get all this out somewhere and I guess that's why I have a blog. I crunched some numbers yesterday and found out that the 7th graders I taught last year showed the biggest single increase over their previous years' scores at that school since the 2004-05 school year. Their scores increased by an average of 16% over their 6th grade scores. And I only had 2 quarters to teach them before the AIMS test. It escapes me how nobody from the district is looking at the data and saying wait, what is happening here? I taught the majority of the 7th graders... I had four very full classes and the other 7th grade math teacher had 3 smaller ones. I am thinking of writing an email to the superintendent asking why I can't get a job in TUSD and why they went out of state to hire highly qualified math teachers, and ignored the one right in their backyard.
Today I sent an email to the entire family outlining my plan for what will happen if I don't have a job by the end of August, which is about a week and a half away. I've been in bed for the last three days. My youngest daughter is vomiting every morning before school. My oldest hasn't smiled in days. I think we're all doing our crying in private... trying to be strong for each other, I guess.
I am trying to count my blessings. I have a supportive family who won't let us be out on the street. We are all healthy. I will be able to get my master's degree even if I don't find a job. The oldest daughter's college is almost completely paid for with scholarships and grants. My credit isn't ruined... yet. There is bound to be something great waiting for us at the end of this long night. So I just keep praying.

Those poor men!!

This is a great article about how the recession is mostly happening to men. A few of the highlights:
-Men dominate the hardest-hit sectors of the workforce during the recession, so more of them are being laid off than women. Boo hoo.
-For the first time in history, women are close to becoming half the workforce. This article says the milemark is bittersweet, but I say no it's not. Women are unemployed too. I would know.
-Even though women are nearly half the workforce, they still make 80 cents on the man's dollar. This lead to a very astute comment on the article stating that all of these previously male-dominated employment sectors are replacing those laid-off men with women whose salaries are 20% lower. It's a win-win for the upper echelon... as always.
The article is good, if too sympathetic to the men. The graph is hilarious, and the comments... well you should just go read it!

Stephanopolous takes down Gingrich

I thought this was definitely the high point of today's This Week. Gingrich is nothing but a hatemonger. He tells lies and spreads rumors, and the only time he gets called on it is when he is foolish enough to appear on a political talk show. You would think resigning in disgrace would be enough to convince him to keep his pie hole shut... but I guess the fact that he doesn't get it is at least good for entertainment value.

Another reason to feel sorry for white men

Silver Lining

1918 Flu-level pandemic means a lotta people are going to be missing work (read: dead)...Maybe I can finally get a job.

Friday Morning Stomachache

Pat Buchanan is all about protecting that endangered species, that put-upon, degraded, ignored, and under-appreciated white man. Among his more brilliant arguments on Rachel Maddow's show, when asked why 95.5% of supreme court justices thus far have been white:
I think white men were 100% of the people who wrote the constitution, 100% of the people who signed the Declaration of Independence, 100% of the people who died at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, probably close 100% of the people who died at Normandy. This has been a country basically built by white folks.
He says that Sotomayor isn't qualified for the supreme court because her test scores aren't high enough; because she got into Princeton based on her race rather than her intelligence; that she doesn't have the kind of mind to go up against, say, Scalia. He goes on to say that when all of the US Olympic track team is all black, he doesn't automatically assume discrimination. He thinks maybe they are just the fastest guys out there. When he looks at the US hockey team, and they are all white guys from Minnesota, he thinks maybe they are just the best hockey players out there. He says he opposed Harriet Meyer because she too wasn't qualified and didn't have the best thinking mind; even though she was a good Christian woman and would have voted with him. It's the THINKING MIND that matters. So following his own words, when he looks at the Supreme Court of the United States and sees they are all white guys, well, he thinks maybe they are just the smartest guys out there.
He goes out on this note: "They ought to defend the legitimate rights of white working class folks who are the victims of discrimination because that's the right thing to do and because it's the politically right thing to do."
He is absolutely convinced of his argument. It's just scary. Next time he appears in public I think he might be wearing a white hood.

heehee!!!

This guy's really funny.

Signs of improvement

The economy must be improving, because last week I started receiving credit card offers again. Also I got checks to use the cards I already have. That hasn't happened in about a year.

Those funny republicans

Did you see this? How about these? And this? Aren't they funny, those republicans? Know what they all had in common? Apologies. Oh, they are so sorry. They never meant to offend anyone. They just thought they were being humorous. They didn't see anything overtly racist! They don't think of things in terms of black and white!
Know what? How about when you idiots do stuff like this, you keep your self-serving apology? How about instead, you grow a pair and say that those thoughts should not be crossing your mind IN THE FIRST PLACE? How about if you say that you understand you did something racist, and that you are going to try to change your thought processes? At least, for the love of pete, stop trying to convince us that you're not really racist. YOU ARE.

The Patriarchy

We are approaching the official Celebration of the Patriarchy, otherwise known as Father's Day. I have been hearing the most vile commercial on the radio, trying to convince people to shop for Father's Day at the Foothills Mall here in Tucson. In the commercial, someone is listing great things about dads. I can't remember the exact wording or voices until the part where someone says, "To his own special way of dealing with the ladies." This is followed by a wolf whistle, then a boy's voice says, "Dad, stop staring!" After that there is the sound of a slap, and a male voice says, "Ow!"
Really?
Are you kidding me?
This is a quality of a "great dad?" A great dad is someone whistling at a woman who is clearly not the child's mother, in front of his child? Someone who stares at random women in front of his son? Really? It's sexist and awful. VILE.
So, I wrote a letter to the management. If you want to write a letter, the email addresses are at the link above.

Update: Got this today from the marketing director:
Hello,
I just wanted to let you know that the Marketing Director has been instructed to pull the commercial immediately.
Thank you again.

Victory

Historic anti-smoking legislation sped to final congressional passage on Friday — after a bitter fight lasting nearly a half-century — and lawmakers and the White House quickly declared it would save the lives of thousands of smokers of all ages. Even more important, they said, the measure could keep countless young people from starting in the first place.
_ Cigarette packages will have warning labels that cover 50 percent of the front and rear. The word "warning" must be included in capital letters.

_ Any remaining tobacco-related sponsorships of sports and entertainment events will be banned, as will giveaways of non-tobacco items with the purchase of a tobacco product. A federal ban will be imposed on all outdoor tobacco advertising within 1,000 feet of schools and playgrounds.

_ Point-of-sale advertising will be limited to adults-only facilities, and remaining vending machines will disappear except in places restricted to adults. Retailers who sell to minors will be subject to federal enforcement and penalties.

_ Smokers, particularly the younger crowd, will find they can no longer buy cigarettes sweetened by candy flavors or any herb or spices such as strawberry, grape, orange, clove, cinnamon or vanilla. Cigarettes advertised as "light" or "mild," giving the impression that they aren't as harmful to health, will no longer be found on store shelves.

The FDA tried to exert authority over tobacco products in the 1990s, but the industry fought back and the Supreme Court in 2000 ruled, in a 5-4 decision, that the agency did not have regulatory powers over tobacco under then-existing law. Several efforts by lawmakers since then had fallen short, victims of industry lobbying and opposition from the Bush White House.

This NEVER would have happened without the election of Barack Obama.

DOH!!!

I started a math class for my master's degree on Monday. We adjusted the schedule that day so that we could be done before July 4th weekend. As a class, we voted to begin class at 8:30 and end at noon, instead of going 9:00 - 11:45, which was the original scheduled time. Well, I went home and didn't look at my notes, and put 9:00 in my calendar. So for the last 2 days in a row, I have been 1/2 hour late for class. Both days when I have come in, there has been discussion about classroom issues going on. Things like, "This division algorithm seems really complicated to me. How would I explain it to 7th graders?" Things that aren't math. So I didn't realize I was coming in late, because it seemed to me class hadn't started yet.
The teacher for this class is also my thesis advisor. I had spent some hours on my thesis problem and wasn't sure about how I was doing, so I emailed him asking if he could stay after class to read what I had and tell me if I was on the right track. He didn't respond to my email. So yesterday after class I asked if he received my email. He said yes, but he was acting very strangely... he wouldn't look me in the eye, and his words were terse. He said we could talk about it and we both sat down. Then he says, "The thing is, you have to start showing up on time." I said I thought I was on time. He told me class started at 8:30. I'm quite certain my horror was obvious on my face. I apologized, and his response to my apology was, "You voted on the time change." I said I put the wrong time in my calendar, and I would make sure to be on time. I've been in this master's program for 2 years now. I've rarely been late or absent for any of my classes. It seems to me this is a forgivable offense. Anyway, I got out my thesis notebook and showed him what I had been doing. I said, "This is my restatement of the problem, and this is what I have so far." Bear in mind, I had told him in the email that I needed to know if I was on the right track, and he said he received my email. So he looks at what I have on the first page, and without bothering to turn the page and see the rest of it, he says, "So what is your question?" And he didn't say it nicely. I said, "I just need to know whether I am on the right track." I turned the page so he could see what I had written about how to solve the problem, and this is what he says to me: "Why did you write all this stuff?" Well, I was done with him at that point. I can't remember the time when I felt more stupid than at that moment. I said, "That is what I was thinking when I was trying to figure out how the problem was constructed." I must have conveyed my anger and desire to flee, because he finally lightened up and started talking to me about how to approach the problem. I listened to what he said, offered no more of my own thoughts, and thanked him. I got up and apologized again for my mistake with the starting time, and again my apology went unacknowledged.
So, even though I really love the things we are doing in class, I don't want to go. My feelings are hurt. I made a mistake... I see no reason why he should be possessed to be so rude and unkind to me. All I can do is apologize and fix the mistake. The worst part is that the next time I need help with my thesis problem, it will be exceedingly difficult to approach him. I doubt I will be able to bring myself to do it. I want nothing to do with him. Maybe given some time, I will feel better about the situation... I hope so... because it's a fucking THESIS and I might need some fucking HELP.

I found it!!!

I found it!! My perfect job.

I wish I hadn't clicked the link

Now that I have, however, I must share it with you.
Everybody knows that the Old Boy's Club hates Sotomayor. What is there to like about her? First of all, she has a vagina. Strike one. Second, she is other than Caucasian. Strike two. Third of all, she has the audacity to think that strikes one and two allow her some kind of BENEFIT when it comes to her ability to judge people, things, and situations. Think of it! Being other than a white male, in this, the U.S. of A., and thinking there's some kind of ADVANTAGE to this fact!
Obama's decision to nominate a Hispanic female to the Supreme Court is just the latest in a long sequence of attempts to de-white-cockify our government. We can't stand for it! Before long, women and coloreds will have more influence than the long-suffering white American male! People, take action!
It just struck me yesterday the reason for the super-abundance of hate-filled, racist verbal diarrhea regarding Sotomayor that is spewing from the predominately white, male talking heads on the news networks. The past White House positions that Obama has filled with other than white males have all been appointments. There's no debate about those. This, however, is a nomination. (I'm a little slow, I know.) The point is that finally, the talking heads feel they have some say in the matter. The hatred and bigotry that they have been forced to stifle in the first 100 days is all coming out at once, with a vengeance, and is all directed at the same woman. And what exactly can they say about her? See strikes one, two, and three above.
Turns out that's enough.

Listen up, Dickheads

The only thing you have going for you now is money. And that's temporary.