Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Blelvis

I came home one day from work and there was a six and a half foot tall black man doing Elvis Presley impersonations in my living room. Not a total stranger, somebody I know, my friend Kenny. Children's entertainer, clown, all around funny and great guy.

Some years ago I had a friend who was about the same height and was a big old white guy from Canada. He did a REALLY GOOD Sammy Davis, Jr. impersonation. But I'm not in touch with him anymore.

Too bad I can't introduce them and have them do a show together.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Addictive Personalities

My husband and I have become addicted, of late, to this game. This game has become the topic of most of our conversations. This game has led to in-house rivalry. This game has us to the point where we are having to make rules about when we are allowed to play this game, because we really ought to pay attention to our children once in a while. This game has led me to look up the signs of addiction, and I found this on a web site:
  • The early signs of addiction include using a drug or process to relieve stress, becoming preoccupied with a substance or process, increasing intake of a drug or use of a process, and experiencing negative consequences because of use of a drug or participation in an addictive process (http://www.lscc.edu/healthsafety/addiction.asp).

Relieve stress, aye. Preoccupied, aye. Increasing use, aye.

Negative consequences? Not yet. Well, the kids are still alive. But when is enough enough? But the other morning when I momentarily considered staying home from work, because I was so tired from staying up until 11:30pm playing - Well, I got a little worried. I thought, if I stay home, it would be an excuse to play more, you see, and I don't really have a good reason to stay home in the first place. So after mentally rebuking myself for even considering sleeping in, I dragged my sorry self out of bed.

When is enough enough? Is it negative to all of a sudden decide to buy a new computer, because it will run this game faster and better? Of course, I'm justifying it by saying that I did have my birthday money there, and I can also write it off on taxes because I'll be using it primarily for work. But would we have spent the money otherwise? Well, I really was due for a new computer, wasn't I?

Friday, May 19, 2006

Geometry

I learned today, after working on a geometry unit with my 7th grade math class for the past three weeks, that the radii of a circle are all *arcs*, and that an equilateral triangle has *four* sides.

These were answers to multiple choice questions.

According to the California 7th grade mathematics standards, I'm supposed to be teaching them to calculate surface area and volume of simple geometrical solids. How can I do that when they won't even TRY to remember how many sides a triangle has?

Sunday, May 14, 2006

All bounced out

When you're hearing *bounce* *bounce* *bounce* *nothing*...