I'll have to keep this short. I haven't been in a blogging mood since school resumed. Unfortunately, I had to deal with one stressful thing or another.
With the three day weekend, I did something I hadn't done since about last January. I planned my lessons for the whole week. Now, that I have some breathing room, I will try to follow up and start planning by Thursday, so that my weekend will be free.
What have I been doing for the last couple of weeks, mostly shopping. Unfortunately, since I've been so stressed out, I haven't been keeping up with my blogging. Long story short, When school resumed, I received a salary adjustment. I received about $3,000. How much do I have now, about $1,480. I spent about $1,000 on supplies, new learning center activities and learning games (aligned to the national standards). I also went to Brooklyn to the teacher's store to buy some more supplies ($72).
Today, I also went to the local Y to see about enrolling...again. Since I had the extra money, it was suggested by another teacher that I should spend some of the money on something for myself as opposed to my classroom. She was thinking in terms of clothes, but I came up with the idea of hiring a personal trainer.
I was surprised that the local Y recently underwent some renovations. One, the price is lower. Now, the price is $288 for a yearly membership. The cost used to be $450 for the premium membership(access to the sauna and the steam room -- now anyone can use the sauna and steam room). There is also some new equipment. Oh, and now they even have boxing lessons for adults. I do want the boxing lessons, but I want the personal training first. I think having a personal trainer for a couple of months will help me lose weight. We'll see.
Post date - Monday, September 28, 2009 10:44PM
Monday, September 28, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Indianapolis - Day 3 (The Crispus Attucks Museum)
Monday, August 3, 2009
No real plan for the next couple of days. 1:16PM I was on the bus for Crispus Attucks Museum. With a Google search, I estimated the distance from the bus to the museum, but I was way off. I had about a 35 minute walk from the bus stop to the museum. However, I didn't mind the walk.
The Crispus Attucks Museum
I thought the CA Museum was a museum dedicated to the life and times of CA, but I was mistaken. It was a Black History Museum located in the Crispus Attucks High School. The admission price was $5. I thought the museum was interesting and educational. Some areas of the museum seemed incomplete, but it was interesting still. I stayed about 90 minutes. I had lunch at a local Hardees restaurant, and walk around downtown for about 3 hours. I took the bus back to the hostel.
The Bus ExperienceThe bus driver and "tin man" were having a very, very loud conversation. "Tin Man" was on the bus a couple of days ago. Tin Man was a name I had given to a guy with a red tin with a wad of single $ bills. He would get on the bus have a loud conversation while counting his single bills. Today, he had the same behavior with a different driver. Today, he was talking LOUDLY and eating Chinese takeaway.
Today (about 3/4 of the way into ride, the bus driver (Yes, the bus driver) begs for a couple of dollars from "Tin Man". The Bus Driver stops at the dingy local store (mentioned in a previous blog entry) keeping the 3 passengers (including myself and Tin Man) waiting 4 or 5 minutes while she went to buy soda and chips. The Bus Driver returns to finish the route on to the last stop and then annouces to those about to get on -- I had gotten off at the last stop. She announced (while I was getting off the bus, "You gotta wait, I'm onna break".
My plan was to ride to the last stop to kill some more time at the mall. I went to Target store. I ended up doing a bit of impluse shopping:
1. Pan's Lambarith DVD
2. Journey to the Center of the Earth DVD
3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
I brought the HP hardcover book to read on the plane ride back from Japan. When I finished reading the book, I gave the book to a local library. At the time, I had given it away with absolute certainty that I would never reread a book more than once even a Harry Potter book. Actually, I barely remember the details from the book. My memory isn't very good. Having just seen the movie, I thought the book would clue me into missing details missing from the movie. I also thought it would be an interesting ride for the approx. 18 hour Greyhound ride back to NYC.
Post Date - Sunday, October 4, 2009 11:55PM
No real plan for the next couple of days. 1:16PM I was on the bus for Crispus Attucks Museum. With a Google search, I estimated the distance from the bus to the museum, but I was way off. I had about a 35 minute walk from the bus stop to the museum. However, I didn't mind the walk.
The Crispus Attucks Museum
I thought the CA Museum was a museum dedicated to the life and times of CA, but I was mistaken. It was a Black History Museum located in the Crispus Attucks High School. The admission price was $5. I thought the museum was interesting and educational. Some areas of the museum seemed incomplete, but it was interesting still. I stayed about 90 minutes. I had lunch at a local Hardees restaurant, and walk around downtown for about 3 hours. I took the bus back to the hostel.
The Bus ExperienceThe bus driver and "tin man" were having a very, very loud conversation. "Tin Man" was on the bus a couple of days ago. Tin Man was a name I had given to a guy with a red tin with a wad of single $ bills. He would get on the bus have a loud conversation while counting his single bills. Today, he had the same behavior with a different driver. Today, he was talking LOUDLY and eating Chinese takeaway.
Today (about 3/4 of the way into ride, the bus driver (Yes, the bus driver) begs for a couple of dollars from "Tin Man". The Bus Driver stops at the dingy local store (mentioned in a previous blog entry) keeping the 3 passengers (including myself and Tin Man) waiting 4 or 5 minutes while she went to buy soda and chips. The Bus Driver returns to finish the route on to the last stop and then annouces to those about to get on -- I had gotten off at the last stop. She announced (while I was getting off the bus, "You gotta wait, I'm onna break".
My plan was to ride to the last stop to kill some more time at the mall. I went to Target store. I ended up doing a bit of impluse shopping:
1. Pan's Lambarith DVD
2. Journey to the Center of the Earth DVD
3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
I brought the HP hardcover book to read on the plane ride back from Japan. When I finished reading the book, I gave the book to a local library. At the time, I had given it away with absolute certainty that I would never reread a book more than once even a Harry Potter book. Actually, I barely remember the details from the book. My memory isn't very good. Having just seen the movie, I thought the book would clue me into missing details missing from the movie. I also thought it would be an interesting ride for the approx. 18 hour Greyhound ride back to NYC.
Post Date - Sunday, October 4, 2009 11:55PM
Monday, September 14, 2009
Indianapolis - Day 3 (The Zoo)
Below is a slideshow of pictures I took at the Indianapolis Zoo. One of the nice things about the Indianapolis Zoo is that it had an aquarium located within the zoo.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Monday, September 07, 2009
Indianapolis - Day 3 (The Zoo)
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Today started very early with a 2AM departure. The group using the back room in the basement left very noisily making at least 7 trips up and down the stairs through the front room where I was trying to sleep. Also a new arrival to the front room turned on the air-conditioner full blast. In a matter of minutes it was like an ice box.
About 12PM, I was on the bus for downtown. The plan was to use the last tickets in our downtown tourist booklet to go to the zoo. Since INpal had to go to church, I wasn't sure what time he would be finished, so I started off alone.
We ended up meeting at the zoo about 2PM. The zoo combined an aquarium within the zoo. I thought the zoo was very nice. We saw a dolphin show, which was okay. To me, the dolphin show seemed a bit short. The lights were low, and the action was a bit too fast for my slow hands. I really didn't get any good shots at the dolphin show. While in the zoo, INpal picked up the tab for lunch, which was a nice surprise.
Later, we went to see the Harry Potter Movie in IMAX. The "IMAX" experience was a bit of a waste. They gave out 3D glasses, so I assumed the whole or most of the movie would be in 3D. Actually, only about 10 minutes of the beginning was in 3D. Yep, that's it, only 10 minutes of a 2.5 hour movie. Yes, I felt a bit cheated. The movie was long but it was enjoyable.
After the movie, INpal and I went for dinner. Unfortunately, most of the places were closed due to it being Sunday. It took a bit of driving, but eventually we settled on KFC/Taco Bell. After dinner, INpal returned me to the hostel. After giving him a couple of NYC souvenirs, we said good bye.
A couple of months ago, INpal mentioned that he would not be available for touring after Sunday. In Indianapolis, schools open around the beginning of August. Instead of changing my plans, I decided to just hang out and explore on my own for the next couple of days.
* The attached photo is of a snake display at the snake house in the zoo.
Post Date - Monday, September 7, 2009 11:22PM
Today started very early with a 2AM departure. The group using the back room in the basement left very noisily making at least 7 trips up and down the stairs through the front room where I was trying to sleep. Also a new arrival to the front room turned on the air-conditioner full blast. In a matter of minutes it was like an ice box.About 12PM, I was on the bus for downtown. The plan was to use the last tickets in our downtown tourist booklet to go to the zoo. Since INpal had to go to church, I wasn't sure what time he would be finished, so I started off alone.
We ended up meeting at the zoo about 2PM. The zoo combined an aquarium within the zoo. I thought the zoo was very nice. We saw a dolphin show, which was okay. To me, the dolphin show seemed a bit short. The lights were low, and the action was a bit too fast for my slow hands. I really didn't get any good shots at the dolphin show. While in the zoo, INpal picked up the tab for lunch, which was a nice surprise.
Later, we went to see the Harry Potter Movie in IMAX. The "IMAX" experience was a bit of a waste. They gave out 3D glasses, so I assumed the whole or most of the movie would be in 3D. Actually, only about 10 minutes of the beginning was in 3D. Yep, that's it, only 10 minutes of a 2.5 hour movie. Yes, I felt a bit cheated. The movie was long but it was enjoyable.
After the movie, INpal and I went for dinner. Unfortunately, most of the places were closed due to it being Sunday. It took a bit of driving, but eventually we settled on KFC/Taco Bell. After dinner, INpal returned me to the hostel. After giving him a couple of NYC souvenirs, we said good bye.
A couple of months ago, INpal mentioned that he would not be available for touring after Sunday. In Indianapolis, schools open around the beginning of August. Instead of changing my plans, I decided to just hang out and explore on my own for the next couple of days.
* The attached photo is of a snake display at the snake house in the zoo.
Post Date - Monday, September 7, 2009 11:22PM
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Indianapolis - Day 2 (Indiana State Museum)
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Below is a slideshow of photos I took at the Indiana State Museum. It was a very nice museum that combined two or three museums into one.
Below is a slideshow of photos I took at the Indiana State Museum. It was a very nice museum that combined two or three museums into one.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Indianapolis - Day 2
August 1, 2009
Today was the day I met my Indianapolis epal for the first time. There was a bit of confusion for the meeting spot. The hostel is basically a residential house used as a hostel. The location of the hostel is on the corner of an intersection. The hostel entrance and parking spaces are located on one side, whereas the residential front is located on the other street. Anyway, we were both waiting (INpal at the front while I was waiting at the side) until INpal called wondering where I was waiting. With the confusion settled, we were on our way.
The first stop was the Downtown Visitor's Center. INpal suggested we go to the White River State Park. Since Inpal was driving and being the tour guide, I paid for the park passes. The cost was $84 for two adults. With the passes, we received about a 25% discount of various attractions.
1st stop was the NCAA Museum. Although I'm not a sports person, I said it was okay to start at this museum. I knew INpal was a sports fan, so I thought he would enjoy this museum. The museum was interesting. Basically, the various displays gave information about that displays college sport (including the uniform of the player). It was interesting.
2nd stop was the National State Museum. I enjoyed the museum.
3rd stop was at a sports bar/restaurant called "Champs". Since INpal was driving and being tour guide, I picked up the check (about $20+tip). The food was very good. Oh, on our way to the bar/restaurant, we noticed a crowd in front of a hotel across the street. It turns out the Dave Matthews Band was leaving. Someone nearby explained this to us. The guy also explained that each member of the band had his own tour bus. To be honest, I had to Google the name.
4th stop was the Eiteljorg Museum (A Native American Museum). This museum was also very nice. (except for museum guard incident). After being in the museum for about 30 minutes (upstairs). The guard approached to tell me that I wasn't allowed to have a backpack on. He wanted me to return to the entrance and check it. I reminded him the museum was closing in about 5 minutes. The guy was persistent! Finally, he suggested that if I wore the backpack over only one shoulder, then there shouldn't be a problem. INpal? He was off texting. Actually, I have to say that I thought INpal was a real trooper. I got the impression that INpal was bored from time to time from finding him around the corner at each of the museums sitting and texting. But, I was glad he really didn't show boredom. Sorry, the episode with the museum guard put me in a bad mood.
5th stop was to INpal's classroom. Yep, he's a fellow teacher. I was extremely impressed with his classroom. It's like the classroom's you see of TV but you don't really think exists in the real world. Everything was new, and clean, he had space and loads of supplies. Walls could be decorated anyway the teacher wanted. He had access to his classroom 24/7. It was a lot like a DoDDS classroom. I had forgotten about the "variables" to teaching locations. The guy had a very nice classroom. It was also nice that INpal wasn't showing off. Basically, INpal showed me his classroom and talked about the pluses and minus and that was it. Very nice. Oh, and he mentioned enough "minuses" to remind me that grass isn't always greener on the other side. The classroom visit put me in a good mood.
6th stop. INpal took me to something called a "Battlefield Game". Sorry, I tried to Google the name, but I only received a video game. The game INpal showed me was a game that tries to teach students cooperative skills and team building. It was interesting. Each team has members armed with foam batons. The object is to use the baton to hit your opponent. Once hit, a person is out (or in limbo). The objective is to get to the "king". Think of it like the game "Capture the Flag" played with foam batons.
7th stop. We decided to go for dinner (after a quick stop at a war memorial). I suggested a place called the Spaghetti Factory. Sorry, The Old Spaghetti Factory. I picked up the tab, but I don't remember the cost. Anyway, the meal was very good. I took what I didn't eat back to the hostel with me.
* The attached photo is the hostel I said at during my time in Indianapolis.
Post Date - Thursday, August 3, 2009 9:29PM
Today was the day I met my Indianapolis epal for the first time. There was a bit of confusion for the meeting spot. The hostel is basically a residential house used as a hostel. The location of the hostel is on the corner of an intersection. The hostel entrance and parking spaces are located on one side, whereas the residential front is located on the other street. Anyway, we were both waiting (INpal at the front while I was waiting at the side) until INpal called wondering where I was waiting. With the confusion settled, we were on our way.The first stop was the Downtown Visitor's Center. INpal suggested we go to the White River State Park. Since Inpal was driving and being the tour guide, I paid for the park passes. The cost was $84 for two adults. With the passes, we received about a 25% discount of various attractions.
1st stop was the NCAA Museum. Although I'm not a sports person, I said it was okay to start at this museum. I knew INpal was a sports fan, so I thought he would enjoy this museum. The museum was interesting. Basically, the various displays gave information about that displays college sport (including the uniform of the player). It was interesting.
2nd stop was the National State Museum. I enjoyed the museum.
3rd stop was at a sports bar/restaurant called "Champs". Since INpal was driving and being tour guide, I picked up the check (about $20+tip). The food was very good. Oh, on our way to the bar/restaurant, we noticed a crowd in front of a hotel across the street. It turns out the Dave Matthews Band was leaving. Someone nearby explained this to us. The guy also explained that each member of the band had his own tour bus. To be honest, I had to Google the name.
4th stop was the Eiteljorg Museum (A Native American Museum). This museum was also very nice. (except for museum guard incident). After being in the museum for about 30 minutes (upstairs). The guard approached to tell me that I wasn't allowed to have a backpack on. He wanted me to return to the entrance and check it. I reminded him the museum was closing in about 5 minutes. The guy was persistent! Finally, he suggested that if I wore the backpack over only one shoulder, then there shouldn't be a problem. INpal? He was off texting. Actually, I have to say that I thought INpal was a real trooper. I got the impression that INpal was bored from time to time from finding him around the corner at each of the museums sitting and texting. But, I was glad he really didn't show boredom. Sorry, the episode with the museum guard put me in a bad mood.
5th stop was to INpal's classroom. Yep, he's a fellow teacher. I was extremely impressed with his classroom. It's like the classroom's you see of TV but you don't really think exists in the real world. Everything was new, and clean, he had space and loads of supplies. Walls could be decorated anyway the teacher wanted. He had access to his classroom 24/7. It was a lot like a DoDDS classroom. I had forgotten about the "variables" to teaching locations. The guy had a very nice classroom. It was also nice that INpal wasn't showing off. Basically, INpal showed me his classroom and talked about the pluses and minus and that was it. Very nice. Oh, and he mentioned enough "minuses" to remind me that grass isn't always greener on the other side. The classroom visit put me in a good mood.
6th stop. INpal took me to something called a "Battlefield Game". Sorry, I tried to Google the name, but I only received a video game. The game INpal showed me was a game that tries to teach students cooperative skills and team building. It was interesting. Each team has members armed with foam batons. The object is to use the baton to hit your opponent. Once hit, a person is out (or in limbo). The objective is to get to the "king". Think of it like the game "Capture the Flag" played with foam batons.
7th stop. We decided to go for dinner (after a quick stop at a war memorial). I suggested a place called the Spaghetti Factory. Sorry, The Old Spaghetti Factory. I picked up the tab, but I don't remember the cost. Anyway, the meal was very good. I took what I didn't eat back to the hostel with me.
* The attached photo is the hostel I said at during my time in Indianapolis.
Post Date - Thursday, August 3, 2009 9:29PM
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
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