Designated Doodler

I am drowning in work. Drowning doesn't even begin to cover it. You can ask any teacher, their first year teaching is undoubtedly the worst. The upside is that this isn't my first year teaching. I was a long term sub before finding my spot at my school, so I have a year's worth of experience in coming up with assignments, handling grades, communicating with parents, grading essays, going to meetings, etc. But since I am "real" now thanks to Geppetto, there is a whole slew of new things to trudge through. Teacher inservice week(s) was perhaps the longest experience of my life. I got to go to new teacher training for three days and then do in-service. That's long off the list of things to do, but it wasn't exactly a blast. Now for the things that remain… I need 50 hours of professional development THIS YEAR because of my alternative certification program (regular teachers need 25 or 75 in three years). I also get three in class visitors that review...

You are a poem that breathes Words living in lungs that heave Hot breath across your lips The bows of which comprise a sonnet Your tongue a crimson harp With never-ending verse upon it Your skin is alight with a fever Burning bright from the meter That dances along Every word and phrase  Composing the song that sings in your brown eyes You are a poem and I a paradox You a ballad and I blank verse It is only through you that I keep time In the rhythm of your heart There is hope I'll find my rhyme

After watching the entire Stieg Larsson series, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I feel like I'm partly fluent in Swedish. Okay, maybe not, but I thoroughly enjoyed the movies. Although it is difficult to watch hours of subtitles (since you can't take your eyes off the screen), the movies are well worth it. I find them interesting for a multitude of reasons, but before I dive into a critique, I want to address the fact that there are two versions of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Apparently, Hollywood found it necessary to remake the first movie. It stars Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig, and although I love those actors, I found it ABSURD that our country felt it necessary to remake a movie that didn't require re-making. The Swedish version of the first movie is stellar, and it would seem that the only reason it was remade in America was so that this country could cash in on it. I personally think it's a shame that we don't show more movies in their native f...

I was watching an episode of Difficult People the other day and Billy Eichner gave us this gem: After seeing/hearing this statement and letting it stew for a moment, you may be asking yourself…"but Liz, is this statement accurate?" And the answer is: no shit Sherlock, of course this statement is accurate. James Spader is beyond hot. He has always been attractive and always will be. Now you may think that this is just my opinion. But it's not. It's fact. Sure you've heard that he's a very "technical" actor who balances on the thin ledge of perfection that overlooks a careening abyss of OCD and insanity…but it just adds to his allure. One could simply say he's "driven." But don't take my word for it, read this Rolling Stone article: James Spader: The Strangest Man on T.V. Aside from being a workaholic... he's damn fine, has a voice smoother than Nutella on a pancake, he has the very best lines in several stellar roles ...

The concrete snakes that twist in the dark Don't know the stakes or the city's heart The winding turns through light and black Down the road so far there's no going back A community of no names  A herd of strangers Moving in silence in the night A trance of stop and go Lost in the hum and vibration The elation of each green light And the yellow's anticipation Sights, sounds, sensations all blurred together I think the road goes on forever And even driving in a loop I still move forward Ending up in the same place Just another person on the road Just another car without a face

Fiercely I miss you And feel myself falling Slipping Backwards and down Tripping upside-down Until I've come right round A full circle Where desire smacks into reality And the totality of the truth Is enough to unravel me I'm falling up  in spite of gravity The depravity of my humanity Jumps out at me Weakness fraught with want I have the words but I can't let them go I have the cards but I can't let them show So I stay Above dreams but below truth The gray murky waters grow And I dwell here In the swell here Ready to burst apart with want Held together with distractions and glue But nothing, none of it will do I need you I want you And I need you to want me too

As the collegiate year kicks off for millions of students, excitement fills the air. But this exciting new adventure isn't everyone's idea of fun. For many students, especially college freshman, the year is fraught with tension, anxiety and uncertainty. Many young people have to deal with things in college that they've never had to deal with before. For example, as an only child, I never had to share a room with another human being until college. Luckily, my roommate went to bed around the same time I did and we got along. But that isn't always the case. Things you may have to deal with include: 1) Being really broke 2) Being homesick 3) Hating the food 4) Adjusting to the level of college work you have to do 5) Making friends 6) Traveling home 7) Dealing with tough roommates/suite-mates 8) Discovering the horror of communal bathrooms and Ramen noodles for three meals a day Anyway…the point is…there's a lot that you may not like about college and i...