Halloween is fast arriving, and Robby keep saying that this is our first real Halloween where we pass out candy to little kiddies. Next, he said in passing as we were driving up the 110 freeway to Pasadena, we'll be celebrating Halloween by dressing up our own kiddies. It was a strange feeling for him to go from dropping by Halloween party to Halloween party as a bachelor to now preparing bowls of candy for the 200+ little ones who will be showing up at our front door.
We've invited a few friends to hang out Friday evening. We'll project some scary movies on the wall - we haven't decided which movies yet, but I'm thinking of Carrie or Saw - and hang out as the kids arrive. Robby is planning scaring the trick-or-treaters with a skull half-mask and a retractable knife. I hope he doesn't go too far by making any of them pee from fright. I will wear all black, put on a set of wings and a wig that I bought in Hollywood. I've never worn a wig before, so I'm anxious to show off the color hair I've always wanted: blue.
Wednesday will be a pumpkin carving night, I think. We'll have to clean up the apartment, find a place to put our new six-foot bean bag, and carry some empty boxes into the garage.
I'm excited!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Relieved to Leave Las Vegas
Robby and I just spent a long blissful weekend in Las Vegas. Okay, maybe not blissful - one does not visit Las Vegas for tranquility and bliss. But I was glad to leave town for a few days, even if we were traveling to the center of a vast and endless desert.
By the end of the second evening, I told myself that 1.5 days is enough to spend in Vegas. On the first night, we had walked the strip, from the unpretentious Travelodge, past the new, shiny Planet Hollywood, the elaborate Paris!, the tacky Buffalo Bill's, and the legs-galore Flamingo, all the way to Treasure Island, whose water show was canceled due to high winds. We were inundated with sparkly lights everywhere, music piped through hidden speakers, men with microphones luring us with "You too can win $1000 on one pull of the lever. Why, look at this man here...", and hundreds of Latino men and women who shoved business cards in front of Robby. These pictured nearly nude women and phone numbers - prostitutes, escorts, call girls, whatever they're called. In the evening, we saw a wonderfully quaint drag show at the Harmon Theater. It was the cheapest show we could find, at $35 per person, including dinner. Albeit, the dinner was disgustingly greasy Chinese food. But the drag show was fantastic. It consisted of 6 large and busty transvestites, like Miss Conception (the MC), Alexis Dealer, and Nia Simone. They wore glittery make-up, 6-inch stilettos, fancy dresses, and large wigs. Nia Simone was the resident clothing designer, and her creations were creative. Each one came out lip syncing a famous pop song and gesturing in lewd and lascivious ways. As they danced down aisles, they flirted with the patrons & took $1 bills. One drag queen dressed as Erykah Badu and sang "Tyrone". She wore a 4-foot-high head wrap for the first half of the song and reappeared with an enormous afro for the second half. The only blonde wore a stewardess outfit and danced to Britney Spear's toxic. The crass and raunchy MC, Miss Conception, was by far the most talented. She lip synced a slow hit single by Evanescence and a Rocky Horror Picture Show song. She made it all look so easy, and she had the perfect facial expressions and gestures to fit each beat and note.
What about the patrons? They were from all walks of life - mostly women. Many more old people that I had expected. There were at least 5 people over the age of 65. One bachelorette party and a large female party with a handful of gay men. All in all, a seemingly wholesome crowd, which surprised me. I guess they had come to see a semi-bawdy vaudeville show. Nothing visual was crude or remotely R-rated, though Miss Conception was pretty crude in speech.
Photo below: Erykah Badu's "Tyrone"
As for gambling, I lost $31 and felt quite satisfied that I had the Las Vegas experience. Robby played roulette, video poker, craps, and Texas Hold'em. I wanted to play Texas Hold'em but it got too late. I lost interest in roulette quickly because it was so easy to lose money quickly.
With the huge crowds in Las Vegas, one wouldn't think that the country is currently experiencing a recession. Traffic was horrendous, the sidewalks were teeming with tourists, and the Cirque du Soleil show seemed sold out. People crowded around gambling tables with stacks of chips, ready to let go of their money at a roll of a die. Recession? What recession? What economic collapse?
Me, I got tired of seeing scantily clad women walking long stretches from one massive hotel to another in 55-degree weather. Saturday was the coldest day of the year to date, and, still, women shuffled along sidewalks without coats, their butts sagging out of super-tight shorts. What bothered me most were women who subjected themselves to 4+ -inch heels. They either wobbled like teetering ballerinas or pushed their hip outward, looking like upright mules. Watching women in heels pains me because I know that NO woman can feel comfortable wearing a pair of heels over a long period of time (by "long", I mean more than 15 minutes of walking). Imagining their pain makes me cringe, makes me pity them. How stupid they are to sacrifice comfort for beauty.
So, this is Las Vegas, where people learn both the insignificance of money and (oppositely) the glamor and prestige that comes with it. Overabundant opulence through and through.
Photo below: I'm exclaiming, "I can't believe I'm in Europe!"
By the end of the second evening, I told myself that 1.5 days is enough to spend in Vegas. On the first night, we had walked the strip, from the unpretentious Travelodge, past the new, shiny Planet Hollywood, the elaborate Paris!, the tacky Buffalo Bill's, and the legs-galore Flamingo, all the way to Treasure Island, whose water show was canceled due to high winds. We were inundated with sparkly lights everywhere, music piped through hidden speakers, men with microphones luring us with "You too can win $1000 on one pull of the lever. Why, look at this man here...", and hundreds of Latino men and women who shoved business cards in front of Robby. These pictured nearly nude women and phone numbers - prostitutes, escorts, call girls, whatever they're called. In the evening, we saw a wonderfully quaint drag show at the Harmon Theater. It was the cheapest show we could find, at $35 per person, including dinner. Albeit, the dinner was disgustingly greasy Chinese food. But the drag show was fantastic. It consisted of 6 large and busty transvestites, like Miss Conception (the MC), Alexis Dealer, and Nia Simone. They wore glittery make-up, 6-inch stilettos, fancy dresses, and large wigs. Nia Simone was the resident clothing designer, and her creations were creative. Each one came out lip syncing a famous pop song and gesturing in lewd and lascivious ways. As they danced down aisles, they flirted with the patrons & took $1 bills. One drag queen dressed as Erykah Badu and sang "Tyrone". She wore a 4-foot-high head wrap for the first half of the song and reappeared with an enormous afro for the second half. The only blonde wore a stewardess outfit and danced to Britney Spear's toxic. The crass and raunchy MC, Miss Conception, was by far the most talented. She lip synced a slow hit single by Evanescence and a Rocky Horror Picture Show song. She made it all look so easy, and she had the perfect facial expressions and gestures to fit each beat and note.
What about the patrons? They were from all walks of life - mostly women. Many more old people that I had expected. There were at least 5 people over the age of 65. One bachelorette party and a large female party with a handful of gay men. All in all, a seemingly wholesome crowd, which surprised me. I guess they had come to see a semi-bawdy vaudeville show. Nothing visual was crude or remotely R-rated, though Miss Conception was pretty crude in speech.
Photo below: Erykah Badu's "Tyrone"
As for gambling, I lost $31 and felt quite satisfied that I had the Las Vegas experience. Robby played roulette, video poker, craps, and Texas Hold'em. I wanted to play Texas Hold'em but it got too late. I lost interest in roulette quickly because it was so easy to lose money quickly.
With the huge crowds in Las Vegas, one wouldn't think that the country is currently experiencing a recession. Traffic was horrendous, the sidewalks were teeming with tourists, and the Cirque du Soleil show seemed sold out. People crowded around gambling tables with stacks of chips, ready to let go of their money at a roll of a die. Recession? What recession? What economic collapse?
Me, I got tired of seeing scantily clad women walking long stretches from one massive hotel to another in 55-degree weather. Saturday was the coldest day of the year to date, and, still, women shuffled along sidewalks without coats, their butts sagging out of super-tight shorts. What bothered me most were women who subjected themselves to 4+ -inch heels. They either wobbled like teetering ballerinas or pushed their hip outward, looking like upright mules. Watching women in heels pains me because I know that NO woman can feel comfortable wearing a pair of heels over a long period of time (by "long", I mean more than 15 minutes of walking). Imagining their pain makes me cringe, makes me pity them. How stupid they are to sacrifice comfort for beauty.
So, this is Las Vegas, where people learn both the insignificance of money and (oppositely) the glamor and prestige that comes with it. Overabundant opulence through and through.
Photo below: I'm exclaiming, "I can't believe I'm in Europe!"
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Early Morning Reflection
It’s 3:37am, Thursday morning. Yes, early for a weekday. Today I woke up unusually early - usually, my eyes open before 6am. I toss and turn, trying to return to sleep, but it never works. By the time my consciousness is aroused, my mind is cluttered with thoughts.
My mornings usually start with unwelcoming thoughts about third period class. The images of particular students raid my mind, and with these unpleasant reminders of the coming day, I open my eyes to the dark. I close my eyes, but I start thinking about what I want to say to these few kids – maybe 5 of them – to set them straight. What can I say to set them straight? These few are immature, selfish little smart alecks, who are disrespectful little punks. They feel okay interrupting me and saying stupid or rude remarks to other kids. It’s been going on since the first day of school. Since the first day of school, I’ve threatened to boot out the bad kids, and I’ve tried, but they keep coming back. They’re ignorant and proud of it, and all they are worth is the nothing that they produce in my class – empty pages and unused pens. Granted, I’m not talking about all the kids, just a few. But too many to pinpoint just two, too many to boot out at once.
Most of the kids are pretty decent, I’d say. Beyond third period, I have a total of [42+34+34+26+19 = 155] 155 students. Lots. And most of them are decent. Three of these classes are honors, and the kids who are in there aren’t the brightest or most skilled lot, but they’re motivated, and they value a positive learning environment. Motivation sometimes is the only quality that keeps a student afloat in an honors class. Sometimes it’s enough to be a committed hard worker – not a special kind of intelligence or IQ. That works wonders for me, the teacher. I’m working with kids who want to learn, and we can develop meaningful relationships and help one another become better learners.
In the regular English classes, the atmosphere is totally different. Just a few bad apples can ruin the lot, and these bad apples come in with the intent to tear everyone else down. Maybe they’ve always failed and have given up; nonetheless, they are determined to bring everyone else down, so that all is left is an exasperated teacher (an authority figure to laugh at) and a circus. These are the kids who I need to boot out of class. Like I said, most of the kids are decent. They want to learn; they want to do well in school. Then there are some who are easily led astray. They can’t read, can’t write, & they let the bad apples distract them with their meaningless antics. I have to reel these kids in too, make them know that they have to get serious about school.
I know, it’s all on me. I have to exercise my authority to “control” the class. The thing is, I’m not much good at controlling a class. I have never thought about teaching in terms of controlling the behavior of kids. I just want to teach. I want a general understanding among everybody that we are here to learn and help one another. But in some classes, that just doesn’t cut it. The kids expect a police-type authority, which I’m turning into in third period. I’m just no good at dealing with defiance. I trip up when I’m supposed to step up and follow through with discipline. I try to, here and there. I talk to the kids, call parents, talk to deans, etc. But something isn’t working. Something definitely isn’t working.
Here’s my predicament with teaching: Even though 95% of my students are easy to work with, I dwell on the 5% of meanies who walk through my classroom each day. I become fixated on few who become the banes of my entire school year. Don’t ask me why I hang onto them. All I know that it makes me a lousy teacher.
I constantly think about this. What am I doing wrong? How do I change my own behavior so that I don’t allow for these immature 15 year olds to hijack my class?
Hence, waking up at 4am.
Well, that’s my life so far. Still adjusting to teaching in an urban school. I don’t how much longer I can survive this...
My mornings usually start with unwelcoming thoughts about third period class. The images of particular students raid my mind, and with these unpleasant reminders of the coming day, I open my eyes to the dark. I close my eyes, but I start thinking about what I want to say to these few kids – maybe 5 of them – to set them straight. What can I say to set them straight? These few are immature, selfish little smart alecks, who are disrespectful little punks. They feel okay interrupting me and saying stupid or rude remarks to other kids. It’s been going on since the first day of school. Since the first day of school, I’ve threatened to boot out the bad kids, and I’ve tried, but they keep coming back. They’re ignorant and proud of it, and all they are worth is the nothing that they produce in my class – empty pages and unused pens. Granted, I’m not talking about all the kids, just a few. But too many to pinpoint just two, too many to boot out at once.
Most of the kids are pretty decent, I’d say. Beyond third period, I have a total of [42+34+34+26+19 = 155] 155 students. Lots. And most of them are decent. Three of these classes are honors, and the kids who are in there aren’t the brightest or most skilled lot, but they’re motivated, and they value a positive learning environment. Motivation sometimes is the only quality that keeps a student afloat in an honors class. Sometimes it’s enough to be a committed hard worker – not a special kind of intelligence or IQ. That works wonders for me, the teacher. I’m working with kids who want to learn, and we can develop meaningful relationships and help one another become better learners.
In the regular English classes, the atmosphere is totally different. Just a few bad apples can ruin the lot, and these bad apples come in with the intent to tear everyone else down. Maybe they’ve always failed and have given up; nonetheless, they are determined to bring everyone else down, so that all is left is an exasperated teacher (an authority figure to laugh at) and a circus. These are the kids who I need to boot out of class. Like I said, most of the kids are decent. They want to learn; they want to do well in school. Then there are some who are easily led astray. They can’t read, can’t write, & they let the bad apples distract them with their meaningless antics. I have to reel these kids in too, make them know that they have to get serious about school.
I know, it’s all on me. I have to exercise my authority to “control” the class. The thing is, I’m not much good at controlling a class. I have never thought about teaching in terms of controlling the behavior of kids. I just want to teach. I want a general understanding among everybody that we are here to learn and help one another. But in some classes, that just doesn’t cut it. The kids expect a police-type authority, which I’m turning into in third period. I’m just no good at dealing with defiance. I trip up when I’m supposed to step up and follow through with discipline. I try to, here and there. I talk to the kids, call parents, talk to deans, etc. But something isn’t working. Something definitely isn’t working.
Here’s my predicament with teaching: Even though 95% of my students are easy to work with, I dwell on the 5% of meanies who walk through my classroom each day. I become fixated on few who become the banes of my entire school year. Don’t ask me why I hang onto them. All I know that it makes me a lousy teacher.
I constantly think about this. What am I doing wrong? How do I change my own behavior so that I don’t allow for these immature 15 year olds to hijack my class?
Hence, waking up at 4am.
Well, that’s my life so far. Still adjusting to teaching in an urban school. I don’t how much longer I can survive this...
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Tender Greens: Eat your salad at home
Sigh, another disappointing trip to a highly regarded staple. Tender Greens is healthy, vegetarian friendly restaurant in downtown Culver City. It receives 4 stars on wwww.yelp.com and has 329 reviews.
It's not all that.
It has a limited menu selection: salad, mashed potatoes, meat (fish or steak), & soup. We got a combo hot plate, which was $10, too costly for four thin slices of steak, a small salad with few fixings, and mashed potatoes.
Pluto's in the Bay Area is a much better deal. For $6, you get a huge salad with seven toppings of your choice! I highly recommend it. It's less pretentious, and it has a larger selection.
Maybe Tender Greens deserves another visit. We'll see. But I feel disappointed as I sit there with a tiny salad on my plate, with a meal that costs nearly the same as a large box of Costco mixed greens.
Go Pluto's!
It's not all that.
It has a limited menu selection: salad, mashed potatoes, meat (fish or steak), & soup. We got a combo hot plate, which was $10, too costly for four thin slices of steak, a small salad with few fixings, and mashed potatoes.
Pluto's in the Bay Area is a much better deal. For $6, you get a huge salad with seven toppings of your choice! I highly recommend it. It's less pretentious, and it has a larger selection.
Maybe Tender Greens deserves another visit. We'll see. But I feel disappointed as I sit there with a tiny salad on my plate, with a meal that costs nearly the same as a large box of Costco mixed greens.
Go Pluto's!
Wedding Video
We just received a polished, edited version of our wedding video & IT'S AWESOME! We found both the videographer & video editor on craigslist. Both were modestly priced and SO worth the money. Robby was right: video is precious. We watched our unique vows and other people's good wishes for us. Thanks, Joe, for the Borat impression. & thanks, Auntie Yvonne, for the encouragement for Robby to learn Chinese. I'm so happy to see that everyone had a good time at the reception. The dancing was especially fun to watch, especially Jorg & Andrew, Robby & his dad, and Sima & Joe.
What a wonderful day that was!
Robby will load parts of it on youtube soon.
What a wonderful day that was!
Robby will load parts of it on youtube soon.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Tito's Tacos: Unhappy stomach
Since we've moved to Culver City, many people have told us to go to Tito's Tacos. It's a established cult eatery in Los Angeles, and it's only a few blocks from our apartment. The website, which even plays the restaurant's theme song, states that it was opened in 1959. Crowds of people always wait in front of the restaurant, so we were curious about the Mexican food here.
Prices are incredibly cheap. A taco, enchilada, and burrito are only a few dollars, and a small drink is only $1. But the food is not authentic Mexican but Americanized Mexican. This baffles me. Why would people line up to buy Americanized Mexican food? The ground meat in the taco is shredded instead of ground (thank goodness), but it's so greasy that the taco becomes translucent with oil. The cheese heaped on top of the taco is bright orange shredded cheese - the plastic-tasting cheddar kind. The salsa looks like pureed tomatoes, and the guacomole is liquified into the consistency of water.
Tito's Tacos was worth trying once, but I would choose authentic Mexican food over plastic-tasting cheddar any day.
Prices are incredibly cheap. A taco, enchilada, and burrito are only a few dollars, and a small drink is only $1. But the food is not authentic Mexican but Americanized Mexican. This baffles me. Why would people line up to buy Americanized Mexican food? The ground meat in the taco is shredded instead of ground (thank goodness), but it's so greasy that the taco becomes translucent with oil. The cheese heaped on top of the taco is bright orange shredded cheese - the plastic-tasting cheddar kind. The salsa looks like pureed tomatoes, and the guacomole is liquified into the consistency of water.
Tito's Tacos was worth trying once, but I would choose authentic Mexican food over plastic-tasting cheddar any day.
5th Week Grades...Ugh
I finally entered all my grades into LA Unified's website.
It's not pretty.
In one class of 43 students, only 6 are passing with at least a C. The rest of the class (37 students!) are receiving Ds & Fs for these warning notices. I will have to talk to them about the urgency of getting their act straight and doing school the right way. Class hasn't even been very difficult, in my opinion. In another class with 31 students, 6 students are passing with C & above. Yikes! What happens when we start reading a 300-some-page novel like To Kill a Mockingbird? Most all the work has been doing in class so far, and I can't possibly NOT assign homework. I will have to talk to other teachers about this.
Robby took a breakdancing class at the YMCA yesterday. The teacher is really good. He not a skilled but impatient breakdancer who expects you to emulate him perfectly. He is a skilled breakdancer who knows how to teach. He had his students practice a new move slowly as he counted, then to slow music, then to faster music. Then, after teaching 3 moves, he weaved them together by the last ten minutes of class. It looked fun. I chickened out and watched, but I'll take a class soon.
Life is good, but work is a little stressful. I'm starting to teach Hamlet to my junior students next week, and the last time I taught it was a total disaster. I ended up showing the students the film. Sure, I scoured the Internet for ideas, but nothing caught my attention. Wish me luck.
It's not pretty.
In one class of 43 students, only 6 are passing with at least a C. The rest of the class (37 students!) are receiving Ds & Fs for these warning notices. I will have to talk to them about the urgency of getting their act straight and doing school the right way. Class hasn't even been very difficult, in my opinion. In another class with 31 students, 6 students are passing with C & above. Yikes! What happens when we start reading a 300-some-page novel like To Kill a Mockingbird? Most all the work has been doing in class so far, and I can't possibly NOT assign homework. I will have to talk to other teachers about this.
Robby took a breakdancing class at the YMCA yesterday. The teacher is really good. He not a skilled but impatient breakdancer who expects you to emulate him perfectly. He is a skilled breakdancer who knows how to teach. He had his students practice a new move slowly as he counted, then to slow music, then to faster music. Then, after teaching 3 moves, he weaved them together by the last ten minutes of class. It looked fun. I chickened out and watched, but I'll take a class soon.
Life is good, but work is a little stressful. I'm starting to teach Hamlet to my junior students next week, and the last time I taught it was a total disaster. I ended up showing the students the film. Sure, I scoured the Internet for ideas, but nothing caught my attention. Wish me luck.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)