Superficiality, Relevance and Reverence

Little does he know the
fate that awaits him later
today at my hand.

Today is Thanksgiving! My family started a tradition of running the Claremont Turkey Trot three years ago, and we're hoping to keep it going for as long as the Turkey Trot is around. Plus, I like saying Turkey Trot. Just being able to finish it at all this year was an accomplishment considering how sick I was last week; my cough has managed to linger a bit longer than I would have liked, too. I look forward to the day that my breathing doesn't remind me of Darth Vader.

Since it is Thanksgiving, I figured that I should reflect on some of the good things going on in my life as well as offer some bonus points for those of you that pay attention to the Internet presence of your English teacher. Here's the deal: describe to me a thing, an event and a person you have been thankful to have or occur in your life in 2010. Give me a minimum of five sentences describing why. You'll earn five points for each one, totaling 15 points. If you neglect to do all three, bupkis. That's Yiddish for "nothing" and is my favorite and only Yiddish word I know. Deadline for submissions is Sunday at midnight and remember to leave your name and period at the end. Mine are as follows:

Thing - My wife and I bought a house this year. It was a long, stressful and arduous process that had us crying our eyes out in desperation and grinding our teeth in frustration. In short, it was not fun. However, in the months since we've moved in and slowly but surely started to make our house a home, I'm grateful more and more that we toughed out the process. Redoing the floor, hanging pictures and organizing the garage add to the aspects that make the domicile more than just a place for our stuff. I'm thankful for the four walls here and hope that I can remember thinking that some of these things were fun in the coming years when I'm sure they'll feel a lot more tedious.

Person - Speaking of my wife, she's a swell gal. I could not ask for a better friend or partner who makes me a better person. She's funny, thoughtful and knows just the right way to make a bad day good and a good day better. I sometimes wonder what cosmic thing I accomplished to manage to land such a beautiful and charming lady, but I find that it's best not to question such things because I would rather not have this situation unravel. In the immortal words of Rick Astley, I am never going to giver her up and (hopefully) never going to let her down.

Event - To make this saccharine mess all the sweeter, I'm really grateful for the fact that both Angela and I finished our Master's degrees this year. Her accomplishment was a much bigger deal than mine, as I took the long road of waiting a few years between classes, but it's nice to know we're finally done. I'm glad that I'll be able to look at those diplomas on the wall and know that they stand as symbols for the hard work we put in to accomplish a goal we set for ourselves. Sure, the student loan bills will be pretty extensive, but I think everyone is alive to learn more. Getting sheepskins to prove that it happened is a nice touchstone marker to prove it happened.

Frosh
Last Wednesday, you took the quiz on chapters 7-10 of The Greek Gods and we then proceeded to read through the stories of Hermes, Hephaestus and Aphrodite. Those last two are my favorite of the bunch because they are such complete opposites, and the way they end up together is a line straight out of a sitcom or SNL sketch.

Thursday, you had a work day to focus on your mythology research project or the ORU that was due the following day. The final ORU will be due December 10.

And Friday, we moved forward.

Seniors
For Wednesday, we reviewed in-text citations and works cited pages. Sixth period didn't get a chance to finish receive all of the information on the works cited page formatting, so I suggest going to Citation Machine if you get stuck on any of the minutiae of creating your specific entries for your page. The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University is also incredibly helpful and always up to date.

On Thursday and Friday, you received time to do research in the library. Hopefully, everyone got a chance to find some relevant and valuable sources.

UFC 123

Former champions clash

The next really big UFC show is the culmination of the current The Ultimate Fighter season when welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre fights Josh Koscheck in Montreal on December 11. However, this Saturday has a pretty stacked line-up that isn't getting all that much press. The two main events will also feature fighters who are all at a crossroads in their respective careers.

Mark Munoz vs. Aaron Simpson - Both of these guys are known for their wrestling, but, when you get two wrestlers fighting in the UFC, it usually turns into a stand-up affair. This fight depends on who can get their takedown because both guys are pretty equal in their striking. Munoz's ground striking is phenomenal and much better than Simpson's. My guess is that Munoz will take a second round TKO stoppage, and it should be a fairly exciting fight.

Matt Brown vs. Brian Foster - Matt Brown, despite the comparisons due to his hard nose demeanor, is not Chuck Norris. Brian Foster is an overall better fighter. It doesn't help that this is basically a must-win for Brown because he's already lost his last two in the UFC. Unless you're Tito Ortiz or Chuck Liddell or another similar caliber fighter, three losses usually equals a pink slip. My guess is that Foster takes a decision.

George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Lauzon - Joe Lauzon is one of my favorite fighters because he's a computer programming nerd who often spends as much time playing Call of Duty as he does training. Sotiropoulus has a very difficult name to spell and a tremendous ground game. Joe will be really dangerous in the first two rounds, but George always has really intelligent strategies that will take advantage of the fact that Lauzon gets tired as the fight continues. If J-Lau has shored up that portion of his training, he could really spoil Sotiropoulos' championship aspirations, since a win here could set George up as a contender for the UFC lightweight championship. I will be rooting for Joe, but logic dictates that George will win a really entertaining grappling battle by split decision.


Phil Davis vs. Tim Boetsch - This is a surprise because after Davis won back in April, he made a big deal about wanting to continue his training for another year before returning to the UFC. And this is his second fight since then. Davis is the best wrestler in MMA and is often referred to as the light heavyweight GSP because of how easily he's modified his wrestling to function in the MMA environment. The rest of his game is green at best, but when a person has a strong of a wrestling base as he has, it's easier to hide the person's glaring flaws. Boetsch has a clear striking advantage and really comes across as a mean dude with vicious knock out power. Realistically, though, Davis will control the action for three rounds, look impressive in taking the mount more than once, and then ultimately do nothing with the advantageous position. But Boetsch has nothing off his back, so I'm going to buck the trend and pick Davis in the second by submission, probably by a head and arm triangle.


Gerald Harris vs. Maiquel Falcao - I looked up Falcao and found out that he has finished his last seven fights in the first round. He's a Brazilian that trains out of the Chute Box camp, which means he is used to getting punched in the face multiple times in the lead-up to his fights and he probably has a decent ground game. Harris is best known for knocking a dude out with a pro-wrestling style spinebuster back in July. I'm only picking Harris because he has UFC experience and I like anyone that can knock dudes out with slams. Harris will probably take another, you guessed it, decision, but I would not be surprised if Falcow, making his UFC debut, knocked his head off.


Matt Hughes vs. BJ Penn - This is the real main event, as far as I'm concerned, the conclusion of a trilogy that has produced one of the biggest upsets in UFC history and one of the best overall fights in the UFC. Hopefully, this one will answer some really important questions: Is BJ Penn washed up? How will he rebound from back-to-back losses to Frankie Edgar? Can he hang against a resurgent Matt Hughes? Will his much lighter weight at 165 lbs. play a factor? Based on their previous fights and his natural talent, the BJ Penn of today should be able to handle Matt Hughes decisively, but the same things were said when Penn fought Edgar both times. And there's just something in my gut that tells me Matt Hughes will take this one. Granted, his stand-up is still leagues behind Penn's and Hughes doesn't have the speed that proved to be BJ's undoing in his previous losses. But there's something to be said for momentum and having one's head in the game, something Hughes always has and BJ only does sporadically. I see the fight ending in the third, either by TKO or decision with Hughes as the victor.


Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Lyoto Machida - Both of these guys are coming off of losses, but Machida is the one who is the big question mark, something I wish UFC would have highlighted more in their Countdown special. Coming off his devastating first round knockout loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Machida will have to prove whether or not his chin is as strong as many people thought prior to his last fight. Rampage will definitely oblige him on that. This fight has the potential to be short and exciting if it falls in Rampage's favor, or boring and methodical (illusive is another key word to describe Machida) if it works to Machida's advantage. Rampage has focused so much on stand-up since moving to the UFC that his excellent wrestling and tremendous slams have become a thing of the past. Rampage is the 2010 version of Chuck Liddell in that he uses his wrestling now in reverse as a way to avoid getting taken down and tries to employ a strong counter punching style. Machida, meanwhile, uses crisp striking and really great technical footwork due to his proper implementation of karate into MMA. This plays exactly to Rampage's weaknesses, as people who are able to stick and move give him the most trouble as evidenced by his decision loss to Forrest Griffin.


Ideally, Rampage comes out and bull rushes Machida en route to a knock out victory because that's what worked for Rua, and he had no counter for someone slightly faster who didn't take the time to create angles or set up shots. Unfortunately, 2010 Rampage doesn't fight that way, so while I will be rooting Rampage on and hoping he gets the victory, I foresee a Machida win by decision.

Book 16 of 2010

Book 16

It's yet another book that I finished on the iPad using the iBooks app.

16) The War for Late Night: When Leno Went Early and Television Went Crazy by Bill Carter
One of the very first entertainment news stories I ever remember giving my active and full attention was the battle between Jay Leno, perennial guest host for the Tonight Show, and Dave Letterman, host of Late Night, for Johnny Carson's spot as the host of NBC's long running talk show. My mom was a huge Dave Letterman fan, often recording it and watching his show the next day. His comic sensibility helped to shape my own because if that type of humor could make my mom laugh, then that's the kind of humor for me. When Jay Leno won out over Letterman for the Tonight Show gig, I was stunned because Letterman was just so much funnier than the Doritos guy. I always thought it made more sense for Leno to take over Late Night and Letterman to get the bump up to Carson's job, but then again, I was 12. This book covers the latest transition, the attempt and failure to avoid the ugliness of the Letterman/Leno fiasco, and NBC's fascination with wanting to have its cake and eat it, too.

Been hit with a few shells, but I don't walk with a limp.

Spider-Man is not as
adept as 50 Cent at
surviving wounds
unscathed.

After a nice getaway weekend where Angela and I spent time with my parents, we picked Spider-Man (the dog) up from his pet hotel stay. Like always, he was very annoyed that we left him anywhere else in the first place but ultimately glad to see us.

We played around with him, and he managed to pass out early like he always does when he's spent a few days away from home. Unfortunately, after an uneventful morning, I came home to find that he looked like he was walking diagonally. After a few minutes of trying to assess the situation, I noticed that Spider-Man (the dog) began to favor his left forepaw and had a distinct limp.

My better half was still at work, so I took him to the emergency vet clinic where the doc diagnosed him with soft tissue damage. Basically, he sprained his ankle. Or dog ankle. At least, it was the dog equivalent of an ankle. My guess is that he did it while chasing a bird that he thought was playing with him or by being too nosey around a portion of our chain link fence and getting caught in it. There weren't any "deformities" like a cut or a bruise or noticeable broken bone anywhere, and his neck had the full range of motion, which are all good signs. She prescribed some (expensive) pain medication and we have to keep our boy confined while we're gone for the next week to insure that he doesn't start running and jumping around too soon and do more damage to himself. Seeing my spry, three and a half year old dog limping, though, was not a pleasant sight, so I hope Spider-Man (the dog) is back to normal really soon.

Frosh
Last Wednesday, you completed the second research day for the mythology project. This doesn't mean that your research is done, necessarily, just that we won't spend anymore class time researching in the library.

Monday, you completed the quiz on Poseidon, Hades and Demeter. We then read about the birth of Apollo and Artemis and followed that up with a detailed look at why Artemis is a perfect fit for MTV's My Super Sweet Sixteen.

Beowulf via
BetterBookTitles.com

Today, we discussed creating a proper MLA formatted works cited page. The handout gives you the proper punctuation and information needed. The first entry is for a book; the second is for an online resource. Remember that all entries need to be listed in alphabetical order according to the author's last name. If you need further assistance, I always use Citation Machine. We then discussed Apollo, who went on to eventually get his own theatre, and some of his progeny. Expect a quiz on these folks tomorrow.

Seniors
On Wednesday, you finally got the chance to turn in your CD Creation projects. I graded them the following day, and it's hard to put into words how truly impressed I was on a whole with everyone's work, especially compared to last year. My first attempt at doing this project didn't go very well and I'm glad that the tweaks and changes myself and Ms. Windt made to it worked so well. Of course, you folks were also a vital component as well, and for that I thank you. Good job.

That day we also experienced the big showdown between Beowulf and Grendel. We'll resume the story of the Danes' favorite outsourced exterminator when we return from the fall break.

Monday, we discussed thesis statements and my version of the ATSO3. Utilize the ATC3(or 4) (author, title, claim and 3 or 4 sub-topics) correctly, and you will have yourself a thesis statement that is pure analysis. At least, that is, if it's written well and flows as a sentence. Just including the parts and not paying attention to the whole will hurt your thesis. Make sure that anything you write in the paper can tie back to your thesis, as it serves as the road map for the entire paper. I'll be hammering this point home in ways that will ultimately annoy you, but it's my hope that everyone gets the idea that a thesis is the most important sentence in your entire paper.

Today, you completed the final timed writing and turned in your fully annotated books. The optional revision, which will take the place of your lowest scored, previous timed writing, is due Friday. If you opt to not complete the revision, the in-class portion will still be due that day. And Thursday, you will turn in your final article selection. We're in the home stretch now. Keep December 3 on the brain in the meantime.

Top Numbered Something

McBride writes his own classroom blog called The Active Voice, and he brought up a cool idea when he listed his ten favorite soundtracks. Here are mine.

Angus: Music From
The Motion Picture

10. Wayne's World 2
9. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
8. Orange County
7. Garden State
6. Scream 2
5. Songs in the Key of Springfield - The Simpsons
4. Once More, With Feeling - Buffy the Vampire Slayer
3. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
2. Mallrats
1. Angus


Please note that the soundtrack to Orange County is not my fancy way of fitting in one of the many soundtracks to the popular FOX teen dramedy, The OC, but is instead a Colin Hanks/Jack Black movie from around the same time.


Frosh
You went to library to conduct research for the mythology project. Remember that the note chart I gave you is for your benefit. I won't be collecting it, but it's a great place to keep all of the information you need for your final product. Tomorrow will look a lot like today did, so come prepared to make the most of your time.

Seniors
In pro wrestling, when someone "cuts a promo," they conduct an interview or monologue as a means to advance a feud that ultimately results in a big time match. Back in the 80's, Hulk Hogan told kids to eat their vitamins and say their prayers while Ric Flair talked about being a wheelin', dealin', kiss-stealin' son of a gun. The 90's saw Steve Austin yell about opening cans of something or other, and The Rock...well, The Rock wanted people to just bring it. Now, John Cena insists that not seeing him is the biggest jab he can hurl at his opponent while Randy Orton usually glowers menacingly while the announcers call him a viper. Cutting a promo has a long and storied history which I think can be traced all the way back to the Anglo Saxons. The whole point is to get people to want to see that final battle between the two opposing forces. What's a better battle than the embodiment of evil and the personification of all things that the Anglo Saxons hold dear? And that is what we get to tackle tomorrow...or possibly Wednesday since we'll also be going over the culminating paper tomorrow and that might take a little while.

Skatescapades

Jealous...?

It sometimes amazes me that there are so many physical things for which I have the capacity to expand my talent and how much those same things can be completely useless. To wit, you'd never know it by looking at me, but I am a terrific roller skater. I'm okay using in-line skates, but my slap a pair of four wheel roller skates on my feet, and I take off like a man possessed, no matter the amount of time that's elapsed since I last tried my hand (or feet, as it were) at the matter. This because there used to be a Roller City skate rink where the Albertson's on Foothill and Vineyard now resides, and just about everyone I knew growing up, myself included, had at least one birthday party there. I honed my skills during those formative years, and it wouldn't surprise me if I would have an easier time riding around on some skates as opposed to trying to ride a bike again.

Like most things in my life, I have my wife to thank for skatescapades. A friend from back in her high school days had a 30th birthday party on Saturday at a roller rink. Coincidentally, the last time I skated was at Ms. Miller's 30th birthday party at a different roller rink. The morning of the event, I could barely contain my excitement to the point that I annoyed Angela with my own version of "Shake Your Booty" by KC and the Sunshine Band, replacing the word shake with skate. This was something that got very old, very fast. Regardless, I was on fire skating in that circle on Saturday. I knew in advance that I didn't even need to work out that morning because of the afternoon plans. During the entirety of the two hours, I only fell once as I attempted to spin to a stop coming out of a turn a little too fast. But my jeans didn't tear and I didn't bleed, so I got right back up and started again. There's a metaphor for life in there. Also, the birthday girl's husband is a bit of shutterbug, so he captured this awesome shot of me mugging for the camera...on skates.

I really think I missed my calling for being a server at Sonic.

Frosh
Last Tuesday, we picked up The Greek Gods from the library and began reading the first three chapters, which you then finished for the quiz that took place on Thursday. It's a no-frills book that provides some pertinent information about the Pantheon as well as several nature myths. Feel free to read ahead, but know that we will be reading portions of some of the stories in class.

Wednesday, we watched a video about the Greek Gods to allow you to figure out which mythological figures interested you the most for your research project. You turned in a page of notes on the video at the end of the period.

Thursday, you took a quiz on Zeus, Hera and Athena. We then discussed your mythology research project. This is the first time I'm doing this particular version of the mythology research project as I am adapting an assignment originally designed by Mrs. Batdorf. I look forward to seeing what you guys produce. Half of the grade depends on your presentation of your final product for which you have to dress up.

Friday, we moved forward.

Our plan for today and tomorrow is to go to the library where you will start your research on your mythological figure. The project is due November 29, and presentations will take place that day and November 30.

Seniors
We finished discussing theme statements on Tuesday and then tackled TLQ guidelines. This will be a pretty vital component to your culminating paper, so get used to utilizing this format.

Finally, after much deliberation, we began reading Beowulf on Wednesday. While we didn't get very far, those first few stanzas are a wonderful set up because the Hrothgar's subjects exemplify everything the Anglo Saxons are not, allowing Beowulf to really shine as the ultimate embodiment of a hero when he arrives. Keep in mind that we are not reading the Seamus Heaney version, nor is it the full text, so I encourage you to check those out if this interests you in the least because it's a fun story buried underneath all of that pesky literature.

On Thursday, you completed your fourth in-class timed writing and turned in your annotations and fourth Aritcle Selection.

For Friday, I informed you that I would not be collecting a revision for the fourth timed writing due to an abundance of factors coming together that we don't need to get into here. Suffice to say, we're both getting a break. You also used the period (and I mean that in the loosest possible terms) to work on your CD Creation project, which is still due Wednesday, November 10.

Today, we continue reading Beowulf and tomorrow, you'll receive the guidelines for the culminating paper.

Book 15 of 2010

Book 15

I finished this using the Kindle app on my iPad. And I figured that I should start showcasing the covers here in case anyone is interested in picking any of the books up for themselves.

15) The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson
This is the first book that I've finished in a few months for a number of reasons. Back in August, I made the mistake of starting three books all around the same time. Two is usually my max, and, when school starts up, I get distracted with grading so my own reading falls by the wayside. Factor in that this is not ideal for electronic reading, also, because part of reading to me is knowing how close I am to the end of the book because it entails a sense of accomplishment. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the non-fiction story of the 1893 World's Fair, I didn't realize that the last fifteen percent or so of the book would be filled with notes and source citations. It felt odd that the story was winding down and yet there was still so much left to finish. I didn't see any progress because a status bar isn't the same as a finger flipping through pages. This led me to lose the motivation to continue reading and felt like a big win for physical books compared to digital ones.

And mustard! Honey mustard, at that!

Dynamic Duo!

Yes, Brock Lesnar lost. I still had a great time at UFC 121, though. There are lots of fighters that I will always pay money to see, Brock Lesnar chief among them, but I'm really a huge fan of the sport. The show demonstrated the sport pretty well, both good and bad but more the former than the latter. Even though Jake Shields stunk up the joint and should write a thank you card to the two judges that gave him the win, the rest of the fights were entertaining enough that I still had a great time despite my guy losing.

The night also served as a welcome distraction from the previous two days as things with the dog we adopted did not work out. My wife and I were very disappointed and saddened by the turn of events but feel we made the right decision for us and, hopefully, for her.

Halloween was also pretty fun, and I enjoyed seeing the costumes of the folks who decided to dress up. I included a picture of my wife and I as Batman and Robin. And before I get any snarky remarks (he says as he laughs at the idea of actually getting any kind of comments on the blog), there was a female Robin at one point in the Batman mythos. Her name is Stephanie Brown who started her career under the alias of Spoiler and served as the fourth Robin (there have been five total) for a brief period of time before Batman fired her. She died, came back to life and now has taken on the mantle of Batgirl. Comics are awesome and confusing. A hearty high-five to the person who can name the other four Robins by their secret identities.

By the by, my Xbox came back from its repair trip today and I promptly fired up the Netflix to find that Batman: Under the Red Hood, a direct to DVD animated release from last August, is now available in their Watch Instantly section. If you're a fan of Batman or good (animated) action with an intriguing and at times heart-wrenching story, I'd definitely recommend checking it out. To my mind, it's the best DC animated release so far, even edging out Justice League: New Frontier.

Now it's time to play catch up.

Frosh
On Friday, October 22, I was gone and you moved forward.

Monday, October 25, you took the Elements of Lit test and turned in those notes, which took up most of the period. I've since added those tests to the gradebook. It's definitely a more difficult test than you may have anticipated because there were no multiple choice options and instead relies on your ability to remember your notes. But keep in mind, there was nothing on the test that wasn't also in your notes. That's how I like to operate for your tests so you know how best to prepare for them.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, October 26 and 27, you worked on the Root Words vocabulary worksheet. We went over why root words are important (what with them allowing folks to more easily define new words if able to correctly identify the root) and turned our focus to how many of the roots find their origins in Greek mythology (e.g. narcissist, herculean, titanic).

I collected the assignment on Thursday, October 28, which is when we began our mythology introduction. If you take away nothing else from this beginning portion of our unit, at the very least understand that myth does not automatically equate to something that is untrue. Keep in mind that myths merely explain that which is unexplainable in an attempt to get a better understanding of the world or universe at large.

After moving forward once again last Friday, we concluded the mythology introduction notes today by defining and discussing a few key terms:

• fairy tale
• parable
• legend
• myth (It's kind of redundant, I know...)
• epic
• folk tale

We will be reading some of these in class, and others may or may not show up on a test. (Hint: that usually means they WILL show up on a test.)

You need your student ID cards tomorrow and have an ORU due Friday with a section four that includes a theme statement.

Seniors
Last Friday, October 22, I was gone and you worked on completing the Anglo Saxon laws worksheet in anticipation of our Beowulf reading.

We shifted gears slightly on Monday and Tuesday (October 25 and 26) when we examined the hero journey and hero archetypes, respectively. However, the concept still applies to Beowulf because he's an epic hero. When we start reading the actual (translated) poem this week, it'll make some more sense, but understand that he's the manliest man up to that point in the history of storytelling. If there were a way for me to finagle a reference to The Rock as a manlier man right now, I'd do so, but every attempt I made sounded really weak. Also, neither of these guys stand a chance of losing to Cain Velasquez, so there's no way I would have to eat crow later. Additionally on Monday, you were assigned the theme worksheet which was due today, but I pushed it back one more day so that I could continue checking your theme statements. But more on that in a second.

Wednesday and Thursday, October 27 and 28, we explored evil and all that entails. See, Grendel is the living embodiment of evil and an all around jerk. We're looking at both sides here, but, spoiler alert, the good guy is going to win in the end. At the same time, too often we (in the big picture, humanity sense of we) tend to define things by what they aren't when it comes to difficult concepts like evil. You are all to be commended for attempting to define it on your own, and I look forward to reading the varied definitions you wrote.

Friday, October 29, I began checking your theme statements and continued to do so today. This took a lot longer than I thought and will continue into tomorrow when I plan to really finish checking them. The important idea to keep in mind is that a theme statement needs to be universal and not tied to the text in any way. Remember that just because we framed theme statements as the main idea (or lesson, as some put it) of a story doesn't mean that it needs to be positive. Too many of the theme statements I'm seeing refer to what characters should do or labeling actions as evil. Some of your books are dark and have pessimistic views of the world. The theme needs to reflect that.

I'll collect the theme worksheet tomorrow. On Thursday, November 4, you have your fourth annotation check and Article Selection 4 both due. Don't forget that next Wednesday, November 10, is the due date for your CD Creation project. Finally, your annotations need to be complete by Tuesday, November 16. This is a lot of work, but if you've paced yourself out well, it should be manageable.