Cazino in Constanta, Romania, on the Black Sea

THIS IS VICTOR ... and ANDREEA

THIRTY THINGS

It seems appropriate to do this on a weekend, as I have lots of catching up to do.

I stole this from Angell, who stole it from Dana, who stole it from Turn, who got it from Mimi.....

1. In two words, explain what ended your last relationship. -- two-timing pig (wait - was that two or three?)

2. When was the last time you shaved your legs? -- I wax. (what do the guys answer to this, I wonder ...)

3. What were you doing this morning at 8am? -- watching cartoons with Brennan and eating Corn Puffs

4. What were you doing 15 minutes ago? -- chatting online with a dear friend.

5. Are you any good at math? -- my brother got all the math genes in our family.

6. Your prom night? -- nothing to tell.

7. Do you have any famous relatives? -- infamous, maybe ...

8. Have you ever taken out a loan to pay for school? -- yes, paid it off 6 months after graduating.

9. Do you know the words to your MySpace song? -- I don't have a MySpace.

10. Last thing you received in the mail? -- a cheque for some freelance critiquing I've been doing.

11. How many different beverages have you drank today? -- two - water and skim milk

12. Who most recently made you smile? -- In person? My son. On line? Vinny.

13. Who did you lose your virginity to? -- my brother's best friend, Rob. Damn, I should learn faster, I really should ...

14. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach? -- every single time.

15. What's the most painful dental procedure you've had? -- extraction.

16. What is out your back door? -- snow ...

Where's 17?

18. Do you like the ocean? -- my blood is 95% salt water.

19. Have you ever received one of those big tins of 3 different kinds of popcorn for Christmas? -- yep. Standard teacher gift.

20. Have you ever been to a planetarium? -- yes, many, many times. Most recently about a month ago. Going again tonight with Brennan for the lunar eclipse. It'll be his first time.

22. Something you are excited about? -- March Break with my son.

23. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? -- I don't eat ice cream, but my favorite frozen yogurt is chocolate fudge brownie. mmmmmmm.

24. Are any of your great-grandparents still alive? -- no, nor grandparents either.

25. Describe your keychain. -- red neckstrap with music notes on it, 7 keys, mini-flashlight, school code pass, Montreal Canadiens medallion and a shamrock charm.

27. When was the last time you spoke in front of a large group? -- Friday - school assembly of about 500 kids and staff.

28. What kind of winter coat do you have? -- chocolate suede and leather 3/4 length car coat.

29. What do you think of the person you copied this from? -- Angell is a true friend with a huge heart, a great sense of fun, and an edge of perviness.

30. Do you sleep with the door to your room open or closed? -- open, so the dogs aren't scratching on it all night, and so I can hear Brennan if he needs me.

FRIDAY FOR FUN ...

Yesterday's post may have led some to believe that I have it hard with these kids. On the contrary. The dynamics of this group are a daily challenge, but I adore them. And the feeling is mutual. Rarely have I received appreciation from students on this scale. They are grateful for every effort I make on their behalf. Their parents are thrilled with their progress this year. On average, these kids have improved their reading comprehension skills by 15% since September. They are working hard, and they are attending class regularly. What more could a teacher ask?

The block continues. I have no idea what to write about AGAIN, but I decided that I wasn't going to let it stop me. Not any more. I hereby give notice that I am reclaiming my life.

So I'm going to share some REALLY bad poetry with you now. Laugh if you must, but the students who wrote it were simply trying to get through an assignment with as little effort as possible. LOL. This is my payback. PLEASE leave comments.


(Lucas)
I have a bicycle.
It's the color of the desert.
I like to get on it
and ride away from my house.

(Rebecca)
When you say you'll be there
I tend to believe
but I find it very rare
when I watch you leave.

Yes I love you
But I can't do it any more
I know you can't do it, too
so just go ... open that door.

Maybe I gave up
I didnt want to
I'll act all normal
when I'm around you


(Daniel)
I like boats
I like to bring her on the water
I like fishing on my grandfather's boat
Spending time on boats is my favorite thing to do
I hope to own a boat someday.

(Martin)
I have hockey today.
Today I have hockey.
Hockey I have today.

(Jesse)
Durtbike are fun and grat
If I had it her
I wood get out of this place
and not have to look at the ticher face
after school go home
and have fun
look outside
and snow block the sun
thin I wack up
and its just begun.

(Wes)
I am Wes, hear me roar
I like popcorn, give me more
I watch tv, sleep and pee
I also eat frequently.

(Neil)
Love is above all that is right
with the feeling of flight
is no fight
when your above with love
like a dove
with all the love in the night
for there is no fear
when your almost there where the light is
when your above in love
like a dove
look down
hear it
there is love.

(Stephen)
I have a 400 Outlander
It goes 70 mph
It's pretty fast
I drive by a lot of people
and yell "Git er done"
People yell yeah
and they think it's funny
and laugh at me

(Matthew)
Roses are red
Violets are blue
I love Ms. M and she loves me too.
She helps me with English
when I'm stuck on a quiz.
That's why there's no better
Love than Ms. M gives.

(Nancy)
When you were there
when I was there
I seen you up there
I did not know
what was going to happen
Your so funny
and really hot.
I had so much fun
I wanted to be up there
standing by you.
Now your gone
and I still see you.
I see your face
the way I feel now your gone
I still love you
your lip ring and cool hair too.

HAS IT REALLY BEEN A WEEK?

Thank God I'm a Country Boy
By John Denver
BestAudioCodes.com

Wow ... time flies when you're trying to get on with your life. I have no ideas for today's blog, so I'm faking it here, bigtime. I suppose I could write about what I've been doing this week to stay so busy, but that would have you leaving me in droves from a sense of self-preservation, I'm sure. So I am practicing the world's biggest cop-out today.

It's Thursday, and I'm two days away from my third favorite time of the year, so I asked my students to think of things they look forward to doing on March Break. Hope you understand, I had to edit some of the responses ...


Thirteen March Break Activities, from the twisted little minds of my At-Risk English class:

13. (Rachel - 15) I love to go shopping during March Break. You'd be amazed what I can pick up over the break. I plan to come back here with a whole new wardrobe. And all for free. (general laughter from her classmates at this)

12. (Arthur - 17) I'm going to sleep. Saturday, I'll get up and eat some breakfast, then I'll go back to bed. Sunday, I'll have breakfast in bed. I might play a video game or something on Tuesday. If I can get the X-Box to work on my bedroom tv. (yup, and he'll do it, too)

11. (Evan - 14) Me and my brother is gonna go huntin' down the back forty. We runned outta deer meat a coupla weeks back, and ma said she'd make us a pot a mincemeat if we bagged somethin' for the deep freeze. (note: in many cultures, this would be categorized as "poaching" or "jacking" deer. here, it's known as doing what it takes to survive.)

10. (Nancy - 15) I'm going to hang out with my friends at Trio (local pizza place) . Dad promised me twenty bucks and a carton of smokes if I watched the kids Saturday mornin' while he sleeps it off , and I owe just about everybody, cause I ain't been flush like that for a while now. (believe it or not, a true success story - very responsible young lady)

9. (Daniel - 14) I got to help Dad prime the sugaring equipment and the sap lines. Season starts in a few days. (man of few words, but true as gold)

8. (Martin - 15) There's a hockey tournament this weekend in Bathurst. Then we have practice every day next week, to get ready for Provincials. (the sports addict)

7. (Stephen - 16) Mostly what I does on March Break is eat, sleep and watch tv. Whenever I wants to. I'm going to the store tomorrow and buy all my favorite food, then I'll be set. We got a (satellite) dish for Christmas, and it gets all the stations, even the porn ones and the movie ones. So I'm set. (he once told me he wanted to watch tv for a living ...)

6. (Jocelyn - 14) I'm not doing nothing over the break, Ms. M. My mom said if I got into trouble again, she'd kick my ass outta the house so quick, it'd leave the skin behind. So I'm just gonna sit around. (note: I have since contacted Jocelyn's mom and hired Jocelyn to babysit for Brennan a couple of days. He adores her, and she's very energetic, so they'll go sliding, skating, do the toy store, that kind of thing. Everybody's happy.)

5. (Chris - 15) Me and my sister are going on the train to visit my Gram. So we won't be in school tomorrow because we're leaving tonight. Did I give you my note? It must be in my locker. May I be excused? Okay, at recess, then. No, I won't forget. (yes, he will)

4. (Lucas - 16) Nothin'. (story of his life)

3. (Matthew - 17) Waaaal, Ms. M. I plan to hang out at Bobby Cook's and work on my car. I get 'er fixed, I'll take you for a ride, ok? (note: Matthew is a natural flirt and I adore the child, but there's no way in heaven or hell I'd ever be persuaded to get into a vehicle with him at the controls ...)

2. (Stacie - 15) Amanda and Vicki are coming over and we're going horseback riding. The Wilsons invited us to use the hunting cabin up on the mountain, so we're going to camp there. (the outdoorsy girl next door - horse crazy)

1. (Jesse - 19) Paaaaarrrrrttttaaaayyyyyyyy! (Jesse has been with us for a while ... looks like he'll be back.)