Two Things

First, recently I am finding myself, as a new dad, speaking baby-speak to Eli a lot. I often find myself in the middle of a "hooshie-booshie-hooshie-boo" and think to myself "What on Earth am I doing??? This doesn't make any sense to either of us!" Also, I call him "buddy" all the time. Also, I make this weird throat noise that seems to make him laugh. Its not so bad when its just me and Eli, but recently I have caught myself doing the same things in public. I have made the same weird throat noise when someone says something that I think is funny. And I have been calling everyone "buddy" more often than should be allowed. So, if I come up and "hooshie-booshie" you or call you buddy, I apologize. Blame Eli.

Second, I have to confess something. It has been burdening me for a long time now, and if I do not confess this then I will never be able to move on. I am a blog-stalker. I read people's blogs who I don't know. I read people's blogs who I only know second or third hand. I read people's blogs without them knowing. I like to read people's blogs. Please don't judge me. Whew! I feel better! Now that I have admitted that I have a blog-stalking problem I can now move to the next step which is seeking help. Maybe I can find a good therapist's blog.

Life Updates and Random Thoughts

- I just finished forty hours of classroom observation. I feel like I still have a lot to learn about how the classroom and how a school works, but I feel like I have a lot better grasp on how to run a classroom when it comes time for me to teach (hopefully next year). Also, I have discovered that high schoolers now dress a lot differently than they did even when I was in high school. Especially the girls! Some of them look like they are going on a job interview with Heff.
- Speaking of high school, my 10 year high school reunion is this year. I cant believe its been 10 years! So far, there is no plan coming from the alumni association. I really hope they so something. It would be fun to see where people are ten years after high school.
- I love being a dad! I get about 2.5 hours alone with Eli after work and they are the best hours! I love hanging out as a family, but there is nothing like hanging out, just the two of us. I feel like I've bonded with Eli a lot more since Michelle has gone back to work. Suddenly he realizes that he has 2 parents instead of a mom and some guy who shows up for half the day.
- I love living in OC and am not likely to move, but I still have such strong ties to Simi. It took me a while to feel like OC was home, just because I live in Simi for so long. What has made it feel like home is connecting with the place that I live. Sometimes it has just been finding a store, like a palce to buy guitar strings or a trustworthy mechanic. But within the last couple months, I have been connecting with the city of Tustin and it really feels like my permantent home now. This observation class that I am taking has required me to get really involved in the city schools, and therefore involved in the city. I have visited the local schools, attended school board meetings, and have connected with local politics. I definitely want to get more involved with local stuff, and this class has made me really feel like Tustin is my home.
- I am starting to send out my resume for a teaching position next school year. I did it last year and didnt find a job, but this year I have a lot more experience and I am a lot more employable than I was last year, but there is still the whole issue with the state's economy. I hope I can find something because I really want to get out of the mortgage sector.
- How amazing is Lost this season??? That's all I have to say about that.
- I was looking through some old pictures of Eli last night and it makes me kind of sad about how fast he is growing. He was so tiny and he is so big now. I know time is going to fly, but I was hoping it would go a little slower than this.
- I am writing a paper this semester that is going to be a chapter of my thesis. I am writing about medieval travel narratives. Its really interesing so far. I am writing about the how some were reliable and others were not and why they weren't and why the unreliable ones were the most popular.

The Madoff Scandal

In case you were a little confused about Bernie Madoff and the scandal surrounding him, I found this helpful video that explains it all in simple terms. I hope this helps anyone who is still confused about the scandal.

Eli also wants to wish everyone a happy St. Patrick's Day!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, Eli would like to show you his dance moves. His favorite dance is the sprinkler.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Here are some fun facts care of London's Telegraph

1. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, although he was born in Britain, around 385AD. His parents Calpurnius and Conchessa were Roman citizens living in either Scotland or Wales, according to different versions of his story.

2. As a boy of 14 he was captured and taken to Ireland where he spent six years in slavery herding sheep. He returned to Ireland in his 30s as a missionary among the Celtic pagans.

3. Legend has it that he used the native shamrock as a symbol of the holy trinity when preaching and brought the Latin alphabet to Ireland.

4. Miracles attributed to him include the driving of serpents out of Ireland. However, evidence suggests post-glacial Ireland never had any snakes in the first place.

5. Wearing green, eating green food and even drinking green beer, is said to commemorate St Patrick's use of the shamrock - although blue was the original colour of his vestments.

6. St Patrick was said to have proclaimed that everyone should have a drop of the "hard stuff" on his feast day after chastising an innkeeper who served a short measure of whiskey. In the custom known as "drowning the shamrock", the shamrock that has been worn on a lapel or hat is put in the last drink of the evening.

7. Popular Irish toasts on St Patrick's Day, include: may the roof above us never fall in, and may we friends beneath it never fall out.

8. St. Patrick's Day was first celebrated in America in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1737. Around 34 million modern Americans claim Irish ancestry.

9. It is believed that St Patrick died on March 17 in 461AD. It is a national holiday in Ireland, and on the island of Montserrat in the Caribbean, which was founded by Irish refugees. It is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland and a provincial holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland.

10. Dublin has a parade that attracts hundreds of thousands of people, while in Chicago the river is dyed green for a few hours. The biggest parade is normally held in New York, while the largest celebration in the southern hemisphere is in Sydney, Australia.

Are you racist?

I had to take this test for a class that I am taking on methods for teaching diverse students in secondary schools. It was created by psychologists at Harvard and is supposed to measure implicit attitudes towards other races. It only takes about 5-10 minutes and you should take the test. Click here to go to the test. Then click on 'Demonstration' then 'Go to the Demonstration Tests' then 'I wish to proceed'. I think that its pretty accurate and revealing about subconscious racial biases.

Happy Pi Day Everyone!

Please enjoy the following video in celebration of Pi day.