I saw a blogger (whom I highly recommend) this today, and it just fits with how I’m feeling today: scattered, random, full of love and positive energy, yet, feeling stressed, unhappy, and generally down.

So – 5 Random Things

  1. I’m really enjoying this year’s version of 8th grade girls basketball. They are sassy, yet strong. They are emotional, yet focused. They want to badly to be treated like adults, yet, are so innocent. During our regular season, we’ve lost once by one point, winning the remaining games by an average of 15 points. Our club team (regular season minus one player) is 2 – 4, getting blitzed 41 – 8 last weekend. That was a good game has it knocked them down a few pegs. The thing about this team, we have no pure shooters like we did last year, and when teams can stop our posts (who are 5’9″, 5’10”, and 5’10”), we are screwed. They do drive me crazy because they don’t listen well, but they want to badly to do well. I can deal with that.
  2. Looking for some music to listen to, I came across this family of DJs on YouTube. I happened to let the video play as I was doing some work, looked up, and there’s the little guy throwing down some vinyl, and mixing tunes together! I showed this to my students the next day, and we talked about following our passions, regardless of where they took us. I’m not sure if it’s three generations of mixing going on there, but regardless, I love how the love of house music connects generations. That is a skill, if I were to change careers, I’d love to learn. I doubt this 46 year old DJ would get much work, but I love the music, and love how it gets blended together to create a different piece.
  3. I love it when I get a notification that Kara’s written another blog. Her writing just screams “listen to me” and many times the advice given (through some outrageous situations) is spot on. This last blog, titled “Exactly What is Your Alternative”, she talks a lot about attitude, a topic of constant conversation in our 8th grade classroom. The title of the blog come from a conversation she had with a friend. When she asked this friend how she was always upbeat and happy, the friend’s reply: “And what exactly was my alternative? To be mad and angry at the world?” I’ve been pretty pissed with the world as of late and have taken it out on a number of people. Why? What good does this do me ,other than to isolate myself and cause stress all around me? Yup, it does me no good! So, I’ve been more conscious of my own attitude and how it ripples across my classroom and my family, trying to put a more positive spin on things. It’s a work in progress, but putting in the time is what is needed.
  4. I’m playing Christmas music. That’s one of those “I’m mad and damnit, I’m not doing this” kind of things. Being a big pain in the butt hasn’t worked, so I hung up the humbug and trotted out the Christmas favorites! I love Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass with their “Christmas Album”. That’s one that never goes out of my rotation. Frank Sintra, Dean Martin, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Tony Bennett, and a Charlie Brown Christmas all have their place in my rotation as well. As we travel to my parent’s house for “Christmas Eve” (3:00 in the afternoon *insert eye roll*) services, I also trot out “Christmas in the Stars”, a Star Wars Christmas CD. It’s the one time of the year I play it so I can hear the classic “What Do You Get A Wookie For Christmas?” Some say it’s a horrible concept, I way Christmas genius! 🙂
  5. Iowa football. Three weeks ago, I was on cloud nine. Now, that cloud is a little black rain cloud. Their defense as OUTSCORE the offense 16 – 13 in the last two stinkers of games against a pretty stout Wisconsin team and a pretty meh Purdue team. The problem with Iowa and the fan base: we don’t expect greatness. Hey, we were 12 – 0 two stinking years ago, and one play away from the college playoffs! Why shouldn’t we expect to take that next step?  This year, meh. 6 – 5 with the possibility of  being a 6 – 6 bowl eligible team does not inspire great things with me or the fan base. Inconsistency with no accountability does not a good team make! On a Hawkeye blog I frequent, I talked about how hard it was to watch the good games because the terrible games taint them, which is pretty much how I feel about the team. I will listen on Friday, even though I’m pretty sure I’ll be swearing at the radio, again. 🙂

And that’s my randomness for the day. I do feel much better after writing this, so if you’ve gotten this far, I hope you’ve had a chuckle, a smile, or even a question. It’s all about the connections, and I enjoy making those with each of my 10 readers!