A few weeks ago I posted a blog about my returning to school to get my master's in elementary education.
In order to get into the program I had to take a handful of undergrad classes, thanks to not taking the right path when I was originally in school (and a few classes I did take not being able to transfer). Anyway, this semester I am taking three classes - two online and one in class.
After the first week, I found myself a little behind. It was more difficult than I had originally anticipated. I wasn't ready for the amount of work being mixed with my actual job, spending time with my family, eating and sleeping.
For instance, the math class that I am taking online requires quite a bit of downloads to actually get through the course. I am unable to do most of the work for this course at home because I use my wife's computer, which I am not allowed to download anything on. So, time is sort of hard to come by.
After falling a bit behind, I worked pretty hard to get caught up - which I did. Then, I think I did something pretty smart - I made myself a due date guide. Basically, I went through each class and put when everything is going to be due. So far, my math class only lets me know what is due in short bursts - so I don't have the entire year mapped out - but for the other two classes I know everything.
And you know what - it is actually working. I find myself ahead in most of my classes now. Which when the time comes, will leave me with more time for some studying.
I have a small thing I am worried about with each class. In English it's the reading in front of the class - I have always hated talking in front of my peers, which is one of the main reasons I am going into elementary education - but, I have gotten a lot better in terms of this over the years, thanks to my job as a journalist. In Science it's the lab reports. I am having such a hard time with the 'Proper Lab Documentation', so I have yet to put anything in the book - but I am going to be taking care of this by the end of the week. And finally, in math it's the midterm and final.
In Science all of my work, including tests is done by myself - I am never worried when it comes to English, but I am a bit apprehensive about the math tests. I have to take them in front of a proctor, with just my calculator. Trying to remember all of these equations is insane - especially since I haven't taken math in like eight years.
But, I am hoping to come out of this unscathed. I look forward to finally getting into the master's program - and in a few short years being an elementary school teacher.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008
King of the Hill
Well, it's official. We can now proclaim Donovan McNabb the "King of the Hill".
Yesterday, quarterback Daunte Culpepper announced his retirement from the NFL: claiming that no one was interested in giving him a chance at competing for a job.
The problem with Culpepper's accusation is this: he still thinks he is the Culpepper from Minnesota pre-knee injury. Only he isn't. He showed glimpses of coming back from the knee injury in stops with Miami and Oakland the past two seasons, but never over the entire season. This offseason, he was even offered a backup job in Green Bay and tried out for the backup job in Pittsburgh. But, in Culpepper's mind, he is not a backup - so he turned them down.
Anyway, he has announced his retirement from the NFL. So, that leaves just Donovan McNabb as the only active quarterback from 1999's NFL Draft.
Which leads to the question, is the 1999 NFL Draft the worst for quarterbacks?
There were five quarterbacks taken in the first round. Cleveland selected Tim Couch with the No. 1 overall pick. He was followed by Philadelphia taking McNabb at No. 2 and Cincinnati selecting Akili Smith at No. 3. Culpepper went to Minnesota at No. 11 and Cade McNown quickly followed at No. 12 to Chicago.
But you know what? It doesn't stop there.
Other quarterbacks taken in that draft, and there selection number in parenthesis.
Compared to the 2000 draft, which was not supposed to be a quarterback deep draft, the 1999 draft still comes up short. In 2000, just one quarterback was taken in the first round - Chad Pennington to the NY Jets.
Others selected in later rounds who have become pretty successful: Chris Redman in the third round and a couple of sixth rounders you may know - Marc Bulger and Tom Brady.
So, here's to you Mr. McNabb. You have proven to be the quarterback diamond of the 1999 draft. It looked rough for you during those injury-prone years, but you have worked yourself back - and you deserve this "King of the Hill" honor.
Congratulations.
Yesterday, quarterback Daunte Culpepper announced his retirement from the NFL: claiming that no one was interested in giving him a chance at competing for a job.The problem with Culpepper's accusation is this: he still thinks he is the Culpepper from Minnesota pre-knee injury. Only he isn't. He showed glimpses of coming back from the knee injury in stops with Miami and Oakland the past two seasons, but never over the entire season. This offseason, he was even offered a backup job in Green Bay and tried out for the backup job in Pittsburgh. But, in Culpepper's mind, he is not a backup - so he turned them down.
Anyway, he has announced his retirement from the NFL. So, that leaves just Donovan McNabb as the only active quarterback from 1999's NFL Draft.
Which leads to the question, is the 1999 NFL Draft the worst for quarterbacks?
There were five quarterbacks taken in the first round. Cleveland selected Tim Couch with the No. 1 overall pick. He was followed by Philadelphia taking McNabb at No. 2 and Cincinnati selecting Akili Smith at No. 3. Culpepper went to Minnesota at No. 11 and Cade McNown quickly followed at No. 12 to Chicago.
But you know what? It doesn't stop there.
Other quarterbacks taken in that draft, and there selection number in parenthesis.
- Shaun King - Tampa Bay (50)
- Brock Huard - Seattle (77)
- Joe Germaine - St. Louis (101)
- Aaron Brooks - Green Bay (131)
- Kevin Daft - Tennessee (151)
- Michael Bishop - New England (227)
- Chris Greisen - Arizona (239)
- Scott Covington - Cincinnati (245)
Compared to the 2000 draft, which was not supposed to be a quarterback deep draft, the 1999 draft still comes up short. In 2000, just one quarterback was taken in the first round - Chad Pennington to the NY Jets.
Others selected in later rounds who have become pretty successful: Chris Redman in the third round and a couple of sixth rounders you may know - Marc Bulger and Tom Brady.
So, here's to you Mr. McNabb. You have proven to be the quarterback diamond of the 1999 draft. It looked rough for you during those injury-prone years, but you have worked yourself back - and you deserve this "King of the Hill" honor.Congratulations.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Football Returns
I have come to the realization, that despite my adoration for the sport of basketball, football has morphed into my favorite sport to watch.
Perhaps it's because football is only on for a minimal amount of time. One cannot truly miss basketball, because it is only truly gone for three months. Baseball, as most of you know I am not too fond of, is basically never gone. It ends in November and Spring training starts in February.
But football is only around for about five months. It does end in February, but it is usually only one game - the Super Bowl.
Anyway, the National Football League kicks off its season tonight as they have begun to do now in the past few years - with the previous season's Super Bowl champion hosting a game. Thursday games are sometimes pretty annoying, but I feel that this game is worth it. It is a celebration of the new season, as well as a final celebration for the Super Bowl champion.
So, I figured I would run down some of my picks for the season (sort of like I did with baseball, but I care a little more).
Again, these are just my predictions.
Perhaps it's because football is only on for a minimal amount of time. One cannot truly miss basketball, because it is only truly gone for three months. Baseball, as most of you know I am not too fond of, is basically never gone. It ends in November and Spring training starts in February.
But football is only around for about five months. It does end in February, but it is usually only one game - the Super Bowl.
Anyway, the National Football League kicks off its season tonight as they have begun to do now in the past few years - with the previous season's Super Bowl champion hosting a game. Thursday games are sometimes pretty annoying, but I feel that this game is worth it. It is a celebration of the new season, as well as a final celebration for the Super Bowl champion.
So, I figured I would run down some of my picks for the season (sort of like I did with baseball, but I care a little more).
Again, these are just my predictions.
Conference Champions
NFC East: Dallas Cowboys
NFC North: Green Bay Packers
NFC West: Arizona Cardinals
NFC South: New Orleans Saints
AFC East: New England Patriots
AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC West: San Diego Chargers
AFC South: Indianapolis Colts
Wildcards
NFC: Philadelphia Eagles, Carolina Panthers
AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars, NY Jets
SUPER BOWL
Dallas Cowboys vs. San Diego Chargers
SUPER BOWL WINNER
Dallas Cowboys
Season kicks off tonight with NY Giants hosting Washington Redskins at 7 p.m. EST. Good luck to your team - as long as they aren't playing mine.
NFC East: Dallas Cowboys
NFC North: Green Bay Packers
NFC West: Arizona Cardinals
NFC South: New Orleans Saints
AFC East: New England Patriots
AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC West: San Diego Chargers
AFC South: Indianapolis Colts
Wildcards
NFC: Philadelphia Eagles, Carolina Panthers
AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars, NY Jets
SUPER BOWL
Dallas Cowboys vs. San Diego Chargers
SUPER BOWL WINNER
Dallas Cowboys
Season kicks off tonight with NY Giants hosting Washington Redskins at 7 p.m. EST. Good luck to your team - as long as they aren't playing mine.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Weekend Movies
Over the Labor Day Weekend I was able to check out a couple of movies I had not seen yet.
The first movie we checked out was The Ex, a rather under-the-radar comedy with a pretty large cast.
The movie stars Zach Braff, a favorite of mine thanks to his portrayal of JD on Scrubs, as Tom Reilly, a chef in the big city who is about to have a baby with his wife Sofia (Amanda Peet).
Paul Rudd, in his only scene of the movie, plays Reilly's boss at the restaurant and on the day his wife is about to give birth - Tom is fired.
So, he caves and accepts a job in Sofia's father's ad agency. The big-time ad executive of the office is Chip Sanders (Jason Bateman), who is paralyzed from the waist down. He also had a huge crush on Sofia in high school (or college, can't remember) and apparently still does.
A lot of things start to go wrong for Tom at the office, and in his life, thanks to Chips doing. Although no one else in the family has any clue that Chip appears to be sabotaging Tom at both work and in his personal life.
The movie is pretty decent, but I can see why I didn't hear much about it when it first came out. It's your typical love triangle-type movie - with which the current boyfriend/husband drives himself berserk.
It is a fun watch, however, and the number of different actors you will recognize is pretty large. Charles Grodin and Mia Farrow play Sofia's parents. Donal Logue is the head of the ad agency while Amy Poehler and Fred Armisen both play ad execs who befriend Tom.
The first movie we checked out was The Ex, a rather under-the-radar comedy with a pretty large cast.The movie stars Zach Braff, a favorite of mine thanks to his portrayal of JD on Scrubs, as Tom Reilly, a chef in the big city who is about to have a baby with his wife Sofia (Amanda Peet).
Paul Rudd, in his only scene of the movie, plays Reilly's boss at the restaurant and on the day his wife is about to give birth - Tom is fired.
So, he caves and accepts a job in Sofia's father's ad agency. The big-time ad executive of the office is Chip Sanders (Jason Bateman), who is paralyzed from the waist down. He also had a huge crush on Sofia in high school (or college, can't remember) and apparently still does.
A lot of things start to go wrong for Tom at the office, and in his life, thanks to Chips doing. Although no one else in the family has any clue that Chip appears to be sabotaging Tom at both work and in his personal life.
The movie is pretty decent, but I can see why I didn't hear much about it when it first came out. It's your typical love triangle-type movie - with which the current boyfriend/husband drives himself berserk.
It is a fun watch, however, and the number of different actors you will recognize is pretty large. Charles Grodin and Mia Farrow play Sofia's parents. Donal Logue is the head of the ad agency while Amy Poehler and Fred Armisen both play ad execs who befriend Tom.
Grade:
The second movie of the weekend is one I have been looking forward to all summer long.
I become pretty infatuated with the original, so I was pretty eager to see the sequel - and I finally was able to see Harold & Kumar: Escape From Guantanamo Bay.
We checked out the unrated version, and it was pretty vulgar. A lot of things even I couldn't believe were in the movie, but it was alright. The movie itself does not live up to the potential of the first film - but it still had me laughing a lot.
The movie starts off right where the first one left off, as Harold & Kumar are heading to Amsterdam to find Maria, Harold's new love.
Of course, Kumar screws things up as he brings a bong aboard an airplane, which is mistaken for a bomb and the two get tossed into Guantanamo Bay by a pretty racist security advisor.
The rest of the film follows them as they escape from prison, look to track down a friend to clear their name and also break-up a wedding where Kumar's old flame is getting married to a total 'douche'. All the while getting chased by the racist security advisor.
Neil Patrick Harris returns to play - Neil Patrick Harris. His role was pretty cool, until the final part which I felt was a little unnecessary.
Overall, the movie gave some pretty good laughs. This time around it was Kumar chasing down the girl of his dreams. But, if I had to choose one or the other, the first one wins hands down.
I become pretty infatuated with the original, so I was pretty eager to see the sequel - and I finally was able to see Harold & Kumar: Escape From Guantanamo Bay.We checked out the unrated version, and it was pretty vulgar. A lot of things even I couldn't believe were in the movie, but it was alright. The movie itself does not live up to the potential of the first film - but it still had me laughing a lot.
The movie starts off right where the first one left off, as Harold & Kumar are heading to Amsterdam to find Maria, Harold's new love.
Of course, Kumar screws things up as he brings a bong aboard an airplane, which is mistaken for a bomb and the two get tossed into Guantanamo Bay by a pretty racist security advisor.
The rest of the film follows them as they escape from prison, look to track down a friend to clear their name and also break-up a wedding where Kumar's old flame is getting married to a total 'douche'. All the while getting chased by the racist security advisor.
Neil Patrick Harris returns to play - Neil Patrick Harris. His role was pretty cool, until the final part which I felt was a little unnecessary.
Overall, the movie gave some pretty good laughs. This time around it was Kumar chasing down the girl of his dreams. But, if I had to choose one or the other, the first one wins hands down.
Grade:
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Labor Day Weekend
So, the weekend was both productive and somewhat relaxing at the Kano household.
On Friday I went to a bachelor party with both my father-in-law and brother-in-law. It wasn't anything over the top. Just a BBQ and a quick stop at a bar near the end of the night. By the time the end of the night rolled around, however, most parties were pretty much out of it anyway.
As most of you know, I am no longer the drinker, so I pretty much just relaxed and joked around with my father-in-law and a couple of his buddies. Which was pretty fun.
The whole night got me thinking about my own bachelor party, and the last time I got drunk beyond belief. The party started out at the local Elk's Club (I say started, but this is where it also finished for me). A lot of my high school buddies, friends, parents friends, etc. were there to toast away my bachelorhood. I was given a cup when I first walked in, which my 'friends' would not allow to get below the halfway mark before filling it up again. I was also forced to take a shot every 20-30 minutes, I am not sure.
Well, one final shot did me in and my night was over after a couple of reversals. The party was supposed to head downtown, which it did without me. A friend of mine took me to his house to crash. This is where things get a little foggy for me. I thought I had at least made it to 10 p.m., but stories have said that it was more like 9. I also don't remember throwing up in his truck, but I was told that I did. Finally, after stumbling into their house and only recognizing their dog, I woke up on an air mattress, sleeping on a towel and in a pair of shorts. I also don't remember changing into the shorts.
This bachelor party, was a little more tame than mine - not that mine was over the top by any means. The groom-to-be did get sloshed and appeared to be pretty out of it by the time we did make it to the bar. But, at least he made it there.
On Saturday, Erika painted our bedroom. I did help out a little, but painting is not really my fortay - and this was abundantly clear. I did, however, get the walls covered enough that she would only have to do some touchups. The room came out pretty well, and our cracks and nail holes have been fixed.
Sunday was my day to get things done. We were having people over at 2 p.m. for a little get together, so I did a little flight of the bumblebee and managed to get all of the work around the house done before they came up.
We had a pretty good time. Playing games, chatting, having some pizza and of course taking a trip to Gino's for ice cream.I hadn't laughed that hard in a really long time, and it was definitely worth it.
Monday was a pretty lazy day. We had done most of work for the house, so we sort of lounged around and played with Kasey. I took a little time to work on my online courses while Erika took Kasey for a walk. we finished the weekend with dinner with my parents.
I purchased Kasey this bop bag on Sunday, I figured it would be fun for him and his buddy Jack to play with. And it was pretty fun to see them smack it around. Kasey also loves to jump on it, I just hope he doesn't pop it.
Well, that was my weekend - and unfortunately it has come to an end and I am back to the grind.
Did manage to watch a pair of movies, reviews coming soon.
On Friday I went to a bachelor party with both my father-in-law and brother-in-law. It wasn't anything over the top. Just a BBQ and a quick stop at a bar near the end of the night. By the time the end of the night rolled around, however, most parties were pretty much out of it anyway.
As most of you know, I am no longer the drinker, so I pretty much just relaxed and joked around with my father-in-law and a couple of his buddies. Which was pretty fun.
The whole night got me thinking about my own bachelor party, and the last time I got drunk beyond belief. The party started out at the local Elk's Club (I say started, but this is where it also finished for me). A lot of my high school buddies, friends, parents friends, etc. were there to toast away my bachelorhood. I was given a cup when I first walked in, which my 'friends' would not allow to get below the halfway mark before filling it up again. I was also forced to take a shot every 20-30 minutes, I am not sure.
Well, one final shot did me in and my night was over after a couple of reversals. The party was supposed to head downtown, which it did without me. A friend of mine took me to his house to crash. This is where things get a little foggy for me. I thought I had at least made it to 10 p.m., but stories have said that it was more like 9. I also don't remember throwing up in his truck, but I was told that I did. Finally, after stumbling into their house and only recognizing their dog, I woke up on an air mattress, sleeping on a towel and in a pair of shorts. I also don't remember changing into the shorts.
This bachelor party, was a little more tame than mine - not that mine was over the top by any means. The groom-to-be did get sloshed and appeared to be pretty out of it by the time we did make it to the bar. But, at least he made it there.
On Saturday, Erika painted our bedroom. I did help out a little, but painting is not really my fortay - and this was abundantly clear. I did, however, get the walls covered enough that she would only have to do some touchups. The room came out pretty well, and our cracks and nail holes have been fixed.
Sunday was my day to get things done. We were having people over at 2 p.m. for a little get together, so I did a little flight of the bumblebee and managed to get all of the work around the house done before they came up.
We had a pretty good time. Playing games, chatting, having some pizza and of course taking a trip to Gino's for ice cream.I hadn't laughed that hard in a really long time, and it was definitely worth it.
Monday was a pretty lazy day. We had done most of work for the house, so we sort of lounged around and played with Kasey. I took a little time to work on my online courses while Erika took Kasey for a walk. we finished the weekend with dinner with my parents.
I purchased Kasey this bop bag on Sunday, I figured it would be fun for him and his buddy Jack to play with. And it was pretty fun to see them smack it around. Kasey also loves to jump on it, I just hope he doesn't pop it.
Well, that was my weekend - and unfortunately it has come to an end and I am back to the grind.
Did manage to watch a pair of movies, reviews coming soon.
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