Archive for November, 2009

Forensics stole my Saturdays…

Published by
jessi
at November 21, 2009 in On Teaching. 1 Comment

(Warning: This post pertains to Speech. If you don’t care about it, which I’m sure most of you don’t, then you’ll probably want to skip this.)

The past two Saturdays, I have been judging for Speech team. Back when I was at university, this was a fairly easy way to make a little cash whilst home from breaks and the like. Now that I find myself unemployed and only mildly motivated to find a job in the States, I have turned to this tried method once again.

The first tournament was hosted at Wheaton North High School. At the time this tournament was presented to me, the hosting school meant little. It wasn’t until I walked around the halls for a moment that it finally occurred to me just what tournament Wheaton North was: the Technicolor Tournament. I know this means absolutely nothing to most of you, but for my former teammates like Chris O and Al, they understand. This was one of the more competitive tournaments of the season; I remember it being the first real Varsity meet.

I started to feel a little uncomfortable. Not only was I judging for a school I had little connection to, I was also judging for the first time in three (or is it four) years. Wheaton North is a tough tournament and many of the school who were competing were the likes of state champions. I also remembered what it was like for me to be a competitor at the tournament; the judges were serious and the coaches were worse. Critiques were not to be trifled with.

Amazingly, I managed to do the job without squirreling anybody; at least, I haven’t heard anything, and bad judging does get back to coaches. Whew!

I thought with Wheaton North behind me, I wouldn’t have any issues with Palatine’s tournament. Again, as I walked around the cafeteria, I started to remember competing in this tournament as well. The Turkey Tournament.

The part that unnerved me this time around was seeing three people I went to university with, and not really acknowledging each other. Admittedly, they were people I knew from ISU Theatre and therefore only interacted with a little…but I still remembered them. It only served to remind me how I managed to lose touch with these people. Also unfortunately for me, I started to think perhaps I made a mistake teaching abroad. I didn’t think I could really fit in to this anymore. A thought that is most likely attributed to my incurable crazy. Especially since I know how important Japan and England were to me. I just hope the experiences really will help me professionally. Everybody assures me that they will, but it still makes me nervous.

Not only did I judge three rounds, but I ended up judging finals. I hate judging finals. At least I got to judge an event that didn’t blame me for cancer. (I hate it when I get blamed for cancer.) For some reason, I found myself far more stressed about it than the kids, but it all turned out. Mike e-mailed me about the results and said my ballot pretty much matched the other two judges so I should stop freaking out. He also said that this meant he would use me again for finals.

Something that also came to mind at these tournaments was a little bit of reverse culture shock. England didn’t have extra-curricular activities like this, at least, not where I taught. Athletics and activities were half the reason I enjoyed school so much, and I learned invaluable skills from them. I know not everyone’s experiences are the same when it comes to high school, but I think I got a lot out of it by participating in all the things that I did.

So yeah. I got me something of a temporary job. It’s not much, but it’s something I can do (apparently). And, it’s related to high school teaching. Go Cougars! I mean Mustangs!

One month later…

Published by
jessi
at November 13, 2009 in Random Reading. 1 Comment

Yeah…this is sad. Like, bare sad (not to be confused with “bare sick”). At least, I find it sad that I still struggle to blog even when I am in mine own home. Being a freak can be really annoying.

I have spent this time at home reconnecting with friends for the most part. To be sure, it isn’t that hard for me since I’ve kept in touch with most folks as it were anyway. We have spent the time doing our usual thing: hanging out. I know, it doesn’t sound overly exciting, but it is something I’ve missed. Although, I’ve tried to be not as ridiculously needy over the last two weeks. I’d made a comment to the Settlers and all about how I find I can’t do much on mine own anymore and it was getting to the point where I just wanted to punch myself in the face for being so pathetic. I’m past it…sort of. You know, if I had been really smart about it, I would have finished some stuff from The Lost Chronicles whilst I’m at it. Some of my European misadventures are still un-chronicled. Although, now that I’ve mostly spoken with those of you (except maybe Darya) about what I’d gotten up to whilst abroad it may be silly to write about them.

Speaking of how I can’t write…my awesome NaNoWriMo project is going terribly. I’ve only just started to write something, and I don’t even know that I can rate it as “craptacular”; it’s like even lower than that! I’m near 1,000 words now which is a damn far cry from where I need to be. I need to find a good place to write. I can’t even remember how I used to be able to do this! I have an unfinished fic that I somehow managed to compose on John (Dell laptop), and I did that while I was student-teaching even! Curse you, Inspiration! Why did thoust leave me?

I also find myself in a reading funk. From the last time Now Reading let me update to now, I’ve read five books. Not bad considering I hardly read at all during the last year. I tried reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo but struggled to get into it. Fiona had said I would probably like it, and I did read something about it on After Ellen, which is where the book I read before this one, Ash by Malinda Lo, was also recommended. And yet, I find myself dipping into A Storm of Swords post Red Wedding. Seriously. Why can’t I read something new? And why, oh why can’t A Dance with Dragons be published already?

Oh! I had my fake birthday dinner at Texas de Brazil with folks. I say “fake” because it took place on Tuesday, about a week before my actual birthday. I also realized today that it has actually been four years since I spent a birthday at home; my 24th was spent on a plane coming back from the Philippines, shortly after my beloved budgies died. (They are buried in the back yard. In a plastic bad. Wanna see???) And, as many folk here know, I have become obsessed with Sven, the little budgie who lives in Tokyo. It not only makes me want a budgie again, but it also makes me want to move back to Japan.

My parents are crazy about England. I find this amusing. Not a week ago, my dad said, “Why don’t you move back to England and get a job?” I was a bit thrown off by that. And then just yesterday my mom told me she had taken this time off work because she thought I might still be in England and they were going to visit me. Again, WTF? Why do they like England so much where I was more or less miserable but insisted I come home from Japan where I was pretty happy? They are strange and so very Asian.

I finally got to see Up on Wednesday. I don’t know what my damage is, but I cried a lot during that film! I am now kind of glad I did not see it in the cinemas with friends because it would have just been very embarrassing. I am now strongly considering purchasing that movie, if anything because I find Dug and Kevin very endearing. ( “But you mussed up Atherton’s face and that has endeared you to me somewhat.” ) Who am I kidding? The whole movie was pretty endearing.

Have I mentioned how much I love breakfast? I have missed this meal greatly whilst I’ve been abroad. At least American breakfasts don’t have beans. I never got over that. Admittedly, if I were still living in London, I could go all the way into Camden and get breakfast at The Diner…but it would have cost me like a eleventy billion pounds! (Oh hyperbole!) So far, I have only been to Richard Walker’s once since being home. I believe that shall be remedied soon, however.

The part that kind of makes me sad is that I have become the slowest eater of the group. I don’t know how or why it has happened, but the last few times we’ve been out to eat, I’m like the last person to finish. I’m trying to remember if it was always the case; some part of me thinks not, but perhaps I just never noticed before. I first noticed this whilst in England and I was happy to pass it off as a trait I acquired whilst amongst the British. But now perhaps I was mistaken. Saa ne.

Now that I’ve been unemployed for much longer than I anticipated, I think I should just get it over with and get a damn physical. I’m not particularly keen on having strangers touching me even for medicinal purposes. It is a pre-requisite to be able to sub, though. I also need to get my background check and things done again. I am glad these measures are in place, you know, so bad people don’t end up with the students. But as a non-bad person it kind of sucks ‘cuz this will be my third time going through these processes (well, not the physical thing, but the others!).

Well, that’s it from me. I am going to judge a speech tournament tomorrow for the first time in three years. I hope I don’t squirrel a kid! (Def: When a contestant gets a 1-1-6 and does not break into Finals because of one judge.)