I Always Believed In Futures

An interview with Flo.

Me: so do you lurve school?
Flo: not really i hate it a lot.. i like the scchool, but i dont like going to class


While teaching in Mass is something I always figured I'd be doing I've been looking into teaching systems in other states that I'd actually like to live in.


Also it would be nice to not have to teach around the MCAS- Not that other forms of standardized testing don't exist.
I suppose that will be my next step in research.

http://schools.nyc.gov/TeachNYC/default.htm

Teaching in New York City would be insane, but the benefits- as well as pay look glorious.

"Salaries are based on prior teaching experience as well as undergraduate and graduate degrees. As of May 2008, starting teacher salaries range from $45,530 (bachelor’s degree, no prior teaching experience) to $74,796 (master’s degree, 8 years teaching experience). Teachers who already have a master’s degree but no teaching experience will start at $51,425.

With annual increases plus increases for additional coursework, teachers' salaries will rise to the current maximum of $100,049 per year over time. "



I must get my masters asap. But perhaps I should graduate college first.


Say hello to good times
Trade up for the fast ride
We close our eyes while the nickel and dime take the streets completely
I always could count on futures
That things would look up, and they look up
Why is it so hard to find balance
Between living decent and the cold and real.


Jimmy Eat World Clarity tour tonight at the House of Blues. I'm interested to see what the venue looks like. I have heard it's anything but impressive- but hey maybe I'll stop in to the gift shop and buy a House of Blues coffee mug. mug mug mug.

I just read a review on one of the shows from the tour and the best part that upped my excitement beyond the beyond's was the description of the encore. "In the encore, the band tossed off songs both older and newer than “Clarity,” starting with “What Would I Say to You Now,” from 1996, and moving inevitably on to “The Middle,” the hit single from “Bleed American.” The send-off was “Sweetness,” which inspired a mass singalong of whoa-oh-ohs: one last, heartening bolt of consensus."

While being a huge fan of Clarity I'm a much bigger fan of Bleed American and Futures. So it would be a huge Bonus if I got to hear songs like "The Middle" and "Sweetness." Will report on this tomorrow!

Oliver says "HI!"

We are twins.


So this week I wrote my first Sestina. What is a Sestina you might ask? Or maybe you're not asking- in which case STOP READING- I promise to bore you. Well it's an incredibly limiting poem to start. The limits begin and end with the fact that the poem is consumed by the choice of six words. Words at any length, words of any theme, words of any part of speech. Rather than an end-rhyme scheme the Sestina has a end-word scheme in which there are six stanzas. These words all must be presented at the end of each six lines of each of the six stanzas. Lastly the poem ends with stanza 7 which is made up of 3 lines containing 2 words per line.

What you come out with is something like this:

This poem is pure fiction. I chose the word "check" after receiving a "check plus" on a paper in another English class. The check grading system angers me. There is no percentage value, and it's hard to tell exactly the magnitude or lack there of in the grade.
And from the word "Check" I started to think of check's and balances and money owed and money gained. Which resulted in this somewhat conventional poem. However I must say, I do take pride in the meter.

(UNTITLED)

I always remember to check,
I step forward and I step back.
Hey you! You need to pay,
but what have I to lose?
But another night, week, month, year
another hour, do you remember

How we used to listen, remember?
I saw a light on, you forgot to check.
You always remembered to check last year.
Now here I lie, thinking back
to the time when I had more to lose
than only you, but now I pay.

My mother said I would have to pay
for the nights out I wouldn’t remember.
But I thought - again I wouldn’t lose,
that I would stay complete. I would always check
myself and would be happy within a year.
I must stop looking back.

Could you please check
when I’m overseas next year
to see who will remember
me- or forget to pay
a memory back?
Will I lose

A positive existence in one year?
A balance, a check- remember?
Don’t take it back.
It’s not what I fear to lose.
Can you be the one to pay
a right to a wrong? I’ve been check-
ing to see what I have to pay,

I’ve been waiting to see what I have to lose,
and waiting to see when you will pay.
What time is it now? Can you check
to see what hour it is? Are you going to remember
this night of this year when you look back,
when you are older? Or will you lose

the memory. I will remember to check
This year, yes I will not, I refuse to look back.
I will lose you, it’s true, but will you ever pay?

A lack of posts due to a lack of motive. Blame the winter weather. In the city it drags me down, in the wilderness it brings me up.

AJ and I went Snow Shoeing in New Hampshire on Sunday.

We took the Nineteen Mile Brook trail in hopes of reaching Carter Notch Hut. Unfortunately a late start in the morning made us miss out on much needed sunlight. This endangered us from reaching the hut at the end of the trail in time to make it back to the car before dark. Still well worth it!







Last week I saw Coraline. I loved it! Why? I don't know it was just so good. I know it was good, but why? I don't know it was just so good!


I must read the book!

and I loved the other father's song!



That's all for now!

Negative One Sip!

So last week I finished my first book of the semester for my English 355 class "American Prose."
"The American" is a classic novel by Henry James about a wealthy man named "Newman" symbolically standing for "New Man." This book involves the merging of 19th century aristocratic French culture with American culture. Newman has acheived the American dream of starting from nothing and accumulating great wealth, once doing that he has found himself overseas in Paris to become "cultured." Unfortunately Newman does nothing of the sort, if anything he pushes culture upon the stuck up Marquis of Paris and they simply reject him. The main problem of the book is that Newman has fallen in love with a beautiful widowed woman who is incredibly sheltered by her Mother and two brothers. Newman cannot fully comprehend why they would not want him to marry her as a result of all his wealth- to him money can buy everything. The plot twists and turns with lies, murder, and deception, but I'll stray from getting into that in an effort not to spoil a book you probably will never read!

However, I think if you get around to it, maybe America can throw down their copies of "Twilight" and get into a classic that will actually do more than entertain with hot vampire sex. Hmm, actually I've been meaning to get into that book. I'm sure its good as well as thirlling. It's also great when a book gets so big among kids in todays culture, it's like a CD selling big (kind of).


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SO recently I downloaded Ben Nichols of Lucero 's solo album "The Last Pale Light in The West"



This folk album is beautiful. It's Lucero without the harsh electric guitars that usually grind against Nichols' vocals present. So if you liked "The War" By Lucero, you'll probably appreciate these tracks. The classic folk chords bounce off the acoustic guitar accompanied by a harmonica help showcase his voice on a whole new pedestal formulating seven different versions of "The War," "Across The RIver," and "Mine Tonight" by Lucero, only upbeat (well musically, not lyrically)

There's only seven tracks, but all are memorable. My two favorite tracks are "The Judge" (instrumental) and "Davy Brown."

Here is a video I found on Youtube of Davy Brown Featuring Chuck Ragan of Against Me! I saw this tour this past fall at the Middle East.





OH AND...