I went to DC at the beginning of July. I was there for about 2 weeks, had a great time and miss my friends terribly. It's hard coming back home and heading back to work.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Punch Out Update
Today I decided that I was going to finish Punch Out, and I did. I finally beat Mr. Sandman, saw the credits and everything, but then was taken back to the World Circuit menu only to be taken back to the Minor Circuit and have to do it all over again.
I figured Mr. Sandman wasn't the last fighter and there had to be some way of unlocking other characters, so this made sense.
So I start fighting Glass Joe again, but guuudddammmnnnit! It's ridiculous that I can't pass such an easy fighter and dumb fighter. The more I tried, the more frustrated I got. When I'd get close to beating him, I'd get confused and lose. After about an hour of this, yelling and jumping around in my room like an idiot, I just turned it off. I couldn't take it anymore.
I'll try some other day.
I figured Mr. Sandman wasn't the last fighter and there had to be some way of unlocking other characters, so this made sense.
So I start fighting Glass Joe again, but guuudddammmnnnit! It's ridiculous that I can't pass such an easy fighter and dumb fighter. The more I tried, the more frustrated I got. When I'd get close to beating him, I'd get confused and lose. After about an hour of this, yelling and jumping around in my room like an idiot, I just turned it off. I couldn't take it anymore.
I'll try some other day.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
The Bluest Eye
I finished reading Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye". This is the book in the middle of the controversy I mentioned in my previous blog.
So, what did I think of it? Is it worth all the commotion?
First of all, I think the back synopsis is misleading. This is what it says, "Pecola Breedlove, a young black girl, prays every day for beauty. Mocked by other children for the dark skin, curly hair, and brown eyes that set her apart, she yearns for normalcy, for the blond hair and blue eyes that she believes will allow her to finally fit in.Yet as her dream grows more fervent, her life slowly starts to disintegrate in the face of adversity and strife. A powerful examination of our obsession with beauty and conformity, Toni Morrison’s virtuosic first novel asks powerful questions about race, class, and gender with the subtlety and grace that have always characterized her writing."
When I read this I expected the story to revolve around Pecola and does, but it doesn't. Of course she has her storyline, but I wouldn't pin point her as the main character. There's more talk about Claudia and Frieda than of Pecola. The story jumps from the girls, to the backstory of their parents, back to the girls, more backstory of other people and continues on like this. Pecola disappears form the story for a while and reappears at the end. The way it's set up, I wouldn't consider any of them main characters.
It's a story about all of them. If you're focusing on the obsession of beauty or trying to be normal or better, which in this case perfection is white, blonde and blue-eyed, the Pecola is right on it. She thinks herself as ugly and wishes to be more like the white kids. Frieda and Claudia seem see how "white" is considered better and rebel against it (more Claudia than Frieda). Claudia talks about how she can't stand the white baby dolls she's given and ends up destroying them. She sort of makes the doll connection with real white kids and feel anger and rage towards them. It's not just the kids, there's discrimination among themselves too. In one of those tangents the story goes on, a new character is introduced and she's all about not letting her son play with the black kids. She tries to make her son as non-black as possible because she sees herself and her family as better than the rest. Pecola's mother, Pauline Breedlove, hates her family life and only feels better, strong and accepted when she's at work (she's a housekeeper for some rich, white family).
So, why were people trying to eliminate this book?
There are parts that are sexually descriptive. That's the whole issue. Overall, there's nothing wrong with the book. Just like with anything, if you just read the explicit excerpts then you're going to take it out of context. I don't think there's anything in this book that should be hidden from an 11th grader. Also, I think that if a student has a valid issue with the book, they should be allowed to supplement their work with something else. The sad truth is that by 11th grade, these kids have read, heard, seen it all.
In my opinion, I do like the fact there was a discussion going on. It kept people debating and choosing sides. Having read the book, I don't have strong feelings towards it either way. For me, I thought the book was slightly forgetful. However, that might just be because I was expecting a highly controversial story. If this is the book they choose to read, then I think it should be allowed.
So, what did I think of it? Is it worth all the commotion?
First of all, I think the back synopsis is misleading. This is what it says, "Pecola Breedlove, a young black girl, prays every day for beauty. Mocked by other children for the dark skin, curly hair, and brown eyes that set her apart, she yearns for normalcy, for the blond hair and blue eyes that she believes will allow her to finally fit in.Yet as her dream grows more fervent, her life slowly starts to disintegrate in the face of adversity and strife. A powerful examination of our obsession with beauty and conformity, Toni Morrison’s virtuosic first novel asks powerful questions about race, class, and gender with the subtlety and grace that have always characterized her writing."
When I read this I expected the story to revolve around Pecola and does, but it doesn't. Of course she has her storyline, but I wouldn't pin point her as the main character. There's more talk about Claudia and Frieda than of Pecola. The story jumps from the girls, to the backstory of their parents, back to the girls, more backstory of other people and continues on like this. Pecola disappears form the story for a while and reappears at the end. The way it's set up, I wouldn't consider any of them main characters.
It's a story about all of them. If you're focusing on the obsession of beauty or trying to be normal or better, which in this case perfection is white, blonde and blue-eyed, the Pecola is right on it. She thinks herself as ugly and wishes to be more like the white kids. Frieda and Claudia seem see how "white" is considered better and rebel against it (more Claudia than Frieda). Claudia talks about how she can't stand the white baby dolls she's given and ends up destroying them. She sort of makes the doll connection with real white kids and feel anger and rage towards them. It's not just the kids, there's discrimination among themselves too. In one of those tangents the story goes on, a new character is introduced and she's all about not letting her son play with the black kids. She tries to make her son as non-black as possible because she sees herself and her family as better than the rest. Pecola's mother, Pauline Breedlove, hates her family life and only feels better, strong and accepted when she's at work (she's a housekeeper for some rich, white family).
So, why were people trying to eliminate this book?
There are parts that are sexually descriptive. That's the whole issue. Overall, there's nothing wrong with the book. Just like with anything, if you just read the explicit excerpts then you're going to take it out of context. I don't think there's anything in this book that should be hidden from an 11th grader. Also, I think that if a student has a valid issue with the book, they should be allowed to supplement their work with something else. The sad truth is that by 11th grade, these kids have read, heard, seen it all.
In my opinion, I do like the fact there was a discussion going on. It kept people debating and choosing sides. Having read the book, I don't have strong feelings towards it either way. For me, I thought the book was slightly forgetful. However, that might just be because I was expecting a highly controversial story. If this is the book they choose to read, then I think it should be allowed.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Summer Sessions
I'm officially on summer vacation. This has to be one of the greatest things about working in the education field....2 months off!
Before the end of the semester, there was some controversy over an 11th grade assigned reading. The gist of the debate was if the book was/is appropriate reading material for teenagers. I loved the fact that people got all up in arms, were having discussions and choosing sides. It was great.
The book is The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. I have a vague understanding of what the book is about. I haven't read it, but I did buy a copy and will be reading it as soon as I'm done with Broken by Daniel Clay (which btw, has no chapters...never seen that before). Some people thought the book was too vulgar and explicit or too adult if you will, for teens. Since I haven't read it, I'm refraining from giving my opinion about its validity as a high school reading. In the end, the school did approve the book. I'll get back to you on whether or not I liked it and my opinion.
Besides that, so far my summer sessions have been filled with video games! As you know, I LOVE Punch Out. I did pass Soda Popinski and have made it all the way to Mr. Sandman. Yeah...I'm stuck, again! I undestand how to beat him. I just haven't been able to, yet :D I also bought a new game called Gravity. LOVE IT! It's all about puzzles and figuring out where to place squares and rectagles to roll the ball/car to the goal. I know, sounds pretty kiddie, but it's great. I've gotten stuck at level 15 and 35 (there's 100).
Ahhhhhhhh summer....gotta love it!
Before the end of the semester, there was some controversy over an 11th grade assigned reading. The gist of the debate was if the book was/is appropriate reading material for teenagers. I loved the fact that people got all up in arms, were having discussions and choosing sides. It was great.
The book is The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. I have a vague understanding of what the book is about. I haven't read it, but I did buy a copy and will be reading it as soon as I'm done with Broken by Daniel Clay (which btw, has no chapters...never seen that before). Some people thought the book was too vulgar and explicit or too adult if you will, for teens. Since I haven't read it, I'm refraining from giving my opinion about its validity as a high school reading. In the end, the school did approve the book. I'll get back to you on whether or not I liked it and my opinion.
Besides that, so far my summer sessions have been filled with video games! As you know, I LOVE Punch Out. I did pass Soda Popinski and have made it all the way to Mr. Sandman. Yeah...I'm stuck, again! I undestand how to beat him. I just haven't been able to, yet :D I also bought a new game called Gravity. LOVE IT! It's all about puzzles and figuring out where to place squares and rectagles to roll the ball/car to the goal. I know, sounds pretty kiddie, but it's great. I've gotten stuck at level 15 and 35 (there's 100).
Ahhhhhhhh summer....gotta love it!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Punch Out
The game Punch Out is my newest Wii-ddiction. Of course I have fond memories of the old NES game and this one is definitely an improvement. It makes me laugh and I have a good time playing it. For a few days I was stuck on Soda Popinski and cursing at the tv. I know, I know...it's only a game. And I'm sure my co-workers are tired of hearing about it :) I did finally pass the soda chugger, but not after he completely messed up my won-loss average! Hate him!
Now I have new challege. Bald Bull. Yeah...I foung against him in the practice rounds and there's no way I'm passed this guy right now. He's sooooo much harder than what I remember!
Now I have new challege. Bald Bull. Yeah...I foung against him in the practice rounds and there's no way I'm passed this guy right now. He's sooooo much harder than what I remember!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Mistakenly Texted
I received a funny text message today that I'd like to share:
Uhm...ok. No, I don't know who sent it. I do know it's someone from NYC because of the area code. That's as far as my curiosity took me. No reply from me! I just laughed because it sounds like someone is involved in some extra curricular activities and they just sent the text to the wrong number.
Update 10pm:
I just checked my phone and I have a missed call. Guess from who? Yup, same text message NYC person. Since they didn't leave a message, I'll assume they heard my voicemail and realized they have the wrong number.
Como te sientes hoy reina?
perdona que te mande text message, pero tenemos
que adaptarnos a la tecnologia y asi no te interrumpo.
Uhm...ok. No, I don't know who sent it. I do know it's someone from NYC because of the area code. That's as far as my curiosity took me. No reply from me! I just laughed because it sounds like someone is involved in some extra curricular activities and they just sent the text to the wrong number.
Update 10pm:
I just checked my phone and I have a missed call. Guess from who? Yup, same text message NYC person. Since they didn't leave a message, I'll assume they heard my voicemail and realized they have the wrong number.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Tales From The Trail
It's no secret I go running. Sometimes I enjoy it, sometimes I hate it. Whenever I can, I go to El Paseo Lineal de Bayamon. It's a nice path for walkers, runners and a separate one for cyclists. On the site it says it's a total of 6 miles. I think it's less than that, but I can't run the whole thing anyway. I did reach a goal and continuously ran from one end to the other. Now I have to work on running the whole way back. I have to stop and walk a few times on the way back.
Anyway, this is not why I blog today. I blog to share yet another random story. It takes place while I was running this morning in Bayamon. One other thing that you should know about this place is that it isn't uncommon for people to randomly greet you or to make some comment to you. Usually, it's old folks that do this. So there I was running, sweating, looking at the cyclists as they go by. By the time it takes me to run one way, I've seen the same cyclists maybe three or four times, depends on how fast they're going. I'm concentrating on jogging more than running because I don't want to burn out. I see a cyclist and as he passes by he says "Buenos dias". I've never had a cyclists greet me before (unless they're your friend). They acknowledge you're there, but never talk. So I wasn't expecting it and therefore said nothing back.
Later on I see the same cyclist. By now I've reached the point in my run where I'm battling with the snot running down my nose. Attractive I know. So I'm sniffling and at the same time the cyclist says "Buenos dias". I BARELY heard him over my sniffle and I didn't say anything back. Of course now I'm thinking the guy is weird and continue on my run.
On my way back I'm tired and thinking about stopping at the water fountain. The first two I see don't work. I know there's another one ahead at the rest stop and I'm hoping that one works. I didn't need to stop, I run with a water bottle so I had water...I just wanted COLD water. I see the rest stop, the fountain and then the cyclist leaning on the benches. My thought process: "oh crap...I should run past...but I want cold water...the fountain probably doesn't work....I should run past...I'll quickly check if it works which it won't so I won't have to really stop...I should run past". I walk up to the fountain expecting it not to work, but it does. I drink some water, fill up my bottle and the cyclist starts talking to me.
"Te iba invitar a sentarte un rato", he says.
"Como?", I said as if I didn't hear him the first time.
"No que te iba a invitar a descansar un rato", he says.
"Tengo que seguir, no puedo parar", I say as I fill my water bottle.
"Cuanto tiempo llevas corriendo?", he asks.
"En el dia de hoy? Como unos 40 min", I say.
"Es que te veo corriendo ahi con tanto deseo...", he says in a low voice to which I say nothing.
"Tienes que tener cuidado con el calor y hace mucho sol", he says.
(yeah, it couldn't have been a cloudier day today in Bayamon)
"Yo corro por las tardes, el sol no me molesta", I reply.
"Bueno, pero correr con cuidado porque el sol lastima...", he says.
"Agua, tomar mucha agua", I say as I show him my bottle and finally see my opportunity to end the conversation.
"Bueno, que tengas un buen dia", I say and start running away from the Oakley wearing cyclist.
"Igual a ti, que tengas un buen dia", he says as I'm running away.
Uhm, I'm a bit confused. After this minute long conversation, all I could try to figure out was what in the world did he see that made him hit on me. Let me describe my physical state while running. Sweat, hair in disarray, snot nose happenings and the obvious face flush from the heat and exersion. More specifically (just so you can picture how attractive I looked) my tank top was soken through with sweat in circular patterns. I looked like I was lactating. My pants were soken through with sweat also. I looked like I had pissed myself. So which one was it he liked more? The sweaty lactating shirt look or the sweaty pissed pants look? Maybe it was a combination of both. I didn't really want to find out.
Was the cyclist good looking? I think you can tell from my fountain-thought process what I thought. To each their own, really, but I'm just not into 40 something year old men. When I'm 40 I'll be into 40 year old men :)
Two other things that happened almost at the end of my run was that I saw, no...I caught another cyclist checking me out. This one was younger and cuter. Now why didn't he try to chat me up?! hahaha! He was one of those serious cyclists though. They never talk or stop and pass by the runners more than four times. Then at the end this elderly man said to me, "Por ahi voy! Lento, pero por ahi voy". This just made me laugh.
As you can see, Hay un poco de todo en Bayamon.
Anyway, this is not why I blog today. I blog to share yet another random story. It takes place while I was running this morning in Bayamon. One other thing that you should know about this place is that it isn't uncommon for people to randomly greet you or to make some comment to you. Usually, it's old folks that do this. So there I was running, sweating, looking at the cyclists as they go by. By the time it takes me to run one way, I've seen the same cyclists maybe three or four times, depends on how fast they're going. I'm concentrating on jogging more than running because I don't want to burn out. I see a cyclist and as he passes by he says "Buenos dias". I've never had a cyclists greet me before (unless they're your friend). They acknowledge you're there, but never talk. So I wasn't expecting it and therefore said nothing back.
Later on I see the same cyclist. By now I've reached the point in my run where I'm battling with the snot running down my nose. Attractive I know. So I'm sniffling and at the same time the cyclist says "Buenos dias". I BARELY heard him over my sniffle and I didn't say anything back. Of course now I'm thinking the guy is weird and continue on my run.
On my way back I'm tired and thinking about stopping at the water fountain. The first two I see don't work. I know there's another one ahead at the rest stop and I'm hoping that one works. I didn't need to stop, I run with a water bottle so I had water...I just wanted COLD water. I see the rest stop, the fountain and then the cyclist leaning on the benches. My thought process: "oh crap...I should run past...but I want cold water...the fountain probably doesn't work....I should run past...I'll quickly check if it works which it won't so I won't have to really stop...I should run past". I walk up to the fountain expecting it not to work, but it does. I drink some water, fill up my bottle and the cyclist starts talking to me.
"Te iba invitar a sentarte un rato", he says.
"Como?", I said as if I didn't hear him the first time.
"No que te iba a invitar a descansar un rato", he says.
"Tengo que seguir, no puedo parar", I say as I fill my water bottle.
"Cuanto tiempo llevas corriendo?", he asks.
"En el dia de hoy? Como unos 40 min", I say.
"Es que te veo corriendo ahi con tanto deseo...", he says in a low voice to which I say nothing.
"Tienes que tener cuidado con el calor y hace mucho sol", he says.
(yeah, it couldn't have been a cloudier day today in Bayamon)
"Yo corro por las tardes, el sol no me molesta", I reply.
"Bueno, pero correr con cuidado porque el sol lastima...", he says.
"Agua, tomar mucha agua", I say as I show him my bottle and finally see my opportunity to end the conversation.
"Bueno, que tengas un buen dia", I say and start running away from the Oakley wearing cyclist.
"Igual a ti, que tengas un buen dia", he says as I'm running away.
Uhm, I'm a bit confused. After this minute long conversation, all I could try to figure out was what in the world did he see that made him hit on me. Let me describe my physical state while running. Sweat, hair in disarray, snot nose happenings and the obvious face flush from the heat and exersion. More specifically (just so you can picture how attractive I looked) my tank top was soken through with sweat in circular patterns. I looked like I was lactating. My pants were soken through with sweat also. I looked like I had pissed myself. So which one was it he liked more? The sweaty lactating shirt look or the sweaty pissed pants look? Maybe it was a combination of both. I didn't really want to find out.
Was the cyclist good looking? I think you can tell from my fountain-thought process what I thought. To each their own, really, but I'm just not into 40 something year old men. When I'm 40 I'll be into 40 year old men :)
Two other things that happened almost at the end of my run was that I saw, no...I caught another cyclist checking me out. This one was younger and cuter. Now why didn't he try to chat me up?! hahaha! He was one of those serious cyclists though. They never talk or stop and pass by the runners more than four times. Then at the end this elderly man said to me, "Por ahi voy! Lento, pero por ahi voy". This just made me laugh.
As you can see, Hay un poco de todo en Bayamon.
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