Monday, August 24, 2015

Of Comics and Costumes

Why is it that sometimes the "little blue wheel of death" spins counter-clockwise and sometimes it spins clock-wise? I thought it always spun in the counter-clockwise direction but this morning I noticed it was spinning clock-wise.

If you are wondering why I look at the little blue wheel of death, it's because I spend a lot of time waiting for web pages to load, especially when the computer is still firing up behind the scenes. Go ahead, watch the wheel and let me know which way it spins.

Yesterday, I went to the Chicago version of Comic Con. It's not as fabulous as the "real" Comic Con (held annually in San Diego), but it's a good time, nonetheless. Besides, Chicago is a lot closer to Rockford than San Diego. My question from that adventure is: Why on earth are the Power Rangers popular again? When did this happen? I saw more Green Power Rangers yesterday than any other cosplay. When I got home, I googled this green power ranger thing. A movie is set to come out in 2016 (or, 2017, depending to whom you listen), with the original Green Power Ranger (Tommy, in case you are wondering) set to be in the movie in one way or another. I guess that's pretty big news, especially for MMPR fans. I know nothing of this show.

I have no plans of becoming a Power Ranger fan....not even the green one.

Back to yesterday's Comic Con. It was as anticipated--full of costumers, er I mean cosplay, crowded, happy, nerdy, expensive, chock full of good-clean-fun. It's very much a family affair; after all, you can dress up the whole family as a set of characters from a favorite show. What kid doesn't like dressing up as a favorite super hero? (What nerdy adult doesn't like dressing up as a favorite super hero?) I highly suggest attending if (1) you are a sad and lonely Doctor Who fan with no one to talk to about the show; (2) You have a costume of some sort that you'd like to wear out of the house; (3) You are obsessed with one of the many shows now found at such events; (4) you want to meet/get an autograph/have a photo with a favorite star; and/or, (5) You actually read and collect comic books.

No, I did not dress up...but, I did wear my Doctor Who TARDIS t-shirt and my Time Lord sweat shirt, so close enough.

I can't say I read comic books. I feel a bit badly about that. There were TONS of comic books, comic book artists, comic book vendors. I felt slightly less nerdy because I don't read comic books, which is a bad thing when you are at Comic Con. You want to feel really nerdy because that means you are doing it correctly.

This year, I found myself standing near the tattoo area. Yes, you can get a tattoo while at Comic Con, with all the world to watch you in this endeavor. I'd guess there were 15 or more tattoo artists. I'm not sure if you had to get a Comic-Con related tattoo or not, but I'm guessing that's what people were doing. (It was kind of hard to see what tattoos were in progress, due to the angle of the recipients.)

Would I get a tattoo at Comic Con? Heck yeah!

Did I? No.

I did not see any Tina Belchers in the crowd, so that was a bit disappointing. Actually, I didn't see anyone from Bob's Burgers. I did see one Bart Simpson and a few Sterling Archers, so that was entertaining. (If you've never watched "Archer," you should watch one episode. You'll most likely be mortified. I'll deny I suggested it.) I saw lots of Doctor #11. I'm guessing that is because he's the easiest Doctor to "be," with that bow tie and fez. Personally, I'd rather see more old school doctors or at least Doctor #12, as I'm a bit tired of the easy-out fez cosplay--get creative, people! I did see one Osgood, so that made me very happy.

If I'm speaking a different language, just go with it. It's not often I get to babble with anyone who knows who Osgood is. I'm still in nerd mode.

Next year, I think I'll take the wife. She won't understand most of it, she'll be freaked out by some of it, she won't appreciate the majority of it....but, everyone should experience this type of event at least once in a life time.

(I will not suggest that the wife watch "Archer" as preparation for the event, as she most definitely won't enjoy it. I'll stick to Bob's Burgers and talking about Doctor who with her, even though she has only seen 1/2 an episode of Doctor Who and has no idea what I'm babbling about.)

Speaking of the wife, Fall is upon us and the wife has indeed returned to work. She is VERY stressed out, for many a differing reason. Suffice it to say, I shall do my best to behave and to not make a mess.  I'm putting off an update to Office 10, as if things go wrong, I'll be stressed and that will make the wife be even more stressed and we cannot have the wife becoming more stressed because her being will implode, which will make a mess of which I'm trying to avoid. I'd rather watch 100 episodes of the old-school Power Rangers than have the wife implode. (Yes, implode, not explode. I'm quite sure it will be an implosion.) I'll pray to St. Vince that the Packers have a great year and that Jordy Nelson has a complete recovery from his torn ACL, which will help lower her stress level. I'll speak in terms of football, not cosplay--that should help ease her being....

...although, I think it'd be more helpful if I keep my glass on a coaster, take my shoes off every time I come in the house and not leave a trail of "stuff" as I move about the living quarters.

A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

If that doesn't help, I'll just sit quietly on the couch and turn up the volume as I watch my Doctor Who episodes on my tablet. That and I'll silently stare at the little blue wheel of death, no matter which way it spins.

Here's to Christmas break.
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Friday, August 14, 2015

Ode to A Teacher in August


Ah, Fall. The days are already getting shorter. The weather is still hot but the nights are a we bit cooler. The fire flies are fading into the distance. Traffic on the tollway is a little less hair-raising. School supplies are flying off the shelf....

.....and, teachers are freaking out, gasping as they hold on to that one last shred of summer vacation.

I determined long, long ago that it is MUCH more traumatic for teachers than students to return to school. I know I've written about this before and I know that until the wife retires from teaching, I will write about it again.....the end of summer is a tough time for the majority of teachers on this continent.

A teacher in August is nothing to mess with.

You would think that having a summer vacation would be amazing, refreshing, delightful for all teachers. I would find it a time to rejuvenate, hang out with adults, say "no" to grading papers or doing common core math. The days would be filled with opportunities for relaxation and freedom.

Non-educators tend to think that being a teacher is the best job ever because of the summer vacation.

(Side note: If you are one of those college fools who is going into teaching because you get the summer off, pick a different profession. Shame on you. I'm embarrassed by you and I'm not even a teacher.)

Those thoughts of mine are true--Summer is rejuvenating, refreshing and filled with adult conversation for those of who educate for a profession.

Yet....

I'm here to tell you, from this non-educator standpoint, that having a three month summer vacation appears amazing AND cruel at the same time, especially once July rolls around. I've watched the wife ride this roller coaster for the past three decades. From my perspective, here's what summer vacation must look like to the wife's people:


June: Ahhhhhhh! Summer Vacation! (Frolic in the gardens, skip down the sidewalk, smile in the golden summer sun.) "No grading, no prepping, no holding pee in my bladder for eight hours!" 


July 4th: OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD! SUMMER IS HALF OVER! (Begin to fret. Forget the here and now. Stop skipping, start pacing.)

Third week of July [walking through a department store]: "OH MY GOD! ARE THOSE SCHOOL SUPPLIES?" (Roll into a fetal ball.)

August 1st: Silent Panic.

August 8th: Everything has gone black. The only thing of which to look forward is a snow day.

When teachers get together once August has arrived, whether it be for a backyard barbecue or a festive gathering of friends, it is clear: the end has arrived. Summer can no longer be enjoyed. Commiseration begins. Talk of school resumes.

Although the wife loves being a teacher and loves summer vacation, she says, and said again this year, that it is REALLY hard to go back to school after such a long break. For the record, she votes for year-round school. I daresay the end of summer is torturous for her (with the end starting on July 4th).

You would think it would have gotten easier for her over the years, but I think the opposite has happened: it seems like every year it gets harder. This year has been especially painful. I don't know why, but it did. I know it will be fine once she jumps back in to the schedule. Oh, but the seconds before that leap.....torturous!

Of course, this is not true for all teachers. If one has learned to fully live in the here and now, the arrival of school supplies has little to do with one's enjoyment of summer vacation. It may stop you cold in the aisle of that department store, but once back in the car, the enjoyment of summer resumes, uninterrupted until the next school meme rolls around.

I've witnessed first hand how hard teachers work during the school year, so I do not begrudge any of them one milli-second of summer vacation. The wife is always grading papers and reading and doing whatnot on evenings and weekends. It is no wonder summer vacation is so coveted. And yet, how painful it is once that summer vacation comes grinding to a halt.

To you, dear teachers, I remind you of how it will be all right. The pre-school-year meetings will come and go before you know it and you'll be behind that desk or podium before you know it and you will once again enjoy the passion that sweeps down upon your very teacher being. You'll get back into the groove without missing a beat and you'll roll along without issue...

,....all the while waiting for a snow day.

Happy back to school, educator friends. May the days be short and the homework be light.


Monday, August 03, 2015

Letters to....

Dear Junior Centipede,
How dare you! How dare you run across my wall and then disappear before I can secure a napkin to squish you like....like...well, like a bug. How dare you come into my home, my sanctuary, my centipede-free zone. You know I hate your kind with a vengeance. You know I have nightmares about you. So, why are you here in my home, on my wall? Your kind is not welcome here. When I find you, and I WILL find you, you will know not what hit you. Stay away, billion-legged blur of yuckiness. You have been warned. The wife is not afraid of you, so be afraid. Be very afraid.With no love whatsoever, Addi
P.S. I refuse to believe your family lives here. I choose to think that you wandered in by accident. Or, that you are an orphan.

Dear Peri-menopausal Pooch,
What on earth are you doing down there? 
I am not entertained. Addi

Dearest re-added 50 friends on Book de la Face,
Welcome back to the Addiverse. I'm glad you re-upped our friendship. I'm not sure what inspired me to re-friend a herd of people on a Sunday evening, but I'm glad for your return...although I'm still a bit tentative about the flooding of posts that occurred upon your arrival. Please know that I had to detox from the 500 I dumped before I could consider whom to bring back. I foolishly thought cutting the team would help my life become more manageable. Instead, it just gave me more time to waste on Pinterest. I gained a lot of pins but missed a lot of posts. If it helps, please know you haven't missed anything on my part. I'm still all poop and no substance.
Sophomorically, Addi

Dear Persons Driving in the Left Lane,
I spit on you. Move over. Or, give me the name and phone number of the person who taught you to drive so I can slap him/her in the head. Perhaps you didn't get the memo: The left lane is for passing. I know, I know--you might have to move back to the left lane in 50 miles, so you don't want to move over. What if you can't get over in 50 miles? What then? I don't care. You are in my way. The speed limit is 70 mph. You're going 60 mph in the left lane. Isn't that against some law? If not, it is illegal in the Addiverse. I've got places to go, people to see. I'll pass you on the right.....as soon as I can get past this parade of boats, semis, U-Hauls and merging traffic. I'll be giving you the stink eye when I pass, so keep looking ahead.
Giving you a push, Addi

Dear Republican Party,
THANK YOU for the most entertaining primary in the history of our country. The entertainment value is OFF.THE.CHART. Not only are there scores of you running, you are all getting crushed by a TV personality-failed-business man who is saying so many insulting things that he has taken it to an art form. Perhaps he's a genius because he is slapping all of you around by double digits. I can't wait to see how this transpires. And I thought "She Who Must Not Be Named" was fun in 2012. This puts that to shame. As long as Scott Walker doesn't take the lead, I'll keep cheering for you. I'm hoping for something inspiring to happen because the fodder for this blog is building as you run.

Dear Monday,

I think I may be the only person on the planet who likes you. Please feel the love. You're not as bad as people say. I honor you by posting a blog on a Monday.
Let's get this party started, Addi