I've had my new computer for about 3 weeks now and this is my first post from it. I'm still transitioning between the PC and the Mac, gradually my Mac time is increasing. Unfortunately, I am having a hard time finding a replacement for LiveWriter - an offline editing tool - that works on the Mac AND with Blogger. I haven't written a post via the web in a few years. I dislike Blogger's web-based tools SO much and Live Writer worked flawlessly. My search will continue, but for now since most of my computer time is spent stumbling around the learning curve (and trying to finish next week's book club book), a Saturday 9 copied and pasted into a new post will have to suffice for now.
Saturday 9: I Will Always Love You
1) The Bodyguard is the best-selling movie soundtrack ever and this is the song most often associated with Whitney Houston. Is it on your iPod/mp3 player? It is not. I don't have any Whitney on my playlists anymore. But I have to admit that I've been known to belt it out if it does ever come on in the car.
2) In the movie, Rachel (Whitney) sings "I Will Always Love You" after she realizes she can never see Frank (Kevin Costner) again. What song reminds you of a past love? I actually tend to connect music to events, so to pick just one is hard. Many, many songs remind me of something - good or bad.
3) Despite the movie's and the song's overwhelming popularity, Whitney Houston was awarded a Razzie Award as the worst actress of 1992. What's the most recent criticism you received? I can't think of anything blatant or specific recently. This past summer, I spent an exorbitant amount of time working on the creation of our new Common Core curriculum plans and assessments for our district. It's new, and we're not really sure what it's all suppose to look like yet. So our time was spent flying blind, with the understanding that it's a work in progress and will be revised numerous times until we are comfortable with it. With that being said, as we move through the year and the teachers who were not involved in the summer work complain about how difficult/stupid the new curriculum is, it's hard not to take personally. Even though it's unintended, at times it feels like criticism.
4) On the bright side, share the last compliment you received. Hmmm, compliments embarrass me, so I was probably too busy waving one off to remember.
5) In the 1980s, when Whitney first burst onto the scene, a trendy woman wore big hair, big bows and big shoulder pads. Can you think of anything you wore that was fashionable at the time, but looking back, makes you cringe? Big hair was all the rage in the 80s and as much as I tried, I could never make it BIG. My oldest friend had the best 80s hair ever when we were growing up, and I was so envious of it at the time. A few years back we found a picture with it in all its glory. She was mortified and I laughed and laughed and laughed. I will admit that I did take part in shoulder pads, neon colors, and giant belts like nobody's business.
6) When this song was popular, cell phones were uncommon and Facebook was unheard of. Which has had a bigger impact on your life -- smart phones or social networking? Oh my iPhone for sure. I might not be able to live without it. Facebook? Meh, I could care less.
7) Whitney's marriage to Bobby Brown left many people shaking their heads. Whitney and Bobby's daughter recently married the young man who was raised as her brother. Have you ever been in a relationship your friends/family didn't approve of? Just one, and even then not until his true colors were revealed.
8) Whitney Houston's grave marker reads, "I Will Always Love You," so obviously her family is very proud of the success of this recording. How would you like to be remembered? As someone who worked hard and was a good person. "I will always love you" would be nice too.
9) Whitney was born in Newark, the largest city in New Jersey. It's a major air, rail and shipping hub, and it's in the Eastern Time zone. Have you ever been to Newark ... or any town in New Jersey? I have a flown in and out of Newark a few times. A friend of mine from college lives in Metchuchen, NJ which is nearby. Also, Newark is often cheaper to fly into than JFK or LGA when traveling to New York City. I'm a fan of Newark's former mayor Corey Booker who has recently taken a US Senate seat.
Ugh! I forgot about all the html code in Blogger's web posting. Why won't it just skip a freaking line?!?!? Anyone have a good off-line editor they would recommend?
Christmas Countdown
15 hours ago
I'm the same way about compliments. I won't tell you what I think of Common Core, though of course I have no experience with YOUR work! ;) I belt out Whitney when she comes on, too. Have fun with your Mac!!
ReplyDeleteCommon Core has a lot of really good things going on for it, most importantly it's getting away from that rote, drill and kill, practice, and going towards thinking...which really isn't a bad thing. But like with most things in education it isn't being unrolled correctly/systematically, teachers aren't being given enough training on this "new way" - I certainly wasn't taught this way so it's been a challenge for me...and I'm someone who wants to do it. In addition, teachers HATE change! Granted we work hard to prepare for what we have to teach and a lot of time is put into that preparation so when the beauracrats go in and change without thinking it is frustrating. I still hold out hope that it will be much better than what we had before, but it will take time because it HAS to start in K and work it's way up and not, say 6th grade, for the outcomes to be what is expected. Hopefully they will give us that time before they say we are failing and change it again.
DeleteThere was a few of them about a few years ago but they were actually bloody dangerous as most of them were riddled with nasty lines of code for who knows what. Plus they were an open port to the web.
ReplyDeleteSee if this will work Mars Edit. I think it's $40, but you have a month to test it. The problem I've got is 30 days is nowhere near long enough if it's context-rich, or what we call 'complicated as ....'.
I never really took to that film. I could never see why the kid was in it. And his lonely presence made her a stuck-up spoilt pampered little princess in contrast.
When I sat to write that last comment a little girl got pissed. She found a sock in the laundry basket and was shaking it like anything. She though I was ready to bring her out. And she was correct too.
DeleteI don't think it's your place to action the plan unless you have been tasked to do 'just' that. And in a way that translation from planning to action is an art all by itself and it's very rare you find the two coming together in one person. It's a bit like being the author and editor. So I wouldn't worry too much, you've don't your job in formulating the plan. I know it's hard not to feel personally connected but there comes a point when you simply cannot absorb responsibility. Put simply when does it stop.
Go for a long walk on a beach and clear your head for there'll come a point when you'll be asked to look it the progress and formulate a new plan.
BTW, the very first bit of information imparted in places like West Point is that no plan survives 'first' contact with the enemy. In your context this means given the data you have today you would have designed a different plan, and tomorrow different again. That's just the way.
Anyhoos, a bit squeezy hug.
Yes, I saw that Marsedit and it got good reviews, other than the cost. I'm not sure it's worth it to me, since blogging is just for fun and not my job. I did initially download another one that was recommended along with ME called Qumana. It got pretty good reviews and is free. After downloading it to my mac with no problems, opening it was another story. The OS blocked it from opening saying it was from an unknown source, yada yada yada, which happens on a PC all the time. It gave a way to allow it, but it made me too nervous to proceed. I might be a little afraid of this Mac. :)
DeleteAnd yes, I completely agree that this curriculum is a work in progress, and the displeasure with the situation shouldn't be taken as criticism of me (and the people I worked with). I know, logically, that is true, but the negative comments still ruffle my feathers a tad.
DeleteI am not familiar with Live Writer, I have noticed when I do some of my favorite memes and cut and paste, I have had a hard time making it format and look good on my posting.
ReplyDeleteOh, go try it now! It's like working in a Word doc. It's so easy, not html code, AND what it looks like off line is exactly what it looks like online. Also, inserting and formatting pictures is a piece of cake. I could never get them to line up or to the right size in blogger. Blah...I'm not looking forward to blogging on the Mac if I have to go back to that.
DeleteWhen I first read your answer that included Common Core, I shuddered, but Common Core is going to happen whether we want it to or not. And it's really not that bad. I just need more time to think about it and apply it.
ReplyDeleteYes, we all need more time. I can't even imagine being a high school teacher and having the kids coming in without the 8+ years of progressions they are supposed to by the time they get to you. In 2nd, my kids are missing just two and I feel like I have never taught before, ever. It is hard because we they don't have all the prereq skills they are supposed to. So jumping right in will be interesting...difficult to say the least. Which won't help with people's ideas about CC.
DeleteI can totally empathize with you about creating curriculum for the CC. I just redid the whole math assessment to a align with the CC and all the criticism and complaints I got from the other teachers just kinda hurt. I was told by someone else not to take it personally, but I couldn't help it. I worked hard on that. You're right, though, some teachers just don't like change, which baffles me at times, but I need to realize that we are all different.
ReplyDeleteBlogo is supposed to be good, but it's still in beta testing right now. I think you sign up and then they send you a link to test it? I haven't signed up yet, I was just looking over the website. But I don't know if the features are the ones you're looking for. the website is getblogo.com
Thank you for the recommendation. I haven't heard of that one. I'll check into it. I'm not looking for anything feature heavy at all, just something that formats like a document and where I don't have to use code to blog.
DeleteIt is hard to not take personally. While I love my grade level team very much, they are some of the worst culprits and complaing and bitching about it constantly. We're all frustrated and tired because it's a hard transition to just jump right into. But I sometimes want to tell them, well then why don't you come to next planning meeting and write the curriculum. :) I don't, but I want to.
I'm currently on a Facebook hiatus. It's not the first time I've taken a break from checking that ubiquitous social network. I end up looking at Twitter more but since I don't many of my Twitter people in real life, it doesn't have the same drawbacks. A couple weeks off Facebook helps ground in my real life where I find I don't need so much information about people.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that the truth. I will go on every so often to see what others are doing. But I get of tired of the useless stuff on there too. And the passive agressive stuff is ridiculous. I read somewhere that FB was initially created for high school/college aged students and now more adults are using it than anyone. Isn't it funny though that many of those adults using it sound like they're in high school. :)
DeleteAre you using the compose mode in blogger? I haven't had too much trouble with that for a while. There was a time when it didn't want to space but it seems to do okay now.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I am. I will have to check that. I did figure out how to write line spaces in
Delete, so that will help until I figure it out. Thanks for the tip.
Why are we all so hard to take compliments? This seem to be a common denominator...
ReplyDeleteI think it is pretty common, for women anyways. I have been told on numerous occassions, "Just shut up and say thank you!"
Deletei agree.. best soundtrack ever!
ReplyDeletei live in jersey.. used to be just a few miles away from newark.. now we live a bit farther..