1.) THE BOSSE’S ARE COMING! THE BOSSE’S ARE COMING!
Mike, Luana, Izzy, and Gabriella all came down to beautiful Brooklyn at the start of August and Kim and I were able to meet up and have lots of fun with them. First of all, Mike decided to stay at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a beautiful hotel that’s quite close to Manhattan and only a 10 minute drive (with no traffic) from where Kim and I live. As the name suggests, it’s also obscenely close to the Brooklyn Bridge and serves as a great starting/finishing point for a walk to the bridge.
As Luana and Gabriella were going to a trade show on Sunday morning, it was up to Mike, Izzy, Kim, and I to entertain ourselves until we could all meet up in the afternoon. Consequently, Kim and I picked up Mike and Izzy early Sunday morning and headed down to Coney Island. We got there quite early (about 10am) and only then discovered that the amusement park and “The Cyclone” didn’t open until noontime. We made the best of it, however, and not only walked the boardwalk and in the surf, but also had lunch at “Nathan’s Original Hot Dogs.” It was a lot of fun and we concluded the morning with a quick trip to the amusement park, once it did open, and Kim and Izzy riding the world famous “Cyclone” roller coaster.
Afterwards, we made our way into Manhattan so we could meet up with Luana and Gabriella, grab some lunch, and see some sights. We found each other in Times Square, made our way to the ESPN Zone, and then went to Toys ‘R Us so Izzy could see, among other things, a six-story indoor ferris wheel. Sorry I didn’t take any pictures of that, but I hope you enjoy the other ones from there. Following a quick trip to M&M World, we were headed back to Brooklyn and, soon after, our separate ways.
We had lots of fun, though, and would gladly revisit any of those places again. We only need a few guests take around. Any volunteers?
2.) SCHOOL’S OVER (FOR NOW)!
Immediately following that visit, I was back in graduate school for the final week of my summer course. I finished up on Wednesday, August 6th, and completed a required course for my degree, “Master of Arts in Teaching Social Studies.” It was a supremely difficult course that included frequent writing assignments, multiple class presentations and group work, and culminated in my submission of a twenty-six page paper that considered the plausibility of using experiential learning to enhance a student’s perceived “relevance” of course curriculum. This paper was only a “proposal” for a classroom research plan so there were no statistical findings, but it was an interesting endeavor, nonetheless. Fortunately for me, all the hard work paid off not only because I learned an awful lot by taking the class, but because I also earned an “A” for the term. I’m nearly half way through the degree program now (I’ve taken half the course work but also need to do a thesis at some point) and can’t wait to move closer to my goal of attaining this degree.
3.) SCHOOL’S STARTING
The aforementioned reprieve could only last so long, though, and so I’m now back to teaching for the upcoming school year. We had meetings all this week and will start with orientation on September 2nd. This year, I’ll be teaching two sections of Anc. Civilizations and two of a US History survey course. With these forthcoming experiences, I’ll soon be able to add “high school teaching experience” to my résumé. Kim and I are hoping this will be useful if and when we look to relocate again. By that time, I’m hoping to have the following elements: undergrad degree, graduate degree, middle school teaching, high school teaching, post-graduate teaching, and at least one published work. Fortunately, I’ve already accomplished three of these (undergrad, middle school and post-grad teaching) and am in the process of completing the other three components.
Another consideration I believe makes a lot of sense is that I won’t be taking a grad. course this Fall. What with my impending presentation at the NCSS Conference coming up in November and my teaching a new class this year, it seems best to give myself time to focus on those professional responsibilities before taking on additional academic work.
4.) UPDATE ON KIM
Kim was lucky to have the summer off from school, but is about to start paying the price. As of yesterday, when she had her first day of Fall classes for this upcoming academic year, Kim is officially back to working “double time.” In other words, Kim is not only working a full time job, but now must take FIVE classes for this upcoming semester. That means she’ll be working four nine-hour days (Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri) and going to class all day on Thursday. Ughhh. Of course, it isn’t quite as bad as it sounds (one class only meets every other week and another class only runs to Thanksgiving), but it very nearly as bad as it sounds. I mean, five classes is more than enough, never mind working full time to boot. But, as I’ve said to her before (in my rough paraphrase of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry), ‘What others have done before you, you can also do.’ And so, without meaning to belittle her plight and rigorous schedule, we’re sure she’ll manage the course successfully…somehow.
As a way to get started on the right foot, however, Kim had the good sense to take a week off of work and head up to Maine one more time before everything got too crazy. So just a week ago today, Kim and I made our way north and got to her mom’s house sometime around 11pm. Saturday was a beautiful day, particularly because I achieved my dream of getting a sunburn (I’m too Irish to “tan”), and Kim, her mom, and I all got to stop by Luana’s new clothing store “Isabella’s” in Scarborough, Maine. It’s a wonderful boutique with beautiful clothes at reasonable prices (see for yourself at: http://www.isabellaforwomen.com/) and it’s just an awesome commercial space. After stopping in, everyone went back to Mike and Luana’s where we partook in libation, sustenance, and revelry. It was a fantastic time.
Sunday was equally salubrious as Kimmy (one of Kim’s best friends from growing up) came over to Kim’s mom’s house with her children: Colby, Jonah, and Ariana. Not only did we have fun by the pool and playing inside the house, but a visit to Kimmy’s later that night came with a delicious spaghetti and meatball dinner, plenty of Disney movies for the kids, and even a bedtime story. I swear; I don’t know what it is about bedtime stories, but there’s something great about having someone else read you a mindless book late at night.
Kim and I headed back on Monday, but the trip was a welcome relief from both the summer stress and impending rigor of the coming months.
5.) HOLIDAY SEASON’S NEARLY HERE
Amazing though it may be, the fact of the matter is that there are only 118 days until Christmas!!! Can you believe it? But certainly, that’s not it. My brother Danny is headed down to Long Island right now (with his fiancé, Erica, and soon-to-be stepson, Austin) to surprise my brother Eric for the Labor Day weekend. I’ll pick my mom up tonight at Penn Station so she, Kim, and I can go out tomorrow to add to the festivities. Meanwhile, I walked into a pharmacy just this past weekend and saw them putting out the Halloween candy. Thanksgiving is only weeks after that. Then there’s Christmas, New Year’s, 2009!!!, Valentine’s Day…etc. It’s amazing, but look out folks because while you weren’t paying attention, the end of the year snuck up and sat on you. Goodness gracious, it’s almost here so, if you haven’t already, make sure you’ve got your plans figured out for the remaining one-third of 2008. As for Kim and I, look for us here:
Thanksgiving on Long Island,
Christmas in Maine, and
New Years in New Hampshire,
What about you? Well, good luck with today, tomorrow, and the other 100+ days until it’s time to ring in the holidays. Also, enjoy the upcoming political race and know I look forward to seeing you soon and hope to hear from you even sooner. Here’s to Labor Day!!!
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