Insomnia

I really should be asleep, but who can sleep when there’s all of this good music?

It all started on I-tunes when I was looking for Soñador. Then, I mozied on over to YouTube to find some song called “Shoes” that they were playing on the radio to promote some contest. I finally signed up for my own account and decided to add more videos to my favorites.

I typed in “Intocable” and got nothing at first. I typed it in again and I got some videos which lead me to more videos and more videos, and you get the picture. Now I’m uploading some of my favorite cd’s onto the computer as I listen to others I’ve already loaded.

Tomorrow, I will be paying for this. As I trudge around my classroom, in a half daze, wishing my students would just hurry up and finish the darn test, I will swear not to get on YouTube during the week.

Earlier, I typed up a log of my day. (We started TAKS today.) I was going to post it, but it’s lame, so I’ll spare ya’ll. One more song and I’m off to bed.

Ironia

Today, I had to get a new cell phone. The one I had was a hand-me-down from my brother’s friend. The mic was going bad and the battery never really charged.

Since I also had to get new shoes, I stopped by a kiosk in the mall. The other line I have was eligible for a $150 credit, but not the one that I use. I got a new phone for the other line because Dan the Man decided he liked the phone. I was kind of upset because, I was the one that really needed the phone.

When we got home, I called the 1-800 number to ask about the insurance on my phone and the girl told me I’d have to go into a store to have it checked out. When I got to the store, the guy and I worked out a deal where I added a new line, for the same price, and got a sweet Red Razor for free AND I had the best service I've EVER had at a Sprint Store.

On another, yesterday, I went to dinner and a movie with a colleague. After dinner we sat there for a long time just talking. For some reason, we got on the topic of gangs and she asked, “Do white people join gangs?”

“Yes. But once there are two whites in the gang, it’s not longer called a gang. It’s called a mob.”

I sure hope she didn’t believe that.

Looky, Looky!

It's finally out!

I will also be taking part in this event:

Friday, May 11, 2007 – 6:30 pm – Houston , TX Contributors will sign books at a book party celebrating the publication of Windows into My World: Latino Youth Write Their Lives at Talento Bilingue de Houston, 333 S. Jensen, Houston , TX . For more information, call 713-743-2999.

A Gentle Reminder

On my way home, I stopped by the cluster of mailboxes near the entrance of our complex to get our mail. We often forget and with ads coming in on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, our mailbox is pretty full by Thursday. There’s a bulletin board on the back wall of the mail center where people post up crap and announcements.

There’s been a letter from management about properly using the security gates around our complex and about checking our mailboxes on a regular basis otherwise the postman will assume we have moved for the last couple of months. Today, there was a new message on this letter. It stated:

INS will be picking up all wetbacks 4/20/07 please leave now

I read the message four or five times trying to grasp why someone would post that. Then I stood there trying to figure out why it was written there. Then I thought to all of the raids going on near Dan the Man’s work and wondered if this would really be happening. Then, I took my mail and continued to wonder. I wished I’d had my camera so that I could take a picture of it and analyze it further.

When I got home, I told Dan the Man and he insisted that we go take it down.

But what if it’s for real? What if they come raid our complex on the 20th?

Strange things are happening in this country, especially in the area I live in. People are still very xenophobic, and the diversion of attention from Iraq to immigration is really stirring the pot.

When I took down the warning, I slipped it into the mail drop at the office and added my own message “Is this true?”

Too Little, Too Late

Today, in our 6th grade team meeting, as I was being booed by a colleague because I opted not to partake in Friday’s pep rally events, I made a vow to myself that I wouldn’t be so concerned with the upcoming exams and not mention it to my students until maybe next year.

I’m tired of this last minute push to get the kids ready. The way I figure, we’re four days away; they either know it or they don’t. There really isn’t much that I can do now. It really upsets me that it’s now that we’re getting help from up above about it. Never mind that some of this kids haven’t turned in work and when sent to the office returned with a warning or a day’s worth of after school detention, or that when they were assigned to in school suspension and work returned undone, no one was reprimanded.

On the mock exams, my students had 87% and quite a big being commended. I told them that my goal is 100% passing rate and hope they’re on board because there’s no way the 7th or 8th graders should enjoy a day of swimming the last day of school.

Easter break was good. I spent a lot of it fighting with the computer trying to get my internet to work and watching movies. I saw The Departed, which I didn’t think was that great. I also tried to watch The Good Shepherd, but was unable to maintain the attention span. At the theatre, I saw Blades of Glory, which wasn’t as funny as I imagined, and Grindhouse, which was, by far, the best movie I saw all weekend.

As time marches on, I can’t wait for summer vacation. I know that after a couple of weeks, I’ll wish school to be back in session, especially since this summer is longer than usual; but it’ll be nice when I wake up wanting to go to the beach or stay in bed all day and be able to do it.