Acronyms are getting Ridiculous

Two things to talk about today.  The first is acronyms.  You know, the words where each letter is the start of a new word.  I am here to tell you that they are getting out of hand.  People just take an idea that they like and make it fit into something they perceive as catchy.  And it is ridiculous.  This comes to my mind because of a training I am in at school.  The program uses something called the EXCEL model.  E is Engage.  Okay, I am there so far.  X is X-plore.  Now I'm lost.  This is not a real word.  The real one starts with the letter E.  You can't just change words to suit you.  What if I did that in my class at school?  "Okay kids, I don't like the fact that Casanova starts with a "C" so we're going to drop that.  From now on, we will call it Asanova."  Probably not a good look for the classroom.  My other favorite one is the USA Patriot Act.  Did you even know that it was an acronym?  Here it is: Uniting (and) Strengthening America (by) Providing Appropriate Tools Required (to) Intercept (and) Obstruct Terrorism.  WHAT?!?!  Why not just call it the Stop Terrorism Law, or the Anti-Terrorism Law?  It's just getting out of hand.  We have a gifted program at our school.  6th grade is INSIGHTS; 7th and 8th grade is LAUNCH.  They are both acronyms.  Not a clue what each letter stands for.  Please don't get me wrong, they are both great programs with great teachers, and if any of the gifted teachers read this blog, I don't have a problem with it.  I just think it's weird; that's all I'm saying.  Maybe I am hating on acronyms because I am not creative enough to make them up on my own.  Feel free to comment with your favorite acronyms!  Be sure to check back tomorrow for my words on grading papers and distractions! 

A word on the Facebook Profile Picture

So I have said this before, and I will readily admit it again.  Maybe I am too old for Facebook, even though it started when I was in college.  I didn't know that you have to hit enter to post comments (so if any of you posted a happy birthday on my wall, I did comment to you, but I didn't press enter.  Thanks for the wishes, BTW).  Anyway, there are a few things that people do on Facebook that I don't understand (telling us every little thing that happens-I took three breaths at the breakfast table, etc., giving legal expertise on EVERYTHING, cyberbullying, and the like), but there is a relatively new phenomenon that I just can't ignore.  What is the deal with the close-up, and I mean CLOSE-UP, selfie as the profile picture?  First of all, I can't believe I used the word selfie.  Second, seriously, why the close-up?  I think the biggest problem is how close the picture is.  If I can count the hairs in your nose, just say NO to the picture.  As unbelievably attractive as I am, a picture that close to my skin is not a good look for me.  This post is a public service announcement, really.  I love these people (the ones that I know, at least), and a lot of them are good-looking, but do the world a favor.  Back the camera up!!!  Love you, mean it!

Hume Hall

I have developed a like/hate relationship with Hume Hall. Let's start with the like. Hume has a nice, even temperature. There is also a very informative bathroom on the second floor. In the men's restroom, one of the stall doors kindly lets any patrons know what services can be found in Kincannon hall room 554. This particular service is not one I need, but some kind soul wanted to make sure that the world was informed. The other really nice thing about Hume is that someone washes the chalkboard (yes chalkboard, youth of America. That thing that existed before the dry erase board and smart board and dusts the erasers). For those of you that are too young to remember this, when it was your day to dust the erasers, all of the bad things about school went away. You got to beat the holy s**t (if you didn't insert the word "snot" here, get your mind right. This is a family friendly blog) out of the erasers on the sidewalk, a tree, or the side of the school building.  If you were really lucky, you got to do this during class instead of recess. Anyway, on to the hate. Someone decided it would be a good idea to stick a class in a room in a building where they are redoing the roof. Seriously, it's like someone is beating on the wall with a hammer. Even the kids are annoyed. And any teacher will tell you when the kids get angry at a classroom disruption, it must be bad. Oh well, I just found out that my new class will be in Longstreet. Never even heard of it. I will blog about it next week!

Ahh, Wendy!

So each day in the class I am teaching, we take a break around 10 a.m. in the Union.  Someone is kind enough each day to turn on the very enlightening Wendy Williams Show.  I learned a few things today that I thought I would share.  First of all, Wendy has no faith in Lindsay Lohan.  Lindsay is due out of rehab in August and says that she wants to move away from places that might cause her to relapse, in other words: New York and Los Angeles.  In my simple mindedness, I thought this sounded like a good idea.  Not so, according to Wendy.  The things that Lindsay needs to do are put her parents to the side, as they are bad influences (so far, I'm with you, Wendy... girl) and dump ALL of her friends.  These are the problems, not location, and there is nothing about NYC or LA that could cause Lindsay trouble (this is where you lost me Wendy... girl).  I mean, the two biggest cities in the country couldn't possibly offer easier access to substances to abuse or provide the temptation that a recovering drug addict should avoid.  But I digress...  The second thing I learned today is that Wendy Williams knows where the drugs are.  She advised Lindsay by saying that she shouldn't want to start over in a small town in the middle of Missouri.  Wendy watches MSNBC, so she knows that "they have the best meth labs in the country!"  Also, Wendy says that Lindsay can't go to Europe because that's where the best hash is! Now Wendy... girl, we truly appreciate that you say you have Lindsay's best interests at heart, but telling her where to find the best drugs when she gets out of rehab is a little much!

Candy Is Taking Over My Life

It's Monday.  Blah...  So on to more interesting things.  Today, I will be straying from the happenings of the classroom into the world of random but relatable.  I suppose this is because there hasn't been anything terribly interesting in the classroom.  What, then, was worth writing about today?  Candy Crush.  This app is slowly taking over my life.  I'm not sure if it is the idea of strategically moving candy around a board to make the best move, striving to connect enough candy to get an even better piece of candy, or the bright colors and explosions.  I realize that Candy Crush is not the most manly of games, but the heart wants what the heart wants.  The game is equally entertaining and frustrating.  I have only reached level 50 something where the evil chocolate blocks have begun to cover my beloved jelly beans, jaw breakers, and green squarish delights whose name I know not.  I have spent countless hours working those pieces over to get to this milestone just to be thwarted by the hated limit of only 5 precious candy lives.  And what has the app done to ensure my continued devotion?  It has graciously offered to start sending me a message when my lives have fully regenerated!  Don't mind if I do!  Now, it doesn't matter where I am; as long as my trusty phone is by my side, I will always know when the candy is beckoning.  With that in mind, I feel the vibration letting me know that I have, once again, attained the necessary equipment to renew my assault on the cursed chocolate.  So dear reader, enjoy your Monday, and wish me luck against the villainous godiva!