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Johnny_OBU
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Name: Jason
Country: United States
State: Oklahoma
Metro: Oklahoma City
Birthday: 9/6/1982
Gender: Male
Interests: Hanging out with friends * Going on leisurely bike rides * Watching Lost, Amazing Race, Grey's Anatomy, and The Office * Reading intersting, deep, or entertaining novels and poetry * Tennis and the occasional jog * Listening to Christian music and not being ashamed about it * Watching a good movie * Keeping things neat, clean, and organized * Devising ways to make learning fun and exciting for my students * Playing a few choice video games
Expertise: Boggle * Chinese Checkers * Wisecracks * Tying a tie * Literary skills * Making meatloaf
Occupation: Education/training
Industry: Education/Research
Message: message me
Member Since:
4/27/2004
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| Twins...yes...noI just read an article on the BBC News website about some women in their twenties who didn't know that they were twins. Somehow one of the twins got swapped for another girl at birth. So who got the shortest end of the stick in this situation?
- The girl who is a twin and was raised by her own parents but just now found out her actual twin is someone else
- The girl who thought she had no siblings but just discovered she has an identical twin
- The non-twin who was brought up thinking she was a twin and was raised by the wrong parents
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7422635.stm
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| another poem...Tonight’s Top Story
At six p.m. the anchor mouths a greeting
and smiles before dipping into the nation’s
high school politics, the never-ending war,
and the newest prescription recall.
He farms out reports on the newest
genocide and American obesity, on crazy
dictators and the rising cost of gas, on
corrupt corporate business and nursing homes.
As the time ticks by, the segments quicken
until the information is so compact it ricochets
around the nation’s dens until it lands in
a blue bowl, a budding flower, or perhaps an ear.
In the final segment the tempo slows and sound
begins as a reporter interviews a man who has
worked at a circus for forty years: cannon man,
lion tamer, magician, and now a ticket taker.
The anchorman silently says good night and the
screen goes black. Behind closed doors, the executives
hope for high Nielsen numbers. Elsewhere, the circus
man drinks with the clowns and trapeze artists.
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| Poetry for AllI recently submitted four poems for publication in English Journal magazine. Earlier this year, I began writing poetry again, and I found it very soothing. This creative outlet has provided a chance for me to play with language--something I don't get to do enough of as an English teacher. Some of my students have even asked that I share some of my poetry with them during our April poetry unit. I wouldn't say that my current body of poetry has a unifying theme; I have written about road rage, dog grooming, an overhead projector, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. I mainly stick to free verse poetry, but I have also experimented with some stricter forms, such as the sonnet. And now, without further ado, I present two of my poems for your reading pleasure. I would appreciate any of your thoughts, comments, or criticisms.
"Road Rage"
A white minivan creeps into my lane.
I slam on my brakes and fire my horn
into the cacophony of the interstate.
My car skids to a halt while the van gathers speed.
I glide into the right lane and accelerate until
I can stare at the van’s driver, a middle-aged woman
with a sensible haircut and a pink sweater.
She glances at me as if in apology.
I pass her and move back to the left.
In my rearview mirror, she keeps her eyes on
the horizon, her hands at ten and two.
I tap my brake pedal lightly, then sharply.
"Four Diary Entries"
My wife, she always serves my oatmeal hot.
I can’t wake up unless I burn my tongue.
When we were first married, we sometimes fought.
I’ve eaten it this way since I was young.
Our bedroom looked like Walt and June’s at first,
But I could not bear his mattress any longer—
All those lumps, my spine about to burst.
My own Serta has made my zzz’s
stronger.
My parents’ chairs greatly differ in taste.
My own rocker is simple in design.
When I picked it out, it was not with haste.
Rocking away makes me feel fine.
A cottage in the middle of
nowhere?
I’ll go on in. They
probably won’t care.
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| I eat lunch with a bunch of coaches. Two lady coaches and four guy coaches who coach soccer, basketball, golf, wrestling, and football. When the school year started and I found out that I was on "A Lunch," I was disappointed. This is because "A Lunch" is from 10:40 to 11:10. This is an incredibly early time for lunch, but my body acclimated to this feeding schedule quickly. What I had a problem with, though, was finding people to eat with. At the middle school, all the teachers crowded into the teacher's lounge to eat their meals. There were no people, however, to be found at the high school. I was perplexed because I knew that teachers had to be eating somewhere. Eventually, I discovered that all the coaches ate together in one of the coach's classrooms because they didn't like the gossip that took place in the teacher's lounge.
Anyway, I look forward to my lunch time each day. I doubt I would seek these people out as my friends at school, but our lunch time has forced us together. Hearing their stories and perspectives on school politics is always interesting and entertaining.
This is going nowhere, but I've already typed it, so I'm posting it! (Terrible, I know!) Time to bake a lemon cake and grade expository essays.
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| Short Updates for the Small but Important AudienceThings are busy as usual in Jason's world, so I'm filling you in with this bulleted list:
- My sister moved in with me about two weeks ago, and we are getting along well. We take turns cooking and cleaning, and we get to start our mornings together by complaining how early it is.
- I was picked to be next year's high school student council sponsor. After a little thought, I accepted the position, especially because I will get a class period every day for it and I get a stipend.
- I started another night class at UCO this week. It's my only required course for my master's in English, and it seems pretty boring so far. It's called "Bibliography and Methods of Research." At least we only meet one day a week, but it is from 5:45 to 8:30. Our big project is a 20-page paper on the history of a book. I'm thinking One Hundred Years of Solitude, Winesburg, Ohio, or To Kill a Mockingbird.
- I am still very happy teaching sophomore English and the elective Reading for Fun. I now know that I made the right decision to transfer to the high school at the last minute back in August.
- I am team-teaching my Sunday school class at my church. Our class attendance fluctuates from week to week, but we seem to be growing.
- Of all the movies I have seen recently, I recommend Juno and No Country for Old Men the most.
- The book I am currently reading was given to me by a fellow English teacher. It's a memoir by a guy who used to be a drag queen in New York City. It's pretty hilarious, but it's definitely not for the faint of heart. If you would like to know how M&M's can shoot out of someone's butt, read this book! Ha! That's really gross, I know, but now you're interested, aren't you? I am definitely not going to recommend this book to my students because it's too graphic, but someone out in Xangaland might like it.
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