It Happens This Way Sometimes

No need to go into the terrible that has gloomed us for the past week (and longer). It's time to start moving forward, to find those things in life worth smiling about. Nothing ever stays miserable. What does that song say? "Life is a wheel in constant motion."

Anyway, to tell you the truth, the past few weeks that I haven't written have been fairly uneventful. I've been working, feeding the dogs, working, reading, working, being with friends, and, of course, working. But it's all worth it - my students are really what make this job so great. Sometimes I think they are the only reason I get out of bed and come to work in the morning. But that may just be my morning-ness.

I'll give a few pictures of things that I like. It is not an entirely all-encompassing story of what has dominated my thoughts, but it is something, hopefully, visually appealing.



The moose that Jake caught.



The moose that Jake caught.



Carrie's cat, Rijah.



One in a series of photographs of the Rijah.



My dog, Star. So happy together.



A good evening with friends - Adrianna: my #1 stunner, and the Lois to my Clark.



Janelle - last photo I have of her pregnant - and Daniel (DJ, Deej, booger, etc.). Janelle is in Anchorage getting ready to give birth to Jonah... October 2!!!! :)



I picture I sketched on Heidi and Damon's couch. Cool, huh? This is my new medium. Look out, big brother.

New Blog (Just for the Fun of It), Et Cetera

Because a particular friend will be spending so much time away from us, I decided to start making her videos (so she doesn't forget us) and sending them to her. The first one was quite funny, and Adrianna and I still watch it now and then. But I digress. Anyway... Unfortunately, these videos were clogging her inbox from receiving any other more important emails, so I had to find another venue by which to share the laughs that we have made just for her (well, and our, and now your) enjoyment. I hope that she and all of you enjoy watching them as much as we enjoy making them. Any home movies that I make and feel the need to share with my blog world can be found at my new Home Movie blog site:

homemoviesbykaris.blogspot.com

More to come on that front.

For now, I am just working, working working. What the heck else would I be doing? This week I will be in Anchorage for a couple of days. College Board is giving a free workshop for senior counselors, and since I have friends who are kind enough to let me stay with them for two whole nights, the district decided to give me the travel to get there. It will be a busy time, but I am glad I have the opportunity to go. I am hoping to get a lot out of the workshop, particularly scholarship opportunities and better ways to use the website as a resource for my seniors. But that's not really interesting to you. :)

I hope you all have been following the election. I watched some of the Republican National Convention speeches, and I watched some of the Democratic National Convention speeches, and I'm teaching the kids how to read media bias in newspapers and in magazines and on TV, and I am absolutely stoked for the debates. If you are curious about what the candidates' stances are on particular issues, here is a pretty sweet resource:

www.cnn.com/ELECTIONS/2008/issues/

I am doing my best to remain neutral for the purposes of teaching, and I try to play devil's advocate for both sides, but I know that students can hear my disdain about particular issues. My goal is to teach open-mindedness, perspective, and the ability to choose for themselves. Hopefully they are getting something out of it, anyway.

Just to point out some bias here, there has been unbelievable coverage of Sarah Palin, and hardly any on Joe Biden. Just throwing that out there.

John McCain and Sarah Palin - Presidential Candidates 2008 for the Republican Party



Barack Obama and Joe Biden - Presidential Candidates 2008 for the Democratic Party



Let's not forget the independents... The only ones you can vote for in Alaska are Baldwin, Barr, and Nader. I respect and admire their courage and determination.

Okay, end of the day, I'm headed out.

Cheers!