Oops, new blog

I really thought I had put a link to this here. Sorry, bout that.

I was convinced to start a blog geared toward my Hawaii students, to keep them up-to-date on what's happening.

It's over at http://blogspot.com/schmoeology

It's geared toward the kids so there's nothing about how much beer I've had or stuff of dat nature.

I'm thinking about still using this one as more of a journal, but I haven't decided yet.

Oh, and if you didn't know, there's the new podcast website: http://www.stuartbedasso.com. It's pretty cool.

An Answer to The Question

The next time anyone asks me why the heck I would move from Hawaii back to Rochester...this is what I've done the two days I've been back.

• I had rice. Not that white sticky stuff you get with breakfast, lunch & dinner in Hawaii. I had rice. With beans.


• I hung out with the Rodriguez family. And had Canadian beer that wasn't Moosehead.


• I...uh...did other things.


• Green Tea at Java's


• Signed up at my old gym and worked out. With more than enough space to do my routine.


• Spent $10 bucks at the Public Market. Left with 2 bunches of asparagus, poblano peppers, parsnips and a red hot with everything. In Hawaii, that would have cost maybe $30.


• A nap. Woo Hoo!


• Tomorrow, I'm going to the batting cages.

Yes, all that is minor, but it adds up.

Nothing Left But The Wait

Most of you are probably in bed right now. I'm watching the sun go down from my window, just waiting for tomorrow. There's not much else to do, the only place there is to sit is the toilet. I spent the day running errands, giving up the car, cleaning, etc.

I put an ad on Craigslist and got someone to take what little "big" stuff I had, and the rest of the small stuff went to the March of Dimes garage sale.

It's been a long, strange week. I'm ready to get it over with.

"Everything old is new again."

Silent...Whoa!!!

OK, I will admit that this could have happened in any town in the USA. But it didn't. It' happened here...on this god forsaken rock...coincidence? I'm saying no.

I was in line at the post office to drop off my change of address card. As one would figure, it's just before Christmas so it's pretty busy in there. I heard what I thought was the radio playing Silent Night. A nice version...laid back, a really good female voice with guitar. Turns out, we're getting a live show...at the front of the line, someone and her son set up their stuff and she was performing Christmas Carols while the kid held onto the sheet music.

Uh, OK...a little different, but whatever. And her voice is really good. So she finishes the song and I'm getting closer and closer to her in line...

sle-eep in heaven-ly peeeeeeace.....

Then BLAMMO! She turns into Rusty Warren, making boob jokes and embarrassing her kid...at the post office!!! She's talking with people in line and I'm seeing that very soon it's going to be my turn.

Oh, please start playing another song, please, please, please, please. Nope. She's got her schtick and she ain't getting off it. Everyone in line is looking at each other nervously, not knowing what to do.

Well, I knew what to do. I got out of line and left...dropped my card in the "express mail" box outside.

This place is just plain old weird.

Update

Things have been a bit on the crazy side so I haven't had a chance to let folks know what's happening.

Yesterday was the last day of school. It was pretty emotional, as expected, but I held up OK. Then the kids left and I started to wade through the cards, candy and other x-mas stuff that they brought. I almost lost it there. A few of my girls made a movie for me...I haven't been able to watch it yet.

There's a new blog! Yes, now I only juggle...uh 5 of them, I think. The blog that I have to keep in touch with the kids is called Schmoeology. Whenever we needed a fictional person, Joe Schmoe was always our go-to guy. So Schmoeology it is.

So now I'm unemployed. I'll follow up with the Special Ed gig at Hillside when I get home. I talked to Michael today. He knows a guy who wants my resume for some new "thingy" dealing with autistic kids, but that's a further downt the road thing. I started getting meeting notes from the new Metro School Planning Committee - Bill Cala's thing. But I did notice someone else on the list of people involved who I'm just not in the mood to deal with right now, so I don't know if I'll be diving into that shallow end.

I've gotten rid of just about all my CD's...of the...hmmmm...I guess it was about 800, 200 went home, 300 went to the radio station and 300 were sold to a local music store. Not bad. I digitized all the stuff I got rid of so I have them all on mp3.

Tomorrow, Jill & I tape the last Maui version of the podcast. I have one person already on board to come on in Rochester. And I'm working on a revamped website, but it's requiring skills that I don't quite have yet. I think that's a project I'll be tackling next week.

Tuesday, I take the car to the bank for reposession. It will be at that moment that I become the first person in the history of modern finance to have a negative credit rating. So if you know of anyone in Rochester with a decent enough hooptie for sale, give me a holler.

I guess that's about it. I'm just getting rid of my crap, trying not to live on candy and Jamba Juice for the next 4 days and getting ready to leave this Third World Rock.

Oh, and thanks a lot, Chris. Luke found me on The Facebook, too.

Damn

I got this e-mail tonight.

Mr. Atias,
This is sort of a goodbye letter and also a thank you letter.

I wanted to say that you are a wonderful teacher and that I am still very sad and upset that you are leaving us! You have helped me through so many of my issues ( social, emotional, and school) throughout the past year and a half and I have learned so much from you. I have been so lucky to have had you for my advisor. You always know exactly what to write in my journal, even when I am being super negative, you still could always dig up something uplifting and positive to write.

You understood my ADHD problems, and you made my learning environment easier for me.

I loved all of your projects and lessons. I thought that the Amnesty International letters that we wrote were awesome and I wish that we could continue to write more. You taught us so much about the different Cultures and places in the world.

One of the hardest parts of you leaving, is probably the whole advisory situation. I loved our advisory and all of the things that we did, such as passing the ball, and the monster walk, and also, i loved the journaling. I know that our advisory was much different than most of the other advisories, though, it was exactly the type of advisory that i need. I need the advisory where i can trust all of my fellow students, and where we can all feel like a big family. Not the other type, where we just play games like a regular PE class. It is going to be very difficult for me to have our advisory split up. Advisory was a place where I could go each morning and start my day with a great group of people, whom which i feel very safe and comfortable with, and just express my feelings. Most of the time, Advisory was the best part of the day for me.

Soooo, Thank you again Mr Atias for being so wonderful. I have a couple questions and also some suggestions that i wanted you to see...

1. I was wondering if you could still keep in touch, and i was wondering since the journal thing worked so well for me, if i could kinda do a "online/email Journal" Where i could email you my journal entry when i was having a problem, or i just wanted to tell you something exciting, and you could just maybe reply your response to my entry.

2. I hate that our advisory is going to be spilt up, so i was wondering if i could give you a list of a couple people that i really enjoy being in advisory with and you could maybe help but one or two of them with me?

3. as you know, i love our advisory group now, so i was wondering if maybe like once a month or somthing if we could maybe have "Mr. Atias' Advisory" Get together during advisory and we could all have an advisory session like the ones we have right now.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and for being such a wonderful teacher and advisor. YOU ROCK MY GREEN STRIPED SOX MR ATIAS!!!

I Feel So...Used

Today, in class, one of my girls came up to me...a little embarrassed and asked if was true that I said it was OK for her boyfriend (also in my class) to kiss her.

Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that???

Come on, baby...you know it's OK. Mr. Atias said you could give me a little sugar. You know how much you like Mr. A, so if he said it's cool...

I love middle school kids...sometimes.

So I took the boy aside and while I didn't yell at the kid for using my name to try to get a little, I did make sure he wasn't doing it in school...then I told him that he got busted. I figure, the natural consequences from the wife will be worse than anything I come up with.

Now I just gotta find someone to try that line on...