X-Mas Break

The last X-mas break of my college career ended just as quickly as all the rest, but perhaps it ended a little more memorably. It started off terribly with the drive to T-Town. 44 was jam-packed because of the ice and there were a few accidents. The 6-hour trip this time took about 11 hours. But it was all well and good and I honestly doubt that I missed anything. Sometimes a long car drive to clear my head can be just what the doctor ordered especially after a nasty beast of a finals week. I ended up staying at Chloe's apartment for the break and it actually worked out really well with her futon and pull-out couch. I must admit the first week or so of the break I turned into quite a slob. Chloe would work all day and I would stay home and read, watch movies, or mess around on the internet. Those of you who noticed that I recently joined myspace, don't think that it was out of some desire to be social. That was all just simple boredom. But once Joseph and Soren got into town things started to pick up. My nights with Chloe were always fun. We would usually eat Taco Bell (or Bueno for those T-Towners who catch the reference) or something, bring it back to the apartment and watch a movie sometimes tipping back a few girly drinks during the meal (for those of you who are quietly judging me, beer in Oklahoma is more expensive and is only 3-point, which is why I can never bring myself to but it). For some strange reason my family wanted to spend Christmas in a bed and breakfast in this dinky little town of 13 people called Blue Eye, MO. It ended up being extremely relaxing despite the fact that the thermostat in the house didn't seem to work. But then again there is something relaxing about having an excuse to wear a sweater all day long. The other guest in the house was this crazy British guy who said "bollocks" any chance he got, which is pretty sweet. But the undeniably strange thing about him was that he was liable to puke spontaneously at any moment's notice despite not having any symptoms of an actual illness. The funny thing is that he got into a little tiff during dinner with my parents one night after getting completely hammered. Then he decided to make things even more interesting by sabotaging our game of balderdash afterwards. Either he was too drunk to follow the rules of the game or he was simply in the mood to play his own sort of game which seemed to blend the rules of balderdash with charades, clue and jeopardy. When I got back Soren, Joseph and I took a trip to the Land to camp for awhile. Although Soren's brother, who still occassionally goes by his old nickname ''antichrist,'' came along, it was definitely one of the highlights of the break. We played some hackey sack and frisbee, drank some beer together for the first time ever, cooked some bratwurst, and shot a few guns. What more could an ex-undercover Hippy ask for? The other highlight of the break was watching Phantom of the Opera non-stop for about a week. Ok, the real highlight was probably singing Phantom of the Opera songs all day and seeing how angry Chloe would get. After a fairly uneventful New Year's, Soren left town so me and Joseph started hanging out a lot more. We usually spent our time working out, playing chess, reminiscing, or talking about an excrutiating range of topics. We also smoked cigars with Brian a few times and talked movies with Jared who is actually expected to be married sometime in the Summer. That seems to be becoming a trend. Another trend I'd say is the book officially closing with almost all of my acquaintances from high school, which is kind of sad when I think about it.
For some reason, even though nothing really all that exciting happened, I felt saddened when the break came around and I usually don't. I'm not sure why, but for some reason it felt like the end of an era. I guess only time will tell.

The Ark of the Mario

My freshman year, a buddy and I decided to undertake a little mission. The quest was simple. Defeat all three Marios on the original Nintendo in one session. No warping. Every Level. Semper fi. Endeavor to persevere. Unfortunately at the time, we only had the original Mario and Mario 3. I often wonder how it all would have turned out and how different my life would be now if we could have gotten our hands on Mario 2. Man, I wish I had a time machine. Anyways, we decided to undergo the rigors of a Mario Marathon with what we had knowing that even if we tamed the beast, it would ultimately be a hollow victory. After around 8 hours of playing Mario we arose triumphant. Despite our victory, however, by my sophomore year I had grown anxious to complete a true Mario Marathon. This time my buddy and I had recruited a few other adventurous souls who committed to take the sojourn with us. That year's attempt, however, was marked by demoralizing defeat. None of us were mentally prepared to face such an epic, ungainly challenge. That and I had a paper to write and we had a date with Macaroni Grill that we somehow could not get out of. Needless to say, the boys were rowdy and fierce by junior year, aching to pickle the beast of Mario. But by some horrible stroke, we had decided to incorporate other challenges into the marathon as well, hoping that they would improve our chances of success. It would be the beginning of the end however, for junior year's run. The Mario Marathon had suddenly spiraled into a nightmarish 2-Liter, Karate Kid, Fort-Mario Marathon. We watched all three Karate Kid movies during gameplay hoping that Pat Morita would fuel our motivation. We constructed a playing fort to shelter us from the distractions of the outside world. And we each drank a 2-liter of cola to sharpen our senses. We could see the glint in each other's eyes. We came to play but good. Our fingers strained at the controller. Our eyes swelled with focus and concentration. By Mario 2 sweat was glistening from our foreheads. Unfortunately, Pat Morita beating the crap out of high-schoolers proved to be rather distracting. Building a fort set the marathon back two hours. And the 2-liters that we clutched so desperately in our calloused hands became the very thing that plagued our tummies and curtailed our marathon. Our hearts sank when we realized it was 5am and we had only just started to play Mario 3; the longest, most treacherous Mario of the series. I'm proud to say that two years of defeat has not flattened our resolve one bit. The last week of school before the Christmas break, we are attempting to finish the quest that has escaped our grasp for the past three years. And let me tell you that our experience and wisdom will not allow us to make the same mistakes we've made in the past. This time, we're constructing the fort well before we plan to raise the flag of the marathon. And we're watching all five Rocky movies to boost our morale. Sure, we're still drinking 2-liters, but we'll have baked goods to absorb the sugary poison left over in our tummies. This time we'll be ready.

Literacy Lariat

The word "literacy" has become sort of a buzz word in the Education field, but not in the way most people would expect. Of course, it's important that a teacher is actually literate and is capable of helping students become literate, but I guess it's all relative. Apart from this however, there is a growing concern for teachers to be literate in many other ways. For instance, most teachers these days are expected to be computer literate. Although it is probably a neologism, I think the term "information literate" has more meaning than it has in any other time period. I would describe information literacy as the ability to retrieve, identify and interpret the information we receive or require. Because technology has changed so drastically how we store and create data, information is flowing around us in a variety of formats and channels and we have to sort through the postmodern muck in an organized fashion. Our ability to do this makes us information literate. A couple years ago I was watching an old SNL with Bill Paxton who was playing an anchor in a sketch. At first, the show runs normally. At the bottom of the screen was the typical stock market streamer. Then once Bill Paxton moves on to various other topics like weather, sports, etc. he keeps putting up different graphs and images until eventually the entire screen is flooded with information. Eventually Tim Meadows for no apparent reason decides to superimpose a huge picture of a skeleton Terminator in the middle of the screen and Bill is left with this tiny gap of free space to talk through. Although the sketch was humorous because it was an exaggeration, I think it was a perfect example of information literacy as we know it. Being able to watch the news makes us information literate. Being able to navigate the web proficiently makes us information literate. And with this literacy also comes the ability to immediately evaluate the information that bombards us by identifying simple cues that we often take for granted. I guess judging from my description so far, being information literate usually does not require any training, but is simply a result of our socialization. In fact, you could even argue that one had little choice in the matter and the process was purely a matter of reflex, even survival.

Spy Versus Spy

Apparently students have taken ridiculing teachers to a whole new level going from afterschool gossip circles to all out, internet warfare. It is becoming more and more common for students to film their teachers in class usually in particularly unflattering moments such as boring the class with lecture or upbraiding a student, and posting them online at Youtube.com. Actually, it surprises me that students would go through such elaborate measures to make fun of their teachers. I mean, as a student I don't really take it personally if I feel a teacher is less than satisfactory. I joke to myself, occassionally make one to a classmate, and move on with my life. But as a future teacher, the idea truly scares me. If I ever discovered a video of myself online displaying my quirks and shortcomings, I would probably have a hard time regaining my confidence. I'm not quite sure how I would react in that situation. Normally I am not a very confrontational person, but as a teacher I would probably not let this sort of violation of privacy go unnoticed. When I really thought about it, what seems to be a harmless prank is actually quite a careless, degrading act. It is not as though these videos are posted privately or even in a setting where only students are able to view them. These videos are open for any person to see, and that to me just doesn't seem right. I've also heard a few stories of students making videos of themselves pulling pranks or even physically assaulting homeless people in some way and then posting the video on Youtube. Although the two examples are quite different from one another, there is still a common principle that is being violated. Although I am primarily concerned with the personal privacy and dignity aspect, there are also those who claim the act is a violation of intellectual property despite the fact that no profit is being made from it. I for one could care less. In my opinion the classroom is really not a traditinoal setting for intellectual scholarship to be put forth. It is primarily a setting for common knowledge, opinions, and ideas to be transmitted from one party to another.

Emos versus Goths

I was thinking to myself the other day as I lay peacefully in bed listening to the Boss' "Nebraska" and on the verge of tears, why do I listen to sad music? What do all those crazy emo-kids have up their sleeve? As I pondered this, I wondered as well why we engage in any piece of culture that depresses us. Then again, is there any point in creating something that ultimately brings us down despite how beautiful it may be? The answer is obvious, but the explanation in my mind's eye is altogether frustrating. I suppose there is the simple novelty of it. If we are fed one single emotion through every genre of every art, eventually it will lose its novelty. I could postulate, based on my own reactions, that I can chew on a movie the most when it finds some sort of happy medium, or in this case, an indifferent medium. If it's too sad I get bored and if it's too happy I get skeptical. But this is not altogether true. I've seen "Schindler's List," a thoroughly depressing movie, and I enjoyed it. And I've seen "Executive Decision," which is a thoroughly mirthful movie primarily because Steven Seagal dies in the first five minutes, and of course I loved it. Besides, who digs apathy, right? Not this guy. Anyways, I suppose I treat music the same way. Of all the Bruce Springsteen albums to like, my favorite is his most depressing. I've also found that my favorite Led Zeppelin songs are their saddest. So what gives? Do these songs make me want to curl up in my sock drawer and die? Yes. But do these songs also in some strange way make me happy? Yes, also. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that there is something inherently tragic about beauty itself. After all, the prettiest girl on the Earth is also the loneliest. I know one of my roommates would agree that there is something beautiful about tragedy as well, that crazy, goth weirdo. I guess the only way to explain it is that there are times in our lives when we need to be emotionally smacked in the face. Depressing movies, books, music, art, etc. serve as the best wake-up calls culture is capable of because in some roundabout way they make life seem all the more precious. I know that if I am ever feeling excessively complacent and need a swift, emotional kick in the nads, my good pal Bruce is there to lend a helping hand....er, foot, rather.