The End Is Near

Being a teacher, I've sensed that the end of the school year was near right after Memorial Day. This should be nothing new to any teacher because that's when everything slowly starts wrapping up. Being a grad school student, we reached the last day of our latest course, EDT 532. Outside of the pizza party that capped off the 9-day intensive course, the highlight was publishing my podcast "On The Sidelines" that I did with my classmate John Gormley. Given it wasn't exactly the full podcast that we edited yesterday, but it was still sufficient enough to publish on my new podcast site: http://patdouglas.podbean.com. Now that I have my own podcast site, I'm excited that I'll be able to produce and publish podcasts about sports and for my students. If you get a free moment, please take the time to listen to our "premiere" episode. Also, I've been revamped my 10-year-old website as part of the course as well, so feel free to check out the amazing changes I've made and leave me some feedback: http://www.geocities.com/pdbraves2080. Tonight's a short blog because tomorrow's a long day, so I'll try to post another one soon. Until next time...

Hooked In...

So I've spent the better part of my day watching the Women's College World Series (which I've been hooked on for years), but I also spent it in anticipation of the phenomenon known as Kimbo Slice fighting in prime time on CBS.  Little did I know that I would be in for a treat in the four fights leading up to the main event.  To think, game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final was on tonight too, and I barely watched it because this MMA show completely hooked me in.  It also helped that Crush from American Gladiators was fighting tonight and ended up blasting her opponent.  As I type this blog, I just watched Kimbo come from the agony of defeat to win by TKO in the final round.  He has that Mike Tyson-type ability to capture an audience without the sideshow antics, not to mention he could knock you out cold just by looking at you (this dude is BIG!!).  Anyway, if you didn't watch any of the fights tonight, I recommend checking out Youtube (I'm sure there'll be clips on there within the next 24 hours) to see for yourself.  Until next time...

What I Want To Know...

So I'm taking my EDT532 course for grad school and was asked to start posting a blog during our course. Yesterday's entry was to respond to the following questions: "What do you already know?" and "What do you want to learn in this course?" Two very simple questions, but me being the supreme procrastinator that I am, completely forgot until I was on my way to class this afternoon. So, without further ado, here we go...
Question #1: What do you already know?
Well I've had my own website on Yahoo since I was a freshman at Endicott College in '98, but I've also been using Microsoft Front Page as my webpage editor in the ten years that I've had the site. As a teacher, I wasn't using the Internet for more that just research for my technology classes, but when I was given the title of Technology Resource Coordinator (read: Internet NERD), I began researching for more than just my class. Just last school year ('06-'07) I was intrigued by a Class Homepage Builder provided by Scholastic.com, so I began posting assignments and various websites for my students to my newly-created Scholastic homepage. Now, whenever they come into the computer lab, unless I send them to other sites, I usually have them log immediately into my Scholastic homepage and direct them to specific websites from there. I've also learned how to create podcasts using Audacity, as well as various projects using Adobe Photoshop and Flash. All three programs have allowed me to be creative in utilizing educational materials to benefit my students and others.
Question #2: What do you want to learn in this course?
Since part of its focus deals with creating websites, I would like to learn how to create one using Adobe Dreamweaver, as well as explore other possibilities for hosting my website. I really don't want to move it away from Yahoo if I can avoid it, but if there's another place that offers me more for less, I'll definitely take a peek at it at the least. I also would like to learn how to publish my podcasts to a site for others to download and listen to, which could hopefully lead to my students downloading specific lessons to do on their own.
I guess that just about answers both questions, but we'll see just how much I find out in these nine class sessions. Until next time...

My Favorite Time of Year...

So even though I should be passed out in bed right now, I'm sitting in my living room glued to my laptop listening to a Stanley Cup playoff game between my Dallas Stars and the San Jose Sharks. As I begin this blog, they're starting the second overtime, and hopefully they'll be done before I am!! If there's ever a time of the year that I look forward to the most, it's the Stanley Cup Playoffs. You don't have to worry about games ending in shootouts, and players really earn their paychecks in grueling, exciting, edge-of-your-seat, sudden-death overtime. Just today alone I watched the Penguins beat the Rangers in OT to advance to the conference finals before listening to the OT battle. It's time like these where I miss the Whalers the most, being able to hear Chuck Kaiton beautifully call the game as if we, the listeners, were there ourselves. There's only a select few play-by-play guys that will keep you glued to your TV or radio by the passion they put into the game. I've already immersed Ethan in playoff hockey from birth, putting him in his chair when he was just a few months old and watching Versus until every last game ended. In a way it's killing me that I'm not able to watch any playoff games right now unless they're on NBC, but at the same time it's rekindled my appreciation for listening to all those Whalers games on the radio growing up. I guarantee I probably won't roll out of bed until 6:30 to get in the shower tomorrow morning, but as long as the Stars win and advance to face the Red Wings, it will be all worth it. Even if they don't, and the Sharks force a game 7, that just gives me another chance to lose myself in one of the most exciting traditions in sports. Looks like I'm coming to an end for this blog, and the game rages on- just about halfway through the second overtime and no one wants to go home just yet. Looks like I'll be here for a while because I'm not going to miss that game-winning goal. Until next time...

It Just Doesn't End, Does It?

Just when you thought we would be able to make it through the weekend without someone griping about playing time- here comes Frank Thomas flying off the handle about being benched (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3354449). "I'm angry, I know I can help this team. My career isn't going to end like this," he said. Well when you're batting .167 with three homers and 11 RBIs in 60 at-bats (which was right around my average in two seasons playing in a men's rec league), you really can't complain about being benched, especially when you're on the back nine of your career and you signed a two-year, $18-million contract in 2006. The majority of men in the US between the ages of 23 and 40 would do anything just to have a tenth of what he would make in two years- including me (that's $1.8 million for all you non-math scholars)!! But as the cliche' says, "Be careful what you wish for," the "Big Hurt" got what he wanted- a mutual release from the Blue Jays and a chance to go elsewhere. He'll end up somewhere, but I don't know if he'll necessarily get more playing time...
Switching gears now- I happened to read a story on ESPN.com about the different paths that NBA legends Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan have taken since they retired (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=3351892&sportCat=nba&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab4pos2), and it made me proud that I share my birthday with Sir Charles. I completely agree with Gene Wojciechowski about how Jordan can be defined by four things when his life is all said and done, while Barkley continues to evolve into the "role model" he said he wasn't back in the '90s. Barkley may end up being the governor of his home state of Alabama soon if he keeps going at the pace he is, and who's to say he wouldn't make a good governor? I think he'd do a better job than the Governator, and have a better accent at that!! While Jordan will live on forever as a worldwide icon, Barkley's mark on history will be just as broad, provided he can lay off the Krispy Kremes once in a while...
Finally, before I turn in for the night, lots of congrats are in order for IndyCar driver Danica Patrick, who became the first female winner in IndyCar history on Sunday with a victory in Japan (http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/racing/news/story?id=3355226). She's been given so much grief in the media that now she has that first win under her belt and can go along now without having to be scrutinized by critics anymore. Here's to many, many more...
Finally, I mentioned in my last blog that I would give credit to whoever could give me the name of the song and band I used as the subject of Friday's blog, so here are my kudos to Kara and Heather:


Until next time...

You Can't Always Get What You Want...

I can't remember, for the life of me, what song that came from, but it's 100% appropriate for today's blog (If anyone does know, please let me know- I'll definitely mention you in my next blog!!). For those of you that follow the NFL, I'm sure you've heard about Bengals WR Chad Johnson voicing his displeasure with the organization and wanting to be traded. Now he's going Terrell Owens on us and demanding that he be traded before the NFL Draft next weekend (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3349761). For someone whose talent can't even sniff Jerry Rice's jockstrap, Ocho Stinko needs to strap on a muzzle, go about his business and do his job like the rest of his team. I get so irritated when I see these multimillion-dollar crybabies complain because they don't like something or someone in their organization. Last I checked, they didn't choose their employers, it was the exact opposite. I miss the days of Rice in his prime, Cris Carter, Art Monk, and others who just went about their business and conducted themselves the way pro athletes were supposed to. Johnson's own teammate, T.J. Houshmandzadeh (trust me, I didn't spell it myself- thank god for copying and pasting) said that they just need to trade him so the organization can move on (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3351518). I agree and disagree at the same time. If they trade him, he gets his way and they possibly get screwed. If they don't trade him, he whines like a baby and sits at home not getting paid. Either way, this one looks like it will get much, much worse before it gets better. Stay tuned...
On the flip side of brats like Johnson you have veteran stalwarts like Ravens QB Steve McNair calling it a career today (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3351086) after 13 years with the Oilers/Titans and Ravens. Here's a guy who fought through countless injuries, led his team to a Super Bowl (coming just one yard short of victory), and helped set the standard for scrambling QBs long before the likes of Vick and Vince Young entered the NFL mainstream. He was a class act from start to finish, should have his number retired by the Titans, and could very well end up in Canton when it's all said and done. Guys like Johnson need to take a long, hard look at those who came before him, like McNair, who were the prototypical first-class professionals and handled themselved with dignity and honor.
I told one of my really good friends that I would end tonight's blog with a quote from her late father. This speaks so many volumes as to how we should live our lives every day:
"I think you can't wait for someone to fly underneath you and save your life... I think you have to save yourself."
Until next time...

Common Sense 101

Since I last posted a blog, which was about the idiot who sat on a toilet for two years, I've seen so many stories on the news that just disturb me. For example, a 23-month-old boy died in February because the two people taking care of him refused to give him water (http://www.wfsb.com/news/15898529/detail.html). Being a parent now, this one really, REALLY bothers me. The care of a young child has been entrusted to you because the mother was severely ill, and you don't give them water because they wet the bed?? And to top it off, they laced the child's bottles with hot sauce to keep him from even attempting to drink from a bottle. ARE YOU SERIOUS?? At least the last story I blogged about had somewhat of a decent ending, but this one will stay with me for a while because I can't imagine someone doing that to Ethan. People are definitely telling the truth when they say you look at things quite differently when you become a parent. Oh, and to go even further, one of the accused killers claims they have a mental disability, which I think is total garbage. I'll let you all read the story for yourselves because the more I talk about it, the angrier it makes me.
Here's another genius move- two teens out in Ohio forced a 2-year-old toddler to smoke marijuana, then claim to have completely forgotten about it (http://www.wfsb.com/video/15905651/index.html). Thankfully they were arrested and are sitting uncomfortably in jail. In this case, not only do these morons need to be locked up, but the parents of the 2-year-old need to be as well for leaving the toddler with teens that are at the age where common sense isn't exactly their highest priority. Here's another situation that upsets me as a parent, which would explain why there's only a certain few that I would trust Ethan with if I needed a babysitter. Have caretakers absolutely lost their minds now??
Rather than sit here seething from these idiotic moves, I think I'm going to go do some reading and call it a night. Until next time...