| Film Festivals, how I love thee... and for different reasons! |
[Feb. 12th, 2010|09:00 pm] |
Bittersweet news friends.
I'm not going to be at True/False this year because, well... marriages cost a lot, and it's right around the corner. Next year is a must though.
So you know what steps in to fill that void of lost joy?
How about one of my student's short films being selected for screening at SXSW? Yeah. I'm really, REALLY proud of the kid.
Currently, I can't say what film went in because SXSW hasn't posted, but I'll let you all know ASAP.
Right now, just know that this is pretty much a crowning achievement for a 9th grade teacher who just barely started teaching a video tech class. |
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| Ha! Texas FTW! |
[Jan. 6th, 2010|08:31 pm] |
My school might be closed on Friday because it's "going to be too cold".
Track it yourself.
Just for the record, the neighboring district already said it will be closed on Friday. The high is predicted to be 40. Yeah. I said 40.
I can't help but laugh - then again, a lot of the kids wait for the bus for up to an hour and might not have coats. I don't laugh at that.
*crosses fingers for a three-day weekend* |
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| This is why I teach |
[Nov. 8th, 2009|11:16 pm] |
From a excerpt of a student paper about city curfew laws -
It's a Saturday night, Jose and Matthew are casually walking around Donna's Park. It was around 2:34 a.m. All of a sudden they heard a police car in the distance, making its way towards them. As they hid in the bushes the cop stepped out of his car. He was checking the park and Jose sneezed. The police officer asked him what they were doing out at this hour, they just fled and the officer chased them down as they were being chased a car driver didn't see them and thirty minutes later Jose's parents and Matt's parents no longer have sons.
I DARE you to say that's not one of the most ridiculously amazing piece of writing by a 15 year old. I almost spit out my drink all over the paper as I read it. |
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| *blink* *blink* nap |
[Oct. 8th, 2009|12:26 am] |
I'm slowly ruining my sleep schedule. At least I have a training tomorrow.
It's probably not a good thing to get several days of less than 6 hours of sleep a night, then make up for it with a night of 11-13 hours of sleep. Maybe this weekend will help... ha. Who am I kidding? |
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| Another interesting dream |
[Aug. 22nd, 2009|12:16 pm] |
Seeing as I rarely have vivid dreams that I remember, last night was spectacular. When I woke up from the dream, I couldn't wait to get back to sleep and cling to the hope that maybe, just maybe, I would return to it.
It started off innocently enough, as I had the innate sense that the events in the dream were occurring a few years in the future. Alexia was pregnant, but she was also violently ill.
*Scene change*
We had just been in to see the doctor, though I didn't experience the actual visit. The doctor informed us that Alexia was sick with meningitis, and prescribed some medicine for her that would get her healthy and still allow her to deliver the baby (which was almost an assured miscarriage due to the nature of her illness). Oddly enough, one of my friends from the valley, who is now the Dean of Instruction at my school, was in a white lab coat to fill the prescription.
*Scene change*
Alexia started taking her medicine, and was immediately feeling better. Literally, it was two pills in her mouth, swallow, and then she looked visibly relieved.
*Scene change*
Apparently, Alexia had delivered the baby, as I now was holding a beautiful baby girl in my hands, sitting on the couch in our house/apartment, and across from me was my good friend Andrew. We were just talking and hanging out, as Alexia had gone to the other room to check something on the computer. I turned to my daughter, looked her in the eyes, and she started reciting song lyrics like they were a poem. I can't remember the exact words, but the first few lines were scatted like Jack Black, then she threw in some multi-syllabic words and that's when I knew she wasn't just babbling. This was clearly the very first things she had ever said, or attempted to say, and I was ecstatic, though rightly freaked out. Andrew had an amazed look on his face, though all he could say was "Hi, this is Andrew!" in the exact same tone as his voicemail. It was really odd to hear it a few times over as he was jumping up and down. (please don't judge him based on this) I ran to get Alexia to let her know that our daughter spoke her first words; the whole time the kid is starting to speak more and more. We were amazed, but something seemed wrong, as she was only a few days old and now speaking more fluently than most high school kids. We called the doctor as I checked the back of Alexia's medication, which said that the medicine contained "hypochlorians" (I'm guessing the chlorians was connected to Star Wars?) and that possible side effects where rapid growth development in the brain and age of developing children.
*Scene change*
I was walking down the streets of a city with my daughter, whose name I now knew was Emily, just after it had snowed. The city seemed vaguely like Columbia, but some of the buildings were out of place. It was an amalgam of structures that apparently are at the forefront of my subconsciousness, as they all came together in a sort of patchwork downtown. Anyways, I'm walking with Emily, who is wearing an old gray tweed jacket that goes down to her knees, and the rest of her outfit has a vintage look to her. She has long, dark hair, and her face is absolutely stunning. Looking at her, she has the eyes of Alexia as well as her ears, but her face is a little more rounded like mine. I instantly felt an attachment to her as her father, and had a sense of pride that just made me smile. We were carrying on a conversation about what she wanted to do in life, though it was clear that the initial purpose of the walk was because she wanted another vintage coat which I assume was at a shop downtown. What's crazy is that as we were walking, I gathered that very little time had passed. Although Emily had just been a baby, only a few years had passed and now she seemed like she was in her early Twenties. She was exceptionally intelligent, as I witnessed through our conversation, but also had an amazing sense of humor and good nature about her that let me know that she was taking her radically accelerated life in stride.
I wanted to know if her aging had slowed - if I would have her in my life for more than just a few more years. I wanted her to be happy. I wanted her to succeed. I wanted to protect her. I loved her. She was my daughter. Then I woke up.
Is it odd to have residual feelings of unconditional love for a dream daughter that was very likely a product of stress, sleep deprivation, and an over-active imagination? I certainly think so, but that didn't keep me from trying to sleep in another hour in the hope that I might just happen to experience those emotions for but a brief moment more. If only I knew what would happen to her. |
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| Uncle, round 2 |
[Aug. 14th, 2009|10:18 am] |
I'm an uncle again!
Calvin Anders Johnson was born on 8/13/09 at 11:23 pm. Heather was in labor for 24 hours, as they were trying for a natural birth, but ended up going with a C-section at the end because he's such a big baby. 10 lbs, 21 inches, and a pretty big head (15.25 inches in circumference).
I'm not actually there this time, as it's pretty crazy scheduling for me, Alexia, and obviously Eric, Heather, Eleanor, Calvin, and the family. We'll be going up for Thanksgiving, and I'll post pics when I have them. ;) |
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| For all you SG-1 fans... |
[Jun. 30th, 2009|11:36 am] |
I happened upon the amazon website today and noticed that the deal of the day is for the SG-1 complete series, for 60% off. I know most of you have the DVDs, but it's still pretty dang inexpensive.
$131.
Check it out.
*Actually, it looks like today is just a Stargate Deal Day... everything is on sale. |
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| What else would you expect from me? |
[Jun. 22nd, 2009|11:28 pm] |
So it's official Day One of the AVID conference in Dallas, and after a full day of learning about AVID (website if you're a glutton for educational punishment), I spent the evening drinking with my co-teachers. Then, things got Mark crazy.
Walking from Cadillac Bar where I paid $3 for 4 beers and 2 shots (yes, $3), I went to Hooters with the group and had a Chili-Cheese Dog to much phallic-related jokes. After another few beers, most of the group headed to the DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) while some of us walked back to the hotel, to thankfully be stopped by an off-duty Museum Bus Tour worker who gave us a personal tour of the Kennedy Assassination site.
NERDGASM!
Would any of you expect something other than this from me? I would hope not, because it was awesome. 4 of us got a personal, inebriated tour of the Kennedy assassination, full of conspiracy stories, and a quick conversation about my history thesis paper about the coverage of the assassination by media outlets around the country. I was really happy tonight. The only thing that could have made it better was it Alexia was here... and she is coming on Thursday and Friday while a mutual friend of ours tries out again for American Idol (he tried a few years ago and made it to Hollywood, but was told that he sounded too much like Chris Daughtry of the same year, who had already been passed on... and told to retry).
Go beer. Go training. Go nerds. |
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| It must be about that time of year again |
[May. 15th, 2009|06:52 pm] |
Yep. 2 weeks of school left.
First thing a student said to me this morning as I was fixing up my room:
"Sir, what are anal beads?"
He really didn't know, but his friends had put him up to it, as they started laughing, and he got embarrassed. I had to walk away to keep myself from laughing too hard. When I came back, he asked me again, "sir, I really don't know. What are anal beads?"
That's when I had to tell him to stop asking.
"If no one will tell me, I'm just going to look it up on the internet"
NO NO NO. Don't look it up on the internet.
"Why not?"
It's really not something you need to know. It's lascivious.
"What?"
It means its not something decent people know about. It's something gross that people do in bed.
"Oh"
Then I scolded his friends for putting him up to it.
Still, I laughed my ass off when I closed my door. |
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| BEST LINE EVER |
[May. 5th, 2009|08:05 am] |
"Thirteen people were inside the police department when the mystery envelope was opened. Three employees had direct contact with the onion salt, but Garrett said the substance would pose no immediate harm."
Oh god. I love Valley Journalism. (From an article about the Donna Police Department being shut down over a suspicious powder mailed to them).
See the full article here. |
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[ Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<strikespring</strike>') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.] <strikeSpring</strike> <i>Swine Flu</i> Break |
[May. 4th, 2009|10:56 pm] |
My school district just shut down for a week as a precaution because of Swine Flu. I'm not terribly concerned about contracting the virus myself, as there really are only a handful of people who have it considering there are over a million in the area... but still. A week off of school because of concerned parents and community members? AND I still get paid? I think I can handle the stress of a little media over-exaggeration.
Although, I'm actually a little pissed that I'm missing a week of school. I had planned out virtually all of my lessons until summer, (which starts on May 28) and now I'm missing a week that we won't be making up. On one hand, free vacation. On the other, not being able to do what I want in the last 4 weeks of school. Bummer? |
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| That's ironic |
[Apr. 17th, 2009|11:39 pm] |
I just had my xbox RRoD (again), which I suspected would happen as it was looking like it was going to die last weekend. So I called up xbox customer service, got them to e-mail me a label, and I'll go drop off the system tomorrow.
Just for the hell of it, I turned on the console after making the call (I had tried to start the system 10 times over the course of 40 minutes) and voila! It starts. I dunno what to say about this one. I was kinda looking forward to it tanking so I could get a new one with the HDMI port like Matt... |
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| Car Musings |
[Apr. 15th, 2009|09:52 pm] |
So as I was on my way back from work with a bag full of delicious Taco Bell, Muse's "Take a Bow" started playing on my iPod. I immediately thought of this:
As this scene is playing in my head, I thought of the Graphic Novel and Rorschach's character. I'm just going to go out on a limb here and say that most people on my friends list have read or seen The Watchmen, otherwise, SPOILER ALERT.
I always appreciated Rorschach's death. His unrelenting pursuit of "doing the right thing" made the character much more superhuman than even Dr. Manhattan. Faced with the pure reasoning that if he consented to Ozymandias's plans, he would be sacrificing millions to save billions, and unable to cope with sacrificing any innocent life, he chooses to get himself killed in one final attempt (albeit half-hearted) to save the innocent. His character seems convoluted, as he is able to commit atrocious acts, but only to those that have lost their innocence. However, Rorschach still draws a clear line in the sand, and it was ultimately leads to his demise at the hand of more "rational individuals" who are looking out for the greater good.
This is where I diverge from the plot of Watchmen altogether and had some philosophical musings of my own.
Is there such a thing as the greater good? I don't believe so, at least not in the incarnation that man has currently envisioned it. We see the greater good as being "the most good" or the "good that benefits the largest amount of people". This in itself is flawed. There can be no such thing as "the greater good" as good is subjective. Events also have a way of self-correcting themselves. There is simply the illusion of a greater good that is limited to a short time-span. The greater good is simply a lie that we as a culture have created because it is something that we can intrinsically and quantifiably point to. "We were able to save one billion people by sacrificing the lives of just a few hundred."
Subjectivity in "the greater good" - Who is to say that those who were sacrificed were not the good ones? Is it still "the greater good" if 1,000 morally virtuous people are sacrificed for a million folks who toe the line between crime and inhumanity? This might be tough to stomach, but would it not be possible? It's simply easier to accept that the million who are saved are TRULY saved, that because of a sacrifice to save their lives, they will somehow learn from the experience. I find this hard to believe. People are habitual. Occasionally, life changing events will force an individual to deter from their nature, but true change doesn't happen overnight, nor does it remain changed for eternity. Who is to judge this "goodness" that is saved? When can it be judged? If we focus solely on life continuing on in any form, then yes, it would be the greater good. But as a species capable of higher level brain functions that has come up with the notions of morality and rationality, it seems ludicrous that simply having life makes it "good". That's like saying that if faced with the choice of extinction of our species or the survival of our worst incarnation, you would choose the latter on the hopes that eventually good might develop. Again, when this good is judged is subjective, and depends entirely on the person viewing it. If they are optimistic, the good might come sooner, with lighter judgment. Who is to say?
Self-Correcting "Greater Good" - This one came quickly, as I sat three stop lights away from my house. "Take a Bow" is still playing, and I think it's at the part where Archimedes comes out of the water. I think about how historically, when we think of events that resulted in "the greater good", it really is only "the greater good" for a minimal length of time. "Greater Good" events only truly occur at the times when the greatest evil is present and well documented. Case in point - some might say that the "Greater Good" of World War II was that it brought about the end of the Great Depression, brought together the world's superpowers, and set the stage for a boom in democracy and an age of relative peace. It's all framed in the Holocaust, and leads to the Cold War, Stalin's execution of his people, and a U.S. so worried about outside threats that we very nearly destroyed all the freedoms the nation held dear.
Again, amidst horrible tragedy, the "greater good" of 9/11 could be seen as a warm political climate towards the U.S., a nation forged in spirit and bonded together across cultures (except for Mid-Eastern culture... sorry guys), and a clear objective: get Bin-Laden and the Al-Qaeda with the help of the world community. Many thousands lost their lives, but at the time, it seemed like the world would be soon rid of a terrible man, inoculated from further terrorism. However, that too corrects itself rapidly. Bin-Laden is never found, Al-Qaeda continues to flourish, the U.S. invades Iraq and the world's political climate soon sours.
Last November, Barack Obama heralded a new age of U.S. politics as the first black president, with radical ideas to change the way government works. Better yet, he actually starts carrying out those ideas with a modicum of success and swiftness. More people voted than ever, it seemed as if white privilege is not nearly the barrier it once was, and governments worldwide embraced the change. Suddenly, the universe attempts to self-correct, as Afghanistan becomes a hotbed of activity, tea-bag parties (how shitty a name/idea is that?) are held nationwide, and journalistic integrity is set on fire.
I ponder - if "the greater good" is a true concept, could you ever accept death as a viable cost? If this is true, wouldn't it be the "greatest good" to end violence altogether by allowing the death of all violent tendencies and those that harbor these thoughts? No. I say this with a clear mind and sound reasoning. There is no such thing as the "greater good". It is but a figment of our imagination. It's as much a human creation as iPods and insurance, a commodity designed to comfort those unwilling to accept anything deeper. The "greater good" is a lie.
The only thing that is left to accept is that the greatest good is to help only those that you are capable of helping. Pain will always be constant. There is never a truly just and righteous option when faced with gray matter. Accept that your actions will harm others, and grieve rightly for what you do. But never, ever forget that grieving is only a part of the process, an end to a means, and accept that it is a part of being human. Think not of softening the blow that you deal by saying your actions are done "for the greater good". You will harm. You will hurt. Regardless of your actions, your path lies not on the lines of good or evil, but of humanity.1
But then again, it's all subjective.
At about this time, I was pulling in to my apartment subdivision, and the song ended. Sometimes, you just need to let your mind wander.
1And that's why Rorshach's character is awesome |
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| Easter News |
[Apr. 12th, 2009|09:10 pm] |
On Easter, did Mark...
A) Watch Slumdog Millionaire
B) Make a giant sandwich
C) Stab himself with a fork
D) All of the above
The correct answer is D. Slumdog was awesome, though I have to say that I've seen movies in the last few months that have been as good as it (T/F Film Festival, I'm looking at you) - but it still deserves all the praise it receives. The sandwich was freaking amazing, though unfortunately as I was getting up with my plate, the metal fork on top fell, bouncing off the ground and hitting my ankle at just the right angle do break the skin and draw blood. Sweet. |
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| Live Journal |
[Mar. 31st, 2009|11:07 pm] |
Read often at home
Stagnating; meager updates
Neglected by me |
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| Updating those who want to know... |
[Mar. 9th, 2009|11:25 pm] |
Just in case anyone didn't previously know, I have been irregularly blogging about my teaching experiences, and thanks to Matt, there's a LJ feed of it.
I'll be irregularly updating again in the future, so stay tuned!
The LJ Feed. Be sure to click "add this feed to your friends list". |
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