Mutation Begins..

habitsofamouse.wordpress.com

I don't mean to go all angsty here, but just so you all know, apparently Dustin D. Lefebvre is not dead. It was supposedly a "prank." I'm not impressed. Apparently he wanted to see who his friends were...well, I think that this is going to lose him pretty damn near all of them.

My craft shop on Etsy is now open!! Please stop by and check it out!

http://tmr228.etsy.com

Well, I'm currently in the process of getting a blogspot account. As nice as ithas been on livejournal and myspace, I feel as though it's time for a change. For those that I will want to continue viewing my writings, musings, and the like, I will deffinitly post the link in a friends' only blog later on today.

So...I'm getting scared. I'm scared we'll never be able to afford the mortgage on my measly salary. I'm debating about a third job. Yes, I said third. Sylvan doesn't really have the hours for me. I wonder if maybe Karen and I can work on that. Yuck. Meanwhile, I'm doing survey's like mad, poetry contests, and trying my hand at freelance writing. Fun shit. Not.

So I did a little research and I found that my work choices won't be as limited as I first thought. If we do get the house in the Fairbanks area of Farmington, it looks like I'll still have a decent job at getting a job in a public school district.

Mt. Blue Middle School (Farmington) - 8 mins.
Mt. Blue High School (Farmington) - 15 mins.
Mt. Abram High School (Phillips) - 24 mins.
Jay High School (Jay) - 26 mins.
Jay Middle School (Jay) - 26 mins
Livermore Falls Middle School (Livermore Falls) - 28 mins
Livermore Falls High School (Livermore Falls) - 29 mins.
Dirigo High School (Dixfield) - 36 mins
Dirigo Middle School (Dixfield) - 37 mins
Skowhegan Area High School (Skowhegan) - 37 mins.
Skowhegan Area Middle School (Skowhegan) - 37 mins.
Messalonskee High School (Oakland) - 43 mins.
Mountain Valley Middle School (Mexico) - 44 mins.
Mountain Valley High School (Rumford) - 47 mins.

Needless to say, I'm really hoping for anything less then half an hour drive time. Both Messalonskee and Mountain Valley would really be pushing it too far. It's good to know that I have this wide range of choices, though. My other option would be to look into working at some sort of adult ed. program. That might be interesting on it's own. Regardless, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get a job of some sort.

It seems as though all the pieces are really starting to fall into place. I really hope I don't end up jinxing any of this. I think the best part of all of it will be that my brother would be able to visit much more often! I miss his so much and it kills me that we never get to see each other anymore. I think that life will be so much less stressful when I am able to see him more often. Sometimes, like lately, it's been really rough for me to be able to just sit back and let shit go. Somehow it's so much easier to do when hanging out with Pete.

Dang! You know what else? I'll be that much closer to Britt. Hopefully she'll finally get to spend a little time with me. That girl's mother is nuts. For some reason Ericka doesn't really seem to trust me. I think it might be because she knows that I will tell Britt like it is, including about her screwed up step-father, not that that's anything she doesn't know already. Grah.

You know what? Now that we're actually looking at a possible house, I'm really excited about have chickens.

Well, I'm really starting to get back into coming up with lesson plans again. I think part of it may have to do with the fact that we're now seriously looking at a house in the Farmington area. I don't want to say too much, it seems that every time I do, things start falling to the wayside again. I'm aiming at around a 9th grade level for the majority of my lesson plans. I feel that this would be the easiest zone since I can them move them up or down with a few changes. I'm also thinking I might work like a fiend on my arsenal of mini-lessons.

Right now I'm looking up something called 6+1 traits. As much as they are widely used, I can't shake that they are very vauge in what is demanded of the writer. However, it does give a really strong basis of what they can work on. Given certain prompts, each one can be expanded upon. It's something that I'll have to definitly look more into. Right now my main goal is to move away from the obnoxious MEA standards.

Not that anyone will really find this great, but I do...

One of my favorite cartoons ever is Futurama. Well, I was doing some more research on the current TMNT movie and found out that not only is John DiMaggio (the voice of Bender) in it, but so is Billy West (Fry/Professor/Mr.Wong/Zoidberg...and everyone else you can think of). Oh, and don't forget Phil LaMarr (Hermes). Isn't that nuts?!

John DiMaggio -- Colonel Santino
Billy West & Phil LeMarr -- Additional Voices

And Billy West does the voice of the red M&M! Hahahahah! That's great!

You Are Sometimes Considered a Hot Chick

While you may not get the most offers in the room, You've got a good thing going - dating wise You could flirt more and dress up a bit to attract more guys But in general, you are doing just fine!

table width=350 align=center border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2><tr><td bgcolor="#DDDDDD" align="center">You Are 78% Peaceful</td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#EEEEEE">
You are a very peaceful person. All is good in your world, no matter what's going on.
Occasionally you let your problems get to you, but you generally remain upbeat.
Your inner strength is inspirational - much more so than you may realize.</td></tr></table>

table width=350 align=center border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2><tr><td bgcolor="#EEEEEE" align="center">You Are Downtown</td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
You're a funky spirit that requires freedom to live.
Your city girl persona needs adventure, diversity, and great pizza.</td></tr></table>

You Are: 20% Dog, 80% Cat

You are are almost exactly like a cat. You're intelligent, independent, and set on getting your way. And there's no way you're going to fetch a paper for anyone!

The Part of You That No One Sees

You are compassionate, caring, and soothing. You like other people to depend on you... In fact, you don't feel right unless you are helping someone out. Underneath it all, you feel the burden of everyone's problems. Without your guidance, you fear that many people's worlds would fall apart. You like to feel in charge, even if it brings you a lot of stress.

Your Body Image is 32% Unhealthy, 68% Healthy

You're body image is quite healthy, though you're sometimes a little bit too hard on yourself. Chances are you've got a rockin' body - so enjoy it!

What Your Latte Says About You

When it comes to what you like, you have your own unique tastes. And people don't really understand them. You can be quite silly at times, but you know when to buckle down and be serious. You have a good deal of energy, but you pace yourself. You never burn out too fast. You're addicted to caffeine. There's no denying it. You are responsible, mature, and truly an adult. You're occasionally playful, but you find it hard to be carefree. You are inventive and creative, but you are never weird.

Your Personality is Very Rare (INFP)

Your personality type is dreamy, romantic, elegant, and expressive. Only about 5% of all people have your personality, including 6% of all women and 4% of all men You are Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving.

You Would Be a Pet Cat

Independent and aloof, you don't like to be dependent on anyone. And as for other people, you can take them or leave them. You often don't care. You live your life by your own rules. And you have deep motivations that no one truly understands. Why you would make a great pet: You're not needy or greedy... unlike other four legged friends. Why you would make a bad pet: You're not exactly running down to greet people at the door What you would love about being a cat: Agility and freedom What you would hate about being a cat: Being treated like a dog by clueless humans

Your Dosha is Kapha

Calm and grounded, you are not prone to mood swings or anger. However, once you do get angry, it takes a lot to cool you down. You tend to think a little slower than most people, but your logic is astounding. Overall, you very loyal and trustworthy. You're not scared of being who you really are. With friends: You enjoy their company, but often listen more than talk In love: You crave connection and affection. It's hard for you to be single. To achieve more balance: Exercise vigorously (especially in the sun) and let go of attachments.

Your Geek Profile:

Academic Geekiness: High Gamer Geekiness: High SciFi Geekiness: High Internet Geekiness: Moderate Music Geekiness: Moderate Fashion Geekiness: Low Geekiness in Love: Low Movie Geekiness: Low General Geekiness: None

I feel like crap. My throat is clogged with a ton of phlegm and I can't stop coughing. Not to mention that this was only the second weekend I've been home in the past two months and, ironically, also the second weekend I've been home sick in the past two months. Someone wanna trade for a day? Yuck.

In other news, I apologize for not being as big of an updater on here as before. It seems as thought I've been wound too tightly to do anything that takes more than a few minutes, including typing in this obnoxious thing. Part of its that I'm still adjusting to the mental fatigue of dealing with the kiddos in the composite room. (Not to mention that the cavity I've had since January is finally stiarting to be painful EVERY waking moment.) So.....if anyone wants to know more about how life is right this moment, feel free to send me a note or two and I'll respond as best I can.

I feel like crap. My throat is clogged with a ton of phlegm and I can't stop coughing. Not to mention that this is only the second weekend I've been home in the past two months and, ironically, also the second weekend I've been home sick in the past two months. Someone wanna trade for a day? Yuck.

Ready from some early morning ramblings from someone who refuses to use spellcheck before noon for no reason at all? Well, here we go! Enjoy!

There are many different reasons as to why I would love to eventually have a certification that would allow me to teach gifted children; some reasons are selfish and others are valid beyond all belief. I found this article* on Yahoo! News and it just helped to solidify my feelings on the entire situation. Keeping in mind that the students talked about are extreme cases normally ranging in the top .1% of the population, I have to stress that there are 62,000 kids in the US with an IQ above 145. While that doesn't seem like many to most people, add to that the number of children with an IQ between 130 and 140, which at the top end would have the possibility of reaching 136 and 146 respectively, the numbers increase.

(Keep in mind that the standard deviation of the average IQ test is +/- 6, which means that the testing isn't very accurate, but is better than what it could be. For those of you that don't know standard deviation, this means that if a child, such as this typist, scored 148 on an IQ test***, that means the real score could be anywhere from 142 to 154. In retrospect, there is a strong possibility that the IQ may vary in respect to different styles of learning, so while one person may be 142 in spatial, that same person may be 154 in auditory.)

While many people argue that IQ is something that is hardwired in, which is the laughable belief of many G/T teachers, there have been multiple studies, such as the one I have included below**, that have determined it is a mixture of genetics and support that is given by the home in the first 6 years of life mixed with a specialized education. The unfortunate thing about this is that there are many children out there that, even though they might have the support from home to reach a high IQ, they are lacking the support in the schools due to lack of funding, G/T certification, and even just lazy teachers that don't believe in individualized planning.

It is an unfortunate assumption on the mass population that those with a high IQ can easily find their way through life without difficulty. Sadly, those at one end of the IQ spectrum have just as high of a drop out rate as those on the other end for fairly similar reasons: lack of interest, lack of material at the appropriate level, and a lock of support of the appropriate kind.

*Cloud, John. "Failing Our Geniuses." Time 170.9 (Aug.2007):41 (11/6p). Yahoo!News. Yahoo.com. 23 Aug 2007<http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/failingourgeniuses> ( Read Article. )


**Peter Archbold. "Your Children's IQ Is In Your Hands." Quazen. Quazen.com. 23 Aug 2007 <http://www.quazen.com/science/your-childrens-iq-is-in-your-hands.6321> ( Read Article. )

*** Please take not that these results were not from an online test. This was the last figure given to me in fifth grade. Most likely than not my score has now fluctuated in one direction or another. DO NOT instill any form of faith in the online IQ tests! Many of them are fraudulant and/or are created by those that are not trained in this specific field. As I have said before, IQ tests should not be the only thing that one holds stock in when it comes to their actual intelligence.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yai8DneL7Lg <---Old school TMNT movie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWwnfgnzrn0 <----Very cool vid.

Joe and I have been snipping a lot at each other lately. Like always, who do I blame? Me. I know it's a two way street, but lately it feels as if I'm the cause of it all. What the kudos is wrong with me? I'm guessing I'm just insanely stressed. Interviews, work, financial planning.....not to mention lack of money. It's all just slowly building. And no me time. On the plue note, I'm down to 135 again....but that's still not as low as what I need to be to be marked out of the obese rang. Yuck.

My interview only lasted 12 minutes. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

I'm really confused.