Felix’s Blog

For the unfamiliar (or those who slept their way through high school English), the freewrite is an activity that involves writing (obviously) about a topic that doesn’t require constraints of grammar, sentence structure, or even the English language. The goal is to get words onto a paper, so often the only requirement for the activity is that students keep moving their pens for 10 or so minutes.It’s more difficult than it sounds, particularly for the reluctant students, but even some of the better performing students have trouble with writing activities because they are such great conversationalists. (To put it mildly)

That’s why today was such a riot.

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felixnation :: Jan.31.2007 :: The Coal Mine, students :: 2 Comments »

For the past few years, our school has traveled to my former high school for professional development activities. It’s fun, and there’s free food, but I can’t shake the feeling that it’s an odd thing to be wandering the halls of your high school as an adult. It’s almost as if I never left the place.

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felixnation :: Jan.26.2007 :: Odysseys, The Coal Mine, coworkers :: No Comments »

Seriously. Five. I woke up early (translation: wife woke me up early), spent time in ye ole coal mine, shouted like a madman at the children, openly made fun of coworkers who secretly patronized me behind my back (and plotted death plots and other forms of madness), travel to the comic book store and the cheese steak place, had five blog ideas (including one or two random story ideas), but waited until I got home to write them down.

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felixnation :: Jan.24.2007 :: Hermit Cave, Mad Schemes, Odysseys, The Coal Mine, coworkers, family, students, wife :: No Comments »

It’s not a metaphor for anything. Today I took laundry to the laundromat (the laundry-o-matic, except it’s anything but automatic) and tried to decide whether Tuesday night was a good night to be there.

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felixnation :: Jan.23.2007 :: Odysseys, strangers :: No Comments »

There is only one rule in toddler tackle football, and it can be summed up in the words you say to toddlers playing tackle football with you.

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felixnation :: Jan.22.2007 :: family :: No Comments »

In the third quarter, when the Bears were leading 16-7, Reggie Bush caught a pass and sprinted up the field for an 88 yard touchdown, bringing the Saints within 2.

My wife told me it was my fault because I was watching the game, so I retreated to the office.

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felixnation :: Jan.21.2007 :: Hermit Cave, wife :: No Comments »

Right now, everything is suspended in the air above me and I’m just waiting for someone to cut the strings, or for gravity to re-assert itself and then everything will come tumbling down.

And here I am, bracing for impact.

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felixnation :: Jan.20.2007 :: The Coal Mine :: No Comments »

Why do I watch movies that insist on making me laugh for one great scene only to turn me away to paint my toy soldiers because the rest of it isn’t really watchable?

Oh I remember now. I rented Reign of Fire so that I’d have something to listen to while I painted.

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felixnation :: Jan.19.2007 :: Hermit Cave :: 2 Comments »

So yeah. I sit in the Writing Center at a table, except I don’t sit on the long end. I sit on the half end because that means I’m out of the way of all the people who pass between the “teacher’s computers” and that table. It’s 6:00 AM because I dropped off my wife and guess what guess what? Everyone who passes me has to talk smack about my sexy mouse.

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felixnation :: Jan.18.2007 :: The Coal Mine, coworkers, family, wife :: No Comments »

I think next time I’m stuck on a computer game I’ll just get some sleep.

There has to be a reason why I don’t really want to play Galactic Civilizations 2 anymore. (And after just a few days, too!) The most important reason is also really simple– Galactic Civilizations is not the game I went to the shop to buy.

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felixnation :: Jan.17.2007 :: Hermit Cave :: 1 Comment »