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By Kyle, March 31, 2009 7:23 pm

The Polyphonic Spree – Section 26: We Crawl

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Things I’ve learned in the past 24 hours:

* Indian food is really, really good! One of my students’ parents own an Indian restaurant here in Los Angeles, and last night 3 colleagues and I went to eat there. Indian food is really good!

* Los Angeles traffic sucks! Especially trying to get out of an underground parking structure for a complex in which a Trader Joe’s was just added. Seriously, they need to drill a new hole in the wall.

* Scantron has evolved greatly in the last 20 years. Today I was in an all day meeting learning how to use this new Scantron machine. Boring. Boring. Boring. And ultimately, because of the way my wonderful school runs,what I know will happen is that either no teachers will end up using this, or all the work will be forced upon one or two people. Fun.

* Administration finally had approved our 6th grade math intervention plan for next year! Yay! Oh wait a minute….feeling like that moment you’ve passed the point of no return on the roller coaster. No turning back now. What have I gotten myself into????

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By Kyle, March 27, 2009 3:03 pm

This will probably be the kids movie that I have most anticipated ever!

And it certainly doesn’t hurt that Spike Jonze has decided to involve Arcade Fire, at least in the trailer!

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By Kyle, March 24, 2009 2:55 pm

John Mellencamp – Crumblin’ Down

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Let’s just say that I’m really glad that this happened over a weekend when there weren’t any kids around. 

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By Kyle, March 21, 2009 1:00 pm

The Rolling Stones – Monkey Man

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This weekend my one of my former Los Angeles roommates (who has since moved to Portland, OR) is visiting for the weekend. Right now, as I type this, we’re sitting in our living room.

Over the last near decade (wow, that’s a long time) I’ve had the wonderful opportunity of having amazing roommates, and while I consider myself a great roommate, the statistics suggest otherwise!

Since 2000, I have had 18 distinct roommates, enough to make up two complete baseball squads. Half of those 18 roommates have come in the last 5 years, all while I have lived at the same residence here in L.A.

I didn’t think I was that hard to live with!

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By Kyle, March 19, 2009 11:46 am

Jon Brion & Deanna Storey – Little Person

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We’re now at that time of the year when physical and mental fatigue starts to set in. I’m definitely feeling it from my kids, and to a certain extent, from the administrators I’m working with. Spring Break (still yet three weeks away) seems awfully far off.

And so in the meantime, I take hope in the small things. Some small things of late:

1. This amazing moth on my door this afternoon! Don’t really know what it is (and sorry I didn’t include something for a size reference). Any comments or identifications by in-laws who are knowledgeable in the science of “insectology” is greatly appreciated!

2. The city finally finished re-paving Rimpau, much to the love of my car’s wheels. So smooth! It’s like driving on a baby’s bottom……well, maybe that’s not quite the right analogy…

3. Despite never having seen the film 12 Angry Men (a travesty, I know), after school yesterday two colleagues and I went to see the film 12, a modern Russian re-telling of the same story. Fantastic! And to think, I never used to go out on a school night!

4. More and more folks are joining the blogosphere! It is almost like a cult. Seriously, it’s cool to be able to use RSS to keep up with folks! If you haven’t already, check out my blogroll, with a current list of all the folks I personally know who keep blogs! If you’re not hooked yet, you will be soon!

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By Kyle, March 15, 2009 10:13 am

The Jayhawks – Blue

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For the past two weeks, Rimpau Boulevard (the pleasant street where I live) has been transformed into a West Virginia back-country road, as the city has decided to dig up and re-pave the entire street. Unfortunately, the gap of time between “dig up” and “re-pave” has lasted almost two weeks now and I’m getting a bit sick of it.

Apparently not as sick of it, however, as some of the local L.A. High School tagging crews, who after school on Friday canvassed their internal expressions upon a new form of artistic media, heavy machinery. Nice.

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By Kyle, March 12, 2009 3:58 pm

Kraftwerk – Computer Love

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Today, I was BSODed during my 2nd period class. For those of you who don’t know, a BSOD refers to the “Blue Screen of Death”, i.e. a computer crash.

Luckily, I had my “bootleg” smartboard running in the background, the old school whiteboard, whereupon I was able to teach a lesson on beginning to solve one-step equations.

The sad part is that I almost hesitate to post this message because I know I have misguided and misinformed Apple-loving readers who will use this opportunity to simply gloat.

Bring it on.

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By Kyle, March 9, 2009 8:57 pm

CCR – Long As I Can See the Light

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Not a whole lot happened today. But forcing myself to write is, at least, therapeutic in the sense that I get to vent about all the crap that goes on in district bureaucracy. Another meeting today about planning intervention next year. This one had 13 people. 13 people! And what was created? Far less than even the monkeys typing Shakespeare. On a different note, I’m actively trying to get some free promotion for Hope Change Choices, by sending some emails to some local news outlets, journalists, writers, who may find it in the goodness of their heart to notice the efforts we’re putting forward. Hopefully, it can pick up some steam. What else? Not much, except I finished one of the 4 books I’m currently reading, Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott, who I first heard on This American Life, reading one of her essays from the aforementioned book, and, much antithetically to Erwin McManus, is a speaker who can also (and primarily) write with skill, power, and imagination.

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By Kyle, March 6, 2009 4:43 pm

The Ataris – Boys of Summer

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This coming Sunday is one of my favorite holidays, well….., I suppose it’s not really a holiday, but very well could be. This Sunday begins Daylight Savings Time! The time of year when I can drive home from school, eat dinner, and it’s still light outside! Living in a climate that actually allows for outdoor evening activities in early March, DST inaugurates a time of year when I can go for a bike ride, head out to the beach, or even curl up with a nice book in the park for a cool, crisp spring evening. And just like the communion elements at church existing as a forward (yep, forward) reference, DST points to the utter reality of the summer, which though months away, is now made just a little bit more present through this extra hour of daylight!

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By Kyle, March 2, 2009 5:37 pm

This is a short post. If you’ve got time to kill, check out the following piano-based jazz artists! Amazing! Currently changing my life!

Marco Benevento – You’re a Lion (and who I believe is playing in Syracuse this May!)

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The Bad Plus – 1980 World Champion

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Brad Mehldau – Paranoid Android

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That’s it. Peace out.