Hi all,
I have been so busy that I have not been able to post! I have really wanted to smoke this last week but I have been simply too busy to smoke so I just tell my brain to "shut up" and I go about my business. I think I am just stressed and deadlines are quickly approacing so a cigarette "sounds" good! Sounds good and are good are too different things. I have chosen not to pick one up because I know where it will lead me. A pack a day! I have been smoke-free for over three months and I really do not want to start over again. What I mean by this is I do not want to start the whole cycle of addictive thinking again. Its funny, all addicts are enamored of the idea of having "just one!" Well, one leads to two and so on. Then the addictive side of the brain kicks in and says "just two." I just need to realize and post that for me, by smoking "just one" I am setting myself up for a lot of aggravation. Even though I have not had time to post, I still read and respond to most of the blogs I frequent! Thank God for the those of you on the same journey that still post! I keeps me on the right path knowing that you guys are still not smoking even after Chanitx. Its hard not to just pick up someday! I know that this is going to be a struggle for the rest of my life. Chanix is great but definetly not a magic pill by any stretch of the imagination! For my birthday the long weekend of Presidents Day, I decided to go to Rosorito Beach in Mexico for a day and not Vegas! My class is finishing up on that Friday and Saturday of the weekend so I only have Sunday and Monday. I was going to go to Vegas but I don't think I am ready for Vegas at this time! I may stop by the Pachanga Indian Casino on my way back from Rosorito. I can gamble and then leave!
I am really looking for a day of relaxation to celebrate my birthday and just "chill." I have done nothing but work! Most of you know I went on a tour of the south and learned about The Civil Rights Movement. To complete the project, the eductors who went have to create a project and design a lesson around its theme. Than we have to present what we did for other educators at a social studies conference. It seems like this is the never ending project! It has really pushed me to the next level in terms of teaching, lesson planning and working on being a spokesperson at a convention. I have pretty much finished the script and then finalized the written script of interview questions. One of the oral history interviews was taped yesterday. Talk about a nerve wracking and scary experience! A film crew came to my school and we did it there. Eventually all of this stuff is going to be posted online, so I am kind of nervous. I am half way done with completing the filming of the oral hisories. To finish the project, a still need to tape one more participant and that will take place on February 19. I also need to write and film a introductory segment that the ties the theme together. The final product I am trying to produce is an oral history of two people who lived during segregation, one in the South,LA one in Los Angles, CA. I need to show how different people's experiences are different based on location, race and socio-economic status. My students will then compare/contrast two common people's experiences who lived during segregation and thier memories of the civil rights movement. The kids are then going to create a visual display with a written component that focues on one of the many common heros who gave up everything to fight for justice. Lets just hope I can get all this done by April 4, which is the day I am presenting.
I must say whole process is super interesting! I have been interested in film production for a really long time and even tried to make a film with my students once. I won this grant that gave our school this amazing computer that was never utilized to its full capicity. Lets just say makinga film is WAY more difficult that I ever thought it was. I mean picking up a video camera and filming something is really easy! But making sure the audio is loud enough, the lighting is not too dark and then actally editing the work takes a REALLY long time. I must say editing is a really difficult and tedious process. I don't know how people do it for a living but they take a TON of footage and create a half hour or an hour show out of it, sometimes very quickly. I am going to be making a lot of the editing decisions for this video so its definetly a learning process. I guess I have to watch the video and think about what needs to be kept so the participants will really tell their story but it won't be too long for kids. Thank God the professionals will actually edit the tape. I put in a application to go and learn how to produce digital historical biographies in New York City this summer. Every aspect of the program is learning a lot of the stuff I am talking about. I really must be a glutton for punishment!
Gotta Run, its coffee time.
Peace,
Diva
I have been so busy that I have not been able to post! I have really wanted to smoke this last week but I have been simply too busy to smoke so I just tell my brain to "shut up" and I go about my business. I think I am just stressed and deadlines are quickly approacing so a cigarette "sounds" good! Sounds good and are good are too different things. I have chosen not to pick one up because I know where it will lead me. A pack a day! I have been smoke-free for over three months and I really do not want to start over again. What I mean by this is I do not want to start the whole cycle of addictive thinking again. Its funny, all addicts are enamored of the idea of having "just one!" Well, one leads to two and so on. Then the addictive side of the brain kicks in and says "just two." I just need to realize and post that for me, by smoking "just one" I am setting myself up for a lot of aggravation. Even though I have not had time to post, I still read and respond to most of the blogs I frequent! Thank God for the those of you on the same journey that still post! I keeps me on the right path knowing that you guys are still not smoking even after Chanitx. Its hard not to just pick up someday! I know that this is going to be a struggle for the rest of my life. Chanix is great but definetly not a magic pill by any stretch of the imagination! For my birthday the long weekend of Presidents Day, I decided to go to Rosorito Beach in Mexico for a day and not Vegas! My class is finishing up on that Friday and Saturday of the weekend so I only have Sunday and Monday. I was going to go to Vegas but I don't think I am ready for Vegas at this time! I may stop by the Pachanga Indian Casino on my way back from Rosorito. I can gamble and then leave!
I am really looking for a day of relaxation to celebrate my birthday and just "chill." I have done nothing but work! Most of you know I went on a tour of the south and learned about The Civil Rights Movement. To complete the project, the eductors who went have to create a project and design a lesson around its theme. Than we have to present what we did for other educators at a social studies conference. It seems like this is the never ending project! It has really pushed me to the next level in terms of teaching, lesson planning and working on being a spokesperson at a convention. I have pretty much finished the script and then finalized the written script of interview questions. One of the oral history interviews was taped yesterday. Talk about a nerve wracking and scary experience! A film crew came to my school and we did it there. Eventually all of this stuff is going to be posted online, so I am kind of nervous. I am half way done with completing the filming of the oral hisories. To finish the project, a still need to tape one more participant and that will take place on February 19. I also need to write and film a introductory segment that the ties the theme together. The final product I am trying to produce is an oral history of two people who lived during segregation, one in the South,LA one in Los Angles, CA. I need to show how different people's experiences are different based on location, race and socio-economic status. My students will then compare/contrast two common people's experiences who lived during segregation and thier memories of the civil rights movement. The kids are then going to create a visual display with a written component that focues on one of the many common heros who gave up everything to fight for justice. Lets just hope I can get all this done by April 4, which is the day I am presenting.
I must say whole process is super interesting! I have been interested in film production for a really long time and even tried to make a film with my students once. I won this grant that gave our school this amazing computer that was never utilized to its full capicity. Lets just say makinga film is WAY more difficult that I ever thought it was. I mean picking up a video camera and filming something is really easy! But making sure the audio is loud enough, the lighting is not too dark and then actally editing the work takes a REALLY long time. I must say editing is a really difficult and tedious process. I don't know how people do it for a living but they take a TON of footage and create a half hour or an hour show out of it, sometimes very quickly. I am going to be making a lot of the editing decisions for this video so its definetly a learning process. I guess I have to watch the video and think about what needs to be kept so the participants will really tell their story but it won't be too long for kids. Thank God the professionals will actually edit the tape. I put in a application to go and learn how to produce digital historical biographies in New York City this summer. Every aspect of the program is learning a lot of the stuff I am talking about. I really must be a glutton for punishment!
Gotta Run, its coffee time.
Peace,
Diva
Posts
2 comments:
Sounds busy, busy, but also fun! Glad you are hanging in there smoke-free!
In answer to your question on my blog, nope, I'm not still teaching. I went to Japan after college through the JET Program I wrote about because I'd been studying Japanese and was interested, but I'm not a certified teacher.
Have fun!!
The addicts just one theory is so on target! I always hear that phrase go through my head. Only this time, I'm not giving in.
Sounds like you are super busy! Good luck with your project.
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