I missed baby bookworms today. I was up at 6:30 ish REALLY mad. Mommy said it sounded like pain. Now she's wondering if I'm teething. She says if that's the case she doesn't need to keep me from other kids. But she didn't think about that until later this morning. Daddy got up with me but all I wanted was Mommy. So Mommy held me & I got quiet. For a minute. Then she gave me some teething pills that dissolve in my mouth. She gave me some milk. She loved on me. Daddy found a place to work today at a school he's wanted to get into so he went ahead and got ready for work after he gave me some tylenol. I calmed down and Mommy took me into her bed. I sat there for a little while looking around. Slowly my parents turned off all the lights & I got sleepy and laid down with Mommy. We both fell asleep til 9:30. Mommy said it was not a big deal that we missed the library today cuz she's sure they'll do the same songs next week. She's probably right.

So, before my Mommy ate breakfast she put me on the floor. She got some short vidoes that she's uploading right now. They're not as good as my performance yesterday but at least you'll be able to see what I can do. It's not really a scoot, it's more like a creep. Mommy says it's kind of funny to put the words "ivy" and "creeping" next to each other. Daddy says my creeping is not graceful...yet. It helps if you breathe hard and grunt a little.

I found some new stuff last night while I was doing this creeping around. I'll show ya later.

Lisey's Story

Lisey's Story

I've got about about 100 pages left of the newest Stephen King novel that I got from the library. It was due yesterday and I can't recheck it because somebody else put it on hold. They're just going to have to wait.

It's pretty good, classic King. IMHO, anybody who writes of Mr. King as pop/horror writer or for any other reason just haven't given him any notice. His characters are well-rounded and he's got interesting, gripping stories. Sometimes his endings suck, but I find that to be true for most writers most of the time. So, I'll keep reading.

Rent (2005)

Rent (2005)

So, let it be known that I realized a couple of years ago that I don't really like musicals. When I finally got to see a touring production of Phantom of the Opera in KC when I was in college, I was royally disappointed. I think that's when I just started to say I don't like musicals. I've mellowed a little because just a couple of years ago, Holly and I saw a touring production of Le Miserables at the Walton in Fayetteville and it was absolutely stunning. Anyway...

I checked out Rent from the library just to see what the hubbub was all about. Holly and I sat down to watch it only lasted about 15 or 20 minutes before we shut it off. Believe me when I say that I really shut off DVDs. I just the the music was kinda crappy and the story/characters were melodramatic and I just didn't foresee it getting any better. I just didn't dig it. Some might. I didn't. But, that's not what this blog is about.

At one point in the short bit that we watched, mom and dad call and leave a msg on the answering machine of one of the main struggling-artist-in-the-big-city characters. I don't remember it exactly and this is a very broad paraphrase but it basically said, "we miss you and we're sad that you're not here at home with us for christmas. we love you and hope you're well. Please call us and let us know how you are sometime..." It didn't even say anything like, "when are you going to get a real job? when are you going to settle down and get married? pregnant? grow up? be responsible?" It was just kind of a dorky msg like parental msgs of that sort seem to be but it still seemed sweet and honestly caring.

As soon as struggling-artist-in-the-big-city character plays back the msg, he deadpans to his room-mate something like, "sometimes this city really gets me down and i start thinking it would be nice to go home and then THEY call and I remember how horrible it is."

huh? Why exactly are they so horrible? It just sounded to me like they cared.

I'm probably not telling this very well to illustrate my confusion.

But a more interesting question was what was the purpose of that clip of dialogue? Because it seemed obvious to Holly and me that the main character was thinking/reacting wrongly. At the same time, it seemed like the writer/director/performers/producers/whoever delivered the dialogue in all earnestness. Could it have been meant to evoke one sentiment and actually it evokes the exact complete opposite.

If you read this whole post, sorry it's been so long since I've posted. And I'm sorry that this is the post you had to read, because I know it doesn't make as much sense as it does in my head.

nerdly or not

Just today, James was telling me that I was proving myself to be not so nerdly and then I nerded it up a notch. Here's the test to tell you for sure.

finally

So, I've finally landed a job...for now. It just became official today, but I'm now the long-term substitute 5th Grade Science Teacher at an elementary school in Springdale at least until Christmas break.

I started subbing for this classroom last Monday and just got the official word that I'm good to go with this position until the teacher, who's recovering from surgery, comes back. This past week has been a good opportunity to get to know the kids, schedules, co-teachers, etc. More than anything, I have to say that the other 5th grade teachers who I'm teaching with, have been incredibly friendly, encouraging, and helpful. I couldn't ask for better support from them. Not only that, but it's mostly because of them wanting me on the team that I got the gig. Teaching in an elementary school was definately not my first choice, but this group of teachers on my team seems like a tremendous environment for me to get my feet wet and gain some experience.

For the most part, I think it's a good group of kids. Of course, some are ornery, some need a little extra, I don't know how they can always lose all their pencils or how they can be constantly forgetting papers/books/assignments, but as I get to know them, I find that I like them more and I think they're sort of getting used to me, too. Sometimes, it's difficult to be all business and disciplinarian with them, because I can see how cool the kids are and how much fun it would be to just have fun with them. As I'm with them more, I'm hoping that they/I can figure out how to communicate that when I mean business, we need to get to work, but I'm all for making the work fun, too.

The really good news is that starting next Monday, I'll get a bump in pay. Two weeks after that, I'll get another bump. This definately helps relieve lots of stress in terms of income/bills/livelihood. At the same time, this means I'm going to start being responsible for a lot of things in the class that I haven't needed to be responsible for yet: grades, lesson plans, etc. So, it's just kind of a new stress.

So, that's it for now. I'll try to post little stories as they come. Today, I got to deal with a student that reared back and punched another kid in the back of the head right in front of me. That was new and different.

little news

So, it looks like I don't have to check the online sub-finder for a couple of weeks. I'm subbing for the long-term sub in a class where the teacher is going to be having a baby in a couple of days and the long-term sub is currently engaged finishing another mini-contract. This is good because I know that the teacher is leaving me great great plans and directions for the whole time I'm there and it's a great school. People are friendly and getting used to seeing me around there and since the teacher's going to be gone on maternity leave, I'm actually going to get to do some teaching.

At the same time, a 5th grade position has opened up and I'm going to pursue it with all I've got. I've already sent out an email and called the school this morning, but the secretary said the principal wouldn't be in all day. I plan to call again on my way to subbbing in the morning. As much as I really love the school that I'm subbing in and I know it will be great experience for me, the fact is that we just can't make ends meet on the pay that subbing brings in.

I know that's not much news, but that's about all that's going on.

picky people and peter pan

update first: No. I still don't have a job. Yes. I'm frustrated and grouchy about it. It seems that all the schools within about a 50 mile radius of my house have filled all their positions...EXCEPT the one job at the one school that I've been hoping/praying/pleading for since before school started. They still haven't filled the position. I do know that she's offered it to a few people, who already have jobs, and was turned down because they already have jobs... So, since she's going down the list of settling, if she gets far enough down, she's bound to get to me sooner or later. Let's just hope that I'm at the top of the list of desperate people who still need a job that she doesn't really want but will settle for. Why would I even want to go into a new job situation like that? Finances be getting tight...not does subbing suck, but the pay sucks worse. One final note: I actually nabbed a half-day subbing job at that school. I'm hoping for a slim chance that I might be able to talk to that principal and could have the hope that I might make some better impression on her. Of course, since I don't know what gave her a bad impression in the first place, that's going to be tricky.
Other update: I STILL have a horrible cough and I even went to the doctor last week!

Ok. Peter Pan. I picked up what is supposed to be the 2nd of a trilogy of books recently written as supposed prequals to J.M. Barrie's, Peter Pan. Frankly, I'm shocked, appalled and disgusted. I am honestly having a hard time believing that either of the TWO authors ever read Barrie's book or even watched Walt Disney's animated movie or even Speilberg's extrapolation, Hook! Both of those movies are much more faithful to the characters' personalities and motivations. I know that most anybody reading this probably doesn't care, so I'll just bullet a few points that are incongruent with Barrie's conception that are apparent within the first few pages:

• Peter Pan would have never said that he was "1 year older than the oldest of his group of lost boys" He was proud that he would never grow up. In fact, that was the one rule of the lost boys, if peter thinks you're starting to grow up, you're banished from neverland.
  
• Peter still had all his baby teeth.
• Peter was completely oblivious to fawning girls' batting eyes.
• Peter was proud and cocky and couldn't tell between real and make believe.
• Neverland was not somewhere out in the ocean, but another plane or world that could only be reached by magic and pixie dust, not "starstuff"
• Captain Hook was the most refined, if sinister villain. He was not dirty and stinky, but clean shaven, smartly dressed and groomed. And his first name was JAMES!!! James wasn't the name of a lost boy!
• The crocodile swallowed a clock. This represents time catching up to all of us. How could you even mention the crocodile without mentioning the clock?
• And what's the name of the indian princess? All together: of course it's Tigerlilly! Who ever heard of "Shining Pearl"?

I'm going to stop now because I just get irritated. So irritated, that I quit reading this ridiculous book and started reading the real Peter Pan.

However, on October 7th, a new book is coming out, "Peter Pan in Scarlett" that was commissioned and sanctioned as a true sequal to Barrie's story. They had a contest where something like 200 writers submitted a chapter and story outline and some english writer won the opportunity to write the book. This is all under the direction of the children's hospital own all rights to the book. So I'm interested to read that, because I would think they'd go to great lengths to make sure the writer stayed true to the characters. I'm interested to find out.

No news not necessarily good news...

Sorry that I've been slow to update. It's just that I've had no good news worth sharing.

It is not September 14th, I'm officially "on hold" with the NTL program, and chances of me getting a teaching gig for the 06-07 school year shrink with every day.

It seems apparent that there just aren't any open positions within about a 50-mile radius. A couple of schools have offered a glimmer of hope that their enrollments are getting close to over-full at which point they'll need to add positions. I try to keep checking, but nothing has happened with them either.

There is one job still open that I would be qualified for on paper. It's really the job that I want. Unfortunately, I don't think the principal or the person advising the principal have had any sort of chance to get to know me to think that I could do the job and do it well.

By contrast, I've been subbing at another school since September 1st. I truly believe that subbing is more challenging than actually teaching with the exception that you don't carry the weight of the responsibility with teaching. Anyway, I've had 3 or 4 teachers from my hallway ask for my name/# so that they can try to get me to sub for them later. The people that have been around me and have been able to see me in the classroom recognize my ability with students and don't care that have little experience.

So, that's it. I'm still waiting/hoping/praying this principal will take a chance on me. And if that doesn't happen, we've got to figure out some more income because subbing pays squat.

pins & needles

Still nothing. It's a tricky (and covert) story, but I should be getting word if the decisions are made and I didn't get one of those jobs. So, at this point, no news is still good news. But the suspense is just about to kill me...

job hunting woes...

So, I'm still not doing very well at keeping this updated. THE job at THE school that I interviewed for obviously didn't happen. I think that Principal ended up interviewing like 15+ people for that job, and I'm still not completely convinced that she wasn't just letting all us NTL people interview to get the practice. I just heard that the person who ended up getting the position was the person that had an aide position at that school all last year. So, it all makes sense.

My first REAL interview went AWESOME! It was with a principal and 2 assistant principal's and I really think we all hit it off. In fact, I knew that they'd called 3 of my references by the next morning and I think I ended up being one of the 3 picks that ended up getting sent to the Superintendent's office. Unfortunately, I never heard from the Supe. I'm not even a teacher yet and I'm already a victim of educational beauracracy!

The Principal even ended up calling me and telling me that they liked me so much and wanted me in the school and she offered me not just one, but potentially 2 long-term subbing contracts for teachers that were having babies. I was really jazzed about this, because I'd be starting the first day of school with that class and it would be such a great experience for me personally and for my resume.

Unfortunately, the NTL certification process and Public School policy conspired to prohibit me from taking that sweet gig from a cash standpoint. Oh, the district could bend their rules enough that they'd let me do the job, but not enough pay me the $146/day they'd normally pay a long-term sub. I could do the job, but they'd only pay me $73/day. Holly and I are good at living cheap, and I've made that much in a day, but that day is usually only about 2-4 hours long and I still have time to go do something else to make some more $$ elsewhere. So, with great frustration and disappointment, I'm holding off of that job even though I really want to work with those folks.

I had another short interview just the other day and I know the principal just got approved for some additional positions. I felt like the interview went ok, but 20 minutes isn't much time for me to REALLY impress the principal with just how great a teacher I'll be.

So, I'm sitting on pins and needles hoping to get a phone call tomorrow. If that doesn't happen, I don't know what's next. School starts on Monday and many people keep telling me that schools end up adding teachers/classes after school starts when they see their enrollment. I'd take that if it comes to it, but I'd sure like to get the call tomorrow so I can 1)Stop obsessing 2) Start preparing to teach a classroom!

That's it for now. I'll let you know.

Mr. Shacklett?

Ok, I know it's been way too long. I've said before that when I have big things weighing on my mind, it's difficult to share. So, I've had a really big thing and I'm finally free to share.

I'm in the midst of a big career change. I turn 35 in just a little more than a month. That's about the right time for a career change, right?

Anyway, I've been working on the Non-traditional Licensure program for teaching and I'm hoping to get a job teaching in a Middle School this fall. I've been in class everyday from 8am-3:30pm everyday since last Monday (not including weekend) and I'm pretty pooped.

The reason I'm sharing now is that I finally got all my test scores back, (long story for another time), so I'm officially in the program.

I'm also sharing now, because if anybody still reads this, I need all the prayers and good vibes you can send my way tomorrow.

THE job at THE school that I've thought I wanted from the beginning came up and I have an informal interview with Principal tomorrow at about 3pm. This is really the only job that I want and I want it BAD! I know that she's interviewing a lot of other people, but I think I can do it the best. I just hope I get a chance to show her that.

I'll keep you posted.

-shack

So, Mclaren really can throw down...

RELEVANT MAGAZINE

I know it's been a long time since I've blogged. And probably most people who still check my blog also read Jake's, which is where I heard about this article. But, the more people who read this short interview, the better.

I've never been much of a fan of Relevant Magazine, and I'm an unabashed fan of McLaren. He's a smart guy and makes me hope.

Ivy, the baby formerly known as babyshack

babyshack

I guess I was a little cryptic in my post with the link to Ivy's own page. Here it is.

May the Fourth Be With You

Funny. I just watched part of the Empire Strikes Back yesterday.

My best creation...

The day finally came 9 days sooner than we expected. Our family unit now counts 3 humans, 1 dog. Mom and daughter are healthy. Words fail so miserably as to seem void. God is good and I am blessed beyond comprehension.

joy

Dick Staub: Staublog - Guestblogger: Lou Carlozo, Chicago Tribune on CCM

Well said.

'You can sing about the Light, or you can sing about what you see because of the Light. I prefer the latter'

'You can sing about the Light, or you can sing about what you see because of the Light. I prefer the latter'

To my knowledge, I don't think I've spent any time ever listening to T-Bone Burnetts'own music. I do have the Oh Brother Where Art Though? soundtrack, and every one T-bone produced albums released by his X-wife, Sam Phillips. Coincidentily, I've also been listening to a lot of the Wallflowers' first big CD, Bringing Down the Horse, which catapulted the band to the heights they achieved at T-bone's production hands.

A couple of different web-sites/reviewers are getting really gushy about this new project of his and I'm really curious.

If I had to be referred to as "evangelical" how great to be thought of as a "thoughful evangelical"?

In other news: Seriously, baby-shack is coming any day. I'm kinda scared, but also kinda excited and am kind of sick of waiting around and ready to get this show on the road. At least with Christmas and your birthday, you know what days it's coming and you can countdown to that particular day...

changes-expanded

Ok, we've had two checkups where the dr. is like, "ok, everything looks perfect. Whenever she's ready, we're ready to go..." YIKES!

Not to be downplayed, I know that the life-change of having a little baby girl living in our house sometime in the next few weeks will change everything I've ever known. The weird thing, is that I've already felt some of those changes. People have always said, "Oh, your priorities and goals will be completely different..." and I'd think, "Well, I'm not so sure that I want my priorities and goals to be different..." But, here I am and I've already sensed those changes and it's just like they said. Many of the things that drove me and defined the way I see myself don't seem as important anymore. So, little baby-shack, of course is the biggest change #1.

#2-Our home church of the last 4+ years, is saying goodbye to its founder and minister, M. He's accepted a position at a church in San Diego and will be heading out there after this Sunday. I think it's a good move for him. I'm not as close to him right now as I have been in the past, but I've seen how difficult and bruising this church-planting business can be for him and his family. Honestly, I don't know how he and his family could not be tired and after 6 years, I think they deserve this R&R. I think that spending some time in an established church, where he won't have to deal with the struggles of the new church (attendance, financial struggles, facilities, etc) will be very good for him/them. I haven't talked to him in depth about this, so a lot of this is my own speculations.

But, this is about changes in my life...M leaving is obviously going to be a big change for the church. In a church the size and age of NS, the minister leaving is going to have a huge impact. Some people are frustrated, some people are scared. I'm cautiously hopeful. I really see this as an opportunity for NS to become something more and better than any of us really thought.

It seems like the leaders are really taking their roles seriously, and are trying really hard to do the right things. Not that I really know what the "right things" are, but we'll just have to wait and see if NS can get through this particular season.

Change #3- The other "worship gathering", the Portico, that I've been leading worship for, and been involved with for just under two years, is in the process of launching as an independent church. It was started as a "college ministry" of a large baptist church, but quickly became evident that there weren't that many college people around. However, there were many people just out of college who are just starting their careers (usually somehow related to walmart) and families and who were sick-to-death of the typical church bs. So, it's kind of been functioning as a church for many of its attendees for awhile, it's just that we're now separating from the big baptist church, trying to figure out where we're going to meet, taking on our own finances, etc, etc.

I can get pretty fired up about the Portico. It's all kind of scary, and I think I'm a little gun-shy after dealing with some of the "new-church" struggles of NS, but feel a lot more like-mindedness and unity of vision with many of the people at the Portico. I also feel like this is a group of people who know and want many of the same things that I want out of the "faith community" that I am plugged into. The only struggle is that it's a little bit of a drive to get up there, and it's just enough that it's difficult for us to get up there to spend time with people socially.

Life-change #4- This is probably 2nd in magnitude only to Life-change #1 (baby-shack), but I'm just not quite ready to blog about it. Many who read this already know what's cooking, but if you leave comments, please don't mention it. I'm almost ready to let the cat out of the bag, but just not yet. There's one big thing coming up in the next couple of weeks that I want to get past first, then I'll share.

So, it's just weird. If all goes as planned, my life will look completely different as soon as 6 months from now.

Stay tuned... to see if my head actually explodes...

Diamond-Studded Martini Runs a Cool $3,000 - Yahoo! News

Amy Pollard was talking about something like this on SNL last night. She was talking about some martini you could order at the Kentucky Derby for $1000. In other news, for $800, I'll just sell you a T-shirt that says: "I'm an ass@$#%!"

changes

I think it's pretty common knowledge that change, even good change, brings stress. For the last couple of days, I've been wondering just how much change could happen in a short amount of time to cause enough stress for somebody to just completely freak out/shut down/implode/explode/whatever.

I don't have enough time to expound upon this right now, but for starters: We are now 34 days away from our due date.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!