‘Star Wars – Republic Commandos: True Colors’ – Chapter 15 (Part 4)

Friday and it’s the end of the week.  It was a good day today and it was the end of the week and I was happy that the weekend was upon us.  I got up this morning and headed into the shower as Heather headed out the door off to work.  I took my shower and got dressed and got ready for school.  We watched “The Early Show” on CBS as we got ready for our day and as we ate breakfast.  Not too much on the news caught my attention.  The local news is interesting as the talk of our local flood is now starting to “die down”, but I believe that we can’t forget that there are still those out there that need help.  The Binghamton area is going to take months or even years to get back to where it was.  Worse yet, we have been having another onslaught of rain and I have been praying that it doesn’t cause any more localized flooding.  Before long, I was off to work while the kids were off to school.

I got to work and got things set up for my day.  My sixth graders watched more “American Idol” with me today and we finished up the first set of auditions and made some observations about the auditions we observed.  My seventh graders got some good research done for their podcasts using our Dell Laptop cart.  My eighth graders did research for their music videos as well.  I had a problem with one class today and even had an incident I had to deal with as well.  My day was busy, but I got a lot accomplished and I worked on some things that I needed to get done as well, but I finished all the work and was happy that I got done all the things I finished.  As soon as the day was over, I headed home.

I got home and Heather wasn’t home because she had a bus trip.  The kids worked on a few things and I worked on grading papers while I watched “Dr. Phil” on TV.  After grading papers, I then inputted them into my computer and then helped the kids make dinner.  After dinner, I watched “Up All Night” and “Free Agents” on DVR while I worked on Two Week Reports.  After a while, David and Gary showed up and we talked a little bit.  A fellow teacher showed up and we donated some furniture to her and she was very thankful.  We met for a little bit and then came inside.  After that, we went into the basement and watched “The Clone Wars” episode and then recorded our next episode of “GalaxyCast”.  After that, Gary and David left and Heather and I watched “Kitchen Nightmares” on DVR before going to bed.

Okay, let’s discuss Part 4 of Chapter 15 of “Star Wars – Republic Commandos: True Colors” by Karen Traviss……

GalaxyCast #65

Thursday and the weekend is just in sight.  I had a lot of things I wanted to accomplish today and I got all of them done, so by the end of the day, I’m a happy camper.  I got up this morning at my usual time and I hit the alarm and snoozed once.  I then got up and headed to the shower.  As I headed into the shower, Heather was on her way out the door to work.  I got my shower and then got dressed and the kids and I watched “The Early Show” while we got ready and ate some breakfast.  They covered some interesting stories like the Amanda Knox case, the Michael Jackson case, but I really feel like the media is trying HARD to keep up the smoke screen.  Many know what I’m talking about.  They are trying as hard as they can to hide the horrible jobs numbers, the loss of companies in this country, and now we want to raise the taxes on the rich?  But don’t worry, as long as we don’t call it a “Depression” then it can’t be an economic depression, right?  That would make our President no better than Herbert Hoover.  Maybe that’s who we should be comparing Barrack Obama to.  Their Presidential styles are eerily the same!  All of it is just a screen to make American people think that none of this is happening.  Before long, I was off to work while the kids were off to school.

I got to work and set things up for my day.  My sixth graders finished their unit on the Antiquity Era of music history and then moved into the Middle Ages.  My seventh graders learned about Antonio Vivaldi and his impact on the Baroque Period.  My eight graders learned about the “Roaring 20′s”.  I did feel bad for one class as my Smart Board overheated for the class and shut off, so I was not able to completely finish the lesson.  I got a lot done with my time at work.  I got some copies taken care of that I needed to finish, I put together new workbooks and sent those off to the printshop.  I even had a chance to organize my room a little today.  Overall, a good work day!  I got done with work and came home.

I got home and checked in with the kids.  I then went into the basement and worked on the St. Louis Rams lanyard I have by putting new velcro on it because my old velcro was wearing off.  Heather eventually joined me and fixed my hat I won from Screen Rant that was the one highlighted in the film “Zombieland”.  While I did this, I watched “South Park” and “Dr. Phil” on DVR.  After that, it was time for dinner.  We had Fiesta Chicken Casserole and some Spanish Rice.  After dinner, I watched two more “South Park” episodes followed by starting “American Choppers: Senior Versus Junior” for a little bit before I had to leave for Bingamton Community Orchestra rehearsal.

I got done with Community Orchestra rehearsal and came home.  Heather and I watched “Big Bang Theory”, “Whitney” and “The Office” on DVR before heading to bed.

Okay, so no reading tonight.  Instead, head on over to the GalaxyCast Webpage and check out Episode #65 as we discuss Episode #3  from Season 4 of “The Clone Wars” titled “Prisoners”.  Let us know your thoughts on the show!  Once again, we would like to thank Mike Wilkerson and the 2 Guys Talking Podcast Network for all their support.

‘Star Wars – Republic Commandos: True Colors’ – Chapter 15 (Part 3)

Wednesday, the middle of the week and another busy day, but busy in a good way.  It was another day that I got a lot accomplished on.  I got up this morning and got my shower as Heather headed out the door on her way to work.  It was another dreary looking day.  I’ve been reading “Christmas Sweater” by Glenn Beck in the morning and I just got to the part where the car crashes and his mother dies.  How heart wrenching.  I’m loving the book so far though, I know that sounds a little sadistic, but if you read it, you’ll understand why.  I got out of the shower and got dressed and the kids and I got ready for our days and ate breakfast while we watched “The Early Show”.  One of the big news bits this morning was the Michael Jackson trial.  I was not a huge Michael Jackson fan, but I never hated the guy either.  However, seeing what I’ve seen/heard in this trial, I can’t see how this doctor can’t at least be found guilty of negligence.  Anyway, before long, it was time for me to be off to work and the kids to be off to school.

I got to work and set things up for my day.  It was a day on keyboards for my students.  My sixth graders learned two scales on the keyboard and my seventh graders added to their repertoire as well.  My eighth graders took their first Jazz Quiz and then started to learn the left hand of their first song.  I was happy with how my kids did and on my prep periods I was able to finally catch up on my grading, including the quizzes that the students took today.  It was a good instructional day and I was happy with my work day.  I got done with work and finished up a few things and then headed home.

On my way home, my wife suggested we go out for dinner.  I suggested we keep it a little bit cheaper and we decided to go to “Five Guys”.  I get home and have to discipline our dog, Chewie, for getting into things in our kitchen.  After that, I went downstairs and recorded the next “Clone Wars in a Galactic Minute”.  I started to edit until Heather came home.  We then went out to dinner and decided to get some dessert at “Cold Stone Creamery”.  We got done and came home and watched “Dr. Phil” and “Unforgettable” on DVR.  We then watched “Survivor”, “Harry’s Law”, and “C.S.I.” while I DVR’d “Free Agents”, “Up All Night”, “Mythbusters”, and “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” before heading to bed.

Okay, let’s talk about Part 3 of Chapter 15 of “Star Wars – Republic Commandos True Colors” by Karen Traviss……

‘Star Wars – Republic Commandos: True Colors’ – Chapter 15 (Part 2)

Well, it’s Tuesday and things went smoother today overall.  I think I got a lot accomplished, but it was one of those days where you get things accomplished and somehow it doesn’t feel like you’ve made an “head-way” on all the work you have to do.  I got up this morning and got into the shower as Heather headed off to work.  I got done with my shower and then got dressed and joined the kids and we watched “The Early Show” on CBS while we ate breakfast together and got ready for our days.  Of course the President is running around demanding that we (yes, the people) pass his job bill and tells us to “Call our Senators”.  I did, and I told them NOT to spend any more job bills without their being some form of cuts in government spending.  Of course, I’m not sure that is what Obama had in mind.  So, after the news, I was off to work while the kids were off to school.

I got to work and set things up for my day.  It was another day of Music Theory and there was a lot to get accomplished with my students.  My sixth graders took an in-class quiz, my seventh graders learned about stem rules and then started some guided music composition and my eighth graders reviewed the Bass Clef and started a unit o the rhythm pyramid with me.  It was a good day and I got a lot accomplished.  I also had a meeting for MYP today and that went well too.  After all that, I was able to grade some papers and get things organized in my room again.  After school we had SMASH and we started to get things together and came up with a plan for the year.  Next week we start right into getting things working and we will  get the Pringle Can routine going again.  After SMASH, I headed home.

I got home and we ate dinner together.  After dinner, I went into the basement and watched some TV while Heather took Ruth to get her first Homecoming dress.  Yes, you are reading that correctly, my daughter is going to her first homecoming dance.  I’m a little horrified myself!  Anyway, I watched “Dr. Phil” and “Terra Nova” on DVR and I have to say that I was SO upset at the beginning of Terra Nova, that I couldn’t even watch the episode without thinking of it.  I got into an argument on Facebook with someone about the idea of “population control” and this person thinks people should be limited to the number of children they are allowed to have.  REALLY?  There is one country in the world where this is happening – Communist China!  And I, for one would think that would be the end of our Republic if we choose that path.  Then in this show, they take the child, but never say what would happen to her.  Would they possibly be implying euthanizing children?!  It’s just sickening!  Anyway, I got done with that and switched over to watching “Glee”, “The New Girl”, “Boardwalk Empire” and “Top Shot” before heading to bed.

Okay, let’s talk about Part 2 of Chapter 15 of “Star Wars – Republic Commandos: True Colors” by Karen Traviss……..

‘Star Wars – Republic Commandos: True Colors’ – Chapter 15 (Part 1)

Monday and it was a day to get back to the work week.  I got up this morning and realized that Heather hadn’t gotten up on time for work and neither did the kids.  They all scrambled to get ready for their days, so I snoozed for another ten minutes to try and stay out of their way.  Heather got her shower and got out and I then took my shower.  I got out and Heather scrambled to get to work and I helped her get out the door.  I then got dressed and found some week old eggs and hash browns in the fridge for breakfast.  I ate my breakfast while I watched “The Early Show” on CBS with the kids.  Not too much going on in the news other than the fact that the world is falling apart and we (as a country) are acting like everything is just simply normal.  It’s just another day.  Ignore the fact that the country of Greece is about to go bankrupt, the Palestinians are asking for their own country and we are abstaining from condoning it, forget that the leader of Iraq demanded that there is now way that two planes took down the Twin Towers during a meeting in the U.N. today.  Yep, just a normal day.  Anyway, before long I headed off to work and the kids were rushed off to school.

I got to work and set things up for my day.  Another day of music theory and we got a lot of things accomplished.  I was happy because I’m getting to a point where I have assessments to work with so I know what direction to take my students.  My eighth graders worked hard on getting to know the Bass Clef, my seventh graders started their unit on the Rhythm Pyramid, and my sixth graders started their unit on Ledger Lines.  Overall, my students did exactly what was asked of them and they did a good job with it.  I got a lot accomplished at work today and I felt good about all that we got done.  After work, I headed home.

I got home and T-Nicky reminded me that we had her Open House tonight.  So, I changed out of my clothes and into shorts.  I can’t understand why it is so warm in the last week in September!  I have a feeling I’m going to regret saying that later on.  I then started to attempt to watch “Dr. Phil” on TV, but Heather came home.  She made dinner while I worked on some things and we then sat down and had some breakfast for dinner, or as I like to call it, brinner.  After dinner, I went into the basement and worked on organizing a few things and watched the last episode I had of “South Park” on DVR and then watched the episode of “Dr. Phil” today before leaving.  We left the house and went over to the school.  We listened to T-Nicky’s teacher explain how his classroom works.  After about a half hour Open House, we signed up for Parent/Teacher Conferences and then went back over to the church parking lot.  We picked Austin up from Boy Scouts (he had biked over there) and then went to Lowes.  We got some lightbulbs for Heather’s sewing room and came home.

We got home and I started to work on this blog and read my book while I watched “How I Met Your Mother”, “2 Broke Girls”, “Two and a Half Men”, “Mike and Molly” and “Hawaii Five-O” on DVR.  I also recorded “Tera Nova” and “Playboy Club” and we all went to bed after that.

Okay, let’s talk about Part 1 of Chapter 15 of “Star Wars – Republic Commandos: True Colors” by Karen Traviss………

‘Star Wars – The Republic Commandos: True Colors’ – Chapter 14 (Part 3)

Sunday.  We didn’t have a chance to sleep in today, but that was okay because the plan was to never sleep in today anyway.  Heather got out of bed at six-thirty this morning and made some homemade coffee cake for us to have in the kitchen.  She came back to bed for about a half hour while it was baking.  We then got up and got the kids up and going for church.  I took a shower and then got out and ate some coffee cake for breakfast while we watched the “Today Show” on NBC.  After dressing for church and getting ready, we headed out for church and my brother and his family took their trip on the way home.

We went to our church and got there a little late, so we sat down right away.  We had a good service, up until the financial officers decided to (yet again) give a synopsis of how the church was doing during the service.  They were begging for help, and I get it that my church needs financial help.  I’m just not convinced that asking during the service is the right way to go.  Call a meeting of the congregation, ask for a session after the service, provide written information and simply ask people to read it.  Anyway, we then had a better rest of the service and I liked the pastor’s sermon.  He preached about how Jesus wanted the Twelve Disciples to “get it” and how he fed the four thousand and then the five thousand and they didn’t get “it”.  The fact that he could perform miracles and it was almost like they kept forgetting that he could.  It was fitting and it was a reminder that we need to just “get it”.  After the service, the kids went to Sunday School and Heather and I came home.

We took care of some things at the house and had to go back over and pick up the kids.  We came home and we all took a nap (the entire family) for about a half an hour.  After our nap, I started to work on bringing this blog up to date as I received some info online about other things.  I finished watching “Mythbusters” and then watched “Unforgettable” and a few episodes of “South Park”.  Heather had taken Ruth to Binghamton Youth Symphony Orchestra and I went and picked her up later in the afternoon.  I watched a little bit of the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots game and I have to admit that the NFL world is almost flipped on end now that the Bills have started out 3-0.  I picked up Ruth and I swear the road was filled with idiots!  Just bad drivers and even pedestrians everywhere.  We got home and ate dinner.

After dinner, I headed into the basement and watched some more football and observed that my Rams got crushed by the Baltimore Ravens today.  We then switched over to watching “60 Minutes” and I kept working on my blog.  After that, we watched “The Amazing Race”, “The Good Wife”, and “CSI: Miami” while we DVR’d “Jeff Dunham: Controlled Chaos” on the Comedy Central Channel.  After that, we went to bed.

Okay, let’s talk about Part 3 of Chapter 14 of “Star Wars – The Republic Commandos: True Colors” by Karen Traviss……..

GalaxyCast #64

Well, we had a busy day today, but the good news was we were able to sleep in.  A little.  We got a phone call around eight o’clock this morning and quite honestly, once the phone rang, I was up!  So, I headed into the basement and started to work on some things.  I graded some more papers and started organizing some things for next week.  While I did that, I watched “Dr. Phil”, “Kitchen Nightmares”, “Harry’s Law”, “Survivor: South Pacific”, and “Law and Order: SVU” on DVR while I worked.  I also got my lunch while I watched these shows in the basement.  The kids worked hard on cleaning up the house and getting ready for our guests this evening.  We then sat down and ate some lunch.  After lunch, I took a quick nap and then we got ready for our event for the day.

We got our things together and loaded up the van and got out the door ( a little late).  We had a birthday party that the Binghamton FanForce got asked to attend.  We headed over to Arnold Park in Vestal and unloaded the Bean Bag Death Star.  We then headed over to David’s car and we all got dressed.  We walked over to the party while the “Imperial March” was playing.  I was in Tie Fighter and we had a Darth Vader, three Mandos, an Ahoska Tano, and a Princess Leia.  We played some games with the kids and even sang happy birthday to the birthday boy.  After that, we then de-kitted and parted ways.

We headed home and on our way home, Heather commented that she really didn’t want to cook dinner.  I reminded her we had some coupons, so we decided to go out for dinner.  We went home and unloaded the totes and changed into “non-Star Wars” clothes.  We then left the house and headed to the “Friendly’s” on Front Street.  On our way into the restaurant, a woman almost ran me and my kids over and then had the audacity to give ME a dirty look! (yeah, you may have read about that on my Facebook Page).  I thought that was rather rude.  We had dinner and got a call from my brother to let us know they were in Victor, NY on their way to us.  We then finished dinner and headed over to “Price Chopper” and picked some things up and then went home.  We got home and finished cleaning up the house.  After that, I watched “Mythbusters” till my brother and their family showed up.

We first moved all the donated materials that they brought with them over to our van to take to the Johnson City Presbyterian Church.  After that, we unloaded their car and came inside.  We sat down and talked and the kids played and had a blast.  As always, the kids broke out into a Nerf war (not that they argued with the idea all the way).  Then my brother and I watched the LSU/WVU game on TV while we talked and chilled out.  Our wives joined us after a while and then we all went to bed.

Okay, so last night without reading going on.  Last time we’re going to ask you to check out the GalaxyCast Website (well, this week anyway, LOL!).  Head on over and check out Episode #64 as we review the Season Premiere of Season 4 of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”.  Again, thanks goes out to Mike Wilkerson and the 2 Guys Talking Podcast Network.

GalaxyCast #63

Friday.  End of the week and it was a long week.  But, the weekend was full of things to do as well, so not too much time to sit down and relax.  But, as my dad always says, it keeps me out of trouble!  I got up this morning and started to put together a list of things I needed to do today as I got ready for my day.  I got my shower and then got dressed.  The kids and I watched “The Early Show” on CBS.  They covered the Republican Debate from this week and it’s interesting to see how the media covered (or didn’t cover) the debate.  Instead of covering the interesting parts like their viewpoints on education, their plans for the economy, or their ideas to help make health care affordable for everyone; instead the media is fixated on the “in-fighting” going on between the candidates.  In case the media has forgotten, the whole idea behind a debate is to do exactly that – DEBATE!  I don’t see it as a sign of weakness but a way for the Republic Party to become stronger and find it’s “base”.  Okay, so after we ate breakfast, I headed off to work while the kids headed off to school.

I got to work and set things up for my day.  I went upstairs and got an Apple Laptop cart to use for the day.  My sixth graders continued with watching Season 10 of “American Idol” as we talked about the change around with judges and whether or not that helped or hindered “Idol”.  My seventh graders worked on getting their groups together and coming up with a concept for their podcasts.  My eighth graders started the research for their podcasts and started to look into songs that they could use for their videos, to make sure that they could use songs that are clean and acceptable.  It was a very successful day.  I was even able to watch “The Office”, “Parks and Rec” and “Community” on Hulu while I graded papers today.  Heather got me Kentucky Fried Chicken for lunch, which was cool.

After work, I came home.  Heather had a trip today and I didn’t see her right away.  So, the kids joined me and we watched some shows together.  We watched “Looney Tunes” and the season finale of “Hell’s Kitchen” while we made dinner.  We ate dinner and finished watching those shows on DVR after dinner.  Then Gary and David showed up and we watched the next episode of “The Clone Wars” and then recorded our next episode of the GalaxyCast Podcast.  We talked for a little bit and then when Gary and David left, I watched “Fringe” and “Blue Bloods”  on DVR before heading to bed.

Okay, another day of checking out our podcasts.  Head on over to the GalaxyCast Website and check out episode #63 where we review the retro movie “Robocop”.  Thanks again to the support from our sponsors – Mike Wilkerson and the 2 Guys Talking Podcast Network.

GalaxyCast #62

Thursday and the constant need to get things done has not changed.  I got up this morning and hopped right in the shower.  Heather gave me a quick kiss and headed off to work.  I got dressed and then got my bags together and ate my breakfast.  We watched “The Early Show” on CBS and it was interesting as there was a discussion about FEMA running out of money and not being to help out the people who are relying on FEMA aid soon.  Well, for those that aren’t aware, that directly impacts most everyone in the Twin Tiers.  They may soon be looking at a lack of FEMA aide which means less money.  It has me a little concerned, although I think this area will figure out a way to rebuild with or without FEMA.  Anyway, after a while it was time for me to be off to work while the kids were off to school.

I got to work and set things up for my day today.  It was a day of Music History.  My sixth graders started their unit today by learning about the Antiquity Era.  My seventh graders finished their unit on The Renaissance and then started their unit on the Baroque Period.  My eighth graders finished their introduction to “Jazz” by Ken Burns.  The day went well and there were a few minor interruptions, but overall the day went very well.  I got done with my instructional day and came right home.

I got home and helped the kids a minute with some homework.  Ruth was excited as she told me that her teacher wants to put in her application for Area All State and asked if it was okay.  I told her of course it was okay and told her I was proud of her!  After that, I went into the basement and watched some of my DVR’d shows including “How I Met Your Mother” and “Up All Night” along with “Free Agents” before Heather called me upstairs for dinner.  I ate dinner with the family.  After dinner, I finished watching “Free Agents” and started watching “Harry’s Law” a second time (I didn’t understand everything the first time around).  After a while, I headed out.

I got to rehearsal for the Binghamton Community Orchestra.  We started to get seated and another trumpet player showed up.  By the end of the night, I got the impression that they didn’t want me playing first trumpet.  I’m trying not to take it personally.  I keep telling myself that I’m entering a group that is already established and I need to ditch my ego and just play the parts they tell me to play.  So, I told the trumpet section leader as well as one of the directors that if they need to move me, move me.  Just let me know.  I got done with rehearsal and headed home.

I got home and Heather was “chomping at the bit” to watch Big Bang Theory, so we watched that show together on DVR.  After that we watched the show “Whitney” which I had also DVR’d along with “Charlie’s Angels”, and “The Office”.  After that, Heather and I went to bed.

Okay, so no reading again tonight.  Instead, we’re asking you to go over to the GalaxyCast Website and check out Episode #62 where we cover a Warhammer 40K game from a local merchant that is one of our new sponsors Jupiter Games.  Head over to their site if you’re into card games or miniature gaming.  Also, thanks once again to Mike Wilkerson and the guys over at the 2 Guys Talking Podcast Network.  Let us know what you thought of this show.

GalaxyCast #61

Wednesday, the middle of the week and the beginning of my week getting busy.  I’ll admit that I snoozed my alarm about three times today which meant I got a little bit of a late start this morning.  I got up and headed to the shower and Heather had already taken off to go to work.  I took my shower and got dressed.  I then joined the kids as they watched “The Early Show” on CBS and we ate breakfast and got ready for our days.  Before long I was off to work while my kids were off to school.

I got to work and set things up for my day.  My sixth graders and seventh graders were both starting scales on the keyboard.  It was a challenge for my sixth graders that I’m starting this year and I think this class will be okay doing it.  They seemed to do okay today.  We’ll see as we move along throughout the year.  My seventh graders did well.  My eighth graders started their first song on keyboard and did well with that as well.  It was a good instructional day and we accomplished a lot.  After work I headed straight home because we had curriculum night tonight.

I got home and helped the kids with homework for a little bit.  I watched “Two and a Half Men” on DVR and then came upstairs and ate dinner with the family.  After dinner, I finished up “Two and a Half  Men” and then watched “2 Broke Girls” and then headed off to our curriculum night.  I got to school, set up my room and then ran my night.  Everything went well with curriculum night and I was able to get home by nine-thirty or so.  I then watched “Harry’s Law” followed by “CSI” while I DVR’d “Law and Order: SVU”, “Survivor: South Pacific”, “Up All Night”, “Free Agents”, and “Criminal Minds”.  After that I went to bed.

Okay, so tonight starts one of our “mini-marathons” of podcast shows.  Tonight, instead of reading our book, we’re going to ask you to check out Episode #61 of the GalaxyCast podcast.  In this episode we review “Captain America, First Avenger”.  Yes, we are aware that the movie has been out for a while now, but we were able to see and review the movie.  We again thank Mike Wilkerson and the 2 Guys Talking Podcast Network.  Let us know what you thought of this show!