‘Star Wars – Republic Commandos: Odds’ – Overview

Thursday and the weekend seems in sight.  As I look ahead, I have begun to realize that my weekend is just as busy as the rest of my week has been and this head and chest cold is just not going to go away anytime soon because I will not have had time to sleep it off.  I did sleep in a little bit this morning and got up after a second snooze of the alarm clock.  Heather was already off to work when I went into the shower and got dressed.  The kids and I watched “The Early Show” on CBS while we got ready for our days.  They are still on this story with Herman Cain and the press is just hammering the story home.  I don’t believe a word these ladies are saying and I know it’s a fact that often times CEO’s of companies settle all sorts of legal issues outside of court because half the time it’s easier and cheaper to settle out of court than to go through all the legal fees of proving yourself innocent.  After a while, I was soon off to work and the kids were off to school.

I got to work and set things up for my day.  I had a lot to do with all my classes as we would be starting final exams next week Tuesday and I needed to prepare them for that.  My sixth graders started to finish their music history with me today so we could get done with our workbooks.  My seventh graders did the same as they also started to record their podcasts with me today.  There was a lot of multi-tasking going on, but it was going to help us finish up projects and prepare.  My eighth graders finished up their review packets and then started working on the left hand for their piece for the final exam, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”.  It may seem elementary, but it’s a tough song when you use chords in the left hand and melody in the right.  I got done with my instructional day and headed home.

I got home and started to watch “South Park” followed by “Dr. Phil” before I had to head upstairs for dinner.  I ate dinner with the family.  After dinner, I finished a “Dr. Phil” from last week and then packed up and headed off to rehearsal for the Binghamton Community Orchestra.  We have our concert next week Saturday and we had a lot to do at practice to prepare for that concert.  We went through all our songs and worked out the harder excerpts and had a good rehearsal for the night.  I left rehearsal and headed home. When I got home, Heather and I headed into the home theater room and watched “Big Bang Theory”, “Whitney” and “The Office” on DVR before heading to bed.

Okay, so I need to apologize, in the middle of being sick I realized that I had not taken the time to review the book “Star Wars – Republic Commando: Odd” by Karen Traviss before going on to our next book.  So, let me review the book tonight and we’ll get back to “Jedi Trials” tomorrow night.  Okay, so let’s review “Odds”…….

‘Star Wars – Republic Commandos: Odds’ – Part 6

Saturday and I am so happy that the weekend has begun, but I am afraid about where I am starting to go with how my body feels at this point.  I got up this morning around seven o’clock and I’ll admit that I was so exhausted, I almost didn’t even realize the alarm went off.  I got out of bed and was not feeling completely 100%, but decided that I didn’t have time to be out of commission.  I got a shower and ate breakfast and joined the kids in watching some TV.  Heather had already left to go to the store to get some things.  After that, my in-laws showed up and the work on my front porch continued.  Today, my father in law finished putting up the plywood on the roof as well as the gable.  A lot got accomplished, including getting some tar paper on the roof.

At around eleven o’clock, I gathered the kids up and we went inside and got a quick bite to eat for lunch.  After that, we got dressed up and loaded up the van and headed out for downtown.  We were partaking in the Halloween Parade downtown.  It was a cold, wet, dreary day and I was hoping we wouldn’t get to the parade and find out it was cancelled.  We were told to meet someone on the corner of Main and Arthur Street and we would be directed to where we need to go.  We got directed to the next street over.  We kitted up and got together for a group pic.  After that, we marched the parade and I said a quick “thank you” to the group for the event and we dispersed.  After the parade, we headed back to the van and as we changed out of our costumes, a man came running up to me asking for help because their child got locked in the car because they closed the door with the child inside.  So, I tried calling a locksmith to see if they could come and help.  They refused because a child was in the car and asked that I call 9-1-1.  So, I called 911, and the cops showed up about ten minutes later.

I got home after that and unpacked the car.  I then went into the basement to continue on some repair work to my Mandalorian kit as well as starting to pack things up for tomorrow for our trip to Albany.  After some work in the basement, I went on the roof to help, but the decision was made to get off of the roof because the snow was coming down pretty good now.  So, my father in law worked on putting a “hat” on the window to fancy the place up.  Before long, the sun began to go down and he joined us inside for dinner.  We had lasagna and some homemade bread for dinner.  After dinner, I continued packing things up and had everything upstairs and ready to be packed in the trailer in the morning.  We even “dug out” the trailer from all the mess so we could use it tomorrow.  Not too long after that, Heather and I watched an episode of “South Park” and then decided to try and go to bed early.  My head cold was getting worse and I knew it was going to make for a rough day tomorrow in costume.

Okay, let’s talk about Part 6 of “Star Wars – Republic Commandos:  Odds” by Karen Traviss…….

‘Star Wars – Republic Commandos: Odds’ – Part 5

Friday and the weekend of mass chaos begins!  I got up this morning and got my shower as Heather headed off to work.  She was already tired as I was, but we both knew we had to try to find a second wind to get through the weekend.  After my shower, I got dressed and the kids and I watched “The Early Show” on CBS while we ate breakfast and got ready for our days.  they were covering the Michael Jackson trial and according to the press, they feel that the doctor is already guilty.  I’m not so convinced.  I think it’s a mixture of a doctor doing the wrong thing and a celebrity deciding that he was going to do what he wanted to do.  I’m not sure who’s more in the wrong here.  It’s a tough decision by the jury.  Shortly after that, the kids were off to school and I was off to work.

I got to work and set things up for my day.  My sixth graders continued their lesson on Season 10 of “American Idol” and we had a discussion of Steven Tyler’s fall this week and him breaking his tooth.  My seventh graders got one more day to script their podcasts, and then I showed them how to go professional on recording their podcasts and we started with the first group.  My eighth graders all continued working on their music videos.  I had quite a few groups come close to finishing if not completing them completely.  Overall, a busy but productive day.  Heather and I would not see each other till late tonight.

I got done with school and headed straight home.  Once I got home, the kids and I all took a quick nap.  I was not feeling completely well, but was determined to follow through on my commitment for the evening.  After napping for about a half an hour, we got up and ate some leftovers for dinner.  After having some food, we loaded up the car and headed out to the “Old Mill Village” down in Pennsylvannia.  They were having a horror house event and we went dressed in Mando to guard the gate.  It was a cold night and I froze my shebs off!  It was so cold, all the hot glue I used in my helmet actually popped off.  We stayed fairly late, but decided to bug out about a half an hour early because the kids were uncomfortable, and I needed to make some repairs.  When I got home, I made repairs and then started to pack for tomorrow and Sunday.

Okay, let’s talk about Part 5 of “Star Wars – Republic Commandos:  Odd” by Karen Traviss…….

‘Star Wars – Republic Commandos: Odds’ – Part 4

Thursday and it was another busy day of the week heading into what will be a very busy weekend.  I looked ahead in my calendar to the week ahead and the weekend and I cannot get over how much I have to get done between now and Halloween and I just hope I can make it through next week Monday without going completely insane!  I got up this morning and took my shower as Heather headed off to work.  After my shower, I got dressed and the kids and I watched “The Early Show” on CBS while we got ready for our days.  Not much to talk about in the news, just the same old, same old.  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 today.  It was a day of music history.  My sixth graders learned about the Baroque Period and how that time frame impacted the history of music.  My seventh graders learned about Johann Sebastian Bach and how Bach’s life and his music impacted the Baroque Period and why he became a musical genius.  My eighth graders started their first unit on Rock n’ Roll and started to learn about the 1950′s and it’s impact on society and how rock became the music of a generation that was rebelling.  It was a good overall day and I was happy with how things went.

I got home and ate dinner with the family.  After dinner I went into the basement and continued to work on projects.  Heather and I worked on modding Austin’s armor and also adding his codpiece.  After that, I headed off to my “Binghamton Community Orchestra” rehearsal.  It was an okay rehearsal, but I was shocked to find out we had a rehearsal next week Tuesday that I knew nothing about.  After rehearsal, I came home and Heather helped me pack things up while we watched “Big Bang Theory”, “Whitney”, and “The Office” before heading to bed.

Okay, let’s talk about Part 4 of “Star Wars – Republic Commandos: Odds” by Karen Traviss……

‘Star Wars – Republic Commandos: Odds’ – Part 3

Wednesday and the middle of the week.  I’m gearing up for what will be an extremely busy weekend.  Halloween becomes quite a holiday in my house as I have a lot of time and money invested in ready-made halloween costumes.  Mandalorian and 501st Costumes!  So, that always makes the weekend before Halloween a busy one!  I got up this morning and I really seem to be tired again.  I am burning the candle at both ends and I don’t know how much longer I continue with this before it’s going to catch up with me.  I got in the shower as Heather took off for work.  I got out of the shower and the kids and I watched “The Early Show” while we watched breakfast.  They were covering the riots in Oakland and the Occupy protesters and their inability to understand and follow the law.  It almost seems like it’s a badge of honor if they get arrested over it!  Then they covered the insane weather that is happening between yesterday and today in Denver, Co.  Yesterday, Denver had a record high for this part of the year at 82 degrees.  Today, they are going to have a record low at 33 degrees and could get up to two feet of snow.  Now that’s insane weather!  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 today.  My sixth graders finished their in-class quiz and then had some time to practice their scales.  My seventh graders finished learning the F and Bb scales and then picked their scales for their final keyboard test before the final exam.  My eighth graders worked on their right-handed lessons on “Twinkle, Twinkle” to get them on their way for their final song on keyboard.  My instructional day went well and I felt good about where my students are for performance.  After my day, I headed home.

I got home and did some work in the basement, including painting Austin’s collar plate.  I then watched “Dr. Phil” and took a ten minute snooze in the chair.  After that, I worked on some things on the computer and Gary then showed up.  We fitted his leg armor and before I knew it, we had Gary into his full kit.  After taking some pics and adjusting some things, we talked for a while and then Gary left.  I was supposed to meet with Aron and his wife for a final wedding dress fitting, but they were unable to make it over tonight.  So, instead, Heather and I finished “Penn and Teller’s Tell A Lie”, we watched “Survivor: South Pacific” and then an episode of “Unforgettable” before heading to bed.

Okay, let’s talk about Part 3 of the Ebook “Star Wars – Republic Commandos: Odds” by Karen Traviss……

‘Star Wars – Republic Commandos: Odds’ – Part 2

Well, it’s Monday and today felt like a Monday.  I’m exhausted from all the work that I did this weekend and I feel like I am a hamster on a wheel running around and around but not really getting anywhere.  I am in line with my wife when I say that I’m ready to just finish up this work on our porch so we can move on with our lives.  It’s been a month and a half of construction and I ‘m ready for the month and a half to be over.  It’s not that I don’t like spending time with my in-laws, I’ve actually really been enjoying the time, it’s just the amount of physical labor on top of my normal things.  It’s taking a toll.  I got up at my usual time this morning and headed into the shower as Heather headed off to work.  I got out of the shower and the kids and I watched “The Early Show” on CBS while we got things together and got ready for school.  There were quite a few stories to cover, especially the story of Gadaffi’s body, an earthquake in Turkey, and the Stock Market being on the “up-tick”.  But now worries, the world is doing just fine and North is North and South is South.  Before long, I was off to work and the kids were off to school.

I got to work and set things up for my day.  Today my sixth graders did some Music and Math along with a review of the intervals the whole step and half step.  They did a pretty good job with it and even were able to get to my next lesson on natural signs.  My seventh graders continued their work on the circle of fifths along with their work on key signatures.  My eighth graders finished their unit on guided composition and then started their unit on compound meter.  I was very happy with how my students did today and I am happy with how quickly we are progressing towards the end of the quarter.  It helps when my students work hard and do the work that I ask them to do.  After some time cleaning up at the end of the day, I was able to head home.

I got home and got to work right away.  I went into the basement and started to work on the finishing touches on Gary’s leg armor.  After that, I started to cut out a collar plate for my son’s armor so that I can make his kit look a little more respectable.  Heather agreed that she would move his plates up this week and place them in the proper places.  I was able to work on all of that while I organized my shop area and my hobby area as well as started to organize my Star Wars miniatures.  Things are looking up on my Ebay items and I hope they all sell as it will mean good things for me.  I did all of that while I watched my usual shows including “How I Met Your Mother”, “Two Broke Girls”, “Two and a Half Men”, “Mike and Molly”, and “Hawaii Five O” while I DVR’d “American Choppers”.  After a little while more, Heather and I went to bed.

Okay, let’s talk about Part 2 of the E Book “Star Wars – Republic Commandos: Odds” by Karen Traviss…….

‘Star Wars – Republic Commandos: Odds’ – Part 1

Sunday and it was another day of busy work.  But, it was Sunday, so first it was time for church.  I got up around seven-thirty with Heather and we headed upstairs.  We got the kids up and Heather started to watch “Parking Wars” while I shaved.  After that, I showered and got out and got dressed.  We watched “The Today Show” on NBC while we ate some muffins for breakfast.  We talked with my parents a little bit and then we were off to church.  We got to church and headed into the sanctuary and got situated.  We then went through our church service.  It was an interesting sermon that Pastor Roger gave today.  He had a sermon about how we all need a support system around us, or as he called it, our “parachute” that helped to support us.  It was a cool sermon and it got me to think about those in my life that support me.  I am so blessed to have the friends and family that I have that support me in the many ways that they do.

After church, my parents headed to “Dunkin Donuts” to get some coffee.  Heather and I went home.  We changed clothes and I started to clean the porch from all the work that we did yesterday.  After a little while, my dad and I headed over to pick up the kids from church and came home.  We sat down and had a lunch having sandwiches, Middlesworth potato chips (my favorite!) and some drinks.  After that, my parents left and headed home.  I headed outside and did a little more work and then went into the basement and took a short nap.  After my nap, I worked on this blog and catching up on some work that I had put aside for all the work I did for Friday and Thursday this past week.  While I did that, I watched “Gene Simmons Family Jewels”, three episodes of “Dr. Phil”.  I also started to put up some more of my miniatures from my “Lord of the Rings” Games Workshop line on Ebay.  After that, I left the house to go pick up Ruth from Binghamton Youth Symphony Orchestra.  I then got some gas and came home.

Once I got home, I got some more work done and Heather wanted to leave to get some dinner.  So, we left and went to “Taco Bell” and “KFC” and made some quick stops and then came home and ate some food while the kids ate leftovers from last night.  After dinner, I continued to work on putting up miniatures on Ebay while I watched my usual Sunday night shows including “Amazing Race”, “The Good Wife”, and “CSI: Miami” and had all the rest of my miniatures (minus some doubles) on Ebay by the end of the night.  I hope I get some good bids because I plan on using some of the money toward some costuming projects as well as some Star Wars minis.  After that, i went to bed.

Okay, let’s talk about Part 1 of the E-Book “Star Wars – Republic Commandos: Odds” by Karen Traviss…….

‘Star Wars – Republic Commandos: True Colors’ – Review

Well, it’s Friday and it’s the end of the week and things couldn’t be anymore exciting than today.  Tonight I make my public debut in the Binghamton area as a DJ and I am excited to be DJ-ing the dance for East Middle School.  I think the kids are going to have fun because I like to have fun.  I got up at my usual time this morning and headed into the shower as Heather gave me an update on our “Lord of the Rings” Games Workshop miniatures Ebay sales last night.  I did pretty good and we are already starting to pack and ship out the miniatures.  I will be so happy to get part of my shop back once those miniatures are gone.  Plus, it gives me the ability to start buying some of the Star Wars miniatures I’ve been dying to get.  Anyway, I took my shower and joined the kids for breakfast while we watched “The Early Show” on CBS.  Lots going on in the news, like the Jobs Bill (Part 1) being revoked by Republicans because the Democrats tried to sneak in a tax on the rich inside the bill.  Nice try.  Then they discussed the death of Gaddafi and have come to find out that it may not have been a “clean kill”.  Duh!  After a while, I was off to work and the kids were off to school.

I got to school and scrambled to set things up for my day.  My sixth graders watched “American Idol” Season 10 and found out that there can be some horrible singers out there and that someone had better be honest with them, or they will continue to think they are great singers.  My seventh graders worked on scripting their podcasts and some got a lot done, but found out how hard it is to put a podcast together.  My eighth graders started to record their music videos.  Some groups struggled and others jumped right into the project and had some fun!  My students were all worried about what I was going to play at the dance tonight and I put their minds at ease, reminding them that we had fun at the end of the year party last year, so I would make sure we had fun tonight.  After I got done with my instructional day, I headed home.

I got home and Austin and I loaded up the mini-van and then we headed out for the evening.  We headed over to “KFC” by East Middle School and had some dinner.  After dinner, we walked over to “CVS” and got some things, including some soda for us to drink at the dance.  We then headed over to East Middle and got there a little early.  We waited an they opened the doors for us.  We unloaded the lights onto a cart and then unloaded the cart into the gym. I parked the van and then we started to set up.  We scrambled to set up and things were “tight” in the set-up process, but we finished up just in time to start the dance.  We had a blast putting on the dance and I think the students had fun as well.  After the dance was over, we started to take everything apart and had the entire equipment unloaded and put into my van within an hour.  We got home around ten o’clock.  Heather and I talked a little and then watched “Kitchen Nightmares” and then went to bed.  Tomorrow would be another long work day.

Okay, let’s do a review of “Star Wars – Republic Commandos: True Color” by Karen Traviss…….

‘Star Wars – Republic Commandos: True Colors’ – Chapter 20 (Part 2)

Thursday and my week with constant things to do is almost over and I seemed to have survived so far.  I got up about five minutes late this morning and got myself going for the day.  I got into the shower and Heather was already on her way to work.  The kids were busy making their own lunches and when I got out of the shower, I got dressed and we ate breakfast while we watched “The Early Show” on CBS.  During our newscast, they cut in to let us know that the rebels in Libya have supposedly found and killed Moammar Gaddafi.  I have mixed feelings about this.  I would love to know the particulars of how it went down and were any of our forces involved.  Did the Libyan rebels take him out on the streets and “slice and dice” the guy?  We may never know.  Anyway, after a little while, I was off to work while the kids were off to school.

I got to school and set things up for my day.  I was being observed during my sixth grade class today, and I was not really nervous because I know I do my job, I do it well, so there was nothing to be nervous about.  My eighth graders finished their last unit on “Jazz” as we went over the Swing era.  My seventh graders learned about Johann Sebastian Bach and his ability to impact music.  My sixth graders learned about the Renaissance and how that era impacted music.  It was a busy day, but a good day.  I got done with my instructional day and came home.

I got home and did some more music downloading and then started working painting armor while I watched the four episodes of “Gene Simmons: Family Jewels” from this week.  It was the wedding week and although I’m happy they got married, I feel that they saturated the viewers with the wedding.  It may have just been too much.  I went upstairs and ate dinner with the family and came back downstairs and watched some more of “Gene Simmons” as I worked on the armor and started to clean up the shop.  I then helped Austin put all the DJ equipment upstairs (for tomorrow night) and then we watched “Big Bang Theory”, “Rules of Engagement”, and then switched over to watching “Unforgettable”, “South Park”, and “Mythbusters” before going to bed.

Okay, last entry for this book!  time to talk about Part 2 of Chapter 20 of “Star Wars – Republic Commandos: True Color” by Karen Traviss…….

‘Star Wars – Republic Commandos: True Colors’ – Chapter 20 (Part 1)

Wednesday and my week is half over.  I got up this morning and was still exhausted as I put things together for my day.  My continued work that needs to be completed just seems to be piling up.  I’m trying to do everything I can to make sure it does not get out of control.  But I feel like a hamster on a wheel that is working and working, but not actually getting anywhere.  I got in the shower as Heather headed off to work.  I got out and got dressed and the kids and I watched “The Early Show” on CBS while we got ready for our day and ate breakfast.  They were covering the story of the gentleman in Ohio that released all his wild animals and then committed suicide.  What a story!  They have animals of all sorts running around their town and even Jack Hanna is surprised at what he’s seeing.  That is incredible!  What a story and I hope things end well in that town.  Before long, I was off to work while the kids were off to school.

I got to work and set myself up for another busy day.  My sixth graders continued learning how to play the C and D scales on piano, this time I gave them strategies to practice them so they can play them hands together.  I then introduced them to G scale.  My seventh graders reviewed their past scales and then added the F Scale to their repertoire.  My eighth graders took their second test on “Jazz” by Ken Burns and then started to learn the right hand of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”.  Overall, a very productive day.  After work, we had a staff meeting and I headed home.

I got home and ate dinner with the family.  I then downloaded some more music for the dance on Friday while I worked on the blog and graded some papers.  After that, I continued to work on Gary’s foot armor and got the straps attached and started to prime them while I watched “Survivor: South Pacific”, “Harry’s Law”, and “CSI” while I DVR’d “Criminal Minds”, “Up All Night”, and “Mythbusters” before heading to bed.

Okay, let’s talk about Part 1 of Chapter 20 of “Star Wars – Republic Commandos: True Colors” by Karen Traviss……