Thread: Rant and Rave, Cry and Complain

Great first day back at work. No students, yet, just teachers. Found out my floater (the person who will share my room during one period a day) is my good buddy Dan C. Yay! I also found out that I do indeed have an 8th grade class and all my babies from last year and the year before are now my babies again this year. Yay!

Oh yeah I forgot. I chopped up my Dioscorea alata (purple potato) and just randomly put it in the ground around some trees. Well. I was sure nothing would happen. Today, I noticed there are alata vines growing on both these trees! Yay! My mom was amazed.

Really proud. I arm wrestled one of my science teacher friends, a guy, and beat him twice!! Hahaha. That was awesome.

Then later today when I went to the gym my trainer didn't show up. He got sick apparently. Well I did my work out all by myself for the first time. That may not seem like much, but to me it's a big deal. A year and 2 months ago I could not tell you a thing about anything in a gym. I did triceps and chest. Did the tricep machine (sitting push down), then I did the circle weights on the ball (hug a big tree hug a small tree), then weights straight up on the flat bench (10 lbs, I'm not that strong), and then the standing machine where you push down and your body goes up. I did 20 times and then 4 times each. I am very proud of myself today.

Originally Posted by Hilary

Really proud. I arm wrestled one of my science teacher friends, a guy, and beat him twice!! Hahaha. That was awesome.

Then later today when I went to the gym my trainer didn't show up. He got sick apparently. Well I did my work out all by myself for the first time. That may not seem like much, but to me it's a big deal. A year and 2 months ago I could not tell you a thing about anything in a gym. I did triceps and chest. Did the tricep machine (sitting push down), then I did the circle weights on the ball (hug a big tree hug a small tree), then weights straight up on the flat bench (10 lbs, I'm not that strong), and then the standing machine where you push down and your body goes up. I did 20 times and then 4 times each. I am very proud of myself today.

Congrats! Progressive strength training is *really* important for healthy longevity. Lifting heavier and heavier weights, especially the full-body exercises like barbell squat and deadlift, build muscle mass and stronger everything: bones, tendons, etc. I used to be freaked out by barbell exercises like squat and deadlift and thought they were only for "muscle men," that they would "hurt my back," etc. But if done properly, they give you a *stronger* back, more resistant to injury, better support the spine, etc. The best thing is to remain consistent. Congrats, keep it up!

Originally Posted by FryingMan

Congrats! Progressive strength training is *really* important for healthy longevity. Lifting heavier and heavier weights, especially the full-body exercises like barbell squat and deadlift, build muscle mass and stronger everything: bones, tendons, etc. I used to be freaked out by barbell exercises like squat and deadlift and thought they were only for "muscle men," that they would "hurt my back," etc. But if done properly, they give you a *stronger* back, more resistant to injury, better support the spine, etc. The best thing is to remain consistent. Congrats, keep it up!

Yeah! I know! I have this back problem, sciatica, from an injury that happened to me about 15 years ago. It gets so bad sometimes that I can't walk properly for days, or even weeks. Since I've started strength training, the problem has gone away. I don't think I've felt any back pain for well over 6 months. That's amazing to me.

In other news... my pecs are super sore today!! At least, I think they're my pecs. Whatever muscle is near my arm pits.

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Very tired today. Getting ready for tomorrow which is the first day of school. I've been working non stop every day for a week just about. Going to bed very late and getting up early.. trying to get ready.

Funny story - the other day I was happily playing on my phone when my buddy Dan C. comes up to me. Dan gets this look on his face with a smile and says "Okay. What's his name??" LOL. He was convinced I was so happy because I was texting some guy. You want to know what was really making me so happy?

Wordle. I effing love Wordle.

I suffered from low back pain on and off throughout most of my life, especially after physical exertion like moving to a new apartment or particularly vigorous sports. My profession had me sitting in a chair for hours all throughout the day. Once I started Starting Strength training (look it up!), though, all my back problems vanished, and have not returned, and that's been several years now. Barbell back squats and deadlifts in particular build a very strong posterior chain and back. It makes sense, if you want a healthy, strong back, you have to train it!

I feel like joining in this exercise theme: after having not played tennis at all for five weeks, I restarted on monday with 1.5 hours, and then another 2 hours yesterday. The only thing that doesn't hurt right now is my hair. Other than that I have muscles aching that I didn't even know existed. And that's nothing compared to how my pride is doing.

I'll join the fitness boastfulness theme too.

In Texas we are having probably the hottest summer ever where temps rarely go below triple digits. We've been having heatwave after heatwave where temps have reached 105 F or above. Despite that, the heat hasn't phased my training. I still shadowbox for 30 mins then do 70 mins of outdoor running twice a week and 100 mins of outdoor running twice a week regardless of how hot it is. Followed by more cardio training at night. Once a week i do two to two and a half hours of weight training. Mostly focusing on the legs and back muscles. I'm well past my prime years but still in good condition for my age.

A beautiful teaching moment today. I was with my 8th graders (who I've had for 3 years in a row now). We're in the middle of our lesson and stuff, when one of my students starts saying that I'm his favorite teacher. Then something amazing happens, several other of my students start saying the same thing, all at the same time. I am like "Awww". Then another student says it's because I am so nice to them and most teachers aren't nice, etc.

It was just so touching to hear half the class going on about it, and totally unexpected.

I also got a surprise email today from one of my students from last year. He said "I miss you so much." What a sweet surprise.

It's makes me feel really good to be a teacher. I like feeling like I am doing some good in the world.

Rant: My tooth I had a filling in recently is aching really bad and my ear is also pounding (I have an ear problem caused by a blood vessel compressing a nerve). You know that feeling when you're just waiting until the time to be up so you can take the next dose of advil?? Yeah, that's where I am.

Had a nice day today. We did a lab.

The kids were in groups. They had trays on their tables with rulers and hand lenses. They had lab sheets with a chart for writing their data and clipboards. Then they had lab stations in the corners of the room where they could use the triple beam balance and graduated cylinder. They had a small plate of jelly beans. They had to get the mass, volume, length/width, and then make observations using all 5 senses. The best part? The jelly beans were Harry Potter "Every Flavor" beans! So they got some interesting flavors... lemon, blueberry, candyfloss, rotten egg, earwax, booger....

I let them give me one as well. One class gave me vomit flavor. LOL.

I've been meaning for years to study piano on my own and learn to play and sing my favorite pop songs from my youth (Billy Joel, etc.). Well I finally started! I moved my digital piano to where I'm living now, and signed up for an online lessons site that has thousands of transcriptions of popular songs of all levels of difficulty, with measure by measure video instructions for playing each piece. I can now play the introduction to Piano Man by Billy Joel (albeit haltingly in places and not quite perfectly, but still recognizable!). I've played an orchestral instrument all my life except for the last 10 years or so, and I've really missed music, really looking forward to getting back into it!

Sorry to put something very real here. Me and my wife will be getting divorced next week and she will move out on the 1st. We are the very best of friends and not fighting. We had 16 years together, but she has changed and no longer likes to be close to people. Hugging and general affection are very uncomfortable. She finally decided she does not want to keep feeling like she is letting me down or having to fake hugs. I am optimistic about the future, but have no clue what the future will be.

Sorry to hear that. That really sucks. Hopefully things will get better.

I'm very sorry to hear that, Sivason. People have different levels of contact that they're comfortable with. I'm a high-contact person (never enough hugs!), and it's very challenging being with someone who is not.

hi everyone...its been a very long time since i have posted anything on here! I practiced lucid dreaming a long time ago( with little success) so i got frustrated and gave up. I never understood how to try without trying and it turned me off of lucid dreaming. I stopped journaling and practicing any techniques. I think by posting here i am hoping to let go of my grievances and try again. I have only had a handful of lucid dreams and i have always wanted more.

i feel for ya...i have been married for 10 years. we are still friends but you get used to having someone around you all the time and then gone. enjoy the time that you get to yourself though

Originally Posted by dreamscaper22

hi everyone...its been a very long time since i have posted anything on here! I practiced lucid dreaming a long time ago( with little success) so i got frustrated and gave up. I never understood how to try without trying and it turned me off of lucid dreaming. I stopped journaling and practicing any techniques. I think by posting here i am hoping to let go of my grievances and try again. I have only had a handful of lucid dreams and i have always wanted more.

i feel for ya...i have been married for 10 years. we are still friends but you get used to having someone around you all the time and then gone. enjoy the time that you get to yourself though

Welcome back I hope you get lucid soon!

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I joined a D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) group. We played our first session last night. It was SO MUCH FUN. I'm role-playing a paladin (holy warrior). It's intimidating for me to play this character! I kept feeling like I'm not sure I can do this. Also, the group has made me their leader (yikes - trust me, I did not want this role)! But, it went well, and I think I'm getting into the groove of her. She's a touch self-righteous, but has a good heart. She didn't even notice when the rogue swiped her gold pouch. Right now, our group is trying to solve a murder mystery and arson in a corrupt town run by a crime syndicate...

Rant: My sprain freaking knee. It took about 7 weeks to heal. Well, it's still bugging me. Oh, so fun that it also felt like 1000 degrees and muggy, and on top of that I was feeling really sick. Food poisoning.

I couldn't bend my knee, swelled my knee, had a lot of pain, and had to wear a stupid brace. Plus other stresses didn't help...
Now, my computer is acting up. My computer's keyboard is not working. I'm using my touchpad but, at the moment I can't use my mouse pad without having to restart my computer.... the computer is too old to play games. And the headphone jack is not working now.
I also had a bad reaction to something when I was at my sister's house and my face was all puffy.

Really sorry to hear that, Lang. I hope things get better for you soon.

I have a cold. Not Covid, thankfully. It's just annoying.

In good news.. I'm flying out to Dragoncon on Wednesday night. I'm packing today. It should be fun.

Hi guys. How are you all doing?

I'm at Dragon Con now. It's pretty cool. The flight wasn't fun but we survived. We have a group of us gamers here and we're all staying in an Air B&B downtown. It's great because it's literally right across the street from the convention. We went down there last night and it's basically like Halloween. So many people dressed in costumes, honestly it's amazing. We also saw the guy who did the voice of Winnie the Pooh (Jim Cummings). When we got back in to the room we all played Gloom - a fun little card game where you try to have the worst life imaginable for your "family" and have to make it into a story format. Stayed up late and laughed so much my face hurt. I'm happy to have a little down time now.

See you guys later.

It feels so good to be home. Dragon Con was amazing, but I am very tired.

Now to try to get my dream recall back on track.

^^All that sounds fun and a great exercise of the imagination. Have you ever thought of inviting these people here?

For anyone really. Why not invite a friend or two here?

My 1 yr old woke me with his crying after his mother fed him, and put him back to bed, I woke and decided to WILD i fell asleep at some point but became aware again as a the dream formed,

I had some goals I wanted to carry out so I spun to change the dream scene within The next dream scene I could hear my son crying I tried to hold on to the dream and not let the crying interrupt me but it went , so I stayed with the HI and along came another dream Again I was hoping not to be woken up by my son but before the dream had to chance to fully illuminate my sons crying woke me up for good.

Originally Posted by tropicalbreeze

^^All that sounds fun and a great exercise of the imagination. Have you ever thought of inviting these people here?

For anyone really. Why not invite a friend or two here?

I've actually mentioned it to my friends. Most of them aren't into lucid dreaming. One made an account, but I don't think he's actually posted anything. I would love for my friends to get into it... maybe someday?

Originally Posted by Ant101

My 1 yr old woke me with his crying after his mother fed him, and put him back to bed, I woke and decided to WILD i fell asleep at some point but became aware again as a the dream formed,

I had some goals I wanted to carry out so I spun to change the dream scene within The next dream scene I could hear my son crying I tried to hold on to the dream and not let the crying interrupt me but it went , so I stayed with the HI and along came another dream Again I was hoping not to be woken up by my son but before the dream had to chance to fully illuminate my sons crying woke me up for good.

Aww man that is such a bummer. But grats on getting lucid. Hopefully next time it will be better luck. I hope your son is feeling better.

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Man! What a day I had today. So, to start, I got to work to find out it's open house tonight. Totally forgot about that, whoops! No big deal.

Then I have an IEP meeting that I have to run at 8:45 am. The teachers got an invite to the meeting with the link 2 weeks in advance. Also, at 8:36 am, I sent out another reminder email with the google meet link. I never complain when teachers are late or don't show up. I just roll with it, as long as I have the minimum required to be legal.

The parents don't answer so the meeting only takes 15 minutes. All the other teachers had given data on paper already. So, we leave the meeting at 8:59 am.

Later that morning, I get pulled aside by my ESE boss AND the event coordinator. They say that this one teacher is complaining about me - to the principal. She was apparently "irate" that we weren't in the meeting with her, and that the one person in there (a teacher who accidentally left the meet up after we left) didn't respond to her (she had her sound off). According to the event coordinator, this teacher was complaining to the principal and the assistant principal. She said I really should address it in email to CYA.

The teacher complaining was 16 effing minutes LATE to the meeting and arrived AFTER we all left, yet she's making a complaint about me for not being at the meeting with her.

I sent a kind email, thanking her for her efforts at joining the meeting and letting her know there was no worries on my end, but also explaining what actually happened and attaching the google meet document showing the attendance times of all members. Including her join time of 9:01.... I also attached the email that shows she received the invite information on August 24th. CC @ my ese boss, principal, and assistant principal.

Yeah. Don't effing mess with me - you won't win. I document everything. Suffice to say, she is PISSED as hell at me for attaching the principal and assistant principal on the email, and sent a scathing email about me to one of my teacher friends. But I'm sorry, if you try put the blame on me for your own actions, and try to get me in trouble, I am going to CYA.

Effing people.

Oh, and I forgot to tell my mom that it's open house this evening. So, when I didn't come home from work hours later, my mom actually drove down to the school looking for me. LOL. I felt so bad. She figured it out when she saw the line of cars.

My memory sucks!!

If i find someone trustworthy i can see myself mentioning this forum. Or to people of other forums. Though i can see why some may be hesitant as people post personal stuff here. I myself came here due to someone else mentioning this place to me.

My mother in law told me today that she has breast cancer. Really worried for her. She is one of the most compassionate, generous people I've ever met. She's also my children's grandmother.