Handwriting

The photo pictured above captures the amazing handwriting of one of college students. This is a quiz the had to complete this week. Notice, please, the undercipherable words, which are somewhat due to spelling but mostly to symbols that do not represent letters. The overlapping words at the top lend to the overall essence of the quiz. There is also a sense of dizziness where the student does not pay atention to the horizon and kind of slips of to one side or the other. In his other work he likes to start each line further to the right than the line before.

What can I say about this? First, I guess, is that this is not uncommon from a certain type of student. I'm not quite sure what that type is - it's not all of my male students; it's not all of my Muslim students; it's not all of my African students, but it is a combination of the these elements plus something else I can't put my finger on - possibly parental education, or experience in a job that does not require writing? It's amazing that someone of college age, in college, can write this way. It seems like a simple basic skill to be able to separate letters appropriately, then separate words, then get everything going in the same direction. The older women from Mexico who were not previously educated have at least these skills down.

The most difficult part of dealing with this type of problem is that the students in question do not seem to grasp that it is a problem. They don't see that their writing is different from their average classmate. They often choose to handwrite assignments instead of type (and even their typed assignments reflect these errors somehow - their spacing makes no sense, their capitolization is random, and their spelling is not even phonetic. I want to go to one of their childhood schools and learn the completely different knowledge that they have. It must be good.

17 Again (tiny SPOILER)

I saw High School Musical when it was on the Disney channel and I did not think Zac Efron was hot. He was younger then, and blonder, but for christ's sake! he is effing hot in 17 Again. Every time he came on camera he had this effect on me like "phwoar!" and I'm not even British! I have a feeling they used CGI on him or something. For reals.
Also, the audience for this movie was a little unclear - at first I'd think young girls who like Zac Efron, then maybe dads because of the message - but no dad would go on his own; he'd have to take his duaghter. But then the CGIed Zac Efron kinda hinted towards a cougar audience and there was a theme like in Benjamin Button where the older woman (not old) gets to see her lover young and hot again and that made me think it was a total mom audience.
ALSO, the music was not normal. First of all - yes that "Bust a Move" song is awesome, but it's awesome NOW; was it actually that awesome in the 80s? I thought it was more 90s awesome. AND, the tough guy/hot shot listens to LIMP BIZKIT! It's supposed to be 2009! I was all about Limp Bizkit in 1999, but who even knows them now? Wait, the whole timeline of this makes no sense - she gets preggers in 1989 and then in 2009 she has two kids in high school? Where's the 20 year old? Did they get rid of her? No, she's magically 17 or 18, but there's no way she's 19/20 in her senior year, right? Soooo, the audience of this movie is single girls in their late 20s, who don't want to get married because their husband will get old and no longer be hot, and who fondly remember Limp Bizkit? Are there more like me out there?
One more thing. SPOILER. The first scene takes place in 1989 at a basketball game. We see the cheerleaders at halftime doing their thing (hence the "Bust a Move") and we learn the Zac Efron's character is hot shit because a. he can get the ball in the hoop b. he is hot shit c. he has a hot gf and D. HE BUSTS OUT ONTO THE FLOOR AND DANCES WITH THE CHEERLEADERS! Honestly, I wanted to boo the movie at that point. I would've killed a guy who was already cool on the bball team if he tried to steal my thunder at halftime, And, no one cool in high school at that time would've danced with the cheerleaders like that, And Jesus Christ, Zac Efron, can't you keep your dance moves to yourself for ONE movie? it was still hot, though
Update: I saw the soundtrack on iTunes. I had forgotten that "Danger Zone" from Top Gun and a "Push it" remix was in the movie. I'm so right about the audience. Sadly, Limp Bizkit did not make the soundtrack cut.
Update!!! Just found this link through Vulture. They thought her article was awful. I think it's got good points and she saw the movie for the same reason as me and, get this, she wrote "G-d"!!!! I'm not over it!

Kids' eating habits

A few days ago I was, for some reason, thinking about how I would manipulate my own nonexistent kids into having good eating habits. I would make them understand that mcdonalds was a treat, not a norm. Or maybe only take them there on sad occasions so they'd have bad associations. When they started their sweet faze I would give them quality chocolate instead of teeth rotting candy, etc.
Today at a 5 year old's birthday party I stood next to a mother while the kids hit the piñata. Her son grabbed a box of nerds and she fretted. She wasn't pretentious when she said it but she said he wasn't allowed that stuff at home. Another mother asked what he was allowed and the first said chocolate but nothing like this hard candy that sticks in their teeth. I thought, this woman is nuts! Then I remembered that is exactly what I would do and realized I sound nuts too. Now I don't know what to do. Thank g dash I don't have to worry about that.

My Type

So I've been looking on google images lately for a new phone wallpaper and I just realized after 3 nights in a row of doing this that I so have a type. It's not just hot actors, it's also real life guys. I'm obv not the only one with this type because the hot actors I like are extremely popular. No wonder blonde dudes freak me out - they're not my type. I mean, I can admire the beauty of some blonde dudes but am never attracted to them. Furtunately, my type is neither my dad nor my brother. Shit maybe it is my dad when he was my age. Ew

Divertido

Dear Spanish textbook editors:

Thank you all for voting on the translation of "divertido". It looks like we will go with "fun loving," which got the most votes. Followed closely in second was "outgoing" and in third was "nice".
Please prepare your votes for our upcoming poll on "obra"

Sincerely,
Señor Lingua

Candy

I just opened my drawer expecting to find mini cadbury eggs and found a slew of treats. As I was sifting through, deciding what to eat, I heard myself say "fuck" really angrily. I realized I was actually frustrated because I had too much junk to eat and didn't know where to start. It was probably the most honest anger I'd had all day. Not a bad life I guess. If you're wondering - I went with the normal size cadbury creme egg.

New Girl

Thinking about Twilight reminded me of this girl who transferred to my high school. I don't remember her name or what happened to her after that first year, but I remember her instant popularity. She embraced it immediatley and acted as if she deserved it - this bothered me because not only is popularity not something ppl deserve or don't deserve, but also because she didn't deserve it. She wasn't very pretty or interesting or nice. I felt like I was the only one who could see through her.
She was on my cheerleading squad and we didn't get along because I didn't treat her like avqueen the way everyone else did. Then, at the cheer competition her old school's squad was there and as we passed them I saw her give the girls (her supposed old friends) a tentative smile. I lingered at the back of our passing group (or was in the back because I wasn't cool?) but heard them say something like, "she's tricked them into liking her." I knew it! She wasn't cool at all! What did that mean? I think I tried to tell my teammates about it and they didn't believe me, or maybe I kept it to myself for my own enjoyment. Either way, I had been right.
But did it matter? She'd gotten a second chance and was having a nice time with her new friends. And her new squad prob kicked her old squad's ass cuz we were good.
I always wondered why they didn't like her though. Was it just cuz she sucked (which was first impression of her), or had she done something unforgivable like wear the wrong clothes or have a crush on a boy out of her league or pretend to be anorexic for attention.

Finishing a Book

Y'all know how it is when you read a book and are so eager to find out what happens that you finally do and wish you didn't know because now it's over.
I propose we make a book finishing ritual to cheer us up when we're depressed because that wonderful world we were engulfed in is now gone forever. My ritual suggestions are: eat some junkfood (mcdonalds or cookies or soda), toast the book with some alcohol, um I think that's all I got.
The trick is, the ritual has to be able to be done immediately upon completion of the book and alone - in the sense that you can't count on anyone else but could be in the company of others. Any other suggestions?

New Moon Soundtrack

I remember the first time I heard 98 Degrees' "Hardest Thing." I was so confused - why does he have to tell her he doesn't love her when he really does? It made no sense to me. Then I saw the movie Cruel Intentions and there's a scene where Ryan Phillippe's character tells Jake Gyllenhaal's girlfriend's character that he doesn't love her but it's to protect her or something. I forget but I remember that it related and I finally understood the song. I still think it's totally unrelatable to the mass public. How many people are in such danger that they need to lie to their love to keep him/her alive? Harry Potter, Spiderman, Edward Cullen - not only are these ppl fictional, they all have supernatural powers. Why is it such a common theme then?
I think I'm getting sidetracked. The point it, it IS such a common theme and I'm hoping when New Moon is made they don't write NEW songs for it when there are soooo many already. Here are just a few that I can think of that completey relate to the story but not to real life whatsoever: Ben Harper, "Walk Away;" 98 Degrees, "Hardest Thing;" Kelly Clarkson, "Since U Been Gone," "I Hate Myself for Losing You," "My Life Would Suck Without You," probably anything by her. More to come.