Things I'm Doing Instead of Studying for the PRAXIS

For those of you who don’t know the rigorous process that aspiring teachers have to go to, I’ll let you know a little bit about the standardized testing portion.

 

1. Take the PRAXIS I or PPST:  This is the ACT-esque test that they make you take at the beginning of your program to make sure that you’re not a complete idiot and have the basic skills necessary for anyone who’s going to be around children.  I took this in July and passed with flying colors.  The only hard part was that they don’t let you use a calculator and I hadn’t done long division by hand since like 5^th grade.  Anyway, I got that test out of the way a while ago.

 

2. Take the PRAXIS II:  This is the test you take towards the end of your program, preferably before your student teaching.  This is where you demonstrate that you’re well versed in your content area, as well as important teachering concepts that apply to all subjects and grade levels.  For me, this means THREE tests.  And they’re like $130 each, so I can’t take them all at once, obvi.

a. The PLT: teachery stuff and educational psychology crap that we all need to know.

b. Theatre Content Area: I’m going to get certified in this subject too, so I’m a double threat.

c. English Content Area:  THIS is the one I’m taking on Monday night.

 

And THIS is what I’m doing right now instead of studying for that test.

 

Blogging:

 

Taking pictures of myself while blogging

 

Taking pictures of my coworker while blogging

 

Babysitting my Sims

 

Cleaning my desk.

 

Lol, just kidding.  Not cleaning my desk.

 

PHOTOJOURNALISM!!!

 

Duck face!

 

Dead face.

 

Getting excited for American Horror Story tonight!

 

Making sure no one’s watching me take pictures of myself.

 

Wrapping up this blog because I have other stuff to do.  But not studying.

 

Laters, baby!

My Blog Will Go On

So, my last three attempts at blogging have included an overly incendiary rant about a coworker that I despise, a reflection on the disappointed parents that I encounter daily at work, and…this one, if it doesn’t turn out.  Once again, I must apologize for my extended absence but the combination of writing papers for school, studying for the PRAXIS, work being hellish for the last couple of weeks and the fact that every blog I start to write inevitably ends three paragraphs later with me saying, “what the fuck am I talking about?” I’ve been pretty light on inspiration. 

Nevertheless, dear readers, you have stuck by me this long and thus deserve to have your appetites whet (whetted? whote?) 

I don’t like that phrase.  It sounds dirty, but it’s not. 

I’m going to resist the urge to go on a Lewis Black style screaming fit of rage rant and instead tell you about the stuff I’ve been super into lately and then give you a preview of blogs I want to write, so that way I’ll be forced to actually write them.  (You guys have to hold me accountable, okay?)

 

Sims Free Play

I made the rather unfortunate discovery that there’s a FREE version of Sims you can play on your phone or tablet.  I downloaded it for my iPad like four days ago and have done very little else since then.  It’s like crack.  Or meth because I think meth is more addictive and ruins your life even more.  If there’s an unlimited money cheat, I have yet to find it but it’s still taking over my life.  Yesterday I uttered the sentence, “No, I have to get home by six because I need to send my Sim to work.”  So yeah, that happened.

 Sometimes they have sex in the kitchen

I should also note that because I just started and am still earning money, all five of my Sims (all named after TV characters) sleep in the same room.  It’s awkward.  How would you like to sleep in the same room as your neighbors?  Not to mention, two of them are doing it.  (They’re whores.  I’ve only had the game for like 4 days, remember?)

 

Paradise by Coldplay

My sister will tell you that I go through “obsession” phases with songs where I basically enter a relationship with them.  When I hear the song, it’s like love at first sight and I immediately start playing it over and over and over and over again until I finally can’t stand it anymore and we “break up” which means I make a noise of disgust everytime it starts and then I skip to the next song.  Eventually, the song and I make up and we stay friends which means I’ll run into it on shuffle and it’s kinda awkward because it’s been a while but it’s nice to hear his voice again.

Right now, I’m in the pretty torrid part of the relationship with this song.  Things are hot.  I mean, there are a lot of bands I like and can get into in a pretty serious way (Foster the People, anyone?  I almost wore that CD out) but me and Paradise, I can see this relationship going the distance.

 

American Horror Story

If you’re friends with me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter, you already know this.  (This is one of the reasons I love Twitter because I can live Tweet during the show and it’s almost like watching in a big group with the rest of the United States).  This show is just all kinds of mind-blowing, it’s got cute guys, plenty of excitement, tons of sex and it usually ends with me sitting on the couch wondering what the hell I just watched.  There have been lots of shows that I’ve found exciting and intruiging but American Horror Story is the only one that has actually made me shout out loud, “OH MY GOD, WHAT THE HELL?!”

Actual live tweeting event. 

I can’t imagine how that wouldn’t be enough to convince you to watch but if you need a brief synopsis, I’ll just let you know that even though most of the actors are present in both seasons, they play completely different characters and therefore, season 1 and season 2 have nothing to do with each other.  Two completely different stories.  Seriously, you should try out this show.  Season 1 involves a seemingly ordinary family who moves into a notorious “murder house” and becomes subject to all the horrors that lie within.  Season 2 takes place in an insane asylum during the 1960s where a perfectly sane reporter is being held against her will along with a really attractive man who is likely innocent but charged with murdering his wife, not to mention a Nazi doctor who performs unspeakable experiments on his patients and a bunch of nuns (possessed and otherwise) who are running around, wreaking havoc.

 

See?  Everyone's playing different characters, this season.  Except for Zachary Quinto who is, as always, playing an attractive male whose sexuality is questionable, at best. 

If THAT’S not enough to convince you to watch, you might as well just quit at life because I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with you.  Basically, everying that Ryan Murphy is doing wrong with Glee, he’s doing RIGHT with American Horror Story.  Total clusterfuck from start to finish but in the best way.

 

Sherlock

You might want to stop the presses because with American Horror Story, Once Upon a Time, Doctor Who, etc, this may be the first show I’ve become obsessed with in a looooong time that’s not science-fictiony.  It does however have a hot male lead which I guess puts it right back in the same genre as all my other favorite shows.  (Why doesn’t Netflix have a Hot Male Lead category?  I have to find this shit on my own.)

 

Just like everything else that’s being remade, redone or rebooted these days, this BBC version of Sherlock Holmes is sexier, snappier and streamlined for the 21^st century.  The quintessentialy metrosexual Holmes, played by Benedict Cumberbatch (or as I call him, Ridiculous McSilly Name) is basically a fast-talking, arrogant, British version of Sheldon Cooper.  And Watson, well, I have to be honest, Benedict Cumberbatch is so flawlessly brilliant in his role that I really don’t pay much attention to Watson.

 

For you Doctor Who fans, you probably already know that this series is produced by the Moff and therefore you have no reason NOT to watch it.  Everyone else should know that it’s a really awesome mystery series that had me hooked from the very first episode when Sherlock said uttered the quote you see above.

 

Caramel Brulee Latte

If you haven’t tried this, then you need to get your ass over to Starbucks tout suite because it’s soooo good.  Nevermind that a triple grande costs me over $5, this thing is delicious.  Warm, winter happiness in a cup.

 

 

My iPad

I’m totally addicted to this thing.  It’s with me at all times, it’s next to me when I sleep, sometimes I’m even using it WHILE I’m using my laptop.  I don’t know how I ever played Angry Birds on my tiny iPhone screen or watched movies on it, for that matter.  I think I’ve said before (whether here or on Twitter or in a real-life conversation) that nobody needs an iPad.  It’s not necessary for anybody.  But if you have the means, they are SO MUCH FUN.

 

So, that’s pretty much everything I’ve been addicted to, recently.  I should also add that I have been crazy crazy busy lately.  Like I said, work has been a nightmare, I’m doing those big end-of-the-semester research projects for school, I’ve got a chapter I still need to edit for a client, a tacky Hanukkah sweater I need to decorate for a party this weekend and all kinds of other shit to do.  I will confess that the blog has taken a backseat to life but it meant a lot to me to see on Facebook that some of you guys missed it.  If that’s not inspiration to write, I don’t know what is.  If you’re tired of waiting for new blogs, you should make sure to follow me on Twitter so you can get daily doses of my hilarity.  The handle is @beckyb89.

 

Last but not least, some topics I want to get writing on.  Let me know if any of these sound interesting.  Socially Awkward Situations, My Dream Wedding, Planning a Trip to London, Something About Full House.
 

Thanks for reading, everyone!

 

Beck