1. I love teaching. However, it is way more work than I ever imagined it would be and I have a tremendous amount more respect for the good teachers I have had.
2. I love being a parent, but it is way more work that I ever imagined it would be (people always tell you it will be hard, and I beleived them, but you don’t know until you are there yourself.) I have a tremendous amount more respect for my parents now that I have a son.
3. I love Star Wars. I don’t know why. I know it (probably) isn’t real but the pageantry and the grandeur and the philosophy of it all is just so mesmerizing. It truly is an Oprah.
4. I have ADD and probably have my whole life. I was not officially diagnosed until I was 23, and knowing that I have it makes it easier as a teacher to deal with students who also have ADD (even if they don’t know they have it.) I also take drugs for ADD and, at least for me, they work.
5. I do not currently have a job next year and this weighs on me more than I let on or want to think about.
6. All I really want out of life is to do something that matters. I don’t know what that will be and I don’t know if I will know what it is (it may already have happened) but I will keep working at it until I die.
7. My son is named for Sir Isaac Newton (perhaps the single most important person of the millennium) and I think this is awesome and I don’t know if Gina will ever truly appreciate how much I appreciate and love her for allowing that.
8. When I was in 5th (possibly 6th) grade I wore a sweater to school that apparently didn’t match the rest of my clothes and the other kids called me “Color Blind Pe-Pe,” and now my wife has to approve all of my outfits for matching before I wear them to school so that the kids don’t make fun of me.
9. I have won one popularity contest in my life. I did a poor job fulfilling the office I was elected to.
10. I have a hard time sitting still and relaxing. Even now I am watching Ghost Whisperer, but I feel the need to be typing this at the same time. I think my life would be better if I was better at focusing on one thing at a time.
11. I am not sure if I believe in paranormal activity. I don’t like to discount any possibilities in life, but I also believe that everything in this world has a physical explanation and I don’t know that psychic visions or magic have a real explanation.
12. I don’t mind driving in the snow, but I get very nervous when I can’t see the lines on the road and I don’t know where the lanes are.
13. When the baby cries I do not freak out, and I think this is a good thing,
14. When I am bored or nervous I bite my nails. When my nails are gone I start biting the skin on the tips of my fingers. While I know this may be a little gross, it is what I do.
15. I am often amazed at the fact that the world can be described mathematically and that we didn’t realize this until the 1600′s. The more I learn about science the more beautiful it is and the way it all weaves together is amazing.
16. In that same light, I am amazed at the development of human thought. From the time Aristotle said objects fall down because that is there natural state (great reasoning) in around 400 BC until Galileo and Newton show up in the 1600′s, no one ever thinks to perform and experiment. All of a sudden Newton comes along and says, “Oh, well, we should probably actually test these theories we have.” Mind blowing!
17. I find wearing a sweatshirt and stocking cap indoors very comforting, even when it is a little too warm.
18. I worked at a Boy Scout camp every summer from the time I was 14 until I was 23.  After that I worked at football camp in the summer. All in all, I haven’t had a summer vacation in 15 years, and I have no idea what people do with all of the free time.
19. I am currently actively watching the following non-syndicated shows: 24, The Big Bang Theory (newest addition and awesome), American Idol, House, Lost, Ghost Whisperer, Numbers, CSI: NY, CSI, Scrubs, Fringe. I watch too much TV.
20. I live one block from the high school I graduated from. This was not the plan, but I think it is cool.
21. I have two general ways I dress: I wear dress pants and a polo or shirt & tie to work, and I wear wind pants with a T-Shirt the rest of time. I very rarely wear anything else. It’s all or nothing.
22. I have only had three hairstyles I can remember. The one I have now, a bowl cut, and a normal part to the side hair cut.
23. My favorite things to do on Facebook are to read people’s status updates and see what they are up to and wishing people happy birthday on their birthday. Although I recently heard someone on the radio that they think people wishing other people a happy birthday on Facebook could be a bad thing because it removes the intimacy from birthdays. I disagree. I think Facebook actually helps make social relationships better.
24. I have owned one car in my life (a 2002 Toyta Echo. I love this car because it has a lot of head room and because it makes great 3-point turnarounds and U-Turns.
25. I hate needles and shots. I don’t mind blood or other medical operations, but if I see a needle or even think about getting a shot, I get very sick and uncomfortable.

What an amazing book. J.K. Rowling really makes you feel the emotions of the characters in it. Having said that…

I feel empty inside, like a real person died. I can feel the pain that Harry is feeling. So much, that I really don’t want to be alone right now. It seems silly to me, but it is said. Dumbledore is dead and there is nothing we can do to make it stop and the people that did it are still at large. It is very upsetting.

I think the fact that a book can bring out such emotion is a true testament to the skill that Rowling has. It reminds me a lot of Star Wars III when you could feel the anguish and emotion that was going through Anakin.

I will say I was shocked that Snape was a Death Eater in the end. I was also please with the conflict that existed in Malfoy, very nice touch. I was surprised that there wasn’t a bigger deal made about how Harry was right the whole time about Draco though. Also, I don’t think the word FireBolt was used in the whole book, which is unusual, because Harry’s broom is always referred to as a FireBolt, and not just a broom.

Harry and Ginny breaking up was very reminiscent of Spider Man. I wonder if that is were she got the idea? I was also saddened by this, but I guess I understand.

I am not sure how Harry’s adventure is going to work out. He couldn’t even beat Snape, how is he going to beat Voldemort without more training?

I think these are my thoughts for now. Feeling a little better having gotten this off my chest. I will just have to try to remember the good times.

I love summer vacation.

Anakin starts the movie out on pretty good terms with Obi-Won, which surprised me given how they left the last episode. I expected a lot more conflict. I don’t really buy the acting from Palpatine in the rescue scene. It is too obvious that he is controlling things. Even if you don’t know, the acting is poor. He improves throughout the movie, but I think he is the weakest actor throughout.

Overall though, I was very please. You get a lot of Star Wars background theory and you get to see what drove Anakin to become Darth. It also gives you some insight into the human spirit and the lengths we go to for the ones we love. Treachery and deceit are highly present throughout the film. It becomes difficult at times to tell if people are acting on their own or if they are being manipulated by Palpatine. The story I think flows very smoothly and the you can see all of the plot and story lines weave together. The writing is really well done.

The acting is as good as you might expect from a sci-fi movie. Visually and audialy (sp?) the movie was phenomenal. The music is always very good in Star Wars and it is often described as a musical drama. The pictures and special effects are all very good. In the first fight scene, it is a little hard to follow the fighters. The light sabers also looked a little different than the first 2 movies. As always, the sword fights are a little tough to follow because of the speed, but they are fun none the less.

I was very excited when General Grievous busted out the 4 light sabers (although we were confused why he had a cough.) And you get to see Palpatine work with the saber. It is odd to think that Windu and Obi-Won would have just actually finished there fights without hesitating then the whole affair would be taken care of. But Windu stops to wait and Obi-Won just assumes Anakin will die.

I also liked the way that Padme & Anakin’s lives become intertwined as they die. You can see very clearly, as the movie ends, that when Obi-Won says to Luke, “Vader killed and murdered your father,” that Vader really is reborn out of Anakin. Also they way the battles between Yoda & Palpatine and Obi-Won & Anakin are intertwined together is very nice.

I really like Star Wars. The stories work well together and the movies are visually impressive. Most importantly, I think, is the way the music tells a story. The way the death march plays at the right times, and in the final light saber battle, the theme from the last battle in Phantom Menace starts to play.

I have more thoughts that I will share later but it is late.