That’s my weight today. 15.8 pounds lighter than a little over 2 weeks ago¹. Guess I’m really over the plateau. Here’s the current graph of my progress:

The projected line is still higher than my goal, but I’m quite happy with my progress so far. But notice I also have calories in the bank which means I haven’t been eating the full calories allotted to me for every day. I’ve also been loving my shakes. Low in calories and filling. With all the “bad” stuff going on in my life right now, it’s nice to know that something good is happening.

1. Guess it’ll be even longer before my wife has to claim my term insurance [«]

Posted by Saphrym

This is in response to a question posted in my forums by GaryRHess:

I always wanted to know about teachers reusing the same information each year (if they use the same book). Do you just keep the same lesson plans or do you make up different ones to keep it new and exciting for yourself?

Using the same lesson plans is a normal thing among teachers. The way it works is normally as a first year teacher you have to create all new lesson plans. Many states require you to do portfolios for the first year and they have to contain extremely detailed lesson plans. It’s not like you can grab them off the Internet and claim them as yours. If you do, you’re fired. Quite simple.¹

After that first year, you take the lesson plans that worked really well and you reuse them. You file away the rest for modification or just throw them away if they failed completely. As the years go by, you slowly gather up some really good lesson plans that you end up using every year or even every other year.

Constant modifications are done to them though. Sometimes things just change. If you get a new textbook, you have to modify the lessons to fit them or file them away because they can’t be used with the new textbook. Some lessons contain links to websites that go away. You have to change those. Also, lesson plans should always be easily related to real life situations. Students need to be able to connect to the information to be able to learn it. So lesson plans have to be “modernized” often. You can’t make a lesson plan that includes “Greatest Love of All” by Whitney Houston back in the 80s and expect it to connect with students of today. That’s why I like including modern or “timeless²” movies, books, etc. in my lesson plans.

There are teachers who never update their lesson plans and use them over and over. But as the years go by, the students just don’t have the same amount of fun as the students did who first go to partake in those lessons. They just don’t connect as well³.

Using old lesson plans is perfectly ok as long as they were really good lesson plans that really got the students interested in the lesson and they also have to be relevant, or modified to be relevant, to today’s world. You could compare it to stand-up comics. There are some that have been around for years⁴, but they still use jokes they used 30 years ago. However, they make them fit today’s society⁵.

1. Some places are more lax on this. But I’m going to explain it as it is where I live. [«]
2. What I mean by “timeless” are those books, movies, etc. that have meaning even in today’s world. Songs tend to be more timeless than movies and books. [«]
3. It’s kind of like a vacuum salesman looking at a tech geek and trying to sell him one of those retro style Sebo vacuums instead of a newer style Dyson vacuum. And no laughing at “vacuum salesman,” they do still exist. I know, I was one for about 3 days. [«]
4. Such as recently deceased George Carlin. [«]
5. One of George Carlin’s best routines was about euphemisms. He used it in almost every show. All he did was change which euphemisms he used to be in more modern language and terms. [«]

Posted by Saphrym

This is in response to a question posted in my forums by GaryRHess:

I would like to hear about your first day as a teacher. If someone were to become one, what should they expect their first day on the job.

The title of this post sounds like a good name for a movie. Oh, wait. Nevermind. But truly, that’s what I am. I am a substitute teacher. I’m the person who the students are happy to see because their own teacher isn’t there and then they do their best to walk all over me. Doesn’t work anymore, but they try.

I say anymore because I was a new substitute at one point. I was also a student teacher. I also have a normally mild personality. That’s a “deadly” thing to have as a new teacher or sub at a school. Students will take every advantage they can. Those sitcoms about new teachers and subs? They’re all true! Well, mostly.

“I have a condition that requires me to go to the bathroom every 10 minutes.”

“Um. Ok. Go ahead.”

That was me at the beginning. I feel for every trick I used to pull when I was a kid. Why? Because I was scared they were telling the truth. I didn’t know the ways of verifying the information. As for standing in front of the class and teaching, well, here’s the situation on the first day:

You’ve spent hours working on that first lesson plan. You’re tried to make everything perfectly ready for that moment when you stand in front of the class to give this lesson. Because you’ve been taught in the “old school” ways, most of your lesson is lecture. You’ll be giving a speech basically. And you’re scared to death of the looks of those students. You make it to school and your knees are knocking as you stand behind the podium¹. You’re wishing you would have taken that job selling vacations². Your mouth opens and you make the mistake of looking the students in the eyes. Their mouths are wide open as they stare at you. You think it’s because they think you’re stupid when actually it’s because it’s 8:00 in the morning and they are still half asleep. You get through the lesson and start thinking about every one of the one-hundred-and-thirty-seven items you missed in your lecture. As the students file out of the room you hear the snickering and swear it’s about you. You also hear, “That was stupid. Does that guy even know what he’s talking about?”³ And then it’s all over and the people who are supposed to help you feel better about your mistakes do their job and you learn what you did wrong.

That’s the first day. Now let’s fast forward to a few weeks later:

You walk in the class with your head held high and your lesson plan ready⁴. The students walk in the class and notice there’s work already ready for them to do on the board⁵. They whine, a little, but mostly because they’re joking with you. They’re used to this. They sit down and start doing their work. After a few minutes, you have them share the work they’ve done with the class and then you have them pull out the projects they’ve been working on all week, get into their groups, and start working on the projects again. Instead of lecturing, you walk around and give guidance where it’s needed. You also give out praise when they’re doing things right. And sometimes you ask the students who “get” the assignment to help those in their group who do not.

Why the change?

Because you’ve earned their trust. It’s not a respect thing. It never was. They respect anyone they trust. You’ve proven you know what you’re talking about. You also prove you know how to provide assignments that are not only fun but that also connect to their real lives because then you’ll never hear, “Why do we have to learn this? We’ll never use it?”

That was the way my student teaching went. Feel free to look at my teaching portfolio to see the projects I had them do. Oh, and as for the other situation, here’s how it goes now:

“Mr. White, may I go to the bathroom?⁶”

“Go ahead. However, tomorrow, make sure you use the bathroom before coming to my class.”

“I will Mr. White. I hate missing out on the group work. It’s fun. I promise I’ll be right back.”

One other thing I must say, to truly earn the trust of a student, you have to get to know them. I don’t mean hang out with them at Wal-Mart. But do have discussions with them. Have them write journals. Read those journals. Know your students⁷.

1. Because we all know that if that podium wasn’t there you’d be scared to death. [«]
2. Because maybe you would have managed a few Disney cruises at your employee discount and would have been facing young children in a fun environment. [«]
3. Because, of course, you haven’t earned respect yet since people were making animal noises when you were looking at your notes, so you’re only known as “that guy.” [«]
4. It only took about an hour this time. [«]
5. Out here we call that “bell work” but I believe that is a universal term. [«]
6. She gave up on the condition thing because she knows I know better. [«]
7. You’ll notice if you read my teaching portfolio that I say that often. [«]

Posted by Saphrym

I’d expect it for things like Orlando vacations.¹ But what in the world makes a spammer send an e-mail like this with no links:

stealthy honest saxony? spencerian, herewith anglicanism.
nabisco poisonous jovial gumdrop elsie cathedra, jovial
elsie carne cathedra bassi scarface.

inquisition stealthy thrombosis

elsie stealthy stipend? goliath, scarface mainland.
nabisco stipend puzzle scarface indignation cyclades, churchgo
puzzle honest immoral indignation goliath.

schelling bassi carne

jimmy saxony leeward? squibb, irreconcilable saxony.

pecan immoral.

I just don’t understand. Besides being funny in a twisted sort of way because of the nonsensical words and terms strung together, I just don’t see the benefit of sending an e-mail like that. I know it was probably a randomly created e-mail done by some computer software. But again, what’s the benefit?

If anyone out there knows, please feel free to let me know in the comments. I’m very curious. Of course, I’m also sharing this because I thought it sounded funny when I read it. Now to go mark it as spam. Also, share your favorite spam e-mails in the forums.

1. I’ve been to Orlando. Was actually quite fun. But I was 10 at the time. [«]

Posted by Saphrym

This is in response to a question posted in my forums by GaryRHess:

Also, how about more recipes? I can’t get enough of those.

I’ll answer his other question later. But I felt I just had to pass on this information:

“I love extracts.”

I never understood the simplicity. I’ve known they exist. I truly have. However, extracts are kind of like my own version of modern furniture. Let me explain: Modern styles, such as furniture, emulate older styles. Retro is considered new. Well, extracts, which have been around forever, are new to me and they are also my new “fad” food.

Why?

Well, it’s simple. They are calorie free. That’s right. No calories whatsoever. A few posts back I told you about the Magic Bullet that I purchased. It’s basically a little blender that makes blending extremely easy. Well, using that little blender, I have managed to make some really tasty treats with some extracts. I’m going to give you my “basic” recipe and then explain how to get some cool flavors out of it:

Ingredients:

• 1 serving Slim-Fast powder¹
• 1/3 cup powdered milk
• Artificial Sweetener
• Water
• Ice

Directions:

1. Take a 2 cup glass and fill it about 1/5th with water.
2. Add all ingredients except the ice.
3. Add ice to top.
4. Add water to top.²
5. Blend ingredients.³

Simple, right? I’ve been using that recipe for snack time for a while now. But then I found extracts and cocoa powder⁴. So here are a few alterations for you:

Mounds – The Candy Bar

Use chocolate flavored Slim-Fast. Add half a cap⁵ of coconut extract and a tablespoon of cocoa powder.

Piña Colada

Use vanilla flavored Slim-Fast. Add half a cap of coconut extract. Add a few drops of pineapple extract.

Chocolate Mint

Use chocolate flavored Slim-Fast. Add a few drops of mint extract and a tablespoon of cocoa powder.

Chocolate Raspberry

Use chocolate flavored Slim-Fast. Add a few drops of raspberry extract and a tablespoon of cocoa powder.. Tastes just like those “gourmet” chocolates.

Cherry Cordial

Use chocolate flavored Slim-Fast. Add half a cap of cherry extract and a tablespoon of cocoa powder. Not as sweet as a Cherry Cordial but that’s what makes it better in my opinion.

Those are just a few ideas. Try any kind of extract you want. You’d be amazed how many different flavors you can create. And the beauty of these shakes? They are only 190 calories, or 210 when you add the cocoa. The calories can be lowered if you need to by leaving out the powdered milk. They just won’t be as smooth and creamy.

Enjoy and feel free to share any flavors you might find while experimenting with extracts. And if you have a Magic Bullet, feel free to share your recipes in the forum.

1. Comes in chocolate and vanilla. Use whichever makes sense to use in the alterations below. [«]
2. It flows around the ice. [«]
3. This is where the Magic Bullet comes in handy. You mix in the mug and blend in the mug. [«]
4. 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder is only 20 calories. [«]
5. The cap on top of the bottle of extract. [«]

Posted by Saphrym

I’m a geek. There’s no doubt about it. I love playing Risk the board game. I enjoy trying out new apps on my iPhone. I don’t know what I would do without my DVR that lets me watch television on my own schedule. And instead of things like gold cufflinks that other more “professional” men may enjoy, I am getting the “Christmas Jitters” for Spore. So the following video really made me want it even more:

Will Wright talks about the creativity of the game:

Is there anything you have the “Christmas Jitters” for?

Posted by Saphrym

This is in response to the statement posted in my forums by Eyespi:

I like your instructional posts…¹ I keep referring people to your blog to read those posts.
ê¿ê

I’ve got a new one for you then. Topics. That’s right. I said topics. Topics. Topics. Topics. Topics. Topics. Topics. Topics. Topics.

I know. I’m spamming my own post with the word “topics.” No, I’m not trying to get rated highly in the Google search engines for the word “topics.” I’m just trying to make a point about “topics.”

I’m one of those people who can write just about anything as long as I have a topic. I can research topics if I don’t know anything about them. If I do know about them, I’ll write about them without as much research. Either way, they normally get written quickly. It’s just the way I am. But here’s my problem:

“Topics.”

I know. I used that word again. But to write about something, you must have a topic in mind. I can sit there and think for hours and never come up with a topic. So the rest of this post is dedicated to the top 5 ways I know of finding good topics.

1. Read. Read the news. Read other blogs. Let those topics start creating themselves in your brain as you look around. Don’t steal ideas of course. But feel free to use what you read as a jumping off point to start your own discussion. Here’s a few different things you can read for ideas:
   • Novels
   • Newspapers
   • News Websites
   • Blogs

   You get the idea.

2. Watch. Again. Feel free to watch movies and television shows and write what you think about them. Let them kick start your mind. Movie reviews are a great way to share your opinions. Maybe the nightly news sparked an idea for a topic.
3. Speak. Have a conversation with your friends. During that conversation, topics are bound to come up. Kind of hard to have a conversation without topics. Use those topics in your writing. Feel free to quote your friends.²
4. Listen. Television and books aren’t the only media out there. Listen to your favorite radio shows. Even listening to music, especially lyrics, can help you come up with a topic.³
5. Ask. This one is not as obvious, but it gives great results. For example, I asked over at the Entrecard forums for some topic ideas and got plenty. Recently, I created my own forums and started asking for topics there. I’ve already written quite a few posts using those sources. Asking has got to be one of the best methods of coming up with topics I’ve ever used. Why? Because a lot of people already read your words. They have preferences of what they want to read from you. So let them tell you those preferences.

Ok. So you now have topics. Or do you? See, the important thing to do is get those ideas for topics on “paper.”⁴ Grab pen and paper, PDA, or handheld digital/tape recorder and start keeping track of all of those ideas. Then use them. No use in having topics to write about if you’re not going to write about them, right?⁵

Hope this helps you guys who seem to get stuck with “writer’s block” like I used to. Don’t forget: Topics.

Do you have any other methods of finding topics that you use? Feel free to share in the comments. Would love to hear them. Even specific shows, newspapers, etc. would be great to list.

1. Sorry. Had to, eyespi. Couldn’t resist. [«]
2. Make sure to give credit where it’s due though. [«]
3. You didn’t spend all that money on those audio racks for nothing, did you? [«]
4. I put “paper” in quotes because there are many electronic ways of doing so. For instance I use an iPhone and the Jott application. [«]
5. Catch the alliteration? [«]

Posted by Saphrym

This is in response to the question asked in my forums by Lady Rose:

If you had one wish from the Genie of Blogs what would it be?

That’s easy. I’d ask for a plasma television. Oh, wait. You said “Genie of Blogs,” huh? Doesn’t matter. The television would be selfish anyway. But a wish for my blog? Hmmm. Let me think.

I could ask for world blogger peace. But if that existed, the bloggers wouldn’t have anything to write about. Hmmm.

I could ask for millions of advertisers to line up in my e-mail all wanting to pay astronomical amounts of money to advertise on my blog. But I’m only one man. Don’t know if I could handle all the e-mails. Might make the wrong person angry. Hmmm.

I could ask to be a better blogger. But that’s subjective. The Genie might give me an extra arm and hand for the mouse. Hmmm.

I could ask for millions of eyes to be on my blog. But that would get yucky. Eyeballs are wet and nasty. Hmmm.

Seriously, I think I’d ask for as many people as possible to read my blog. Why? Well, why not? I’d enjoy the company. I’d also enjoy the feedback. Probably wouldn’t like the death threats and flaming, but I’ve dealt with those before.

What would you ask for?

Posted by Saphrym

Posted by Saphrym

I’m one of those people that likes to pick one service and stick with it. People have tons of different profile sites. My favorite is Facebook, but I’m forced to keep a MySpace. When it comes to payment processors, I love PayPal. But I tried something different recently, and ended up quite impressed.

I received a gift certificate for Tiger Direct. So I went over there to pick out something. I decided to go for a tablet since I do a lot of graphics design. Never had one before. However, the gift certificate didn’t quite cover it. So while I was checking out, I noticed a new payment method in the drop down box of the credit cards. It was called eBillme. I like to try new things, so I picked it out of curiosity.

Here’s how it worked:

1. I had to agree to pay the bill through eBillme.
2. I received my bill in e-mail.
3. I went to my bank account and used their bill pay service to pay the bill.
4. eBillme got the money and sent it to Tiger Direct.
5. Tiger Direct shipped my tablet.¹

It was that simple. The directions at the eBillme website helped me figure out exactly what I was doing. And now that I’ve added them as a bill to my bank account, I will never have to set them up again. Here’s a list of all the places that currently accept eBillme as a payment form: List of Merchants

Here’s the pros and cons as I see it:

CON – Was a little confusing to get them set up as a bill at my bank account. However their instructions made it much simpler once I found where they were.² So even my “con” isn’t really a bad thing since they have it taken care of. They even have a cool little demo to explain their service:

PRO – Secure. Seriously. Have you ever used a bill pay service at your bank? The company that receives the money only receives the money. They don’t receive your credit card information or bank account info. So paying using this method has got to be one of the most secure methods I’ve ever used.

So, when you go online shopping, feel free to see if eBillme is offered. It’s a very secure and easy way to pay for your purchase. I’ll be using it more often.

1. Should be here tomorrow. I’m excited to try it out. [«]
2. Which should have been obvious. But I’m not known for noticing the obvious very often. [«]

Posted by Saphrym