I tried

In the quest to decide between another car or fixing this one, all while trying to get my car legal (inspection) I hit another road block. I took my car to the dealership today because when I failed my inspection I got a paper saying I needed to get recall work done. I thought maybe that would fix my car enough in order to get an inspection. I was wrong. The lady at the dealership said all recall work was done. So now I'm at a mechanic shop waiting to see if they can fix it. My ongoing car drama........to be continued.

Why you need science

     First of all, I'm typing this from a hospital been on my phone. I love technology. Now on with my story. I want to write this mainly for my students but also for anyone who sat in science class and wondered "Why do I need to know this?" Here's a perfect example.

   Yesterday I went out to eat some sushi and catch a movie after a long day of ripping and running around. After the movie I got home and felt a little backed up. I figured it was just gas so I took some alka seltzer and figured it would be better in the morning. When I woke up my side was still hurting which I thought was weird since I had used the rest room a few times since it first started hurting. Here comes the science. At that point I realized it could be something else. So I started going through possibilities in my mind. I reasoned out that it wasn't gas, it wasn't a muscle cramp so it must be something else. Knowing the symptoms of appendicitis saved me from what could've been a truly horrible experience. I took some time and looked up appendicitis symptoms and tried to factor out any other possibilities. I used the scientific method in order to know what was wrong with me. Once I got to the emergency room I was able to tell them what I thought was wrong and after they ran their test they found that I was correct in my assessment of the situation. So kids learn how to think critically and use the science that's taught to you. Not just to pass a test, but to make your world and your life that much better.

     Thanks for your time and I'll update you after the surgery.   

Up late

Well I just finished typing up a review for my students. I'm trying to ride this technology push that the district is on. I like being able to have a class blog and such but I'm not sure how much it's being used. I'd like it to be a living document and form of communication between me and the kids, but it hasn't gotten there yet. I don't know if it's due to lack of access or just lack of caring but at least I'm trying. I'm enjoying my new school but I miss somethings about my old school too. I guess that just comes with change. I hope that my kids perform like I know they can. It just seems like sometimes it's a set up for a teacher. You do all they tell you to do and when it comes down to it you're left with your head in your hands wondering what happened. I'm hoping for the best. Sidebar: I'm still not convinced by the Apple hype. I guess it's just not my cup of tea.

I just wanted to check in and say hi to the folks who take the time to read my ramblings. I haven't had too many wacky things going on so I haven't had much to say. I guess that's good and bad. With that being said I'll call it a night. Have a good one.

September 13, 2010

I should probably be asleep, but I'm not tired. Figured I'd chime in. It's been a while. The school year has started and I'm at a new school which I like. I really like the principal and my co-workers have been very welcoming. I like my students too. I miss some of my old students but I know they're going to do fine.
I just finished Ramadan and that was an enlightening experience. I lost a few pounds but I feel better for it. It was a time to purge the body and clear the mind. If you haven't fasted before you should try it. It's a humbling experience. I'm thankful for the opportunity to participate.
Mobilecrew is coming along, but has sort of stalled. Steven and I are still working on some things, but it seems like we've lost a little steam. We're going to hit up the android bbq in Austin in October and hopefully we can get some good content, contacts and motivation from there. Hopefully one day it'll take off to where we can actually make some money from it.
The Saints won a good game in the season opener. I'm proud to see the Saints winning. It does my heart good. I wish my grandpa had his season tickets now. He wouldn't know what to do with himself.
I'd like to thank my in-laws and all of their family friends for welcoming into their families and their culture. It's been a wonderful experience. I would also like to say Thanks to my family for welcoming Nadia in also. Married life has been nice so far. I've enjoyed it.
Currently I'm in a bball league, coed football and soccer league and a men's soccer league. It's been keeping my lung capacity pretty good. I've been having a fun time learning how to play soccer. I'm no Pele but I'm not that bad. It's a fun game.
I don't really feel like ranting or raving about anything tonight so I'll leave off here. I wish you a great night and a wonderful week until we meet again. Take care.

Garret LoPorto: Class of 2010: Epic FAIL? ...Why Nobody Wants Class of 2010 Grads.

I've been hinting at this for a while, but people with journalism jobs put it together a little bit better than I have. LOL! Enjoy the read.


Garret LoPorto: Class of 2010: Epic FAIL? ...Why Nobody Wants Class of 2010 Grads.

Droid x

For those of you that know me, I'm sort of a phone geek. Well today the Droid X (Verizon's newest android phone) was being released in Dallas. It wasn't just a normal release it was like the intersection between fanaticism, nerdiness, obsession, and geocaching all wrapped up into a hot summer Texas day. I told myself a few days ago if this challenge came to Dallas I would try it and by golly that's what happened. Let's get to the day's events.

I got up about 9:30 this morning, checked my twitter feed and they were telling Dallas that today was the day. So I hopped the downtown train and off I went. I made it to the grassy knoll and waited. Hadn't seen an actual clue since the night before so I walked around checking in the bushes and on and under benches and such just trying to get an edge. As I searched, I noticed others doing the same but I didn't say anything. At this point I was feverishly refreshing Touiteur (Twitter client for Android - free and paid version in the market). After a couple of hours I decided to just sit and wait for the @droidlanding update. While sitting there I met Aaron (@devdroidian) and Ben, also fellow droids and we started chatting it up about where it could be and sharing android stories. Two really awesome guys. We hung out and checked the Old Red museum-nothing there, the grassy knoll - nothing there, so we started just walking around. On our way back towards Dealy plaza Aaron gets the coordinates for the phone so we fire up Google navigation and it leads us to Sonny Bryan's bbq restaurant where there are people with video cameras and no one saying anything. As we're heading there we see the mob of people and we all converge on the restaurant. We're looking in and on and around everything. Eventually someone finds the card with the eye on it and just like that it was over. I would like to say congrats to the guy who won and "Thanks!" to the android community for being so frikkin' awesome.

All being said and done it was a fun day. I enjoyed snooping around downtown Dallas for the Droid x and look forward to meeting more android enthusiast. Now I'd like to leave you with a few last thoughts and a couple of vids. First, if you haven't tried android you should. It's on all 4 carriers and the community is awesome. Second, the big android bar bq is in Austin in October (). Third, if you're a mobile phone enthusiast check out (a site some friends and I are working on to connect DFW mobile enthusiast).Finally, enjoy the vids and be sure to leave some comments. Take care!!

It's been a while

Now I'm married, enjoying summer and looking forward to a new school year. I'll be at a new school and in a new district so we'll see how that goes. I need to take some time and get some work done for mobile crew. Me and a couple of friends started a site called mobilecrew.org. It's a website for a mobile users group in Dallas. We're trying to get it off the ground. If you have any suggestions I'd be glad to hear them.

LeBron went to the Heat, Lindsay Lohan is going to jail, The Real World is back in New Orleans, TO is still out of work, Chris Brown cried at the BET awards, Paris Hilton was detained in S. Africa during the world cup and now you're caught up on useless celebrity news.

I'm playing soccer now and it's been pretty fun. We have a game tomorrow. Spain and The Netherlands are in the World cup finals and I'm ready for the next episode of True Blood. I miss Treme already.

I really don't have much going on. Just wanted to say hi.