All About That Lightning Game

It's no secret that the Lightning have been wildly under-performing this season, so when I was summoned to use the available ticket my son had, my expectations were not high. 

Nevertheless, we headed down to Tampa on December 23. Traffic on I4 was worse than usual and did not thin out till we passed Champions Gate, but we still had time to stop at Five Guys for dinner. 

Love those free peanuts --- I take them home for the squirrels.

Walking through downtown Tampa on the way to Amalie, I am always intrigued by the Regions Bank. It looks like a house on the top of a building. 

While I wasn't expecting much, the game ended up being probably the best, most comprehensive game I've seen them play. 

They scored early (on the first shot actually) and often.  

Before the game, we always put bets on who will score first. This time, all three of us picked Point --- and all three of us were correct!

At the end of the 1st period it was already 3-0 

They added two more in the 2nd period

And another in the 3rd for a 6-1 win. 

Not a good game for poor Bobrovsky. But since he played like a madman in the playoffs shutting down the Lightning's offense, I didn't feel all that bad.  

Fun evening --- always better when we can enjoy a win. 

The Good With the Bad

The father of my little sweetheart came into school this morning to deliver a present to me. This was so incredibly sweet as one would expect that to be the last thing on his mind right now. 

Superman (what I'm calling him) had a port placed on Tuesday and started chemo yesterday and, according to dad, the effects were almost immediate. Yesterday there were no smiles from him at all which breaks my heart because he was always smiling!!! 

But along with this heartbreaking update came great news. His leukemia is type ALL and not AML!  This is the best possible outcome as childhood ALL has a less harsh treatment protocol (doesn't require a bone marrow transplant) and a much higher survival rate (90%). 

In fact, as a coincidental twist of fate, one of our teachers is himself a 12 year survivor of ALL.  

In other good news, he should be out of the hospital in time to celebrate Christmas at home. 

When the Sadness Comes

On average, students spend more than 1,000 hours/yr with their teacher.  That number is astonishing. In all my years of teaching, I never stopped to think about time with my students in terms of hours spent with them. 

I guess that is because I never believed hours spent with them mattered much. To me, it was about building relationships with them. In this day of age of "rigorous instruction" and pushing to spend every single minute in the classroom doing curriculum, the relational part of teaching is dying away.  In fact, taking classroom time to establish relationships is seen more as a cover for lack of content knowledge or means of avoiding rigor. 

It gives me a lot of pleasure to connect with my students on a real and personal level. I like to know what their favorite color is, what is their favorite thing to do, how many siblings do they have, how do they enjoy spending their free time, etc. 

However, when things go badly, this pleasure can quickly turn to sadness and heartache. 

That is where I find myself right now...heavyhearted and hurting. 

One of my students is sick...very sick...diagnosed with leukemia. 

I am heartbroken for everything he will have to endure during this next year (at least)... pain, fevers, surgeries, spinal taps, bone marrow aspirates, lumbar punctures, chemo, hair loss, steroids, port accesses; the list goes on and makes me feel sick. A 7 year old should not have to go through this.  

   Sweet Skyler on our field trip beginning of October

Hang tough man...show that leukemia who's in charge! Beat it like a BOSS! 

Christmas Lights at Sea World

Now that Hollywood Studios pulled the plug on the Osbourne Spectacle of Lights, Sea World probably wins for best Christmas Light Display at an Orlando area theme park .

Since I get in free with my Universal employee ID and CJ gets in free as an educator, it has become a tradition to go the first Friday in December and walk through the park. 

Seeing as I get in free and it is only about a 10 minute walk from my apartment, it's actually amazing that this is only time I get there. I heard a radio advertising annual passes for $11 a month with no down payment so I am going to check it out for Zack.  He had one for the first 6 months we lived here. 

It turned out to be a gorgeous night in the low 70's.  Here are some images (mostly from Google)

The Saga Continues

Remember this post?

Well...let's tally another one.

It all began on Monday November 4. While driving to work, the RPM's spiked two or three times when using the cruise control. And then..............


I had someone from AAA come out during the school day to check the car, but aside from the battery (which failed the test) he could not find anything wrong and even told me the check engine light was not on anymore.  

And true enough, when I turned the car on after school the check engine light was not on. I was so hopeful!!!!

But then, as soon as I got on the turnpike and tried turning the cruise control  on...


And then, as if things couldn't get worse, the car started making this horrible knocking noise.  I decided to stay away from Carl Black this time and called the Starling Chevrolet dealership in St. Cloud instead. It was a great decision. 

It was not until November 12 that I could get a loaner so I had to depend on my friend to get to and back from school and my sons to pick me up from Huntington. 

I finally got my car back last week Monday after one new battery, one new tire, one new battery cable, a turbo repair, and $580!!! 

Thankfully, they were able to get the turbo covered under warranty because that would have been a $1,000 fix. 

Wrapping Up HHN

This year HHN was wildly disappointing.  For some reason, Universal decided to ban employees from using their ID's to enter the park for the month of October which meant I had a meager three weeks to enjoy the event before the restriction took effect. 

And honestly, during those three weeks, I did not enjoy it as much as usual because, as ridiculous as it may sound, I didn't want to attach emotion to an event I knew would be off limits to me.  

Truth be told, while refusing admission at the park entrance would be easy, there is no way to monitor admission if an employee were to enter from the back, but if caught, their employment may be terminated and for me, it was not worth the risk. So...I just didn't go. 

However, on the final night of HHN (November 2), my son bought me a ticket...and not just a regular ticket either.  He bought me an express pass!!!!  Which meant that he and I could take in all 10 houses and see the laser show twice!  

I don't remember the EXACT order of the houses, but I'm going to do my best...

The evening commenced with US. This house was based off the movie by the same name (which I have yet to watch).  It was an incredibly detailed house but not having seen the movie I was left to stitch together what I knew from the previews and form my own story line. Still...a good house.

After that we moved on to Yeti.  I had been through this house one time before and the theme is just as you'd expect. A walking trip through the Yukon looking to avoid the massive Yeti and the terrible fate that befell those who went before you. 

I believe at this point, we moved to the back of the park and this is where the house order gets a little fuzzy.  So I'm just going to do them in the order of location.

House of 1,000 Corpses
Let's start with the obvious, this house has 1,000 corpses. This was yet another house based off a movie I have not seen so there wasn't much of a reference point, but still was good for providing some creeps. 

Depths of Fear
I went through this house quite a bit before being banned from attending.  The premise being creatures that spew acid and infect an underwater mining facility. The sounds in this house were impressive and really added to the details, HOWEVER, big thumbs down to Universal for putting an affected and suffering dog (complete with high pitched whining) in the house. BOO! 

Nightingales:
The first time I went through this house, the smell nearly did me in. I am not sure what they were going for, but the odor was not enticing at all. On this night, it was toned down a bit. The house takes you back to ancient Rome where the Nightingales feast on the bodies of the dead and dying. The house was pretty underwhelming in my opinion. 

Graveyard Games
I feel certain this house could have become one of my favorites of all time if I had the chance to go through it more than the three times I did.  As implied by the title, a group of teens playing in a cemetery awaken the corpses of the dead. This house was good for a lot of creeps, especially at the end when you hear ghosts whispering, "come play with us."

Monsters of Universal
This house features many of the iconic Monsters from Universal films....Dracula, the wolfman, Frankenstein, the Mummy, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. I really enjoyed this house. 

At this point, we got a spot to watch the 9:00 laser show. 

This 10 minute show was jam packed with water effects, lasers, and projections from Stranger Things, Ghostbusters, Universal  Monsters, and Killer Klowns from Outer Space. Exceptional! 

After the show, we rushed over to Ghostbusters and Stanger Things. . No doubt Stranger Things is a fan favorite, but again, I have not watched season two yet so the overall theme of the house escaped me. I thought Ghostbusters was good as a fun tribute to the movie, but not good for scares (which I was okay with).

After that, we decided to wait in a short standby line for Killer Klowns. Last year a scare zone....this year, a full-fledged house. A fun, bright, and whimsical house filled with yummy smells, neon lights, carnival music, and lots of killer klowns! Love the movie ---loved the house. 

We capped off the evening by watching the 11:00 laser show and going through Killer Klowns using our express passes. 

It was an amazing evening and I'm so grateful to my son for it!!!!

Ranking Horror Movies

10). Trick R Treat


Four cunning stories are woven together in this epic tale. 1). A high school principal who moonlights as a viscous serial killer.  2). A college virgin who is saving herself for he right person. 3). A husband and wife; one loves Halloween, the other does not. 4). A group of heartless teenagers carry out a deplorable prank. Full of atmosphere and plenty of blood. 
Rotten Tomato Score
Tomato Meter: 84%   Audience Meter: 71%

9). Sleepaway Camp II


A silly and ridiculous 80's slasher movie. In this sequel, Angela is now a camp counselor and when campers fail to conduct themselves with integrity, she steps in and disciplines then is gruesome and horrid ways. It was good for several laughs as the story-line and acting are a bit feeble.

Rotten Tomato Score
Tomato Meter: 40%  Audience Meter: 42%

8). Return of the Living Dead

Another little jewel from the 80's (see a theme here?). In this classic movie, a chemical is released into the atmosphere and finds its way to a cemetery, resurrecting all the bodies that were buried there. These corpses are hungry and looking for human brains to eat. Again, intentional or not, this iconic movie is equal parts horror and comedy. 
Rotten Tomato Score
Tomato Meter: 91%    Audience Score: 79%

7). Motel Hell


Another 80's campy gem. The premise is ridiculous yet horrifying. The bizarre collusion that Farmer Vincent is operating, is casually interspersed with humor; intended or not.  
Rotten Tomato Score
 Tomato Meter 71%   Audience Meter 46%

6). It Follows

After a sexual encounter, a teenager finds herself being followed by an entity only she can she. The only way to get rid of it? Sleep with somebody and pass the entity on to them. While not a horror movie that has a kill count, the suspense and tension you feel as watch this movie is more than worth it. 
Rotten Tomato Score
Tomato Meter: 96%   Audience Meter: 66%



5). You Better Watch Out

I love a movie with a Christmas theme!  In this twisted horror film, a babysitter encounters terror as she starts out protecting her young charges from an intruder, but is shocked when she discovers who the real "inturder" is. The violence does get a little graphic, but the movie as a whole has kind of a satirical feel to it and the ending leaves the watcher smiling. 
Rotten Tomato Score
 Tomato Meter: 89%   Audience Meter: 66%

4). Sleep Away Camp

An 80's gem and a typical slasher movie of the era. When Angela and her cousin Ricky go to camp, one killing after another ensues. We definitely had some good laughs watching this movie; mostly over the clothes and the language.  The surpise twist ending caught me totally off guard. 
Rotten Tomato Score
Tomato Meter: 74%   Audience Meter: 60%


3). Behind the Mask: the Rise of Leslie Vernon. 
A documentary style movie, Behind the Mask follows Leslie Vernon, who is an aspiring serial killer, as he makes preparations for a killing spree of partying teenagers. This movie was entertaining with moments of humor peppered between the horror as he carries out the planned murders. It also incorporated a little twist at the end. 
Rotten Tomato Score
Tomato Meter: 76%    Audience Meter: 75%

2). Fright Night (1985 Version)

In this cult classic, a teenage boy named Charley discovers his neighbor is a vampire. When no one believes his claim, he attempts to get a TV show host who starred in vampire movies to help stop the killing. This film is a perfect balance of parody and horror. The special effects in this movie were incredible considering it was made back in the 80's. I only wish I had the opportunity to see this on the big screen.
Rotten Tomato Score:
Tomato Meter: 91%     Audience Score: 76%

1). What We Do in the Shadows

A documentary crew follows 4 vampires who live together. Written and directed by Jermaine Clement and Taika Waititi, the movie chronicles the lives of vampires Petyr, Deacon, Vladislov (played by Clement), and Viago  (played by Waititi).
This movie is full of laughs as the four squabble about chores, try to keep up with present technology, mix it up with the local werewolves, visit the neighborhood pubs, and try to survive on their diet of blood. 
Rotten Tomato Score:
Tomato Meter: 96%    Audience Score: 86%

That Which Will Catch You Up

My crazy life continues. I work 12 hour days on at least Tuesdays and Thursdays but sometimes more. 

Even when I am home, it seems as if I am doing something school related. 

Blogging obviously takes a back seat.

But here's a sample of what's been going on

1). 

Designing Women
I LOVE this show!!! Occasionally I would check Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Hulu hoping that one of those providers offered it with no success. So you can imagine how excited I was on Saturday when I discover it is now on Hulu!  I've been binge watching it ever since,

2). A Visit
Jon's sweet girlfriend visited at the end of August. Never having been to Florida before, she wanted to do all the Disney and Universal stuff. Jon, who hates anything that has to do with theme parks, was a good sport and played tourist along with her. While I was not able to join them for any of the theme park visits (school was back in session), we were able to watch a movie over at C.J.'s on a Friday night, and then on Saturday we drove over to Daytona Beach to have pizza with my parents and sister. Since she also had never seen the ocean, we made a stop in Ormond to walk the beach. Parking was crazy so I ended up just dropping them off and waiting in the parking lot across the street. It was a beautiful day. 

3).  Excema
I am still dealing with insane excema on my feet! I'm pretty sure it is related to the fibromyalgia. 

4). A T-Shirt 
I love, love, love the t-shirt my friend Mere bought for me 

5)  Pool
After more than two years of the bulb in our pool being out, they FINALLY replaced it last weekend. It looks so nice again.

6.  Sadie
Anything on the counter for longer than 3 seconds is fair game for her to sit on.

7). Ollie
Ollie took a page out of Sadie's book this week and I found him like this.

I sure love my pets