My love and passion for my Irish heritage combined with my love for music inevitably led me to discover a performance group called Celtic Woman. It's a group of 5 women, one of them an astounding violinist, and the others captivating vocalists. They perform a range of repertoire from pop songs, to traditional songs, to Celtic songs, and even classical music.
They have 5 DVDs out:
1. Celtic Woman
2. A New Journey
3. The Essential Collection
4. A Christmas Celebration
5. Songs From the Heart
I own all but the 3rd one. I've seen them in concert, and their DVD performances have literally moved me to tears. I even own a copy of their song book so I can learn their songs whenever I want.
If you've never seen or heard them, find them on YouTube or iTunes.
Slainté!
- Posted from my iPhone
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Never a dull moment
Wow. I think that's all I can say about today. Wow. If you follow me on Twitter, I'm blogging about my most recent post, about a couple of students.
In education, especially at the elementary level, there's never a dull moment. Really, there isn't. From watching kids throw up in front of you, to the silliest things they say that make you laugh, to accidents that can happen right on your floor, there's never. a dull. moment. And yes, I've witnessed all these events first-hand, and all 3 have happened this school year. :-)
But I digress.
I love getting new students. Over the few years I've taught, I wonder what exactly it is I like about getting new students. Could it be the new face in the room, the new personality to experience? As much as both of those are significant reasons for my love of getting new kids, I think what I like the most is that when you've got a new one, there are a lot of variables in place that can affect the child's experience with you, their new peers, and the new environment. So I think what I like the most is that I have a raw opportunity to give them a *positive* classroom experience; with our activities, rules and procedures, and so forth. That being said...
My first class, 5th grade, had a new student. [Sidenote: Now with almost 3 years of teaching under my belt, I love how I can tell when a student is absent, and when a student is new.] This new boy was from Russia (RUSSIA! - FYI, I love meeting people from other countries, I really do!) but had lived in NYC for a few years. His teacher told me there was a language barrier, as his English wasn't very good.
As I do with all new students, I went over the rules in my class. I asked him how his English was. In a very thick accent, he responded, "Not bad, but not good." He did say he understood everything I was saying. I told him the only Russian I knew was Da and Niet which mean "Yes" and "No" respectively. When I said that, he smiled and nodded. :-)
Today, the 5th graders were practicing their recorders, and since we're getting closer to the end of the year, I'm teaching them the Ode to Joy from Beethoven's 5th symphony, as the melody consists of all the notes they know how to play on the recorder so far. Well, the new boy said he had never played a musical instrument. He recognized the music staff, but knew nothing about it.
Once the practicing was done, most of the kids were insistent on playing a game, and we played a famous favorite called 4 Corners. He had never heard of it before, of course, but I'd glance at him during the game several times and caught a nice smile. What does it say about me wanting to be liked by a new student? I think to myself, Okay, I really want this new kid to look forward to music class. I hope they like what we do here! Once class was over, I handed him a recorder order form so he could buy one for himself. It seemed like class went well.
Then 4th grade came. Before I discuss 4th grade's lesson, let me mention this: When I arrive at school each day, it's a little routine for me to go to my classroom, drop off my stuff, log on to my computer, check e-mail, and then I go to the front office where I greet and hug the school secretary and our head custodian. Upon entering this time, I noticed a new face. I was sure he was either 4th or 5th grade. Blond (almost red) hair, blue eyes, just a really sweet looking kid. I didn't talk to him at all, just smiled in passing. Of all days, he turned out to be in the 4th grade class I'd see that day. Though I don't divulge names on my blog, I'll say this: he's the only one with his name I've ever met, and his name is a movie title. What was so fascinating about this one? He'd been homeschooled his whole life, and today was his first day, ever, in public school. Again, another raw opportunity to provide a positive experience for a first-timer. I had the honor of being his first public school music teacher. :-)
*sigh* I love my job. I'm happy when I'm doing it. And I love, love, LOVE the people I work with. I can honestly say I do what I like and I like what I do. I'm very blessed. I don't know how I got this lucky to be doing what I'm doing, but I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be.
In education, especially at the elementary level, there's never a dull moment. Really, there isn't. From watching kids throw up in front of you, to the silliest things they say that make you laugh, to accidents that can happen right on your floor, there's never. a dull. moment. And yes, I've witnessed all these events first-hand, and all 3 have happened this school year. :-)
But I digress.
I love getting new students. Over the few years I've taught, I wonder what exactly it is I like about getting new students. Could it be the new face in the room, the new personality to experience? As much as both of those are significant reasons for my love of getting new kids, I think what I like the most is that when you've got a new one, there are a lot of variables in place that can affect the child's experience with you, their new peers, and the new environment. So I think what I like the most is that I have a raw opportunity to give them a *positive* classroom experience; with our activities, rules and procedures, and so forth. That being said...
My first class, 5th grade, had a new student. [Sidenote: Now with almost 3 years of teaching under my belt, I love how I can tell when a student is absent, and when a student is new.] This new boy was from Russia (RUSSIA! - FYI, I love meeting people from other countries, I really do!) but had lived in NYC for a few years. His teacher told me there was a language barrier, as his English wasn't very good.
As I do with all new students, I went over the rules in my class. I asked him how his English was. In a very thick accent, he responded, "Not bad, but not good." He did say he understood everything I was saying. I told him the only Russian I knew was Da and Niet which mean "Yes" and "No" respectively. When I said that, he smiled and nodded. :-)
Today, the 5th graders were practicing their recorders, and since we're getting closer to the end of the year, I'm teaching them the Ode to Joy from Beethoven's 5th symphony, as the melody consists of all the notes they know how to play on the recorder so far. Well, the new boy said he had never played a musical instrument. He recognized the music staff, but knew nothing about it.
Once the practicing was done, most of the kids were insistent on playing a game, and we played a famous favorite called 4 Corners. He had never heard of it before, of course, but I'd glance at him during the game several times and caught a nice smile. What does it say about me wanting to be liked by a new student? I think to myself, Okay, I really want this new kid to look forward to music class. I hope they like what we do here! Once class was over, I handed him a recorder order form so he could buy one for himself. It seemed like class went well.
Then 4th grade came. Before I discuss 4th grade's lesson, let me mention this: When I arrive at school each day, it's a little routine for me to go to my classroom, drop off my stuff, log on to my computer, check e-mail, and then I go to the front office where I greet and hug the school secretary and our head custodian. Upon entering this time, I noticed a new face. I was sure he was either 4th or 5th grade. Blond (almost red) hair, blue eyes, just a really sweet looking kid. I didn't talk to him at all, just smiled in passing. Of all days, he turned out to be in the 4th grade class I'd see that day. Though I don't divulge names on my blog, I'll say this: he's the only one with his name I've ever met, and his name is a movie title. What was so fascinating about this one? He'd been homeschooled his whole life, and today was his first day, ever, in public school. Again, another raw opportunity to provide a positive experience for a first-timer. I had the honor of being his first public school music teacher. :-)
*sigh* I love my job. I'm happy when I'm doing it. And I love, love, LOVE the people I work with. I can honestly say I do what I like and I like what I do. I'm very blessed. I don't know how I got this lucky to be doing what I'm doing, but I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Lovin' the oven
For anyone that may come across my blog and wonder why it's titled The Oven, there's a reason that stems from a story of 3 people: myself, my friend Cindy, and my college piano professor, Fritz.
So, Cindy and I met a few years ago while I was in graduate school at Texas State. She's an amazing individual who's only added flavor to my life. One of her "things" is to give nicknames to anything and anyone. When she and I became friends, she wwas trying to come up with a nickname for me. The process went something like this:
C: How about Jimmylicious?
J: Nah, sounds too cliché.
C: Jimmysome?
J: How did you get that one?
C: Jimmy + awesome = Jimmysome!
J: No. I don't like that.
C: Jimmysomelovin'!
J: That's cute, but nah, too silly. But you know something? This reminds me of a funny story. I was in Laredo at my university once, spending some time with my piano professor, Fritz. I can't remember what we were talking about, but at one point, I got really silly and told him, "Bad Fritz! No Fritzbiscuit for you!" He replied to me, "'Fritzbiscuit'? I don't even wanna know what that is!"
C: JIMMYBISCUIT!
J: Hey, I think I like that!
And the name stuck. I'm called Biscuit for short. It's become one of my favorite nicknames. The "biscuit" part of it also refers to my very irreverent, naughty, and even sexual sense of humor as well as the ditzy side of my personality. There was one time when Cindy was wearing a t-shirt with an upward-pointing arrow across her chest. Beneath the arrow read, Hey, I'm up here. To the average guy, it's a witty way of saying, "Stop looking at my boobs; my face is up here if you want to talk to me." Well, I saw the arrow, but I didn't perceive it as one at first.
I asked Cindy, "I don't get your shirt. What's the house with the words underneath supposed to mean?"
She shook her head, laughed, and gave me a big hug. "Oh, my Biscuit," she said. You're so adorably gay. It's not a house, it's an arrow across my boobs telling guys to look at my face if they want to talk to me."
That's the BISCUIT!
But where is a biscuit before it's time to eat? In the oven. So, "the oven" is a metaphor for me. Reading my blog is stepping into a part of my mind, like stepping into an oven and being surrounded by heat. Depending on my social environment, I may be very "straight-acting" or more of a flamer than Sean Hayes' character Jack McFarland on Will & Grace.
Long live the Biscuit!
...and the oven too.
So, Cindy and I met a few years ago while I was in graduate school at Texas State. She's an amazing individual who's only added flavor to my life. One of her "things" is to give nicknames to anything and anyone. When she and I became friends, she wwas trying to come up with a nickname for me. The process went something like this:
C: How about Jimmylicious?
J: Nah, sounds too cliché.
C: Jimmysome?
J: How did you get that one?
C: Jimmy + awesome = Jimmysome!
J: No. I don't like that.
C: Jimmysomelovin'!
J: That's cute, but nah, too silly. But you know something? This reminds me of a funny story. I was in Laredo at my university once, spending some time with my piano professor, Fritz. I can't remember what we were talking about, but at one point, I got really silly and told him, "Bad Fritz! No Fritzbiscuit for you!" He replied to me, "'Fritzbiscuit'? I don't even wanna know what that is!"
C: JIMMYBISCUIT!
J: Hey, I think I like that!
And the name stuck. I'm called Biscuit for short. It's become one of my favorite nicknames. The "biscuit" part of it also refers to my very irreverent, naughty, and even sexual sense of humor as well as the ditzy side of my personality. There was one time when Cindy was wearing a t-shirt with an upward-pointing arrow across her chest. Beneath the arrow read, Hey, I'm up here. To the average guy, it's a witty way of saying, "Stop looking at my boobs; my face is up here if you want to talk to me." Well, I saw the arrow, but I didn't perceive it as one at first.
I asked Cindy, "I don't get your shirt. What's the house with the words underneath supposed to mean?"
She shook her head, laughed, and gave me a big hug. "Oh, my Biscuit," she said. You're so adorably gay. It's not a house, it's an arrow across my boobs telling guys to look at my face if they want to talk to me."
That's the BISCUIT!
But where is a biscuit before it's time to eat? In the oven. So, "the oven" is a metaphor for me. Reading my blog is stepping into a part of my mind, like stepping into an oven and being surrounded by heat. Depending on my social environment, I may be very "straight-acting" or more of a flamer than Sean Hayes' character Jack McFarland on Will & Grace.
Long live the Biscuit!
...and the oven too.
My straw may break soon
The only reason I'm writing this to you now is because there's a part of me that's as immature as I know you are. You're so young and have SO much to learn, but it seems you're more interested in being heard with a big mouth. I'll bet in your future, you may be like me...getting used to the taste of your own foot. There have been numerous times when I put my hand over my mouth because I immediately regret whatever I let slip out.
You have so much to offer people, but you're limiting yourself to so many things. You make yourself exclusive to your world. What bothers me about this is that I see a lot of myself in you. If I behaved the way you do and said what you say to me, then I really owe my parents an apology, because what you said, and how you said it did not sound anything near the respect I deserve from you. I've done so much for you, and I've put up with more of your bullshit than I probably should.
I wonder if I'm doing anything wrong? Is there a step with you I should or shouldn't have taken? If you're smart enough to be a smart-ass, then you should be smart enough to know when not to be one.
You're still so young. Now, I can see you getting along in your life and either being someone's bff, or the most annoyingly rude person on the planet to others. With me, you're unfortunately getting closer to the latter, especially with the remark you made to me today. You may not have meant it the way it came out, but I could've sworn you had dissed me, as if trying to look like you were better than others, even me.
I'm going to try different ways of approaching and talking to you. I'm still willing to help you in any way I can, but you've got to earn some of my respect back, because I can't work with people who don't respect me. Watch what you say, and watch what you do because if you keep treating others the way you're doing it now, you'll have a hard time making friends, much less keeping any.
You have so much to offer people, but you're limiting yourself to so many things. You make yourself exclusive to your world. What bothers me about this is that I see a lot of myself in you. If I behaved the way you do and said what you say to me, then I really owe my parents an apology, because what you said, and how you said it did not sound anything near the respect I deserve from you. I've done so much for you, and I've put up with more of your bullshit than I probably should.
I wonder if I'm doing anything wrong? Is there a step with you I should or shouldn't have taken? If you're smart enough to be a smart-ass, then you should be smart enough to know when not to be one.
You're still so young. Now, I can see you getting along in your life and either being someone's bff, or the most annoyingly rude person on the planet to others. With me, you're unfortunately getting closer to the latter, especially with the remark you made to me today. You may not have meant it the way it came out, but I could've sworn you had dissed me, as if trying to look like you were better than others, even me.
I'm going to try different ways of approaching and talking to you. I'm still willing to help you in any way I can, but you've got to earn some of my respect back, because I can't work with people who don't respect me. Watch what you say, and watch what you do because if you keep treating others the way you're doing it now, you'll have a hard time making friends, much less keeping any.
Monday, February 22, 2010
The teacher's mirror
It's my 3rd year as a teacher, and I'm really enjoying it. I have, like any teacher, had great days and terrible days. I've had moments of tremendous educational triumph, and moments of educational disaster. The triumphant days are pretty much when I feel like I'm on top of my game, I know what I'm doing, and all feels right with the world; these feelings also come with the moment I appreciate that I have the job I do since there are too many out there who literally only have a job for the money. I'm one of the lucky and blessed people who have a job they enjoy, know how to do, enjoy where they work, whom they work for and with, and get paid for it. Not many can say that nowadays. The disastrous days make me question my profession; should I be a teacher, or should I just stick to writing songs and getting discovered?
Being a modern-day teacher at the elementary level, I have moments - the kids obviously don't know this by the way - where I take a split second during instructional time and reflect on my style of teaching, my classroom management, and all the skills I've developed so far. In those split-second moments, I think to myself, I wonder if I'd like me as a teacher? I know some kids probably hate coming to music class. I know some kids really enjoy it, too! In fact, this past Friday, 2/19, while I was in front with car duty (putting the kids in cars as their parents arrived), a 3rd grader and his mom came up to me.
"Today's my last day, Mr. Hickey," he said.
I looked at his mother and asked, "Why? Where's he going?"
The mother explained that because of their location, he'll have to move to a different school in the district. I told him I'd miss him very much, and how much I enjoyed having him in music class. The mom then told me something that made my day: "That's what upset him the most about the move, because he's gonna miss you the most."... *bittersweet sigh*
To my delight, I saw the same kid at school today. I saw him eating lunch while on my way to get my own. I approached him. "What are you doing here? I thought you were leaving."
He answered, "We figured out that I can take the bus home after all, so I can stay here now."
I hugged him, told him I was excited I got to "keep" him, and walked away with a proud smile. A noteworthy mention is that this kid is new to our school this year. I've been at my current school for 2 years now. Had he left to the other school anyway, I told him that the music teacher over there was a very good friend of mine, and that she was an excellent music teacher, and that he'd have a blast. But I get to keep him. :-)
On the other hand, I have those who walk into music class, usually older kids, who don't give a flying fuck about what I have to teach them. They're not interested in singing, playing instruments, or understanding how to read music on the music staff. One thing that did break my heart was a few days ago. A 4th grade girl made the comment that band was for geeks. It saddened me that kids as young as she is think that way. She made that comment due to her own dislike of playing instruments, especially recorder. She was complaining about her difficulty in playing the recorder. Those in 4th grade will continue their recorder education into 5th grade, and I tell them that if they want to be in band in middle school, they need to learn to play the recorder first, especially if they want to play any of the woodwind instruments.
Said 4th grader needed some...guidance.
I asked her, "What's a geek?"
"I don't know. A geek is someone who's weird!"
"Really? What's weird about playing an instrument? I play the piano, so am I a geek?"
She started giggling and covered her face with her hands.
"Do you like Justin Bieber?" I asked.
She lit up and affirmed, "YES! He's so cute, and I love his voice!"
"Do you sing along to his songs?"
"Yes, I do! I love singing his songs!" Her enthusiasm filled the room.
"Well," I remarked, "if you enjoy singing, that means you're using your voice as an instrument to make music. So by your definition of band people being geeks, you must be a geek too!"
The entire class responded in a collective "Ooooohhh!"
I felt, in that moment, that I had come close to crossing the line of respect a teacher can have for his students. My intention, obviously, wasn't to make fun of her. I'm not interested in doing that. If anything, as a teacher, I need to help kids feel good about themselves by helping them to be successful in the activities they're engaged in. I simply wanted to take, what I thought was a necessary opportunity, to teach her about judging others.
And again, after these moments, I think to myself, What kind of teacher am I? Would I like me as a teacher? Why do the kids like or dislike me? What am I doing wrong? More importantly, what am I doing right?
I have moments when I'm probably too nice, and I have moments when I'm probably too strict. I can definitely be a Nazi of a teacher. Some classes I can make laugh very easily, so they come to music expecting to enjoy themselves. Those same classes are also very respectful when they see me get upset about anything.
I remember during my first year as a teacher at a different school. I approached a 5th grade teacher whose classroom was next to mine. I said, "This year's been interesting, and I think the hardest part has just been finding my style of teaching."
She agreed.
"What's your style of teaching?" I asked.
Without missing a beat, she answered, "It changes every year."
Fascinating.
To conclude this post on a lighter note, I must say that you know you've been in education too long when you refer to moments in your life by the semester in which they took place.
Being a modern-day teacher at the elementary level, I have moments - the kids obviously don't know this by the way - where I take a split second during instructional time and reflect on my style of teaching, my classroom management, and all the skills I've developed so far. In those split-second moments, I think to myself, I wonder if I'd like me as a teacher? I know some kids probably hate coming to music class. I know some kids really enjoy it, too! In fact, this past Friday, 2/19, while I was in front with car duty (putting the kids in cars as their parents arrived), a 3rd grader and his mom came up to me.
"Today's my last day, Mr. Hickey," he said.
I looked at his mother and asked, "Why? Where's he going?"
The mother explained that because of their location, he'll have to move to a different school in the district. I told him I'd miss him very much, and how much I enjoyed having him in music class. The mom then told me something that made my day: "That's what upset him the most about the move, because he's gonna miss you the most."... *bittersweet sigh*
To my delight, I saw the same kid at school today. I saw him eating lunch while on my way to get my own. I approached him. "What are you doing here? I thought you were leaving."
He answered, "We figured out that I can take the bus home after all, so I can stay here now."
I hugged him, told him I was excited I got to "keep" him, and walked away with a proud smile. A noteworthy mention is that this kid is new to our school this year. I've been at my current school for 2 years now. Had he left to the other school anyway, I told him that the music teacher over there was a very good friend of mine, and that she was an excellent music teacher, and that he'd have a blast. But I get to keep him. :-)
On the other hand, I have those who walk into music class, usually older kids, who don't give a flying fuck about what I have to teach them. They're not interested in singing, playing instruments, or understanding how to read music on the music staff. One thing that did break my heart was a few days ago. A 4th grade girl made the comment that band was for geeks. It saddened me that kids as young as she is think that way. She made that comment due to her own dislike of playing instruments, especially recorder. She was complaining about her difficulty in playing the recorder. Those in 4th grade will continue their recorder education into 5th grade, and I tell them that if they want to be in band in middle school, they need to learn to play the recorder first, especially if they want to play any of the woodwind instruments.
Said 4th grader needed some...guidance.
I asked her, "What's a geek?"
"I don't know. A geek is someone who's weird!"
"Really? What's weird about playing an instrument? I play the piano, so am I a geek?"
She started giggling and covered her face with her hands.
"Do you like Justin Bieber?" I asked.
She lit up and affirmed, "YES! He's so cute, and I love his voice!"
"Do you sing along to his songs?"
"Yes, I do! I love singing his songs!" Her enthusiasm filled the room.
"Well," I remarked, "if you enjoy singing, that means you're using your voice as an instrument to make music. So by your definition of band people being geeks, you must be a geek too!"
The entire class responded in a collective "Ooooohhh!"
I felt, in that moment, that I had come close to crossing the line of respect a teacher can have for his students. My intention, obviously, wasn't to make fun of her. I'm not interested in doing that. If anything, as a teacher, I need to help kids feel good about themselves by helping them to be successful in the activities they're engaged in. I simply wanted to take, what I thought was a necessary opportunity, to teach her about judging others.
And again, after these moments, I think to myself, What kind of teacher am I? Would I like me as a teacher? Why do the kids like or dislike me? What am I doing wrong? More importantly, what am I doing right?
I have moments when I'm probably too nice, and I have moments when I'm probably too strict. I can definitely be a Nazi of a teacher. Some classes I can make laugh very easily, so they come to music expecting to enjoy themselves. Those same classes are also very respectful when they see me get upset about anything.
I remember during my first year as a teacher at a different school. I approached a 5th grade teacher whose classroom was next to mine. I said, "This year's been interesting, and I think the hardest part has just been finding my style of teaching."
She agreed.
"What's your style of teaching?" I asked.
Without missing a beat, she answered, "It changes every year."
Fascinating.
To conclude this post on a lighter note, I must say that you know you've been in education too long when you refer to moments in your life by the semester in which they took place.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
MY blog, MY mind, MY thoughts
I write what I feel. I believe in freedom of speech. If I ever write about someone, I won't mention their name for I wish to protect their privacy. But though you may be invited to read my blog, know this:
-I will use profanity at times, to the point where the blog could be rated "R" (thus the Adult Content disclaimer). I don't believe using profanity is bad or sinful unless you use it to hurt others intentionally.
-If you're my friend on Facebook, then it's also pretty certain you know how open I am about myself, and know my personality relatively well. In fact, for those who didn't know I was gay upon meeting me, probably learned it by adding me on Facebook and noticing I am "Interested in Men" and "Married to Frank Almaraz".
-I enjoy using shock value for entertainment purposes, but I try to control it so it doesn't border on disrespect. I also use it because I can. I enjoy saying things that catch some people off-guard, saying things that make people think, or even say things that make people want to ask, "Did you really just say that?!"
-My blogs are for my feelings, emotions, opinions, beliefs, and my arguments for or against any topic. If you don't like something you're reading, that's fine. I don't require you to. I do expect to have my feelings respected, whether you agree with and/or support them or not.
-If you so choose to read everything I post, great. If not, great. Just understand that I'm not writing for others, but for myself.
-I enjoy reading readers' comments. In fact, I truly look forward to receiving them!
-If you decide to read my blogs and find something offensive, then I'll apologize for it now; I'll apologize for the fact that you found it offensive, but I won't apologize for my feelings. I can't remember who said this, but it's true: "I may disagree with or dislike what you say, but I support your right to say it." I also truly believe this statement: "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."
-Some people are very private and keep to themselves. That's not me. Most of the time, I'm an open book, even voluntarily providing information about anything in my life you may or may not need to know, but will hear about it anyway.
-I'm someone who usually gives people the benefit of the doubt of being a decent person, as in not one to blackmail or threaten me. If you're reading my posts, and you're a friend, then I trust you won't use any of this information you have at your disposal against me in any way. I'm TRUSTING you to be a "friend."
I know I've listed a variety of "disclaimers", but I guess I'm just trying to say this:
READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
My Facebook account is set to a very private setting. I have to *know* you if I'm going to approve you. I have to have met you in person or communicated with you somehow over a period of time before I approve you as my friend. That's how I filter my own security.
I think you pretty much get the idea. My blogs will consist of my feelings, my thoughts, my ramblings, my views, my opinions, my ventings, my beliefs, etc.
Thanks for reading this. I appreciate your understanding and respecting that these notes are for me, my feelings, and for those I wish to share them with.
-I will use profanity at times, to the point where the blog could be rated "R" (thus the Adult Content disclaimer). I don't believe using profanity is bad or sinful unless you use it to hurt others intentionally.
-If you're my friend on Facebook, then it's also pretty certain you know how open I am about myself, and know my personality relatively well. In fact, for those who didn't know I was gay upon meeting me, probably learned it by adding me on Facebook and noticing I am "Interested in Men" and "Married to Frank Almaraz".
-I enjoy using shock value for entertainment purposes, but I try to control it so it doesn't border on disrespect. I also use it because I can. I enjoy saying things that catch some people off-guard, saying things that make people think, or even say things that make people want to ask, "Did you really just say that?!"
-My blogs are for my feelings, emotions, opinions, beliefs, and my arguments for or against any topic. If you don't like something you're reading, that's fine. I don't require you to. I do expect to have my feelings respected, whether you agree with and/or support them or not.
-If you so choose to read everything I post, great. If not, great. Just understand that I'm not writing for others, but for myself.
-I enjoy reading readers' comments. In fact, I truly look forward to receiving them!
-If you decide to read my blogs and find something offensive, then I'll apologize for it now; I'll apologize for the fact that you found it offensive, but I won't apologize for my feelings. I can't remember who said this, but it's true: "I may disagree with or dislike what you say, but I support your right to say it." I also truly believe this statement: "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."
-Some people are very private and keep to themselves. That's not me. Most of the time, I'm an open book, even voluntarily providing information about anything in my life you may or may not need to know, but will hear about it anyway.
-I'm someone who usually gives people the benefit of the doubt of being a decent person, as in not one to blackmail or threaten me. If you're reading my posts, and you're a friend, then I trust you won't use any of this information you have at your disposal against me in any way. I'm TRUSTING you to be a "friend."
I know I've listed a variety of "disclaimers", but I guess I'm just trying to say this:
READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
My Facebook account is set to a very private setting. I have to *know* you if I'm going to approve you. I have to have met you in person or communicated with you somehow over a period of time before I approve you as my friend. That's how I filter my own security.
I think you pretty much get the idea. My blogs will consist of my feelings, my thoughts, my ramblings, my views, my opinions, my ventings, my beliefs, etc.
Thanks for reading this. I appreciate your understanding and respecting that these notes are for me, my feelings, and for those I wish to share them with.
Monday, February 15, 2010
A new oven
I think I like the idea of blogging more than I enjoy taking the time to actually do so. One joy I do get out of it is reading what I've typed and realize, or reaffirm, that I do have decent communication skills when it comes to writing. I'm a good speller, I handle my grammar, sentence structure, and syntax very well. I'll use words correctly, and so on.
It seems to me that the English language and its linguistic functions are slowly starting to die off. Here's an example of what I mean: When people are asked, "How are you?" The common response is "I'm good." I'll admit I've responded this way myself. What would the correct response be? "I'm well." Well is an adverb while good is an adjective. A similar error is "How's he doing?" "He's doing good." Again, the correct response would be "He's doing well."
Stupid shit like this shouldn't bug me, but it does.
Oh, since I've already said it, let me make one thing crystal clear: as this is MY blog, I'll be speaking my mind on a variety of issues. It is after all a place for me to express myself. Sometimes it invites the use of profanity. Now, I'm a devout Catholic. Yes, I go to Mass every weekend, and all that good stuff. If I'm so devout, then why would I cuss? Simple answer: I believe cussing is only sinful if you deliberately use it to hurt someone else, whether to the person's face or behind their back. Otherwise, I don't see anything wrong with it...
Except for God and damn. You'll never hear me put those 2 words together. And if they ever do come out together, then it was with the grammatical intention of using 2 separate interjections, more than likely in consecutive 1-word sentences unto themselves.
If profanity is going to bother you as a reader, then I highly suggest you don't take an interest in reading this blog. It's for my eyes mainly. It's for my heart, only. I take on my 1st Amendment Right in this blog, Freedom of Speech.
If you're still interested, then, welcome to The Oven.
It seems to me that the English language and its linguistic functions are slowly starting to die off. Here's an example of what I mean: When people are asked, "How are you?" The common response is "I'm good." I'll admit I've responded this way myself. What would the correct response be? "I'm well." Well is an adverb while good is an adjective. A similar error is "How's he doing?" "He's doing good." Again, the correct response would be "He's doing well."
Stupid shit like this shouldn't bug me, but it does.
Oh, since I've already said it, let me make one thing crystal clear: as this is MY blog, I'll be speaking my mind on a variety of issues. It is after all a place for me to express myself. Sometimes it invites the use of profanity. Now, I'm a devout Catholic. Yes, I go to Mass every weekend, and all that good stuff. If I'm so devout, then why would I cuss? Simple answer: I believe cussing is only sinful if you deliberately use it to hurt someone else, whether to the person's face or behind their back. Otherwise, I don't see anything wrong with it...
Except for God and damn. You'll never hear me put those 2 words together. And if they ever do come out together, then it was with the grammatical intention of using 2 separate interjections, more than likely in consecutive 1-word sentences unto themselves.
If profanity is going to bother you as a reader, then I highly suggest you don't take an interest in reading this blog. It's for my eyes mainly. It's for my heart, only. I take on my 1st Amendment Right in this blog, Freedom of Speech.
If you're still interested, then, welcome to The Oven.
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