~:[CH3 - Day 304]:~ Totally Sweet

~:[CH3 - Day 304]:~ Totally Sweet

Today is always a crazy day. Students are often wired on candy and leads to a need for a little more work to keep control. After getting through my classes and seeing all the wonderful costumes including a few similar to mine, I had a great time giving out candy to the LIFE students who came trick or treating. It was my first time participating and I really enjoyed it. Afterward, we had our annual team costume competition where we had a good number of people dress up which made this year's decision a bit tougher. In the end we found our winner, one of which was quite creepy but amazing. I quickly rushed over to the Towne Center to catch up with the Bocalans to go trick or treating. In the process, Makoa's friends from school chase him down and found him. He had an awesome costume as a storm trooper with some great lighting. Nalani was Edith from Despicable Me. After all that, I went home to work on some recommendations before sitting down to watch the Clippers game. They once again looked flat, which is starting to scare me, but they did look better than Thursday. We'll just hope that they can work on cleaning things up down the road. At the end of the night, the rain fell and who could ask for a better treat than that? We needed the rain and the sounds of it pattering on the roof was totally sweet.

~:[CH3 - Day 303]:~ TacoV the Town

~:[CH3 - Day 303]:~ TacoV the Town

I knew today was going to be a crazy day, but I think it was a progress-filled day as well. In class, the students created travel brochures for approximately 110 different countries. While some were good and others not so good, the good ones were quite amazing and it ended up being a pretty good assignment. At practice, we had one of our last hard workouts and then had our family circles event full of tacos! Sadly, I planned the event on the same day that I was suppose to go to the Clippers game so I had to drive out to the game after the event. The new era got off to a rough start as the Clippers did not play so well against a really short-handed Thunder team. The guys they had stepped up but we need to learn to put teams away. However, the changes were evident and nothing more spectacular than the starting lineups which were on the big screen but also projected on the entire floor! Amazing! In any case, I am exhausted, but this day, could be the TacoV the Town. 

~:[CH3 - Day 302]:~ Hugs Not Drugs

~:[CH3 - Day 302]:~ Hugs Not Drugs

Today was wear red day for Red Ribbon Week. We seemed to have more participation this year with events like this which is kind of cool. The day itself was pretty lackluster. At the end of practice, I snapped this photo of one of my athletes are her "xc son." We created a huge family tree and it's been pretty cool to see. For the most part, people make it a point to take care of their "children" and while not everyone does it, the ones that do are what keep the program going. 

~:[CH3 - Day 301]:~ Loading Up

~:[CH3 - Day 301]:~ Loading Up

It felt nice to relax a bit today. In class, I got to sit down with students who needed a little direction and also get caught up on the work I needed to do. While it may not have been the perfect class session, it was pretty good. I also got a lot of cross country work done that I have been putting off and now I can proudly say that our CIF events and banquet are almost all set to go. Practice ended up being a bit more stressful, as I had to get on the athletes to stay on task, but the varsity workouts ended up being fairly good. After practice, we darted over to Buffalo Wild Wings and enjoyed the games that were on - World Series, Hockey, and of course, the start of the regular season. Picking up Anthony Davis was great as his stat line today was quite amazing. Of course, the food layout wasn't too bad either. Afterward, I unloaded the last of my Homecoming materials and headed out to watch Fury. It wasn't too bad. I wouldn't say it was a great movie that I would go out and see again right away, but I would say that it's a solid movie. In any case, the end of the day came too soon, but I definitely loaded up on some me time. It feels great to load up on some rest and relaxation.

~:[CH3 - Day 300]:~ All Yellow

~:[CH3 - Day 300]:~ All Yellow

Mondays can be rough. Of course, when your 48 hours ago was spent with a 8am to 1:30am day, they can be rougher. While I rested on Sunday, it did not help my Monday move along. I made it a fun day as I added music into my lesson which analyzed the definition of terrorism and a collaborative assignment in analyzing how different groups in history fit in various categories. We couldn't come to a conclusion on a definition but it mirrored the difficulties of coming up with one in the international community as well. My day was saved with a gift of yellow Vitamin Waters - a whole bag of them! It kept me excited and pumped through the day and I may not have survived without it. Practice was a blur as it went by quickly as did my errands I had to run afterwards. It feels good to have finished what I needed to and now it's time to get ahead for once ... maybe.

~:[CH3 - Day 299]:~ Feeling the Draft

~:[CH3 - Day 299]:~ Feeling the Draft

I was suppose to do a lot more today but after a super packed Saturday, I felt like doing absolutely nothing. I did and was fine with it. Well, I wouldn't say I didn't do anything, but I didn't do much in terms of what I had planned to. I ended up waking up late, cleaning up a bit, getting my cross country stats done, watching some TV, drafting my fantasy NBA team, and then getting a bit more sleep and TV in. I enjoyed it thoroughly. The team I drafted this year feels like it could be a solid team, but we'll see how injuries go, as that is normally the issue that you face. I am pretty well balanced in both stats and positions so hopefully this could be my breakthrough season. On another good note, I finally finished the first list for Nationals. It wil be a little difficult to choose this year with so many applicants and so few spots. Unfortunately it happens like that sometimes, but I guess that's just the way it goes.

~:[CH3 - Day 298]:~ aMAZEing

~:[CH3 - Day 298]:~ aMAZEing

When we first heard our theme this year, it was thought to be a little strange for a homecoming theme, however, when I heard it, I knew my Halloween haunted house experience (remember Caroline?) could come in handy. While I envisioned this maze, the students did an amazing job executing it and also being the actors through the maze. One student who bought her ticket to the dance, volunteered over half her dance so that she could play a role in the maze and boy did she ever play that role. The first room picture above, was one of the scariest rooms in the maze and led to such an awesome homecoming night. We also had a graveyard, a black room (with people in black suits to blend into the wall), a living room, and a clown 'big top." It started a little slow, but we ended up having a pretty good sized line by the night's end. It was great to see so many people doing their part to make tonight a success. While I was exhausted from setting up, driving to Mt. SAC for our cross country race and back to school for the dance and staying through cleanup, it was well worth it, as when I look back on today, I can still smile, no matter how exhausted I feel.

~:[CH3 - Day 296]:~ Celebrations

~:[CH3 - Day 296]:~ Celebrations

Today, I put in 14 hours of work plus another four when I got home; however, today was a day of celebrations nonetheless. After heading to school in the morning rolling my speaker in as I am prepping for Homecoming, I thought, this could be a good day. My classes did a good job on their presentations and we were able to get out all the country assignments for our travel brochures. I was able to gather the rest of my "sisters" birthday gifts and deliver it to her during 5th period today! I then got things together for practice and we got a good workout in. After weight room, I headed to Nixon's Trunk or Treat and helped my cousin with his booth which was the Disney Knock-Down Truck. It was a hit and they won first prize for trunks! It was great to see the amazing arms on all these little kids, wow! I then headed to do a few more errands and pick up the last of the Homecoming items. I finished up at about 9pm and went through all my packages which have items for Homecoming, updated the cross country hall of fame, and prepped materials for Mt. SAC. As exhausted as I am, I am glad things have panned out the way they did, as I feel as if I accomplished a lot and relaxing next week is going to feel oh so good! It's time to celebrate!

~:[CH3 - Day 295]:~ Crazy Days

~:[CH3 - Day 295]:~ Crazy Days

It seemed like it would be a great day as I picked up a dollar I found on the ground in the morning. Granted, it wasn't a big bill, however, it was enough to make me hopeful. After a relaxing meeting, I got a lot of my grading done, then had a good class period as the students began analyzing the CRC. We also started a country travel brochure assignment where students will make brochures for approximately 120 countries! I ended up shopping for some more Homecoming supplies and then picked up some delicious spicy chicken and fried rice for my lunch for the rest of the week. Of course a good day can always change as a few issues came up and then I had to pick up two athletes out on the run. In the end, things worked out, however, as I helped out a friend with something funny and then headed to Smart & Final and Home Depot to pick up even more supplies and back to school late at night to drop off the remaining supplies. It ended up being about a 13-14 hour day, but it's always nice when it ends with a delicious meal. The day was crazy, but in the end, it worked out alright. 

~:[CH3 - Day 294]:~ Within

~:[CH3 - Day 294]:~ Within

Tonight I caught Annabelle and surprisingly it wasn't too crowded. I figured it was because it was at 10pm on a Tuesday night, however, it was great to kick my feet up and watch the movie. Of course, it wasn't too relaxing of a movie. While it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, it did have a fairly good plot, which was good. Of course, I did predict the ending, so maybe it was too predictable? Class on the day ended up being pretty good. We had a one-day Globalization debate and after just one day of preparation, the students had pretty good arguments and had close battles between the for and against sides. It seemed like they enjoyed it. Practice took a lot out of the athletes, however, I think it was a pretty good day. They had to tough it out, but ended up pushing through and in the end, most of them left happy including a few of those who broke down barriers today. While we still have a ways to go, it's a good place to be at this point. 

~:[CH3 - Day 293]:~ Measuring the Day

~:[CH3 - Day 293]:~ Measuring the Day

Mondays can be a little rough and today I felt it, however, it was a great day overall. After getting through my lectures with a raspy voice, we prepped for our Globalization debate. The kids seemed to be on top of things when in the discussions so I am hoping that tomorrow works out well. After our senior meeting getting in the last details for Homecoming, I went out and measured the wrestling room so that we can plan our setup for the day. Practice came and went and when I got home, I just decided, finish my work and then don't even fight the fatigue, just give in. I'm sure it will pay dividends the rest of the week. Good night.

~:[CH3 - Day 292]:~ Down But Not Out

~:[CH3 - Day 292]:~ Down But Not Out

I was definitely exhausted. After getting home at almost 1am, I had to wake up early to catch the bus for Edison. We headed over without incident and started the day. I showed around a new teacher and showed him the ropes of MUN. The kids did pretty well and I enjoyed getting back in the swing of things. In one committee, a little controversy dampened the mood, however, it was a good chance to remind people that you cannot allow bad things define who you are. You need to try and rise about the issues and show them that you can be better. Hopefully these lessons will be taken the right way and that they will grow as people through all these experiences. In the end, we had three gavels. On the way home, I was exhausted, so I grabbed my TapEx and went home to watch some TV, then do a little bit of work. It will be a light but busy week, as while I do not have much in terms of cross country, Homecoming is this weekend! I need to finish planning for the dance decorations!

~:[CH3 - Day 291]:~ Precious Seconds

~:[CH3 - Day 291]:~ Precious Seconds

It was about 6:30am and I was at the park. It did not seem as if there was going to be a race today, so I checked my phone. It was a bit chaotic at the meet to start out the day, but as chaotic as it was, the day ended up being a great one. With the clouds keeping the sun in check, the times were blazing. I had five athletes break into or move up in the hall of fame, including athletes to 4, 5, 8, 22 and 27. We ended up with a bunch of PRs and everyone seemed so jazzed to be there. After a quick lunch, I was able to type up the results before heading to Knott's Scary Farm for the evening. The park was crowded so it ended up not being as fun as in the past, however, we still got on about eight mazes and a few rides. Not too shabby for a few hours at Knott's. In the end, I was exhausted, but it was a great day where I used every precious second and the athletes saved those precious seconds.

~:[CH3 - Day 290]:~ Still At It

~:[CH3 - Day 290]:~ Still At It

A few weeks ago, I posted a pic similar to this one and she is still at it and now even saying, "boba." It's funny how quickly time passes. Just like our season, time is flying and I cannot believe we only have three races left in the regular season. It's always great when it's a Friday and things just seem to go a lot smoother. It's always a little more stressful with potlucks but it ended up being a pretty good night. All in all, the week went well and I look forward to a busy yet fun-filled weekend.

~:[CH3 - Day 289]:~ Compiling

~:[CH3 - Day 289]:~ Compiling

Meet days are always crazy. From getting everything together to packing things into the car to the actual meet and then the cleanup, it can be quite the exhausting affair. Good thing I have good people work with me, as without them our engine would not function very well. Today we had a few mechanical hiccups, but overall, we were able to get things in order and got all the results out before people left. We ended up winning three of four divisions and took second in the fourth and are in first (including ties) in all divisions going into league finals. We also won three out of our races individually today. We also collected 42 new PRs! While we still have work to do, things are coming together, especially among our youn'ns who are moving on up!

~:[CH3 - Day 288]:~ Getting Together

~:[CH3 - Day 288]:~ Getting Together

This mob scene is normal at the end of our practices. As we squish together, we become one unit. Most days, we finish at different times, which is why I enjoy the day before a race day, when we are all together. While not everyone shares the same enthusiasm, I love to see the excitement  of those who come to the center and understand what this means and those who will eventually realize what it means.This is a cross country team and not too many of them started as runners, however, they ventured into the sport because of a friend, because they were intrigued, because they wanted to get involved or simply because they wanted to be part of something - part of this. Any day that I ask myself why I am using so much time and energy, those questions vanish as the answers are found in these moments. Hopefully they can be special to most of those who join in, as there is nothing better than being a part of something.

~:[CH3 - Day 287]:~ Just Chilln'

~:[CH3 - Day 287]:~ Just Chilln'

It's always fun to watch the athletes get excited for the ice bath. The long lines produce late days out on the blacktop waiting for the group to get in and out of it. With a large team, it's not easy to do, but we manage. What's good is that the team gets to spend some time together and just chat after a nice hard workout. It's like that chat at the water cooler for those that work. Today was one of our best workouts and it felt good after practice was over. While exhausted, the athletes seemed pretty content but there are definitely some things to work on. In class, our religion presentations were mostly good as they always help them understand the common core ideas behind all the religions and the similar purpose of them all. I thought one of them would be my post for the day from my video camera, but this one ended up winning out. Just a picturesque moment of two good friends laughing while freezing after a nice cold ice bath. 

~:[CH3 - Day 286]:~ HC Season

~:[CH3 - Day 286]:~ HC Season

I cheated a little here, as I used a picture from a day ahead for Monday's blog. It was a tiring day going back on Monday and so I forgot to take a GOOD picture for the day. With the week beginning and early bids ending, it's that time of year with the insane HC askings. This one was good because it wasn't too elaborate, but man, some of them are quite crazy. It was not like this at all when I was in high school. Regardless, it's always cute to see it being done especially since many of them are around my room - the cross country ones anyway. Monday was a fairly relaxing day as we got a good run in to learn ANOTHER course at Regional. Afterward, I grabbed a bite to eat at Northern Cafe and boy did I enjoy that. Exhausted though, I took a LONG nap, which resulted in my sleep for the night, as I had a lot of work to do. Mondays, always rough, but it's a the Dawn of a New Don Week!

~:[CH3 - Day 285]:~ Kickin' Back

Photo Courtesy of Green Bay Packers

(http://blog.packers.com/2014/10/12/news-now-aaron-rodgers-does-it-again/)

~:[CH3 - Day 285]:~ Kickin' Back

My Sunday was planned to be a nothing day. I woke up to grab brunch in LA with a friend, but after that, I planned to do very little. After trying to plan one more thing in LA before heading back, I ended up heading back to grab some TapEx as my reward for the weekend. I rushed home so I could catch the end of the Packers game and boy was it worth it. With the Packers down 24-17, they scored a field goal, stopped the Dolphins and came back driving towards the goal line. After Lang saved the ball by recovering a fumble, they moved the ball up the field. With time running out, Rodgers faked the spike and got in a complete pass down to the five yard line. With six second left, they were able to get the final touchdown, which put them ahead 27-24. Wow, what a game! I was inspired to get things done the rest of the day and I felt good throughout. What a great way to start the week. Let's see if we all have a come back in us when the odds are against us! 

~:[CH3 - Day 284]:~ Rising Up

~:[CH3 - Day 284]:~ Rising Up

We had a very young group go up to Clovis with us this year. With SATs, Homecoming Top 20, and a few other things, we didn't have our whole group with us, but it was definitely an experience I wouldn't trade for anything. It was refreshing to take a young, inexperienced group to a meet of this caliber and to show them what is out there. We definitely had some good surprises and athletes who began to show that they have what it takes. We had our PRs including one big one, and even set a few all-time school marks including the #1-2 marks all-time and the #1 team time for our school. While the drive back was arduous with all the traffic that we encountered, I enjoyed the trip. It made me see what our future looks like and these athletes definitely have the ohana spirit. This group understands what ohana means and I hope that they don't forget it. I am sad to see this trip over, but am glad to get a good night's sleep.

~:[CH3 - Day 283]:~ Them Young'ns

~:[CH3 - Day 283]:~ Them Young'ns

After leaving in the morning after first, we made good time heading up the 5 towards Fresno. We stopped at Travel America Centers and saw that they are building an outlet next to it in Wheeler Ridge. It was a little far away for how much time we had, so we kept them close by at the center. After getting up to the park, we ran the course and stopped off for a quick pick of this young group. It's strange traveling with this young of a group, but has been quite nice. We have five seniors, five juniors, twelve sophomores and seven freshmen. On the way up, we found out that one of our athletes was in the top 5 for Homecoming, after getting three in the top 20. After getting back, we had a quick stop at Sweet Tomatoes (Souplantation) which got packed after we got in. The line was probably over 100 people when we were headed out. We ended up stopping off at Boomers for the night and had a great time on the go-karts, the rock climbing wall, and mini golf, where the coaches topped the athletes. While I had to do one set of pushups when going head-to-head with one student, I ended up doing less than he did, going clutch in a few situations. All in all, it was a great day filled with a number of activities with this young and energetic group of athletes who have made this trip quite enjoyable. While they are a bit goofy, they've done what we hoped to prepare for our race tomorrow; yes, even the older ones.

~:[CH3 - Day 282]:~ Epic Mealtime

~:[CH3 - Day 282]:~ Epic Mealtime 

When you deal with one messy eater, it can be a great time, when it's two, it's called epic. I had epic meal time for lunch today as I got together with a few friends for lunch today. While it was a quick meal, it was great to relax and just being able to have a quick chat together. Of course, the food got all over the place including on to my sleeve, which made for an interesting clean up. I brought my avocado boba back to school, which I shouldn't have done as it got spilled all over the car. Someone left it behind and so I furiously cleaned it and demanded to find out who did it. I eventually found out, but the results from that were also epic. It was one of our longest threads on our board and a lot of people jumped in. A little bonding I guess you could say. Regardless, after a quick Costco run where I hit my budget within two dollars (under in fact), I was able to come home to get a few things done. Not much, just a few. As I write this, I am doing my laundry so I can pack. Let's do this!

~:[CH3 - Day 281]:~ Racing to Success

~:[CH3 - Day 281]:~ Racing to Success

Most of the day was devoted to today's meet. I woke up early to setup the course and finished just in time to get to my class. My classes went fairly well with my first map quiz and a quick chat about traveling. It was awesome to know that I've been to some of the places we talked about. After my classes ended, I got back on track and organized everything else that needed to be done. While we didn't run the best possible races, we ended up with almost 50 PRs for the race. After practice, I enjoyed a nice Korean meal, which was super delicious! I can't believe I ended up posting the results and pictures today, however, I am super exhausted and was falling asleep as I uploading photographs. I think it's a good time to go to bed.

~:[CH3 - Day 280]:~ Making Memories

~:[CH3 - Day 280]:~ Making Memories

Picture day is always my least favorite days of the year. However, despite the warm weather, it ended up not being too bad. The process was fairly quick and I also was able to setup the course fairly quickly after we did take our pictures. It's always an adventure as we use the bleachers to take the photographs, however, it turned out alright. While a few people were missing since they did not bring their stuff, overall, I enjoyed the experience, including being in a few photographs myself as I got asked to be in a buddy picture, haha. 

~:[CH3 - Day 279]:~ Getting Stronger

~:[CH3 - Day 279]:~ Getting Stronger

For my MUN students, their post-conference evaluations are going to make them better delegates as they have the opportunity to ask questions and figure out what they are missing. We ended up with a fairly successful conference as 31 of them came home with awards, not a bad figure for the first conference. For my cross country athletes, working in the weight room has helped them progress a lot. While the boys have been frequenting it more, the work they do in there has been a big part of the improvement of a few of our athletes. In any case, it was definitely a day where a lot was accomplished and I only hope that I can continue this progress going forward. 

~:[CH3 - Day 278]:~ Cleaning Up

~:[CH3 - Day 278]:~ Cleaning Up

I definitely did not do the amount of cleaning I wanted to do today. I was exhausted from a stretch that had me traveling around, planning a race and a conference and much, much more. However, what I did was greater than anything I could have done ... I rested. I woke up without an alarm, got a haircut, helped wash the dog, then lounged in front of the TV and kicked my feet up. I missed lunch for a nap and had to finish the day doing a little work, but I gave myself today to just rejuvenate. Hopefully it will lead to a great Monday. 

~:[CH3 - Day 277]:~ Simply Exhausted

~:[CH3 - Day 277]:~ Simply Exhausted

From the start of the day, the day was hectic and it would not let up until I got home. With forgetting a few things, to having to get ice, to the WiFi giving us trouble, it was definitely a day that felt like a very needy child begging for attention, every moment of the day. Barely finishing, the conference part of the day ended with me sprinting to the gym with a pile of items in my arms. We started late but finished relatively close to on time. Cleanup went by fairly quickly and before I knew it, I was off to Tapioca Express to grab a reward. I was able to relax and catch up on a few things that I have wanted to do, which is always better than the phrase, "have to do." Regardless, in the end, it ended up being a pretty good day and a pretty good conference. Now, it is time to rest.  Before I do, here is the Homecoming Premier video ... http://youtu.be/63VqqoXNKC0.

 

~:[CH3 - Day 276]:~ Burning Up

~:[CH3 - Day 276]:~ Burning Up

Today was our black out dress up day, as we all had to wear black to show our school spirit. Unfortunately, it was one of the hottest days of the year. The temperatures rose as we finalized our preparations for the conference tomorrow. With a lot of things to do, I was running around taking care of things here and there to ensure that things were in order. For practice, we tried to cool off by stopping at TapEx and it helped, but not completely. After a good lift, I had some time to just relax a bit and get things together. We'll see how tomorrow goes. Hopefully, I can wake up!

~:[CH3 - Day 275]:~ Growing Day by Day

~:[CH3 - Day 275]:~ Growing Day by Day

My boys team started the summer in a rebuilding mode. We had lost a good number of athletes from last year, a few did not look as if they were going to return, and we looked to have one of the youngest and most experienced boys teams since I started at the school. However, they put in the time all summer long and while some had better summers than others, the work they put in is paying off. Led by a sophomore running the 5th fastest mark in cluster history at the course, the group battled the hot temperatures and topped the field at the first cluster. The pack has been the issue all year as our gap has been huge, but slowly, the gap is closing up. Our girls were missing one of our top athletes but our late addition stepped up and was able to help us gain the edge to take first! Our JV teams started the day off for us well and both took their races as well! While the temperatures were high, it was great to see that there were almost no heat related issues and all of them were resolved with water or a little bit of ice. In any case, tonight we can enjoy this, but they know that their work is not done. It's time to hit the weight room.

~:[CH3 - Day 274]:~ What a Killer Day

~:[CH3 - Day 274]:~ What a Killer Day

An early wake up was in order so that I could help setup the stage for today's Homecoming Premier. Our theme was finally released and the Cerritos Horror Show - Deadman's Ball will be a very different theme than what we have had in the past. While it may seem a little weird for a homecoming theme, with my background in Halloween haunted houses, it could end up being pretty good. It's definitely exciting and we'll see what comes out of it. For the top 21, we had three XC athletes who made it, which is always cool! While practice was quick for the day, I had to head over to Costco to get drinks for the conference. I never realized how heavy almost 1000 drinks could be. Let's just say, I got a good workout. Of course, I rewarded myself with Northern Cafe - ooooooh yeah!