@Zamisk: Are you me a few years ago? As someone who has frequently lived with groups of people, and done the school/work thing, I understand this feeling. It can be very exhausting. Hell, I was even the DM for many of the people I lived with. So I definitely get you. I always felt much the same way,...

@Maxine: Congrats on the first proper paycheck. While I got out of low wage work a while ago, I definitely remember the feeling. I get paid by the school district for the first time at the end of the month... It will be my first paycheck since June. Looking forward to having stuff like bed sheets ag...

Why on Earth would anyone choose to live or work there? Those kids certainly don't choose to live there, and many of their parents don't have the means or education to get out, if they even have the impulse to try. Most of them would take pretty much any opportunity to leave. Oakland is much like S...

I didn't recommend SP in case it was too mature. But seriously, Runaways V1. Make it work. @SP: As some of you may know I don't really believe in censorship after a certain age, and I feel pretty strongly about it. Certainly one probably shouldn't be giving very young children adult material that t...

@Tolkien, Dracula, etc: I have picked up those books, not only because I have studied them deeply (especially Dracula, which was one of the focal points of my thesis), but because some of my students CAN handle those texts. No where near all of them, probably less than 10 of my 90 students could han...

Thanks for the lists guys! I picked up some of the stuff mentioned today, bought about 60 books, but mostly just the literary classics as they are all super cheap in paper back. I will be combing through the lists you guys gave me to fill in the regions of literature I don't know anything about (rea...

This is wholly unorthodox. I don't post for weeks or months at a time and then I have the audacity to start a new thread. Well, basically, I need your guys suggestions. As some of you may know I am now a 9th grade English teacher in deep East Oakland. I'm trying my damndest to convince some of these...

I'm not really back. But I wanted to tell you all that I am still alive. I have a house in Oakland and am extremely busy educating youth. So busy that I still don't own sheets for my bed. I expect to be out of this ridiculous work cycle by next weekend or so. See you all then!

Happy because I got to spend last night with our dear friend noodles, eating and drinking and talking.

Sad because the poor guys car broke down on the way back to Garden Grove and I feel responsible.

Happy still because I can confirm how swell noodles is.

I am the new grade 9 English teacher at Madison Park Academy. Also I get to teach 1 period of Information Technology.

Preeeeeety stoked.

First day of teaching tomorrow. Hopefully it goes well. Teaching a summer class(6/8/11 week)? I think you'll be fine, It'll be hard but you'll last. You're students on the other hand, if its their first summer class I feel sorry for them. Its actually not just a class, I'm teaching secondary Englis...

Zamisk is one of my favorite creatures.

First day of teaching tomorrow. Hopefully it goes well.

I'm in LA for 5 weeks and I am insanely busy. I may or may not post for a bit.

I just got back, and I feel like they did a lot of things right but a few things wrong. They managed to make a classic hero not cheesy, but not too modern either. Overall I enjoyed it and would recommend it to people, but I hope they don't use this Supes when they finally do a Justice League movie....