Physics with Pham

It has been months since my last substantial post. Life has become inundated with work. It's not a bad thing for sure. Atleast, I AM working. I will resort to my handy old list format to express my feelings.

1. I am happy. I work 10-11 hour days, but it's all worth it. When I'm at school, I don't feel like I'm working except when I'm hungry or sleepy. In which case, they should just give me a bed and kitchen in my class room.

2. Good things keep happening to me, but I'm trying my best to pay it all back. I have a career that I adore. I have colleagues who I respect as educators and more importantly, human beings. I have great friends with great minds and hearts. I have Mel, even though she doesn't refill the brita and works so much that she never eats the food I make us. I have my CommUNITY, even though I owe Claudia a lot for missing out this weekend. I have my apprentice, Shamalams, who keeps me grounded with compliments in exchange for my self-proclaimed sage advice. I have my health...I think. I've been exercising regularly again, and I feel great. I have my Alien which provides me comfort and succour after long, arduous days of kinematics and vectors. I have a car that may look busted on the outside but runs smoothly on the inside. I have new glasses that have been quite useful in driving at night and garnering the attentions of fair maidens on 6th st. I have HEB that gives me great prices.

3. My students. This deserved it's own category. I have some brilliant band nerds. I also have some not so brilliant pupils who produce very little but still like my class cuz I'm crazy. One of my struggling pre-AP students asked with a fake frown and poorly disguised smile, "Mr. Pham, why are you so mean to us?" I was taken aback for a split second, but I just responded by laughing and laughing. I am quite mean to them, but the kind of mean that clearly expresses care and builds strong bonds. I like to refer to all of them as Nerds. Which is quickly deflected with, "if we're nerds, what does that make you?" To which I reply, "hey, I get paid for doing this, but you made a choice to be in physics...NERDS!" Then as their hearts sink into their chests, I say something like, "JK, I love being here, and I am not in this for the money!" I have a student named Kyle, and he is a bit of a trouble maker. Mostly, he just has a big personality and gets the students around him off task with his stories. Every day he walks through my door, I yell, "NOPE, turn around, not today!" or when he asks to go to he restroom, I tell him to feel free to take a couple extra minutes for self reflection. Aaliyah hates quizzes. Any time we have a quiz, she'll say that none of her other teachers have this many quizzes, which is obviously a lie. On my daily agenda posted on my projector, there are bullet points such as "1. Complete warm up. 2. Turn in late HW. 3. Have HW out for me to check. 4. Stop whining. 5. Yes, Aaliyah, we are having a quiz. 6. Seriously, stop whining." Some other antics are documented here at my class website physicswithpham.blogspot.com. I could go on for days.

4. Dating. I don't even think about it anymore. I am meeting new people, but nobody hooks me. My standards aren't THAT high. I mean, the whole doctor/lawyer/princess thing is just a recommended requirement. My minimum is just a girl with a big mind and a big heart and a big world in which I can grow. Obviously, physical attraction needs to be there too, but I have such a diverse taste that I can find beauty in anything. I just don't feel the desire to be with someone now at this very moment. So many people are obsessed with finding someone to love. These people just need to go Eat, Pray, Love in Italy or something. Luckily, for me, I didn't have to pay for such a journey because I'm already in love with myself and I've found my happiness in what I do and with whom I surround myself. For the moment, I'm quite content with just building life skills and becoming a more perfect and holistic being for when I do meet that someone who hooks me. Which leads me to my next topic.

5. I've decided to take risks. All my life, I've avoided the outdoors and doing crazy Austin things. One morning in the shower, I decided that I would starting doing things in order to be more attractive to interesting people. I started with stand-up paddle boarding with Maggie. This was a big step for me so shut up. Anyways, I tried it out...and it sucked. Why would anybody want to stand up on a big surf board looking thing and not surf. Don't combine canoeing and surfing. They are much better on their own. My next step is rockclimbing with Mike. Mike inspired me to get into shape again cuz he's super slim and buff now. Probably because Arlington sucks and there's nothing to do other than exercise. The same thing happened to Buddy when he was at Rice. So I'll be doing that. If I fall and break my already weak ankles, I will be sooooooo angry. After that, I'll try hunting. One of my colleagues at school is big on the outdoors. He's had all kinds of jobs involving nature. I think he was a park ranger up in the mountains or something. After hunting, I'll try "backpacking," whatever that is. I need to get into traveling. People seem to like it even with all the risks of tape worms, malaria, dysentery, sex trafficking, machetes, etc. I think people just like leaving everything behind and being free from the shackles of civilization. I think I like that part of it. I don't like having lots of stuff because I feel like you should be able to run away at any moment. I want to feel like George Clooney in Up in the Air...except I'd want to maintain healthy social relationships.

6. Is that enough for you blog vultures? May I get back to finally beating Dragon Age: Awakening so I can play the new downloadable content recently released? And then so I can play the new DLCs for Mass Effect 2? May I??!?!