Author Archives: mathdreads
New Dreams and Visions
As a quintessential Virgo, I never stop planning ahead. The close of any year usually brings the global introspection of what we want to do for the new year. People make frivolous resolutions to start exercising more, eating healthier, perhaps even looking for a new job, love or something more unconventional. As for me, one … Continue reading
No Hotdogging Around
This past week at school has been intense. Not because of the students or, miraculously, the administrators. I’m in the final countdown of the number of classes until my little ghetto brats take their finals. In the upcoming week, I’ve three more days with my A classes and only two more with the Bs. Fortunately, … Continue reading
Describing the Essence of Orange
One of the aspects of teaching that keeps me coming back for more is when the students say something so insightful that I ponder the ramifications long after the fact. One such jewel dropped from a student’s mouth when I was circulating around the room, helping my Physics students with their study guide in small … Continue reading
With Much Gratitude
This was the first time in a couple of years that I wasn’t participating in an annual tango festival over the Thanksgiving holiday. Instead, I celebrated Thanksgiving four times with different groups of people. The first was a monthly poetry potluck that occurs every third Saturday at a private residence in Dripping Springs. This was … Continue reading
Between Bikram & Malbec
I don’t want to be “that teacher” who complains about the lack of vacation time, but for the fourth year in a row since teaching in Austin, the stretch between Labor Day weekend and Thanksgiving has been the worst time of the year. I’ve never noticed that before. Perhaps teaching outside the States for a … Continue reading
Cocaine Spiders
I can clearly remember back in 1988 when I was 17 and knew that I knew EVERYTHING. I’d skated through high school without having to study, had filled out my college applications by myself and was accepted to all three choices by October of my senior year because, after all, those colleges could see from … Continue reading
Corda-Making
Similar to other martial art traditions, capoeira has a ranking system that is color-coded. Instead of using belts, we use cordas (cords or rope). With the first group that I trained capoeira, we used undyed rope as our cordas. As capoeiristas advanced, the rope was dyed to reflect the skill level. With the group I train with … Continue reading
Black Angel Halloween
For this month’s Austin Writers Roulette, I dressed up as the Angel of Redemption, which worked because I introduced myself as such and then read my short story, “Renouncing the Devil.” Yet, when I put on the same costume yesterday to celebrate Halloween, my favorite holiday, I just told people that I was a death … Continue reading
Spirit Week 2012
This is my favorite week of school: Spirit Week. Granted, I love celebrating Halloween; so this is almost the “warm up” to that. Monday was “Crazy Hair Day.” Most days, I fight with my hair to minimize its craziness. On this particular day, I upped the ante. Several Halloween celebrations ago when I still lived … Continue reading
Burning Away Illusions
For a change of pace, I met a small group of people at a park in Georgetown for “camping.” Granted, we were at a campsite and even had a beautiful view of the lake, but none of us had brought tents, much less sleeping bags. We had food to share, plenty of drinks and a … Continue reading