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Nov. 30th, 2009 @ 09:05 pm Sport vs History
Current Mood: curious
While watching the Duke Brannos training video Quicktongue posted a few days ago I recognized that some of the things he does are specific to the conventions of SCA fighting. As he is a duke it is obvious that his technique is quite effective. It did however get me to thinking about history.
My particular fighting related interest over the past 7 or 8 years has been the examination of the historical swordsmanship manuals. I have tried, however poorly, to incorporate those methods into my own fighting. In some cases it has worked exceptionally well. In others it has not worked at all. Most of those times the fault has lain with me rather than with the technique but there are a few things from historical swordsmanship that simply will not work in an SCA context. A variety of binds for example are negated by rattan's tendency to bounce away from whatever surface it strikes. A steel sword does not bounce in that way.
So how does one reconcile the gap between what is historical and what is effective under our conventions? I'm not the first person to ask this question. Some simply look on the two as separate activities and do not worry about the gap or trying to bridge it. Others have left one activity for the other which more closely met their personal goals and needs.
As I said above fighting to the sport can be extremely effective and is an entirely legitimate practice. I'm not knocking it. I find it unfulfilling but that is my own idiosyncrasy.
I would like to know from the armored combatants (past and present) who read my notes here what they think.
Is there a value, beyond personal fulfillment, of working to fight in a historical manner?
Should one focus simply on efficacy?
Am I wrestling with a false dichotomy?
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Coat of Arms
Nov. 30th, 2009 @ 08:35 pm Tyranny of the Urgent
Current Mood: annoyed
The urgent has to be done now! Importance doesn't matter in the face of urgency it seems.
I had a day today dominated by the urgent. I really dislike such days. I had and still have important tasks to accomplish. Instead I spent the day scrambling from urgent to urgent. By the time work was done I was tired and had done nothing with I felt to be of value.
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Yawning
Nov. 29th, 2009 @ 09:54 pm one hundred dollars
I have not been able to run for the past two weeks. After the surgery I really didn't feel like it anyway. Yesterday I felt like it but I was told to take at least 2 weeks off from any strenuous exercise.
I'd prefer to run outdoors. Since I began doing so last spring I've come to enjoy it much more than I have ever enjoyed running on a treadmill. Side bonus: running is outside is free. The downside is that it is cold outside. Below freezing temperatures have arrived and are becoming more and more common.
So I need some cold weather running clothing. I have some and layering is a wonderful thing. I do not have running pants. I've been looking for a pair and I've found many. The sticking point is price. The overwhelming majority of the winter running pants I've seen are $100 or very close to it. The cheapo ones are around $80 and the expensive ones are around $120. 100 seems to be the price on which all the variant prices are based. Its just too expensive for my budget. I don't wear pants that expensive for my daily wear. My nice suit pants don't cost that much.
All I want is something to keep my legs from freezing while my body warms up to the point that I'm too hot to care anyway.
I was at the Running Room on Saturday. Not because I thought I'd find reasonably priced pants there (specialty stores are usually a few if not several price points above average) but because I was out of other ideas. I saw a pair of XL pants marked down to $50. 'Wow' I thought to myself. Then I looked for my size. It was not marked down. I thought this was an oversight so looked at the other pants on the rack. None of them were marked down except the XL sized ones. '???' I thought. I checked a few other racks and discovered the same pattern. The pants were all priced at about $100 but the XLs, and only the XLs, were marked down.
Very peculiar.
I do have an old pair of sweat pants that I can use. However they are black and I run early in the morning before sunrise. I'd like something with some reflectivity. Almost all of the pants I've looked are plain matte black. Not a good thing. Those which claim reflectivity usually just have a small (dime sized) logo somewhere on them that is reflective and nothing else.
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Sleeping
Nov. 27th, 2009 @ 04:36 pm (no subject)
So.... One week back to work post-surgery.
I feel okay. The early part of the week was pretty rough. One day I went to the staff room in an attempt to nap. However that room is about 4 degrees below absolute zero. No wonder no one ever goes there.
The weekend shall be given over to recuperation. I'd like to go the baronial investiture tomorrow but I know I'm not 100% recovered yet and that I need this day of rest. Sigh.

I was showing my students a silent film today in class. Part of the unit on the 1920s. As I was setting up the dvd a student asked me to select his first language from the dvd menu. He already knew it was a silent film but he was serious in his request.
Palm, forehead.
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Yawning
Nov. 23rd, 2009 @ 07:10 pm work
First day back to work. Not really all that bad. I had a few dizzy spells during the day. However I am quite tired now. Much more tired than I had anticipated.
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Coffee
Nov. 22nd, 2009 @ 06:58 pm Shield corners
I've been trying to figure out the best way to reinforce the corners of my shield edging.
I recall seeing a couple of people with leather reinforcements on their shield corners. In the pictures I've been able to examine (thank you Two Ravens) most seem to be sewn pieces fitted around the corners. I recall seeing on that was a single piece. It was shaped kind of like a capital I or candlestick. I cant find any pictures of that type though.
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Coat of Arms
Nov. 21st, 2009 @ 05:29 pm outside
I've not been outside all week.
I'd like to go but by the time I pull together the energy to do so I am already so tired that I decide to stay in.
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Coffee
Nov. 19th, 2009 @ 09:48 am Ugh
Current Mood: uncomfortable
All that stuff I said about not feeling so bad after my surgery? I take it back. Tuesday evening onwards has been bad. In two words: I hurt.
Thank you for reading my pointless gripe. You may now return to your regular internet surfing.
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Coffee
Nov. 17th, 2009 @ 06:15 pm The Saga of my breath
Current Mood: tired
has nothing to do with the Saga of my son's breath.

I've been asked several times by various people if the two are connected. They are not.
Its just one of those coincidences that he and I both have nose issues and surgeries on our noses in the same year.
Mine is much older than his. At some point, long enough go that I no longer remember when it began, I started having a problem with my right nostril. I found that I was more or less perpetually plugged up on that side. In sickness and in health the obstruction was there. I could massage my nose, work the plug loose and blow it out [no one is making you read this ;)] but within 15 minutes a new one would reform.
Time lapse 10 years or so.
I finally agreed to Jeny's suggestion that I get this investigated. My first thought was some sort of allergy but that came up negative. Yay! I'm glad my immune system functions properly. The allergist did take a look inside my nose and she said "you have a kink in the tube". My right nostril has this bend in it that catches "material" and prevents it from coming out normally. The material in turn dries, hardens and forms the block. Or partially block. It was not always a total obstruction.
I was sent to an ENT who confirmed the allergist's observation and recommended surgery to correct the problem. I backed off at that point. I figured that since it is an elective procedure OHIP would not cover it and I did not have the financing or private coverage to pay for it. Besides, the problem is annoying but not life threatening. I can breathe adequately through my left nostril.
Then my brother in law had to have the same procedure done for an entirely different reason. I asked him if it had been covered by OHIP. It had. I called the ENT and asked if the procedure is covered in cases like mine. It is. So I went ahead and scheduled the surgery. This was several months ago.
The surgery itself was yesterday. It went well. I'll spare you the details. I had a septoplasty and turbinate reduction. My only complaint is that when I came out of surgery no one told Jeny. She would not have been allowed into the recovery room anyway but it would have been a relief to her simply to know that I was done.
I came home yesterday. I'm doing well. I don't really hurt that much and my bleeding seems to have stopped. I felt fine this morning but now I feel like I have a badly congested cold and I'm kinda lightheaded. As I told Jeny during dinner this evening "I can eat or I can breathe". I'm not supposed to rub my nose. So what did I do on reflex last night when I woke up? The shooting pain put a stop to that.
No running or swimming for two weeks. No swordfighting (that raised some eyebrows) for longer. The doctor didn't say how much longer but I guess he hasn't had too many patients who participate in this sport.
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Pumpkin
Nov. 17th, 2009 @ 05:34 pm Not listening
Current Location: Canada, Toronto
Current Mood: amused and annoyed
I had a call just now from a quasi-telemarketer. Police association fund raising for some program.
I answer the phone and the man on the other end asks "How are you doing this evening?"
"Not so well" I answer.
"Thats great" he says and then launches into his pitch.

I hope someone reviews the recording of the call.
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Yawning
Oct. 24th, 2009 @ 11:08 pm Ravenous
We were out shopping today and decided to eat there at the mall rather than come home first.
Jeny and I had KFC from the food court but we had cheerios and a banana for Cian.
That was the plan anyway. He had other ideas.
By the time I got back with the food to the table we had claimed, Cian had finished the cheerios and was about halfway through the banana. Jeny was cutting pieces for him that were small enough he could pick them up and eat them. However Cian always grabbed the biggest pieces and would try to get the slices that had not been quartered yet.
Then Cian decided to eat her food too. Mine was out of reach. He picked up her drum stick and tried to put in his mouth sideways. We got that out of his grasp but figured that since he has had chicken before it was okay to give him some. So Jeny began shredding the chicken and putting the bits down alongside the banana pieces. That was too slow. Cian would grab the pieces right from her hands. At one point she had a french fry for herself. Cian reached over with one hand and grabbed her wrist. He pulled her hand to him and with his other hand took the fry and ate it. He did it so fast that Jeny didn't have a chance to react.

He has begun to cut teeth. His two upper incisors are coming through. We can actually see them if he smiles wide enough. Most of the time he still looks toothless. We thought one of his lower incisors was going to come through first as a week ago we noticed a thin red line on the lower gum. But that has not changed. The two upper incisors however have advanced rapidly over the past two days.
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Pumpkin
Sep. 19th, 2009 @ 06:54 pm Ticked off.
Current Mood: Furious
Once I knew that I had a job for this school year I decided to buy myself a book. I ordered from Amazon Wagner & Hand's book on the sword and buckler system contained in the I.33 manuscript. I've ordered from Amazon before and have had no difficulties.
Not so this time.
Previous all books I've ordered from Amazon have arrived in a cardboard wrap-around case. Apparently people have complained that these are difficult to open. (I have never had the slightest difficulty opening them) Amazon has changed their shipping. The book came a mere bubble wrap envelope that was too large for the book. The packaging did not protect the book in any way. It had been folded in half thereby permanently warping the book and the corners of the book had been crumpled.
I emailed Amazon, explained what had happened and said that I'd like a replacement book sent in a proper shipping container. Within a day I received a response stating that my money was being refunded and that a new book was on its way.
Yay, right? Nope.
The replacement book arrived in the exact same type of envelope and was damaged in the same ways! If anything the damage to the second book is worse than the damage to the first. I blew a gasket. I emailed Amazon again. Calling was an option but I did not trust myself to remain civil on the phone. I explained what had happened and that it was the second time it had happened. I explained how very angry I was about Amazon's carelessness and cavalier treatment of its customers. I stated that what I wanted was a book sent to me that was properly packaged. I also had some harsh words about Amazon's statement: "We're Building Earth's Most Customer-Centric Company". This is the signature line of all emails from Amazon.
I received a reply within a day that my money would be refunded but that any additional copies of the book sent to me would likely also be damaged therefore Amazon would not bother me with that. My comments would be forwarded to the packaging department so that other customers would not have the same problems I had had.
They would not bother *me* with a replacement!?! I jettisoned my remaining calm.
The refund my money line I dismissed as boiler plate since they had already done so. Then I checked my credit card status online. Amazon had refunded my money for the first book. Then Amazon charged me for the second book. (they did refund that money later in the day)
I emailed Amazon yet again. I included all of my previous correspondence with Amazon. I asked if I had understood correctly that Amazon was unwilling to package a book in such a way as to prevent it from being damaged and that Amazon was unwilling to send me an undamaged copy of the book.
I received yet another response. This one apologized for the misunderstanding but stated that this was Amazon's policy. An investigation might be done into their packaging system but that if I wanted another copy of the book (undamaged was not guaranteed or even mentioned) I would have to order it again and a link was provided to the web page listing.
I sent my final email. I explained that there had been no misunderstanding. I understood perfectly that Amazon was refusing to make right a problem they had caused. I stated that would not be reordering the book as I no longer trust Amazon. I reiterated my assessment of Amazon's hypocritical email signature.

I'm done with Amazon.
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Yawning
Sep. 6th, 2009 @ 07:54 pm Running
Current Mood: concerned
I've not been out to run in over two weeks. It is bugging me. I meant to go this morning but I never heard my alarm go off. By the time I woke it was too late to go.
In part I've been tired, really bone-deep tired, lately. I don't know why but it has been a factor. The larger part has been motivation. Its just easier to stay in. Early in the morning is pretty much my only alone time. I can use it to run or I can use it for other things. Running is hard and it hurts my knees. Everything else I'd do is physically inactive so that is the path of least resistance.
I saw a guy on the subway yesterday who was in a strange way sort of motivating. Jeny thought he was in his late 50s or early 60s. I thought he was older than that. He dashed on-board the subway as if he might miss it. His shirt was off and he was sweaty. Not exactly a pleasant image so far. However he had no excess body fat anywhere visible. All of his muscles (not just his abs) were clearly visible and well defined. His dash onto the train was like the dash of a man 30 years younger than him. I thought to myself that if I were his age I'd like to be in his physical condition.

My knees hurt when I run. My left knee as I've mentioned before has been injured in the past and is weaker than it should be. Lately though it has been my right knee that has been troubling me. I wear a knee brace on my left when I run so I wonder if this is just transferred pain. On the other hand I wonder if I should get a second brace.
In shopper's the other day I saw glucosomene sulfate on sale. I didn't buy it but it has been recommended to me by friends before. A pharmacist told me that the clinical trials on it have been inconclusive. It doesn't hurt but there is no clear cut evidence that it helps either.
I wonder if it might be useful to me or if it is just snake oil?
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Sleeping
Sep. 6th, 2009 @ 07:52 pm (no subject)
Current Mood: bored
This is a test of the live journal system. If you can read this please respond with one monosyllabic English word which can be both a noun and a verb. For example: smudge.
(also I get to see if anyone actually reads my entries anymore)
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Coffee
Sep. 2nd, 2009 @ 06:03 pm Working
I have an LTO position again. Yay. It runs from now til Feb 26th. I'll be teaching two History courses, an English course and working half of my schedule in the library. The school is close enough that I can walk to work each day. For now anyway.
Cian is now at the creeping stage. He cannot crawl but he can pull himself along with his arms and push with his toes. Doing this he can move just as fast as crawling. His mobility highlights how small our apartment is. It is not baby-safe and making it so is going to be very difficult since the is no place he cannot reach in which to put stuff. Moving has become a necessity. Just not one we can afford. Due to the offset system of payment the school board uses I will not receive my first paycheque until October.

September is a busy month. Three SCA events in a row that I want to go to but in all likelihood I can only go to one. So do I go to Volley of Arrows to which I have been specifically invited; to Coronation as I am quite thrilled to see Nigel and Adrielle assume the thrones; or do I go the Althing which my local group is hosting?
(did I punctuate that sentence correctly?)
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Coat of Arms
Aug. 20th, 2009 @ 02:51 pm In Triplicate!!!
Current Mood: annoyed
The Garden City Kansas school district wins the Department of Redundancy Department award.
Garden City is located in western Kansas about half way between Wichita and Denver.
I saws on a teaching job board hosted by the Kansas State Department of Education that Garden City is looking for a History teacher to start there on August 31. I've not found a job anywhere so I applied. The job board had me fill out a detailed on-line application which was forwarded to Garden City.
A few hours later I received an email from Garden City indicating that I still needed to do a few more things. I had to go to their website and fill out their on-line application form. After I complete that I would then have to print out part of the form and mail it to Garden City along with transcripts, certificates, licenses and at least 3 letters of reference. In essence a third application.
Thats right. I'd have to apply three times to the same job. Unless I happened to live in Garden City and could just walk into the district office and complete the paperwork application. Which may be the point.
So do I complete applications 2 and 3? Or do I walk away from a potential job?
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Yawning
Aug. 17th, 2009 @ 08:03 pm Finally, some good news
Current Mood: cheerful
I have applied to get my Kansas teaching license renewed. There is an online system that allows me to check the status of my application.
Today it shows that my license has been (almost) renewed. Yay! Reading more closely I see that the fingerprint/background check still needs to be processed before the license is actually renewed.
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Sitting
Aug. 5th, 2009 @ 09:11 pm Teaching
cross posted from Facebook

As I am in the process of seeking a better teaching job friends often ask "what do you teach?" or "what are your qualifications?" The two questions are quite different.
My qualifications vary by jurisdiction but the core is always History.
In Kansas my Conditional Teaching License is for US and World History grades 7 to 12. That license is currently expired but I have put in motion the renewal process.
My Missouri license is for Social Science grades 5 to 9 and 9 to 12. It expired this January. I need to begin the renewal process for it.
My Tennessee license simply says History 7 to 12. It expired back in 2004. I have no plans at this time to return to Tennessee so renewal there is a moot point.
I've taught in Ontario longer than anywhere else and I have more teaching credential there than anywhere else: Intermediate and Senior division History (7-12 in the format of my US licenses), Senior division Individual and Society (a Social Science qualification), Senior division English as a Second Language and Senior division Special Education.
Qualifications are not as portable from jurisdiction to jurisdiction as one might think.

What do I teach/What have I taught? That is a much more diverse group.
In Ontario I have held a number of long term occasional (LTO) positions. These are essentially short-term contracts replacing a permanent contract teacher who is not available for whatever reason. It could be a maternity leave, a surgery leave, medical, or even in one case an odd collection of courses for which no permanent contract teacher could be found. Often these LTO positions occur mid-semester and as a result schools may have difficulty filling them. As a result I've taught classes that I have no qualifications for.
I've taught science. It was fun. It was exciting. I was only a few chapters ahead of the students. The school had already had two (or was it three?) supply teachers quit from this job so they were in dire straits.
I've taught Geography many times. It is closely related to History so it is a pretty natural fit. I've taught English and improved my grammar immeasurably as a result. I've taught Career Studies and Business. Media was an interesting course to teach. I've been a Librarian. I've taught Drama and learned that it is not as easy as it looks.
I've taught Religion. The head of the Department asked me how it felt as a non-Catholic to teach religion in a Catholic school. I explained to him that I did my undergraduate degree in Theology. He exclaimed that I was more qualified to teach the class than he was.
Of course I've taught History. I've taught World History, Canadian History and US History. US History I have taught in both the US and Canada. That is an interesting comparison in and of itself. I've taught a variety of History related courses principally Civics and Government and on one occasion Law. In Tennessee my supervisor asked me to teach a unit on Canadian government because as he explained it: Canada is our largest trade partner. The kids need to know about it.
I have taught History for ESL students. I have taught a combination course that surveyed Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology. I'd like to teach that one again.

I've been able to handle all of these different assignments because of my education, my own varied interests and the assistance of my colleagues. I have a Masters degree in Education. I've said to people that I can probably teach anything if I am given the course materials and adequate time (which is far less than enough time) to prepare. Certainly I've not done as good a job in some of the classes I have taught than a true specialist in the subject would have done. In one of the science classes I taught I had a student who spent the entire semester wearing an expression on her face that said 'sir, you don't know what you're talking about'. She was gracious enough to never actually say it out loud.

So that is what I am qualified to teach and that is an incomplete list and description of what I have taught.
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Yawning
Aug. 2nd, 2009 @ 02:48 pm change
Attention cashiers of the world!
Please perform the following experiment:
1.Take a random assortment of coins the total value of which is less than the smallest paper note of your currency.
2.Place these coins on the palm of your hand.
3.Tilt your hand forwards, backwards, side and side.
4.Take notice of how much the coins slide and at what angle they slide.
5.Set the coins aside.
6.Take a single paper note of your currency and place it on the palm of your hand.
7.Repeat steps 2 through 4 above.
8.Notice that with the paper note on your palm the coins slide much more easily and slide at much smaller angles than they did when they rested directly on your palm. Indeed you may find yourself picking the coins up off the floor.

What is the purpose of this experiment? Simply this: Good customer service requires that when giving someone change you must give them the coins before you give them the paper notes. Under no circumstances should you ever place the paper notes in a customer's hand and then dump the coins on top of the paper.
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Pumpkin
Jul. 27th, 2009 @ 08:01 am Job Hunting
Current Mood: irritated
I have since the end of the school submitted applications to several different school boards. Online forms are less tedious than paper forms but only by a matter of degrees.

In Virginia: Suffolk, Norfolk* Northhampton, Virginia Beach and Prince William. I have the URL for Fairfax county's online application but have not yet completed it.

In Ontario I have submitted fewer applications though I have done more searching. The Toronto, Waterloo and Peel boards do not at this time have any jobs listed. I have updated my application with each of them.
The Waterloo one was irksome. Waterloo has signed up with an agency called apply to education. Formerly known as the apply to teach network. This agency charges a fee for each school board applicants send their documents to. According to the Waterloo DSB website they do all of their hiring through the apply to education website. A few other boards in Ontario claim the same thing. Whats the big deal? I have used this agency before. Or rather I should say that it used me. I paid their fees for 4 years running and never got some much as a rejection letter from any the schools I applied to much less an interview. My experiences in Peel and Toronto (who don't use the network) confirmed to me that the real hiring process is done through contacts. The old boys network is alive and well. The website application is just a formality. One that must be followed, but a formality nonetheless.

This week I begin making applications in Kansas. I need to get my license there renewed and have the necessary forms on my living room table. My application for a Virginia teaching license is delayed as I wait for certain documents to be mailed to me from my grad school. Fortunately most Virginia school districts allow one to apply if you are qualified to get a Virginia license. So I can at least get my applications in while I wait.
My Missouri license has also expired. I cannot locate my hard copy of it. I suspect it is at the farm.

*That is to say I spent the hour or more necessary to fill out the online form and attach the necessary pdf documents to it only to have the online system reject the application since I had left the state field blank in the section on experience. The system does not include provinces as an option nor does it have a "no state" option.
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Coffee