Tag Archives: kitty’s writing

a monday or work & play

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diary
4 January 2011
started at 12:50 USA CT
my room, mom & pop’s, land of beautiful trees, il, usa

With the holidays complete I am now transitioning into my current life living in Winnetka. I want to be teaching English as Foreign Language abroad again starting this Fall. To get there I am researching schools, sprucing up my resume and refining my teaching website.

line-art-of-boy-sitting-on-drift-wood-fishing_w725_h496Yesterday that meant sending letters of interest to schools in Dubai I found in “SCHOOLS ABROAD OF INTEREST TO AMERICANS” (ISBN: 9780875581668), re-wording/re-formatting my resume and doing a draft of my online teaching resume to be published on Mr. Danoff’s Teaching Laboratory.

Of course the goal of being abroad again teaching is far off. In the short-term on the Teaching English note I want to see if I can find some students to teach in the Chicagoland area, and publish the materials and writings I’ve done on the subject over the past two years.

On that note, last week I published Kitty‘s (one of the Chinese Junior Highschoolers who I’ve been tutoring English writing to) latest piece: “Are you busy? Why?” It’s a fun piece giving insight into the hectic world Chinese teenagers need to navigate for success. Please e-mail me charles@danoff.org with any comments you have for Kitty.

For fun yesterday I attended the Northwestern vs. Michigan State game with my Dad. It was the first time I’d been to Welsh-Ryan in a couple of years, and a lot had changed. Typically a Big Ten game attracts big crowds, but mostly for the visiting team. Last night that was still true, but the first level was packed with Purple, including students packed in behind both baskets. The atmosphere was electric and given NU is good now the game was fantastic. MSU led basically the entire time, then with about 3 minutes left the ‘Cats went into a full-court press (I wondered why they hadn’t done so earlier) and a few 3-pointers and defensive stops later, the ‘Cats were within 1. They still lost the game, but it was seriously in doubt and NU solidifed their status as an NCAA bubble team (in my eyes). I particularly liked the aggressive game on both ends of Drew Crawford and reserve center Davide Curletti.Julie_Delpy_02

Afterwards Dad and I watched Jim Harbaugh and Andrew Luck lead a dominating victory in the Orange Bowl capstoned by Harbaugh deftly deflecting questions (detailed here, though the writer has a different take) from ESPN reporters about his future by walking away or focusing his answer on what had just occurred. He seems like a bit of a cocky a$$, but I was impressed with his class in the context.

Concluded the evening by watching “2 Days in Paris” a 2007 film by Julie Depuy (pictured @ right). I really enjoyed the movie for its honesty and decisions to show the difficulties of relationships. I also was reminded of why I’ve always loved my visits to Paris and want to arrange a longer stay soon. I wrote a short review of the film on Amazon.com, which you can read here: Treat 4 Traveling Americans (if you have an Amazon account, please comment or rate the review).

Finally I published a new edition of danoff dot org (my homepage). Following suggestions from multiple parties I decided to put a picture of me on there for the first time. I didn’t before, ’cause I wanted the focus to be on the text, but I do enjoy pictures of others on their homepages and it doesn’t mean folks can’t still focus on the text.

If you have any feedback about how I can market myself as an English Teacher, thoughts about NU basketball, or criticisms of my latest homepage edition please leave it in the comments below.

up too late

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Diary
23 October 2010
Written roughly fifty minutes after the stroke of midnight.

Was lucky today and made some money caddying, wasn’t great for all the things I set out in my “Month of Charlie” post, but money’s important, too, and there won’t be many, or any, caddy days, left so I’m happy. As for this exact moment, I’m up too late, following a second evening of over-eating indulgence and a sour mood as a result.paro_Al_sliding_on_a_banana_skin

In more interesting news, Kitty submitted another article to me earlier this week, which I finally published this evening, its a lovely answer to the question “What clothes are fashionable?”

And before I sign off, go Cats! MSU is rife for an upset later this morning.

Image: Al sliding on a banana skin by, / cybergedeon from The Open Clip Art Gallery.

back just for a flash

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Diary
Thursday, September 30th – Friday, October 8th
Written Late on Friday Evening

Big event of last weekend, was Brad and his girlfriend Alli’s visit. Did my best to show them the Chicago red carpet treatment.

Chig3_DSCN0433

Even though I stayed in-county, I was worse about getting back going in my work-life afterwards, like I was following the wedding adventure, unlike post-seeing America’s future leaders. Evidence enough is that I have not been publishing here.

That acknowledged, I have done a few things. I received another article from Kitty, this one is about music, and worth a look. My course has taken an interesting turn with Grandma’s formal introduction, and Joe’s quest towards paragogy.

After Tuesday the weather around here has been incredible, which has kept me busy at the course making money, which is usually a positive. After finishing last night I met up with Pat to watch the Hawks come from behind to tie the Avalanche in their season opener as they try to defend the ‘Cup. Biggest impression of the game was how Turco’s puck-handling ability will change the Hawk’s offense. Their roommates, the Bulls, started their pre-season this week, and the new guy I’m most intrigued with so far is Ömer Aşık. Moving East, I hope Todd Collins does as well Sunday against the Panthers as he did in his pre-season start.

Image: from the Entourage Weeknights Wandering Red Carpet’s Chicago Max Bar visit.

a slice of my projects

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Diary
The Afternoon of Monday, September 27th – Evening of Wednesday the 29th
Written Wednesday Evening
My Room, Mom & Dad’s, Winnetka, IL, USA

Learning a little from last week, I did a much better job recovering from a short adventure and getting back into my routine on Monday. This gave me time to go out into Winnetka.

small slice of tree city usa

I started at the library and had a really helpful exchange with a young gentleman working there, who explained the resources available to me as a patron and how I could use them to aid in my studies. Next was a deposit at my bank, complete with a pleasant chat with the banker who bailed me out of trouble in China. Finally, I stopped by Phototronics, the local photoshop, whose owner took ten minutes of his time to fix my camera, and asked for nothing in return. Normally in my life finding information, handling money and getting things fixed have been done mostly through a computer screen, or over the phone. It felt like a new experience handling them all in person, even though that’s more what humans have been doing for the past however long, it hasn’t been my reality.

Tuesday was back at the course and lucky to get out and make some cash, while there found some time that day and evening to update danoff dot org. Hoped to work again this morning, to no avail, so I came home with an afternoon free to catch up on some of my projects. Started by adding another lesson plan to the resource I’ve been building sharing all my old lessons from China.

Moved across the net over to Peer to Peer University, where my course on Collaborative Lesson Planning has moved into week three. Week two did not have as much participation as week one as I noted in my third through review, so I adjusted my gameplan and simplified this week’s homework. We’ll see how it goes.

Next I published the latest article from Hannah, the student of mine from China whom I’m currently tutoring, this one on the merits of examinations. In exciting news I published the first article from my second pupil, Kitty. She’s another junior high schooler, and her first hit is about why she should study English.

I am making progress on some of my projects, which is good, because I’m reaching a point now where it is time for this energy I have been putting in to writing and online magic to bear some fruit. Part of it is the slow ripening nature of those mediums, more is I have lacked the discipline to see projects all the way through to the end. I am wonderful at starting them and getting better, but once I hit that first plateau of stubbornness (hat tip to Chu of E.T.A. from page 115 of Infinite Jest) I often give up and start something new. Now is the time to push on through. On that new note, though …

danoff-vs-room-introduction_000030click the image or here for a video

Image: “small slice of tree city USA“, by Charles Jeffrey Danoff, CCA.