Quartet Meme

Mom and I saw Glory Road tonight. It is formulaic in the sense that it is similar to lots of those sports movies - Coach Carter, Miracle, etc. - which are all good, by the way. It is a nice movie worth watching. It is about the first NCAA team of mostly black players and the coach who fielded them. In their first season at a school no one had heard of they went on to the biggest upset ever in NCAA to win the national title.

We had suicide prevention training this afternoon for teachers at school. A fellow talked about his own son who killed himself. They taught the warning signs and how to respond, etc. He showed that the Bible had no verses condemning all suicides to hell. I've seen people try to commit suicide and known someone who succeeded and had thoughts when I was an emotional teenager. It is one of the most tragic things to have someone in such a state of mind that they decide to that and actually succeed. They have no opportunity left, and the people they live behind have the worst kind of pieces to pick up after. I read the police blotter and know that many people check into motels to kill themselves, but youth usually do it at home. Colorado has the 7th highest suicide rate in the nation as the mountain states as a whole are higher than the rest of the country put together. No one knows why for sure. And you really cannot stop someone who has decided that is what they are going to do - it is out of your hands.

I am very grateful for what Islam gave me in life because I honestly believe I could never find myself in that state (insha'allah) knowing what I know and having what I have through Islam by the grace of God.

Work has been fine but very busy and tiring. The new Problem Solving class so far is a success, so I am happy for that.

The meme:
Four Jobs I’ve Had in My Life

1) Broadmoor Hotel Laundry - the worst one by far - horrible working conditions
2) night shift assembly line packing computer stuff - "interesting" people
3) Mcdonald's and a Mexican restaurant at the mall - definitely work at the mall for fast food - better pace and better hours
4) everything teaching - public school, charter school, tutoring, Sylvan Learning Center, madressa, etc. - that's what I do

Four Movies I Could Watch Over and Over, and Have

1) Thunderheart - I love this movie, always have, but can't really say why. Maybe it just speaks to my native blood.
2) Lord of the Rings trilogy - Takes a lot of time to watch over and over, but these are just fantastic.
3) The Saint - The Saint books are terrible reads, but the movie was fun.
4) Star Trek IV - Always loved Star Trek, especially as a kid when most of fantasies were in Star Trek and I had tons of Star Trek books, figures, etc. Very enjoyable movie.

Four Places I Have Lived

1) Colorado Springs - born, raised, native for three generations.
2) Fort Collins (college) - loved campus, the rest of town was just okay.
3) Troy, NY (summer college internship) - dead place.
4) Knoxville, TN (summer college internship) - way too humid.

Four TV Shows I Love To Watch

1) Mythbusters - I get tired of the reruns but new ones are fun.
2) House - I didn't want to watch it, accidentally did and found I liked it.
3) Nova - I love good documentaries especially about science/archaeology, etc.
4) Sherlock Holmes - the good ones with Jeremy Brett - I have all the DVD's.

Four Places I Have Been On Vacation

1) Four Corners - our most common vacation place that's not just a few hours away. Part of me could live there.
2) Yellowstone - I was 5 but I still remember mud volcanoes, bald eagles and moose, and of course Old Faithful.
3) Southern California / Florida - all kinda the same to me, the standard family vacations, went a few times.
4) Colorado mountains- camping - did some neat things like ghost towning, gem hunting, snowshoeing, etc.

Four Websites I Visit Daily

1) bloglines and then the updated blogs in my list
2) naseeb
3) local news page
4) the district webpage - I have to go through it to enter attendance/grades

Four Favorite Foods

1) good ice cream
2) spaghetti
3) mom's cheese enchiladas
4) a good salad bar

Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now

1) I like being here at home
2) Vancouver
3) Karbala
4) some isolated self-sustaining, quiet beautiful place