jonoaks

[jonoaks]

Saturday, March 17.

Today I went back to Ardmore Cafe for lunch, but this time with my parents. My mom loved it and she ate more food than I've seen her eat in a long time. My dad kept on complaining that his Reuben was flat (but that is because it was done panini style and not by just grilling the bread). I tried the Polynesian Chicken and I learned today that I don't like hot fruit on my chicken! Overall, a nice experience and I would go again since my parents seemed to like it.

[jonoaks]

Friday, March 16. I went to the Michigan Canvas Users Conference. It was a great conference and I learned alot. The keynote session was on gamifying learning. Not the gamification of learning (i.e., using games to learn, but rather making learning into a game). I also attended a session on integrating Office 365 into Canvas, a session on MyOpenMath, as well as a session on how to use Google Docs to change settings in Canvas. I also walked away with a few door prizes. Overall, great conference. 10/10. Highly recommend!

[jonoaks]

Thursday, March 15. Today I tried out a new pork chop recipie. It’s top secret! But may or may not include Olive oil, fresh cracked pepper, oregano, paprika, and Zehnders Chicken seasoning. Bake at 400 degrees til done (20 min minimum I would suspect).

[jonoaks]

Wednesday, March 14.

Today I tried something new when I had my students put their cellphones in sealed envelopes on their desks while they were taking their tests. The general feedback from my students was positive and they appreciated that I was concerned about the distractions phones cause during tests (e.g., someone's phone accidentally going off during the test). I also felt more at ease because I didn't have to keep walking around the room checking to see if someone was using their phone under the table, etc. 10/10 Highly recommend!

[jonoaks]

Tuesday, March 13. Today, I tried one of these for lunch. I was skeptical since there was quinoa in it instead of rice, yet it was still being touted as an Asian inspired dish when I was in Meijer buying it the other day. No, this was not as good or as satisfying as if there would have actually been rice in it. But for a healthy, frozen meal, and for the fact many folks at work were jealous of how good it looked and smelled this afternoon, I would definitely get this again. 9/10.

[jonoaks]

Monday, March 12.

Boy, today was a crazy day especially given that I set my alarm for 5 am, but didn't actually wake up until 8:55 am, and had a meeting at 9 am! Good thing it was a Zoom meeting and I legit rolled off my couch and into the living room just in time to login for the meeting. So, during this meeting I learned about TPACK, which don't ask me what that stands for, but I do know it is a professional development framework for online teachers. It is something I would definitely like to learn more about moving forward, as I would like to always improve as a teacher myself.

[jonoaks]

Sunday, March 11.

Today, I watched the movie, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, and I learned more about Enron than I ever wanted to know. I don't really like movies that much, but as a documentary, this was actually very interesting. Also, as these events were unraveling nearly 20 years ago now, it's hard to believe how even some of what was being said in the interviews back then would likely be considered politically incorrect today. It's funny how times change more quickly than we think!

[jonoaks]

Saturday, March 10. Today I took the advanced mixology class at The Sugar House in Detroit. This particular class was all about amaro. If you don’t know about amaro, it’s an Italian herbal liqueur. The difference main difference between a liquor and a liqueur is that liqueurs are typically meant to be a liquor that is served after dinner. But this liqueur was so great that I would have it anytime of the day. So, we made 2 drinks as part of the class and the one in this picture happens to be the white negroni. We made a paper airplane later on (not pictured and it was in a coupe glass). I love taking these classes and can’t wait until the next one! 10/10. Highly recommend!

[jonoaks]

Friday, March 9

Today was a rough day that ended up with me being stranded at Belle Tire all day while my brakes were being repaired. Luckily, my parents were kind enough to come pick me up for the afternoon and give me a ride over to Meijer for grocery shopping. And here is how this ties into what I learned today: Meijer has a brand of produce called 'Misfits' that are pieces of produce that would normally be wasted otherwise. What I ended up buying was a bag of apples that happened to be smaller than what you would normally buy in the store. I think it is super cool that Meijer is doing this rather than having the apples thrown away like they normally would have been otherwise. And the apples were still super tasty. 10/10. Highly recommend!

[jonoaks]

Wednesday, March 7. Today I had a great lunch at The Great Catch in Zephryhills, FL, thanks to my good friend Jane. I also tried Basa fish for the first time ever as well. The fish was excellent. However, the actual drive to Zephryhills is bit far from Detroit. So, 9/10.

[jonoaks]

Thursday, March 8

Today was one of those days where I got some well deserved rest, but then in the evening I was oddly productive despite not getting everything done that needed to get done. Those who know me know that I hate watching videos, but I watched nearly 3 hrs of videos today, including those for the Title IX Training at my college, interviews for AMATYC, and the BBC documentary on Fermat's Last Theorem. I'll tell you what... that documentary was absolutely riveting and it was broken down nicely enough that most people would be able to be able give at least a general idea behind the concept of the proof by the end of the documentary. I'm glad I expanded my horizons by watching it. The documentary 10/10. The ads on the stupid website that made it take three times as long to watch the documentary as it should have 0/10.

[jonoaks]

Tuesday, March 6. I tried the Red Door Wine Bar in Lakeland, FL. I got the wine flight and the poutine. I realized after the fact that the fries were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I thought these were too crispy for my taste, but it turns out according to the bartender that this is just the style of fries that is served in Florida. Yeah, you can keep your fries, Florida. 10/10 for the wine. 0/10 for everything else.

[jonoaks]

Monday, March 5.

Today I tried Bigalora for the first time (it was the airport location, but my experience there doesn't make me want to try the Royal Oak location). So, at the airport this morning, I went to Bigalora because I saw a sign that said pizzas served in 5 minutes. There was no one else in the restaurant, so I asked if they were serving food. I was told that they were. So, I ordered a breakfast pizza. Turns out they hadn't heated up their ovens yet. So, it ended up taking 30 minutes for my pizza, I ended up having to take it to go so I wouldn't miss my plane, and when I finally opened my pizza, the dough wasn't cooked in the middle so I had to throw the pizza away. So, I paid over $12 for a pizza I didn't even end up ending. I would give this place negative stars if I could! 0/10 Do not recommend!

[jonoaks]

Sunday, March 4.

Today I took kayaking lessons. So, I was pretty much the worst in my class and the teachers took me off to the side to help me privately. And I am still not much better than when I started. But I will commend them on being patient with me and getting me to the point where I was at least comfortable on the water and not afraid of tipping over. And I now at least know a trick or two in the case I do end up ever tipping over. This class was definitely a must take class not only for the beginner, but for anyone who has never taken a formal kayaking class. 10/10. Highly recommended!

[jonoaks]

Saturday, March 3. Today I visited the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House with my parents for the first time. I’ve been wanting to visit it for quite some time now and I will say it was definitely worth the visit, but I would recommend going either on the Behind the Scene tour, during the spring or summer when it would be nicer to see the flowers and walk out to bird island, or Christmastime when the house is all decorated. Otherwise, it’s just a house. However, be warned that depending on who your docent is for the tour, you might not be able to take pictures inside the house. 9/10

[jonoaks]

Friday, March 2.

Today I learned that I have Acid Reflux. I haven't been feeling well since about last Sunday and then all of a sudden during my classes yesterday, I started getting a sharp pain in my throat and turns out it's Acid Reflux. This was legit the second worst pain I've ever experienced to my hernia. Acid Reflux really hurts, ya'll.

[jonoaks]

Thursday, March 1.

Starting with this new month, I'm changing my goal from trying one new thing today to either trying one new thing, experiencing one new thing, or learning one new thing. Today I experienced classes starting 5 p.m. and after at my college being canceled while I was in the middle of teaching my 4 p.m. class. This was definitely one unique experience I hope to never have again.