Hello my Livejournal friends. It's been a while I know. I'm blogging with Blogger now, focusing on writing, not the hodge podge that LJ had become for me. Eventually I will have a webpage set up. But I've decided to link my blog posts from here to there. Everything I blog over there is public, where there were things here that I kept f*listed for personal reasons.

Anyway, here's the first:

Let The Past Be The Past

Tags: new blog

Well, I have an agent again! Very exciting news in Ebenstonelandia. Here's the link to the new blog where I go on and on about:

http://johnzeleznik.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-comes-early-to-zeleznik.html

I won't forget you all when they are making a miniseries of my book!

Been a long time. I'm afraid that I've been very busy lately. And I've sort of changed sides a bit. I have a new blog over on Blogger that is strictly going to be a writing blog. Here's the link:

The Adventures of A Pantless Writer

I want to continue on LJ, I just don't know at what capacity.

I am absolutely incensed by this.

Is there ANYTHING that us white folk DON'T want to ruin?

www.tor.com/blogs/2011/03/whitewashing-akira-wheres-the-hollywood-wakeup-call

I posed this question on Twitter and I want to ask it over here where there is space for answers.


What is a boy book?

I open the floor to you, my friends. If you are not an LJ member, please leave me a handle so I know who I am talking to! Thanks!

Tags: question of the now
Current Mood: curious

Thanks to saetter for putting the expression "survivor's guilt" in my head. It perfectly describes the way I feel. I found out today the number of cuts that are being made in the district by department. Only one English position is being cut. MASSIVE EXHALE.

Again, not that I thought my position was actually going to be cut. My brain would just go their instantly because of my history. The sad thing is that I'm pretty sure I know who is going and I feel awful for him. He did some severely douchy things his first two years hear (I think I've talked about him before as the "grandstander") and he's improved vastly since than, even moving past tolerable and into likable. (I wound up losing the department chair to him because I sort of half-assed my candidacy and everyone thought I wasn't serious though I was. Not that I was gunning for it, but the previous chair encouraged me to do so.) But he was denied tenure (rumors are flying that it wasn't just his grandstanding, but some things that were observed in his classroom that were "odd") and that's almost an automatic dismissal. I hope I'm wrong. He' actually does some really good stuff with the kids. Really. But again, I'm relieved that I'm "safe."

Been a good day too. Did my "Facebook" character analysis project with my 11s and the rest of my afternoon looks pretty easy. Had a great music ride in to school: Regulate by Nate Dogg (RIP) and Warren G (A seminal song of my early 20s.), The Sweater Song by Weezer, Bullet W/ Butterfly Wings by the Smashing Pumpkins (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is the very definition of an "epic album.") and VH's Dreams. So I had a feeling.

Now if one more ship can come in, I'd be one happy mofoer.

Tags: music, school, writing
Current Mood: relieved

Pink slips went out today. I, to the best of my knowledge, am not going to be a recipient of one of said slips...I don't know what my "number" is, but it's pretty high. It's a shitty day to be working. And from what I've heard, more are to come. It sucks. No one is smiling and their is a palpable feeling of gloom.

I won't rant about our top heavy district (we have more assistant to the..., coordinators, directors and their staff then we do teachers). I want to discuss the emotional toll this has on people, especially me. (Cause we all know that's all that matters!)

It's such a strange feeling. I am crushed for many of these people (including one phenomenal special ed teacher that I worked very closely with this summer) on one hand. On the other, and this worries me on some level, I am relieved that it wasn't me. Now, I know I said that I am not on the block (fully certified, tenured, 6 years into the job, well-liked by administration, etc), I've been fired from jobs and I know the feeling. I can't imagine how they feel.

I still worry, though. Big time. Not for myself, per se. Like I said, I've lost jobs before. But this is the first time in my life that I've ever had people to genuinely provide for...and that scares the shit out of me. Natalie is, by far, the most important thing in my life and the thought of not being able to provide for her terrifies me in a way that words cannot describe.

If that wasn't enough, look at the rundown of the shittiness that has been the last 36 hours for me:

• My wife got her minivan stuck in the mud in the backyard. 
• The sewer backed up into our basement. (Good times there!)
• Natalie is having an allergic reaction to something and we don't know what it is.

Well, hope that brightens your day.

Oh, GO ORANGE!

Tags: life, school
Current Mood: nervous

I'm giving a test today. I've written more referrals, sent more students to the office and requested more parent teacher conferences today than I have all year. And I feel good about it. Weird day. It's open book too. Sit down, shut up and do it. Not that hard. One of the girls I kicked out called me "pathetic." I guess so. Oh, well.

So, since Feb. 28th, I've been doing a decent job of watching what I eat. I've lost about 13 pounds since then and I'm very proud of that. But I know it's only the first few steps and I need to keep consistent. So, I'm adding working out to the mix. So today, I'm en route to the gym and my wife texts me telling me to go pick up our daughter. (My wife was having lunch with the girls, so I was trying to be the good husband.) And then it all went to hell...I ate a whole sleeve of thin mints and an order of Wendy's Boneless Wings. The funny thing is, the wings are actually better than the cookies.  SO now I'm wracked with guilt over it all and feeling shitty about myself.

The best thing is that I can just go right back on the wagon tomorrow. It's the 5am challenge. Get up and work out at 5. Let's see how that goes.

Tags: the fat suit

Okay, I think long time followers of this blog and my twitter feed know I am a college sports fan, in particular the teams of Syracuse University. Well, as usual, our basketball team is kicking arse. Well between conference tournaments and the Big Dance itself looming before us, I was reminded one of the reasons why I love this time of year: GUS FREAKING JOHNSON.

Gus Johnson is a play by play announced whose enthusiasm for his job know no bounds. He is emotional vested in every moment he calls. Like this game tonight:



I wish this guy could've called my wedding:

SHE'S WALKING DOWN THE AISLE. THE PRIEST SAYS SOME THINGS.....OH MY GOD! SHE SAID YES! SHE SAID YES!

Enjoy.