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we want heroes without alter-egos

My friend Sam thinks that colleges should have an "Alumni We Aren't Proud of" section on their websites. As he puts it, "Rod Blagojevich went to Pepperdine. Think they're proud?" I'd love to see Ivy League colleges with the names of the men (yes, they Read More...
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2009 12 3

John Spencer

9 Comments

five conspiracy theories I made up this morning

I don't believe that Obama is the anti-Christ. I don't believe that Bush ordered the 9-11 attacks. However, I do think conspiracy theories are fun (if comical). So, I decided to make up five of my own: 1. Pacifiers were created during the Cold War by Read More...
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2009 11 26

John Spencer

4 Comments

a topic that should be taught in school

My grandpa is dying right now and I feel almost nothing about. I know a lot about him, but I don't really know him at all. I know that he likes rocky road and that he won a lot of metals in World War II that he keeps inside of a shoebox while he withers Read More...
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2009 07 13

John Spencer

5 Comments

if only my mom would get on board

Rock Bottom sent me an e-mail about the Mother's Day Brunch Buffet. I love my mom, but I'm skeptical that she would go with this. She still has too many layers of Baptist legalism to shed and her arthritis medication won't allow her to have alcohol. I Read More...
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2009 05 9

John Spencer

1 Comments

the game

I don't believe in living vicariously through sports. I don't believe that when "they" do well, "we" do well. I don't drink Miller Light and the word "fantasy" does not conjure up images of baseball in my mind. Still, I can't help but feel a little excited Read More...
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2009 05 5

John Spencer

1 Comments

on reading Farenheit 451

Right now we're reading Farenheit 451 in my seventh hour. When I first read it, I thought it was about censorship. Then I thought it was about literacy and what happens when books are replaced by television (Marshall McLuhan's concept that the medium Read More...
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2009 04 13

John Spencer

10 Comments

prophets, poets, preachers

Today while I presented my posterboard at NAU, a professor talked to me about various doctoral programs. One thing struck me as profound, "Some of the professors have great thoughts. They're really cutting edge. But they're so used to talking that they've Read More...
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2009 03 28

John Spencer

12 Comments

thoughts on the tournament

I hate being trendy and I hate being mainstream. I love the quasi-mainstream limbo state of my life. So, it's difficult for me to admit that I embrace something so incredibly trendy and mainstream. I'll even use the cliche term "bandwagon" to describe Read More...
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2009 03 21

John Spencer

3 Comments

the strange phenomenon of what makes me nervous

I'm going to be presenting my Capstone Project to some people at NAU. Although they are strangers and it will require some public speaking (though I'm doubtful it will be much) I am not too nervous. Similarly, whenever I have had a job interview, I've Read More...
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2009 03 6

John Spencer

0 Comments

marathon interview with myself

After completing my marathon, I thought I would go Q&A style by interviewing myself. John: What was your time? Spencer: I ran it in five hours and twenty minutes. John: Is that what you were aiming for? Spencer: I had no target time, so I'm not really Read More...
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2009 02 15

John Spencer

5 Comments

Five Things I Like

1. Bubble Wrap: Does it ever become uninteresting? I thought I would outgrow it, but I still think bubble wrap is the ultimate diversion. In fact, I think my school should supply bubble wrap at professional development meetings. 2. Frosting: I'm not a Read More...
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2009 02 9

John Spencer

9 Comments

a book all teachers should read

I'm almost finished with my master's degree. The Capstone Project sounds impressive on paper, but it's actually not all that innovative. All the ideas are from somebody else (research journals). Even if it is documented, it somehow feels like cheating. Read More...
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2008 10 22

John Spencer

5 Comments

writing to do lists

I check my to-do list: Catch up on grading Create fundraising letters Double-check the implementation of my master's project Develop an organizational structure for this year's projects Clean the kitchen Half-way through this list, I realize something Read More...
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2008 08 30

John Spencer

9 Comments

should we teach kids to be patriotic?

Sometime after 9-11, I lost all sense of patriotism. It might have been the way people used the American flag to sell beer (not unlike Jesus Breathmints and granola bars). Perhaps it was when I first heard a country singer telling me we should stick a Read More...
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2008 07 4

John Spencer

9 Comments

first ever video blog post

The following is a video blog post I created. I did this for a few reasons. First, we have to do it for our class. Also, I realized awhile ago that this is such a multimedia culture that this is the language people speak. Like my friend Dustin pointed Read More...
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2008 04 7

John Spencer's Blog - A Billion Blogs of Solitude

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