My Nephew Turned 3

Oysters on the Half-Shell

Zach got a hold of bag of oysters and brought them up to Hattiesburg, We ate them raw with homemade cocktail sauce.

This semester will be my busiest yet.  I am still working with Athletics for at least 20 hours a week, and I am also teaching one class each day for the English Language Institute.  On top of that, I am also working on my practicum and final portfolio. My work with Athletics will be interesting this term since I have almost doubled the number of athletes that I am mentoring.  The guys that I am working with seem to be buying what I am selling, but the semester has just started.  It will be interesting to see if they stay motivated once spring practice begins.

My ELI students are awesome and are always demanding more work.  I am getting to test out many of the methods and activities that I have learned through my classes/research, and these students are making my life much easier since they are so willing to try anything to improve their English.

Since I graduate in May, I have also been getting ready for the job search, and I have been keeping up with ESL job openings.  I have retooled my resume, and I have started compiling a list of institutes that I will contact.  We will see how it goes. I have applied for a couple of positions, and now the wait begins.  I will probably have a few more sleepless nights before I have secured a position.

Yes, we do have ice hockey in Mississippi (with real ice and everything).  In fact, we have two teams that compete in the SPHL, a lower-level minor hockey league.  Years ago, my friends and I would attend Mississippi Sea Wolves’ games in Biloxi, MS.  At that time, the Sea Wolves were coached by Bruce Boudreau, who now coaches the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks.  The Mississippi Sea Wolves were part of the East Coast Hockey League, but the team was dissolved in 2009.  In 2010, hockey came back to the coast with the formation of the Mississippi Surge.

JJ and I went to Biloxi on Sunday and were excited that we were going to be able to see an in-state match-up.  The Riverkings from north Mississippi made their way to Biloxi to do battle with the Surge.  We arrived about 15 minutes before they dropped the puck and were able to score excellent seats; we were right on the glass.  There were probably only 400 spectators, but the atmosphere was still exciting.  I have seen a number of games, but this was JJ’s first, and she got to see an excellent game with lots of action directly in front of us.  The Surge led most of the game, but the Riverkings tied it up with less than two minutes to play.  The overtime period was a special treat.  The overtime period in SPHL games lasts for only 5 minutes, but each team plays with only three skaters and a goalie.  Even though the Surge lost in the last minute of overtime, the game was great, and we both really enjoyed the fast pace of the three on three hockey.

Our tickets were $18 each, but we could have had decent seats off the glass for around $10.  It was not NHL caliber hockey, but the players really battled to the end.  I was hoping that JJ would get to see a fight, but there were only a few skirmishes.  I think this is the first game that I attended that did not have at least one fight.  JJ did enjoy the game, and I just need to figure out how I can convince her that we need to travel to Nashville, Dallas, or St. Louis to see an NHL game.  Unfortunately, I don’t think we will be able to see any of those teams play for $18 a ticket.

For more information about schedules and tickets, check out the Surge’s homepage here.

Since I am trying to cram 7 days of studying into 3 days, there has been little time to think about the trip, and I will have to wait and pack the morning that we leave.