Don't Call It A Comeback!!!

It's crazy how time flies...check here for important information and news as we approach the NYS tests and senior activities.

Racist???

OK so this is my first blog post since forever...

RIP Teena Marie

I am so upset right now. This is crazy. She was only 54...

THE MCRIB IS BACK!!!!!!!!

For the first time in 16 years, McDonald's put the McRib back on the menu. I read an article where someone likened happening upon the McRib to "finding a unicorn drinking at the fountain of youth." I describe it as an elusive culinary gem. Hurry, it'll only be around for 4-6 weeks.

Yo later today I am going IN. Even though it will probably look more like the one shown below rather than the above McRib glamour shot, I'm in there son.

Patti Labelle in Fela!

OMG I can't wait to see Fela! again starring Patti Labelle.
After seeing Lillias White in the role of Fela's mother, I couldn't imagine Patti Labelle in the role.
But this video has me convinced. She affects the Nigerian accent and everything.
Check it out. OMG. She's awesome. Can't wait.

WE OUT OF MEET (LOL)

Looks like someone got a 55 in ELA.

LOST Season 6 on DVD

GUESS WHAT'S COMING OUT ON TUESDAY 8/24???

OWN THE FINAL INSTALLMENT OF THE BEST SHOW IN TELEVISION HISTORY.

HEEEEEELLLLLPPPPP!!!!!!!!

I am posting this in case things go horribly awry with my mental health and sanity.
I've been creating the 2010-2011 class/teacher schedule for the last 10 days straight.
This image only begins to illustrate how it's been going.
What an awesome vacation.

My New Toy

The contents pictured above became a jerk seasoning for some chicken: ginger, allspice, nutmeg, brown sugar, olive oil, onions, green onions, soy sauce, scotch bonnet peppers, lime juice, cinnamon and thyme leaves. This thing works like a charm. It even makes bread dough. Next week I am making foccacia. Yum.

UPED Students at the NY Liberty Game

Stick with Ms. T. Hall and Ms. Brathwaite if you want to go places (such as Madison Square Garden). Looks like they had lots of fun!

Class 271 at Prospect Park

Thank you Ms. T. Hall for developing the partnership with the Urban Park Rangers which resulted in this awesome theme-related expeditionary learning event.

SpIcY cHiCkEn WiNgS

I'm still going through LOST withdrawal so it's been a while since I've posted but here goes:

These chicken wings are so easy to make and very flavorful. You should try them. Just wash, paper towel dry and season up some wingettes with the usual herbs and spices like sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, garlic powder, paprika and cayenne pepper. The longer they marinate in this rub, the better. Then fry the wings in vegetable oil like you normally would and drain on paper towels. After that, dip them in a combination of hot sauce, butter, ketchup, vinegar and honey. You have to dip them while they're still hot so make the sauce before frying. There would have been more in the picture but I ate them. Yum yum.

The World Is Ending

This sinkhole in Guatemala is evidence that the world is ending.

Wow. The perspective of this last shot is particularly ominous. It's like a portal to hell. Wow.

Once On This Island Update

Thanks again to Ms. Occhipinti and Ms. Jackson for

volunteering to draw and paint the backdrop

for the play.

LOST: The Final Season: Episodes 17 & 18: The End

LOST, THE PHENOMENON, THE MYSTERY, THE BEST SHOW EVER, HAS ENDED.
THIS IS MY FINAL RECAP POST, NOT TO SAY THERE WON'T BE OTHER LOST-RELATED POSTS.

Rose and Bernard have been chillin' in the jungle.

Lapidus is alive...fooled us all.

Miles and Richard plan on blowing up the Ajira plane.

I thought it was already rigged with C4.

Kate trecks across the island with a major flesh wound.

This is when the episode got good: the face off between Jack and MIB:

Jack says "I'm gonna kill you."

Flocke says "How do you expect to do that?"

Jack says "It's a surprise."

Flocke says "Then let's get on with it."

And it's only 9:35!

Oh snap! Juliette is the mother of Jack's son!


I was wrong last week when I guessed that it was Anna Lucia.

Juliette walks right by Sawyer.

When Jack, Desmond & Flocke go ahead of everyone else, I'm thinking don't kill Hurley, Kate & Sawyer.

But why lead flocke to the light?

I don't get it.

Did Jack just want to get it over with?

If that was the case, he shouldn't have volunteered for the job.

I just don't get how leading MIB to the light tunnel was necessary for doing the job of protector.

I mean I kinda get it but this was unnecessary. Flocke and Desmond could have gone alone.

What's with the alternate universe? What's going on in LA?

Again we hear (this time from Jack) "Whatever happened, happened."

What is the point of lowering Desmond down the light well? What is Flocke's plan?

[Love the comedic LOST-themed Target commercials.]

I hope all this Hurley/Sayid stuff is not just to kill time.

Oh snap it's Shannon!

Yeah Sayid and Shannon's relationship was special but what about Nardia?
I guess Sayid has mourned Nardia and is moving on.

Ok Claire is back on crazy mode back on Hydra Island.

I wonder if Walt will show up...I doubt it.

Will Flocke push Jack down the light well???

Wow. It's so cyclical. The shot of Jack and Locke looking down a deep hole, a la the hatch.

What can Desmond do down the light well to thwart Flocke's plan?

He says he knows he has to walk towards where the light is brightest.

How did he know to unplug the huge ancient stopper thingy??

Why was there no flashback when Daniel and Charlotte touched?
How fitting: they're at table 23.

Of course Claire's having contractions at the concert. Of course.

What a gruesome scene at the light source. Who are those others who were there at one point?

Ok WHAT did Desmond just do???? This scene is riveting!

Both Jack and Flocke say they must have been wrong and then they tussle leading to Flocke's bloody lip.

This must mean Flocke is no longer immortal?

Was Flocke immortal? Can he be killed?

Uh oh. Eloise is pissed that Desmond went through with this plan.

Back to cyclical: Kate will deliver Claire's baby.

OK that was the quickest delivery ever but beautifully cut with the island birth.

OK that baby is like 5 months old. Again, good weaving of past and present.

Ok is this the rain storm that will flood the island?

What a commercial cliffhanger: Jack jumping through the air at Flocke!! That was sick.

Kate to Flocke as she shoots him: "I saved you a bullet!"

YES!!! Kate to Jacks rescue!

What did Flocke mean when he says "You're too late" to Jack?

This is crazy...Jack kills Flocke and saves Locke.

Ok so we have an explanation for Jack's weird cuts on his neck.

The flashbacks to the island between Jack and Locke are well done.

What does Locke mean "You don't have a son?"

What ever happened to that storyline about Jack's tattoos?

Somehow Kate saying "It's over" feels like it's just beginning.

OK so Jin and Sun have realized their connection.

Will the Ajira plane blow up when Lapidus starts it???

What happened to Desmond?

Why is the island shaking violently?

What if the runway they were building in season 3...Nah!!!

 Is the Ajira plane still rigged to blow?

OK what's with the Jack and Kate kiss?

Aww, it's a Juliette and Sawyer moment at the vending machine

OK the greatest flashback sequence goes to these two!!

Let's see if Jack and Kate's flashback moment rivals Sawyer and Juliette's.

OK if they all die on the island, is it supposed to appease us that they're alive and well in LA?

Jack and Hurley's "It's supposed to be you" moment is tender and touching.

Jack will transfer protectorship to Hurley.

What will Jack encounter down the well??

The Ajira plane turned on without blowing up...so Flocke removed all of the C4?

Let's hope Desmond hasn't become another smoke monster.

The island is going down!

How can two of the same people exist in the same universe?

Ok if Jack dies after replugging the ancient stopper thingy, that would suck.

OMG as the plane is taking off I'm at the egde of my seat!!!!

That's jacked that Jack and Hurley are left behind on the island.

But we know the island sinks so...

Oh snap, wait a minute...the light came back on at the bottom of the well.

Hurley and Ben pull up Desmond...

Will Jack become the new Smokey???

It looks like they're all going to the Lamp Post station after the concert.

Ben's there?

And he apologizes to Locke.

And Locke forgives him.

Ok Locke can walk again

Did Jack become the light?

Hurley is the new protector officially.

IMO since his first episode until now, Ben is too all over the place as a character.
He's too fickle. As the leader of the Others he was horrible to the Losties for years.
Fast forward to season 6 and he wanted to help Ilana.
Then he joined Flocke and is willing to kill any and everyone Flocke says.
Now he wants to help Hurley protect the island?

Ok so perhaps they all can't exist at the same time and place.

Jack wakes up in the same place where Smokey woke up in Across The Sea.

Ok I need to process this Chrsitian and Jack post-humous reunion.

Oh snap! Everyones dead!

So if Hurley's dead who's protecting the island?
***************************************************************************
OK, so there are lots of people around the world who didn't like the series finale.
I thought it was pretty good and the writers did a good job of bringing it all together.
I am not in love with how it all ends, but I will accept it.

Jack winds up dying after replugging the ancient stopper thingy.
He goes back to the bamboo field where the show first started.
Hurley and Ben protect the island for some time until they wind up in LA at the ghost reunion.
Christian Shephard tells Jack that everything on the island really happened.
This is what makes the series worthwhile for me, despite the whole ghost/alternate universe never happened/they're all dead thing.

BUT WHY IS AARON STILL A BABY AT THE GHOST REUNION???

I will be editing this post throughout the next few days...

OMG Ms. H. met Mr. Shue

On Saturday night, Ms. H. met Matthew Morrison at the Mets game. She sent me a text that "One of the dudes from Glee" was there singing the National Anthem and that he was sitting nearby. So she said she would try and get a picture with him. Well to my surprise, she sends this pic about an hour later. I was like "Oh snap, it's Mr. Shue. No way!!" Let's hope this chance encounter gets us a partnership with Fox or something.

Career Day 2010

Our Career Day was Wednesday, May 12, 2010.

Ms. T. Hall did a great job spearheading this endeavor once again along with the help of Ms. Brathwaite, Ms. Kinast, Mr. Mareus and all of the student ambassadors.

Thanks also to Ms. Lentini for picking up the breakfast.

There were presenters from several walks of life who came to speak with Acadeny II students.

We were very appreciative that they were all able to share their time with us.

Thanks to the teachers who were flexible with their schedules that day.

LOST: The Final Season: Episode 16: What They Died For

First I want to say Ms. Kinast if you're reading this post, congratulations to you and your husband on your new baby girl!

OMG this was an awesome episode to take us into the series finale on Sunday. Work has been so demanding lately that I didn't even know the series finale was airing on Sunday night and not next week Tuesday until Mr. Monaco told me. But back to this episode...I thought it was excellent. It definitely made up for last week. But then again I didn't find last week's episode all that disappointing as many did.

Let's start at the end...we know "what they [Jin, Sun and Sayid] died for."
I think it's clear that MIB should not leave the island or what Crazy Mom said is true.
That's what Eloise Hawking meant when she said "God help us all."
It's really coming together now.
Some fans aren't thrilled about how, but it is all starting to come together reasonably.
I think there are many mysteries that will go unsolved.
There have got to be a few more reveals in the finale.

Evil Tina Fey (Zoe) and Whidmore were killed by Flocke.
We still don't know what Flocke/MIB's real name is.
I did not see Zoe's death coming whatsoever.
Ben turned Zoe and Whidmore over to Flocke like it was no skin off his back.
When Flocke slit her throat in one quick slice I was like "Oh snap!"

We learned that Kate's bullet wound was not fatal as it went clear through her.
Jack stitched her up.
It's good having a surgeon around.
Kate wants to kill MIB but at this point, we don't know if that's possible.

Miles went running through the jungle to get himself out of the situation.
It's surprising that Flocke didn't kill him.
Richard got swooped up by the Black Smoke.
We haven't seen the last of Richard because he's immortal.
It was probably just Flocke getting Richard out of the way for a while.
Ben agrees to kill whoever Flocke asks him to kill.
I figured Flocke would kill Whidmore but when Ben beat him to it, I was like "Oh snap!"
So Whidmore in his own words beat Ben to the punch of blowing up the Ajira plane.
Ben counters by beating Flocke to the punch of killing Whidmore.
What a well written show!

We saw that Danielle Rousseau is indeed Alex's mother back in LA.
They have Ben over for some fine French cuisine and play happy family together.
I bet Danielle will have an island flashback and she and Ben will figure something out.
There was a teaser that we might learn who Jack's son's mother is...but we'll have to wait.
I'm guessing it's Rose...just kidding...it's probably Anna Lucia.
Claire is still super pregnant.
Let's see what happenes at the concert that everyone's going to.

We now understand why Whidmore brought Desmond back to the island...well, sort of.
It's because Desmond was a "failsafe," a last chance to keep MIB on the island.
We'll see how that plays out on Sunday night.
We also understand why Desmond ran over Locke at the high school.
Desmond was hatching a plan to bring everyone together.
He had himself arrested so he could meet up with Kate and Sayid in jail.
Then, of all people, Anna Lucia sets the three of them free in exchange for some of Hurley's money.

Meanwhile, Jacob appeared to Hurley, Jack, Sawyer and Kate to explain some mysteries.
He revealed that the light at the center of the island must never go out.
We learned that Kate was originally on the list but was crossed off because she adopted Aaron.
We also learned that the job of protector was kinda up for grabs.
This means that one person was not predestined for it.
Jack volunteered and Jacob made him the official new protector of the island.
Again, if Jack was supposed to die in episode one, how can he be so all-important at the end of the series?
Either way this episode totally rocked.
Flocke stated that he will destroy the island.
I am having trouble with Flocke's eagerness to leave.
He doesn't even know where he's from.
How does he know where to go or what he's missing if he's never been there?

Well you guys, it's the end of an era.
LOST is coming to a close.
Let's just hope that no more main characters get killed.
How will Miles and Richard play into all of this?
Here's to an awesome finale...

LOST is the best show ever.

LOST: The Final Season: Episode 15: Across The Sea

There's a lot going on at work right now so I'm just getting around to this LOST recap so here goes:
OK...what to make of this episode...

 

My first thought on watching this episode is "Oh snap, it's the mom from Juno." We learned right away that Jacob and MIB are indeed brothers. I thought it was great to see a time on the island before Dharma, before Richard, before the others, etc. Right from the start, I was wondering where this woman and her people were coming from other than just "across the sea." How did they reach the island? Were they drawn there? Was Jacob's birth predestined to occur on the island making him the protector that brings everyone there in the future? Just a thought...

So the woman who MIB describes as his "crazy mom" kills his birth mother and raises him and Jacob on the island. She forbids them from going near or taking to the other people from across the sea. MIB wants to know where he's really from and goes to live with them. Meanwhile, their "crazy mom" showed them a tunnel of divine light which she says must never be found by regular humans or else the light would go out and the world would be damned. She warned them that going into the tunnel would result in a fate "worse than death." At the end of the episode, that's just what MIB does (after his crazy mom tried to kill him) and that's how he became the smoke monster.

What we learned from this episode:
We learned the origin of the wheel that moves the island and how it works in conjunction with the divine light and water source surrounding it. We also learned that the electromagnetic anomalies of the island were there all along. We learned that Adam and Eve are "Crazy Mom" and MIB. There goes the theories that it was Rose and Bernard or two of the other Losties. But how can Adam be MIB if he's currently alive and well? Is he a ghost? Finally, we saw that the backgammon game or an ancient version of it was being played in secret by Jacob and MIB since they were teenagers. "Crazy mom" didn't want them playing this game.

Mysterious happenings

• Crazy Mom has Jacob drink some merlot and then tells him they are now the same.
• Jacob buries Crazy Mom and MIB with the black and white stones.
• Crazy Mom manages to cover up the well that was dug by the people from across the sea.
• Crazy Mom manages to kill all of the people from across the sea.

Question: What is it about MIB that the crazy mom saw when he was born that startled her so and clearly favors Jacob over him? Unlike Jacob and Esau from the Bible, Jacob is born first. There goes the whole birthright storyline possibility. This is all about MIB wanting to "go home" wherever his people came from. Another interesting question is why MIB wants to go home so badly. If he never knew the land across the sea, how does he know what he's missing?

OK so there are only two episodes left, one being the series finale. They're going to have to explain a lot more in a short period of time so how that's going to happen I would like to see. It will probably be one bombshell after another...very action packed and comprehensive. I was told that message board posters were not too thrilled about this episode but I've been so busy with work I haven't read them yet. I'll check out what they have to say this weekend.

Here's to an explosive new episode next week and an epic series finale on May 23rd.
LOST is the best show ever!

LOST: The Final Season: Episode 14: The Candidate

I'm going to start this post with a thought for diehard fans of the show...If Jack was supposed to die at the end of the pilot episode, I can't help but think that almost the entire series all comes down to a good and evil battle between Jacob and MIB. It kind of takes away from the last 5 seasons, but I still think it's the best show ever. I say this because Jack's importance in this 13th episode is abundantly evident and furthermore quintessential to the series. But again, what does that say about the master plan of the writers? Did they map everything out after just one episode?...just thinking out loud. It wasn't cool going a week without a new episode but this one was action-packed enough to make up for the Ab Aeterno repeat last week.

THREE ORIGINAL LOSTIES DIED IN ONE EPISODE!!!

Sayid, Sun and Jin are dead. I didn't foresee such an abrupt mass departure. I figured there'd be some catastrophic showdown or violent series of events in which major characters were killed in the second to last or last episode, but I didn't think three would go in one pop. So that was a major shocker. Wow.

It appeared that Sayid was coming around and had loosened his ties to MIB to some extent. He still appeared to be infected but was totally onboard with Jack and Sawyer. And he also lied to MIB that Desmond was killed in in the well. Speaking of Desmond, where is he? And why did he run over Locke in LA? Sayid sacrificed himself during MIB's plan to kill everyone aboard the submarine by running into a compartment on the submarine with the detonating bomb that MIB found on the Ajira plane. SAYID DROPS A MAJOR HINT THAT JACK WILL BE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT IN HOW EVERYTHING TURNS OUT which goes back to what I  said in the beginning. Jack, who has figured out that he's not supposed to leave the island explained very sensibly that MIB must not be able to kill them because he would have already. Sawyer, who just wants to go home already didn't trust Jack's rationale and pulls the wires out of the C4 bomb which sped up the countdown to zero. Within the overall chaos of water rushing into the sub, Lapidus who was supposed to fly the Ajira plane, is killed. I did think that he'd be killed somehow in this episode because he had so much screen time and it wasn't a Lapidus-centric episode. So that's a death toll of 4 in one episode...brings back memories of Anna Lucia and Libby being killed in the same episode. Come to think of it, Nikki and Paolo died in the same episode too. LOL.

                                       

So Kate gets shot but endures the swim back from the sinking sub and manages to make it back to the beach. Kate may be the next one to go. There was a strong emphasis in this episode that she is no longer a candidate. (Whidmore and Sawyer) I'm not sure how we'd handle the death of Kate.

At this point, MIB is very upset that his plan (which was articulated by Jack) did not fully unfold at which time he states to Claire, "I'm gonna finish what I started."

Next week's episode needs to have answers about Desmond and Whidmore, but it looks like it will focus on more of Jacob and MIB's days co-existing on the island in the past. We also need to catch up with Ben and Richard. This is critical. Whidmore lost a few men in this episode, but conveniently missing was Zoe, or, Evil Tina Fey.

Well here's to next week's episode and more answers:

LOST IS THE BEST SHOW EVER.

Must. Resist. Temptation.

It seems as if there's a McDonald's on every corner!

I will not have a daily caramel frappe.

I will not go to McDonald's.

The frappe is loaded with calories.

I will only drive down streets without a McDonald's.

Well maybe just one per week.

Next thing you know, they're gonna bring back the McRib!!!

West Side Story on Broadway

Yesterday, 16 students and I embarked on an excursion to see the newest revival of Leonard Berstein and Stephen Sondheim's West Side Story at the Palace Theatre on Broadway. The highlight of the show was the iconic, timeless and exquisitely performed reproduced choreography by Jerome Robbins. From this dancer's perspective, it's the main attraction of this new production. This show is not perfect so I won't reinvent the wheel by pointing out all of the technical flaws and numbers in which the vocal performances left something to be desired...but you can read all about them here. On a positive note, the lighting, staging and sets were great.

Unfortunately, Karen Olivo (above, center) did not perform the matinee. I was eager to see why she earned the Tony Award for her Anita. At the end of the day, a good time was had by all.

By the way, run to the nearest McDonald's and get yourself a caramel frappe which we enjoyed on the way back to school. It's right up there with Starbucks's frappacino. Seriously...take it  from a certified foodie.

SOMEONE who shall remain nameless had two in a row!