The Chronicles Of Nay

Hello! So I’m back home from almost a week in Vegas… it was quite an experience. We stayed at the West gate. It wasn’t bad. Our room was at the end of the hall near the scenic elevator. We had some pretty cool view of the mountains. While I was there I was able to play in some mini tournaments. I played in two 8 ball tournaments (if you play at the bar you usually play 8 ball… one of you is stripes one of you is solids) and I am not as confident in it. I didn’t do very well in either of the 8 ball tournaments.  The 9 ball on the other hand. (you only play with 9 balls usually all the solids and 1 stripe and you put them in to a diamond when you rack them you have to hit the lowest number on the table) I did pretty well. I got second place in both tournaments! I was pretty proud of the way I played! The whole experience was pretty cool. It was just 2 rooms of nothing but pool tables. It was over 200 tables just lined up side by side! It was INCREDIBLE!

Growing up I played softball then tennis, in those sports I knew what I was looking for when I went to buy a glove or a new bat. In pool I had no idea. I didn’t know good brands or bad brands or if a stick was worth 350 dollars. I mean I knew nothing! Because of that I have been putting off buying a stick. I had been borrowing a friend’s stick. While I was in Vegas I was able to look at sticks and sort of shop around a little. A friend helped me find a stick that was in my price range and actually kind of a good stick. I found a super girly one its white with purple flower designs. I have also needed a break stick. Apparently its not good to break with the same stick you shoot with. Something to do with messing up the tip. I bought a pretty break stick that breaks down to be a jump stick. I don’t know what a jump stick is or how to use it but I got a twofer! Haha

I was able to do a little sightseeing and a little gambling while I was there. We went to the neon boneyard. It was basically just a cemetery for old neon signs. Just old Vegas style signs everywhere. The staff that worked there had some pretty cool stories about all of the signs. It was neat. I know that I have been to Vegas on numerous occasions, but it has been so long. The last time I went I went for a bowling tournament. If I wasn’t bowling I was on Freemont. This time I did a little sightseeing. I went to the Bellagio and the Paris. I was trying to get cards from the Bellagio but they apparently don’t do that anymore? All the other places did it! When we were kids we always had casino cards! I never realized it was strange to have cards that had a hole in them or have a corner cut off!

Vegas was good to me while I was there! Since I won some money for the 9 ball tournaments and I cleared money on the roulette tables Vegas basically bought my new pool sticks! I also get a new shirt that says “education is important but playing pool is importanter”! haha I love it! Over all… Vegas was a very successful trip!

This coming week is STAAR testing. My students will take math on Monday and reading on Tuesday. Pray for them! We have done all that we can do, I have taught it, reviewed it, practiced it, worked it… we have don’t it all. Now all I can do is hope that they remember it. I absolutely hate that their whole year comes down to 2 days. My students are so much more than those two days. I have seen kids grow in to amazing thinkers, amazing young men and women and yet, the test won’t show that. I have a young lady that at the beginning of the year she was timid and shy and constantly needed my approval before she could put any answer down. Now she is much more confident she asks good questions, she is able to ask for clarification when she needs it, she is much more independent and a leader in most groups she works in. However, STAAR won’t see that. STAAR is going to assign her a number based on how well she does on that particular set of questions on that particular day. But that’s the nature of the beast. I hope that I have given them enough confidence to go in to it and do their absolute best. I told them that is all that I wanted from them, Their best! Still doesn’t mean I can’t pray for them! Haha

Well its Friday night so you know what that means, and you know where I am headed… Volleyball! Our team name is the Volley Llamas again. We have shirts… we are legit! Haha but anyway, that is where I am headed! I hope everyone has a great weekend.