Still Tired of Waiting...

Well how goes things on the teaching front for Old Man Robb? Pretty much non-existent.. no let me rectify that.. non-existent more or less describes what has been happening since i last updated on this topic. However it is not for a lack of trying true believers and other assorted wormslime. Yes Old Man Robb has been working on it..it has been frustrating at times believe me... i am just wondering if i have been chasing a nearly impossible dream and sometimes it is like gasping at straws when trying to find the positives in a situation like mine... the frustration of the unemployed ESL teacher.

I looked into a job teaching ESL- English Second Language in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. It was listed on Indeed Jobs and i had to look into it.. however the closing date was given as being November 20, 2012.. we are past that... yet the job was still listed. Lo and behold to non-amazement from Old Man Robb the job had been filled, yet the lady was nice enough to still grant me an interview.. looking for tutors for students in Yarmouth and in Digby.. alot of gas just to tutor a few times a week.. but she says she will be sending me paperwork to look over.. well that interview was Friday and im still waiting for that paperwork to arrive via e-mail.

I should be used to people saying one thing and doing another.. perhaps this person just simply and purely forgot to send the paperwork.. and maybe she ohhh conveniently forgot.. that happens too folks. They think i will simply forget about it.. nope i have yet to do that.. and the powers that be in this province wonder day and night why they are losing the newer teachers to other places.. well it is not too darn hard to figure it out that we are leaving because well some of the jobs are not there.. the other reason is the incompetence of others.. and lately i have been finding alot of incompetence where there should be professionalism. Its called getting amateurs to do work that should be handled by professionals.

Then there was China.. well a friend of a friend who knows someone in the know... if that makes any sense at all i don't know found a job for me... well they tried to help.. help is always appreciated in these situations you know. Anyways what attracted me was that the school as ran by North Americans and not by some greedy corporate assclown or mom and pop Hagwon looking to screw a teacher over... the other attraction was of a free flight over to China... only South Korea really offers the free flight anymore.. Japan schools did yrs ago but changed their policy when teachers would come over only to take off on the schools... not even show up to training.. but this was China w/ a free flight.. i was intrigued.

However it was not to be... only looking for those w/ a bachelor of education. Something that Acadia U denied me back in 2008-09 when i was denied admission to their education program. It's too bad they deny a teacher like me who took classes at the education level... and yes the TESOL classes at Acadia U are listed as education classes and guess what? I never in the last few yrs of taking those classes had a mark below an A-.. that is pretty damn good.. esp for someone like me whom had been out of school/ university for four yrs teaching in Japan and South Korea before taking on the TESOL Program offered through Open Acadia.

I wish them luck finding quality teachers... i really do... those with those bachelor of education degrees usually get snapped up by the schools around here. That leaves other teachers like me whom are wishing to get their break kind of in the dust. You have these high standards... your school and these one's i see from Alberta and British Columbia whom want teachers with five yrs of ESL teaching experience... you try and raise the bar so damn high.. how do you get this experience when no one is willing to let you come and get this experience? How do you get a bachelor of education when they base you on the person you were years ago when looking at your marks... they don't look at how well you are doing in your present with a current average of a 3.0 or so... just how shitty i was the first few yrs when i was drunky the clown...

However i will not give up trying.. i have sent resumes off to Fort McMurray in Alberta where they are looking for ESL teachers... there were other groups interested in China and even Thailand... but again it is where i would have to pay for a flight on over there and i don't have the spare $$$ for a flight to go teach there and i don't want to go begging to family just to be able to go. Could always go back to South Korea, but they pretty much take anyone and i do mean anyone... a free flight over.. but at what cost? Alot of broken promises and some arsehole of a Hagwon owner whom will try to can you before your twelve months are up...

Just wondering if it was all worth it the last few yrs of my life folks... was it worth spending over $2000.00 to achieve a TESOL Certificate/ practicum from Acadia U? Was it worth it sending away (And paying) for my TESOL Nova Scotia and my TESOL Canada Certificates? When is enough enough? Should Old Man Robb throw in the proverbial towel and just say fuck it? Get a haircut and get a real job?Im sick and tired of being sick and tired....  Sometimes lately it has been hard to keep focused on the positives and just spending time dwelling on the negatives.Time will tell folks... there are just frustrating times right now... hoping for something better..

Have a good one folks

Batman Slaps Robin Memes

What is it with Old Man Robb and all the frickin memes lately? I do like the Spiderman ones and the Ricky from Trailer Park Boys ones but one that came to my attention last summer were these "Batman slaps Robin" memes.. i mean even as a kid i always found Robin kinda annoying with his holy this and holy that on the 60s Batman TV show and even on the SuperFriends and in the comics and he was always kinda dressed weird with his yellow cape and gloves and green Daisy Dukes..... he was kinda like Scrappy Doo and other annoying sidekicks where he just grated your damn nerves and well... wanted to ummmm.. slap him silly.

Anyways these are Old Man Robb's favorite Batman slapping Robin memes...enjoy

Have a good one folks!

Missing In Action 2 Killcount

Another Golan-Globus classic from the 80s... 1985 to be exact. Used to rent this one alot along w/ the original "Missing in Action" from the good ol Dairy Bar in the Passage back in the mid 80s. When we moved to the Valley in the 90s, me and my Dad used to notice that alot of the action flicks from the 80s.. esp those from the Cannon library of films popped up all the time on TBS.. probably because Ted Turner owned MGM which owned alot of Cannon... he also owned WCW but that is besides the point.. the point being the next generation got to see lots of the flicks i saw the decade before.. and now lots of them are preserved on  DVD and now Blu-Ray...

But first they were preserved on good ol' VHS...

Good ol Chuck... this generation knows him as the dude who gets lots of facts and jokes made about his super human abilities... another generation knows him as that dude who fought Bruce Lee in the Roman Coliseum and had a shitload of chest hair.. i guess i'll remember Chuck as the dude who along with Sir Charles Bronson whom made Cannon Pictures for a brief time in the 80s as one of the leading, but yet kinda cheap makers of action flicks out of good ol Hollyweird...

Although i must admit... some of those jokes and facts are kinda funny ya know...

Have a good one.. and read on...

Kraft Dinner Lasagna Recipe

What You Need:

1 pkg. (150 g) Kraft Dinner

2 cups beef thawed 

1 cup pasta sauce

1 cup Kraft Shredded Cheese

How The Hell Do You Make It?

PREPARE Kraft Dinner as directed on package, using the microwave directions. Meanwhile, combine meat and sauce.
 
LAYER half each of the Kraft Dinner , meat mixture and cheese in 8-inch square microwaveable dish; repeat layers.
 
MICROWAVE on MEDIUM 10 min. or until heated through.

 

Prep time: 10 min

Total time: 20 min

Makes:  4 servings, 1 cup (250 mL) each

Hell... Chef Steven Seagal could figure out this recipe!

 

The history of Kraft Dinner:

Kraft Foods started boxing macaroni & cheese (affectionately know as “Kraft Dinner”) in 1937 during the tail end of the Great Depression. Considering this product could serve a family of four for just 19 cents, (and hey, they were on sale at the supermarket for 99 cents last week…that’s not exactly a huge price increase in 75 years) staples such as fresh meat and dairy were in short supply, rationing was in effect, and women needed to join the workforce: It’s no wonder Kraft sold 8 million boxes in the first year. Kraft had a low cost meal that was believed to provide a nutritious alternative to a meat dish. It was quick and easy, and it became a generational staple for kids and adults alike.

There ya go! 

Have a good one folks!

 

Tired of Waiting...

Well folks it looks like it is back to the old drawing board for Old Man Robb again... why this time? Well i will tell you.. drumroll..  OK.. Well ever since i received my TESOL Certificate from Acadia University this past June it has been an up and down road for me. The whole genesis or should i say whole idea behind me getting my TESOL certification is so that i could stay and teach in Canada, my home country instead of going back overseas, to Asia and to Japan and South Korea. Originally that was the plan so to speak... what has happened.

Actually according to the directions, besides your Acadia TESOL Certification, what else you need is your TESOL Nova Scotia and your TESOL Canada Certifications. Well getting those was like pulling teeth my friend.. there is no real TESOL Nova Scotia website.. no building in Halifax.. no phone number to call and see if they got your stuff or not.. no no no that would be too damn easy.. finally weeks later i received a message back from this person saying My TESOL Nova Scotia Certificate was finally on the way.. mind you it was the size of a business card.. not something you hang in the den or as we call it nowadays, the Man-Cave.. i actually went to Kingston and had it blown up so it would fit in besides my other certificates.

Keep in mind you need your Nova Scotia Certification in order to apply for your TESOL Canada Certification.. of course my TESOL Nova Scotia Certificate came w/ an expiry date of Oct 31st and so i received it ..ummmm.. oh with two weeks to go before that.. and then i had to mail that, along with $94 dollar money order along w/ my marks from Acadia U.. of course my A+ from my TESOL practicum at Acadia U was not on my transcript.. so it was another runaround and finally i got it all together and went to the Middleton post office... and the fun began again.

I took someone's advice and decided to be a cheap ol bugger and didn't send it priority post or put a tracking number on that damn thing just to save some $$$ being it was Christmas time and i needed to save some $$$ for something else which i will get to in a little bit... i mailed this thing around oh... the 20th of so of October and they said it would take two weeks to get to Burnaby, BC.. so i thought ok.. not a problem. Then it started.. the good ol waiting game... my oh so absolute favorite... tick tock tick tock.. November goes by... not a word from BC... Two weeks into December.. notta...

I finally phone TESOL Canada.. turns out that Acadia U didn't change their information.. the TESOL Canada offices switched to Calgary, Alberta last July and well they never bothered to inform nor tell me about this... the lady on the phone from Calgary was very nice and told me to cancel my money order.. pronto! Of course the post office was no help whatsoever and so it was another trip to Acadia to get my marks which were finally straightened out by that time and everything was sent... again.

Of course TESOL Canada calls me to tell me that i didn't send enough cash on my money order and so i got out the ol Mastercard and sent them an additional EIGHT FUCKING DOLLARS!!! I am serious.. they would not look the other way for EIGHT measly f'n dollars... so finally they get it stamped and sent back to me and it finally arrived some three months after the whole ordeal took place... Old Man Robb gets to thinking.. is this really worth it? Are these TESOL Certificates worth the paper that they are written on?

Why does Old Man Robb think this? Try getting a job w/ the TESOL Certificates.. it has been a long road folks let me tell you that frigging much. Shortly after receiving my Acadia TESOL Certificate, which no one else in my family came along with to get up at Open Acadia.. not that it bothers me too too much.. but i just know that my Father would have been the first one to get in the car to go along with me for the ride.. to share in my joy at an accomplishment that has taken me three yrs w/ 108 hours of course work and a 20 hour practicum which had its ups and downs... to me this was bigger than just getting my Bachelor of Arts in 2002-03.. this was bigger than that because i thought it was actually going to lead me to something.. especially once the TESOL Nova Scotia and TESOL Canada Certificates were there along with it.

The first job i applied for was right here in the Valley.. i do not kid... i thought how awesome.. esp with the school right up the street from me in Middleton.. i wouldn't have to drive anywhere.. i can walk to work and i would be hands on, available for whenever i was needed to be. I was and still am ready to work. My Father always told me call, e-mail, show up to a place you are interested in working at.. your possible place of employment will see this spirit that you have and will remember you. Well.. sorry Dad but i was told stop showing up... stop calling... stop e-mailing... don't call us.. we will call you... well.. i waited and waited for that Monday to see if i had a potential interview... i waited and curiosity killed the proverbial cat so to speak.. i called and the job was gone.. they hired some well.. how do i say it.. have respect for your elders Old Man Robb.. fuck no i won't... they hired some Goddamn old fart to teach.. so much for giving the young generation a chance in the classroom eh?

I walked by the school and peaked in... there was Old Man River babbling and babbling w/ his back turned to the class and everyone behind him was texting under their desk.. lesson learned.. i tried at a school in Dartmouth and lo and behold i get a call in for an interview.. Old Man Robb fills up the tank, packs a lunch and goes on up... for nothing.. the interviewer whom was a very nice lady by the way, forgot to put in the ad  that the ad was for substitute ESL teachers... nothing permanent nor a term position.. she was very sorry and i believed her.. it was a setback, but a learning experience to be sure as while i wouldn't mind subbing.. they are not going to call me up from the Valley just to sub for a day.

However my optimism was renewed as there was a job opening at a school which is just a few yrs old.. about a good six hours away from me.. but there was hope.. only a few of their teachers had my TESOL certificate.. no one else.. and no one else had my certificates from TESOL Nova Scotia and from TESOL Canada that were on the way... supposedly. They told me there were going to be openings in January w/ a Skype interview in December. So i enjoyed my fall.. had $$$ coming in and i played the waiting game... December came and the $$$ i had coming in dried up... no matter i had saved a few dollars and this job was coming up...

And i waited... and i waited and i waited... and you know what? It almost seems too too good to be true.. i have a place to stay w/ relatives lined up some 15 minutes from the school and a family member has promised me their car if i get the job telling me who they will lease one for themselves and give me their car.. i get it inspected and spend $$$ getting the suspension fixed.. my GST check arrives and i don't cash it thinking this is gas and Tim Hortons money for the trip! Old Man Robb is set to drive six hrs in crappy crappy Maritime weather conditions just to teach...

I called this school and they were like Oh! Thank you for reminding me about our Skype interview! I was displeased a wee bit at first ya know...  i had to remind you? If you are professional about things you have these things lined up ya know.. on your computer.. a daily planner.. post-it notes but you remember.. even though you are supposedly busy as ol hell.. you remember this stuff ya know? Anyways we do our Skype interview and it goes great! They tell me it was a strong interview and so i am told to enjoy my Christmas and they are going to contact me in exactly three weeks.

I enjoy Christmas and all that good stuff and then comes my favorite part.. the waiting game... and i wait.. and wait and wait... three weeks since the interview passes by.. everyone is wondering what is the scoop.. the millions.. the people are waiting.. frig.. i am waiting! And nothing.. i call.. and i call... nothing.. answering machines.. time and time again... my heart sinks folks.. shit... i call the secretary on the phone and she tells me to email and she will email and five days go past...still nothing.. then an old pal tells me to pull an old trick by calling w/ the cell phone which will come up unknown name... unknown number...

Lo and behold... my contact picks up the phone...

Drumroll....  and nothing...

The position is just not there i am told... the students are just not there and they are fully staffed and the only thing available is substitute teaching (Again!) And they are not going to call someone in from Middleton to drive six hrs just to substitute for the day. Because i caught her by surprise, she was stumbling over words and all the rest.. they had no intention of calling me.. she said she was going to send me a letter telling me there was no job.. why not just call like you were going to? People! Keep your word! I was looking forward to getting out of here and onto my ESL teaching career.. so what if you only had two month terms.. i didn't care.. i was willing to come down to your neck of the woods and teach... i was willing and i still am.. they said the usual... if something comes up.. blab blab blab.. no need to do a second interview.. blab blab blab...

Whatever...

So now it is back to square one.. what do i do? Volunteer they say is good on the resume.. but what about the constant bugging about student loans? The constant bombardment on the phone? Volunteering is great for the soul.. it is nice and you feel like you are giving back.. but on the other hand i need $$$.. the job banks are a constant source of frustration.. ads are there that have been filled months ago and the ads haven't been taken down.. more email rejections...they say oh do you have five yrs of teaching experience? Well its hard to get experience when no one will give you the experience is it? Do you have your Masters or your Bachelor of Education? I swear the lady who told me that has a stache thicker than frigging Lanny McDonald and slagged me off in front of her secretary right here in the Valley... power tripping eh? Then there are those people who don't answer phones nor call you back.. i mean for shit sakes.. is it no wonder people go bonkers? Go postal?

No no no... Old Man Robb hasn't gone postal..yet... kidding...maybe.. no i am kidding...too many people put in authority and co-workers think you are after their spot.. i don't give a damn about your spot.. i just want to teach. They think it.. they see the resume and see all the diplomas and think omg he is coming to take my job.. oh no! But why would you think that in the first place? Are you doing your job? Or are you like people i know at certain educational institutions who have become fatcats.. they say.. i got this job.. perhaps i didn't earn it.. but my uncle/ aunt/ mom/ dad/ brother/ sister/ cousin Larry/ cousin It or whatever got me this job.. its not by your merits boys and girls.. it is who and what you know... unfortunately.. whose ass you kiss.. or whatever....

What is one to do? I can go get my Celta in Halifax and be out $2300 and the $$$ to stay up for a month.. i can volunteer locally but that is not going to pay ..sorry that is honesty folks... don't get all oh im heartless and all that... another thing i am told to get is my First Aid cause it looks good on my resume.. but that is another $120 dollars.. scraping it folks.. really scraping the ol bottom of the barrel here folks... something has soon got to give or it is like this.. either i change my dream and or my profession or it is back to going overseas to teach.. back to schools in Japan that are ran like a business or a Hagwon somewhere in S Korea where the boss is going to can you with oh.. a month left in your contract so they can bring over another..teacher.. lovely..

However folks that is the reality that i face. Nice eh?

Have a good one folks...

Spiderman Memes.. some of my favs

When Old Man Robb was a youngin .. which then would have made Old Man Robb..well.. Young Man Robb back then i had a wee bit of a routine.. i remember going to pre-school in Shearwater, Nova Scotia and well i believe the best part of my daily routine was getting home from school around noonish and after having some Campbell Soup or some Chef Boyardee i would then get to sit in the living room w/ our dachshund Chester and proceed to watch ATV and some noontime awesomeness.. and nothing was more awesome than old school Spiderman...

Oh sure there were some others... like the mighty Hercules w/ his whateverthehell it was sidekick named Newt and one of my favorites, good ol Rocket Robin Hood... i never seemed to care that those vignettes were played over and over and over again... Little John and Friar Tuck and the gang.. and of course the occasional character's clothes changing colors from scene to scene and characters sometimes missing an eyeball..

 

Spiderman and Rocket Robin Hood were 2 shows made at the same Canadian studio, and were famous for being REALLY cheap on the animation....personally i think the animators on both shows dropped lots of LSD....Oh ya.. back to Spidey.. anywho there have been these awesome Spiderman memes that i have been seeing pop up from time to time on this thingy we call the Internet.. alot of them have been based on the 60s Spiderman and well i think they are pretty hysterical myself.. here are a few of my favs  

And now for a very special appearance by "Arachnaman"- one of WCW's greatest achievements...have a good one folks..

Rickyisms- Trailer Park Boys

It was during my time living in the famous Crowell Tower at Acadia U that i spotted this little TV show one night with these two guys bickering over being in the cat disposal business. Of course Old Man Robb found this just a wee bit odd.. sitting in room 305 on the 3rd floor of Tower and watching on my spliced cable (Shhhhhhhh!!!) the adventures of this gang of misfits living in a trailer park.. i swore it was based in the Passage where i spent most of my formative years.. at first i thought it was a damn reality show! It grew on me and eventually lots of other people.. i am talking about the Trailer Park Boys

I mean how many years did it take before a Canadian-made show came along that entertains as well as 'The Beachcombers' used to? However there is one character that stands out from everyone else.. well at least to me and that is the character of Ricky.. why? Ricky reminds me of people i went to school with his mangling of the English language and his schemes that he comes up with. Mostly it's Ricky's constant mispronunciations that leave me in stitches and i noticed on Facebook and on YouTube that there are many tributes to Rickyisms

 

And i do agree.. omg does Ricky look like Reveen!!!!

The Macho Man Randy Savage & Elizabeth (WWF Coliseum Video)

I just thought since Old Man Robb was on a roll today that i would post more Macho Man Randy Savage.. i remember back in 1986 or perhaps it was 1987.. one of the two that Young Man Robb rented the VHS.. or perhaps it was Betamax.. nope no.. it was VHS of  "Macho Man Randy Savage and Elizabeth" down at Lloyds/ Dairy Bar in the Passage. Macho Man had been my favorite WWF wrestler since he debuted in the summer of 1985 and i do remember at the subsequent WWF cards at the Halifax Forum that i bought a purple Randy Savage t-shirt and a poster w/ both Macho Man and Miss Elizabeth... all good times back in those days...

 

Some of the Best of "Where's Randy Savage"

Old Man Robb gets a pretty good giggle out of the phenomenon of the "Where's Randy Savage" pictures that pop up on Facebook as well as other social media sites. As far as Old Man Robb and the Macho Man goes, Mr Savage did wrestle for Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling back when i was around eight yrs of age, alongside and against his brother Leaping Lanny Poffo. I can somewhat remember it... but i do remember the summer of 1985 when Macho Man debuted in the WWF and all the managers wanted him and of course Macho and his feuds w/ Hulk Hogan (My friend called him Hogan's Bitch... cause Hulk would never lose to him.)

Of course my ultimate Savage memory would be the first WWF card at the fabulous Halifax Forum during the summer of 1987.. the main event was Macho Man against the Hulkster and i remember me and my Passage buddies booing the ever loving crap out of the Hulkster and cheering on every rule breaking move that the Macho Man made.. i also would love to know all these yrs later what some dude said to the Macho Man on his way back to the dressing room... my friend says she said something to Elizabeth.. Savage grabbed the dude and pinned him against the walls and the dude better thank this lucky whatevers that security was there...

Anywho.. onto the pics.. enjoy!!!

 

 

 

 

Have a good one folks! Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

3-D

I had a fun time in New Minas Tuesday night watching "Texas Chainsaw 3D".. i believe my first 3D movie as a kid was watching "Jaws 3D" with my father at the old Casino Theatre in Halifax. Good ol 3D sure disappeared for a long time and then made a big ol resurgence.. sad i was too young to see "Friday The 13th Part III in 3D" back in 1982.. eyeballs, firepokers and even popcorn was sailing off the screen in that one... the newest edition of the DVD is in 3D but there is alot of ghosting and double images...

How was Texas Chainsaw 3D? Surprisingly i liked it alot.. the 3D was top notch.. as good as watching Piranha 3D a few yrs ago at the Empire in New Minas. I also LOVED the fact that TCM 3-D picked up right after the events of the original 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre.. i do believe there were re-shoots on this new movie as there was no way that the Sawyer gal would just be in her mid 20s.. i think the movie was supposed to be taking place in the 90s.. but re-shoots adding a scene w/ a smart phone threw everything kind of off.. but the movie itself was fun and that was something that the 2003 remake and 2006 prequel were not.

So what i have added for your oh so ever viewing pleasure today is two trailers from back in the day... Youtube users have been converting movies into 3D on YouTube and they look fantastic.. so get a pair of the good ol red and blue 3-D shades out and check out some old school trailers on YouTube- one for 1982's Friday The 13th Part 3 in 3-D