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Welcome => Introductions => Topic started by: nicksgal on November 29, 2020, 11:00:27 PM

Title: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: nicksgal on November 29, 2020, 11:00:27 PM
Hey everyone,

I just finished NaNoWriMo (got inspired to write at all for the first time in many years) and was thinking of you all a lot this past month and how you're doing during the pandemic. Hope we can catch up properly individually and all those other things if you all are still here.

~Dee
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: mare on November 30, 2020, 02:39:08 AM
Well holy crap! Welcome back Dee!

I was just thinking about you the other day. I came across a container you made me forever ago lol

Hope all is well!
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: nicksgal on November 30, 2020, 07:40:16 PM
Aw, Maremas! I've been doing that konmari thing this year and I came across the frame Sarah made me. And this quotable gem in particular still brought me joy, so it stayed: "We're 20 something's who write Backstreet Boys fan fiction and spend our evenings chatting on message boards and you're concerned about the intelligence level of our inside jokes? lol Mare, oh Mare..."

All in all, things are well here. Work is a new stressful each day of COVID, but the students make it worth it. And my husband is running out of things to do at our house, which is good because restrictions are getting worse again, haha.

And then my November got weird because I had a "Rose plot bunny moment" in September because of DWTS and Masked Singer bringing out my inner teeny bopper (That's not a spoiler here, right? Everyone knows?) and I thought, "This year I will write every day of November and see what happens."

How's everything with you? :) Good to see you're still here, though it's kinda dead here, huh?
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: mare on December 01, 2020, 04:59:26 AM
I’m glad to hear things are going well for you. Yeah COVID has been quite the thing to deal with.

Things here have died down significantly, sadly. No one really posts on the site much because spamming got to be such an issue that we had to disable reviews and without that feedback feature people started posting elsewhere, which is understandable . The site keeps going down so if you feel sentimental, you should go in and save anything you wrote that you don’t want to lose.

As for me, I stopped writing quite awhile ago but this board does still see some activity from time to time. It gets most active when the guys are on tour but with AJ and Nick doing their thing, people have been checking in more frequently.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: RokofAges75 on December 01, 2020, 08:51:50 PM
Wow, welcome back, Dee!  It's been a long time!  I love when old regulars randomly return.  Glad to hear you're doing well and writing again.  AC has been dying a slow death for awhile now, but there's a few of us who still post.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: Rose on December 01, 2020, 09:39:03 PM
Wow. Welcome back! The site is slowly dying but a few of us are still here.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: Rose on December 01, 2020, 09:40:42 PM
I also love that "Rose plot bunny moment" is a thing.

My brain is still that random lmao.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: nicksgal on December 01, 2020, 09:55:54 PM
Regarding COVID, I basically gave up... three months ago and have been the shrug emoji ever since. So any new and terrible thing that happens this year, I'm like "Yup, sounds right, 2020, lol."

That sucks about the spammers. I thought it would probably be a little slower, but figured it was still worth it to say hello (and maybe secretly hoped it was busy as ever to come back and settle back in). Thanks for the heads-up about the site going down. I have meticulously backed up most of the writing I deeply cared about on Google drive for many years now in case the urge to write ever struck again, but there's probably a couple things on there that I should grab just in case. Where are people posting these days if one decided to tempt the fates of supreme writers' block?

I feel you on the not writing thing. Are you still writing original work or just not at all? Also glad it's not a spoiler. I have one group of friends that watches it and in season one, they made me promise to flat out tell them if one of the Boys was on, instead of cheekily saying "_____ is a good guess." But out of that friend group, I've been dying to share background information on clues with so many people and they don't want to know, haha.

Hi Julie! Hi Rose! How has everything been with you both? I didn't officially say "Hi Mare!," but I hope you know it was implied. I'm assuming most of the people who post still are "supreme time wasters." Glad to see there's not a distinction past that and I can claim some membership to it still.

Random character conversation is probably more accurate, but I can't picture calling those random writer moments anything but a "Rose plot bunny moment," especially in present company.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: RokofAges75 on December 02, 2020, 06:40:08 PM
Archive of Our Own seems to be the most active place to post for BSB fanfic these days.  Some of us have started posting our stories there.

Things have been fine with me, relatively speaking.  I'm an introverted homebody, so quarantine and social distancing kind of suit my lifestyle LOL.  I've actually been teaching in person all school year though.  My district is doing blended learning, so the kids come every other day and learn at home on the off days, and I only have half the class at a time.  It's been going surprisingly well so far.  We haven't had any COVID outbreaks and have managed to stay in school since we started in August.  My family has managed to stay healthy too, thank goodness.

I saw you mention your students.  What do you teach?  Are you in person or virtual?
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: nicksgal on December 02, 2020, 07:10:05 PM
Good to know! I will check out what y'all have been up to over there. Posting elsewhere might give me enough update backlog to give myself a head start on content to have writer's block for months (I was rereading my feature month post and asked myself if I had really been planning four of these things. No wonder I lost all inspiration.), haha.

I'm glad to hear you've been fine 2020 style, that it hasn't been too hard on you all things considered, and that your family has remained healthy. Zoom happy hours have been getting me through (Zoom committee meetings less so), but I've become more and more of a homebody as time goes. I think the only downside is that I've slowly run out of things to watch on TV.

That's impressive and a blessing that you haven't had any outbreaks! How is blended learning? Are you meeting with the kids on their online learning days too or only if they're in-person that day? I'm glad to hear you've been safely in-person though, it's so much better for the kids.

I've been teaching Pre-K for the past couple years, so I've been in person every day since everything shut down in March. I recently took on a new position running a learning pod from our school this fall and probably at least part of the spring unless vaccines are plentiful quickly. It's been an adventure since we're hosting kids from eight different schools and grades K-3, so my co-teacher focuses on enrichment type things since he's run our summer camp and I'm in an intervention type roll providing some 1:1 and small group support for their learning. I miss being in charge of all aspects of my own classroom though. In August, I tried to write a million lesson plans based on our state standards for what they might be learning and in September, I decided I would just be a day behind their classrooms in my lesson content because pre-planning four curriculums simultaneously was impossible!
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: RokofAges75 on December 05, 2020, 11:26:59 AM
That does sound challenging trying to plan four different curriculums at once!  Co-teaching can be fun, but I would miss being in charge of my own classroom too.

Thankfully, I'm only responsible for the teaching the in-person kids live.  The kids who are at home have independent assignments I post through Google Classroom, and I just have to check in on them and answer questions if needed, but no live instruction on those days.  That makes it much more manageable.  We're not moving through the curriculum as quickly as if I had them all every day, but I already see a huge improvement in their typing and technology skills, math facts, and other things that I hope will help them down the road.  There are also no behavior problems with a group of 13 students compared to the usual 26.  I could definitely get used to that!
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: nicksgal on December 05, 2020, 06:16:31 PM
It's nice because we have different strengths, but then there's the added challenge of also complimenting their classroom teachers while having zero interaction with most of them. And other things like teaching phonics while wearing a mask, that was my favorite last semester.

That's good that you're not live for both every day! First because it feels like two different curriculums to offer both at the same time (I felt like last semester was the hardest I've worked since student teaching when I was doing that plus working 40hrs/week to pay my bills) and second because the kids dialing in to live instruction for other kids is not equitable learning for them. Not to mention, I imagine that would be exhausting for you and self care is so important especially in times like these. Does your district offer a virtual only option or is everyone doing the hybrid model?

I feel like there will be a big asterisk on this year for a lot of things, education included. I wonder if more districts will look at looping or more split age classrooms next year because of this. Right? They're better at zoom meetings than I am! And we thought the Gen Z in college now would be technology experts. One of the kids in my class challenged me to a type off and I thought, I can win this. Which I did, but I only type 67 words a minute? (Though that feels faster than writing typing, but I think that's because your not thinking of the words while you type.) Right? We went down to twelve when the schools Irene back up and it was amazing, time to really give each kid substantial personal attention. Now we're back up again and there's behavior incidents again. So frustrating.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: RokofAges75 on December 05, 2020, 09:20:55 PM
Oh yeah, I can't imagine teaching phonics through a mask!  And trying to stay with their classroom teachers without being able to plan with them has to be tough too.

We do offer a virtual-only option, and thankfully, there are other teachers who are responsible for those students so none of us have to try to balance both virtual-only and hybrid.  The tough thing is that they give the virtual-only families the opportunity to come back to hybrid learning after every trimester, so I just got four new students this past week.  Also dealing with kids being quarantined for two weeks at a time is tough.  I've only had one case of actual COVID in my class (he's fine and back at school now, thankfully), but several other kids have had to quarantine due to being exposed or having symptoms but choosing not to get tested.  It's tough trying to keep them caught up.  Like you said, the equity is an issue - nothing I can post on Google Classroom for them to do at home by themselves can totally replace the experience of being in the classroom for a live lesson. 

I think flexibility is going to be key moving forward.  For the next few years, we'll all have to adjust our expectations about what the kids should come into a grade knowing and meet them where they are... which we should be doing already anyway.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: nicksgal on December 05, 2020, 09:54:40 PM
The hardest part of it is my Kinders because all of their teachers are focusing on different things for whole group instruction. I have one still on letter sounds, three on blends, one on "faking it until you make it" reading and writing (I'm teaching them blends because they keep replacing most of them with /v/), and one that has been taught 40 sight words but is still confused about certain blend sounds. It's crazy. I think the hardest for me is that one of them was in my Pre-K class last year and they were just starting to get so many phonics concepts where they would have been ahead and all this just caused such a backslide. I hate that I couldn't do more for them.

I'm glad they have dedicated teachers, but that's crazy that they can pop back into hybrid after each trimester! I hope they're more on par across the board with instruction at the same headed level in the same school. But the classroom community aspect must be tough. I'm glad that you've only had one case and that they're healthy. Did your whole class have to quarantine then or no? Our governor is trying to pass some guidelines that in a classroom you would only have to quarantine if you individually were working x number of feet (I can't remember exact numbers) of the kid for x amount of time and I just don't know how that will work. I get that it's to keep more classrooms open, I don't think anyone is arguing against in person learning being better for kids, but I just feel like it's an outbreak waiting to happen. I wonder if it would be better for the quarantining kids to pop into the full virtual option during those weeks? But then I think about the stress of a new schedule when they're online half the time already and think probably not...

The name of this game is absolutely flexibility and creativity. I'm excited to see what curriculum and assessment innovations may come out of it. And I'm hoping the differentiatio n will be that much better access the board.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: nicksgal on December 05, 2020, 09:57:07 PM
Also, poor Mare and Rose. They've been inundated with shop talk here. Delightful shop talk, but shop talk none the less.

If you both want to skip it, I asked about general life updates and writing updates.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: RokofAges75 on December 05, 2020, 10:11:43 PM
LOL Yeah, I don't wanna talk school anymore!  This is my escape from school.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: nicksgal on December 05, 2020, 10:21:00 PM
You're right. Let's shove work to the side. I just get excited hearing how my fellow teachers are faring out there in the world. I'd had a thought on a writing related discussion, but saw you had posted to your update thread and wanted to make sure it got the appropriate attention.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: mare on December 06, 2020, 05:22:00 AM
I stopped teaching due to health reasons before the pandemic and I can’t help feeling relieved that I got out just in time because I’m not sure how I would’ve managed to teach music while all this was happening. My fellow music teachers all say it’s been a living hell.

Glad it’s worked out for both of you so far. Fingers crossed that this won’t be the new normal.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: RokofAges75 on December 06, 2020, 10:42:14 AM
Hopefully if they're able to get the vaccine distributed during the first half of next year, the next school year will be more normal.  You definitely got out at the right time, Mare.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: nicksgal on December 06, 2020, 07:55:17 PM
Yes, you for sure got out at the right time! All the specials teachers I know hate it so much. Only one of the schools I have kids from does any sort of live specials instruction and I don't think music is one of them. I hope your health is well!

I've also hopeful that the vaccines get rolled out soon. Mostly for the end of the pandemic, but also because my DNA tickets are burning a hole in my desk, haha. And I miss college football in person and we're 4-0 in a year I can't go!
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: Rose on December 07, 2020, 07:53:15 AM
I'm doing okay. Managed to stay safe and covid free so far so that's an accomplishment . Working as a manager at a Target, taking care of my dad and writing and blogging on my free time lol. Its slowed down over the past few years but I get these random bursts of inspiration or ideas. One for a fic I've got slowly going, I was with Julie at a museum in Chicago the day after our BSB show last year lmao. I told her I had a random idea...and in typical fashion she encouraged it. So some things never change.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: Rose on December 07, 2020, 07:55:42 AM
Yes, you for sure got out at the right time! All the specials teachers I know hate it so much. Only one of the schools I have kids from does any sort of live specials instruction and I don't think music is one of them. I hope your health is well!

I've also hopeful that the vaccines get rolled out soon. Mostly for the end of the pandemic, but also because my DNA tickets are burning a hole in my desk, haha. And I miss college football in person and we're 4-0 in a year I can't go!

My state released the rollout plan for the vaccine and I'm in Group 2 as an essential worker. Group one is obviously medical workers, pharmacists and police. Suits me fine lol.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: FrickingKaos on December 07, 2020, 06:00:33 PM
Hello there! Nice to see you around. Hope you're doing well.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: nicksgal on December 07, 2020, 06:12:59 PM
I think being COVID free is an accomplishment for us all. That stuff is scary. I hope your dad's been okay and healthy too. How's Target going in all this? Is it still extra crazy this time of year? I remember it being ridiculous November through January when I worked there way back when.

If Julie hadn't encouraged it, the bunnies would have kept gnawing at you! So I'm glad she did. Also I love that y'all are going to shows together! It's been lonely on BSB island by myself, I've just been dragging one of my friends who is happy going, but just not as excited. However she moved out of state, so I'm like now who?

I don't think they've released the roll out plan yet here, but if it's like that I think I'd be a group two as well, essential but not front line.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: nicksgal on December 07, 2020, 06:14:26 PM
Hello there! Nice to see you around. Hope you're doing well.

Thanks FrickingKaos! I'm doing pretty well. Hope you are too! Nice to meet and/or see you again. (I'm not sure we chatted the last time I was around.)
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: Rose on December 07, 2020, 07:28:27 PM
I think being COVID free is an accomplishment for us all. That stuff is scary. I hope your dad's been okay and healthy too. How's Target going in all this? Is it still extra crazy this time of year? I remember it being ridiculous November through January when I worked there way back when.

If Julie hadn't encouraged it, the bunnies would have kept gnawing at you! So I'm glad she did. Also I love that y'all are going to shows together! It's been lonely on BSB island by myself, I've just been dragging one of my friends who is happy going, but just not as excited. However she moved out of state, so I'm like now who?

I don't think they've released the roll out plan yet here, but if it's like that I think I'd be a group two as well, essential but not front line.

I actually travel for shows now. I'm no longer a lazy fan lol. So usually now if there's a tour she comes to me or i go to her. Though when the residency was in Vegas I got SO damn spoiled. Having BSB 20 minutes from your house leads to bad/good life choices. I've discovered fans who live here too so that also helps.

Praying things work out next year cause I have a lot of tickets I'd like to actually use lol.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: nicksgal on December 07, 2020, 08:19:12 PM
Oh man! The only thing I traveled for was the residency and I definitely did think "I wonder if Rose is here. Or how many times she's gone." I did last minute try to go to the In A World Like This tour in Vegas after I decided to visit a friend there last minute, but she'd just found out she was pregnant, so didn't want to be out and/or standing on her feet for that long. I randomly ended up at their after party after the residency, so I would call all choices good.

I think my only regret is that I got paper tickets, haha. I'm like if they keep changing these dates...
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: Rose on December 08, 2020, 12:09:11 AM
Oh man! The only thing I traveled for was the residency and I definitely did think "I wonder if Rose is here. Or how many times she's gone." I did last minute try to go to the In A World Like This tour in Vegas after I decided to visit a friend there last minute, but she'd just found out she was pregnant, so didn't want to be out and/or standing on her feet for that long. I randomly ended up at their after party after the residency, so I would call all choices good.

I think my only regret is that I got paper tickets, haha. I'm like if they keep changing these dates...

I wish I'd known lol. I would've met up.

Um...I went, I think it was 18 times altogether between 2017 and 2019 lmao. Something like that.. Like it became such a thing. Especially with so many knowing I live here so then they'd want me to go. So I did lol.

I think one of the cooler times I had during the residency was VIP at an after party. Cause they'd come hang out at the tables and take selfies. Nick showed me photos on his phone for the album photoshoot in like Feb of 2018. And I had a full convos with Brian and Howie at a different after party. One night at Planet Hollywood a group of us ran into AJ by the slots and he hung out with us till fans started mobbing him. He was giving us spoilers about the DNA tour and everything. This was the last month of the residency lol.

But touring is fun cause then I go see new places.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: FrickingKaos on December 08, 2020, 09:25:21 AM
Thanks FrickingKaos! I'm doing pretty well. Hope you are too! Nice to meet and/or see you again. (I'm not sure we chatted the last time I was around.)

I don't know if you remember me, but my name used to be DelphinaCarter on here before I changed it. But I do remember you and it's nice to see you back. :)
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: nicksgal on December 08, 2020, 06:50:18 PM
I wish I'd known lol. I would've met up.

Um...I went, I think it was 18 times altogether between 2017 and 2019 lmao. Something like that.. Like it became such a thing. Especially with so many knowing I live here so then they'd want me to go. So I did lol.

I think one of the cooler times I had during the residency was VIP at an after party. Cause they'd come hang out at the tables and take selfies. Nick showed me photos on his phone for the album photoshoot in like Feb of 2018. And I had a full convos with Brian and Howie at a different after party. One night at Planet Hollywood a group of us ran into AJ by the slots and he hung out with us till fans started mobbing him. He was giving us spoilers about the DNA tour and everything. This was the last month of the residency lol.

But touring is fun cause then I go see new places.

Oh man, next time for sure! 18 times? Jealous. I think that's the same type of thing I ended up at randomly, but they were very particular about who could sit at the tables (now I'll just pay to be a table person next time). I did get to chat with Howie and Kevin for a hot second though and that was probably in my greatest moments until Howie liked my pumpkin on Instagram.

You're like a legend at this point. When are you getting invited to the beach house? ;)

I contemplated going to their Hawaii chunk. I travel a lot with my husband anyway, so I'm down to maybe 15-20 states left to visit (and they're all far northeast or deep south at this point.) A friend suggested we do something crazy after all this, like go to Australia. So maybe that's the way to do it, ha.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: nicksgal on December 08, 2020, 06:51:03 PM
I don't know if you remember me, but my name used to be DelphinaCarter on here before I changed it. But I do remember you and it's nice to see you back. :)

Oh yes, that sounds more familiar. Good to see you again.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: Rose on December 08, 2020, 08:24:01 PM
Oh man, next time for sure! 18 times? Jealous. I think that's the same type of thing I ended up at randomly, but they were very particular about who could sit at the tables (now I'll just pay to be a table person next time). I did get to chat with Howie and Kevin for a hot second though and that was probably in my greatest moments until Howie liked my pumpkin on Instagram.

You're like a legend at this point. When are you getting invited to the beach house? ;)

I contemplated going to their Hawaii chunk. I travel a lot with my husband anyway, so I'm down to maybe 15-20 states left to visit (and they're all far northeast or deep south at this point.) A friend suggested we do something crazy after all this, like go to Australia. So maybe that's the way to do it, ha.

Julie and I added like two more shows (5 altogether) and are doing a road trip next summer if things are safe, from show to show. Compensating for this year. Then I added an LA show that I'll do with another friend. Life is short.

Lmfao them being in Vegas just made things easy. Funny enough I never run into Nick cause he lives on the opposite end of town. I did know when he was doing his Twitch streams where he was though lmao.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: nicksgal on December 08, 2020, 09:10:00 PM
I have mixed feelings about road trips, but that sounds super fun. For the Boys, I will see the same show umpteen times. That's a heck of a summer, six shows.

That's what surprised me the most about Vegas when my friend lived there, how much larger it is than you imagine. The first time I visited her, I thought "Man, you're really far away from all the Vegasy things I think of." And then she moved on base and I was like, "My mistake, this is much further away."
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: Rose on December 08, 2020, 10:05:26 PM
I have mixed feelings about road trips, but that sounds super fun. For the Boys, I will see the same show umpteen times. That's a heck of a summer, six shows.

That's what surprised me the most about Vegas when my friend lived there, how much larger it is than you imagine. The first time I visited her, I thought "Man, you're really far away from all the Vegasy things I think of." And then she moved on base and I was like, "My mistake, this is much further away."

I'm looking forward to it. Our last road trip was in 2018. I flew out to her place and we went down to Knoxville to see Nick, AJ and Howie at a comic con. Adventures!

Yup. I'm the same. I live up north so I'm not exactly close to the Strip. It's a big city that thinks it's a small town lol.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: nicksgal on December 09, 2020, 08:14:44 PM
Random that they were at a comic con, but "Adventures!" is right! Knoxville is an interesting place, I'd go again. I have about a 14 hour car limit within 72 hours, so that limits the places without flying first, haha.

That's exactly what it is! I actually enjoyed being away from the strip for parts of my trips to visit her. It was nice to do something else instead of go go going all the time.
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: julilly on January 18, 2021, 10:50:41 AM
Oh heeeeey lady
Title: Re: Hi, room for an old jerk here?
Post by: nicksgal on January 18, 2021, 12:10:48 PM
Oh heeeeey Julilly! How is everything?!