A FIRST! (Or - PO'd at the B&N)

Well... here we go. I'm blogging now. I feel so... official. And *maybe* just a little bit closer to hipness.

A few disclaimers, before we proceed:
- I am VERY new at this (we're talking minutes here, people). I've created this blog (partially for spite... we'll get to that) just to get some of things out of my head, but I don't profess to be remotely blog savvy. So - bear with me.
- I have a very liberal interpretation of the rules of English. And I like ellipses (...).
- I tend to perseverate on my pet peeves. If I happen to capture your attention long enough to read this consistently, you may find yourself thinking, "why is she still whining about...?". Because I can. And I need to. And you may just start subscribing to my way of thinking. Or you may curse the internet for allowing someone with only a slight modicum of ability to create an electronic rant. We'll see.

The catalyst for this blog was an incident that happened quite some time ago - but it still, to this day, chaps my hide. Long story, short - Barnes and Noble irritated me beyond reasoning. I nearly fired them. At this point, B&N is both on probation AND getting the stink eye.

I wanted to look through books about teaching adults - specifically teaching adults pre-GED Reading and Language Arts. But I'm not picky - just help a sister out. Throw me a bone with some lesson plan ideas because, at this point, I was pretty much winging it. (On a side note... yes, I did get a Master's degree in Adult Education and Training. In my case, this means that I have is a ton of theory and an ounce of experience). So, yeah - I wanted to benefit from the tried and true plans of those who've forged the trail before me. However, my plan was thwarted because - and I hope you're sitting down for this - BARNES AND NOBLE DOESN'T STOCK BOOKS ON TEACHING ADULTS! As a matter of fact, they don't carry books on teaching, period! Sure, you can find workbooks to homeschool 5th graders. You can find the (4-inch thick, BTW) GED self-study guide. You can even find "The GED for Dummies" (don't get me started on the self-image issues inherent in *that* one). But methods for teaching adult students, or strategies for helping students get their GED? Nah. No room in the store. We're busy selling dog food cookbooks, and the GI Joe Field Guide, and Chicken Soup for every freakin' kind of soul you could subscribe to. Gah. So, I went off, ad nauseum, to my dear husband, who has figured out that it's usually best to let these things run its course. But, at the time, I do believe I said, "I'd sooooooo blog about this... if I had a blog." And thus, the seed was planted.

And here we are, some time later, beginning a new journey. Because, hey, why not? Somebody's gotta be pissed about such things...