pay no attention to the woman behind the bedsheet

Ah, Friday. It's a day off, but it's also my school VoMo day. I just got back from Meego's class. There was a bit of rowdiness going on.

See, there's a sub today. Teacher's out of town, so bring in the sub and let the hellions at her!

The sub happens to be a friend of mine, who also has kids at that school, who also is a familiar face to many of the kids. Still, she is not immune to substitute teacher abuse. I'm actually a bit glad to be out of there right now...

And it makes me appreciate my own job. Growing up, I didn't plan on being a teacher, it's just where I find myself now in this season of my life. Don't know how long I'll stay with it, assuming it's entirely up to me, but it's good for now.

Had both live-in-the-flesh class sessions this week and a couple of live online class sessions. The live online thing is really growing on me. It's a bit weird because we can't read our students' body language. Also, we're told in our training, that it's different for them too, because they mainly just see a small head-and-shoulders shot of us rather than having a full sized 3-dimensional teacher. So everyone's adjusting.

We get all these tips about making the most of our little head-and-shoulders box in the "classroom". Tips about what color to wear, about what color to use for our background, etc. I remember a trainer saying, "you don't want it to look like you've just got a bedsheet hanging behind you".

Well, newsflash: I DO just have a bedsheet hanging behind me.

Works for me. In fact, it's appearance is very similar to the background that particular trainer had. I wonder, does SHE also just have a bedsheet hanging behind HER?? (Pay no attention to the bedsheet hem there, just under the right armpit...)

Last night's online class was going nicely. I was just TAing with another teacher, so I was completely offscreen anyway. We were discussing stress management - strategies to get their minds off of test anxiety - when one student suggested Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2!!!

Oh, the excitement that brought about in the chatbox! In fact, looking back, it was very similar to the just barely controlled chaos going on in Meego's classroom this morning.

This was for a GMAT class - future MBA's. Is there no escape?

Maybe Chaco has a future in management.
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call of duty

Duu-huuude, get ur copy of Modern Warfare 2?

Yeah, that's where I was yesterday... at the local GameStop store. Apparently, this was a big deal release

And I actually knew it was coming. I don't play video games, but they live in my home. I knew this was coming because Chaco purchased his "ticket" for the game several weeks ago.

And then he marked it on the calendar.

And then he programmed his calculator to countdown to the moment it would be available.

He forgets to turn in homework and yet, he marks the release of a video game on the calendar and writes a program regarding it? *sigh*

He reminded me several times in the days leading up to The Event that we would be going to the store right after school on Tuesday. See, it's rated "M", so for someone under 17 to get it, they have to have an accompanying parental type person there to say, "okay". Now, like I said, I don't play video games, but Magnum does and he says it's okay, so I get GameStop store parental duty.

On the way down there, I'm all, "So what's this game again? 'Mech Wars 2' or something?" and Chaco's all, "*sigh* callofdutymodernwarfare2!" and then I'm all "Wait... what's it called?" Geez, such a mom sometimes.

So we got there and it wasn't that bad. A short line was all, and no one dressed like the kid in the photo above. The true zealots were there at midnight, no doubt.

Luckily, Wolfgang had come along, because after we exited the mall, Chaco said "Okay, see ya!" and took off at a sprint towards home (we walked there). Now, our house is under a mile away from the mall, but it's all uphill. It was actually quite an impressive display of physicality. So, I say it was lucky that Wolfgang had accompanied us, because then I had someone to walk with.

I remember runner friend Ben recommending that I tie a video game to a string and run with it as a way to get the kids to run distances with me. I think that could actually work!
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rounding second

Went shopping this morning to replenish all that was pilfered over the weekend. This is actually a pretty typical Monday event. What wasn't typical about my shopping today was the purchase of bras.

(okay, yes, possible TMI to follow)

I have long since resigned myself to the fact that I am not of the well-endowed. I'll actually confess to attempting some recommended exercises and even some herbal tea concoctions.

The exercises probably made me somewhat stronger, but didn't do much for the boob size. The tea? I dunno, I think "something" went on in there, they "felt" a little different, but the measuring tape read the same as before.

Okay fine.

They've served their purpose. Three babies somehow managed to fatten up from them, so I'm not really complaining.

But, recently I'd noticed that my current underthings had gotten pretty weathered. I can't even remember the last time I had new. So, it was off to the intimates department.

Omigosh, the selection. There seemed to be as many types and styles of bras as there are breasts to put in them. One of the benefits of being not of the well-endowed is I don't need all those extra supportive, separative, over-the-river-and-through-the-wood-ive accoutrements. Just enough to cover basic liability, thanks.

I searched rack after aisle after rack and finally, FINALLY, found some.

They were in the next department over. The "girls" section. Next to "women". I've got one on now, and admit that I'm quite satisfied with my purchase.

I think Miley Cyrus gets a cut.
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Silver Liningness, part XII

As I look outside my window, I think, yes, it looks like November. Mostly cloudy. There's snow on the peak. A few rebellious leaves futilly cling to the trees.

I like it. I like this time of year.

After last week's epic snowstorm, the meteorological pendulum swung to the other extreme, and we had sunny and 70's this week. Nice for a change, but it's November. Today is a November kind of day. I like to use words like "brisk" and "nippy" and get to wear stuff like sweaters and leggings. Wearing both now...

It was a busy week, and busy hopefully yielded productivity. Work schedule is full with two separate classes going on, but they both come to an abrupt end in a couple of weeks. My next class, as of now, isn't scheduled until January, so I'm perusing the schedule for other openings. But I'm thankful that I'm not desperate for work and may just get a month off.

And speaking of those aforementioned leaves? I think I finally got all the raking and bagging done for the season. I count 17 bagfulls of yard vomit in the compost queue! And that's not counting the stuff that's already gone into the bins. Let's just call it an even 20 for the season! I win!!


On that note, I got Chaco to clean the gutters. He's started getting into parkour, so any excuse to climb and jump and stuff is fair game. In fact, it was HIS idea to clean the gutters. WHAT?! I knew I loved the French!





So happy November everyone! Don the leggings, your knee-high "ho" boots! Find disgusting treasures in your gutters!
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profiler

Okay, so I got this e-mail. It was highly personal. I know that because it started out:

"Dear Colleague:"

It's from a group at the national level of the place I work. Apparently they are revamping the website and "online center"and want to include biographies of us teachers on there. The e-mail was asking me to click a link to fill out the survey for my info to be included in this sleek new "online center". The results of the survey are for "professionally-crafted profiles for perusal by prospective and current students"

Okay fine.

So I clicked the link, filled in a couple of rudimentary questions and then scanned some of the other questions. There were forward and backward buttons so I figured I could move around before submitting my survey.

Well, turns out I couldn't.

I clicked the forward button and got that "THANKS FOR COMPLETING OUR SURVEY. YOUR ANSWERS HAVE BEEN RECORDED" page. No going back, no reset button, just pretty much "thanks, goodbye, dear colleague".

Perhaps it will elicit my coming across as one of the more mysterious teachers. The intrigue my sparse profile will bring about will have prospective students signing up for classes left and right! What a great marketing ploy!

Or not.
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thanx

Oh poor poor blog! I've neglected you so this week!

*fluffs the bedding* *freshens water* *removes droppings*

It's been a busy and productive week, and the Friday arrived in a hurry. You do realize that Thanksgiving is now less than 3 weeks away for us United Statesians? So... who are you spending it with?

Or better yet, who you LIKE to spend it with? I started thinking about this when I visited Beej (who has been neglecting her blog even worse than I have) over at facebook (the "blog affair"?) and decided I'd like Christopher Walken to come on over. Shall we brainstorm a few others? Others who I've never spent any time with IRL, but am willing to give a whirl?

Maybe Drowning Pool? That might liven things up a bit. Then again, they'd probably really trash the place...

How about Eric Balfour? I mean, since we're just harmlessly brainstorming and stuff... heh... *ahem*

How about that Progressive Insurance girl?

She's so friendly. I bet she'd help to clean up too.

This guy, since Chaco seems to have taken an interest in Parkour, of all things. But mainly because he's French. We should have someone French over for Thanksgiving.

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Silver Liningness, part XI

Happy November everyone! We've survived Halloween, and I am thankful for that extra hour - as silly as I think this whole thing of flipping clocks is, I'll take it.

Quite the tempestuous week it was! Had a minor snowstorm come through Sunday, delaying school on Monday. Then had an adult snowstorm come through on Tuesday which closed school on Wednesday and Thursday and delayed Friday. Kids in our district had just one real day - and even that is questionable - of school last week.

This made me thankful for the new furnace we got last fall.

It also made me thankful for those Live Online classes - not one missed class on account of weather.

And the party must still go on! Friday was Meego's school party. Good thing school was open. And speaking of Halloween...

Here we have an out-of-luck NASCAR driver; a Nearly Dead - it's apparently from a video game, so I'm told...; an Edward Cullen. [They get bigger if you click the pic].

The Nearly Dead took the crashed NASCAR driver out to trick-or-treat, along with a large M&M friend. The M&M friend was actually quite frightening because said friend is positiviely allergic to M&M's.

Edward Cullen went to a party and has yet to return.

As for me, I had to work in the morning. I thought I would dress up as a geeky professor type, but then worried that my students might not realize that I was in costume, so...

And the afternoon was absolutely beautiful, weather-wise. We went to a local popular park and play play PLAYED!

Oh, and those tracks in the snow? Remember? I think I have a positive identification. The M&M kid, before he transformed into the allergen, was wearing an animal tracks t-shirt. I found Red Fox prints near the kid's spleen.

Sly thing... probably after my eggs.
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