Still sore from the ditch work this weekend; how the others are feeling oy! Weight Loss efforts lost in the physical ennui. I need to start exercising, but haven't figured out how. Getting going on the other contracts...not happening yet.

Nebulous wait state, but alive, could have been different if I'd been blown off the road on Sunday. And I need to sort the piles the cleaner is leaving, aye!

Other things: Just ebay'd the newest Pratchett, so that'll be here next week. Need to score a laptop, yah. I thought I had one around here somewhere...but no. And now, off to pick up more fresh veggies.

1. Mundane Name:
John
( Read more... )

Last day of classes for this session, and I'll miss them, for all the problems. The afternoon class was especially fun, modify the robots and then go head to head with good music. Whirling LEX of ouch! (Not doom.) One machine started taking chips and a drink into battle, and another had action figures taped to it. The other machine the students were too busy trying to online game to work on it, and it consistently got pushed out. That team is going to become salesmen and lawyers, as they spent all their time complaining about the rules, selling me on the unfairness of it, and trying to rules lawyer a victory. But the other teams--ah, fun!

I'm reminded of an old birthday plan (Happy Bday Sunny!) to get a bunch of radio controlled robots and have our own robo wars. This is much funner. You have to program their behaviour!

Saw bro K for the first time in a long time. After a quick trip before the SFShakes Midsimmer Knight's D-ream to IKEA, bought way too many light strings--they were marked down to $.99 for the remaining ones, so the plan of buying 10 turned into a plan of buying 46. (Or so.) (Geez!) Luckily IKEA sells the special bluelight special bags, so packing was easy. After packing some cheeze (and special knifes thanks to her winning smile) shutt3rg33k and I caught the aforementioned play, which was an interesting staging and a very clear interpretation, but a little uneven technically in regards to lights and sound. And...I'm just not into a cockney accent Puck, or a Gandalf Bottom. But perhaps it's me. Still, it was a GREAT value for the price and not a bad production--perhaps the problem is that I'm into double digits for live viewings of this one.

Afterwards showed lights. This morning after helping Sh with the nandog, went back over and wired Mom's patio for lights. $30 bucks in extension cords, especially the shielded outdoor christmas ones, and she has a very good solution. Hopes she likes it.

After that caught a relatively quiet Asylum Street Spankers show at the Little Fox in Redwood City; still a SMOKIN' show--quiet for them is rowdy for most groups. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmsOIjzQ1V8 for a quiet song.
Hey, there's a LOT of killer stuff here...

Most from their DVD's...hmm. They've got a new guy who is very funny.

ANYWAY finally picked up their latest CD and it's better than expected...they're local for a little longer, so catch them if you can: http://asylumstreetspankers.com/tour.html
(Hey Reno friends, they're in Truckee next weekend!)

No weight progress, little house progress, some cooking. Had a replacement for the next class at school but he bailed, doesn't want to handle the full on teaching. There's the basics. Cheers!

1. Teaching-Kun: I will be a kick-ass teacher for my students.
2. Sheep can be herded, goats must be led. Lead them and they will follow.
3. 90% of communication is non-verbal. 80% of performance is expectations.
( Read more... )

1. I'm not posting much of substance here because it gets up to about 3 pages of explanation in my mind, and then it's too tiring to post. Like how our societal insistence on speedy convenience has caused not just a rise in plant weeds, but in biological sea weeds--opportunistic fast growing quick reproducing short lived spiky things--jellyfish. And not only there, but in the memesphere as well--we have less long thoughts and more short ones. And how that could lead to our current political situation, and also how it's societal. Anyway, explaining that one is about 5 pages that probably don't make much sense without footnotes. (1)

( Read more... )

Weight: 364.5
( Read more... )

Beorn and Hillary, Hillary and Beorn
By one question the court is torn
At the end of the ceremony the birds will be worn--
But who between you goes first?

Skill and Beauty, Jesters and Bears
Doing everything in equal shares
sharing art and days and cares
But who between you goes first?

Our glorious Majesties, Kaaren and Jade
Who neither of their Peers would degrade
Won't decide the order in which you are made--
"Who, between you, goes first?"

The question is stupid, the pair both agree
They've handled it so many times graciously
there really is one gentlemanly way to be
"The lady always comes first."

So, the first 10 minutes of every class in high school: getting them in their seats, getting them to pay attention, fighting with the idiots who have to act out...

The first 10 minutes of every STA (Summer Technology Academy) class: Students goofing off until I call order. Go over schedule, they push for what they want--less lecture, more hands-on. Then, clamor for stump questions, which means I get stumped a couple times (many students are researching the topics outside of class to generate things I won't know) and some good sillyness--

If there's such a thing as an aquaduck, is there a fireduck?
(Answer: Yes! More properly, a pyroduck! We'll fill our student projects with gasoline and light them on fire.)
What is the top of the aquifer, which moves up and down, called?
(I got stumped by this one. It's simpler than I thought.)
What's dark and light and holds everything together?
(Not the Force)

And that was just this morning...

Happy happy joy joy. Skachick, they may win me over to be working with you.

I have a LOT of interesting stories about being a teacher. But since the admin staff hasn't finished up their work, I have not checked out of the school yet--it's not done, same old shit, dammit. When it starts hurting a little less I'll write up some of the stories...

Until then, onto the engineering! Complete with its own insane drama!

No, I'm not going back into education. I'll go back into tech and do education, and work on history from the inside. Time to go become an independent scholar.