how come you can float on water, but you can't walk on it? Is it a muniscus type thing?
Giving up early: these people don't work any more. They might as well leave now.
Counters: they know right down to the minute when they can leave. Close relatives to Give up early, but they will do something if pushed.
Don't know the holidays are coming: extremely rare, and work like it is the beginning of term.
Know the holidays are coming, but realise we aren't there yet, and should be working: these are the ones I wish we had more of. They have reality without being too pious or precious.
On Friday I had a revelation, though sadly not a Godly one.
I found out I was supposed to have done reports on both seniors and juniors. NOT just seniors. I had idly wondered why we had so long to do the reports...
So on Friday I worked Very Hard, and did reports for all my students. But of course I had not checked my form class. So I am still running behind, and now I have to go to PD tomorrow to learn about junior science. I think I may be running behind for the rest of the term.
And last time I was away I had two or three of my kids in my dean year suspended for smoking dope at school. Here's hoping tomorrow is less interesting.
C and I went today (ironically) to pick up the cover for H's goldfish bowl. When we came home we found one of his fish lying on the carpet. I picked it up to take it outside for a decent burial, when I thought I felt its tail muscles twitch. Just a tiny tap in the fingers. We put it in the water but apart from an eye movement and only one gasp of water it did not move. So I left it in the water to finish dying properly.
Its eating and swimming round now. That's quite some recovery. I really thought it was pretty much dead with only involuntary movements left.
Must have jumped out under its own steam, because the cat was outside while we were gone. Damn lucky thing we were home today...
My classroom is at the back of the school and I happen to have a car park just outside of my room. So when I arrive at school I drive down to the back of the school, park the car and walk a couple of metres into my room.
This morning as I was going down the drive it turned out to be a good thing that I was properly awake, as the chain was across the drive. So I got out of the car and unlocked it. The school van was there, and the Kapa Haka teacher was in it with kids and whanau, getting ready to leave and go to the regional competitions, which was great as I got to wish him all the best with that. They have worked incredibly hard for this competition and are hoping to get into the national competition... so it was good to wish them luck today.
And got in the car and drove back down to the park. Got out of the car and saw another teacher. She was in a fine dander, all very upset about the chain being on the drive. Almost unable to speak because she was so angry. She gets here at 6.15 and can't drive up to her room - it makes her so ANGRY! And yet she has a key to the chain, as every teacher on the staff does... I can't be bothered with getting angry about having to open the driveway chain...
Mind you I had a bit of a paddy at home this morning. I asked kid 1 if he had his rugby gear in his bag, so he went to look in his room - his theory is if it is not in his room it is in his bag. My theory is if you were holding the bag at the time, you could have LOOKED IN THE BAG. And the other one was just impressively winey and weepy and pathetic. He really just wanted to sit down with someone and watch the movie, but all the someones had a lot of other things to do... so he made a fuss about EVERY DAMN THING to get some attention.
Its a mad bad crazy mixed up world... but I do like it. And I get to feed my own fish when I get to work which always starts the days here well.
Edited to add the next day THEY WON! THEY WON! WE ARE SO HAPPY!! THEY ARE GOING TO THE NATIONALS NEXT YEAR!!!
Last night we had our usual ring round the friends and family. It seems we ring on Sundays so we have at least done something that doesn't involve the home to work to home to work litany.
We were on the internet at the same time, and on the Metservice site we could see the temperatures of the places we were ringing. In Wanganui, it was 5 degrees, in Nelson 3 and in Timaru negative 2. Made me feel a little pathetic for hogging the fire. But I continues to hog it anyway.
Went to see the school kids Kapa Haka dress rehearsal yesterday. Apparently there are rough edges to be removed from the performance, but I couldn't spot them. A good turnout of whanau to see the kids and the kids look fantastic. H (my three year old) thought they looked a bit scarey with the makeup on, like monsters.
The axolotyl had a stressful weekend. I thought he might die at one stage, but he seems to have come right. We went emergency filter buying and that seems to have done the trck.
On Friday, R was told he would be going down to Burnham military camp to stage an emergency Exercise Rescue. The unit had planned to go down there and do a virtual exercise, but had neglected to organise any accommodation, food or rooms. So rescue man was to be dispatched on Tuesday and returned Wednesday. When he turned up to work on Monday no-one had booked tickets so they immediately changed to plan b, where he would go on Wednesday and return on Thursday.
School had their open night on Wednesday so I couldn't go last night. Mid-week babysitters are pretty hard to come by, especially when you need them from after school till 8.30 at night. I wasn't disappointed - I find open nights pretty hard.
Because the leader was off to Christchurch area, and because the quilt I have been making is for friends in Christchurch, the leader suggested that I finish the quilt and he hand delivers it. It is a good idea, because I hate the idea of posting a quilt. They take too long to make to have the post lose them... It took two nights of sewing to get it finished, but it is now gone.
And they liked it.