Happy St. Pat's er... PTA Meeting Day

Well, they've got the same letters, so they should be equally fun, right? Yeah, I didn't think so, either. Apparently, my homework load has been getting complaints. So far, I've given out 10-15 minutes per day, plus one to three writing paragraphs for chatting in Korean or talking louder than me when I'm speaking to the class. Cry me a river. I doubt any kid has had a full hour of homework yet.

How little homework should I be giving? Under ten minutes a day? Under five? Maybe that's why these kids have gone to an immersion school for four years and still can't write a sentence with a subject AND a verb. We won't even talk about articles, because that's a pipe dream.

Seriously, my new job is awesome, but these kids need serious work on their English and osmosis has pretty well been discounted as a way to learn. I'm pretty much living proof-- I've lived in Korea for over ten years, but I speak English at school all day, then come home to my English Batcave, and my Korean still sucks. If I were paying big bucks to someone to improve my Korean, I'd be pretty angry at the return on my investment.

Open House

So, today was my Open House presentation for the mothers. I was pretty stressed out about it, because a) I hate meeting mothers, and b) I've never done a PowerPoint presentation before (try not to hurt yourself laughing). It went fine, though. The Assistant Director/ Office Manager/ I really have no idea what her job title is translated my slides and everything I said as I spoke and made me feel like a diplomat of some sort. It doesn't take much to amuse me, does it?

After, the mothers of two of my three problem children (pretty Uber-Problem Child's mother didn't attend) asked me how they were doing in class. I was more honest than I normally would be, but I've been laying down the law pretty severely, so I wanted to head off potential complaints at the pass. I told both of them (truthfully enough) that their boys seem to get the material very quickly "so they may get bored at times." By that, I meant they are rambunctious and distract the ones who don't get it so quickly. Both moms seemed to have gotten my drift. :-) One child has apparently complained that I make students wash their hands after they sneeze (into their hands). His mother even went over ways we can cough into his sleeve so as not to have to leave the class. This is the same child that asks to leave the class at some point every day, because he "forgets" to go to the bathroom or get water during a break.

Otherwise, things are rocking along at the new school. Tomorrow, they have a five-period long test, four of which were my classes, so I only have one class. One class got cancelled today for First Grade Welcoming Ceremony Number Two. Since the crowning ceremony last week wasn't enough, I guess. Today, they got leis made of candy and suckers and had to run the gauntlet between all of the other students. An entire hour. Lost. One week in, and I have yet to have a regular school day with them. It would be pretty cool, if it weren't already painfully obvious that we're never going to properly cover all of the material this year. Grand plans of projects and presentations have been washed away by the cold, grim reality that they are the level of the lowest students I taught at Elite. One week in, and we haven't even cracked open half of the books.

One of the students told me on Friday that the Uber-Problem Child would be quitting, but he was in class today. Sigh. In writing class, we did a group brainstorm to make sure they new how to do one, and then they wrote a single paragraph. That just about did most of the kids in, but for UPC... At the end of class, he had written selective parts of the brainstorm on his paper (which I repeatedly told him he did not need to do) and... nothing else. There were less than a dozen words on his page, all copied from the board, and that took him the entire time it took most of the students to complete the assignment. Then he told me he didn't do his homework (again), because he's going to the French school. That should be interesting. I hope for his sake that I misunderstood him, or else that he has a hidden talent for French.

The rest of my kids are pretty awesome, to varying degrees. I can't wait to have a regular full day of classes to see what they can really do.

In other boring news of my life, if you're still reading, I had a national council meeting yesterday. It wasn't as horrible as it could have been. That's the best thing I can say about it. Maybe during the big test tomorrow, I can get to work on those minutes...

Don't Miscarry in Utah

I clicked on the link to this article, because I think that a lot of students kind of fart around and mark time for their senior year, and the kids that need to be there could benefit from a culling of the herd, so to speak. A focusing of resources, if you will. However, the real subject of the article is proposed legislation in which miscarriages may become a prosecutable offense in Utah.

So, 12th grade may become optional because the government is broke. But it's not too broke to investigate/ prosecute/ imprison women who have miscarriages, if the mother's actions may have been the cause.

What about giving birth to a child with health problems? Will the mother's prenatal care be investigated? Where will it end? While I'm not above giving dirty looks to pregnant women I see smoking or drinking, I'm not sure this is a road the government should go down. In fact, I'm pretty sure this road is a very, very bad one which should be avoided.

Several women close to me have suffered miscarriages, and I can't imagine them dealing with that emotional pain while facing a criminal investigation into the events leading up to it. Not to mention, how horrible would it be to lose a pregnancy and be judged to be at fault for it? How many women go through that in their own minds already, thinking about what they could have done differently and if it would have changed anything? Now, compound that with a police investigation and, possibly, a criminal trial.

I realize that is not the intent of the law, but since the police cannot actually read people's minds, you have to think that at least some women found criminally responsible for their miscarriage would have simply been guilty of poor judgment. OK, I think that's enough of a rant about a proposed law (which one hopes will be quietly dropped from consideration never again to see the light of day) in a state through which I have never even driven, nor do I have any future plans to visit.

The End Draws Nigh (as does a new beginning)

Tomorrow is my last working day off of work, if that makes sense. I've been to my new school several times to clean up and moderately decorate my new classroom. OK, thus far "decorations" have been limited to classroom rules signs which I have posted. :-) Just trying to live up to my reputation. When I interviewed, I was asked how my director would describe me. When I said I might be considered a little strict at my school, he laughed and showed me the notes from his conversation with said director: the first word was strict.

Since it is the end of our rather unproductive vacations, Stafford and I have planned to do things which we should have done at a leisurely pace throughout the past two weeks. I still haven't convinced him to accompany me to the robot art exhibit. :-( Hopefully, the French comic exhibit he chose will be just as good.

Laundry Time

So, as I may have mentioned, my month off of work has been rather slothful. My cat is making a silent, but pointed, statement about the laundry pile on the floor. He has pushed all of the clothes into a semi-circle around his head and upper body. He is now slowly rolling from side to side, stopping at each item to touch it several times with the nearest paw. It's like watching some kind of weird geriatric stretching video. Or, maybe if the subject of an episode of Hoarders came out with a line of exercise DVDs...

At any rate, I will grudgingly take it as a sign that it's time to make the two-block trek over to the laundromat. Stafford has some super-exciting product launch to attend tomorrow, but I suppose washing clothes, dropping some pants off to be altered, and going to Korean class will be just as awesome. Not that I'm bitter that he didn't even try to get a plus one. What kind of party requires everyone to go stag? Hrmph.

I am Legal!!

I went to immigration today and picked up my brand spanking new ID card. Once again, I was hit with the realization that it's not Korean Immi in general, it is specifically the Mokdong office that are the largest collection of idiots in the nation. This was the my third (fourth?) trip to the Jongro office and the difference is unbelievable. They know what they are doing! They do it!! In a timely manner!!! I use more Korean at this office, but seeing as it's the lingua franca, I guess I can make a minimal effort...

I had Korean class tonight-- we're into the third week now. I'm definitely not learning as much as the last time I took Korean classes, but that was 10 hours a week with another 10 of homework, compared to 3 hours a week with little to no homework. I could put in the extra effort on my own, but obviously I haven't done that the whole time I'm here, so why change midstream? That's like suggesting I socialize in Korean. I dislike socializing in English and that takes 1/1000th the effort. At any rate, I am learning some and I'm enjoying it so far.

I got an email from my new school today: I have to prepare a powerpoint presentation for the Open House. A what for the what?! Eek. I'm going in tomorrow to put my room in order and start getting ready for next week, so I'll have a talk with the principal about this Open House.

I can't believe my month off is nearly over. I have been so completely unproductive. Completely. I had a list of things to do, like go through all of my boxes in the storage cubby and throw out everything I don't need, organize my bookshelves/ drawers/ cabinets/ etc, organize my yarn stash... I think you can see a pattern emerging. Anyway, it doesn't matter, because my books/ shelves/ drawers/ cabinets/ boxes/ yarn are nearly as disorganized as the day I moved in.

I wish I loved exercise, cleaning, and organizing as much as I love sitting in my computer chair staring at my laptop screen. :-)

Signed, Sealed, and Delivered

As usual, way too long since my last post.

I finished up at Elite at the end of January and am halfway through my vacation. Today, after sweating for months when my FBI background check wouldn't (and still hasn't) come in, I went to immigration, and got my new visa with no background check needed. If only I had known that I didn't need to spend all that money and hassle (mostly my mother got hassled, with several trips around Baton Rouge getting my local check and apostille) and stress over the missing FBI check. I mean, four months?! Come on!

As for my vacation, I've been pretty supremely unproductive. I have knit two sweaters: Owls (still needs eyes) and Amused, modified into a hoodie cardigan (still needs closures). Both were quick and easy knits, although, I didn't really follow the patterns all that closely. For Owls, I basically only used the "owl" cable chart.

Over the Lunar New Year/ Valentine's Day weekend, Stafford whisked me off on a "staycation" at a hotel here in Seoul. He's so sweet! We spent most of the time watching AFN and going to Starbucks. He knows me so well. :-)

So, that's about all that's gone on over the past month. Not very eventful, despite big plans to get out and about and see all the things in Seoul I haven't seen before. Mostly, I've just seen a lot of TV downloads in my living room. There are two exhibits at two museums I do plan to see over the next two weeks, though. Staf's on vacation, so maybe I can drag him along...

Leading and Retreating

Once again, it's been ages since I posted, and I've got no real reason. I just got back from the KOTESOL annual Leadership Retreat, which was much more useful this year than in years past. I had my first council meeting as secretary, and don't think I missed too much. :-) We'll see when I send copies of the minutes around...

It's been snowing all day, so it took me three and a half hours (standing) on the bus instead of the usual thirty minutes. Sigh. There were men manually shoveling snow on the highway. So, we would drive a meter or two and stop and wait. I got there in the end, though.

On the PBMX front, he has decided that Korea was a great place to live and work and doesn't understand why I won't help him get a job. He still hasn't done anything about the divorce. So, I think I'm just going to have to redo the paperwork and file myself.

I guess the only other thing on the burner is ThaiTESOL's annual conference at the end of the month. I'm always so busy at the conference here that I rarely get to see many presentations, so I'd kind of like to go to another conference. The fact that it's in sunny Thailand is a bonus. We'll see if I can get organized and arrange tickets and hotel...

So, all caught up on the past month or so of my life in just a few hundred words. Sad, isn't it?

Everything but the Bathroom Sink

Once again, another month has zoomed by. As I begin my last (!) month at school, I've been stressing about finding a new place to live, as well as rethinking my decision to have two month holiday between jobs, since I'll be broke by the time I next get paid.

Anyway, after a short, but stress-filled search for an apartment, I found a place that is the right mix of close to school, cheap, and big-enough-for-all-my-crap. It wasn't easy, especially since my new school is near a couple of unis, so most of the cheap accommodation is the size of a closet. I found a place that is walking distance to school, in a house (so I don't have to worry about loud college students), and big enough for all my crap.

I went to view it before school one morning, so I made the most of the trip to "the city" by having other viewings directly after. So, it was a bit of a whirlwind tour. As soon as I saw it, I wanted it. It looks like a five-year-old added it on the rest of the house. Since I was in a rush when I saw it, I didn't look closely for things like power outlets. I confirmed that each room had them when I called to say I wanted the place. I had had two places snatched out from under me, so I didn't want to waste any time getting this one. The landlord assured me there were outlets in any room.
Which there are. They all look like a college dorm-- every room has extension cords which have the overhead lights plugged into them.

I tried to post photos about a dozen times, but Blogger is being a bit R-word.org. If you're my FB friend, you can see them there, in all their glory.
***

Things have been pretty busy here over the last little while. Since the summer, I've been working on the International Conference. It finally happened last month. I was elected secretary of the National Council, so now I'm getting a handle on that. It's a bit more involved than the "take minutes at the council meetings" job description I was given. Sigh. It's only one year. And I've got a much easier job at next year's conference. Who knows, I may even get to see a presentation or two...
***

Before getting the apartment today, I went to my orientation at my new job, which starts in March. I'm pretty excited about it. Ill be teaching fourth grade at a bilingual immersion elementary school. Now if I can just get my current director to extend my contract for my two-month vacation, I won't have to go to Japan. She gets back next week. I've been there for over six years, so I'm hoping she'll do a favor for me.
***

Stafford starts his new job on Wednesday, after going to Japan on Monday and Tuesday. He'll be moving next weekend, since the school didn't really plan for him to have the apartment until he started work. Nice. His new job is in Bucheon, so he'll be about an hour away from me-- ironically now that I live in Seoul, we'll be further apart.

Busy Busy Busy

I can't believe it's been 6 weeks since my last post. And a pretty crap effort that one, as well. I've been busy getting ready for the KOTESOL International Conference, which is mere weeks away, and I'm woefully unprepared for.

I've also been getting the new semester going at work. We've been down two teachers, out of four. So, I've been taking up some of the slack. One of the teachers has arrived, so I've been training him this week. His wife arrives next week, so after I train her up, things should be smooth sailing for the last few months of my contract. That's right, after how many years of saying I was ready for a change, I have given notice, asked for letters of recommendation, and started looking for a new job in earnest.

To that end, I have sent off my criminal background info, which my mother is once again being kind enough to help me get apostilled. I have also procured a Korean criminal background check. Ten years in Korea, and not a single felony. I must be an anomaly among foreign teachers. Oh, wait, it's the Chinese-Koreans that make up the vast majority of foreign criminals. But I digress, the visit to Bundang CSI was awesome.

There is a huge sign, in English, going down the wall, announcing that they are the CSI office. I've seen all three CSI series, so I was expecting large, oddly-lit rooms with super-cool, ultra-high tech machinery. Haha. It had three cubicles, and the only "crime solving equipment" was the ink pad and roller, which the guy had search to find. But he found it, and printed up an English form, cutting into his lunch hour no less, so I have nothing but kind words for the Bundang CSI. :-)

In my extended blogging break, I also went to Mokpo with Staf. I've got some pictures, but I haven't even gone through them yet. Eventually... This is one he took on the ferry that goes around the 1004 islands off the coast there.

I also finished a Leisl sweater for the ultra-talented Ysolda Teague, but I haven't even photographed it yet. I'll see if I can get Staf to take some photos next time he's here.

That's about it. I've been crazy busy, but not with anything particularly blog-worthy. That, and Staf comes by the blog every now and again, so I shouldn't talk about him. :-D

At Least Big Brother is Polite

How to Teach Etiquette

I'm at Starbucks, ostensibly writing progress reports, but there is the loudest American here. She has been going on and on about how rude Koreans are. After listening to a diatribe that was in progress when I walked in and continued while I organized my stuff, ordered, received my order, and for a few minutes after that, I finally realized she was teaching a private. When she finally paused for breath, her two students added ways they think ajummas are rude, then she finished up by asking if there was anything else to say about etiquette. I wanted to jump in and say-- how about not yelling about how crap you think the residents of a country are when you are in public in that country?

I live and work in an area where even the ajummas that push fliers in your hand can speak some English. It's not too much of a stretch that the various people in here with their English language dailies and novels are capable of getting the gist of the "lesson" on rude Koreans. I know, venting about the rudeness one deals with in daily life is one of my hobbies, but I try not to speak at 11 in a quiet, public space while doing so.

Slumber Parties: Not Just for Teenagers

Last night was Jackie's No Boys Allowed Slumber Party in scenic Cheonan. We grilled veggies (some fresh from Jackie's garden), roasted marshmallows, and even shot some fireworks. They are sold a convenience stores here, so are presumably legal.

Jinksy somehow slipped in unnoticed...

Stephanie and I were ready for bed earlier than everybody else, so we stayed at Jinksy's. We had a nice visit this morning before I headed back to the burbs.

The view from Jinksy's apartment. Nice-uh. That's the bonfire pit and the lake in the background.

On the home front, my cat has been getting acquainted with Stafford:

I've been doing a little (very little) knitting, too:

A hat, of course. Small projects are all I seem able to get done these days. This one's for Stafford. I made one for myself first, as a gauge swatch, but I haven't taken a photo of it. Hopefully, I can get a shot that's a little clearer. The pattern is Turn a Square, by the brilliant Brooklyn Tweed.

School's been keeping me pretty busy. This is the last week of regular SAT classes, and the first week of summer camp. So, this week, I'll have eight classes a day, but it'll be back to six per day after that... unless some of the SAT students want one-on-one tutoring. I've let my strong preference against private classes be known, so we'll see.

Overall, the SAT classes are going well. The kids are starting to get a little burnt out. Not that I blame them. The rockheads are starting to get discouraged, because their lackadaisical efforts are raising their scores and the top students are over it, because they are already consistently scoring over 2200, so their scores aren't going up that much. They've been keeping themselves amused, at least. On Friday, one of the students asked to change his name to Sanchez, and another suggested he change it to Dirty Sanchez. I tried not to laugh too openly, you know, since I was the adult in the room, but teachers need amusement, too.

It's Facebook Official

In case you're wondering, my head has not shrunk, I'm just farther away from the camera.

In semi-related news, I will soon be single, in the legal sense. PBMX told me he would file jointly, but then got himself hospitalized. He has been in the hospital ever since (a month? six weeks?), but he should be getting out this week. He has promised to file the papers this week. Fingers crossed. If I sound unsympathetic, it's only because this has repeated itself so many times.

.

Update: OK, I wrote this about two weeks ago, but forgot to post it. PBMX is finally out of the hospital, after a week's delay for unspecified reasons. He's now convalescing at home, so I'm still no closer to being divorced...

Life's Like a Box of Chocolates

I'm swimming in chocolate at the moment. I think it's going to be a good weekend. By "good" of course I mean that I may go into a diabetic coma. :-)

Last night Stafford came over and brought me some swag from John: two cakes of homemade Central American chocolate to be used to make real hot chocolate. Like Water for Chocolate hot chocolate. Mmmmmmm..........

Homemade Chocolate Cakes

As if that weren't enough, tonight, I got home from work and had a birthday package from Aaron waiting for me. A book, a stack of seed packets, a variety of engineering swag, and American junk food! Nice-uh!

Russian Nesting Packages

American Junk Food

Potential Plants

Engineering Swag

Kitty Approved

I can't have plants, because my cat will eat them, but I'm willing to bet that between Joe, Stafford, and Jackie, I can find a loving home for the seeds. Jackie's having a sleepover in a few weeks, so some seeds might be a nice hostess gift. Probably not as nice as liquor, but whatever.


***

Tomorrow I have a ConComm meeting for the KOTESOL international conference. Of course, I am not at all prepared and am pretty much ready to go to bed. Decisions, decisions. Sigh. Obviously, blogging was FAR more important than getting my shit together. Procrastinator to the end... Maybe a Hostess pie will give me some sugar power...

A Little Light Reading

My students had to read 120 pages for homework tonight. A sample from the prologue:

I could introduce myself properly, but it isn't really necessary. You know me well enough and soon enough, depending on a diverse range of variables. It suffices to say that at some point in time, I will be standing over you, as genially as possible. Your soul will be in my arms. A color will be perched on my shoulder. I will carry you gently away.

At that moment, you will be lying there (I rarely find people standing up). You will be caked in your own body. There might be a discovery; a scream will dribble down in the air. The only sound I'll hear after that will be my own breathing, and the sound of the smell, of my footsteps.

I think some of the prose may be lost in translation. Not to mention that Death is the narrator. Sigh. In the 120 pages, no less than half a dozen German curses are translated into English with helpful usage tips. Seriously. What I would give for books chosen by someone who actually reads. Can't wait for tomorrow's discussion. It should be lively and full of interesting insights. That or blank stares all around. One of the two.

TGIF

So, at 4:30, my director tells me my final class has been cancelled. I packed my stuff as quickly as I could, and got out of there. :-)

On my way home, I stopped at the bookstore and got some awesome new stickers ("Don't be a chicken shit." "Please...someday a stalker." etc. etc.) and random fobby stationery to send to various people. Thus continuing my good mood. I then made the mistake of stopping in at the super in my building.

It's owned by a couple who are there 13 days out of 14, each taking half the day. I've lived here for five years. They know me. They know me well enough to have conversations with me, such as Korean conversations with me are.

Today, Super Woman (as I think of her) made a big point of letting me know I have a muffin top. She said it (a couple of times), then grabbed her own to make sure I understood. Thanks. I've been here ten years and still don't know exactly what response people are expecting when they give me some "news" like that. "What?! I have a muffin top?! How could this be?! I better run put on some fat burning sweat cream and head to the sauna! I'll only eat green tea-battered chicken fried in olive oil for the next week. It's well-being!" Grrr... Bite me, Super Woman.

Best Birthday Present Update

Karl arrived in Korea earlier this week, but my boss doesn't recognize that as a reason to miss work, so I just got to see him last night. He, Stafford, and I met at his hotel, where he had booked a meeting room, and we taped a special In the Bag about the changes that he's noticed in Korea in the 15 months (!) since he moved back to Canada. This being Korea, we recorded for over an hour.

He also brought me the much-anticipated T-shirt!!! Stafford took all the photos in this post, because, as usual, I forgot my camera. It is even better than I had thought it would be. :-) The only thing I would do to make it the most perfect shirt ever made would be to add some glitter or rhinestones on the Junior Miss Thug Life lettering. I honestly don't think I'll wear it out of the house, since the image of the naked woman on all fours is pretty big, but I'll love wearing it in the privacy of my home. :-)

After we finished recording, Joe showed up, so we had some dinner (it was about 10 at that point) and all caught up. Joe and I missed the buses/subways out of town, so we had a slumber party at Stafford's house. I can vouch for the fact that he has the least comfortable couch for sleeping in the world-- I lasted four hours and it took my knees an hour or so to regain full feeling. Joe must have had an equally comfy spot on the floor, because he also lasted just four hours before he got up and went home. Looking at the photo, if I'd realized how thin the shirt was, I may not have worn it for pajamas at the slumber party... or at least would have kept my bra on. Well, at least I wasn't wearing a transparent shirt at church. Again.

Hopefully, Karl won't be too busy to get together one more time before he heads out...
***
Yesterday, I made my annual trip to immigration. Usually, it's a blood-pressure raising event that helps me understand people opening fire in a government building. Yesterday, they redeemed themselves.

Okay, so I went on the last day possible, because my school kept forgetting to gather the documents and confirm whether I needed a new criminal record check and/ or drug test (I did not). So, here I am, Friday before SAT classes start and I'll have no time to go.

I needed three documents with my ending date and official school stamp. I did not check these docs before I packed them up to go. One was dated 20 June 2008, one 31 June 2010, and one had the correct day: 31 Dec 2009. The guy looks at the docs, and informs me politely that 2008 has passed and FYI there are only thirty days in June. He didn't even notice the third one, so I just went along with 30 June as the ending date. Someone in the back noticed it, though, so he changed it to the correct day. :-)

Oh, my contract, the one document with the correct date, consists of the school letterhead, the start and end dates, my name and the director's name. The end. I've worked there so long, that's all we do. He was pretty unimpressed, but I just told him that I've been there a long time, so we don't do detailed contracts and they pulled an old document out of my file, so it was outdated, and that was good enough for him. Try that at a US Immigration office...

The Best Birthday Present in the World!

I can without hyperbole say that this may be the most awesomefulest gift I have ever received in my life. Okay, so I've never been given a kidney, but I've gotten some good gifts before. None like this, though.

After MONTHS of saying how much I needed the image from that article on Korean men and the butt sex made into a T-shirt, Karl has come through in a big way. In less than two weeks, I will be the proud wearer of this:

I may never change clothes again. :-)

The End of May Already?

I was reading Michelle's blog wondering why it had been so long since she posted, then realized I hadn't posted all month.

It's been a busy month, but I don't really feel like recapping. :-)

If you want to see pictures of Evil Jen and I meeting IRL, go over to ZenKimchi's food journal and scroll down to Cinco de Mayo.

This past Saturday was the annual KOTESOL National Conference. It was in the middle of nowhere, so Seoul chapter provided a bus for members. Stafford and I went down for the day. It was lots of fun. We sat next to different crazy foreigners coming and going, so that was interesting.

I've been feeling kind of ready to move on from my job of late, but I won't be able to get out of my contract, as I had been hoping. Another teacher left at the beginning of the month and another gave notice last week. That's out of four teachers including me. So, I can't leave right now. I'm taking that as a sign that I need to stick to my plan and go home when my contract ends, even though it's not really a good time to be going and looking for work. I suppose I could always work for one of the US branches of my school...

SAT classes start in two weeks, so that will be something different, anyway. Even though they all go to school in the US, so have American teenager attitudes, I like the classes. It's challenging coming up with justifications for crazy English grammar on the fly. :-) It's ten weeks of advanced grammar, so I always learn a lot.

I know there is other stuff going on right now, but it's Monday, so my brain isn't firing on all cylinders yet.

I got an email from my mother this morning letting me know she was out of the hospital and fine, but nobody had told me she was in the hospital. It turns out she broke her ankle in three places and had to get pins and some other metal parts put in her leg and she's in a wheelchair. That must be interesting-- her house is nearly 100 years old and has very narrow hallways and steps at all of the entrances. Not to mention her tub is a claw foot. So, I've got that on my mind, too. Not that there's anything I can do from here...

Is it wrong for me to hope that a lot of my students are away at school camp this week? 'Tis the season, and all.