class assignment

I joined in doing a class assignment. I liked my sketching better than I thought I would. I don't think I could quit my day job, nor am I looking to, but I like my drawering. More on the assignment later, but it was built on our initials.

slippery classroom management

Last week while reading Rascal to the kids I read (or attempted to read)- "Your bread is the best I ever ate." I mixed together the two 'b' words in the sentence and had the class rolling in the aisles. Those who missed the breast slip the first time have all now heard it numerous times from those who were paying attention.

Yesterday I asked the students to complete their workshits, rather than worksheets. Again, half the class were asking their red-faced, giggling neighbors what I had said. I could only follow up by stating that no matter what they thought of their homework, they would still have to do it.

I hope that the students will decide to listen up just to know first-hand why their teacher is changing color. But it may be that they will just disregard what I've got to say as a bit silly, or downright obscene.
For the record, fifth graders find breasts (especially in that sentence) more awkwardly funny than shit.

not quite clear

Of my photos, about 2/3 of them are actually in focus. Of those, another quarter are focusing on the wrong thing. So even if they are clear, they are clear in the wrong place. It may also be possible to have the focus in the 'right' place, but then I just shouldn't have been focusing on a slug at all.


The passenger door of my car is hard to close and it has a scratch along the length of it. Four years ago, I backed up a driveway and didn't quite clear the retaining wall that was behind me. It was a short wall and I couldn't actually see it, but I did hit it for quite a while.

Within the classroom, it is one of my biggest challenges to write instructions that are clear to all of my students. We don't all see things the same way and my expectations have to been seen the same way to each of them.

Last night I stepped over a chair in the den and didn't quite clear the arm of it. I caught my middle toe as I went. I hoped that the cracking, popping sound was just the knuckle, but it hurt more than it usually does to pop a knuckle. Last night it didn't swell much, but it hurt all evening. After a night of persistent, localized, sharp aching pain, I was a bit more that the toe may have cracked. The pronounced purple-rose color along one side of it was enough for me to confirm the cause of the popping sound.
I feel that I should attempt to learn to approach chairs from the front. It may also become necessary for me to clear my bedroom floor if I hope to keep from furthering injuring my poor toe. I also ask that people would refrain from stepping on my feet for the next 2-4 weeks. (4-6?)

*next day note* - I have rediagnosed my injured toe. It is now that it was dislocated. I didn't know that a dislocation could bruise the way that it did, but it is doing so much better that it can't be cracked. I still would not mind if people would refrain from stepping on my feet.

Wisconsin friends

You know you've got friends in Wisconsin when the missed calls on your cell phone are all to invite you to see two dead deer.


Actually by the time I got there, I just saw the heads of the deer.

I didn't know how much I appreciate venison until I was told that the beef stew that I had last week (with the really tender meat)
- wasn't beef stew.

I've been invited to join in the fun, but I'm still not sure how I would handle the time between the first shot and the last breath. Best-case-scenario that's not a long time, but worst case and I would be worst-case too.

not without my dog

The church is putting together on online directory. My picture would be incomplete without Penelope Lane.
It was a bit windy - hence the no bangs and Sir Didymus impression.