Some good things in a list

Another tough day at school. I think if they offered me the option to quit now, and there would be no negative consequences, then I'd do it. In fact, late this afternoon I found myself fantasising about deliberately sabotaging my work towards my QTS so that I wouldn't achieve QTS and thus would be automatically freed from my contract. This is worrying.

I heard today that my mother's receptionist sold her four-bedroom flat in Earl's Court for £1.2 million. Wow. To think I gave up such a lucrative career as a medical PA. Hahaha.

I have four mouth ulcers at the moment, not very nice. I have thus decided I must either be suffering from chronic stress or even burnout - oh dear. Still, there are some highlights in my life:

1. My football girls - both teams lost their matches and there was lots of drama, but good spirits there. Particularly funny was the fact that we play next to a gigantic rubbish dump, thus making the Leyton football tournament seem similar to an impromptu street tournament in some Brazilian favela/Kenyan slum. The rubbish and dust even blows across the pitch into our eyes and mouths. Nice.

2. My dance class - actually, this really was fun, completely took my mind off things. We learnt to do this funny twirly thing, and I kept getting caught up in my own feet, but had lots of fun doing it.

3. This link sent to me from Potter - how lovely! I do love a good hug, but I think hugging kids is a bit of a no-no.

4. The email below sent to me from my Dad. So I guess they want me to get married soon, but only to a nice man:


WAYS TO TURN DOWN UNWANTED MEN !!!!
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> HE : Can I buy you a drink?
> >>> SHE : Actually I'd rather have the money.
> >>>
> >>> HE : I'm a photographer. I've been looking for a face like yours.
> >>> SHE : I'm a plastic surgeon. I've been looking for a face like yours.
> >>>
> >>> HE : Hi. Didn't we go on a date once? Or was it twice?
> >>> SHE : Must've been once. I never make the same mistake twice.
> >>>
> >>> HE : How did you get to be so beautiful?
> >>> SHE : I must've been given your share.
> >>>
> >>> HE : Will you go out with me this Saturday?
> >>> SHE : Sorry. I'm having a headache this weekend.
> >>>
> >>> HE : Your face must turn a few heads.
> >>> SHE : And your face must turn a few stomachs.
> >>>
> >>> HE : Go on ,don't be shy. Ask me out.
> >>> SHE : Okay, get out.
> >>>
> >>> HE : I think I could make you very happy.
> >>> SHE : Why? Are you leaving?
> >>>
> >>> HE : What would you say if I asked you to marry me?
> >>> SHE : Nothing. I can't talk and laugh at the same time.
> >>>
> >>> HE : Can I have your name?
> >>> SHE : Why? Don't you already have one?
> >>>
> >>> HE : Shall we go see a movie?
> >>> SHE : I've already seen it.
> >>>
> >>> HE : Where have you been all my life?
> >>> SHE : Hiding from you.
> >>>
> >>> HE : Haven't I seen you some place before?
> >>> SHE : Yes. That's why I don't go there anymore.
> >>>
> >>> HE : Is this seat empty?
> >>> SHE : Yes, and this one will be if you sit down.
> >>>
> >>> HE : So, what do you do for a living?
> >>> SHE : I'm a female impersonator.
> >>>
> >>> HE : Hey baby, what's your sign?
> >>> SHE : Do not enter.
> >>>
> >>> HE : Your body is like a temple.
> >>> SHE : Sorry, there are no services today.
> >>>
> >>> HE : If I could see you naked, I'd die happy.
> >>> SHE : If I saw you naked, I'd probably die laughing.

Keep smiling!

Sunday

In a deliberate change of routine, I decided not to "waste" my Sunday lesson planning, but instead doing what I wanted. As such, it was glorious day. I did do some work, but managed to plan a good quantity of lessons for the week in about an hour (aaaah the joys of no Y8s till Thurs!), and completed an Appendix 6 during two episodes of Grey's Anatomy (yes people, I watched it today, and it's great!) True the unit of work for KS4 was awful, and made me realise how much better my teaching is now, but whatever, it's done.

Having had such a lovely and relaxed day, and despite hitting the gym hard and also drinking some delicious wine with my folks, I fear I won't be asleep for a good while. Oh well, more time to ramble!

So some things I've thought about today:

1. I can't believe that pitpads now exist in France! For those of you that haven't heard me talk about these, I swear I invented them aaaages ago, but never made a prototype, and now Potter tells me a company is making them in France! Shocker! But rather than being demoralised, instead I will take pride in the fact that this is evidence that all my "inventions" aren't a load of rubbish but may actually have social and economic value.

2. In more news of France, am really pleased there was an 80% turnout in the presidential elections today, good stuff. The consensus is that turnout was high because the candidates and parties stand for different things and because the race hasn't really already been decided - every vote could make a difference. Further proof that my degree wasn't entirely irrelevant. Will be keeping my eye on that one, but am really inspired by Royal's chatter - perhaps I'm a socialist after all...

3. Did some more research into graduate study. Found out that one of my old tutors is now a course provider and specialises in some of the things I'm interested in researching (there are many, but the current fore-runners include youth identity formation in multicultural schools, homosexuality in minority communities, and the achievement of the Teach First mission i.e. do "exceptional graduates" really help neutralise "educational disadvantage"?) Am now gonna do my best to grab a TF coach who can help me with all this future plans stuff.

4. Laughed a bit when my mother suggested acting as a potential career move for me - clearly teaching must be a downer for her if she thinks acting would be an improvement!

5. Laughed a lot at this text from Bertie: "Race is so damn funny tho, I mean ure skin colour is different from mine. Ha ha it dont get no better than that!" Awful grammar there Berts, but loving the race banter!

And finally, girls, if you've not yet seen the Aero Bubbles advert, check it out! The chocolate tastes good and the man on the advert....wow!

Coffee Bags, Micragolia, Scrubs Quote

Yay, I'm back from a glorious week in Venice! I bet you missed me :) So what's been happening? Well, I have made myself promise not to write about Venice until I finish my WA3, so you'll have to wait a bit on that front. However, I have to procrastinate somehow so here's a post for you anyway.

Firstly, I thought I'd invented fresh coffee bags (kinda like individual tea bags except with fresh coffee in them instead) and was whooping around celebrating my discovery before I googled them and found that they already semi-exist. Boo. But Potter helpfully told me about "second but better" theory so there's potential. Obviously what will ulitmately happen is that I'll just throw coffee bags onto my ever-expanding list of ideas and then forget all about it.

Secondly, my friend Netty is doing some crazy Mongol Race or something this summer, which essentially involves driving from Hyde Park to Ulaan Bator in a very small car. How exciting! And how faaaaar! She is very cool and made this lovely map, so thought I'd put that up.


If you wanna find out more or sponsor her, check out their justgiving pages:

Mercy Corps - www.justgiving.com/micragolia
Hope and Homes for Children - www.justgiving.com/micragolia2

Thirdly, CK sent me this Scrubs quote and said it reminded him of me. I assumed I was Dr Cox in it, but thinking about it now, I'm probably Elliot....

Elliot to Dr. Cox "Oh, you think you're funny?"

Dr. Cox "I do. I always have ever since I was little. It's one of the reasons that I'm a winner!"

Le Weekend

It's Sunday and I am my usual Sunday-self i.e. busy distracting myself from lesson planning. As an added bonus, I have slightly lost my voice and think I may have some weird eye lurgie. Yuck.

Aaaanyway, le weekend seems to be zooming by, but it's been a pretty good one, mainly because I have managed to distract myself from school worries for at least some of the time.

Went to Potato Potter's birthday/leaving drinks on Friday night at the lovely Alexandra public house in Clapham Common. A busy-but-not-too-busy place with nice and sleepy lighting, and only slightly extortionate pricing (well, I do compare everything to the Goose!)...well worth a visit. Met lots of Potato's nice friends, which gave me ample opportunity to practice my banter without consequence. Gotta love the banter. Clearly Potter will forever treasure her spontaneously created "bag of junk" and I hope she enjoyed the rest of her night. I wish her all the best in Paris and look forward to a Disney reunion over there soon...I need my fix of planning and list making!

Saturday was spent in Cambridge for OUWAFC varsity. Highlight of the footie season and exciting stuff all round. Sadly the Furies lost, but the Blues won 4-3 after penalities (0-0 even after extra-time) so congrats to them! The Furies game was dramatastic, with Oxford leading the Tabs 2-1 at half-time, but ultimately losing 4-3. Jonno pointed out that it's ridiculous the Tabs coulda scored 4 when that's more than they've got in the last two v-days put together. I think the 4-5-1 formation may have had a bit to do with that. Anyway, good drama bits:

• Furies opening the scoring from a shot in the box off a free-kick (I think...?)
• A spectacular vollied goal by the Furies
• The Tabs breaking away and scoring from a cross in the box
• A potentially equalising Tab goal being disallowed for off-side
• Oxford conceding a dubious penalty (and goal) for handball
• Two balls on the pitch during a Furies attack (when Jij tried to clear the imposter ball from the pitch, she managed to hit the real ball that Sprouse was running with, thus knocking them both off the pitch...really, what are the chances?!)
• A Henry-esque Jijeridoo finish
• A bit of a goal-keeping/defensive error leading to an awful Tab goal being conceded
• The Tabs fully exploiting the big space between midfield and defence and scoring, again through a cross in the box.

All in all a really good game to watch from a spectator's point of view, but commiserations to the Furies for that one. Still, they were definitely better at abusive chants and probably caused all kinds of destruction as revenge last night in poor Tabland. Heehee.

In other news, the building is going well and we now have a fully operational third bathroom, whoop! Also, my room is being rearranged soon, thus giving me more room, whoop again! My folks are currently busy moving things around and tidying, so I think hiding in my room is a really positive contribution. I swear I am living through adolescence now. Better late than never...

Random things, but most importantly...

It's half-term! I am sitting here reading the papers and listening to X-FM in my pyjamas after a luxurious brunch in a completely empty house (bliss!....my folks have gone to a lunch, but not before our breakfast guests departed...who else has visitors before 11am on a Sunday?! A wonderful excuse to hide in my bed).

Hahahaha, I think I may be delirious from the knowledge that I don't have to go to school this week :) Either that or still drunk. I have become a glorious lightweight, and also a more responsible drinker i.e. no longer having to sink everything in sight. Well done me.

On the down side, I now have a bit of a cold. How annoying. I always get ill when I have a kinda slow down in life pace. Boo. Still, plenty of echinacea, vitamin C and zinc will boost me through. I think I got it from the weird lady in the sauna at the gym, who despite my clearly trying to relax (with my eyes shut and everything), insisted on attempting to make me talk to her. Some highlights of efforts to trap me in conversation included:

"what kind of fish do you eat?"
"are you worried about bird flu?"
"there's a court in Snaresbrook you know"
and, most alarmingly, "when are you coming here next?"

She creeps me out, and the fact that she is quite emaciated, has scary worm hair, and sunken eyes doesn't help. In future I won't be so polite, since clearly my downfall came from answering her questions, even if my answers were horribly blunt. Further, this will limit the chances of her committing ID fraud with all the random personal information she has gleaned from me. I think she's a witch.

In other news, I am still full from the gorgeous feast created by Noor last night. And also mightily impressed at Charlotte "Ginger" Rhead's ability to drink more than half a bottle of rum disguised as mojitos, and still be standing. Inspiring. Also inspired by Noor's beautiful house and woods to once again contemplate becoming motivated by material possessions. Luckily these thoughts were quashed by numerous debates about teaching and the marketing machine that is TF etc. I think this job has taken me over. Yeen, we missed you, but drank in your honour.

And finally, when it comes out, make sure you see Freedom Writers - I've heard it's a wonderful film, in the vein of Dangerous Minds, based on a true story about a super-teacher (Erin Gruwell, played by Hilary Swank) who changes the lives of the young monsters in her charge through a diary project. Something for all us TFs, I'm sure. Maybe we can get them to screen it for us for free?

PS Potter, congrats on finishing your exams!