boblog

back to the chalkface

This week has gone quickly, and it's back to work for me tomorrow. How come the week before the holiday didn't go that fast?

Well, I didn't do too badly with the 'to-do' list...
- clean the bathroom
- clean the kitchen
- tidy the living room
- iron husband's work shirts
- upgrade to mozilla firefox
- investigate yahoo messenger and iTunes
- re-do the sealant on the bath
- wash the car
- do a bit of gardening (the front 'garden' needs a bit of attention)
- sort out next half term's planning
- get my hair done
- have a lie-in most days
- take those lights back to ikea

At least the house is looking nice. For a change.
You could pop round unexpectedly now and I wouldn't keep you standing at the doorstep, I'd actually invite you in!

science

I had to take 'animal camera' off my 'on telly' list. For a science programme it wasn't very good at using the correct scientific vocabulary, which as a teacher really pisses me off.
We watched the first programme, which annoyed me for the editing (chopping and changing from one thing to another and back to the first thing again etc.), and taped the second one, only getting round to watching it last night.
The bit that really got my goat was when the presenter said that 'living things' would show up brightly in the jungle when the thermal image camera was used. They then showed a shot of what the thermal image camera could see from a helicopter flying over the treetops, with sloths and monkey shapes showing up clearly. But he'd said 'living things' - what about the trees, then? Are they not living? Grrr!
He then went on to say that animals were 'hidden', when 'camouflaged' would have been a better description.
It's a shame that the BBC has cocked up a potentially great programme by dumbing it down. At least I hope that was the intention. I mean, we've not all got GCSE biology, have we? ;-)

random music

Via Joanne
Instructions:
1. Put your entire music collection on shuffle.
2. List (honestly!) the first 20 songs that play.
3. Post them on your blog for the whole world to see how cool and hip (or not) you are!

It automatically started on the last tune I listened to - so for it to be truly random I didn't list that one ;-)

Kitchens of Distinction - 1001st Fault
Vic Reeves - Work's Holiday
Deee-lite - Groove is in the Heart
Cud - Eau Water
William Orbit - Adagio for Strings
Low - Laser Beam
Boards of Canada - roygbiv
Cud - Hey!wire
Coldplay - In My Place
Nina Nastasia - Roadkill
The Fall - Free Range
Talvin Singh - Butterfly
Bent - Gardening Time
Cud - Van Van Van
Lemon Jelly - his majesty king raam
Benny Benassi - Inside of Me
Nina Nastasia - Ugly Face
Chopin - Berceuse Op. 57
Groove Armada - I See You Baby
Dandy Warhols - not if you were the last junkie on earth

It's a bit of a co-incidence that Joanne posted this just as I'm trying to compile my all time top ten.
Needs further thought and more listening before I can post it though.

grumpy

Bloody, bloody hell!
I spent over an hour last night creating a new post with lots of well researched links in, only for Firebird to crash on me and I lost the lot. I'm still really pissed off about it.
It was about how doing my tiny garden has taken up the best part of 2 days. I can't be bothered to type it all out again, so I'm afraid you'll miss the pleasure of that story.

Anyway the pub quiz answers are up, hidden in the album and also in the comments, if you're interested.

:goes off to sulk:

Perhaps I need some retail therapy...

pancakes

It's pancake day! Here's a very easy pancake quiz.

We had pancakes for dinner. Just pancakes - nothing else.

I like mine thin, with lime juice and sugar...

Husband likes his very thick with golden syrup.

How do you like yours?

half term

Hooray! It's the half term holiday!

My 'to-do' list:
- clean the bathroom
- clean the kitchen
- tidy the living room
- iron husband's work shirts
- upgrade to mozilla firefox
- investigate yahoo messenger and iTunes
- re-do the sealant on the bath
- wash the car
- do a bit of gardening (the front 'garden' needs a bit of attention)
- sort out next half term's planning
- get my hair done
- have a lie-in most days
- possibly take those lights back to ikea

Albert

If you're a teacher and your pupils are studying The Victorians, don't let them use Google to look for a picture of Queen Victoria's husband without close supervision.

Not for the faint hearted.

morality test

The Morality Test: Results

* You tend to hold progressive/liberal values, but are more traditional on some aspects.
* When it comes to social morals, you feel that society's current laws need to be more flexible in some areas.
* You believe that the government's current positions are generally acceptable, but you would prefer it to change several of its policies and practices.
* You prefer traditional and familiar experiences.
* You are neither organized or disorganized.
* You tend to shy away from social situations.
* You find it easy to express irritation with others.
* You are generally relaxed.

I'd say that's a fair assessment.
The 'neither organised or disorganised' one is good - I am organised at work but not at home!

via æthele

pub quiz

I love maps, I can stare at them for hours - so I was feeling particularly confident when the quizmaster announced the picture round at last night's pub quiz was to be outlines of countries.

We got 10 out of 12.

I've managed to find the exact same source of the country outlines as the quizmaster used and, without cheating, how many can you name?

south park

You can now Create Your Own South Park Character.

This is me:

OMG - they killed Kirsty!

money

Last week I introduced 'money' to my class.

To begin with we talked about money and why we need it, then we went on to discuss the features of coins and they each had a real coin to look at.

"If you look on the other side of your coin, you'll see a picture of a lady's head. I wonder who that lady might be."
Several hands went up and it was soon established it was the Queen.
"Does anyone know the name of the Queen?"
Blank looks all round. I continue.
"Her name is Elizabeth. Our Queen is Queen Elizabeth."

Here we get the usual 'my mum/auntie/sister/cousin/neighbour is called Elizabeth' and I grin and bear it, getting through those who wish to contribute as quickly as possible to keep up the pace of my lesson.

Then M, who has an ear infection, raises his hand.
"Yes, M?"
"There's an amphibious car in London."

He blushed when I told him he had mis-heard.

Queen Amphibious the second. Has quite a ring to it!

30 things

What time did you go to bed last night?
Half past twelve - only slightly later than usual.

If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?
Better emotional intelligence.

Paper or plastic?
Paper - recycled if possible.

What was the last book/magazine you read?
Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 35 only for some strange reason.

A TV show you can't stand to watch?
Anything with sport in it.

What did you eat for lunch today?
Fruit salad - yeah, don't faint! Tuna fad now over due to a poor quality batch of tuna that put me off.

Do you like to be surprised?
*NO*

What colour is your toothbrush?
White and lime green.

What brand of deodorant do you wear?
What an odd question, why would anyone want to know? But as you asked I use Triple Dry - I do tend to 'glow' rather more than I would like.

What's your favourite store to shop?
I like the department store types. Selfridges in London is great because you can get just about anything there.

Winter, Spring, Summer or Autumn?
(the original phrasing was 'Fall'. Surely some mistake? ;-) )
Summer, no contest.

Favourite dessert
(or is that pudding, Hetty?)
Hmmm, tricky! Possibly the Pizza Express tartufo.

Which one would you prefer - maid or personal chef?
Personal chef, although that was a tough decision!

Favourite candy?
(sweeties, please!)
Cadbury's milk chocolate Buttons

Regular or decaf?
Regular. Strong!

Favourite restaurant?
Unfortunately for my diet, Pizza Express.

Characteristics you most admire?
Patience, empathy (not only being able to tune into others' feelings, but to be able to sympathise/console appropriately - I am emotionally stunted!)

Favourite holiday?
The major perk of my job - the long summer holiday.

Favourite time of the day?
I was just thinking about this the other day. Sunset - whether it be sunny or cloudy.

Fruit or fruit smoothie?
Fruit smoothie

How many rings are you wearing?
Two

How do you like your meat prepared?
Errr... cooked?!
Steak must be well done. I will not tolerate any pink.

What was the last card you sent someone?
A 'thank you' card to a boy in my class for the Valentines chocolates he gave me. So sweet!

What radio station is on where you are right now?
None - the TV is on BBC News 24 downstairs

Onion rings or French Fries?
Can I opt for chips from the chippy? Preferably Harry Ramsdens. My sister and I used to think that place was the height of sophistication when we were kids. I'm glad they turned it into a franchise so I don't have trek back to Yorkshire for a trip down memory lane.

Do you like to play cards or board games?
Neither, I'm a bad loser so tend to avoid things with a competitive element (apart from the pub quiz, oddly enough). I do play spider solitaire on the computer, though.

Nails polished or unpolished?
Unpolished. They feel weird polished.

Do you like nuts on your sundaes?
Why spoil a good sundae with gratuitous nuts?

What is your favourite soda?
I never really understood what a 'soda' is. If it's a canned fizzy drink then at the moment it's V.

What is your favourite sport to watch on TV?
See above comment on least favourite TV programme.

via Eva

inspiration

I have been inspired to be creative by Courtney, Marie and Keri.
I'm going to get dressed and go out for a walk and take some photos.
I'll post them if they're any good.

I've been on my walk. It was very cold!
Here's the album.

I also added a photo of the scratch to my MINI photo album.

Here's a short .mpg movie I took as I was walking along by the lake where there is a tarmac path

(hopefully...) You can see my shoes pop into shot every so often! If you turn the volume up you can hear the birds singing, but mostly just the hum of the motorway about half a mile away. Yes - it really is that loud.
I like it, but there's not much to see!

Off to see Been to see Girl With a Pearl Earring with my pub quiz girls.
Cor! I thought I'd gone off Colin, but the long hair and stubble really suits him. The sexual tension in the film was almost unbearable. If you're a CF fan, it's well worth watching.

Conversation at the pub last Wednesday:
K: If we can't get tickets we can always go back to T's house and watch Pride and Prejudice.
J: Girl with a Pearl Earring has Colin Firth in it.
K and A: (feign an innocent look) really?!

travel

I've visited the counties in yellow. Which counties have you visited? made by marnanel map reproduced from Ordnance Survey map data by permission of the Ordnance Survey. © Crown copyright 2001.

I can proudly say I've set foot in most of them, not just passed through!

I'd really like to go to the Isle of Wight, as I've heard it's a nice place to spend a week or two.

For further information about each of the counties, see the UKtouristinfo website.

via ChasingDaisy

yesterday

I had a pretty crappy day yesterday, all in all.
Or at least I thought it was bad at the time, but now I've put things into perspective and see things differently.

The worst thing that happened was I reversed my MINI into someone else's car and got a scratch on my bumper.
Nothing broke, no-one got injured. Just a little scratch, that's all.

Oh the power of hindsight!

food police

Just as I was coming downstairs to check on my bacon grilling in the kitchen, the programme on the television caught my eye.
Food Police on BBC1 were investigating a farm in which pigs were living in the most horrendous conditions. They were kept in a barn, knee-deep in their own excrement, surrounded by the rotting carcasses of other pigs who had apparently drowned in the slurry. These pigs were covered in it, their skin looked sore with lesions, and the worst of it was that some of the pigs had resorted to cannibalism.

I like meat, and try my hardest to buy the free-range-organic type, but I found I was struggling with my bacon sandwich after that.

numbers

Today I taught my class how to write the number five.

Get a piece of paper and write yourself a five. Go on!

Which way did you write it?

ikea

Today we went to Ikea to return some light fittings we bought before Christmas that didn't look right in the living room. We don't often get to Ikea because our closest store is Thurrock, which means venturing into Essex, land of the Chav.

Well, that's not the real reason, obviously. The real reason is most of the shops we usually go to can be found at Bluewater, which is closer. Also, the River Thames acts as a natural barrier between Kent and Essex, so the only reasonable route between the two is via the toll tunnel and bridge.
Also it's always really, really busy and difficult to find a parking space. As with most places in the UK, it's not easy to get to via public transport without spending five hours on a bus.

Do you get the idea that it's a bit of a hassle to get there?

So, after the effort of getting there and finally arriving at the Ikea car park, I get out to go to the returns department while Husband tries to find a car parking space.
I don't know if your nearest Ikea is the same (probably is) but a visit to the returns department always involves a prolonged wait.
As I took my ticket I noticed a sign stating the returns policy.

If you change your mind, simply return any item unused in it's original packaging within 90 days of purchase, with your till receipt, for a full refund. We cannot issue a credit note or a refund without proof of purchase.

Insert expletive.
We no longer had the receipt.
Surely the fact the lights have 'Ikea' splashed all over the box is proof enough? Or do they think we smuggled the giant box out under our coats?

Anyone want to buy some lights?

Emma

Emma, from May I Be Frank passed away this morning.

Goodbye, Candygirl.
I'll miss you.

stress

About four years ago I woke up one morning and started to cry. I didn't know why I was crying, but I couldn't stop. I tried to get ready for work, prepared my packed lunch and was all dressed and ready to go, but when I put my coat on I realised I wouldn't be able to drive there safely with tears streaming down my face. It was very scary for a control freak like me.
I phoned the school's deputy head and told her what was happening, and that I'd come in later, I just needed some time to compose myself. Fortunately she told me not to be so stupid as to go into work at all, take the whole day off and get myself to the doctors.

My doctor has always been fantastic (not to mention very good looking!) and I managed to get an appointment that same morning. When he told me he thought it was stress I refused to believe him at first. I didn't feel stressed, I wasn't worried about anything, I just had a lot on my plate.
I refused to be signed off from work, went home and slept for the rest of the morning.

At that time I was the schools ICT co-ordinator and responsible for a big extra-curricular ICT project some of our year 6 pupils had done in collaboration with other local primary and secondary schools. That very evening was the culmination of their hard work, a presentation and open evening for the parents of all the children involved - and I wasn't ready. I had been up half the night making labels, printing pictures and mounting work for our school's display and had forced myself to go to bed even though there was still lots left to be done.

In the afternoon the deputy head phoned me up, ordering me not to go to the presentation evening. We had a bit of an argument about it, as I didn't want to let the kids down, or let the school down. She told me she had already phoned the event organiser and given our school's apologies with the excuse that I was ill.

That was the moment I knew the doctor had been right. The minute I found out that I didn't have to go and it had been sorted out could feel the tension begin to disappear. I still felt bad about having let so many people down, but the event still went ahead - and nobody had died or anything!

Now when I'm feeling stressed I go into shut-down in order to distance myself from it. I watch TV, play a game on my computer, anything but tackle the source of the stress. Perhaps that is not the best strategy, but it works for me.

I've been playing a lot of games on my computer lately.

Être et Avoir

I know this film has been out for ages, but I only just went to see it tonight with my friend T from school and her friend who is starting teacher training soon.
It was a little slow at the start, but soon got moving as you got to know the teacher (M. Lopez) and his pupils. I left the cinema enchanted, like all my best days at work rolled into one. I've also got a bit of a 'thing' about France, which added yet another dimension of idealism.
Very interesting from a teacher's point of view, I thought he was a marvellous teacher. I'd be keen to hear from others who have seen it for their perspective.