We did it again today, but this one was much more productive...I got some grading done. Not much more to say on that subject. We are making some fitful efforts to figure out when it is that we want to go to Anchorage over the holidays, so that we can take advantage of the discounted fares during the PFD sales run by Alaska Airlines. Time is getting short...we need to buy before next Monday. I would also like to get our accommodations set at the earliest opportunity.
It was a beautiful, sunny day today, and the frost was determined to stick around, and it was doing so even when we went home for lunch at noon. There was ice on the boardwalk in the shade as late as this evening. Winter is showing signs of creeping over the horizon.
We are at the school watching the Monday night football game over Skype. It is a pretty good solution, and we are even able to project it on to the smart board with the overhead projector. Heck of a deal that is...
Tomorrow marks the beginning of the week in earnest. It is a short week, and a number of them are going to be in the next month. It is a weird schedule, and it will break up the month of October and some of November as well. We will finish the first quarter of the school year for all intents and purposes at the end of the week. Tempus fugit...
Monday, October 10, 2011
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Glad That That Is Over (for now)...
All done with inservices, at least for nearly 48 hours. My lesson plans are nearly done. I have been trying to find a college football game to listen to on the iTunes radio, but it will take a little more dedication to get there.
The good news about today's session is that there are only two more such sessions to endure, and then we are done for the year with the local inservice phenomenon. We front-loaded them on purpose, so that we would not have any to deal with during winter semester, when things tend to be frantically busy anyway, and we are getting kind of crispy. They do make the fall semester kind of an endurance contest, though. They are just no fun. No other way to describe it.
My mood improved after lunch, and now I can relax here on the internets for a little while. Monday's session will probably give me some time to catch up on grading and grade entry, which is important with the end of the first nine of weeks of school coming up a week from Tuesday. We have another Saturday work day in three weeks, but that will mark the end of October, and Christmas will be on its way. Of course, Thanksgiving will provide a welcome interlude as well.
The kiddies seem to be coming along promisingly, although some days they are just unfocused as hell. What am I expecting from junior high kids, right? I plan on taking three of them to the junior high speech contest in two weeks. That will provide a nice break from the routine.
All else is well-the weather is showing definite signs of trending toward the wintry-snow is in the forecast for the week, and I have pulled a heavier coat out for the chillier conditions. I wonder when we will be able to get the snowmachine out and head out on the frozen Kusko...
The good news about today's session is that there are only two more such sessions to endure, and then we are done for the year with the local inservice phenomenon. We front-loaded them on purpose, so that we would not have any to deal with during winter semester, when things tend to be frantically busy anyway, and we are getting kind of crispy. They do make the fall semester kind of an endurance contest, though. They are just no fun. No other way to describe it.
My mood improved after lunch, and now I can relax here on the internets for a little while. Monday's session will probably give me some time to catch up on grading and grade entry, which is important with the end of the first nine of weeks of school coming up a week from Tuesday. We have another Saturday work day in three weeks, but that will mark the end of October, and Christmas will be on its way. Of course, Thanksgiving will provide a welcome interlude as well.
The kiddies seem to be coming along promisingly, although some days they are just unfocused as hell. What am I expecting from junior high kids, right? I plan on taking three of them to the junior high speech contest in two weeks. That will provide a nice break from the routine.
All else is well-the weather is showing definite signs of trending toward the wintry-snow is in the forecast for the week, and I have pulled a heavier coat out for the chillier conditions. I wonder when we will be able to get the snowmachine out and head out on the frozen Kusko...
Inserviced...
Another weekend, another inservice...another one on Monday...eight hours in a room with a computer. I think that people who read this blog with projected dreams of Alaskan adventure do not realize how many of our waking hours are spent in this building, doing "activities" of various sorts. The child-centered ones make sense. The adult-designed ones sometimes leave most of us wondering who came up with this idea.
My suspicion is that much of what goes on these days is dictated to our supervisors from very far away. It often seems to be possessed of no idea whatsoever of the realities of this place. It seems very detached indeed.
We are here for a half day of paid attendance. The rest of the day's work activities, lesson planning and the like, will come on our own, "free" time. My wife is back from Bethel. I am glad that she is here to share, and the boss is making breakfast for us. Some creature comforts await us, and I am grateful for that...
My suspicion is that much of what goes on these days is dictated to our supervisors from very far away. It often seems to be possessed of no idea whatsoever of the realities of this place. It seems very detached indeed.
We are here for a half day of paid attendance. The rest of the day's work activities, lesson planning and the like, will come on our own, "free" time. My wife is back from Bethel. I am glad that she is here to share, and the boss is making breakfast for us. Some creature comforts await us, and I am grateful for that...
Sunday, October 2, 2011
I Miss Autumn...
I make no bones about the fact that this is the toughest time of the year for me to be separated from the place that I grew up. The fall colors, especially in Northern Michigan, where I have lived for 25 years, are spectacular. The football games are dramatic, even when the teams have been kind of stinky. I miss tailgating at U-M stadium with my friends and siblings in the crisp air. The fall traditions are harder to part with for some reason, and there is nothing that is remotely like that here. I find myself feeling very alien, for some reason.
On the bright side, we did Skype with the kids, and they turned the webcam towards the TV set and we watched the formerly sad-sack Detroit Lions beat the Dallas Cowboys at the end of a dramatic comeback. It was fun, and we are planning to do it on a more ambitious basis next Monday night, when they play the Chicago Bears. We may even put it up on the projector in my classroom. The Tigers managed to hold off the Yankees in New York, and have the series tied coming back to Detroit. So that is a positive.
Still, this is when homesickness bites the hardest. We are not planning to return to the Midwest at Christmas time due to the serious expense of the trip. It will be nice to stay in the village with friends, but it will be a long time before I see Cadillac again. The funny thing is that it took a long time for me to adopt Cadillac as my hometown, despite the length of time that I lived there. Sometimes it takes absence to make the heart grow fonder...
On the bright side, we did Skype with the kids, and they turned the webcam towards the TV set and we watched the formerly sad-sack Detroit Lions beat the Dallas Cowboys at the end of a dramatic comeback. It was fun, and we are planning to do it on a more ambitious basis next Monday night, when they play the Chicago Bears. We may even put it up on the projector in my classroom. The Tigers managed to hold off the Yankees in New York, and have the series tied coming back to Detroit. So that is a positive.
Still, this is when homesickness bites the hardest. We are not planning to return to the Midwest at Christmas time due to the serious expense of the trip. It will be nice to stay in the village with friends, but it will be a long time before I see Cadillac again. The funny thing is that it took a long time for me to adopt Cadillac as my hometown, despite the length of time that I lived there. Sometimes it takes absence to make the heart grow fonder...
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Saturday...
No scheduled work this week (that is next week), but we are over here doing lesson plans and stuff. The truth of it is that I did some of my plans the other day, and I finished them off today while listening to a football game from back home. It was a pleasant respite, and my lesson plans are done for the week now. I am just hanging around waiting for my wife to get done, and playing on the internet while that happens. I am making some lazy inquiries about getting a satellite dish, but there doesn't seem to be much interest in the group effort, so we may decide to simply go it alone. I am still slightly intrigued by the idea of NFL football at 9 a.m.
I think that dinner approacheth, and guacamole is on the horizon. If you have ever had my wife's guacamole, you will understand what a treat that is. The whole steam thing is still hovering around out there somewhere, but I kind of feel like spending some time with my bride, given the fact that she is taking off for across the river in a few days.
The temps are chilly and brisk, but the sunrise this morning was spectacular. I need to get home to see the sun shine off the fresh snow on the mountains to the east. I love the view from our living room. Very pretty, indeed.
I think that dinner approacheth, and guacamole is on the horizon. If you have ever had my wife's guacamole, you will understand what a treat that is. The whole steam thing is still hovering around out there somewhere, but I kind of feel like spending some time with my bride, given the fact that she is taking off for across the river in a few days.
The temps are chilly and brisk, but the sunrise this morning was spectacular. I need to get home to see the sun shine off the fresh snow on the mountains to the east. I love the view from our living room. Very pretty, indeed.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Miscellaneous...
It is the end of the work week, but the school is still busy. I hear the voices and footfalls of the young wrestlers flocking into the gym for this afternoon's practice. There will be two more in the next two days, as they prepare for their first tournament of the season next Friday. I know there are open gym sessions scheduled as well. It gets more quiet on the weekend, but the school never stops being a community center. It has a life of its own.
We will be out of here as soon as my bride finishes something she is working on. She said five minutes. It has been longer. I may buy her a stopwatch. I am sure that she will read these words with pleasure. We are going to take off shortly, but we will be back in the morning.
I expect to go to Joe's house to steam tonight. He and I discussed it yesterday. If nothing intervenes, I expect to be very clean in a few hours. A good night's sleep usually ensues.
School seems to be going well enough, but there are always frustrations and regrets. I did stop to realize that the solo act in junior high has not been the total disaster that I feared. It has not been a total success, but a new challenge always presents difficulties. At least I can say that all have survived up to this point.
Snow is in the weather forecast with some frequency in the next several days. I will keep a lookout for any signs. I thought that there was some mixed in with the rain the other day.
The sun is shining, and that bodes well for a walk later today. We will have to see how that works. We have taken walks on all but one night this week, and we have had a couple of invitations for tea and baby visits. Much more civilized than sitting home and watching TV or playing video games. It makes a nice break at the end of the work day.
We are on to the month of October as of tomorrow. Baseball playoffs are starting. Go Tigers!
We will be out of here as soon as my bride finishes something she is working on. She said five minutes. It has been longer. I may buy her a stopwatch. I am sure that she will read these words with pleasure. We are going to take off shortly, but we will be back in the morning.
I expect to go to Joe's house to steam tonight. He and I discussed it yesterday. If nothing intervenes, I expect to be very clean in a few hours. A good night's sleep usually ensues.
School seems to be going well enough, but there are always frustrations and regrets. I did stop to realize that the solo act in junior high has not been the total disaster that I feared. It has not been a total success, but a new challenge always presents difficulties. At least I can say that all have survived up to this point.
Snow is in the weather forecast with some frequency in the next several days. I will keep a lookout for any signs. I thought that there was some mixed in with the rain the other day.
The sun is shining, and that bodes well for a walk later today. We will have to see how that works. We have taken walks on all but one night this week, and we have had a couple of invitations for tea and baby visits. Much more civilized than sitting home and watching TV or playing video games. It makes a nice break at the end of the work day.
We are on to the month of October as of tomorrow. Baseball playoffs are starting. Go Tigers!
Monday, September 26, 2011
We Need Wi-FI in The House Already...
This blog is suffering from the absence of effective internet service at the house, no mistake about that. We can only be on the internet at the school, and that means that a lot of the time it is taking place at the end of the work day. That, in turn, tends to make this blog a low priority. By the time that I get around to this project, my energy levels tend to be low, and my desire to get out the door for the evening tends to be high. On a more selfless note, my bride is taking classes for her masters' degree on Monday and Tuesday nights, and it might be nice if she were able to sit on the couch at home and do her studies. We need to get internet at the house.
Not as simple as it seems...the biggest disincentive at the moment is the fact that high-speed service is on the verge of arrival in Southwest Alaska. A project called TERRA-SW is bringing next-generation broadband service to this area. The project uses a combination of fiber-optic cable and microwave transmission to carry the information. The only question at this point is when it will all take place. My understanding is that the project is actually running ahead of schedule. It will make the decision about internet a no-brainer, because we will have service that is worth having. So, although we want wi-fi at the house, we are just going to have to wait a little while...
This is definitely a nice problem over which to fret. In other news, we are having a nice run of pleasant fall weather lately. There have been multiple opportunities to get out and explore the new boardwalk running around the village. In fact, it is very relaxing and pleasant, and it also gives us the chance to get out for impromptu visits. I am hopeful that we can get a little more of this before winter starts to get serious.
The school year is running along at a seriously fast clip. We are almost to the end of the first card marking period. The first nine weeks of school will be over soon. Fall sports practices have started, and speech competitions will begin taking place in about a month. Halloween cannot be far behind. Momentum is building, and it will be a mad dash to the holidays...weird how quickly it seems to go sometimes...
Not as simple as it seems...the biggest disincentive at the moment is the fact that high-speed service is on the verge of arrival in Southwest Alaska. A project called TERRA-SW is bringing next-generation broadband service to this area. The project uses a combination of fiber-optic cable and microwave transmission to carry the information. The only question at this point is when it will all take place. My understanding is that the project is actually running ahead of schedule. It will make the decision about internet a no-brainer, because we will have service that is worth having. So, although we want wi-fi at the house, we are just going to have to wait a little while...
This is definitely a nice problem over which to fret. In other news, we are having a nice run of pleasant fall weather lately. There have been multiple opportunities to get out and explore the new boardwalk running around the village. In fact, it is very relaxing and pleasant, and it also gives us the chance to get out for impromptu visits. I am hopeful that we can get a little more of this before winter starts to get serious.
The school year is running along at a seriously fast clip. We are almost to the end of the first card marking period. The first nine weeks of school will be over soon. Fall sports practices have started, and speech competitions will begin taking place in about a month. Halloween cannot be far behind. Momentum is building, and it will be a mad dash to the holidays...weird how quickly it seems to go sometimes...
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