Sunday 22 February 2004
The week was a very busy one at school, filled with graphics design and database writing. I was asked to come up with a student planner (for each of our students starting in second grade and up) and a brochure we'll be sending out to all the public school parents in the area for our summer school drama program. I was not only paid for my work from the boss-ladies, but two teachers were so happy with my work that one gave me a bag of coffee beans and another bought me lunch. The brochure has already yielded one public student sign-up. (If we get at least 20, we'll raise enough money to send our fifth grade class to New York for a week in August at no cost.)
Classes went well and I'm happy with how hard my students are working. Though I'd known the fifth graders already, Tuesday was my first day actually teaching them (rather than subbing). Megan, Savannah (Savvy), Molly, and Sarina began a new unit in computer science on spreadsheets. The second graders are discovering how to use a web browser. Both the third and eighth grade are working on webpage design... in math the third graders are coming along nicely with mulitplication facts and the eighth grade girls are continuing from my textbook with different forms of linear equations.
At home life has been a little maddening, though. My monitor's been going bad for a few weeks now, burning bright white anytime it's on for 20-30 minutes and I have to shut it off to cool down before continuing. It's so hard to get any work done... between the examples, text, homework, and solutions, it takes me about two hours for each lesson I'm trying to write in my book... and when I have to quit mid-thought it drives me nuts. I swear at my computer often... MOTHER FUCKER! being my curse of choice.
Tuesday was the first day we've seen a day above 32° since Janaury 12th... thirty-six consecutive days below freezing. The thaw was a welcomed thing, especially after six mornings during that period with temperatures colder than -10° and three days of wind-chill warnings.
The thaw about which I wish to write, though, is the one going on inside me. I'm finally warming to those about me and I'm coming out of my igloo, so to speak. The monitor problem might be solved tonight through Tracy at Hard Drive Café. I mentioned my problem to him this week and he said he had a spare one to give me. I asked how much he wanted for it, but he said all I have to do is to remain a loyal customer. He's supposed to stop by tonight after they close at midnight.
The best way I see to remain a loyal customer is to have HDC's partner company, Inamax, become the new host for my website. I've wanted a domain for myself for a long time... I hate the pop-up ads as much as you do, I'm sure. Sounds like a win-win to me.
