{{{JZ}}} These things happen every once in a while. Don't beat yourself up too badly for it, k?

I just went into work on my day off (not to work, mind you) to meet the girl they're thinking of hiring to replace my boss. Boy, am I glad I went in and got to put in my two cents. She's awful. Boss and I sat down after I chatted with her for a while. Neither of us are happy with her. Apparently she was all professional and stuff when she interviewed, but we got to see a different side of her today...and professional is not at all how I would describe it.

My poor boss, though. She is now not at all comfortable hiring this person. They have one other decent prospect that they'll call in for a second interview. That person won't be able to come observe the kids until Friday, though, 'cause the kids are all gone on a camping trip till then. And Friday is my boss's last day. Poor thing. I reassured her, though, that I was willing to step in a bit until they find the right person. And, I think it's important enough that they take the time to find the right person. Ack.

Bdays JZ

I think that's a good call, vw. Better to wait for a good person than have to cope with one who can't do the job.

Better to wait for a good person than have to cope with one who can't do the job.

Yup. Incompetence in one person creates all kinds of miseries for everyone else, especially when that one is a boss-type person. Whatever the added stress of covering until someone good turns up, it's worth it in the long run. Just, be jealous of your own time and energies and make sure that "stepping in" doesn't mean "doing everything."

Also, MWAH. To everyone. Except those with kissy-huggy issues. They get warm kind smiles and the loving and appreciative but non-contactly punctuation of their choice.

Oh, JZ. Bless you.

Look, it can't be undone, and it's not like you actually forgot (which I've done myself, and my GOD, did I feel like the lowest of the low) - you did ring him on the day to say Happy Birthday, and your financial circumstances aren't condusive to doing a big thing right now. He knows that. He may be a bit miffed, but it's fixable still.

Wow. Last day of teaching this academic year. 2 more days at school - this time last year, all the Year 2 teachers were sacked on the last day. Very exciting wondering what's going to unfold in the next 48 hours. Added to which, they've apparently started checking the logs on the school PCs and visiting all the websites people have used - possibly even accessing and reading their private emails, as the IT guy who's doing it has gone and gossipped about personal stuff he found out that way.

I may be utterly, utterly fucked here. I don't use the school PCs often, but I have occasionally swung by here to read the threads, or checked my email, or even checked out my hit count at Skyehawke. AND there's the little matter of the unwise posts I made on a couple of international educators' sites wrt my current employer...

Ah, isn't life grand?

(wrt the left hand thing in Malasia - in the Middle East, and I believe the Indian Subcontinent, and likely lots of other places, it's normal to wash one's arse every time one goes to the loo. Initially this seemed icky, but actually - if any other part of your body got shit on it, you'd certainly do more than wipe it off with a bit of tissue. So I do get why Egyptians find the whole just-wiping-with-toilet-paper approach rather disgusting. Often you don't find loo roll at all in loos unless they're specifically catering to foreigners - one blasts one's bum clean with the amusingly named 'shitaffa' ("it gets the shitaffa yer bum", as my friend, married to an Egyptian for 18 years, informed me). In lieu of a shitaffa, I'm guessing application of water by hand is the way forward in the villages still. Thus the whole business of keeping one hand for the purpose of unclean tasks, and another for clean tasks. Makes very good sense.

Most modern Egyptians, contrary to the books I'd read, do use both right and left hands when eating, afaik.

eta

...there's definitely a measure of irony in me forgetting to wish JZ a happy birthday, isn't there?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEAUTIFUL!!!

Hrmmm, I meant to stop by last night to let everyone know Daniel says hi, at that point from Elk City, Ok. Now, not sure where exactly he is, but he may be in New Mexico by now. And he may pick me up from work tonight.

wrt the left hand thing in Malasia - in the Middle East, and I believe the Indian Subcontinent

Yes. Hence our custom of only eating food with the right hand.

Hrmmm, I meant to stop by last night to let everyone know Daniel says hi, at that point from Elk City, Ok. Now, not sure where exactly he is, but he may be in New Mexico by now. And he may pick me up from work tonight.

Oh good. I've been worrying about him driving that car that far.

Oh good. I've been worrying about him driving that car that far.

Tommy, you ain't the only one. His mom and I are spending more time on the phone than he and I, going on about "I won't feel right until I see him", and "No matter how old they get, I still worry."

Update- Monday 8:45am Mountain. Just inside the New Mexico border. Free Internet access at the information rest area. Probably the friendliest visitor info center ever.

Well, I had a good guess as to how far he'd gotten. As for me, I should be grey-ish, as I have a ton of packing to do.

Which reminds me, Aaaaaaaaaaaaah, there's so much to freakin' do, my place did NOT look like this when he saw it last, it's awful.

Ok, I feel better now.

Awww...the Daniel/WS updates are so cute! I can't wait till you guys are both back in MN.

Oh, I forgot the best part of my little "interview" with the girl (notice...I keep calling her a girl). I asked her if she liked Buffy, because we're all a bunch of Buffy fans at the school. She's like, "No. I didn't really, like, get into, like, Buffy, because it like seemed to like attract like such a like cult following."