The fact that I get free unfiltered wifi down here is just gravy. No, really. I'm already way more productive than I would be in my office.

I'm actually being more productive too, in between bouts of supervising Ozzie/perkins interactions, and making sure Ozzie isn't going into insuilin shock.

juliana makes me blush madly.

turn us into an 'is.'

Kathy, that's so interesting. Thanks for sharing!

No, really. I'm already way more productive than I would be in my office.

Suela, that means that they should let you goof around online at your office, too. Right?

Hil, can you think about the lessons while cleaning the kitchen? Then, if you have a really great idea or soemthing, you can just take a short break, write it down, and go back to kitchening, right?

Rick, I liked the movie.

msbelle, I hope the ick is expelled as it deserves.

Actually, my battery was dying and I had to pee, so I've relocated back to the office--but I'm in a corner conference room which still, somehow, gets free Wifi. Yay!

Okay, back to my unreadable document.

Hil, can you think about the lessons while cleaning the kitchen? Then, if you have a really great idea or soemthing, you can just take a short break, write it down, and go back to kitchening, right?

I decided to work on the lesson plans first, since I didn't really feel like doing anything that required movement. I've got three days worth done -- I need 15 days. So, that's something. Plus, even if I just get the first five days done, plus general ideas for the rest, I can get them more specific during the weekend before I'll use them. It's really just the first five that I NEED done now.

(Of course, those first three that I did are mostly taken from a book of math projects for kids, with just some slight revisions. For a bunch of other ideas, I've found online lesson plans that are pretty much what I want to do, but just need some revision, but then there are some others that I really need to either write from scratch or just forget about, so those will take longer.)

Hil, won't they be easier to plan once you're already "inside things", know what you need better, how the lessons actually work, and the like?

Stephen Hawking says we have to colonize space:

HONG KONG (AP) - The survival of the human race depends on its ability to find new homes elsewhere in the universe because there's an increasing risk that a disaster will destroy the Earth, world-renowned scientist Stephen Hawking said Tuesday.

The British astrophysicist told a news conference in Hong Kong that humans could have a permanent base on the moon in 20 years and a colony on Mars in the next 40 years.

"We won't find anywhere as nice as Earth unless we go to another star system," added Hawking, who arrived to a rock star's welcome Monday. Tickets for his lecture planned for Wednesday were sold out.

He added that if humans can avoid killing themselves in the next 100 years, they should have space settlements that can continue without support from Earth.

"It is important for the human race to spread out into space for the survival of the species," Hawking said. "Life on Earth is at the ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster, such as sudden global warming, nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus or other dangers we have not yet thought of."

Hil, won't they be easier to plan once you're already "inside things", know what you need better, how the lessons actually work, and the like?

Yeah, that's why I'm figuring on only really doing the first week's worth now. I taught at the same program last summer, so I know the basics of how it works, but I was working with older students then, so I don't really have a good sense of what level the students I'll be working with this year will be at. For the rest, I think I'm just going to have general ideas, and then work them out more fully once I get to know the kids.

Dear lord, asve me from Bureacracy....

I work for a Division, inside a school, inside a University.

My division has a "policy" that no one can audit our classes. We also have a refund policy that there are no refunds after the start of a class.

We are now being told that we cannot call it a policy, we have to call it a procedure (which to me is the entirely wrong word for a one sentance rule).

The reason is that it has not been voted on by the faculty. That is, we are welcome to do it, but we have to publish it in our brochures as a procedure, not a policy.

Now, if you saw the words "Refund Procedure" wouldn't you expect to see directions on how to get a refund, not a sentance saying "There are no refunds after the start of class".

Now, if you saw the words "Refund Procedure" wouldn't you expect to see directions on how to get a refund, not a sentance saying "There are no refunds after the start of class".

Yeah, that's dumb.

How about "Non-refund procedure"?

"Refund-request procedure"?

You may request a refund. However, you will not get it.

Um, use scare-quotes?

"Refund" procedure.

In technical writing, a procedure is a series of steps that you do to complete a task. Your people are crazy, Sophia.