I have to say - matt's brother A sends lovely thankyou notes. but honestly, even my parents who taught me to send notes only do email or phone.

I was taught that notes - handwritten were what counted. it seems that email and phone calls count among my family. This may be partailly because I have illegible handwritting. and though most of the rest do better than i do - beautiful cooperplate we do not have.

Interestingly, I was also taught not to give with expectation ( as I said earlier) .

It is a paradox.

Can you solve this problem without calculation: (87 * 326)/87 ? Would you expect an eighth grader to be able to?

Yes, and probably. I'm pretty sure that most of my college students would instinctively reach for a calculator, but if they were told not to use it, and to think about the problem, they'd see what they were supposed to do. And I think that I'd get a similar response from the sixth-graders I taught this summer, so I'd guess that eighth-graders should be able to do it.

Thanks for the ~ma yesterday. Everything went well. Person who needed to be told was already aware and handling, person who it was about remains unaffected. Yay! I like her a bunch and would hate to hurt her.

Still recovering from last night's Halloween festivities and the Saints' loss to Baltimore.

I give without expectation, but I also want to thank graciously. In my mind, the expectations of the person who gave to me are immaterial, what matters is my actions.

And I think that I'd get a similar response from the sixth-graders I taught this summer, so I'd guess that eighth-graders should be able to do it.

Just checking I wasn't crazy. Also, I have a student who thinks 27/3 is 24. A simple misunderstanding, but worrisome.

Oh, quick math survey. Can you solve this problem without calculation: (87 * 326)/87 ? Would you expect an eighth grader to be able to?

Yes, and yes. I mean, right? That seems like a pretty basic mathy concept you ought to have down by eighth grade. Eighth eighth eighth. That is such a weird word to spell.

I have to admit, when I first glanced at the problem, I thought "can I have paper and pen", and then I looked again and realized it wasn't necessary.

I think my committed laziness would win out over my non-mathyness on that one

Also, I have a student who thinks 27/3 is 24. A simple misunderstanding, but worrisome.

I had a college student who didn't know the difference between 2 1/3 and 2 * 1/3. Every homework assignment, when there was something like 2 * 1/3 in a calculation, she put 7/3. Took me a little while to figure out what she was doing, and then much longer to explain to her why it was wrong.

I think thank you notes are sort of ridiculous if I give you the gift in person and you thank me at the time you open it, etiquette bedamned. I dislike receiving those too. But then I'm not big on cards in general. I should, however, get around to writing thank you cards to those who I'm sure think less highly of me for taking so long.

ION, today I purchased a djembe drum! I had quite a good time drumming with others today, really uplifted my spirits. Supposedly there are quite a few drumming circles in my area, which is good.

In sadder news, I do not have a leash.