Craigslist is free, BigDuluth!

Dunno how well it works for the straight people, but it's pretty popular with the gays. Smaller audience we've got, though.

Free is good. Hmm, this is such a small place though. The chances of running into someone I already know... But it is worth a shot though

personals.theonion.com is also free.

Pro: you know everyone there is literate.

Con: everyone i met through the site was an unemployed writer with serious depressive tendencies. Not that that is a bad thing necessarily, but was an interesting trend.

Argh, i am full of anger at Cederlane foods.

Don't buy their "frankly fresh" stuffed grape leaves. In September I found a long, jagged metal sliver in one, and after two months of correspondence they still have no explanation for how it got there. I have come to seriously doubt the safety of any of their food products, not to mention a costumer service department that sent me a crummy check not even covering purchase price and the cost of mailing said sliver and all identifying packaging information to the jerks so that they could figure out what went wrong.

I am angry. And full of crankyness.

thanks P-C. I assumed by her facial expression, but wanted to know.

Yikes Erin_O!

I think I need help writing profiles for online dating. I get less hits than IRL, which... well... I'll say no more, lest I come off a total loser.

Omnis - I think Billytea is the Go-To Guy for this kind of thing. But this is mine. (Although I don't know whether the link will be viewable if you're not a member of the site? Don't know how these things work, really.)

Like, the husband gave off vibes like he has Aspberger's or something.

Oh dear. I had a flatmate like that. Drove me completely insane. In. Fucking. Sane.

Wouldn't have been the same thing at all if I'd known what his issue was from the get-go - you know where you are then, you know there's an issue, you know to adjust your expectations for communication accordingly. But expecting normal social skills and just getting, you know, not so normal - that made my head go boom.

Speaking of which, I'm in danger of starting to revile the French.

Did I tell you already the saga of The French Parents? I've got 3 French kids, their parents are all chummy, and one set of parents are under the impression that their kid should be in the Year above. I think I told you all this? And, you know - they're wrong. Wrong wrong wrong.

Anyway, yet another bitchy sniping letter today in the contact book, and the thing is that now I know I'm starting to take it out on the kid. Because whereas my normal thing is totally to be looking at the positive, and emphasizing that, and couching criticisms in constructive language ("I love the care you took with X, Y, Z, and you're really starting to get the hang of such-and-such. Now if you can just concentrate on this thing here, that's going to make your work even better!" type of thing), now I'm starting to think "Fuck. This. Shit."

Because the kid seems to be under the impression that she should be in Year 3. Which, you know, sure, she's getting from her Dad. But you know what? She's not top of the class. She's in the top third. There are areas in which she's one of the best students. There are areas in which she's mediocre-to-crap. In short, she is a normal, able, Year 2 kid.

And now? Now I'm starting to point out to her ever time she's NOT doing so great. Now I'm making a point of saying "Raise your hands if you've finished making your shadow puppet and you're on to the next task. That's...8,9, 10 of you! Oh dear Camille! Haven't you finished yet? But you told me you had nearly finished, and here you are not even cutting out the cardboard yet. Oh dear. Perhaps you need to concentrate a little more." And saying "Oh, well done, Lachlan's group! You're on the right page! Great job, Jordan's group! ...oh dear Camille! You mean you still haven't found the right page? Perhaps somebody could help her, as she seems to be having difficulties." And saying "Goodness, Camille! Really, you mean you don't know any times tables at all? But look at all these people who already know the 2, 5 and 10 times tables! Why, Grace knows the 9s and the 11s already, and so does Jean! And you haven't done any multiplication? Dear me! How disappointing!"

I mean, seriously, is this what the parents want for their child? Because this is the teacher they are turning me into - somebody who is consciously trying to shove their child's failures down their throat, since apparently everything I'm doing is "too easy for her", and she is "bored*" in my lessons.

( * the word they used was actually "boring". Because, you know what? Their English isn't as good as they think it is. And neither is their daughter's. Unless they meant that their daughter is boring, which strikes me as harsh. Clingy, overly affectionate and a bit cocky, yes. Boring, no.)

t /mean-ass witch

cereal

...I can only apologise for the excess of bolding in the preceding post.

I am, all too clearly, a trifle cross. Which is why I'm off to buy some Manga, and perhaps some cufflinks, and perhaps something chocolatey or icecreamish.

Fay, that situation is crazy. I'm angry on your behalf. So angry that I've forgotten everything else I was going to comment on...

Timelies, all!

vw, how is your grandmother?

Oh, dear, Fay. It is always sad when we find ourselves being unfair or impatient with our students because of personal dislikes, isn't it? I catch myself doing it sometimes, and I just know that I'm saying things that will affect them, and then I feel so terrible about it.

Have you written back a simple, point-by-point letter pointing out some of the things that she is mediocre at? "Though Camille is doing well in many subjects, she is still behind many of her peers in thus-and-so, this-and-such, and the other. According to the high standards of this institution, she should not be advanced ahead of her year unless she has mastered every topic covered in our curriculum. P.S. Your English sucks, go get a tutor." (Okay, maybe not that last bit)