Stay safe, California!

I wish I could take a kitty, because I totally would. We rescued one in Balto. that went to a good home in a couple of days, but if there hadn't already been two cats and a dog, I'd have kept her for my own. I called her Cativan, because she was as soothing as the drug.

Re: red pens. My students in one class at the last college I taught said they would prefer I didn't use red pen. I asked if they wanted me to mark good things with gold stars and, in all seriousness, they said yes.

Owen's new haircut.

I think I want this cut.

Ha, ha, megan, that is so... I don't know. Sadfunny.

You know what I loved back in the day? Those pens teachers had - they were silver/grey with blue ink on one side and red on the other. I still love those pens. Do they still make those? I should buy some. Not that I mark anything. But maybe I'd start if I had one of those awesome pens.

ETA: Aha! [link] Yep, I still love them. Next time I need pens, I'm getting these. Hee.

And, also, Owen's haircut is adorable. Still. Different picture from FB.

I can't lie, I wish my boss could give me gold stars. Instead, I get eyerolls (I tried to explain to him why I liked wearing steel-toed shoes--why did I even try?).

Oh yeah. We did the shakeout drill in the jury room. Why wont this day end?

Sara, maybe ones of your neighbors needs a cat?

The closest I've gotten to a gold star in the working world is a smiley face. Which I found so odd ten years ago. Now it would probably make me happy. Look! A smiley! I'm awesome!

I think there's at least a place in purgatory for people who run pressure washers practically under my office window all day long.

Right next to the guy who runs the leafblower every. fucking. day. I get that there are a lot of leaves, but that sound is akin to a knife in my brane .

So did I tell you guys about stickergate? Our students are now using a regular curriculum, and because finishing the book means they earn an instrument of their own, they have all become very performance oriented. Only they have no real concept that there are concepts to be learned, only that there are pages to be stickered. Last year we had an issue, but this year's version is even worse. The student in question stole the entire sticker book (making it impossible for anyone to legitimately earn one, btw, didn't think that through, did they?) and has been stickering her own pages. Now, a) we're smarter than a 2nd grader and b) we also write down which song each student is on in our attendance sheet. But there are two teachers, so it's always possible glancing at the book that the other teacher passed the student on the song I don't remember getting passed. But this year's stickergate girl got a little too ambitious and passed herself through four (count them, four) songs in one day. During a time when we weren't giving out stickers. Mysterious! Guess we should just let her go on! Despite the fact that she clearly can't play the songs in question!

Hee. Guess we're going to have to have a small conversation about ethics and the value of achievement.