Day 100 - Pleasant Surprise

Tuesday, May 17th, 2016

Smog Level: 3/3 Mountains

I had a fight with someone last night. It was weighing on my mind most of the day. One fun fact did float my way, which got it off my mind: I have the next two days off thanks to grade 2’s track and field days. Oh man, that’s so awesome. I can get so much work done, hit the gym, and just relax. Maybe I’ll hit up a hutong.

Sit Nicely

Knowing that the next days will be off, today drags. I’m living to get to the future and not enjoying the now. Big mistake when you’re doing something that can test your patience. Unluckily for the kids, they weren’t behaving at the reading table and were forced to sit there for the last 10 minutes in silence, “sitting nicely.” We literally tell them to “sit nicely” before we’ll release them. This involves sitting with their arms folded on top of each other, on the desk (think “I dream of genie”), back straight, facing forward. Reminds me of how we used to teach dogs to "sit pretty."

Spelling Stories

When we teach the kids new words, we go through a “spelling story,” where we use the words in a pre-written paragraph. They’re often nonsensical, stupid, and outdated. Today, I changed the sentences to something slightly more.... ridiculous.Still full sentences, still makes about the same amount of sense. The mother of the character breaks wind at one point, and the main girl was “showing,” instead of “showing something.” Minor tweaks in sentences can make big differences in meaning! I had a hard time containing my laughter at one point, so maybe I’ll have to reel it in next time.

Obviously, they have no idea what they’re repeating. I’m undecided if this is cruel or not, since I’m not laughing at them. Unprofessional? Debatable.

My God, You're Greasy...

I caught lunch with Aurora and Bunny - which is rare. Bunny, one of my coteachers, never eats in the caf with us! She shows Aurora how she dips the food in a bowl of water to remove some of the grease. This may sound overboard, but… it’s not. The food is soaked in grease. I’ll probably start doing it, myself.

Didn't even do it on purpose, but look at all those manholes.

Tech Issues

Back home, I fiddle with my laptop, hoping that it resolves the issue I had last night. It froze, you see. And, as you might expect, I was doing something that I really didn’t want to lose. I’ve been playing “Enter the Gungeon” for… like, 2 months now, and I’ve finally, FINALLY reached the final floor, about to take on the big boss for the first time. Aaaand it freezes. Progress lost. Damn you, rogue-like games!*

I relax a bit, edit two posts, then hit up the gym.

Today, I plan to do most of the work I normally would, and then use the next two days to do extra. Man it’s going to be great, maybe I’ll even watch a movie or something!

*Rogue-likes mean if you die, you're dead. You have to start over, there is no reviving. They're usually fairly difficult because of this, but also why I choose them. You can keep trying endlessly while listening to audiobooks or informational talks. What, you want my autograph? Oh no, I couldn't. Just doin' my job, ma'am.

Words of the Day

English - Mandarin [pronunciation]

Editing Music
19-2000
The Gorillaz