Laughter

Just been laughing out loud alone in my room by myself.  Potentially a sign of madness but I prefer to think of it as true living!  This particular episode was induced by watching home videos.  Mum has been recording our 20 year stash onto DVDs for the last few months - she's been doing a great job.  I'm currently on Las Vegas 1999. Have watched me asend a climbing wall in the Adventure Dome at Circus Circus then I was admiring my abseil down (thought I might have kicked out a bit more) when I reach the bottom but seem to have forgotten the need for legs to support my weight and collapse behind the wall, bounding back up momentarily later as the supervisor reaches over to pull my rope back up.  Have rewound this three times and laughed out loud for each one!

Also on the laughter front, one time when I do it most is meeting up with three friends from school.  We weren't particularly friends altogether at school but have been really close in subsequent years.  I always look forward to that bent in half clutching stomach laughter.  Last night it was our 3rd karaoke evening.

We were at Lucky Voice in Soho where you get a room or 'booth' for your group.  We had a non-stop chorus of classic hits (and those not so well known to the karaoke going public: Saviour's Day, Hello Dolly) for two hours.  Sadly I cannot sing in tune, and it is made more obvious when compared with my friends who are really good and have sung in choirs, but I love them because they let me sing my heart out into the microphone anyway.  Much silly merriment all round!

Friday already?!

So it's Friday evening and I am in the lovely and unusual position of still having some energy left for the evening - not the normal state of things for the end of the week.  But that could be becuase this hasn't been a normal week by any means!!  It looked like:

Monday - inset day
Tuesday - first day of term with children
Wednesday - First Snow Day!!
Thursday - Second Snow Day!!
Friday - children in school 10-2.  Home by train by 3.30.

Quite happy with that life :-)  So have been wondering what to do with myself tonight.  Thinking I might go to cinema - to make it two days in a row.  Yesterday was spent with more house cleaning, wander around shops in town (buying a £6 dress from next with a voucher, after much thinking a great birthday present for housemate, and lunch at Starbucks), to Phoenix Picture House to see Nine, home for more cleaning, chocolate muffin making, and ER watching.  Happy days indeed.

Snow Day Indeed!

I'm sitting in bed in pyjamas at 10am ever so happy!!  Still looking beautiful outside and even still snowing.

Loving the snow covered tress and the snowmen that were built last night.

Perfect scenario this morning.  After a night of waking up fairly often and catching snippets on the radio about the weather, and becoming convinced via dreams that the head had announced school was open today, I woke with alarm at 6.30.  Looked out of window, still snow.  Checked phone and emails - nothing.  Listened to weather news on radio.  Prepared to get up (with difficulty) and then the wondrous text came from my mentor: 'School closed - have a good day! x'

Fervoured/fevered (?) moments of excitement texting others and generally had a big smile on my face.  Lay back in bed and planned to get to sleep but took a while, over half an hour.  Now awake, have run outside bare foot in the snow in excitement!

Plans or ideas for the day:

• Wander in wellies to the parks or some such place.
• Go shopping and think about spending my christmas vouchers.
• Watch ER
• Lunch at Georginas - hope it's open!
• Tidy bedroom.
• Find out how to do a heading banner on my blog.
• Crieff diary.
• Print photos.
• Pluck eyebrows.
  

Hopefully this will be updated during the day and it'll be a good one!

10.45am - success one of the day that wasn't even on the list.  I have confirmed that there is no spell check now.  Instead I am going to try to use the firefox spell check at the recommendation of the Real Blogger Status.  Have not had good experiences with Thunderbird spell-check so we shall see...

11am - firefox doesn't check my spelling????????????????????

11.03am - woop woop!!!!  I have added a dictionary and now it checks the spelling! Time to get showering.

11pm - wow!  Good day indeed.  And... mega excitement - no school tomorrow!  So although not many of my things were achieved on my list today, I can have another go at them tomorrow!

The day looked like this: 

• Bizarrely did some rather good and deep cleaning of the kitchen - not an entire clean but still quite proud.  Would like to have a go at the lounge tomorrow.
• Met a colleague for lunch in Georgina's (check!), still loving that Mexican chicken wrap.  
• Left photos to be printed (check!).
• We wandered round Oxford (in wellies, check!) and he had a camera so we were able to capture plenty of magical moments.  We wandered into Exeter where there was a great snowman in the quad and went up on the 'balcony' in the fellows garden for great views of the Rad Cam.  And managed to be highly immature throwing snowballs down at the unsuspecting people below.  We slipped and slided (him more than me!) onwards to the Uni Parks via the forecourt (?) of the Natural History Musuem where we entered an igloo and built a snowman on a bench.  Well, he built it really while I did a giant snowball.  Also discovered was next to housemate and her colleagues who were building a snowpig!  Onwards at dusk to Christchurch meadows looking beautiful.  A stop off at Sainsbury's when the glorious text came.  A cup of tea and warm up back at mine.  
• I then had time to change and eat before heading to OUP for a jolly dancing session.  Even pushed a car that was skidding outside Worcester on the way which completed the magic of the day.

Two things to note:

• sound of walking in snow.
• quietness of snow.  (oxymoron??)

Happy days and night!

Snowball Fight - time to meet the neighbours!

So, I love the snow.  I think it snows so infrequently here that it isn't round long enough too get annoyed by it, and touch wood, I have never been inconvenienced by it.

Excitement started when my mentor entered my classroom at 4.30 with the words: 'Catherine, go home.  It's starting snowing.  Those living beyond Oxford might not make it.'  Quick glance round the classroom, unplug the computers, discussion of contongency plans (phonecall at 7am) and away I went, as flakes were starting to fall on the car park - fairly sizable ones at that.  Was feeling a little apprehensive about the drive; regretting not having the sleeping bag in the car anymore but pleased to have the water bottle, two pieces of millionnaires shortcake, wellies and phone.  The journey in actual fact was fine, better than often.  Although could see the flakes of snow falling, it was really just like driving in the rain.

Immediately arriving home, discussed hopes for a snow day with fellow teacher housemate.  Sent excited texts to those who might appreciate.  Failed to rally myself to plan work tomorrow (...eek), instead procrastiated by catching up on some blogs from over Christmas.  Chatted to other housemate when he came in and then we glanced out the window - boy did it look good.  Did a little jig.  Coat on, out the front door.  Didn't want to spoil the snow.  Sat on the funny wall bit that is covered and enjoyed taking it all in.  Housemate came out.  I got wellies on from the car.  Snowball Fight Started!

Lesson 1 learnt - I can't throw snowballs.  I have no power or aim.
Lesson 2 learnt (though probably already knew) - I don't care.  I love it anyway.  And so long as my coat is waterproof I can be out there for quite a while.  Was probably about an hour in the end.  Three from our house and over the time probably people from about 4 others houses.  No names learnt or exact addresses, but a lot of fun.  Particularly liked the arbitraryness of the ganging up on people to throw at!

Sadly camera is at school so haven't been able to capture the magic very well.  Took a few on phone and will try with computer.

Came in, showered, pyjamaed, blogged, now is time for food then to find out about the great fire of london...

Snow - love it!

Still no news on the spell check...

Bringing in 2010

Here we are in 2010 - a whole new decade.  I guess over the last year I have really had to admit that I am now an adult.  (could go into a whole debate here about word choice: adult/grow-up, woman/lady/girl... but I shall veer off that for now)  How do I know that?  Let me count the ways: (here ends EBB tribute ;-)

• I am a quarter of a century old/young.
  
• I am now no longer a student - after 5 years at university, I can no longer claim that student discount at the cinema.  Havent quite given up the card yet though, still carry it around in my purse, just in case (of what I have no idea...).
• I have a job.  I had the interview and got that call to offer me the job - woop woop woop!
• I pay taxes.
• I pay rent at a house and bills - some even in my name!
• I can remember things from almost 20 years ago!!  Watching home videos these holidays, there's no denying it - I have been alive quite a time.

 I wish to record an element of New Year's Eve this year.  At least half an hour of the early evening myself, my sister and three family friends spent watching youtube clips of Hole in the Wall.  Thoroughly enjoyed yet at the same time appreciating the biazarrity and still pleased to be whole-heartedly experiencing the entertainment!  I had heard other teachers talking about it at school and had been eager to witness it, and finally got my chance.  Lived up to all expectations.  We found Dutch, Japanese, Mexican (?), Australian and Philipine versions - who knew????

Lots more good stuff has happened over these holidays.  Maybe I will find time to share them at some time :-)

ps - keeping with the ICT theme of the blog, i was introduced to www.keepvid.com - a site for downloading videos.  I hope this will be particularly useful for school where we can't access youtube or similar videos on the school server.  If I am organised enough I can get them in advance using this site.

pps - totally failed to find the spell-check... where has the button gone?

Coming back?

Hello,

So, I have been thinking today that I might like to start a blog for myself. Then I thought about this one and whether I should just continue with this. I have been following a lot of blogs myself recently and really been enjoying it, so wondered if I should maybe have a go myself.

I don't think I necessarily want to do an ICT in schools blog, so maybe I should be starting a new blog. Also then I think I would be starting afresh with no followers.

Hmmm, reading this I think I may need to start thinking up some more interesting blogs. And on that note, I am not sure I have the imagination to create an exciting blog name if i were to have a second one... get thinking!

Very Last Blog...

It is time to reflect on this blog of reflections. In essence, I have found it a most enjoyable and useful aspect of my progress towards becoming a quality Primary School teacher.

I was a little dubious at first, wondering how I would find it to write down my thoughts in a (notionally) public domain. But I soon overcame these concerns and quite looked forward to my blogging times. It has remained quite a time consuming occupation - not the fault of the blog, just my nature while being on the computer and trying out different things.

It has been very useful to actually be 'forced' to put my reflections in ICT into words. Both in recognising my own use of ICT, seeing where I am proficient and where it is necessary to develop further, and the use if ICT in schools. Through blogging about my experiences I generally came up with more ICT uses than I had initially thought.

My blogging varied from having to write because I knew it was going to be checked soon and writing in between times because I thought I had something vaguely interesting to write about. I hope to continue to use this blog as a means of reflection, and I plan to extend its use beyond just ICT use in school. So, in reference to the title, this will hopefully not be the last blog. But without the incentive of the PGCE course, will it be harder for me to keep it up??