Randoms

I was just intending to write the word symbol in a maths plan for this week but I wrote simble instead. I knew it was wrong but took me a few seconds to work out just how wrong!!  isn't it strange how the brain works!

That's it really!

Date

To post or not to post.  To write or not to write. 

I went on a date tonight.  I had been avoiding using that term before, and then using it in inverted commas, but now i am writing it, as I think that's what it is.

But should I write about it here?  I know (well, I wish there was a way to know for sure) that no one is reading this blog, but I guess the truth is that someday I hope that someone will read it.  And with that being the case, maybe I shouldn't share my thoughts on tonight.  How public is too public.  How private is too private. 

I have already emailed three girlfriends with a briefish run-down of tonight so have purged my need to share there.  And I know I will get to discuss it in the staffroom on Monday so maybe that should just suffice.  Plus I have already edited one post and read quite a few old other ones so my initial wideawakeness has passed and it is probably time for bed.

Things to do on the blog

A list for me to try to encourage me to improve the blog.

•  Still learn how to do a better header  22/2 Changed the photo and moved the writing to the side, but still can't figure how to change the size...
• Reduce number of tags or at least make more generic reduced 23/1 though will have to keep updating the check list of ones to post
  
• Make a better background/layout. 22/2  Have managed a play around and definitely happier with the blue background and slightly less in my face photo at the top.  Still not entirely sure if I want a stretch layout or not.  Think will do a print screen now (would have been good to do before) but at least then can track any future changes!

22nd February 2010 

ps this is the useful site that taught me how to do print screen on a mac.

Eyes

Relaxing this evening after some of those most concentrated thought I have done about school this term.  One of my top relaxing methods, watching an episode of my beloved ER.  It is an intense experience and I have to switch off from anything else I might have been doing and focus on it.  There is a lot of tv I watch and do jobs during - like putting photos in albums, filling nails etc.  But not so ER.  It was quite radical today that I let myself eat my dinner watching it.

I was gazing into the eyes of Carter, my dream wonder, and I wondered if there was a similarity with Damon Hill's eyes.  Are they the most famous eyes in motor racing history?  At least in my F1 lifetime.  Mika Hakkinen's also stand out in my memory.

Are there anybody's eyes that mean anything special to you?

Can you tell I am trying to branch my postings out away from the snow.  You may well get more of these random thinking posts.

Tears at the station

So, missing a train through trying to get a refund and presumably other emotions led to post title.  It was quite a big cry, quite possibly going on for 10 minutes.

Eventually managed to improve my mood by having a go at the free 'test your iq' app on my iphone for the first time.  Have never had my iq tested before, but have kinda secretly thought that it might be quite high.  of course didnt believe the app would be anyway accurate and it didnt ask my age or anything (isnt it supposed to be related?) but... my iq came out as 165 which to my knowledge is really high so i was mega chuffed and it suddenly became harder to scoff at ;-)

also i felt better when i got off the train and met another colleague from school getting off the same carriage.  She'd had an even worse start to the day setting off from home much earlier than me and being at the bus stop and two buses didnt show up so she missed the same train as me.  she said she had felt like crying and so i admitted that i actually had.

What therapy.

Snow Saga - ongoing!

2.55pm and here I am at home.  Joy to the wall!  (what a weird thing to write - am guessing I had meant to write Joy to the world!!  maybe it was a subconscious link to hole in the wall???)

woke this morning to more snow on the ground.  it has never thawed completely but there was definitely an extra inch or two this morning.  I was veering on the side of getting the train but the colleague I was supposed to be taking said she would drive.  So she picked me up but it was a little hairy driving with it still snowing but she did great driving.

We got into school and there had definitely been more snow in Didcot.  There was a ring around the staffrooms to count the number of teachers in.  Had got a txt on the journey in from head of KS1 to say she had tried but failed to make it away from her house.  Spoke to a KS2 teacher who had had a narrow escape in the car on the way in and was most shook up.  It continued snowing quite a bit during the morning.  We managed the morning relatively normal (or at least the new normal with an extended play and half inside and half out).  I even managed to teach some pretty good lessons - always easier when there are fewer in - I had six away and maths and phonics groups seemed pretty small.

I was excited at the start of lunch (in new normal style, children in classroom) to be told by Foundation Stage leader that they were holding a staff meeting in the junior staffroom at 12.10.  So over we went and I have to say I loved the drama of it all.   I do ever so much love things when they're out of the ordinary and this is high class entertainment for me :-)  It was announced by head of foundation stage (one of only two SLT members in the school; head had gone to hospital with daughter who had gone into labour, deputy head never made it) that the school was staying open till 3pm but children were able to be collected from 1pm - notices were going on website and on the special hotline.  She had an amazing contingency plan working out which staff could get home when.  There was a first round off staff leaving at 1pm as well with TAs etc covering and then as more children went and classes got amalgamated there was another round of teachers to leave and so on.  I'm still so excited just thinking about the organisation now!!

So, at one o'clock returned to the classroom and there were three parents already there!  At our end of year 2 we had one of the year 1 classes between us and I had the two class lists up on the board ready to highlight when children left.  The children in my classroom were very chilled.  We had a little circle time at the beginning to get them calm (very good idea I think) and then I talked about calm activities that could be done in the classroom.  Mine was the quiet one and 2D was the 'noisy' one, I did well there!  I just floated about really, changed reading books, ticked children off as they left.  I was told I could leave at 1.45 with colleague while 3 TAs covered our classes - my class was down to 8 at that point!  We got home fine and since being home it has now been snowing a little!!!!!  Think I am going to go out for a walk now :-)

My facebook status: Am I the only person left who is still so excited by the snow? Love it :-)

Update: I did indeed go out for a walk.  I decided to head down out the end of the road past the river and I stopped to take pictures.  

While snapping away about half a dozen ducks came up the bank quacking away.  They guilt tripped me into returning to the house to get bread.


  But.. the only bread I had was in the freezer.  I think that's what is called irony - trying to save the ducks from the snow by feeding frozen bread!  I did my best though and loads more ducks came out.  There were two big ones (geese I think) that were rather like bullies and I didnt want to feed them, but they came right up close to me and I did yelp out at one point!!  

I fed them quite a bit but still held my ground often enough that my wellie boot did get pecked on a few occasions.  I met a lady from the flats who came out with a large gone off loaf just as I was running out so that worked out well.

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!