1. Teaching's still going pretty well. I don't like grading papers at all, since it's hard to gauge how much of high school papers I should correct and how much I should let slide since they're high schoolers. But I got a very positive evaluation from a visiting administrator, who was impressed that I actually … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Teaching, Grammar, and Historical Tangents
Life
Friday Flotsam: Mostly School and Language Matters
1. School still going okay. Started getting into the weeds of the Revolution with my Government class; they were surprised to learn of some of my clarifications (i.e. that the amount of taxes weren't the issue, but rather the question of jurisdiction). Actually, the idea that the British government had a case at all seemed … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Mostly School and Language Matters
Friday Flotsam: Mostly Grumpiness, Some History
1. A rather discouraging week; I had a few very productive days, but also a number of flops and didn't get as much done as I'd intended. 2. On Wednesday I spent about an hour working on a post, only to have WordPress's autosave function freeze and lose the whole thing just as I was … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Mostly Grumpiness, Some History
Friday Flotsam: Teaching, St. John Vianney, and Beavers
1. This week was training for my new teaching job. It looks like it'll either be an amazing experience or a catastrophic disaster. I guess we'll find out. 2. At the very least, I won't have to worry about what I should read for a while; it's pretty much all read books and discuss, and … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Teaching, St. John Vianney, and Beavers
Friday Flotsam: New Job and Some Other Stuff
1. The first news is that as of this week I have a new job. Come August I'll be teaching with Regina Caeli Academy: a classical-education homeschool-hybrid where kids learn at home three days a week then come in for Socratic discussion two days. I'm taking on high school-level American History, US Government and Economics, … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: New Job and Some Other Stuff
Meeting Nancy
Yesterday I got to satisfy a long-held wish. Pretty much ever since I first saw A Nightmare on Elm Street - which is still one of my favorite horror films - I'd hoped to have the chance to meet the lovely Heather Langenkamp, who plays protagonist Nancy. See, I'm one of those odd people who … Continue reading Meeting Nancy
Friday Flotsam: Sacred Heart, Consistency, and More
1. A blessed Feast of the Sacred Heart to you all. "Behold the Heart that so loved men as to spare itself in nothing." May our hearts spare Our Lord nothing in return. 2. My next step in bring order to my inner kingdom is trying to establish consistency, which I've so far completely failed … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Sacred Heart, Consistency, and More
Friday Flotsam: Life Stuff and ‘Merchant of Venice’
1. Talking with my counselor this week, we discovered that I may underestimate my own productivity. I'm not sure about that myself, but I'm starting to track it. Supposedly, the act of tracking behavior alone tends to lead to improvement, sort of a Heisenberg-Maximized-Potential Principle. 2. A couple weeks ago some idiot ran into my … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Life Stuff and ‘Merchant of Venice’
Friday Flotsam: Mostly James II
1. Coming out of a long period of lethargy, depression, and illness that hit me hard as soon as I got home. I've heard from several friends that they've suffered similar bouts recently, so apparently the Other Side is making some moves. In any case, I'm feeling a good deal better, have been to Confession, … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Mostly James II
Friday Flotsam: Illness, History, and Poirot
1. I'm not sure, but I think I got a touch of food poisoning yesterday. This resulted in one of the more miserable night's I've experienced in recent memory as I was repeatedly up and, ah, clearing the pipes at both ends, so to speak. While I no longer feel like my internal organs are … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Illness, History, and Poirot
Serpent's Den 