I'm sorry, but I'm just dragging hardcore today. It was barely 10 am before I was feeling like I really needed a Friday pick-me-up, and I spent the morning pretty much dreading French class this afternoon.
The school that I have my lessons with has really done a fuck-up. I mean, really.
I started the classes, my first in 17 years, in late September, and I was extremely apprehensive to start with. My comprehension is moderately good, but I can't speak because of my limited vocabulary, my current inability to think in French fast enough, and a lack of confidence. This is normal. A lot of people I know feel the same. And it goes without saying that I can't really write in French either.
Well, I started with a teacher, Joanne, and she was quite patient and understanding with me. We didn't just run worksheets and such...she jumped around, she encouraged vocabulary questions, she made us carry on simple conversations about what we did with our weekends or at work. I was gaining confidence.
And then the school done fucked up.
It had bid on a contract for language lessons with another department, stating that it would provide teachers with the required security clearance (it's common, particularly if the teachers give lessons onsite), and it won the contract, but then the department made the decision to move the start date up to October instead of January, which meant there was no time to hire new teachers and get them cleared in time. So the school did what it thought was best...it took the teachers with clearance it already has from their current classes. We were understandably pissed, and it causes no end of problems for the teachers as well.
Well, two weeks ago, we were given a new teacher. A youngish woman from France who had been in Canada teaching French to kids in Aboriginal communities in Northern Quebec. She seemed nice, if a little nervous, but we didn't think anything of it.
We arrived to class last week, and fuck if we didn't have yet another teacher. NO explanation was given for why this was the case. I had to find out from a girl in another class in the same time slot--the teacher didn't think she was cut out to teach adults. The new teacher seems professional, but all we did was worksheet after worksheet, with no chance to let what we learned soak in, so by the end of class, half the people had left, and those who stayed were in rough shape. This is not the way I learn.
This whole episode does not instill confidence in the professionalism of the school, particularly since they have made no efforts to reach out to all the affected students. We're all in the dark.
Well, today, things were moderately better, but it took a much-needed breakdown in decorum in the classroom to loosen things up and finally relax.
At this point, I can't say that I will be in any shape to do my levels testing by the end of the term, and I just abhor the colossal waste of money invested in my French training where I can't produce a desired result (taking the tests)...it's so frustrating. And all I can do is show up, week after week, and hope that there will be some semblance of continuity so that I can rebuild my confidence and pick up where I left off before this whole debacle.
Fun with learning...
...Wish you were here.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
November 6/13
So, I've been trying to avoid it, but it's not fucking possible.
The News. It's a real shit storm, folks. Between the Senate shining a spotlight on the colossal errors in judgment Harper shows for appointments, the Rob Ford Crack Cocaine Sideshow, and the Quebec Charter causing people to feel unsafe just walking around the streets, there is literally no relief from how fucked up reality is, and there's just no need for fictional shows and "reality" tv. I'm exhausted just thinking of everything that is happening, and there are new revelations by the hour, so it should come as no surprise that as some point this afternoon, I stuck a pencil in my hair bun in a moment of distraction, and ended up going home with it there. I was sitting on the couch for almost an hour, just flipping through TV channels before I noticed it.
We need a break...
...Wish you were here.
The News. It's a real shit storm, folks. Between the Senate shining a spotlight on the colossal errors in judgment Harper shows for appointments, the Rob Ford Crack Cocaine Sideshow, and the Quebec Charter causing people to feel unsafe just walking around the streets, there is literally no relief from how fucked up reality is, and there's just no need for fictional shows and "reality" tv. I'm exhausted just thinking of everything that is happening, and there are new revelations by the hour, so it should come as no surprise that as some point this afternoon, I stuck a pencil in my hair bun in a moment of distraction, and ended up going home with it there. I was sitting on the couch for almost an hour, just flipping through TV channels before I noticed it.
We need a break...
...Wish you were here.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
November 5/13
So, I just finished watching New Girl, and tonight it featured guest star Taye Diggs.
Ladies...use protection...
Aaaaaaannnnnddd I think I'm pregnant.
Let's be honest...people like this make us feel all schlumpy and underachieving because if it's possible for them to look like that, then theoretically it is possible for us as well. But fantasies are made of stuff like this...
Never forget the value of fantasies...
...Wish you were here.
Ladies...use protection...
Aaaaaaannnnnddd I think I'm pregnant.
Let's be honest...people like this make us feel all schlumpy and underachieving because if it's possible for them to look like that, then theoretically it is possible for us as well. But fantasies are made of stuff like this...
Never forget the value of fantasies...
...Wish you were here.
Monday, November 4, 2013
November 4/13
This...
...Wish you were here.
na na na na pic.twitter.com/uuZIspy9hHKeep cheeky...
— Emergency Kittens (@EmrgencyKittens) November 4, 2013
...Wish you were here.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
November 3/13
Daylight Savings Time ended at the ungawdly hour of 2 am this morning.
You know how I know this? Because my Twitter and Facebook-light feeds are awash with friends and family members complaining about their young kids or family pets waking up insanely early for a Sunday morning, not giving any consideration or thought to their poor parents or human companions. There were no end to the complaints that included gentle threats of retaliation in 15 years.
And as one of those people who
a) suffers seasonal affective depression; and
b) never adjusts well to the time changes,
I have to say that I understand the confusion for kids and pets. Why do we do this stupid thing again? Because anything that throws off my circadian rhythms even just a bit does me no good, and society certainly doesn't benefit from my confusion.
I don't know that I will ever forgive the world for DST.
Going back to bed...
...Wish you were here.
You know how I know this? Because my Twitter and Facebook-light feeds are awash with friends and family members complaining about their young kids or family pets waking up insanely early for a Sunday morning, not giving any consideration or thought to their poor parents or human companions. There were no end to the complaints that included gentle threats of retaliation in 15 years.
And as one of those people who
a) suffers seasonal affective depression; and
b) never adjusts well to the time changes,
I have to say that I understand the confusion for kids and pets. Why do we do this stupid thing again? Because anything that throws off my circadian rhythms even just a bit does me no good, and society certainly doesn't benefit from my confusion.
I don't know that I will ever forgive the world for DST.
Going back to bed...
...Wish you were here.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
November 2/13
Holy shit!
I just saw this tweet:
For those who may be a smidge older than me and not in the know, thisboy man was once the baby swimming after a dollar bill on the cover of Nirvana's MONSTER debut album, Nevermind, the second studio album of the band, and by far one of the biggest albums of my generation. I first heard Smells Like Teen Spirit in Amanda Dei's basement on MuchMusic, and it blew my fucking 12 year old mind. That's right...I wasn't even 13. And there was this awesome music that we thrashed around to wildly, shouting the nonsense lyrics...I had no idea what they meant, and to be honest, I didn't care.
That album was a turning point for me...in almost an instant I outgrew the bubble gum pop (though not totally abandoning it), and the flannel shirt craze that Seattle grunge exported to the world gave me a place to hide my skin-and-bone frame. The insecure, awkward, skinny, ugly, little duckling in me felt a little more okay about myself because here was this band, this music, this album that said 'FUCK YOU' to the cutesy, California blonde establishment that had no time or place for people like me.
And now that chubby little cherub symbol of my generation is all grown up and has a biggest album of his generation, though as an old fuddy-duddy, I'm at a loss as to what that might be.
Time marches on...
...Wish you were here.
I just saw this tweet:
This boy is 22 years old. If you know who he is then you are officially old pic.twitter.com/ist7QjWN5DAnd I know now that I am officially old.
— Frank Paul (@Mad) November 1, 2013
For those who may be a smidge older than me and not in the know, this
That album was a turning point for me...in almost an instant I outgrew the bubble gum pop (though not totally abandoning it), and the flannel shirt craze that Seattle grunge exported to the world gave me a place to hide my skin-and-bone frame. The insecure, awkward, skinny, ugly, little duckling in me felt a little more okay about myself because here was this band, this music, this album that said 'FUCK YOU' to the cutesy, California blonde establishment that had no time or place for people like me.
And now that chubby little cherub symbol of my generation is all grown up and has a biggest album of his generation, though as an old fuddy-duddy, I'm at a loss as to what that might be.
Time marches on...
...Wish you were here.
Friday, November 1, 2013
November 1/13
First of all, yay me for surviving another October.
Second, it is November 1st. Inevitably, that means that people I know are going to embark on the crazy adventure of writing a book in 30 days. There's this little thing called the National Novel Writing Month on the internet, though it is more popularly known as NaNoWriMo. The idea is that you sign up, set a target of writing a 50,000 word novel in a month, and you get to track your progress and get encouragement and the like from fellow writers. It's been going on since 1999, and according to the website, over 100 of these books have been published by the traditional publishing houses, while hundreds more have been put out by smaller publishers or self-published. And actually, if you look at the list of titles published by the large firms, there are some fairly well-promoted titles in there--ones I've seen in my local Big Box Book Store.
I can't believe it's that time already. Last year, my social media sites were abuzz with updates from friends and family members taking part, but this year, I haven't heard a peep out of anyone that they are taking part. I don't know if they are, but they are choosing to operate on the stealth, or if the stars are not properly aligned this year, or if maybe the insanity of the venture was just something they had to do once and now they are done.
If, by some chance, you are known to me and you are embarking on NaNoWriMo this year, I bid you good luck...now get to work, you're losing time reading this.
Creativity on the clock...
...Wish you were here.
Second, it is November 1st. Inevitably, that means that people I know are going to embark on the crazy adventure of writing a book in 30 days. There's this little thing called the National Novel Writing Month on the internet, though it is more popularly known as NaNoWriMo. The idea is that you sign up, set a target of writing a 50,000 word novel in a month, and you get to track your progress and get encouragement and the like from fellow writers. It's been going on since 1999, and according to the website, over 100 of these books have been published by the traditional publishing houses, while hundreds more have been put out by smaller publishers or self-published. And actually, if you look at the list of titles published by the large firms, there are some fairly well-promoted titles in there--ones I've seen in my local Big Box Book Store.
I can't believe it's that time already. Last year, my social media sites were abuzz with updates from friends and family members taking part, but this year, I haven't heard a peep out of anyone that they are taking part. I don't know if they are, but they are choosing to operate on the stealth, or if the stars are not properly aligned this year, or if maybe the insanity of the venture was just something they had to do once and now they are done.
If, by some chance, you are known to me and you are embarking on NaNoWriMo this year, I bid you good luck...now get to work, you're losing time reading this.
Creativity on the clock...
...Wish you were here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)