The Accidental Boilermaker

Nate bought me pretty orange geber daisies... and Penny loves milk.

I received in my mailbox this morning 5 letters informing me that 5 of my students have some sort of learning disability. What good does that information do me now? I understand that I only teach a physical education skills class that doesn't require higher levels of learning, but I do lecture and I do give quizzes and assignments. How does this university expect me to be a decent teacher when they don't equipe me with the necessary tools? The best part - the letters were dated August 20th, 2007. These kids weren't even my students in August. Oh, I was so mad.

I am cursed when it comes to boom boxes and stereo systems. It started last semester when attempting to teach aerobics. My microphone either never worked or when it did work, it bounced around so much that my students couldn't hear a word I said anyways. Spring semester the fun kept coming. This week is fitness testing for my students and today they ran the PACER - the Progressive AerobiC Endurance Run. Doesn't it sound like fun? Well it's not, but it requires a CD which requires, ah yes, a boom box. So I need to use a big boom box because the little one I got for Christmas isn't quite loud enough to cover the distance the students need to run. This should not be a problem (for a non-cursed person, I now understand). There is a large enough stereo that I access to, that I have, in fact, used multiple times before. See, that's the problem with curses, sometimes they lure you into a false sense of security. I plug the stereo in and only one speaker works. Well of cour...

Too many end of the year projects, too many days left to teach, not enough time if my internship falls through. Health and Kinesiology 5K this weekend. I'm excited, but also suffering from a slight inferiority complex. I got a bunch of my students to sign up, (the $ goes to a good cause and oh yeah, I'm giving them extra credit) so I want to run well (aka fast). Elisa's bridal shower this weekend. Currently that is my focus - see my family, see my friends, and forget about school (if only for a day). Our Family

The only reason I know this is Spring Break is because I'm not at school teaching or going to class. But I'm still (when I'm not napping) working my butt off, trying to catch up/get ahead so I can make it to the end of the semester in one piece. So far, I have one personal health risk appraisal, notes on some articles, and half an outline to show for it. So far my department is offering one class in the fall that counts towards my masters. Wonderful. At this rate, I'll be done around the same time as Nate...who is getting his PhD. I'm making triple berry muffins. I decided we needed a treat. Being home all week means more time with Penny. She likes to stalk small animals and birds outside of our sliding door during the day. At night she stalk her reflection in the glass. I suppose I'll go back to my lame outline. I never outline before I write a paper, but this is a required assignment. The sooner it's done, the sooner I can move on to less offensi...

It felt like at Hope I could walk anywhere on campus and almost guarantee that I'd see someone I knew. I don't get that feeling at Purdue. Now that's probably because I know an infinitesimally small percentage of the student population, but it still feels like you are just another face in the crowd. But today walking back to my building, I ran into a student from last semester and we chatted for like 5 minutes about our semesters, spring break, his exams and my teaching schedule. It was just so refreshing to see someone I recognized and feel like someone remembered me. Basically it made my day and he was a really nice kid. Now I'm rememorizing ATP production and lipid transport, but I fell asleep on the couch for a couple minutes because I'm sleepy. In other news - it's Nate's birthday! So give him a call or drop him a line and wish him Happy 23rd!