Waffing about assignments (again), The Show and Bob Dylan
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Lesson for the day - where the is a few spare minutes there’s a podcast.
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For most of yesterday I imagined that I was itchy. Unlike being attractive if you imagine you are itchy then you actually are itchy.
So I itched all day half suspecting I would be as spotty as Finn any minute now.
This morning brought some more spots for Finn but none for me so it seems that, for now at least, the itching is probably just from the same part of my brain as that imaginary attractiveness of mine.
Lesson for the day - it’s easier to go potty than spotty.
Well I have handed in the three assignments I needed to. Thankfully they didn’t need all that much more work today before they went in.
Unfortunately Finn had to come home from childcare because he broke out in chicken pox. I wish I could say they were mistaken but they certainly were not.
Anyhow we all went to the doctor and Finn will be right in a couple of weeks. But until then he needs to stay home with us. Just to be safe I’ll also stay home from work so I don’t go accidently spreading it to all the kids.
More seriously we are not sure if Nicky has had it. This might be a problem because in a small number of cases it can be dangerous for the baby-to-be. She has had a blood test to see if she either has it or has had it before and we’ll know in a couple of days.
It all been much to eventful for what was meant to be a quiet Friday at home.
Lesson for the day - sometimes there are not signs of a coming twist.
Sadly today is all about writing assignments and handing them in. It is brought to you by the word “wah”.
Lesson for the day - slackness bites back.
I know it makes me a philistine but the other day I bought two CDs being The Essential Bob Dylan and The Essential Johnny Cash. I have lived in the inner suburbs long enough to know that such things are only purchased by the foolish. Intelligent consumers of culture intuitively know which are the definitive albums of such people and buy them instead.
As it happens I do have a copy of Freewheelin’ Dylan but when I saw these double-discs for $12 each I decided they would be good for the car and a good way to get an overview of these influential artists without commiting the time and cash needed to get to know their broader catalogue. It wouldn’t hurt me at all to better understand the music of men so central to modern folk and country music.
Lesson for the day - I might be a fool but for now I am a happy one.
Given the pretty ordinary work I churn out it is astonishing how many phone calls, text messages and emails I get asking for small bits of help with assignments. People don’t want me to do their work but they do want to know what I understand the assignment to be asking for.
This is not because people think I am wildly-intelligent and insightful (no matter how much I tell them I am both) but because I normally actually attend classes and take notes so I might know what has been said there about assignments.
All the same at times I think I should have a toll-number for these calls. I figure I wouldn’t need to charge more than a few cents per call to stop them altogether. But I wouldn’t do that because it actually helps me to explain what I think these things mean. By the time I have fielded a few questions about each assignment my own thinking is a bit clearer.
I still turn out the same old crap of course. But just imagine how horrible my work would be without this little bit of contemplation.
Lesson for the day - questions are quite good (in moderation).
As astututely predicted by me I didn’t skate at all today and instead messed with endless latches, lacesw and buckles. The music was relentless and I am exhausted.
However the assignment clock ticks still so I’ll see if I can manage a couple of hundred words this afternoon. That will only leave me a thousand tomorrow which should be possible if not wildly desirable.
Lesson for the day - there are far worse ways to spend your time than watching folk rollerskate.
Today I am going rollerskating with 40 kids. Actually I suspect they will be skating and I will be trying laces, looking at brusies and explaining that they’re just have to wait for a drink.
Come to think of it that sounds better than actually skating since I am singularly graceless skater who exists either on the ground looking annoyed or upright and uptight.
Lesson for the day - sometimes it is better to sit things out.
What I like to do is write the first draft of an assignment days or weeks before it is due and just let is waft around in my brain as I do other things. Then, with the benefit of the wisdom a few more days on the planet brings, I rework it before I hand it in.
This still doesn’t produce any great art but I hand these things in all the same. Tomorrow I have three assignments due and two have drafts and only require that quick rework. The third is meant to be two thousand words long and thus far I have only written eight hundred of the draft.
What will probably happen is that I will just write the remainder tomorrow morning and hand in the lot tomorrow afternoon. It won’t be pretty but it certainly should pass.
Lesson for the day - when all parties bring only disinterest and slackness it would be folly to expect excellence.
Today Finn’s cubbyhouse arrived which was very exciting. It is an early birthday present and we were all too excited by it to just leave it unbuilt in the garage for two weeks. Finn helped me paint the back wall before his lunchtime sleep and by the time he was up again Nicky and I had built most of the cubby proper.
It is from the same crowd as our chook house and went together in a very similar fashion. We even managed to get the first coat of paint on it today.
Anyhow we think it’s great and with any luck we’ll have some photos for y’all tomorrow.
Lesson for the day - it’s nice to be able to build things even if I needed much help and it involved much wailing and gnashing of teeth.
photos
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