Thursday, April 23, 2009

Odds and Ends Thursday 10

With Term 1 finals next week, this week has been mostly easy with nothing to do in class but review for the upcoming test. During my prep period today, I laid on the couch and turned on iTunes and thought about how if it wasn’t for this text book, I would have absolutely nothing to do. This textbook stuff has been looming all week. I’m about a third of the way done, even though I’ve had an entire month to work on the thing. Additionally, I wrote a holier-than-thou email about how my stuff would be ready by Saturday. So now that pressure’s really on. Here are some other thoughts from the week:
  • The IT place says that they can’t fix my server and that I need to load Windows Server 2003 again. They also said that the server is not under warranty and that we’re going to be charged for their services. My only qualm is… What services have they provided? Nothing was fixed.
  • I finally finished my tuna steaks I bought at the fish market 3 months ago. I only got 8 steaks back then, so I guess I just don’t eat tuna steak all that often. Anyway, the tuna was fantastic, but to get more of it, I have to wake up at 5:00 a.m. on Sunday, which sounds like a drag (and was probably the big deterrent for finishing the steaks).
  • I hate the roosters around here. But the other day I saw one running from my house with a huge centipede in its beak. Good job, I thought. Still not sure they’re worth all that damn crowing though.
  • ”Revolutionary Road” was much better than “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” I know David Fincher has a huge following, but I think he may be the most overrated film industry hack of our generation.
  • Wait no. Jerry Bruckheimer’s first. Then David Fincher.
  • We haven’t been getting muffins this week. Instead it’s been kekepua’a and cream pies, which are both staples here in Samoa. Kekepua’a would be called a pork bun back in The States. Sometimes the meat content is questionable. The teacher I was sitting next to told me she likes it best when they only have vegetables inside. Sounds good. The cream pies are somewhat similar to Home Run pies, except they’re more fresh, and the flavor is ambiguous. I’ve heard the flavor described as pineapple, as coconut, and as lemon, but I can assure you it’s none of those. I have no pictures of either of these. Sorry.
  • Today’s pictures below are really good. I often feel like I am hard-up for good pictures (see yesterday’s post), and then a day like today comes along, and I come across 3 or 4 gems. Frustrating.
  • It’s noticeably cooler than it was 3 months ago. I still sleep with the fan on, but mostly to keep the bugs away.
  • I was getting off the bus on Friday when I arrived in the village, and I felt something kinda sharp under my foot as I was walking down the aisle of the bus. The light was dim, but I figured out that it was a chainsaw. Just sitting there, lying across the floor of the bus. Okay.
  • My year 13s have the computer studies final next Friday morning. The last Friday morning of testing? I feel like I should bring in donuts or something. Maybe I will.
  • It’s weird how much Maengi’s absence is felt in my house. It’s not like we were best buddies or anything; in fact, we didn’t even talk much at all. But it used to feel good having another foreigner on the other side of the wall. And it’s fun to play my music as loud as I want, and to not have to worry about it when “Weeds” gets a little racy (I used to have to turn the sound on “The Wire” way down). But it was nice having a neighbor. Oh well. She’s supposed to be back in June.
I hope you’re turning your music up loud. Pictures below.
















New sign on campus. Fa'amolemole alu lemu, please go slow. The speed limit is given in miles per hour. Interesting.
















Boys practicing for culture day. I like this picture a lot.





















Every day when the flag is being raised or lowered, a whistle is blown and everyone outside freezes in place. Like an episode of "Out of this World". Today it was funny cause they blew the whistle and everyone froze, and then they realized the flag was tangled. So a kid climbed the flagpole in the same technique that kids use to climb coconut trees. It was awesome.
















I took a walk along the seawall today. This was there.
















As computer teachers, we talk about the ins and outs of Microsoft Word often. I drew this on the 11.1 blackboard from memory. Perhaps it's not that special, but it still looks funny in chalk.

1 comment:

Barb Carusillo said...

You did that from memory? Wowsers.