Today was pretty good. Although I had to get out to Sunshine (ugh), all went very smoothly. Car drove happy-like (I love my new car, especially when I don't have to put it in my driveway), traffic was ok, my directions were all accurate and I was early. While a little trepidacious about teaching in Sunshine (ah stereotypes, you undermine me so), there were elements which made this less terrifying- it was a Catholic school, and an all girls school. Surely makes the chance of being knifed lower. Surely.
Well, it was fine. Some classes were better than others, and I would have gotten in trouble for being too 'teacher' had my trainer been there, but meh. I made it through five back to back session, adapting a grade six session for year eights. I was great. So there.
Traffic on the way back was lousy. Thanks god for Nip/ Tuck DVDs to ground me when I got home (I love this show! It's so unreal yet.... so good. It's all I can come up with. I am overwhelmed). Then, eventually (three episodes later...) it was time for swing. The first class I think I've been to without Nick!
I missed last week's dance class due to Rob's birthday, and the week before had SUCKED at trying to pick up a new dance move. Amusingly, Josh, one of my teachers, was SO relieved to see me today; he thought he'd scared me off the previous class. But no, I was back and brave and guess what? I had a great class. Lots of fun, and I got complimented by my teacher and generally thought I was pretty damn good. I love dancing :)
And so I am happy. Let's hope my plan to do Macbeth stuff tomorrow doesn't ruin all that..... Grr...... It's bad form to quit a play four weeks before opening, right? Damn it. Grrrr.
POSTSCRIPT- BAD DAY :(
Had a text on my phone at 6.30am insisting on a Macbeth meeting. I have managed to limit it to two hours, but it will run over because the producer is inefficient. His job is just to do Macbeth, how can he achieve so little in all this time? I have maybe an hour a day I can spare. If that. And the time I actually WANT to spare? It's in negative counters. Give me my wasted time back.
Despite my bitching, this is a really cool production of Macbeth. It's just that I get to see very little of it. All the stuff I do is way off scene, and that drains me a lot. I need to be constantly aware of the play I am working with in order to remain excited. Right now, I am just over it. And I don't have time to shop for food or clean my house because of this show. My house is a mess and I have no food. Is it any wonder I am grumpy about this show????
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Let there be rain
Today, it rained. Ever so slightly, but enough to bring the temperature down from the constant 38 degrees Celsius we've been sweltering through the last three days. Currently it is around 26 degrees. Feels almost heavenly.
I know that this is not the first hot summer we've had in Victoria. I can remember the principal 'recommending' we not to attend school due to the 40-plus temperature in about 1999. I can remember doing a little rain dance when long awaited rain arrived in the summer of 2001. But isn't it funny how, no matter how many times you've been through this sort of heat before, it's still exciting when it breaks. I found myself grinning like an idiot as big heavy drops of rain began beating against my windscreen. It was quite funny, as I had driven from a completely dry section of road, to a section which was soaked from recent rain, but hadn't yet encountered any rain yet myself. I almost wondered if my mind was playing tricks. Imagine how excited I'll get when/if this drought ever breaks...
I picked up my panel van thing yesterday, and it's GREAT. It doesn't stall, even when it rightly should! Oh, except for when I'm trying to three-point turn in my driveway under secret observation of Rami and Caroline. In my defence: I have only been learning manual for about a week; my driveway has a totally stupid dip which is tough to navigate even in a familiar car, and which was trapping my poor, defenceless van; and finally, it was Rami and Caroline's fault I stalled. Clearly. Watched pot never boils, etc.
My job is going well. I have completed my training a week early (partially due to the fact that they've got nowhere near enough staff to complete the training in three states...), which means I am on my retainer pay, plus bonus if I see more than 375 kids in a week. Yay! In a fortnight-ish I will be PAID. Wow, it seems like such a long time coming.
My other job is so FRUSTRATING! I just don't care about this play enough to stuff around with journalists/ press releases/ general shitkicking. Especially when my press releases are re-written by drongos who have no concept of spelling, syntax, etc. Ugh. What's the point? This damn profit share had BETTER make some profit. It DOES look to be quite a cool show, so it deserves to do well. But WHY do we have such an enormous, unreachable budget? I really fear we won't break even, which thankfully will not cost us, as the production company is footing the risk, but does mean I'll have donated a lot of begrudging volunteer hours.
Tomorrow is a day off from KidzBodz- which means I can mess around with Macbeth stuff. Like I haven't spent enough of the weekend doing that already. Stuff it all. I'm going back to the couch to watch Nip/ Tuck under the fan. This can all wait. I just DON'T CARE! I just wish I could focus on my new, cool, ENJOYABLE job, and leave the Scottish Play to rot... *sigh* I don't really like Bitter Naomi. But I am SO tired of it all.
I know that this is not the first hot summer we've had in Victoria. I can remember the principal 'recommending' we not to attend school due to the 40-plus temperature in about 1999. I can remember doing a little rain dance when long awaited rain arrived in the summer of 2001. But isn't it funny how, no matter how many times you've been through this sort of heat before, it's still exciting when it breaks. I found myself grinning like an idiot as big heavy drops of rain began beating against my windscreen. It was quite funny, as I had driven from a completely dry section of road, to a section which was soaked from recent rain, but hadn't yet encountered any rain yet myself. I almost wondered if my mind was playing tricks. Imagine how excited I'll get when/if this drought ever breaks...
I picked up my panel van thing yesterday, and it's GREAT. It doesn't stall, even when it rightly should! Oh, except for when I'm trying to three-point turn in my driveway under secret observation of Rami and Caroline. In my defence: I have only been learning manual for about a week; my driveway has a totally stupid dip which is tough to navigate even in a familiar car, and which was trapping my poor, defenceless van; and finally, it was Rami and Caroline's fault I stalled. Clearly. Watched pot never boils, etc.
My job is going well. I have completed my training a week early (partially due to the fact that they've got nowhere near enough staff to complete the training in three states...), which means I am on my retainer pay, plus bonus if I see more than 375 kids in a week. Yay! In a fortnight-ish I will be PAID. Wow, it seems like such a long time coming.
My other job is so FRUSTRATING! I just don't care about this play enough to stuff around with journalists/ press releases/ general shitkicking. Especially when my press releases are re-written by drongos who have no concept of spelling, syntax, etc. Ugh. What's the point? This damn profit share had BETTER make some profit. It DOES look to be quite a cool show, so it deserves to do well. But WHY do we have such an enormous, unreachable budget? I really fear we won't break even, which thankfully will not cost us, as the production company is footing the risk, but does mean I'll have donated a lot of begrudging volunteer hours.
Tomorrow is a day off from KidzBodz- which means I can mess around with Macbeth stuff. Like I haven't spent enough of the weekend doing that already. Stuff it all. I'm going back to the couch to watch Nip/ Tuck under the fan. This can all wait. I just DON'T CARE! I just wish I could focus on my new, cool, ENJOYABLE job, and leave the Scottish Play to rot... *sigh* I don't really like Bitter Naomi. But I am SO tired of it all.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Let the info-tainment begin!
Nick asked me if today felt particularly romantic, being, of course, Schmalentine's Day. I replied that I had spent majority of the day at a Christian K-12 college wandering around in overall shorts and footless tights, so it was particularly bizarre, and did that count? He wasn't sure.
Today was my first day actually taking Kidz Bodz classes. Well, class, it ended up being, but anyway. What originally I had thought was a Prep class turned out at the office to be a combined Prep/ Kinder class, but in practice turned out to be Kinder only, as the Preppies had the day off (lucky things). So instead of teaching a group of 5 year olds (challenging, but achievable- they've been partially school trained by now) as had been practiced with my fabulous volunteers on Sunday (Nick (or should I say Rudigar?), Paul (aka Jesus Boy), Deb(bie), Fy (also known as Mrs Grown Up), Caroline (Shiloh Tigerlily Suri, or Tiger for short) and Rami (self-named as Testicle)), I had a group of new kindy kids, aged 3 and 4.
What did this mean for my class? Bad things: More teacher work than I had planned to do (for which I was gently told off in my feedback); less knowledge of the body (when we tried to name 5 body parts, we named 'hand' 3 times); less understanding of being quiet and not calling out; a tendency to advance creeping towards the teacher; a desperate desire to touch EVERYTHING. Good things: they're really, really, cute; they enjoyed it, even if they didn't understand it; they were SO eager to come up and be a helper; I got a hug at the end.
So anyway, based on the fact that my trainer thought I needed more watching time (not true, I just needed SCHOOL kids on whom to ply my fantastically honed trade), I got to, well, watch. So I didn't have to teach my second class at all, which is a pity because they were so receptive, and I would have done a much better job with them... But never mind. I'm taking three classes on Friday I think, and I have tomorrow as a work from home day as Nick needs my car. Yay, two days off (I mean, work from home days) in a week :)
I am pretty good with manual by now though. One lesson with my brother, two with my sister, and then my sister and I swapped cars, so I had no CHOICE but to drive manual. This was great, especially when forced to drive on my own. I just wish I could stop stalling the car in my own driveway- it's about the only place I do stall now. Stupid driveway.
Car disasters galore this week (well, x2), as my front tyre punctured and we had to try and change it and we got very dirty and angry and sweaty. Finally it was done, after calls to my dad, trawling through Yahoo Answers for tips and calling an uncle for back up. We now have sore legs from bouncing on the spanner handle to get the nuts undone. Ow.
Finally, I have a dilemma. Yesterday was my brother's birthday (Happy Birthday Rob). He invited me to his surprise birthday party (clearly no longer a surprise, but still referred to as such) on Sat night. Of course, as always, I also having a standing invite to an 80 meals dinner (Tibet, this week). Now I went to Rob's 17th with his mates. I felt old then. Now he's far more gay and fabulous, and presumably so are many of his friends. I think I'll feel out of place, but think it's very nice that he invited me, and wonder if I should go because I don't want to let him down. On the other hand, the Tibetan place might have yak butter drink (hmmm......). What should I do?
Today was my first day actually taking Kidz Bodz classes. Well, class, it ended up being, but anyway. What originally I had thought was a Prep class turned out at the office to be a combined Prep/ Kinder class, but in practice turned out to be Kinder only, as the Preppies had the day off (lucky things). So instead of teaching a group of 5 year olds (challenging, but achievable- they've been partially school trained by now) as had been practiced with my fabulous volunteers on Sunday (Nick (or should I say Rudigar?), Paul (aka Jesus Boy), Deb(bie), Fy (also known as Mrs Grown Up), Caroline (Shiloh Tigerlily Suri, or Tiger for short) and Rami (self-named as Testicle)), I had a group of new kindy kids, aged 3 and 4.
What did this mean for my class? Bad things: More teacher work than I had planned to do (for which I was gently told off in my feedback); less knowledge of the body (when we tried to name 5 body parts, we named 'hand' 3 times); less understanding of being quiet and not calling out; a tendency to advance creeping towards the teacher; a desperate desire to touch EVERYTHING. Good things: they're really, really, cute; they enjoyed it, even if they didn't understand it; they were SO eager to come up and be a helper; I got a hug at the end.
So anyway, based on the fact that my trainer thought I needed more watching time (not true, I just needed SCHOOL kids on whom to ply my fantastically honed trade), I got to, well, watch. So I didn't have to teach my second class at all, which is a pity because they were so receptive, and I would have done a much better job with them... But never mind. I'm taking three classes on Friday I think, and I have tomorrow as a work from home day as Nick needs my car. Yay, two days off (I mean, work from home days) in a week :)
I am pretty good with manual by now though. One lesson with my brother, two with my sister, and then my sister and I swapped cars, so I had no CHOICE but to drive manual. This was great, especially when forced to drive on my own. I just wish I could stop stalling the car in my own driveway- it's about the only place I do stall now. Stupid driveway.
Car disasters galore this week (well, x2), as my front tyre punctured and we had to try and change it and we got very dirty and angry and sweaty. Finally it was done, after calls to my dad, trawling through Yahoo Answers for tips and calling an uncle for back up. We now have sore legs from bouncing on the spanner handle to get the nuts undone. Ow.
Finally, I have a dilemma. Yesterday was my brother's birthday (Happy Birthday Rob). He invited me to his surprise birthday party (clearly no longer a surprise, but still referred to as such) on Sat night. Of course, as always, I also having a standing invite to an 80 meals dinner (Tibet, this week). Now I went to Rob's 17th with his mates. I felt old then. Now he's far more gay and fabulous, and presumably so are many of his friends. I think I'll feel out of place, but think it's very nice that he invited me, and wonder if I should go because I don't want to let him down. On the other hand, the Tibetan place might have yak butter drink (hmmm......). What should I do?
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Learner plates
Well, I've had me quite a busy week. And it's only Wednesday!
My new job is ACE and (not that I'm bragging), but I'm really good at it :) In fact, I was told today that I am the best first time trainee performer they've had. Yay me! There's so much to learn (seven programs, lots of nutrition facts, stacks of admin stuff) and so much to do (assignments, watch and memorise two programs a day), but I am really enjoying it and looking forward to getting started.
So here's what I do, anyway: Schools book in for a ten week "Healthy Eating Challenge", and we send them a ten week plan with food diaries and challenges and activities for the teacher to do with the class. Also, the teacher chooses a program based on the year level of the kids, and I come out to teach an interactive session to each of the classes, armed with a funky costume (overalls, bright tights, pigtails, and a persona of the same age as the kids I am teaching- yeah, it is HOT) and a very big box of tricks. And I mean BIG. This box is almost taller than me, and folds out to display a body, a healthy food pyramid and more. I also take a range of props, ranging from balls, to puppets, to tents playing the parts of body organs.
Now there is NO way all this stuff will fit into my little bug of a car. But that's ok; I get a company car! It's a small panel van, it's bright purple, and it has a logo and cartoon character on the side. That's cool, I can deal with all that. Here's the REAL hitch. It's a manual car. I drive an auto, and haven't driven a manual since I was seventeen (that's almost eight years ago, for those playing at home). I am picking it up on Sunday.
So I have four days to learn to drive a manual. Started today with a visit from my brother in his fairly old and temperamental manual car. I am AWESOME at changing between gears 2, 3 and 4. It's first gear that gets me (and stalls the car). I'm considering skipping first gear altogether... And what's with hill starts? Ick.
Interestingly, when I started my training on Monday, I had a training buddy, John, and a demonstrating trainer, Genetta. On Tuesday, Genetta decided it was too scary performing for us (eight year olds are WAY less scary than adults), and dropped her job as demonstrator. Today, I turned up to deliver my first practice session to John, and he hadn't arrived. In fact, he didn't arrive nor answer his phone all day. Things are getting mighty strange round here.
I need to practice my routine a lot before I actually get thrown to the sharks, I mean school children. So anyone who's interested in learning all about the body and healthy eating through a combination of storytelling, songs, high energy voice and improvisation of what my props would normally be, come around sometime. It would really help me to have an audience- Nick keeps being a smarty pants :P
On a random side point, our water has become rusty in the mornings. This is not good.
My new job is ACE and (not that I'm bragging), but I'm really good at it :) In fact, I was told today that I am the best first time trainee performer they've had. Yay me! There's so much to learn (seven programs, lots of nutrition facts, stacks of admin stuff) and so much to do (assignments, watch and memorise two programs a day), but I am really enjoying it and looking forward to getting started.
So here's what I do, anyway: Schools book in for a ten week "Healthy Eating Challenge", and we send them a ten week plan with food diaries and challenges and activities for the teacher to do with the class. Also, the teacher chooses a program based on the year level of the kids, and I come out to teach an interactive session to each of the classes, armed with a funky costume (overalls, bright tights, pigtails, and a persona of the same age as the kids I am teaching- yeah, it is HOT) and a very big box of tricks. And I mean BIG. This box is almost taller than me, and folds out to display a body, a healthy food pyramid and more. I also take a range of props, ranging from balls, to puppets, to tents playing the parts of body organs.
Now there is NO way all this stuff will fit into my little bug of a car. But that's ok; I get a company car! It's a small panel van, it's bright purple, and it has a logo and cartoon character on the side. That's cool, I can deal with all that. Here's the REAL hitch. It's a manual car. I drive an auto, and haven't driven a manual since I was seventeen (that's almost eight years ago, for those playing at home). I am picking it up on Sunday.
So I have four days to learn to drive a manual. Started today with a visit from my brother in his fairly old and temperamental manual car. I am AWESOME at changing between gears 2, 3 and 4. It's first gear that gets me (and stalls the car). I'm considering skipping first gear altogether... And what's with hill starts? Ick.
Interestingly, when I started my training on Monday, I had a training buddy, John, and a demonstrating trainer, Genetta. On Tuesday, Genetta decided it was too scary performing for us (eight year olds are WAY less scary than adults), and dropped her job as demonstrator. Today, I turned up to deliver my first practice session to John, and he hadn't arrived. In fact, he didn't arrive nor answer his phone all day. Things are getting mighty strange round here.
I need to practice my routine a lot before I actually get thrown to the sharks, I mean school children. So anyone who's interested in learning all about the body and healthy eating through a combination of storytelling, songs, high energy voice and improvisation of what my props would normally be, come around sometime. It would really help me to have an audience- Nick keeps being a smarty pants :P
On a random side point, our water has become rusty in the mornings. This is not good.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Enviroblog
Working in a Minister's office has shown me that your Government DO care about the environment. There isn't a rubbish bin in my office, only a recycling bin. In the kitchen, we have a 'landfill' bin, a 'compost' bin and a stadard recycling bin. In the photocopy room there are TWO recycling bins, one for normal documents, and one for TOP SECRET (No wonder documents get leaked so easily from the Government when they're stored in such well camouflaged places. haven't they heard of a paper shredder?). And I really want to get me some of those lights which turn on and off automatically when you enter and leave a room.
Appreciative as I currently am about protecting our environment, I have a bit of a problem with Nature right now. Namely that it won't stay in it's rightful place. A place which is NOT hiding amongst the deceptively civilised seeming grass in Treasury Gardens, waiting to make my white top bird-poo coloured. A place which is NOT writhing into peaceful suburbs and lunging at innocent old ladies with nasty, snakey fangs.
I like Nature. It's pretty, healthy, often smells good. But I'm quite happy to come over to visit should I need a big dose of it. My people will call its people. In the meantime:
Nature. Learn your place. And stay there.
Appreciative as I currently am about protecting our environment, I have a bit of a problem with Nature right now. Namely that it won't stay in it's rightful place. A place which is NOT hiding amongst the deceptively civilised seeming grass in Treasury Gardens, waiting to make my white top bird-poo coloured. A place which is NOT writhing into peaceful suburbs and lunging at innocent old ladies with nasty, snakey fangs.
I like Nature. It's pretty, healthy, often smells good. But I'm quite happy to come over to visit should I need a big dose of it. My people will call its people. In the meantime:
Nature. Learn your place. And stay there.
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