Find out more about...

The driver’s seat seems to have shifted somehow, and now there’s some uncomfortable thing poking into my back when I drive.

So, hopefully I can find some kind of schematic online for how to take the seat covers off and then monkey around with the stuffing or something?? Sigh. I really hope it’s fixable.

From what I have read online today, it looks like I actually might be better off next year if I do not work (very part time) this summer.

Because if I work and earn only a hundred dollars or so in a week, those weeks will be ‘worked’ weeks at a very low income and will reduce my EI payouts considerably for the entire next year.

That seems dumb. I guess I should phone and find out during the week. I’d rather work a bit than not. I don’t want to be completely bored for the next two months!

I went for a walk on an active logging road. Some sections had been logger this week, other sections about 10 years ago, judging from the regrowth. In a boggy area, surrounded by moss I happened to see a flash of pink. I don’t remember ever seeing these pretty flowers before, they reminded me of cherry blossoms, but the plant looked like labrador tea (except those have fuzzy leaves & white flowers with 5 thin petals). I had seen labrador tea during my walk as well.

Bog Laurel: Kalmia polifolia I do believe it’s toxic. Pretty though!

in Quebec.

There’s a 3-day meditation retreat coming up this weekend. It’s not too expensive, but it’s still $100… I have never tried meditation before, not sure if it would be useful.

I’m kind of leaning towards signing up. I certainly have enough free time on my hands, if meditation turns out to be effective for me, I have lots of chances to practice these days.

Here I am, in this small town, on this small island… I have been subbing for nearly 2 years. I used to like my job, but lately – I don’t know. Lately I have been feeling frustrated.

Subbing is all about randomness. I never know if I will be working any particular day, what I will be doing, what town I’ll need to go to, whether or not there will be an actual lesson plan for the day. I never know the particular rules that teacher has with a group of kids, who’s a legitimate exception to the rule, etc. The only thing I know is that a group of kids will always tell me that they’re “allowed” to do something which in fact, they are not allowed to do.

There are good days and bad days. Some people say, “Don’t worry about it, you’re just a babysitter”. But, am I? I’m a teacher, I’m just not getting a chance to BE one. I would like to plan my own lessons and be able to follow through and actually teach something. I would like to feel more effective.

If I slack and let the kids do what they want, then the teacher thinks I’m useless. Also, the more I let a group of kids get away with, the more they try to take advantage next time. I certainly don’t get any respect for it. So, do I please the students?(Not necessarily) Or do I please the teacher? (Not necessarily, depends on the circumstances of the day.)

I’m getting frustrated that I never know what’s going on and can’t plan any of my life because work is so unreliable.

AND I used to get a lot more work than I do now, so I somehow feel like I have been “demoted” (which makes me feel like maybe I have been doing a bad job without realizing it).
Logically I know that the school district hired twice as many subs this year, and we all get equal numbers of calls, so of course I am working less.

But my feelings of inadequacy are clearly not logic-based. Sigh.

I would like to have a regular-hours job.

For French-speakers.

So far I know I’ll need to focus on rhythm /syllable stress in words and words that begin with vowel sounds, and H.

Hopefully I can find some useful resources on the web. Better than having to design something from scratch! (& less work!)

I’ve just discovered that I can borrow a GPS unit from the local visitor’s centre if I use my own batteries.

But my car isn’t ideal for driving around back roads in winter. And I’d need to do a bit of background research to figure out what I am supposed to do once I find a geocache. Ideally, I’d like to set up MORE geocaches across the island, especially in remote places (there are lots of remote places around here!!)

Apparently I have this. And yes, I usually have back pain – ever since I can remember. At the moment it’s my neck and right shoulder that feel like murder.

SO when I do a search for Flat Back, I just find lots of websites about spines, and comments about how to diagnose it, but nothing about causes or suggestions for improving it.

One thing I’m pretty sure of, I need to reduce the time I spend using my laptop and reading, especially reading in bed, because in that situation, I am laying flat with my head/neck tilted upward for hours at a time.

OK, I have observed that some sports rules have changed bigtime since I was in high school. Volleyball score-keeping, in particular.

So for starters, I’m hoping to find the rules for Volleyball, Basketball, Soccer, Badminton… and there are probably a few others but I guess I’ll start with those.

www.volleyball.ca Apparently the rules are here somewhere but I can’t find anything that seems comprehensive. Oh well, I’ll just print out the “How to play” doc.

www.basketball.bc.ca Argh, why is it so hard to just find a bloody RULE BOOK!?

I give up for today. Too frustrating.