Surreal

More on the school...

I went to the web site for the school.

There were some telling absences. When I clicked on the link for annual planning. I got one of those "404: Not Found" pages.

No guff.

I clicked on the link for mathematical materials and plans, guess what I found for Eldest's grade? Yeah! You're right!!!

"404: Not Found"

Maybe they are trying to tell us something.


Can I also say that some people here, when creating websites, seem to have forgotten that they aren't writing on paper.

You see, one of the really funky things about the, ya know, the internet.....is that we can do this really cool thing, you can make links!

FREAKY, NO?

On another note,

Youngest is back!!!

She is also tired and cranky...but either way, it is nice to have her back after three days away.

I had a mammogram booked for yesterday. I left BCN at noon, but at 1:45 I was still standing outside the train station in the town I had to go to....the apt was for 1:30. I bailed. I had to get to work before 4 and I wasn't going to make it.

I have to reschedule again.

The highlights of the yesterday....youngest coming home and also I got to meet Mar!!! and meet Diane again!!!!

SWEET!

Coffee and a chat, in English!

Had a nap today, and went off to the Doc for my worsening cold...seems I have neither bronchitis nor pneumonia, but I now do have anti-biotics!

*inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth* Then pillage.

Eldest just mentioned to me that her math class...remember, we've being having some trouble with the math teachers.....well, in her math class.....it seems that they are just winding up unit 7.

The book has 14 units.

Now this is a math teacher we are talking about.

Picture this: day one. September.

The math teacher cracks open the text book: page one. There is the table of contents. She counts the units (conveniently numbered) There are 14.

She opens one hand up and starts to list off the months, touching a finger for each: September, October, November, December, January...starting to sweat a little, she gets out the other hand. February, March, April, May, June.

She counts the fingers.

There are ten.

"Hemmmm" she thinks, "that means I need to do a little more than a unit every three weeks, lets say one every two and a half....."

Then she proceeds to take approximately five for each.

- I will grant that there were a number of substitute teachers, so this is not entirely her fault.

It is the fault of the head of studies who, despite having a brand-spanking new teacher followed up by a series of semi-competent substitutes, couldn't be fucking bothered to go and see if they are moving through the material at a reasonable pace. You know, all you have to do is check the test scores on the fucking computer. If in, say, February she is recording scores for unit, say, 5...it would seem you have a wee problem.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is teaching one-oh-fucking-ONE!

FINISH. THE. FUCKING. BOOK.


Now I get to go back into the school a.g.a.i.n.

What a bunch of damned clowns.

There are six weeks left. The text is in Catalan, no one in TO can pick up this slack.

Do you think it would be fair to ask the tutor to try to cover the last eight units in 6 hours of classes?

Lets see if he can do it, no?

Nothing post......

I know this is trite, and something that I should already know, but can I just say that my entire outlook on life and the world changes RADICALLY if I have had enough sleep.

TOTALLY a happier person.

The man is going to be going on a trip for work this weekend, which is totally not our normal thing, so we are all kind of excited about it....off to cold and chilly northern northern Europe!

YEAH WHOOOOO

He should have a blast. I hope, I hope he has enough time to see some of the city..

I am about to dive into the ugly cess pit that is local politics in a small town. EEEKKKKKKK. I have been asked to join the group that manages the local theater, the two local galleries and a bar.

They seem to have formed factions within the current group....some for things, some agin everything, and a lot of folks doing nothing at all.

I am somewhat nervous, the logistics of small town politics is TOTALLY new to me, and I suspect I will find it somewhat distastefull, plus I just don't want to end up on one side or another.....plus it is in a different culture, and it is all in Catalan to boot.

Ho hum.

I can always play the language card and not understand some things.

There will certainly be more about this coming up.

For those of you who might be wondering about how I am doing (HI MOM!) Slept well, feeling much better, and I have an impressivly wheezy sounding smokers cough...though it is infrequent. I wore a scarf most of the day and it was downright HOT here today. I was a good girl and didn't go to a wildly smokey bar and scream my head off last night for the game, so I can talk and feel pretty good today...

The final though? I am SO there.

Nice to live in a place with a winning team, and when people are so incredibly passionate about it. There is no economic crisis today in BCN, EVERYONE is happy, and the kids were LOUD!

GO BARÇA!

BARÇA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

European cup finalists!!!!

YEAH!




The euphoria was impressive, loud, long and explosive.

WoW!

Slept well last night after the excitement died down, I was very good and went to bed when I really kind of wanted to go to watch the game, however two hours in a smokey bar screaming my head off would probably not have been a good idea.

There is a next time, so.....

Meme from TeacherMommy:

Hi folks, I didn't sleep all that well last night either, and I am feeling worse, though emotionally happier, so this is a short quick post and I am lucky enough to have this meme up my sleeve!

Here goes, I think my wit has waned with the lack of sleep, but I did my best.

1. What are your current obsessions? Languages, getting the summer organised, walking in the hills.

2. Which item from your wardrobe do you wear the most often? Underwear.

3. What's for dinner? Icecream, no kidding.

4. Last thing you bought? Clothes for Eldest

5. What are you listening to? Eldest talking to me, continuously.

6. If you were a god / goddess what would you be? Tired.

7. Favourite spots in the whole world? The hills behind us, large swathes of the Bahamas, Northern Ontario, good big stretches of the American Southwest, parts of Holland, chunks of India, small restaurants in France, some of the reaches of Spain...I could go on.....

8. Reading right now? Snow, Orphan Paluk, Washington Irving, Tales of the Alhambra, The Land of the Naked People, ???, The Sisters Grimm, something else that I cannot remember the title right now.

9. Four words to describe you? Right this moment? Tired, sleepy, weary and worn. Generally? Optimistic, determined, ferocious and enthusiastic.

10. Guilty pleasure? I don't do guilt.

11. Who or what makes you laugh? My man, my kids, my dog, my students, my sister, my friends....silliness.

12. Favourite spring thing to do? Wear sandals.

13. Planning to travel next? Canada

14. Best thing you ate or drank lately? Lunch today, we had it out...mmmmm.......

15. Last time you were tipsy? Never.

16. Favourite ever film? No idea whatsoever, I can never remember them

17. Biggest life lesson you've learned from your kids? I am NOT in control.

18. Song you can't get out of your head? Depends on the moment, nothing recently.

19. What book do you know you "should" read but refuse to? I read what I want.

Rules of the meme: Respond and rework. Answer questions on your own blog. Replace one question. Add one question. Tag 8 people.

I'm not going to tag anyone, but if you want to play along.....

Sometimes this lifestyle makes me crazy.

You know those days when you are absolutely sure that whatever you do it is not going to turn out right and that no one is going to be happy about it, including you?

Yeah.

Like that.

I hate booking flights.

I have nothing positive to say.

I am going to bed.

Here's a photo:



That's me, before I knew what I was in for. It is also more like how I usually feel.

Time for bed.

Futbol

Local team played football on the weekend, this was a relatively high league, they looked to be about 24, 25 years old. It was actually a pretty close game, not too bad. Maybe not as good as the Barça win last night, but still pretty good. This seems to have been the best part of all though as far as the kids are concerned.



Why they water an artifical field at half time, I do not understand. If anyone knows I'd love to hear it.

The home team scored the winning goal in the last minute and the joy was impressive. They all, even the guys in the stands, ran down and did a massed hug. Hilariously the other team were all laying despondently on the ground, in attitudes of prayer or death.

It's a game, boys, a game.

I can never get used to the bad overacting in football/soccer. Bunch of princessas faking and diving for penalties. Bugs me still.

In one of youngest's basketball games a little tiny slip of an 8 year old girl hurt her finger and was crying on the court. The ref didn't notice and so didn't stop the game. Suddenly she had the ball. She dribbled it all the way down the court and took a shot on the net before stopping again. You could see her sobbing as she ran. Still sobbing after she took the shot.

Those men need to take a lesson or two.

Correfoc

Correr is to run, foc is fire in Catalan. That about sums it up.

I have written about it before here and here
and here and here Plus there is an album of photos you can check out on the right over there....

Despite all of that, I feel compelled to post a couple more photos. I tried to focus this year more on the people and less on the fireworks....

This is typical safety attire for fire runners, sorry it's blurry, but it is done after dark and no one is standing still....the kid is wearing jeans, socks, runners, a scarf over his face, a hoody, a baseball cap and a pair of safety goggles. Should be OK. ALL natural fibers. Plastics make a nasty skin fusion when they melt.


Someone in it...




I have to confess, I wouldn't have brought my baby. The camera makes it appear that they are closer to the sparks than they are, but NONETHELESS, it is not exactly a controlled environment.....right behind us, as in RIGHT behind us is the drumming band. A very loud very compelling drumming band reverberating off the walls. Talk about sensory overload. The baby was quite calm. She is about one.



The main correfoc got rained out this year, but the infantile one continued, yes, that would be kids running in fire.

For an adult this is almost more dangerous as the kids hold the fireworks pretty much at adult face level and the bang they make at the end is pretty much exactly at ear level.

One banged so close behind me I could feel the vibrations, like I had been shot. Of course with no pain or contact, but a bit of a start.....Youngest and I ran it this year, as in got in close enough to get under the sparks, as you can see from the photos. Eldest was too cool to wear the safety goggles and face scarf so had to stay back behind the band where it was safe.

Goodness it takes stamina to be a Catalan.

Barça is winning 6-2 over Madrid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YEAHHHHHHH!HHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tied up the league, thankyouverymuch!

BARÇA!!!!!

So much is on today I don't even know where to start.

Saw some Gegants, actually, quite a lot of them, here are a few to give you a sense of it all.....





You can see just how huge these things are...there are people inside carrying them, plus tenders walking outside in case they tip, plus lots and lots of musicians.....

Youngest had her lemonade stand with her friends again, All Day. They branched out into necklaces and then started simply enjoying making necklaces.

I actually got some painting done which was heavenly.

Eldest was off with buddies playing at 10pm, and youngest is still out playing in the street. 10pm.

Now we are off to correfoc.

More later.

Public service announcement

How to build a castell....

Start with the bit of paper and the plan:


Make sure everyone is paying attention,


Get everyone lined up properly, if it is sloppy here......


Good, good good,


Gather your crowd and line them all up, or at least some of them up.....


Squish three more right smack dab in the center, I don't know if you stand on these ones or the outer ones, hard to say. I think not.


Take a moment for some patty-cake,


Hands up all!

Cue the music,


First level up.....


Keep climbing,

Send out the children,


and then you only have to get back down again!

*management warns that this activity does hold some risk so maybe you shouldn't try it at home.