[Miscellany]

* #1 has shocked the hell out of me by proclaiming that she is going to start a dreaded parent blog. You know the ones I mean. She knows someone who makes double my salary from professional blogging. Firstly, he's a lucky bastard - I hate him already. Secondly, what the hell? I don't know if I'm too comfortable sharing the internets with people I know in rl. What do you think? Do your closest friends read your blog? Would you write differently if they didn't (or did, for that matter)?

* I never thought I'd be one those people who says this but ....my allergies are playing up. This morning I sneezed 8 times in a row. IN A ROW! EIGHT! Let me tell you something... it felt nuthin' like an orgasm. I don't care what anyone says. It was agony. By the end I was just slumped over begging for mercy. I have no idea what has sparked my allergies this morning. Hell, I don't even know if I HAVE allergies. How do you find out anyway? Is there some sort of home testing I can do to find out? God knows I'm not going to the doctor. Why? I already know what they'll say - "let's prick a million needles in you *test results in* okay I suggest you avoid pollen, grass and dust. That'd be 150 dollars" OR "let's prick a million needles in you *test results in* okay I suggest we do a desensitisation of those things you're allergic to. It's going to cost a shit load of money you don't have and might not work. Okie dokie? *two years later* I suggest you avoid pollen, grass and dust. That'll be $2000 thanks. buh bye". Yeah, thanks for nothing you old quack - give me a solution I can live with. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I wish I had my own prescription pad. It'd save me a hell of a lot of time and energy.

Is it wrong that I've played out this whole scenario in my head before it's actually happened?

* Meeting up with some long lost relatives on the weekend was mighty interesting. My cousins now have a little child who is turning 7. It's all great except that in my conversations with her I picked up something was wrong with her. I know that sometimes teachers can jump to the wrong conclusions - but I also know that I'm rarely wrong when it comes to picking up on children that might have special issues. This kid has issues. I can't follow a conversation with her at all. She's very manic and she makes no sense. I really mean no sense. The parents were very cagey about answering any questions about her but it turns out that although she's almost 7 she's never been to school. She's also not being home schooled. Her mother doesn't believe children should be sent to school before 7 because that's apparently how the euros do it.

I've read a good many studies that support sending children to school later and I don't have a problem with that happening. In fact I've worked with children that have been sent to school TOO early and you know, it's hell. It's hell for the teacher and it's certainly traumatic for the child. HOWEVER, for fucks sake, if you are living in a country where the kids start school between 5 and 6 then dammit, THAT'S when you send your child to school. Can you imagine starting a prep class being two years older than your peers? At that age, 2 years is a huge difference and you are asking for social problems. Furthermore, the school will initially decide that the child should be in an age appropriate class (fair enough) but then that child will have NO IDEA what is happening because she won't have the basics down.

I'm all in a tizz about this because
1) this girl should be in school
2) I have a feeling that when she goes to school there are going to be other special needs problems to deal with ON TOP of being academically behind.

sigh.

* It's the Melbourne Cup today! For the uninitiated this means that Melbournians get a whole day off work to celebrate a horse race. I am not complaining. In fact let's celebrate! I wish we got the whole week. I've got money on so many horses that I'm sure to go broke even if I win. Awesome, all in the spirit of the holiday I say.

Do you gamble? Do you bet a lot or a little? Do you put all your money on one horse to win? One horse to win and place? Many horses? Or are you really serious about it?


*EDIT* I've become rather pathetically addicted to playing pacman lately. Unfortunately I am crap at it. I have no idea how that happened - especially since I thought I was hot shit at it but anyway... Click on this link to go play pacman online and then come back here and tell me if you're good at it or not. Is there a secret pacman strategy or am I doomed to FINALLY make it past level 1 with only one life left and then get done in the first 10 seconds by that bloody inkey forever?

Labels: blogs, gambling, holiday, money, questions, school, sick, stressed teachers

posted by M at 11:22 am 31 comments