another quickie!

Again, more pessimism. I went to the check the book-sale. Nothing! Absolutely nothing interesting. All bookstores sell the same books, then I went to another one and whoop. Same book but half the price and 4 for 3 deal. Unfortunately I couldn't find 3 other books that I wanted. So no new books, no sale, only boredom and exhaustion. That sums up my Saturday along books at Akademibokhandeln, Åhlens and others.

time to write something

Unfortunately, this post won't be a pleasant one. I'm struggling reading 'Boyhood' by Coetzee. My first thought was that it could be an interesting read since I'm excited about going to Africa. South Africa just happens to be one of my favorite dream destinations. Secondly, I'm fascinated in reading about novels that depicts real life situations such as racial segregation, apartheid, or the civil rights movement in the United States, Nevetheless, the boy in boyhood so far only agonizes me and he's in my eyes despicable. There's just some aura around him that just gives the me the creeps. I'm not sure what it is but he despises him mother and father, he doesn't like the other kids and they don't like him very much. He lies and...well...uses silence as a means to get away from telling the truth or what he would really like to say. It's so far away from what I believe in and I feel untouched by his problems. I wish I could feel for him, but I cannot. I hope it will change for the better as the story comes along. It has to since I'm debating what kind of presentation I will set out to do.

It's Happy Pancake Day!

Today's title has completely nothing to do with what I'd like to speak about. I've been digesting books on ethical dilemmas in the classroom. I find this a quite interesting topic for several reasons. 1. we often make too quick decisions 2. we have seldom reflected on our decision beforehand 3. dilemmas arise in schools everyday and I need to be prepared to handle those with a professional attitude as a teacher.

I'll be over at the nearby high school tomorrow and it looks like I will sub a few classes. It will be fun and interesting I think. It is kind of awkward to be a teacher student because it feels like you have hawk watching every step you make. Even though it is fortunate to have a teacher supervising you it still feels like big brother's watching you. It is sort of a power struggle especially since two of my supervisors have been my age or younger. It just feels odd somehow.

Other than subbing I'm also supposed to find an ethical dilemma the next few days. I have some ideas, but it might be interesting to see what will turn up in during the next couple of days. Somehow I'm going to analyze this and write a paper on it. It could be fairly difficult, I'm not sure yet. I think my biggest problem will be to limit myself to the 2500 words we are allowed to use. Ouch! trouble lurking! he he I wish I could use a quote by one of my English teachers "I have no idea how many pages you need to write down what you want to write, but if you feel it is too short then it is probably too short and if you feel it is too long then is too long unfortunately". Unfortunately for me, in this case, 2500 is the golden number this time around. last week I ended up writing 3-4 pgs too long as well as turning the paper in a day too late. Not that good!

Anyway, those are my magic words for today.

Time!

Time and me goes hand in hand....or not. This week has been awful in that sense. I believe it started already on Tuesday. First we overslept in the morning, which meant we had to rush through breakfast. It didn't bother me much at the time, because I had made an appointment with at the local gas station for a carwash. Nicely done, and I rolled down to fetch my other car. Everything went smoothly til the car wouldn't start. I was sweat talking and trying to make it start. But it wouldn't bulge, not once. I fetched a hammer and a screwdriver. It meant, it has to start with a bit of force. Fortunately, it did once, but then the second time I had to pound the ignition over and over. Finally, it worked! I really hate that car right now and after all the sweat talking. Hmmm! Off it went from the priority list for this week. Unfortunately, I have to solve this asap. Then later than evening, in Valentine's Day's spirit, me and Jenny headed to a nice French place in Stockholm. The problem was communication. I though Jenny was running late and ended up waiting downstairs, Jenny on the other hand ran to the train station and by the time we got hold of each other by phone, the train arrived. We had to take the  next train and the subway. It ended up being perfect timing anyway. Later, right after dinner and we were heading home to catch a the no. 4 bus. It also rushed by us, one minute early. Damn it! No more busses the next thirty minutes meant a brisk snowy walk up to the train station. Just a few hundred meters away I noticed that we might actually make it to the 8.45 train. We ran, our breaths were showing signs of slight exhaustion since our bellies were full of stuffed pancakes but the train simply just rode of when we go up to the platform. Not again! Time and I were not best friends at this moment. This morning, I overslept again, but rushed through breakfast once more gave me enough time to head down to the train. Just to realized that class wouldn't start until 10. I was 1.5 hr early.

Happy Birthday to me!

Happy Birthday Gustav!

A free day! What to do? What to do? Clean? Not really! I do have to read Once in a House on Fire. It's going alright, after a slow start. The first 60 pages took two weeks to read, but then I realized I have to read about 40 pages per day to finish it on time. Unfortunately, this past weekend was a really slow reading weekend. Too many other things on my mind and well basically I was partying rather than reading. I'll have to make up for the lost reading time each day this week :D Marvelous! The sun is shining so it will be nice just laying on the couch covering page after page.

I think I'll add some quotes that I enjoyed from the book:

"only the eyes stood out, during the first two weeks: sly ones slit and on the lookout  for a touch of softness  to rough up; round ones blinking wide, nowhere to hide." A short glimpse into the school world, which at times could be compared to the "wildlife programmes (...): fierce cats lurking behind bushes, muscles poised to pounce on knock-kneed deer".

My back is tired!

Tonight's dream theme would be to lay down on my couch and do nothing. Maybe read a little bit in a book, but that's it. I have other plans (un)fortunately. It is not like I don't want to go to that dinner, it is just that I really feel like laying down right now.

that's it for now!