Reading Circle Session 1

After labouring high and lo and compiling reading material, I can finally see the fruits of my work. The first English language reading circle meeting has just been completed and I am pretty satisfied. Not the maximum turnout but the start up phase is usually bumpy, according to my Hungarian colleague. 3 and a half people plus myself was a good number, and conversation was interesting and on point. Although I will admit some slight modifications should be made in terms of how much reading should be done from meeting to meeting. Perhaps a focus on select chapters rather than whole compendiums would be useful? that is still in the pipe works.
As a discussion text, Boyd biography lends itself as a piece to debate leadership, engineering, mentoring, and the development of the Air Force through the first Cold War decades. Conclusion is, Boyd respected skill and not rank. He was charismatic, unorthodox but commanded immediate respect. He earned himself a reputation among his peers and subordinates, and likewise among the people he pissed off which were more often than not his superiors. In my humble opinion, Boyd comes off as a person who some people admired for what he did and how he did it, while others despised him for the same reasons.

There are long work days and then there are long work days

I have to hand it to Tuesdays, they simply envelope you. Today was an especially long day at work. A little teaching, a little tutoring, a little more teaching and then, yes, a little more teaching. I love it to depths, but even so I think that the clockwork has to run smoothly. The little inconsistencies and discrepancies and quasi injustices are like rust in the cog works of the grandfather watch that is my day. Whether or not I try to de-rust the cogs is another matter, but every now and then the rust interferes and the seconds slow or skip. Sometimes time catches up and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes I tweak the clock, I adjust it, I forward time. Then the day moves forward. Sooner or later, I think some coke might do the trick.

Anyhew....

Light a fire under it!

Already two weeks into actually teaching and most of my time has been used on other jobs that have surfaced out of nowhere. Proof reading is a good way to supplement a meagre regular income, but sometimes it is just a pain in the ass.It is not the regular proof reading assignment that I can predict I will receive, or the ones who give me decent deadlines, but it is the I-need-this-proof-read-or-translated-ASAP stuff that really annoys me. Of course for the sake of repeat work I can not decline, after all it is reputation building. I do however hate the assumption others might have that I sit in a little cubicle and process Word documents like some sort of machine, even though that's my process.

Anyhew, one long translation and proof read article later, I am ready to begin teaching grammar. There's something about grammar that evokes a love/hate feeling within me. I hate grammar when it causes trouble for me, but love to explain the solutions to those very problems to others. Near to my heart are all those little exceptions in English grammar that have no clear rules, like irregular nouns. Like how would you know the plural form of "foot" is "feet" without actually being told that it is. I do like that fact that this area of grammar poses the same challenge as vocabulary learning, you simply must apply a learning-by-doing approach it.

Enough about that. After two weeks of nursing a cold (with the exception of the opening beercall and D and I's apartment warming party which really put a dent in my voice, but well worth it) I am finally as of two days ago at 100% operating efficiency. Ready to win hearts and minds and make these become One with the world of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and zero plurals. ( I can just sense my former students sweating at the sound of these black magic words). Brace yourselves!

Homage to those who admin too much during their Air Force work day!

Our Outlook, Who art in Windows
Hallowed be Thy Inbox;
Thy messages come,
Thy drafts be done,
on un-classified as it is on classified PC's.
Give us this day our daily calendar,
and forgive us our spam,
as we forgive those who spam against us;
and lead us not into websites that might get us dishonorably discharged,
but deliver us from multiple recipients and mail-lists. Click Ok or Cancel.

Godfather

Such a great start to this autumn's working life. I am in day 13 or so of a light cold. I definitely do NOT have the swine flu. But I have been coughing up a storm, and like some sort of ab-fantastic electrode machine to train the body's muscles, incessant coughing does the same for both the muscles around the stomach, ribs, and the back. Now my voice sounds like the godfather, and though it commands the respect of the character who I play in real life, I think I could do without the coughing at least.

But I am not exactly innocent in my efforts to regain full health. After the two last weekend parties, which were of course Awesome, I am a little worse for wear. Anyhew, thanks to my contact, I have been able to score some groovy cough medicine, and salvation is nigh. Next week both jobs start up and I aim to be at 100% again. If the voice is better, then at least I can give instructions and guidance, if not, well then it could get really entertaining.