Well Holidays are here

Well last Monday rolled around to a light dusting of snow, it was worse in the morning when Len left for work. When I headed south it really wasnt that bad besides the drivers still wanting to crawl along even though there was no snow in the air or on the road. Gotta looove that Malahat . Anyways I got to my appointment with my teacher ad it was pathetic as I figured it was going to be. She asked if now that I had had some time to think about it and calm down if my opinions had changed. Ya NOPE, still feel the same way! She went on to say that it is her rule to do things that way and if I miss it that there really isnt anything fair that she can do without giving me special treatment. And in the big scheme of things that 10% really didnt affect my overall mark in the long run. In my mind I think it did, even if it was just by 1%. She made other suggestions to help get by in casse weather became an issue and I could not get to class. The only one that was good to know about was if it is an exam day and the hat is a weather related mess and impassible, I can call her and she can fax my exam to the Duncan campus and they will make arrangements for me to go there and write the exam and in turn fax it back to her when done for marking. This is good to know on the off chance that I cant get through. All the rest of her suggestions were of little use considering I dont have fax or email in my truck on top of the hat. So be it and carry on, obviously like I figured there was really nothing that will be done to chage anything.

She did give me my marks ahead of the class in the meetinng ad thankfully they were both better then anticipated. Somehow I pulled a 97 on my exam, not bad considering I was only physically in class and not mentally! Now the partner project had me worried, as my partner is a bit of a slacker(I found this out after I was paired with her) I had all my written portion finished 2 days early, also had all my handouts for the class done, given to the teacher for copying and in my posession. All my partner had to do was get her written to me so I could bind it all together, get her handouts copied and make a power point presentation. Well she shows up about 20 minutes before class, gives me her written, doesnt have her handouts copied and at this point in time the teacher wont copy them, and the power point she made was just our table of contents printed on the screen. Obviously I should have kept all the creative stuff to myself, cause it was a pathetic attempt and definately done last minute. Then we get in class and the teacher goes over what she is expecting from our presentation and there goes my prep out the window! I had something else designed and it wasnt what she wanted so I had to wing it. Great, hate being thrown on the spot like that. Well overall and thankfully for the extra work I had put into the project we ended up with a 95. I was really worried about it and will not chose to work with her again in the future.

Overall I ended up with a 95 in this course.

Monday night the snow really started to fly. It wasnt too bad downtown but as ya got closer to Langford it got worse and I knew damn well that the hat was going to be a complete gongshow. Yep I was right, all traffic was sitting in the right hand lane following a calcium truck. Nope they werent plowing just spraying. WTF is with that, they need to run the plow as well. Anyways, I did not have the patience to sit in this line of traffic all the way home so I took to the left lane to feel the truck out and if I had the traction to go. Yep no problem, truck was fine and off I went up the fast lane. Hey I was good, I was still under the speed limit for a change but atleast I wasnt doing 40 and stuck in second gear. Len tried to follow but the ranger being empty had no traction what so ever, so he had to fall back into the slow lane to get up tunnel hill. As I reached the Shawnigan turn off was where I saw the flashing beacon of the roads crew and thought shit now I will have to get behaind him cause ya cant pass a plow on the left. That is when I realized they werent plowing and just spraying. So I did pass him and keep going until I had no choice, cause all of the previous commuters were unable to finnd the lanes they had made one lane in the middle of the two, stradddling the white line. If I had of tried to take the left, I would have been over the center line, so now I am stuck and doing 20 over the summit. When we came over the top and out to Bamberton the drivers continued this one lane drive annd I again took to the left to get home and out of this crud. In the turning lane infront of my house, I just about hit the same guy twice cause of his pathetic driving skills. I was already in the turning lane and bumper to bumper with him when he figured he needed my lane and didnt even signal and just pulled over into me! Luckily I was able to hit the brakes, control the truck and not hit the stupid SOB. He got a full blast of horn and lights in the process but it didnt wake him up. At the corner, he decides to play dumb phuk again, this time slowing for the corner then at the last minute without signal, he hits the brakes and makes a uturn! Here I am again on a slight incline corner hitting the brakes and having to take evasive manuevers to avoid hitting him. Yep you got it lights and horn again! Thankfully Im feet from my driveway and get the hell in and off the roads. The next moring Len tried to leave for work, but there was no helping the ranger outta the driveway, so there it sat, and Im now onn my way to Vic and school way early cause the good ole beast of an Exploder charged up the drive in 2 no problem. Oh well help Len for the morning and go to school in the afternoon.

We started a new course this week and it is actually a fun class. It is learning about paraprofessionals (teaching assistants) Our diploma doesnt allow us to work in the Victoria school boards but it does allow us to work in the Cowichan Valley, woo hoo lucky me! Hadnt really given it any thought before but it may be an idea. Hell the pay is better and then I would also get the summers off! Hmmmmm, now there is something to think about, summer, riding, and good pay. Will have to do a number crunch and see if it is worthwhile to have the 2 months off without pay or if it is better to be working year round. As I said this class is fun and so are the projects. To start with she has given each of us a day where we have to do "circle time" Yes just like back in kindergarten. We can do what ever we want and focus on any age group as long as it is relevant. I did mine on Wednesday and focused more on teens and it went well with a little bit of chaos thrown in. The projects which we can work on over the break are both simple, easy, and creative. The first is some kind of a visual schedule or system. Little pictures that a child could look at to see what they are suppose to be doing next. Im thinking I need to steal that doll back from my niece and use it again with the thought balloons to have the child express feelings and such, maybe in the contrext of a deaf child who has not yet learned to sign with their parents and this would be a way to communicate. The second project is that we have to create some kind of an educational game. well have several different ideas on this one but I think I have it covered, just have to build it and set out the rules for it.

So the holidays have started and besides having time off, I couldnt shive a git, no decorations this year and no presents either, just no money to do anything, so be it. As for the girl, well she does have and extended family network so there will be some things for her just nothing at home here. Thankfully she isnt upset about it and I promised that whe things were caught up we would take her on a little shopping spree.

I went out for a little afternoon ride yesterday ad it was a blast, little cool but good none the less. Wish this liquid shit in either form would quit so that I could get out a little more. That two wheeled therapy has got to be the best to put a mind to ease.
As for the next 2 weeks, nothing major on the agenda. Work on my projects, have a xmas dinner invite, Kaylee will be bouncing around, here, there, and everywhere. We have a NNew Years wedding to go to in Nanaimo oh and if the weather cooperates for a couple days, Ang and I are on a mission to Coombs to visit another girlfriend from the past that we havent seen in a long time. Now that could be entertaining and just downright trouble. Beyond that nothing much to do besides find more trouble to get into and Im sure I am capable of doing so!!

To those that are celebrating and in the immortal words of Bull - "Hairy Misstress and crappy new years" Hope I see some of yall in my mission for trouble.