A day in the life of T

This week has been a particularly obscure one:
Form - uneventful probably because only 2 out of 14 of them decided to show on time.
Year 12 - attempted to teach trigonometric functions to a class containing a leper. (later it transpired he was quite visibly part way through a bout of chicken pox)
Year 11 - typically laid back and unconcerned about their forthcoming exams - so much so that senior members of staff are carrying out a 'Classwatch' system - more like Crimewatch...
Year 10 - stopped by a pupil and told that he hates me. In the words of Phil: 'Fair enough'. You can't get on with everyone. He feels the reaction he receives from me is not sufficient so backs it up with ‘faggot’.
Year 9 - observe one pupil break off from their work to snort a line of some substance. The substance is confiscated and turns out to be paprika.
Year 7 - After being given a detention, a pupil feels it would please me to see how my teaching has contributed to his numeracy skills by counting to 1 using the necessary number of digits from the middle of his fist, this was delivered with a pleasant smile, a nice touch.
Form - On my way to form I pass a pupil (supposedly in my form) going in the opposite direction. When asked (in a non aggressive manner) to get to form I suffer a Vicky Pollard routine of
a) being ignored
b) 'Alright!'
c) 'I don't care'

The need for 'Stout' character

One of my pupils found my myspace site I'd created just to start subscribing to other people's blogs. Without a second thought I accepted his request to be added as a friend and now my inbox is deluged by what must be close to 20 pupils - the thing is I don't even teach a few of them. Perhaps the cult of Mr T is the next big thing.
At home I spent yesterday happily chipping away old plaster, only to discover a botch job lurking behind it. It actually feels like things are going backward everytime I try and get a task completed. I also got to see the local football club squander a three nil lead to end the match with a draw. A pretty frustrating day all in all.
I'm also planning to try brewing a stout over the next couple of weeks - if you have a few empty brown bottles spare for when it comes to bottling, it would come in handy!

The world in red

Gone are the days when a good proportion of the world map was shaded red showing British influence, but in the footsteps of John I have created a world map showing countries I have visited. Approximately 50 in total, I'm sure Anton will point out any porkies!

Housewarming

Someone was spraying a jet wash over my car this morning and at my lounge floor window. It wasn't particulalry early this happened but I'd had a late night previously and hadn't the motivation to get up to see what was happening.
What had actually happened was my neighbours were washing their cars and ran the hose over mine to concentrate all the dirt and grime towards the bottom...a blatant attempt to shame me into washing my car. They'd given one house window a quick rinse too and were tempted to aim a jet through the bedroom window to wake me up.

Why would the neighbours want to do this? Well Anton and my return from Mini and Charlotte's 'housewarming' at 3am was likened to that of 'a herd of elephants'. Anyway the home brew met with some acclaim on it's inaugral night and a four hour session of Ring of Fire must be close to a Ranger's record. Good work M and C!!

Ways to spend a weekend

I know some people might question or possibly respect my continued dedication to the home improvements, but 'Marple' Phil's allocation of his spare time in contrast is bonkers,incredible or both. He's written a little report describing it...you may have to scroll down a bit

Hot air

Got a text whilst out in Manchester last night telling me that the world was ending and to go and look at the moon. I left my beer and the pub for a look but overcast conditions meant I didn't get to see the lunar eclipse until later. Incredible stuff...cheers Russ! (for the text that is, not rearranging planetary orbits)
Now down to progress on the house - finally got to use my Christmas present, a hot air gun, from Ian & Rog. This is a handy gadget for removing old paint, saves hours and sandpaper. Thought I'd share a quote from instruction manual: "Do not use this product as a hair dryer"

Handyman

Yesterday was pay day and B&Q's over 60's day. My Dad kindly obliged and helped me get an extra 10% off all the bits and pieces for a tidy fireplace and surround - it was worthwhile as the bill with discounts was around 400 quid. A potential nice little earner is my fellow colleagues - they have the impression I'm now a competent professional and are offering me a bit of money to do some work on their places.
The lounge is on the way to becoming habitable - hit a tiny snag when taking up the old lamintae flooring though. It seems the previous occupants dog had relieved itself on the floor and this had seeped into the membrane beneath. Result: me running for the front door gagging for air while my neighbour - immune seemingly as he's a dog owner - took the mick for the next two days. It's worth taking the abuse and demeaning comments however as they had a spray that neutralised the smell totally - a good job as Anton moved in that evening. Current attempt's to get next doors dog, Jake, to be friendly towards Anton aren't working - any ideas....anyone??