I've spent the day today grading the essay exams from my creativity class. Overall, they are much better than the previous two times I've taught the class. I'm not entirely sure of the source of the improvement though. This time I didn't post all possible questions and allow a notecard during the test ( to make up for higher expections for detail ( Read more... )

Those of you who read my FB update this morning know I didn't get much sleep last night.  By the time my school day was over I was really dragging ( Read more... )

I've succumbed to my nascent iPhone envy and bought myself an iPhone as a birthday present.
The LJ App was one of the first applications I downloaded from iTunes. It has been a long time since I posted anything here (I'm still trying to figure out why) so I thought lj would be a fitting use for the new phone.
It's fun And it beats the hell out of my ( Read more... )

We had a good class on Friday - those of us who showed up.  Only half the class was there.
Was it because Sensei pushed us so hard in the heat Wednesday?
Was it because it was our first class on Friday night instead of Saturday morning?
Was it because several people are on holiday?
Yes.
 Sensei worked with the five of us who were there, starting the ( Read more... )

I feel the need to post something and the easy way out would be to just catch people up on what has been going on the past week or so.

Yesterday in iai, it was HOT!  In the low nineties and the gym we practice in has no air conditioning.  Sensei said "Excellent! This will be a great training opportunity!" and then he turned off the fans and turned ( Read more... )

Well, Saturday was the shinsakai. I tested for Shodan and passed. Yay!

Look at the wear on that iaito! I REALLY need a new one. I was waiting until I got Shodan so maybe now I can finally put in the order.


( Read more... )

( Read more... )

I went to the Nine Inch Nails / Janes Addiction concert last night. I had fun. I thought about a lot of things. I enjoyed the good music. I was glad that it wasn't raining like it was yesterday and the grass was pretty much dry and the weather was cool enough to wear my new leather jacket.

Do you want to know what a psychologist thinks about when ( Read more... )

Today Sensei videotaped each of us as we went through our shinsa sets ( Read more... )

Have any of you ever sat with a friend in a methadone clinic? It is not pleasant, let me tell you. I know. I know. That's a shocking revelation.
The clinic itself has a cheap, underfunded, understaffed feel to it.
It smells of poverty and dejection.
There isn't a healthy looking person in the bunch.
For most, there is no hope and no prospects but they ( Read more... )