2002-01-25
lots 'o' work done, posted at 12:42 p.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com It's been a great day.I've been working all day on the computer. Not surfing the Internet or writing in my diary (well, until now...), but working. I'm now on page six of my syllabus for next semester. I haven't graded my finals yet because there's this big political controversy about them and no one can agree what the answer key can be.
See, the city makes up the final exams, which are skills-based rather than curriculum-based. Which is fine, I guess, although I'd rather make up my own. But the problem is, it's horribly flawed. Many members of the faculty used last year's tests to practice for the final. I did, briefly. Well, 70% of this year's test was exactly word-for-word from last year's. Of course, it's not the part that I practiced with my classes. So the data will be horribly skewed. There's also a number of unfair, or just plain weird-ass, questions. The test is all about test-taking skills, not English. That sort of sucks.
And our school and the city cannot agree on what the answer key should be. So that leaves me in a state of waiting, which is fine by me because I'm getting a lot of work done on what I'm excited about (next semester) and not what I'm trying to forget (last semester).
So, I've been sitting at my computer since 8:30, getting tons of work done, listening to loud music (so far today, I've listened to full CDs of The Beatles, Kristin Plater, Ella Fitzgerald, Erin McKeown, Old 97's, and Brenda Kahn), and not dealing with 14-year olds. This whole schoolteacher job thing thing would be pretty cool if it were like this every day - no kids. Ha! I'm not really that cynical yet. Actually, a few kids have stopped in to say hi today and turn in work, and they were great to see.
I went to that going-away party last night, and it was nice. Teri hosted it, and she just bought this huge old house in December. Nate (actually, I think I'm going to change his alias, because I stupidly forgot that I also sometimes write about my friend Nate in Michigan, whose name really is Nate... okay, how about... um... Nick. Yeah, that's it), er, I mean Nick was also there (just to remind you, he's another new young single male teacher here, and he's a cool guy who I want to be friends with, as dorky as that sounds), and we drank a lot. Actually, I drank a lot - about five Rolling Rocks - and Nick gave me a ride home (Jeremy had dropped me off there). Tonight, we're planning on heading out the Canton area for some bar-hopping.
I guess I'm just the social butterfly lately. It's much needed, believe me. I really feel like my roommates are bringing me down a bit.
Last night, Jeremy refused the invitation to the party, and dropped me off there in my car. He drove it home and parked it. When I went to it this morning,t he doors were unlocked. I told him they were, and this was his reply: "Oh. Yeah." Gosh, it pissed me off. It still does. I replied, "Oh, so you did it on purpose?". He said, "No no, just, yeah, oh." No apology. No "oops!". Just an "Oh. yeah." At this isn't the first time it's happened, either.
Whatever.
I still think he's just taking out his joblessness on me a bit. We've had good moments this week. He's getting regular subbing jobs and his spirits are mostly up.
Last night, Jake sent us this big package with a bunch of pictures and frames of his wife and kid. I was just at the point where I was feeling shitty because he hadn't called and thanked us for the bike stroller Jeremy and I spent $100 for Christmas and left with his parents. But he thanked us for it. It was very touching.
Life is good. Gotta jam.