Monday Cactus Update!

Off today.

Not going like off! anywhere, just off from work.

Where I've been really busy since it's time for our mid quarter reports and all the kids have been scrambling to make up stuff and turn it in so their grades don't look so bad.

I'm sort of sad cause it's like half the kids are failing.

No really.

Some of them just aren't turning in any work!

I hope the semester ends on a brighter note.

Anyways, just so I didn't end up wasting the whole day like I did yesterday, I took six steps and went to do some cactus maintenance.

One of the soldiers up and went south:

I don't exactly know why, but it might have been some sort of cactus fungus or something.

There were these brown spots that showed up and eventually covered the whole thing.

Sort of like these brown spots here:

I'll have to keep and eyeball on that.

If you squint yer eyeballs you can also see some growth markings on that tall boy, kinda neat.

The good news is that the opuntia is like getting really fat!

Now it's starting to look like a cactus!

Not like that other one next to it, which sort of looks like a hot air balloon.

The cactus that fell off the lanai last year is also doing great:

At first it was sort of turning brown then all of a sudden it began to sprout new, uh, arm thingys.

Now it's all nice and fuzzy again.

Sort of.

I know I keep saying this but I really have to go and transplant some of the other ones I got in them small pots:

Slowly but surely I'm getting them into bigger pots where they seem to do better.

The saguaro is looking good:

It's been like two years and that's what they all look like.

For the most part.

I swear if I live to see them get to one foot, I'll be a happy guy.

Okay, there you go!

Time for me to go and double check the ole grade book, you know, before I send em on in to where ever they go in.

Oh yeah, I have to iron some shirts.

Image and all that.
Dont' you know.

Sunday Early Edition

Well hello.
How are you?
How have you been?
Haven't seen you in a while.
Me?
I've been busy.
No really.
Busy, busy, busy.
For one thing, I had one of my review thingys where one of the VPs comes and visits me in class.
While class is going.
Which means we(me and the VP) had a lot to talk about.
Forty five minutes worth of talk about.
No, nothing majorly bad or wrong, just some helpful suggestions.
Sort of helpful.
I mean.
I gotta say, running a classroom of twenty five or so teenage folks ain't exactly the easiest thing in the world to do.
For one thing, you gotta keep em busy, which may be the hardest thing in the world to do.
Keep em from goofing off, fooling with various electronic devices, and roaming the internets and playing online games and watching non teacher approved video.
I knew the job was dangerous when I took it.
Fred.
Actually things aren't that bad.
Actually not bad by my standards, but on the other hand I'm not being judged/graded by my standards.
If you know what I mean.
I like my classroom to be fairly loose, meaning folks can do just about anything they care to do, as long as it isn't bothering folks doing what they are supposed to do.
Anyways, to make a long story somewhat shorter, I was aware of some of my shortcomings in classroom management and I got called on them and now I gotta take care of them.
Boy.
This is like saying you ride a bicycle pretty well but you're really slow.
Hey wait!
Okay, I used to ride a bicycle and lemme tell you, I'm slowly mentally working my way back.
To riding a bicycle I mean.
I was even thinking of pumping up my tires!
Anyways, as far as classroom management goes, I've installed a few tweaks and we'll see how that goes in the coming weeks.
It sure seems like the year is just flying by!
I must be having fun.
I think.
In other news, I am a banana head again.
Okay, I guess that's not news.
Not new news anyways.
So I got this polarizing filter for my camera, and I showed you folks some images I took with it.
Well I got this new lens and I went a looking for another filter or some kind of step up thingy and I got to thinking about how well a polarizing lens works.
I mean the differences aren't that great right?
Is it really worth it?
Well it seems it works just like a regular polarizing filter meaning that you still have to turn it some to get the best results.
I swear I should learn how read directions.
Or something:

I mean I figured it's circular right?
You know, like in a circle?
Like all around?
Not like it's circular so you have to rotate it.
JRA, you can just shoot me right now cause I don't think I should even be holding a camera.
At least not one with manual controls.
Or one that needs filters.
Maybe I should just go back to making pots.
Which I need to do since I got this craft fair coming up next month.
Okay, lemme go and see how this filter thingy really works.