6/9: What I Accomplished Today

1. I forgot to blog yesterday. I'll just lump what I accomplished yesterday into what I accomplished today.

2. Finished my gradesheet and final layout for the six-week 100 I'm supposed to teach starting in July. That's ready to go now. I've also gotten about a quarter of the way into the fall's 101.

3. Got the questions asked that I need to have answered to finish the May Placement statistics. (These are shamefully late, but I keep coming across riddle after riddle.)

4. Finished three Pogo badges. Couldn't get a rhythm in backgammon; I'll try again tomorrow.

5. We watched the next episode of the Outback House show. The young people who signed up to be servants never have any clue what they're in for, and turnover is high for those positions. However, to be fair, on this show, it also looks like, to a certain degree, they want to do what they're supposed to, but a) no one has shown them what to do or given them much guidance about how often to do it, and b) they're seldom self-directed enough to do what's supposed to be done. It seems as if they have to be told each day and each week specifically what to do instead of thinking, "Well, it's Wednesday, so the laundry has to be done" or whatever. It also looks like it's just easier for the cook to do heavy work herself instead of instructing them; it's hard to know if that's because she enjoys it, she can't be bothered with showing them how to do it, or they just don't do it to her standard. They also genuinely seem to have no concept of what servants in 1860's Australia (or whenever, for servants) would have been permitted to do. They decided they'd camp out every Wednesday night and sleep under the stars so they could have a proper lie-in on Thursday. Now let's just count the wrong things in that scenario (starting with just basic safety). Yeah, in 1860's Australia on an outback sheep station, the squatter's wife would definitely be thinking, "Oh, the maids don't really get a good decent sleep-in; perhaps they should sleep outdoors one night a week." No, no, no. Here on Planet Earth, that wouldn't have been physically safe, that wouldn't have been socially acceptable (where, precisely, do the station hands sleep), it wouldn't have been socially classfully (here's a word I probably didn't need to make up) acceptable ("You've decided where you're going to sleep and when? Oh, I think not. Do as you're told and get back to work"), and nobody would have given a rat's ass how late the servants got to sleep. In fact, this would have been rather a bad thing, I should think.

We also watched the last two episodes of Studio 60. I know I've discussed that before, so I won't do it again. I am a little disappointed we'll never know what happens to Tom's brother or Jordan's baby, but I'm glad to see Sorkin freed up to do something more Sorkin-y. (I also sort of hope Matt just gets on his knees and prays with Harriet; it won't hurt him or anyone else, and it's a way to feel like you're accomplishing something at times when you otherwise feel powerless. Over and beyond that is obviously a matter of faith, but sometimes, just trying to make some sort of connection to the It, regardless of what you think It might constitute, is good for the soul, so to speak.)

6. My mother-in-law had to take some online courses to maintain her professional certification, so she came over today and took one, and afterwards we watched a Netflix movie we'd gotten because she'd enjoyed it many years ago and had mentioned wanting to see it again, Cary Grant's Once Upon a Time. This is a very cute movie.

7. BigFishGame for the last few nights hasn't been of interest; I think last night's was another Find the Stuff, and tonight's is another Three-Matchy.

8. Didn't really get to play WOW today because my mother-in-law was taking her online course on that computer. I can't remember whether I dinged 28 yesterday or the day before. The goal for tomorrow is to get this stupid level 28 Night Elf Druid through the Deadmines. I'm really beginning to dread Instances.