Needed Info

It was Tuesday, day two of my new long-term subbing assignment, and as per normal, I was scrambling.

Mr. P had given me the lessons he had intended to teach. My next door neighbor also teaches 9th grade English (I've subbed for her many times), and we conferred on what she was doing. (My plan is to follow what she's doing. We're teaching the same subject.)

I knew I had third period conference, which meant after the first period, I'd have an hour and a half to get some stuff set up for the class. (The school is on block schedule, and Tuesday was a 1-3-5-7 periods day.) 

When I arrived at school and opened my email, I had a message from the sub desk. I was assigned a 3rd period to cover.

I ran up to the office so I could get the copies I had intended to get done during third period copied (as I need them for fifth and seventh periods). As the 145 packets of four pages were copying (with printer jams and then not stapling which was the reason I was going to take my time third period doing it), I ran into another teacher.

Ms. M has transitioned into a different position, but she used to teach English language development. Which is the class I have first period. We got to talking, and she offered to share some of the lessons she used for her classes when she had them. 

(I have one period of ELD and five of English 9. I had a plan for ELD, but having these other lessons is so much better.)

Third period, I made my way to the extra period I was covering. It was a co-taught class, so I was just there for extra assistance. They were doing some testing...

It was also an English class. Was I expected to do this testing in my classes? Yup. And no one had told me.

So, now I know.

While it made the day so much harder having to jump into that extra period, if I hadn't had to go, there were two things I wouldn't have gotten/learned. So, it was kind of a win. Sort of.

Best Case Scenario

It was Friday of the first full week of school, and things had been slow. So, when I got a call from the sub caller asking if I was interested in taking on a long-term subbing assignment, I was ready to consider it. 

I started last Monday.

It was the third week of school, the second full week. (The first day of school was a Thursday, so the first week consisted of two days.) And as they do when they can, it was a "transition" day. That is, the sub who had the class prior and I were there together.

Mr. P explained what was happening to each class. He had found out that he got the job that he had interviewed for the prior Thursday on that Friday. (Only one class met after he found out, so they had been told on the Friday.) So while he was leaving, I was there to take over the class. 

"This is the best case scenario, what I was hoping would happen." 

Mr. P and I have switched classes a couple times. This is the last time we'll do it, though, as Mr. P finally got a full-time teaching job. So, Mr. P explained what he had done, we swapped keys, and he was out and on to his next adventure.

So, for the next little while, until they hire a teacher who will have this class until the end of the school year (and likely beyond), I will be teaching a freshman English class. 

I almost got through the start of a school year without taking on a vacant class. Almost. 

(The teacher who had the class before retired two days before the start of the school year. I don't know why, precisely, but I have a reasonable guess. Mr. P had planned to teach the class until they hired a teacher, but he got the job he didn't think he'd get. It is with the district, so that made the whole transition easier.)

Don't Go Back

What if? It's the basis of many stories. We ask. We ponder. We wonder. 

On Tuesdays I throw one out there. What if? It may be speculative. It may stem from something I see. It may be something I pull from the news. 

Make of it what you will. If a for instance is not specified, interpret that instance as you wish. And if the idea turns into a story, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements 😉

Ideas are funny. You see one thing and read another, and somehow they get put together in your mind, and suddenly, idea. 

A few weeks back, I watched 11.22.63 on Hulu. At around the same time, I was looking something up on TV Tropes...

Note, or rather, a Warning: TV Tropes is a rabbit hole. You will look one thing up, and then click on a link and that will lead you to another and another... And then it's three hours later and you wonder where the time went. It's addictive. Visit at your own risk.

...And as you do on TV Tropes, I clicked a couple links and ended up on "Godwin's Law of Time Travel". (Which is linked to Godwin's law. Click that link if you haven't heard of it. Then it'll all make more sense.) 

These two thoughts collided in my brain, and that gave me this week's question:

What if time travel is always useless? What if, after figuring out how to actually make a time travelling trip, nothing you do in the past does anything but end in disaster in the present?

Hurriquake

As I write this, it's almost 3:30 PM on Sunday. As I do on Sundays, I'm in the process of setting up my blog posts for the week. I'm currently finalizing Thursday's post. 

So, I was just sitting here, selecting pictures for yesterday's post and listening to the rain outside. Rain in August? Yeah, we don't have rain in August. But Hurricane Hilary decided it wanted to appear in California, where hurricanes don't happen. 

Well, it still hasn't, really. It's been downgraded to a tropical storm, and the worst is supposed to hit east of us, more inland near the desert. It's been raining all morning and this afternoon, and I have absolutely no plans to go anywhere. Supposedly, it's supposed to get worse starting about now. 

Anyway, I was just sitting here, selecting pictures, when suddenly...

EARTHQUAKE!

As far as earthquakes go, this one wasn't terrible. It definitely went on for a while (less than a minute, but longer than a quick jolt). 

But really? I mean, I've been through dozens of earthquakes in my life. Probably more than that. I have posted about some here on the blog. 

I can definitely say this is the first time I have experienced a tropical storm and an earthquake at the same time. 

The meme makers jumped right on this.

Anyway, I've got Thursday's blog post to finish, laundry in process, and a full work week coming up. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

13 Classrooms That Don't Exist Anymore

This is likely the last Thursday 13 I'll do before our next school break (Thanksgiving week). And as back-to-school is in my thoughts, I think back to various classrooms that no longer exist. 

When I started adding images to my blog, I started taking pictures of the classrooms I was working in (before school, before students were in the room). Over the years, teachers have moved, classes have shifted, and many rooms are configured differently than the first time I entered them. 

Here's 13 random photos of rooms that no longer look like this.

1. This was about ten years ago now. I started the year in a vacant math class. This room has since been home to at least three other teachers.

2. This room really had a nice setup for desktop computers. This room literally doesn't exist anymore as they actually tore down this building to build a new STEAM building (that just opened for classes at the beginning of this school year). 

3. This was a government classroom. This teacher retired long enough ago that the second teacher to use this classroom after him is now an assistant principal at the school. 

4. This was a French classroom. Madame A retired several years ago, and now an English teacher uses this room. (The school still has a French class, but that teacher is in a different room.)

5. This classroom is no longer a classroom. Last I looked, they were using this room for "tardy sweep", although that might not still be the case. 

6. Another room where the teacher retired, and they did not replace her. This room is still at the continuation high school, but no one uses it any more.

7. This is another classroom that was torn down to make way for the STEAM building. Good riddance, actually. The room was in terrible disrepair. This teacher is still at the school, but she has a much nicer room now. 

8. When they tore down some of the above classrooms, they set up some bungalows for the teachers who were displaced. They have since gotten rid of those bungalows. I can't remember if this room was over by the athletic fields or in the parking lot. All I do know is all of those temporary buildings are gone again.

9. This room was set up like this for a long, long time. (At the continuation high school.) Last school year, they got rid of the desks along the wall, and then they moved the teacher out (to the room #10) and they moved another teacher (from room #10) into this room. It looks completely different now.

10. I haven't been in this room since this teacher moved into the room in picture #9. Eventually I'll see how this room is set up now.

11. Another of the rooms they tore down for the STEAM building. This teacher has since retired as well. (Good riddance to this room, too. It needed to go.)

12. 2020. The teacher who used this room retired at the end of the 2019-20 school year. For distance learning, we subs were given this room to work out of. Until we worked from home. The room now is home to a different special ed teacher, and she's set up the room nicely. Completely different from how it looks here.

13. Spring 2021, when we were doing hybrid (some doing school virtually and some in person), this was the room I worked out of (I was covering a maternity leave). Ms. R has since set up her room the way she likes, with couches and all the desks in place. It was quite homey the last time I was in there. 

It's weird to go into classrooms and remember how they used to be. It's even weirder to know some of those buildings were demolished and replaced by a whole new building. 

Experience

The official first full week of school was incredibly boring for me. I only got one job, for Friday. (It was for the history class I had covered many, many times.) 

When I arrived first thing in the morning, I was surprised to learn that four teachers were out that day. But, fortunately, all had their very own sub covering the class, so it wouldn't be a mad scramble. I took note of who was out that day, as I knew what was coming.

Third period. Two boys, giggling, insisted that they needed to go to another class "to work". I inquired further, and they explained that they had a poem due in their English class. 

Ms. E, the English teacher, was one of the teachers who had a sub. 

What were the chances that they'd go to the other class--that had a sub--and actually do work? Versus, what was the likelihood that they'd go to the other class to play? (I had not met this sub before, so I didn't know how new he was.)

I've been around long enough to know that last week's instance of a student changing classes and actually doing work is not how these things go normally. 

So, I told them no. 

They protested. They said that Ms. E had sentence starters to help them. I offered to let them get those sentence starters and bring them back. No, they needed to be in the room. 

Unlikely. 

I've been doing this job long enough. I wasn't going to subject that sub to two students who could just as easily do nothing with me.

But later in the period, another student asked for something similar. He explained that once he finished his work, Mr. K usually let him go to PE as that week they were doing something with weights. Of course, the PE teacher, Mr. M, was also out. 

But... I knew the sub in PE. She's fairly new, but not new new. And I could hear the weights being used. (The weight room was next door.) 

So, I called her and asked. Mostly, students who leave to go to PE are fine, although Mr. M would know who he should say no to. She said it was fine, and I heard the weights being used, so it was probably okay. 

The boys who I denied earlier? They didn't bother to ask again. 

Did they get any work done? Unlikely. But at least they didn't have a chance to make things miserable for that other sub.

Hidden in Plain Sight

What if? It's the basis of many stories. We ask. We ponder. We wonder. 

On Tuesdays I throw one out there. What if? It may be speculative. It may stem from something I see. It may be something I pull from the news. 

Make of it what you will. If a for instance is not specified, interpret that instance as you wish. And if the idea turns into a story, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements 😉

While considering some sci-fi tropes concerning extraterrestrial life and why we haven't met any aliens, I had a strange thought:

What if the reason we've never been visited by aliens from other worlds is because we have been deliberately hidden from them?

Why were we hidden? How? These are for-instances I'm not going to specify (at least for today. I might revisit this question another week).

A Finish

Apologies. Last week's post wasn't meant as a mystery that I expected anyone to try to solve. I hadn't done much in the way of yarn (knit and/or crochet), but I wanted to post something. And I didn't have a lot of time to construct a post.

If I'd had time, I would have searched out the previous posts where I talked about it, shuffled through my old photos, and perhaps even posted a link to the video instructions. 

(Instead, I went out to have a nice dinner at a semi-local Italian restaurant.) 

But now that it's finished...

...and I have a bit more time, I can do all of that.

About five years ago, I stumbled across a video pattern of a flip-flop keychain. The video was in Italian, but the finished item was so cute, I had to try it. That link goes to the post where I explain all of this, plus the video is embedded in it, too.

I went a little crazy making them, and I sold a few out of my Etsy shop at the time. (They are no longer listed there, but if anyone wants one, let me know and I can set up a listing.) 

I had made one for me, and it's been my car keychain ever since. But back in October, it broke. I was able to repair it, but I knew it was time to make a new one. I just hadn't gotten around to it.

Until now.

It took way longer than I expected. I already said that it took me five tries to get the back done. It only took two or three to get the blue made, but the "shoelace" I had to remake three or four times. 

(Luckily, I got sucked into 11.22.63, so I wasn't scrambling for something to watch on TV while I worked.)

In the end, I modified the pattern so the "shoelace" (the orange strap on top) fit better. (If only I'd done that originally.) I'm quite pleased with the end result. 

I should probably get cracking on Christmas projects, but I just can't seem to get interested in anything. Perhaps when things cool off? Although, normally, it doesn't cool off until October at minimum, so that could be a while.

Fixing It

Continuation high school. Friday. CAD class. Second period.

Class had started. I finished taking roll. Then Javier arrived with a pink classroom exchange slip.

That Mr. G wasn't there was a surprise. (I got the assignment at about 8 PM the previous night. Whatever caused him to be out was last minute.) 

I asked Javier if he specifically needed Mr. G's help. While I can generally assist the kiddos with most classes, computer aided drafting isn't something I know how to do. Javier said he needed to fix his speaker. 

He showed me the one he had made. He designed it on Solidworks and then Mr. G had printed it out on the school's 3D printer. Unfortunately, there were flaws in the design, so Javier needed to redo the design and have it printed out again.

(I forgot to take a picture of the thing, so if you want a visual of what he made, go to about 1:45 in this video. That's roughly what the thing looked like. Watch the whole 2 minute video if you're curious about what he was doing.)

I was dubious, but I let him stay. Students don't usually actually work when they exchange classes to a class taught by a sub. Usually it's an excuse to go somewhere to play. But as Javier was actually planning on working on something, I figured I'd give him a chance.

And... he actually worked. He spent the period on the software, tweaking the things that were problems. (He showed me on his first attempt the things that bothered him.)

He didn't quite finish, so I told him he could return the following period if he needed to (and if his third period teacher gave him permission). 

Third period he returned. And he finished what he could do. He figured he wouldn't get the finished item until about Wednesday. (He'd have to ask Mr. G to print it out. It would take Mr. G time to get around to it. Then, it would take about three hours to print.) 

This was kind of unusual for me. A student voluntarily working on a Friday and completing his task. It helps when it's something they want to do.

The Monitor

Friday at the continuation high school. Computer aided drafting (or CAD). I have covered this class many, many times. Just not in this classroom.

At some point last school year, Mr. G switched classrooms with Mr. F, the math teacher. The move made sense as Mr. G needs more room for his "toys" and Mr. F just needs enough room for desks. (Mr. G's "toys" include a 3D printer and a spot where the students can construct small robots.) 

The bigger room also gave me a good spot to sit behind the students' desks.

What usually happens in this class is that the students say they're working, but when I watch what they're doing from the teacher's desk (there's spy software that lets me see what's on their screens), I see that they're actually playing games. 

Fourth period. While much of the class was on task, two boys were over in a corner, whispering. I finished inputting the attendance, and then I went back to monitoring what was on their screens. The boys were playing some shooter game. 

So, I went back to my perch for the day.

I took a chair behind the kiddos. I could see what was on each of their monitors. I mean, I could see that from the teacher's desk, too, but by sitting behind them, it was obvious I was paying attention to what they were doing.

The boys? They were suddenly on IXL. (IXL is a math program.) 

One boy explained that Mr. G was having him build and organize stuff for the classroom. Knowing the situation and Mr. G, this tracks. The boy would have been getting credit for helping Mr. G set stuff up. So, no Mr. G, no work for the day. Instead, he was going to do his math work.

I was fine with that.

(I'd rather they spend their time in school productively. They can play games at home.)

And so, I sat there, behind them, zoning out. And they kept their computer monitors on stuff that looked schooly. A win. Sort of.

Alas, some of them just hid their phones with their bodies and did nothing anyway. Sigh.

Newbies

Last Thursday was the first day of school. I only got one gig for Friday. 

But, it was at the continuation high school, so instead of it being the second day of school, it was their 18th. 

And while things are usually pretty slow this time of year, I have noticed that I've been missing a lot of assignments. Alerts keep popping up on my phone, but by the time I check, the assignment is gone. I mean, I immediately check, and someone has already grabbed it. That quick.

I miss the old-fashioned sub caller. I was at the top of her call list, so I got first pick. Ah, technology...

When I checked in to the office that Friday, I got a chance to talk to the site secretary. She said they've been getting a lot of brand new subs at the school. 

Apparently, the district hired 50 new subs.

On the one hand, that's great. You might have noticed from my posts last school year that things were very busy for us subs. We need the extra help so more teachers are covered on the daily. (So many teachers were period subbed so frequently last year. That is a bad thing.)

(One of the reasons the district was so short of subs last year was due to the pay. They finally gave us raises--which has been nice--so they've been able to attract more subs to the district, too.) 

But right now that means a lot of people for few gigs. 

Although, the newbie subs have been driving the staff crazy. They haven't been taking attendance. They've let the kiddos get away with things they shouldn't have. And they've been nervous.

I remember being a newbie sub. This stuff will pass. They'll get better. Or they'll quit.

Or, they'll stop going to the continuation high school, and I'll pick up those jobs. 

Things might be slow for a bit. But they'll pick up. They always do. 

(I might do more weeks like this one--where I write about one subbing day over three posts. Hey, it's better than me telling you about what I'm watching on TV.)

Déjà Vu

What if? It's the basis of many stories. We ask. We ponder. We wonder. 

On Tuesdays I throw one out there. What if? It may be speculative. It may stem from something I see. It may be something I pull from the news. 

Make of it what you will. If a for instance is not specified, interpret that instance as you wish. And if the idea turns into a story, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements 😉

What if you could remember the future?

A Start

I actually crocheted something last week: 

It's not much. Although, I did start this, rip it out, restart, rip it out, and retry it about five times. It's been several years since I made these, so I had forgotten how to do it. 

(Luckily there was a YouTube video, so I reviewed that. You'd think reviewing it first would forestall any mistakes on my part. You'd be wrong.) 

I thought I'd have a finished project to show off, but this isn't even half done. Sigh. But, it's something. It's progress. Maybe next week I'll even have something finished to show off.

Not Antarctica

Credit recovery, seventh period. (This is the same day as I talked about yesterday on this blog.) 

Credit recovery is a class that students take to quickly make up credits for classes that they initially failed. So, everyone is working on something different.

It was a warm day as is usual for August. At least it wasn't scorching hot which is also usual for August. But, small room, 15 or so students, and the room heats up quickly. I had the air conditioning on.

We had a high somewhere in the 80s outside. Inside I had set the a/c for 75° (24°C).

"Turn off the air conditioning."

Um, no. If I turn it off, it's 80° in next to no time, and no one wants that.

I explained this to Milt. I informed him that soon the classroom would reach the temperature and then the a/c would click off.

He whined. "It's like Antarctica in here."

Soon enough, the a/c clicked off. Milt should be happy now, right? Nope.

"It's too hot in here. It's like a desert. Turn on the air."

Well, no. It was then a reasonable temperature, and there was no reason to turn the air back on. I told Milt that it would click back on when the temperature got above 75°. 

Sure enough, it did a few minutes later. And what did Milt do? I'm sure you can guess...

And so, for the rest of the period, Milt complained. If the a/c was on, it was "Antarctica". If it was off, it was "the desert". At one point of "Antarctica", I offered to let Milt work outside. He returned a couple minutes later, complaining of "the desert" outside.

I stopped responding. If a student's going to complain, sometimes they're just going to complain.

But I got to complain, after school. And when I named Milt, the office staff wasn't surprised. Apparently, he's working towards becoming a professional boxer. 

I'm glad I'm not his trainer.

Yo-Yo

The school year hasn't officially begun (it starts today, but this week's posts are from last week), but the continuation high school has been in session for about two weeks. I haven't been seeking out jobs, but when one falls in my lap, I take it.

Social studies. Sixth period. (The classes are all combined, so each class has students who are doing geography, world history, U.S. history, and government.) They had various assignments, depending upon which subject they were in.

But afternoons at the continuation high school are... um... interesting. (Read: they're way more laid back and less likely to work.)

I was walking the room, taking attendance, when I noticed a girl winding a yo-yo. From the conversation, I gleaned something...

"You've never played with a yo-yo?"

I asked the student straight out. She admitted that she had not. (It wasn't her yo-yo, but the other student was letting her play with it.)

Now, normally I'm all about "put that away" when it comes to toys. But this was a senior--17-years-old--and she had never... Okay, time to fix that.

She threw it down, and it didn't bounce back up. She was seated, so when she threw the yo-yo, it hit the floor. That would not do. I had her stand up. (She was a bit embarrassed to stand up, but no one was really paying that much attention to her.) 

She threw it, and it bounced back up. Yay. Success. 

And then she gave the yo-yo back to its owner. 

As I walked away, she was explaining to her friend how her parents had just never gotten her one. I mean, I can see that. A yo-yo isn't something that everyone experiences. I guess...

But yeah. At least she got to use a yo-yo once.

The Warm Up

School officially starts tomorrow, but the continuation high school has been open for a couple weeks now, so of course, last week, the inevitable happened.

The assignment I got last week happened in the middle of the night. (That is, my phone alerted me at midnight that a sub was needed.) For Thursday's assignment, I found out about it at 6 PM. So, I had time to prepare.

I don't have a lot of time when I get up in the morning, so I make a breakfast the night before. I eat a hardboiled egg. But I no longer boil them. I use a little thing called the Egg Pod. 

As soon as I accepted the assignment, I went to "boil" my eggs. And I realized that it had been so long since I had used my little gadget that I had forgotten how long to set the microwave for. 

Luckily, the internet had that answer.

I mean, two months, and I've forgotten how to boil eggs? Apparently.

Then, I had to manage my school bag. I keep a bag to tote with me that holds the materials that I generally need for my day. I sorted through the thing earlier in the summer, but I had just purchased a new bag and I hadn't had a chance to move my stuff into it.

(I bought the bag online, and it just arrived that day. It has different pockets, so organizing it was going to take some thought.) 

I do like having a couple continuation high school days before the official start of school. It reminds me that I know how to do this, and I have everything set up. It's a warm up for the school year proper.

Computer Generated

What if? It's the basis of many stories. We ask. We ponder. We wonder. 

On Tuesdays I throw one out there. What if? It may be speculative. It may stem from something I see. It may be something I pull from the news. 

Make of it what you will. If a for instance is not specified, interpret that instance as you wish. And if the idea turns into a story, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements 😉

A.I. toys have been everywhere as of late. People have been using those tools to "create". Many have been clear that they used A.I. for what was produced, but not everyone. So...

What if A.I. produced art (images, writing, music, whatever) was required to be labeled as such? (I kinda think there should be a law about this.)

One Round of Single Crochet

I managed to turn this...

...into this...

...and now it's this...

Perhaps a close up will help. With just blanket stitch:

And now that I've done one round of single crochet:

Now I just need to measure to see how wide I want this piece. Then some sewing and button attachment, and I'll have a pillow cover. Eventually. 

But I haven't felt like doing much lately. I did manage to pull out some yarn, needles/hooks, and patterns to start a couple new things. 

Unfortunately, I can't find the right hook for one of the projects. I'm debating whether to purchase a new hook (I know I have it, but after tearing apart all of the places it could be, I don't know where else to look) or just use a hook one size smaller. It's not something that has to be a certain size, so this would be a minor alteration.

I'm not going to say anything else, as at the rate I'm going, I might not actually touch any of these projects in the foreseeable future. If I get around to any of them, I'll post pictures when I have something to show off.

Have a great week.

Summer Goals Outstanding

The first day of school is next week. 

(Assuming I work the first day of school, which isn't a given, I would write about that the week after next as the blog is always a week behind. So, I'm not quite back to subbing blogging quite yet.) 

As my summer vacation draws to a close, I begin to think of all the things I didn't do this summer. Mostly, I have a bunch of projects that are sitting and staring at me. (I did a lot of resting. And sleeping. And reading.) I don't think there's anything I wish I had done, but I've still got a couple weeks to try and get them accomplished.

Which leads me to today's question:

What is something that you'd still like to do this summer?

My July Watchlist 13

I did this at the beginning of July, so I figured I could do it again now. It's a Thursday 13 of what I watched on TV in July. Unlike June, I'm having a hard time hitting a full 13. A couple of these I may have actually seen in June. (I'm not 100% sure. I didn't write about them for June's post, so I probably saw them in July.)

The link to most go to their trailers. For #9 it's a show clip. And for #11-13 the link goes to the shows' homepages. 

1. Quantum Leap, NBC

I recorded the full first season of this sequel/reboot as it aired, but I didn't even begin to watch it until July. I did watch the whole season, all 18 episodes. One a night. This is why I didn't see that much else, as I was working my way through this show most of the month. (I already talked about the show on a Wednesday post.)

2. The Lazarus Project, TNT

This one was only eight episodes, and I did manage to finish the first season. (The second season isn't available yet, if it has even been filmed.) It went in a way different direction than I expected, but it was pretty decent. I'd do a season 2 if it appears.

3. Devotion, Paramount Plus

This is a movie about the first Black fighter pilot in the integrated Navy during the Korean War. I was not aware of this movie when it came out in theaters, only when it first appeared streaming. The trailer sucked me in, so I gave it a go, and I was not disappointed. I recommend.

4. Shazam! Fury of the Gods, MAX

This is one I might have caught at the end of June. It's a sequel, and I didn't hate the first one. (I didn't love the first one, but it was a nice diversion.) This... was a bit of a mess. As the reviews stated. If the pickings weren't so slim for this list, I'd've skipped it entirely.

5. And Just Like That, MAX

This is the "sequel" to Sex and the City that's been widely maligned. I can see why, but I also don't hate it. I watched the first season last year because it was on when nothing else was. I'm watching the second season for similar reasons.  I don't recommend it unless you were a big SATC fan (which I wasn't) and you've seen the reviews and they don't put you off. 

6. The Game Show Show, ABC

Back in May, this popped up in my guide, and I was curious, so I recorded it. I only just got around to watching. (This is the time of year that all of the shows and such I was collecting get watched.) It's a four episode history of game shows, from the earliest quiz shows through Survivor and American Idol. It's an interesting overview. I like this sort of thing. If you can find it, it's worth your time.

7. Star Trek: Lower Decks, Paramount Plus

I've been meaning to get around to this one, and then I heard there was a crossover episode with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (which I'm watching, but with someone else, and we're way behind), I figured I'd better know what this show is about before encountering the crossover episode. It's very cartoony, but it is a cartoon, so it fits. It's the usual Star Trek stuff. I'm only a couple episodes in, so I don't have much to say about it.

8. School Spirits, Paramount Plus

It's a weird show about a teen girl who was murdered at school. She's now a ghost, "living" on campus with the others who died there. She does not remember her death, so she's trying to figure out what happened to her while her "guide" (a teen boy from the '90s) attempts to help her adjust (along with a "support group" filled with teens who died at school along with a teacher who leads them). I'm only a couple episodes in, but so far it's interesting enough.

9. Weakest Link, NBC

This aired a new episode or two in July. I have it automatically set to record. It's an odd little game show that's been around for a while (and "borrowed" from British TV), so you've probably already heard of it. This iteration is hosted by Jane Lynch, and they've been doing some themed shows. The one I saw was populated by WWE wrestlers. I don't watch WWE, so I was only there for the trivia questions. 

10. Ted Lasso, Apple TV Plus

I've raved about this show on the blog before. After I finished Quantum Leap, I realized I was kinda meh on the TV offerings, so it was time to re-up my subscription to Apple Plus and catch season 3. As I write this, I'm about halfway through the season, but by the time you read this, I'm sure I'll have finished it. (Then I'll watch the seasons of the other shows I got into, and I'll drop the subscription.) American football coach goes to England to coach soccer. And he's really, really nice. I highly recommend. With bells on.

11. NOVA, PBS

And now we come to more background shows. NOVA is one of those shows I'll watch when I want to watch something, but I'm not sure what. I have a bunch recorded, so I go and look for something that looks interesting. I watched a show on falling bridges and one about Mars.

12. The Best of Sewing with Nancy, PBS

I have a bunch of shows set to record from PBS. This is a how-to with plenty of projects. Which I can't do as I don't really have a sewing machine. But it's fun to see how things are made. (There's a knitting show as well, but I'm all caught up on those.) 

13. Jeopardy!, ABC

This is pretty much a nightly thing. I watch it while I eat dinner. I wouldn't mention it, but I have nothing else to list.  (I'm also continuing with The Food that Built America as new episodes air, and I finished The Blacklist when it finally finaled.)

Oh, the Drama

And so, it begins again.

School doesn't officially begin until August 10th. But, the continuation high school had been in session for a week. The class was "Adult Re-Entry". I have not covered this class in years, but I am familiar with it. (I wrote about it many times, but here are three posts from back then: one, two, and three.)

(Re-entry is a class for young adults who just missed graduating from high school. The class is four hours long, and they spend their time working on whatever credits they are missing. It's a very chill day.)

The students don't arrive until 10 AM, but the continuation high school starts at 8:30, so I was very early. (We're supposed to report to the school site a half hour before class begins.) So, I got into the classroom and I was prepping for the day (read: checking my personal email and reading blogs).

At 8:40 there was a knock at the door. Duke informed me that Mr. G lets them come in early if they arrive early. As I had nothing better going on, I didn't see the harm in it.

Duke got a computer and attempted to log in. Alas, he couldn't remember his username and password. He had saved them on his phone, but alas, he had left his phone at home.

He asked to use the classroom phone to call his sister. 

It took him a couple tries to call out. (They have to dial a number before to indicate an outside line, and then we have to use 1 + area code to dial all phone numbers in our area. But as I knew all this, I was able to help him get the call to go through.) He got a hold of his sister, but she was unable to help. 

I know their user credentials live in a screen I don't have access to. But I know who does. She gave me Duke's username and password, and Duke was able to log in. To the computer. But not to the program.

While attempting to get a hold of the counselor who has access to the program's data, Duke got a call back from his sister. 

I only heard Duke's portion of the conversation. "Bruh... Why'd you have to tell me this?"

He was clearly upset. He wanted to know why his sister had to call him to tell him whatever it was while he was at school. He wondered why she couldn't have waited until he got home. Then he informed me that he wasn't going to be able to concentrate, so he was going to leave. 

I was once again alone, but class hadn't started, so that was no surprise. 

There's a reason why these students didn't graduate "on time". But at least they're making the attempt, distractions notwithstanding.

The Big Winner

What if? It's the basis of many stories. We ask. We ponder. We wonder. 

On Tuesdays I throw one out there. What if? It may be speculative. It may stem from something I see. It may be something I pull from the news. 

Make of it what you will. If a for instance is not specified, interpret that instance as you wish. And if the idea turns into a story, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements 😉

Apparently, there has been a big jackpot in the Powerball lottery. These things come up every so often, and I only marginally hear about them. Which leads to today's question.

What if you won a huge jackpot (I'm thinking nearing $1 billion), but to claim it, you had to be publicly identified (on the news and such)?