Tracked

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 😉

I was on a plane for half the day yesterday. (I'm writing this post before I leave.) If I got behind on visiting while I was away, I'll catch up in the next day or two.

So, because I'm writing this more than a week ahead, current events are off the table... 

What if everyone was required to wear a device that the government could use to track you? (Alas, I wish this was far-fetched...)

A Finished Zombie

I am writing today's post on July 1st, before I leave on my trip. Because I can announce that I finished the Zombie from Minecraft amigurumi last night. Woo-hoo!

If I wasn't on deadline (getting it done before going to Ohio so I could gift it to the twins in person), I probably would have taken a bit more time in assembling it. But all in all, I'm happy with how it turned out. 

My return plane trip is today. My flight doesn't leave until the afternoon, and the time zones will be with me instead of against me, but it's likely I won't be online much if at all today. I'll catch up with everyone tomorrow. 

Previous Zombie posts: 

• Zombie Time
• Zombie Body
• Crunch Time

How Much Do You Know About Independence Day?

Hey, it's the 4th of July. And it's Friday. So, let me see if I can find a quiz on theme. I'm sure I can... 

(This is one of those U.S.-centric things. Sorry, readers outside of the U.S.) 

How Much Do You Know About Independence Day?

Some of the questions are obvious. Some are more of a challenge. I got 13/15. (One of them I did not know. The other I should have known. Probably. But I got a couple correct that were educated guesses, so it balanced out.) 

If you try it, let me know how you did in the comments. Happy 4th. 

Streaming Channels 13

Note: I am out of town this week, but I will have my computer and internet access, so I should be around mostly as normal.

Summer is a challenging time for me on the blog. What do I write about? Luckily, I can fall back to the Thursday 13 blog hop. Before school got out, I had some time one day in a class and I brainstormed some ideas. One that popped into my head was a list of streaming platforms for TV. Because it seems that there are a lot of them that no one seems to know about. 

My intent was to limit this to FAST platforms. That is: Free Ad-Supported TV. In other words, if you have a TV that has streaming capability (or you get one of those dongles that turn your TV into a streaming TV), you can watch movies or TV shows on these platforms, no payment required. (You're stuck watching ads, but you'd watch ads on broadcast, so fair trade.) 

However, as I went about compiling the list, I found some services I knew about had gone defunct and some others were no longer working as this. (They went paid or they were added to paid services.) 

Some of these I'm familiar with. Some of these I only came across to fill out this list. These are all available in the U.S. (Sorry international readers.) There were some other platforms available internationally that I found on Wikipedia, so if you're looking, look here. 

Anyway, here's a list with links. If you have any others you are aware of, please add them in the comments. 

1. Tubi TV: Lots of good stuff here. You'd be surprised at some of the movies and TV shows that you can find. 

2. Amazon Freevee: Freevee used to stand alone, and it had some great '90s TV movies and new series (like Leverage: Redemption). Amazon has put it back with its service, but this is still supposed to be the free tier. Some shows are supposedly still available via this. I think this is the right link. 

3. Pluto TV: This is more like a broadcast channel with lots of sci fi. But streaming. And free. 

4. Plex: It looks like this has kind of turned into a hub of some sort rather than the movies it used to be. Sigh. (There's also JustWatch that's similar.)

5. Roku Channel: If you have a Roku TV, this channel comes standard. But you can access it from the computer as well. It has some streaming channels that you've never heard of, but there are some interesting things there if you look. 

6. Peacock: Initially, this had a free tier. I don't know if it does anymore, now that I'm looking at it for this post. It used to be that you could log in and watch NBC broadcast shows a week after they aired. That might still be possible. (You have to pay to get more content, but today's list is just for the free.) 

7. Xumo: I learned about this when we changed internet providers (for about three weeks), and this was the TV choice. It has the channels you want, but it's likely just through the internet provider. 

8. Filmrise: Movies. It says it's a provider to streaming channels, so it's probably not working for streaming. 

9. 123 Movies: I've seen the kiddos at school use this one... a while ago. Like, more than five years ago. Apparently, it's still around, but I'm rather dubious about them. 

10. beeTV: I did not realize that finding 13 sites was going to be this challenging. (I thought there were more than 13.) I'm not sure what this one has that the others don't, really. 

11. Fawesome TV: While trying to get to 13 sites, I searched and found this one. It's completely new to me, but it looks like it might have some interesting shows. If you're looking for a different service. 

12. Samsung TV Plus: If you have a Samsung TV with streaming capability, you already have access to this. It has the usual streaming channels, which is to say it has many channels that you don't normally see, but there are interesting things there if you look. 

13. Ameba: This one looks to be mostly animation. Aimed at kids. Which is not a bad thing to be, if that's what you're looking for. 

Responding to Comments via Email

Note: Today I will be getting on a plane and flying to Ohio, so I likely won't check in with you all. I should have time to catch up on Thursday. See you then. 

How do you respond to comments on your blog? 

I generally prefer to respond via email. Not everyone is going to go back to the various blogs they visit just to check and see if a response was left. And a longer conversation can happen via the privacy of email (as private as an email can be) rather than being left in a public-facing forum. 

However, not everyone has their email enabled, so responding to all comments via email is not always feasible. And then Blogger decided to make that even harder. 

But, it is still doable. And how to do it is my topic for today. 

If you want to be able to receive emails from your comments on various Blogger blogs, you have to enable them. Under "Settings", find "General" (all the way at the bottom of the page), and click on "Edit Profile". 

click to enlarge

Under "Privacy and Identity", you should have a contact email address. (If not, click on it, and you can add one.) Then make sure "Show my contact email address" is toggled "on". Your email is not actually shown. There's a link shown in your profile that someone can click on and email you. 

click to enlarge

Of course, many people don't want to be contacted from blogs, and that's completely understandable. I have found that I don't get a lot of unwanted email this way. Of course, I also have one email that's dedicated to blogging (mostly), and I have other email addresses for other uses. 

The part that Blogger "broke" a few months back can still be accessed albeit a bit differently than before. (Much thanks to Pradeep Nair of Time and Tide for discovering the solution.) 

If you want to respond to comments via email, you first have to get the comments in email. To do that, in "Settings" find "Email" (it's about halfway down the page). Under "Comment notification subscribers", you should see your email address. (Mine went missing a couple months ago, and it took me two tries to get it to remain.) If it isn't there, you can add it by clicking on "Invite people to comment notifications" and adding your email. You then have to accept this via your email, and then you'll get an email every time someone comments on your blog posts. 

click to enlarge

Once that's set, you can forget about it. 

Now, whenever someone comments on your blog posts, you'll get an email. For me, this becomes a kind of group email, with a bunch of emails under one topic. Each commenter's email appears to be <noreply-comment@blogger.com>. 

Those commenters who don't have email enabled were always "noreply-comment". But those whose emails are enabled can still be replied to. 

Go to the comment you want to email reply to and hit "reply" for just that one email. (If you've ever gotten one of those email chains where someone sent an email to everybody and then someone did "reply all", you understand how to be careful here.) If you can reply to the comment, the "noreply-comment" email will be replaced by the commenter's email. And you can reply. 

It's an extra step, yes. But it's still possible. If you want to do that sort of thing. 

The Bystanders

As I was perusing social media, I stumbled across Cezary Jan Strusiewicz pondering why he was suddenly thinking about the 1917 Russian Revolution. A mystery, that. 

While starting this post, I went looking for a meme I thought I'd posted here before, but I can't find it. Did I post it here before? I don't know for sure...

Yeah, so everything's a mess. And getting worse. I'm not sure where the ugly bill is with regards to becoming law, and I can't watch. I just can't watch. Hearing about how many people have already died due to cuts made in international aid and how many people are going to die when they lose food support and healthcare is just gutting me. And that's only one of the myriad things the regime is forcing through. 

I keep hearing about this "bystander training" that an organization is doing. This one is at 4 PM Eastern time today. Online. If you click around the tabs, you'll find all sorts of other free trainings they do online. I haven't done one (and this week is a no-go for me), but they look worthwhile. And if you're not a training person, they have a book out with similar information. (Sorry it's an Amazon link, but that was the link they offered.)

Next Tuesday I'll be just getting back from my trip, so it's likely I won't have one of these posts. (I'll do a "what if?" I think.) Stay safe. 

Articles: 

• Former DOGE engineer says federal waste and fraud were 'relatively nonexistent'
• Murder Rates Could Hit Record Lows This Year, but Killings by Police Are Rising
• How Blue States Can Fight Back Against Trump’s Immigration Crackdown and Secret Policing
• ICE Is Using a New Facial Recognition App to Identify People
• Critical Hurricane Forecast Tool Abruptly Terminated
• How does President Trump make his money? Real estate, hospitality and his name
• Developed in Central America during the civil wars of the 1980s, accompaniment strategies show how movements can reduce authoritarian attacks and resist state repression.
• DOJ announces plans to prioritize cases to revoke citizenship

Crunch Time

I get on a plane bound for Ohio on Wednesday, so I'd better get this zombie thing done. 

(I know they say that one shouldn't announce when one is going out of town because of burglaries. And that makes sense. But, I have roommates. And they're not going anywhere. So, as my home won't be vacant while I'm gone, I'm not worried about being open about being out of town.) 

Last week I had the body done. This week I managed to finish off the head and arms...

Those need to be stuffed, sewn up, and attached to the body...

Then there's a spear or shovel or something that goes with him. Will I finish in time? I think so, but likely with no time to spare. 

(Sure, I could perhaps finish it up once I arrive in Ohio. Maybe. We'll see how much I have left to do if it comes to that.) 

Previous Zombie posts: 

• Zombie Time
• Zombie Body

What's Your Age Based On Your Comfort Food Choices?

I found a new quiz site. Quizly. It's way more user friendly than the one I had been using before. I picked the first quiz they had at random... 

What's Your Age Based On Your Comfort Food Choices? 

So, go ahead and try it. I'll wait... 

I'm really not shocked at my result: 

You got: Kid at Heart!

You still have a taste for the simple things in life, and that's not a bad thing! Your comfort foods reflect a youthful spirit and an unpretentious palate.

Yeah, that's the nice way of saying I eat like a kid. And, considering my meal choices sometimes, yeah, I agree. 

13 Video Animations

My uncle has a YouTube channel. He creates animations. (I have mentioned this on the blog before.) For today's Thursday 13. I'm linking to some. (His YouTube channel is here. His blog is here.) Enjoy.

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13

Adding a Video to Blogger

Like many of you, I've been blogging a long time. Occasionally, I'll run across a post where someone is having a difficulty, and I think that perhaps explaining a fix would make for a good blog post. Or, Blogger changes something, and it takes a while for us all to catch on and catch up. So, I decided to make space on my blog for those kinds of posts. 

I'm definitely not an expert, just a blogger who kind of knows her way around. Feel free to correct me in the comments if I missed a better way to do any of this. 

When I mentioned my plan to write these kinds of posts, I got a request to do a post on how to post a video to Blogger. There are probably a couple ways to do this, but the easiest way (currently) is to use the "Insert Video" icon. 

Step 1: Click "New Post" or open the post where you want to embed the video.

Step 2: Get to the point in the post where you wish to embed the video. 

Step 3: In the bar under the title with all the icons, click on the "Insert Video" icon.

It looks like one of those clapboards from old time movie making.

Step 3 continued: When you click the icon, it gives you two choices: "Upload from computer" or "Youtube". 

"Upload from computer" is for any video that you have on your own computer. The problem most people encounter is there is a limit to how big that file can be. (I can't find a definite answer, but some say it's 10 MB.) Plus, it takes a while to upload, and sometimes that upload fails, so you have to go back and redo. 

It's way easier to choose "Youtube". If you have a video you want to share that's yours, I would highly recommend uploading it to YouTube first. You can always make it so that it's not searchable there. 

Most of the time, we're sharing videos we found on YouTube. So...

Step 4: From "Youtube", copy/paste the video's URL or search for a video in the spyglass bar. Once you've found the video you want, click on it, and then click on "Insert". 

And the video will appear on your blog. It'll look different on your edit screen than it will on the published post, so as long as you selected the right video, it should be just fine. 

But what if the video you want to embed isn't on YouTube?

Unfortunately, there's not an easy way to do that. I imagine there's a way using HTML, but it's not something I'm going to figure out for this blog post. The best thing to do then would be to create a link to the video. It's not as neat, but it'll get the job done. 

Did I miss anything? Is there an easier way to do this? If you have anything to add, please feel free to add it to the comments. 

Also, is there a question you have about Blogger? Something you don't know how to do? Let me know and I may use that for a future blog post. 

Be Safe, a Wish

Just when we thought things were bad, the regime decided now would be a good time to bomb Iran. Because, things weren't bad enough, apparently. 

I mean, now I understand why people didn't flee when fascist governments took over. It's hard to leave behind everything, especially when you have no marketable skills to take elsewhere. I'm learning all sorts of things that I really didn't want to know about living under this sort of government. Sigh. 

In case you weren't aware, Los Angeles has been invaded by ICE, and they're kidnapping people off the streets. On Bluesky, Totoro in a Dodgers Bucket Hat explained how ICE has adapted their tactics due to community pushback. (And here's that same thread formatted like an article.) Pay attention, because they're just starting in LA. They'd like to do this nationwide. 

You know who Stephen Miller is, right? If you're unfamiliar, it's time to learn who he is. Because, he's the one behind the ICE kidnapping raids. The best thing in these times is to bring into public awareness all the stuff various people behind the scenes are trying to do without attracting attention. Let's give them attention. I don't think things will go so well once the public is largely aware of what they are doing. 

Keep calling your MOC and your senators. Even if they're on the side of the regime. Even if they're supposedly not. Remind them that they work for us. Remind them that there's more they can do to resist. They're not acting like we're living in a fascist regime. We need to wake them up to the fact that we are. 

(Reminder: 5 Calls gives you phone numbers and scripts to help.)

Articles of interest:

• How Trump Makes Tragedies Worse, A History
• How ICE is becoming a secret police force under the Trump regime
• He Was Born in Philly and They Tried to Deport Him to Jamaica
• Controversial senator trying to sell millions of acres near Yosemite, Tahoe
• Climate Change Will Bankrupt the Country

Zombie Body

Last week I showed the progress I made on the amigurumi Minecraft Zombie. I got a bit further this week:

This isn't too bad considering I had to rip out and redo a couple days' worth of work. I had used the wrong color for the shirt (a darker turquoise), and then I ran out of yarn. 

But, ripping out wasn't so easy as I had wound in some ends on the inside (from attaching the legs at the crotch) up into where I had to rip out. It wasn't too terrible once I got into it, but it was more work than I expected, especially as I'm on a deadline. Oh well. 

The above is the front view. That's legs and body. It isn't stuffed yet. Then I'll sew up that top flap. A head will go on top. Arms will be attached to the sides. 

Here's the back view: 

I'm not too worried about my deadline as of yet. We'll see how things go this week. 

And here's a link to the pattern I'm using. 

Left Behind

So, um, yeah. Summer school... 

I was not expecting to work, but when a gig popped up in the app, I jumped on it. The adult transition center. That's the school I spent pretty much the 2021-22 school year at. So, while I did not recognize the name of the teacher, I still knew the drill. 

(The reason I spent that school year at the adult transition center was due to retirements, so of course they have new teachers now. And I had a whole week off with no work whatsoever when this popped up.)

Right at the start of the day the instructional assistants (IAs) informed me it was CBI day. That is, it was the day the students left campus to shop in the community (read: buy lunch at a restaurant). But, they were supposed to go grocery shopping as well. 

After a bunch of back and forth, they determined that one of the other teachers had the school credit card (they were buying food for the class with the school's money), and she would be around to do that. And, every single class was going out on CBI this day. 

But, a couple of my students couldn't go. Domingo doesn't go out. And June had forgotten her permission slip, so she couldn't attend. That meant that a teacher had to stay behind at the school to supervise. 

Well, it's not like I was really in the mood to go galivanting around town, anyway. 

(I've been on a bunch of CBIs. While I was a little disappointed not to go, I was also a little relieved.)

What does one do with one student left behind? Movie day. (June wasn't talking, so Domingo's one-to-one and I decided on the older Lilo & Stitch.) 

It was a quiet day with all the students gone. And it was a short day, only four hours. But I got a day of subbing this summer, which is more than I did last summer. 

(Will I sub more this summer? We'll see. If something pops up, and I don't have anything else planned, I will take it.)

13 to Follow on Bluesky

Are you on Bluesky? There's something about scrolling short text posts that appeals to me, and so when Twitter went rancid, I needed a replacement. I've been there for about a year and a half now, and many of my favorite accounts have migrated. I've also found some new ones that I enjoy. 

So, for today's Thursday 13 I'm listing a few accounts that I'd recommend if you're looking to follow some new folks. This is by no means the full list, but it's a sampling. If you're on Bluesky, leave your username in the comments so I can follow you (if I'm not already). 

1. Micah (@rincewind.run‬): Once a day he posts a quote from one of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. He posts other things, too, but I follow for the Prachett. 

2. maya kern (@mayakern.com): She designs clothing. Lately, she's been marketing her skirts (with pockets!). 

3. Katie Mack (@astrokatie.com): Astronomer. I follow for the cool science stuff. 

4. Michael Whelan (@michaelwhelan.bsky.social‬): He's an artist, and you've probably seen his work. He did a lot of SFF covers. Lately he's been posting his work and talking about what went into creating some of the iconic book covers that you likely remember. 

5. Courtney Milan (@courtneymilan.com‬): Author. She writes historical romance with an interesting twist. (The obvious thing that she hints at about the main character at the beginning of the story? Nope, it's not what you think. I promise.) But mostly it's fun when someone tries to dunk on her when she talks law. Because, she used to be a lawyer, but people see "romance author" and think stupid. She's far, far from stupid. 

6. Randall Munroe (‪@xkcd.com): For the XKCD comic. If you know, you know.

7. Micro SF/F by O. Westin (@microsff.com‬): I originally found them on Twitter. They post micro fiction (SFF, specifically). They haven't posted as frequently since migrating to BlueSky, but those stories still occasionally pop up. 

8. knitty® | editor, Amy Sadler (@knitty.com‬): I may have mentioned that I'm a knitter. Knitty.com is an online knitting magazine. If you're a knitter, you need to be following her. 

9. Jorts (and Jean) (@jortsthecat.bsky.social‬): There was an AITA involving not bright ginger cats and butter. (You probably had to be there.) They parlayed that into a Twitter account that migrated to Bluesky. Jorts is a ginger cat. He relies on Jean (also a cat). And they're all about labor rights. 

10. Bree (‪@mostlybree.kitrocha.com‬): Half of a romance author pair (who write very erotic books--you've been warned). She has some good TV recommendations (and some not-so-good), and currently she acquired a 3D printer, and she's been making some interesting stuff. 

11. Brett "Solidarity 2025" Banditelli (@banditelli.org‬): I initially started following him because he was local to me. Now, I enjoy the bird pictures. 

12. John Bull (@garius.bsky.social‬): Every so often, he posts interesting history lessons. Fascinating stuff. 

13. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (@lastweektonight.com‬): I have posted clips from him before on the blog. Of course I follow the show on Bluesky. 

The Numbers This Year

It's that time again. This is the post that took an entire school year to complete. My subbing stories all led to this: all the classes I covered this past school year. (I do this post for me. I understand if you don't want to wade through all this data.) 

There are 180 days in the school year. I worked 173 of them. This is up from last year's total of 166, but not quite at my all-time high of 177. Having long-term assignments helped there, especially as I started the year in a long-term, so those first couple weeks, usually a slow time, were booked. 

This total does not include the two days of prep time they allowed me before the beginning of the school year. (As I was opening a seventh grade science class, I asked for and was granted prep time to set up. Which was sorely needed and so very much appreciated.) I didn't catch any other summer school classes. 

I worked 100 days in high school classes, 66 days in middle school classes, and 5 days at the continuation high school (3 of those in the last two weeks of school). I only covered one day at the adult transition center and one day at the alternative education center. 

9 of those days I covered an extra class (including the choir class when the school got notified about the death of a student), and 6 of those classes didn't have a prep period. I used to get a whole lot of these extra classes, but since moving to a block schedule (and after the severe sub shortage of Covid), the schools use the full-time teachers for these more. Part of me misses the extra pay, the other part likes not having to cover classes on prep periods all the time. 

I did work the first day of school, but I did not work the last. 

Before I get to the specifics, some definitions. A "full day" means that's a class I covered all that day. A "partial day" means the teacher taught more than one kind of class (like an English teacher having two periods of 11th grade and one period of 10th). An "extra period" is where I left the class I was covering to cover a different teacher. 

Each subject is listed with three numbers, like 3/8/1. The first number is for a "full day", the second for a "partial day", and the third is for an "extra period". 

• My big winner for this year is English, of course. As it is pretty much every year. (Last year's 3rd place finish was an anomaly.) 45/0/2
• Most classes covered: ELD (English language development) with 0/34/0. Not really surprising as the long term English class had two periods of this, plus the other ELD classes I picked up along the way. It seems that no English teacher only teaches ELD.
• For 2nd place, again, no surprise: 11th grade 0/31/0. Because the long term was 11th grade the rest of the time.
• 3rd place is: 8th grade 3/0/0
• The rest in no particular order:
• 7th grade 1/3/0
• 9th grade 1/2/1
• 10th grade 1/2/1
• 12th grade 0/2/0
• Study skills 0/0/1 (taught by an English teacher, so housed under English)
• 2nd place, unsurprisingly, goes to science. I opened the school year with a long-term assignment in science, so I'd've been surprised if it wasn't in the top three this year. 41/4/1
• As the long term was 7th grade science, 7th grade science is the most worked 31/5/1
• The other classes are negligible, so in no special order:
• 8th grade 0/3/0
• Health 1/1/0
• Biology 0/1/0
• Chemistry 0/3/0
• Physics 2/0/0
• Anatomy/Physiology 0/1/0
• Forensics/Criminalistics 0/2/0
• Environmental Science 0/3/0
• Patient Care Technician 0/1/0
• I'm going to list math next, even though math and social studies... Well, you'll see. Math 21/27/0
• IM2 (integrated math 2) is the big winner here, due to two different classes, one vacant, one not 7/31/0
• Then IM1 0/14/0
• 7th grade 0/8/0
• 8th grade 1/4/0
• Math analysis 0/1/0
• Statistics 0/6/0
• I'm listing social studies last, even though it's kind of a tie with math. That special ed long-term I did for the vacant class was both math and social studies. 12/24/1
• 10th grade world history wins here as it was the topic of the classes in the long-term 0/21/0
• 8th grade U.S. history is next 1/13/0
• Geography (one of the classes in the three weeks' assignment in January) 1/9/0
• 7th grade world history 0/5/1
• 11th grade U.S. history 0/1/0
• Psychology (which I list here as it's usually taught by social studies teachers, as it was in this case) 0/6/0
• Special ed is next. Many of these days overlap with the above as I might cover the special ed co-teacher in a math class (where I also count that as a math day). Or, as was the case in February, I might be covering an SDC world history class. 31/3/2
• SDC (special day class) 19/6/0
• Co-teach (where I covered the special ed teacher in a two teacher class) 1/16/2
• Learning center (a one-period assignment where I monitor the room where kiddos can take tests in a separate setting) 0/5/0
• Mod to severe special ed (the really "low" groups) 2/0/0
• The rest are the various elective classes, in no particular order:
• Computer classes 1/2/0, with business (read: typing and such) 1/0/0 and graphic arts (doing art on the computer) 0/2/0
• Art 2/0/0, including photography 1/0/0 (the basic usual drawing class is just plain art). 
• AVID (advancement via individual determination) 0/1/0
• Success 0/1/0
• Credit recovery 0/2/0
• CTE (career and technical education) 3/1/1 (there are a couple classes that were hard to classify, so they ended up here). 
• Woodshop 0/2/0
• Auto shop 1/0/0
• Spanish 1/0/0
• French 6/0/0
• Athletics (any sport) 0/3/0
• Music (only choir this year) 1/0/1 (I'd list band under this umbrella too, but no band classes covered this year).
• TV/Video production 0/2/0
• Leadership 0/5/0, which includes ASB 0/1/0, WEB (middle school "we all belong") 0/1/0, and Link Crew (older students mentor younger students) 0/1/0
• And one roving day 1/0/0

That's another year in the books. Now it's time to enjoy my summer break. 

And here's the stats from previous years:

• 2024
• 2023
  
• 2022
• 2021
• 2020
• 2019
• 2018
• 2017
• 2016
• 2015
• 2014
• 2013
• 2012
• 2011
• 2010

After the Protests

Saturday was the day of the No Kings protests. And it appears that they were well attended. Good job, all. (I didn't go. Sorry. I hope if you were able you did go and have a good time.) 

Something some people are doing is making noise at hotels where ICE agents are supposedly staying while conducting their kidnapping operations. 

I found another thread with things you can print out and distribute. This time it's zines with info to give to people who might not know. 

Remember the Charlie Chaplin movie, The Great Dictator? It's relevant again. Here's a link to the final speech, that may resonate with us now. 

And finally, from the Onion, but seriously, I detect no lies: Trump Claims He Can Overrule Constitution With Executive Order Because Of Little-Known ‘No One Will Stop Me’ Loophole

Article links: 

• Fear Is the Goal
• ‘I can't fight back; I'm pregnant': U.S. citizen detained by ICE in Hawthorne
• Bragg Soldiers Who Cheered Trump's Political Attacks While in Uniform Were Checked for Allegiance, Appearance
• ‘No food, job or phones’: Afrikaner ‘refugee’ family ‘stranded’ in US

Zombie Time

I am going to visit my brother and family in Ohio at the beginning of July. And this week it occurred to me that it might be time to finish the third Minecraft critter. If I can get it finished before I leave, I won't have to mail it later. 

So, last week I managed to get the legs complete: 

Considering that I started this Thursday, I'm quite content with my progress. I'm only worried that the relative sizes are so wildly different. (Each critter was made using a pattern by a different designer.) But this wasn't well planned out anyway. 

For context, the first Minecraft critter, the Creeper, was a joke with regards to a Christmas present from my brother. When asked, the twins said that rather than getting a second Creeper, they would like an Enderman and/or a Zombie. I found the pattern for the Enderman, and I finished that in February. And then I set everything aside. 

Well, it's not like I'm really working on anything at the moment...

So, I found this pattern for the Zombie. And I'm making do with the yarn I have on hand, sort of. (I had to break down and buy some green yarn as I don't have enough green shades.) The blue in the pic? Yeah, the blue was supposed to be navy blue. That is not a navy blue. 

It'll do. It's something to keep my hands busy while I figure out what I'm going to do with my dragons and my tote bag idea. 

Not Gardeners

I was very surprised by a late call on the penultimate day of school. I had just enough time to get ready and get there, plus the cushion of the teacher having a first period prep. 

Wednesday. The continuation high school. English. 

It was a fairly quiet day. Their graduation ceremony had taken place the night before (in the middle of a surprise rainstorm with thunder and lightning). But this time of year is a bit quiet for them anyway. 

When a student gets enough credits to graduate, they stop attending school. (They are done. There's no reason for them to show up.) The deadline to participate in the graduation ceremony had been the previous week. So, the only students left were the juniors and the few sophomores that had recently started at the school. (They have to be sixteen to attend.) 

The lesson plan said they were to work in the garden. 

So, I took roll, and then we headed to said garden. Only, no person to run the garden was there. 

There is someone in charge of the garden. She instructs the kiddos on what to do. 

I called the office to find out where she was. They didn't know either. I heard that she had been on campus that morning, but she dropped some stuff off, and then she left. 

Uh...

The class was quite content to not be in the garden. (Only fourth period was disappointed to not have garden duty.) I instructed them to complete any missing work they might have. (If they haven't graduated, there is work they can be doing.) But end of year. No one was really in the mood to do anything. 

I'd've been more upset at this, but the day had already gone sideways. If I run into any of these kiddos later as they scramble to finish credits in time for one deadline or another, I'll point out the time they wasted on a day like this one. But likely, it won't come up. 

And that was my last working day of the school year. (There was a very, very late call on the last day of school, but I woke up with a migraine, and there was no way of getting to the school on time if I had taken it.) 

Next week I officially go on summer schedule, starting off with my stats for this school year. Happy summer. 

Finishing the Leis

Tuesday. Eighth grade U.S. history. 

But, um, well, the eighth graders were done. It was technically finals day, but not for eighth graders. They had taken their finals the previous week so that they knew who was eligible for promotion. Grades had been turned in. 

The eighth graders who were eligible for promotion and who wanted to go went to see a movie. (Lilo & Stitch). Mr. F, their teacher, was one of the chaperones. Hence the need for a sub. Because not all the eighth graders go. 

And, well, the other eighth graders didn't really need to be there. But we can't just up and say, "Don't come to school," so it gets hinted, but every year many eighth graders still show up. 

My actual lesson plans (given to me directly by Mr. F before he headed out): Don't let them burn the building down. 

No worries then. 

Most of them found things to do on their phones. But, there were a couple girls (who were not in the class) who had to finish making candy leis. They were doing a fundraiser for the middle school leadership class, and so they had to put together 75 of those things. They had 60-odd done already. 

Found on the internet. If you search "candy lei diy", you can see many different versions as well as instructions on how to make them.

At the end of first period, the girls weren't quite done. I was quite willing to let them continue working during third period even though I had a prep period. It wasn't like I had anything to do. But then, of course, I got asked to cover a different class. Uh... 

I couldn't leave the girls in the classroom on their own. I offered to let them come with me to the other class I had to cover, but it was a lot of stuff to haul across campus. One of them got the idea to ask a counselor to supervise them. That would work. 

Before I could find out if they found someone, I had to head out. I returned to the room (for seventh period) to find all the lei making stuff neatly stacked. Hopefully it was all finished. 

As I was leaving for the day, Mr. F caught up with me. (They all enjoyed the movie.) When I explained about the leis, he said that explained the weird text he had gotten from a counselor. Because, apparently, the girls found a counselor to supervise them. And they finished the 75 leis. Well, that's a relief. 

The leis could be purchased to give to eighth graders to wear during their promotion ceremony. And then after they could eat the candy. 

The joys of the last days of school. So much stuff going on. 

The Same Choice

Monday. The last week of school. French.

Tuesday and Wednesday were finals days. So, Monday was a finish-any-late-work day. And study for finals. 

But, the teacher clearly knows her students. She also left them a choice between two movies. 

It's no longer put tape in VCR and press play. Oh no. Nowadays, it's streaming. The teacher had her computer set up with both movie choices on separate tabs. And the computer was already connected to the large TV in the room. 

(I did manage to muck things up early, though. I accidentally closed one of the tabs and then disconnected the computer from the TV. But it was easy enough for me to reconnect to the TV and I opened a new tab and found the movie. I managed to do all this before the students arrived, so no issues there.) 

As I didn't really care, I gave each class the choice of movie. And put it to a vote. And all three classes chose the same thing...

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Naturally. (The other choice was A Minecraft Movie.) 

And so, once again, I got to see the beginning of the movie multiple times, but not the end. On the bright side, we're on a block schedule now, so I only had to see the beginning three times (rather than five). And, it is streaming on Disney Plus, which I have, so I can actually see the end of this thing. Whew. 

They're After Us

As I write this, it is Sunday afternoon. On Saturday, the skibidi brownshirts attempted to kidnap innocent people going about their business in Paramount. And things didn't go well. For the skibidi brownshirts. 

Now, apparently they're going to be conducting some more raids in the area (to kidnap innocent people going about their business), so the national guard has been deployed by the menace in the White House over the objections of the governor of California and the mayor of Los Angeles. (Paramount is its own city in L.A. County, closer to me than to L.A. city proper.) 

Because, we gotta fill those concentration camps... 

(I make light, but the conditions those kidnapped are being held in are terrible. No food or water. No beds. Basement of a building. No one can see them. And they've kidnapped kids and a very pregnant woman.)

• CNN
• NY Times

Word is, protests in your own area are the best way to go. Because they can't be everywhere at once. Stretch them thin. 

Edited to add Monday: Notice that all the "violence" happened once law enforcement was involved. Dictators don't like it when the population doesn't approve of them disappearing innocent people. 

Oh, and by the way, did you know you can get tickets to that abomination of a dictator parade on Sunday? You just need a cell phone number to order two:  250th Anniversary of the U.S. Army Grand Military Parade and Celebration. It would be a shame if people ordered tickets and then didn't go... 

Some other articles I stumbled upon this past week: 

• Immigrant Defense Project
• Know Your Rights with ICE
• SEIU California President David Huerta Injured, Detained at ICE Raid in Los Angeles
• Must-Reads and Some Thoughts on the Big Feud
• Wins Of The Week
• Trump job cuts hobble NOAA team that reopens ports after hurricanes, sources say

Solid Base

I finished the base, and now I've started the sides...

Now that the base is the right size, I need to figure out what cable stitches I'm going to use. School is out, so I should have some time to get this part going. 

The tote bag's progress:

• Leftover Yarn
• Keeping My Hands Busy
• A Cable Swatch
• Winding Down

Outside

Friday. Integrated math I, eighth grade (read: the advanced group). 

The day's assignment had them taking a survey online, then completing a "banner" with advice for next year's eighth graders. And then free time...

It's the end of the school year. The eighth graders' grades were due the previous day. (The grades have to be turned in early so the school knows who gets to participate in promotion. Those who failed classes do not.) And they all knew this. They were ready for their free time. 

As soon as they completed what they needed to complete... 

"Can we go outside and play volleyball?" 

Two girls asked me this. Then two boys asked as well. 

Any other time of the year, the answer would have been absolutely not. But now? 

The four students turned into ten. Somehow. Security drove up and through the group a couple times and didn't bother to stop them. (Of course, I was hovering near the door, watching.) 

The next period, it got hotter. But another teacher had his class set up an actual volleyball net. Well, okay then. Again, half the class was outside. 

The last class of the day was the not advanced group. And by that time it was about 90℉ (that's about 32℃). The first boy that asked was in a long sleeve black hoodie. I pointed out he'd be hot. That didn't bother him. 

Of course, by the end of the period, he was panting and complaining of being hot. It was too hot for him to walk home... 

I mean, I warned him. (The co-teacher texted his mom, and apparently this was an ongoing thing.)

It's a weird time of year. The rules get very relaxed. Many of them got good grades and they're just about high schoolers. (I mentioned they were days away from being high schoolers, and I could tell they're a bit nervous about this.) It's almost summer vacation. 

It was good to get outside.