Third Period, Starring Jonas

Wednesday. Third period.

Class started. I explained what they'd be doing. (See Wednesday's post about testing.) They got to work. 

Then Jonas made his entrance. Late. 

He announced that he was late. He announced a couple things. And he loudly asked what we were doing in class. 

The rest of the class was quietly working. 

Some students... They never quite get the memo that when you're late, you don't walk into the room like you're the star walking onto a stage. But some students are the stars, and they behave like this. 

I had already explained what we were doing for the students who were on time. I also had the agenda typed out nicely on a cute slide that was projected on the classroom TV. 

I pointed to this in response to Jonas. He could figure it out on his own. 

Sometime during class, Jonas then asked when Ms. B would be returning. Loudly.

The previous week I had said in two weeks. Apparently this was not specific enough for Jonas. He acted like I had not answered the question. 

I had a couple students finishing up their testing. I was keeping a quiet room. If Jonas had raised his hand and asked quietly, I probably would have answered. But he just announced to the quiet room, "When is Ms. B coming back?" 

Yeah, not responding to that. 

Besides, I was going to tell them on Friday that it was my last day. 

Which is what I did. On Friday, I made the announcement that Ms. B would return on Monday. My time with them was finished. 

Jonas? Was absent that day.

Left Behind

On Wednesday of last week, the theater director at the school stopped by. The theater department was putting on the musical Mean Girls, and they were starting the performances that night. 

Why did I need to know this? The classroom was in close proximity to where the show would be, and so they were going to use the classroom as a changing room for the performers. 

None of this was a problem for me. The performances were at night, after I had left. 

But Mr. S wanted to let me know. And he explained that the students would not leave a mess, but if they did, to let him know.

When I arrived at school on Thursday, the room was fine. Until I found a walkie-talkie sitting on the teacher's desk. 

That is not a mess. But, I figured that someone might be missing it. (And these are the kind that are rechargeable, so they'd want to charge it before the night's performance.) So, I emailed the teacher. He appeared to retrieve it quickly. 

The next day no walkie-talkie. As I was setting up for the day, however, I found a Bluetooth speaker plugged into the wall to charge. I put it on the teacher's desk (so the kiddos wouldn't be tempted to make off with it), and I went about the rest of my setup. 

There was a knock at the classroom door. A student came looking for her speaker. And a necklace. Sadly, the necklace wasn't found, but I gave her back her speaker. 

Very minor issues. (It was a slow week for good blog-worthy stories.) 

Getting It Done

As I started this class at the beginning of the semester, I was not in danger of having grades due. So, of course I would have to do some standardized testing. 

All in all, it went pretty well. For first period. 

For third period, I had absent students and the slow walkers. There are some students who need more time to do tests, and I get that. That's fine. But some students just kind of stare into space and/or sleep rather than getting the thing done. 

Day one I had planned on only testing that day. On day two, I hoped to get the stragglers and the absent students done. And that worked perfectly for period one. 

For third period, I had two students absent. Again. (One had been suspended, so that was going to be unavoidable.) And I had one student who took his time, so he did not finish. 

Which meant that on Wednesday, period three again had to work on the test. 

(This is a very, very long time for seventh graders. The students who were finished had other work to do, but I couldn't change things up a bit until all the tests were complete.) 

I had two students who were just starting the test, and I had two students who had started but were only half way done. 

The two students who were just starting? Yeah, they were playing the slow walking game. And I was not going to have it. 

I started hovering. 

As the test proctor, I had access to what question they were on, but I couldn't see anything else. (The test was online.) So, when the boy was on question 12 for a very long time, I went over and gently asked if the software was stuck. It wasn't. He got going again. 

When the girl was stuck on question 15, I went over to her. She was staring into space. I urged her to get back on task. 

One of the boys who had already started finished. Then the other boy finished. Woo-hoo! 

I went and hovered over the other two again. 

Then the girl finished. 

We had a half hour left of class. Then twenty minutes. Then fifteen...

The boy finished.

And it was all I could do to not throw my arms up in the air and shout "Woo-hoo!". 

I celebrated by putting a video on for the kiddos. One we had started before the testing. 

And then I closed out the software and deleted all the emails about the testing. Because I was done. 

Whew. 

It's Started

I saw this on Bluesky the other day:

"Why did you come to this time? To warn us?" The time traveler laughed. "Why would anyone listen to me?" "You're from our future-" "No, I'm from a different timeline, a different future. I'm a refugee." "To here? Now?" "It looks fucked right now, but this is the timeline that pulls through."

— Micro SF/F by O. Westin (@microsff.com) January 24, 2025 at 3:53 PM

I wish. I wish. I wish. 

But, alas...

A comment on my post from January 14th, when I asked about the federal government refusing to help states they do not like with money after a disaster: 

...And no, I don't believe the incoming administration would do such a thing. They have too many issues to fix in this country to get into such pettiness.

link

It's already started...

Another comment to my post from November 26th, when I wondered about the government shutting down the National Weather Service as outlined in Project 2025: 

You really believe in Project 2025? Maybe I'm wrong but it seems mostly a joke...

link

Nope. Not a joke. And he's already started doing these. Everything else is coming. If you doubt that, I have some swamp land in Florida to sell you.

I'm angry, and I'm going to continue to be angry. If you're not, then I wonder. I thought people cared about other people coming to harm, but apparently not.

Yarn Chicken for Video

I have mentioned a few times that I am currently in the process of making a new video for my YouTube channel. Currently, the project looks like this:

See that little ball of crochet cotton near the upper left hand corner? That's all the yarn I have left to complete the project. Sigh.

When I started, I figured I had more than enough yarn to complete this. And now I see I was overestimating how much yarn I had left. 

The good news: all I have left to do is the bottom. 

The bad news: I went looking for another cone of this crochet thread, and I could not find it in this color. Deep sigh.

As I see it, I have three choices. One: Go on an internet search to see if I can find some more of this crochet threat somewhere. Anywhere. But that'll take time when I'm finally to the point when I can film the finish of this video.

Two: Redo the whole project in another color that I will have enough of the yarn for. But that means starting all the way over. You do not want to know how many clips I have already made (going back to October when I started this). 

Three: Owning up to the issue on the video I'm making, and finishing up in a different color just to finish the video. 

I'm leaning towards three. Either one or two would be way more professional. But, I wouldn't call my channel "professional". It's more amateur hour. 

Of course, if it turns out I have just enough yarn... 

Not likely. And I really don't want to be playing yarn chicken while filming a video. 

I bought another cone. It's white. 

And perhaps I'll redo this video another time. In a while. Right now I just want to finish this thing that I already started.

Scissor Emergency

Friday. Third period seventh grade world history. 

Jonas asked for a pair of scissors. I didn't want to give him scissors, so I told him I didn't have any. 

But, Jonas needed scissors. And he wasn't going to do anything without them. 

We had done some testing the prior class period. (It's not state-mandated. It's more of a growth test that the district now requires.) Most of the class had finished, but a couple students needed to finish up, so I was giving them the class period. Jonas was one of them. And he wasn't touching his test because he needed scissors. 

He had some string... It wasn't like he was cutting it off his clothing. (I've had students with that particular issue get distracted.) And I'm not sure what he had in mind. 

He had to get up and get tissue. He whined about scissors. Then some girl offered him a pair that she had. 

Scissors acquired, Jonas did what he wanted to do, and then he finally got going on his test. (While making noises and fidgeting and such.) 

He eventually finished. Class finished. And after the kiddos had left, I did my now-usual clean up after them. 

Over by Jonas' desk was the string, tied around the side of the desk. Sitting. 

Apparently the thing Jonas needed to do was leave a mess. Because, of course. 

Seventh graders *shakes head*

Missing Initiative

Friday. Fifth period geography. The phone rang. 

The caller asked for a student. He was present. Then the caller explained that the boy's name had been left off of the list of those who were excused for some sort of basketball game, so could I please excuse him? 

I sent the boy on his way. And then I stewed. Because, really? And I need to explain why this whole think rankled for me.

The school has various sports teams. The usual ones. And daily there is some game someplace. There are always students who need to leave a class early so they can go to their game. This is so commonplace that I've never needed to mention it before. 

Usually, what happens on these days is that a student or a couple of students will inform me that they have to leave for their game at such-and-such a time. (It's usually more of an ask. They never demand this.) And I nod my head and say okay and to give me a heads up as they leave. 

What bothered me was that the boy in this case never said a word to me. Because, if he had come to me at the beginning of the period and said he had to leave, I would have said okay. 

In fact, there was a girl who had a soccer match to get to. She had to leave early. And she did. 

But this boy? Had to be called out of class? Didn't even attempt to go before the phone call? Said nothing to me about the game? 

And the idea that his coach had to call me to get the student released just... 

Someone has got to take more initiative if he wants to remain in athletics. It's not my job to remember these things. It's his. 

Of course, this is one of the boys who's not doing much in class and has to be reminded to do his work and not scroll on his phone.

He won't last long in athletics with that work ethic. 

Parsing the Fine Print

Seventh grade world history. Monday, third period. 

Every teacher has one. For this teacher, it's third period. They've been in play mode since I met them. 

For the beginning of the semester, they've started studying medieval Europe. They were given a poster assignment. It's mostly about Joan of Arc, but it's also about the Hundred Years War. Ms. B gave them all the info they needed to include on the poster on slides in Google Classroom. (Apparently they've done this sort of thing before all through the first semester.) 

In the instructions, there was a big warning: do not trace from the computer screen. 

But alas, seventh graders. Tracing things has become de rigeur for them. They whine that they can't draw, that their work doesn't look good, and that they need to trace pictures. 

I point out that this is not an art class. We're not looking for perfection. We just want them to use their own creativity. 

So, on Monday, I was again pointing out that they were not to trace their pictures...

Student: "Can we trace from our phones?"

Deep sigh. 

The middle school rule is phones are put away in backpacks. If I see them, I get to confiscate them. And, I reminded them of this rule the previous week. I would think that if phones are forbidden... But seventh graders. 

Student: "It says no tracing from the computer. It says nothing about phones. Ms. B lets us..." 

So, I reiterated NO TRACING, pointing out that phones aren't to be out during class. 

But no, that wasn't good enough. The student said he'd email Ms. B. 

Later that day, I got an email from Ms. B about other things, but she mentioned getting an email from a student about tracing from his phone. Her take? They shouldn't have their cell phones out ("they are sneaky") and no tracing. 

Exactly what I said. Well, mostly. 

They really shouldn't doubt my word. (If I'm not sure about something, I will hedge, then clarify with the teacher. But if I give an instruction, I'm fairly certain I'm making the right call.) But middle schoolers. 

So, no one tried to trace again, right? A couple class periods later, I found a student tracing the pictures from his computer. Sigh.

(I'm still learning the students, but I'm about 50% sure it was the student who emailed the teacher. Because, of course.)

The Aggressor

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 he does try to acquire Greenland and/or the Panama Canal? How would he do it? Are we turning into that national aggressor sending its military out to acquire territory? Aren't we over this ridiculousness yet?

Video Thumbnails

I'm slowly building up my YouTube channel. I finally put up a link in my sidebar here. (Eventually there'll be a picture there or something.) I'm working on a new video. (I'm in the process of finishing my example piece so I can finish shooting.) And I finally made thumbnails for the videos already posted. 

(A thumbnail is the image that sits on the video in the search screens. Before, I let YouTube pick a random frame from the video, but these were of a partially completed project. It's easier if people can see the completed project, because that might get people to select it.) 

It turned out that it was pretty simple to do. I used Canva. And it didn't take me long once I figured out what I was doing. 

(Figuring out what I was doing didn't take as long as I expected it to. But that time and energy needed to be factored in to the project.) 

And these are my finished thumbnails: 

Crochet Lip Balm Holder

Crochet Egg Lip Balm Holder

How to Crochet a Water Bottle Carrier

How to Crochet a Mobius Scarf

Knit Your Phone a Pyramid Pillow

I need better pictures to create better thumbnails, but these are way better than what was there before.

Starting Off on the Wrong Foot

Thursday. Fifth period geography. 

Tuesday had been a scramble. There weren't enough desks for the students. I let them sit anywhere as I hadn't had a chance to set things up. And then they had a video to watch that many of them ignored. 

Thursday was a whole different ballgame. Because I had adequate seats, I had randomized the seating assignments. They had a lot of work to complete, but they had time to get it all done. 

While on Tuesday the class was talkative, on Thursday they were quiet. Most were busy on the 200 point assignment that was due. (They could have started it on Tuesday. Most had.) 

I had two boys having a conversation. About sports. The boy on the soccer team was scrolling on his phone...

I reminded the boy that he had to maintain his GPA to be eligible to participate in his sport. He said he knew this. He said he was done with his work. 

Because I'm going to be covering this class for three weeks, Ms. B had given me access to the Google Classroom. So, boyo was done with his work? I could check. 

He had done about half of the 200 point assignment. Enough to earn about 50%. Which is an F. Fs make him ineligible to play. (And I will track down who his coach is and send them an email about the student's lack of work if that becomes necessary. I've done it before.) 

I pointed out to the boy that he had quite a lot to still complete on his assignment. And that he should maybe do that rather than scrolling on his phone. 

Did he see my point? Not really. But freshmen sometimes need to learn things the hard way. He's on sub behavior, not realizing that things are going to be graded in a timely manner. It'll be fun when he finds out just how quickly he can get behind when he chooses to scroll his phone in class rather than getting his work done.

A Bad Choice

Wednesday was way calmer on my nerves than Tuesday had been. I had had a day to get acclimated to the class I'd be covering for the next three weeks. And I got the extra desks I'd need. (See yesterday's post.)

The school is on a block schedule, so on Wednesday I had a whole new group of classes. All were semester courses, so the kiddos would be new to the room. I got to assign seats.

I like to randomize seat selection when assigning seats. That way I'm not picking on any student (or appearing to). 

I learned in teacher school to not let the kiddos pick their own seats. When you do that, the kiddos will group in ways that make classroom control harder. Difficult students will find each other and feed off each other to make things more difficult. The good kiddos will sit in the front. And friends will sit next to friends, which makes them less likely to pay attention to the teacher when instruction is being given. 

So, to randomize, I had index cards with numbers on them that I shuffled. As the students gave me their names at the door, I'd pick the next card, give them their number, and write that number on my roster. (The desks were numbered.)

Fourth period. Ninth grade geography. 

I had assigned seats. Gotten the kiddos logged into Google Classroom. And then I had an intro video about South America for them to watch while they took notes. 

As they watched the video, I translated their roster into an actual seating chart. 

I compared my seating chart to where the kiddos were sitting. There was a discrepancy. I had a boy sitting in an unassigned seat while I had a seat with a name attached that was empty. 

Carson was sitting in the last seat of a row where I had assigned him a seat at the front. Ah ha. I found him scrolling on his phone.

I went over to discuss. He swore I had not given him the number 6, that I had given him seat 9. It's kinda hard to mistake a 9 for a 6 in speech and in my writing (on a clipboard, so I didn't flip it over). He was lying. 

But, I decided to let it be. 

Why? Because I wasn't in the mood for an argument. Not on the first day.

And, the teacher's station was at the back of the room. Rather than the front.

I have way better access to him if he's in the back. 

It'll be fun to hover over his shoulder. Frequently. 

He should have taken the seat I actually assigned. 

First Day Scramble

We went back to school after winter break last Tuesday, and I already had a gig lined up. Ms. B was going to be out for the first three weeks of the spring semester recovering from surgery. 

Ms. B has two classes that are year classes, meaning the kiddos had been in the class for the first semester. Her other four classes are semester classes, meaning the kiddos would be new to her and to me. And to the classroom. 

The classroom had 32 desks. I had rosters with 35 and 37 students. Uh... 

Luckily, Ms. B is just at home recovering, so when I emailed her with a "what do I do?", she contacted the school's custodial staff to get more desks delivered. Which they delivered... after I had had the classes. 

Well, that was only one day with inadequate desks. 

(I found a folding chair and the teacher's stool for the kiddos to sit on that first day. And luckily we had a couple absences.) 

There's nothing quite like walking into a class you're going to be covering for a while cold. Something was bound to go wrong.

No Help for You

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 😉

You might have heard that Los Angeles is on fire. According to the weather report (I'm writing this on Sunday), more Santa Ana winds and red flag conditions are expected this week. Which means things are likely to get worse (even though things are getting slightly better as of Sunday) before they get better. 

And so...

In our current political climate, I had a thought...

What if the federal government refused to provide disaster aid to areas they declared "the enemy", even though they are part of the country?

This isn't very far-fetched. Last time a certain president was in charge, he wanted to deny California aid for fires. He only relented when it was pointed out that that particular county was pro him. 

(I'm too lazy right now to go looking for links for this. It happened. I'm going to be very cranky if anyone has memory-holed this and claims it didn't happen.) 

For the moment, I'm far enough away from the fires to not be in danger. I hedge this as with continuing dry conditions and winds returning, it is possible that new fires could pop up at any time. And I don't want to tempt fate. It ain't over until the winds are gone and our humidity rises.

New Project Loading...

As I predicted, the Creeper I wrote about last week:

...ended up being given to my nephews. The twins. 

I know this because my brother sent me a video of them "opening" it. (I had wrapped it in tissue paper to mail. My brother brought them the thing in that tissue but out of the mailing envelope.) It's a thing my brother does. He always films his kiddos opening gifts. 

Knowing that this would go to twins, I offered to make a second one. When my brother asked the boys, they threw out other characters that they'd like: Enderman and Zombie. (These are all Minecraft characters. I realize I haven't specified where these characters are coming from. Minecraft is a video game.)

Well, why not?

I haven't found a Zombie pattern, but I did find an Enderman one. (I haven't looked very hard so a Zombie might be possible. I saw amigurumi Zombie critters, just not links to patterns. And it was only a cursory search. Because I'm going with the low hanging fruit here. Easier one to find is the one I'm going to do.) 

There's a video:

I'm not sure how quickly I'll get this done. I'm back at work, so I have less mental energy (and less time) to work on yarny things. But there's no rush. It wasn't timed to a birthday or anything.

Attending the Wrong Period

Note: You may have heard my area has been hit with multiple wild fires. As of now (Thursday night), my immediate area is safe. The fires are north of me. We are, of course, holding our breath as the red flag warnings are still in effect as our area is dry and anything might spark a wild fire nearby. (I'm not tempting fate. I'm knocking on wood, crossing my fingers, and doing anything else in hopes that my area remains safe.)

Thursday, the last week before winter break. Seventh period. 

Elise hovered at the door, looking in. "I'm not going to be in eighth period today." 

Me: "I'm not your teacher. You need to tell your teacher this."

Ms. D had a class called "math support & enrichment". This is an extra math class for kiddos who have difficulty in math. Which means that for a sub it's an nightmare, usually. Imagine a room full of kiddos who hate math, who will avoid doing any math work, and it's their second math class. 

As Ms. D is a co-teacher, she only used the room seventh period. For eighth period, Ms. F took the room for another math support & enrichment class. As I'm sure Elise was well aware. 

Elise: "I have cheerleading practice today, so I won't be here."

Me: "I have no access to Ms. F's attendance. You have to tell your teacher." 

It was a weird day, with us having every period for 29 minutes. (Usually they're on block schedule with only odd periods or even periods.) So, when Elise asked to stay, I allowed it. (Some of them might not have a seventh period but will have an eighth. It's weird.) 

Of course, this was a mistake. Elise was with her friend, and there were two boys. And, the four of them were in play mode. (They had no work to do. Normally I'd tell them to get caught up on missing work, but we were near the end of the day, and the grades were due. There was no work for them to get caught up on.) 

If the class had been any longer, I would have kicked her out. As it was, I had to separate the group for doing inappropriate things in a classroom. ("But we're friends. We always do this at lunch.") 

(Read: swiping each other's cell phones, taking video and pictures of each other, kicking each other, pulling elastic and smacking each other with it, etc.) 

So, since Elise hung around seventh period, she remained behind for eighth period to tell Ms. F she wasn't going to be in class, right? 

Nope. I ran into Ms. F the next day and asked. Elise was not there. Nor had she checked in with Ms. F. 

Friday. 

Elise: "I won't be here eighth period."

Me: eye roll.

Then I shooed her out. She asked to stay. After Thursday? Nope.

Can't Sit Still

For the last three days of the semester (the last three days before winter break) I caught a special ed assignment. Ms. D is a co-teacher, so I was expecting to be all over the place. What I got was a day in one classroom proctoring the final for two different seventh grade math classes. 

(Ms. D co-teaches seventh grade math with two different teachers. On test days she takes the special ed kiddos to another room. The special ed students test in a different room to help them focus.) 

Fifth period. 

I had seven students testing with me. They could have spread out in the room, but they sat in groups of two. The final was online, so once I verified that they had logged in, I sat back and watched. 

Calvin couldn't sit still. He changed position a couple times. He found a loose chair, pulled it up next to him, and then twisted so he was half in that chair and half in his desk. Then he started humming.

I warned Calvin that they were taking a final and he shouldn't be humming. He found he did not like the seat he was in and he wanted to move. I had a classroom of more than thirty desks, so I told him to pick another one. He did.

Then the humming started in earnest. "Last Christmas". I reminded him that not only was he testing, but the other students in the room were testing as well. 

Eventually, he finished his final. I was to keep the kiddos with me (rather than sending them back to their usual classroom which is usually what happens, but finals), so I allowed them to be on their phones. 

Calvin? Found "Last Christmas" and played it. Sigh.

I told Calvin that the room still needed to be quiet for the other students who weren't finished. He didn't get my point. And the shifting and squirming and such he was doing before became constant movement. 

It was a long, long period.

The next day when I talked to the general ed teacher, Ms. M, she asked how the final went. When I mentioned some difficulty, she had one reply. "Calvin?" Yup. She got it in one. 

I asked if he had ADHD. Because, seriously. Of course he did. 

I hope he matures out of some of these behaviors. Because special ed doesn't necessarily mean difficult kiddos. But seventh graders? Yeah, some of this is his age.

Free Day

School started back up yesterday, so it's time to revisit my subbing stories from before winter break.

Sunday afternoon. I did not have an assignment for the following day, so when my phone alerted, I was quite happy. It was for Mr. L who I have subbed for in the past, but I don't sub for him often. (He's not out a lot.) 

In the subbing app, the teachers can upload messages and files. Most do not. But, last minute call out, so Mr. L had uploaded his lesson plans. I read through them. And then I picked my jaw up off the floor.

It was finals week. Their finals were to start on Tuesday. For Monday? His classes had a "free day". 

Giving the kiddos time to go over work for other classes or just chill for a period is a lesson plan I get from time to time. Just not from Mr. L. He is rather famous for his busy work on days he's out. He once had them each pick a book from an old set of encyclopedias and list ten facts from it. I mean, it was probably more than ten, but my memory on this is murky.

So, for each class, I did the same intro: "And now I'm going to say something that I never thought I'd say in Mr. L's class. You have a free day."

(I had two students who needed to take their final early. That was the extent of actual work accomplished that day.)

It made it an easy day for me. And it was easy on them. I think some of them actually got work for other classes done, but most found games to play on the computers. And they remained mellow. So, a nice, easy day. 

Illegal Actions Should Have Consequences

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've been pondering the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. *waves hands* No reason, really. But it got me thinking...

What if those in power in government (say, like in the Supreme Court or the Oval Office) actually suffered consequences when they did something illegal?

Explaining the Project

I need to explain the why as this is not something I had any intention of making. 

I was surprised to get a Christmas gift from my brother. We had come to an understanding that his presents to me for all birthdays and Christmases were to edit the various videos I made for my YouTube channel. 

He then texted me this link, and I thought, why not? 

I did some online searching. Apparently, the Woobles patterns go with the kits, but I have absolutely no need for those overpriced kits. I have yarn. I have hooks. I know how to crochet. 

(That is not to say that those kits are worthless. If you don't have the tools nor the knowledge, these are cute. They give you the yarn you need, the tools, and the instructions. Totally worth it for a beginner.) 

I did find a pattern and a video for the character, although not as small or as cute as the Woobles one. But close enough. This I could do.

So, I did.

I have no idea what these things are supposed to look like, so hopefully it's the thing. Whatever.

And by the time you read this, it should be in the mail to my brother. Because he asked for it... 

(Well, not really. I assume a nephew will end up in ultimate possession of the thing. I doubt my brother plays Minecraft, but I know the nephews do.)

I mean, I was between projects. I needed something to do with my hands. And I had all the yarn on hand, in my stash.

First Friday Question

So, I hate the idea of resolutions, and I don't go in for all the various year start planning things that happen. (I believe that if you want to make a fresh start, you can choose to do that at any time. Why wait for January?) But I need a question for today (as school is out of session, so no subbing stories), so...

What is something you're looking forward to this year? 

I mean, I'm dreading all sorts of things, but I would rather put a positive spin on this. Although, I'm not looking forward to anything in particular. I hope to get my next video finished filming. And then I have an idea for one to do after that. 

Is there anything you're looking forward to? Are there any good movies coming out? New TV shows? Planning a trip? I'd love to hear your happy plans. (Or your dreads. Those are okay, too.)

13 Physical Constants

School is back in session next week. That means today's post is a Thursday 13. But what to write about? I'm not in the mood to think too hard...

Oh, I know. How about some numbers? I'm going to list some physics constants. Just because.

1. Speed of light in free space (c) = 2.9979 × 10⁸ m/s
2. 1 astronomical unit (AU) = 1.496 × 10¹¹ m
3. Mass of Earth (M_E) = 5.9742 × 10²⁴ kg
4. Radius of Earth (R_E) = 6.3781 × 10⁶ m
5. Avogadro’s number (N_A) = 6.022 × 10²³ /mol
6. Mass of hydrogen atom (m_H) = 1.0078μ = 1.6735 × 10⁻²⁷ kg
7. Electronic charge (e) = 1.6022 × 10⁻¹⁹ C
8. Electron rest mass (m_e) = 9.109 × 10⁻³¹ kg
9. Proton rest mass (M_p) = 1.6726 × 10⁻²⁷ kg
10. Compton wavelength of electron [λ_C = h/(m_ec)] = 2.4263 × 10⁻¹² m
11. 1 parsec (pc) = 3.086 × 10¹⁶ m
12. Mass of Sun (M_⊙) = 1.989 × 10³⁰ kg
13. Radius of Sun (R_⊙) = 6.96 × 10⁸ m

(I took the numbers from this list. I don't think anyone actually memorizes these numbers unless they use them regularly.)

Rose Parade

Do you watch the Rose Parade? If so, look out for the 605 All-Star Band. They're #70 in the lineup. Anyway, I know some of those kiddos...

I don't work at all eight of the high schools that comprise the band, but I do work at a couple of them. (I have subbed for the band directors at one time or other. I've even written posts about those days.) So, yeah, I will know a few of the kiddos. 

Should be fun to see them.