500 not out

We made it. 500 posts today! I think that gets me the steak knives now.

Actually there appears to be some dispute within Blogger but even the most conservative number says that this is my 500th post.

-In my dashboard (bloggers will know) it says I had 501 going into this one, so this'll make it 502.

-In my manage posts list, it says I have 500, so this will make it 501 (I know you can add, I'm just saying it's not including this one).

-But down the right side of the blog itself, if you add up the numbers for each year you'll see that this post makes it 500. (41+76+131+182+69=499).

Sure I've had a few lean months of late, but I'm still trucking. Albeit on a slightly smaller truck, maybe a small lorry, or a van. Yes, a van.

Anyway, I'm not too sure what the present for a 500th blog post but I shall accept your hearty congratulations!

I'm in a meeting

No really, I am.

You may remember last year I took on exam marking as my 'summer job'. Well I'm back again and this time I'm doing overtime, which in exam marking means marking two different papers. I honestly don't know what possessed me.

Anyway last year, you may also remember that I got a jolly to London out of it and even managed to get back to Wimbledon. My plan was similar for this year and I would be in some nice plush London offices enjoying muffins and making small talk while we start to mark.

Ever keen to push the boundaries they decided, in their wisdom, they'd go with a VoIP conference call. No jolly to London, no Wimbledon, no nice hotel.

Instead we were stuggling through a meeting with numerous technical hitches, which our 2nd in command summed up well by saying 'we've no papers, no team leader and no admin support.' Brilliant.

An hour or so later we managed to get the papers to look at, sound problems were sorted and we were able to mark. Some of it is painful though. Because you can't see anyone and read body language, people speak at once then both offer to the other to go ahead, you know like when there's satellite interviews on TV (actually radio is the better example here). The mics for some people seem to be like they are speaking in Timbuktu with a yogurt pot and a piece of string. There's a woman on who starts everything she says with 'can you hear me?' Then someone has to reply to say yes, then she starts saying what she wanted to say, although usually interupts herself a few sentences later to ask again 'can you hear me?'

You really do lose out a lot on not being in the same room. Although I am appreciating being able to do all this in my jammies. Wouldn't be doing that in London.

Shame

Anyone else ashamed to be from Northern Ireland today? I was.

It's 2009 yet we're going through immigration problems. I mean, really.

I was teaching a Citizenship class today and we talked about it. There was a feeling in the class that these people were taking what is rightfully ours. Ours?!

I tried to get over to them that perhaps they are just trying to provide for their families, something that is surely innate to all humans. Moving to where that's easier is something that our ancestors did during the potato famine, heck, even during the plantation. Yet now, we've become all precious about 'ours'.

Perhaps I have also been affected by the fact that I have lived abroad. No one ever questioned me, told me I was taking their jobs, threw a brick threw my window, or called me Irish scum. 

Moving abroad, away from what is familiar, away from family, away from everything you've ever known is one of the scariest things you can do. That in itself deserves a bit of respect. 

Nevermind that we're all the same.

The shame.

1972 isn't a kick in the pants off forty years ago

I did something today I thought I would never do in my teaching career. Something, if I'm honest, I hoped I would never do.

I had to show the Nicky Cruz video, 'The Cross and the Switchblade'. 

Yes, RE departments are still showing it. It looked old, felt old, and was old when I had to watch it in school fifteen years ago. Then I thought, as I did today, an amazing story is getting lost in a crappy old dated film.

Seriously Hollywood. I think you'd make your money back on the remake on DVD sales to RE departments alone.

**Hold. The. Phone. 

**Shut. Up.

**And. Other. Phrases. To. Imply. Shock.

There is a new one coming out.

Ssh...if you listen carefully you can hear a hundred thousand RE teachers saying thank you!

Lookalikies

It's been troubling me since the election posters went up a while ago but I finally worked out who it is I think looks like Bairbre de Brun...Eamon de Valera.

That pink jacket is fooling no one Eamon.

Tell us how you're going to fight for our fishermen Bairbre.

In other lookalikey news, I was disappointed to hear that Margaret is leaving the Apprentice. I'm new to the show, well the British one, and I feel our time together has been all too short. She's brilliant! But I have the perfect replacement in mind...Mary Peters. She's even from NI too!

Reports indicate Margaret is off to do her PhD. That may wipe the smile off her face.

At a recent awards ceremony Mary and Nick gone on famously. I think that bodes well.

Sadly the final is tonight and while that means there's no more sleeps to wait for it, I shall be doing my level best not to find out who won from anyone at YF tonight. But if it's anything like the Ireland V. England rugby match, not finding out will be easier said than done.