Pancake Day

"Did you know today was Pancake Day?" That's what I was asked on several occasions today. In the UK, since tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, today is the day that you clean out your cupboards. They call it Shrove Tuesday. It seems that traditionally observing Lent meant abstaining from all dairy products, including eggs (in addition to meat), therefore you would indulge the night before... Kinda like Yom Kippur where you enjoy a feast before you fast for twenty-four hours. Pancakes here tend to favor crepes rather than the pancakes I grew up on, but they still taste nice nonetheless. In the British Isles (and some other parts of Europe) Shrove Tuesday is also a festival-type day with Pancake Races (where women run through the streets with frying pans, trying to flip pancakes as they run) and other games. Forget Mardi Gras beads and wild parties, bring on the pancakes! Somehow it just doesn't have the same effect.

Anyway, Happy Pancake Day all!!

Monday

A pretty boring week. A pretty boring weekend... But not for long!! I am getting more and more excited about the trip to the continent - it's going to be a blast!! I just have to make it through the week - Ugh! School is really stressing me out and keeping me really busy. This trip is a welcomed escape. Are we down to only four days, K?

This was a conversation I overheard between two 17 year old boys today:

Boy 1: Did you watch the SuperBowl last night?
Boy 2: Nah. I can't get into American Football.
Boy 1: Yeah. It's like when they film matches here everything looks a little gray. Over there it's all lit-up and has a bright haze, kinda like a Hollywood movie. So I watch it, but it is dull. I keep looking for a plot, but there isn't one.

Could Be Promising...

I recently had a conversation with the Head of Science about a going on a training course for a program we are using with our year 10 and 11 students. At first she was a little apprehensive, it seems that the program will be replaced in 2006. But then she said, "Well, you'll be working with the program next year, so it would be beneficial." Is this a good sign for a job for next year?

Nightmares

I had two disturbing dreams on Friday. The first was about Ofsted. I was in the middle of an absolutely horrible lesson to find an Ofsted inspector at the back of my classroom. The school has me so worked up that I am now dreaming about the visit - Agg! I couldn't wake myself and was almost late for work... The second dream was early evening when I was napping. It was about being beaten and abused. I can't remember exactly what happened, but the most disturbing bit of the dream was waking up and feeling like it was not the first time I have dreamt it...