.... I find it interesting and a little pathetic when people put up their every emotional change up as a facebook status. Don't they realize that "Forever in love and livin' the dream!!!!!" can turn into " single again - liars should burn in hell!!!" so quickly the keyboard on the cell phone won't even have time to get cold? I suppose they don't or they wouldn't bother.
Besides, is all that the business of every single one of your 287 BFF's? A person I know announced their intent to move several hours away "in three weeks, if all goes well" on FB not long ago. This person is employed, and has not resigned their position. So, now you can bet your employer knows, and you can expect to get fired. What if not all goes well? How does it feel to be standing on a bridge as you burn it?
M.E. is.... .... frustrated, sleepless, stressed, and cautioning you all about how you use these 21st century communication tools.
Showing posts with label CRANKIEST. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CRANKIEST. Show all posts
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
I Officially Hate CFL's.
Ok, I'm a hater. Even worse, I'm a non-green hater. I used to just have a preference for those old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs we've used our whole lives, but also had an open mind. I try not to do things just because that what we've always done, I like to have a reason.
First: there's price. The 60 watt full spectrum bulbs run about $.80 each. The 13 watt (60 watt replacement) CFL's range from $6. to $8. each - that's up to ten times as much.
Then there's ease of use: We have two identical lamps in our bedroom, and another set in our upstairs living space. Just so happens that sometime last spring, in a fit of greenness Harry (NOT ME) bought some CFL's and replaced one bulb in each set. In the bedroom, the light on my side is the incandescent. I flip the switch and it comes on - a nice warm 60 watt glow that I read by every night. The light on Harry's side is the CFL. You flip the switch, and wait to see if you have the right setting for a second or two - then you reach up and fiddle with the bulb, then it flickers for a few seconds, then you get a feeble glow that strengthens to about the 60 watt equivalent in about two or three minutes. In the living room the 60 watter acts as it always has - flip the switch - fiat lux! but again the CFL is always flickering and weak.
Then there's all those promises about longevity: as of this morning, I have replaced BOTH of those original bulbs installed last spring. The living-room one was defective from the get-go and was replaced within the first two weeks, and the bedroom one refused to shine even with the kindest of ministrations this morning.
THEN there's this little warning on the CFL - DO NOT THROW IN THE TRASH CONTAINS MURCURY DISPOSE OF AS HAZARDOUS WASTE never saw that on the ol' GE soft-whites.
Finally, the patriotic angle - the CFL's I have are all made in mainland China. The old-fashioned bulbs I have in the house are made either in Canada, or in the good old US of A.
Until the government decides I can't have them any more, I'm sticking with the incandescents. I'll just turn them off when I don't need them to save the planet. Thank you.
~M.E.
First: there's price. The 60 watt full spectrum bulbs run about $.80 each. The 13 watt (60 watt replacement) CFL's range from $6. to $8. each - that's up to ten times as much.
Then there's ease of use: We have two identical lamps in our bedroom, and another set in our upstairs living space. Just so happens that sometime last spring, in a fit of greenness Harry (NOT ME) bought some CFL's and replaced one bulb in each set. In the bedroom, the light on my side is the incandescent. I flip the switch and it comes on - a nice warm 60 watt glow that I read by every night. The light on Harry's side is the CFL. You flip the switch, and wait to see if you have the right setting for a second or two - then you reach up and fiddle with the bulb, then it flickers for a few seconds, then you get a feeble glow that strengthens to about the 60 watt equivalent in about two or three minutes. In the living room the 60 watter acts as it always has - flip the switch - fiat lux! but again the CFL is always flickering and weak.
Then there's all those promises about longevity: as of this morning, I have replaced BOTH of those original bulbs installed last spring. The living-room one was defective from the get-go and was replaced within the first two weeks, and the bedroom one refused to shine even with the kindest of ministrations this morning.
THEN there's this little warning on the CFL - DO NOT THROW IN THE TRASH CONTAINS MURCURY DISPOSE OF AS HAZARDOUS WASTE never saw that on the ol' GE soft-whites.
Finally, the patriotic angle - the CFL's I have are all made in mainland China. The old-fashioned bulbs I have in the house are made either in Canada, or in the good old US of A.
Until the government decides I can't have them any more, I'm sticking with the incandescents. I'll just turn them off when I don't need them to save the planet. Thank you.
~M.E.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
not feeling the love
Yeah,
I managed to embarrass and upset a student in class last Friday. I simply called him on his whining about not being able to do an assignment. Because of his learning difficulties, and I do admit he has some - I haven't made him put pencil to paper all semester. He informed me in class that he couldn't memorize the short piece of Shakespeare I assigned him. "Oh, Bull", says I, "your piece is easy and fun, I'm sure you could if you tried." I told him it was his choice, but that he wouldn't get a completion certificate if he didn't.
The kids have known about this, and have had their assigned pieces for two months already, and two weeks ago I gave this kid a much easier selection than he had originally picked. I spent class time on two different days, including last week, teaching memorization skills. I could have helped a three year old memorize his piece simply by setting it to a tune and making it a clapping song. But, NOOOOoooo, he's incapable of memorizing it. It's too hard! His mother, a member of the co-op board red @ssed me both over the phone and in EMail today, and pulled her boy out of both of my classes. She is honked off because I swore at her kid. "My husband and I do NOT speak to our children that way!" She is honked off because she has tried to help him, and he just can't do it.
IMHO, this kid does have some learning and social difficulties. It is also my opinion that he has learned very adeptly how to play his mom and dad like violins.
I have always enjoyed teaching at co-op, even though I do not believe I have the gift of dealing with kids. I do not get paid enough to do this job. If this comes up again, or she takes this 'to the board'. they will swiftly find themselves minus a teacher. I have better things to do with approximately 10 hours each week.
Yeah. and other things went poorly today, also. ~M.E.
I managed to embarrass and upset a student in class last Friday. I simply called him on his whining about not being able to do an assignment. Because of his learning difficulties, and I do admit he has some - I haven't made him put pencil to paper all semester. He informed me in class that he couldn't memorize the short piece of Shakespeare I assigned him. "Oh, Bull", says I, "your piece is easy and fun, I'm sure you could if you tried." I told him it was his choice, but that he wouldn't get a completion certificate if he didn't.
The kids have known about this, and have had their assigned pieces for two months already, and two weeks ago I gave this kid a much easier selection than he had originally picked. I spent class time on two different days, including last week, teaching memorization skills. I could have helped a three year old memorize his piece simply by setting it to a tune and making it a clapping song. But, NOOOOoooo, he's incapable of memorizing it. It's too hard! His mother, a member of the co-op board red @ssed me both over the phone and in EMail today, and pulled her boy out of both of my classes. She is honked off because I swore at her kid. "My husband and I do NOT speak to our children that way!" She is honked off because she has tried to help him, and he just can't do it.
IMHO, this kid does have some learning and social difficulties. It is also my opinion that he has learned very adeptly how to play his mom and dad like violins.
I have always enjoyed teaching at co-op, even though I do not believe I have the gift of dealing with kids. I do not get paid enough to do this job. If this comes up again, or she takes this 'to the board'. they will swiftly find themselves minus a teacher. I have better things to do with approximately 10 hours each week.
Yeah. and other things went poorly today, also. ~M.E.
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