Valentines Day Scrooges and Haters

I just wanted to briefly share my thoughts on the Valentines Day haters out there. While l can greatly appreciate your anti consumerist sentiment, I nevertheless think it is grossly misplaced.

Of all the seasonal events to hate you choose the one that celebrates love? The one that celebrates love for the sake of love – I couldn’t think of a better thing to do to spice up another otherwise arbitrary day of the week.

Of course you don’t need some poor capitlist driven excuse of a day to remind you to love, and of course any decent and intelligent person knows to suprise their better half on any given day of the week.

If your going to hate on Valentines day might as well put those Christmas presents back under the tree that represents a religion you don’t believe in if not despise, those easter eggs back in the basket. Better put that Guinness down and leave the pub that you have absolutely no heritage to and forgo any further celebrating of a day that involves insane amounts of intoxication. While you’re at it might as well give up celebrating mothers and fathers day too – because if you don’t need to be reminded to celebrate one another you certainly dont need a reminder to celebrate your parents.

I don’t mind if you don’t celebrate Valentines Day, although perhaps the lonely old lady or man down the street might like a rose and some chocolates. Perhaps the lady at the checkout who lost her husband to cancer might like a nice card or a cup of tea or coffee? Especially after having served hundreds of gooey eyed teens and nervous husbands.

I don’t mind if don’t celebrate Valentines Day, but if you’re going to hate on this day of love – keep your hate to yourself and think of the lady down the street.

Happy Valentines Day!

Universtiy Life, and My Belovded Partner in Crime.

We all approach life at our own pace, and life has a way of dictating to us at what pace we should best approach life.

That being said, as of late, life’s approach has been intense. And so in order to keep up, I have had to adopt an intense approach to life. Most of this intensity though stems from Uni. It is hard to believe that we are already about to enter week seven after the inter session break – which is by no means a break at all rather a chance to catch up on assignments and study. On top of that I have already completed my five observation days and will begin prac teaching in roughly five weeks.

My beloved partner and I are both working to complete our masters and much to our displeasure have not been able to spend much time together except for our dedicated date nights once a week (anyone in a relationship will tell you though this is not enough). Much of our time has consisted of early starts and late finishes; that is waking up at 5:30 – 6:00 most days and working into the evening until 1 – 3am. Three assessments down with three to go before prac teaching officially begins.

My observation days were incredibly enlightening, just as everyone I had spoken to had said – what you learn at uni is almost of no use, it is what you learn at prac that is of my importance and of most use. And I must say that I am in agreement with such statements. For starters uni didn’t even touch on lesson plans until a week before our assessment on lessons plans was due. There is also the way in which you conduct yourself in a classroom that they fail cover, that is they don’t teach you about the impact of where you stand in the room and how to project your voice etc. don’t get me wrong I don’t mind because it is the sort of stuff you learn on prac anyway but a few tips along the way wouldn’t go astray either.

My observation days appear to have gone well and I have learnt much. Most importantly though I have observed that teaching is indeed for me and I cannot wait until I secure that fulltime position. I can only dream and imagine of where that may be, should I succeed in my studies. I cannot explain it, only in that personally I feel that teaching/education is the foundation of any successful society/culture albeit that teaching be formal or informal – a society relies on good teachers for it to succeed – to be a part of such a process would be an honour of the upmost highest regard.

To think that you are responsible for someone else’s learning and understanding of the world around them. What an incredible and amazing feeling. I don’t mean to sound egotistical by the way, for that is by no means my intention; in fact I could think of nothing worse than being some pompous fool full of his own self-importance, blowing smoke up his own ass. Indeed, the very thought of teaching is a very humbling notion to me. The gravity and weight of the expectations in which such a title of ‘teacher’ entails is incredible, and should humble even the most inflated of egos, lest they be utter fools for the taking.

I imagine that the next few week will be tough, with three assessments due over the next three weeks and prac teaching to prepare for around the corner, the nights are only going to get longer and the morning’s remain early.  Not to fear, for as I said at the beginning: We all approach life at our own pace, and life has a way of dictating to us at what pace we should best approach life, that being said it is up to us to decide whether or not we meet the requirements of that pace lest be left behind.

Before I conclude though let me just say one more thing, if it were not for my beloved partner in crime in life I could never have made it as far as I have. Indeed I imagine that if it were not for my beloved other half I would be a complete and utter wreck. There is no way I could have come as far as I have if it were not for the support and love of my gorgeous girl. It is because of my beautiful lover that I feel the desire to push forward in the face of adversity, so that our future together may be bright and beautiful. I just want to say that I Love and appreciate her so much. Thank you for making my lunch in the morning when you are as tired as I am, thank you for serving me out dinner when you too are thinking about the assessments in which you need to get done. Thank you for always picking me up from the station when I know that is valuable time to you to use for study etc. Thank you for just being generally fucking awesome. Thank you for your kisses of good luck, your kisses of love, and your hugs of support. Knowing that I have you by my side makes every day that much easier to deal with. Every assessment that much easier to complete, every prac day that much easier to do, every day at work easier to get through. Thank you for being so encouraging, thank you for being so reassuring – your reassuring hugs and your reassuring kisses. You are my one and only, without you I am the earth with no sun, I am earth with no moon, you are my gravity that holds me steady, my atmosphere that helps me breathe.

JS.