My Most Embarrassing School Moment

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We never forgive those who make us blush – Jean Francois De La Harpe

I happened to be taking a group of first-years back to their classroom today when a mother of one of the girls came to talk to her. I thought I’d earn some brownie points, and explain to the mother that this particular pupil was very good at English (which she is) and works well (she does).

All I got from the mother was a half-shocked look and a gesture that implied she did not understand me, so I asked one of the other girls in the class to come and help translate. I was determined to let her know just how good her daughter was.

The lady’s shock became understandable when she informed me that she was the girl’s sister. Her shock became my embarrassment, which increased exponentially when she also told me she was also a pupil in the same school I work in. This means she is between twelve and fifteen years old.

In my defence, this girl began last year, when I was on paternity leave, and I do not have classes 7-9 any more. She wears a shawl, like many of the girls, and is not one of the boisterous pupils.

It’s an ice-breaker, though, providing she doesn’t take offence at my blunder.

Not Quite The Muppets

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Continuing the outing theme, we went to a puppet theatre today, Dockteatern Tittut, puppetry for children from two years old.

Today’s show was a forty minute version of H.C. Anderson’s Thumbelina, with two puppeters/actors taking on all the story’s roles. Unusually, they weren’t hidden behind a black veil, but were as much a part of the story as the puppets they were controlling.

Freya was a bit tired, had just drunk some juice (sugar-kick, anyone?) and was part of a 40-odd audience; she phased in and out of the performance, sometimes interacting with some of the other children present. All in all, though, she enjoyed herself and must have earned some experience points from the event.

Jo and I liked the show very much, too, and will definitely be making more frequent visits to this theatre.

Suits You, Sir

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There are very few places that exist on God’s Earth where this costume would be considered cool; however, at those places you would be a god of sorts.

For a mere $55 you could be the extremely proud owner of this Super Snake fancy-dress costume, which would be exceptionally cool if Super Snake had existed in the arcades. But, being interested in such things, I’ve checked The Killer List Of Video Games, the authority in these matters, and I cannot find it listed. So it loses its appeal. Big time.

Still, hardly anyone would know the non-existence of said game, and you could easily reel off a list of “facts” a that would be as true they ever could be, thus increasing your kudos immeasurably amongst folk that actually mean anything.

Still, the joystick is conveniently placed for a miriad double-entendres.

Half-Arsed Plundering

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A very gay man stopped us in the street on the way home from swimming this evening, to inform us, in a very dithery manner, that he had just been robbed. I don’t know whether it was his excessive gayness, or the aftershock, that cause him to be so vexed. When we asked him if we could help, he trotted off into the night, apologising.

I can only assume, if he were telling the truth, that the robbers were equally as confused, since they forgot to despoil our little homosexual friend of his plastic bag full of alcohol.

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Diving Distinction

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It was the culmination of Freya’s current swimming school course today, and she came away with two badges.

The first is an octopus badge, or maybe “The Octopus”, which has no real meaning, being given to all the children at the end of the course. At best one could say it is a decorative memory of the thousand-odd crowns it costs for the eight lessons.

The second emblem Freya received was “The Grebe“, which required her to perform, three times, the following:

Jump into the pool
Swim underwater (meaning being pushed – not as severe as it sounds)
Having her eyes open under water

We’ve also been practising for the next badge, “The Blue Crab”, and she is not far from being able to complete it. The next class starts, conveniently, next Monday, so a few more weeks may see Freya coming home with another prestigious piece of metal.