There is such a thing as a free lunch ... and supper

Student teaching has its ups and downs -- mostly ups -- and today I added to the list of experiences with another inservice day. Most teachers seem not to enjoy these days, and I can see why, with all of the complaining and talking in circles about the same issues over and over again. But since I only need to see these problems for 5 or 6 weeks at a time, I don't mind these meetings. The morning was capped off with a free lunch -- potluck for which I didn't bring anything (I had a list of excuses prepared, but nobody asked).

The second half of the day was spent checking out the classrooms or workshops for the various vocational options available at the school. I signed up for the Foods program and Welding. Welding was a fine time, although I am still waiting for my hearing to return tomorrow after the welding guy let some oxygen-acetylene gas leak into a steel pipe and then lit it. I got to cut some steel with a torch, wear some killer goggles, and hear accident stories.

Foods was another story. Those of us who attended watched a well-trained chef prepare a gourmet meal (he said it would sell for $25-30 in a restaurant) and then got a plate for ourselves. I lost the recipe, but it was some stuffed chicken thing with a chocolate sauce. Unfortunately, the hour in the kitchen followed immediately on the heels of the potluck, so I wasn't ready to eat again. The meal was wrapped and I carried it home with me on the bus. I planned on taking a picture, but it didn't survive the journey quite so well. Still tasty, though, and I've got dinner.

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The other interesting thing from this week was attending the Brier. Those of us who went had a grand time, but as a sporting event, it's kind of bizarre. Unlike hockey games, where any break in action is punctuated by "Song 2" (you know, that "Woohoo" song by Blur), it is persistently quiet, with rare bursts of applauses or shocked gasps as Kerry Burtnyk blows another shot.

The event also provides an excuse for old people to get rowdy. A lady in our section answered every chant of "B.C." (Manitoba's opponent) with the eloquent reply "Sucks!". There weren't any close games among the 4 (you can see in the picture that one of the sheets is empty already, the game having been conceded early), but that only left more time to plot a curling team for next winter.