In-School Mentoring and Obliviousness
:: I am a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters Edmonton & Area. There are different mentoring opportunities available to volunteers. Last year, I began as a Digital Hero – it’s like being a digital pen pal. The student and I e-mail back and forth through a monitored web site. The student asks me questions, and I try to help, and we get to know each other. Today I began another program called In-School Mentoring. I was assigned to a boy in Grade 6 at the Academy at King Edward. The school is in a beautiful old building that was built in 1913, and is a historic site in the city. The use of the word “Academy” to describe it is appropriate.
I met the student, Scott, today with the BBBS caseworker, and we discussed interests, activities he likes doing, and so forth. I will meet with him for 40 minutes once a week, over lunch hour. I learned very quickly some of his interests, including mechanics and electronics, robots, music, sk8boarding, and puzzles. He also told me he likes classic rock (Pink Floyd!) and SNL, so we hit it off quickly. We plan to play Scrabble next week.
I’ve not done this kind of volunteering before, but felt comfortable today. The meeting place will be the library, which is cool, given that I’m a librarian. I spoke with the library technician, and promised to compare notes at a later date!
:: Today while driving home from work, I heard a siren. An ambulance was approaching, so I pulled over with another vehicle, into a left-hand turning lane. As the ambulance passed, we began to move back into the lane, only to notice an idiot barreling up the same lane at high speed. He had chosen to use the ambulance as a wedge to clear other vehicles out of his way. He almost clipped my car as he sped by me.
It’s another example of a disturbing trend, what I like to call obliviousness. I’m not sure this idiot even knew what he was doing. Another example is when someone bumps into you while they are talking on their cell phone, unaware that other sentient beings are sharing the same space as they are as they walk and talk.
:: In the spirit of Christmas Letters Past, I’d like to report that today, I bought some pants.
March 15th, 2005 at 22:34
Ah, drivers, you know I hate, em.
I was just complaining to my mother about some dumbasses in cars just today. As I was getting to the end of the alley the other day i noticed a big white car backing up right across my path to the street, which is a very busy intersection. He back up at least two short blocks and turned down a street and took off. I don’t know why.
A couple of weeks ago I was going to work fairly early and there was no traffic. A guy was tailgating me even though the lanes on either side were empty. He kept blinking his head lights even though I was going 62 in a 55. I waved him around, finally started slowing down and he raced around me honking and cut back into the lane at an angle to scare me. I just don’t get it. I guess i was in his lane and it was my fault I didn’t move over to let him pass or go faster than 7 miles over the speed limit. I’d like to punch that guy until he pooped his pants.
On a good note I did see the Incredibles today and was pleased. It’s a nice movie.
I’d also recommned to people the re-issue of the Specials on DVD. Most likely few of you have heard of this. It’s a great superhero movie but don’t expect a lot of great superhero feats, it’s a documentary style look at the third or four best super hero team in the city where they live. It’s funny and sad and hopeful all at the same time. It’s got Thomas Haden-Church playing the only character I have ever liked him as.
The writer of the Specials – James Gunn has written a real mixed bag of other stuff; Tromeo and Juliet for Troma, an amazing utterly twisted version of Romero and Juliet; Terror Firmer, a fairly good version of what Lloyd Kaufman and Troma are; both Scooby Doo movies, which I enjoyed more that I ever could the tv series; and the recent remake of Dawn of the Dead. Gunn, a character on the Angel series was named after him. He has a fair novel in The Toy Collector. An interesting guy. He also acts, playing Minuteman in the Specials, which again I highly recommend.
March 16th, 2005 at 15:09
One day I was in a public building and could hear someone talking on their cell phone very loudly. I looked around and saw that they were over 20 feet away and still were too loud!
March 16th, 2005 at 16:00
tell us more about these pants……