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We've been stuck on rounding numbers for the last two weeks. Rounding numbers, you know, estimating.... Now the people in my class, granted, haven't been to school in 10-30 years. And yes, they are foreign language students... BUT HOLY MOTHER OF ALL FUCK IT'S JUST GOD DAMNED ROUNDING!!! You round 89 up to 90. You round 465 up to 500... WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THEM??? OK, now that I got that outta my system... I gave the THIRD test... the first two times was the same exact test, and this third time I changed only a few numbers. So I had 50% pass the first time, and of those who flunked (didn't get 80%) 50% passed the second time. Going by the half-life rule I thought I'd never reach 100% of the students passing. Today though, finalFUCKINGly, everyone who took the third version of the test passed it. I don't know if it was luck: "third time's a charm", though it could have something to do with the fact that they've had the same test TWICE already, I left up notes on place value on the board (this is the tens place... this is the hundreds place...), or maybe it was the fact that I let them ask me questions for 10 minutes before I gave them the test. Now only the people who were absent still have to take the test. This is just the math test, ok, and just one fo the 15 math standards of the curriculum they have to pass. I still haven't gotten 50% of them to pass the spelling test of the kindgarten through 3rd grade spelling words of the Dolch list. These are words like "an" and "today". The hardest words are "right" and "write". Aye carrumba. Anyway, let's leave work AT work.
So there's a family reunion this weekend in Poughkeepsie. Nice of them to let me know bout it. Me and my brother are the black sheep of the family. Which is VERY fucking sad... my family being chock full of alcoholics and window lickers. We don't get the heads up until last minute. I only found out because I happened to talk with Farley today and he told me to check the net for cheap plane tickets. It doesn't work like that babe. Maybe if I woulda known more than three days in advance. Fuck even a bus ticket would run $200, and it'd take me those three days to get there, and three days back... bah! I just really fucking hate missing out on things. Stems from the isolation of my youth and from when my leg/knee was fucked up my junior year and I missed 3 months of school, couldn't go out or do anything but talk on the phone, of which I heard much "You missed the coolest shit in school today..." etc. Plus I'm mad-jonesin for some New York. BUT... on a good note, this Saturday my sorta-step-brother is coming down to Austin to visit his real mom. That's Erin. I don't know if I've mentioned him in here yet but he's the son of my mom's long-term live-in boyfriend. He'll be here till the following Saturday. And also more killer news, Erin's sister, so my sorta-step-sister moved back to Austin from Arkansas. Her bf is in the military and they'd been up there for a while. Plus the kids' mother used to live in bumfuck but she moved to Austin a few months ago, so that's where Melissa moved back in with for the time being. So now there are people that I know on my own, and I'm not being some hanger-onner friend moucher... I mouch enough shit offa Eric... you'd think I'd be able to find my own friends. Eric's band ahs a gig this Saturday in Austin, so hopefully Erin will get in early enough for them to check the band out or do somethign while we're in Austin. Though it's not that far of a drive, 2 hours, so goin back Sunday or during the week wouldn't be too hard. Eric said I could invite them over for a night if they wanted. That way I could show em around Houston, and it's give Eric more reason to show ME around Houston finally (lol). There are a couple problems, 1) we're broke as hell. "we" meaning Eric (I'm such a communist) "I" have about $5 in change in a coffee can and a guitar I'm not willing to pawn. Also the whole thing is gonna be awkward. I've always been a bit too weird to them. Too extreme. Weird is here X and I'm here X. And Melissa saw me shoot up once. But this will give me a chance to apologize to her for that. I never really cared who saw what, back in the day. Hopefully it'll all work out.

Always remember to quit while you're ahead.

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