Suzanne Calling

A brief meeting tomorrow, about an hour grading one group's final project and I am DONE with TAing for this semester. That leaves 1.5 classes and my comp exam in two weeks. The load is getting lighter...

Yes, I'm watching it again this season. However, with the workload from TAing, my class, and the comp exam in two weeks, I decided not to do recaps this time around. So far, it seems like they're picking off the people I don't like-except last week. I'm hoping Judson shows up somewhere else, like Cooking Channel. The judges seemed surprised that he hadn't shared the information about his huge weight loss and that it was too little, too late. Meanwhile, I can understand that he wanted to put that part of his past behind him. No one wants to be known as the fat kid, and is ashamed of the teasing and ridicule-so it makes perfect sense that he'd avoid bringing it up. Meanwhile, Nikki seems to be this year's Debbie. She's got that self-important smirk, but I don't feel a connection with that one and probably wouldn't watch a show she hosted. Last week, if not for the rest of her group kicking butt, she would have been in the cookoff challenge...

I had a few ideas for Ed's Father's Day present this year. He really wants a new iPad, but considering he got the one he has last Father's day, and well, I can't justify spending that much money to only add retina scan, that was off the list. (Plus, he wanted a 64gig. Not happening.) He also wants a roll away tool case, but I think that we need to get this garage emptied out before I go that route for him. Other things on the list need a little more research before I spend the money on them. Instead, I happened to be over in Tampa and made a stop at Total Wine and More after I ran my errand. It felt like the beer aisle was screaming "Hey, over here, we've got Ed's favorites!" Off I went, and inspiration struck. There are another 12 Leinys and some more of the Abitas (which are really for me), but I think he'll enjoy the next month or two going to the fridge in the garage and being able to pick a favorite with his eyes closed!

If you're holding a several continuing education seminars, two that are half day and a third that is an all day affair, would you list them as: * Autism and Society 9-12 pm * Technology and Autism 1-4pm * Adaptations in Technology 9-12 and 1-4 or would you indicate that Adaptations in Technology is from 9-4, with a one hour break? I felt bad when I friend and I walked in a few minutes before what we thought was an afternoon session, only to find it was the second half of a full day presentation. Thankfully, about 5 other people were of the same mindset, and trickled in after me and my friend! Even better, the presenter was able to bring us up to speed on the information from the first half in about 20 minutes, because it did cover content we were familiar with. We did give feedback on the rating forms that our university loves so much that the flyers sent out gave the impression that this was two half-day presentations of the same content. Hopefully, they'll word th...

In the twenty plus years in retail management, I did a lot of training. I was good at it, and most of my employers were more than happy to have me perform this role, because I enjoyed it and got results. Hell, one company even created a corporate trainer position for me, because they were waiting for the right person to walk through the door to do it. So, trainer. To me, it was basically guiding others into doing their job effectively, giving them the reasons why things were done in that way, and offering tips on how to be most effective in performing the tasks. It is teaching, but it isn't teaching. Training doesn't always allow for individuality, for critical thinking on the part of the trainee. Two semesters of being a teaching assistant and I see where that role toes the line between trainer and teacher. You're able to offer best practices like a trainer, but you give the student the principles and (at the graduate level, anyway), they're expected to go off ...

Ever since I got my first laptop in 2003, I've had a love/hate relationship with trackpads. My Thinkpad had a tiny 2/2 square and it was frustrating to get to where I was going on the screen. In short order, I bought a mouse for it, probably because I'd had one with every machine I'd owned, going back to 1991. A couple of years passed, and the want of a newer machine meant I got a newer laptop in 2005 and that HP had a much nicer trackpad. It was 3x3, and I never realized how much of a difference that would make. The next machine, (the Toshiba that GameTeen now uses) however, had a textured surface and doing schoolwork on it all day meant my index finger hurt if I used the computer too long. Then I got the Macbook Pro. I loved the multifunctionality and the smooth surface. At one point, someone suggested getting an Apple mouse, but I was firmly in the camp of 'if it isn't broken, don't fix it,' because switching to the Apple way of doing things took ...

Chef likes to play Little Big Planet 2. When he plays against other players in the Playstation Network, there are a lot of things that people can embed into games, as well as use their headsets. This is because players can build levels into the game. This means that for a while, my son was Rickrolling people, because he may be one of the rare people on the planet who actually likes the song "Never Gonna Give You Up". I don't know where he gets it, maybe it's a gene mutation? However, thanks to that game, I think we'll call the summer of '12 "Banana Song Summer", because of this: You're welcome. And if you need to get rid of it, may I suggest Unhear It? http://unhearit.com/