Bring it #8

Another one done and dusted

So I pulled an all-nighter. It’s not often that it happens anymore. I think I literally haven’t done this out of necessity for years and recently I’ve only worked through the night because of insomnia – but tonight was different.

My stats students wrote their midterm exams last night and so I’ve been preoccupied trying to prepare them. I’ve also been doing my own research and prepping my project students to hand in their topic approvals. Plus (and the real reason for my all-nighter) is our final exam and memo and special exam and memo must be handed in at the CPUT exams office tomorrow (later today rather!). If I miss that deadline I have absolutely no doubt that I will be named and shamed in the next Faculty Board Meeting, so there was no way I was gonna miss it. And on top of all that I wrote a last minute abstract today, because a colleague persuaded me that a talk I did at CPUT last week on online assessment is actually quite good, and potentially capable of being selected as a presentation for an e-learning festival happening later this year.

Absolutely No regrets. I love the thrill of the chase. The impending deadline and the satisfaction of delivering. Kachow baby. Every time I hit one of my targets I go on a natural high ….Completely dig it – reminds me of when I was consulting. It’s like a drug almost, but this drug pays my bills.

Although …I am pretty damn knackered now. I’m blogging now just to stay awake. It’s 4:30 and I dearly want to sleep but I know I shouldn’t because if I get into bed now there’s no way I’ll be able to get up at 5:30 to get the minions done and take them to school. So I’ll rather find something to do while I wait.

I simply can’t work anymore. My brain is in neutral gear.

This kinda reminds me of another time in my life that feels like a lifetime ago, about six months after my divorce was finalised, I was studying part time while working full time. I would habitually stay up very late nights – actually till early morning. I did this because I was terrified of failing in my courses. So I really put in as much effort and time as I could. I would only try to get some sleep from about 2 or 3am and have to be up at 5:30am again, to get the minions ready for school, drop them and then travel 35km in the opposite direction to go to my own work. I would sometimes sleep in my car during lunch times if I could. Lucky I had paid for parking spot in an undercover garage at that work place.

After oversleeping a few mornings, I decided I needed to come up with a plan to avoid that. So after doing whatever homework I had and studying, I would shower and then sleep on the couch in my work clothes. Luckily my couch was comfy, but not so comfy that I would oversleep. So especially that first year I hardly ever saw my own bed.

But even if I sleep in full kit on the couch now I know there’s no way that I’ll be able to wake in 50 minutes time, so for today I’ll just plow through.

Fortunately my work situation is different (more flexible) now, and to my sheer delight – I have Ed Sheeran on my iPod! Bibia Be Ye Ye! My fix…..

I think I’ll go watch myself go dance in the mirror now😱🤫💃🏾

One of my students recorded this very short video of me teaching last Monday night, using her mobile device and then shared it with me. It’s funny how there are things about yourself that you just don’t realize until you see a recording of yourself!

I don’t finish my sentences! 🤦🏾‍♀️ If I was my own student, I’m not so sure if I would be impressed with myself 🤔

Oh well, now I know 😁. Once we know better we do better. From now on I will make an effort to finish my sentences. 🤞🏾Fingers crossed

I think I love my job….. Nope, I flipping know I love my job. When you still sitting working on a Friday evening because you just wanna finish this project, because the truth is you actually dying to see what the finished product will look like then yes I think you love your job….hmmmnn. This is me.

I might or I might not have a problem, but frankly right now I couldn’t care. I’m just so excited about my plan to move the examinations for my stats classes entirely online. This meant I needed to find some creative solutions for example examining control charts. But I think I figured it out. I know it’s probably like oh so boring for many people, but if there are any other weird stats lecturers out that that either want to get started, or who want someone to bounce idea off about using Blackboard, please give me a holla. I feel like a kid in a candy store when I think about it.

The sooner I finish this the sooner I get onto other job/s, which have almost the same appeal but not quite (Sorry Cheryl 😳) but I am going to enjoy searching for Tronto too!

In search of Tronto… Tronto, Tronto, where art thou Fair Tronto

I wrote an article with My beautiful colleagues Cheryl and Daniela last year, and the main protagonist in our story was a lady called Tronto. So after my Blackboarding, I need to start helping by searching our new Tronto because we want to do a Take Two 🎞 🎬 …

But Enough shop talk for now. I got to get on with my job because I only have until tomorrow midday, because that is when my minions are have a movie afternoon/night with their friends at our house. 😁

I’m looking forward to it – I think it’s going to be entertaining. It’s always so cool when I’m a fly on the wall just listening and observing the way the teenagers interact with each other. I always have such a feel-good feeling from hearing them laugh with other, rag each other and give each other the most ridiculous advice. Teenagers know it all you see!

And then I think to myself, oh my word ….. Gosh really, was I once like that? Surely not…. but oh dear, I probably was. So I’m completely looking forward to being overwhelmed by 17 teenagers tomorrow. Will make them boeries and pretend that I’m not spying of them🕵🏾‍♀️

Secret Agent Foxy Brown over and out