The Rev

It's official. I am now an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church. It took about three minutes to complete the online form and $9.60 to ship my certificate. I don't plan to put my powers to use until this July when I marry my sister and her fiance, but I am trying to stay in tune with the universe in case it calls me to duty before then. Like yesterday when I had to bless that guy on the plane after he sneezed.

Job One

On Monday I began one of three summer jobs -- teaching English to adult learners. I am their third teacher in a six-week session, so you can imagine their excitement when they saw me at the front of the room Monday night.

"Are you my teacher now?" one man asked.

"Yes. I am," I replied.

"Oh. Welcome. Welcome. Thank you for coming," he answered as he looked around at his fellow students.

Each of them welcomed me in a similar manner -- absolute kindness with a hint of frustration. Actually, one woman offered more frustration than kindness but even she seemed to turn around by the end of the evening.

They are a smart group, and I can't blame them for feeling tossed aside. We had a good evening together and successfully worked through the difference between always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, and never.

When we finished, they seemed surprised to hear that I'd be back for the next four weeks. And I can't tell you how nice it feels to have people thank your for teaching them as they walk out the door.

I feel a heavy pressure to not disappoint. They deserve more than just my presence each week. ELL is not my area of expertise, but I plan to match their dedication as best I can.

Sacrificing Quality Left and Right

I just finished editing the worst paper I think I've ever written. Twelve hours ago I was so pleased with my page and a half an hour rate, but now I remember why I write slowly. So that sentences make sense and apostrophes go in the right places. When I began revising four hours ago I had 19 pages of text. I sent the paper off minutes ago with just over 15 pages of text. Turns out the faster I write, the more crap I have to say.

Quid Pro Quo

I really respect and admire the work of a classmate who asked to exchange our 12-paged, double-spaced papers for tomorrow's peer review. I am flattered that she would think my feedback useful in her fascinating project and related dissertation work. I just received her 24-paged, single-spaced document with attached review questions and I'm not feeling so flattered any more.