arton

This is where things get complicated; eighteen is arton.  But eight is åtta.  It's tricksy. 

I (Richard) failed my Swedish speaking exam on Thursday.  This was not even remotely unexpected, but I am still not happy about it.  I did okay on the reading, and I did well on the listening ... but the writing and the speaking components were inte so bra.  Not so good.

There are plenty of reasons why this happened, but at some point, it's not about the reasons.  I made lots of other stuff happen this term; I have been really pleased with my training, I have been really pleased with how being department head has gone.  But I just couldn't make the Swedish (and the Swedish classes) happen on the level that I wanted to ... I just ran out of time and space for something, and this was it.  

I have until mid-January to figure out how to remedy that situation, because I really do want to get better with the language.  I want to make my Swedish happen.  Ah well.  For now I just need to finish up getting better health-wise, and then there's one and a half days left at school, and then it's break time.  Fruit salad helps with everything:

... delicious.  

It isn't particularly late here, and yes, I have taken advantage of feeling sub-par by doing a whole lot of movie watching over the past three days, but it is time to get a couple things done before we head to bed early over here.  The observant reader might have noticed a certain beloved old army bike inverted between the artton ... yes, a little bike work is required tonight.  For the first time in a long, long, long time, it didn't rain when the weather reports had called for it:

... it actually snowed.  Now, it is still 2C outside, so who knows what this is going to look like tomorrow, but no matter what it's finally time to get the snow tires on my bike.  Jennie's been hooked up for a few weeks now (a conveniently-timed flat made that an easy decision).  Last year I could only find one snow tire to fit my bike; this year I visited the shop across town, and he had no fewer than six Nokians in my size sitting around and ready to go.  Yes, six tires for a 70's wheel diameter that I don't think anyone uses any more ... but when you have dozens of 70's era bikes still all over town, it makes sense.  

Snowy trails to you!  Last day of classes tomorrow for me.  To give you an idea of what it's like teaching here, I am going to disappoint my one class of year nines (that would be grade ten to you North Americans) because I don't have my "terrible author names" ceremony ready to go with the unusual writing competition I am going to hold with them first thing back in the new year; terrible author names to go with their terrible first sentences.  They are so keen.  They are great kids, and I love teaching them.  

Okej.  To my Nokians.  Jennie croaks her hellos also.  Snowy trails to yous!