h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

SEF, you are a bottomless sack of common sense. Ironic that somebody so clearly doolally is such a sane influence. Thank you.

I'm off to teach my second lesson today. We're doing vowels, syllables, and stresses in poetry, which are all kind of interconnected. I'm still finding it hard to believe that there are people out there who are interested in learning this stuff, but I'm awfully pleased to be getting paid for being the anorak that I am.

Ah, but you only think I'm doolally because my sanity is so extreme it goes way beyond the norm to which you are accustomed and which you can comprehend. Rather like any sufficiently advanced technology seeming like magic.

*dabs eyes with tissue*

Insanely sane?

It sounds like your enjoying the teaching experience, I’m very happy for you. They’re lucky to have an anorak like you teaching them! When I look back at my school education, it was awful. I didn’t even know the difference between a noun and a verb until after I left school!

Quixote! I'd been vaguely wondering why I hadn't heard from you in a few days; now I notice it's because I didn't reply to your posts. Well, thanks for the compliment.

I guess I was lucky with parts of speech: I must have been at school during one of the last few years when they were being taught.

Vix, since this thread is making you chuckle so much, I'll add this: I told Gothly I'd been chatting with SEF about sanity, and Gothly remarked, "I guess you and SEF are in a position to view it objectively, from the *outside*."

heee!

So, hows the teaching lark going? You’ve been doing it for a bit now, so are you getting used to it? How are your students doing?

As predicted, the distribution deal on my friends record label fell through, but I’ve carried on with the music anyway and have been really enjoying it. It’s not good enough to send out to anyone, but hopefully I should have some demos to send out by the end of the year.

Yes, I am getting more used to it, thanks. I'm still getting stagefright, but less so each time.

"How are your students doing?"

I'd been hoping to arrange the lessons as a structured course, but I'm getting different people turning up each fortnight, so I'm resorting to giving them exercises that sneak in writing techniques which can be used across the board.

Interestingly, some of them seem to view me as a kind of group counsellor; some exercises remind them of things in their own lives, which they then want to discuss. They seem to find it useful getting stuff off their chests and comparing notes with each other, but I feel a bit out of depth at times, having not been trained in counselling. I'm employing the general principles of listening sympathetically and not offering advice.

"the distribution deal on my friends record label fell through"



"but I’ve carried on with the music anyway and have been really enjoying it."

I'm glad.

"hopefully I should have some demos to send out by the end of the year."

Go, Quixote!

> "I'm still getting stagefright"

Is it the absence of a really convincing hat, eg mortarboard (with optional tassels)?

That might have a lot to do with it. Things just aren't right without a silly hat or two.