More home tech issues lately In fact, the last time I tried to post, I began with those very words, and when I got to the part about finally fixing everything, my router connection died again. I have been afraid to jinx it for a couple of days… But I think I’m back (again), and I have a couple of those “only in middle school” things…
No Way, Really?
Two students in separate classes shared a birthday today. One of them was our astronaut friend from a few days ago. Her counterpart earlier in the day had wanted me to play it down when I noticed her birthday flagged on Powercheese, but our girl “Tamera” was almost offended that I didn’t sing for her. Or at least woohoo sincerely.
What is it with seventh graders and birthdays? Oh, yeah, it’s all about me. (Meaning them.)
Anyway, after I appeased her by doing a sufficiently sincere woohoo, I commented that she shared a birthday with “Cora.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s been like that for years.” Completely straight-faced. Not joking in any way.
There’s no reply to a line like that. It speaks for itself…
Where’s the Button?
A few days ago, I also spoke of “Tyrell.” He of the invisible monocle and goatee, and almost zero self control. In other words, a fairly typical middle school boy. Last week, all the seventh grade English classes had to administer the California Healthy Kids Survey. (Stoked: Almost four full periods of time to grade the essays I have been lagging on. Downside: No more excuses, and some robust shushing of the early finishers.)
“What’s that?”
“You know… how many ciggies do you smoke per day, how many times have you stolen stuff, what your gang affiliations are, how many people you’ve run over in GTA4… oh and how much exercise do you get, and when was the last time you smoked meth or ate beef jerky or bullied someone… that sort of thing.”
With questions like that (not really, but close), there is a provision for parents to opt their kids out of even being exposed to the questions. Our brother Tyrell was one of those who got opted out. So we were faced with 40+ minutes of Tyrell with nothing to do.
He was just about perfect. He read his book, he did the vocabulary homework. He did some social studies. He looked around a bit and fidgeted about as much as I did. Which is to say about normal for a seventh grade boy. 
No issues whatsoever.
So what happened? What switch got flipped? He is most definitely not medicated. He is not one of those who need the attention or the crowd. So I don’t think that it’s the lack of audience thing. How do we replicate the experience? Did it have something to do with the silence? He was back to his normal self the next day and thereafter, but it can’t be just a one-shot experience, can it? He was a PITA just one period previous. Wha?
The robot on Lost in Space had a power-pack thing that you could pull to deactivate him. I know that there has to be one on every middle schooler.
Where is it?
That reminds me of those great SNL skits about the Sofa King. You know, how the prices are "Sofa King" low, the deals are "Sofa King" great, etc. (You obviously have to say those phrases out loud to get the joke.)