Anyway, at about 8pm, after dinner, we headed down to Brighton for a twilight swim with Sam. The sun was just setting as Josh and I arrived, the air was warm, and the water was dead calm. It was lovely! We swam out to the sandbar and skimmed a ball back and forth across the water while it got dark.

Then suddenly, Sam said, “Whoa!” and pointed a few metres further out to sea. “There’s something there!”

As we watched, a fin popped up above the surface and then back down again. The three of us exchanged a brief “shark or dolphin?” look. Game off!!

Josh, being the kind of man who lifts the heavy things and protects his womens, put me in between himself and the beach, and we all swam back at a speed that was a compromise between protecting our lives and preserving our dignity.

Once back on the sand, we kept looking back to try and work out what it had been, but it was further out by then and we couldn’t tell.

This morning:
Claire: so was the fin we saw more like this, or like this?
Sam: hmm
Sam: I would have said:

Claire: me too :s
Sam: yeah… haha
Sam: … yep
Claire: well the point is
Claire: we lived!
Sam: you had josh to protect you
Claire: :)
Sam: he was very gentlemanly
Claire: yes

Currently struggling with the ruleyness of schools. Like. Teachers tend to toe the line a lot; they do stuff by the book. Possibly as a result of the fact that I have been in uni and/or employed as a casual/temp for the last seven years, I am pretty bad at engaging with strict expectations!

I am also fairly bad at enforcing them. For example, if a student swears in front of me… I know they’re not meant to, but I just don’t care that much. I am rather laissez-faire and I like it that way, cos it means I don’t get stressed out when people do things I don’t approve of. I find it very unnatural to impose my will on other people so explicitly. But I think I have to get more uptight while I am at work? Or at least train myself to notice when the kids aren’t doing the right thing! Also, there is an element of teaching that involves belittling students in order to mould them (usually when they do wrong because aren’t thinking as opposed to when they honestly find things difficult). Most teachers seem to do it and students seem to respond to it surprisingly well? But just the thought of it, at the moment, makes me go ugh! I have some instincts to seriously retrain.

AS OPPOSED TO LIKE 12.

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO MY LIFE!!?

- Actually saw some sunshine after the fog cleared
- Got some seriously reduced comfortable boots for $34!
- Had a good lunch with a boy until I had to go to uni :(
- Was so bored at uni omg *HANDS OVER EARS*
- Got home and found out my ESL practicum placement is IN THE CITY \o/

…STOP RAINING.

!!

Claire: Hm! I could wear a skirt, that would be pretty!
Claire: Although I should probably wear tights with it, it is pretty cold.
Claire: Actually I might check temperature.
Thermometer: Happy Saturday, it is 8 degrees!
Claire: OK THREE PAIRS OF PANTS IT IS, THEN.

This story was brought to you by the letters B and RRRR.