Bad Blogger Man

Okay, I admit it, I am a bad blogger person, not having posted for a over two weeks. Lack of things to blog about is not the issue, but just the opposite. There has been so much activity, getting time and mental energy to coincide to blog has been the problem. The university started yet again on September 5th. This year, we do not have any freshmen due the the new Bologna Plan that is changing university systems in forty-four countries. Yet, even without new students, the beginning of school entails creating lists of students, getting e-mail addresses and mobile phone numbers for communication, pairing them off into teams for oral presentations, regrouping them into a second pairing to lead class discussions, and finally a group of four for a CARE team, to teach them responsibility for each other. Many of these are concepts they only encounter in my classes. In addition, I am teaching two new courses this semester: Critical Thinking and Ethnic Issues in the US. Each class only meets for 1 1/2 hours a week, so to further their thinking skills and sharing with each other, I created a blog for each class. I post a question each week after class based on our discussion of the reading and they have to respond to it. This is an entirely new concept for them, so it took over a week getting all of them prepped for becoming a blog member and how to post to the respective blog. Creating a pictorial Over the last two weeks, we have had a second plumber come to inspect our bathroom. The downstairs neighbor had been complaining for some time now that there is a leak in his ceiling. This started last year, we had a plumber look at our bathroom, but he could not find any problems. He advised the neighbor who was intending to have remodeling done, to have it checked from their ceiling upward when the ceiling was ripped out. The next thing we heard, the neighbor had his ceiling replaced and complained about leakage again. We have yet to become aware of the result of their workers investigation. They are putting the pressure on us to do something. Logic demands that if you have the ceiling ripped out, you correct any and all problems and concerns before you proceed with putting in a new ceiling, but no, this did not happen. We had a second plumber who came and suggested the grout around the tub was leaking. He ripped the grout out and re-grouted the tub. The problem continues. Then there is the issue of responsibility. If the problem is in a main pipe, it is the building's financial concern, but if it is own of our pipes, it is ours. Our insurance will pay for the neighbor's ceiling, but not for the repairs of the pipes. The joys of home ownership continue from country to country. We have an appointment with our attorney on Friday to discuss the matter and to try to find a qualified professional that will finally make a recommendation that everyone has to live with. The neighbor is great at complaining, but not working with us. Though he speaks English, he will only SMS us or send his wife up to speak with us. Amongst all of this chaos, I had a crown done over a root canal. God, I love my dentist. The cost for a crown was 24,000 Huf or $113.00. This is what I paid for a teeth cleaning in California. Hungary is known for its quality dentistry and people come from all over Europe for dental care due to the cost. On the positive side, Ron found that the Traf0 theater was issuing season tickets for 5,500 Huf ($26.00) for five performances. This is the experimental dance theater, so language is not an issue. We went to the first performance on Saturday, the 16th with friends. It was a troupe from Belgium who presented a play/dance combo with amazing body movements. All of us were mesmerized and could not stop discussing it over coffee afterward. This is the crux of happenings in a nutshell. The museum quest has been put off for the last fifteen I have yet to visit, but it will happen. It is strenuous to try to commit to them when there are so many other things happening around us. tutorial helped enormously in making them independent. The first two classes were excellent and beyond my expectations. If they continue in this vein, I will be one happy instructor.

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