Leta Blake's Blog, page 77

Wet… #photography #water

Beautiful! SFW! –>Wet….

Questions Teachers Shouldn’t Ask Their Students – This Should Be Obvious! #teaching #education #students

The other day, Bird said to me, “We are learning about wants and needs in school. Did you know that some kids don’t get an allowance?”

I said, “Hmm, yes, I knew that. Why?”

“Well, Mrs. Elder said she didn’t get an allowance growing up. Did you know most of my class doesn’t get an allowance? Why do you give me one?”

“You get a small allowance for the chores we give you because I believe it is never too early to start learning to earn your own money. How did this come up in class?”

“Well, we are learning about wants and needs, so Mrs. Elder asked the class, ‘Who here does NOT get an allowance?’ and most of the kids raised their hand. Mrs. Elder said that allowance is a WANT not a NEED and that she didn’t get one growing up because her parents couldn’t afford to give her one.”

I made some noncommittal sound to Bird, but in my head I was thinking, “What kind of question is that? How is that her business? Or the business of any of the kids in the class? Why on earth would she need to know or have all the other kids know who is getting money from their parents and who is not?”

Teachers, this is something you don’t ask your kids. This is not your business or their business. At all.

I’m relieved that she didn’t ask how much everyone who got an allowance received. (For the record, Bird’s is $5 a week if she does her chores and $1 a week deducted for each day her chores are missed.) But, still, what a way to rub in everyone’s face that some kids get more than other kids. As if that wasn’t obvious enough.

And I have to admit that I wonder about her own potential issues on the subject of money and who has it and who doesn’t.

So, teachers, this is something you don’t ask.

You know what I wish you would ask, though? I wish you’d ask the parents and the kids what their average day looked like. I wish you’d know whose parents are stay-at-home, and whose parents work outside of the home, and whose folks are working two jobs. I wish you you’d know what an average day looks like for each kid. For example, for Bird:

Up at 6am

School until bus to her Grandma’s

At Grandma’s by 3:15

Homework and playtime

5pm picked up by parent

Gymnastics or Piano or home depending on the day

Between 5pm and 8pm, we have to scrunch in any after school activity, feeding dogs, dinner, chores, reviewing school work, ferreting out info on Bird’s day, spending family time or playing with a friend, reading books, and then to bed. It’s a lot. She usually isn’t in bed until 9pm because we can’t make it all fit.

That’s us with one child and two working parents. I’d like her teacher to know that so that she can better understand Bird and her life. I don’t want her teacher knowing that she gets an allowance. That’s a fraught question to say the least.

Seriously, this teacher is pinging all of my buttons this year. Gotta get through, oh, eight more months of her. Maybe she’ll improve.

Fanworks Friday: Christian & Olli #verboteneliebe #chrolli

I was signing up for Vimeo for reasons and the site said, “Hey, we recognize this email! Want to log in?” And I said, “Uh, sure.” So I did, thinking, “When did I create a Vimeo log in?” Then I clicked My Videos and remembered, “Oh, yeah, back when I made this fanvideo for Chrolli.” So the below fanvideo? Mine. Made it my own self.

Oh Dear, So Sick #excuse #note #sorry

 

A week ago Friday my daughter got a stomach virus. At the time, we thought it was food poisoning and thought nothing else of it once she was feeling better.

I had planned over a year before to meet my co-writer, Keira Andrews, and some of our mutual friends in North Carolina for a few days. The others were staying for an entire week, but I and another friend were only staying two nights. Well, cue me vomiting the second day I was there.

Texts from my husband proved that he was vomiting, too. It was awful. Terrible. No good. And I hope, hope, hope that I didn’t pass the bug on to my friends. That would just be really not how I want them to remember me.

I made it home feeling a bit tetchy still, but mostly betterish, only to have my mother-in-law and father-in-law come down with the illness, and my daughter to get re-infected or possibly infected with an altogether different sickness. Hubby and I also got sick again.

Finally, Thursday morning I woke up feeling mostly like myself. I still feel a bit rough, and a little weak, but I think I’m going to live. Everyone else seems on the mend, too. Hopefully my friends are still healthy, but I haven’t actually talked to them today.

So, to anyone who commented on my blog or sent me an email or Facebooked me or was expecting me to do something for you? Well, obviously, I haven’t. I’m so sorry. Life takes odd turns. What was supposed to be one day missed from my evil day job has turned into an entire week, and everything else has just fallen by the wayside entirely.

My sincerest apologies! I hope to get caught up soon, but chances aren’t fantastic on that front. I will eventually find my way back to something that looks like normal. Today is probably not that day, though.

Let’s Talk About That Time I Took A Life Drawing Class #art #nakedpeople

I’ve been married a number of years now, and early on in our marriage, before we had a kid, we used to sometimes sign up for fun summer courses at the local university. Once we did Yoga, once we did Tai Chi, and once we did Life Drawing. See, my husband is an artist, and we both thought it would be fun to take a Life Drawing class together. Note that I said my husband is an artist. I am decidedly not. But I’m fine with that and was eager to improve my meager skills.

When we’d been in college, we’d been friends with this super-tall, super-gorgeous Norwegian fellow who often modeled for Life Drawing courses. He had told us that he got a kick out of walking around during the break to see what people had drawn. He said, “Women never draw my penis. They draw all around it, but it’s like they’re embarrassed or something, and they never actually draw it.”

So, when I signed us up for this class, I was determined to draw the actual penis if I was presented with one. I was not going to be a namby-pamby kind of woman who could not bring herself to stare long enough at a stranger’s cock draw it. I would tackle the cock! Bravely! Without any fear or embarrassment!

Alas, our model was a large woman with many folds and flaps, and you couldn’t see her nether regions, so I didn’t have to decide if I wanted to draw her pubes or not. I was fine with that, though, I did wish we’d had our old Norwegian friend as a model. He had a super-fine body and I would’ve enjoyed looking at it.

Not my drawing or my husband’s drawing, but an illustrative example.

One day, we came into the class and this super-nerdy guy came in. The instructor announced that we had a new model and then sent the nerdy guy off to change into his robe. I didn’t say anything to the mister, but I was a bit disappointed. We finally get a male model and he’s nerdy and goofy. Not at all my dream life drawing model.

Nerdy comes out of the back with his robe, climbs onto the little stage in the middle of the room, and drops the robe over the back of the chair.

Oh. My. God.

His BODY.

His motherfucking BODY.

It was amazing. Like wow.

I flushed. Heat rose up through me in an uncontrollable wave. I felt lightheaded. I couldn’t really breathe. I had to busy myself with my pencils and paper because I was about to pass out on the floor from the sheer freaking HOTNESS of him.

Damn, nerds! Who knew?

Dr. Reid looks like this on the outside, but under his clothes?

 

It’s all nerdy boy hotness.

So, I realized that I was being really obvious by just standing there messing with my pencils and not looking at him. Everyone else was drawing, and I was going to draw, too, damn it! As I lifted my pencil to make my first mark on the paper, I recalled what our Norwegian friend had said about women being unwilling to draw his penis. Well, that wasn’t going to be me! I was going to draw that damn thing! In fact, I was going to draw it FIRST!

So, with brave determination, I raised my eyes upon his holy hotness and drew his damn dick. Yes. Yes, I did.

And it was massive. The drawing, I mean, not the dick. I mean, it was a good-sized dick, nothing shabby, kind of nice and long, and meaty. Yeah. It was good dick. But on my drawing, Jesus, now that was a DICK.

Massive, I say! MASSIVE! Like an iceberg dick lodged onto a man…or something. Go with it.

I proceeded to draw Nerdy all around his dick, and when it was over, my husband came over to look at my paper and he almost fell down laughing. Because, yes, my friends, the dick was entirely disproportionate to Nerdy’s body, and I looked like a total perv.

Oh, well, at least that part was accurate. I am a total perv.

Nerdy did come around and glance at everyone’s papers, but I refused to look at him, so I have no idea how he reacted.

Somewhere in this house, I still have that drawing. Oh, giant dick of Nerdy, you are my masterpiece.

Now just imagine something like this with a huge, massive dick jutting off it. That was my drawing.

Sadly, that was our last class, so I never saw hot, nerdy boy’s nakedness again. I think my heart thanked me for it. It possibly could not have withstood another assault of so much ridiculous, and normally hidden, sexiness. Dayum, son.

Book Trailers – What Is Their Purpose? #books #amreading #authors

So, let’s talk about Book Trailers. What’s a Book Trailer? Well, I’m glad you asked. They are like movie trailers, but for books. Let’s look at three, shall we?

Some authors have money behind their book trailers and they get actors and costumes and whoa for their book trailers.

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Some authors get fans who love their books so much that they make Book Trailers for them. Lucky authors!

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I think this one was made by the author, but I’m not entirely sure.

***

So, my question is, are Book Trailers worth it? Do they increase visibility and sales? Do people like them? I’m thinking of making a Book Trailer for Training Season. I’ve got a good song, and ideas for pictures and some film, but I’m not sure I spend my time doing that. Oh, marketing! Always such a gamble!

Tell me your thoughts, folks who have done or who like Book Trailers!

On Political Correctness and Author Responsibility: #Barebacking #HIV #GayRomance

On Political Correctness and Author Responsibility: #Barebacking #HIV #GayRomance (via http://www.keiraandrews.com)

Recently I’ve read some interesting discussions on the use of condoms in contemporary m/m fiction, and whether or not they are perhaps overused. As a human being in our society, I fully support and encourage safe sex and the prevention of HIV and…

Recommendations for Donating to Help LGBT Russians #russia #gay

I’m looking for some suggestions and recommendations for donations to benefit the LGBT of Russia during this time of extreme and government sanctioned persecution. I’ve attempted to find something via Google but have had little luck. If you have any recommendations, please leave the names and links, if you have them, below.

In the next few months, I will be publishing a new book and I’d like a portion of the profits to go to an organization benefiting the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people of Russia.

I will make a post about the organizations I’m alerted to and also some detailed information will be posted about the organization to which I’ll ultimately choose to give a portion of profits.

Thank you for your help!

Suck it, Putin.

Emotional Bank Accounts – Why Aren’t Teachers Making Deposits? #students #education #teaching

Now this teacher has the right idea!

I am not very impressed with Bird’s second grade teacher this year. I’m not sure why this teacher was given two of the brightest kids in the grade because it seems that she resents them and has no idea what to do with them. I could start with a list of issues that I have with her, a list that is growing by the day, but I think I’ll focus on just one thing. Because if she did this one thing, then all the other issues I have with her would fade in the light of this one, big, huge positive thing.

I wish that she made the kids feel like she was happy they are in her class and that she was happy to be there with them. Maybe she isn’t happy to be there, but that’s not the point. Her job is to help kids learn and date shows that kids learn when they feel valued, not when they feel like they are an annoyance.

I asked Bird, “Does your teacher tell you guys good things about yourselves? Like, does she ever tell you how happy she is to be in class that day?”

“No. She usually seems snappy with us.”

“Huh. I’m sure she is happy to be there.”

“She doesn’t seem happy.”

“Hmm, well, does she ever tell any of you, ‘Gosh, I’m so glad you’re in my class?’ Like does she say that to anyone in the class at all, or to you?”

“No. She just tells me I need to stop being so sensitive and to stop ‘Mrs. Elder’ing’ her.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means to stop asking her questions. I ask a lot of questions. I don’t think she likes that.”

“I see. Well, does she ever say, ‘You ask great questions!’”

“No, Mom, I just told you she doesn’t like me to ask questions.”

(DANGER WILL ROBINSON!)

Seven year olds probably ask about half of that, but it is still a lot of questions. But questions are so important.

“Oh, hmm. Does she ever tell the class, ’We’re going to have a great day!”

“No. She says, ‘Sit down, stop talking, get out your papers.’”

“Does she ever say, ‘Wow, this was a great job you did.’”

“To her favorites, yeah.”

“Who are her favorites?”

She named a few people.

“Are you a favorite?”

“No.”

“How do you know?”

“You can tell who her favorites are. She calls on them a lot more and tells them they did a good job.”

“So she never tells you that?”

“No. She tells me, ‘Not now, Bird. Ask later, Bird. Don’t Mrs. Elder me, Bird.’”

“Oh. Hm. Well, does she ever call on you?”

“Sometimes. If no one else has their hand up, she’ll call on me.”

“Does she ever call on Nicholas?” I ask, because he is, aside from Bird, the other super-smart kid in the class, and I thought perhaps she doesn’t call on them because she wants to challenge other children.

“No, because he wants her to call on him really badly, so she won’t call on him.”

“What do you mean?”

“He puts his hand up and waves it and moans and groans because he knows she won’t call on him, and she said, ‘If you keep doing that, I won’t call on you.’ I guess she doesn’t want him to want to answer so much.”

“But that’s bull…uh, I mean, interesting. So, does she tell Nicholas that he did a good job?”

“Not really.”

“So she doesn’t on a regular basis tell any of you, individually or as a group, that she likes you, is happy to see you, and that you’re doing a good job at anything?”

“No. She isn’t that kind of person. She is the kind of person who says, ‘Turn a card! No excuses! Now isn’t the time! Don’t Mrs. Elder me!’”

“I see.”

And while I’m coming to the conclusion that this teacher is rather awful, I’m also aware that all of her negative stuff, all of the times when she tells Bird to not be so sensitive and has her turn a card and says ‘no excuses’ and says now isn’t the time for a question would be offset if only she regularly and often made deposits into the children’s emotional bank accounts, individually and as a group. Just things like, “I’m happy you’re in my class!” or “You make my day brighter with your smiles!” can go a long way to offset the blows of “Not now! Turn a card! Don’t daydream! Don’t be so sensitive!”

If she has to be so strict and have such unrealistic expectations, it would be nice for her to make sure she’s giving kids the emotional food they need. But who am I kidding? She just isn’t a very good teacher.

Remind me on another day to talk about how I’m skeptical of her grading and how on more than one occasion she’s sent home a paper with something marked wrong that was, in fact, right. But not today. Nope, not today.

More on Emotional Bank Accounts in school both HERE and HERE.

Hard Believer – Rifter Fanfiction – OMG YESSSS #firstaidkit #rifter #hardbeliever #ginnhale

So my dear, long-time, wonderful, talented friend, stone_princess, took one for the team (in the best way) and wrote beautiful Rifter Fanfic. Can we get an OMG YESSSSS? Go forth and read and praise and beg for more!

Hard Believer: Jath’ibaye and Kyle’insira’s first time in Vundomo. Canon, in as much as fic can ever be, takes place at the end of chapter 58 of The Rifter. I needed more of them, so I made it myself. Rated E (Erotic).

I’m assuming the title has to do with this song from First Aid Kit, so while I’m pimping out stone_princess’ story, I shall also pimp out this song/band. Have a listen! And go buy!

Someone else loved this song so much they got a tattoo!