Yes, more Europe posts are coming. Yes, I realize they are dated. Tonight, however, I just wanted to talk about the now.

I have been working pretty steadily this year and that's good. I'm on-call in two districts, I'm on a "preferred list" at a school that I love, and I'm working part-time again (from home in my spare time) for a US company that is compiling an education database of "approved and reviewed" web material in an attempt to break into the Canadian Education market.
(Essentially, I'm a web site evaluator for them -- it's extra $ and I get a chance to compile some pretty cool resources). I have been busy!

Enter 2 weeks ago: I am at this school I've never been to, assigned to tail one particular student and make sure he is not disruptive in his classes. Easier said than done. For starters, it pains me to look at him as he has in his nose what I will refer to as a 'snot marble'. This is a term that I hereby declare copyright to and thus will present my definition:

snot marble - n
A hard ball of snot lodged into one's nose effectively hampering one's ability to breathe out of said nostril. The snot marble can be surrounded by copious amounts of liquid snot that will ooze forth but not act as a lubricant by which the "hardened marble" can escape the nostril. Snot marbles are often caused by neglect -- seriously, they can really only form when the victim does not possess an adult figure in their life that will a) wash it's face / blow it's nose b) insist the victim washes their face / blows their nose. Snot marbles, when serious, need to be removed by force -- most likely by tweezers.

Now you are all probably disgusted by my definition and well... that is exactly what I wanted. I had to stare at this phenomenon ALL DAY. Not only that, but I had to watch as this boy repeatedly wiped his excess snot on his arm, hand, sleeve, desk, eraser, pencils, papers. Repeated gentle reminders that he should use the tissues I had procured for him fell on deaf ears. Attempts to, throughout the day, enforce "hand washing" really didn't ease my discomfort. Further, no amount of hand sanitizer made me feel clean.

Snot -- just one of the things I deal with on a day to day basis. They never mentioned snot in Ed. my classes. Is it any wonder I am in my thirties and childless. Other people's bodily fluids gross me out - and I REFUSE to buy into the mommy tale of, "oh, but when its your own...."

I say, HOGWASH!