Don't Be a Hero [Thursday, 2nd Period]

[wrongkindofsith]

Cara's class were meeting in the Danger Shop again today, which resembled a wide, sandy beach (sorry, Ada) on a warm sunny day, a fair ways up from the tideline two sets of bright yellow plastic stumps had been stuck in the sand about fifteen metres apart. Instead of her usual leathers, Cara herself was wearing a singlet and a pair of boardshorts which made the set of teeth-marks on her calf very, very obvious, and was carrying a bat (also made of bright yellow plastic) and a tennis ball.

"There you all are," she greeted them cheerfully. "It's bloody cold out, so we're going to do something a bit more fun today." She didn't specify what that something was, because clearly they should all recognise a beach cricket set up when they saw it.

She tossed the bat to the nearest student. "You're up first, remember, it's tippedy, so you have to run."

Discovering Earth | Friday, period 2

[sharp_as_knives]

"So," Hannibal said, clapping his hands together. "We are heading back into the cold today. But not outside, so we'll have no worries about frostbite."

"Which is good," Kanan interrupted, "because after Earth-Hoth South, I wasn't looking forward to freezing up in Earth-Hoth North."

He was helpful!

"If I understand my friend right," Hannibal interrupted back, "this place we're going is more like a world in your galaxy called Alderaan. Cold in winter, warm in summer, and mountainous."

"Huh. Fancy," Kanan mused. "They have thrantas there, too?"

Sorry, Kanan.

"I have no idea what a thranta is; you'll have to let me know if you see one."

The answer, unfortunately, was no.

"Will do," Kanan replied, throwing off a lazy salute. "In the meantime, we're going to be sitting by a window and a fireplace in a ski lodge near somewhere called 'Whitehorse.'"

"It's in the Yukon territory of Canada," Hannibal explained. "More to the point, it's well after sundown, and in a perfect location to view the northern lights."

"I'm led to believe that the northern lights - and the southern lights, if you're on the other side of the planet - are quite the sight," Kanan offered. "They're basically what happens when charged particles from this system's sun collide with gaseous particles in the Earth's atmosphere. The most common color for the lights - also called the aurora - is green, but other color variations can happen depending on what gas particles are doing the colliding."

"The northern and southern auroras coincide and are roughly symmetrical," Hannibal said. "We likely would have had a good view of the southern aurora last week, were it not for the perpetual light. So, this week, enjoy the aurora borealis and the ski lodge, and the very different sorts of cold terrain there are on this planet."

Yes, he was getting a little smug at Earth's diversity. It was a hobby.

"Earth-Hoth North," Kanan said again. Not at all petulantly. Mostly just for good measure.

Driver's Ed, Friday, Period 3

[10secondcar]

"Okay," Brian said, "it's time to get behind the wheel of your cars. I've handwavily set up a simple course for you--the goal is to stay between the orange cones and get from point A to point B. All you have to do is start your car, put it into drive, push the gas pedal and steer, then push the brake and put the car in park. You're going through one at a time, this week. Just take it easy and everything will be fine." Thorin "Now. Start your engines."

Practical Diplomacy, Friday, January 27, 2017

[sith_happened]

Today the classroom was set up with the desks in three circles, complete with takeout menus for pizza, Chinese and Thai. "Today is one of the most practical bits of negotiating you can embark on," Anakin said. "Ordering lunch for a crowd and figuring out how to pay for it."

"Will you split it on the spot by order, forcing the waitstaff to spend precious time figuring out who pays for what?" Obi-Wan asked. "Will you split the price evenly? Will you pay for the group, and request everyone to pay you back later? In cash? Electronically? There is a wide range of possibilities. You may even choose to try and pay for the group without asking money back, in a gift - which sometimes is not so easily accepted."

"Especially if you go on a rotating basis for who pays," Anakin said, "and someone keeps missing their time to pay."

"Or someone does not want you to pay for them out of pride," Obi-Wan agreed. "Such discussions must be handled delicately."

"And possibly not in front of the group," Anakin said, nodding. "Okay. Break into small groups, order fake lunch and negotiate!"

"If the negotiations seem to be going smoothly, don't be afraid to take a different position," Obi-Wan said, a twinkle in his eye. "It can be enlightening."

Anakin snorted. "That last sentence explains so much about you, Master."

Library, Friday

[crimson_sister]

The books behaved like ordinary books today.

Since that was unexpected, Lucille took the opportunity to ordinary library work. She reshelved books and made sure the reading desks were tidy, and after that she sat down to go through returned books.

It was a pleasant day.

[Open library. I am uninspired today.]