2021-09-14

Advanced Cultural Studies, Monday, Fourth Period

Aphra waved her hand at the screen. "Lady crime!"

Beat. "Different lady crime. Different vibe."
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Shop Class; Tuesday, First Period [09/14].

"Well," said Amaya, by way of greeting and with a nod to her students as class got started that day, "we're only a couple weeks in, but, already, I can tell the two of you have a pretty good grasp on concepts and equipment, and I'd be pretty surprised if I were to throw anything at you that, if you weren't already familiar with, you'd pick up quickly. You've both got a good handle on the equipment, so I think it's time we just jump right into making some of our own. It's mini-foundry day!

"Making your own mini foundry to use later for other projects is a staple for my shop classes, and easily one of my favorite projects. It's a bit involved, though, so let's strap in and get started.

Mini Foundry Day! )

"And that's pretty much it! Good work today! If you'd like, I've got some metal spray paint in a few different colors if you want to give your buckets a little personal touch before you leave; we can leave them to dry so they're good and ready the next time we get the chance to use them. Any questions before we go?"
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Fear in Literature, Tuesday 4th period

Jon sat and waited for the students to file in. The board today read The Corruption: fear of disease, filth, rot, unhealthy relationships. He nodded to them. "I went with the most literal manifestation of this one: plague." Because nobody wanted worms. "Actually there are quite a few fears that Defoe covers in A Journal of the Plague Year; a good lesson in the fact that none of these fears are entirely separate from the others.

"In addition to the fear of the disease or 'distemper' itself, there are the fears of being shut in, fears of being robbed or murdered which stem from larger fears of vulnerability and disorder...fear of being poor, which as he states over and over is an exacerbating factor.

"Which of these fears do you feel our narrator is most in tune with, and how does he attempt to counter them in his own mind? How are they related?"


When class was over, he wrote the next assignment on the board. "For next week, please read Jean Ray's "The Shadowy Street". If you know French, feel free to read it in the original, La ruelle ténébreuse, but the discussion will be in English."

Fixin Stuff- Tuesday- 2nd period

Welcome back to the Danger shop apartment! Today Nick was holding a stick.

"The garbage disposal is broken," he announced. "Now you might think you need to call someone about that, but no. The solution is simple. You get yourself a stick. You want something thick and sturdy, like a yardstick. Something you won't use a ton because it will get gross and chipped up."

He went to the switch on the wall and flipped it, and the garbage disposal began emitting a horrible loud grounding noise.

"NOW WHAT YOU DO IS," Nick yelled as he went to demonstrate, "YOU TAKE THE STICK AND YOU JAM IT DOWN IN THERE. REALLY WIGGLE IT AROUND. SHOW IT WJO'S BOSS UNTIL IT STOPS."

And after about a minute the grinding did in fact stop, and Nick yanked the stick out before turning it off. "See? All fixed till next time."
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Ethics, Tuesday, September 14, 2021

"Hello again," Anakin said, sweeping into the room. "A conversation with a friend yesterday--" sure, let's call the Mandalorian a friend, "--reminded me that we are all coming from a variety of locations and time periods and for all that we are given a person to help when we first arrive, we acclimate to changes very much on our own, using the set of ethics we arrived with. Holidays, seasonal activities, religion or lack thereof here on the island, or even here on the planet, can all feel strange and disquieting."

He leaned back against his desk. "What was the thing that struck you first as being immediately wrong here, compared to where you came from? Do you still feel that way?"