http://furious-maximus.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] furious-maximus.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2009-05-15 10:38 am
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Slacking - First Meeting [Friday, Period 1]

Max wasn't sure how a class on slacking had gotten scheduled so early in the day, but he found it vaguely amusing, really. He had already located his assigned classroom so that he wouldn't embarrass himself too much by wandering around lost. He even arrived early to class, but that was mostly so that he could prop his feet up on his desk, slip on his sunglasses (they were a great invention, and his trip to Fandom was probably worth it to discover the things even if nothing else came of it), and take a nap. He woke up when the first student arrived, but he didn't give any sign that he had. He wanted a chance to observe them.

Once the count of students matched the list he had been given he spoke without shifting position. "Welcome to Slacking. I am Tribune Antillar Maximus. You may refer to me as 'Tribune' or as 'Maximus' or as 'Max'. I'm not planning on this being too terribly formal." He sat up and slipped off his sunglasses. "That said, you are each here to learn, and I am here to ensure that you do just that. Keep that in mind during our sessions."

He pushed himself to his feet and settled into a relaxed stance, voice falling automatically into the steady cadence of someone who taught people how to stay alive. "The first thing we need to do is establish a shared definition of our subject matter. For the purposes of this course you should understand 'slacking' to refer to the productive avoidance of assignments. I suspect that each of you have found yourself in positions where someone in authority over you is incompetent, stupid, or both. And if you haven't yet, well, it won't be too long. Such situations are an inevitable part of life. When these situatiosn arise you find that you are much better at determining how to accomplish things than your sueprvisor is, and further you find that they tend to give you orders to do things in an inefficient or even counter-productive manner. Slacking allows you to get your incompetent superiors to leave you alone while you get real work done."

Max's gray eyes scanned the room calmly. "Since your incompetent superiors are, in fact, incompetent, they expect work to take far longer than it really does. This, in turn, allows you to spend much of your time relaxing. A successful slacker is able to deflect the attention of their superiors, get their real work done, and do whatever they feel like doing with the rest of their time."

"For today's meeting we're going to keep things simple. State your name and describe a situation from your own life where slacking has been useful, or where it would have been useful if you had been better at it. Then, since I have no desire to waste anyone's time, you're free to do as you wish. Talk to one another, talk to me, leave..." He shrugged his massive shoulders. "Oh, and if anyone is interested, I am looking for an assistant for this class."

[The assistant position is actually open here, so if anyone is interested feel free to chime in.]

Re: Sign in

[identity profile] pastmewrong.livejournal.com 2009-05-15 02:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Effy Stonem

Re: Before the lecture

[identity profile] fratboybitch.livejournal.com 2009-05-15 02:57 pm (UTC)(link)
See, Alex could think about teaching as a career if he could teach like this guy. Well, maybe not be as big since...it would just never happen but sleeping during class? Definitely a plus.

Re: Sign in

[identity profile] fratboybitch.livejournal.com 2009-05-15 02:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Alex Karev

Re: Before the lecture

[identity profile] pastmewrong.livejournal.com 2009-05-15 03:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Effy had been out late, at Caritas.

If she was hungover, she wasn't going to admit to it, but if the teacher was napping, she saw no reason not to slouch forward on her own desk and watch him snooze, chin resting on her hands.

Re: Introductions

[identity profile] fratboybitch.livejournal.com 2009-05-15 03:01 pm (UTC)(link)
"Alex Karev," he said. Next time he went through a first week of class, he was just getting a notecard with this information on it. "And, on the bus ride to this place, I got some lady to buy me lunch because I faked sick and exhausted and poor. I didn't want to get off the bus so she went and got it for me. Sucker."

Re: During the lecture

[identity profile] fratboybitch.livejournal.com 2009-05-15 03:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Alex was still keeping up his relaxed, lazy, head on the desk posture since the teacher didn't seem to mind.

He was kind of digging this class. Slacking was something he could do well.

Re: Sign in

[identity profile] cutsthestrings.livejournal.com 2009-05-15 03:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Fiona Post

Re: Before the lecture

[identity profile] cutsthestrings.livejournal.com 2009-05-15 03:09 pm (UTC)(link)
She wanted to go up and wake him up. Sleeping in class was annoying if done by a student, but when done by the professor was just wasting her time. She decided glaring would do the trick.

Re: During the lecture

[identity profile] cutsthestrings.livejournal.com 2009-05-15 03:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Fiona looked sideways at the idiot from the fire the other day before pointedly looking away.

Re: Introductions

[identity profile] pastmewrong.livejournal.com 2009-05-15 03:12 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm Effy," she said. These introductions were getting almost second nature.

And now she had to come up with a slacking experience that didn't involve selling drugs or getting herself kicked out of school.

"Got some moron to do my friend's GCSE art coursework." In return for sorting out his love life. But she'd found that a rather entertaining scheme in the long run, so... slacking.

Re: Introductions

[identity profile] fratboybitch.livejournal.com 2009-05-15 03:12 pm (UTC)(link)
"Not unless she's taking a vacation on the island," Alex mused. "And I made myself look pretty bad. And hid under my coat. There's a chance but it's pretty slim. And I'll deny it to hell and back if she tries."

Re: During the lecture

[identity profile] fratboybitch.livejournal.com 2009-05-15 03:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, well, someone was looking at him. Lucky him, right? He just looked right back and smiled sweetly. If she was paying attention to him, he'd obviously gotten to her in some way.

Re: Introductions

[identity profile] cutsthestrings.livejournal.com 2009-05-15 03:13 pm (UTC)(link)
"Fiona Post," she said with a lift of her head, "and I... occasionally 'slacked' while at work in my hometown as our manager was an idiot who liked to work me harder than anyone else."

While the connotations had never actually struck Fiona, he'd also liked to see her sweaty with her clothing stuck to her.

...then he'd gotten a fryer vat to the arm on her birthday.

Re: During the lecture

[identity profile] cutsthestrings.livejournal.com 2009-05-15 03:14 pm (UTC)(link)
She caught the sweet smile... and before getting angry, thought of her father, oddly enough. That put a genuine smile on her own face, which she turned to the subject at hand.

Re: Introductions

[identity profile] pastmewrong.livejournal.com 2009-05-15 03:16 pm (UTC)(link)
"Told him I'd get his girlfriend back for him," Effy replied, a hint of a smirk tugging at her lips. There might've been a certain amount of blackmail involved.

Re: Introductions

[identity profile] fratboybitch.livejournal.com 2009-05-15 03:18 pm (UTC)(link)
"I like to think so." He was a self destructive kind of guy at the worst of times and a lazy guy at the best. "Seems to be a talent."

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