Maybe it’s just how the word sounds, you know, if you say it slowly a bunch of times. Packet. Packet. Pack et. Pac ket. Pppaaaccckkkeeettt. I didn’t like when they started giving my kids “packets” in school, and I certainly didn’t like the sound of it for myself. And a pre-writing packet? Come on, just let me write. You want words, I got words, how many words you want? 2k? No issue, will be done soon, maybe give me the next hour or two, well, maybe 1k tonight, it’s late already, 11:45pm.
Let’s talk about schedule, I’ve got time. Nothing but time in-between waiting for doctors appointments, I could go weeks without anything on the calendar- I can spend all day writing, and I have. Wait, I did have time. Wait, I still have time, just not as much. Now it’s classes every day. Well, three days. And Monday, OMG, let’s not talk about the Monday classes at 10, 1, 3, and 6.
Oh Lord, am I going to drive home in-between each class tomorrow? I’d love to keep the accident free record…
I do have Tuesdays off though, and a half day on Thursdays. Oh, that for doctor appointments and errands apparently. Thank God for Friday, and Saturday and Sunday too. I know, even as I type this, it seems like there might be a lot of time in a Saturday and Sunday, however- (thinking of something silly, like… the relative proportions of spacetime fluctuate on weekends as we shorten the time and let them consume more space in our lives; hmm, I kinda like that,) they do go fast. Especially, with a new puppy.
So, having been assigned for three weeks or so, a simple pre-writing packet due at midnight today, I started it: at just past 10pm.
My reaction to being given a “pre-writing packet” was to give it back. I told the teacher (or, did I ask?) that I would rather just write a whole paper and turn it in it the place of the pre-writing packet. My topic: The worthlessness of pre-writing packets.
He said that was fine, then to take my paper and copy/past my thesis statement, the topic sentences, context and conclusion paragraphs into the pre-writing packet, and turn that in to.
I do like this teacher, I feel he is good at what he does, I know he invests himself in what he does. Perhaps, yes, I can write, 1k, 2k, 3k, as many words as you want- type or talk really. However, do I compose compelling arguments? Do I write so well (knowing well I don’t,) that I cannot learn more? Am I that FJC student that had read the SIM and showed up to my classroom, then tried to teach it?!
I’d like to say I decided to humble myself and agreed forthrightly to follow his lead and complete a pre-writing packet pre to writing the whole paper. For that matter, to my classmates as well- hmm, perhaps a bit of the wrong attitude I’ve had… I did not. However, as well all may know, I did get a puppy this weekend. Maybe that has softened me…
I did blow the whole weekend on my puppy, Soulless. Got him yesterday, went to the pet store and spent all night teaching him about where he lives and who his neighbors are, and for the canine neighbors, what they smell like. I showed him where the door was and helped him sit down so I could snap on his leach to go out- by the end of tonight, he goes and sits next to the door as soon as he sees we’re going out again.
Every time, he has peed. He’s poo’ed more than I thought (3 or 4x already, I’ve got a game of mental minesweeper going on in my head,) and every time I just tell him how good he his. Yep, training. Look puppy, I love to see you shit so much, come do it here right in front of me. What a good dog. This will make it easier to put my dog shit in bags when I’m in public.
Perhaps, I should sign up for a class, or read some more on this puppy training thing. So, just back a few paragraphs with me, and I did not humble myself, however I did waste all but the last two hours of a three week deadline. I can put down the words, yet a formatted, compelling argument against my teachers’ teaching process, in two hours? Nope, that wasn’t going to happen.
By time I finished dinner prepared my plate and his bowl (both which were served to myself, after a minute I shared the bowl of dog food with him when I moved it down to floor for him to come eat beside me,) and got him outside again and put to bed in his kennel it was past nine thirty (he was in his kennel at nine last night,) and I had two assignments to get done.
The first was easy, my fitness log for the week. Paste a few screenshots of my mile times and the written log my other workouts and upload (nice to have two PR’s in a row, took off another 17 seconds.) Quick and easy. With ninety minutes to go, I download the instruction packet and got to work.
First, new topic. I don’t want to google and learn about writing for the next three weeks- I want to google and learn about puppies. What about puppies? Puppy training! So, what do you think I’m going to write a paper about? 20230924_ENG_pre-writing-packet
This has been another beautiful day. I was up till one or so typing last night, then I got Soulless out of his kennel and outside one more time before I went to bed. Upstairs and to bed, I woke up early- not too early, yet well before 8 and the ocean was still playing (probably had a few hours to go, I always set it to turn off after eight hours,) yet I didn’t delay much. In the bathroom for my essentials, then right downstairs.
Soulless was either already awake or I had awakened him with the noises I made in the bathroom. He was giving some good morning yips to let me know he’d appreciate getting out of his small kennel filled with his favorite bed (naturally, puppies do not like to pee on their own stuff.) I called out his name or two (yet, it was the first time he had heard it,) and told him I was coming- it did not seem to calm him much, he’ll learn.
Once I came down I was straight to he kennel with leash in hand. Opening the door slowing, I halted him and helped him sit (while I told him ‘sit’,) and I snapped on his leash and told him what a good boy he was (could have been some puppy kisses,) and we went outside. I help him sit so that I can next open the door, then I go through the door and lead him out. Same with the porch steps, I walk down all four and turn, then he follows me down.
He was quick this morning, his bladder was at capacity. It could be because of his recent surgery, or just his puppiness, yet he has been sleeping a lot and he likes to sleep on me, or right next to me at the very least. He likes my chair (even if I’m not in it,) though he can’t jump into himself and doesn’t like to jump down himself. As he’s literally been at my side all day, it’s been easy to see when he’s needed to go. Obviously, each time he’s woke from a nap we’ve headed out. Yet once he gave some odd squeals and I asked if he wanted to go outside and then we went- that was the first poo this morning. This evening he was moseying around looking here and there, then went over to door and sat down. “Outside” I said as I jumped to grab his leash and snap it on.
He likes to roll in the grass. And chew, attack and jump on the puffs of dried grass from the last mowing. Tonight before bed it was dark outside, and he was sniffing and tracking something (or thought he was,) under the mat of the grass. Today, I started to teach him his name. And he’s learning all the words I use when we do the things we do. I don’t talk much here, with no other people living here, there is no need to. With limited words used at all, I can be very consistent (or at least I think I can be,) with the words I use to train him.
Week 4 is done, just past a quarter of the way through the semester. I need to buckle down, a few easy weeks, and somehow I keep thinking I have the time available in my schedule as I did a year ago, or even a month ago. I don’t. I’d rather play with my puppy, skip writing a whole paper (for tonight,) and just do a pre-writing packet instead.
Maybe (and yes, I know now the answer is yes,) I’ll learn something about composition- starting with a point I’d like to make, research for some supporting evidence, sum it up into a compelling argument- rather than my daily ad lib here. Ad lib is nice, I like it… yet, maybe even here, an outline every now and then might help me out.
Today was a puppy day, didn’t do much else. We had a lot of fun though.
Time to rest.