I am frustrated by the search for a new member management software for my sword class. The current one is expensive per transaction, and we've gotten big enough that I can afford a small monthly fee with lower per-transaction costs. Do any of you have suggestions for me?

I wish it was easier to buy shirts that are actually long enough for my torso. I can buy shirts that balloon out as far as I want, but if I want shirts that stay tucked in? I am out of luck.

Happy solstice everyone! How's everyone celebrating this shortest day of the year?

I had forgotten how much I dislike The Dave Matthews Band.

It's so cool when I look up at the night sky during a run and I can so clearly see Jupiter right next to Castor and Pollux in the night sky. Jupiter is in Gemini. A good time to start something new. Be careful, though, because it's easy to lose sight of your goals in this flexible time.

2026 is going to be my year.

Oh, nice! I haven't been inducted into a cult in like a year and a half! Of course I'll join your sticker cult.

Buying holiday gifts as a father is a lot harder. I just made a spreadsheet to make sure that I and both of my children bought presents for everyone.

Lalala, finishing something I started in August and then haven't had the time or spoons to look at since, lalala. There are too many things I could be talking about here. I'm optimistic that winter break will go well and I'll finish most of them in those two weeks, given the groundwork I'm laying.

That's the second time this year that an administrator (this time 2 administrators) has told me that I need to stop being so nice when someone treats me like shit. I feel frustrated that they don't trust me to handle it in my own way. Firmness can be done kindly. I don't need to lose my temper.

Me: Alright, I'm gonna play some Pokemon. Wife: You mean yell at the tv in German? Me: ...Yes.

I got so used to how cold it's been that I put on too many layers today. I ended up running in a t-shirt in the snow, jackets tied to my torso at various angles, for a little while.

I'm clearly doing well with the first 4! 2 to go!

This is the season. The wheel turns and things happen on their own, without human interference. The home is supposed to be the safest place, but something is wrong. The water is turned upside down: someone who feels pushed along by the current is stuck.

Sweet dreams, humans 🌙 ⭐ Make we all wake into a world of empathy and compassion 💚

I am having an experience I remember from my childhood, and which my oldest son is also having but in a different direction. There is an 8th Murderbot book. But it is December and I can't buy it for myself because someone else might buy it for me. But there is an 8th Murderbot book. Staring at me.

Describe your in-person social skills with an image.

No, this isn't just depression. I am receiving a greater than normal amount of criticism from outside my brain. A lot of this is stuff that I've been thinking about how to change anyway. Unfortunately, the other people around me are stressing and picking on my faults. This is about them, not me.

I am invincible today. I just swam 100 yards, 20 laps, all in a row without stopping.

I only really like curry if I make it myself. Most of my family complains that it's medically questionable when they make the mistake of stealing the curry I leave for my breakfast, but I say it's just "hot." I have eaten a chili that was hot enough I went to the emergency room afterwards, though.

I think I've found something at the right level for me to do entirely in German: Pokemon is designed to be played by children of an age where it is normal to be barely literate. I can make out more than half of the dialogue, closer to 2/3 of I look up a word here or there.

I dreamt last night that three teeth had fallen out and I found sharp sticky pieces of them under my pillow Normally, this would be a dream about stress due to loss control in my life. Right now, it's a dream about the fact that this stupid temporary crown has already broken twice.

Movie you've watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no series (Star Wars, Marvel, LOTR, etc) Disney animated, or Pixar.

Well, that went well. I have been stressing about this pirate themed birthday party for a month. 20 5-7 year old kids? Who thought this would be a good idea? The kids were amazing. The parents barely picked their jaws off the floor. Everyone had a great time.

Student 1: Imagine having swords in school. Student 2: Yeah, in any school but this one that would be weird. Student 1: What do you mean? Student 2: You know your math teacher teaches swords here two nights a week, right? -relayed to me by an English teacher

The owls who choose to stay in my garage will be the best-equipped ancient guardians of any garage-guardian-owls. The garage is where I keep my swords that I use regularly, as well as the swords that I haven't found enough wall space to hang up. There are 2 full racks of swords and a storage shelf.

May our lives walk in harmony, and may the flames within us burn clear and kind.

4 new students showed up to swords class tonight. I have 14 registered students, so this was a sizeable shift in the class culture. Unless I missed my guess, 3-4 of them will register to stay. This will be the biggest my class has ever been. I might have outgrown the gym I'm using.

I promised my precalculus class that I would put together an example of a poster like what I want to see from them. I did most of the poster right, but I made a mistake on each thing I'll grade them on at least once per line of the rubric, so they can see what it looks like when it's done poorly.

I had a series of dreams last night about being a vampire, being Captain America, and being a good math teacher in an anime. I guess my subconscious felt powerful.

After the hike yesterday, I invited a few people back to my house for hot cocoa around the fire. The drink and the company were lovely.

Ugh. I had 13 people say they were coming hiking with me today, and now we're down to 8, with only one of the children who said they would come and hang out with my big guy. What are you all doing for Black Friday? Who else is hiking, camping, or otherwise going out into nature?

My preferred strategy has always been to live such a good life that even my enemies want to be my friends. This is harder than either of the two Bronte cites and I have not always succeeded. But it involves less looking over my shoulder, waiting for the next attack.

My oldest child has challenged me to a game called Bongo Cat. Whenever I click, the cat plays a bongo and I get a point. But it appears to also work when I type, so now I'm just typing because I'm a faster typist than I am at clicking things. Yep, just crossed 1,000 beats. It's definitely helpful.

Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you've been to: Jonathan Coulton Sonata Arctica Jethro Tull The CruxShadows The Postal Service I have eclectic tastes.

One of my students joked to another that they should leave her alone because she would use dark magic on them. I put a tarot deck on her desk. She wasn't sure what to do with it.

A year in prison every time someone unironically says either "I don't read books" or "I hate math."

1.) Average retention rate: 70% If a student shows up to my free trial class, 70% of them stay. This is lower in one of my classes than the other (57% vs 85%). 2.) The average student who signs up after the free trial stays with me for a year and 4 months. The top quartile stays for over 2 years.

Some math I need to do for my sword class: 1. Calculate the rate at which students John after trying a free trial lesson. I think it's above 70%, but I've never actually checked. 2. Calculate the average amount of time a student who signs up stays.

I took each of my children out for a run this weekend. My little guy was really excited to go out with me, but after only 1 km asked to turn around and go home. My big guy wasn't happy that I asked him to run a km and a half with me. "Up a hill, Dada!? Do you know what a hill is!?"

Step 1: Fake it 'til you make it. Step 2: Take whatever steps you need to take to stop faking it. Step 3: Repeat until you are who you want to be.

The difficulty of taking my youngest out on a run with me in the winter: I had him all bundled up in coat, hat and gloves, clicked into the stroller with two blankets and... "Dada, I need to go potty!"

I said I didn't want to be a teacher all throughout high school, but then one of my friends failed a quiz so I tutored her for a week. She went from a zero percent on the first try to a 95% on the retake. I thought to myself, "Well, I guess I'm good at this." 5 years later, I was a teacher.

I just watched a local production of the play She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen. It's a beautiful story about a woman learning to pay D&D because her sister wrote an adventure for it before she died. If you get a chance to watch it, I highly recommend it. Excellent story.

Which Smash Bros Ultimate character would each planet in our solar system main? Mercury: Captain Falcon Venus: Daisy Earth: Steve Mars: Sephiroth Jupiter: Isabelle Saturn: Olimar Uranus: Ice Climbers Neptune: Palutina Important non-planets: Moon: Falco Pluto: Dark Samus Ceres: Pit Eris: Ridley

This.

Aww, c'mon! The one time I really felt prepared for a meeting, the person who ran it was NOT prepared, so the meeting was cut short and we didn't even get to the things I was prepared to talk about. (The main reason I don't run for office is that I'm really bad at meetings.)

I consider the fact that I am an incarnate being to be part of my spiritual practice. Every time I exercise my body, push myself to my limits and then break those limits, is an act of devotion, of faith. Today, I set 3 personal bests in the swimming pool. I feel fulfilled in a profound way.

I am frustrated by how often "unplug it and plug it back in" works in this world.