Thursday at Urimaku

Sorry for not posting yesterday. I've just been feeling so tired the last couple of days and my mind feels cluttered. I know exactly the reason: being back in school, after a month off, has taken its toll. Take yesterday for instance; I had the grade fives and the two grade six classes. It's not that they are exceptionally bad kids (quite the opposite is true); there's just a lot of them. And play always exacts a price. Some of the grade fives had spare time and came and found me in the school - and boys being boys - it was not long until the play got rougher. I didn't hold back - these kids are much bigger that the grader one'ers - and I would certainly characterize it as a good workout. Later I was quite sore. I don't fault them, I remember being that age and loving rough games, furthermore, kids that age have so much energy, it has to be burned off or else they will explode. My mind only worries about someone being seriously injured, but in fact, yesterday, I was the only that ended up as a cautalty.

Today was more sedated at Urimaku Junior High School. By the time most kids hit grade six or seven, they are far too cool for playing. Consequently, finding games that engage them also becomes increasingly difficult.

I have heard some of the post-election coverage and find some of Stephen Harper's recent comments disturbing. I had noticed a strong trend in the last election of him trying to gag the party's more radical elements. Is this becuase he is a moderate or because he has a hidden agenda has yet to be revealed, but comments he made asking "God bless Canada" run counter to my intial impressions of him. I had considered him firmly secular like Ralph Klein, a popular conservitive that has never, nor needs to, strongly court the religious' vote. However, these comments seem to drive him firmly away from Canada's strong values of the seperation of Church and State and toward evangelical conservatism. There's lots say about the topic of where social conservatism and economic conservatism meet that will have to wait because I don't believe it's constructive to oversimplify the issue.

Tomorrow is Friday and I will, of course, be be at Urimaku Elementary School and probably also be stopping at the Urimaku kindergarden too. It was very calm this morning, but sadly, during the warmest part of the afternoon, it became very windy (very windy). Now as I am about to go home for the day, this have return to their normal levels. I made fried rice last night for dinner with bean sprouts, which I have done before, but this time I decided to add tomatoes. I have now come to believe that perhaps tomatoes are not native to ancient China. Things kind of went downhill and it because more like a risotto or stew than what has traditionally been called "fried rice". Still, it was quite tasty if I do say so myself.