There is no "overkill." There is only "open fire" and "time to reload."

Today's been a mixed bag. I've been calling up alumni of the school and asking in what I imagine is a very nagging voice why they've not updated their email addresses. I don't enjoy disturbing people like that, but it needs to be done, and it's good French practice - nothing like a sudden unexpected question to make you wonder how to speak French.

Lunch was disappointing, to say the least - the broccoli was over-salted, the meat was reheated from yesterday and the overall dish was overpriced. Lunch is usually the highlight of my day, and to have it be so awful is aggravating in the extreme. Food should be a delight, and usually the French do it very well. When people are brilliant at something and then don't bother to do that thing, it's irritating.

The source of my discomfort is not simply the lunch; it is rather that a friend of mine has great talents but doesn't utilise them. The link is immediately apparent, of course, and it drives me utterly bonkers. To be incredible at something and to ignore that potential is beyond crazy. And I don't even believe in God, I think you've got those talents by sheer chance. Go forth and use them. Make awesome things. Do awesome stuff. Be incredible.

The afternoon was given over to talking my colleague through the website designer we've got; it's a really simple set-up but there are a few things one has to do that aren't entirely obvious, so we worked through that slowly until she got it. It still freaks me out that there are kids who don't remember a time before the internet. I can remember our IT teacher telling us about this amazing thing called e-mail, and had us email our parents. It was the most incredible thing ever.

A French lesson followed that, and I have to confess that I completely misunderstood last week's assignment. Like big time. We just had to present something, anything, on the topic of "Resolutions." Other people had brought cartoon strips or adverts. I memorised a forty line monologue from a 19th Century play.

Overkill? What's that?

In any case, I'm now absolutely certain about what I'm doing for next week, and have to write something for Thursday too. Tomorrow my colleague goes on holiday to Spain - nice for some - and as she is currently the source of most of my work, I'm hoping to pitch an idea for a multi-cultural video to encourage potential students to come here with my free time. It'll be quite an effort, but I'm excited - and of course I can put some of that spare time into coding as well.

I've got a call to make to Australia, so you must excuse me, but in the meantime here's the source of the quote that makes up this blog title:

It's from a brilliant webcomic, and you can find it here.