So, last night I went back to work after a couple of weeks off for the holidays. I had been tutoring throughout the break, several days a week. (Thank God for that, because I actually will be able to pay my bills in January.) But I hadn't taught a class for three weeks. Oddly, it felt as if I had been away for much longer.

I had mixed feelings about going back. For one, I had really hoped to be in a different job by now. I need this job--not only for the income, but because I need the health insurance. I guess I feel trapped. This does not make me a happy employee. On the other hand, I do enjoy the actual teaching part. I especially like the interactions with students and seeing them succeed and reach their goals. Still, I'm getting a little weary of teaching the same thing over and over. That's why I enjoyed the mentoring/observing and tutoring parts of my job. Sadly, the observation part of my job has been taken back by my new boss, and the company seems to be doing everything it can to make tutoring unbearable. *sigh*

Anyway, I continue to do the best I can for my students. I just hope that something new comes along soon.

One of the things that each of one my GMAT students is worried about is the degree of strictness at the Pearson Center where he or she will take the GMAT. I've heard stories of proctors that won't let test-takers remove their sweaters mid-test, won't allow students with colds to have wrapped cough drops, and need to escort students to and from the bathroom. The fingerprinting, cameras, and, soon, palm-vein scans, are enough to rattle even the best test-takers. I tell my students that all of the rules are to deter cheaters. If people didn't cheat, GMAC wouldn't have so many crazy rules.

So when I read this story, I was not surprised but very disappointed. Seriously, does anyone wonder why the news is filled with stories of illegal activities by CEOs and other executives? These people apparently can't even take an exam without cheating! So sad.

So . . . I received a package from FedEx today. It took me completely by surprise--first, because I'm expecting my new phone, and I was surprised that it would be here so soon; and second, because when I realized it wasn't my phone, I had no idea what it could possibly be. I opened the package, and all I could see were pink and purple feathers! Turns out that someone connected to Divabetic read this blog and how disappointed I was with my experience, so she wanted to send me something to make up for it. She sent me a feather boa (in pink and purple--my favorite colors), a T-shirt (not even close to being my size), and a huge tote bag. It was strange, nice, and a little creepy. My thoughts . . .

1) I think that Divabetic is great, in theory. However, the event itself was very unorganized and too loud. There was just a lot of yelling--so much, in fact, that I couldn't understand the people in the education stations. There was too much waiting, and the things that people wanted the most were really unavailable unless you wanted to spend the entire event waiting for one thing. I realize that the event is helpful for a lot of people. It was probably the most helpful for those people who pushed their way to the front of lines to "be with their group." (In the grocery store, I call it tag-team shopping.)

2) I think that the education stations were also a great idea. However, I really didn't learn anything that I didn't know, and I am irritated that I was told that the only way I could get my gift bag was to visit every single station. If the information had been helpful, that would have been one thing. But it really wasted my time to have to stand in long lines to hear something I already knew.

3) I think it's great that there were free food and free drinks. It would have been even better if I had gotten to eat more than one thing, but, hey, that's just because I'm polite and didn't push my way to the food. Also, maybe next time Divabetic should provide recipes in order to make it a true educational experience.

4) I think it's a sign of a good company if there's someone in the company who periodically searches blogs and other places to see what people are saying about the company. (It's the reason I didn't use the name of the place I was teaching earlier this year.) However, I think it's a little creepy and possibly over the line to match someone's blog with the registration list in order to get in touch with someone whose blog you read.

5) I really appreciate getting the stuff. It was a nice gesture (even though the shirt doesn't fit; I'll have to donate that to the Women's Center). And the feather boa is pretty cool. Even though, well, see #4.

So, thanks, Divabetic, for reaching out, even though, well, see #4.

So I just read this article about how Sanrio is trying to market Hello Kitty to young men. I'm not exactly sure what "young men" means, but I guess it could mean anything from 12 to 30. I especially liked this quote:

"Young men these days grew up with character goods," said Tohmatsu. "That generation feels no embarrassment about wearing Hello Kitty."