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Today I learned that invigilating exams is lot like watching a very, very bad comedian: hours and hours of tedium, broken by the occasional burst of laughter or disgust. But I need dolla and, in this economy, the only way I can earn it is by slumping in a chair or else slowly patrolling around rows of desks, collecting up exam papers and escorting nervously sweating teens to and from the toilet. 

Today I had the fortune to be placed in a two hour English Language GCSE. The school I was working at (my old secondary school, a cool five minutes down the road) splits up the English GCSEs, so that Language is taken in Year 10 and Literature is taken in Year 11. So, I had a bunch of Year 10s on my hands. (That's 14-15 year olds, for you Americans, and GCSEs are the final mandatory examinations in secondary education.)

What a shambles. The boys reeked of cheap cologne, and the girls had a drag queen's make-up bag on their faces. Wandering around and having a little peek at their answers, I almost had a stroke. I'm sure I have grammatical PTSD. 

The occasional giggle came from a choice name or two. Some of the desk labels looked like they belonged to rejected cartoon characters. Christopher Ladyman, anyone? Poor kid. Scarlett Christmas was also high on my list of kids with evil parents. 

Still, at least all that crashing dullness gives me time to think ahead and plan Fifteen Years. I'm sticking to a tight writing schedule: I have to churn out a chapter a day to make my normal 24-hour deadline, but balancing that with a full-time job is tricky! So all I do these days is invigilate, write, sleep. Invigilate, write, sleep. 

I'm very cool. 

But, it is very nice that Fifteen Years is getting such a good reception! It's an experiment for me in a lot of ways, so it's really encouraging, and I'm very grateful! And yes, I'm sorry for cross-posting so much and smearing myself all over your f-lists. But a girl's gotta eat! (And I eat comments.)


1. The Origin of Love - Hedwig and the Angry Inch
2. Vienna - Ultravox
3. Glittering Prize - Simple Minds
4. Zebra - Dream House
5. Never Let Me Go - Jane Monheit
6. Shake the Disease - Depeche Mode
7. Disorder - Joy Division
8. Namamekashiki Ansoku, Tamerai ni Hohemi - Dir en grey
9. I Looked All Over Town - The Magnetic Fields
10. 24ko Cylinder - Dir en grey

Date: 2012-05-30 12:19 am (UTC)From: [identity profile] lady-sb.livejournal.com
Haha grammatical PTSD....I am sure I am not supposed to be laughing but I just found that too funny. I understand it though, sometimes when I have to look through other people's work, the grammar makes me flinch.

The poor names tho *sigh* I sometimes wonder what these parents were drinking.

Like the office chart, 24ko is such a great song.

Good luck on 15 years! I am sure that it is getting a good reception, and the premise is interesting ^^

Date: 2012-05-30 10:57 am (UTC)From: [identity profile] andrew-in-drag.livejournal.com
Thanks! :) and yeah, some parents are nuts. There was a family in my old secondary school who called one of their kids Centurion Curly-Wurly Fizzle Cane. Apparently they were all old family nicknames. Ugh.

And yeah, Fifteen Years is getting nice feedback, so far :) I have to thank you a bit, because I probably wouldn't have considered a bandfic so seriously if you hand't suggested it!

Date: 2012-05-30 02:30 pm (UTC)From: [identity profile] lady-sb.livejournal.com
.......Fizzle my schizzel? Sounds like a Snoop Dogg song

Awww you are welcome ^^ I think its hard to find good bandfics these days.

Sorry I haven't been reading 15 years tho, I am notoriously picky about pairings so I tend to read pairings I like so apologies!

Date: 2012-05-30 04:23 pm (UTC)From: [identity profile] andrew-in-drag.livejournal.com
Oh gosh, don't be craaaazy! You don't have to read everything I write :P

It is a little strange for me to be deviating from my norm. I think Kaoru/Toshiya is definitely my OTP, but it was just time for a little tall guy love.

Date: 2012-05-30 01:11 am (UTC)From: [identity profile] libra-iruka.livejournal.com
It sounds like GCSEs are a lot like America's proficiency exams. We had to take proficiency tests for the major subjects in high school. If we didn't pass the proficiency tests, we didn't graduate high school. You had multiple chances though, right up to the end of senior year. I passed that math exam by like one question on my first try.

I also knew a girl with the unfortunate last name of Dickman.

Date: 2012-05-30 06:06 am (UTC)From: [identity profile] andrew-in-drag.livejournal.com
Dickman?! Ouch.

Aaaand now Saku is in my head.

Date: 2012-05-30 10:57 am (UTC)From: [identity profile] andrew-in-drag.livejournal.com
also, misread "proficiency tests" as "pregnancy tests" SO many times.

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