So this what a good dose of anti-depressants can do for you...

I blame the new medication for the fact that I've had a sudden spurt of energy and taken on two - count them - new responsibilities at work.

In the first, I finally gave in to management's desperate pleas and took on the co-ordinator role. I am now running a subject area that anyone working in FE will know and hate all too well, a course that doesn't actually have any content. Or, for that matter, any real syllabus. Or, for that matter, any kind of purpose.

I am actually quite excited about this thankless, pointless and ultimately doomed task, in the manner of somebody has to do it, and I'd rather it was me than someone incompetent and unbearable. At least I have some ideas for making life slightly easier for us poor sods who have to teach this course, and I do think I can improve results. Which, given that there was not a single pass last year, will not actually be difficult. (Seriously. There is no other subject area taught anywhere in the world where the government would put up with this, but because this is a government initiative, they do. Ah, the ubiquitous joined-up thinking of New Labour.)

Oh yes, and the second job. I'm now milk monitor for the English team. I take people's money and buy the milk for their tea.

Now there's a job I can do.


In other news, my weekend was very good. There was a lot of sitting around The Girl's flat watching the telly, including the two new season three episodes of Lost and the old, original Superman film (I recently realised I had never seen it all the way through, as a result of seeing the new one). Then, yesterday evening, we went to see The Queen with The Girl's Youngest Brother. Now that was a decent film. I've been thinking about it all day. And not even just because my GCSE classes are all writing coursework and so I'm a bit bored, either. Ah, my GCSE classes. They're so fantastic. The excitement shown by one student today when I told him he was working close to the 'A' grade standard was just superb. He's a very 'cool' lad who saunters into class, argues with me for five minutes, pretends he doesn't want to be there - and then works incredibly hard for two hours at a time. He walked out of class today going "Yeah, man. An 'A'. I'm gonna be a boffin, innit?" I practically skipped down the corridor back to my office, I was so pleased. It's good to remember why I do this job.