Kersplat.

In addition to my adventures in origami tomorrow at the Women at Work museum near Boston, today I helped J with an origami math demonstration for a pair of grade six classes in Roxboro. This trip caused an increase in the NC population of modular origami cubes and butterfly balls, but sadly decreased the NC population of turtles by one. J tried to swerve to avoid it, but ended up hitting it squarely with a large, state-owned van. We didn't realize what it was until we were really close. J wasn't used to driving the state van instead of his own car. When calculating the difference in cost to the state between letting people use their own vehicles, and requiring them to use state vehicles, I think they forgot to factor in the turtles.

I'm not entirely sure why the turtle was crossing the road. I was rather impressed that it had made it across three lanes of a busy highway before it met it's untimely end. I feel sorry for the turtle.

One of Jacks toys didn't survive the trip either... that class was *very* rambunctious. It could have something to do with the fact that it was end of term, and there was only one teacher supervising two classes. I was mostly letting J handle the class, but at the end I started telling specific rowdy students to sit down, in my very no-nonsense voice. I apparently have a very effective no-nonsense voice. I used it indiscriminantly. I restored a level of order, but it was too late for Jack's toy. And for a neat stack of books that the teacher had sorted... but if the teacher isn't going to keep order, she has to face the consequences. She should know better... J doesn't. I seem to have a bit of a natural ability for handling kids... both singly and in groups... however, they were getting on my nerves by the end. I don't like noise. Of course, had I been in control of the situation from the start, it may not have gotten as noisy.

I forgot to take pictures.