The Now: November 29, 2023

Some private high schoolers in Michigan were assigned an essay on evaluating websites. Apparently, their teacher referred to a page on our website as a resource for them. This is great! The downside is that they are abusing our online chat support service. We get one or two actual questions and then it devolves in to juvenile antics. Today was not the first time this has happened. It's a mix of fun and aggravating.

On top of dealing with teenagers, here's what I'm working on:

1. Finals Week Social Media: Classes end Saturday and final exams kick off Tuesday. I've spent a lot of this week putting together motivational and study break social media content. My usual material was feeling a bit stale so I used ChatGPT to help spur some post ideas. (It's a good tool when you use it right!) I also made a bunch of graphics. My favorite one uses a photo of my colleague in a high visibility vest. Canva's background removal feature is my best friend.
2. Research Assignment Design: We're on to draft three of our article! For this version, we're just going through and commenting. For this round, we are trying to focus on content things and, as my colleague put it, thinking like a peer-reviewer. It's soooooo hard not to line edit.
   
3. Holiday Prep: Tis the season! We're doing a countdown calendar for our kiddo this year. We made a list of things (treats, small toys, and activities) to put in there but will adjust on the fly as necessary. We also sent out her present list to the families. Santa also jumped on things and we ordered her gifts. Now I just need to decide what to buy everyone else. Part of my family is opting to do no gifts, but I may get everyone a book anyway. I can't help myself!

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