Our presentation last night was a bit of a flop. Basically we ran out of time at the end. We had not practiced except for once in the hour before class. There was a strict 15 minute time limit and we were told ahead of time that when time was up the presentation was over.

That’s exactly what happened. In addition, throughout the presentation the slide kept coming on and off of the big screen. You would be talking and saying your part, guided by what you were seeing on the screen, and then the screen would go blank. So then you had to look down at the other computer and continue on as of nothing out of the ordinary was happening. At one point the teacher told us to pause the time clock and we all fiddled with the computer cord. But after that it we just dealt with it.

I had previously mentioned being concerned about the time. The other group rocked their presentation and finished with a full three minutes to spare. The rubric had said that typically the presentation focuses on either the literature review or the therapy plan. I knew both of those parts had been included in the slides. I was wondering if I was the only person who had read that. We had each made slides for the parts of the paper we’d written. I spent almost two days reading through and editing to make things flow and fit together so I felt like I was very familiar with the material. I also felt like the part with the group plan was the bulk of the paper and included most of the information we needed to present.

But somewhere in that span of time I did not have the brain power to turn what I was reading into some kind of coordinated administrative action on my part where we discussed how we wanted to do this and what parts we might need to leave out of the slides. Mad is nowhere near the right feeling word, but I felt a lesser and duller version of mad that it seemed no one else had had that either. There was no discussing it afterward to process. No comforting or reassuring words from the podium. There was just going back to our seats and having the regular class lecture begin.

So anyway, that could’ve gone better but it didn’t. Today was another full day between being at my in-laws and being out again more for a few other things. I brought the boys home after lunch for some afternoon time at home. The pastors have been up at a pastor’s conference this week so I subbed today for our pastor who for this year teaches band and choir at the high school. I enjoyed doing that and seeing my kids in the hallways. Josh is staying the night with his parents to be support and an extra hand for his mom if needed.