Succubus on Top CHAPTER 7

We stood rooted in the bedroom, frozen, both of us too terrified to blink. Downstairs, the door shut and footsteps could be clearly heard on the hardwood floor. A low murmur of voices drifted up, the words inaudible. â€Å"What are we going to do?† I whispered. Invisible we might be, but I still didn't want to slink through the house with others around. It would also make leaving inconspicuously a problem. Bastien frowned, apparently trying to discern the words below. â€Å"Those are all male voices. Not Dana. Come on.† He grabbed my arm, and we crept out into the hallway where we could hear more clearly. â€Å"You sure they aren't coming home?† asked an anxious voice. â€Å"Yup. They'll be out 'til, like, midnight.† â€Å"Cool.† Bastien grinned at me. â€Å"Reese,† he breathed. Reese. The son. The son who was supposed to be down the street at a friend's house. That was better than Dana, but still disconcerting. I shot Bastien a questioning look. What's he doing here? I mouthed. Bastien shrugged by way of answer and gestured for me to follow him the rest of the way downstairs. Reese and his friend obliviously made enough noise to cover any of our movements. I hadn't really seen Reese yet and was curious. I'd expected a clean-cut, dutiful altar-boy type, but he seemed perfectly average – in that sullen, T-shirt wearing sort of way. He had Dana's black hair and blue eyes, paired with some of Bill's unfortunate facial features. His friend had long hair and wore a beat-up army coat with jeans. â€Å"Where should we do it?† asked the friend. Reese glanced around. â€Å"Outside. Otherwise they'll smell it later.† â€Å"Okay. But roll it in here.† They huddled around the kitchen table. Reese produced a tin of rolling papers and a plastic Baggie with enough marijuana in it to keep a family of five stoned for a week. The friend skillfully rolled an enormous joint, and the boys took it outside, going out the same door we'd come in. Bastien and I exchanged glances, both of us barely holding back hysterical laughter. We walked into the still-dark living room and stood at the window, watching the boys outside. They left all the outdoor lights off, not wanting to attract neighborly attention. The joint made a pinpoint of orange light in the blackness as they passed it back and forth. â€Å"Oh my God,† I gasped. â€Å"This just justified the whole break-in.† Bastien's expression was speculative. â€Å"Maybe we can use this against her.† I turned on him. â€Å"What? Come on. He's just a kid. No need to drag him down with her. Besides, if I had his parents, I'd want to be high too. â€Å" Bastien looked momentarily uncertain, finally yielding with a small nod. â€Å"Okay. You're right. So. You want to finish the bedroom and then head out? I doubt they're going to notice much going on around them. â€Å" We went back upstairs, still hoping for some incriminating photo or piece of paper. No such luck. We left Reese and his friend alone, using the front door to make our getaway. Once we were safely back at Bastien's, we settled into the immaculate living room, defeated. â€Å"Well. That was pointless,† I said. â€Å"Not entirely.† Bastien reached into his pocket and tossed over Reese's plastic bag. I caught it and straightened up in my chair. â€Å"Jesus H. Christ! You swiped that poor kid's pot?† â€Å"He shouldn't have left it out like that.† I held it up. It was half-full. â€Å"There's a special hell for people like you.† â€Å"Yeah, I own a condo there. Besides, it's for his own good. Pot's a gateway drug, you know. â€Å" â€Å"I can't believe this. You don't think they're going to notice this is missing?† â€Å"Nah. By the time they come back in, they'll be so far gone they won't remember where they left it. They'll spend the next few days accusing each other of losing it.† I shook my head. â€Å"I know I've said it before, but this really is a new low. I†¦I'm so shocked now, I don't even know what to do.† â€Å"7 do.† An hour later, we were both on the floor, giggling endlessly, though I wasn't entirely sure what about. Bastien passed the joint to me, and I took a hit off it, sighing happily. I handed it back. â€Å"I'm not saying Monique wasn't a bitch,† he was explaining, â€Å"but you have to admit, she knew how to get things done.† I leaned against the back of the couch, letting my head roll around on the cushions. â€Å"Yeah, but†¦she was†¦you know, sloppy. Like, no creativity whatsoever. Being in the business isn't just about sex. It's about†¦pride†¦pride in your work.† He inhaled and passed the joint back. â€Å"Oh, she had pride in her work, believe me. Used to ride me like a horse.† He paused a moment, then started laughing. â€Å"She totally did me proud.† I sat back up. â€Å"What, you slept with her?† â€Å"Sure, why not?† I poked him with my foot. â€Å"You fucking slut.† â€Å"Look who's calling the cauldron black.† â€Å"Kettle. It's a kettle. Get your metaphors right. â€Å" â€Å"That wasn't a metaphor. It was a, you know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He stared off into space, blinking. â€Å"One of those things that's symbolic of another thing. But isn't the same thing. Just like it.† â€Å"You mean a metaphor?† â€Å"No! It's like a story†¦like†¦a proverb! That's it.† â€Å"I'm pretty sure that wasn't a proverb. Maybe it was an analogy. â€Å" â€Å"I don't think so.† â€Å"Look, I know these things. I work in a – oh!† â€Å"Oh what?† â€Å"How am I going to get home?† â€Å"You're leaving? Or is that an analogy?† â€Å"I'm not leaving yet†¦but you drove me†¦you can't drive me back.† â€Å"Sure I can. I feel fine.† â€Å"You wish. I haven't smoked that much.† I rummaged through my purse, found my cell phone, and dialed the first number in it. Beside me, Bastien muttered about analogies while staring entranced at the smoke swirling off the joint. â€Å"Hello?† answered Seth. We hadn't really spoken since our awkward morning. â€Å"Hey, it's me.† â€Å"Hey.† â€Å"So†¦I, uh†¦need a favor.† â€Å"What is it?† When I didn't say anything right away, he asked, â€Å"You still there? You okay?† â€Å"Yeah†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I started laughing uncontrollably. â€Å"I am 50 okay.† â€Å"Urn, all right. What do you need?† It took me a moment to remember. â€Å"A ride.† â€Å"A ride?† â€Å"Yeah. A ride.† Bastien made a rude gesture at the mention of â€Å"a ride,† and I kicked him again. I gave the address to a clearly confused Seth and then disconnected. â€Å"Idiot!† I yelled at Bastien, even though I thought the whole situation was hilarious, as did he. I went in for a tackle. â€Å"What were you – â€Å" The doorbell rang. Our eyes went wide as we froze mid-grapple, panic flooding us like two kids who had just been busted hardcore. â€Å"Shit,† I said. â€Å"Damn. That author drives fast.† â€Å"It's not him, you dork. Don't move. They'll go away.† He lumbered to his feet. â€Å"No†¦I gotta see who it is†¦maybe it's Jack Daniels†¦could use a drink†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Don't do it!† I begged, suddenly terrified for no reason I could identify. He turned invisible and strolled over to the door. Half a second later, he came tearing back. â€Å"It's Dana! She's back early.† He ran his hand frantically over Mitch's neat, blonde hair. â€Å"What's she want? What's she doing here?† â€Å"Maybe she wants Reese's pot back.† â€Å"This is my chance! She's here alone. She wants me. Quick.† He yanked my arm and dragged me to the stairs. I cried out in surprise. â€Å"Get out of sight. Throw that away.† â€Å"I'm not throwing this away! Besides, you don't think she'll notice that your whole fucking house smells like this? Jesus. Your pupils are the size of her granny panties. Virtuous or not, she isn't stupid.† â€Å"Just go! Hurry! Don't come down.† Grumbling, I went upstairs while Bastien scurried to the door. Turning invisible, I sat cross-legged at the top of the stairs and kept smoking. Below, I heard him greet Dana. â€Å"Well, hello,† he bellowed. â€Å"Sorry if I kept you waiting†¦I was†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He trailed off stupidly, and I shook my head. Sloppy, sloppy. He would have never been at a loss for words sober, but then, his sober self would have immediately noticed the foolishness afoot. â€Å"I was†¦um, busy. Upstairs.† â€Å"I see,† replied Dana. Her tone was once again set to cool and formal. I decided Bastien had imagined the warm and friendly rapport he kept claiming they had when alone. â€Å"Well, I apologize for disturbing you, but when I dropped off the cookies earlier, I think I may have lost an earring.† I straightened up. Cookies? He hadn't mentioned that. Maybe he was making progress after all. Cookies. I wondered what kind she'd brought. Peanut butter? Chocolate chip? Oh. Maybe even white chocolate macadamia. He and Dana commenced a search for the earring, coming up empty. The whole time, Bastien tried to act like he wasn't stoned, but Dana couldn't have been fooled. Not with those cyborg eyes of hers. Hell, I didn't even need to see it. The audio track alone was entertaining enough. Meanwhile, I couldn't stop thinking about those goddamned cookies. They sounded good. Really good. Suddenly, I wanted them more than I'd ever wanted anything in my life. â€Å"Well,† I heard Dana say, â€Å"I must have lost it somewhere else. Thanks for looking.† â€Å"Sorry I couldn't help you.† â€Å"It's all right.† She allowed an elegantly crafted pause. â€Å"Isn't that Tabitha's purse over there? Is she here?† Oh, shit. I had a feeling Bastien was thinking the same thing. â€Å"Uh, well, yeah†¦but†¦um, she's upstairs lying down,† he faltered. â€Å"Has a headache.† â€Å"Oh, that's too bad. Did she take anything for it?† â€Å"Um, yeah, she did.† I looked at the joint. Had I ever. Bastien and Dana started talking about something else, and I decided then that I had to get those cookies. I was starving. The lovebirds sounded like they had moved to the living room, so I could sneak invisibly down the stairs and raid the kitchen without them knowing. Standing up, I put the joint out in the upstairs bathroom and moved on to my covert descent. Pot doesn't usually mess with motor control the way alcohol can, but it can certainly distract you from ordinary things. Like watching where you're going. About three steps down, my foot slipped out from under me. I uttered a sailor-worthy expletive and slid painfully down the rest of the way, landing hard on my butt at the bottom, my legs twisting into unnatural positions underneath me. I had barely enough sense to snap back to a visible Tabitha, lest Bastien and Dana think a clumsy ghost had just fallen down. A moment later, they came running. â€Å"What happened?† exclaimed Bastien. He sounded more upset about the interruption than my immediate health. â€Å"I†¦I tripped†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Looking down, I tried moving my left ankle to a more comfortable position. I winced. It hurt like hell, but at least it moved. â€Å"Well,† he said crisply, â€Å"so long as you're okay. I'm sure you'll want to go and – â€Å" â€Å"Okay?† Dana gave him an incredulous look. â€Å"We need to get her to the couch so she can straighten that out.† â€Å"Oh no,† I protested, seeing Bastien's murderous expression. â€Å"I†¦I'm fine†¦really†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But there was no arguing with Dana. She supported me under one arm, and he took the other. I hobbled over to the couch, putting my weight only on the right foot. Once I was stretched out, she pushed my jeans up over my calf and felt the ankle with cautious, expert precision, carefully examining each inch. I appreciated her solicitous concern and apparent first-aid know-how, but the thought of this wretched woman touching my leg repulsed me. Besides, what I really wanted were those cookies. Fuck my ankle. â€Å"It doesn't feel broken,† she finally decided. â€Å"Probably just a sprain, lucky for you. We should ice it.† When Bastien neither did nor offered anything useful, she went into the kitchen. I could hear her opening drawers and the freezer. â€Å"Do you hate me or something?† he hissed once we were alone. â€Å"This wasn't my fault,† I countered. â€Å"I think you've got a defective stair.† â€Å"Defective my ass. The only thing that's defective is your sense of timing. Do you know how close I was to scoring?† â€Å"Close? Close? Not to use a cliche, but hell was closer to freezing over than you were to scoring. I don't think she really goes for the babbling, high kind of guy.† â€Å"I wasn't babbling. And there's no way she knows I'm high.† â€Å"Oh, come on. If you were any higher, you'd – â€Å" I shut my mouth as Dana returned with the ice pack. She knelt by my feet and carefully set the pack on the injured ankle. I grimaced at the sudden change of temperature, but the shocking cold did numb the throbbing. Still concerned, she surveyed the rest of my lower leg with those sharp eyes. Again, she felt around the ankle area, her hands gently touching here and there. She frowned. â€Å"I could be wrong about how serious it is. You should keep icing it and take ibuprofen. If it doesn't get better in a couple days, go see your doctor.† â€Å"Thanks,† I said, looking away. Honestly, what I found most disconcerting now was how sincerely concerned she seemed. Maybe we'd misjudged her all along. Nah. â€Å"Well,† breezed Bastien, â€Å"if Tabby Cat's okay, maybe we should go to the kitchen and have some coffee – â€Å" â€Å"Do you know how it happened?† Dana asked me, ignoring him. â€Å"Oh†¦just a misstep I think†¦or maybe the stair is defective.† â€Å"I doubt there's anything wrong with the stairs,† said Bastien. â€Å"Tabitha's always been clumsy, that's all. It's legendary in our family.† Dana, oblivious to me glaring at the incubus over the slam to my gracefulness, glanced over at my shoes sitting near the door. They were strappy and black, with three-inch heels. â€Å"Are those what you've been wearing?† She fixed me with a stern, motherly look. â€Å"I know how strong societal pressure can be in making you think you need to fit a certain mold. But walking around in shoes like that all day will do serious damage to your feet. Not only that, they send a message that you have no shame when it comes to – â€Å" The doorbell rang then. None of us moved at first, and then Bastien rose, looking amazed that this night could get any worse. Dana dropped her wardrobe lecture and switched to a medical one. â€Å"You really need to be careful with this. Too much stress will agitate it. â€Å" Bastien returned a moment later with an utterly puzzled Seth, whom I suspected had no idea who had just let him in. Indeed, his bewilderment grew as he scanned Dana and me, no doubt wondering if he had the right house. â€Å"Hi Seth,† I said pointedly, in too loud of a voice, â€Å"thanks for coming to pick me up.† He continued to stare, and then the faintest gleam of understanding showed in his eyes. He'd seen me shape-shift clothes often, but this was the first time he'd ever seen me in another body. Dana looked around expectantly. â€Å"Oh,† I said, my mind still running a little slow from the pot. â€Å"This is, um, Seth. Seth, Dana.† â€Å"Hello,† she said, rising smoothly and shaking his hand. â€Å"Nice to meet you.† â€Å"Um, yeah. You too.† I had a feeling he would bolt if given half a chance. â€Å"Seth is Tabitha's boyfriend,† explained Bastien. â€Å"I imagine they'll want to be on their way now.† â€Å"I'd heard you were single. How long have you two been dating?† she asked, steering us toward casual conversation. Neither of us answered. â€Å"A couple months,† I said at last, wondering if my virtue was once again being assessed. She smiled. â€Å"How nice.† I started feeling those creepy vibes again, and suddenly I did want to leave. I tried to sit up, and she rushed to my side. â€Å"Someone grab her other arm.† When Bastien didn't move, Seth was finally spurred into action. He supported my other side and helped me stand. It was clear, however, that touching me in this body unnerved him, and he tried to manage it while staying as far away from me as possible. Consequently, all of his movements seemed awkward and unnatural, and no doubt Dana thought we were even weirder than before. She and Seth helped me to the car, Bastien following with a pout. When I was situated in the passenger seat, Dana offered a few parting words of instruction to both Seth and me on how to care for the ankle. â€Å"Thanks for the help,† I told her. â€Å"Happy to. Just try to be more careful from now on.† She glanced at her watch. â€Å"Well. I should probably go home myself.† â€Å"Do you have to?† asked Bastien stupidly. â€Å"Er, I mean, no need to feel rushed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Thank you, but no. Bill will wonder what happened to me.† I saw her walk back to her house as Seth pulled out. I also saw the look on Bastien's face. The morning after was not going to be pretty. We were almost in the city when Seth finally spoke. â€Å"Can you†¦uh†¦you know†¦change? This is really weird.† â€Å"Huh?† I had been staring bleary-eyed out the window, intrigued by the blur of city lights. â€Å"Oh. Yeah.† A moment later, I was the Georgina Kincaid he knew. â€Å"Thanks. So, uh†¦I don't suppose I really want to know what was going on back there†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Nope.† I craned my head to look in the backseat. â€Å"You really don't.† â€Å"What are you doing?† â€Å"You don't have any cookies back there do you?† â€Å"Uh†¦no. I'm all out.† I sighed and sank into my seat. â€Å"I am starving. I don't think I can hold on much longer. You sure you don't have any other food?† The ghost of a smile curled his lips. â€Å"Nope. Sorry. You want to stop somewhere?† â€Å"Yes!† He pulled into a Taco Bell drive-thru, looking surprised when I gave him my order. When it came up, he wordlessly handed me my bag of four tacos, two bean burritos, and a tostada. I dove into them before he'd even accelerated away. When we got back to my place, he didn't give me the chance to limp in. He scooped me up effortlessly, almost like O'Neill might have in one of his novels. If not for me being stoned and clinging to a taco, it would have been terribly romantic. â€Å"You think I'm a freak, don't you?† I asked, once I was situated in bed and he sat on its edge. Seth had tended me once before, after a night of heavy drinking. I felt so irresponsible compared to him. â€Å"Well, the tostada was kind of excessive, but I've seen freakier.† â€Å"No†¦you know. I mean†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated. â€Å"Well, you may not realize this, but I've sort of been smoking†¦some stuff.† â€Å"Yeah. I kind of picked up on that.† â€Å"Oh. Well. Sorry.† I bit into one of the burritos savagely. â€Å"Why are you apologizing?† â€Å"Because†¦well, you don't do this.† â€Å"Do what?† â€Å"Smoke pot. Or drink. Geez, you even avoid caffeine. Don't you think I'm like, I don't know†¦corrupt?† â€Å"Corrupt?† He laughed. â€Å"Hardly. Anyway, you don't think I've ever done any of that?† The idea was just shocking enough to give me pause. I put my gluttony on hold. â€Å"Well†¦I don't know. I just figured, well, no. Either that, or you had some tragic history†¦like you got drunk and hit a mailbox or took off all your clothes in public and now avoid all such vices.† â€Å"That would be tragic. But rest easy, I indulged in plenty of ‘vices' in college. That's why it took me six years to graduate. Well, that and changing my major a few times. In the end, I just decided to abstain altogether. Didn't like myself otherwise. Sobriety's better for writing, and I say too many stupid things when I'm drunk or high.† â€Å"Yeah,† I said uneasily, trying to remember what I'd said tonight. It was kind of a haze. â€Å"So you don't think I'm like†¦I don't know, a shameless lush?† â€Å"Nope. So long as you don't do yourself harm.† He eyed the ankle suspiciously. â€Å"It doesn't matter to me. Honestly, half the reason I like you is because you're so†¦I don't know. You like life.† He looked away from my eyes, amused as his thoughts spun, considering. â€Å"You're fearless. Bold. Not afraid to enjoy yourself. You just go out there and do what you want. I like the whirlwind you exist in. I envy it. It's funny, really.† He smiled. â€Å"I used to think I wanted someone exactly like me, but now I think I'd be bored to death with another version of myself. I'm surprised I don't bore you sometimes.† I gaped. â€Å"Are you kidding? You're the most interesting person I know. Aside from Hugh maybe. But then, he installs breast implants and buys souls. That's a hard combination to beat. But he's not nearly as cute.† Seth's smile increased, and he squeezed my hand. Silence fell between us again, but this time it was kind of cozy. â€Å"Thanks for rescuing me,† I said slowly, â€Å"and for†¦well†¦I mean, I'm sorry about last night. Sorry I shut down.† His face sobered. â€Å"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have – â€Å" â€Å"No,† I said firmly. â€Å"Don't blame yourself. It was me too. My fault too. And really, I was the one who started it. I should have just talked to you about it then. Especially after you made me pancakes this morning. You know, those suddenly sound really good again.† I looked at him meaningfully. â€Å"We shouldn't have done what we did†¦in bed†¦but, at least we did manage to stop. That's worth something.† I nodded, crumpling up the Taco Bell bag and tossing it across the room into my wastebasket. Score. He studied me, eyes warm and affectionate. He sighed and turned pensive again. There apparently was more seriousness to come. â€Å"I'd like to try sleeping together again, but I suppose†¦we should take a break from that. â€Å" I mirrored his sigh. â€Å"Yeah. I suppose.† Remembering something, I cocked my head and gave him a sharp look. â€Å"Hey, hypothetically – and I'm not offering this, so don't get any ideas – would you, like, give up part of your life to sleep with me? Er, but I mean†¦not actually sleep†¦ â€Å" He laughed out loud, the laughter underscored with a wry edge. â€Å"Thetis, I'd give up part of my life to do any number of things with you.† My interest flared. â€Å"Like what?† â€Å"Well†¦isn't it obvious?† I leaned toward him. Maybe I was still high and suffering from weed-induced horniness – and hey, in another reality, shouldn't we have been entitled to make-up sex? – but I suddenly and desperately wanted to hear him articulate what he wanted to do to me. â€Å"Tell me.† He shook his head. â€Å"I can't. You know how I am.† His eyes narrowed intently. â€Å"I could maybe†¦I could maybe write it for you, though.† â€Å"Really? Not in published story form this time?† â€Å"Yes, not in published story form.† â€Å"I'd like that.† I must have looked expectant because he laughed. â€Å"Not tonight, Thetis. Not tonight. I think we both need some sleep.† I was disappointed but could see the wisdom here. Having more time would ensure some good writing, I guessed. Furthermore, it was hard to be too sad when the tension from last night's mishap appeared to be gone. Our rapport and affection had returned, and watching him, I felt my feelings for him practically increase by the second. We chatted a bit more, and then he kissed me lightly on the mouth and rose. I wistfully watched him go, wishing he were staying. Drifting off to sleep, I finally contented myself by thinking about all the things I wanted to do to him. It was a long list, and I was out before even getting through a fraction of it.

Different Temperament Types

I have wondered how knowing my temperament will help me in my personal life? I wonder why I do certain things, and react the way that I do. I believe the results of this temperament study will give me insight into some of those â€Å"whys†. This study with the four different temperament types will give an underlying reason for my behaviors. I will try to use this information to not use the negative behaviors, which arise from my particular temperament type. When I took the personality test in the Temperament Sorter I was classified as a Guardian. This trait is characterized by strong managerial and organizational skills, dependability and seriousness, being down-to-earth and conservative. The Keirsey website describes Guardians as the â€Å"cornerstone of society† and claims that they make up 40 to 45 percent of the population. It highlights that the greatest strength in the Guardian trait is my logistical intelligence. It further mentions that, my personality dictates that when given an important choice between two methods, I will choose the one I am more familiar with rather than something new (the experience over experimentation principle). An example is when I want to take my children for an outing, while a new place will bring more excitement and a newer learning experience; I tend to choose the places I am more familiar with. I am very cautious about change, and realizing this I will make a strong effort to allow myself to venture out more and in doing so bring more exciting experiences to the lives of my children as well. Another significant behavior is related to my temperament’s respect for rules and authority. Thus, when my 11 year old son made his own Halloween decorations which tend to be rather scary for other neighbors, and I got some rather unkind comments, I immediately explained this to my son, and made an effort to remove the scary decorations and place them inside the house, and only let the more happy Halloween decorations remain. Realizing my strong belief in rules, I will further ensure that what is asked of me and my children is also fair in our viewpoint. Also, since Guardians are very serious about their duties and responsibilities the third important behavior that can be said about me is my need to complete a task when called upon. Thus during my daughters fund raiser at school, even though I was asked to do many last minute requests, because I knew this is important for her school, I tried to get things done to the best of my ability, even though I placed a huge stress upon myself. Lastly my need to follow schedules, and deadlines that is often a great trait in organizations at home can often lead to friction. It is very important for me to realize this drawback, and allow more flexibility. I believe if I can do this, I will help myself, and my family be more relaxed. As my mother always says â€Å"what will happen if your son doesn’t finish his homework, Friday night, he can do it Saturday or Sunday, and still feel he has had some freedom! 2 After reading my temperament, I think many of the traits of a Guardian are similar to what would be considered a good teacher. For example, Guardians will usually abide by the rules and respect authority. This characteristic sets a good example for the students. A teacher should always adopt a fair attitude, when it comes to making any form of evaluation, and must always be fair in their profession and while assessing students on their performance, instead of personal rapports and likings. One of the main characteristics of Guardians is that they always want fairness. Guardians tend to find satisfaction in doing work that involves detail; a good teacher should be meticulous and have an eye for detail. In fact, a disorganized person would find teaching unsuitable and unfulfilling. Well thought-out plans and programs for teaching will assist the productivity of a teacher. This temperament is always concerned about the welfare of people and will look after the physical needs of others, which is ideal in a teaching situation. Guardians expect to be held accountable and to take responsibility. They happily shoulder the load that they know needs to be done. A teacher should be dedicated towards their work. They should not kill time in the classroom and wait for the school bell to ring. Instead, taking out time and going the extra mile for the students is what makes an ideal teacher. A good teacher must have good time management skills and always value the importance of time, this will help the students to get organized and further enhance their learning by them learning to better manage their time. Guardians can have a lot of fun, but are quite serious about their duties responsibilities. A teacher who can have fun with their students, yet to remain serious about responsibilities so the students can both relax and enjoy the teacher, yet also have respect is a hallmark of a great teacher! 3 Research shows that shows that goodness of fit between your child's temperament and your parenting style is important for healthy social and emotional development. Differences in child temperament require differences in parental handling to achieve a good fit. For this to occur after reading my temperament I have to match My demands or expectations with what my child is able to do, given my child's temperament, age and abilities. I would now start by learning about my child's temperament as well. If I can understand my child's temperament then I can plan ahead to prevent potential problems. If I can learn about their difficulties, then I could use strategies to make the specific situation easier for everyone. For example as a Guardian I believe in law and order, and sometimes worry that respect for authority, even fundamental sense of right and wrong, is being lost. My son as a Rational disregards any authority or customary procedure that wastes time and resources! I have tried to convey this message to him by teaching him why rules are important, and giving him specific examples, versus simply asking him to obey the rules and not be allowed to question me in any form. Because as a rational he trusts logic, and needs to understand why these rules are necessary. My daughter on the other hand is a Guardian like myself, and because she prefers sameness, I take my time introducing new things to her. For example when I take her to a new class, if I simply ask her to go and join in, and walk away, it will end badly. I have tried many different activities with her, and if I sit with her and give her time to explore to become comfortable, she is always happy, and engages beautifully. Considering the vast differences between our temperaments, and all the strengths and weaknesses we possess, it is important to learn how each temperament type will interact with each other and hopefully combine traits to bring about â€Å"goodness of fit†.

Contract Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Contract Assignment - Essay Example With at least two forms –the vendors and the purchasers—vying for legal standing the courts find themselves adjudicating a battle of the forms. They must determine what form applies, if any, or, alternately, that neither form applies and by default, a given contractual dispute must be resolved by recourse to the Sale of Goods Act rather than by the terms and conditions set out by either firm. (â€Å"Sale of Goods Act C. 54† 1979) his was the judgement that the court arrived at in â€Å"GHSP INC v. AB ELECTRONIC LTD† [2010] EWHC 1828 (Comm) Case No: 2008 Folio 1353. Neither the form of the seller AB Electronic Ltd. nor that of the purchaser, GHSP Inc. was held to be valid In lieu of a specific contract the court relied on the â€Å"Sale of Goods Act, 1979†. This issue is of considerable importance for both buyers and sellers. Understandably, the sellers standard form will contain terms that are beneficial to the seller while the purchasers form will favour the purchasers interests. Often the determination of which contract is applicable will resolve the dispute, implicitly, in favour of the party whose contract is accepted by the courts. It is for this reason that a battle of the forms can have such great importance. For more than thirty years the courts have relied on Butler Machine Tool Company Ltd. v. EX-CELL-O Corporation (England) Limited† [1977] EWCA Civ 9 Case No. 172 B. No. 234 when confronted with a battle of the forms. Briefly, Butler contracted to produce a production machine for EX-CELL-O Corp. They produced a contract for production of said machine with a price, terms and delivery details. EX-CELL-O responded with acceptance of the price on their own form that contained different details, particularly as they related to additional costs incurred prior to their receipt of the machine. Butlers contract contained a clause allowing them to charge any price increases

Financial Management essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Financial Management - Essay Example Through the recent observations made by the organization it had been observed that Tulip Refractory is making a continuous loss for a span of consecutive five years but while the sister concern of the organization working with Cafe 88 is earning a year on year profit on a similar basis, i.e. no commercial price is to be charged from the office staff. From this study we have to analyze the reason for the loss of Tulip Refractory under the mentioned organization and how the sister concern of the main organization is earning profits working with Cafe 88(Analysis of Financial statement, n.d., and pp.1-10). Main activities of the Organization The main activities of Tulip Refractory are to provide meals, snacks and refreshment on working days to various staff of the organization. During the weekends the staffs of the Tulip Refractory are allowed to do some catering in private functions and ceremonies. Similar is the function of the Cafe 88 but we can observe a remarkable difference in the operation of both the catering services. This has put the main organization to take adequate steps based on the financial analysis thus conducted as follows. ... The main function of making an effective financial analysis of the company is to draw conclusion to arrive at a decision which will be in the best interest of the company. For achieving this purpose we employ the tool of ratio analysis under which three main aspects of a company are analyzed on the basis of its profitability, liquidity and efficiency/solvency. Liquidity Analysis The liquidity of the company means the repayable factor of a firm generally in cash form. The company which has assets which can be easily turned into cash for the purpose of meeting with the obligations of a company is called the liquidity analysis of the company. The liquidity of the firm has thus been found with the help of current ratio, quick ratio and cash ratio (Brigham, et. al., 2010, pp.93-110). Particulars (All values in pound) Tulip Refractory Cafe 88 Year 2011 2011 Current Assets 9000 16000 Current Liabilities 6000 4000 Current Ratio 1.50 4.00 Current Ratio mainly gives us an idea regarding the sh ot-term liability capacity of a firm. Higher the current ration more is its ability to repay its obligations. From the recent findings we can analyze that the repayment capacity of Tulip Refractory is much less in comparison to Cafe 88. This is because the liability of Cafe 88 is less with respect to the assets acquired by the catering firm. Particulars (All values in pound) Tulip Refractory Cafe 88 Year 2011 2011 Bank and cash 1000 14000 Debtors 5000 0 Total quick Assets 6000 14000 Current Liabilities 6000 4000 Quick Ratio 1.00 3.50 Quick ratio is known to be a much more conventional with respect to the current ratio; thus considered a better liquidity measure. Inventory in most of the companies is considered to be the most illiquid form of asset hence it

How does opeational line maintenance differ from manufacturing and Research Paper

How does opeational line maintenance differ from manufacturing and does either degrade aircraft maintenance abilities if no change is made Or does stability lead to increase in quality - Research Paper Example The problem is the huge maintenance of aircrafts in an airline. The huge maintenance of the aircraft imply to the groupings of the maintenance of aircrafts that are owned by an airline on the foundation of the structures of each type of aircraft, the necessary needs of maintenance, and the functional features of each aircraft type. Thus, the cause of this problem are the huge and necessary maintenance needs that are needed to attain a complete repair of the aircrafts. These needs include the maintenance that had been planned before, examination of nearly all constituent parts of the airplane along with changes in the structure of the airplane. The significance of the problem is that in the current market environment coupled with the competition in the aviation industry, aviation industry players have to seek the best means through which to keep their airplanes up to date and effective in their operations. Doing so will ensure that they are able to cut on the huge costs that may be accrued overt time and find the best solutions to the aircraft problems that may face them in the course of their operations. Moreover, the problem sets alight the necessity to develop an action oriented program that identifies issues in the aircrafts. The program helps identify the best action that is needed to ensure that airlines get the most out of their fleet, be it through operational line maintenance or manufacture of new aircrafts. It is essential to realize that during the operational line maintenance, the aircraft is taken out of operations; hence, it provides no revenue to the airline. During this period when an aircraft or aircrafts are taken in for operational line maintenance, the time taken to undertake the necessary maintenance actions is known as the downtime. Further, it is vital to note that operational line maintenance is a complex undertaking. It is complex because of the difficulty and size of the operation. On the other hand, manufacture of new

Wireless Deployment Plan Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Wireless Deployment Plan - Term Paper Example Both users and administrators have experienced increased value in learning institutions. The efficiency is achieved by proper deployment of the wireless network through a wireless deployment plan. A wireless network provides an ideal and effective connection given the mobility of students and the staff (Cisco, 2010). This requires a wireless deployment solution that will address the wireless network security, management, deployment, and control of deployment aspects. It is important to note that the deployment should combine the best elements of secure wireless networking and wired networking that is capable of delivering scalable secure and efficient wireless networks on low total cost. This report provides a wireless deployment plan for a higher institution of learning with one campus but with several buildings (Cisco, 2010). The wireless deployment plan provides a framework through which the network can be installed and implemented. Additionally it entails the management, maintenance and control procedures for the network. Most importantly, the plan entails the requirements to implement the wireless network. The wireless technologies that can be adopted for such a network include 802.11 Standard (Cisco, 2010). Best wireless networks are delivered through a well-planned deployment strategy. This wireless deployment plan provides the structure for the campus wide wireless network solution that will be used by both the students and the staff. The deployment plan purposely addresses the strategy of implementing the wireless network. It enhances security in the wireless network and provides management and maintenance frameworks (Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., 2010). Wireless networks are highly sensitive to overlapping frequencies therefore; the use of wireless technologies must be planned. The purpose of this deployment plan is to

The Proofs of the Existence of God Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 119

The Proofs of the Existence of God - Essay Example Humanity has searched for the discovery of the nature of God for a long time since the conscious living. It is important to realize, whether people have any reason to believe in God's existence – or His absence. Faith widely does not incorporate reasoning. It looks like that these two areas of human perception lie in the parallel layers if reality and, thusly, do not cross. How does the concept of God’s foreknowledge correspond the concept of human freedom? There are also debated represented widely on the topics around the creationism and evolution. There is the question, what is the real role of the God in the creation of the universe and was He actually the one, who forced all this to start from the beginning of times? Â  One of the brilliant approaches was proposed by one of the greatest figures in the fields of philosophy, mathematics, and physics – Blaise Pascal. He is a genius of French origin, who invented the first mechanical adding machine. He also was one of the developers (together with Fermat), of modern probability theory. He was a genius indeed, as he invented his basic theorem of projective geometry at the age of 16 only. All the before-mentioned aimed to ensure the credibility and authority of the weight of his argument from probability for believing in God’s existence (Hacking). His approach is absolutely practical. It simply claims that the expected utility of belief in the existence of God far outreaches the expected utility of the absence of belief in God. Defining what he meant by that, it is important to know that he was a brilliant mathematician and his approach is absolutely logical and well-structured.

Reflective Journal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reflective Journal - Research Paper Example Below are different leadership theories that I thought are most important for the understanding ofthis subject (Bolden et. al, 2003): 1. The Trait Approach to Leadership: This theory is adopted from the Great Man theory which suggests that leaders are exceptional people having innate attributes which ultimately make them a leader. According to this theory some of the traits most common in leaders are: friendliness, motivation, doing group tasks, emotional control and many others (Ricketts, 2009). 2. McGregor’s Theory X & Theory Y Manager: According to him, Theory X managers dislike work and would try to avoid it and that they will have to be forced to work. Whereas Theory Y managers exhibit passion for work, self-direction and self-control to achieve goals. 3. The Hersey-Blanchard Model of Leadership: This model is based on situational perception of leadership. In my opinion a true leader can be identified when he or she is in a difficult situation. The theory states that there are two styles of leadership-Directive (one-way communication) and Supportive (interactive and mutual decision-making). The normative decision model was put forward by Victor Vroom and Phillip Yetton in 1973 and in the later years it was being modified by Victor with the collaboration of Arthur Jago. The theory states that the situational factors play a more important role in the decisions that are being taken by a leader than the leadership behavior he / she has adopted. The theory talks about five different sets of strategies. Two of the strategies are of autocratic styles, two from the consultative styles and one from the group decision makings. The personality of the leader plays an important role in achieving excellent leadership and perfect decision-making in the job market. Some of the traits that are important for good leadership at work are: Vision: One role of the leader is to communicate the vision and

Leadership interview business paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leadership interview business paper - Essay Example He carried along on the same lines, often doing two jobs in a day to support his family and education. Davis graduated with a degree in electronics engineering and went ahead to do his MBA. Throughout his education, he was always working part-time to take care of his siblings and mother. Right now, he has his own small company which is growing at an enormous pace and is already perceived to become more successful. With such great experience and personality aspects, I found him an ideal candidate for this interview. The questions I asked him were: His answers to my questions were all very brief, yet highly powerful. All of his answers were supported from practical knowledge and exposure and had no text-book touch to them. According to him, a leader is somebody who is standing in front of his people and controlling and directing them. A leader cannot be a person who sits in isolation in a corner. He needs to be there among people all the time. This is highly essential in gaining popularity and trust with his people. Having been a leader of a successful organization since 8 years, he considers this to be the major difference between leaders and managers. I learnt that leadership traits do not occur in a person by birth but are developed, since childhood, with the help of the environment around. If, at a very young age, a person is thrown up with difficult obstacles and told to cross them, this develops leadership skills in him. Moreover, when a person assumes responsibility of something, be it a house, younger siblings or a company, he automatically assumes the role of a leader. He believes training and education cannot make a successful leader, but can only polish the existing leadership skills in a person. An important point I learnt was that a leader needs to be loved by his people. The love can only come when the people trust him, respect him and are fond of him. A strict