Change is the one thing nobody can opt out of. People, circumstances, daily life—none of it stays fixed for long. What matters is whether you can meet the shift with a decent frame of mind.
Last year was my first time doing exam logistics for the middle-school and college entrance exams. It will also be my last. It was never mandatory; I wanted to do something useful, put in some effort, and earn a little overtime pay along the way. Since the new director took over, plenty of arrangements have been adjusted. Not being assigned to that work this time is one of those changes. Fortunately, I still have an auxiliary role for the middle-school exam—barcode handling and setting up for marking—so there is still some value I can contribute. I accepted it.
A new theme that finally feels workable
The Joe2026 theme is not really my preferred style. It comes from a theme originally made by a Typecho developer, though this version is an official emlog port, so the quality is reasonably controlled. It is not perfect, but it works well enough for normal use, and it gives me room to satisfy my urge to tweak and optimize.
The biggest improvement over the old Simply theme is media responsiveness and flexibility. Getting Joe2026 online also depended on Doubao. Its ability to lead me astray is not small, but with guidance it helped me finish several important changes. The modifications I am happiest with this week are the sidebar tabs and the latest comments module. Next I still need to optimize the hover style for links across the site.
Summer for an educator
Summer vacation is not only for students. Teachers have it too, and people working in education may get a version of it. It is already mid-June, which means roughly three weeks until summer break. This year I plan to focus on physical recovery and improving my own knowledge, take a long loop trip, then settle down and take proper study notes. Of course, I will also go back to my hometown to see my parents and grandparents.
My older child has changed a lot lately. He now consciously wants to earn a good ranking in school. I am not sure whether it is maturity waking up on its own or the result of my carrot-and-stick approach, but the hostile edge of his rebellious phase has gone. He is about to turn ten, which may be an important turning point in a child's thinking. It is no wonder that around here people have started making a fuss over a child's tenth birthday. It also reminds me that many parenting efforts do not need to be rushed. Sometimes when the age arrives, the problem resolves itself—just as his pronunciation issues corrected on their own when he was younger.
As long as things are moving in a better direction, that is enough. Life is unpredictable—like a big sausage wrapped around a small one.