Mini fashionista -- And gender concerns
Last week at the mall, when my daughter and I were taking a shortcut to Old Navy via Nordstrom's, we dallied a bit too long over a $38 size 6x (for girls) t-shirt (me expressing shock and mild...
View ArticleSpring Break--good and bad
Well, I've returned from Spring Break and then hunkered down through another week of school. Spring Break was a mixture of hellish weather, loooong drives, and then a great few days at the end.We...
View ArticleBig Buck$!
I just received my annual check from the university press publisher of my book--$50! Woohoo! I plan to spend it on something special. Actually, I never expected to make money off the book, just to...
View ArticleWine and the university--who picks up the tab?
Busy week. Graded 48 papers over two days. Taught, sat on an honors thesis defense, met with students, finished making a quiz, all with 4 hours of sleep the night before. That wore me out for the...
View ArticleThis Is a Public Service Announcement--With Crickets
If your child bursts through the door after school and asks if s/he can adopt a lizard ("anole") after their class is done studying them, politely but firmly decline the offer. If you are...
View ArticleI love student evaluation week!
Our administrative assistant has announced it! Student evaluation forms are in our mailboxes. We must pass them out this coming week. Yaaaaay!Why do I love student evaluation week?1. Like robins...
View ArticleMy daughter wants to be a dentist. No grimacing or groaning!
My 5yr old daughter wants to be a dentist when she grows up. She actually gets excited to go to the dentist! Why? Probably several reasons: Everyone in our dentist office is female except for the...
View ArticleWow, that's weird--a diet plan that is working
For the first time in ... oh about forever, I have been losing weight. The last 2+ weeks I have lost 3 pounds--and relatively painlessly. Actually, I only diet about once ever 5-6 years. I'm not...
View ArticleWhere's MY study guide?
In both classes, students have been asking for the study guide for the final. Asking a lot. I'm not against giving it out at this point. But still, it is 11-12 days before their final. And the...
View ArticleA mean student who cries in my office--and the many others who amaze and...
I have some amazing students this semester. One student is from Afghanistan; he brings such wonderful insights into the class, particularly through his written work. Another student is a "Lost Girl"...
View ArticleThe choir needs to kick it up a notch
Well, I'm done. Done with classes. My students were very nice on the last day, which hopefully means they feel they learned a lot and liked the class. I liked them (well, all but one). My son's...
View ArticleNames of foreigners
Academic blog posts abound this week about students who think the world revolves around them, and professors who would like to disabuse them of that idea. So I'll add one of mine.A student from Japan...
View ArticleHe took my keys, and then my head exploded
Today is one of my busiest days of the year. In addition to all the grading, there are several ceremonies/graduation events to attend. So busy that I have to drive to work to save time.Today my S.O....
View ArticleThere's more to this bad day?
With all the ceremonies and events today, my cell phone was off most of the day. I didn't even have it with me during graduation ceremony--since I couldn't answer it up on stage, what would be the...
View ArticleThe dreaded first week in May--over!
I'm finally done! Grades submitted an hour ago. Yeah! No panicked inquiries from students yet, asking how they got the grade they did. I like waiting until the last day to turn grades in. I do so...
View ArticleFor tenure, remember not to....
Having some tenure issues here at my U. There are some basic rules for tenure here, at least for the social sciences and humanities.Publish your book with a university press. This goes even if other...
View ArticleIdentity, dignity, and cleaning houses for a living
Back again! I'm finally returning to a schedule in which I have enough down-time to blog!Yesterday I hired a woman off of craigslist to doing some extra cleaning that my regular cleaning man misses....
View ArticleStupid me agreed to a minor admin position
Earlier this summer, I agreed to take on an administrative post. I will be the director of the XYZ Center. Hopefully it won't be too time-consuming. I get a graduate assistant and a course release...
View ArticleNephew as entertainment
There is a one week gap between summer camp ending and the kids' school starting. Too hectic to fit in a good trip the week before school starts. I thought of going into the mountains for a week. But...
View ArticleBiking for ice cream
My daughter is 6, and it is definitely time for her to learn to ride her bike. She really really wants to ride it. But at the same time, she never quite committed to it.She's been doing well with the...
View ArticleHouscleaner, cleaning solutions, and mini-strokes
The house cleaner I hired to clean all the things the regular weekly cleaner has been missing just called. She missed our appointment yesterday. I called to see if she wanted to reschedule and she...
View ArticleWine, coffee, and now mixed drinks--much ado
When my partner and I were first together, he got me interested in wine tasting. We spent a good bit of money, learned to act pretentious, and took a trip to Napa-Sonoma.That ran its course somewhat....
View ArticleBad Grad
I'm working closely with two students right now. One just graduated with her B.A., the other is a grad student finished with coursework and almost ABD.One shows up to meetings a few minutes early....
View ArticleI want that!
I met with a colleague to talk about the (small) center that I now run on campus. He also runs a center and we are members of each other's centers. We are also both Associate Professors and both have...
View ArticleMore baddish grad student
My grad student on Wed. sent me an urgent panicky email with some of her "data" attached and her effort at analyzing it. She wanted me to look it over "when I got a chance." But because she was...
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