- The Angry Kid projectile vomited in the back seat of my car on the trip in to daycare. The back of the front passenger seat is streaked with undigested Miniwheats.
- Meteorological conditions in the greater Ellesiouville area pretty much suck. The wind is gusting up to 50 mph. We have a back door in our bedroom with a resonant frequency equal to that of the wind blowing around the corner of the house. Last night we slept in the interior of an enormous, out-of-tune kazoo.
- We are unable to admit to our graduate program a lawyer who graduated in the top 10% of his law school class and who is presently clerking for a circuit court judge. The reason? When he was an undergraduate, 15 years ago, his GPA was 2.99.
- I am sick with that bizarre virus that makes its home in the middle of my respiratory tract. If I had to pick between this one and the one that makes my nose run and my sinuses ache, I would definitely opt for this one. But I'm afraid to open my mouth and hear the strange, squeaky sounds that come out. With luck, I'll be able to deliver my lectures tomorrow before my voice disappears entirely.
- Yesterday, afflicted with a low fever, I attempted to teach my graduate course, Introductory Mathematical Social Science. The topic was something like Adam's Amazing Axiom, from which I was trying to prove Adam's Amazing Rule. The proof is beyond trivial. However, three times I started the proof, worked my way into the middle, then climbed back out of it the way I went in. Embarrassed beyond words, I dismissed the class with a promise of cookies next time.
- We want to make more use of our basement. In preparation, we got a bunch of radon tests (showing Big-Assed Mama Radon Levels) and an estimate for radon remediation. The cost of remediation will be around $1700. The cost of leveling the crawlspaces with gravel so we can still use them after remediation? Almost $3000.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Minor and not-so-minor indignities.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
I proscribe bed rest and soup for you, and peer-graded group work for your class.
"I am sick with that bizarre virus that makes its home in the middle of my respiratory tract."
Did you forget to take your tennitus medicine?
WHEN life.value = "Rains" Then_
life.value + "Pours"
ELSE
life.value = "Sunshine"
On Friday, right after lunch, I went from my normal mellifluous baritone to a wheezy whisper that sounded eerily like Marge Simpson's mother, Mrs. Bouvier.
If I sent the bug to you over the series of tubes, I apologize. I hope you last until after your class.
I don't get it. A C+ average in undergrad should be considered. The fact that 15 years have passed, the top 10% performance in professional school and current work experience should trump the ancient undergrad grades hands down.
Poor undergrad performance is a predictor of poor graduate school performance. Adequate (indeed, pretty damn spiffy) work after that demonstrates the student can do the work. So what?
That's horrible! Can you never escape your undergrad GPA???
I hope you feel better soon!
What's worse is that even 15 years ago, 2.99 was mediocre, but it's a stone cold guarantee that, with grade inflation, the equivalent gpa today would be over 3.00.
Can you type? I get that virus occasionally (i.e. normally the beginning and the end of every semester, but this semester for some reason - perhaps the zinc I am taking for *my* tinnitus? - I made it through healthy).
I have taught by opening up a text editor window using a large font on my computer which is attached to the beamer and typed my lecture. I have also taught by chat from home, having a student slave set up the Internet and the projector.
An elder colleague told me to always pack a bottle of water and nip at it through every class. I often forget this, though.
There are also exercises you can learn that will clear the gunk off your vocal cords. The exercises sound really weird, you pretty much have to do them alone in the car or under the shower, but they do work!
Whatever you do with the basement, please do the radon remediation immediately. High basement radon levels may also mean high levels in the house. Which you do not want.
The average funeral costs way more than $1700, so it's a money-saver too!
Post a Comment