Happy Veteran's day, folks. I had today off! Do you know what I did all day? If you do, it's because either a) you are psychic or b) you read my subject line.
Yes. I graded papers. Approximately 35. In seven hours or so. It was a marathon. I eventually got into a strange-grading-mindset. I just stared at the computer screen and it was as if the paper read itself. I'm still feeling that way a bit. I need to go outside.
But first! I thought since I'm in super-computer-mode I'd update this blog. There are only a few weeks left of school. It is insane. How does time move like this? One moment it feels like time is standing absolutely still, like nothing is every going to change, and then suddenly it's two months later.
Example the first: We closed on our house a month ago yesterday.
Example the second: It's Thanksgiving in like five minutes.
Crazy. Speaking of the bungalow, we've gotten almost everything unpacked. This is good because I had a lot of work this week (hence the grading-marathon). And it's also nice because now there are many rooms in the bungalow that look like rooms in a house instead of like rooms in a storage facility (a nice storage facility, but still).
We're going to have Patrice & co. over the week after next. Exciting. Now we just need to figure out what to cook.... Last night Patrice made the most delicious lemon fettuccine. I could never, ever spell that word without the spell check. Maybe we'll make something with lemons, lettuce, and, oh, what's another L food? Legumes. That sounds good. L themed dinner, here we come. With lasagna and linguini. I'm not convinced that that is spelled correctly. Hm. Maybe we'll leave all noodles off the menu so that I don't have to deal with spelling mistakes.
My brain is begging me to turn off the computer, so I must bid you adieu, my friends.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
The hamster is a tiny little elderly gentleman
Did you see the subject line of this post? It's absolutely the truth. He's across from me. The hamster, that is (I always thought hamster was spelled with a p. Hampster. But no. No p). In the living room. Of our new house.
Reasons why this is great: 1) He's in the living room! Not our bedroom. Now I can see him more often and he won't wake us up in the middle of the night. Score. 2) We're in our new house! Maybe this should have been number one?
Ha. But I'm trying, you know, to be calm about things. It's entirely exciting, however, to be sitting here in our yellow living room with our new (well, from the thrift store, so let's say "new") yellow couches. Mm hm. When the delivery guys dropped them off they said, "Huh. Yellow couches for a yellow living room?"
YES.
If you'd like to read a story (should maybe be "story") I wrote, go here: http://eunoiareview.wordpress.com/tag/m-r-sheffield/
It's nearing the end of the semester. My kids are working on their finalish (I say ish because there will be one last revision) papers. I have a big stack of grading to do. They just read a new essay called "Attention Deficit: The Brain Syndrome of Our Era," by Richard Restak. They really like this one because it's about them. We also watched a PBS special ("Digital Nation," from Frontline, it's excellent, here, have a link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/).
So they love the essay and they loved watching a "movie" (even if it was a PBS documentary. Funny story, one of them asked me when it was produced and I said last February. She responded, "oh, I thought all PBS stuff was old"). I'm anticipating interesting essays from them, so that's exciting, except for the sad reality, of course, of the digital stack of papers I have virtually in front of me, hahaha.
Okay. So that's my composition class(es). The lit and creative writing classes, you ask, how are they going? The lit kids just read "Bartleby the Scrivener," by Melville, and I have to say they were not enthused about it. When I told them it was published in 1853 they all kind of went "Oooooooh. That explains it." I think they don't have the patience for the longer, sort of less plot driven stories. Maybe I should have them watch "Digital Nation."
The creative writing kids are writing poetry. We're in the middle of a workshop session which means everyone reads certain students' poems for the day and then we discuss the poems as a class. It's entirely fun, maybe the most fun thing I get to do. They have written some pretty good stuff this semester.
And! I finally remembered to change my address today, so that's good. See, I'm getting things, you know, done. Mostly. We haven't finished unpacking, and I do have this stack of papers, but I feel like it's all going to get done.
Probably.
Ha.
Reasons why this is great: 1) He's in the living room! Not our bedroom. Now I can see him more often and he won't wake us up in the middle of the night. Score. 2) We're in our new house! Maybe this should have been number one?
Ha. But I'm trying, you know, to be calm about things. It's entirely exciting, however, to be sitting here in our yellow living room with our new (well, from the thrift store, so let's say "new") yellow couches. Mm hm. When the delivery guys dropped them off they said, "Huh. Yellow couches for a yellow living room?"
YES.
If you'd like to read a story (should maybe be "story") I wrote, go here: http://eunoiareview.wordpress.com/tag/m-r-sheffield/
It's nearing the end of the semester. My kids are working on their finalish (I say ish because there will be one last revision) papers. I have a big stack of grading to do. They just read a new essay called "Attention Deficit: The Brain Syndrome of Our Era," by Richard Restak. They really like this one because it's about them. We also watched a PBS special ("Digital Nation," from Frontline, it's excellent, here, have a link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/).
So they love the essay and they loved watching a "movie" (even if it was a PBS documentary. Funny story, one of them asked me when it was produced and I said last February. She responded, "oh, I thought all PBS stuff was old"). I'm anticipating interesting essays from them, so that's exciting, except for the sad reality, of course, of the digital stack of papers I have virtually in front of me, hahaha.
Okay. So that's my composition class(es). The lit and creative writing classes, you ask, how are they going? The lit kids just read "Bartleby the Scrivener," by Melville, and I have to say they were not enthused about it. When I told them it was published in 1853 they all kind of went "Oooooooh. That explains it." I think they don't have the patience for the longer, sort of less plot driven stories. Maybe I should have them watch "Digital Nation."
The creative writing kids are writing poetry. We're in the middle of a workshop session which means everyone reads certain students' poems for the day and then we discuss the poems as a class. It's entirely fun, maybe the most fun thing I get to do. They have written some pretty good stuff this semester.
And! I finally remembered to change my address today, so that's good. See, I'm getting things, you know, done. Mostly. We haven't finished unpacking, and I do have this stack of papers, but I feel like it's all going to get done.
Probably.
Ha.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Strange lingering scent
Maybe it's because the cleaners came yesterday, but my office smells weird.
It's not really my office. Don't let me confuse you. It's our office. Four instructors share this space (might make a really bad/interesting sit com). We've never all four been here at the same time, however. Usually it's me and one other instructor, I'll call her Ms. Awesome (say it out loud, come on, it's fun).
And Ms. Awesome? She is awesome. Which is good, because the entire English Department is moving to a new building in December, and she and I shall be office mates once again. We are, in effect, moving in together. The new building is also awesome (I thought we'd stick with this adjective, it seems to be working well so far). There is a movie theater (I always spell it the French way first, theatre, and then the spell check admonishes me) downstairs. And a wine bar. It also happens to be awesome-looking (see, I'm not going to let you down. We've chosen an adjective, okay? And we're sticking with it. It's this stick-with-it-ness that is going to get us through this blog post!). I saw it for the first time over the weekend.
For the opening, the movie theatre (I am rebelling! F off, English spell check) is showing Pyscho. Sooo cool. We are going to try to drag Patrice to it with us (and by drag, I really only mean ask her to go. I don't think it will take much convincing. I don't know why I'm exaggerating, except perhaps to give you, dear reader, a bit of a jolt. A sense of action. Of plot. Of awesome).
Are you curious about the house? Me too! However! We are in good hands, so I'm not anxious-anxious, just anxious (in the same sense there is a difference between liking someone and like-liking them [if you're not familiar with this, it's the difference between being in love (the parenthetical is out of control now, sorry), or just being friends ]). Did you follow that? If so, you are officially awesome-for-the-day.
No really. Print out the below award to hang above your desk:
Today, (insert date), (insert name) is officially awesome. This title shall be enforced for 24 consecutive hours after receipt of award.
Ms. Awesome has a "renuzit" thingy on her desk. It's adjustable. I adjusted it so that it would overpower the strange lingering scent. It did. Now it smells like artificial lilacs, which is much much better than what it smelled like before.
What did it smell like before?
Use your imagination!
It's not really my office. Don't let me confuse you. It's our office. Four instructors share this space (might make a really bad/interesting sit com). We've never all four been here at the same time, however. Usually it's me and one other instructor, I'll call her Ms. Awesome (say it out loud, come on, it's fun).
And Ms. Awesome? She is awesome. Which is good, because the entire English Department is moving to a new building in December, and she and I shall be office mates once again. We are, in effect, moving in together. The new building is also awesome (I thought we'd stick with this adjective, it seems to be working well so far). There is a movie theater (I always spell it the French way first, theatre, and then the spell check admonishes me) downstairs. And a wine bar. It also happens to be awesome-looking (see, I'm not going to let you down. We've chosen an adjective, okay? And we're sticking with it. It's this stick-with-it-ness that is going to get us through this blog post!). I saw it for the first time over the weekend.
For the opening, the movie theatre (I am rebelling! F off, English spell check) is showing Pyscho. Sooo cool. We are going to try to drag Patrice to it with us (and by drag, I really only mean ask her to go. I don't think it will take much convincing. I don't know why I'm exaggerating, except perhaps to give you, dear reader, a bit of a jolt. A sense of action. Of plot. Of awesome).
Are you curious about the house? Me too! However! We are in good hands, so I'm not anxious-anxious, just anxious (in the same sense there is a difference between liking someone and like-liking them [if you're not familiar with this, it's the difference between being in love (the parenthetical is out of control now, sorry), or just being friends ]). Did you follow that? If so, you are officially awesome-for-the-day.
No really. Print out the below award to hang above your desk:
Today, (insert date), (insert name) is officially awesome. This title shall be enforced for 24 consecutive hours after receipt of award.
Ms. Awesome has a "renuzit" thingy on her desk. It's adjustable. I adjusted it so that it would overpower the strange lingering scent. It did. Now it smells like artificial lilacs, which is much much better than what it smelled like before.
What did it smell like before?
Use your imagination!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Goodbye, September
My sister moved out this weekend. Here is a brief list of things she left behind (she might be planning on coming back for them): a box of toys, a broom and dustpan, a mattress, one beach towel, a chiminea, a tv, dust bunnies, broken beach chairs, an almost used up piece of soap, a new piece of soap that everyone is probably allergic to, a little basket of cat toys, a dvd/vcr combo. There might be more. I find her things unexpectedly.
Something else I found unexpectedly is that I miss her. So much.
I have a short story in this online journal (in issue three). You have to open the e-book. Mine is the last story in it, under MR Sheffield. http://www.springgunpress.com/journal
I finally finished my entire first stack of 80 or so papers. While I was expecting a feeling of supreme accomplishment, alas, it never materialized. Instead, I was seized by anxiety.
Reasons I feel anxious: we have to move soon (house or no house, we probably won't stay here in the "bad" neighborhood where the cops will pull you over and search your car for no reason), it's really hard to move in the middle of a school semester, I miss my sister, the house is a mess (partly due to her moving out, and also because we haven't felt like cleaning because everything has been in such a state of upheaval [see: my last post]), I'm teaching five classes...
Now. Although I'm nervous about a long list of things, I'm also surprisingly calm. I have the wherewithal to remind myself that things will work out. And I have incredible family members and friends who support me. So. I find myself often sort of swinging back from panic to calm.
Today I feel good. More grading is in order, but it's not insurmountable. It's, in fact, really do-able, mostly because I finished the big pile yesterday.
Oh! And we made everything-roasted-vegetable soup last night. It was really helpful, because I find that when I'm having trouble sleeping due to anxiety, if I go over a recipe in my head (a bit compulsively, but still), it calms me down and allows me to sleep. Before bed last night I was remembering slicing the potatoes and removing carrot peel.
Looking forward to Wednesday at Patrice's. Bobby and I are making raviolis, but we're not making the pasta or anything; we're using wonton wrappers. This is actually my favorite kind of ravioli. But we shall see, shan't we?
One more thing. Now that I've memorized all 105-110 of my kids' names, I think I've been forgetting other people's names. They've been pushed right out of my head.
Something else I found unexpectedly is that I miss her. So much.
I have a short story in this online journal (in issue three). You have to open the e-book. Mine is the last story in it, under MR Sheffield. http://www.springgunpress.com/journal
I finally finished my entire first stack of 80 or so papers. While I was expecting a feeling of supreme accomplishment, alas, it never materialized. Instead, I was seized by anxiety.
Reasons I feel anxious: we have to move soon (house or no house, we probably won't stay here in the "bad" neighborhood where the cops will pull you over and search your car for no reason), it's really hard to move in the middle of a school semester, I miss my sister, the house is a mess (partly due to her moving out, and also because we haven't felt like cleaning because everything has been in such a state of upheaval [see: my last post]), I'm teaching five classes...
Now. Although I'm nervous about a long list of things, I'm also surprisingly calm. I have the wherewithal to remind myself that things will work out. And I have incredible family members and friends who support me. So. I find myself often sort of swinging back from panic to calm.
Today I feel good. More grading is in order, but it's not insurmountable. It's, in fact, really do-able, mostly because I finished the big pile yesterday.
Oh! And we made everything-roasted-vegetable soup last night. It was really helpful, because I find that when I'm having trouble sleeping due to anxiety, if I go over a recipe in my head (a bit compulsively, but still), it calms me down and allows me to sleep. Before bed last night I was remembering slicing the potatoes and removing carrot peel.
Looking forward to Wednesday at Patrice's. Bobby and I are making raviolis, but we're not making the pasta or anything; we're using wonton wrappers. This is actually my favorite kind of ravioli. But we shall see, shan't we?
One more thing. Now that I've memorized all 105-110 of my kids' names, I think I've been forgetting other people's names. They've been pushed right out of my head.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Upheaval
This exact moment in my life feel like that sensation when you're falling, but you're momentarily floating, and because it's strange or because you're scared the moment slows down so that you see your hair lifting away from your head, and your skirt floating above your knees. Everything is in motion around me.
Laura is moving out today and tomorrow.
I have chipped and chipped at the papers, and have a mere 14 left to grade. I'll probably need to speed this up in the future, but for now I'm pretty satisfied. It's entirely possible we'll be closing on a house either soon or soonish. Everything is in flux.
Even me. I find it difficult to sit still. Bobby and I have been learning the ukulele. This, for some reason, helps. Not that things are bad, oh, not at all. They are just, you know, changing. And changing in fundamental ways.
Which is good and bad. More good than bad. Bobby got a raise at his job. It's awesome that they value him; I know that he loves what he does. Plus he's good at it. I don't think he'd like this section of my blog, so I'm going to move on.
But this moment? The one where everything around me feels suspended? The one where I'm falling but don't know it yet? It's also exhilarating.
Laura is moving out today and tomorrow.
I have chipped and chipped at the papers, and have a mere 14 left to grade. I'll probably need to speed this up in the future, but for now I'm pretty satisfied. It's entirely possible we'll be closing on a house either soon or soonish. Everything is in flux.
Even me. I find it difficult to sit still. Bobby and I have been learning the ukulele. This, for some reason, helps. Not that things are bad, oh, not at all. They are just, you know, changing. And changing in fundamental ways.
Which is good and bad. More good than bad. Bobby got a raise at his job. It's awesome that they value him; I know that he loves what he does. Plus he's good at it. I don't think he'd like this section of my blog, so I'm going to move on.
But this moment? The one where everything around me feels suspended? The one where I'm falling but don't know it yet? It's also exhilarating.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Thursday, Thursday
Today is much better than Tuesday. Funny how that works. I don't think they'll be able to find out who hacked my email. It's okay though. I am no longer angry about it.
What's the point, really, in being angry? It only makes teaching more difficult. This is because it could have been anyone (and possibly one of my students!). Plus no real harm was done. If anything, the students in the class the hacker sent the email to feels bad for me. They were quite well behaved on Tuesday, actually.
I'm working my way through the papers. It's like getting into a very cold pool. I have never been the kind of person to jump into the deep end. I go to the steps and slooooowly lower myself into the water (the stomach is the worst part). Paper by paper by paper. I have a method this time (I have to; if nothing else teaching five classes has taught me to be organized) - I'm going to grade class by class grading the entire class before moving onto the next.
Maybe this sounds obvious, but it has been really helpful. I feel less stressed, too, because I've completed one full class (nevermind that that really only means 20 papers).
My creative writing class is going quite well. I was worried about trying to workshop four students per class (the class is 120 minutes long), but it worked well today. Everyone was focused and into the material.
Last night we had dinner at Patrice's (as is our Wednesday tradition). I made spaghetti from a recipe in Food and Wine. It turned out, which was a very happy moment for me. Lately I have come to really enjoy cooking, maybe because it's a time when I can focus on something simple; follow these steps in this order and taste taste taste. This is pretty much the exact opposite of grading and preparing for classes.
Oh no! Now I've reminded myself; I should go grade more.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Hacked
Soooooo. This semester is going well. I'm in the middle of getting 80 papers to grade (got some yesterday, getting more tonight). It should be interesting.
A few hours ago, someone hacked my school email account and sent out two really inappropriate emails. One to an entire class, and one to a single student. I'm so angry about this that I don't even feel angry. Do you know what I mean? If I allowed myself to be as angry as I am, I would have a tough time teaching today.
Which reminds me. One more class to go. They are reading Virginia Postrel's essay "The Boundaries of Design," and I'm not going to lie to you; they don't love it. Ha. But I think once we go through everything she discusses they might change their minds. They realized once I gave them their next paper topic that this whole semester will be an exploration of how to define art. I don't think I'd call them pleased at this discovery, but it's a topic we can really do a lot with.
In the one mass email to all my kids, the hacker said I was having a party this weekend, but that I was too high to give directions. In the other email, the one to the single student, the hacker said that I am a slut. Really, really fun stuff here.
I changed my password, emailed the kids and told them I'd been hacked, talked to the chair of the department, and contacted IRM, but it's really disconcerting. I wonder if it was one of my students or if it was a random person.
The house is going well, I think. It's going, anyway, with a momentum of its own. My secret (not so much secret anymore, eh?) wish is for it to close before we get any hurricanes. It's poured concrete!
I just feel disheartened right now. Maybe that's why I'm not angry. I don't have the energy.
A few hours ago, someone hacked my school email account and sent out two really inappropriate emails. One to an entire class, and one to a single student. I'm so angry about this that I don't even feel angry. Do you know what I mean? If I allowed myself to be as angry as I am, I would have a tough time teaching today.
Which reminds me. One more class to go. They are reading Virginia Postrel's essay "The Boundaries of Design," and I'm not going to lie to you; they don't love it. Ha. But I think once we go through everything she discusses they might change their minds. They realized once I gave them their next paper topic that this whole semester will be an exploration of how to define art. I don't think I'd call them pleased at this discovery, but it's a topic we can really do a lot with.
In the one mass email to all my kids, the hacker said I was having a party this weekend, but that I was too high to give directions. In the other email, the one to the single student, the hacker said that I am a slut. Really, really fun stuff here.
I changed my password, emailed the kids and told them I'd been hacked, talked to the chair of the department, and contacted IRM, but it's really disconcerting. I wonder if it was one of my students or if it was a random person.
The house is going well, I think. It's going, anyway, with a momentum of its own. My secret (not so much secret anymore, eh?) wish is for it to close before we get any hurricanes. It's poured concrete!
I just feel disheartened right now. Maybe that's why I'm not angry. I don't have the energy.
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