Bad Philosophy on Oprah...

During a program on rudeness... Dr. P.M. Fourney claimed that ALL ethical theories are based on Kant's means/ends formulation.

Ummm--- no, not quite

Dr. Fourney -- you wouldn't have done very well on my freshman ethics mid-term. Ignoring the likes of utilitarianism and virtue ethics isn't a good strategy.

It's disturbing to hear inaccurate things about ethics while grading ethics exams.

The theme of the day is...

... 'thank a feminist'.

I had lunch with the Red Head today. It is always fun to talk to her, probably because we disagree on many things. As was inevitable, her daughter is brilliant -- much like her mom -- and doing very well in school, math in particular. When I noted that she should thank prior feminists for the attitude that girls can do math too -- the Red Head got a peculiar look on her face... good times :).

Also, the Red Head remembers what I looked like with hair. That is a good thing.

Now, I'll nap and then do grading jail for the evening.

Phrases that bother me...

"There is a reason for everything"... usually said when bad stuff happens to someone else.

No -- there isn't a reason for everything. The universe is sometimes a randomly crappy place. Bad crap happens to good people and icky people don't get what they deserve. That is just a fact of life as a human being on this planet -- and if you haven't figured this out yet -- then keep thinking on it.

That isn't to say that a person can't learn from bad stuff -- or that they can't handle the bad stuff in an admirable way. I just think that there is not necessarily always a reason stuff happens.

"This is a free country" -- usually said by someone who didn't get their way. In this instance, by some chick who wanted to park her Mercedes in an illegal spot (on "Parking Wars" :) ).

Really, it isn't a 'free country'. This is a place where you have to live with other people -- and sometimes the rules/laws/norms that make it easier to live with others are inconvenient for you. Get over yourself -- because, what you really mean is that 'I want to do whatever the hell I want, and other people can go to hell'.

"It's just an opinion" -- usually said by a student who doesn't like what someone else has to say. In my case, that 'opinion' comes from a pretty darned smart philosopher.

No -- YOUR position is JUST an 'opinion' -- because you haven't put any thought into it. You haven't read what others have to say so you don't know the other side of the argument. You haven't bothered to look into the actual facts on the topic -- you just parrot what your friends/family/political hero/dotty next door neighbor have to say on the topic.

In reality, the people you are so quickly dismissing are significantly better educated than you are. They've thought about, argued about and pondered the topic while writing the article you so blithely dismiss. Their article is the result of many revisions and reviews by others who know about these things... it is NOT, at all, similar to your poorly-written and not even proof-read "paper" on the topic. In fact, it is so different that the only thing you have in common with the philosopher you are dismissing is that you are writing about the same general area.

Often, if I can untangle your twisted logic, it is the case that you actually agree with the philosopher you are dismissing. You don't even see it -- probably because you don't understand what you are reading and thus can't write about it.

and -- I haven't even started my time in grading jail for today... sigh.

counting down... and hair news...

Mom and I had a good trip to Red State -- good food, good sleep... and, as usual, lots of good conversation.

We also planned out / divided up responsibilty (between Mom and Hubby) for my last rounds of chemo.

Hubby will be home on Thursday for a week of Fall break -- so he gets the next two.

Mom will come down over Halloween Weekend -- and part of the following weekend -- she'll get the two after that.

In mid-November I'm going to Red State (on my own... gasp, shock... Iowa solo ---- can Chemo Girl handle it?) -- because BNCC has Veteran's Day off... which happens to be a Tuesday, so I get a LONG weekend...

Hubby will come back, then mom gets one more before Thanksgiving... Hubby will be here for the last one, the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Dang -- it was nice to look at the calendars and sort it out to the end.

It seemed so far away in July. I couldn't even imagine the end of chemo --- Now it is right around the corner. You know how, in late August, that the end of the semester will ever come? That's kind of how the Chemo calendar felt to me... complete with the knowledge that, by the end, you'll be tired, cranky and done with it all.

On the hair news...
Hubby looked at me and realized I have really fine hairs. In order to see them, I need to be both back-lit AND have a solid dark background behind me... tricky light conditions to see my hair, but that prompted us to feel for it -- and it was there!

Telling my hairdersser...

... about the breast cancer.

My favorite hairdresser in the world is in Red State. She's been my friend for a long time -- we used to work together in the beauty industry. When my job there dissolved, she ended up working elsewhere as well -- but we kept in touch. Just about the time Hubby started teaching down here, she opened her own salon and I could finally pay her for her haircuts -- and make appointments without guilt.

So, today I dropped in on her. I walked in with my hat on -- took it off and said, "I had a little trouble with my last haircut"....

Then I told her about the cancer and chemo. I'd considered telling her on the phone or via e-mail -- but, it was much better to tell her in person --- because she can see that the rest of me is the same, that I'm dealing with it well, and that things will be fine.

She's a lot like the older sister I never had -- and she took it well, as I knew she would. She has a variety of friends and relatives who are at or past their 5-year disease free rate with breast cancer. She also has a grandchild with a rare brain tumor who is finally on treatment that both works and isn't going to kill him -- so, she's been down the cancer road with a few folks.

She looked at the stubble on my head and said that I probably wouldn't have lost the hair I shaved -- but, it was probably better to shave it than have a male-pattern baldness look... and, she agreed that if the hair falling out made me feel sick -- it was a good decision to get rid of it once and for all.

She's also pretty outspoken, and she agreed that I need a good fake boob. I really need to get to the boob store and pick one out. Maybe next week....

Of all the really important folks in my life, she's the last one I had to tell. I'm glad I did it in person and I'm glad that I could look healthy while telling her --

poof

Post is going poof...

I'm probably going to apply and see what happens...

Wish me luck.

As much as I love BNCC and my amazing colleagues, I'd love that job even more.... and there is a lot of potential there for my sweet hubby.

Udpate---

or, not... the ad on their own website specifies an 'earned doctorate' --- and it is a limited term position... three years to start, to be renewed for up to four more. That makes it less attractive.... I'm not so sure I want to do it again in 3-7 years, especially if hubby would be giving up a shot at tenure to come with me.

Also, the pay would probably be less than I'm making now. The cost of living there is less, but we'd still have at least one year of dual-household living expenses, commuting AND student loans.... So, maybe not.

chemo -- then Red State...

Tomorrow is another chemo... I've kind of lost count, but I think this will be Taxol #4 -- or maybe #5? I know that, if things go as planned, I'll be done the day after Thanksgiving... definitely something to be thankful FOR...

Also, tomorrow Mom and I are off to Red State. Mom has a reasonable fear that Hubby and I will settle there (as do I.. both think it is likely AND fear it --- kind of )... So, she wants to see it. She was there a few times when we lived there, but generally the visits were quick and didn't give a good feel for the place.

Of course, you know what going to Red State means ---- Indian Food!!!!!!!!!!!!! Go ahead, be jealous. Great mulligatawny soup and mali kafka (however it is spelled) -- good nan... ummmmm. It isn't too spicy for me, it is just right. I really can't find a similar place in the BNcc-metropolis. I've tried every Indian restaurant I can find. None of them are as good as the place in Red State.

oh yea -- I'll get to see hubby too :) --- and probably stop in on my hairdresser, if only to let her know why I haven't been in.