The stink eye...

So -- the moron from last week who couldn't figure out that when s/he registered for a 3 credit T H class, meeting from 11:00-12:15, actually meets on Tuesday ***and*** Thursday...

S/he came to class today -- clearly unprepared. S/he hasn't done the homework and somehow s/he blames me.

I know this because s/he is giving me a royal stink-eye...

Secret message to stink eye..

I advised you to drop. You didn't listen. I told you that if you decided to stay in the class, I wasn't about to re-teach all the material I'd covered so far. Aparently you are unable to be adult enough to try it on your own and ask questions. Perhaps you should think about whether or not you should be in college now... just something to think about...

So -- I don't give a flying fig if you pass. There, I said it. I really don't give a craopola if you're in the class at Spring Break. You're an idiot... and the least you could do is to act like you give a crap that you made a mistake about when the class meets.

Really -- figuring out what the class schedule MEANS is the first part of going to college. After that you show up, buy your books and then come to class -- but, if you don't know WHEN to come -- you're useless..

not so much luv,
your logic proffie

a returning student...

... without a clue.

Last semester hir attendance was horrible and she drifted away.

This semester s/he registered for the class but never showed up...

Today s/he sends an e-mail claiming s/he thought the class was 100% on line...

IF the course was 100% on-line, she'd be failing for non-attendance. As it is, s/he has missed all the classwork so far. The class is about 2/3 face to face...

I really have to wonder what's going on there.

ummm... no, I don't think so...

Without being too specific -- someone sent me a "become a fan of __________ group" invitation on Facebook.

I like the person, but I don't like the group s/he works for.

In fact, I'd like to start a group in direct opposition to hir employer -- something like "___________ group is bunch of bigoted asshats -- if you're smart, you'll run away".

But -- I know how the bigoted asshats would interpret my fantasy group -- so, I think I'll just ignore the invitation.

Some good thoughts for Hubby -- please...

His first set of law school grades are supposed to come out today...

'nuff said.

... and then they write a thank-you note...

My family-tragedy incomplete from last semester has finished the course.

She'd been doing very well up until the end -- when her world turned upside down.

Other profs weren't as compassionate -- as is their right -- but, in this instance I'm glad I offered an incomplete.

She dropped by to give me her paper -- and, upon reading it realized it was crap --so, since she'd earned a C without the paper, and I gave it to her. Now she can get the admissions folks off of her back and get her academic life back on track.

When she left my office -- she gave me a heartfelt thank you note -- describing her experience and thanking me for my help in getting her back on track.

I have to remember my students are mostly young and sometimes crap happens -- even to young people. The tricky thing is that the young folks don't have the skills to manage life, when life is falling apart. I'm glad I did what I could to help her out -while being fair to others..

Maybe I'm just cranky pants...

but -- in response to a pretty grim statement from me to a student who has YET to attend LOGIC...

S/he says "You really don't think i can catch up?" --

ummm -- you're too big of a dumb-ass to figure out that school started almost TWO WEEKS AGO.

You want to come to my office outside of my office hours -- when I really can't see you -- because a student with a real emergency needs me to read her paper from last semester so she can get a grade and stay in school... no, you can't frigging come to my office whenever you darned well please, just like YOU can't decide when the class starts.

Also -- By the way -- if you don't get your butt to class tomorrow, I'll drop you for non-attendance... and you'll have an attendance failure. That's all in my syllabus, if you bothered to get it and read it...

good luck -- twit!

A bit at loose ends..

Yesterday I sent the dissertation to Dr. Advisor -- Please send good vibes for me to Red State ;).

So, I don't have dissertation work to do.

At BNCC, my class prep is done for a while -- and, the only class I need to do any original thinking for is Ethics... and that's more of the same. All the on-line quizzes are written. All the discussion topics for the semester are posted.

Logic doesn't take any original prep, I've been teaching from the same text for 7 years -- I've got that one nailed down :).

My committee just had a big meeting -- and, we had a pretty strong consensus around our common book for next year. As soon as it's officially announced, I'll tell you :).

We're in a schedule lul -- so the most "exciting" thing about being department chair is that someone is leaving a room open when they're done teaching....

Hubby is busy with moc/moot (or some other word to indicate the absence of "real") court.... so he's not even home.

So -- I'm at a bit of a loose end. My desk at home is still a bit of a disaster area, so maybe I'll clean it up... then put myself down for a nap/read... hmmm.

Spring is all about second chances...

So far I've signed a few "add" slips - which is unusual for me. For the most part, I decline to add students once the open drop/add period expires. For some reason, I'm making exceptions.. hmm.

One student is a former logic student who will really dig the Ethics course -- so I did an overload for her... we happened to run into one another in the hall, got to talking and made a "deal" to let her into the course.

Another student came to me with a confession -- he'd done poorly at BNU -- for long enough that they told him to go away. He and his parents (his mother was standing just outside my office door) thought he should come to BNCC for a second-chance. BNU has pretty decent admission standards, so I suspect this one had way too much fun for his GPA... and Mom isn't about to let that happen again -- since he's living at home, I suspect he'll come to class.

Finally -- an African student came to me today. He has a spark in his eyes, is very articulate and was very polite about wanting to add the logic course. I asked him if he was re-taking the course and his answer was that he took a mathematical logic course in Nigeria and that he likes this kind of stuff. I showed him the text and the letters/symbols didn't make him wince... I told him it was his responsibility (since he's missed three meetings) to get caught up.

So, last week just wasn't important??

Ummm... no.

I've had several students inform me that they aren't starting class until this week -- as if the first week wasn't a REAL part of the semester.

For cripes sake, if it wasn't a REAL part of the semester, then why did I show up? Why did YOUR college decide to hold classes? Why did most of your classmates come to class?

Surprise -- bozos, we covered course material last week. Now you have to catch up and I'm not gonna help you.

I know yesterday was MLK day -- so we didn't have class, but last I knew our long weekend was just that -- a long weekend, NOT an extension of winter break.

Listen, I would have liked to spend last week sleeping in and working on my dissertation. I didn't do so - because WE HAD CLASS.

And, at least have the good sense to act as if you give a crap about missing class -- and contact me in advance. Don't demand a syllabus and class schedule (as if that's all we did last week) and tell me you'll see me on Thursday. That's three of your four allowed absences. Wanna bet you won't avoid an attendance failure?

A darned good Sunday, so far...

BNstate's team WON today!! Take THAT, "America's team"... HA! (Sorry if you're a Dallas fan, but that tag "America's Team" has bothered me for decades -- and, having the Fox news broadcasting staff be comprised of former Dallas folks -- set up my oppositional side!!).

Also -- the dissertation revision is coming along very nicely.

Yesterday I reorganized chapter 4 and made a bunch of changes. I actually like it now!!

Today I've made pretty minor changes to chapters 1,2, & 3. I may decide to take on chapter 5 as well -- but, I think it will get a turn tomorrow.

The really good news is that, after this round of revisions, it's quite possible that Dr. Advisor will want to send it to the committee -- which means I could defend while I'm still 41 :).

I wonder...

• why the Queen and the Minion get super excited when they see a car moving in the parking lot?
• how the people on House Hunters think they can justify 6 bedrooms and 4,000 square feet for a family of three?
• why they put such idiots on House Hunters? One girl wanted to be right downtown, but insisted on being able to see green (and only green) outside her windows..
  
• why I find the show "Holmes on Homes" to be so appealing? -- I suppose it's the avenging contractor thing... hmm.
• what I'm going to do once I'm actually done with my dissertation? I've been working on it so long...
• if I'll be able to defend it this semester? -- think good thoughts for me.
• if the Queen is smarter than some of my students? -- seriously.
• how many logic students will pass this semester?
• what I'll be doing this summer, besides teaching (assuming a defended dissertation)?
  
• if I can really lay by the pool, drink diet Coke and read trashy novels for 6 whole weeks?
  
• if I'll be able to keep up the "you need to call me Dr. ITPF" rule for the whole week after I defend?
• if Facebook and Farmville will be nearly as attractive to me, once I don't have them to use as a procrastination device.
• what, in the world, I'll do for a sabbatical project if my dissertation is done-- when I finally take one.... Kris, I may hit you up for advice and ideas...
  

About three years ago...

... I decided to stop coaching debate.

I was at a tournament. I had two teams with me --- both of whom were being asshats... in different ways.

I was doing way more work for debate than for any of my other classes -- and spending way more time than was accounted for in my teaching load.... especially if you consider travel time.

My dissertation was way off-track.

I wasn't having fun doing it.

Hubby was in his first year teaching in Red State -- and between debate and Hubby travel, I was only home about 1 weekend in 3... if that.

I remember calling Hubby from my hotel in Colorado and asking why I was doing this? I really didn't want to do it anymore. Continuing to coach debate didn't help me in any way as a philosopher.

To top it all off 3 of my 4 debaters should have been going elsewhere the following year, so I'd have to recruit -- and recruiting is the WORST thing about coaching. In essence, I had to beg students who thought they were busy to do this activity that wouldn't be their JOB. Telling them that the experience is invaluable and will help them in multiple ways (which is the truth) wasn't persuasive to people who were either too busy to get to tournaments OR would rather smoke pot in their parents' basement...

For some reason, quitting coaching hadn't occurred to me until that moment in the Colorado hotel room.

After that -- it was actually pretty simple. I told my dean I wasn't doing it anymore. I realized when I did it, that it might mean the end of the program at BNCC -- and I was ok with that... even though I'd done a lot of work to establish the program on campus. As it happened, a friend in comm took it over -- but, s/he had a hard time with recruiting and the program dissolved. Really, it was probably inevitible -- debate is both expensive and time consuming for students like ours..

Disaster porn...

... is the idea that the media uses disasters as a means of entertainment.

Maybe I'm both cynical and sensitive - but, I'm having a hard time watching media coverage of Haiti for this very reason.

I keep wanting to shout "don't just stand there filming -- DO something".

Several years ago an African student asked me a very wise question. We were discussing Kant -- and the question was, in essence, whether it was morally permissible to use photos of a dying person to raise money for famine relief -- under the assumption that the relief would come too late to save the person being photographed, but would help others... he wanted to know if the person was being used as a means only (which Kant does not permit).

That student's question might be what's bothering me.

Grrrr.........

Of course -- this is purely hypothetical -- and not at all about BNCC.... really... I promise ;).

I'm being driven slowly nuts by non-helpful administrivia people. This vent is all about that --

Do your GD MF jobs - you lazy twit (or --- sub 'a' for 'i' in twit).

For goodness sakes, you have plenty of time to jack around. You can do your nails, plaster on the make-up and eat office treats and decorate your cube. Doing your job should be your first priority...

For once -- could you be helpful? I've done the equivalent of your job. I was helpful -- a little creative and generally a critical thinker. I did your job while also going to school -- both for my BA and part of grad school. If you think you're busy -- I can tell you about busy.

Really -- I don't f-ing care if you are polite. Just do the tasks you are supposed to do. If someone makes a mistake -- don't go on a witch hunt to prove you didn't do it -- that's behavior equivalent to the students who take more effort to cheat than to write the paper in the first place.

And -- after you go on the hunt -- and you find out the mistake was yours... fess up.

Your job isn't rocket science or brain surgery. It's just a job. I do my job(s) -- you do yours and don't be so prickly...

also -- getting the detials right would be a nice bonus -- since your job IS the details.

Anxiety dream...

... with a double-whammy.

The setting was Grandma's in Florida...

In my dream:

Whammy #1: Mom called me a bitch (in not so many words, but a bitch) because I was on-line so much (FYI -- Super-Mom would never do such a thing... especially because she's on-line as much as I am :) ),

Whammy #2: When I actually did go to get on-line, someone's crappy (beat-up and old) netbook was in my bag, and my sweet, reliable (but old and in good condition) mac was not.

I had to get up to make sure my sweet laptop came home with me...

yea -- it's the beginning of the semester.

A big(ish) day tomorrow...

Actually, it's a much bigger day for hubby than for me.

Hubby volunteered to help a lawyer with a case that's in the 'good cause' category. (Dre, this would be close to your heart :) ) -- he's spent some time over break doing research and such -- They go to court tomorrow.

I start spring semester -- (which means only 17 weeks to summer break!!!!).

I don't need luck - -but, wish hubby and the folks he's helping luck -- they could use a break.

We're full... go away...

If you want to take classes in the Philosophy Factory, you'll have to do it in the summer...

We have exactly 0 empty seats -- class starts on Monday.

It's gonna be a fun one... I'll have 170 students next semester -- which is low for me, fall was 240...

thus, the "factory" part of the philosophy factory.

Back from the sunshine state...

I had another source of amusement while I was in Florida -- they thought it was cold -- so the weathermen were wearing parkas and advising people that their dogs shouldn't stay out in the "bitter cold" -- it was 30 or so -- in BNstate, we call that Spring and put on shorts.

I came home to actual chilly weather -- highs in the single digits -- and snow etc... a normal January.

Today I came down with what I'm calling the "Family flu" -- it seems my uncle and cousin both had a 24 hour bug. The pattern is you feel fine -- until you projectile vomit -- over and over for a few hours... then you feel fine again. Yea, that was fun. I have to say, chemo NEVER made me feel that sick. The weird thing is, now I feel fine... I'm a little wobbly, and I haven't tested my tummy with any food -- but, I also haven't heaved since about 8:30.... I'm just hoping I didn't pass it on to Hubby...

Off to the sunshine state...

It's Super-Mom's birthday on Monday -- so, I'm off to see her and Grandma for a bit.

Mom called today to tell me to bring warm clothes -- then she realized where she was calling (high of 5 -- probably -15 tonight, and it isn't getting much attention because that's what BNstat is like in January) -- and said maybe a sweater would be a good idea..

The dissertation is coming along. I've recently visited all 5 chapters and done a bunch of work to make the earlier ones use concepts I didn't think about until later... I printed it out and intend to give each chapter a good looking at before I get home. I'll have a couple of days to make adjustments before I send it to Dr. Advisor a week from Monday. He should only need to read bits of four chapters and give more attention to chapter 4...

One big goal for the year...

Dr. ITPF in 2010.

that is all.

This made my New Year Happy -- so far...

I'm glad my students aren't the only ones who think this... it happens at NYU too!

Happy New Year!!