| *shudder* |
[08 Jul 2009|07:49pm] |
| [ |
mood |
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 tired |
] |
I've discovered the scariest television show on TV:
I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant
Women are all, "I felt tired and my back hurt and I gained a little weight around my middle," and those would be the ONLY SIGNS!
So, after every episode I watch, I'm all, "OMG! I might be pregnant!"
(I'm totally not.)
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| Aww poop. |
[01 Jul 2009|05:52pm] |
| [ |
mood |
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 rejected |
] |
Job hunting is an exercise in humility.
Rejection (or "if we don't find anyone to hire in the first group we interview and would prefer, I guess you might be considered. Maybe.") sucks.
Oh well, just sent off another resume. *fingers crossed*
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| 2nd Post Today |
[22 Jun 2009|07:11pm] |
| [ |
mood |
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 devious |
] |
...and then Buffy staked Edward.
The end.
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| Today's Afternoon Walk with the Dogs In Script Format |
[22 Jun 2009|04:00pm] |
| [ |
mood |
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tired |
] |
The Players
Me: Dur.
Big Dog: Black Lab, 8 years old.
Little Dog: Yorkie mix, 7 months old, puppy.
Mean Dog: Boxer seen from under a fence.
The Scenario
[Me, Big Dog, and Little Dog enter a large meadow lined by apartments and fenced-in yards. I take both dogs off leashes to let them romp and play in the meadow.]
Little Dog: *Romp* *Romp* *Romp*
Big Dog: *Sniff* *Sniff*
Me: Aww. Happy puppies. *Smile*
Mean Dog: Arf?
Little Dog: A bird! *chase across black mud and near street*
Me: ACK! Come back here right now Little Dog!
Mean Dog: Grr. Arf.
Big Dog: Eh? Who's arfing at me?
Little Dog: Shit is about to go down. I'm so THERE! *hurries back*
Mean Dog: Grrr. ARFARFARFARF! *tries to get under the fence*
Big Dog: Oh HELLS NO! Grrr BOWOWOW!
Little Dog: Hi Mean Dog! Can we be best friends?
Me: Get away from that mean dog!
Mean Dog: Eh?
Big Dog: Wussy. *leaves*
Little Dog: So, we friends or what?
Mean Dog: Hmm. No. ARFARFARFARF!
Big Dog: *Poop*
Little Dog: Fine. See ya! *Goes sniffing*
Me: *Cleans up poop*
Little dog: I found a dead squirrel! Yay! *rolls*
Me: ACK!
Little Dog: What?
Mean Dog: Arf! ARF! Where are you guys going?
Big Dog: I think I see a cat! *Runs away*
Me: ACK! Get back here!
Me: *Finally catches both dogs and leashes them* I'm never doing that again.
FIN
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| I actually have a green thumb. |
[08 Jun 2009|11:01am] |
| [ |
mood |
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 quixotic |
] |
As I wrote about last year, I started a kind of garden on our back balcony. I have an assortment of pots in which I grow various flowers and veggies. This year has been a wild success so far. I had always thought I couldn't keep a plant alive to save my life. Turns out I'm actually pretty good at gardening, even in pots, when I have the proper sunlight and climate.
My cornflowers are going crazy. They were my first plants started from seeds to bloom. They're so pretty. I love the deep blues and purples. I even have one that is slightly pink. I call them my drama queens because when they get thirsty, they throw themselves on the ground, acting as if death is imminent. Then I come to the rescue with my water pitcher and they are happy as can be. I'm thinking I might cut some of the flowers and bring them in to the apartment in a vase.
The veggie pots are going well, too. I cheated and bought a tomato plant that had already been started (I didn't grow it from a seed). It's yielding tomatoes already. ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) scribefigaro and I ate the first ripe tomato last night. It was SO GOOD. It is surprising how much flavor the grocery-bought ones lose. Plus, my already-started cucumber plant (which has grown in epic proportions since I brought it home a month ago), is about to give us our first cucumber! I bet it will taste delicious. My tomatoes grown from seeds are doing well. They're Romas and haven't budded yet, but they look good.
My marigolds, sweetpeas, and cosmos are all about to bloom, too. It's all such an exciting time. I've turned into a plant nerd.
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| What I didn't like about Avatar |
[07 Jun 2009|01:16am] |
To begin with, let me say that I loved Avatar. Seriously, it's one of the best animated shows out there. There are about a bazillion things that I like about it that I could ramble on about at length. But tons of people who are better writers than me have gone on about the greatness of the show, so I won't do that for this post. Instead, I'm going to pick the two major bones that I have with Avatar: The Last Airbender. They both happened in the last two episodes.
( Here be spoilers. )
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| Another Avatar post |
[22 May 2009|01:39pm] |
| [ |
mood |
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 excited |
] |
scribefigaro and I have just finished watching the second season. I can safely say I'm fully in love with this series. The characters are wonderfully complex and I'm just so overjoyed at the diversity of the show. It also manages to call out to famous movies in interesting homages that are seamless to those who aren't familiar with them, yet wildly impressive to those of us who are.
About three quarters through this second season, I began referring it to Avatar's Empire Strikes Back (Fire Nation Strikes Back?). There were scenes of capturing five generals in one sequence that hearkened out to the end of The Godfather, but a lot less bloody. The themes and messages are adult, but easy enough for youngsters to get on a very basic level. And the humor included is fantastic. It might be that scribe and I just have very juvenile senses of humor (it's a distinct possibility), but there is usually one or two laugh out loud moments in each episode, and we're faaaaar older than the target demographic for this show.
And I have to mention that the females in this show are amazing. Where many cartoons and games feature females, they're usually relegated to the "healers" or love interests or quiet support for the truly strong heroes (or villains). Not in Avatar. So far, both Aang's teachers at mastering the other elements have been females who aren't afraid of fighting and are quite good at it. And let me tell you about the villainous ladies. OMG. The series started out with very masculine enemies who are defeated at every turn by the heroes. But once a couple of kick-ass girls (led by one truly evil, military genius, beautiful, and scary princess) come into the story, the heroes get some actual competition. It rocks my socks off.
I'm eagerly awaiting season three.
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|
| After the semester is over... |
[13 May 2009|06:29pm] |
... the students are still succeeding in driving me nuts.
First, I had a frantic email from a student worried about a low test grade. This student wanted to come in to see me and, I assume, argue for some of her answers. No! I basically emailed this student back and said what was wrong on the test and that any points argued would not ultimately make a dent on the final grade.
Then, I went to my email to check to see if my chronically absent student, who agreed to do the make-up paper for the last exam she missed, had actually emailed that paper to me. Nope. Then, I went to enter a zero on Blackboard and lo, she is no longer a student. *EXPLETIVE!* I've spent hours and hours rearranging my schedule to bend over backwards for her when she misses tests. I've emailed and made special assignments for her. She was a student of mine up until the last minute, and then, nothing. I might email my department head to see if she needed a signature of mine to drop the class in such a last minute manner. Grr. I'm so mad. I was actually looking forward to failing her because she has done NO actual work for the class.
And now I have the onslaught of students emailing me and asking what their grade is going to be. I should send out an announcement to tell them not to and that they'll all get the grade they deserve. I just am wishing I could take off for the sense of entitlement that I'm feeling from a lot of my students.
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| Am I done yet? |
[12 May 2009|06:10pm] |
| [ |
mood |
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 exhausted |
] |
I'm so tired.
The new puppy is on a shoe destruction tear and I am running out of comfy shoes to leave by the door before I go outside. :( I need to get up earlier so he doesn't have his mid-morning sprees unsupervised any more.
I need to go to bed earlier.
The puppy needs to stop being such a little brat, too.
The semester is 97% done. No more lectures! No more books! No more students' dirty looks! All I have is final grades to figure out and enter. I think most will pass. I think that the student who hasn't shown up since early February because of "sickness" and who has missed every test, class assignment, and homework assignment, yet won't drop the class because she "needs it to graduate" will not be passing. And maybe not be graduating.
Ugh. Hate.
I just want to feel rested again.
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| Yay Netflix! |
[13 Apr 2009|12:02pm] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
 awake |
] |
scribefigaro and I have broken down and decided to see what all the fuss with Avatar: The Last Airbender is about. We're four episodes in and it's... cute. I'm feeling old as I watch it as I'm about twice the age of the main characters in the story. It's fun to watch, though. I like Prince Zuko. He's quite interesting.
This would have been the kind of show I'd have flipped for as a kid. I like the strong female representation and the multicultural cast. I'm looking forward to see where this story goes.
It's a nice break from Texhnolyze, which is guaranteed to make viewers suicidal by the last episode.
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| *fist shakey* |
[27 Mar 2009|10:23am] |
| [ |
mood |
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 aggravated |
] |
I find it funny when my students think that I'm a sucker.
Oh really? You were sick for the test? Uh-huh. You were sick for my first test, too. And sick for all but three of my classes.
You should think about going to a hospital, seeing as you are so sick and all. I wonder, if we look into it, whether or not you're too sick for your other classes. Hmm.
This would all be kind of amusing if it didn't mean so much extra work for me.
Students suck sometimes. :(
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| Bleh! |
[24 Mar 2009|01:18pm] |
| [ |
mood |
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 nauseated |
] |
For the most part, I think that people's disgusting habits are their own business. I may have my own opinions, but I tend to keep my snarky comments to myself. I have my own gross (to other people, I'm sure) habits myself, so I'm in no position to judge.
That being said, I don't think there is a more disgusting habit out there than dipping tobacco.
A young man on my bus had an obvious wad in his lip. No big deal usually. I think about jaw and lip cancer a lot when I see that bulge, but I generally stop noticing and go on to the next thing that captures my attention.
Not today. The problem today was that the young man's spit cup was a clear water bottle. So everyone in the bus had to see his tobacco steeped saliva with every spit he made.
D: <== my reaction.
Yuck.
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| Wha? |
[17 Mar 2009|05:02pm] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
 confused |
] |
There's something odd about the way the sky looks. What is this... stuff that's coming in through my window?
It looks a little yellow as it hits the carpet.
*goes to check*
Ohhh!
It's sunlight! And I can actually see blue skies!
Amazing. It's been so long, I almost forgot about them. :-P
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| *horrified gasp* |
[01 Mar 2009|02:03pm] |
OMGNoooooooooooooooooo.
There are discussions about remaking my favorite movie, The Neverending Story (if you couldn't guess what my favorite movie was by looking at my avatar).
Just, no. Please don't.
Yes, when I re-watch the movie, the special effects are almost laughable, but the story still warms the cold cockles of my heart and melts away some of my hard-earned cynicism and I'm a 6-year-old suddenly faced with the magic and promise of fantasy stories.
I worry that some of the innocence and beauty will be lost within the new technology of CGI.
And Falkor. Just no. He was perfect.
:(
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| That's a... first |
[19 Feb 2009|11:12am] |
| [ |
mood |
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amazed |
] |
My students had a test today. Responses to the tests have run the gamut.
The first student who said anything handed in the test and asked, "Why are all my tests on the same day?" I said that it's week five, a third of the way through the semester, and if teachers are giving 3 tests, this is a good time to keep it even. He said, "I guess. At least yours was easy."
Wha? My tests have never been called easy before. I think that student meant that my test, being in an intro class, wasn't as complicated as some of the other tests for classes in his major. Still. Ouch.
But then I had a student meet with me after class and tell me that my test was hard. O...kay. That's a little bit more like it. At least it's more familiar to what I hear.
Then, I get home and checked my email and found an honest-to-God thank you note from a student for the test. Wow. This student was glad that the test fairly represented the material we've been going over in class and from the texts. A thank you for a test. That's a definite first. But I have to admit, I ate it up with a spoon.
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| I *heart* Joss |
[13 Feb 2009|10:05am] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
 nerdy |
] |
The Dollhouse premieres tonight!
I await Whedon's newest show with bated breath.
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| Finally! |
[05 Feb 2009|11:37am] |
| [ |
mood |
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happy |
] |
I finally had a good class today.
Contributing factors to good class: Caffeine for the instructor (me) before class, watching part of an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a great example of non verbal communication and its usefulness in society, and my willingness to be silly in front of class.
Honestly, I'm always ready to do something that makes me look completely silly and stupid in order to get a response out of my students. I actually have been doing those things for the past three weeks. It just gets quite embarrassing for me when all of my stupid moves or turns of phrase get blank stares from my class. However, today was the first day my students actually laughed. Success!
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| Stuff |
[08 Jan 2009|10:16am] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
 scared |
] |
I forgot I do this every semester I teach:
I seem to do everything I can to convince myself that I've gotten the first day of the semester wrong. For example, the class I'm teaching has its first day on January 20th. I remember thinking it was a late start date, but this university had a late fall semester date, too, so it did make sense. Now, I seem to be doing everything I can to scare myself into believing not only that the class may start next week, but it might have already even started and no one has told me. Now, I keep going back to the Spring 2009 calendar of the school to double, triple, nthle check to make sure I'm not mistaken. Because I'm not quite ready for the semester yet and it would be so embarrassing to get something so simple wrong.
January 20th, official start of my new job. Not the 13th, not the 6th, the 20th.
I'm sure. Really. I am.
And I swear I do this every single time I teach.
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