3.17.2012
shamrock chee
Youngest just wished me a "Happy Leprechaunnukah"...and now I wish you one as well. Sláinte!
3.16.2012
finally recognized the dilemma...
This is how I'm starting to feel about college-wide assessment projects...
Can anyone relate? Just substitute "do more assessment" for "do more coke" and "talk about assessment more" instead of "earn more" and see what you think.
ps: Is this actor is the wonderful guy from my beloved Christopher Guest & Co. mockumentaries, whose character has a kimono-packing dilemma in Best in Show and says "in further particularliness" in For Your Consideration? Adore him.Even though I don't know his name...
later: Many herkies and a hat tip to Dr. Koshary, for identifying him as John Michael Higgins. (Thank goodness. It didn't feel quite right to be all "OMG, I LOVE [insert actor name here].")
Can anyone relate? Just substitute "do more assessment" for "do more coke" and "talk about assessment more" instead of "earn more" and see what you think.
ps: Is this actor is the wonderful guy from my beloved Christopher Guest & Co. mockumentaries, whose character has a kimono-packing dilemma in Best in Show and says "in further particularliness" in For Your Consideration? Adore him.
later: Many herkies and a hat tip to Dr. Koshary, for identifying him as John Michael Higgins. (Thank goodness. It didn't feel quite right to be all "OMG, I LOVE [insert actor name here].")
3.15.2012
quests of various kinds
I have been trying, at various WordPress blogs, to leave comments, but whenever I fill out the form, it says "You must be logged in to comment with that email address." Odd. Maybe it's Ides of March...um...madness?
Some comments I would have made (there were other blogs visited but my short-term memory is shot, taxed as it is this week by hyperconcentration regarding midterm percentages--specifically partially problematic answers wherein I must consider total potential points for question versus how many points I took off last time there was a similar incorrect element, not to mention the need to factor in formatting and overall development of concept or lack thereof, plus textual evidence quality, etc.--and if you understand what I just said, you must be a teacher and we must stick together so high five!):
Some comments I would have made (there were other blogs visited but my short-term memory is shot, taxed as it is this week by hyperconcentration regarding midterm percentages--specifically partially problematic answers wherein I must consider total potential points for question versus how many points I took off last time there was a similar incorrect element, not to mention the need to factor in formatting and overall development of concept or lack thereof, plus textual evidence quality, etc.--and if you understand what I just said, you must be a teacher and we must stick together so high five!):
- Que Sera, I had to buy all new shoes afterwards too! Wasn't prepared for that but made my peace with it once I realized I could, you know, buy all new shoes. :)
- DEH, whew. This quote is eerily accurate today.
- Nap, "Two...two...two...go" is blinkin' adorable.
3.09.2012
happens to all of us
Youngest [after I accidentally knocked over a glass of water]: That, *I* could have done.
Guess he wasn't very impressed. Tee hee.
Happy Friday!
Guess he wasn't very impressed. Tee hee.
Happy Friday!
3.04.2012
the iceman sucketh
Can someone please explain why Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh is so very lauded? Because I cannot fathom all the hoopla. To me, it seems about eighteen billion words too long--not to mention super repetitive. Also racist and sexist. Just ick all around.
Or if you don't want to talk about that play, perhaps you could share an example of a text that you detest teaching? Just so I don't feel like such a loser? Sigh.
Or if you don't want to talk about that play, perhaps you could share an example of a text that you detest teaching? Just so I don't feel like such a loser? Sigh.
2.26.2012
what, you never heard of that?
Apparently, when the conditions are just right, you may be lucky enough to experience an amazing phenomenon known as "The Birthday Ninjas."
Conditions:
There must be one child about to turn 6.
There must be one child about to turn 9.
Because both numbers are divisible by 3.
And if you turn a 6 upside down, it looks like a 9 and vice versa.
Plus, magic.
Results:
Tiny ninjas begin to appear in unexpected locations during the week preceding one of the birthdays (never in the same place twice). Children begin to shriek with glee whenever they find one.
Evidence:
So far, the boys have discovered 44 ninjas each. So. Much. Joyfulness.
Conditions:
There must be one child about to turn 6.
There must be one child about to turn 9.
Because both numbers are divisible by 3.
And if you turn a 6 upside down, it looks like a 9 and vice versa.
Plus, magic.
Results:
Tiny ninjas begin to appear in unexpected locations during the week preceding one of the birthdays (never in the same place twice). Children begin to shriek with glee whenever they find one.
Evidence:
 |
| Under a napkin... |
 |
| In a Croc... |
 |
| On a bookshelf... |
 |
| By the bathtub... |
 |
| In the car... |
 |
| Even at IHOP! |
So far, the boys have discovered 44 ninjas each. So. Much. Joyfulness.
2.23.2012
i did not grok this encounter
Huffy lady at store: "How am I supposed to get past you?"
Me: "Um, you say 'excuse me' and I move?"
Ooh, she was SO rude. As if my pausing to take a second look at a book was some kind of plot to stop her from going where she was going. Even though all the rest of us very easily passed one another in the aisles numerous times without incident. Truth is, there was plenty of room for her to go by and there was no need to just come barreling around the corner and bellow at me. I was sort of proud that I actually retorted something potentially instructive. But afterwards, I kept wishing that I had said something better--e.g., "You could try teleporting"? OR "You could do some re-coding inside the Matrix and put yourself on the other side?" And then I thought, yeah, we've probably enjoyed too much sci fi around here.
Me: "Um, you say 'excuse me' and I move?"
Ooh, she was SO rude. As if my pausing to take a second look at a book was some kind of plot to stop her from going where she was going. Even though all the rest of us very easily passed one another in the aisles numerous times without incident. Truth is, there was plenty of room for her to go by and there was no need to just come barreling around the corner and bellow at me. I was sort of proud that I actually retorted something potentially instructive. But afterwards, I kept wishing that I had said something better--e.g., "You could try teleporting"? OR "You could do some re-coding inside the Matrix and put yourself on the other side?" And then I thought, yeah, we've probably enjoyed too much sci fi around here.
2.21.2012
the play's the thing
Here's my favorite paragraph from Michael Malone's Foolscap: or, The Stages of Love, and it's a thing of beauty indeed.
"A few of the Baconians (so called because they believed Sir Francis Bacon had written all of Shakespeare's plays) thought Bacon had written Foolscap as well. Several who were sure the Earl of Oxford was Shakespeare were equally sure he was also the Raleigh who'd written Foolscap. The post-Baconians (convinced that Hamlet was Edward de Vere's autobiography) attempted to demonstrate that Raleigh in Foolscap was none other than that same melancholy Dane de Vere. The Marloweans (who believed that young Christopher Marlowe had not gotten killed in a knife fight after all, but had gone into hiding and written all of Shakespeare's plays instead of any more of his own) were unanimous in not believing that Marlowe had written Foolscap. The text lacked that je ne sais quoi that was Marlowe (and Marlowe pretending to be Shakespeare). And as for the Raleigheans (who believed that Sir Walter Raleigh had written all of Shakespeare's plays), they broke into terrible factions over whether or not to claim Foolscap (either for Raleigh as Raleigh, or Raleigh as Shakespeare, or neither); heated remarks were made in haste, not repented at leisure, and finally the society's annual banquet had to be postponed until a time when enough members were willing to sit down next to each other to make it possible to serve the meal in one building" (Malone 302).
This paragraph shows, in a hilarious way, why I occasionally feel bewildered by my own discipline, which often requires the sorting-through of such arguments. It's almost too much to take in, though fascinating. Now...on to Foolscap proper. [Caution: spoilers galore follow.] In general, the satire of academia was so spot-on in Foolscap that I enjoyed reading it very much, but, as the novel progressed, I began to feel less and less supportive of the protagonist. He was engaging enough at first, but I still don't understand what prompted him to try and pass off the manuscript as "found" other than the suggestion of his friend. Thank goodness Winifred didn't fall for it...that would have made me hurl the book across the room. The appearances of Ford as ghostly mentor didn't ring true to me, and the final chapter had such a different tone, overall, that it didn't seem to fit, somehow. (And of course Theo was going to end up with Rhodora; it was so obvious throughout that I was rather impatient waiting for him to realize it, too.) However, the structure of novel-as-play is fabulous, the literary know-how is admirable, and the writing absolutely winks and sparkles in many ways (how could you not applaud character names like Thayer Iddesleigh and Dame Winifred Throckmorton? or Jonas Marsh's erudite tirades?).
Reviews also posted at FeMOMhist and Que Sera.
"A few of the Baconians (so called because they believed Sir Francis Bacon had written all of Shakespeare's plays) thought Bacon had written Foolscap as well. Several who were sure the Earl of Oxford was Shakespeare were equally sure he was also the Raleigh who'd written Foolscap. The post-Baconians (convinced that Hamlet was Edward de Vere's autobiography) attempted to demonstrate that Raleigh in Foolscap was none other than that same melancholy Dane de Vere. The Marloweans (who believed that young Christopher Marlowe had not gotten killed in a knife fight after all, but had gone into hiding and written all of Shakespeare's plays instead of any more of his own) were unanimous in not believing that Marlowe had written Foolscap. The text lacked that je ne sais quoi that was Marlowe (and Marlowe pretending to be Shakespeare). And as for the Raleigheans (who believed that Sir Walter Raleigh had written all of Shakespeare's plays), they broke into terrible factions over whether or not to claim Foolscap (either for Raleigh as Raleigh, or Raleigh as Shakespeare, or neither); heated remarks were made in haste, not repented at leisure, and finally the society's annual banquet had to be postponed until a time when enough members were willing to sit down next to each other to make it possible to serve the meal in one building" (Malone 302).
This paragraph shows, in a hilarious way, why I occasionally feel bewildered by my own discipline, which often requires the sorting-through of such arguments. It's almost too much to take in, though fascinating. Now...on to Foolscap proper. [Caution: spoilers galore follow.] In general, the satire of academia was so spot-on in Foolscap that I enjoyed reading it very much, but, as the novel progressed, I began to feel less and less supportive of the protagonist. He was engaging enough at first, but I still don't understand what prompted him to try and pass off the manuscript as "found" other than the suggestion of his friend. Thank goodness Winifred didn't fall for it...that would have made me hurl the book across the room. The appearances of Ford as ghostly mentor didn't ring true to me, and the final chapter had such a different tone, overall, that it didn't seem to fit, somehow. (And of course Theo was going to end up with Rhodora; it was so obvious throughout that I was rather impatient waiting for him to realize it, too.) However, the structure of novel-as-play is fabulous, the literary know-how is admirable, and the writing absolutely winks and sparkles in many ways (how could you not applaud character names like Thayer Iddesleigh and Dame Winifred Throckmorton? or Jonas Marsh's erudite tirades?).
Reviews also posted at FeMOMhist and Que Sera.
2.17.2012
they say it, i write it
Eldest (to Youngest): Just because you can spell "Bobby" doesn't make you famous.
***
Youngest: I can't put these string toys away right now because I'm unstrangling them.
***
Eldest: When a person gets up and gives a presentation, why isn't it called a persontation?
***
Youngest: I love Valentine's Day. It's the shariest of all the holidays!
***
Eldest: Guess who taught me this dance party move at school?
Me: Your teacher?
Eldest: No.
Me: Your principal?
Eldest: No.
Youngest: I know! It was the lunch lady.
(His principal was an actual possibility because, well, let's just say one time he dressed up as a chicken for a parade, ok? The answer was music teacher, btw.)
***
Youngest: I can't put these string toys away right now because I'm unstrangling them.
***
Eldest: When a person gets up and gives a presentation, why isn't it called a persontation?
***
Youngest: I love Valentine's Day. It's the shariest of all the holidays!
***
Eldest: Guess who taught me this dance party move at school?
Me: Your teacher?
Eldest: No.
Me: Your principal?
Eldest: No.
Youngest: I know! It was the lunch lady.
(His principal was an actual possibility because, well, let's just say one time he dressed up as a chicken for a parade, ok? The answer was music teacher, btw.)
2.16.2012
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