If I were a holiday decoration...

...then right now, I'd be one of those deflated snowmen that you find in the morning on your lawn.  You know, one of those fifty-dollar inflatables that fall victim to the elements overnight.

The late nights that come with the end-of-the-semester push have finally caught up to me.  Hopefully, after a few eight hour nights, I'll be back to my usual, inflated self.



What seasonal decor best describes how you feel right now (or wish you felt)?

The Invincible Professor?

I've ben very productive lately.  My to-do lists are almost empty each night.  I am caught up on grading.  I don't have to frantically prep lectures up until the minute the bell rings.

Yes, I've been very productive lately.


I also have only been getting five hours of sleep each night.


Well, all good things must come to an end.  Yesterday morning I was reminded what happens when I go for several weeks without more than 6 h / night.  No, I'm not referring to my increased caffeine deficiency (true), higher sugar requirements (true), or the disturbingly dark pouches under my eyes (also true).  
By far the worst side effect is my depressed immune system.  And in this case, my depressed immune system has fallen victim to a bit of a nasty cold.

Apparently, I'm not invincible after all.  (Shhhh.... don't tell my students!)

I'm going to go hide in my office now....

They're easy to spot.

They need a few minutes of quiet after getting in to work.  They might love teaching, but after a 60 minute lecture or two, they are drained--mentally and physically.  They might prefer to eat lunch alone to get some more energy before the next lecture or meeting.  They need time at home to recharge for the next day.


It's the introverted professors!!


(Raise your hand if you are utterly drained from your first day of classes....and not just because of your workload.)

Choose your own adventure

Have you ever woken up from recalling a vivid dream and then had it stick with you ALL. DAY. LONG?

Have you ever had a dream that flipped back and forth from first to third person, so much so, that ALL. DAY. LONG. you second-guess if the event really happened? (although, deep down, you absolutely know that it didn't).

Have you ever had a dream that played out the Other Possibility?  The what-might-have-happened-if.... option?

Have you every had that dream reoccur three times in 10 days?




Yeah, I totally haven't, either.




Sweet dreams, friends.

How much would you sleep?

If you had no life obligations, how much would you sleep?


I've had Puppy for more than a year.  Puppy sleeps ALL THE TIME.  Except when chasing squirrels, an activity that I, obviously fully support.


It makes me wonder: if I didn't have to scavenge for my own food, bathe myself, take myself on a walk, and have a job that requires a few more skills than just "ability to shatter squirrels," how much would *I* sleep?

At the end of the semester, I conk out for eleven or twelve hours.  What if that is my true sleep requirement?   I shudder to think how sleep deprived I am on most days!  Do you think my lectures are better on or off sleep?

An end-of-the-semester tradition

We all have our end-of-the-semester routines.


Some of my colleagues clean their offices, dumping unneeded papers into the shredder with glee.

Others gladly share their gourmet gifts from students in the office kitchen (side note: why don't I ever get semester gifts from students?).

My end-of-the-semester tradition?  I sleep for 12 hours straight.

This started in college.  Once my finals were done, I would bid goodnight to my roommates and only emerge 12 hours later.  In grad school, I would go home for the holidays for about a week.  My family knew not to mock my excessive first night of sleep.

I thought this would change once I became a prof.   On the contrary, it seems to have become even more of a necessity.  N.A. thinks my semester's end pseudo-hibernation is cute.  Bless him.



So I apologize if I don't get caught up on your wonderful blogs right now-- I've got some sleeping to do!

Do you have academic dreams/nightmares?

It's the start of the year. Again.

Time for available parking to shrink, cafeteria lines to grow, and my free time to evaporate.

It's also time for classroom-related dreams. And nightmares.

I've had academic-related dreams before. When I first started my visiting ass. job, I had the same dream, every night, for weeks on end:

In my dream, I'm in a very large lecture class. One of those huge bowl-shaped lecture halls that can seat hundreds of students. The problem is, I've been skipping class. I've missed the midterm, not turned in papers, and I heard a rumor that the final was this morning. By the time I showed up, grades were already turned in, and there is no recovering my failing grade.

After the first year, my academic dreams switched from me being the unprepared student to me being the unprepared professor. The dreams only start around the first week of August and end after the first couple of classes. I wonder how my school dreams will change over the course of my career. Will they eventually go away completely?

Do you have a recurring dream around the start of the academic year?

Instant human: Just add caffeine

You probably already know that I'm not a morning person.

In the morning, I'm on automatic pilot until I get my coffee. Which is at work. (Mostly because if I had coffee here, I wouldn't have much of a reason to go in, would I?)

I have a big problem. I live with a morning person. No, not N.A.


My dog.


My dog is more cheery than the secretary in Office Space. I have never seen a creature more excited about the morning. He bounds out of his crate, panting with excitement. I'm still trying to get my pupils calibrated against all the offensive light streaming in the windows. (Must invest in blackout curtains.)

Even though I've had the puppy for almost eight months, I'm still getting used to having something THAT excited to see me every morning.

If only I could transfer some of that enthusiasm for life from my dog to my students!

List of Weekend Wants

Things I would like to happen by the end of the weekend (in no particular order):

1. sleep. SLEEP. sleeeeeep!

2. Catch up on my grading.

3. Think about research. Or not.

4. Write 23049803 reference letters. (Anyone else think that writing reference letters can really be teh suck?)

5. Get groceries. (Not that I mind PB sandwiches for lunch and dinner....)



As you can see, it's going to be a VERY exciting weekend.