Rude awakening

This morning I changed up my usual schedule. Boy, did I come to regret that decision.

Most mornings, I go right from bed to the shower. Then I pry open my eyes wide enough to make some coffee.

Today, for some unknown (stupid?) reason, I skipped the shower and coffee and started putting away dishes. Barely awake, I opened the storage drawer below the oven. Forgetting one tiny detail: N.A. placed a mouse trap there last night. And it was occupied.

I've never moved so quickly in the morning. Stereotypically, I screamed like a, well, like a girl and ran back to the bedroom to cower next to N.A.

Thankfully, he didn't make fun of me. He calmly went to the drawer, removed the trap and mouse, and (he later told me), mopped up the brains, blood, and mouse pee. Gotta love him.

Meanwhile, if you could please excuse me because I think I'm going to go swoon on the couch now.

Happy Canada Day!

I hope all you Canucks out there had a great one!

Another of my favorite things

Sometimes I sub in for other profs. I've guest lectured. I've monitored labs. I've even filled in for office hours (okay, that's just because the prof was no where to be found, and I couldn't handle the hysterical sobbing in the hallway).

One of my favorite things (rolling my eyes here, mmmkay?) is when I sub in for a prof who has absolutely no control over his class or lab. I especially enjoy telling someone else's student "no, really. Cell phone away. Now." And then be informed by the reprimanded student that "Prof. X, like, totally lets us text in class."

Oh, and I really like subbing for someone else who informs me, "good luck. They're really awful." Riiiiight.

But seriously, my favorite thing is spending an hour with someone else's supposedly out-of-control students, setting limits for the students, refusing to take any crap, and ultimately receive their respect and attention.

Suck it, suckers.

Should I have to get used to this?

Where do you draw the line when it comes to desiring the truth? Do you expect your coworkers to be truthful? Your dean? Your significant other?

I am so filled with rage right now that it is difficult to process anything--- food, thoughts, conversations...you name it. Disappointment oozes out of every pore.

There's not a whole lot to talk about. I was lied to to my face. I was the one deceived. And now I'm the unreasonable one?

Sigh. It's times like these that I'm glad my summer class is about to start. Research alone is not enough to distract me.

Does summer = a normal semester?

I've been working on my summer class syllabus this weekend. It's very straightforward: I have the same number of assignments and exams as during the "normal" semester. I just have to cover about a week's worth of material each summer lecture.

I know that some summer classes taught by The Others (aka my humanities counterparts) get very, VERY pared down relative to the fall or spring semester versions. I'm not sure of the exact reasons.

Maybe because The Others believe that students can't handle a week's worth of reading a night? (seriously, there can't be that many pages of sparknotes, can there?) Perhaps they don't want to grade a paper every other night?

I wonder if my students expect to cover less material in my class just because it's in the summer?

Please pack your backpack and go

Summer TV fare is awesome. Top Chef, ANTM reruns, that artist show? Yes, please!

How amazing it would be to vote off an obnoxious student each week? You know, that one annoying kid that can totally throw off the momentum of your lecture? The one that the others shoot eye daggers at? Let's judge that it's his time to go. No longer at the head of the class. Didn't make the grade.

Sigh. I guess for now I'll have to settle to hearing Padma go, "please pack your knives and go."

MAJOR miscalculation!!

A horrible thing happened to me today.

I can hardly write. We've been together for almost 15 years, and he fails me now?

Yes, I am sad to report than my TI-86 let me down today. The decimal button stopped working!

I'm not sure how I can move on from my lovely 86. Should I simply buy another (can I even find one anymore?) or is it time to move on to another model?