It's May!

It's May! And I have not written my paper for Berks yet! Plus, I am giving two finals tomorrow! Argh!

But it's MAY! so here are things to ring in that particularly lovely month...





or, if you prefer the very disturbing original, it's here -- no embedding allowed

And of course, this vision of Walpurgisnacht:





On the other hand, this might be more to your tastes:



And of course, this:




Or, if you prefer something entirely sappy...

RBOC -- Sunday Edition

RBOC -- Sunday Edition

My, it's been a while, and I haven't updated in forever. So here's some random bullets of crap to tide you over.

• I keep seeing Barack Obama on TV, magazines, newspapers, and every time, I do a double-take. He doesn't look like a president. By that I mean, he looks like someone I'd actually want to work with and have a drink with. He looks like somebody I'd hang out with. Damn. He looks so young. Actually, he's a little older than I am. But to me, that's young. I wonder if this is how people in their 40s felt when JFK was elected?
  
  
• I was going to have my cable TV cut as soon as the election was over. But I seem to have got hooked on Sunday morning news analysis. What I really need is someone to help me analyze my rapidly dwindling TIAA-CREF account. I'm never going to be able to retire. But at least I have a job. And I do need to get rid of the cable. It's a time such I don't need.
  
  
• I committed filk for the first time yesterday.
  
  
• I think it's fairly clear that I didn't get Dream Job. The history job wiki shows that campus interviews indeed were scheduled, and I didn't get the golden ticket. I think I mentioned that I thought I'd totally botched the interview -- both too nervous, and not nervous enough; three pages of notes and questions that I never took time to refer to because I felt terribly rushed, and also a bit worried that they thought I didn't want it enough. Well, no. I mean, I didn't apply because I needed a job. I didn't apply so I could try to leverage my position at SLAC. I applied because it's a totally fantastic place, with what appear to be great students and great faculty, a good teaching load and support for research, and the opportunity to work with one of my favourite fellow-bloggers. I admit to a deficiency in Anglo-Saxon (that never came up), but did suggest all kinds of ways my courses could fit into their larger curriculum. But whatever. No golden ticket. I'm really bummed about it, but have to say that it's a different feeling when you don't get the interview when you're already employed in a job you like, working with people you like.
  
  
• Speaking of which, life at SLAC is still kicking my ass. I'm hiding from my publisher (must write tomorrow with update). I think I will be back to work on the book this week, though. I've got a good teaching schedule this semester: rather than 4 classes plus a colloquium (and one new, one drastically revised prep), I have a three class schedule, two days a week. One class is a new prep, and the other is again drastically revised but it's going well, I think. My T&P portfolio made it past the first hurdle, and I should be hearing whether it passed the second one this month. I'm hoping there are no problems. In the meantime, I'm now chair of my department and on yet another new task force which will probably end up being a time suck, but not till next year. And there are benefits to it, at least, although as with most things at SLAC, they aren't really in tangible form, like course release or money. Having said that, I'm just now starting to feel a little less burnt out.
  
  
• As soon as I find out about the promotion, I think I'm going to start looking for a house. I am not closing my mind to the idea of taking another job elsewhere, but it seems to me that, housing prices being what they are (there are lots of foreclosures in Dabbaville), I might actually be able to have my own place for about what I'm paying in rent, and it would certainly help me in terms of taxes. I spent about $3k last year on research trips and conference travel, and because I don't have more than the standard deduction, I end up eating that. Also, as much as I hate moving and love my flat, I'd like not to share walls with neighbors. But again, just as I feel no need to run from my present position to a different one, I am not desperate to move unless it really makes sense.
  
  
• My classes seem to be going pretty well this semester, and that makes me really happy. My biggest problem with SLAC is that we admit students who would likely not have a chance elsewhere, but we don't offer remediation, nor enough tutorial support. This is reflected, I think, in our retention rates. And sadly, many of us feel that this particular message is not one that TPTB want to hear. We also have faculty who seem to think that it's ok to 'weed out' the less qualified, rather than changing their teaching to help these students succeed. It's hard. I really understand the attitude. After all, we're supposed to be teaching at a certain level, and if we'd wanted to teach high school (or even middle school) skills, we'd be teaching in the public schools and probably making more money! But you know, once the students are in, they are people we need to teach. My larger question is how this should figure into our outcomes and assessments. I mean, one of my personal learning outcomes is that students will write clearly articulated analytical essays. But when about a third of the students can't write a good sentence, how do we communicate this to the accreditation agencies? (I think I just found a topic for a post!)
  
  
• I am reading a novel to review here. Bernard Cornwell's Agincourt. Free book through blogging!
  
  
• I really need to clean up my apartment. I'm doing laundry at the moment, and tidying and cooking come next. If I get a move on, I'll also get my hair cut and get to the gym AND do work on the book.
  
  
• Speaking of the gym, honestly, I'm feeling old. I really need to start strengthening the muscles that hold my hips and knees in place. And maybe start taking glucosamine?
  
  
• And that's me for today. I think I'll write about assessment next. Or maybe about the circus that is being a department chair when you are the most junior person in the department (at least I'm older than half of them!)

Sunday RBOC

Sunday RBOC

• I love Pandora radio. I have all kinds of custom stations set up, and one of these days will do some combining. This morning, it's Steeleye Span radio. I will say they sometimes pull some weird-ass stuff on the ABBA station, though.
  
• I'm more in control of some classes than I thought, and less on top of others. Guess what I'm doing today? Actually, I feel less awful about my class almost in my specialty. I didn't have anything assigned for this week, in part because I was kind of waiting to see how they were going to do -- most of the class are people who were in exactly-my-specialty seminar last year, and they excelled only in pissing me right off with their excellence in slackerdom. They are going to need a swift kick in their collective butt this time, I think. (there will be a post on this, I think -- the energy drain that is the seminar of laziness)
  
• Apropos of the first point, I really do like Richard Thompson
  
• I am loving all the news coverage (and Daily Show coverage, too) that shows that, traditionally, VP candidates do get asked tough questions about their qualifications. I just wish that more of the commentators would point out that NOT asking Palin the same sorts of questions is sexist.
  
• Sometime over the summer, I was the victim of a theft. I am rather upset about it. Fortunately, it's all replaceable. But it'll make a dent in my wallet. And it makes me trust my neighbors less.
  
• A good breakfast can be made by sauteeing a bit of onion, garlic, cumin seeds, ground coriander, turmeric, mustard seeds, a dried chilli, and a bit of paprika together (start the onions first, add the rest when they are softened), then adding rice from last night till it's all warmed through and coated with the spices, then adding a beaten egg to the pan, having pulled the rice to one side so the egg can cook by itself a bit. Stir together and cook till the egg is done. Oh, and it needs salt.
  
• I could do with about two more weeks of weather like this -- damp at night, clear and warm during the day.
  
• The election cycle is reminding me that I have tapered off on my blog reading way too much. I should get onto that.
  
• I should make a to-do list and post that.
  
• Ishould go to the office and work now. Byeeee!

More drive-by Kazoo Blogging

More drive-by Kazoo Blogging -- RBOK version

Still writing a conference paper and getting together a proposal to send to Matt Gabriele tomorrow, but before I forget ... some conference highlights:

• OMG People!! Mike Drout is like, totally famous in Taiwan! His fans squeed over him AND took pictures with him
  
• I had my own (subtle, I hope) fan squee -- I met Bryan Ward-Perkins and was not a complete dolt, I don't think
  
• I discovered that a senior medievalist from the other coast, who has always scared the heck out of me, and about whom I had heard rumours of unkindness, is not above gently teasing a nervous panel chair auf Deutsch
  
• Cornell seems to have cornered the market on really good dancers
  
• The people I had dinner with on Saturday night are awesome -- more on that later!
  
• Notorious, PhD and I know we know each other from somewhere, but can't figure out where. OH! maybe MAA when it was in Seattle? Anyway, one of the people on the panel I chaired really likes the Girl Scholar's blog!

Right, back to the paper.

RBO Confusion

RBO Confusion

Things that confuse me today:

• Why textbook companies don't just buy into the used textbook business.
  
• Why my campus bookstore refuses to buy back books just because there's a new edition out -- even thought the old edition is still available and I've ordered it.
  
• Why there aren't solar panels on a/c units. Seems to me that the times one is most likely to use a/c are also the times when those solar panels would work best.
  
• Why, if we're trying to conserve energy without hurting the economy, we don't require greener building practices. Unless 'hurting the economy' is some kind of code for, 'people will have to spend more on things and so they'll buy less crap they don't need and then the people who make and sell the crap will be out of work.' Except wouldn't more people be needed to make and sell the things that go into green building? and if we gave incentives to people and companies for green remodeling, then wouldn't that employ people, too?