Sunday, August 27, 2006
Quidam
So, we saw this last night. My mom bought us tickets as an anniversary gift last month. (thanks, Mom!) It was pretty amazing stuff, but I think I would have enjoyed it A LOT more if it hadn't been about 85°F in that tent! It was bit cooler than outside (they did have A/C), but with all the people, it was pretty miserable in there. I think D enjoyed it the most of the three of us. She was mesmerized the whole time. For a 6-year-old to sit in a hot tent for 2.5 hours and not get bored is pretty impressive- she's really good that way, though! We went out for Thai food afterwards and it didn't rain on us between the car and the tent, so it was a good evening!
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Bummer
Well, week #1 went pretty well. We didn't have Monday classes last week, so I saw two of my classes twice and one class once (it's MWF, but F is lab and I didn't have one this week). The semester is going to be tough- the F lab class is for all intents and purposes a new class. The other two are not too bad, but one has a lot of homework and writing, so requires a lot of attention. So, teaching-wise it was a good week. The title of the post comes from the news I got yesterday:
Dr. Dear N. I regret to inform you that the National Science Foundation is unable to support your proposal referenced above.
What a bummer- this is one of the proposals I worked on early last semester (that helped to prevent me from finishing that unmentionable paper). This was the second year we submitted this proposal and we waited the full six months for the decision. Our suspicion was that we were in the "maybe" category awaiting the program's budget to come through. It seems that is the case, because the reviews were dated mid-May, but they didn't make the decision until this week. It's so disappointing (as I'm sure many of you know!) The reviews were good, the panel gave us between high & medium priority, but in the end we didn't get it. The thing that frustrates me most about it is that I don't get any formal credit toward tenure for any "failed" proposals. All I need are publications, so I am not evaluated on grants- of course if we had gotten this one (and the $1 million that would have come with it) they would certainly find a way to count it. So, the bottom line is that I am still short a publication AND I didn't get the $. The other proposal I worked on in spring was also turned down, but we have already revised and submitted it elsewhere. I'm sure we will also revise this one and try for third time next year, but I was really hoping to get it this time.
To end on a less depressing note- here's a good student story. My 100-level class is only open to first- and second-year students. I always have juniors and seniors wanting to force-add, but only seniors graduating in the current semester are allowed to get in that way. My class is usually full, but this time I had two spaces in one lab section, so I had a bunch of students coming to see me after the first class. One had emailed ahead of time, so I took his slip, then I took one other person who had asked me right before class. Everyone else was out of luck and there were no December-graduating seniors this time. After class, apparently one student went to the department office, told our administrative assistant that she was a graduating senior and wanted to add the class. Later, this student left me a voicemail to ask if anything was going on with her request. Rather than calling her cell phone (as she asked) I replied with this email:
Hi [Student]: I got your message. [Secretary] is confirming your class standing before you can be force-added. Once the class is full (as it is now) ONLY seniors graduating in December are allowed to force-add. If [secretary] confirms that you are graduating in December, then she will force-add you. I don't recall talking to you after class yesterday- if you had said you were graduating in December, I would have told you that it is not a problem. Good luck, Dr. N.
I never got a reply, but her MOTHER called the department office! During that conversation with our administrative assistant, she confirmed that her daughter is graduating in MAY, but other classes don't work with her schedule.
I find it hilarious/ridiculous that a college student's mother is calling the department- give me a break! Is this a Miami thing? Or does this happen everywhere? I would have been mortified if my mother had called anyone at my college!
Dr. Dear N. I regret to inform you that the National Science Foundation is unable to support your proposal referenced above.
What a bummer- this is one of the proposals I worked on early last semester (that helped to prevent me from finishing that unmentionable paper). This was the second year we submitted this proposal and we waited the full six months for the decision. Our suspicion was that we were in the "maybe" category awaiting the program's budget to come through. It seems that is the case, because the reviews were dated mid-May, but they didn't make the decision until this week. It's so disappointing (as I'm sure many of you know!) The reviews were good, the panel gave us between high & medium priority, but in the end we didn't get it. The thing that frustrates me most about it is that I don't get any formal credit toward tenure for any "failed" proposals. All I need are publications, so I am not evaluated on grants- of course if we had gotten this one (and the $1 million that would have come with it) they would certainly find a way to count it. So, the bottom line is that I am still short a publication AND I didn't get the $. The other proposal I worked on in spring was also turned down, but we have already revised and submitted it elsewhere. I'm sure we will also revise this one and try for third time next year, but I was really hoping to get it this time.
To end on a less depressing note- here's a good student story. My 100-level class is only open to first- and second-year students. I always have juniors and seniors wanting to force-add, but only seniors graduating in the current semester are allowed to get in that way. My class is usually full, but this time I had two spaces in one lab section, so I had a bunch of students coming to see me after the first class. One had emailed ahead of time, so I took his slip, then I took one other person who had asked me right before class. Everyone else was out of luck and there were no December-graduating seniors this time. After class, apparently one student went to the department office, told our administrative assistant that she was a graduating senior and wanted to add the class. Later, this student left me a voicemail to ask if anything was going on with her request. Rather than calling her cell phone (as she asked) I replied with this email:
Hi [Student]: I got your message. [Secretary] is confirming your class standing before you can be force-added. Once the class is full (as it is now) ONLY seniors graduating in December are allowed to force-add. If [secretary] confirms that you are graduating in December, then she will force-add you. I don't recall talking to you after class yesterday- if you had said you were graduating in December, I would have told you that it is not a problem. Good luck, Dr. N.
I never got a reply, but her MOTHER called the department office! During that conversation with our administrative assistant, she confirmed that her daughter is graduating in MAY, but other classes don't work with her schedule.
I find it hilarious/ridiculous that a college student's mother is calling the department- give me a break! Is this a Miami thing? Or does this happen everywhere? I would have been mortified if my mother had called anyone at my college!
Thursday, August 24, 2006
10 thing you probably haven't done (that I have)
- married someone from a different race
- married someone from a different continent (these are the same person & we are still married)
- presented my dissertation proposal while 8 months pregnant (& had the baby 8 days later!)
- completed my last three PhD courses, written exams, & oral exams during the same semester & while pregnant
- have lived in all four U.S. times zones (lower 48)
- have been to Alaska twice
- have been to the Russian Far East & Siberia (Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Irkutsk)
- was disowned by my father (we haven't spoken in over 7 years)
- was in a wedding in Mexico (bridesmaid)
- used to fly across the country without an adult (with my younger brother) when we were kids
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
To the irritating students who cross the street against the light without looking for traffic
Dear Students:
You are in college. You probably learned how to read WALK/DON'T WALK signs when you were 5. That means that you have been aware of what they mean for at least the past 13 years. Your mother probably taught you to look both ways before crossing street. Given these facts, why do you step out into any street in Oxford (including the intersection of TWO state highways) without even glancing? Why do you ignore traffic lights when you are on foot? Why are you not the least bit concerned that someone driving a multi-ton car (or SUV or semi) will run over you?
If you do not fear for your own safety, perhaps you just feel that the rest of the world should just cater to your convenience? Maybe you feel that you are the most important people in Oxford (or the world) and we should all wait for you to cross the street- even when we have a green light? Or if you need to drop your roommate off for her class, you can even stop in the middle of the road and casually wait for her to exit your car. Yes- you must be very important, indeed.
I guess this importance is also the reason that when you are driving a car, you do NOT stop for pedestrians who are crossing the street at a crosswalk (even people with children who are already halfway across the street). You must have very important places to get to. Well, don't worry- those of us who just work at Miami are here to wait for you to cross the street OR drive down it- what ever is most convenient for you! We would hate to cause you a moments delay! I hope you weren't too distressed when I honked and yelled at you today, when you caused me to miss a green light. I'm sure you had something very important to do.
You are in college. You probably learned how to read WALK/DON'T WALK signs when you were 5. That means that you have been aware of what they mean for at least the past 13 years. Your mother probably taught you to look both ways before crossing street. Given these facts, why do you step out into any street in Oxford (including the intersection of TWO state highways) without even glancing? Why do you ignore traffic lights when you are on foot? Why are you not the least bit concerned that someone driving a multi-ton car (or SUV or semi) will run over you?
If you do not fear for your own safety, perhaps you just feel that the rest of the world should just cater to your convenience? Maybe you feel that you are the most important people in Oxford (or the world) and we should all wait for you to cross the street- even when we have a green light? Or if you need to drop your roommate off for her class, you can even stop in the middle of the road and casually wait for her to exit your car. Yes- you must be very important, indeed.
I guess this importance is also the reason that when you are driving a car, you do NOT stop for pedestrians who are crossing the street at a crosswalk (even people with children who are already halfway across the street). You must have very important places to get to. Well, don't worry- those of us who just work at Miami are here to wait for you to cross the street OR drive down it- what ever is most convenient for you! We would hate to cause you a moments delay! I hope you weren't too distressed when I honked and yelled at you today, when you caused me to miss a green light. I'm sure you had something very important to do.
Damn straight!
| You Are Tofu |
 Okay, so you aren't exactly meat. And that's fine with you. Even if people think you're a bit bland. There's a good chance you're veg - and even if you aren't, you secretly think meat is gross. |
As seen over at Brazen Hussy's...
Friday, August 18, 2006
Mother-daughter shopping trip
Well, that was the most fun I've had shopping in a LONG time. We left about 9:00 this morning and headed out of town, avoiding the campus chaos. First, we stopped for me to renew my driver's license, then went to Kohl's. I really like that store- I almost always manage to find something I can wear there. We bought D a few outfits, some shoes, and I even found three skirts, a pair of pants, and two tops (here is one of the skirts). D is old enough now that she can help me pick out clothes and be patient enough to wait for me to try things on, so it was really nice. We also had lunch at IHOP, replaced my shrunken sunglasses, and walked around the mall. I'm really glad we had that little break today, even though I have so much work to do. Once classes start, it will be just insane!
Signs that summer break is really over
- our local Kroger store ran out of broccoli
- it took me 5 minutes to get through the stop sign at Chestnut and Campus Ave. yesterday at 5:15
- there are Lexus GX and RXs all over town (NOT being driven by faculty)
- cars are speeding through streets where the speed limit is 25 mph and not stopping for pedestrians
- I was awake before 6:00 this morning (trying to get back to my early schedule, since I teach at 9:00 or 9:30 every day)
- sigh
Monday, August 14, 2006
BuddyMapping
OK- more fun time-wasters from Google! I added a link to my new Blog BuddyMap in the sidebar. Please add your location so that it looks like I have friends in the blogosphere.
Hey Jogger- you could add one of these to map your progress across the country even! I know lots of you are in super-secret locations, but you can use a cryptic name? Or maybe a slightly misleading location? Or where you'd rather be? Try it out!
Hey Jogger- you could add one of these to map your progress across the country even! I know lots of you are in super-secret locations, but you can use a cryptic name? Or maybe a slightly misleading location? Or where you'd rather be? Try it out!
revision done & submitted
Hooray! We finished the revisions and the even more painful summary of the revisions (and addressing reviewer comments). I sent it off to the editor tonight! Now- if I can only finish that other wretched paper AND write my syllabi in the next 8 days! Is it possible? I really don't know. In the mean time I am having a mini-celebration- I drank the last beer in the house and switched to red wine. Does that violate any of those "rules" (liquor before beer, never fear, etc.)? I'll see how things look tomorrow... I'm pretty wiped out.
Cheers, everyone! Especially to B* who appears to be having a little celebration of her own!
Cheers, everyone! Especially to B* who appears to be having a little celebration of her own!
Thursday, August 10, 2006
My reward
Yes, it's sad- I'm rewarding myself by blogging! I was tempted to do a post earlier, but forced myself to get some work done first. I finished making the revisions to the co-authored paper (with input from my co-author) and now just have to write up the responses to the reviewers- including red pen. I am going to start on this in the morning- I'm feeling tired and think it's time to go watch TV. The DVR has Conan O'Brien, Star Trek TNG, and other things or NetFlix sent The Opposite of Sex and Election (which I've seen). I'll let you know which one I pick...
ETA: I watched The Opposite of Sex- that was a weird one- not quite what I expected, but I enjoyed it.
ETA: I watched The Opposite of Sex- that was a weird one- not quite what I expected, but I enjoyed it.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Bizarre Blogthing
From Dr. Brazen Hussy...
This is one of those times that I find a blogthing to be WAY off. I don't think I'm pure or simple- what does that mean anyway? How does an orchid represent ecstasy? Oh, so silly...
| You Are a White Flower |
 A white flower tends to represent purity, simple beauty, and modesty. At times, you are dignified like a magnolia. And at other times, you represent great ecstasy, like a white orchid. And more than you wish, you're a little boastful, like a white hydrangea. |
This is one of those times that I find a blogthing to be WAY off. I don't think I'm pure or simple- what does that mean anyway? How does an orchid represent ecstasy? Oh, so silly...
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Agenda
Since I am taking D to the zoo tomorrow and am not feeling motivated to work right now, I thought I would make a list of all the things I need to do in the next two weeks. We start classes two weeks from today. In that time, I need to:
btw- I started posting photos to flickr. Follow the link in the sidebar to see some of my pictures. Right now, they are all thrown together, but the tags and descriptions will fill you in.
- finish revisions on the co-authored paper, summarize changes, and write up response to reviewers (including RED pen)
- finish paper that should have been finished MONTHS ago and submit for review
- prepare three syllabi: two repeats & one class that is a repeat, but being revamped for this second go-around
- organize my office at school (file away/recycle old papers, etc.)
- finish organizing home office (move things to basement, etc. that don't fit here)
btw- I started posting photos to flickr. Follow the link in the sidebar to see some of my pictures. Right now, they are all thrown together, but the tags and descriptions will fill you in.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
And yet another blogthing...
From USJogger...
I'll do a 'real' post in the next couple of days, but in the meantime, here are some random bullets to sum up the last few days...
| You Are 40% Weird |
 Normal enough to know that you're weird... But too damn weird to do anything about it! |
I'll do a 'real' post in the next couple of days, but in the meantime, here are some random bullets to sum up the last few days...
- After more than 3 months without a migraine, I had one last Thursday complete with groovy visual effects. I seem to be back in a pattern of fighting one off every day. So far, I'm OK, but what a pain!
- I submitted grades for my summer class today (hooray!) Only two more weeks until the semester starts :(
- I'm enjoying our new home office furniture. We're still shredding and organizing, but I actually LIKE coming to work in here for a change. hooray! Maybe I'll post pictures when we're finished putting random papers away.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Blogthing-o-rama
...because I came home at 3:30 with a migraine and slept for two hours...
Via luckybuzz
They just didn't ask the right SciFi questions- my SciFi Geekiness should be the highest! (I love Star Trek: TNG & X-Files)
and via NewKid (sorry- I lost the link to your page with this!):
Via luckybuzz
| Your Geek Profile: |
 Academic Geekiness: High Internet Geekiness: Moderate Geekiness in Love: Low Movie Geekiness: Low Music Geekiness: Low Fashion Geekiness: None Gamer Geekiness: None General Geekiness: None SciFi Geekiness: None |
and via NewKid (sorry- I lost the link to your page with this!):
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Tuesday POOP blogging...
Yes, the pea fowl returned for a little visit today- this time there were three- two pea hens and one peacock. I don't know if it was our surprise return home or something one of them ate, but they (or he or she) pooped all over our front porch. We drove up the driveway to see them walking around on our front porch. They made a hasty get-away, but left a few deposits on the porch. I've heard of having the sh-- scared out of you- I wonder if that's what happened?!
Other poopy things today:
Other poopy things today:
- God, do I hate summer. And this has to be the worst summer I've ever seen. Has anyone else ever seen so many heat advisories?
- I have TONS of grading. Well- as much grading as you can have in a 23-student class. They turned in term papers yesterday (haven't touched them), and the last lab today (which I can't find my ready-made key for).
- I'm feeling tired- maybe it's the heat, maybe I'm coming down with the cold that D has- either way- I don't feel like grading AT ALL
- The A/C in my car is gradually weakening... I'm sure it will need a re-charge by next summer.
Teaching advice?
I have a teaching question for all of you: I am teaching a class in the fall that I have taught several times. One of the assignments for the class involves collecting news articles over the semester to monitor media reporting of the class topic. Each week, two students post their articles for the others to read, then come to class and provide a brief overview. We have some small-group discussion about the articles, then continue with the rest of class. I am pretty satisfied with this aspect of the class.
The other part of it is that the students turn in a collective journal at the end of the semester. They are split into groups by media source location and are required to each have one article per week, plus a reflective sort of write-up for each one. The first time I used this format was last year and the feedback I got on my evaluations about the collective journal was not great. They saw it as a waste of time. I think the problem is that they DIDN'T keep up with the assignment during the semester (big surprise), so they wrote it all at the end and it was a pain.
I don't want to have them turn in things every week, because I already have LOTS of grading for this course. They turn in parts of a paper assignment all semester including doing peer-reviews. Does anyone have suggestions on this news article/journal assignment to make it seem more valuable to them? I think the writing is a great exercise (and this is not a humanities or social science course).
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
The other part of it is that the students turn in a collective journal at the end of the semester. They are split into groups by media source location and are required to each have one article per week, plus a reflective sort of write-up for each one. The first time I used this format was last year and the feedback I got on my evaluations about the collective journal was not great. They saw it as a waste of time. I think the problem is that they DIDN'T keep up with the assignment during the semester (big surprise), so they wrote it all at the end and it was a pain.
I don't want to have them turn in things every week, because I already have LOTS of grading for this course. They turn in parts of a paper assignment all semester including doing peer-reviews. Does anyone have suggestions on this news article/journal assignment to make it seem more valuable to them? I think the writing is a great exercise (and this is not a humanities or social science course).
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
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