Supporting the troops in my own family

My sister is currently deployed in Qatar with the Air Force. She is there without her husband and daughter for the next few months and I want to send her a care package. Now, I can certainly think of things to send, but I'm wondering if anyone else has experience with this and can tell me if there are things that would be difficult for her to get on the base and/or would be useful for her time there. I'm just trying to think of fun things to send! Thanks!

Parenting question

D had an early dismissal last Friday, two snow days this week, and today they had a two hour delay. I don't live in the part of the country that's had the crazy snow, but we've now got about a foot on the ground- which is quite a bit for Small College Town. These snow days aren't a big deal for us, because I work at home on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and H is home on Monday and Wednesday. D is 10 now, so she is pretty self-sufficient. She gets her own breakfast and makes her school lunches, but we always get her lunches at home for her (our microwave is above the stove, so it would be dangerous for her to even warm something up and risk pouring scalding food on her head). We have never left her home alone (except for 15 minutes once or twice in an emergency). I'm not sure what age I'll feel comfortable leaving her home alone for any extended period of time, but I can't see doing it before she's 12 or 13.

I'm really curious to know how others feel about this- it's not entirely clear what is even legal age for being home alone (and it probably differs if the child is alone or is watching younger siblings). I'm asking this because a colleague of mine stopped by the other day and asked if D was home alone (it was one of the snow days). I said that H was home with her (he would have been home anyway). He said that their daughter (who is D's age) was home alone for the day. I don't know that I have a problem with that, but I just can't imagine leaving D like that. I know that our parenting tends to the over-protective end of the spectrum, but I don't think we are completely out of the mainstream either. I know some of you don't have kids or have much younger kids, but maybe you remember from your own experiences- when were you old enough to be left home alone? I don't plan on changing my mind about this, but now I'm kind of wondering if I am just way outside the norm.

What do you think of this?

I am trying to think of things to get my sister-in-law for Xmas. Do think this is weird? I would like it. I am also going to get her a gift box from Lush.

Advent Calendar Question (or Addy is procrastinating)

OK, I never had advent calendars when I was growing up, so I have a question: do you start with #1 so that the date matches your number each day or start with #24 and count down? D has one this year with candy inside little drawers. Each day you turn the drawer around and at the end you have made a picture, too (similar to this one). The #24 is the star at the very top, so I thought it made more sense to open that on Christmas Eve rather than December 1st, but what do I know? Maybe it depends on the calendar? 

Advice?

Things are NOT going well with my RA and I need to have a chat with him/her. It's not just the assistantship work, but also his/her overall performance as a graduate student. As of now, I am the default advisor, but I'm wondering that is the best thing.  This student will not continue as my RA next year unless s/he really buckles down and gets his/her s**t together. My question is this: should I just set up a meeting without being specific about what it's for and drop the bomb then or prepare him/her by explaining my concerns in an email before the meeting? Oh wise, internets... I await your responses!

Grad Student Dilemma (updated)

You may recall the RA drama of last spring, where a new student committed to taking my RA position and coming to Small College Town U. When s/he backed out at the last minute, I scrambled to find someone who had already applied to the program to fill the RA. The student I hired never saw the advertisement for the RA. His/her application did not express interest in my area, but instead mentioned an interest in a different area of research. H assured me that he had encouraged this student to mention that area because it would improve his/her chances of getting accepted into the program. In earlier communication with this student, s/he had told H that s/he wanted to work in my area, so when my RA became available, H suggested him/her. 

Now that this student is here, s/he is sticking to this other area of interest. This is all fine and dandy, but I really wanted an RA who would also work with me as a thesis advisor and work on a thesis related to this grant. This puts me in an awkward situation. I do not believe in forcing grad students to do thesis projects that they are not interested in, so if the student wants to work in this other area that's fine, but I won't get as much out of his/her work for the project. I have money to fund a student for two years, but s/he isn't doing a thesis related to the project, I feel like I'd rather find someone else for next year. This is also not ideal, because I would have to train the new person later. I also hate to tell this student that s/he won't have an RA next year if s/he isn't going to do a thesis related to the project (s/he would still have a TA). I don't even know if my RA knows that s/he was last-minute replacement and I hate to share that, but this is really a problem.

Any ideas? Help!

ETA: I had a talk with RA this morning and I think we are on the same page now. S/he is willing to do a thesis connected with the project and this doesn't exclude the other area s/he had been talking about. I am feeling much better about things now. I think s/he will be a good student!

Phone Recommendations?

I'm due for my "free" (with two-year contract renewal) phone, but I don't know what I should get. I am still pretty happy with my RAZR from two years ago, but it's always fun to get a new phone. Any suggestions? Do you have a phone that you love?

Shopping advice? updated

Is it worth spending $100 on a maternity suit from Ann Taylor Loft? It is on sale... It pains me to spend too much on clothes that I will wear for only a few months in the fall, but I will have to have something to wear to work!

UPDATE: Well, I caved before I even heard from anyone, because this dress was on sale for $9.88 (from $84.00!!) I got the suit, too and one other top (in black). Thanks for helping me rationalize my retail therapy, Dr. Brazen Hussy!

New blog name?

OK, everyone. I have an assignment for you. I need to think of a NEW name for this blog. I am not officially an Associate Professor until July 1st, but I have been "granted tenure" (it's in our University newspaper and everything), so I'm not really "an untenured college professor" any more. I will likely leave the URL the way it is, but I would like to change the name. This blog is still a bit of a source of procrastination for me, but really has become more of a fun writing outlet, so I'm not sure that the procrastination theme really still holds. But what do you think? What name would encompass the sort of things I write about here?

Where Addy becomes "Dear Addy"

Well, it's happened again. A blog reader has emailed to ask a question! This time it's about career advice (!) I got his permission to post his email, so here it is:

Hi there,

My name is Eager Teacher* and I want to be a college professor. I have been surfing the net looking for good sources on this topic. I am currently enrolled in an MBA program, that I am solely in to attain a "useful," masters.

My fear is that I am not going to be able to get a job teaching. I don't know where to start. I currently earn 60k/year as an accountant and I need to maintain this salary. I will have my masters done next year and I want to go right into teaching. Is community college or adjunct teaching my only option?

I was also wondering, what does teaching really entail? I want to be a professor because I want to teach, I am not as interested in research. I do understand research is crucial to being a well paid professor, so I can do it if i need to. Should I start now, what should I do research on?

What is an average week like? How many hours do you teach, and what else do you do? Do you work over the summer?

Like I said, I saw your blog and I thought I'd shoot you an E-mail. Thanks for listening.


My reply:
Thanks for your email. I would like to post your email on my blog if you don't mind so that others can give their input, as well. It sounds like you are in the business field (since you are getting your MBA). That is not a discipline I am too familiar with, but I would think that you need a PhD for most full-time positions. You can probably teach part time with an MBA, though. The most important thing you should do is to talk to some of your current professors to get more specific advice. If you earn a PhD and land a tenure-track job in business, you will certainly be able to earn more than your current salary. I know that the faculty in the business school at my university sometimes make double what I make! I'm sorry I don't have any specific advice- I think you are really better off talking to someone in that discipline. Let me know if you have other specific questions I might be able to answer.


His follow-up:
Feel free to post my E-mail. any input would be great. I do have more questions. I am trying to get a day in the life perspective, of what I might expect if teaching adjunct vs full time. Also, have you been published, if so, how do you start the process?


More from me:
For a day in the life perspective, it would actually be useful to read some more academic bloggers and hear about what we all go through on a day-to-day basis. Yes, I have published several papers. Since I am in a science discipline my papers are always based on studies I've done. You should look at journals in your discipline and see what kind of papers are being published. Hopefully some others will comment here!

If you have advice for Eager Teacher, please post some comments! This is the sort of thing that needs many perspectives....

*Obviously, my ridiculous "Dear Abby" style pseudonym!

Very cool.

All this time, I thought that it was other academics reading my blog, and it turns out at least one student is, too! Even better than that- she asked for some advice!

Here is her question:
I had a personal issue arise that will be bringing me out of state for my first week of classes.
I don't start for another week and want my professors ASAP to know that I'm not a slacker and plan on bringing the books w/ me out of town to look over and if I can get a copy of the syllabus that would be great. They are all entry level classes, I'm returning to school in a different state than I started with much different standards.

Is it that simple, just to say that? I'm not looking for the best BS to make up or anything.
I just want to say it in the best possible way.

My response:
You are in an interesting situation- that's great that you see it as a something that should be approached delicately so as not to offend your professors. There's no easy answer, though. I think everyone will have a different response to it, so it's hard to give advice on the best approach. I actually would like to post part of your email on my blog so I can get feedback from others if you don't mind. (just let me know)*she consented.

If it were my class, here is the advice I would give: you want to be sure not to seem too demanding about your absence. If you can go and see your profs in person before leaving that would be great. Getting emails from students before the class starts requesting materials because they have to miss the first week is usually not a favorite. Instead of asking for the syllabus to be emailed- ask if it will be posted online (or on Blackboard or WebCT). Ask if you need to purchase any items in addition to your textbook. If you have to do it that way, just don't ask for a lot of things from the professor. When you do get back, go see them in person (not just 5 minutes before class) to let them know that you tried to keep up while away (but don't ask for lecture notes- you can get those from a classmate). When you come back from your trip, if you make it clear that you are serious about your classes when you get back, any misgivings your professors might have had should evaporate. You don't need to be overly apologetic- just be straightforward.

If anyone else has suggestions for this reader, please comment below. Thanks!

Reading Packets

Question: If you use a course reading packet, how much do you change the contents each semester?

Guess what this is... UPDATED

ETA: OK- I'll tell you: They are the coolest bath toys ever! We bought them at Cost Plus (World Market) the other night. They light up when you complete the circuit (they have two small contact points on the bottom). That means that they flash the entire time they are in the bathtub! D had a blast with the lights off during her bath- I steadied the camera on the counter to reduce the blur (no tripod). They are called "Disco Frogs"

Summer Research Question...

To all you big grant-getters out there, I have a question. If you have one month summer salary for a project, how much of your actual time do you think should be devoted to said project? I realize in many cases, the time is just an estimate and you work on it as much as required, but if you were collaborating in a consulting sort of context (but NOT budgeted in an hourly way), would you consider it worth four weeks of full time work (160 hours?) or half time? or would you figure it another way? Please post your interpretations and experiences in the comments.

Thanks!

Question to the blogosphere...

Would you include an acknowledgments slide in a job talk? (at the end)

Job Developments

The day I left for this conference, I found out that Dream Job had made an offer to someone else (they were in negotiations at that point). Yesterday, I got an invitation for an interview at Mountain U! They want me to come the week after I get back, but I can't miss any more classes. I asked to come the following week (our finals week), so we'll see if that works for them. They invited by e-mail- no phone call. I thought that was kind of unusual. I'm very excited. I don't know a thing about the department (other than it is SMALL), so we'll see how it goes. It would be a GREAT place to live, I think. The cost of living is the same or possibly lower than my current location, so all the dilemmas with my first two interviews are not as much of an issue. I'll keep you posted!

My talk went fine yesterday, but nobody asked questions! I was disappointed by that. I have a lot of work to do before next week's talk, but we're visiting friends today and enjoying the rest of the conference! A question to the blogosphere now: what do think of knitting during conferences? Have you seen anyone doing that? If so, what is your opinion?

Am I giving away the conference location? sshhh...

Job Application Question

OK, blogosphere, here's a question for you:

I am sending out one last application (don't they have a late deadline?). In their ad, they only request a letter, vita, & list of references. I usually include publications and sample teaching materials, too. I emailed the search committee chair two weeks ago to see if they really just wanted the bare minimum or if they were happy to receive additional materials. I have not heard back. I have posted sample teaching materials on my website and already had pubs there (and I have mentioned this in my cover letter), so do you think I should still include one or two articles with my application? I don't want to annoy them if they really just want what they ask, but I hate to have such a thin file deciding my fate!

Any thoughts would be appreciated!