rough draft: email policy

Comments? Additions or subtractions? Does it sound too... overbearing?

(Edited to make sure no one could "find" me from this next semester.)

Is the semester over yet?

I just got an email from some random AOL address saying (I quote) "can you please send me another syllabus."

That's it. No signature, no course number, nothing. (No subject line, even.)

My response was "Sure! Who are you and what course are you taking from me?"

*grumble*

Milk Moon?

I simply cannot make up my mind whether to order this or not. The Milk Moon at BPAL goes away tomorrow, and I either get over this, or order it. Nothing else tempts me in the LE's except for the Monster Baits, but those I can probably test before ordering bottles (they're up for much longer).

Wait, "until April 5th" means through April 5th, right? Not midnight of April 4th? Crap.

Update: I'm such a freak. I went over there and got to the final stage of the order, and then backed out at the last minute. Part of the issue is that if I order one bottle I really should order the other (non-LE) one I want (shipping and all, you know?) but then I'm at $40 and I think about ... other things to do with $40?

Although, you know, I do put $40 a week aside for not smoking, and I'm supposed to be able to use that as I wish.

Oh, bother. I'm going to freak out over this until I finally go to bed.

Today I started revising chapter one. I live in fear of revising chapter two, but it won't happen for at least another month and this chapter is in decent shape.

Current issues:

• I've come to realize that what I had going in my rough of chapter three is really more development for chapter one. This is good in terms of expanding chapter one, but not so good in terms of where chapter three is at. Note, however, that this is why I'm returning to one & two (because I had no idea, anymore, what I'd said in them).
• I may well have to abandon my current "ethical" method of research. Yes, I've been struggling with this for two years, and yes, it's essentially what is holding up the whole dissertation. I'm really ambivalent about the stance I've taken on this, and at times it all seems rather silly to me. Neither of my advisers wants to advise on this, which leaves me sad and lonely. Seriously: if it were being published I would be more concerned about the anonymity issues... but it's going to be in the dissertation cage in the library, FFS.

Goodbye, Friday morning.

Where do weekends go? Where?

After yet another weekend of not accomplishing a damn thing, I'm heading into the office early to get some grading done. If I would sit down for a couple hours on Sunday and plow through this stuff, I would be able to sleep in until 8am most mornings (and 9am on Fridays!) but I never do.

I had an odd email from a grad student asking me for recommendations in my field of research. In theory, this isn't abnormal, but the actual email was odd. She was obviously trying to use the "proper academic language," which in our field means everything gets "problematized" and issues have "facets" and... blah, blah, blah. Fine, fine, she's just new, but the problem with the email was that it made no sense. I've been trying to come up with a parallel to the email to explain why it made no sense, but I can't even do that.

Must go grade papers. Ack.

Hello, Friday morning!

I'm this close to having a break. This close. Next weekend is *gasp* a five-day weekend, followed by day of showing a really cool TV show in class. So that's really six days off, I tell ya. In a row.

I just accepted my fifth class for next semester. Is that crazed? I've been teaching the 4/4 load for awhile, and I've taught all these before but one... and it will mean a good money semester, because two of the classes are well paid.

Honestly? I realized that if I took this one-night-a-week course, I could pay back a lot of credit card debt next semester, and even have the occasional dinner out.

Fall is also an easier semester in some ways, because the date for Thanksgiving break is set in stone (unlike Spring break). Rather than having a day off here, and a day off there (here a day, there a day, everywhere a day day?) it's a single vacation period for all schools... er, much like Easter, I guess. Except, longer. I know many schools have a shorter "fall break" as well, about halfway through the semester, but for some reason it's always not on days when I teach.

Anyway, wish me luck on the rescheduling I'm shooting for... I'm trying to get two of my classes scheduled for MW, which would mean a pretty intense four-day schedule, but no Friday class.

Mood: bad to evil

Why can moods change on a dime? I was feeling pretty good about today in general - prepared for my night class, a bit behind on grading but close to being caught up, well-rested - and suddenly I'm just feeling... evil. Like, in such a bad mood that I could happily throw and break things.

Part of it is that I can't work out my TV components, which is just plain silly. Months ago, Mr. Squirrel tried to "fix something" by rearranging the cords between the DVR, DVD, VCR and TV. Ever since then, the whole system has been messed up, but it's such a pain in the ass to get behind the TV that I haven't bothered to fix it. Now, when I really wanted to copy something from the DVR to a VHS tape for class, I can't. And I spent 1/2 hour trying to crawl over, around, and under things to fix it, and it didn't help.

Arrrrrrggghhhhhh!!!

Other than that, things are just fine, I guess. I still have to write a paper for a rapidly approaching conference, and straighten out my funding for it (so that I can actually go!)... and I have a book review to write by Friday that I keep meaning to start...

Sigh. I think the lack of a "real" Spring Break makes things worse. I certainly could have used a full week off, I tell you.

Later, update: mood improving. May need more coffee.

Though I'm disappointed that nothing interesting came in the mail, today, I'm feeling slightly better after a shower and some Hollywood Babylon ("glittering Egyptian amber and heliotrope, infused with the sweetness of strawberry and vanilla - dragged into debauch by lusty red musk and a dribble of black cherry"). It's sweet, but not sticky-sweet.

Have made a 4-day To Do List, which looks utterly horrible but can probably be accomplished. I have stopped trying to grade more than 10-15 papers in one sitting, so there are multiple "grade papers" periods throughout these four days.

I may let my class out early tonight. I keep saying this - I've said it every night this semester - but I really may do it this time.