I didn't know that I had a "You're thinking of getting driving gloves!?" face. Apparently, it looks just like my "You're all just a bunch of idiots!" face.
Who knew!? I sure didn't. Apparently Riley does....and I don't mind. He told me to put it on when I had to "play teacher" this morning. Nothing like a hilarious 8AM text to start your day on the right foot. Thanks Hun.
Background - Riley owns an '06 Corvette....he's kind of OCD about it. So OCD that he's a little....or a lot...worried about how his grubby hands will get his steering wheel even grubbier. He threatened one day to get driving gloves. Apparently I gave him a dirty look. That was 3 years ago. He never bought the driving gloves.
I guess whenever he brings up driving gloves or any crazy idea, I still give him a dirty look. I have a feeling when we're old and gray....well, when I'm old and gray and he's older and grayer...I'll still be giving the ol' fart a rough time about his non-existent driving gloves.
The reason it made me smile, I'm really not sure. I guess it's because there's someone in my life, one of my best friends actually, that cares and knows enough about me to distinguish between my "You're thinking about getting driving gloves!?" face and my "You're all just a bunch of idiots!" face, and then feels free to call me on it in the early hours of the AM.
Thanks Ry.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Emotional Rollercoaster
The last 2 hours has been an emotional rollercoaster.
When I waltzed into the Graham Center this morning, at 10:00.....an hour or two late...I was greeted by a tiny little colleague with open arms for a hug. She and I don't normally hug...so this was a little weird, but refreshing.
Turns out the "crew" was building 6-Word-Memoirs to vent out their frustrations in a creative way. This is why I love working with a writing center. I think the creative outlet helps boost my innovation and imagination when it comes to research and my project. Anyways, the quotes range from "Oops! And then there was silence..." to "There's no sense eating bad chocolate"....and mine: "Maybe didn't think this thing through."
That's exactly how I felt this morning....maybe I didn't think this through....double teaching, term papers, assignments, students....blah, blah, blah. You saw the list on my last post, I don't need to make it over again. Either way, I'm feeling a little swamped; more swamped than when I was in industry. That, and my bank account is taking a nose dive. Beer ain't cheap.
Just as I was starting to deal with the swamped-ness, I came across a statement in a paper I was reading about how bone deals with fracture mechanisms. Yay, the magic of bone! It's about vertebral bone, but it's still bone. They looked at 3 different fracture mechanisms and then evaluated the mechanical properties and the integrity of what was left. I found out that bone fractures a certain way so that when it fractures it can still be functional...to a certain degree of course, you get a total fracture, you're kind of screwed. But as far as microfractures, bone is still able to keep going, to give it time to heal. AWESOME!! I tried explaining this to my mechanics class yesterday, they seemed interested, but I think it was only because I was so excited about it.
I was excited about it again. Within an hour I went from, "Shit, I don't know if this is right for me. I'm stressed, I'm swamped, I'm miserable, I'm ignoring my dog, my personal life is in the toilet and I'm having a bad hair day!" to "This is amazing! I LOVE BONE!!!"
From "Maybe didn't think this thing through" to "This just might be my calling."
This just might be my calling. (blurry eyes)
When I waltzed into the Graham Center this morning, at 10:00.....an hour or two late...I was greeted by a tiny little colleague with open arms for a hug. She and I don't normally hug...so this was a little weird, but refreshing.
Turns out the "crew" was building 6-Word-Memoirs to vent out their frustrations in a creative way. This is why I love working with a writing center. I think the creative outlet helps boost my innovation and imagination when it comes to research and my project. Anyways, the quotes range from "Oops! And then there was silence..." to "There's no sense eating bad chocolate"....and mine: "Maybe didn't think this thing through."
That's exactly how I felt this morning....maybe I didn't think this through....double teaching, term papers, assignments, students....blah, blah, blah. You saw the list on my last post, I don't need to make it over again. Either way, I'm feeling a little swamped; more swamped than when I was in industry. That, and my bank account is taking a nose dive. Beer ain't cheap.
Just as I was starting to deal with the swamped-ness, I came across a statement in a paper I was reading about how bone deals with fracture mechanisms. Yay, the magic of bone! It's about vertebral bone, but it's still bone. They looked at 3 different fracture mechanisms and then evaluated the mechanical properties and the integrity of what was left. I found out that bone fractures a certain way so that when it fractures it can still be functional...to a certain degree of course, you get a total fracture, you're kind of screwed. But as far as microfractures, bone is still able to keep going, to give it time to heal. AWESOME!! I tried explaining this to my mechanics class yesterday, they seemed interested, but I think it was only because I was so excited about it.
I was excited about it again. Within an hour I went from, "Shit, I don't know if this is right for me. I'm stressed, I'm swamped, I'm miserable, I'm ignoring my dog, my personal life is in the toilet and I'm having a bad hair day!" to "This is amazing! I LOVE BONE!!!"
From "Maybe didn't think this thing through" to "This just might be my calling."
This just might be my calling. (blurry eyes)
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Beatings will continue until morale improves.
Three weeks ago, I stocked my fridge with a 12-bottle variety pack from Paddockwood, a cube of Pilsner (yeah, I know I can do better, but it was sitting in my closet since Craven and I finally had room in the fridge for it), a 4-pack of Guinness, a 6-pack of Harp and a 6-pack of Smithwicks. I wish I would have taken a picture. I wasn't thinking. There was more beer in there than anything else. For those counting, that's 52 new beer, plus whatever I had in there before.....call it 60 beer.
Today, there's 7 bottles from Paddockwood, 16 or so Pil, 2 Guinness, 1 Harp and 1....no wait....no Smithwicks (the last one is in a glass near my LEFT hand). That's 26 beer left....less than half. Doesn't even come close to an accurate total count of drinks I've had when I've gone out over the last 3 weeks. In between there was St. Paddy's Day (didn't bother counting), Ag Bio Grad (2 @ Winston's, 2 @ the Longbranch), Skit Skit (3 @ Winston's, 4 @ the Scuz after) and Fishapalooza (again, didn't bother counting). That's a lot of booze in 3 weeks.
I didn't think that anything could drive me to drinking. Well, I've been proven wrong. The source of my frustration....STUDENTS!! I blame students. If I have premature liver failure, I'm going to blame my students. Point blank. Even CNH couldn't drive me to drinking. These students should get a medal....or at least some sort of recognition, other than me just bitching at them....and that's some sort of recognition in itself.
I just hope my liver can keep up for the next 5 weeks. Two term papers, 3 assignments, 1 take-home final, 1 written final, 1 final to design, 2 finals to give....and grade, 19 term papers and portfolios to mark, 1 project proposal and a partridge in a pear tree. (sing it out, it actually works quite well)
Today, there's 7 bottles from Paddockwood, 16 or so Pil, 2 Guinness, 1 Harp and 1....no wait....no Smithwicks (the last one is in a glass near my LEFT hand). That's 26 beer left....less than half. Doesn't even come close to an accurate total count of drinks I've had when I've gone out over the last 3 weeks. In between there was St. Paddy's Day (didn't bother counting), Ag Bio Grad (2 @ Winston's, 2 @ the Longbranch), Skit Skit (3 @ Winston's, 4 @ the Scuz after) and Fishapalooza (again, didn't bother counting). That's a lot of booze in 3 weeks.
I didn't think that anything could drive me to drinking. Well, I've been proven wrong. The source of my frustration....STUDENTS!! I blame students. If I have premature liver failure, I'm going to blame my students. Point blank. Even CNH couldn't drive me to drinking. These students should get a medal....or at least some sort of recognition, other than me just bitching at them....and that's some sort of recognition in itself.
I just hope my liver can keep up for the next 5 weeks. Two term papers, 3 assignments, 1 take-home final, 1 written final, 1 final to design, 2 finals to give....and grade, 19 term papers and portfolios to mark, 1 project proposal and a partridge in a pear tree. (sing it out, it actually works quite well)
Saturday, March 26, 2011
I don't understand how he's not a super-villain yet....
Narrator - "In day to day life, there are two separate yet equally important groups: the awesome, who make Dena laugh uncontrollably, and the should-be super-villains, who puzzle her to death. These are their stories....." (Dah, dah)..
(Cue police sirens, cut to scene inside a biohazard lab, shit has apparently gone bad, broken glass every where and the chalk outline of a Petri dish is on the counter)
First Investigator - "Apparently they were swallowed."
Second Investigator - "But who would knowingly swallow mutated spores?"
First Investigator - "Someone who's waiting in awe for a scientific discovery."
(Hot blonde lady investigator enters, plastic bag full of green glowing goo in hand)
Blondie - "Hey guys, you'll wanna have a look at this! Apparently some allergins got into the mix. He's gone mad!"
First Investigator - "How do you know it's a 'He'?"
Blondie - "Because he left his computer on 'Kitten wearing a tiny hat'. Only men are that twisted to enjoy that shit." (Dah Dah)
(End Scene)
But in all seriousness, I have no idea how my buddy Brent is not a super-villain yet. The previous story happened to him one day in the lab and it has all the making of a comic book super-villain.
He works in a lab where they develop new bacteria that's used in innoculents for crop production.
The project he was working on was one where he developed mutated microbes of some sort.
First element - working with mutants - check
They had to be kept under UV light to stop them from growing excessively.
Second element - working in the dark - check
Brent is allergic to penicillin, which is what they were working on.
Third element - human aversion to product produced - check
Oh, and did I mention there was SCIENCE! involved.
Forth element - SCIENCE! - check
Have you ever met Brent. He's semi-crazy, tall and skinny, semi-crazy and way to passionate about microbes and YouTube.
Fifth element - Crazy passionate about his work - check
He was looking at the microbes, in the dark, under UV light and couldn't get a clear look at the medium so he put the dish above his face to get a better perspective.
Sixth element - Lab accident in the making - check
He had his mouth open, prepared for scientific discovery, when he tipped the dish, and the microbes slipped into his open mouth......all this happening in the dark.
Seventh element - Human ingestion of mutated microbes in a darkened lab - Ding! Ding! Ding!
Super-Villain in the MAKING!!!
Now, life would be way more interesting if he actually did start mutating on the spot, mostly because Brent is allergic to penicillin too. But he didn't. Sad face. Not that I want my friends to turn into super-villains...or super-hero, which seems a little more likely because it wasn't premeditated, but only an accident (heroes are more often born out of accidents, super-villains are born of pre-meditation)....but knowing that the actual comic book stories really aren't that far from real life. Or, at least the real life of my friends. Who are awesome, because their real life resembles a comic book.
In all honesty, Brent would make a better super-villain than a super-hero. He's too bitter and angry to be a hero. :P
(Cue police sirens, cut to scene inside a biohazard lab, shit has apparently gone bad, broken glass every where and the chalk outline of a Petri dish is on the counter)
First Investigator - "Apparently they were swallowed."
Second Investigator - "But who would knowingly swallow mutated spores?"
First Investigator - "Someone who's waiting in awe for a scientific discovery."
(Hot blonde lady investigator enters, plastic bag full of green glowing goo in hand)
Blondie - "Hey guys, you'll wanna have a look at this! Apparently some allergins got into the mix. He's gone mad!"
First Investigator - "How do you know it's a 'He'?"
Blondie - "Because he left his computer on 'Kitten wearing a tiny hat'. Only men are that twisted to enjoy that shit." (Dah Dah)
(End Scene)
But in all seriousness, I have no idea how my buddy Brent is not a super-villain yet. The previous story happened to him one day in the lab and it has all the making of a comic book super-villain.
He works in a lab where they develop new bacteria that's used in innoculents for crop production.
The project he was working on was one where he developed mutated microbes of some sort.
First element - working with mutants - check
They had to be kept under UV light to stop them from growing excessively.
Second element - working in the dark - check
Brent is allergic to penicillin, which is what they were working on.
Third element - human aversion to product produced - check
Oh, and did I mention there was SCIENCE! involved.
Forth element - SCIENCE! - check
Have you ever met Brent. He's semi-crazy, tall and skinny, semi-crazy and way to passionate about microbes and YouTube.
Fifth element - Crazy passionate about his work - check
He was looking at the microbes, in the dark, under UV light and couldn't get a clear look at the medium so he put the dish above his face to get a better perspective.
Sixth element - Lab accident in the making - check
He had his mouth open, prepared for scientific discovery, when he tipped the dish, and the microbes slipped into his open mouth......all this happening in the dark.
Seventh element - Human ingestion of mutated microbes in a darkened lab - Ding! Ding! Ding!
Super-Villain in the MAKING!!!
Now, life would be way more interesting if he actually did start mutating on the spot, mostly because Brent is allergic to penicillin too. But he didn't. Sad face. Not that I want my friends to turn into super-villains...or super-hero, which seems a little more likely because it wasn't premeditated, but only an accident (heroes are more often born out of accidents, super-villains are born of pre-meditation)....but knowing that the actual comic book stories really aren't that far from real life. Or, at least the real life of my friends. Who are awesome, because their real life resembles a comic book.
In all honesty, Brent would make a better super-villain than a super-hero. He's too bitter and angry to be a hero. :P
Friday, March 25, 2011
How to get "free" pies from students. A lesson learned from Joy Agnew....my office buddy.
So, I was in my office at school, working on a paper and my office-mate strolls in carrying a lemon meringue pie. Jealous!...but the story has a moral.
For those unaware, this past week was Pi-throw. The engineering students run around campus and the city pi-ing people in the face for charity. You buy a pie, have them take it to someone and they can either take it in the face for free, make it a problem for someone else for $10 or buy it out for $20. (I always wondered what people did when they bought it out...can't say I'd be eating a pie that had been sitting in a car all day.....)
Either way, one of her students had a pi sent to her. She really didn't want to take it in the face and was broke, so she offered to buy the pi from her and send it on. Win/Win/Win. Student doesn't have smelly lemon pie filling in her hair all day, SESS gets charity monies, Office-mate looks like a hero. Well, word got out about the student weaseling her way out of the first pi, so she ended up getting pi-ed later that class. Poor her.
But here's the fun part. Today, that same student brought her an actual pie, all wrapped up real pretty-like, as a thank-you for helping her dodge the first one. Win!
Moral of the story, carry $10 with you on pi-throw week and divert one of your students' pies. Just make sure it's a student that you figure will bring you an actual edible pie the next day.
I put myself on the no-pi list and gave the charity $50. I don't want my classes interrupted for one, and for two, I really don't want smelly pie filling in my face/hair/eyelashes for the day. Ewww. I'm one of those targets that I can see having a lot of pis sent to. I was being proactive....or so I thought.
For those unaware, this past week was Pi-throw. The engineering students run around campus and the city pi-ing people in the face for charity. You buy a pie, have them take it to someone and they can either take it in the face for free, make it a problem for someone else for $10 or buy it out for $20. (I always wondered what people did when they bought it out...can't say I'd be eating a pie that had been sitting in a car all day.....)
Either way, one of her students had a pi sent to her. She really didn't want to take it in the face and was broke, so she offered to buy the pi from her and send it on. Win/Win/Win. Student doesn't have smelly lemon pie filling in her hair all day, SESS gets charity monies, Office-mate looks like a hero. Well, word got out about the student weaseling her way out of the first pi, so she ended up getting pi-ed later that class. Poor her.
But here's the fun part. Today, that same student brought her an actual pie, all wrapped up real pretty-like, as a thank-you for helping her dodge the first one. Win!
Moral of the story, carry $10 with you on pi-throw week and divert one of your students' pies. Just make sure it's a student that you figure will bring you an actual edible pie the next day.
I put myself on the no-pi list and gave the charity $50. I don't want my classes interrupted for one, and for two, I really don't want smelly pie filling in my face/hair/eyelashes for the day. Ewww. I'm one of those targets that I can see having a lot of pis sent to. I was being proactive....or so I thought.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
If you haven't seen this yet, you should.....
Baby Monkey. Riding Backwards. On a Pig. Baby Monkey.
That is all.
That is all.
Playing the procrastination card....again
I really have nothing "urgent" to work on right now....and honestly, only about 45 mins to concentrate before I have to go teach again. I'll just start to focus, jet get going and I'll have to pack-up, leave and start a new train of thought.
Maybe I'll justify it as legitimately needing a break. I haven't had many breaks over the last few weeks, I'll take what I can get. I miss "Me" time. By "Me time" I mean Me and Chaos, sitting on the couch, crafting, reading, lounging, whatever. This morning, I really didn't want to get out of bed, and she really didn't help the matter. She saw that I was awake, and did her little sleepy puppy stretches, and stretched right onto my chest.....and started to sleep again. Sure didn't help the getting out of bed situation. Either way, we both ended up losing. Maybe Monday I'll work from home....so we can both win.
Tomorrow morning I'm getting a massage. I'm kind of excited about it. Three months in and my back is in pain....really in pain. I know of 5 knots.....5....FIVE!
All signs point to being hunched over in front of a computer for 13 hours a day (give or take, of course). I'm looking forward to being in pain, mostly because the pain will make the tension go away.
On the plus side, I have ABSOLUTELY NO MARKING TO DO THIS WEEKEND!!! I won't be screaming in pain and having a small bulldog attempting to come to my rescue. I won't want to gauge my eyes out, I won't want to bang my head on a brick wall, I won't shake my head in disgust, I won't find the need to face-palm every 10 minutes. It's going to be AWESOME!!!
Maybe I'll actually be able to get something done. Or not.
Maybe I'll justify it as legitimately needing a break. I haven't had many breaks over the last few weeks, I'll take what I can get. I miss "Me" time. By "Me time" I mean Me and Chaos, sitting on the couch, crafting, reading, lounging, whatever. This morning, I really didn't want to get out of bed, and she really didn't help the matter. She saw that I was awake, and did her little sleepy puppy stretches, and stretched right onto my chest.....and started to sleep again. Sure didn't help the getting out of bed situation. Either way, we both ended up losing. Maybe Monday I'll work from home....so we can both win.
Tomorrow morning I'm getting a massage. I'm kind of excited about it. Three months in and my back is in pain....really in pain. I know of 5 knots.....5....FIVE!
All signs point to being hunched over in front of a computer for 13 hours a day (give or take, of course). I'm looking forward to being in pain, mostly because the pain will make the tension go away.
On the plus side, I have ABSOLUTELY NO MARKING TO DO THIS WEEKEND!!! I won't be screaming in pain and having a small bulldog attempting to come to my rescue. I won't want to gauge my eyes out, I won't want to bang my head on a brick wall, I won't shake my head in disgust, I won't find the need to face-palm every 10 minutes. It's going to be AWESOME!!!
Maybe I'll actually be able to get something done. Or not.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Was that the storm before the calm before the storm???
This last week has been pretty chill. It's about fucking time!
This weekend, I didn't work 60 hours....I worked maybe 12......maybe. I didn't get ALL my lesson planning done, but I did get a good start and should be able to finish most of it either tonight, tomorrow or Wednesday. So that's do-able.
My only complaint about this last weekend is that my students don't know how to construct a well-thought-out, well-researched argument. I wanted to throw some papers across the room. I would scream in agony and Choas would come running from her "spot" and see what was up. I don't blame her. I wanted to claw my eyes out.
Guess what we're doing Tuesday!? We're going to learn how to construct and research an argument! YAY!! (I'm really starting to wonder what they teach them, if anything, in the College of Ag. I have this feeling that I should talk to someone in administration at the end of the term. Either way, I'm still questioning the validity of my Ag degree.)
Note: It's really hard to type with a bulldog on your lap.
Either way, since last Tuesday night, life's been less complicated and a little more chill. I went out Thursday, Friday and was well hungover until late afternoon on Saturday. I managed to meet one awesome new person each day since Wednesday. At this rate, by the end of next month, the world may just run out of awesome people to meet.
All I know....is that this week, I should be able to fit all I need to do into my 9-5...and maybe 1 or 2 hours in the evening...not 4 or 5 like the week before last. I almost forget what free time feels like. Almost.
This weekend, I didn't work 60 hours....I worked maybe 12......maybe. I didn't get ALL my lesson planning done, but I did get a good start and should be able to finish most of it either tonight, tomorrow or Wednesday. So that's do-able.
My only complaint about this last weekend is that my students don't know how to construct a well-thought-out, well-researched argument. I wanted to throw some papers across the room. I would scream in agony and Choas would come running from her "spot" and see what was up. I don't blame her. I wanted to claw my eyes out.
Guess what we're doing Tuesday!? We're going to learn how to construct and research an argument! YAY!! (I'm really starting to wonder what they teach them, if anything, in the College of Ag. I have this feeling that I should talk to someone in administration at the end of the term. Either way, I'm still questioning the validity of my Ag degree.)
Note: It's really hard to type with a bulldog on your lap.
Either way, since last Tuesday night, life's been less complicated and a little more chill. I went out Thursday, Friday and was well hungover until late afternoon on Saturday. I managed to meet one awesome new person each day since Wednesday. At this rate, by the end of next month, the world may just run out of awesome people to meet.
All I know....is that this week, I should be able to fit all I need to do into my 9-5...and maybe 1 or 2 hours in the evening...not 4 or 5 like the week before last. I almost forget what free time feels like. Almost.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
I've forgotten what a "night off" feels like
Tonight was my second "night off" in about a month. My last legitimate night off was the night after my Gramma's funeral...and that really wasn't a night off, so it kinda counts, but not really. Either way, it's been so long that I honestly have no idea what to do with myself.
It's not that I don't have stuff to do...hell, I have 3 presentations to build for next week, an assignment due next Monday and all that other jazz, but I made a deal with myself that I'm not going to build teaching presentations until the weekend, when I do my marking. (Which likely won't all get done, but I really don't care at this point. My students have been pretty spoiled up to now as far as promptly getting assignments back, I'm sure they'll understnd if I don't get them the last one back on time.)
I'm going to tackle the other presentation and the assignment tomorrow and Friday during normal working hours. I should be able to kill them both off before the weekend to tell the truth, and if I don't I'm procrastinating too much to be honest.
Either way, after the last 2 weeks of incredibly high stress levels, I decided that tonight I will come home and do ABSOLUTELY NO SCHOOL WORK. Which, so far I've been able to do fairly successfully. The only documents I've touched so far is stuff that needs to be printed off, and honestly that really doesn't count, because I'm playing games in the background. :)
I did some LEGO-ing, some reading, some TV watching, lots of playing with Chaos and I even had a bath. I haven't had a relaxing bath in about 6 weeks. I used to have a bath a week. I think I'm a little behind. That said, there aren't many things in life better than "shower beer"....."bath beer" is one of them.
I think tonight I may finish the book that I bumped up on my "For Pleasure" reading list, because it was related to class material. That honestly doesn't count as school work. We weren't required to read it, I'm just THAT nerdy. The next book is the 7th Sookie Stackhouse novel. It makes up for the excessive nerdiness lately.
I met with my super-laid-back advisor today, for the first time in about a month. We're changing the direction for my project, mostly because he has funding that needs to be used right meow, I haven't submitted a proposal yet and he's comfortable in knowing that I'm in for the long haul. Also, the funding is for a full 2 years, starting last November, meaning that I still have to hunt for $$, but the pressure isn't on like it used to be.
I think I can handle this project better than the one I was planning on doing. All the data is collected, I just need to do the analysis, build the equation and call it my own. Likely easier said than done, but if I put my nose to the grindstone, we both figure that I should/could be able to finish the Master's component in a little over a year...meaning next April I could have the first phase done and starting on my Ph. D. research next summer. (That's my timeline, his was a little more extended. I honestly don't want to drag out the intermediate degree any longer than I honestly have to).
That would be pretty wicked actually. I could spend more time where it matters. It would be like the "by-pass Master's to Ph.D. program", but better. I'd actually be well on the way to completing and defending the Master's phase before I take the dive into Ph. D.
The only problem I see is that I'll need to fit in 6 months of actual engineering work between the 2 degrees to get my P. Eng. I'll have to look into seeing if my teaching experience counts. If it does, I'm likely part-way there already.
On a side note, my supervisor is pretty awesome. He almost went all "Office Space" on his cordless keyboard in the middle of our meeting. Sounds like something I would do.
It's not that I don't have stuff to do...hell, I have 3 presentations to build for next week, an assignment due next Monday and all that other jazz, but I made a deal with myself that I'm not going to build teaching presentations until the weekend, when I do my marking. (Which likely won't all get done, but I really don't care at this point. My students have been pretty spoiled up to now as far as promptly getting assignments back, I'm sure they'll understnd if I don't get them the last one back on time.)
I'm going to tackle the other presentation and the assignment tomorrow and Friday during normal working hours. I should be able to kill them both off before the weekend to tell the truth, and if I don't I'm procrastinating too much to be honest.
Either way, after the last 2 weeks of incredibly high stress levels, I decided that tonight I will come home and do ABSOLUTELY NO SCHOOL WORK. Which, so far I've been able to do fairly successfully. The only documents I've touched so far is stuff that needs to be printed off, and honestly that really doesn't count, because I'm playing games in the background. :)
I did some LEGO-ing, some reading, some TV watching, lots of playing with Chaos and I even had a bath. I haven't had a relaxing bath in about 6 weeks. I used to have a bath a week. I think I'm a little behind. That said, there aren't many things in life better than "shower beer"....."bath beer" is one of them.
I think tonight I may finish the book that I bumped up on my "For Pleasure" reading list, because it was related to class material. That honestly doesn't count as school work. We weren't required to read it, I'm just THAT nerdy. The next book is the 7th Sookie Stackhouse novel. It makes up for the excessive nerdiness lately.
I met with my super-laid-back advisor today, for the first time in about a month. We're changing the direction for my project, mostly because he has funding that needs to be used right meow, I haven't submitted a proposal yet and he's comfortable in knowing that I'm in for the long haul. Also, the funding is for a full 2 years, starting last November, meaning that I still have to hunt for $$, but the pressure isn't on like it used to be.
I think I can handle this project better than the one I was planning on doing. All the data is collected, I just need to do the analysis, build the equation and call it my own. Likely easier said than done, but if I put my nose to the grindstone, we both figure that I should/could be able to finish the Master's component in a little over a year...meaning next April I could have the first phase done and starting on my Ph. D. research next summer. (That's my timeline, his was a little more extended. I honestly don't want to drag out the intermediate degree any longer than I honestly have to).
That would be pretty wicked actually. I could spend more time where it matters. It would be like the "by-pass Master's to Ph.D. program", but better. I'd actually be well on the way to completing and defending the Master's phase before I take the dive into Ph. D.
The only problem I see is that I'll need to fit in 6 months of actual engineering work between the 2 degrees to get my P. Eng. I'll have to look into seeing if my teaching experience counts. If it does, I'm likely part-way there already.
On a side note, my supervisor is pretty awesome. He almost went all "Office Space" on his cordless keyboard in the middle of our meeting. Sounds like something I would do.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Just leave me the fuck alone!!
This weekend was a stressful weekend, partly because I had a take-home midterm to try and get through, partly because my students are expecting me to spoon-feed them.
I went out on Friday to Fishapalooza. It was awesome, we bought Fish and Chips for $100, made just under $130. We all got our cash back and managed to do some betting too. It was pretty clutch.
Just before Fishapalooza, I gave a Water Management lab. I lectured/explained the assignment for an hour stuck around for 2 hours afterward and went home. I told them that they had all the resources and skills they should need to do a really complete water budget. If they didn't have the values they needed, there's a whole wide world of peer-reviewed literature to search through.
When I got home, there were 2 e-mail from students in my class wanting help. Not just "Dude, I don't understand help", but more like "Dude, can you check over my spreadsheet, make sure I'm doing it right?" and "Dude, I have no idea where your numbers are coming from and where I can find them."
First off, DO NOT E-MAIL ME AFTER 4:30 ON A FRIDAY EXPECTING ASSIGNMENT HELP! It can wait until Monday, trust me.
Secondly, DO NOT ASK ME TO CHECK YOUR WORK! I'll look it over when I'm ready to mark it. Until then, ask your classmates, figure it out your own damned self, whatever....just don't expect me to look it over to see if you fucked up.
I don't care about your assignment until it's in a pile on my desk under a sign labeled "To Mark".
Over the weekend, I got 3 more e-mails, some of them from people that don't even show up to class. I responded to them in bulk stating that they should think about it a little more, actually show up in class and ask me on Tuesday and if that doesn't work, arrange an appointment during my office hours and we can talk then. Bottom line, don't be afraid to think and no, I'm not going to spoon-feed you. Figure it out your own damned self.
I don't remember being like this as an undergrad. I would put in the effort to try and figure stuff out for my own and if that didn't work, I'd consult with my friends. My last resort was going to the Prof. Last. Resort. I'm still that way. I won't bother the Prof until I've run out of resources, and at least thought about it a little more. They're busy people too, and in all honesty, I'm not their #1 priority....I know it and I'm more than cool about it.
After all this, I started to wonder about the validity of my Ag Degree. If this is the quality of grads that are being pumped out right now, the College has a long way to go. Maybe I just got a class full of duds. God, I hope it's just a class full of duds.
Either way, I'm not impressed with them.....so I'm going to give them a tougher assignment. I'm at the point where I have to start separating the duds from those who can actually figure shit out on their own. I only have 8 classes, 3 labs and a final exam left. I can make it through.
Things I've learned:
My expectations aren't too high, they're realistic....for Engineering students.
I actually am a bitch.....deal with it.
I'm never teaching an Ag class or a pure elective......EVER. AGAIN.
I have a very low "idiot tolerance threshold".....even lower now.
I went out on Friday to Fishapalooza. It was awesome, we bought Fish and Chips for $100, made just under $130. We all got our cash back and managed to do some betting too. It was pretty clutch.
Just before Fishapalooza, I gave a Water Management lab. I lectured/explained the assignment for an hour stuck around for 2 hours afterward and went home. I told them that they had all the resources and skills they should need to do a really complete water budget. If they didn't have the values they needed, there's a whole wide world of peer-reviewed literature to search through.
When I got home, there were 2 e-mail from students in my class wanting help. Not just "Dude, I don't understand help", but more like "Dude, can you check over my spreadsheet, make sure I'm doing it right?" and "Dude, I have no idea where your numbers are coming from and where I can find them."
First off, DO NOT E-MAIL ME AFTER 4:30 ON A FRIDAY EXPECTING ASSIGNMENT HELP! It can wait until Monday, trust me.
Secondly, DO NOT ASK ME TO CHECK YOUR WORK! I'll look it over when I'm ready to mark it. Until then, ask your classmates, figure it out your own damned self, whatever....just don't expect me to look it over to see if you fucked up.
I don't care about your assignment until it's in a pile on my desk under a sign labeled "To Mark".
Over the weekend, I got 3 more e-mails, some of them from people that don't even show up to class. I responded to them in bulk stating that they should think about it a little more, actually show up in class and ask me on Tuesday and if that doesn't work, arrange an appointment during my office hours and we can talk then. Bottom line, don't be afraid to think and no, I'm not going to spoon-feed you. Figure it out your own damned self.
I don't remember being like this as an undergrad. I would put in the effort to try and figure stuff out for my own and if that didn't work, I'd consult with my friends. My last resort was going to the Prof. Last. Resort. I'm still that way. I won't bother the Prof until I've run out of resources, and at least thought about it a little more. They're busy people too, and in all honesty, I'm not their #1 priority....I know it and I'm more than cool about it.
After all this, I started to wonder about the validity of my Ag Degree. If this is the quality of grads that are being pumped out right now, the College has a long way to go. Maybe I just got a class full of duds. God, I hope it's just a class full of duds.
Either way, I'm not impressed with them.....so I'm going to give them a tougher assignment. I'm at the point where I have to start separating the duds from those who can actually figure shit out on their own. I only have 8 classes, 3 labs and a final exam left. I can make it through.
Things I've learned:
My expectations aren't too high, they're realistic....for Engineering students.
I actually am a bitch.....deal with it.
I'm never teaching an Ag class or a pure elective......EVER. AGAIN.
I have a very low "idiot tolerance threshold".....even lower now.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Procrastinating.....again.
Today I stayed home because I figured that I'd be less distracted and able to get some work done. I also figured that I'd been neglecting Chaos lately so she'd appreciate the company for most of the day.
As far as how much work I was able to do at home as opposed to at school was negotiable. I think it would have been about the same to tell the truth. I was just as distracted here as I would be at school. Chaos got to go for not one but two walks today. She's pretty exhausted right now, so that's a good thing.
I would have been just as distracted at school, mostly because there'd be a face down the hall that I could talk at, or I'd find someone to take a break with or some other book to read. At least here, I got to stay in my pyjamas and drink beer while I completed my presentation for tomorrow's Water Management class and tried to write my take-home midterm
I did get some progress, I got a solid start on 4 of 7 questions and about 4 or 5 beer in (I lost count....oops....but it's so delicious). I think it could just be a matter of sitting down to write the stupid thing. I guess I did get about 6 or 7 solid hours of work in. I managed to get groceries and stock up my fridge.....with beer. I should be good to go for a few days.
I figure I can get 1 or 2 more beer and a few more hours of work in before I call it a day.
As far as how much work I was able to do at home as opposed to at school was negotiable. I think it would have been about the same to tell the truth. I was just as distracted here as I would be at school. Chaos got to go for not one but two walks today. She's pretty exhausted right now, so that's a good thing.
I would have been just as distracted at school, mostly because there'd be a face down the hall that I could talk at, or I'd find someone to take a break with or some other book to read. At least here, I got to stay in my pyjamas and drink beer while I completed my presentation for tomorrow's Water Management class and tried to write my take-home midterm
I did get some progress, I got a solid start on 4 of 7 questions and about 4 or 5 beer in (I lost count....oops....but it's so delicious). I think it could just be a matter of sitting down to write the stupid thing. I guess I did get about 6 or 7 solid hours of work in. I managed to get groceries and stock up my fridge.....with beer. I should be good to go for a few days.
I figure I can get 1 or 2 more beer and a few more hours of work in before I call it a day.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Well, so much for that plan.
Here, I thought I had 3 solid days to do SCIENCE! (aka my proposal) before the weekend hits and I have to build 3 hours worth of class material, 1 lab and start marking again. My saving grace.....I don't have Water Management assignments to mark this weekend.
Too bad my Spectroscopy Prof didn't know about my plan and how much work I actually do compared to the other students in my class. I think I took on too much. Only 9 more classes....only 9 more.
At least all my prep for RCM 300 is done for the rest of the term. That helps out a little bit, but not enough. Maybe I'll just focus on building one lecture worth of material by Tuesday, finish the midterm and finish the 2nd lecture and the lab for Thursday after I've handed in the Beast. New Plan. I don't like New Plans. They take all the fun out of my Old Plans. Shit.
He gave us a take-home midterm to do this week. I kind of get it, being that it's not difficult but tedious. I had a look at it tonight anyways, mostly because with building my Water Management presentations and case studies, my weekend is shot. I'm pretty sure it'll just be a matter of sitting down and writing it, but if the recent assignments are any indication of how much reading and work is involved, I'm going to need more than a week. It took me a SOLID 3 days to tackle the last assignment, including a full-out curb-stomping. Turns out in class today that I did most of it right, but I really don't have time to go back too deeply and do corrections. I think I'm going to correct what's on the surface and call it good. The midterm is worth more anyways. The first question is about 7 or 8 pages of writing already. I think if I make my energy diagrams really big, that might help me out.
Funny thing, I had 3 different students e-mail me asking me how I tackled the last assignment. Honestly, I have no idea why they're asking me and not my Prof. I'd go ask my Prof.....if I actually had time to ask him questions that is. It's not like I know what I'm doing. Maybe I'm just hiding the ass-kickery better than the average student in our class. Who knows....??
Either way, tonight I had mentioned that I had finished the assignment, lived through the beating and was ready to hand it in. I had mentioned that it's taking me a little longer than I'm used to to catch onto the concepts. After my "Industry Time" with "Table, Formula, Go!", having to go back and re-learn (or in this case newly learn quantum chemistry) takes more time than I had anticipated.
I got the comment, "What do you mean 'Table, Formula, Go!'? You don't have to derive anything from basic principles?" (On the side there was - "Dude, that should totally be on a t-shirt: 'Table, Formula, Go!' with a little checklist....that'd be epic").
To which I replied, "No, someone's already done that for me. They're called 'Researchers' ('or Grad Students', as I expressed under my breath)"
"So, all this stuff we're doing is bogus?"
"Yeah, if you can't put it in a table with a simple equation it's pretty useless to anyone in the 'Real World'." (QED)
"Hmmmm, I wondered what people with actual jobs did."
At this point I just shook my head, face-palmed and moved on. Obviously someone who had no experience outside of a University. Academia at it's finest! Go team!
Bottom line: I'm really looking to buy some time. I've committed myself to going out on Friday and Saturday night. Looks like I may not sleep until next Wednesday. Hopefully insomnia sets in at the optimum times this week. I can only hope. Either way, I'll get my latte IV set on "High Drip".
On the plus side, my love-life...or maybe-there-could-be-something-going-on-here...is cut off, severed, in the toilet and back to being non-existent. The kind, blue-eyed butterflies were cool while they lasted, but I was willing to invest and he wasn't. I guess if it was really meant to happen he'll come back (it seems like we're still on good terms....he's THAT nice of a guy....I could be kicking myself in the ass for letting that one go) but I'm pretty sure that I probably killed all hope of something happening even before it maybe had the chance. Shit. Kicked in the junk by Passion and Timing again! Yay!
I wear my tattered heart on my sleeve because that's the only way I know how to wear it...exposed for all the world to see. Imperfections and all. It's in pieces and I'm cool with that. It's who I am. What you see is what you get. No games. It makes me Awesome!
It makes me Too Awesome! Too Amazing! Too Unattainable! It makes me Damaged Goods. Deep-down, I am Damaged Goods. It's going to take a very brave and equally Awesome, Passionate and Well-Timed guy to patch it all up. I'm waiting. Come find me.
If you're out there, I'm right here; behind my quantum chemistry curb-stomping ass-kickery, immersed in peer-reviewed journals on bone-breakery, reading Petroski's "To Engineer is Human" for S's and G's, building presentations on an area that isn't even in my research interests, crushing dreams, telling students that they're not trying had enough, trying not to completely neglect my adorable dog, desperately fighting to keep it all together and hoping and praying that Passion, Timing and Awesome don't kick me in the junk again.
On the plus side, I got offered to teach RCM 300 again next fall. They're talking about signing me on as a permanent lecturer if there's enough students to teach. That's cool. I'll stick with the RCM department as long as they'll have me.
Too bad my Spectroscopy Prof didn't know about my plan and how much work I actually do compared to the other students in my class. I think I took on too much. Only 9 more classes....only 9 more.
At least all my prep for RCM 300 is done for the rest of the term. That helps out a little bit, but not enough. Maybe I'll just focus on building one lecture worth of material by Tuesday, finish the midterm and finish the 2nd lecture and the lab for Thursday after I've handed in the Beast. New Plan. I don't like New Plans. They take all the fun out of my Old Plans. Shit.
He gave us a take-home midterm to do this week. I kind of get it, being that it's not difficult but tedious. I had a look at it tonight anyways, mostly because with building my Water Management presentations and case studies, my weekend is shot. I'm pretty sure it'll just be a matter of sitting down and writing it, but if the recent assignments are any indication of how much reading and work is involved, I'm going to need more than a week. It took me a SOLID 3 days to tackle the last assignment, including a full-out curb-stomping. Turns out in class today that I did most of it right, but I really don't have time to go back too deeply and do corrections. I think I'm going to correct what's on the surface and call it good. The midterm is worth more anyways. The first question is about 7 or 8 pages of writing already. I think if I make my energy diagrams really big, that might help me out.
Funny thing, I had 3 different students e-mail me asking me how I tackled the last assignment. Honestly, I have no idea why they're asking me and not my Prof. I'd go ask my Prof.....if I actually had time to ask him questions that is. It's not like I know what I'm doing. Maybe I'm just hiding the ass-kickery better than the average student in our class. Who knows....??
Either way, tonight I had mentioned that I had finished the assignment, lived through the beating and was ready to hand it in. I had mentioned that it's taking me a little longer than I'm used to to catch onto the concepts. After my "Industry Time" with "Table, Formula, Go!", having to go back and re-learn (or in this case newly learn quantum chemistry) takes more time than I had anticipated.
I got the comment, "What do you mean 'Table, Formula, Go!'? You don't have to derive anything from basic principles?" (On the side there was - "Dude, that should totally be on a t-shirt: 'Table, Formula, Go!' with a little checklist....that'd be epic").
To which I replied, "No, someone's already done that for me. They're called 'Researchers' ('or Grad Students', as I expressed under my breath)"
"So, all this stuff we're doing is bogus?"
"Yeah, if you can't put it in a table with a simple equation it's pretty useless to anyone in the 'Real World'." (QED)
"Hmmmm, I wondered what people with actual jobs did."
At this point I just shook my head, face-palmed and moved on. Obviously someone who had no experience outside of a University. Academia at it's finest! Go team!
Bottom line: I'm really looking to buy some time. I've committed myself to going out on Friday and Saturday night. Looks like I may not sleep until next Wednesday. Hopefully insomnia sets in at the optimum times this week. I can only hope. Either way, I'll get my latte IV set on "High Drip".
On the plus side, my love-life...or maybe-there-could-be-something-going-on-here...is cut off, severed, in the toilet and back to being non-existent. The kind, blue-eyed butterflies were cool while they lasted, but I was willing to invest and he wasn't. I guess if it was really meant to happen he'll come back (it seems like we're still on good terms....he's THAT nice of a guy....I could be kicking myself in the ass for letting that one go) but I'm pretty sure that I probably killed all hope of something happening even before it maybe had the chance. Shit. Kicked in the junk by Passion and Timing again! Yay!
I wear my tattered heart on my sleeve because that's the only way I know how to wear it...exposed for all the world to see. Imperfections and all. It's in pieces and I'm cool with that. It's who I am. What you see is what you get. No games. It makes me Awesome!
It makes me Too Awesome! Too Amazing! Too Unattainable! It makes me Damaged Goods. Deep-down, I am Damaged Goods. It's going to take a very brave and equally Awesome, Passionate and Well-Timed guy to patch it all up. I'm waiting. Come find me.
If you're out there, I'm right here; behind my quantum chemistry curb-stomping ass-kickery, immersed in peer-reviewed journals on bone-breakery, reading Petroski's "To Engineer is Human" for S's and G's, building presentations on an area that isn't even in my research interests, crushing dreams, telling students that they're not trying had enough, trying not to completely neglect my adorable dog, desperately fighting to keep it all together and hoping and praying that Passion, Timing and Awesome don't kick me in the junk again.
On the plus side, I got offered to teach RCM 300 again next fall. They're talking about signing me on as a permanent lecturer if there's enough students to teach. That's cool. I'll stick with the RCM department as long as they'll have me.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Some Stumblin'....
I've decided that I'm bored and have gone to the internets as a substitute for actual human contact....that and it's 8:30 on a Sunday night, no one really isn't going to want to go out right now in all honesty.
I have a Spectroscopy assignment to do for Tuesday, but I really don't feel like getting my ass kicked and then handed to me on a rusty meat poker. I'm going to do it tomorrow and hope that I'm able to finish all of it before Tuesday night.
Here's what I've Stumbled on tonight.....
Also...I' just finished watching Star Wars IV. It might be the oldest one, but in my opinion, it's the best.
I have a Spectroscopy assignment to do for Tuesday, but I really don't feel like getting my ass kicked and then handed to me on a rusty meat poker. I'm going to do it tomorrow and hope that I'm able to finish all of it before Tuesday night.
Here's what I've Stumbled on tonight.....
"Date a girl who reads"
I Stumbled on this blog this afternoon, after I finished planning my classes for this week. I had put in an 8-hour-day before 3:30, I deserved to Stumble.
I think it embodies how I feel some days; hell, most days.
If I would add anything to it, I'd change the last line. I'd add SCIENCE! I think guys should date girls who read and love SCIENCE! The world.....or my world at least....would be a better place.
I think it embodies how I feel some days; hell, most days.
If I would add anything to it, I'd change the last line. I'd add SCIENCE! I think guys should date girls who read and love SCIENCE! The world.....or my world at least....would be a better place.
Friday, March 4, 2011
So I've become kind of a tree hugger and a hippie since my Ag days.....sue me.
Today in my Water Management class we discussed what a water footprint is and if it's a significant tool to keep an eye out for. I have a feeling this could go down to become something like the next "carbon footprint". Either way, it looks like it could be something that they could be dealing with in the next 5 years or so, so I figured that it would be a good thing to discuss and keep them on the lookout.
Because of my "foresight", I may have come across as a tree-hugging-hippy in class today. You know what.....deal with it!
After calculating my "water footprint" according to the on-line tool, I decided that I'm going to cut down my meat intake over the next 3 weeks to see if it's possible for me to reduce my personal water footprint. Right now, I'm consuming about 4 meals per week that include meat. The rest of my protein I get from pulses and dairy products (I will never give up cheese or lattes....ever). Either way, I figured that my personal water footprint was a little high and I was going to see if I could reduce it. It takes about 21 days to develop a habit, so instead of eating 12 meat-intensive meals before the end of March, I'm going to cut it down to 4. For me, THIS IS HUGE!! (so huge that I may get disowned.....ouch)
I figure that life is an experiment and that we shouldn't be afraid to challenge what we know, practice or believe. I'm not afraid to try new, different or crazy things. I'm not afraid to get my mind blown. I think it's because I've been on my own for about 10 years and have yet to "find something that works", so I'm willing to "try it all" to get there. Also, I'm not afraid to challenge others in making them think differently.
I think the fundamental idea about a university is to challenge the norm. I'd like to see students come out of a class and have some fundamental and useful tools. Tools that they'll be able to use when they tackle the big, wide world of post-grad. Big world of being a competent professional. Either way, I want them to come out of this class and start thinking for themselves. Personally, I don't think that kids these days ponder enough. I blame the internet.
I didn't directly challenge them to become vegetarians, but I did try to challenge them to consider changing their lifestyle....that's all...to consider changing it....then to write a paper about it. Bottom line, because it's a new tool, I want them to think critically about it. I want them to use whatever space is between their ears and come up with an opinion. They're allowed to challenge me. Hell, they're allowed to dislike me for making them read about something that's completely new and unproven.
Is it risky?....For sure. I knew that going in.
Is it correct?...Maybe. Only time will tell.
Is it useful?......Possibly. If this concept goes the same way as carbon credits, then they should thank me for the heads-up.
Is it wreckless?......Could be, but honestly, I really have nothing to lose. I thought that the underlying principle of a university was to develop unique, well-thought-out arguments. I thought the purpose was to advance scientific and political thought....to boldly think where no man has thought before!
Either way, I want to encourage individual, independent thought. I want these kids to come out of this class with a backbone. I want them to build an argument and find VALID reasons and evidence to support it, mainly because if they don't have evidence when they hit industry, they're sunk.
Maybe I've been away from the farm for too long and have forgotten who I'm talking to. My Trophy Wife mentioned that I may have forgotten my audience (points for her for applying RCM theory....if I was teaching her, I'd sure give 'em out). I may have forgotten that these kids are 2 to 3 years removed from the farm....not 10 or 11 like me.
They haven't seen the streets of Montreal, Toronto and NYC. They haven't seen agriculture in Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky or Kansas. They haven't been exposed to many different people of many different backgrounds. They may not share the same open mind that I'm very proud to make my own. They may not have really good friends (or family members) that study policy, law, sociology, philosophy, ethics, medicine, biology, toxicology, chemistry, physics, engineering, plumbing and all the other technical trades. They may not have the same diverse background that I have. That's OK....for now.
I guess I'm OK with being perceived as a tree-hugging-hippy afterall. As much as I hate to admit it, I do believe in recycling, environmental sustainability, organic farming, footprint reduction and giving back more than you're taking. Maybe this is the first step in sharing the joy.
Because of my "foresight", I may have come across as a tree-hugging-hippy in class today. You know what.....deal with it!
After calculating my "water footprint" according to the on-line tool, I decided that I'm going to cut down my meat intake over the next 3 weeks to see if it's possible for me to reduce my personal water footprint. Right now, I'm consuming about 4 meals per week that include meat. The rest of my protein I get from pulses and dairy products (I will never give up cheese or lattes....ever). Either way, I figured that my personal water footprint was a little high and I was going to see if I could reduce it. It takes about 21 days to develop a habit, so instead of eating 12 meat-intensive meals before the end of March, I'm going to cut it down to 4. For me, THIS IS HUGE!! (so huge that I may get disowned.....ouch)
I figure that life is an experiment and that we shouldn't be afraid to challenge what we know, practice or believe. I'm not afraid to try new, different or crazy things. I'm not afraid to get my mind blown. I think it's because I've been on my own for about 10 years and have yet to "find something that works", so I'm willing to "try it all" to get there. Also, I'm not afraid to challenge others in making them think differently.
I think the fundamental idea about a university is to challenge the norm. I'd like to see students come out of a class and have some fundamental and useful tools. Tools that they'll be able to use when they tackle the big, wide world of post-grad. Big world of being a competent professional. Either way, I want them to come out of this class and start thinking for themselves. Personally, I don't think that kids these days ponder enough. I blame the internet.
I didn't directly challenge them to become vegetarians, but I did try to challenge them to consider changing their lifestyle....that's all...to consider changing it....then to write a paper about it. Bottom line, because it's a new tool, I want them to think critically about it. I want them to use whatever space is between their ears and come up with an opinion. They're allowed to challenge me. Hell, they're allowed to dislike me for making them read about something that's completely new and unproven.
Is it risky?....For sure. I knew that going in.
Is it correct?...Maybe. Only time will tell.
Is it useful?......Possibly. If this concept goes the same way as carbon credits, then they should thank me for the heads-up.
Is it wreckless?......Could be, but honestly, I really have nothing to lose. I thought that the underlying principle of a university was to develop unique, well-thought-out arguments. I thought the purpose was to advance scientific and political thought....to boldly think where no man has thought before!
Either way, I want to encourage individual, independent thought. I want these kids to come out of this class with a backbone. I want them to build an argument and find VALID reasons and evidence to support it, mainly because if they don't have evidence when they hit industry, they're sunk.
Maybe I've been away from the farm for too long and have forgotten who I'm talking to. My Trophy Wife mentioned that I may have forgotten my audience (points for her for applying RCM theory....if I was teaching her, I'd sure give 'em out). I may have forgotten that these kids are 2 to 3 years removed from the farm....not 10 or 11 like me.
They haven't seen the streets of Montreal, Toronto and NYC. They haven't seen agriculture in Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky or Kansas. They haven't been exposed to many different people of many different backgrounds. They may not share the same open mind that I'm very proud to make my own. They may not have really good friends (or family members) that study policy, law, sociology, philosophy, ethics, medicine, biology, toxicology, chemistry, physics, engineering, plumbing and all the other technical trades. They may not have the same diverse background that I have. That's OK....for now.
I guess I'm OK with being perceived as a tree-hugging-hippy afterall. As much as I hate to admit it, I do believe in recycling, environmental sustainability, organic farming, footprint reduction and giving back more than you're taking. Maybe this is the first step in sharing the joy.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Makes. My. Night.
If you don't follow this "webcomic", you should start:
I've used the term "webcomic" loosely, because some call it a blog, others a series of photos, others yet just plain vanity. I call it concentrated AWESOME!
It's complicated....
No, not that kind of complicated, a different kind of complicated.
Maybe it stems back to being a passionate person. I'll be the first to admit it. I'm a passionate person. It doesn't take me long to become fully immersed and invested in something. Sometimes it's helpful, but most of the time I end up getting burned. You'd think I'd learn, but I don't. Passion has it's price, but I wouldn't want to live a life without it. When I run out of steam, it's Passion that pushes me.
Passion complicates things. I don't know of a better way to put it. I think it all stems back to my standard of never doing anything half-assed. Either you're in all the way, or you're out. There's no wishy-washyness allowed around here. It bites me in the ass. I guess that's OK. I guess.
Another thing I was really thinking about today was Timing. Sometimes timing is everything. Timing is what got me into grad studies. Timing is what got me 2 teaching positions. Timing is what pushed me into the awesome-career-building group that I'm immersed in every day. I think I owe a lot to Timing.
As much as I owe to Passion and Timing, sometimes I wish they could just take a backseat and let me try to live my life, or at least try not to let me get distracted. Right now, my life is just where I want it, minus one thing, and I'm sure if Timing and Passion wouldn't get in the way I'd be one step closer. Just one step. One little step.
Maybe this is the life that I'm meant to live. Me, Passion, Timing, Science.....and Chaos. Maybe, just maybe.
Am I satisfied with it? Not really. Can I change it? Not really. I think that's what frustrates me most.
(To think I got this deep at the office, between marking papers. I'd hate to see how deep I'd get with a little weed and some Zepplin. Good thing I don't roll that way. I have a hard time handling me right now, let alone if I'd swing there.)
Maybe it stems back to being a passionate person. I'll be the first to admit it. I'm a passionate person. It doesn't take me long to become fully immersed and invested in something. Sometimes it's helpful, but most of the time I end up getting burned. You'd think I'd learn, but I don't. Passion has it's price, but I wouldn't want to live a life without it. When I run out of steam, it's Passion that pushes me.
Passion complicates things. I don't know of a better way to put it. I think it all stems back to my standard of never doing anything half-assed. Either you're in all the way, or you're out. There's no wishy-washyness allowed around here. It bites me in the ass. I guess that's OK. I guess.
Another thing I was really thinking about today was Timing. Sometimes timing is everything. Timing is what got me into grad studies. Timing is what got me 2 teaching positions. Timing is what pushed me into the awesome-career-building group that I'm immersed in every day. I think I owe a lot to Timing.
As much as I owe to Passion and Timing, sometimes I wish they could just take a backseat and let me try to live my life, or at least try not to let me get distracted. Right now, my life is just where I want it, minus one thing, and I'm sure if Timing and Passion wouldn't get in the way I'd be one step closer. Just one step. One little step.
Maybe this is the life that I'm meant to live. Me, Passion, Timing, Science.....and Chaos. Maybe, just maybe.
Am I satisfied with it? Not really. Can I change it? Not really. I think that's what frustrates me most.
(To think I got this deep at the office, between marking papers. I'd hate to see how deep I'd get with a little weed and some Zepplin. Good thing I don't roll that way. I have a hard time handling me right now, let alone if I'd swing there.)
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