The title may require a bit of explanation. As you may know, Christmas is by far Sandi's favorite time of the year -- yes, even ahead of Flag Day. She wished me a merry Christmas Eve Eve on Tuesday, which led to my greeting today.
The holiday has come and gone, and Sandi and I enjoyed the chance to be together for a whole day. Unlike folks with children, we got started at about 9:30 in the morning (if you beat the sun to verticality, my heart goes out to you) with our traditional breakfast of cinnamon rolls. We had gathered our gifts from family during the trip home last weekend, and our next order of business was opening everything under the tree. Some of the highlights are a new fantasy novel from my mother, DVD's of the Chronicles of Narnia movies from Sandi's mom, and a set of hole saws which I will never use (like I know how). Sandi got me two new video games, and I returned the favor for her, along with an extender for her screwdriver. As an aside, I have finally reached the point of considering tools viable gifts -- for others. Note that only one person in our home could find a use for objects such as this.
The babies were not forgotten. In keeping with convention, Peaches and Samus received a stocking of toys each, and Ranger had a stocking as well. I am proud to announce that fully one of the toys for Ranger has lasted to see tomorrow. A tennis ball with Santa extremities was decapitated within minutes, while a knobby rope toy was deknobbed in the name of the treat stuffed within. The lot of us spent the rest of the day relaxing, snacking on ham and Moravian Lovefeast rolls, and playing with our new gadgets. I stayed up much later than I should have, primarily to see a really good episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation on the Sci-Fi Channel. Who could have seen that coming?
Sandi had to return to work today; apparently, federal law requires banks to be closed for no more than three consecutive days (how this plays into BB&T's Saturday hours, I cannot say). She also has to work tomorrow morning, whereas I will return to the office on Monday. In my time at the house today, I washed up the dishes from yesterday's foodstuffs and retrieved an end table from the basement. I have resisted the urge to spend the whole day watching Highlander reruns, but the struggle has not been an easy one.
I hope your holiday was as pleasant as ours. Enjoy your weekend, everyone!
Friday, December 26, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The Sounds of Silence
I went to campus today to get some work done before the holiday, unaware that I would place myself in a Simon and Garfunkel song in the process. While there were cars, I did not see a single person milling about the place. Every building was locked, and the only lights I saw were those without a switch. The experience was more than a bit unsettling. I suppose I should be happy there were no neon idols on display.
Due to an unfortunate turn of events at the bank (please keep Sandi's coworker Peggy and her family in your prayers), Sandi got off work an hour early today. This had the benefit of extra time to do things prior to our trip to see Speedway in Lights at, well, the speedway. We were at the racetrack a good while longer than we had expected; we were in line for over half an hour before we had the opportunity to pay admission. The wait was worthwhile, though, as the display was quite impressive. What do dinosaurs and marine life have to do with the Christmas season? The answer, of course, is . . .
WHO CARES -- THEY ARE
On the way home, we stopped by the grocery store to buy what we needed to get through the remainder of the year. Sandi has another short day at work tomorrow, and after that the celebration will commence. Woot!
I should mention that we traveled home over the weekend, while Paws & Claws braced itself for another shelling from the Big Bazooka. We had the chance to get together with our niece Camryn and my mom to celebrate their respective birthdays, which are now immortalized as a sequence of ones and zeros on a server somewhere. How sweet is that? Sandi got some really good pictures of the rapidly growing B.J., and she will probably succumb to the posting temptation over the holiday.
Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!
Due to an unfortunate turn of events at the bank (please keep Sandi's coworker Peggy and her family in your prayers), Sandi got off work an hour early today. This had the benefit of extra time to do things prior to our trip to see Speedway in Lights at, well, the speedway. We were at the racetrack a good while longer than we had expected; we were in line for over half an hour before we had the opportunity to pay admission. The wait was worthwhile, though, as the display was quite impressive. What do dinosaurs and marine life have to do with the Christmas season? The answer, of course, is . . .
WHO CARES -- THEY ARE
AWESOME!
On the way home, we stopped by the grocery store to buy what we needed to get through the remainder of the year. Sandi has another short day at work tomorrow, and after that the celebration will commence. Woot!
I should mention that we traveled home over the weekend, while Paws & Claws braced itself for another shelling from the Big Bazooka. We had the chance to get together with our niece Camryn and my mom to celebrate their respective birthdays, which are now immortalized as a sequence of ones and zeros on a server somewhere. How sweet is that? Sandi got some really good pictures of the rapidly growing B.J., and she will probably succumb to the posting temptation over the holiday.
Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
They Really Like Me!
The misquoted reference in the title is pointed at my student evaluations. I should backtrack a bit to say that the evaluation process we use at King is a good bit different from the system we used at Virginia Tech; the form is oriented toward student perceptions of learning outcomes, rather than purely rating the quality of the instructor. Last year, my evaluation results were lower than I would have liked, which was obviously disappointing. I made a conscious effort to forge a better connection with my students, and I think that endeavor contributed to much more positive evaluations.
I received some bad news this afternoon while I was on campus. I had agreed to teach an additional course in the graduate and professional studies program next semester, which would have contributed a bit more income. However, that arrangement has fallen through, and I will not be doing the course after all. This could be a blessing, though, as it will give me more time to finish my dissertation in the spring.
I have been watching Gaslight for the last hour and a half -- a move I am beginning to reconsider. While the film is very well made and features some high-powered acting talent, I might have some trouble sleeping after its fiercely psychological and somewhat creepy motif.
Take care, folks!
I received some bad news this afternoon while I was on campus. I had agreed to teach an additional course in the graduate and professional studies program next semester, which would have contributed a bit more income. However, that arrangement has fallen through, and I will not be doing the course after all. This could be a blessing, though, as it will give me more time to finish my dissertation in the spring.
I have been watching Gaslight for the last hour and a half -- a move I am beginning to reconsider. While the film is very well made and features some high-powered acting talent, I might have some trouble sleeping after its fiercely psychological and somewhat creepy motif.
Take care, folks!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
. . . And Then There Were None
After a marathon grading session yesterday in the office, my exams are scored and filed. Unfortunately, the registrar's office had closed by the time I was finished, which means I have yet to submit my final grades. I could have done that today, but I took some time to look at something other than my office walls. The pouring rain outside did little to sway me toward the walk to campus.
The School of Arts and Sciences faculty had a progressive dinner tonight, so Sandi and I were relieved of the responsibility of planning a meal. Given the amount of angst that sort of decision causes us, this is a blessing. All we had to do was prepare a dessert, which led to something astounding. As has been mentioned before, I am not a baker; my skills lie in the preparation of things involving meat, noodles, meat, vegetables, meat, and meat. Sandi had agreed to make the rocky road brownie bites from the Bethany dinner for the festivities, but she decided to conduct an experiment. Since I had tangentially partaken in the preparation of the last batch of goodies, she chose to give me the business on this run. Needless to say, tensions ran high in the kitchen whilst I prepared our contribution. I rose to the occasion, however, and the brownie bites turned out at least eleven kinds of awesome. Does this mean that now I have to make the desserts, too?
The dinner itself was a great time. We were split into smaller groups to distribute the workload on the hosts. In our case, five families gathered at the home of one of the English faculty, and we each contributed something to the meal (technically, our dessert came later at a full gathering, but quit splitting hairs). We had pork tenderloin and smoked turkey, along with a broccoli salad, green beans, some Greek potatoes, and little rolls. With two department chairs along for the ride, a lesser couple would have been intimidated; mavericks like us, though, can hold our own. It helps that Martin and Vanessa are really cool people, too. Sandi got to put some faces to the names she hears me constantly toss about conversations, and I had the chance to meet some folks' husbands and wives. Yay for acculturation!
By the next time I write, I will have participated in my third graduation ceremony at King. This will officially upgrade in sweetness once I can get this blasted dissertation written, since that means I can get the super-sweet felt tam instead of the boring old mortar board. On the other hand, the dean of the School of Education commented that my voice would do well announcing names at the ceremony in the future, so this could be a double-edged sword.
Enjoy your weekend, everyone!
The School of Arts and Sciences faculty had a progressive dinner tonight, so Sandi and I were relieved of the responsibility of planning a meal. Given the amount of angst that sort of decision causes us, this is a blessing. All we had to do was prepare a dessert, which led to something astounding. As has been mentioned before, I am not a baker; my skills lie in the preparation of things involving meat, noodles, meat, vegetables, meat, and meat. Sandi had agreed to make the rocky road brownie bites from the Bethany dinner for the festivities, but she decided to conduct an experiment. Since I had tangentially partaken in the preparation of the last batch of goodies, she chose to give me the business on this run. Needless to say, tensions ran high in the kitchen whilst I prepared our contribution. I rose to the occasion, however, and the brownie bites turned out at least eleven kinds of awesome. Does this mean that now I have to make the desserts, too?
The dinner itself was a great time. We were split into smaller groups to distribute the workload on the hosts. In our case, five families gathered at the home of one of the English faculty, and we each contributed something to the meal (technically, our dessert came later at a full gathering, but quit splitting hairs). We had pork tenderloin and smoked turkey, along with a broccoli salad, green beans, some Greek potatoes, and little rolls. With two department chairs along for the ride, a lesser couple would have been intimidated; mavericks like us, though, can hold our own. It helps that Martin and Vanessa are really cool people, too. Sandi got to put some faces to the names she hears me constantly toss about conversations, and I had the chance to meet some folks' husbands and wives. Yay for acculturation!
By the next time I write, I will have participated in my third graduation ceremony at King. This will officially upgrade in sweetness once I can get this blasted dissertation written, since that means I can get the super-sweet felt tam instead of the boring old mortar board. On the other hand, the dean of the School of Education commented that my voice would do well announcing names at the ceremony in the future, so this could be a double-edged sword.
Enjoy your weekend, everyone!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Halfway Home
Technically the title is incorrect, as I have yet to grade the two exams I have given thus far. In a maneuver so shrewd that even its planners fail to comprehend it, the college arranged exam schedules such that my afternoon courses all have 'early' exam periods, while my morning classes got to sleep in. On one hand, this could be considered a gracious move to students who spent the entire semester trudging to early class times; however, it might also be seen as a violation of long-built rhythms which serves no purpose but to lower overall scores. In any case, I only have to get up before the sun one more time this term -- yay!
The faculty serve a late-night exam breakfast to students on the Sunday of exam week, and I volunteered to assist tonight. This goes against most of my internal drives, as watching other people eat bacon does not fit my definition of fun. I did have fun, though, seeing my kids getting a chance to relax amidst the tempest of examinations and papers. There was even a hefty loadout of prizes ranging from board games to a portable DVD player. Do you know which of the contiguous forty-eight United States was last to declare Christmas an official holiday?
Please keep me and my students in your prayers as we forge through the remainder of the exam week. Have a great week of your own, everyone!
The faculty serve a late-night exam breakfast to students on the Sunday of exam week, and I volunteered to assist tonight. This goes against most of my internal drives, as watching other people eat bacon does not fit my definition of fun. I did have fun, though, seeing my kids getting a chance to relax amidst the tempest of examinations and papers. There was even a hefty loadout of prizes ranging from board games to a portable DVD player. Do you know which of the contiguous forty-eight United States was last to declare Christmas an official holiday?
Please keep me and my students in your prayers as we forge through the remainder of the exam week. Have a great week of your own, everyone!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Somewhat a Misnomer
Classes have ended at King, and we will soon be plunged into the chaos of the exam period. Before that, however, comes the longstanding tradition of 'reading day.' Ostensibly, this day gives students a chance to study before their final exams begin; my experience indicates a reality of mass non-studying. I did, in fact, have a couple of students come by my office today with questions, even if one of them was a misinterpretation of an announcement. I wrote a take-home exam for my analysis class in the remainder of my time on campus today.
The education honor society held a faculty appreciation dinner today, whose promise of free foodstuffs always appeals to my inner graduate student. They really manage to put together an impressive spread; even I found it hard to leave room for everything on offer. During last semester's dinner, I won a drawing for a basket of 'phat lewts,' and the sponsors even took a photo of me feigning surprise at the calling of my name. Rather than a drawing, this time a game of skill determined the prizewinner. I was tasked with the rapid-fire assembly of a snowman from a plastic bag of assorted mess. After a furious fifty or so seconds, I was edged out of first place by the chair of the biology department and had to settle for a consolation prize. Honestly, I cost myself the win by forgetting to use everything I was given, but I claimed a moral victory in attaching stickers without actually exposing their adhesive.
The bank is getting into the Christmas season, what with the lack of final exams and all. Sandi and I went to Lowe's in search of burgundy garland for decorating the lobby, and they did their gift-giving name draw today.
Enjoy your weekend, folks!
The education honor society held a faculty appreciation dinner today, whose promise of free foodstuffs always appeals to my inner graduate student. They really manage to put together an impressive spread; even I found it hard to leave room for everything on offer. During last semester's dinner, I won a drawing for a basket of 'phat lewts,' and the sponsors even took a photo of me feigning surprise at the calling of my name. Rather than a drawing, this time a game of skill determined the prizewinner. I was tasked with the rapid-fire assembly of a snowman from a plastic bag of assorted mess. After a furious fifty or so seconds, I was edged out of first place by the chair of the biology department and had to settle for a consolation prize. Honestly, I cost myself the win by forgetting to use everything I was given, but I claimed a moral victory in attaching stickers without actually exposing their adhesive.
The bank is getting into the Christmas season, what with the lack of final exams and all. Sandi and I went to Lowe's in search of burgundy garland for decorating the lobby, and they did their gift-giving name draw today.
Enjoy your weekend, folks!
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