Friday

Yesterday I turned my thesis in to my readers. Another hoop hopped, with only two more of those to go. The next big one is on the 20th of Feb (the big exam). (Cue scary Hitchcock shower scene music here). The third week of this semester is now over. Only another 12 weeks to go. I am enjoying the term so far, interesting courses, great students, and the knowledge that it will be done in a few weeks. Though I do wonder if I am cursed as it seems every time I finish a schooling thing, I graduate directly into a recession, or in this case, a depression.

Even though I am stressed out, and not all that enthused about grading 21 papers this weekend, I am rather happy with my life. Yesterday, as I walked from the bus stop to the building I work at, it felt and smelt like spring. Warm, glorious day. I hope to be able to spend some time on my birthday visiting the arboretum and taking some flower photos this year.

This weekend is paper grading weekend, though it should not be too bad as they are short papers, with a lot of bibliography. Then the first two days of next week are filled with student conferences. I enjoy those, and it will help me put names to some of the faces. I have 16 women in my class, and I have not put names to 7 of the faces yet.

I shall begin to grade now. A few hours of work this morning will help me determine how long it will actually take.

Last week of January

How weird is that, last week of January already! Time flies when you are busy.

My weekend has been all computer fixing. I did a upgrade on my computer, and it flies now. I am very pleased with what I have built. I used Carol's keyboard, mouse, and monitor to help me with my setup and build. Once done, I returned both to her computer, and they were not being recognized by windows. After trying multiple fixes, I reinstalled the os on her computer and replaced the programs. It seems to be running fine now. She had a hdd failure a few months ago, and I think her raid setup never fully rebuilt the disk and with each new attempt, the disk was further corrupted. Hopefully it will run fine now.

I am pleased with my build, however. It zips. It rumbles. It sings. Best of all, it is designed to be upgradeable for a number of years.

So, this week is back to normal. I will get my thesis back from my adviser, make repairs, return it and send it on to my other readers. Gack, says I! Too fast says I!

The snow is all gone, but it remains cold. Can someone send some warm air my way?

Winter's lingers overlong and I grow weary of it

The weather has improved since Tuesday, but I grow tired of the white and cold. I do have hopes that the green and brown will peek through today, and maybe all that white stuff will be gone by the end of the weekend.

The heat is off in the school building where I work and study. Yesterday, classes were optional, but I am not sure what will happen today. I am torn, I hate missing so many days, yet I do not want to show up and shiver and freeze for the whole day. Thursday is a full day at school for me. My first class is at ten, the last ends at 4:30. It might be acceptable if I were physically active during that time, but instead I have to sit in a desk for hour on end. It becomes extremely uncomfortable. Earlier this year, when the temps in the barn were around 60, I was shivering after an hour or so. Ahh, well, I shall find out soon enough I suppose.

Because of the storm and such, this has been a rather inactive few days. I have completed most of the work I had planned for the weekend, so I am in a good place. With any luck, I can remain on top of things this term.

Winter's Arrival

We had a nice little snow storm yesterday. Classes were canceled, and I watched cars creep around until late in the afternoon. We received between 4-6 inches in total, though that has shrunk a bit already.I went out to the mailbox and the garbage can (cats make messes so quickly) and got snow in my shoes. blech. It was/is a heavy wet snow, kind of like the wet snows that happen in late April/May up there. Classes are still shut down until ten this morning, though I don't care as I have no classes today. To show how bad conditions were, the mail did not arrive until almost seven (two hours later than usual). I do like the postal system in America, the mail really does continue rain, snow, etc. The system is so much better here than in Canada.

I read a number of posts yesterday from various sites. It was interesting that many people feel the way I do: hopeful, but concerned. Still, that seems to me a better state than what we had earlier this year.

I am not sure what to do today, I did most everything I had to do yesterday. I am ready for next week for my class, maybe I can work a bit on my thesis?

We have a new president.
For the first time in a long time, I am proud to say I am an American, and proud to live in this country.

At the same time I am anxious about the future. So many things are broken and damaged, and I worry they cannot be fixed or renewed.

But for the moment, I celebrate.

This is a grand day.

as an aside, I watched the streets from my window during the boring parts of the inauguration, and there were no cars moving about until after President Obama finished his speech.

During that half hour, I saw one woman walking her dog, and nothing more.

Jan 20

Today is an historic day!!
Mr. Obama becomes President Obama, and I am excited and hopeful. It feels like Christmas has come again.

To make it even more Christmaslike, it snowed last night, and continues to snow today. Knowing the yeah rights will begin to fly I have attached a photo taken of my back deck at 7 am.

From Jan 20 09 snow day in Raleigh

Ain't that gorgeous? Classes have been delayed until ten (makes no never you mind to me cause my first class begins at 10:15 but I am hoping to have the day canceled cause I would love a longer weekend). The temps continue to drop, and will continue to fall all day so I this white shit may hang around until tomorrow. I can love snow, as I told Carol (who is currently in Denver doing the convention cycle and having a wild time apparently (whiskey bottles rolling down halls, loose moraled men easily corralled into doing things for dollars, and who knows what else while I sit here at home slavering away at my thesis)) because I know it won't last. By Thursday the only signs that it has snowed is likely to be all the photos of scrawny snowmen propped in yards by children who had the day off. Though theoretically, as this is an historic day, no one should have to work or go to school.

Better photos will likely arrive once the light improves. Maybe even some snow/sun photos if lucky...

7:50 update: First and last class of the day are canceled. I wait no for word on my own class. Fingers crossed that I will hear something on that soon. Snow is forecast to continue until 5 or 6 this afternoon!!

End Times

Clearly the first sign of the coming has arrived. All is wrong in the world when here is colder than there. Pah. I shall move further south.

This was a good week for me. I enjoyed my classes, both those where I was the student and those where I was the teacher. I appear to have a good class, and I am pleased.

On the downside, I received a list of deadlines for my thesis that sent me into a momentary panic which is still bouncing along quite nicely. I am sure it will rise again, there are some interesting times coming.

I have added two fans to my computer case this week and lowered my temps a great deal.

Weekend plans:
sweep my thesis so I can turn in a copy Tuesday morn or Monday night.
stay warm
go to the store and get some cereal-which negates the previous plan because I will have to step outside to do that
watch Ran (I think thats how its spelt-Japanese version of Lear)

Day one undone

The first day of my last semester at State went well. My classes seem interesting for a change, and I hope to enjoy them. Of course, knowing this to be my last semester has some bearing on my attitude.

The class I am teaching looks to be a good group. Kind of strange mixture however. Last year the class was nearly evenly split on gender, this class is 80% female. There are four young men, 18 young women. I should know more about their writing abilities by the end of today (two diagnostics will have been written by then).

I was thinking about changing my tagline name this morning, but I checked the weather and saw that it really is freezing this morning (where did I put my wool socks and long johns???), so I will have to keep it for now.

The witch hazel is blooming like crazy. I hear that the redbuds are blooming as well, but that is too early.

Baby 09

I heard some firecrackers explode at midnight, but grumpled and rolled over. I have not stayed up late for years, in fact the last late night I had was likely 01 or 02...oh well, I don't feel like I have missed anything by starting my new year tired and achey.

The past year was quite fine I think. I have some accomplishments I am proud of, some I think are rather mediocre, and some that are less fine, but that is the way it often is. I coulda done more in some areas, and other areas are doing just fine.

For this coming year I think I will take a cue from the comic PhD and learn something new, though it won't be LaTex. Last year I took up photoing, and that kept me excited and active.

Its a bit cold this morning. Hope it don't snow.

A good link to the Maddow Show's explanation of the Gaza/Israeli chaos is here.

Happy New Year everyone!!