Gold Rush

I recently watched a film version of Charlie Chaplin's life. It was a good movie, and got me interested in silent-era films. Last night we watched the Gold Rush. Ben opted for the re-release version with Charlie Chaplin doing descriptive narration. His voice is really cool, but I'd like to watch the silent version.

The dinner-roll dance was my favorite. It shows up again in "Benny and Joon"...Johnny Depp mimics it. It's pretty great, but I must point out that there's not much better in terms of amazing acting than Charlie Chaplin.

So. Watch the movie...it's fun to see the context of the rest of the Chaplin movie. Heck, watch them both. Benny and Joon is a good one.

Drinking from a fire hose

I started my new medieval class (it's a "second 8 weeks" class, the equivalent of a block class there in zoobie land)....it was AWESOME.

I've never felt like I had a good knowledge of the surrounding history of the literature I study. I think that's going to be remedied, at least for this time period. I left class totally drained, with so many ideas bouncing around in my head that I couldn't think straight. But it was a good overwhelmed, not an "I'm so lost I'm going to die" overwhelmed. It made me miss certain professors that we all know and love.

Other than that, just life as it runs....busy, planning schedules for next semester...pretty boring really.

Today will be a good day

So, I got up at 3 am to finish an assignment for my methods class. It seems that no matter what I do, I always get an A- . . . on every assignment. I know, big deal. It's just frustrating because it seems like some sort of personal thing. For the last two assignments, she's written "Muy bien!" across the top, not marked anything, and given me a 92. Oh well. Life goes on. At least it's just methods, and I can chalk it up to the fact that it's not my field.


We went home AGAIN this weekend. My little Marine brother was home on leave for 15 days before he goes to Japan (I'm glad that's where he's ending up), so we needed to go see him.
We stayed with my aunt and her fam...she's got two daughters, both of whom I LOVE to death. The younger one was really excited to have BeeBoo at her house. It was great.

I got to eat the pizza and doughnuts from local shops that I always crave. Both in one weekend! Can't beat that! The pizza was my dad's treat, then my cousin and I went to get the sweets. Yummy!

I saw my paternal grandparents...the last time that happened BeeBoo was 3 months old. So it was good to see them. They were very impressed with her BeeBoo cuteness. I was glad. This is the same grandma that takes your picture off the wall if she's mad at you....hopefully that won't be an issue for BeeBoo. :-)

Ummmm...My mommy's coming today! CAN'T wait for that. Haven't seen her in forever, either seems like.

So today will be a good day.

"Reedeet"

So, BeeBoo has manifested more "I'm doomed to be like my mother" tendencies.

She's been combining two words into VERY simple sentences for about a week (maybe 2? They're all the same to me...time is extremely non-linear to me), saying things like "Dada car" and "More ___."

However. Her most frequently repeated sentence is "Read it!", which she says with a book held up to whichever obliging parent seems most available to read book after magazine after boardbook.

I LOVE it. I'm very glad that she likes books. And I can't say that it's because we've been such wonderful parents that we read to her in a consistent pattern designed and intended to foster literacy. Like we're that cool. HA! We do read with her, but it's usually just whenever we happen upon the time for it. So sometimes story time is before bed, sometimes after breakfast, sometimes in the middle of the afternoon.

We have tried to have books that she can get at though...the lower two shelves on our bookcase are strictly BeeBoo based. She can take whatever she likes from them, and put whatever she wants (well, almost) onto them.

So anyway. She now says "READ IT!" And it makes me happy.

hee hee

I enjoy the intro to this

Hence BeeBoo not being named Allie or some such nonsense.

I love Saturdays

So this morning we slept in. I didn't hear BeeBoo until about 8:30, and I got to stay peacefully lounging until about 9.

Then we went to the farmer's market in town. I bought all colors of peppers, some eggplant, tomatoes, onions and fresh green beans. OH! And little tiny cucumbers that happen to be one of my favorite memories from a garden when I was little.

Then we went to the orchard that's about 12 miles from our house. They have all different kinds of apples. This trip I decided on Empire apples (which I had never previously heard of) and Winesaps (which are my all-time favorite apples...they're REALLY tart, I love them more than chocolate and warm socks in the winter). And we bought cider to take to put in the freezer until we can take it home for Thanksgiving. (Which wonderful meal at the Lovely house is just the best thing EVER --- AL aren't you excited?)

So, I'm happy. I love being able to have a day with no time-committed schedule. I do have things to do, but they can be done rather randomly. I'm also really glad to be back in the Midwest. Love the fall-ish trees!

Too much

Too much to do, too much. I have an hour to put together a PowerPoint for class at 1:25, a presentation for methods, do Monday's reading, so that I can have the weekend to work on my paper for lit that's due on Friday.

So what do I do? I blog.

Typical.

On the upside, it's Friday. I have survived yet another week!

Ranting...again

"You're a student...you have TONS of free time"

This is the comment from a certain brother-in-law who will remain nameless. The basis?? When he was in graduate school, he had free time. Never mind that he was single. Never mind that he's ALSO A MAN!

I tried discussing this calmly with my husband, but since it turned in to a rant, here I am.

So, a couple of things.

1) When a man says to a woman, married or otherwise, who tries to keep up a household and take care of one or more little ones "You have tons of free time," my only conclusion is that he's never seen what it takes to keep up with cleaning, cooking, laundry, errands, bathing kids, dressing kids, feeding kids, changing kids, reading to kids, getting kids to nap, getting kids to talk, getting kids to walk, taking kids to the park, trying to do some ALONE activity to save your sanity, etc etc.

The problem is worse when this comment comes from a married man. He must not have any idea what his wife goes through every day, or if he does he obviously doesn't appreciate it. The "free time" statement indicates that he appraises her work as "All you do is stay home. You have tons of free time."

2) When a man says this to a married woman who is also a teacher and a graduate student, it's a good way to make her want to land him a swift kick in the head. (Or other, more painful parts)

Even if he had free time in grad school, even if he doesn't think that a wife's job is time consuming (and therefore important), he seems to think that the job he has is time consuming (and therefore important)...so when you pile the grad school and the wife/mom thing ON TOP OF THE JOB, why on EARTH would you think it's a good idea to say "This grad student/wife/mom/teacher must have tons of free time."

I think that we have a tendency to extrapolate our experience on to the experience of other people (I'm doing it here by being mad that he didn't understand my experience, so I guess I'm not much better). Since he had free time, I must have, never mind that my life is completely different and that society has an entirely distinct set of expectations for me.

Ah. It's out of my system. I wonder what you all will think of this story?

While I walk, I wonder

Walking around campus is really the only time in my life that I'm actually alone. So I think while I walk. It's nice to think (even if it's only for 10 minute segments or so) about something not school related, or not teaching related. So, I've been analyzing the events of the past week, and mainly being grateful that things can get better.

I've also wondered if they're actually better, or just seem better. My husband and I are really good at the nuts-and-bolts, surviving our insane schedules part of life.

One thing especially has made me really feel reassured, though. This statement is probably going to sound strange at first. But I promise, it really makes sense. I was reminded today of how wonderful it is to have the capability of leaving. Were it not for my steady, self-supportable income, I could worry that I was only staying in this relationship for the sake of being taken care of. But I'm NOT! Because I could leave, given the motivation/desire. I can exist on my own.

Which means that I must actually still love him! Which is wonderful. Really and truly (I've noticed myself using that phrase a lot lately...) if it weren't for the "This is still worth it, you're still worth it" factor, there wouldn't be much reason for me to go through this agony. So at least there's some good in it.

Life goes on, things get a bit better.

*&%$^@ office hours!

So, below you will find the possibilities for typical scenarios that represent my office hours.

1) I sit. And wait. And lesson plan. Because no one comes. EVER!

2) The day before the test, students come and say "What's going to be on the test?"

3) The day after the test, students come and say "I'm here so you can teach me Spanish."

The third one bugs me the most. I spend three hours a week doing that, and you can't be bothered! So why should I be bothered when you can't even articulate a specific question? I mean, it's not as though I can transmit my years of Spanish acquisition to you, in one fluid movement and complete session, in ONE HOUR!!!!

(deep breath, moment to collect myself)

I like the first scenario the best. It's the most typical and is thus routine...routines work well in my life. I'm good with them. Hopefully my upcoming office hours session will be a day that I can lesson plan to my heart's content, and not have to be forced to actually DO anything. :-)