Professional Student

Why yes, I do believe that is enough grading for one day.

By ranting to Chain Restaurant Employee #29874EJ about labeling the unsweetened tea Northern, we're associating you less with Yankees and more with another group of people

I spent part of Sunday of my NOT-SPRING BREAK grading because the student emails were starting to infect my computer. Not with Trojans, just bad vibes and making Eleanor less an object of communication and pleasure, than a tool for work. And yes, that is technically why she was purchased, but there is no reason for me to look at her with a sense of dread because of the THINGS other people will communicate to me through her.

So I’m stretched out in the nice living room because I cannot stand working at my desk that day. Does anyone else do that? Constantly change your work station (not necessarily your job, but that too) because if you spend one more second in that location you are going to scream? Even if I’m in the same room I’ll try out every single seating configuration through the duration of a working period. I’m at my desk now but feel claustrophobic and yet short of suffocating in the attic this is the only place I can shut myself off.

Now because Eleanor, despite being 5 inches smaller than Hedwig, takes up my entire lap I had my grade book tucked under my arm not unlike a breastfeeding newborn. And to tell you the truth, the balancing act might not be that different from breast feeding. Granted the grade book is significantly lighter. My nipples bear no ill-effects from an enthusiastic pair of gums, but my god the (silent) screaming it can do when ignored.

Part of my work process involves a lot of not working. I’m a little ashamed about how much play I incorporate in to my work, because a better more efficient person than I, would say that if I could just focus on the work for two hours straight it would be DONE and I could have the rest of the day free. Guys, I tried that. I did. And I just stared at a blank screen longing for a distraction of some kind. So I usually have comedy playing, because I work better when other people are talking around me but not at me. And then a browser devoted to whatever I need to be looking at right that very second. Who cares if this system takes me three times longer, at least I get something done by the end and compared six different pairs of white Bermuda shorts.

(Full Disclosure: I don’t know how long I’ve sat here typing, but after each sentence I go read a blog entry. Even that sentence.)

Now the other work is good at sitting neglected while I peruse page after page of wholesale beads, but not the grade book. If I let my attention drift towards the merits of fire polished Czech beads versus matte that grade book would judge like a judging thing. “Hey! Hey you! You still have 12 students to get through. I’m not out here for my health. Plug these grades and comments in.”

And so I would force myself back to work, pecking on the keyboard with one hand and balancing the curmudgeon with the other. But the strange thing is that even after I was done and could type like a normal person, that grade book was still in my arm. Probably for the best because the second I put it down, the cat would curl up on top of it. The baby comparisons just keep coming. 

Pleasure:Bacon cheese Krystals

Annoyance: Finding out I won't be alone during Spring Break

Lesson: Wonton soup makes for an interesting dry cleaning bill.

We've had a pretty mild winter, but February decided to go out on a depressing note with day after day of grey blah. By the end of April I should be complaining that it's too hot and begging for fall.

Kids, if I have any advice to offer you for the future, it is to not become reliant on cars.  Not just for the environmental reasons, although worthy of consideration. )But they are high maintenance creatures. And not just the old car given to you by your maiden aunt which you know is going to cost you money down the road, but also the fresh new car off the lot.

"Wait, what's that sound. Is it supposed to make that sound?"

"How do you get the key out? Why doesn't it just slide out?"

New insurance card not in mail.

*Checking all door locks individually while in a dark and slightly questionable neighborhood* "Okay, I understand why people pay an extra grand for automatic locks."

"Where is my fuel tank anyway?"

New insurance card not in mail.

"Oh god. I think I put the car in over drive. Shit."

"Never mind, that light is decorative. Why is it decorative?"

New insurance card not in mail.

"What is that sound?! Oh it's a leaf against the windshield."

Schrrrrrch."Oh god. I'm sorry. I didn't know I was that close to the curb. I know you're under warranty but I was hoping to make it past Week One before returning to the dealership."

New insurance card in mail! Plus bill!

It's been an interesting week with Car in addition to everyday life. My horoscope from Rob Bresney hit the nail on the head this week. That mellowness is all fine and good, but if you get too mellow you lose the ability to take on challenges. 

Now he does have a point, but a bit of mellow would be nice about now. I mused while taking Paige around the block. I missed dinner with the family on Friday to help someone in the hot shop and got home late to a frantic dog. Not that she was alone, but she didn't get a walk the previous night while I was at class so she was more keyed up than usual. So keyed up that when the cat shot down the hall, Paige attempted to follow causing the leash to go taut, and knocked a metal lamp onto Mom cracking one of her nails. I help her get cleaned up and we go walking. 

Plop! Plop!

Before I can really register that my nose is wet, I see it. Watching rain blow in is a nice sight on camera. Or at a window. You know, some place dry.  It's something else when you and a hydrophobic dog are suddenly drenched and cold. 

I wanted a shower anyway.

Struggling with the most difficult lecture of the sememster: Cold War and Decolonization. Difficult because there is so much that can be covered and I am constantly confronted by my own ignorance. Why does India's history have to be so complicated? Why?

And having a glass of wine didn't give me a happy buzz so much as a stifling flush.

Also I have a new car. Had an accident on Tuesday and "wrecked" it. Most likely fixable but made much more sense to use the money as a down payment, which is what it was set aside for anyway. It's a very basic Kia Rio, but basic for 2012 is downright luxurious compared to mid model 1998. And it is nice going into summer with a working ac unit and a 5 year warranty to back it up.

Not sure what to call it. Last one was just Car. I'm torn between Car II: Car Harder or Car II: Electric Bugaloo. Or fossil fuel bugaloo.

Everything on my current reading list that isn't history, focuses on fasion and design. The fashion is a latent interest, born out of a history of being too overwhelmed and then irritated by shopping when poor and in high school and then shopping lots when less poor and in college. And after a constant cycle of Purchase/Wear/Regret/Hoard/Donate/Purchase I'm a little tired. But a good bit wiser in terms of what works for me and more open to considering (not jumping on the bandwagon) new ideas.

I own I <3 Your Style by Amanda Brooks and really enjoyed it because it was a way of studying various styles and key items that belong. Plus I like hearing about the Vogue offices and fancy people going to fancy places. I've also looked at Parisian Chic and while it was interesting looking at this one particular French woman's take on fashion, life, and France I don't feel the need to add it to my collection.

As much as I like lists, I can't say I'm crazy about clothing lists. The basic wardrobe nessesities, the It items, the superfun thing that one must have in their closet. That just starts the above cycle all over again. I agree that a pull over navy blue sweater is a great basic. I have my share of black dresses for all occasions (and the special red one). And if Sarah Jessica Parker had fawned over ballet flats, that show would have made so much more sense.

That's a pretty good run down of how I favor classic pieces. But not all of them. A starched white button down shirt might be ever so sharp, but it stifles me. And I just cannot figure out the trench.

Yeah the models look great, but have you ever tried on a trench? I've never been in one that makes me not look like Agent Scully. And as awesome as she was. No.

Plus this is Florida. A trench probably gets as much wear as our winter coat and then even less. Because a trench generally means wet weather. And when that happens the entire state takes a sick day.

Do you think after a good hunt, Diana settled down with her maids and talked about the latest god gossip? It's not as though they wanted for scandal.

"Did you see Aphrodite last night? Totally transparent tunic."

"Oh I know, as if every god hadn't seen it all before."

It's funny. After a couple of weeks molten glass doesn't both you at all. But the fact that you smell like barbecue all the time is rather off putting