Conference RBOC

• I'm at a non-disciplinary conference in a city I love but have no time to enjoy it or see my friends.
  
  
• Went to a session this morning that makes me want to try something extremely politically risky on my campus. Why not? - I have tenure. To quote one of my favorite pinball machines: Big risk, big reward.
  
  
• About 10% of the faculty attendees were texting or answering e-mail on their laptops at one point or another during the morning plenary. The irony is that it was a plenary where students were doing the talking.^*
  
  
• One of my fellow attendees had too much wine and claimed that we were both smarter that 90% of the people here at the conference. I asked what he thought of the part of the evening plenary where the speaker mentioned that we academics are often arrogant and think we are better than everyone else.
  
  
• I know it is a discipline thing, and the speaker was from a discipline that does this, but I really, really, could do without being read to. How do people in these fields pay attention when the tone isn't conversational?
  
  

^*To be fair, the sound system was not ideal and I found the panel a little too scripted and the faculty facilitators a little too self-congratulatory.

The kids weigh in

Dalton: I don't want another baby in the house.

Me: Uh, OK, why?

Dalton: I don't want there to be a baby in the house.

Me: We aren't planning on having another baby. Is someone at school getting a new brother or sister?

Dalton: OK. If someone tells you to have another baby, don't listen to them.

Dr. H: OK.

Me:, Dalton, is someone at school getting a new brother or sister?

Dalton: If someone tells you not to have another baby, listen to them.

Dr. H: OK.

Curie: But what if you don't know?

Dr. H: Well we would know.

Curie: But what if you didn't?

Me: Mommies usually know.

Curie: But what if it is a surprise?

Random Kindergarten Notes

1. The kids are counting out 100 trail mix food items for the 100th day of school. I was wondering why the raisins were so hard until I looked at the red box. "Best before 040107" As tossing the hard work in full view is likely to result in a revolt, magically the raisins will become soft and juicy by morning.

2. The school is celebrating Chinese New Year with a parade. Lovely idea, but the Kindergarten students are supposed to bring in flip flops and a bathrobe. You know, to simulate the traditional Kimono. We are thinking of sending the kids in their Judo Gis, as long as Japanese dress is considered close enough.

Merry Christmas

Because he can't put this in his Facebook status line

An observation from Dr. H:

Turns out if you don't attend class all semester, you don't write a particularly good final paper.

Feel my pain

Recent exam answers:

• "A semiconductor only does half of what a real conductor does."
  
  Well, there is no harm in guessing if you really have absolutely no idea.
  
  
• "It handles the downed-sized work of a conductor."
  
  The economy does seem to be hitting everyone very hard these days.
  
  
• "Speciation is the lack of water or water flow."
  
  Ah yes, you were present the day the guest speaker spoke on this topic. If I recall correctly, you spent the entire time texting.
  
  

The questions came directly from the sample questions on the study guide.

An awesome conversation with my daughter

Curie: Where does space end?

[discussion involving planets, galaxies and universes, scientists and more questions]

Dr. H: Hey, Curie, you ask really good questions, maybe you would like to be a scientist someday?

Curie: Oh! Maybe I will be a scientist princess!

Me: That's a good idea!

Curie: Mommy, can boys be scientists? Or just girls?

Me: Both girls and boys can be scientists.

Curie: Really, because I've never seen a boy scientist. Only girls.

Me: Daddy's a scientist and he's a boy.

Curie: No!

Dr. H.: A social scientist.

Curie: He doesn't look like a scientist!

Me: Really, he is. His college degree is in computer science, and his graduate degree is in psy..

Curie: Mommy! You are just making this up to play a joke on me!

Me: No, really, he is. And we know lots of boy and girl scientists.

Difficult Day

I removed this post because I think maybe it shouldn't be up here forever.

Still, I'm disappointed by the whole thing.

Forward-Back

My relationship with Daylight Savings Time is annoyance wrapped up in complicated memories of my freshman year of college. I grew up in a state that never changed its clocks, so my most vivid memories are from that first year in a state that did.

I was probably in love, but didn't know it at the time. All I knew was that everything about this new relationship was different - more intense, less rational. Saturday night, his best friend said to him "Hey, you guys have an extra hour tonight." It wasn't meant in a snarky way, it was said with affection. He was a little embarrassed.

It doesn't seem complicated, but his best friend was female and he never understood why I wasn't jealous. I could see the attraction - it was there, it was obvious. It was also clear it was not the level or type of attraction one would act on, at least not unless something changed. In the end, I was never able to persuade him I felt comfortable about his relationship with his best friend. Invariably conversations would lead to a discussion of my friends - most of whom were male.

Eventually the relationship ended, as it was always destined to. Even so, having an extra hour every Fall still makes me feel seventeen years old again.

Kindergarten Marketing

The kids started Kindergarten this year. The school has a number of seemingly reasonable ways to stay in contact with us. Each child has a "parent-teacher communication folder" and we've signed up for the school and district e-mail messaging system. More often than not, these tools are used for fundraising. The kids have been in school two months and already I have thrown out jewelery catalogs, gift wrap catalogs, spirit wear catalogs, market day catalogs, book fair catalogs, gift card order forms, gift catalogs, catalogs from companies who will make products of your child's artwork, and countless others. The kids participated in a walk-a-thon during school which we received a donation sheet for, without any indication what the charity was. It was the school. I guess that was supposed to be obvious. Every "backpack e-mail" from the district is a list of upcoming events. Most of them are " It is Suburban-School-District-101 night at X, X will donate $Y of your purchase to SSD 101!" or announcements about the catalogs being sent home. On top of that, the kids came home the other day singing the Fast Food Song.

Good News About My Mother

Two rounds of chemo down and the tumors are shrinking. Everyone is as optimistic as they can be. For this stage, the news is excellent.

Also, mom is thrilled the new chemo agent doesn't cause hair loss like the one it replaced.

Advising notes

Me: How is your math class going?
C: Okay.
Me: Really?
C: Yeah.
Me: Because I have a midterm grade report that says F.
C: Yeah, but now we are on matrices and I know how to do those.
Me: Okay, so it is going better?
C: Yeah, I guess.
Me: So what did you get on your last test?
C: Uh, I don't know, because we just turned in the take home part of the test.
Me: What did you get on the other part?
C: Uh, I haven't gotten it back yet.
Me: Okay. Are you attending your math class as frequently as you are attending my class?
C:
Me: I'm actually hoping the answer is no, that you are attending math more frequently than my class.