Lots of family time

Everyone was over at one point or another today, since it was W's birthday. The house, of course, is a wreck, but at least the seating areas were cleaned off by the time everyone got here. Dad helped Todd cut a tree and put up cement board in the bathroom. We still need to replace the window with glass block, but that will be a pain, so I am avoiding it. After the window, we (read I) will have to tile the surround. I am avoiding that, too.

Todd is changing sheets, because he told me two days ago that he would. He didn't actually mean it, as it turns out, but I'm holding him to it (I hate changing sheets-- cleaning the bathroom I don't mind so much). So he is fussing at me to find stuff and is making snorting noises as he works so I will fully understand how vexed he is.

Now that the bed is made, I am going to get it in. Today has been a long day.

Oddly enough

Pilots may benefit from anti-impotence pill

I am not completely sure why this article from Reuters strikes me so. I find it both funny and terribly, terribly wrong.

And Ricky is off of Project Runway. I'll grant his design was not as good as some of the others, but I was so happy that he won last week's challenge. Had they not done away with immunity, he would have been fine. I suppose that one reason I liked Ricky so much. besides his constantly feeling unsure of himself in a non-annoying way, is that I have an affinity for people who come from marginalized backgrounds. Not from my own background, which was fairly solidly rural middle class, but from the working class background of so many of the people I grew up with. I get so tired of hearing how they could be "just as successful as anyone else if they just tried harder." Well possibly, had they been blessed with parents who read to them, mentors who encouraged them, a prestige accent, and above average intelligence. But that is not really trying harder, is it?

So I am old...

My daughter (who is really only 14) has a job. It is a temporary job, working in a church nursery for a Bible study. But still. One more milestone in the downhill slide to old-ladyhood.

We're going back north tomorrow morning for another attempt at History Day interviews.

I played hooky this afternoon. I did. After my classes, since I had no office hours, I left. Just walked out. Becky and I went to Bread Company and had lunch, and then went shopping. I bought the girls some stuff & me some shoes. I needed shoes. I have a hard time getting shoes that I am comfortable in all day walking around, so if I find shoes that I can get by with wearing with a skirt that are socially acceptable, I snap them up. And then wear them until the insides are shredded and/or the soles disintegrate.

Miss O is having multiple meltdowns this afternoon. She is "hungry" but only wants food that I don't have here. She doesn't even want to go shop for food. She evidently only wants to terrorize me.

And she is succeeding.

And to make things worse, she is watching Animal Planet. I HATE Animal Planet. I had rather sit in a room with flickering lights. Even if they buzz.

She has subtly changed her demands so that they can, technically, be met. Perhaps that means they are negotiable? And I do get to run some errands this afternoon? (Although it must be noted that I can no longer run them all, since it is now after 4:30).

So I am now off to do the bidding of a tyrannical five year old.

Study Break

I am reading for my research methods class-- the third graduate level research methods class that I have take. Trust me, it is not any more interesting this time.

Yesterday, though, I helped Mea with some fun research. We went to visit my first grade teacher, who sold (rather was forced to sell) her land to the government to create the Buffalo National River. It was so good to see her-- I haven't seen her in years.

On a not quite as happy note, W is having problems in school. His teachers are not enthusiastic about his modifications & his grades are showing that. He is also having problems with anxiety (sigh). I am not sure that I am going to do. Homeschooling keeps coming up as an option, but I am reluctant to try that route again (we made a valiant attempt last year). W resists working, especially at home.

Anyway, I am off to create a handout for ethnography.

Break

MLK is awesome. I got a whole extra day to work on my homework. Sweet. I had to start a blog for one of my classes (English 866), and spent the better part of the day thus far composing an entry about this week's reading.

I am trying to make my computer desk into something other than a chaotic mess. So we went to the box store and brought home a couple of cabinet pieces to set on either side of the desk, and to hide the cpu. I built an awesome computer, but the case is huge. And sucks dust like nobody's business. So I am hoping that keeping it in a cabinet might reduce some of the dust. And it will certainly be hidden. And we got a drawer unit, to hold the media that go with a computer. I have a ton of CDs. A *ton*. Installation CDs, kids games, clip art, backup files. All of these need a home.

Of course, lots of stuff at my house needs a home. I have way too much stuff. And every time I begin to think about getting rid of some of it, I get overwhelmed and distracted.

Last day of vacation

I am aware that students will not start showing up until Thursday, but I have to get up early and take the kids to school tomorrow morning, so for all intents and purposes, my vacation is over.

Overall, it has been a nice break, but, wow, I have had way too much family togetherness. Todd's truck broke down on Christmas Eve. The transmission went out (again-- happily it was under warranty). So we have had, in essence, one vehicle for most of the break. Hence, too much togetherness.

I think that I have put together a cool assignment for Comp II. The assignment is to find a Wikipedia stub and expand it into an article. Co-opting the evil of Wikipedia for good. I was going to hit the ground running with this assignment, but MLK Day falls where I would want to have a library intro... and heaven knows students can't make it to the library after a holiday. Although, I could go ahead and work on summary and response first. Actually, we should probably work through active reading, annotation, and summary first. Okay, decision made.

Now I just need other writing assignments. Because, of course, we have to put these jewels in our teaching portfolios that we turn in this spring. This means that I have two audiences: my students who have to figure out what I want them to do and my colleagues who are performing assessment.

New Runway!

Tonight is a new episode of Project Runway.

How did I miss the first three seasons of this?

Not fitting

My dress, that is... Part of the problem, I understand, is that I have bigger hips that anyone ever ought to have. I generally keep them well hidden with loose wrap tops or tunics, but this dress I am making is forcing me to deal with them. Part of the problem is a design issue, I think. The bodice is really loose, so I probably made a size too small for me. Which means the skirt is too tight. I do not have enough fabric to remake the skirt. So I keep regathering the skirt to make it fall over my hips. It may be a lost cause.

Nicktoons has started re-running old Rugrats, which makes me insanely happy. While they may not be as educational as Little Einsteins or Wonder Pets or whatever, I find them vastly entertaining. And Miss O is just as entertained. (Okay, I recognize the vast superiority of Sesame Street & Electric Company. However, Miss O does not like Sesame Street and I cannot find the Electric Company on cable). Of course, Tommy's adventure today would in actuality kill a child, it is still kind of funny. And the first half, when Tommy was convinced his dad was a robot was really funny.

Aftermath

So my kids are mutinying and are demanding to stay with my parents. Mea is trying to arrange her social life in conjunction with the extended stay.

This puts me teaching Sunday School by myself on Sunday. Still with no curriculum-- at least no good curriculum. So I am looking up the beginnings of Methodism. At least I am interested in that.

Mom and Dad gave me tons of clothes & tons for the kids. Which is absolutely what we needed.

Dad is working on a synopsis & first three chapters for a book he wrote. The agent wanted him to re-cast the book as a juvenile. So I have been reading and editing this week.

I am heading back home after lunch. I have laundry to do and have been trying to get a chance to sew for a couple of months now.

Party over

The party that I have been anticipating/dreading for the past month went off without a hitch (well, with only a minor meltdown by my husband). The house looked presentable, after much work and much yelling. We got the living room rearranged, resulting in a net loss of storage in the living room and a gain in the kitchen.

Several people showed up (Jenn, Luke, Christie, Brad, and Carl) but not as many as I expected (Willie, Heather). We had plenty of food-- we mostly stuffed ourselves for four hours. Really lovely.

NaDean took the younger two to mass with her this morning, then to a Christmas party this afternoon. They came in just as everyone else was leaving.

I taught Sunday School this morning for the sixth graders. Wow, a couple of those were a handful. Sixth grade is not my favorite age, but I'll be working with them for a month or so until Lali finds a teacher for that age.

Panic

My house is not fit to be seen. And ten of my oldest friends are coming to my house on Sunday. Sunday! And my house still looks like one (or more) of my children exploded in here. How many days away is Sunday? Five?

And tomorrow, I have to go to a stupid meeting about how I can further donate my time. Aarg.

Grading

You would think I would be done by now-- but I am so not. I have submitted my grades for one class, so now only four to go. Could someone just sedate me now? So what should I be doing right this minute? Not blogging. And what am I doing instead? Procrastinating.

Pathetic, really.

Semester is finally winding down (thank God)...

Today I handed back the last of my Comp portfolios. I still have a short writing assignment to grade from them, though, before I can finish the grades. For Comp II tomorrow, I have to (grade &) return research papers.

Updating...

Meleah survived her allergy attack. She has had not other symptoms-- no other problems.

We got our heat pump installed, along with a second mortgage, but fortunately no co-signer.

No clue how my paper turned out, gradewise, but I was pleased with how it turned out given the constraints of the assignment.

I still have portfolios and journals to grade. And papers. Lots of papers.

I am watching Star Trek: Enterprise, which I totally and completely missed when it was out the first time. How I manage to miss these shows, I'll never know. I totally missed Dead Like Me when it came out, too. I *love* Dead Like Me.

W has been at work with me the last couple of days and will be with me again tomorrow. Fighting, this time. And yes, he did win, although I cannot understand why people continue to ask... He lost, in that he has to miss three days of school. Heaven knows he has enough problems turning stuff in when he is *at* school. I am dreading what he ends up doing after three days off.

Laundry took over my house while I was working on my paper. Now there is a ginormous pile of dirty clothes in the laundry room and clean clothes everywhere else. *sigh. I suppose I should stop procrastinating and get some work done.

Sigh of relief...

Relief-- I have submitted my last paper of the semester. And I went ahead and submitted my paper for my Burke class, about four months late.

Now, of course, I have grading to do. Porfolios to return on Monday and on Tuesday. Research papers to grade. Honors papers to grade. Honors journals to finish...

Suddenly I don't feel as relieved as I did...

Today, I actually need to go to my office today and get those portfolios graded and ready to return bright and early on Monday.

Nearing the end...

This semester has been long for me... I am not sure why. I am sure the test-driven curricula in public schools is at least partly at fault. Students seem so unprepared to do the amount of thinking that we ask them to do (not all students, of course, just the certain ones). Others, of course, are brilliant and wonderful and make me happy to be alive.

And the Vino is beautiful. Of course, what was supposed to be about civic engagement, showing that students care about what goes on in the world of politics, turns out to look like candidate endorsements. But the rest makes me happy.

I have a paper due on Friday. I am about half done, but have to re-tool part of what I have done to make sure that I include enough theory. Right now, I am short on theory. I do have an article that summarized the theory that I want to use, which is helpful.

A break from catching up

Grading is overwhelming me. So for a break, I checked the blogs of some of my favorite people. Tim had a great post on his observations from coming to a top-notch grad school from a working class background. He and I have really similar backgrounds in many ways. My parents were educated, but they were the only people in my family who were. Several of my cousins, who are my age, have degrees, but not any of my aunts and uncles (wait, Aunt Rebbecca has an associates degree, but she earned that within the last few years).

My experiences growing up were just different from that of many of my professors and of my colleagues. Add to that, I come from a culture that places a lot of value on orality. And as part of that, we tend to use additive construction rather than subordinative construction in our communication, which is largely narrative. Further, we offer example after example and let people work out their own conclusions as to meaning. Yeah, that was something to overcome in academic discourse.

The people that I am around do not look as these issues as classist, but they certainly are. What else *could* they be? In a world where multiple voices are valued, my voice, as it is, would be considered in the conversation. Instead, I, and many others who are outside the mainstream, must take on the voices of the prestige group.

I sound so cynical here. I should probably do some work and quit pontificating.

Thanksgiving

This may be the craziest Thanksgiving ever. We went to Mom and Dad's and it was supposed to be really low key, and kind of quiet. Craig was working (and it wasn't their year to come to our family's stuff anyway) and no other assorted relatives were expected.

Things, however, did not end up as expected. We drove up Wednesday night. About 5 am Meleah woke up Mom and told her that she was itching. Turns out, she was broken out in hives. So Mom gave her a dose of benedryl and put calamine on her and everyone went back to sleep.

So we went on. I sprayed her with Dermoplast and we rubbed hydrocortisone on her and she was miserable, but not a big deal.

Today, she woke up with her throat tight and her chest tight. So I called the pediatrician. They were closing at 11 & recommended that we go to the emergency room. So we did.

And they were packed at the emergency room. But they still got us in and out in about an hour. And they gave her an antihistamine. And she is not a whole lot better.

And our dog pulled a houdini. That gave us a couple of hours of terror on top of everything else. He came home, though, on his own.

Now I am tired.

Home

We all drove up to Mom and Dad's today. First, though, I had to get my tags renewed-- because I am a loser and did not do it in October when I was supposed to. Traffic was terrible coming up here. Trucks everywhere, and Miss O had to go to the restroom three times.

KY3 (the Springfield MO NBC affiliate)is doing a story on the "baby boom" 10 months after the ice storm last year. I love Springfield local news. It is, of course, what I grew up with. We never saw Little Rock news at home, when I was a kid.

We got our new heat and air system installed. It is really nice to have heat again ; )
Old houses certainly have quirks.

I seem to be having a gathering at my house in December, which means I have to throw out stuff. I cannot bear for my oldest friends to see the mess my house is. And Do is probably going to stop by on her way to Louisiana. So, yeah, I have to clean my house. And I need to paint my living room, dining room, and trim. Because I have nasty paneling in my living room and ugly knotty pine trim in both the living room and dining rooms. And my dining room is yellow. Which is fine, until I paint my living room, then they will clash. And they are only divided by columns. So, they have to match.

All this after my final paper is due on Dec. 8, grades are due a week after that. Then I am free for a week to clean my house.

Links about teaching Comp

“Quantity produces quality. If you write only a few things, you’re doomed.” —Ray Bradbury

“The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.”
—William James

Commonplace books may be on my list of assignments for the spring. I am excited about the idea of changing the structure of my comp II class in the spring.

Meaningful assignments:

Creating Meaningful Writing Assignments
A Multicultural Approach to Writing Assignments

Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever is a great resource on the topic of employment negotiation (at least according to the listserv that I read...)

Case Western Reserve Comp Resources