When all else fails, mow the grass

Finally got the mower working yesterday, thanks to the advice of the father-in-law and the two guys building the house next door. Like Redcross Knight, who takes three days to defeat the dragon, yet only manages to win because of heavenly grace, I took three days to triumph over the lawn tractor. . . yet only managed to do that because of the help of friends & neighbors.

Still, I may not be able to teach effectively, but I can drive a lawn tractor! I think I love mowing the grass (and, in our case, the various weeds, dandelions, clover) because this is one thing I can do where the results are immediate, tangible, aesthetically pleasing. Doesn't hurt that it's outdoors, either.

Glad I've Already Got the Job

. . . because let me tell you, I wouldn't earn it based on my lastest performances.  I'm dying out there.

It's like J. J. Redick in the Sweet Sixteen Round of the NCAA Tournament.  It's like GM or Ford trying to produce a reliable automobile.  It's like a humanities Ph.D. trying to make money. 

Four class sessions into the week, and I'm probably not quite batting my weight!

Bracketology

Name me one person who thought that the Final Four would be LSU, Florida, UCLA, George Mason.

That loss by the Tar Heels a week or so ago isn't looking neeeearly so bad, is it?

Hints of spring

They make us smile every time we look into the back yard.

So, what shall we make of this?

Says here that depression is cured by drugs only half of the time. . . seeing as this whole issue strikes close to home, I wonder how to react.

The insidious thing about being diagnosed with 'major depression disorder' is that one tends to question every mood, every dark thought, as a 'relapse.' I guess this highlights the tough truth that this is a condition one manages, but perhaps never fully recovers from.

But hey, my wife's the mental health professional. I'm just a professional egghead.

Piers's lonely walk back to his office

It never feels as lonely up here as when I have to call students on the carpet in class. There was a little too much extraneous chit-chat going on, so I had an outburst, essentially telling folks that if they could talk to each other about class-related stuff, we all needed to hear it, and if they were just chatting, then they needed to keep their traps shut.

Well, one of the students at whom this outburst was directed actually had a serious question; she was confused about what we'd been talking about. Unfortunately, this is a student who's never seemed happy in the class, and her friend even less so. Apparently they really dislike me, which is their prerogative. But I can't help but think about evaluations, and about how their negative opinion might shape my "numbers." Abashed, I finished class, but I was shaken by the interaction.

So I walk back to my office after teaching, feeling more than usual just how alone a professor is when he's in front of a class of 20, 30, 40 students. They aren't my friends, and shouldn't be. No matter how "nice" I try to make myself. Unfortunately, I'm already raw from having to acknowledge how lonely I am up here in West Tennessee (more on that later). So it hurts. And there's no one but Weslee to tell about it. And this blog, but it's a poor substitute for flesh & blood.

Spring Break report

Wes and I spent a week with all the Hills up in . . . well. . . the 'hills' of East TN. Moody and wife were generous in letting us all take advantage of a great place to stay, and the crowds were mercifully light. JD enjoyed seeing his Pappy, that's for sure. Weather was great, food was great, and I got to watch Moody play a truly impressive game of Galaga after a rousing game of mini-golf.

Yep, it was that kind of week.

Photos from Florida

Shots and thoughts from my quick trip to Florida:

Here we see architecture that could really only be possible in a state like Florida, and only on a university campus:


Meanwhile, over near the dining hall, I find this interesting juxtaposition (read the pole, then read the bucket):


The New College of Florida was quite nice; our hosts at the conference were quite nice, and they had arranged some interesting sessions. I've discovered that scholars who specialize in English Literature are the Low Persons on the Academic Totem Pole at these kinds of gatherings. Oh, and the New College is the most granola place I've ever been. And I've spent lots of time in Carrboro!

Lastly, I understand why driving Alligator Alley in south FL is so dangerous. It's not the giant reptiles, but this:

Countless persons have suffered the misfortune of driving this freeway only to have their brains actually stop functioning, starved for stimuli. Having perished, they slump onto their steering wheels, their cars careen off the road, whereupon they are eaten by alligators.

Thank goodness I had plenty of information about quattrocento Florence to mull over!

Back Home

We made it back . . . now for the grading marathon, the chores, and so on. The little one may be the most excited about being here. Plenty more to come, after the pictures get downloaded, etc.

In Florida

Some people go to Florida this time of year for suntans and debauchery. Me, I go to Florida to sit in conference rooms and listen to papers about quattrocento Florence.

More to come . . . but just for a moment, imagine that you go to school where the view is like this:

In which Piers finds it hard to be polite

Standing in front of my composition class, which meets in a computer lab classroom on the ground floor of the humanities building. We are midway through the class period. I hear the telltale *click* from the door to the room, indicating that someone has swiped their card to gain access.

A student pops her head in the door, sees me, then hesitantly moves to stand in the doorway.

Yes, can I help you?
"Are you having a class?"
Yes, we're in class right now.
"Could I just print something real quick?"
I'm sorry; we're having a class right now.
"You mean I can't just print something real quick?"
I'm sorry; we're having a class right now.
"But the printer across the hall isn't working. I can't just--"
I'm sorry; we're--having--a--class--right--now.

*Pause.*
*student notices that I am not budging.*
*student rolls eyes, sighs, flings self out the door.*

Class bursts into laughter.

Children's Sermon Moment

During today's service, our new children's minister (also an MK from the Philippines--I actually knew him when we were kids) pulled out a balloon as a visual aid during the children's sermon. He inflated it, and quickly made it into a cross. He asked the kids what it was. . . and of course, one boy shouts out "a sword!"

It's a good day to be a Tar Heel

Link

Update: A Really Good Day

Sir Philip Sidney

Three years ago today we brought home a little tabby kitten. He's not so little anymore, and we have no idea what we ever did without him.