Monday Update, O Tannenbaum Edition

After the Thanksgiving observance comes the ritual Opening of the Attic, the ceremonial Unpacking of the Many Plastic Containers, the official Choosing of the Christmas Tree, and the Decorating Thereof, which was just done this very night. The boys were beside themselves excited. They of course decorated a very narrow zone of the tree by piling several ornaments per branch.

We have adjusted some of their aesthetic choices.

Today I was feeling pretty crappy due to a cold, but still, in the midst of an insight about Pope's "Essay on Man" as I was teaching the first part of the poem to my class, I apparently got a bit excited . . . cause next thing I knew my colleague from the classroom next door was pounding on the wall to get me to pipe down a little. It was all in good fun, but I didn't have any idea I was being that loud. Oh well; I may not be doing a great job, but at least I can't be accused of phoning it in.

Thankfulness is a discipline of the mind and heart.

There are plenty of things that weary me, but I'm not about to waste space on those right now.

Number One Son acts just like I imagine I used to act this time of year.  He absolutely loves everything about this season.

Monday Update (belated), "Deep Breath Before the Plunge" Edition

I have to admit that I don't feel like I'm doing a good job at anything these days.  Is it enough to do what's required to get by?

Especially doubting my performance at work.

I have learned that this is a cycle that follows just as surely as the September-October period is a tough haul. The weather turns bleak just as my mood does the same.

I recognize that it's just a mood, though, brought on by work related stress and the fewer hours of sunlight/bike riding.

Thanksgiving week is nice, though, because we get most of the week off. But we'll pay for it starting on Monday...cause the sprint from Thanksgiving to Christmas break is also brutal.

The poor preschoolers have been so very sick.

The Mutt has been trying our patience to the hilt.

We know we have plenty to be thankful for, but we're not feeling smug--we're tightening the belts for what we're pretty sure is coming.

Some things that have come up

1. People are doing the "thankfulness" thing on Facebook where they use each day in November to talk about what they are thankful for. This one acquaintance of mine who used the occasion to praise herself for her progressive political views . . . apparently missed the point.

2. In many ways, having a puppy is like having another child, only more so.  And hairier.

3. I was teaching the other day and talking about regional cultural differences--urging the students to be more thoughtful and less reflexive in their evaluations, especially of the South.  One student thought she could catch me out by asking, "where have YOU lived?"  My answer left her without much to say.

4. Colleagues and students alike are all feeling the cumulative stress of the semester. In the past two weeks, I have had a couple of students--both of whom had been missing big chunks of class--come to me and say that they've been having trouble. Both tried not to cry, and mostly succeeded. Neither was particularly forthcoming about the nature of their trouble. I tried to offer a little perspective and then sent them on their way with assurances that we would be able to work it out. I try to remember that it is an honor to be seen as a compassionate and reasonable person.

5. Everyone at work is surprised when I confess that I am an extreme introvert.

6. There is a research project I'm supposed to be working on. Yeah, about that . . .

Some things I wish I could tell my students

 . . . but that I do not generally say because I don't want to sound like a level 75 curmudgeon:

You cannot continue to expect to get gold stars just for showing up. Certainly, showing up is the first step, but it's only a first step. You may have been stroked and petted for doing the absolute minimum up until this point, but from now on the minimum is just that--it will keep you from utter failure, but that's about it. If you want to know true success, then you are going to have to determine that deferred gratification and mental/physical exhaustion are acceptable. Especially the deferred gratification part. You are also going to have to define success in terms other than monetarily. If you think you are in college to get certified for a job, you'd be better off doing other stuff. There is no reason to be at a university unless you are there to learn things in a broad and deep sense. Please learn, furthermore, that you are in fact always representing yourself to other people, both in what you wear and in how you choose to speak. You may mutter self-indulgent nonsense about "authenticity" and "self-expression," but you're not really convincing anyone--least of all anyone over the age of 30.  And PLEASE, PLEASE, for the love of Pete, think before opening your mouth. In fact, just play it safe and don't open your mouth at all. 

Monday Update, Hedgehog Edition

I forget it every year, apparently, but it happens every year:  in the two weeks following the Pig Pickin', everything catches up with me and it is like I'm buried for several days under an avalanche of paper.  Other things begin to slide as I begin to cut corners to keep up with the basics.  I usually spend the latter four to five weeks of the semester just shoveling.

This explains why the yard and the exercising and the diet, etc., are all utterly neglected in November.

I also find that the way I do my job creates a cumulative weariness that really takes a toll when the time change hits. I feel it in the gut, and I begin to get a bit impatient with, um, other people. 

Number One Son had a sleepover over the weekend, and apparently really enjoyed himself.  The report is that he and his friend woke up at 3:00 am ready to play.  They were dismayed to find that the parent didn't agree.

All of the children have been utterly consumed in their Lego building recently. There is an 8-foot table in our front room covered end to end.  Have there been some screechy disagreements? Unfortunately, yes.  We have discovered that The Mutt really dislikes it when I begin to speak loudly.  She generally goes and finds The Runner.  On Sunday morning, when the s*** really hit the fan, she not only found The Runner (in the kitchen), but wedged herself between The Runner's legs and the cabinets.

An older colleague was speaking with me about a demographic issue that she read about--that the 85+ population of this country will outnumber the 5 and under population by 2040.  The most amazing part of the conversation was that when I remarked that this is exactly why all the entitlements are dead--they cannot possibly keep up with the population--her response was essentially a shrug. At least she's getting hers (and mine. And her grandkids').

I find myself wearied by the incessantly self-involved among my friends and acquaintances. This is the most unpleasant of the side effects of Facebookification.

The question that remains for Piers is . . .

. . . how libertarian will he become?

In which Piers votes

I voted this year based on two concerns:
1. Fiscal/budget
2. First amendment

I don't even think that Social Security OR Medicare will even exist in any recognizable form by the time I am of age to "collect," so to speak.

Looming: the technology-driven change in the way education, especially college/university education, is delivered.

I will also note that there are colleagues of mine who are thoroughly and utterly hateful toward the state house representative because he disagrees with them on several issues ... And then they complain when he doesn't seem overly eager to bend to their requests (it will be a relief when/if their chosen candidate wins and in doing so is able to iron out all our difficulties).

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Monday Update, election eve edition

I am thoroughly ready for this long nightmare to be over. By which I mean election season. My fear is that we are rapidly moving to a kind of setup where the election cycle never really ends.

Now that we have set the September & October marathon behind us, we have turned our attention to other things, specifically some of the house and yard keeping that tends not to get done otherwise. The Runner massacred lots of our shrubbery this past weekend.

The front room of our house has the long table pulled out into the center, and it is covered--covered--with Lego building blocks. It's a mess, but Little Red and Number One Son built 30+ spaceships tonight.

The youngest shall hereby be known as Lefty.

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