Friday, February 21, 2003
 

Today got off to an auspicious beginning [insert sarcasm]. I had an appointment at Student Health at 8:15, so I set my alarm for 6:30. When it goes off, it's pouring rain. Attempting to haul myself out of bed was nearly impossible; I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before and didn't get to bed particularly early last night. So then there was the pleasant, damp walk to campus, 30 minute appointment, then to the library, where I attempted to read essays for our seminar (by a visiting speaker) this morning. That particular doomed effort ended with me sleeping on a couch in the library reserve room, which I'm sure made a chaming spectacle for those passing through. Hopefully I didn't talk in my sleep (or, if I did, I hope I didn't say anything incriminating). The seminar was from 11-noon, and now I'm back at my apartment, where I hope I can stay awake well enough to read some of Newjack, which I have to present on next week. There's a talk at 4:10 and a reception afterward, and then I think I'll come back here and sleep until tomorrow. My life is tremendously thrilling.

Yesterday morning, I got up circa 3:30 AM and returned to the work I'd abandoned at 11:00 PM the night before. At 9:35, I observed (for the second time) an undergrad English course. We have to observe four classes (of this particular course) this term, to prepare us for teaching next year. The class I'm watching is a bunch of dunderheaded lummoxes, to say the very least. My favorite comment comes from when I observed Tuesday. They were discussing "The Open Boat," which was far above the class' collective head. A girl analyzed the role of nature in the story with this insightful statement: "It's, like, not like nature is indifferent. It just, like, doesn't care." I have to say, I'll never read Crane the same way again. As in without laughing. I'm looking forward to teaching even more now [insert dripping sarcasm].

After that, I retreated to the library reserve room to read the aforementioned essays by the visiting speaker, then headed to the English building to eat my lunch before seminar. Romanticism was its usual puzzling self. As someone put it last night, it's the world according to this particular professor, and forget reference to actual literature. After that was the American lit seminar, which has been awarded the Jump the Shark and Major Bust prizes for this term.

After making it through the seminars alive, if bitter, I came back to my humble abode, ditched my heavy load of texts, then drove my lazy butt to a local Thai restaurant (one of my favorite places) for dinner with the visiting speaker. There were eight of us for dinner, which made a small and pleasant group, and I liked everyone there. After dinner, I spent 45 minutes in the parking lot (in the cold, in the drizzle) complaining. I was asked to go to the dinner by someone I felt too guilty to say no to, but I'm glad I went now. I didn't have any major objections to going, per se, it's just that Thursdays are so murderous in general that all I want to do after 6:00 is watch TV.

Ah, well. I must accomplish something before I leave here for the 4:10 talk. Over and out.

Elvisette philosophized at 2:04 PM