Son is coming home!

Son managed to get a vacation day for this Saturday, and will be home for the Independence Day weekend.

Birds are singing, bells are ringing, the sun has come out, and there's a breeze in the air. We can't wait!

Today we are celebrating Youngest Daughter's birthday (again) with a visit to a local target range. She took a pistol safety class yesterday, and we picked up her new Ruger 10/22 rifle so she will have it to use today. I baked her cake this morning (there was a scary moment when the egg whites seemed to collapse, but they were fine after a bit) and we have all the party stuff ready although I am not too sure where we are going to have the cake part!
After the range shooting, YD and I will head back to UniTown and tomorrow I have to make serious headway on the CAREER award. I want as much time as possible to spend with Son.

Happy Birthday, Youngest Daughter!

Well, it's official. All of my children are now adults. YD turned 18 today, and we celebrated with much food. I took her to lunch at her favorite Japanese restaurant , where she fell victim to eyes-bigger-than-stomach syndrome and even cooked her own beef. Then, for dinner, we met my parents at Olive Garden. Yum yum. The servers brought her a cake and sang, and she was just a little embarrassed. She got a lovely blue afghan from her Nana.

Sunday we will take my sweet little darling to the rifle range for some target shooting with her very own rifle. She's wanted a Ruger 10-22 for a couple of years now, and that's her birthday present. She is all excited. Should be fun!

Oh, poo

I just got a bill from the cable company, and it was HUGE! Did a little digging and found out something happened with a payment way back in the beginning of May--for some reason, the bank turned down the payment even though there was tons of money in my account (relatively speaking). I never got a notification from the bank, the cable company never told me the payment didn't go through, and I got charged a $20 return fee. Grrrr. Now I have to call the bank.

Tonight is another class night, but I have lots of activities planned so maybe my adult students will be happy for a change. This class was thrown together last minute, and I've never taught it before, so it's been a little rough. I'm not looking forward to tonight--the only good thing is that I don't have to do another class there until July 7th. Yay!

Frankly, I'm sick of teaching and need a break. I've had more than my fair share of last minute classes, new class preps, etc. etc. I've been carrying a load no junior faculty should have to carry. My research is suffering because of it, and I've got this grant proposal looming....Ack.

Maybe I will run away to the circus. I could be the geek attraction.

The air conditioning maintenance guy is here, cleaning the AC unit outside. Thank God for air conditioning.

Eldest Daughter didn't get the job she wanted and she is bummed. I don't blame her. There's nothing much out there right no for her to apply for, but I know the right job is coming. She wants one that is not boring, pays enough, and is close to her apartment. I want her to get one that will keep me in the style to which I would like to become accustomed.

Son is finishing up classes but unfortunately his work schedule won't allow him to come home for a visit. My schedule is too nuts to allow me to go visit him. So I guess I have to wait until August to see him. Blast.

I've been reading some Louisa May Alcott lately--reread Little Women, and now I'm reading Work: A Story of Experience. It's typical LMA, with the plucky heroine who is constantly striving to improve herself, falls on hard times, is rescued, falls on hard times, etc. but now and then I am struck by a well-turned phrase that conveys great wisdom.

One handsome sailor

My dear Uncle Bill, home on leave in 1944. He wrote about his experiences in the Navy, and when Eldest Daughter gets the book digitized I'll post some of his exploits (one in particular involving Admiral Chester Nimitz is priceless).

May he rest in peace. I miss him.

CAREER angst (aka CANGST)

Once again I am going to muster up the courage to write an NSF CAREER award application. That's a prestigious five-year grant given to way-too-few junior faculty, and it causes great anxiety among those of us who try for it. My adviser, bless his heart, EXPECTS me to get one, and that just adds to the pressure.

Then, this year, the deadline falls during the period when I am overseas. That means I have to have the thing written and all the letters in by July 10th. In the midst of what has ended up being two new course preps, including figuring out what to do with 20 students for 40 intensive teaching hours in a foreign country, I have to write a 15 page proposal defining a five year research agenda. We get three tries; this one will be my second, having been savaged by the review panel the first time out.

People at my advanced age should be thinking about where to spend their kids' inheritance, not worrying about developing five-year research agendas. (Inheritance? WHAT inheritance? Hahahahaha!)

Just plain wrong

The plagiarism case I brought against a researcher who stole whole paragraphs out of my paper was dismissed. The panel said they found no evidence of plagiarism--even though the Turnitin report clearly shows large portions of text copied verbatim from my work.

That's incredibly disheartening. If the premier engineering publication won't protect authors then there is no hope.

Sure does wonders for my motivation to work on more papers.

It's Flag Day!

Well, for the next 90 minutes it is. We got a new flag and it looks beautiful. Too bad it was the only one flying on the whole block.

Eldest Daughter is home for the weekend and we went to the big local art festival today. She made lots of purchases and even I got a few things--a turquoise necklace (my birthstone), an African woven fan, and two tile magnets (one of the Earth, one of the Moon).

When I went into Youngest Daughter's room to get the bed ready for ED to sleep there, I got stung by a wasp that was hiding on YD's camo beanbag. I grabbed her Japanese bokken and bokkened the thing into oblivion. But man, that sting hurts. Ow ow ow.

Class went well last week but I was hoarse by the end. This week, I am hoping for more student participation, partly because I haven't had a lot of time and the lecture is a tad thin....


In the "How not to make friends with people in your building" department: Stalker Dude (from the grading debacle a couple weeks ago) showed up Tuesday, just before I was leaving for a meeting. Sat in the hall, I didn't know he was there until I was ready to go to the meeting and the faculty person who he had bothered last week came in to talk to me about him.

I told her that he was not going to get what he wanted, which was a rewrite, that it wasn't fair to the other students who would also want a chance to rewrite. She started asking what we did to ensure they knew what plagiarism was, and I was absolutely incredulous that someone from another department, in another college no less, would be sticking her nose into this affair. I told her they had seminars, had to sign a pledge, it was in the syllabus, on the course home page, etc. So she says "Well, with that many cheating you should be doing something else" and I just said it was up to the department, not me, to deal with their students.

First thing that morning, there was a phone call from international student services asking about this kid, and I explained the situation to that lady too. She said he was planning on coming to my office at 2:30. After she called, a MAINTENANCE PERSON came in from the other building, asking about this kid too. So after my meeting ended at 2 I went back to the office to talk to SD, but he was gone.

Then our office manager tells me she overheard the Faculty Meddler telling SD to go see the associate provost because "it's just too strange that there were a lot of you in this situation"

WHAT ON EARTH IS WRONG WITH THIS WOMAN??

I've e-mailed the grad coordinator to tell him he has to talk to this kid (who has been suspended) and copied him on a message I sent SD that I will not regrade his paper and he has to talk to the grad coordinator, not me, about his options.

My pal in the department told me one of his cheating students copied my pal's paper. That's right. This bright shining light copied out of his professor's paper.

I'd say Thank God it's summer and I don't have to deal with students, but I am teaching two classes and I have to still deal with students. Sigh.

Musings on careers

I've been conversing with a friend about work stuff, and got to thinking about (and being nostalgic for) my days as a stay-at-home mom.

Maybe it's because I've got two courses to teach this summer, which means hardly any break from teaching, a major grant proposal to write, and at least two articles to get into shape for submission, and I'm feeling the stress of too much to do and not enough time to do it. I've also got to do all the medical stuff I save up for summer, like dental work and eye exams and gyno visits, plus I got called for jury duty. How I fit that all into three months I have no idea--then it's pell-mell into the academic year with four nights a week of teaching, and committee work, and this year, the mid-tenure review. It's daunting. I used to deal with stress like this by wishing it was Christmas, or six months from now, or a year from now. At this point, I wish it was 2012 and the tenure decision would be behind me! Talk about wishing one's life away.

Anyway.

I made a list of hobbies and activities I did when I was a SAHM. Not necessarily kid-related, but ME-related.

• Went out with my telescope and looked at the heavens
• Made lots of gingersnaps and pots of tea to share with BestFriend
• Learned to sew, and made lots of cool things
• Made beaded handbags for presents
• Learned to etch glass (for presents)
• Did lots of needlework (presents again--see a theme? SAHMs usually have way more time than money, and I was no exception)
• Baked tons of goodies for holidays and just because
• Grew herbs and vegetables
  
• Regained some of my prowess on the piano
• Got better at playing the flute
• Read for pleasure, copiously
• Went to many arts and crafts shows.
  

That's just a partial list. Here's what I do now:

• Read mostly for work. It takes me forever to get through a pleasure book, because I read just before I go to bed and that means I fall asleep within two or three pages.
• Spend weekends and evenings working on lectures, papers, or grant proposals
• ...um...

I do have more money now, which means I can go visit Eldest Daughter and (hopefully soon) Son. But the tea times with Best Friend are long gone, I don't bake much anymore, etc., etc., etc.

Sigh. And worst of all, I miss my kids.

While I'm waiting for the teakettle to whistle

Today was Youngest Daughter's last recital of the season, and the scholarship ceremony. She won a nice scholarship that will help with next year's voice lesson bill (ohhhh it's going to be a big 'un) and sang nicely in the choir concert. We tramped through the local BigMall yesterday trying to find a black dress for the concert, and finally snagged one for less than my paycheck at a nice little shop tucked into a corner. One big department store had a whole section dedicated to the Little Black Dress--but unfortunately, the price tag was often bigger than the dress itself.

It's a hot day today, going to be hot tomorrow, was hot yesterday. Thank God for air conditioning in the condo!

So yeah, I have to teach four hour sessions at a local manufacturer starting Monday, for the next six weeks or so. We proposed a choice of five classes in quality management and problem solving, and they decided they wanted one that I've not taught before. Now that's not really a problem, since the class is still quality management stuff just in a different package. The problem is that a VP of the company is registered in the class. Eeep. And he's on the advisory board for our big grant, that covers this class. Double eeep. And I'm not the Clicker Lady and they were very impressed with the Clicker Lady. Triple eeep.

The Clicker Lady is another prof at my school who uses the student response systems and has this stock story of how and why she uses them and how she injects humor ("You were there when I injected humor, weren't you, F?") and after the third time one hears this routine it gets very old and one swears off clickers forever because of it.

But I use trebuchets and everyone knows they are cooler than clickers.

Okay tea is done, cookies are in hand, and so it's time for serious chocolate chip cookie eating.

Interesting commentary by William Bennett

At nationalreviewonline.com:

My Old Party [William J. Bennett]

This is an astounding moment in American politics. You cannot credibly say the Clintons are a political dynasty the way, say, the Kennedys or Bushs are. But I think one has to say the Clinton rule of the Democratic party has been dynastic. Bill Clinton is the only Democrat to have served two terms as president in two generations, the only Democrat to twice beat Republican nominees for president and his wife is a two term U.S. senator who will likely be in the Senate for years to come. Bill Clinton has been rated one of — if not THE — most popular person in the world, and yet Clinton rule in American politics ends tonight. Whatever it was the Republicans and so many independents did not like about the Clintons, we’ve learned the Democrats have had enough as well.

And thus the Democratic party is about to nominate a far left candidate in the tradition of George McGovern, albeit without McGovern’s military and political record. The Democratic party is about to nominate a far-left candidate in the tradition of Michael Dukakis, albeit without Dukakis’s executive experience as governor. The Democratic party is about to nominate a far left candidate in the tradition of John Kerry, albeit without Kerry’s record of years of service in the Senate. The Democratic party is about to nominate an unvetted candidate in the tradition of Jimmy Carter, albeit without Jimmy Carter’s religious integrity as he spoke about it in 1976. Questions about all these attributes (from foreign policy expertise to executive experience to senatorial experience to judgment about foreign leaders to the instructors he has had in his cultural values) surround Barack Obama. And the Democratic party has chosen him.

Oooh, good one..