Thursday, August 25, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Get Out of Jail Free
Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.
Free at last, free at last. Well, until Labor Day. I am DONE GRADING. The class is OVER.
Now, time to do nothing for the rest of the day, because I am done in. Nothing else to report, no stitching done, no cleaning done, just grading done. Maybe tomorrow I'll do something useful but I am not promising anything, because I feel like this:
Free at last, free at last. Well, until Labor Day. I am DONE GRADING. The class is OVER.
Now, time to do nothing for the rest of the day, because I am done in. Nothing else to report, no stitching done, no cleaning done, just grading done. Maybe tomorrow I'll do something useful but I am not promising anything, because I feel like this:
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Grading done for this week
I was exceedingly diligent and spent today finishing my grading for this week. Yay! One more assignment, one set of team presentations and team reports to grade and this class is DONE. THANK GOD. What a slog.
One student has been AWOL for the entire term. We have what we call "early alerts" where we send notices in the third week to students who are underperforming, and notify their advisers that they are at risk. I sent one for him in Week Three, and when I got no response I took a look at his record. It turns out he didn't have the pre-requisites for this class anyway, so I asked his advisers if we could do an administrative withdrawal. Unfortunately, we don't have that option. Well, he finally sent me an e-mail asking if I could make up a special plan for him to do all the coursework before the grading deadline. He thinks he has three weeks to finish everything, but he's wrong--grades are due the 22nd. I wrote back and said no, I wasn't going to do that--and he promptly sent me another e-mail asking me to reconsider. It didn't take me long to say no again. Amazing how deep a hole some of these kids manage to dig for themselves. His job is dependent on finishing his degree, and I know from his advisers that he has blown off all three courses he signed up for this summer. He is going to learn a really hard lesson.
Anyway, since Eldest Daughter's birthday is over and she's gotten her present, I can show it off now. I made a cosmetic bag based on Kelly Fletcher's pattern from her Stitch and Thimble quarterly (issue 3), only I made it out of yellow/green silk dupioni with an embroidered peacock feather instead of a flower. We put a silver dollar and a brand new penny inside, stuffed it with tissue paper, and sent it off priority mail. I let ED's boyfriend know it was coming, and bless his heart--he ran after the mailman to get the package before it got sent back to the post office. Of course I forgot to take a picture of it all ready to go, but here is one I took right after I'd finished whipstitching the lining. It looked a lot better all pressed and stuffed with tissue.
I've got enough of the silk left to do a change purse and maybe a jewelry pouch--we'll see. I was a little unsure how this was going to turn out, especially since I needed to interface the silk, but it worked great! Really easy directions.
Also finished Month 13 of the goldwork sampler and then was taking a deep breath to start the plaited braid (Month 14) when I realized I'd skipped the Month 12 stitches. Reprieve! Temporarily, that is.
One student has been AWOL for the entire term. We have what we call "early alerts" where we send notices in the third week to students who are underperforming, and notify their advisers that they are at risk. I sent one for him in Week Three, and when I got no response I took a look at his record. It turns out he didn't have the pre-requisites for this class anyway, so I asked his advisers if we could do an administrative withdrawal. Unfortunately, we don't have that option. Well, he finally sent me an e-mail asking if I could make up a special plan for him to do all the coursework before the grading deadline. He thinks he has three weeks to finish everything, but he's wrong--grades are due the 22nd. I wrote back and said no, I wasn't going to do that--and he promptly sent me another e-mail asking me to reconsider. It didn't take me long to say no again. Amazing how deep a hole some of these kids manage to dig for themselves. His job is dependent on finishing his degree, and I know from his advisers that he has blown off all three courses he signed up for this summer. He is going to learn a really hard lesson.
Anyway, since Eldest Daughter's birthday is over and she's gotten her present, I can show it off now. I made a cosmetic bag based on Kelly Fletcher's pattern from her Stitch and Thimble quarterly (issue 3), only I made it out of yellow/green silk dupioni with an embroidered peacock feather instead of a flower. We put a silver dollar and a brand new penny inside, stuffed it with tissue paper, and sent it off priority mail. I let ED's boyfriend know it was coming, and bless his heart--he ran after the mailman to get the package before it got sent back to the post office. Of course I forgot to take a picture of it all ready to go, but here is one I took right after I'd finished whipstitching the lining. It looked a lot better all pressed and stuffed with tissue.
I've got enough of the silk left to do a change purse and maybe a jewelry pouch--we'll see. I was a little unsure how this was going to turn out, especially since I needed to interface the silk, but it worked great! Really easy directions.
Also finished Month 13 of the goldwork sampler and then was taking a deep breath to start the plaited braid (Month 14) when I realized I'd skipped the Month 12 stitches. Reprieve! Temporarily, that is.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Happy Birthday, Eldest Daughter!
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday, Eldest Daughter
Happy Birthday to you
May you live long with us
May you live long with us
May you live long, may you live long
May you live long with us
Njech nam zhye stolat
Njech nam zhye stolat
Njech nam zhye stolat Eldest Daughter,
Happy Birthday to you!!
Miss you, love you, have a wonderful day--
Love, hugs, and kisses,
Momma
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday, Eldest Daughter
Happy Birthday to you
May you live long with us
May you live long with us
May you live long, may you live long
May you live long with us
Njech nam zhye stolat
Njech nam zhye stolat
Njech nam zhye stolat Eldest Daughter,
Happy Birthday to you!!
Miss you, love you, have a wonderful day--
Love, hugs, and kisses,
Momma
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
Students, sigh.
I think I should write up something for students so they know how to communicate and interact with professors. It would go something like this:
1. Pay attention to how your professor wants to be addressed. When I introduce myself to the class as Dr. LastName, don't send me e-mails addressed to me by my first name--or to Mrs. LastName.
2. You are not your adviser's only student. Don't expect that your report/proposal/paper is going to be read the same day you sent it.
3. Be polite and careful with your tone in e-mails. Think of your professor/adviser as your boss. Would you be snarky to your boss?
4. Professors have families and lives outside of the university. Don't ask for an appointment before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m., or on weekends.
5. When you have an appointment to see your professor, show up. If you can't make it, have the courtesy to notify your professor. Sometimes your appointment is the only reason they come to campus that day.
I have gotten four e-mails from students in the past couple of days complaining about their grade, or asking if I've read the report they sent to me only hours before, or annoyed that I didn't respond to their grade complaint e-mail within two days. I swear, sometimes it's like being pecked to death by ducks.
Peck, peck, peck.
I've got another rule but it's not about communication. If you are a grad student, don't even THINK about handing in a paper or essay without references. Those references had better be cited in the text, too. I've had to explain that too many times this summer.
1. Pay attention to how your professor wants to be addressed. When I introduce myself to the class as Dr. LastName, don't send me e-mails addressed to me by my first name--or to Mrs. LastName.
2. You are not your adviser's only student. Don't expect that your report/proposal/paper is going to be read the same day you sent it.
3. Be polite and careful with your tone in e-mails. Think of your professor/adviser as your boss. Would you be snarky to your boss?
4. Professors have families and lives outside of the university. Don't ask for an appointment before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m., or on weekends.
5. When you have an appointment to see your professor, show up. If you can't make it, have the courtesy to notify your professor. Sometimes your appointment is the only reason they come to campus that day.
I have gotten four e-mails from students in the past couple of days complaining about their grade, or asking if I've read the report they sent to me only hours before, or annoyed that I didn't respond to their grade complaint e-mail within two days. I swear, sometimes it's like being pecked to death by ducks.
Peck, peck, peck.
I've got another rule but it's not about communication. If you are a grad student, don't even THINK about handing in a paper or essay without references. Those references had better be cited in the text, too. I've had to explain that too many times this summer.
Saturday, August 06, 2011
Saturday, day after Friday
Spouse and I went to see Captain America last night. I liked it, he didn't--although most of his complaints seemed to be about everything but the movie: the seats were uncomfortable, the theater was too warm, the previews too long--but the popcorn at least was great! On the way home we were talking about remakes of TV shows, and I got this brainstorm--someone should make a movie of the old Man from U.N.C.L.E. show. Who could play Napoleon Solo? I was thinking Aamir Khan; Son suggested Karl Urban. For Illya Kuryakin, maybe Chow Yun Fat? Although he is a good 7" taller than Aamir...or, as Son suggested, maybe the actor who played Chekov in the new Star Trek movie. Ian McShane would be a great Alexander Waverly. Too bad I don't know any producers!
Today I need to get the last lecture ready for the online class, grade the next-t0-last set of assignments and discussions, work on the grant proposal, and do some laundry. We've got all the new drawer pulls installed, and the bedroom furniture looks really nice. Now to clean out all those drawers (ew).
Youngest Daughter is spending the weekend on the Jurassic Coast. Sounds like great fun! I hope she finds a fossil or two.
I'm almost done with Month 13 on the goldwork sampler, once I get the braid stitch done on the middle motif at the bottom. Next month is plaited braid stitch. Normally I don't practice these stitches before I put them on the sample, but I think I will need to practice that one.
Today I need to get the last lecture ready for the online class, grade the next-t0-last set of assignments and discussions, work on the grant proposal, and do some laundry. We've got all the new drawer pulls installed, and the bedroom furniture looks really nice. Now to clean out all those drawers (ew).
Youngest Daughter is spending the weekend on the Jurassic Coast. Sounds like great fun! I hope she finds a fossil or two.
I'm almost done with Month 13 on the goldwork sampler, once I get the braid stitch done on the middle motif at the bottom. Next month is plaited braid stitch. Normally I don't practice these stitches before I put them on the sample, but I think I will need to practice that one.
Thursday, August 04, 2011
A pretty productive day
Got up early, worked a bit on the sampler, worked a bit on another project, then did some editing on the grant proposal, and then read a master's thesis, ran the analysis for the data, wrote up my comments, and sent them off to the student.
Also replaced 8 drawer pulls on my dresser (yay for the internet, for finding drawer pulls that would actually fit--because of course our pulls are non-standard!).
Kitty Son likes the extension on my Needlework System 4. It gives him more room when he is sitting on my lap.
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
Goldwork sampler update and more whining
I've gotten to the 11th month on the goldwork sampler--next is Guilloche stitch on ladder, which will go on the right side by the strawberries. There certainly is a lot of ladder stitch! That's a good thing in a way, because I find that the left side of the ladder isn't quite as nice and neat and tidy as the right side, so I get more practice.I've also set up a surface embroidery project for those days when I don't feel like doing goldwork. Then there's the Secret Project which needs some attention--I'm not all that skilled at piecing, which is the next step in that project. I think I'll have to rip out what I've done and baste the pieces by hand before doing them on the machine. Can't stand sloppy corners!
The whine is about teaching--still in grading jail and grousing about only having a week or so off before the fall term starts. Ugh.
Today's chores are finishing the laundry, finishing this week's grading, working on the grant proposal, and the fun part: going to my brother's brass band concert tonight at a local sports arena.
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