Duchesse de Bourgoyne is a great beer. A red beer! It's a little bit pricey, but it has a combination of a few red fruits and a smooth richness... no, I'm no good at describing. It's good. Thank you Porter's for having a unique draught selection.
http://www.specialtybeer.com/beer,index,duchesse_de_bourgogne.html
Aug 29, 2009
Aug 28, 2009
After several hours of reading essays on Romantic poetry...
I know why I couldn't study the stuff formally. I'm somewhere between shouting hallelujah from the treetops and strangling the authors for snobby pretension. I can hardly read them with a straight face. It didn't help I was reading next to a mirror wall.
One brief, brief observation. If you're going to quote a full page of French, offering a translation would help. Lacking that, offering some citational direction more specific than, "This is the letter where Mr. Wigglesbottom talked to his glass of Chardonnay" would prove useful. (A fabricated example, since I don't want to go looking for it.) I was actually able to read most of it, but only because Rousseau apparently tends to write in big words with English analogues.
One brief, brief observation. If you're going to quote a full page of French, offering a translation would help. Lacking that, offering some citational direction more specific than, "This is the letter where Mr. Wigglesbottom talked to his glass of Chardonnay" would prove useful. (A fabricated example, since I don't want to go looking for it.) I was actually able to read most of it, but only because Rousseau apparently tends to write in big words with English analogues.
Aug 19, 2009
Day 1 of 3 of Teaching Assistant Training
7:15 - Arrive on campus. Frantically check the mailbox I haven't checked in over two weeks. Find an abundance of air particles.
7:30 - Actually check e-mail and other internet things. I'm a half hour early, but with Atlanta traffic, you don't want to gamble on time or the universe.
7:55 - Head over to where they're doing the initial orientation. I have a second breakfast of fruit and a dismal chicken biscuit. Awkward conversation with a pharmacology student, neither of us being awake or extroverted enough to talk to each other.
8:05 - See Tina, Brent, and others I know. Socialize with them a bit, grab information packets, discover amazing coincidences in schedules for the next couple of days, ask about each other's summers (or past few weeks), and other drills.
8:20 - Get herded into an auditorium. Introductions from the staff. "Discussion" of ethical dilemmas while teaching, consisting of a lecture. The day-long yawning commences.
9:30 - My first class, on technology in the classroom. Somewhat useful, since I've never actually edited Blackboard before, but also, a lot of it was, "If you need help, come see us!" At least they had good taste in music.
10:30 - Copyright issues! Perhaps my favorite class of the day, since this sort of stuff fascinates me. What can you use in the classroom? What constitutes fair use? What does copyright mean? Some time I want to assign a brief bit of a video game for class, if it can be made relevant, and so I could dive into the sticky widgets.
11:30 - Lunch! Pasta-type dishes, so it was pretty good. They didn't give us enough food initially, but luckily I got my food first, so I didn't have to wait for the second wave. They talked about health issues, counseling, and so on. Useful in information, though I wonder why, whenever sensitive emotional issues come up, the person on an informational DVD wears a sweater. It didn't even fit right!
1:15 - Grading and Syllabi! The professor who gave this presentation was meek. But he had lots of good ideas and observations, an open-minded old guard who put teaching first. He asked for our feedback the right amount. Overall, good.
2:30 - Strategies for engaging attention. These professors' strategies were to constantly ask us our best and worst classroom experiences, and questions about them, as well as explanations of what worked and didn't work. Useful, in the sense that they were able to succinctly list what we already know in some form. It got better, even though at first I feared that they were just winging it and stalling because they didn't come prepared.
3:45 - Diversity, the last class of the day. Three presentations, all useful. "You make stereotypes anyway, and I'll be funny about them, but you should be aware you make them," "Diversity happens in all of these different ways, and you ought to be aware of them," and "Be willing to talk about diversity when it comes up, while keeping your class on the material."
5 - Get charged $10 for parking, because apparently there's a difference between parking in the parking lot and the connected parking deck, where apparently we were supposed to park for free. Shake fist as I drive off.
I probably won't go into so much detail for my other two days. If I do, just for my benefit. Overall, I learned a lot. Sitting in classrooms for over 8 hours in a row is not my idea of fun, but at least it was somewhat useful.
7:30 - Actually check e-mail and other internet things. I'm a half hour early, but with Atlanta traffic, you don't want to gamble on time or the universe.
7:55 - Head over to where they're doing the initial orientation. I have a second breakfast of fruit and a dismal chicken biscuit. Awkward conversation with a pharmacology student, neither of us being awake or extroverted enough to talk to each other.
8:05 - See Tina, Brent, and others I know. Socialize with them a bit, grab information packets, discover amazing coincidences in schedules for the next couple of days, ask about each other's summers (or past few weeks), and other drills.
8:20 - Get herded into an auditorium. Introductions from the staff. "Discussion" of ethical dilemmas while teaching, consisting of a lecture. The day-long yawning commences.
9:30 - My first class, on technology in the classroom. Somewhat useful, since I've never actually edited Blackboard before, but also, a lot of it was, "If you need help, come see us!" At least they had good taste in music.
10:30 - Copyright issues! Perhaps my favorite class of the day, since this sort of stuff fascinates me. What can you use in the classroom? What constitutes fair use? What does copyright mean? Some time I want to assign a brief bit of a video game for class, if it can be made relevant, and so I could dive into the sticky widgets.
11:30 - Lunch! Pasta-type dishes, so it was pretty good. They didn't give us enough food initially, but luckily I got my food first, so I didn't have to wait for the second wave. They talked about health issues, counseling, and so on. Useful in information, though I wonder why, whenever sensitive emotional issues come up, the person on an informational DVD wears a sweater. It didn't even fit right!
1:15 - Grading and Syllabi! The professor who gave this presentation was meek. But he had lots of good ideas and observations, an open-minded old guard who put teaching first. He asked for our feedback the right amount. Overall, good.
2:30 - Strategies for engaging attention. These professors' strategies were to constantly ask us our best and worst classroom experiences, and questions about them, as well as explanations of what worked and didn't work. Useful, in the sense that they were able to succinctly list what we already know in some form. It got better, even though at first I feared that they were just winging it and stalling because they didn't come prepared.
3:45 - Diversity, the last class of the day. Three presentations, all useful. "You make stereotypes anyway, and I'll be funny about them, but you should be aware you make them," "Diversity happens in all of these different ways, and you ought to be aware of them," and "Be willing to talk about diversity when it comes up, while keeping your class on the material."
5 - Get charged $10 for parking, because apparently there's a difference between parking in the parking lot and the connected parking deck, where apparently we were supposed to park for free. Shake fist as I drive off.
I probably won't go into so much detail for my other two days. If I do, just for my benefit. Overall, I learned a lot. Sitting in classrooms for over 8 hours in a row is not my idea of fun, but at least it was somewhat useful.
Aug 9, 2009
And the time signature says I started that post on August 1st.
I've since been sidetracked. Mainly by Latin finals. Also by excursions.
One question, since it's easier to post this here than search up Diana's e-mail. There was one verb form on the test I could not get. Amavere. See, I tried conjugating perfect forms: amavi, amavisti, amavit, amavimus, amavistis, amaverunt. Amaveram, amaveras, amaverat, amaveramus, amaveratis, amaverant. Amavero, amaveris, amaverit, amaverimus, amaveritis, amaverint. I played with the subjunctive ones too. It couldn't be passive, because passive perfects are periphrastic. I don't see where you can get the -avere ending, unless it's some weird shortened version of one of the third person plurals or singulars.
Actually, that's probably it. Drat, several days late too. I guess I just needed to type it out. I'll look it up later. >_>
I had a really fun day on Friday. Antique shopping, balloons, baguette, sushi, cheesy glow-in-the-dark, a roof, canned pumpkin, and a tea cup with legs kind of fun.
One question, since it's easier to post this here than search up Diana's e-mail. There was one verb form on the test I could not get. Amavere. See, I tried conjugating perfect forms: amavi, amavisti, amavit, amavimus, amavistis, amaverunt. Amaveram, amaveras, amaverat, amaveramus, amaveratis, amaverant. Amavero, amaveris, amaverit, amaverimus, amaveritis, amaverint. I played with the subjunctive ones too. It couldn't be passive, because passive perfects are periphrastic. I don't see where you can get the -avere ending, unless it's some weird shortened version of one of the third person plurals or singulars.
Actually, that's probably it. Drat, several days late too. I guess I just needed to type it out. I'll look it up later. >_>
I had a really fun day on Friday. Antique shopping, balloons, baguette, sushi, cheesy glow-in-the-dark, a roof, canned pumpkin, and a tea cup with legs kind of fun.
Aug 1, 2009
Moved! A Chronicle
So I moved on Friday. I'd been packing and sending things over to the new apartment all week. But Friday was the big 16 hour workday. Here's how it broke down.
7:45 - Wake up. This is odd, since I've only had 5 hours of sleep and the alarm goes off in an hour. Then I remember that the curtains were taken down last night. At the light of dawn at the fifth day, look to the east?
8-9:30 - Fuss about. Packing, cleaning out the refrigerator and freezer, taking out the trash. I left most of my cinder block and wood shelving by the dumpster, either to be reused or thrown away, depending ont he people that happened by. No time to do anything more.
9:30-10:15 - Find my way to the U-Haul place. I know the way, but construction knocks out the most convenient bridge across the interstate in Midtown. After some driving, I track it down. After a brief paperwork interlude, I'm off with my truck.
10:30 - I'm on time! Where is everyone?
10:35 - Brent arrives. We begin work.
10:45 - Maureen calls. She, Lynn, and Su are at the other 1429 B. They entered the wrong entrance and are at the other side of the apartment complex. D'oh!
10:50 - They arrive. We continue.
10:52 - It begins to rain hard. Thank goodness the beds were in!
11:20 - Drenched to the bone, we finish with the last of the stuff and caravan over to my new place.
11:50 - Arrival. The sun is shining. It's also raining still, though not as hard. This is a good thing, since the walk to the apartment from the road is further. Greeted by Jennifer and Jeremy. Partition of tasks.
12:30 - We get everything off-loaded just as Jen comes in. Pizza for lunch! Savage pizza nom nom mmmm.
1:10 - We all part our separate ways, as I go to return the U-Haul.
2:10 - I tried to return the U-Haul, but forgot to replace the gas I used. After a fill-up and an awkward encounter with an obstinate trucker at a 3-way stop sign who made me back up over 75 feet to let him turn (clause upon clause), I get my car.
2:40 - Home! Or, that is, old home. I still need to clean. I whip up a bucket of vinegar and water.
4:30 - Finally done vacuuming, scrubbing, and cleaning. I go to throw away trash and check out.
5:00 - They nab someone available for a checkout inspection, since I want to make sure I'm not overcharged. We have a conversation about the DeKalb county farmer's market nearby (must check it out). They charge me $0! Apparently the hole in the ceiling wasn't a big deal.
5:10 - Impulsive stop for a Coke ICEE, which they sell for significantly less than a dollar. Laden with sweet, cool, refreshing caffeinated ice/syrup puree, I give myself a brain freeze on the way to my new home.
5:45 - Finally get back here! They offer to feed me for dinner, which is quite gracious. Some pork tenderloin and applesauce later (I refused the potato salad), I'm read to work.
6:20 - Oh. Oh my. My room currently looks like a slurple Pinkerdragess, that most fearsome of under-the-bed creatures. Luckily its Barbie Malibu-pink eyes do not glow from under any sleeping surface, since they're currently against the wall. I begin to clear space.
8 - I take a break by tackling the kitchen instead. It's a relatively easy job, since I have enough cooking supplies to be functional, but only brought a few plates and cups since they would already be furnished here. I find a place for the big box of silverware I still haven't found an opportunity to use. It might also be called a brick of metal.
10 - My first big victory of the night. I have finally cleared enough space (mostly by putting things on shelves in the closet) to put the bed in. Suddenly it looks more like a room. After sleep, of course, comes the internet, so I get my computer hooked up next. Besides, it's better to pick up when you have some music playing.
1 - Exhaustion point reached. There is a crater-sized spot in the floor where space has been cleared, approximately around my pappasan chair. Books and DVDs mainly strew the floor, along with all of the knickknacks that tend to gather after you're living in a larger apartment with someone else. (Four trashcans, lots of lightbulbs, an excess lamp or two, extension cords, and so on.) I collapse on my bed, with the new black sheets I bought, and fall into an evil slumber.
That Saturday was also a busy day. A slightly less detailed breakdown:
7 - I'm up! Why am I up? Sun! Through the window! On the fifth day, at first light, look to the east! It's south, but enough light still gets in. I feel perfectly awake though, so I get up.
8 - After a breakfast of Life, I'm back at it. A little more lazily though.
8:30 - I probably stopped and got on the internet by then.
8:41 - Oh! So that's when I'm helping my professor move today. *flexes*
10:20 - I leave to help Dr. A move. I figure out a route down a road I've never been before. There are some interesting places, one extremely eerie shopping mall where the only thing still open is a hair salon, and about two Checkers. (Noted for future reference.)
11:02 - After getting lost due to poorly marked roads, I get there. I'm asqued to call the professor by her first name, Monique. The ice is broken! Jenny is also there, and Brent arrives a minute later. Note to self - I could never do plaid long shorts. We are set to laboring, emptying Monique's pod.
12:30 - After emptying that out and some things she'd kept stored in her garage, they set to asking about lunch and unpacking. Brent and I are sent out to Ria's, a nearby breakfast/brunch/lunch place with a beautiful outdoor area covered by canvas, complete with fountain and wall graffiti. He has a sandwich, and I get beef brisquet, which is served in tomato broth with cooked eggs floating in it. The most bizarre breakfast dish I've ever had, but it was good, especially with the baguette for dipping.
1:10 - We make it back with their lunches. They eat and we talk. Then the matter of payment comes up, and though we try to argue, we get overpaid. We finally cannot refuse, the check has been written, and there is gratitude all around.
1:40 - After a bit more help rearranging, I leave to go grocery shopping. There's a Wal-mart nearby the apartment. It's fine, except that beggars tend to roam around in the parking lots. I suddenly feel tired. The uneven rest has finally worn off.
After that I got back, unpacked some more, took a nap (almost never happens!!), ate a bit of dinner, watched movies with Jeremy, Jen, Marc, and their friends, and finally fell asleep. Loooong day.
So yes. I'm moved. It's great. If you want my address, just ask and I'll e-mail it.
7:45 - Wake up. This is odd, since I've only had 5 hours of sleep and the alarm goes off in an hour. Then I remember that the curtains were taken down last night. At the light of dawn at the fifth day, look to the east?
8-9:30 - Fuss about. Packing, cleaning out the refrigerator and freezer, taking out the trash. I left most of my cinder block and wood shelving by the dumpster, either to be reused or thrown away, depending ont he people that happened by. No time to do anything more.
9:30-10:15 - Find my way to the U-Haul place. I know the way, but construction knocks out the most convenient bridge across the interstate in Midtown. After some driving, I track it down. After a brief paperwork interlude, I'm off with my truck.
10:30 - I'm on time! Where is everyone?
10:35 - Brent arrives. We begin work.
10:45 - Maureen calls. She, Lynn, and Su are at the other 1429 B. They entered the wrong entrance and are at the other side of the apartment complex. D'oh!
10:50 - They arrive. We continue.
10:52 - It begins to rain hard. Thank goodness the beds were in!
11:20 - Drenched to the bone, we finish with the last of the stuff and caravan over to my new place.
11:50 - Arrival. The sun is shining. It's also raining still, though not as hard. This is a good thing, since the walk to the apartment from the road is further. Greeted by Jennifer and Jeremy. Partition of tasks.
12:30 - We get everything off-loaded just as Jen comes in. Pizza for lunch! Savage pizza nom nom mmmm.
1:10 - We all part our separate ways, as I go to return the U-Haul.
2:10 - I tried to return the U-Haul, but forgot to replace the gas I used. After a fill-up and an awkward encounter with an obstinate trucker at a 3-way stop sign who made me back up over 75 feet to let him turn (clause upon clause), I get my car.
2:40 - Home! Or, that is, old home. I still need to clean. I whip up a bucket of vinegar and water.
4:30 - Finally done vacuuming, scrubbing, and cleaning. I go to throw away trash and check out.
5:00 - They nab someone available for a checkout inspection, since I want to make sure I'm not overcharged. We have a conversation about the DeKalb county farmer's market nearby (must check it out). They charge me $0! Apparently the hole in the ceiling wasn't a big deal.
5:10 - Impulsive stop for a Coke ICEE, which they sell for significantly less than a dollar. Laden with sweet, cool, refreshing caffeinated ice/syrup puree, I give myself a brain freeze on the way to my new home.
5:45 - Finally get back here! They offer to feed me for dinner, which is quite gracious. Some pork tenderloin and applesauce later (I refused the potato salad), I'm read to work.
6:20 - Oh. Oh my. My room currently looks like a slurple Pinkerdragess, that most fearsome of under-the-bed creatures. Luckily its Barbie Malibu-pink eyes do not glow from under any sleeping surface, since they're currently against the wall. I begin to clear space.
8 - I take a break by tackling the kitchen instead. It's a relatively easy job, since I have enough cooking supplies to be functional, but only brought a few plates and cups since they would already be furnished here. I find a place for the big box of silverware I still haven't found an opportunity to use. It might also be called a brick of metal.
10 - My first big victory of the night. I have finally cleared enough space (mostly by putting things on shelves in the closet) to put the bed in. Suddenly it looks more like a room. After sleep, of course, comes the internet, so I get my computer hooked up next. Besides, it's better to pick up when you have some music playing.
1 - Exhaustion point reached. There is a crater-sized spot in the floor where space has been cleared, approximately around my pappasan chair. Books and DVDs mainly strew the floor, along with all of the knickknacks that tend to gather after you're living in a larger apartment with someone else. (Four trashcans, lots of lightbulbs, an excess lamp or two, extension cords, and so on.) I collapse on my bed, with the new black sheets I bought, and fall into an evil slumber.
That Saturday was also a busy day. A slightly less detailed breakdown:
7 - I'm up! Why am I up? Sun! Through the window! On the fifth day, at first light, look to the east! It's south, but enough light still gets in. I feel perfectly awake though, so I get up.
8 - After a breakfast of Life, I'm back at it. A little more lazily though.
8:30 - I probably stopped and got on the internet by then.
8:41 - Oh! So that's when I'm helping my professor move today. *flexes*
10:20 - I leave to help Dr. A move. I figure out a route down a road I've never been before. There are some interesting places, one extremely eerie shopping mall where the only thing still open is a hair salon, and about two Checkers. (Noted for future reference.)
11:02 - After getting lost due to poorly marked roads, I get there. I'm asqued to call the professor by her first name, Monique. The ice is broken! Jenny is also there, and Brent arrives a minute later. Note to self - I could never do plaid long shorts. We are set to laboring, emptying Monique's pod.
12:30 - After emptying that out and some things she'd kept stored in her garage, they set to asking about lunch and unpacking. Brent and I are sent out to Ria's, a nearby breakfast/brunch/lunch place with a beautiful outdoor area covered by canvas, complete with fountain and wall graffiti. He has a sandwich, and I get beef brisquet, which is served in tomato broth with cooked eggs floating in it. The most bizarre breakfast dish I've ever had, but it was good, especially with the baguette for dipping.
1:10 - We make it back with their lunches. They eat and we talk. Then the matter of payment comes up, and though we try to argue, we get overpaid. We finally cannot refuse, the check has been written, and there is gratitude all around.
1:40 - After a bit more help rearranging, I leave to go grocery shopping. There's a Wal-mart nearby the apartment. It's fine, except that beggars tend to roam around in the parking lots. I suddenly feel tired. The uneven rest has finally worn off.
After that I got back, unpacked some more, took a nap (almost never happens!!), ate a bit of dinner, watched movies with Jeremy, Jen, Marc, and their friends, and finally fell asleep. Loooong day.
So yes. I'm moved. It's great. If you want my address, just ask and I'll e-mail it.
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