Undergrads...gotta love 'em

So I've spent about 10 hours grading so far this week and I've laughed out loud numerous times. The brevity and vagueness (definitely not clarity) of their answers is always entertaining. They have approximately an hour to write about a page and half to answer one of two provided essay questions. Mind you, this is the most basic U.S. history courses that exists in the course catalog, and like I said, it's U.S. HISTORY - they've been exposed to it a time or two.

Some highlights...

On Jim Crow ... "He made blacks and whites use different things of the same thing. He made it seem that blacks and whites had the same things, but in reality the things that the blacks had to use were more run down and not as nice as the whites." (Ah, clear as mud!)

On sweatshops... "The people in the sweatshops work long hours, with no breaks. The women didn't necessarily mind though." (Of course they didn't - they had their poor children working beside them to keep them company)

On xenophobia ... "The invasions of scum led to xenophobia." (Where's the scrubbing bubbles when you need them?)

Only about 20 more essays to go! I should be able to finish tomorrow but it will be another mind numbing experience, I'm sure.

T-minus 13 days!

100th Post!

Wow, I should make this especially newsworthy or witty or something. 100 posts - it's taken a while to get here given the whole school speed bump thing. I really have nothing to say. I'm just killing time at work. My brain is so tired from grading and reading that it can really focus on much more than frivolous items right now. I'd say good thing it's a Friday but I have a weekend at the library studying for comps and grading undergraduate exams.

I think I can, I think I can.

While the economy may stink right now and a lot of people are losing their jobs, it looks like I will have multiple jobs over the summer again. I have the opportunity to stick around CSU and work on a digitization project. I was planning on taking it easy - one job, ONLY 40 hours a week. But it looks like it will be 6 days, closer to 60 hours. *Sigh* Hopefully, it won't feel as bad because I won't have homework looming over my head.

I'm ready. Now. Let's get this show over with.

*Sigh*

Oh yeah, Spring Break too!

I've been so caught up in studying and worrying about my written comprehensive exams on March 14th that I haven't given much thought to Spring Break. Once I finish my exam, it's officially Spring Break!! I can party for more than a day. I'm ready - to sleep...a lot. And catch up on some studying that I have been pushing back.

I think I'm on the right path - I just have a lot of memorization and reading to do between now and then. I'm certainly much more comfortable than I was this time last week. T-minus 3 weeks!

Stress Level is a 10

So today I had the pleasure of Target Deep Tissue massage through work. It's a 3-week deal where they bring someone in for everyone and you get a 30 minute session where they put you through an incredible about of pain! It was lovely actually. It was painful, but my knee feels great right now. The lady focused on all of these muscles around my knee and lower back. Anywho...at the beginning of the session she has me fill out this sheet about my pain levels and what not. One of the question asked what stress level I have on a scale of one to ten. For the first time in my life, I could honestly put 10 without feeling the slightest big guilty for thinking my life is more stressful than other people's lives.

I just got over a four day bout with the flu. Not fun. At all. I did get to sleep though. Not really by choice, however. It's amazing how I didn't WANT to sleep but was. My body just took over. I missed some classes and work and am finally back to the usual hectic schedule. One month and two days until the dreaded written exam day. I've finally started writing the draft for one of the questions. It's coming along fairly well. My plan is to have finished drafts of both answers within two weeks of test day so that I can just memorize, memorize, memorize. The European Reading Seminar is dreadful. I've never felt so lost in my life. I really want to go to class Tuesday simply because I need helping understanding what I had just read. Blech. It will be a slow-going, uninteresting semester if I can't even understand what I am reading. Blech again.

Ok, enough griping. Back to studying I go.

The House on Ideal Drive

This is the official title/working title of my book that will be published sometime after I graduate. I came to this conclusion a few days ago. I've always known that I had a perfect childhood and the more I miss grandparents the more I want to recognize the role that they played in it. I've already thought of the follow up title too. I hate getting great ideas in the middle of the semester because then I have to sit on them for months and months. At least this is the last time that I'll have to wait the semester out before I can be productive again. Three and half months! I can make it!

My list of things to take on after graduation is getting quite long. But if I work it all out, all the work can be done in tandem. During a study break this weekend, I plan on officially starting my business by filling out the paperwork! May as well give it a go!

What is that smell?

I just walked into the office. Ewwww. It smells like cat urine or something. Horrible. It's going to be a long day at this rate. Blech.