There are some “firsts” which people love and hope will be the first in a long line. Like your first real paycheck. Other “firsts” are special because they may not – and should not – happen again. Your wedding day, for instance. Other firsts you may never want to encounter again – like your first funeral. Unfortunately, my “first” this weekend falls into the last category – my first accident (where I was the driver).
The only time I have been involved in an accident before was at Converse when Wendy, my sister and I were driving to the mountains. Wendy was the driver at the time and the car was totaled. No one was seriously hurt, however. This Friday night, however, I was the driver – no one was seriously hurt that I know of. This is how it happened.
This was the first day it snowed in Lancaster since we have been here. We woke to a white blanket. I dropped Gregg off at the train station, got home, changed, drove to work, came back, picked Giggs up to take him to the vet and then drove home again. Then at 6pm, I set off to pick Gregg up. It had been snowing all day but now the sun had gone down and the snow had turned to ice. When I drove up to the bridge I regularly cross, I saw up ahead 2 cars at the side of the road which had obviously been in an accident. Then suddenly the car in front of me skidded and rotated (eventually hitting the car in front of him). I hit my brakes to stop but the ice gave no traction and the car just kept going. So, I ended up hitting one of the cars pulled off to the side of the road (one of the ones already in an accident).
Thankfully, no one was hurt. I have mild bruises and a pain in the neck (literally) and it hurts when I laugh but that’s it. Our car, however, is in very bad shape – we have to wait till we know if it is salvageable. Now the only remnant is fear – I am terrified of driving in snow – or rather ice – again.
On the bright side, the rental car we have is awesome. It is a Buick with heated leather seats, XM radio and even heat for the steering wheel. Awesome!!!!
Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone – and drive safely.
___________________
IN OTHER NEWS:
Work: Only one more full week of classes left. Cannot wait.
Thanksgiving: I made a turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing etc on Saturday. It was a nice way to forget the accident. We are going to CT for Thanksgiving but with the end of the semester almost here, we will stay only a short time. Have to prep for the last week, write exams, write study guides, grade papers etc.
NPSA: Went well. More on that later.
Giggs: He is now 9.8 pounds and almost a year old.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Eating in your office
Since the beginning of last year, I have been eating lunch in my office. Unfortunately, I do not like sandwiches and I do not like going to the common area to use the microwave or ‘fridge. So, I have been keeping a box of pistachios in my office and snacking on it throughout the day instead of having a proper lunch. This is made possible by the fact that I live very close to my school and therefore, my longest day has (in the last two years) been from 9am-4pm. Usually my longest day is from 12pm-5:30pm.
However, I am getting a little tired of pistachios. What do you guys do when you have to eat at school? Is there anything that does not need refrigeration or heating up? Or do you make yourselves a real meal every day?
________________________
In Other News:
NPSA: We just returned from Boston where Gregg and I presented at NPSA. I actually thought that, by simply writing out my presentation, I managed to develop my paper considerably. The comments were not extensive but they were helpful. Plus, we had a chance to catch up with Sara which was great. It was nice to spend some time walking around Boston as well.
Weather: It is now freezing in Lancaster. We have even had a snow flurry already. In fact, a flurry is in progress even as I write. I am clearly not equipped for this weather in terms of clothes – I definitely need new shoes and warmer shirts etc. The sandals I wear are not for this weather. Maybe I need Cuddl Duds as Jill suggested.
Work: I cannot wait till the end of the semester. The grading for 120 students, working on prepping 3 classes, advising students for spring registration, deciding books for the next semester and writing reports for committees is now more overwhelming than usual.
However, I am getting a little tired of pistachios. What do you guys do when you have to eat at school? Is there anything that does not need refrigeration or heating up? Or do you make yourselves a real meal every day?
________________________
In Other News:
NPSA: We just returned from Boston where Gregg and I presented at NPSA. I actually thought that, by simply writing out my presentation, I managed to develop my paper considerably. The comments were not extensive but they were helpful. Plus, we had a chance to catch up with Sara which was great. It was nice to spend some time walking around Boston as well.
Weather: It is now freezing in Lancaster. We have even had a snow flurry already. In fact, a flurry is in progress even as I write. I am clearly not equipped for this weather in terms of clothes – I definitely need new shoes and warmer shirts etc. The sandals I wear are not for this weather. Maybe I need Cuddl Duds as Jill suggested.
Work: I cannot wait till the end of the semester. The grading for 120 students, working on prepping 3 classes, advising students for spring registration, deciding books for the next semester and writing reports for committees is now more overwhelming than usual.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Irritating Questions
As the semester comes to an end, students seem to ask questions which are more and more unnecessary and/or annoying. Here are some of the questions which irritate me the most:
1. “Do you curve?”
I have said this hundreds of times and it is in your syllabus – I do not curve.
2. “When is the paper due?”
Why not look at the paper topic or on your syllabus?
3. “Can we get extra credit assignments?”
Why should I give you and myself extra work when your problem was that you could not finish the assigned work on time in the first place?
4. “Will grammar matter in the paper?”
Yes. What did you expect?
5. “Can you tell me what my grade is in this class?”
Can’t you do the math since you have all the necessary information?
Does anyone else find these questions annoying?
_________________________________
Work: What with the elections and the work, things have been crazy. I am counting to the end of the semester. Gregg and I are both presenting at Northeastern next week and I am on page 2 of that paper. Long weekend ahead.
Fall color: PA looks beautiful right now. I love the changing leaves and the mild cold.
1. “Do you curve?”
I have said this hundreds of times and it is in your syllabus – I do not curve.
2. “When is the paper due?”
Why not look at the paper topic or on your syllabus?
3. “Can we get extra credit assignments?”
Why should I give you and myself extra work when your problem was that you could not finish the assigned work on time in the first place?
4. “Will grammar matter in the paper?”
Yes. What did you expect?
5. “Can you tell me what my grade is in this class?”
Can’t you do the math since you have all the necessary information?
Does anyone else find these questions annoying?
_________________________________
Work: What with the elections and the work, things have been crazy. I am counting to the end of the semester. Gregg and I are both presenting at Northeastern next week and I am on page 2 of that paper. Long weekend ahead.
Fall color: PA looks beautiful right now. I love the changing leaves and the mild cold.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Life and Death
Today, we got news that Gregg’s maternal grandfather passed away last night. Obviously, Gregg, his mom and the entire family are upset especially as it was sudden and somewhat unexpected. I feel so bad for them all.
This incident got me thinking about death in general. Any death leaves one with not only a sense of loss but brings home the mortality of human beings. So, it is both sad and scary. And, for some morbid reason, it gets me thinking: how do you want to be remembered when you die? For whatever reason, I cannot come up with anything more specific than that I want to be remembered as a nice cheerful person. More importantly, however, the question is: should we live each day thinking of our deaths (as some writers suggest)? Live as if each day was our last? And if we did, what would be more likely: that we would indulge ourselves because this is the last day or that we would live virtuously/kindly etc. hoping that we would be remembered this way?
At this time, I just want to say how much I appreciate all my friends and relatives. Thank you for your presence in my life. And I want to take this time to take stock of all the ways in which I am fortunate – because if death should teach us anything, it should teach us to enjoy and appreciate life.
This incident got me thinking about death in general. Any death leaves one with not only a sense of loss but brings home the mortality of human beings. So, it is both sad and scary. And, for some morbid reason, it gets me thinking: how do you want to be remembered when you die? For whatever reason, I cannot come up with anything more specific than that I want to be remembered as a nice cheerful person. More importantly, however, the question is: should we live each day thinking of our deaths (as some writers suggest)? Live as if each day was our last? And if we did, what would be more likely: that we would indulge ourselves because this is the last day or that we would live virtuously/kindly etc. hoping that we would be remembered this way?
At this time, I just want to say how much I appreciate all my friends and relatives. Thank you for your presence in my life. And I want to take this time to take stock of all the ways in which I am fortunate – because if death should teach us anything, it should teach us to enjoy and appreciate life.
Monday, October 20, 2008
A Frugal Life
As the economy takes center stage in the national election, I have my personal indicator of how bad the economy is: my retirement account. This is the first year, I have had one and therefore, I check it periodically to see how much is in there. But every time I check, there is less in it than there was before. Every time the Dow takes a nose-dive, so does the account. But the good thing about this bleak scenario is that checking it makes me frugal. It is a constant reminder about the nature of this economy and the necessity for frugality.
However, frugality has to be relative. It depends on who you are, what you like and your life-style. I have been trying not to let my life hijack my frugality. It is so much more difficult to be frugal this year – the first year of a tenure-track is really difficult. The temptation to eat out, especially, instead of cooking at home has been high. But I have stayed remarkably within budget.
So, here are a few things I have been doing that have worked for me. I have tried this year to take Gregg and my nature into account when budgeting as well as our life-styles. This is why these pointers are all relative – people are different and have different needs and life-styles.
1) A Realistic Budget: I had a very unrealistic budget last year but this year I have made one which I can actually stick to. This means taking into account the fallibilities of your entire family. If there is something you cannot do without, do not think you are going to cut down on it for the entire year. This could be anything – cable, an expensive dinner every week, a shopping trip every 10 days, whatever.
2) Have a weekly spending budget: I have a maximum amount which we can spend in any given week. If we go over the amount, Gregg and I sit down and talk about what we did that sent us over the top.
3) Coupon cutting and buying in bulk: Jill turned me on to coupons but I have been terrible about it recently. However, they did save money when I was doing it, so I would recommend it. As for buying in bulk, it depends on what you are getting. For two people, it is silly to buy a ton of bulk foods but I do buy things like paper towels, mac and cheese etc. in bulk. I never buy spices in bulk, however, because they would lose their freshness about halfway through.
4) Cook a large (maybe expensive) dinner once a week: On Sundays, I have been making a large meal which then yields leftovers for the beginning of the week. Yesterday, I made a roasted turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. This means I do not have to cook for the next couple of days – a casserole or turkey soup is very good this time of year. Next Sunday: lasagna.
5) Cook a very inexpensive easy dinner during the middle-end of the week: Last week, we had soup and grilled cheese sandwiches on Thursday. Cheap and quick!!!
6) Prioritize: In our household, the priority is Giggs. So, we buy what we have to for him and then restrict ourselves.
7) Reward: Have an idea of what you can do if you save. It is easier to be frugal when there is a reward attached. If you save a certain amount, maybe you can get that ______ that you wanted. If there is a whole list of things you want, prioritize them as well.
8) Shop every couple of weeks: Since I hate shopping, I thought this was silly but it means that you can buy things only when they are on sale. This is how I plan to do Christmas shopping this year. The outlet malls around here will help with that plan - they usually have HUGE discounts.
9) Loyalty: My favorite grocery store is giving a free turkey to everyone who spends a certain amount there by Nov. 15th. I am certainly saving up for mine. However, buy store brands instead of name brands whenever possible.
10) Pick your poison: I have realized that though I save more money shopping for food at Wal-Mart, I really cannot make myself do that. To make matters worse, Wal-Mart is much further than Stauffers where I prefer to shop. To make up for this, I buy meats and fish at Stauffers but sometimes go to Giant for the canned stuff. Anyway, I figure I am saving on gas.
______________________
In Other News:
Work: Has been crazy. Advising and committees take up a lot of time and that and 3 preps has made this very hectic. Plus, I have to write another diss chapter for a conference coming up in 3 weeks. Have not started that yet.
Fall Colors: Fall is finally here and so is cooler weather. We woke up today to a solid frost all over the grass and temperature in the 30s. The leaves are changing which is beautiful but Giggs is loathe to go out in this weather.
Driving: This will be my first time driving in snow. I am not looking forward to it. However, it will also be my first northeast winter – which will be cold but fun.
However, frugality has to be relative. It depends on who you are, what you like and your life-style. I have been trying not to let my life hijack my frugality. It is so much more difficult to be frugal this year – the first year of a tenure-track is really difficult. The temptation to eat out, especially, instead of cooking at home has been high. But I have stayed remarkably within budget.
So, here are a few things I have been doing that have worked for me. I have tried this year to take Gregg and my nature into account when budgeting as well as our life-styles. This is why these pointers are all relative – people are different and have different needs and life-styles.
1) A Realistic Budget: I had a very unrealistic budget last year but this year I have made one which I can actually stick to. This means taking into account the fallibilities of your entire family. If there is something you cannot do without, do not think you are going to cut down on it for the entire year. This could be anything – cable, an expensive dinner every week, a shopping trip every 10 days, whatever.
2) Have a weekly spending budget: I have a maximum amount which we can spend in any given week. If we go over the amount, Gregg and I sit down and talk about what we did that sent us over the top.
3) Coupon cutting and buying in bulk: Jill turned me on to coupons but I have been terrible about it recently. However, they did save money when I was doing it, so I would recommend it. As for buying in bulk, it depends on what you are getting. For two people, it is silly to buy a ton of bulk foods but I do buy things like paper towels, mac and cheese etc. in bulk. I never buy spices in bulk, however, because they would lose their freshness about halfway through.
4) Cook a large (maybe expensive) dinner once a week: On Sundays, I have been making a large meal which then yields leftovers for the beginning of the week. Yesterday, I made a roasted turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. This means I do not have to cook for the next couple of days – a casserole or turkey soup is very good this time of year. Next Sunday: lasagna.
5) Cook a very inexpensive easy dinner during the middle-end of the week: Last week, we had soup and grilled cheese sandwiches on Thursday. Cheap and quick!!!
6) Prioritize: In our household, the priority is Giggs. So, we buy what we have to for him and then restrict ourselves.
7) Reward: Have an idea of what you can do if you save. It is easier to be frugal when there is a reward attached. If you save a certain amount, maybe you can get that ______ that you wanted. If there is a whole list of things you want, prioritize them as well.
8) Shop every couple of weeks: Since I hate shopping, I thought this was silly but it means that you can buy things only when they are on sale. This is how I plan to do Christmas shopping this year. The outlet malls around here will help with that plan - they usually have HUGE discounts.
9) Loyalty: My favorite grocery store is giving a free turkey to everyone who spends a certain amount there by Nov. 15th. I am certainly saving up for mine. However, buy store brands instead of name brands whenever possible.
10) Pick your poison: I have realized that though I save more money shopping for food at Wal-Mart, I really cannot make myself do that. To make matters worse, Wal-Mart is much further than Stauffers where I prefer to shop. To make up for this, I buy meats and fish at Stauffers but sometimes go to Giant for the canned stuff. Anyway, I figure I am saving on gas.
______________________
In Other News:
Work: Has been crazy. Advising and committees take up a lot of time and that and 3 preps has made this very hectic. Plus, I have to write another diss chapter for a conference coming up in 3 weeks. Have not started that yet.
Fall Colors: Fall is finally here and so is cooler weather. We woke up today to a solid frost all over the grass and temperature in the 30s. The leaves are changing which is beautiful but Giggs is loathe to go out in this weather.
Driving: This will be my first time driving in snow. I am not looking forward to it. However, it will also be my first northeast winter – which will be cold but fun.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Addendum on Facebook
This is why I did not want Facebook. Today, a student added me as a friend on Facebook – and of course, this awaits my confirmation. Now what? I do not like to hurt people by rejecting them. But I do not want my students to be involved with me through Facebook or through my blog.
I have been wondering what my response should be and this is what I decided. I am not going to add her but I will talk to her in person and tell her that I will add her after the semester is over. I would like to keep in touch with former students, just not current ones. She will be graduating this year anyway.
Is this the right approach? Any thoughts?
I have been wondering what my response should be and this is what I decided. I am not going to add her but I will talk to her in person and tell her that I will add her after the semester is over. I would like to keep in touch with former students, just not current ones. She will be graduating this year anyway.
Is this the right approach? Any thoughts?
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Facebook Etiquette
Forgive my obsession with Facebook but since joining it, I am realizing all sorts of things about this social networking site. First of all, I realize the draw of Facebook now. It allows you to communicate with people in small quick exchanges. You can divulge your mood, what you are currently doing, intimate and/or useless pieces about your life to people at any time through the simple act of writing on your/their Wall. Thus, you give people access to yourself without really any trouble on your or their part.
Second, Facebook does not make distinctions between “friends” and “acquaintances”. Thus, everyone is your friend. I enjoy this feature but in sending friend requests, I did not send requests to all people that I knew. I just sent requests to those I had considered my friend in the past. Since then, many people have sent me friend requests and it has occurred to me that people either define “friend” much more loosely than I do or have some kind of competition about how many friends they have on Facebook. Some of the people were merely nodding acquaintances. Others I was delighted to establish contact with again. I don’t mind this at all but the nuances of relationships can obviously never be replicated on Facebook.
Finally, Facebook does allow you to interact with a large and diverse group of people. In this sense, this tool is unlike any other – unlike telephone conversations, email or anything else. But does it minimize one-on-one interactions? I called Jill about a month ago and she said she thought that I was calling to tell her that I was pregnant. Since this was absolutely crazy, I asked her why she would think this. She said, “That’s the only reason people call anymore.” Is this true? Is all our interaction now on internet – IM, email, Facebook?
On the whole, though, I must say that I have enjoyed Facebook – and am totally hooked. Also, thankfully, after the first couple of days, my activity on it has reduced significantly, so I do not worry about it any more.
_______________________________
In Other News:
Work: I am way behind. I need to grade 40 papers, prep a class, teach 4 classes and decide on 3 paper topics by the end of the day Friday. I also need to find time to work on an article and a conference paper for NPSA.
Weekend: Gregg’s parents will be here this weekend – we are thinking of taking them to Lititz, PA to do the “Chocolate Walk”. Thankfully, I do not like candy much so it should not make me put on 30 pounds.
Giggs: He is now 9 pounds – up from the 6 he was when we got him. He has been a little sick but is recovering now.
Second, Facebook does not make distinctions between “friends” and “acquaintances”. Thus, everyone is your friend. I enjoy this feature but in sending friend requests, I did not send requests to all people that I knew. I just sent requests to those I had considered my friend in the past. Since then, many people have sent me friend requests and it has occurred to me that people either define “friend” much more loosely than I do or have some kind of competition about how many friends they have on Facebook. Some of the people were merely nodding acquaintances. Others I was delighted to establish contact with again. I don’t mind this at all but the nuances of relationships can obviously never be replicated on Facebook.
Finally, Facebook does allow you to interact with a large and diverse group of people. In this sense, this tool is unlike any other – unlike telephone conversations, email or anything else. But does it minimize one-on-one interactions? I called Jill about a month ago and she said she thought that I was calling to tell her that I was pregnant. Since this was absolutely crazy, I asked her why she would think this. She said, “That’s the only reason people call anymore.” Is this true? Is all our interaction now on internet – IM, email, Facebook?
On the whole, though, I must say that I have enjoyed Facebook – and am totally hooked. Also, thankfully, after the first couple of days, my activity on it has reduced significantly, so I do not worry about it any more.
_______________________________
In Other News:
Work: I am way behind. I need to grade 40 papers, prep a class, teach 4 classes and decide on 3 paper topics by the end of the day Friday. I also need to find time to work on an article and a conference paper for NPSA.
Weekend: Gregg’s parents will be here this weekend – we are thinking of taking them to Lititz, PA to do the “Chocolate Walk”. Thankfully, I do not like candy much so it should not make me put on 30 pounds.
Giggs: He is now 9 pounds – up from the 6 he was when we got him. He has been a little sick but is recovering now.
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