Entitlement

Conversation from a student.

"Where is the tape?"

me: "What tape?"

"The tape you use to tape papers with."

me:"Since I do not require papers to be taped, I do not provide tape."

What happened to asking? Can he/she not hear the difference between "Where's the tape?" and "May I please have some tape?"

Six Word Saturday

Liar, liar - pants on fire - hmmmm



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Once upon a time I had two good friends who lied - and their wives backed them up.

One lied about who he had been in a war that he could have participated in (but he didn't) in order to make himself look bigger and better than he was. As he aged, the stories about the past lessened until he was finally comfortable in his own skin.

His lies had no impact on anything but himself as his past really had no relevance to anyone but himself. He didn't lie in order to lord it over anyone - it was just in the way he defined himself.

The other lied in order to make himself look good and you inadequate. At a point I was struggling with working full time, staying married, and attending a difficult graduate school, he would remind me that the school you attended mattered and mine wasn't one of the ones that mattered.

My problems were insignificant, his were so much more important. His school was one of those up north that MATTERED - mine was - well, ok, but nothing more. Eventually I realized that if I had good news his was better. If I had bad news his was worse. And I quit visiting.

The first man was always proud of me and gave me a hand when I was down - and when I learned that he had lied it was not a surprise but it didn't matter and it didn't change my love for him. I missed him when he died and miss him still.

The second? I got tired of being put down as part of every conversation and hadn't spoken to him for the 20 years prior to his death. When all the lies came out - his wife had left him ten years before when he finally stole too much from her - it was no surprise and meant nothing to me.

I don't understand why someone would lie about who they are and what they have done. Sometimes I look back and smack myself (ala "I could have had a V8") thinking I should have done this, I could have done that, but I am content with where I am (most of the time and for the things within my control. I want more than I will get from my job and more for my students than they are willing to do - but I recognize that they need to want it.). I didn't end up where I thought I would but where I can see I needed to be.

Why would I want to lie about who I am? Why would anyone?

Antithesis

Ah, a cause I can support!!

Happy Thanksgiving

From Curtis(http://www.seattlepi.com/comics-and-games/fun/Curtis/):

Thanksgiving, a day made famous for its annual observation of giving thanks.

Thanks for the delicious feast before us, with its tantalizing aroma. But that is only minor, indeed.

Thanks for those beside you, around you,, those you care for near and far, past and present, content in the knowledge that we, as the human race, deep inside are connected as one.

What a wonderful world it would be if we treated every day like thanksgiving.

Thank you, Ray Billingsley.

Monday's Laugh

A store that sells new husbands has just opened in New York City, where a woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates:

You may visit this store ONLY ONCE! There are six floors and the value of the products increase as the shopper ascends the flights. The shopper may choose any item from a particular floor, or may choose to go up to the next floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building!

So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband. On the first floor the sign on the door reads:

Floor 1 - These men Have Jobs.

She is intrigued, but continues to the second floor, where the sign reads:

Floor 2 - These men Have Jobs and Love Kids.

'That's nice', she thinks, 'but I want more.'

So she continues upward. The third floor sign reads:

Floor 3 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, and are Extremely Good Looking.

'Wow,' she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.

She goes to the fourth floor and the sign reads:

Floor 4 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Good Looking and Help With Housework.

'Oh, mercy me!' she exclaims, 'I can hardly stand it!'

Still, she goes to the fifth floor and the sign reads:

Floor 5 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Gorgeous, Help with Housework, and Have a Strong Romantic Streak.

She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor, where the sign reads:

Floor 6 - You are visitor 31,456,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please. Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store.

PLEASE NOTE:

To avoid gender bias charges, the store's owner opened a New Wives store just across the street.

The first floor has wives that love sex.

The second floor has wives that love sex and have money.

The third, fourth, fifth and sixth floors have never been visited.

Tests tests and more tests

And then there is Georgia.

Six Word Saturday

What goes up - might come down.



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Message to my students: If I give an incredibly easy assignment in attempt to raise your grade (which I even tell you is the purpose) and you choose to blow it off because "I'm passing this course" - do you not realize that you will still get a grade and it will not be beneficial?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Motivation

Self Improvement

I find the students I am teaching this year to be very passive. They do little work on their own. I should say, only a few do any work on their own. But they think sitting in a room while I do work (and explanations) on the board and they text, talk, and throw things - and then copy my work - will allow them to learn the math enough to pass.

Nothing I say or do changes their behavior. (and these are not my bad classes)

So, since they refuse to become scholars, I will work on myself. I am a lifetime learner and I usually branch into trying some sort of art or craft. I am not particularly good at any, but I like to figure out how to do things that I see and admire.

This year, I have set two goals: practice trigonometry (since I am bored and am getting rusty and would like to relearn calculus) and relearn German.

To the later end, I have found a great website: Open Culture. There are free movies and free educational options, but, more importantly, free language lessons for 40 different languages.

Die gedanken sind frei! And so is learning the language. Geneiss!

Six Word Saturday

Thanksgiving is near. My thanks abound



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I am thankful for my God, my country, my family and friends.

I am thankful for my family's health and my own.

I am thankful for my education and that I instilled the value of education in my children, as my parents gave that to me.

I am thankful for the beautiful weather we are experiencing - and wishing/hoping/praying that the weather and other conditions improve in the northeast - SOON.

I am thankful for this semester will be over in a few short weeks. OK, six, not all of which will be spent in school.

I am thankful for that I still have some time to try reach those I am not reaching.

Not so funny when you teach delusionals

And I can't even describe what one did today.....

So glad this is done

Vote

“They don’t want you to vote. If they did, we wouldn’t vote on a Tuesday. In November. You ever throw a party on a Tuesday? No. Because nobody would come.”

~Chris Rock

Posting

I was going to post a blog about a couple of articles that made me mad. Because I read them online in a newspaper, I have no idea if they are true (sorry media, but you deserve that) or meant to inflame.

I was going to get irate, self-righteous - call out the bullies for the bad thing they did.

But I realize - I may have been led down this path by a media that increasingly just wants to cause discord.

And I don't want to play.

Back to work. Reset your clocks.

Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy: the state of promoting or administering virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not actually have or is also guilty of violating. Hypocrisy often involves the deception of others and thus can be considered a kind of lie. (wikipedia)

The Saudis are planning to bulldoze historical Muslim locations and turn them into something resembling a parking lot.

So - where are the protests? Where is the outrage?

They paved paradise and put up a parkin' lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

They took all the trees, and put em in a tree museum
And they charged the people a dollar and a half to see them
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got till it's gone
They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot

Hey farmer, farmer, put away your DDT
I don't care about spots on my apples,
LEAVE me the birds and the bees please
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

Question about a book ** updated **

Back in the seventies or eighties, there was a book where each chapter was written by a different author, but the book was published as if there was one author.

Does anyone remember the name of the book?

Ok there appear to be several. The one my husband was asking about was Naked Came the Stranger by such authors as Jacqueline Susann and Harold Robbins.

There was a science fiction one in the seventies The Eye of Argon which was started by Jim Theis and passed along by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. I am not sure this has multiple authors.

There was another later one Atlanta Nights which has a story more impressive than the storyline.

And finally, there is a murder mystery one. No Rest for the Dead whose authors include the likes of Kathy Reichs, R L Styne, Jeffrey Deaver, and Sandra Brown.

Enjoy!

Six word Saturday plus a couple.

Thankful for so much. Praying for the Northeast.



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My problems seem insignificant.