19
Jan
2015
There’s Not Enough Scotch in Tacoma, Part II.
What they hear: "Blah, blah-blah, blah-blah."
As I was saying, grading is the worst part of being a professor. That’s when the brutal reality sets in (for you the professor) that an alarming percentage of students, despite (or in spite of) your best efforts, haven’t been paying much attention to anything you’re written, said, or done.
And that bites.
Keep in mind that, for the most part, professors really, really care about their material. Why else would you devote years of work, piles of debt, endless hours on weekends and “breaks,” and hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars on unreimbursed (but virtually required) travel to conferences only to be paid twenty thousand dollars less per year than if you were teaching kindergarten or Language Arts in a public school? (This is in no way meant to disparage public school teachers; it just seems that a professor ought to be paid at least the same, doesn’t it? Just sayin’.)
Anyway, it’s no wonder that, after battling the general malaise and consumer university culture described by Mark Edmundson, some professors give up on throwing themselves into teaching. It’s a bit like throwing yourself into a brick wall over and over. Sometimes you break through, but most of the time all you get are contusions. Read the rest of this entry »
19
Jan
2015
Vocation.
Pastor Erik Samuelson
If you can, you should check out Erik Samuelson’s blog, Pub Ponderings. His post this week was on the question of “vocation,” something that we work with at Pacific Lutheran University (where I teach) in the tradition of Lutheran higher education. Erik’s a former student of mine, and a damn (if you can use that word about a pastor) fine one. He asked (among other things):
“But I wonder, do the rest of us (non clergy folk) think much about call? What does the word “call” or “vocation” used in this way even mean to you? Do you all out in the real world think about the things that you are up to as callings? And if you do, do you think of them as callings from God? How is your calling connected to, or separate from, the work you do? And, do we ever actually talk about this other than in the context of people who think they are called to be pastors? Would it help if we talked about this sort of thing more?”
This was my answer to his post, with a few more characters added beyond the 4100 limit. I just wondered how others felt about his as well. If you want, comment here or on his site. Read the rest of this entry »
19
Jan
2015
College Angst and the Cult of Virginity, Part II.
Advisory Warning: This is the second of a two-part blog on virginity, and it contains frank talk about sex. 
If you are under age, don’t want to read about such things, can’t read about them without euphemisms or clinical terms, or have no sense of humor, please don’t read it. By clicking the “continue” button, you agree that you can, and want, to go on. If you’re coming directly to the full blog and don’t want to go on, just hit the “back” button now. You may also want to read my last entry. But whatever you decide, please remember that my blog is not about getting anyone to see things a particular way, it’s about getting myself and others to think about the ways that I, and they, see things. Read the rest of this entry »
19
Jan
2015
There’s Not Enough Scotch in Tacoma, Part I.
This is still not enough...
“How were the papers?” asked one of those students who knows that she didn’t put in all that much effort but hopes that being cheery about it will count for something. “Did you finish them?”
“There’s not,” I replied, “Enough scotch in Tacoma.”
I know. I probably shouldn’t have said it. It was one of those things that one thinks but isn’t supposed to say. But I did. I may have tried to mitigate it afterwards, like when Susan went back and put a smiley face after an “Are you insane?” comment on a paper. But the damage was done. The comment showed up on my evaluations, and even on Rate My Professor. Tender little things. Read the rest of this entry »
19
Jan
2015
College Angst and the Cult of Virginity, Part I.
Philia: But what am I supposed to do?
Pseudolus: Wait! Isn’t that what virgins do best?
–A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
Advisory Warning: This is the first of a two-part blog on virginity, and it contains frank talk about sex. If you are under age, don’t want to read about such things, or can’t read about them without euphemisms, clinical terms, or obtuse allusions, please don’t read them. If you’re coming here directly to Altered Focus, by clicking the “read more” button, you agree that you can, and want, to go on. If you’re coming here directly to the blog and don’t want to read, just hit the “back” button now. Read the rest of this entry »
19
Jan
2015
Gremlins and Ghettos.
This is the car I would like to think represents me.
[The following is one of my most requested stories from students. I can’t vouch for the exact chronology. Things were very difficult in those days, and my memories are clouded by a degree of nostalgia and a degree of self-preserving amnesia.]
Many people consider cars to be extensions of themselves. I’ve always wanted a really nice car, something classic and sporty. I drove a Triumph TR4A for a while. I felt good about that. But otherwise my rides have been a concession to monetary limitations masked in practical reasonings. Cars are for transportation. The least amount of cost for the required transportation is all that one should require. Right. What I would give for a Audi TTS Roadster.
However my first car, and my second home, was a 1974 AMC Gremlin. Straight six. Automatic. Decent tires. Low miles. The Finlaysons let me have it for $500. A good buy. However, even in 1978, the Gremlin was a geek at the prom in a cheap red tux and bad hair cut. So, unfortunately, perhaps it fit me a bit too well.
2
May
2011
Having the Last Word.
There are times when we, most of us at least, would like to have the last word. But some of us need it too much.
I speak of what I know. I’m a kind of a recovering Last-Worder.
Last-Worders tend to come in types, of which I have artificially narrowed down to three. (This is meant to be read while listening to Mary Chapin Carpenter.): Read the rest of this entry »
29
Jan
2010
Falling Asleep At The Wheel.
It happens so seamlessly.
One second, you’re watching the road and doing whatever you do (suck mints, chew gum, stick your arm out the window, sing, blast the radio, anything else you can think of, or all of the above) to stay in time and retain your link to the material world. Then, you inadvertently think about something. Your mind’s eye turns toward the thought, and in that instant a hole opens and an image comes out. The image expands, begins to move, and becomes the dream.
Then you hit the telephone pole. Or the guard rail. Or the truck. Read the rest of this entry »