Weekend roundup

The weekend was very busy. Every year, faculty must submit an individual Annual Report: What classes did you teach; Number of enrollment; What did you publish; What service did you provide; et cetera, et cetera. Well, I got my report back with a response from the new dean, who by all accounts is a good person. But my feedback was less that sparkling. She reminded me that I should pay heed to details such as student evaluations... Huh? Her comment suggested I don't them, which is patently false. I found out that the department failed to forward them, and now I look bad. And of course, I teach a significant number of courses, but my research and service is "modest". So, at the recommendation of the Chair, I wrote a... well, not a rebuttal, but a description of the state in which I find myself--over-worked. Of course, I couldn't write that. I don't want to sound whiny, and I don't want to complain, because I'm not. I love to teach and I love my students--well, most of them, anyway. And I don't mind the work. But the sheer volume I wade through on a daily basis might explain my "modest" productivity elsewhere. I don't need any violins playing in the background, but I don't want people thinking I'm a slacker either.

So anyway, I spent the entire weekend working on this response. I wrote it once and it did sound whiny and perhaps a bit rambling and unfocused. So I rewrote it like a paper, then restructured it like a presentation--bullet points and even a pie chart! I'm so proud of myself :) But this two page document--more like four pages double spaced--consumed my entire weekend...

NOT!

Hahahha. Nah. It did take up a big chunk--like 14 hours? But I did have time to watch my beloved UCLA Bruins stick it to Cal. 30-21. This season has been crazy. Div. II Appalachian State knocks off Michigan, Stanford upset $C and Vandy knocks out South Carolina. Even Notre Dame--that perenial powerhouse--can't buy a victory... okay, they do have one victory, against... against... against... ucla. This has been an incredibly frustrating season for UCLA fans. I mean, we are good enough to beat Cal, a very good team--certainly better than Notre Dame--but we lose to the otherwise winless Irish. Go figure...