Monday, November 30, 2009

Day 28 Monday

It was bitterly cold, wet and windy. Reminded me of winter in London. I was rather discouraged from work when I got to the house, so my reaction was probably affected by that.

No matter how many times I warn students about "consequences" as in "if you don't get off your ass and complete the assignments" then you will most likely fail this course, I inevitably get at least one student who mind boggling decided he wasn't going to do any homework, or turn up for class, or take the quizzes, which if he didn't turn up for class, he can't take anyway, because I sure as heck am not writing multiple quizzes. And inevitably, I end up sitting in my chair with a student looking at me blankly and probably praying that I'll be a soft touch. Like hell, buddy.

And it's the inevitable excuse. I cannot tell you how dangerous it is to be around me. There must be something about being around me or having me for a professor because death seems to loom around the corner. Of course, they never can authenticate the reason they missed 80% of the class because of a death in the family.

So by the time I got to the house, my mood was as gray as the skies, and I was not feeling cheerful. They have begun and probably completed doing the ductwork. It all looks very scifi with silver tubes snaking here and there. When I saw the TWO duct tubes in D1's closet, I freaked. He won't have any closet at this rate...and what about here and there.

Fortunately, Jeff said he'd be around and he walked me through and allayed some of my fears. (I mean, he's not going to be able to do anything about the probability of my getting more daft students next year....the guy's a good builder but there are limits to his powers....)

There will be duct work in the utility room so they will have to bring the ceiling down a little lower there. This just means, I've got to decide NOW about the stackable or side by side washer dryer and what model. A trip to Sears is in the works....

And there is duct work in the corner of D2's bedroom so we'll get a corner there and another one in the family room in a little nook.

I was really discouraged walking through the remodel because I kept finding issues that I didn't discuss or which didn't occur to me to investigate. Jeff said, "It happens." I looked at him and said, "Not to me...." But of course, it has....

I mean this isn't as bad as my taking off from Ambon, Indonesia to a remote island with two girlfriends and forgetting that maybe they might need food. I mean, I bought a nice package of nasi kandar or nasi ambon, or nasi (rice) something with spicy chicken and veggies....what did they think we were going to find on an island abandoned and only used as a midnight stop by fishermen....Long John Silver?

(Janet if you're reading this, remember - we did survive, and we had a VERY good breakfast when we got back on the main island).

See that doesn't count because who could have anticipated two Americans who had lived in Indonesia and not wanting to buy local food to take with them on an overnight stay on some island we can't even find anymore in the guidebooks?

But ductwork eating into my closets because I didn't catch the design and engineering discrepancy...now that I should have anticipated.

Jeff said the inspector did come, and did ask for some more straps. Don't ask me. I only repeat what I hear. And they obliged. And the weather today was too pissy to do any work on the outside.

So I wandered around my house rather mournfully, feeling very gray and fed up. I swear, I'm opening up my website two weeks before class begins and putting up the LONG list of homework, quizzes and exam dates and by golly, if they stay in my course, it's caveat emptor. I'm not churning them out for the sake of education. They're going to bloody learn something even if I have to beat it into them.

There, I feel better now. Maybe I can get some extra straps from the house for the beating part....

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