soapbox

I’m slowly settling into a realization of just how much work teaching actually takes. The answer is basically enough that I have zero free time whatsoever. (It supposedly changes around your third year when you start really getting the hang of things. It’ll be nice if I have the opportunity to find that out.)

The conclusion is that you have to keep your head up even for things as minor as walking across campus for lunch. And, now that my head is up more, I’m noticing some strange things… like the fact that everyone on campus now looks exactly like everyone 15 years ago. Perhaps it’s just that the design of the Whitman sweatshirt hasn’t changed, but it’s kind of odd thinking “Hey! I know that guy!” and then quickly realizing that “No, no I don’t.” I actually think it’s a sign that people look more alike than they look differently. We all have a doppelgänger out there somewhere.

On the flip side of the coin, I got a chance to really look at my students while they were taking a test yesterday. It was a long hour of doing little more than sitting, so there wasn’t much else. There were a couple interesting realizations. First, I know the names of about forty of the fifty-two students in my class. Second, there are a couple of them that I’m pretty much convinced I never saw before the test. “Woah, who the frak is that?” Third, there were also a few moments of “Woah. Who the frak is that?”, only the other way.

Maybe. I mean, a couple of people said they saw one. That’s enough for news right?

I’m sitting in the Denver airport and there are entire flocks of little birds flying about. It makes me wonder how they got here?

Is it a random process where birds accidentally fly in through open doors?

Are there simply holes in the airport big enough for them to fly in and out?

Are the birds organized enough to stage daring raids swooping through the air handlers until they get inside?

In a very science fiction way, I hope it’s the last option.

Yeah, just got the following from campus security here at UMD – that’s right, College Park MARYLAND:

****

CAMPUS ALERT
July 31, 2008
There have been several reliable sightings of an animal fitting the
description of a cougar on the campus.  The description of the sighted
cat is: light tan and tawny brown, about 4 feet long with a 4 foot tail,
and weighing about 50 pounds.  Several sightings have been reported from
the area of Cole Field House, near the Clarice Smith Performing Arts
Center, and continuing through the wooded areas to the area of the
Comcast Center and Arena Drive Garage.  There has been no report of
aggressive behavior on the part of the animal, but community members are
warned that cougars are a predatory species and that, if seen, the
animal should not be approached.

If you see the animal, please contact the university police at
301-405-3555.  University police are working with other agencies to
remove the animal from the campus area.

****

A friend of mine has said that she’s heard reports from reliable people of cougars in the woods in northeastern PA, and sure, I’ve been seeing a lot of deer here in College Park when I walk the dog through the “woods”, but cougars?  Geez, where am I?

We’re thinking of going cougar hunting, since the sightings are in the area of the astro building.

Back to the peach tree. I was out looking at it yesterday and figured the time was getting close to pick all the peaches, so this morning I grabbed a bit pot in one hand and Sarah in the other hand to go pick them. When I got into the back yard, I saw squirrels scatter and saw a peach on the ground and though “Wow, good thing I’m doing this now.”

Turns out I should have done it yesterday. Besides the half-eaten peach on the ground, everything was gone. There weren’t even pits left. All of my pretty little peaches became squirrel food. Fuckers.

The good news is that we had picked a few (few=4 in this case) peaches over the last couple of days to try them and they were actually pretty good. Good peach flavor and decent juiciness although they could have been a touch sweeter. Now only to be found in squirrel stomachs.

I like growing experimental things. Or at least experimenting with what I grow. As a kid in Alaska, I used to try to grow corn in our greenhouse, two or three whole plants!*

More long and boring story after the jump
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