Today it was announced that former Vice-President Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize. Cool. Like Jimmy Carter, he's making more difference in the world after he left office than he did while in office. Lately, Carter has been lashing out at the debacle that Bush has made of his years in the Oval Office. Bush lovers, though, are still Bush lovers. Some people absolutely do not let the facts influence their opinions. I always ask my students whether people have a right to have their own opinions, and of course, they all say yes. Then I ask whether all opinions are equal. That stumps some of them. The brighter ones realize that some opinions are grounded in expertise, whereas others are merely subjective "like" and "don't like" "feelings."
I trimmed my husband's hair the other day. He used to be quite the fashionista and never had to be nagged into getting a hair cut. For the last few years, though, I've had to nag and fuss to get him to trim the ear hair, nose hair, and the long curly gray hairs growing down the back of his neck. Odd. The older I get, the shorter my hair gets. The older he gets, the more he seems to want to look like an aging hippie. I draw the line at the bald-on-top, ponytail-in-back look. I see far too many college professors who sport that 'do, and it doesn't flatter any of them. It says, "My glory days were in the sixties, and I can't get out of that era."
Tonight my niece finishes her course of nursing studies and "graduates." I'm happy she was able to do that, and I know that she will now be able to support herself and her family. That's a good thing. On the other hand, I often feel as though the LPN course in Louisiana doesn't do a lot to prepare students for much beyond glorified orderlies. Who am I to criticize? She'll be making more money than I make in a year or two. Then again, I'll never be required to empty a bed pan as part of my job duties.
Yesterday, one of my students hugged me. He's a sweet guy, but not making much progress in my class. He apologized for being absent this past Tuesday. He was arrested for trespassing and a number of other minor things. I wish I could pass them based on how much I like them, but sadly, that is not the way it works.
I still can't seem to make up my mind about whether I should apply for the open position at my former school, where I taught for three years (and was denied a tenure-track position). Maybe I'm proof that we older ones ought not be hired for tenure-track, since I have to admit, when I think about Publish or Perish, getting tenure, doing constant committee work, etc., I want to say, "No thanks. Just let me teach." No matter how much a school advertises itself as a "real teaching school" and not a place dedicated to research, the way people are hired and promoted is still based on research, not on teaching.
Ideally, I could teach one or two classes a semester and still have time for all my hobbies. I hope I live long enough to retire so that I can catch up with all the sewing and painting and crocheting projects I've got going.
Esteemed hubby is off playing golf again today. Only a golf nut would get up at six a.m. in chilly (mid-30s) weather. He says we'll get to all those projects we have to do this afternoon, but usually, he comes in from golf around one p.m., naps, and then is useless for the rest of the day. One benefit of the coming winter is that golf will end for a few months. Of course, we're also in the middle of football season. Thankfully, he isn't interested in basketball or hockey.
Okay, enough rambling. I've got to get busy. Life is short. Right? --Dr. S.
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