Catching Up: November 4, 2022

Posted on November 4, 2022 by Jen

It was a dark and stormy night…

[+] Baseball. All of the baseball teams I hate were kicked out of the playoffs, so I’m chill with whatever happens in the World Series.

[+] Stomach pain. I’ve been fighting stomach pain for the last few weeks, and we’ve managed to rule out things like an ulcer, pancreatitis, and possibly gallstones. I have an ultrasound coming up on Monday, and I’ll be interested in what it shows.

[+] YouTube. I’ve gotten addicted to Apple Texts, and it’s like watching trashy TV. They are basically text conversations based on true stories, and they are read in different voices. I’ve got a ton of crocheting to do in the next couple of months, so it should keep me entertained while my fingers are busy.

Catching Up: October 21, 2022 Edition

Posted on October 21, 2022 by Jen

Wow…

[+] Baseball. Unfortunately, Seattle is out of the playoffs, but the 18-inning game that knocked them out was amazing.

On the plus side, the LA Losers and the Cleveland Goof-Ups are out as well. Now if the Yankees could please go ahead and lose their last two games so that all three of Satan’s teams are out of the play-offs…

[+] Work. Work is crazy, but I’m at least getting to tutor some classes I like this quarter instead of just HSERV and Interpersonal Communications. FERPA prevents me from telling you the better stories I have about my students, so I’ll just say that I have a few who are… special.

[+] Media I’m binge-watching a lot of “Court Cam” on the A&E website, and it has been interesting. I’ll move to “Cold Case Files” eventually, but this has been keeping me entertained.

Catching Up: September 23, 2022 Edition

Posted on September 23, 2022 by Jen

It’s the first week of Fall Quarter for me. Whee.

[+] Mary of Steel Magnificat needs a new car. If you’re familiar with her blog, you know that her now-defunct car was the “Neighborhood Trolley” and used not only for her family’s needs, but she also drove people to the grocery store, to the doctor, and to myriad appointments that would have been very difficult (if not impossible) to get to on public transportation. The GoFundMe for her is here. (I can’t donate at the moment, so I’m sharing it.)

[+] Queen Elizabeth’s coffin was flown from Edinburgh to London last week on a RAF Boeing Globemaster C17. The story behind the choice of that plane is beautiful.

This is what leadership looks like.

[+] The services at Westminster Abbey and Windsor Chapel made me happy to be Episcopalian, but what undid me were the pipers. I think the most touching moment was the pipe band playing “The Skye Boat Song” as they were parading behind the hearse to Windsor Chapel. I also loved the two appearances by the Queen’s personal piper.

Between the pipers and the military parade through Central London, I have no doubt my grandpa was geeking out at all of this in heaven. I’m pretty sure the Queen was also pretty happy with everything as well.

Catching Up: September 17, 2022

Posted on September 17, 2022 by Jen

It’s been a mentally tough few weeks since I posted. Summer Quarter burned me out to the point where I spent a few weeks just playing Cross-Stitch World on Facebook because I was so mentally drained.

Daniel started school, so I’ve had some guilt-free naptime after getting him on the bus. He also had an Audiology appointment this week which went well. He liked the audiologist we saw as well as her assistant, so we got a good hearing test. They’re repairing his hearing aids, so we’ll probably have them back next week.

I have my schedule for the quarter, and I will be on campus three days a week. I’m kind of stunned by this because I’m “getting my life back”, but it’s tinged with some bitterness because the last 2 1/2 years have shown me the utter selfishness of people who are angry because they’re being mildly inconvenienced by having to keep others safe. We could probably have been back to “normal” sooner if people had quarantined, worn masks, stayed home, and gotten vaccinated.

Catching Up: Things Your Tutor Would Like You to Do (College Edition)

Posted on August 26, 2022 by Jen

I just finished Summer Quarter, and this is my list of things I’d really like students to start doing.

[+] Please read your syllabus/course documents. Seriously, read them. Your instructor is listing out a lot of information that you need to know in those, and they’re putting the time in to create those documents.

[+] If you have a question about your instructor’s expectations for the assignment that is not covered in the instructions, please email your instructor. I feel like I need to make a recording of me saying this because I honestly don’t know what your instructor wants if it’s not an instructor that I have had before. They’re willing to answer your email, so talk to them. Also… stop asking me five versions of the same question and getting cross with me when I reply with the words “asked and answered.”

[+] Stop complaining when your instructor deducts points for things listed in their syllabus or things they have told you to fix multiple times. You know what I said about reading your course documents? I meant it. If your instructor told you that assignments need to be double-spaced and in 12 pt. Georgia font, they’re not kidding. If your instructor tells you that you need to write out dialogue, listen to them. If I remind you to do those things, stop complaining about me making more work for you. Your instructor is within their rights to deduct points if they’ve stated the requirements or given you that feedback.

[+] Stop taking free extensions from instructors unless you need them. Extensions are an emergency thing, not something to depend upon. There is an instructor at the college who consistently gives his students extension after extension for non-emergency reasons… and it cuts into the time they have to do the next set of work. I’ve had to tell my students not to take the extensions because it creates a snowball effect in terms of not being able to meet deadlines and needing more extensions. I’ve had to do things like set guideposts on dates that they need to get assignments done so that those extensions are no longer necessary. So please, STOP TAKING THOSE EXTENSIONS UNLESS YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY.

[+] Please, I beg you, STOP PROCRASTINATING. Procrastination on your part does not equal an emergency on mine. I’m totally happy to help you figure out a schedule to get things done and avoid having to do too much on one day, but I can’t help you if you’re going to slack off and save everything until the day before it’s due.

[+] Please at least look at your classes’ Canvas sites before we meet. Ideally, you should at least attempt your homework before you see me, but I can deal with you coming without doing that if you’re stuck on being able to start. However, please at least KNOW what your assignment is so that I can help you. When you come and haven’t even looked at what you have due, it makes it really hard to help you because your instructor may have not given me access to that Canvas page.

Catching Up: August 19, 2022 Edition

Posted on August 20, 2022 by Jen

It’s been hard to have something to write about because I’m literally working, watching YouTube, and sleeping.

[+] Kiddo had an ADHD appointment last week. He is now 5’3″ and has doubled his weight since his g-tube surgery 4 years ago. Unfortunately, he is really constipated, so life is full of suppositories and Miralax.

[+] Next week is finals week, and I’m actually looking forward to it. It’s been a bit of an intense summer, and I’m kind of burned out. Interpersonal Communication is a tiring class to tutor, and I’ve got three sections of it on my tutoring roster. None of the instructors teach it the same way either. I’ve gotten to the point where I’m having to answer every question with the words “I don’t know. Email your instructor.”

Catching Up: August 7, 2022 Edition

Posted on August 7, 2022 by Jen

It’s 12:39 a.m. on August 7th, and I have very little to tell you about my life because I’m eating, drinking, working with students, watching too much YouTube, and not sleeping near enough. All the student stuff is kinda sorta protected by FERPA (and I’m not feeling like getting into the Come to Jesus conversations I’m having to have with a few of them), so here is the stuff I’ve been watching for the last week or so on YouTube. There’s A LOT of them, so I’m putting a cut in this post. Click on “Continue reading” to see the whole shebang. (And yes, I have a weird YouTube algorithm.)