On Monday...
I will ramble again. It will equip me for my rocking chair days. I need the practice. No? You don't think so? You think I am all practiced up?On Awards
I am honored once again to receive a nice award You Are My Sunshine Supportive Comment Award from Lee at Tossing it out. Go visit his blog for a wonderful treat of good writing on various subjects. The YAMSSCA award is for those bloggers "who lovingly follow and comment upon other blogs to give relevant feedback and encouragement". What a great thing! Again I will award my awards to others on one wild Bloggywood Night of Awards (that may last into the next day) coming up. However, I hear my grass growing and should do this before spring hits me in the face. Because frankly once I get rid of this weather here in MO, I will probably forget about my computer and hit the outdoors. Thank you so much, Lee, for this award.
On the Doctor
Remember the doctor who looks like my brother and is 12 and this bothers me? It's not because I dislike my brother - no quite the opposite- he's my favorite brother (ok my only brother). And I am not putting down Dr. people who look like they are twelve (sorry Dr. Daughter, I know you face this bias regularly). It's just the combo -well- leaves me wanting to find another doctor.
But, I paid him another visit.
The reason I went to the doctor is because my right arm hurts. I was told, I have tennis elbow a.k.a. golfer's elbow. There is also a medical term for it, but why use it when you can say to me it's golfer's or tennis elbow. It has hurt for weeks. So painful. I am suppose to wear a brace thingy and take lots of Ibuprofen and ice it. Oh and not use my arm if it hurts. You know if it hurts, don't do that. Except, I am right handed and I do repetitive work all day. I can just hear the conversation as I remote into a machine, "Let me show you what you need to do, Joe, I'm taking the cursor." I say to my user, "Oh wait, that hurts -can't do it." Well that will never work.
The next step, if it doesn't heal, is a shot in the old elbow.
On Tenure
I am sure you have heard about the professor who shot her colleagues after learning she would not make tenure. I am pretty sure it was less about tenure and more about her unstable mental history.
I will keep my opinion on tenure to myself, but I will tell you about a professor in grad school who worried me. I liked her very much, but knew there were webs in her attic. She found out that she and a few others would not return to teaching after that semester right before our class that evening. I could tell something was wrong. She was more out of sorts than usual. That evening she began her lecturing and then one gal commented on something and the professor totally lost it accusing the class of trying to confuse her, of not being serious about the class and so on. We sat very quiet as she broke down and then called a break and left for awhile. We found out later she would be repositioned within the university and not teaching. After that, she got angry one other time out of the blue and started on a rant. I emailed the office about her actions. I mean I'm old enough to know people shoot for all kinds of reasons. I want to say that as a person, I really liked her. One thing I am certain of about her, when her mind was clear she was one of the best teacher/professors I have ever had for knowledge on a subject. She just kept losing her thoughts - not in little ways either. At some point during that semester she accepted her new position with grace and some positive anticipation.
On Writing
Writings in Progress:
- An essay - article. I am nearly finished and will query a MO magazine soon.
- Short Story - working title -The Desert- no plans for it.
- Outline finished for novel: When the Keepers of the House Tremble - I am having a brain block. I have the first chapter and a part of a second chapter, and I think I could write the last chapter, but the rest is not coming easily. I am more of a SS writer and this may be my problem. So, I'm going to try and think of each chapter as a short story. Plus, I like to do things in order and writing the chapters out of order is killing me. But I need to get it flowing.
Stay tuned for tomorrow - there's a new girl in town...and Tuesday is her name.
That's all folks. I am like the weather here in MO land, same-o same-o and boring. But, I have to blog no matter how boring I am.
So...what do you want to talk about? Talk to me.
Comments
And that's why you are so deserving to be recognized as a good loyal commenter on so many of our blogs and tending to your comment page with a great deal of consideration.
Tenure? Well I won't weigh in much other than saying that college can be a very hazardous place. It took me years to recover and actually I'm not sure I ever did. Education on the other hand is a great treasure and good educators are worth their weight in gold.
Lee
Tennis elbow or whichever sport you wish - in fact any of those niggling pains are so irritating and draining .. hope you can get it sorted soon - befor Spring really springs ...
Congrats on the award, I always enjoy reading the comments you leave me, that's nice.
Have a great Monday!
I know what you mean about doctor age. I keep trying to shoot for in the middle...old enough for experience, but young enough to know the latest treatments. It's hard to find!
Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder
Hilary, I know. I'm so active in the warmer months. I need to heal...now!
Mattenylou, Just what I thought- and how about the laundry too?
Elizabeth, Yes, but I sure like the days when they were all older than me. :)
On the tenure, sometimes I think there's no much pressure to be tenured.
Have a great day, hope the sun peaks out at least for a few hours today.
One reason I never sought regular teaching gigs is that too much is out of my control, and Admin has too much power over my life. No such thing as loyalty towards professors in the academic world. Not for me.
A stormy week is predicted here in Southern New England, starting tonight and running on and off all week ... snow, freezing rain, rain, back to snow. Typical late winter messy stuff :/
Is it the MO Review? That pub is a goal of mine. Good luck, whatever it is!
Yeah, I had a few batty professors/teachers in my day too. You just never know, I guess. But I would like to think the majority of them are harmless.
BTW, you are never boring!
Devon, I would love to try acupuncture for my elbow however I would have to go 40ish miles to get it.
Joanne, Yes, I have outlined the chapters - well most. It's a personal problem - I am thinking. :) It's such a big goal.
Janna, You don't want to know what that means. :))) Oh I desperately want to get into the MO review. Maybe I can pass some dough under the table?
CM,Yes, if I think I am boring - wait 'til we meet Tuesday.
Also, the tenure story was very interesting. Not boring.
You asked about the offending text. It was music lyrics, mostly. They introduced the sections and chapters and were embedded in the text. Permissions would have been too expensive and time consuming to get...so, they got cut. I did finally figure out the one trouble spot.
Best Wishes Galen Kindley
Imagineering Fiction Blog
Galen, That's the only way I can get through a chapter is to think of it that way.
Oh- wow I guess it would take a lot to get permissions. Probably more trouble than it's worth.