Happy Pancake day!

I think that's the proper greeting. It's probably acceptable in some circles to wish each other Happy Pancake Day.

Andy had a bad day at work and I figured he didn't want to go anywhere. In fact, at the suggestion that we go out to IHOP for free pancakes, he shrugged and kind of mumbled "nah." I was sad. FREE PANCAKES, DUDE.

So, as I am wont to do, I whined about it on Facebook. A former student said that she'd like to go, along with her roommate (another former student). Fun!  

I went to leave and either Andy had changed his mind or, according to him, he has never disinterested in going. Meh. Misunderstandings. So, I went to pick up the girls at their dorm and off we went! We ordered food and Student 1 was wondering how we were supposed to order the free pancakes. She suggested that we order our food then just mumble: "andfreepancakes" afterward. It was really funny to us, because we ordered like that. "Cheese eggs, bacon, andfreepancakes." "Two biscuits with bacon and cheese, andfreepancakes." It was really really funny to us. The server was a good sport. Andy high-fived him and kept referring to him as his name. I said that our server probably thought Andy was flirting with him.

Anyway, none of that is particularly remarkable. 

My students EAT SO WEIRD.

First, student 1, a self described sugar lover ("I LOVE SUGAR!"- Student 1) put little bits of flavoured syrup on her hash browns. First strawberry, then blueberry after Andy suggested it. According to her, she puts either jelly or syrup on everything. Okay.

Then I look over at Student 2, who has made a sampler platter of sorts out of the three flavours of syrup. I guess she wanted to try them all.

Student 1 was not wearing a fez. I obviously put it there to protect her ID

THEN I look over to see Student 1 PICKING UP AND TEARING APART her pancakes. WTF. Apparently this is a thing RU students do now. 

It seems I am the weird one. WHO PICKS UP AND RIPS APART THEIR PANCAKES?

Also, Andy left a $10 tip for a $7 bill. I'm a good tipper, but I admit to being a little irritated.

I had a fun night. I hope it cheered Andy up a little.

I'm a delicate flower

Once, someone I considered a friend told me I was too sensitive. While I didn't have a witty retort at the time, I later thought that I would much rather be over-sensitive than a raging bitch that seems to take pleasure in putting others down.

Now I'm not so sure.

It takes the tiniest thing to set me off, and it keeps getting worse as I get older. I am sensitive. Most people don't expect it because of my public persona. I'm too complex-- and not in the deep old-soul way. This isn't a "No one understands me!" post. I promise.

What set me off this evening was a seemingly tiny thing, but I considered it to be a severe blow. A former student of mine posted their political views, which do not match mine, on their instagram. It killed me. This student... While I can't fault them for having different views from me, I just felt so sorry for them. And now I can't get it out of my mind. Then I got to thinking that maybe it wasn't okay that they had different views than me. Do they not value their freedoms?! Do they not value choice or rights?! Surely, I thought, they must have been raised in a certain type of household and they never made the decision to look at other political options. I began to pity this student.

In my previous post, I stated that politics have put me in a foul mood. Now, for this tiny reason, one in the hundreds of students I have taught, I am incredibly disappointed. I would give anything--anything-- to be in better control of my emotions. I take my medicine like a good girl. The only thing it really does is make me sleepy, but at least it tends to keep the racing thoughts at bay to a certain extent. A normal person would be able to brush this off. I do feel passionately about my political views, so maybe it's not such an over-reaction. But on the other hand, I taught this student. And hundreds of others. I am just so disappointed. I can't really phrase it any other way.

I'm trying to assuage my panic over this seemingly insignificant thing with music. "Carry On" is a song I just want to curl up next to and let it serenade me to sleep.

Pushing the upsetting thoughts out of my head is so difficult. Too difficult, I sometimes think. Sometimes, it's impossible. 

I should have expected this.

Ugh. I just did preliminary midterm grades and without brekaing the law or anything, they are bad. Then, I get two emails in a row from students saying that they can't turn in their final paper today because some tragedy has befallen them. I have no idea how to reply.

I don't take stuff via email. Nothing. So when they say: "Can I email it to you?" it should be so easy for me to just hit reply and say: "No." But I can't. I'm not sure why. Maybe part of me believes that they are acturally telling the truth, but for the most part, I don't.

I don't want to send out a mass email saying "Hey kids I don't accept stuf via email" but I also don't want a confrontation in class over it. I am so very annoyed.

I just thought about it for a moment.

Student-

I cannot accept anything--especially major papers-- via email. You are more than welcome to bring it to me during my office hours, but please bear in mind that each calendar day that it is late is 5 points off the paper as a whole.

-Shaylin

The first of the last

I got the first essay from this batch of essays (critical analysis) and it was GREAT! I wanted to cry it was so great.