smmrmn's Xanga

conversations

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 01:30:33 GMT

So this happened between a classmate and I today.

David: So Sarah, where in Canada are you from?
Me: .....um......
David: It wasn't supposed to be a trick question...
Me: I'm just trying to figure out a way to explain where I'm from in a way you people would understand.

the coming out

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:40:08 GMT

So there's something about being a student again that revitalizes the creative juices and gets me interested in blogging again. Either that, or it's just my alto-ego's nagging encouraging emails.

Transitioning into grad school the last few weeks has brought about some intriguing observations on key differences between graduates and undergraduates. Let me demonstrate with a few scenarios, followed by how each group would handle said scenario:

1. Orientation
Undergrad: mud wrestling, waterslide races, helpful tours of dorms and dining commons
Graduate: diction tests, entrance exams, choir placement hearings, helpful tours of the reference section of the library

2. You just hear Friday's late afternoon class is cancelled
UG: Much rejoicing for a long(er) weekend
G: Students plan to meet anyway on their own to discuss class content and share reference books

3. Research papers
UG: A neat synthesized report of somebody else's research, hopefully without too much plagiarism
G: You get excited over finding few resources because that means you can break new ground

4. Unwritten, unenforced dress code
UG: flannal pants and a hoodie... on good days
G: Ties for the men and dresses for the ladies, flip flops maybe on Fridays but certainly not if there's a guest lecturer

5. Course reading lists
UG: Ignore most required readings and hope somebody else in class carries the discussion
G: Competition for library books and articles on the suggested reading list is fierce; at least everybody owns all the required reading material

6. The professor calls and says he is late for class because of traffic
UG: Most leave because isn't there some sort of unwritten ten-minute rule so class is supposed to be cancelled?
G: Students pull out a copy of a Renaissance mass and sight read it in six part harmony to pass the time

if I search reeeeally really hard, I think I might find a compliment in there. somewhere.

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:13:58 GMT

Said by one of my students today with great wonderment in the voice: "Miss M., I'm actually kind of enjoying this class."

...make me listen...

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 02:50:13 GMT

Oh, let me hear Thee speaking,
  In accents clear and still,
Above the storms of passion,
  The murmurs of self-will;
Oh, speak to reassure me,
  To hasten, or control;
Oh, speak, and make me listen,
  Thou Guardian of my soul.

my blogging is sporadic as usual. they say blogging is a thing of the past anyway - maybe it's a thing of my past. but sometimes it's just so fun! i'll be back later.

yes, yes, this does make me a music snob.

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 17:43:53 GMT

Sunday, January 04, 2009

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:42:34 GMT

Wow, those cats are annoying after a month and a half. I'm sorry. Here's a new story for you.

How 2009 Got Off To A Terrible Start
or
How To Look Desperately For the Silver Lining

Day One:
a) Blizzard preventing attendance at wedding of very dear friend
...but allowed for much gezelligness playing Risk and eating oliebollen with my eastern family

b) Lost voice/throat infection or something/bronch-something/don't have voice
...the silver lining here may be for other people more than for me

Day Two:
a) Death of alternator (and therefore entire car) after nineteen hours on the road
...but got a free tow right to my doorstep thanks to CAA

Day Three:
a) Still no voice
...but alternator is fixed thanks to one amazing brother plus a monkey wrench

b) Discovery that phone is cut off because we forgot to pay the bill
...but can't use it anyway because I can't talk

Day Four:
a) Still no voice
...?

Day Five:
a) Will attempt to teach whilst voiceless.
...good times.

the stages of teaching

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 19:18:52 GMT

I am somewhere between stages 4 and 5. This is why I haven't been returning calls/emails/etc.

Phase 1

You are listening to jazz -- Your first day at work is great. Your fellow teachers are wonderful, your classroom is cute, you love your students, and your principal is the best!

Phase 2

You are listening to pop music -- After a while you are so busy that you are not sure if you're coming or going anymore.

Phase 3

You are listening to heavy metal -- This is what you feel like after ONE month.

Phase 4

You are listening to hip hop -- You become bloated due to stress, you're gaining weight due to lack of exercise because you are so tired and have so much school work to do when you get home, you feel sluggish and suffer from constipation. Your fellow teachers are too cheerful for your liking and the walls of your classroom are closing in.

Phase 5

You are listening to GANGSTA RAP -- After more time passes, your eyes start to twitch, you forget what a 'good hair day' feels like as you just fall out of bed and load up on caffeine.

Phase 6

You are listening to the voices in your head -- You have locked your classroom door to keep people out, You wonder WHY you are even here in the first place and WHY did I become a teacher!

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 16:50:49 GMT

So, it would seem that one essential part of my life is the inevitable university applications. I don't know how many of these puppies I've filled out (well, at least *thought* about filling out).

And an inevitable part of university applications is the essay - essentially "describe in 500 words what significant experiences or accomplishments etc etc have defined you as a person blah blah" (or some variation on that theme).

Let's just say I'm constantly tempted to use this essay:

-------------------------
I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.

I seduce men with my sensuous and goddesslike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru.

Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge.

I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. Last summer I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat .400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me.

I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Arizona, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me.

I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prizewinning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.

But I have not yet gone to graduate school.
-------------------------

Saturday, November 01, 2008

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:09:44 GMT

So, I realize that posting links to amusing/thought-provoking/interesting things doesn't really count as blogging, and therefore I technically haven't blogged in ages... but that's okay. Someday, in the parallel life I wish I had, I will have time for writing good things myself. In the meantime, I'll keep posting other people's good things.

Today's good thing is an article by John Piper, a theologian I admire. You should read this article, because sometimes it's good to keep your perspective when the rest of the world (read: USA) is quite out of whack in terms of obsessions.

That, and I can't wait until Nov. 5th and we (yes, even we Canadians) can have our lives back. In the meantime, think about Piper's perspective.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:39:03 GMT

Elections are important times in our nation. My family gets all wrapped up in elections, as is demonstrated in the following conversation.

Jody says:
    are you watching the results?
Sarah says:
    results aren't coming in until 10
    doubt i can stay up that long.
Jody says:
    oh
    yeh; I'm feeling pretty zonked myself
    and it's only 8:30 here
Sarah says:
    yeah well
    you have kids.
Jody says:
    that I do.
Sarah says:
    although
    I have more kids than you do
    and mine are older and crankier.
    haha
Jody says:
    I bet none of them peed in their pants 6 times today "because I wanted to"
Sarah says:
    good point.