We have accomplished so much this semester. I started this weblog in 2006 because I wanted to learn to speak. In 2009 I said I was going to end it because I felt ready for my PhD examination: the blog had accomplished its purpose. I did not end it, though. Now I feel as though … More Mictlantecuhtli
We have had the last class! We are finished! I have a lot of papers and five finals to write and give, but I have finished! Axé.
After many years of struggle our problems were solved, not because we won at last but because an administration came in that had no interest in obstructing our work. In the meantime we worked on slow reforms and tried to follow the advice there is about how to rise above things. But the fact is … More Even more on academic advice
I have been ranting and raving all semester against the idea that we should emphasize that we are working, working, working, that our work is work, and so on. I have been ranting and raving against the idea that we should resent those for whom things look easy. I enjoy the presence of those for … More Postscript on “Golden Boys”
All right, I will say this and then finally go, it is almost 7:53 AM and I should have been in the office already. But I was thinking of how I would formulate something I want to discuss with an administrator and my thought stream had a byproduct: on European culture as a culture of … More An interesting button of thought
I do not “manage time” as well as I once did and it is because at a certain point, I realized it was not possible. I do not have the power to make the kinds of decisions I have been able to make on use of time I have had in other academic jobs I … More A Radical Thought on Time Management
December! An excellent month! A month of culminations and clarity and brightness! It’s December first! Axé.
Here are some reasons why, once again: 1. The faculty: warring instructors and adjuncts, all overworked, and the assistant professors they are trying to bully so they won’t stay and who are terrified. Me, with a lot of other responsibilities and minimal interest in foreign language teaching, especially in this atmosphere. 2. The students: some … More I still dislike foreign language teaching!
Ingredients for 1 white Hispanic man, 45 years of age: 1 fussy lady, 75 years of age 1 fractious adolescent male, 12-17 years of age 1 mold, man size and shape Method: Put both ingredients in blender; blend until the mixture is even and smooth. Pour into mold; bake until done. As soon as he … More An offensive post: recipe for a white Hispanic man. Yes, this is sterotyping and discrimination, well deserved.
When I took my PhD exam I was concerned about passing so I gave it all I had. The committee was impressed, saying they had known I was competent but not that I was good, because I had always been so noncommittal about everything. That, of course, was because I had always been told it … More On not committing
