A Crazy Cat's Life

It started when a friend posted up a video called "Bad Day at the Office." It was the perfect video for today since I had a really crappy day... Then Bear told me about a video that was pretty funny. First though, you have to see what it was based on. Called "I'm f&%@ing Matt Damon" (funny but probably NSFW).... Jimmy Kimmel responded to his girlfriend "f#$@king Matt Damon" with "I'm f@#$ing Ben Affleck." I am now in a MUCH better mood. :)

It's only February and I'm already burned out. Not a good thing, eh? Ya, tell me about it. I originally thought my tiredness was due to getting over the flu but now I'm thinking otherwise. It didn't make sense at first. I had four weeks off (instead of the three they usually give), I'm only working ONE job, and I'm only teaching five classes. Why am I burned out? This is an easy schedule compared to what I have been doing for the past year. Well, ok maybe the four weeks off weren't the most restful. Bear keeps on reminding me that I had surgery and that isn't restful at all. Then, because of the surgery, I wasn't as fully prepared for the start of the semester. Getting the flu on top of it didn't help either. But it's only February! I shouldn't get burned out until at least March! How the hell am I going to make it until May?

In my 20th Century U.S. history class, I'm currently covering World War II. As I was discussing the Allies push east into Germany, one of my students told me that General Patton pissed in the Rhine River as they were crossing. Honestly, I hadn't heard of it before but it didn't surprise me. Of course, when I got to my desk, I had to know if it was true or not. Not only was it true, Patton was photographed doing it! "Dear SHAEF [ Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force ], I have just pissed into the Rhine River. For God's sake, send some gasoline."

The cast is off! The doc said the incision looked good and was healing nicely. I'm in a new brace now (with metal rods in it) to keep me from accidentally rolling my foot. The pain & torture...um...sorry physical therapy won't start until the week of the 25th. He said that my foot is going to "be angry enough" with me trying to walk on it that I don't want to throw in PT as well just yet. Fine by me. Now if I can just shake this flu I'll be in good shape.

Anybody who goes out when they are very ill, especially sick with the flu, are now susceptible to the label of "biological terrorist" in my books. One of my students comes into my class last Thursday with the flu. He tells me how miserable he is and then proceeds to sit in the front row. I tell him to go home, but does he? No. What happens? Three days later I'm out sick with the flu. Normally this wouldn't be so bad but I had already used up two of my sick days at the start of the semester due to my foot surgery. Then I had to use up my last three this week for this stupid flu. Now I'm out of sick days with three months left in the semester. To me, this student is a biological terrorist. Bah. I hope I give it right back at him when I see him in class tomorrow.

arrrgh!

For a nice change, NJ's primaries are early enough in the race that our choice may actually matter. The primaries used to be in June but thankfully our legislatures got smart and moved them up to Super Tuesday. Yes, I will be voting. No, I still have no clue who I'm voting for. I'm not thrilled with any of the candidates in either party. I'm a democrat so I will be voting in the democratic primary. According to my sample ballot, I have six choices: Joe Biden - Who? Oh ya, the guy with the Plan for Iraq. Nice idea Joe, but what else do you stand for? Oh wait, you're FOR the Patriot Act? You want to build a wall on our border to Mexico? Never mind. Dennis Kucinich - He tried to impeach Cheney which is a brownie point in my book. Oh wait, he what? Damn. Bastard dropped out of the race. John Edwards - The one candidate I did like and he too dropped out of the race. Poo. Hillary Clinton - How I hate thee. Let me count the ways... Seriously, I don't...

I realize I'm not the perfect professor. Ya, I have kick ass ratemyprofessor.com rating but even those show I'm not the "be all, end all" professor for everybody. One thing I like to think of myself is that I'm fair. You have to earn an A in my classes but you also have to earn an F. One of the big ways students earn Fs in my classes is by not showing up. I have a strict attendance policy. It's a deal I make with the students: I give them notes and in return they have to show up. If I didn't do things that way my classroom would be empty. I give them a few freebies, no questions asked absences. After that, their final grade goes down. It's in all my syllabi too, and as I have been informed, those are legally binding documents. Anywho, I had a bunch of students fail last semester because of this. One in particular got a tad bit pissed off at me and sent me a couple of e-mails. Basically, it was along the lines of "I had a C and you said ...