A Crazy Cat's Life

Last night as I was watching TV, the local newscasters did their "tonight at 11" commercial. Normally I ignore those because they usually tell me about murders or hit and runs or something along those depressing lines. This time they got my attention. Why? I heard "Washington Mutual" and "big news" and I knew I had to get on my computer to look up what was taking place. It is now official: we have our first major bank failure. My students have been asking all week about the financial crisis taking place. After explaining to them about sub-prime mortgages and credit default swaps, I always get the "what do you think is going to happen?" That's when I sigh and dread my answer. I am a historian. I've studied the recessions of our country throughout its existence as well as those of other countries. The big ones usually have triggers that cause a meltdown of a country's economics. In 1873 (what I'm teaching my U.S. history st...

Sorry I haven't written in a while. My schedule makes my life feel like it's the last few weeks of the semester during the entire semester. Every waking moment is devoted to prepping, teaching or grading. Man I need to learn to say no. On the bright side, there are only three students that I already hate but an entire class is on the way to that distinction. I don't know what it is about Western Civ I classes. Every semester now it seems I get one class full of idiots. Not all the students are idiots, mind you, but a good majority of them are. They aren't stupid but it's clear that they don't want to be in class and that they are in college just to appease mom and dad. These are the type of students who do the minimal amount of work and expect to get A's. Namely, they are a professor's nightmare. I have to put up with their lame attempts at "work," babysit them for the three hours that I have them, and then explain to them why they di...

...NOT! I decided to teach six classes this semester. Why? Well, the extra money is always nice but the main reason was to teach a current events class. I used to teach the class when I was an adjunct many moons ago but since it's not a "priority" class, I haven't been able to teach it since I became full-time. With this being an election year I desperately wanted to teach it. It would mean a heftier work load for me but after I talked to Bear about it, I decided to do it. On Wednesday, I get a frantic call from the dean's secretary. There's a class that needs to be covered. I'm thinking "no fucking way." Seven classes is just nuts. Also, I already have five different class preps with the six classes I had. Adding this class would mean an additional prep. Nope. Nada. No way. It's Thursday and I'm walking to my office when I hear the dean calling "Cat! Cat!" Uh oh. The dean pleaded with me to take the class. Part...