Snowy Fridays
My new teaching schedule leaves much to be desired by the time Friday finally rolls around. I don't start my day until noon, so I ended up unproductively wasting away until then, and after classes, and some putzing in the office, it was almost 5pm before I left campus. Last semester, things were cushier, I was able to get in by 9am and be done at 1pm (which isn't a bad way to start the weekend off, methinks). Just the same, it is already clear that there are big differences between the caliber of students in their first and second semesters - everything was easy today, my students anticipated questions and gave solid answers... this bodes well & I think things will go smoothly this semester. I was very pleased overall, I just don't love the class time.
This was my first real snow day in Madison. The last few days have brought bitter, biting cold, but today saw the first flurries. It's strange, we probably only had a total accumulation of 2", and a very light powdery snow at that. It just doesn't snow here like it does on the East Coast (land of heavy, dense, snowball snow). Here we get dry flakes that blow around in the fierce winds. Even though the snow was light, it still managed to slow everything down, delay buses, and make the roads slick. I'll be glad when this season is over.
I am glad that the first week is over. I'm exhausted (this week was such a change from the end of my vacation). My back hurts from lugging around a messenger bag. I have tons of reading to do and I am still feeling tired, but it feels good to be lounging in bed with a warm laptop on my lap. I don't really have the gumption or desire to venture out tonight, so I think I'll spend some time with my books, getting a start on the mountains of French. {I have two book reviews to finish by the beginning of February, and my months of procrastination are finally catching up with me.} I also have a new iTunes playlist to listen to. I have no idea how I lived this long without
The Strokes, my whole outlook has improved so drastically since I stumbled upon them. Overall, I find them to be catchier than
The White Stripes, but they are absolutely worth a listen. When they first appeared on the scene a year ago, I dismissed them too quickly, so like LotR, I perhaps snapped to judge without substance. My taste in things has really disproved whatever conventions I held about myself this week. But while I am praising -
Josh Ritter & Damien Rice get better with every listen. Lately there is lots of talk around a hip British rapper named Dizzee Rascal, I just can't wrap my brain around him yet, but maybe with another week I'll be singing his charms as well.
posted by lmjasinski at 5:48 PM
