Slug
But, today I am not so fond of the (human) slugs in one of my research groups. They have not yet gotten me their data in the form of an Excel file so that I can produce graphs for them of their data. This means I am at a (nervous) standstill.
I am already at the peak of excitedness imagining going to the Retiree's Cigar Group tomorrow! Unfortunately, my schedule means I will be very late, but I am hoping, with weather looking ok, that I WILL get there in time to have at least 2-3 stragglers remain so they can chat with me for a while. It is an incredibly peaceful and relaxing experience, and I so look forward to it.
Presuming I can work like hell this Friday, I should be able to catch back up on things I have let slide (grading) while fixing the kids' research graphs so much of the last two weeks. On Friday my wife and I are planning on going to a play, and on Saturday there is a TUBA CONCERT (yes, I am serious) that I very much want to attend. As you know, I relish the low instruments (my own bass clarinet, contra alto clarinet, contrabass clarinet, tenor sax, baritone sax, euphonium, tuba).... and when I read of an actual TUBA Concert, I knew it was for me. I am not sure if my wife is ACTUALLY interested or is just humoring my eccentricities.... but she is willingly coming with me to this as well.
PipeTobacco
PCS - 8.5... I know this may sound awful.... but I have done this a couple of times. When I get into some certain lecture topics that are SO easy (I guess I mean for me, not the students) I sometimes can get into a bit of an "autopilot" mode where I am animated and gesturing about and lecturing like usual.... but I can slip into a bit of a daydream as well. Well in today's lecture about basic comparative brain circuitry and my rather elaborate diagramming and discussion of the zebra finch higher vocal center (a brain region that in male finches is the telencephalonic region of circuitry for development of their elaborate song production), I was in the midst of a daydream about smoking a bowlful of cube cut, Sir Walter Raleigh pipe tobacco. I wasn't really "seeing" it as I was looking at the students as I talked, but I was emotionally feeling it in my mind as was recalling that ingrained, repetitive pattern of drawing from the stem of my pipe.
Contentedness Score... a 7, which I consider pretty damn good for how hectic life still is at this moment. I might even have listed a 7.5 if I was not weighted down by the (human) slugs I spoke of.
5 Comments:
Professor, I would think that students these days are quite able to learn to use Excel to make their own graphs. Are you taking on work for them that they really ought to be learning to do for themselves?
I make their graphs because this is their first scientific presentation at a real science meeting and I want it professionally up to snuff. They do not know how to nuance the labels and titles of their graphs and undoing their attempt takes more time than me doing it their first time.
That's an excellent contentment score and may rise even higher tomorrow after the Cigar Group. Hope some of your friends will still be there! My older daughter's ex-boyfriend played the tuba. It's an interesting instrument--not sure how much range it has. My favorite instruments are the oboe and French horn. They can be otherworldly. I played the violin and consider strings to be extremely emotive instruments; you can make a violin sound like it's crying. Or are those the spectators? LOL I see plenty of slugs in Western Washington and we're taught that a decent relief for nettles is slug slime although I don't intend to try that out!
Our minds can trick us and others. I am frequently semi-daydreaming while playing a difficult game of Sudoku.
It seems to me that sometime in the past I’ve left you a comment just like this one — videos of snail sex are amazing! Snails are all over my front yard and I’ve considered doing a middle of the night check for a pair copulating.
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