Wednesday Randomness

*Holy! It is SNOWING.  I would love the snow if: a) I was at home under my Lizard Ridge by the fire knitting.  b) If I was out tobogganing with the kids followed by hot chocolate.  Emma and Alexander were outside by 7:45 shoveling us out while I had tea and a relaxing breakfast.  When I got outside she smiled at me with her rosy cheeks and proclaimed: "This is the BEST day of my life."

*Instead I got to spend and hour and a half in my car ferrying kids and sugar pie to school and then myself to my teaching gig in deepest Scarberia.  I chose to avoid the highways and go the local route.  I figure if some idiot is going to skid out and hit my car, I would rather it happen at 40km/hr than 100km/hr. 

*Now I'm taking messages from my students who don't want to drive in to hand in their assignments.  I'm *trying* not to be a tyrannt, but dammit, I'm here to collect them, so they should hand them in or pay the consequences.  However, I caved--I'll accept an email copy today but the hard copy must come in by tomorrow.  I just don't need the headache of negotiating with 80 students.

*Did you know I have a blog homonym?  Nathalie in France has a blog with the same name as mine: Et je tricote aussi. 

*I'm officially a Bohussie.  I ordered Grey Mist.  It was hard to decide.  This one still speaks to me, and from what I understand of this yarn, there will be more.

*I cut the steeks on my Colorwork Classic.  I'm so comfortable with steeking,  I didn't think to blog about it.  I'm a tad worried  I made the armholes too big, but since I'm planning the sleeve to fix the armhole there is no technical issue--I'm just worried I'll have big floppy sleeves.

*I was all set to cut my hair short(er) but my hair figured it out.  I've had two great hair days in a row and now I'm losing my nerve.  I want a change and to save some time.  I've always worn my hair pretty short and I've had this bob for four years (with one bad short cut that I immediately grew out).  I'm thinking a kicky Sienna Miller like 'do.  Or something like this (fsm I look so young and skinny!)

Comments

[JenH]

I may just go home this afternoon to go hang under the lizard as per your recommendation.

mmmmm....tea and spinning

[alison]

Not to gloat, but I'm so glad I can stay home today! I normally have a Wednesday class, but the prof is away at a conference, so I'm safely inside in my PJs and watching the snow come down. Get home safe later!

[Sarah]

I'm sure your Bohus will be lovely! (And who says you can't order another down the road? It's cold enough where you live to get some serious use out of a sweater like that.)

[Kristin]

Isn't that always the way, as soon as you decide to cut your hair, suddenly it is the greatest cut ever!!

[deeni]

I love those Bohussies (because of the fibres used) but dang if I'm going if I'm going to make one. Remind me of those Patons Fair Isle sweaters I used to make back in the late 70's early 80's using Astra sayelle. I still have nightmares...

Please send the kids up here. Lots for them to shovel. Snow and other stuff. Never ending. At least the drought should be over.

I think the second hair style is pretty cool. I always loved the pixie hair cut you used to have. Laid back??? Relaxed??? I wish I could be as brave as you.

[CPAknit]

I'm a business owner with a paperless office and a student (going to back to college). I don't understand why you have a problem with an email copy of an assignment. Saves a few trees, and maybe prevent someone from having an accident.

[knittripps]

I have been toying with cutting my hair for some time but I am too chicken...so it keeps growing. Love the Sienna Miller 'do. Maybe you could knit some stylish hair wraps to go with it?

[martin m]

Sure it snowed a bit yesterday, but the way everyone talks about it you'd think that we got 3 feet and that the drifts were 8 or 9 feet deep and that we are trapped in our houses. It was a storm. It snowed. It blew. People took it easy. Later in the day it was a bright clear sunny blue sky. Today is cold but is much the same. Talk about overreacting...

Regards
mmb

[Cranky Professor]

I post this in response to the "paperless office" remark below. Like you, in emergencies I accept e-submissions to be followed by paper copies later, but students must provide paper copies. There is a very good reason (several, actually)
for this:

1. Academic studies have shown, quite conclusively, that
reading from the screen is slower and less accurate than reading from paper. Reading done on screen is also not recalled as well as reading done off screen. Surely students want us to recall what they write, to evaluate its accuracy, and to finish their evaluations in a timely manner.
2. Reading essays on screen is not always good for me
ergonomically--I have the right to be comfortable and to work in
different environments while I'm evaluating papers.
3. Opening attachments leaves one open to computer viruses. I reserve the right to preserve my computer's integrity.
4. Then there are the excuses that burgeon when one allows students to submit files in this way: oh, my computer crashed; oh, I got your email address wrong; oh, the file must be incompatible with your system. I am compatible with all types of paper.
5. Then there is the inconvenience and slowness of redlining (making corrections) in various different kinds of files, using various kinds of word processors. My pencil is much faster.
6. Since I would print out the material to evaluate it
anyway because of my convictions that this is the best way to
evaluate (see #1 above), I would rather not take on the personal
expense of printing out 90 5-page essays!!
7. And, for my grand, cranky conclusion: students should
submit paper copy because I said so. It is a course requirement, and was clearly stated as such on the syllabus. End of story.
On the other hand, getting students to submit files electronically would certainly make it easier to check them for
plagiarism. If uploading to plagiarism-checking sites wasn't legally problematic, I might overlook some of the above considerations and embrace the practice.

[Deepa]

No, your blog title is still unique. Et je tricote aussi translates to 'and I knit too'. It's a quibble, but I'm a pedant. :)

No snow at all here in MN. Your Lizard Ridge is gorgeous!

[HollyEQQ]

Sorry about the snow!
I say cut the hair - just snip snip. You will love it once you have done it and it will cure the feb blues. It can always grow back.
Holly

[Harpe]

;o)
un petit bisou de France ;o)
Nath