I have a few things to write. First, Merry Christmas! Bob put up a tree about ten days ago. It's the first tree we've had since 2019. We couldn't get a fresh cut one because the tree farm we always patronize closed on December 10 for the season. It's a fundraiser for the boy scouts and I hypothesize that there were not enough kids willing to spend their free time at the tree farm. The tree he bought is nice, but I can tell that it is already becoming crispy. That's an exaggeration, but it's clear it won't last like a fresh cut one does. 

Next, I had a dream with Donna in it a few nights ago. That's strange because in th 8.5 years since she died, I can't remember ever dreaming of her. The dream seemed to take place in the elevator lobby of a dorm, high rise apartment complex, office building, hospital or some other institutional setting. There were festivities of some kind going on. Donna wasn't drinking and I was apprehensive because Bob was having wine.

Finally, we watched Oppenheimer. We were both disappointed. We'd seem a documentary on the subject months ago, and I think if I had not seen that first, I would have been completely confused by the movie. The only praise I have is that the acting was good and I expect it will win some acting awards. The movie itself was too long, the sound was a struggle, and the timeline seemed inappropriate for non-fiction. Then, there was so much of that tedious subject Hollywood loves...McCarthyism. We were both happy we had not gone to a theatre for this movie.

One thing about putting some time into working when everyone else is shopping for or celebrating the holidays is that a lot gets done because there are no interruptions!

 I feel like I am finally sort of caught up on work tasks I needed to do. What a relief!

I finished grading about two hours before the deadline. I have not pushed it this badly in years. I took about a two hour break, and then worked until 4:45 posting the grade breakdowns. I did this to avoid tons of student emails demanding a breakdown. I then slept six hours. I'm still not caught up, but I am not feeling too bad at this point. The good news: no complaints so far!

No changeover to snow happened, it was a couple degrees too warm. I'm deep in the abyss of grading. It is going well, but the clock is ticking!

It's very warm and rainy right now, but late tonight the precipatation is supposed to change to snow, resulting in 2-5". 

I watched the debate last week. My takeaways: RD is creepy. Eww. I have a feeling there are many icky skeletons in his closet. VR is an unhinged nut. Also, he's a boot lick for DT. All three are dangerous.

Back to grading.

I've started to read Liz Cheney's book. I hardly have the time right now, but I limit myself to one chapter per night. It's hard because the book is riveting. I am in awe of her bravery. The message is scary, but it's so important to pay attention to it. If we ignore it or discount it or buy into the cult a dystopian future awaits.

Last day of classes today. It was a good semester. One student waited until class was over and everyone had left to tell me how much he liked the class and how much he learned this semester. It was nice to hear that today.

Today was the last day for one of my classes; tomorrow is the last day for another; and, Monday is the last day for the third, and it is also the last day of classes. I don't do finals, primarily because there is no time to have an assignment due on December December 7 or 8 or 11 and make the grading deadline (December 14). I suppose it is possible if a scantron multiple choice is administered, but I don't like that kind of assessment.

 We got our first snow overnight. It is just a coating. Aside from Elwyn-inspired weather-related news, two other thing to report: First, Uncle Buddy's beloved hound Sally died yesterday. I have many thoughts and emotions swirling around on that subject that I will not share. Second, today would have been Donna's 62nd birthday. I rarely share this sort of information on Facebook and never will about Donna because I don't want a bunch of people clicking crying or caring likies or making comments of the "she's always with you" or "hugs" variety. I don't care much for that kind of thing even regarding someone whose loss has left me heartbroken forever such as my father. I certainly don't want to read it about Donna. I cannot, or perhaps will not, share any sort of truth about her with Facebook friends from high school who recall her as a 15-year-old kid with rosy cheeks. It would just make me seem mean-spirited and I don't need the drama.

We went to the Chatham House for Thanksgiving yesterday. They had a buffet with three seatings. It was packed! I checked the COVID numbers and was relieved to see all of New York and surrounding states are low. It was nice - although kind of hard for a vegetarian on what Bob and I call "amateur night." This is holidays and events at restaurants, when people who rarely eat out are the crowd. There was little for me to eat, besides salad, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls and dessert. The salad was fine, but there were no goodies like croutons or sundried tomatoes or pumpkin seeds. Rolls and mashed potatoes are OK, but not something I'd base a meal on. But, they made me a special entree (pasta primavera). Usually take-out from an all-you-can-eat buffet is a no-no, but I was permitted to take my leftovers home. Bob overheard someone snarl as we were leaving with the tin, "they got to have a take-out." Definitely amateur night.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am a big supporter of free speech, but here is something puzzling to me.How can attacking a private citizen be free speech? I thought such remarks were was slander or libel. Them, this isn't about speech, but in my experience, when someone who is on trial criticizes the judge, it is not tolerated. How is this a-hole getting away with it?

I'm trying to solve a blackboard-to-brightspace dilemma (converting my tools for peer and team assessment, something I've known was a problem for over a year) and a student dilemma (that I can't share, but I am feeling pissed). I'm also trying to (at least) match the number of posts I had last year, which is why I'm writing here more. End of semester looms. We fell back! Yay. I know the company line is to whine about standard time -- but not me. I feel normal again.

In the middle of the night on Sunday when I was in Samsonville, I woke up and sneezed about 50 times. After that, my nose started running like crazy and continued until I was back home. It was sinus related; I had a headache behind my eyes and my upper teeth hurt. The left side was worse than the right. It took two days of neti rinsing to completely go away, and it flared up a little today but is gone now. It has happened twice before in recent memory while I was in Samsonville. Both times I took a COVID test (which was negative) but this time I didn't bother. It must be the weather change, coupled with ragweed or something abundant in Samsonville. The reason I am writing this is because of my father. He had allergies and always complained when he had a cold. He was always so descriptive and funny. My sinus episode reminded me that several years ago, when hurricane coverage was dominating the news, he said a bad cold he had was a category five.

I was at a faculty meeting today. It was both on campus and via Zoom. We had break-out rooms (and teams in the physical room as well). We had two prompts to discuss; one was about what achievements we have and the second was about what opportunities we have. I'm not a big fan of team work or team discussion (even though I use it a lot in my classes). I've always been a loner, and in my student days, faculty allowed me to be independent. I was expecting to be muted and keep video off while eating an apple and a pear. There was no anti-social option today, so I participated, albeit minimally. The reason I am writing this is because a new-ish faculty member from another department recommended re-branding, or rather going back to "SUNY Albany," since no one "out there" has any idea what UAlbany or University at Albany are. It was an observation (almost) everyone in the room embraced, and I wholeheartedly agree with it as well. Alumni call the campus that, the community, media -- and even current students do too. Yet I get my hand slapped if I write it on the department's Facebook page. It seems like a marketing no-brainer.

I saw an interview of a woman who (I think) is in city government in the town that had the mass shooting in Maine. She was asked about healing, and her response was particularly profound, I thought. It really resonated with me. She said grief is life-long - meaning all grief, from the recent massacre and including every other death. It never goes away. I think that is so true.

I did not watch Friends and never cared very much about any of the cast, but this made me sad. What kind of a person would publicly write such a "joke" and think it is funny? It shocks me that he is 63! Crude, cruel and clueless. I guess it explains why, except for rare occasions, SNL has mostly not been funny and 1999-2000 must have been the low point.

Another dream the night before last that featured my father. He seemed fine, although I recall an awareness that he was dead. I think Uncle Lou was in it too.

Unrelated. Considering firing up another destined to fail advocacy campaign: Save Our ShopRite. LOL.

 I had another dream last night about my father. In the dream he had meningioma and was on medication, which helped him so much he got up, dressed (in long tan pants) and was basically fine. I saw him clear as a bell. We -- meaning my siblings, me, my mother, possibly other family -- were trying to get the music volume "just right," because he didn't want it too loud.