tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211601822024-03-08T00:29:38.779-08:00Quinn the Brain"Making sense of history and drawing warmth out of the cold." -- Dar WilliamsCourtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.comBlogger500125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-35097246712638031052009-05-13T21:26:00.000-07:002009-05-13T21:27:11.605-07:00The age-old dilemmaWorld peace or the blonde?Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-89681121195661984902009-04-25T22:14:00.001-07:002009-04-25T22:15:41.027-07:00Bumper Sticker WatchSeen today on the way home from the museum: "What Would Scooby Do?"<br /><br />I am back to looking carefully, because I need a new sticker for my car. (Currently, it hosts an Obama '08 sticker.) I think a simple message might be best, something like "Wicked" or maybe "Truthiness." Other thoughts? History related perhaps?Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-65805275551800428752009-04-15T20:19:00.000-07:002009-04-15T20:22:40.931-07:00Online class WTF?I opened the new term with a new online course, filled to the brim (and overflowing) with eager students. The first assignment they have in my class is to introduce themselves. Tell us their name and an interesting fact about themselves. Yada yada yada.<br /><br />Then I get this one: "Hi, I'm [Student] and I'm a nympho."<br /><br />I quickly deleted the message and sent [Student] a reply reminding her about what is appropriate for a class chatroom.<br /><br />She replaces the message with, "Hi, I'm [Student] and I give in easily to peer pressure."<br /><br />WTF? Is this something that should concern me? Or is this some sort of stupid-college-kid-style dare?Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-63081617741081751452009-04-10T21:44:00.000-07:002009-04-11T16:21:29.760-07:00Letting goI've always had a problem with <a href="http://quinnthebrain.blogspot.com/2007/07/over-investment.html">students who disappear</a>. I know this is a common occurrence, and I resist it probably because I was quite dedicated to school in my day, and quite unlikely to have something major derail me from school. I had enough money, no major health problems, no major tragedies. That's simply not the case with many people.<br /><br />In the past, when a student disappears, or still attends but stops trying, I got flustered and frustrated, and wondered what I had done wrong. Or wondered what I could do to reach them. And I'm glad that I'm the kind of person who makes the extra effort. But I'm through with taking this on by myself.<br /><br />I learned this in recently when I had a student contact me to let me know that he couldn't attend class because he was "a guest of the county" (ie -- in jail.) Just one day, then they set a court date. He asked me if I would write a letter for the judge stating he was enrolled in college and almost done with the term, and if they could delay jail time until after the term was over, that would be nice. I asked as few questions as possible (I seriously DON'T want to know!!!) and wrote the letter. He called me to thank me profusely for it, and said the judge agreed to the delay. Great!<br /><br />Then he didn't show up for the final. <br /><br />So, recognition that there is more to my students than their coursework. They have jobs and families and responsibilities (and criminal records, evidently! This is not the only time I've had a "guest of the county" in my classes). I can only do so much. I'm slowly finding that happy medium: Try to reach out, but know when it's time to let go.Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-65540472209765166952009-04-07T20:46:00.000-07:002009-04-07T20:47:33.859-07:00Daily AffirmationExcept it doesn't happen daily. But it happened today:<br /><br />Scene: me walking by a group of male students on my way home today. <br />First male student: "Hey, how you doing?" <br />Second male student, "Dude, that's a TEACHER!"Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-47709341119283272532009-04-01T19:36:00.000-07:002009-05-07T06:35:27.792-07:00To Be Read at some point in the futureBack from the OAH with a whole slew of stuff to read. Prepping for a new class on gender in American history next fall.<br /><br /><li>Pride and Prejudice and Zombies! (can't make it all serious...)<br /><li>Ehrenreich, Nickel and Dimed<br /><li><strike>Crow Dog, Lakota Woman</strike> <br /><li><strike>Butler, Gender Trouble</strike> -- OK, I get it, gender is a performance and you know a lot of big words.<br /><li>Ryan, Mysteries of Sex<br /><li><strike>Spear, "Colonial Intimacies"</strike> -- so clear and useful! Wish more articles were like this one.<br /><li><strike>Godbeer, Sexual Revolution in Early America</strike> -- awesome! Loved it.<br /><li>Barr, Peace Came in the Form of a Woman<br /><li>Gutierrez, When Jesus Came, the Corn Mothers Went AwayCourtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-85749247669621530332009-03-09T18:29:00.001-07:002009-03-09T18:32:44.425-07:00Audiobook Kiss of DeathI recently started... and stopped the audiobook of <i>Cry the Beloved Country</i>. I was enjoying it -- really! -- but I just couldn't do it anymore. Instead, I went out and checked the hardback from the library. <br /><br />Here's the thing. I drive close to 100 miles a day. I spend 2 hours in the car. It is a relaxing commute, with beautiful scenery and very little traffic, and I love my Prius. But my audio must not further relax me. The woman reading the audiobook had a lovely, lilting South African accent. She spoke slowly, with a relaxed and musical cadence. She complemented the text nicely.... she was putting me to sleep.<br /><br />That's not what I'm looking for in an audiobook. Seriously. Kiss of death. The only other time this has happened was listening to Henry James' <i>Portrait of a Lady</i>. I liked the story, but just couldn't handle the audiobook. <br /><br />Give me a good Sarah Vowell anyday. Funny, slightly nasal, and fascinating.Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-25054954309023152152009-01-25T20:36:00.000-08:002009-01-25T20:38:35.335-08:00You know who's looking hot these days?(I mean, besides Spouse. And Neil Patrick Harris. And of course Brett Favre.)<br /><br />Dr. J, that's who:<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/45CtQxlvnhM&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/45CtQxlvnhM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-57663145429180163462009-01-21T18:43:00.001-08:002009-01-21T18:44:05.720-08:00Oddly enough, I love this!Today, Spouse looks at me for a moment at the breakfast table and says, "You look pretty today. Wait, that's not the right word.... You look ass-kicking."Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-36362737276596601592009-01-17T19:28:00.000-08:002009-01-17T19:30:19.433-08:00Breaking News3 hours is too long for a child's birthday party. I'm just saying.<br /><br />Bonus Conversation: on the drive home from the grocery store today.<br /><br />DQ: "Where do trees come from? Do they have seeds?"<br />Quinn: "Yes. Acorns are tree seeds, and when the fall to the ground, they can grow new trees."<br />DQ: "But where did the first tree come from? From God?"<br />Quinn: "I don't know."<br />WB: "There is no God."<br />DQ: "Yes there is."<br />WB: "There is no God!"<br />DQ: "Yes there is!"<br />WB: "THERE IS NO GOD!"<br />DQ: "YES THERE IS!"Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-77308776157699041162009-01-09T18:44:00.000-08:002009-01-09T18:45:11.667-08:00It's on like Donkey Kong<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/u7o_JfWuw1E&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/u7o_JfWuw1E&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Peyton Manning AND Oreos? I'm so there.Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-75623102699536070522009-01-07T21:51:00.000-08:002009-01-07T21:54:41.157-08:00Bball bball bball... hot.A great day in college basketball. Tommy Amaker and his Harvard team (Woot to KG!) defeated Boston College, their first win over a ranked opponent. Go Tommy! Duke beat Davidson, besting national scoring leader and all-around cutie Stephen Curry. Aw.<br /><br />The only downside was that for some reason, ESPN was doing an NBA/NCAA announcer trading thing that meant Dickie V was doing the NBA game, and Jeff Van Gundy (huh?) was doing the game at Cameron. I'm beginning to realize that the reason I can't stand the NBA isn't all the fault of the game. Some of the blame must be placed on the shoulders of their terrible, and terribly distracting, announcing.<br /><br />In other news, major flooding in our neck of the woods, but I'm fine. Campus closed early. We'll see if I have to go to work tomorrow. (Please, no!)Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-6009765069209520002009-01-02T09:08:00.000-08:002009-01-02T09:11:16.288-08:00RomanceYesterday, DQ asked me how I met Spouse. <br /><br />Quinn: "We lived in the same building at college." <br /><br />DQ: "But how did you meet?"<br /><br />Quinn: "Well, that was our second year of college. I hadn't met him our first year, but I met [Flyboy]. He was in one of my classes. So the next year, when Daddy and [Flyboy] were living together, I went to see [Flyboy] and I met Daddy."<br /><br />DQ: "Why didn't you just marry [Flyboy]?"Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-41415736806084542522008-12-22T19:13:00.000-08:002008-12-22T19:14:19.313-08:00This makes the holidays for me...<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/M4j1paMC5SM&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/M4j1paMC5SM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-42750149127837117182008-12-12T13:44:00.000-08:002008-12-12T13:46:55.464-08:00Protest -- you're doing it wrong.College was recently targeted by the charming folks at the Westb0r0 Baptist Church for a play our drama dept was putting on (with HOMOSEXUAL! THEMES! GASP!) They planned to picket. We planned a counter-demonstration. There was drama. It was exciting.<br /><br />I was either sick or nursing other sick family members, so I didn't get to see the end result. But when I asked a colleague, he said only one person showed up to protest. He covered his face and very meekly carried a sign reading, "Gays are Queer." <br /><br />Wow, he sure told us!Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-24236234408871691652008-12-09T06:28:00.000-08:002008-12-09T06:31:57.115-08:00At the end of the term (an update)For those of you who have expressed concern, I'm surviving quite nicely. Actually, very happy and very energetic(!). And I'm giving finals this week, so I'm swamped with the world around me. <br /><br />Besides work and a very active almost-4-year-old (and the almost-6-year-old keeps me on my toes, too), a couple of other things are distracting me from blogging: Facebook (addicted!) and the beginnings of basketball season. I will be back. Probably not as frequently, but from time to time. This format suits my needs in ways that facebook does not, so I promise I am not totally gone.<br /><br />Happy December to y'all!!!Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-29947521953527821972008-11-18T19:35:00.001-08:002008-11-18T19:36:40.163-08:00Am I still blogging?I haven't decided. But I do know that I want to wish K-lyn many happy returns on this glorious day.Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-85995040194780499232008-11-06T18:22:00.000-08:002008-11-06T18:22:49.604-08:00What a difference a quadrennial makesTop five things overheard after election day:<br /><br /><li>I was the first one in the office Wednesday. When the other woman in my dept came in, she asked, "Where are the guys?" I responded, "They are probably hung over."<br /><li>When one of the guys came in: "Good morning! I'm a little hung over."<br /><li>(Actually in an email) "I just wanted to give credit where credit is due - I remember... when he was running for the senate. You called your shot then, saying that he could be the next president. I still won't believe until I hear a concession speech, but you saw it before anyone else. Great call - and I don't have to move to Costa Rica if this holds."<br /><li>From one of my students: "If you heard fireworks last night, that was probably me."<br /><li>"I feel so much lighter."<br /><br />Top five things overheard four years ago (stolen from my previous blog):<br /><br /><li>"Is 9:30am too early to start drinking?"<br /><li>"I wore my ass-kicking shoes today, and I'm looking for a fight."<br /><li>"Oh for the days of Richard Nixon!"<br /><li>"I haven't felt this bad since McGovern lost, and at least I knew he was going to lose."<br /><br />... and my personal favorite...<br /><br /><li>"Well, I have to go lecture today on how a president can lie to his country to get involved in a war in Iraq... I mean Mexico."Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-54474877043021164102008-11-01T08:45:00.000-07:002008-11-01T08:47:53.806-07:00Barack-o-lantern<img src="http://www.geocities.com/quinncrochets/barackolantern.jpg" width=400><br /><br />Hope everyone had a great Halloween! Don't forget to vote!Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-15717928651192021332008-10-27T18:11:00.001-07:002008-10-28T16:39:07.852-07:00Late OctoberI've got a bunch of random stuff to throw in here. This might as well be a "random bullets of" post.<br /><ul><li>I voted! It felt really good.<br /><br /><li>The foliage is magnificent this week. The commute has been lovely.<br /><br /><li>A couple of bumper sticker/roadside signs to report: "Jesus for President" (shall I point out why that is constitutionally impossible?); "McCane Reigns" (you spelled reign right, but misspelled the other part? WTF?)<br /><br /><li>My kids are back after a visit to their grandparents. I'll admit it. I missed them.<br /><br /><li>My spouse is back too. I missed him a LOT. (And not just 'cuz I'm reading those addictive, sexually frustrating -- and yet totally awesome -- <a href="http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/">Stephenie Meyer vampire books</a>!)</ul>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-8949839790516398042008-10-20T21:21:00.000-07:002008-10-20T21:23:06.578-07:00GravityWild Boy: is the earth dizzy?<br />Drama Queen: why?<br />WB: because it's spinning all the time!<br />DQ: do you know what keeps us on earth even though we are sideways?<br />WB: what?<br />DQ: gravity!<br />WB: not me. i'm allergic to gravity. aaaahhhh (as he pretends to fly into the air...)Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-15593849654318814112008-10-16T20:35:00.000-07:002008-10-16T20:38:21.074-07:00Never been to Pundit Kitchen?<a href="http://punditkitchen.com/2008/10/14/political-pictures-martin-luther-king-community-organizer/"><img class="mine_2248826" title="political-pictures-martin-luther-king-community-organizer" src="http://punditkitchen.wordpress.com/files/2008/10/political-pictures-martin-luther-king-community-organizer.jpg" alt="Obama Pictures and McCain Pictures" / width=400></a><br />Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-70875675165859934242008-10-09T16:23:00.000-07:002008-10-09T16:27:03.159-07:00My child is Linus CaldwellThe scene: WB comes galloping up to me, proudly brandishing the wallet he just pulled out of his father's back pocket.<br /><br />Me (silently): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Caldwell">Nice pull, kid</a>.Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-51469243772864554942008-10-06T06:20:00.000-07:002008-10-06T06:24:02.551-07:00My child is a Monty Python SkitThe Scene: Wild Boy and I are getting ready for bed. He keeps refusing to admit that it is nighttime or that it is bedtime or that I will be leaving his room shortly. <br /><br />Me: "I'm going now."<br />WB: "No, you're not."<br />Me: "Yes, I am."<br />WB: "No, you're not."<br />Me: "[WB], don't contradict me."<br />WB: "I'm not contradicting you."<br />Me (mustering patience and failing): "When you say the opposite of what I'm saying, you're contradicting me."<br />WB: "No, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teMlv3ripSM">I'm not</a>."Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21160182.post-57878601329239020742008-10-04T15:47:00.001-07:002008-10-04T15:50:49.326-07:00Tangled up in blue<img src="http://www.geocities.com/quinncrochets/bluesweater.jpg" width=350><br /><br />A sweater made for Baby W. <br /><br />This blanket is eventually going to be for Wild Boy (so he claims). It is water waves, but will have a series of yellow ducks swimming in rows across the wide stripes (if I can figure that part out!)<br /><br /><img src="http://www.geocities.com/quinncrochets/duckieblanket.jpg" width=350><br /><br />As far as the knitting goes, I'm still working on my <a href="http://www.cise.ufl.edu/~cjermain/thneed.htm">thneed</a>. I missed Lesson #2 due to overwork/sickness, and I'll be missing this coming week's as well, due to department meetings.Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03792779327477619787noreply@blogger.com1