Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Ugh, But Making Progress

So yesterday I finished grading tests that I'd procrastinated about from the theory class. About a third of the class clearly didn't study. (I'd given them a review sheet that told them exactly what they needed to know for the test.) That third of the class did poorly. I don't think it was a bad test, even with the weird grade distribution. I think it really did show who is working and who isn't. As the test isn't worth much in the overall estimation of things, it shouldn't kill any of them grade-wise in itself. Still, it's weird for a test of mine not to come out with a pretty perfect bell curve, so it was weird seeing all those A's and B's (even one A+ with extra credit) and all those D's and F's. At any rate, it tells me what I need to do in class, and I feel good about where 2/3 of the students are in terms of their performance.

I also began working on my conference paper, which is good, but I've got miles to go with that before I can feel ok. I also still have that R&R hanging over me, though the plan is to get that off of my plate by next week, so that I will be free of research obligations and can clean my house.

I had a personal life meltdown last night, which I think was actually a good thing, or will be ultimately, but which sucked at the time.

And I'm still not feeling great, but antibiotics are a wonderful, wonderful invention, and I am improving steadily.

February is a shitty month. Thank god it will be over soon. I always forget the shittiness of February until it is upon me again. I'm thinking this ability to repress February is not a good thing, for if I just remembered its shittiness from year to year I'd be able to handle it better.

I suppose that's all for now. Sorry for the light (and cranky) blogging. Sooner or later a light will appear at the end of the tunnel, and I'm sure I'll be a much better blogger once I finally see it.

2 comments:

Constance said...

I just finished sending back a "conditional accept" (and I'm still nervous). The time I spent working on that makes me feel like I'm behind on my "next paper" (isn't there always a next paper) and I, of course, MUST get that done because I have a "next paper" after that that must get out so that I can start working on those book chapters that I need to be able to send out so that I can talk to presses at the annual conference in August.

I read your blog.

And I don't know who you are or, even, what field you're in (I'm sure you've mentioned it, I just don't remember), but I REALLY REALLY appreciate seeing someone else describe the same sort of bizarre, ultimately mostly self-imposed, stress that I experience.

Dr. Crazy said...

Thanks for stopping by, Constance, and I'm so glad that any of my whining here can make anybody feel better about their own things that they do :)