Diamonds and Democrazy: The State I Live in is Made of Crazy
Hello flist!
I'm back from my hiatus during the hiatus. *looks around* It feels like forever since I've visited my own journal, I feel like I got sucked off the face of earth and into a black hole called RL.
The courses are all wrapped up, grades have been submitted, and I wash my hands of the absolute ridiculousness of the US college education system (for now ... hehem). Most of the students were wonderful, very enthusiastic and conscientious. However, when a good number of students after six weeks of class still couldn't articulate the difference between an observation and an interpretation and insisted on scouring their book for the answer to the question: "Examine the three samples and write down your observations regarding blah blah blah blahhhhhhh" despite being told repeatedly it's not in the book and observations are what you see and therefore are never incorrect, the forehead dent in my office wall got considerably larger. *headdesk to infinity* Also, the fact that extra extra credit (as in extra credit assignments/essays/labs handed out to select students who are failing) seems to be almost expected had me secretly gaping like a goldfish. Extra extra credit? Bhuzzz?! Flist, please tell me if this is NORMAL because this is the first time in over fourteen years at six different post-secondary educational institutions that I've ever encountered extra extra credit. Since when does an extra assignment or a paper take the place of actually learning the real material? Good grief. *headdesk to infinity times infinity*
On a positive note *grins* you'll never guess what I found today! *drum roll*
MY LOST DIAMOND! :D
There I was sweeping the floor when I saw a sparkle that looked to be a piece of glass. I called A and (apparently) screamed my joy into the phone. He said he was happy, but now half deaf. Hearing is overrated, and I know sign language (at least the important basics: "I love you" and "bullshit"), so we're all good. ;)
Also, the State of Washington Primary was yesterday. I flipped through the voter's pamphlet to find this on the first page:
He wants "tall buildings and more movies to be made in Washington State" and thinks "instead of starvation, genocide, and war, we should use nicer methods (such as the head tax and birth fees and study and work and social security) to decrease the number of people boarding Spaceship Earth."
You know, I always suspected study and work and social security were behind death. *snork*
Then the next page featured another candidate, Mark A. Goldman, for the US Congressional District 7 who wrote this for his Candidate Statement (original punctuation preserved):
"I rise to defend the moon and stars, the air we breathe, the oceans and the rivers, the plants, and all living things upon this our Mother Earth... and you... and your children... and your sacred poem... before the salmon die, before the birds stop singing; before the bees forget how to fly."
I think Mark A. Goldman writes fanfiction.
This just reinforces my belief that reality is stranger than fiction and there really is something in the water here. Long live DEMOCRAZY! Go USA! *makes crazy faces and waves an Olympic flag and hugs Spaceship Earth and defends mute birds and disabled bees and rolls a joint and runs for congress* \o/
I'm back from my hiatus during the hiatus. *looks around* It feels like forever since I've visited my own journal, I feel like I got sucked off the face of earth and into a black hole called RL.
The courses are all wrapped up, grades have been submitted, and I wash my hands of the absolute ridiculousness of the US college education system (for now ... hehem). Most of the students were wonderful, very enthusiastic and conscientious. However, when a good number of students after six weeks of class still couldn't articulate the difference between an observation and an interpretation and insisted on scouring their book for the answer to the question: "Examine the three samples and write down your observations regarding blah blah blah blahhhhhhh" despite being told repeatedly it's not in the book and observations are what you see and therefore are never incorrect, the forehead dent in my office wall got considerably larger. *headdesk to infinity* Also, the fact that extra extra credit (as in extra credit assignments/essays/labs handed out to select students who are failing) seems to be almost expected had me secretly gaping like a goldfish. Extra extra credit? Bhuzzz?! Flist, please tell me if this is NORMAL because this is the first time in over fourteen years at six different post-secondary educational institutions that I've ever encountered extra extra credit. Since when does an extra assignment or a paper take the place of actually learning the real material? Good grief. *headdesk to infinity times infinity*
On a positive note *grins* you'll never guess what I found today! *drum roll*
MY LOST DIAMOND! :D
There I was sweeping the floor when I saw a sparkle that looked to be a piece of glass. I called A and (apparently) screamed my joy into the phone. He said he was happy, but now half deaf. Hearing is overrated, and I know sign language (at least the important basics: "I love you" and "bullshit"), so we're all good. ;)
Also, the State of Washington Primary was yesterday. I flipped through the voter's pamphlet to find this on the first page:
He wants "tall buildings and more movies to be made in Washington State" and thinks "instead of starvation, genocide, and war, we should use nicer methods (such as the head tax and birth fees and study and work and social security) to decrease the number of people boarding Spaceship Earth."
You know, I always suspected study and work and social security were behind death. *snork*
Then the next page featured another candidate, Mark A. Goldman, for the US Congressional District 7 who wrote this for his Candidate Statement (original punctuation preserved):
"I rise to defend the moon and stars, the air we breathe, the oceans and the rivers, the plants, and all living things upon this our Mother Earth... and you... and your children... and your sacred poem... before the salmon die, before the birds stop singing; before the bees forget how to fly."
I think Mark A. Goldman writes fanfiction.
This just reinforces my belief that reality is stranger than fiction and there really is something in the water here. Long live DEMOCRAZY! Go USA! *makes crazy faces and waves an Olympic flag and hugs Spaceship Earth and defends mute birds and disabled bees and rolls a joint and runs for congress* \o/