| 016. |
[24 Aug 2010|08:23pm] |
Today Graham started his first day of kindergarten. It's hard to believe that Ab he is finally old enough to be in school. Granted, it's also rather nice as I was running out of different ways to entertain a five year old. Any ideas? I'm thinking a nice set of Mortal Kombat action figures will keep him occupied for a few weeks.
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| 015 |
[22 Jul 2010|12:43pm] |
Wait - am I expected to publish Ebooks and watch Paris Hilton videos now?
I thought this was a joke.
Speaking of politics and education, if I live in District 3, what school should my child attend?
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| 014. |
[10 Jul 2010|06:24pm] |
All of this festival nonsense seems a bit overwhelming. When I was a kid, we used to just have a picnic and be done with it. I'm taking my son to the carnival tonight though, if anyone's interested in meeting up. Hopefully, it will tire him out enough that we won't have too much fuss at bedtime. This is
I forgot how difficult it was being a father.
We did have a nice actual 4th of July though. It was nice being out on Long Island again. There are so many people in this city that it's almost as overwhelming, if not more so, than all of this festival nonsense.I'm afraid trip back up to New England might be in order soon. It's so nice to see mountains instead of skyscrapers.
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| a return for yoga retreats. 013. |
[21 Jun 2010|10:04pm] |
America has become such an isolated nation since the bomb.
Is it wrong if I hope all of these patriots fail to register for my classes?
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| 012. |
[05 Jun 2010|07:27pm] |
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I think I'd like a yoga retreat.
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| tales from the over-educated and unemployed. 011. |
[26 May 2010|03:48pm] |
With the recent funding and housing crises in higher education, I thought it might be time to offer -- career advice. Yes, when my students come to me, in my highly cramped office, and say, Dr. Hale, I just don't know what I want to do with my life. I look at them, and I say - why are you here? Generally, their response is something along the lines of because I want a higher paying job or because I'm supposed to be or even more ridiculous because their parents want them to be there. Now, unless your parents are independently wealthy, I'd suggest reconsidering that position as being a middle class citizen in higher education is becoming an incredibly expensive investment.
Do you want to have hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt? Do you want to forestall a family to pay back your student loans? Do you want to be picking up garbage at McDonalds while your friends, the electricians or plumbers or carpenters or horse shoe fitters of the world, are making money?
Perhaps you do.
A few of my students tell me that they have a deep passion for historical research and want to be just like me. This - my poor, misinformed twenty-somethings - is false. You do not have a deep passion for historical research. Yet. You may, in the future, but I'd suggest a few other career paths if you're not sure just yet. It is better to fail at everything now than when you are thirty, have no work experience, and are trying to start a family.
So, in hopes of helping my students and you, I conducted a search of top-paying jobs without a four-year degree. These may require additional training outside of high school, but I'm willing to bet the additional training is less than a four year degree at Columbia or NYU. ( cut for length )
It's sort of sad to consider that my salary is less than that of an elevator installer.
I hope all of the just-graduated, about-to-graduate, and unemployed have a lovely summer.
OOC note: I took the list from here.
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| tales from the eighties. 010. |
[17 May 2010|08:55pm] |
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In the interest of national security, I'm looking to sell a lava lamp. Interested parties should inquire here.
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| tales of exam fever. 009. |
[14 May 2010|01:12am] |
Sometimes I wonder if my only truly brilliant students are the ones texting in the back of class or planning to go onto business school, or swooning over the blonde girl in front of them. Honestly, whoever thought that World War I started in 1917, and that the leader of the French resistance during the second World War was Napoleon the 4th?
Fortunately in the fall, I have a chance to teach proper history. Anything after 1850 is really far too recent.
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| tales of the lost whale. 008 |
[09 May 2010|01:24pm] |
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Exam papers. Do you think my students would appreciate it if I forgot to write up the exam papers?
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| tales of homelessness. 007. |
[05 May 2010|10:45pm] |
I believe the auction went rather well. Of course, my wife Virginia knew more about these society events than I do. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in slogans or campaigns or soapboxes, but Virginia would have said that we're all human and we all -- we all die the same, I suppose.
Yes, we all die the same.
I'm starting to become rather fond of these new trees. They add some nice shade to my office. I never thought I'd be supporting campus-wide vandalism, and I do not encourage others to plant more trees. Still, it's rather nice not to have to shut the blinds during the day anymore. Thank you, mysterious tree vandals.
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| tales from the disorderly professor. 006. |
[27 Apr 2010|04:54pm] |
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Excuse me, where did these trees come from? I don't remember them being there last week.
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| tales from the battlefront. 005. |
[11 Apr 2010|11:03pm] |
Today, or rather tomorrow, in history, the Soviets beat the US in the space race.
At just after 0700BST, Major Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin was fired from the Baikonur launch pad in Kazakhstan, Soviet central Asia, in the space craft Vostok (East). Major Gagarin orbited the Earth for 108 minutes travelling at more than 17,000 miles per hour (27,000 kilometres per hour) before landing at an undisclosed location. More?
To commemorate such an historic event, I bring to you, America, the question of the day. Yes, it's very serious, most unfortunately:
Ph.D. or M.D.?
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| tales from a professor who cannot garden. 004. |
[06 Apr 2010|10:08pm] |
I've never thought of cities as suitable for gardening. Remember when people use to scoff at Earth Day? Man, now I'm buried up to my elbows in soil and fresh compost attempting to grow miniature carrots. Out of a window box. The world has changed.
Do you think it's possible to get tenure by growing a potato? From a seed?
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| tales from a professor who forgot his blog's title. 003 |
[21 Mar 2010|08:12pm] |
On this day in history the London Underground began testing automatically driven trains.
The Victoria Line became the first underground line in the world to be fully equipped for automatic train operation after it was opened in stages between 1968 and 1971. More?
To think, I would never have considered automatic trains an outstanding phenomenon.
What do you consider the best technological advancement in the past century? If any?
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