Am I that old?

My Comp II class is reading "Greasy Lake" by T.C. Boyle for Wednesday. Part of their journal assignment is to listen to Bruce Springsteen's "Spirit in the Night" and compare it to the story.

At the end of class today, one student asked me who Bruce Springsteen was. And I laughed. Then, I heard a chorus of "Yeah, who is that?" from several other students. I stopped laughing when I realized they were serious.

How can they not know who Bruce Springsteen is?

Can I go back to bed now?

I've had a nasty cold for the past week or so. The first few days were bearable -- just a very sore throat and head congestion. The sore throat is gone, and the congestion is now in my chest. And it hurts like hell, especially when I cough. I just want to go back to bed.

Thankfully, I only have to teach one class today. We're going over two stories ("A Rose for Emily" by Faulkner and "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Gilman) that always generate a lot of discussion, so hopefully I'll just have to guide them to make sure they hit all of the important stuff. I can endure an hour and twenty minutes.

[I just saw a commercial on NBC -- they're bringing Knight Rider back??]

I still can't rest when I come home, though. I have to stop at the grocery store after school. When I come home, I have to prep for tomorrow (two different classes), and make dinner (new falafel recipe). Ugh.

Had an OK weekend. Went to our friend's annual Burns Supper on Saturday. Within 15 minutes of arriving, I wanted to leave because I was surrounded by women who were either pregnant or just had a baby. While I was happy for (most of) them, it just drove me insane. We've been trying to decide for a while (years) when it would be a good time to have a baby. It seems that everyone else just does it without much thought. I know I'm generalizing here, and I'm sure they do think about it, but...fuck. Why is it so difficult for us to just do it?

Ugh. I'd better get back to work...

But I'm not ready yet!

Today is my first day back at school. I only have one class (2-3:20pm), so it's not that bad. But I'm not ready to go back! I want another week to lounge around in my sweatpants & comfy Pufnstuf t shirt.

I really should just take a shower and go to campus now so that I have time to make copies and such. Yup, that's what I should do.

More later...

All is quiet...

Had a quiet New Year's Eve. I spent the day trying to finish 8 novels so that I could meet my goal of 50 books for the year (I fell short by 6). When the husband came home, we ate too much and watched tv (mostly the South Park marathon). Even though we stocked up at the liquor store, we each only had 1 drink. I just wasn't in the mood.

So, of course I've made the obligatory resolutions for 2008...

1. Read at least 60 books by midnight on 12/31/08. (Feel free to comment with suggestions)
2. Graduate in May with my M.A.
3. Grade assignments within 2 days of receipt.
4. Have a spine, and stick to my policies (especially late policy) on syllabus.
5. Write (or revise) every day.
6. Submit poems for publication at least once a month.
7. Spend less time on the computer or watching tv.
8. Spend less!
9. Be more positive (this will be difficult)
10. Lose weight (is there anyone who doesn't have this on their list?)

I think that's enough to work on. Husband and I also made a list together that mainly deals with our new eating habits. We eat out too often (I'm too lazy to cook when he gets home late), and we want to move toward a more vegetarian (or maybe pescetarian) lifestyle.

Off to watch The Biggest Loser...

Books

Every year, I set a reading goal for myself -- I never reach it. This year, it was 50 books. I'm 8 short. Hmpf.

In 2008, I'm participating in a TBR (To-Be-Read) Challenge. I have to choose 12 books that have been languishing on my shelves, waiting to be read. Here's my list (to be read in no particular order):

1. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
3. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
4. The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster
5. The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac
6. Ironweed by William Kennedy
7.The 158-Pound Marriage by John Irving
8. The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
9. 1984 by George Orwell
10. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie
11. Fluke by Christopher Moore
12. Black Boy by Richard Wright

Alternates:
1. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
2. Maggie Cassidy by Jack Kerouac
3. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
4. Adam Bede by George Eliot
5. Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs

I'm looking forward to getting started!

Choosing to feel sorry for myself...

I'm tired. TIRED. Tired to the point where I couldn't focus while teaching this morning. I stumbled my way through two of the poems scheduled...I just wanted it to end. The students were tired, and weren't helping me out at all. Things started to liven up a bit when we discussed Donne's "The Flea" and Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress." Apparently, sex poems wake up students. Unfortunately, I can't do that all semester.

I'm having a difficult time keeping my Basic Writing students interested. I've tried different fun writing exercises like sending them out of class to find either something very gross or very beautiful to practice writing descriptions. That was successful in one of my classes, flopped in the other.

I just feel like I bore my students. Maybe I do. Maybe it's just that they're not awake. Or they don't care. It's probably not completely me...right?

News

I have no focus to write a real entry, so here are just two bits of news...

*I got a call from the English Dept. Head (former professor, all around fantastic human being) at the community college on Monday. He asked if I would be willing to teach 3 classes in the fall, and I had to tell him that I haven't graduated yet. But he didn't care! So I'm teaching two sections of Developmental Writing, and one section of Comp II. I'm going to pick up the textbooks today so that I can start planning -- classes start Sept. 4th.

*Knowlton Riverfest http://www.knowlton-fest.com/
I'll be reading my poetry there on Sunday afternoon along with a bunch of super-talented students from the community college.