SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS SHOT-SHOT-SHOTS (errrrrrybody!)
I got my first COVID shot today!
It was at the little clinic in Brentwood Mall right behind campus. I got Moderna. It’s pretty late at night and I honestly haven’t felt any side effects at all. Nate had a few and I was expecting at least a headache and maybe some tiredness, but nope.
I AM JESUS
[Edit from the future: HAHAHA WAIT UNTIL YOU GET THE SECOND SHOT YOU POSER]
Hey look, it’s my greatest fear
What the SHIT. I’d move. I’d move completely out of the city. I’d move to the moon. I don’t care how many times they say it’s safe.
Structural collapse is terrifying to me, so something like this is unsettling.
Sort and the world sorts with you
Hnnnnnn I love sorting algorithms skerthsglhsflasfhsdalfsjdfsa
(flailing)
I posted something very similar to this quite a long time ago, but this one is much more comprehensive. It also had quite a few sorts that I didn’t know about and had to look up (like the circle sort and the grailsort to name two of them).
Check it out! Except if you’re prone to seizures. Then stay away.
Book Review: Things Fall Apart (Achebe)
Have I read this before: Yes. I think I read this in high school.
Review: It’s interesting how things build up and change in this book. There’s the not-so-subtle influence of the Europeans coming in and pushing their beliefs and values, but underlying that are the more subtle changes in Okonkwo that exist despite his persistent desire to show no weakness. I think it makes what happens to him at the end even more impactful.
Favorite Part: I don’t know if it’s my favorite part, but the part that stuck with me from my high school reading of this book was the process of Okonkwo’s exile. His questioning of its reasons were very poignant and I still remembered that from way back when I read it the first time.
Rating: 5/10
Perambulations In Our Time
Bro, buy this and read this.
It’s hard for me to read anything not on my list because I’m a WEIRDO, but part of this little book showed up in a Google search for something I was doing and I was drawn in. It’s very well-written and terrifying (and not too long if that’s what you’re looking for).
Edit from the heat dome: Yeah, life is terrifying right now.
Mid-90s Muppets
So I don’t know if this was a preview on one of the Muppet VHS tapes my mom had when I was a kid, but the wonderful and creepy YouTube algorithm brought it back to me today:
We had the CD, too.
I loved that “Mr. Spaceman” song, yo. Gonzo rules and so does Jimmy Buffett.
TubeYouber
Just discovered Ice Cream Sandwich on YouTube. His videos are great.
So many people have made door tier lists because of that last one, haha.
Every night, man. EVERY. NIGHT.
Me: lol I’m sad
Me: the Sennheisers will help!
Me: *puts on Sennheisers*
Me: *plays the saddest songs I own at max volume*
Me: lol why am I still sad
I love that I like physically can’t go to bed until like 6 AM ‘cause I’m too busy being…sad. How stupid is that?
Dream a Dream
So I totally forgot to blog about this, but a few nights ago I had a dream in which Nate bought Bobby Fischer and kept him out on the balcony.
Yeah, the Bobby Fischer. Nate purchased him and built him a little house on the balcony and let him in the house only to play chess.
I was also a dandoc in the dream. What’s a dandoc, you ask?
NO FREAKING CLUE, BUT THAT’S WHAT I WAS!
It was weird.
Book Review: The Return of the Native (Hardy)
Have I read this before: No.
Review: This was quite an enjoyable book. Gotta love those weird-ass convoluted relationships that are only weird-ass and convoluted because PEOPLE DON’T DISCUSS THINGS WITH EACH OTHER. I also like it because it seemed to bring to light the idea of a flawed female main character, which wasn’t really seen in the best light during the time the book was written (1878). Also, Hardy does not shy away from sexual themes; another thing that was not all that common amongst big selling books of the time.
Favorite Part: I love the chaos of the ending when Clym and Wildeve are trying to rescue Eustacia. It’s hard to make those scenes just right, I think, but Hardy does a good job of it.
Also, this quote about Clym Yeobright: “He had been a lad of whom something was expected. Beyond this all had been chaos.” Yeah, that pretty much describes him, haha.
Rating: 6/10
B-B-B-Bloomsday!
Like last year, I signed up to do the virtual Bloomsday run. Unlike last year, though, when I ran on a pretty warm day, today was cold and windy and rainy and pretty miserable. But running is addictive as hell and so I went outside and did it anyway.
Yes, I know I’m not a very fast runner. Deal with it.
I’m super cold now, haha.
An Eventful Day
So there was a lot of stuff going on today! Let’s run through it.
First, today was the first day where I felt like it was light enough to get up early (5:30-ish) and run in the morning rather than the afternoon. I’ll have to start doing this in earnest next week, since running before class will be a necessity as it gets warmer.
Second, COVID vaccination registration opened up for the 30+ crowd today at 8 AM, so while Nate and I were sitting in the car during Jazzy’s vet appointment (to check her eye pressure – it’s still in the normal range!) I decided to get in the queue to pick an appointment time. And the number of people waiting in line ahead of me?
But I actually had to wait less than the estimated time and got an appointment for May 20. WOO!
And finally: a new Coldplay song? LET’S GOOOOO!
GOD, his voice…
Annnnnnnnnd SPRING SEMESTER GO!
There was a little break between Winter and Spring semesters, which was nice. But now we’re at it again with STAT 321.
I’ve never taught this course before so I’m a little scared, but for some reason I feel like it will be easier to teach than 323, mainly because the progression through the material is a little bit more straightforward.
But I guess we’ll see.
I’ll have Summer semester off, though. It’d be better if I could go back to Moscow during that time, but I still don’t know if that would be a good idea given all the COVID stuff still going on.
Speak the Speak
I hadn’t heard “pencil crayons” until Nate said it when referring to my colored pencils. I guess it makes sense, though. They’re like crayons but in pencil form?
I have never heard “garburator” in my life and if I didn’t see what it was referring to, I would think it was Canada’s name for Bigfoot or something.
What kind of nerd is down with “soccer baseball?” “Kickball” is a fairly unambiguous term; you’re kicking a ball like in soccer, but you’re doing so in a game form that’s like baseball. “Soccer baseball” could imply that, but it could also imply that you’re whacking soccer balls around with a baseball bat. Which I guess is kinda cool.
Definitely heard it referred to as “hydro bill” in BC.
Odd.
iNeed a new iPhone
Whatup?
So I dropped my phone after my run this morning (or, more accurately, I took it out of my little running backpack and sorta accidentally flung it in the air and wasn’t able to catch it before it hit the pavement; I’m sure it was humorous to watch) and now my screen is all wonky.
It’s not cracked or anything, but the longer I have my phone on the whiter/lighter the screen gets until it’s very hard to read it. Which is…strange?
Anyway, I’m not sure if it will get better or worse, but if it stays as it is or gets worse, I’m not sure how useable it is from a practical standpoint anymore (it’s getting “whiteout” light within like 10 seconds of being on).
So I might need a new one. If that’s the case…
The Bad News: having to pay for a new phone
The Good News: I love looking at Apple products.
(Me in an Apple store)
So obviously I’m not going into a mall right now because I’m not an idiot, but I can look online and NO ONE CAN STOP ME.
Edit: Hokay, so the iPhone 12 Mini is tempting because it’s small and that purple is a color I’ve been super into lately for some reason. But I know it would probably just be covered up by a phone case, so that point probably doesn’t matter much. Also: EXPENSIVE. So maybe the second generation iPhone SE would be the way to go. It’s still got the “home” button and I don’t think I’m ready to give that up yet.
Peh. We’ll see.
Book Review: The Pearl (Steinbeck)
Have I read this before: Nope. Steinbeck.
Review: So I have avoided reading anything by Steinbeck for the longest time because back when I was in junior high I’d picked up The Grapes of Wrath, read about 20 pages, and hated every last single word. But I have a decent amount of Steinbeck on my list and I can’t hide from him forever, so I chose the shortest work of his that was on the list and went for it.
And it wasn’t too bad. I don’t remember exactly what it was I hated about The Grapes of Wrath way back when, but there was nothing in this story to suggest that there was anything inherent in Steinbeck’s writing style or choice of themes to make me hate his writing in general.
The Pearl is quick and sad. It struck me as somewhat similar to The Old Man and the Sea in a few ways, but of course they’re very different stories.
Guess I’ll have to read more Steinbeck.
Rating: 6/10
15 Years of Blogging
Fifteen years ago today, I got peer-pressured into getting a MySpace. I wrote a blog post that first day and in it, I jokingly said that I’d blog daily for 50 days. I was pretty sure that wouldn’t happen.
Now, fifteen years later, I have a daily record of the last 5,480 days of my life in my blog.
I started when I was 18. I’m 33 now.
That’s pretty impressive.
I’m busy as hell and thus unfortunately don’t have time to do a special thing for today, but I’ll make up for it on my 20th blogging anniversary, I promise!
(As if anyone cares.)
Book Review: The Old Man and the Sea (Hemingway)
Have I read this before: I think I read this in high school? I remember reading it, but I don’t remember when.
Review: I dig Hemingway. I like his style. It’s simple but the ideas expressed in it are complex. I don’t know if it’s because this is a novella and not a novel, but this definitely seems like a slightly different style than “typical” Hemingway. But I like it. I’ve read that one of the criticisms of the story is now “ungrounded” it is compared to how Hemingway typically writes, but I think it works here.
Favorite part: I really like this reflection by Santiago:
“Then he was sorry for the great fish that had nothing to eat and his determination to kill him never relaxed in his sorrow for him. How many people will he feed, he thought. But are they worthy to eat him? No, of course not. There is no one worthy of eating him from the manner of his behavior and his great dignity.
I do not understand these things, he thought. But it is good that we do not have to try to kill the sun or the moon or the stars. It is enough to live on the sea and kill our true brothers.”
Rating: 6/10
Book Review: Nausea (Sartre)
Have I read this before: Yes…I think? Maybe in high school.
Review: I dig Sartre. I dig existentialism. I like the way that he represented the idea of the existential angst of existence via the “nausea.” You don’t need to know about existentialism to dig this book, but it helps to give it depth!
Favorite part: A few quotes:
“And I – soft, weak, obscene, digesting, juggling with dismal thoughts – I, too, was In the way. … I dreamed vaguely of killing myself to wipe out at least one of these superfluous lives. But even my death would have been In the way. … I was In the way for eternity.”
“Every existing thing is born without reason, prolongs itself out of weakness and dies by chance.”
Rating: 6/10
SPEED THE READ
Nate always tells me I’m a very fast reader and I’m like nah, not really. I honestly don’t think I read super fast. I just read at a somewhat quick pace because that makes things easier to read for whatever reason. Reading slowly just doesn’t do it for me.
So here’s a little speed reader test thingy that I wanted to try.
Level 12 is pretty much the top for me, though I can get the gist of the higher ones. And I definitely don’t read that quickly when I’m reading on my treadmill and whatnot, haha.
Anyway. Kinda cool. Give it a shot!
Fall Semester
We got our official teaching assignments for the upcoming year (Fall 2021, Winter 2022, Spring/Summer 2022). I get to coordinate STAT 213 in the fall again, teach a section of MATH 249 (calculus), and teach STAT 321 (the class that I’m teaching for the first time in a few weeks). In the winter, I’m teaching MATH 249 again and STAT 327, which I’ve taught once before. Then I’m off in the spring and teaching STAT 323 in the summer.
That’s a pretty good teaching schedule!
I honestly don’t know which class I like teaching more: intro stats or intro calculus. I was really nervous the first time I taught calculus, but now I love it just as much as intro stats. Or more. I can’t tell, haha.
We also are planning on teaching in person in the fall, which is terrifying. Those of us < 40 years old with no pre-existing health conditions will not have our first vaccination slots open up until June and we may not get vaccinated until the end of June depending on when our appointments are (Alberta’s goal is to have all adults get their first shot by the end of June, but I suspect it’s going to be madness when that big final “<40 with no health conditions” demographic opens up). And because of Canada’s “we’re waiting four months between vaccine shots because ?????” policy, that means that I may not have my second shot until we’re like a month into the fall semester.
I know I’m not going to feel comfortable standing in front of 300-some-odd students and teaching if I’ve only got my first shot (and most of them only have their first shot). Not to mention the hallways.
I really hope the U of C changes their mind on that, because I’m sure I’m not the only one who doesn’t feel comfortable with that plan.
I guess we’ll see though.
I scream, you scream, we all scream, oh god stop the screaming
I am sad and very discouraged by everything right now, so let’s take a break from the garbage for a moment and look at some funnies.
The early asdmovies were okay, but the more recent ones are more my style of humor. Particularly 11, 12, and 13.
TikToK is always a source of amusement.
I’m done. Sorry.
Eigenblogger 