One Week Down

(Originally posted on Sunday, August 27, 2006 by Tim)

I?ve successfully survived my first week back teaching classes. I feel like I?m already way behind, but I think it?s the usual amount. Memory is a slippery thing and it?s likely that every Fall term begins this way. If past terms are predictive of future performance, I?ll be caught up in General Chemistry next week and I?ll continually slip behind in Biochemistry. Fortunately, Biochemistry isn?t a requirement for a future class so the amount of material covered isn?t as critical as General Chemistry.

I don?t know if I?ve posted it, but I?ve followed up on my threat to teach General Chemistry on Rollerblades. The back story is that Radford is using a new computerized system to assign classrooms. We provide it with useful information such as our class size, what type of multimedia equipment we need, if we need a sink, what kind of board we would like (white or black), and where our office is located. I?m convinced that it ignores everything but class size and then assigns classrooms. As a result, my General Chemistry class is as far away from my office as is possible. In fact, the classroom is barely on campus. You have to cross the street that divides campus from Bar Row and it's the only campus building on that side of the street. If my class wasn?t at 9am in the morning, I?d have students staggering in and ordering drinks.

I?ve now taught three lectures of General Chemistry and only had one student comment on the Rollerblades. The class is mostly freshmen. Maybe they think this is normal for college.

Today?s picture of Baby Dal is of him in Cat?s arms yesterday. It?s funny, people ask me about him at work and I don?t have all that much to say. He?s taken over our lives so I should be able to go on and on about him. It?s just that I think a lot of the details aren?t going to be very interesting to someone else. Things I could say include:

1. He?s healthy.
2. He?s gaining weight well.
3. He?s not too bad in the middle of the night.
4. He spits up a lot and a good amount if it ends up in Cat?s hair.
5. He can fill diapers with impressive quantities of orange stuff.
6. I can generally calm him down by walking with him and singing ?American Pie? off key.
7. #6 hurts my back. (I?m going to try working those muscles at the gym)
8. He generally cries when he?s not being held (this is getting better).
9. He has an innie belly button.
10. He tends to have a fair amount of baby acne.
11. His diaper was filled with (insert state of matter here) last night.
12. He woke up X times last night.
13. Anything with the words ?nipple shield?.
14. He?s supporting his head much better now.

Usually, I stop at number three so as to not horrify or bore my audience. I?ll often state that we?re quite happy with him. This is apparently an odd statement. The response is often, ?Well, that?s good because you can?t give him back.? Really? Are you sure? I don?t remember that one being covered in any of our childbirth classes.