Forensics
For those that don't know, for the last four years I had my assistantship coaching the Forensics and Debate Team for the university. Last year, the university decided it didn't want to fund a graduate assistant to coach the team anymore, so they did away with my assistantship. Luckily, I was able to get a doctoral associateship from the political science department. Otherwise, I'd probably be really poor this year. What am I saying? I am poor this year. Oh well.
Anyway, because I don't have to do Forensics anymore, I've distanced myself from it. There are still three people I help out when they call and ask to meet with me (which means meeting with each of them at least once a week), but for the most part, I've distanced myself from any of the new people on the team (aside from one young woman I've helped teach debate technique because there is no coach on the team and she'd be unable to compete at all without the help). But I decided I was not going to be going to any of the tournaments to judge, no matter how much they begged me to do so because I just don't have the time to spend a weekend doing that.
Well, I kind of broke down this weekend. There was a tournament at Western here, so I was called and they asked if I could judge one of the final rounds, so I came in and did that. I have to admit that about half an hour into the round, I realized how much I don't like doing anything Forensics-related anymore. It is so superficial, and I guess I never realized it before. I loved performing when I was doing it, but as I was judging it, I just couldn't get it out of my head that I was really wasting my time being there.
The round I judged was duo interpretation (a play involving two students instead of singular events). I don't know, but it seems like the students tend to choose topics of plays that they think are really ground-breaking but just have been overdone to death. I watched two play interpretations on two gay men deciding to fall in love instead of hate each other, and then two play interpretations about two women who loved each other and hated men. Then another duo about hating men. And then another that was from some religious school that felt that it needed to explain the Tower of Babel to me in order to save my soul. And finally, there was the the experimental play about...well, I'm not exactly sure what it was about. I do remember something about gardening, the Mona Lisa and why dating isn't exactly rape. As this man and woman were trying to entice me with their social commentary play, all I kept thinking about was the fact that I still had all of Season Two of Xena to get through.
Latest Batch of Papers
I finished the latest batch of papers for grading today. The second test is now ready for turning back to the students, and I can just say that I'm very happy to be getting rid of them.
Doctors and all that stuff
I have a bunch of doctor appointments all through this week. It's not like I have a ton of time as it is, but practically every day is spent seeing a doctor or having some special tests done. Oh well.
Stumble It!
For those that don't know, for the last four years I had my assistantship coaching the Forensics and Debate Team for the university. Last year, the university decided it didn't want to fund a graduate assistant to coach the team anymore, so they did away with my assistantship. Luckily, I was able to get a doctoral associateship from the political science department. Otherwise, I'd probably be really poor this year. What am I saying? I am poor this year. Oh well.
Anyway, because I don't have to do Forensics anymore, I've distanced myself from it. There are still three people I help out when they call and ask to meet with me (which means meeting with each of them at least once a week), but for the most part, I've distanced myself from any of the new people on the team (aside from one young woman I've helped teach debate technique because there is no coach on the team and she'd be unable to compete at all without the help). But I decided I was not going to be going to any of the tournaments to judge, no matter how much they begged me to do so because I just don't have the time to spend a weekend doing that.
Well, I kind of broke down this weekend. There was a tournament at Western here, so I was called and they asked if I could judge one of the final rounds, so I came in and did that. I have to admit that about half an hour into the round, I realized how much I don't like doing anything Forensics-related anymore. It is so superficial, and I guess I never realized it before. I loved performing when I was doing it, but as I was judging it, I just couldn't get it out of my head that I was really wasting my time being there.
The round I judged was duo interpretation (a play involving two students instead of singular events). I don't know, but it seems like the students tend to choose topics of plays that they think are really ground-breaking but just have been overdone to death. I watched two play interpretations on two gay men deciding to fall in love instead of hate each other, and then two play interpretations about two women who loved each other and hated men. Then another duo about hating men. And then another that was from some religious school that felt that it needed to explain the Tower of Babel to me in order to save my soul. And finally, there was the the experimental play about...well, I'm not exactly sure what it was about. I do remember something about gardening, the Mona Lisa and why dating isn't exactly rape. As this man and woman were trying to entice me with their social commentary play, all I kept thinking about was the fact that I still had all of Season Two of Xena to get through.
Latest Batch of Papers
I finished the latest batch of papers for grading today. The second test is now ready for turning back to the students, and I can just say that I'm very happy to be getting rid of them.
Doctors and all that stuff
I have a bunch of doctor appointments all through this week. It's not like I have a ton of time as it is, but practically every day is spent seeing a doctor or having some special tests done. Oh well.
Stumble It!
posted by Duane @ 9:22 PM
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