Far too busy
Sigh. I'm frantically preparing syllabuses for three classes, preparing for my imminent dissertation defense -- I have to do a 40-50 minute lecture before the actual q&a starts -- and I'm trying to get everything settled post-move. Then there's the move into my new office coming up too.
What I'd really like to do is some artsy design work. I want to redesign my template for this blog, and I want to create a snazzy professional static site. But I guess that stuff will have to wait. What are all of you doing with your last weeks of summer?
Comments
also frantic
i thought this summer would be so long and so productive. now i am frantically prepping syll for fall course, trying to write exam papers (and finish lingering incompletes), and editing all the overdue videos people need before fall term. AHHHHHHHHHHH. i hate this pressure. why do i always do this to myself? why do i only achieve under such severe time crunches, stress and pressure?
i FINALLY have the pregnant girl appetite and there's no clancy for massive meals. miss u OCB buddy! hope i get to see u when u are here. & don't worry, it's almost over & you're onto the next phase of all of this.
-Rae
summer activities
I'm spending full days at work (it's not all helicopter rides and fortifications hikes, unfortunately), unpacking boxes and boxes and boxes at home, going to closing on my new house, doing syllabus development and learning to negotiate the labyrinthine campus IT systems (electronic attendance every day, all-electronic grade submission 4x per semester, student information systems, electronic counseling, etc.), and trying to prep the diss for final e-submission.
But 40-50 minutes? That's just silly -- doesn't that burn up valuable discussion time? How long is the actual defense? (We were strongly discouraged from going over 15 minutes in our preliminary lectures, which were wholly for the benefit of the non-committee members in attendance, since the committee members have already read the thing anyway.)
Mike
Looooong lecture
Yeah, I don't know why it's that way. The way it's structured is, there's the public part of the defense, where I do my lecture and then the audience can ask questions. I think there's only about 15 minutes for question and answer. Then the second hour is committee-only; everyone else is asked to leave. So really I guess there's still a fair amount of time for the committee to have a discussion. The lecture has to be at least 40 minutes, and I'll try to stick to that.
How typical is that?
At UMass, the whole thing was open to the public. Opening talks are no longer than 15 minutes, the committee gets the first hour or so for their questions, with the outside reader going first and the chair going last, and then it's opened up to everyone else for questions and discussion.
Mike