Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Bullets and a Question

Well, yesterday didn't quite work out as a blog posting day, because of my schedule. OK, that's just a sad excuse. The reality is that I am feeling such freedom from having turned in my grades, that I can't focus on any one thing for any length of time.

Some interesting tidbits from yesterday:
  • I walked on the treadmill for an hour (largely because my jeans are feeling a bit tight around the middle and I know I need to be getting more exercise to loosen them up).
  • Wrapped presents, cleaned the kitchen floor, and did sundry stuff to get ready for Christmas visit from City Girl.
  • Red and I went to a coffee shop for lunch, so that she could get some grading done and I could work on my t&p packet, online course, and whatever else. I spilled my coffee, which came close to drowning her computer (but didn't! hallelujah!) and did drown her cute little backpack, and then I apologized heartily and profusely, over and over again, ad nauseum. We ended up talking so much -- mostly about my online course setup -- that she graded NO papers. But I did get a lot done on my online course. Red also gave me a great idea for the introduction to my t&p narrative. And she bought lunch! So it was an all-about-me type of afternoon...
  • We got back to campus just in time to attend a surprise birthday party for our dean, which was nice. Strawberry lemonade and some really dense chocolate cake.
  • Got home in time to actually cook dinner. One of my favorite casseroles, involving ground turkey and eggplant. Yummy. And it was an opportunity to cook dinner for my favorite person, Footslogger, which is always a treat.
  • Spent the evening at Rowdy Friend's house with friends that I don't get to see often, drinking wine and eating cheese. Which reminds me, this recipe for Walnut-Glazed Brie was a huge hit. Easy and delicious. One party-goer said that it was "elegant." Since I'm almost never elegant, I was quite excited about this.

On the whole, a busy day, so I hope you'll forgive me for not blogging about whatever crap I said I was going to blog about the day before.

Oh, one question. It's the norm here to write a narrative to go in the reappointment/tenure packet every year. It's a tricky business, because one doesn't want to just restate what's already on one's vita. Usually I adopt some kind of theme for the year. Now this is my tenure year, so I'm trying to do a nice job of it, rather than throwing it together at the last minute, as I usually do. I am using my completion of the AT last summer, after many years of plugging away at it, as a metaphor for my tenure trudge in the introductory section. I would like to include a summit shot with that, although my dean frowns on this type of fru-fru in t&p packets.

I'm leaning toward taking it out, because of the whole dean frowning thing. But another part of me says Go Ahead and Take the Risk. It's a Small One After All.

What say you, internets?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...well, thinking of the committee, I'd guess that they're probably as stuffy as the Dean is, so maybe you shouldn't. Maybe once you're "in" you could do something like that.

Of course, the other part of me says, "You don't know if you don't try!!!" :) I suppose if the picture isn't big and doesn't take over the page, I think it would be fine. You know...tastefully done. :) Let us know what you decide to do!

Belle said...

I'd have to think about the make-up of the committee; ours changes every year, and some would see it as creative while others would see it as unprofessional.

It's always a risk, being a bit different. But can be enormously fun and rewarding.

Motherwise said...

I would do it but in a very subdued way. Do you have a friend that could do some artistic re-working of it (black and white line art) that could be tastefully and subtly worked into your packet? I like risk... but you have to play the game. Play well, play smart.

"Ms. Cornelius" said...

After the hassles I have had for the past few months with my department chair, I probably wouldn't want the hassle. People can be completely third grade about some things.

By the way, I tagged you with the 7 things meme, since you have your grades finished. Damn it.