Odds and ends, odds and ends. . .

December 17, 2010


Because I've been marking for the last several days, and will continue to do so for the next few days, there hasn't been much going on that's is necessarily blog worthy. But, I've tried to put together some odds and ends, if for no other reason than to be able to close my eyes at night knowing I've done something other than mark and calculate grades.




I really, really dislike marking.

Marking is like grocery shopping, taxes and housecleaning.

No matter how well you do it the first time, you still have to do it again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

End of the term marking is the worst.

All I do is eat, sleep, occasionally transport a child here or there, and mark.

Occassionally, if I have all the necessary information, I may actually calculate a grade.

I have final grades for some students, but until I have them for everyone in a course, I can't post anything.

And don't bother emailing me asking if you're one of the calculated grades because I'm not going to tell you.

I'll just delete your email.




The only redeeming element of marking is that Stephen has to do it, too.

So we do it together.

He sits at one side of the table, me at the other, and we mark.

Given how much time we actually get to spend together, marking together can almost be considered a date.

We started doing this together the first Christmas after we started dating.

Misery loves company, right?

Gripping, complaining, groaning, commiserating. . .it is so much better when you have company.

Plus Stephen has trouble with math, so I have to help him.

Me helping Stephen with math. . .




The kids find marking season somewhat stressful, as well.

I tend to get a little crabby when I'm marking.

And very focused.

Focused as in you can be standing next to me and talking and I will have no idea that you're there.

Or what you said.

Causing Em, on more than one occasion to stomp out of the kitchen in frustration.

Tikka almost shredded my pants this afternoon before I realized she was pawing at me because she had to poop.

I wish I could say I was mesmerized by the outstanding and Pulitzer prize like writing of my students.

It's more I concentrating so hard trying to understand what they're writing that my brain literally blocks out everything.

There is only so much your brain should be made to do at one time.




So this evening, while Stephen was giving his exam. . .

Yes, an exam on a Friday evening from 7-10. Only to be outdone by his 9-noon exam tomorrow morning.

As in Saturday morning.

. . .I decided to shake things up a little and instead of marking, I read through my manuscript, making the last of the edits I am going to make.

And I do mean the last.

Putting in ampersands where they need to be, making certain periods, commas and various other punctuation marks are included or removed, that there is the appropriate spacing between quotes and text, that I haven't, again, improperly used elliptical dots, that the little red, wavy lines so generously provided by Microsoft Word are genuine mistakes and not my insistence to spell words like labour and flavour properly. . .

Tomorrow morning I will, hopefully, dot all the "i"s and cross all the "t"s and send the manuscript to the publisher.

And like grading, grocery shopping, taxes and housecleaning, book writing is something I'll have to do again.

I live such a wild and crazy life.





I was driving past the construction site for the latest sports center Fredericton can't afford. . . I think it's called The Grant Harvey Center, or something like that.

I don't really care, given that it cuts straight through the UNB Woodlot, causing significant environmental and ecological damage.

What I did find interesting was the name of the construction company engaging in this natural destruction. 

Foulem Construction. 

If it wasn't so ironic, it would almost be funny.




Title Lyric: Odds and Ends by Bob Dylan