First Day in Chicago

My partner and I made it to Chicago without a hitch even though CNN was reporting that National was having at least 30 minute delays. We checked our flight on the departure/arrival board and saw no delay from any airline at all.

We arrived late in the afternoon, checked in, and we had lunch at Eleven City Diner. It's a wonderful old-time diner with a "cheery Chicago attitude" (read: not New York). I immediately get the sense that there's some historical/cultural rivalry between Chicago and New York. I don't know if I'll have time to explore that on this trip, but I will tread carefully in the few days that I am here. Anyways, I ordered a patty melt and Wisconsin cheese cheddar fries. Very satisfying and huge portions!

Afterwards, we headed over to Shedd Aquarium which was very near Soldier Park. Everything was in walking distance from our hotel so there was no need to grab a cab or rent a car. The air was cold, but not frigid, no precipitation or the famous Chicago winds. At the aquarium, we were able to see Chicago's stunning skyline, and the evening twilight made the view spectacular; stars in the urban sky. It definitely reminded me of San Francisco and New York. It was just nice to be in a proper city again.

This morning we woke up to snowfall. Temperature is cold (to me it's always cold) and the winds have picked up. It's not a storm, but it's a steady downfall which might make sightseeing somewhat difficult today. Hopefully we and another friend/colleague who is also interviewing for another position will be able to check out The Field Museum and their exhibit on maps. Yeah I know it sounds weird but Foucault did talk about geography and the field is entertaining some of his concepts and theories. So at least it'll be inside.

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I'm keeping up with the latest news on Benazir Bhutto's assassination yesterday. The latest report suggests that she was not killed by shrapnel or a bullet, but from physical trauma like hitting her head (???). I watched the press conference by the secretary of the interior (?) who then showed the last known video of Bhutto. That was seriously disturbing to watch because you know what happened next. But frame-by-frame, Bhutto moved offscreen as the camera panned to the right, and a second later you can see the people in the crowd react instantly to the blast.

Bhutto was buried today and no autopsy was performed on her for cultural and religious reasons. Which means no one can confirm the actual cause of death.

At that moment, I realized that the assassination is already having some eerie similarities to JFK.

All I Want For Christmas is ... Aliens v. Predator: Requiem!!!! OMGWTHLOLOL?!?!

I bet you of all the things to do on Christmas Day, watching the premiere of Aliens v. Predator: Requiem was not one of them. But we did. It was my idea to watch the movie considering I'm a big fan of both franchises, but it was a counter-intuitive choice. Of course, thanks to my partner we rationalized the choice as an act of recalcitrance against the maniacal consumerism that Christmas generates every year. And on that note, we watched the film.

*SPOILER ALERT*

For a film that we knew beforehand would be stupid, it was worse. Not disastrous because there were a few moments that I liked, namely being scared to my wits and watching victims writhe in pain as "chestbusters" break out of their hosts.

That was cool to watch, but also shocking because the victims also included children and pregnant women. That was truly different in this film because we normally attribute feelings of protection to children and pregnant women. Horror movies are constructed in a way that gives heroes and heroines a reason to survive and fight off whoever or whatever is gouging, cannibalizing, pummeling, ingesting, or decapitating them. Obviously, the word "killing" is a foregone conclusion, but the manner in which victims die is central. Anyways, children are very useful to instill the drive to stay alive by soliciting your paternal/maternal instincts. Think of the relationship between Newt and Ripley in the second Aliens installment. But in this movie, one of the first victims was a father and son, in which we got to see the kid's chest pulse and explode, and the screech of the pre-adult alien slithering out in a pool of gushing blood. Another scene had the "predalien," the alien/predator incarnation from the first AVP, stalking a bunch of newborns in a hospital. *Shudders* And finally, a scene which still freaks me out, a hospital ward full of pregnant women who become impregnated by the "predalien." Needless to say, what came afterwards was absolutely grotesque. Oddly enough, my partner wasn't even phased ... something about alien-on-human violence that is more bearable (and entertaining to watch) than human-on-human violence. Go figure. That scene still unnerves me.

Anyways, we're off for the MLA conference in Chicago. We'll be staying for about 3 days. Mostly work related stuff and maybe a day to do the tourist stuff. I've got a deadline to submit a call for papers in a proposed anthology, and one or two job applications before the end of the month. And on top of that, another chapter to finish. Then it's off to Kansas to stay for another few days to visit my partner's parents. It'll be cold and freezing, but we'll have lots of home cooked meals. I can't wait!

This Just Gets Worse

I read and saw the testimony of Jaime Leigh Jones before the House Judiciary Committee who was gang raped by KBR employees in Iraq. I am absolutely horrified at what she endured at the hands of her co-workers, and moreover, utterly sickened by the apparent cover-up. I could be wrong but contractors are under the jurisdiction and protection of the DoJ, yet the DoJ is not responding to this crime and perhaps countless others. The DoJ didn't even bother to send someone in which Representative Conyers slammed them for their particular absence and silence.

Seriously, WTF?! When is the DoJ going to start to stand for justice?!?

Daily Musings ... Annoyances

So I received word that two universities that I applied for have hired someone else. They sent nice thank you letters stating that the applicant pool was "exceptional" and that my "qualifications" was exemplary, and while the choice was difficult under these circumstances, they believed they found the right candidate ... besides me. Of course, I'd feel better if I made it on to the short list. That's the real recognition. Out of, say for example, 200 applicants which is a conservative number, being on the short list of 2-4 finalists means a whole lot more. At this point, I'm just happy to be on anyone's short list. Two jobs down ... about 24 more to go, if they ever send a notice anyways.

IT'S OVER!!!

'nuff said.

Final grades are done for both sections.

Scantron machine was still broken.

Second section's grade results was very similar to my night class. Here's the quick comparison:

Section 1: Final = 73.2%; Midterm = 87.8%.
Difference: 14.6%

Section 2: Final = 72.4%; Midterm = 84.3%.
Difference: 11.9%

I ended up curving the results after all ... A LOT ... just to save the few who were hit pretty hard.

But it's done and over. This semester is officially at an end for me.

Collateral Damage

So going into finals, I realized that I had way too many "A" students. Part of the inflation is how easy the midterm was which I think I need to redo. So in order to really discern the "A" students from everyone else, I had to make the final exam much harder. I added more multiple choice questions, elevated the complexity of the wording of the questions, and changed the final essay section to focus on the Iraqi Constitution. Obviously, the final exam heavily emphasized the lectures and in-class discussions so students would be in good shape if they were attending. Of course, it doesn't guarantee that students in attendance knew what was going on and that discrepancy showed. For the most part, the exam was hard ...

It was *A LOT* harder.

I think it was way too hard.

Average final exam grade from one section was 73.2%.
Compared with their midterm grade it was 87.8% so a 14.6% difference.

So I accomplished my objective and found out who the "A" students were. But the dedicated and solid students were also hit hard, dropping almost a full grade which really sucks. In general, the students were weak in one of two areas: the multiple choice questions, or the essay section. That was intentional and the differences really came through as students with excellent writing skills scored very well in the essay section, and those with strong deductive skills scored high marks in the multiple choice section. The 2 or 3 that did well in both received an "A." Unfortunately, there were those that did poorly in both sections, and when that happens you've hit the bottom hard.

Like rock bottom.

Like Age of Dinosaurs bottom.

Like so far down below there would be no point in trying to dig you back up ...

Not even for your skeletons.

I'll find out what happens tomorrow in my last section and see if the pattern remains true. If it does, then I'll have to evaluate my choices.

Grading ...

One class is done and another tomorrow morning.

If there's one thing I hate more about final exams, it would be a broken scantron machine.

End of the Semester Blues

So the last class of the semester ended last Thursday with a nice round of applause from my students. I even got to hang around after their student evaluations and chatted with them as they exited the building. Little did I know that I spent over two hours talking with them about everything. Certainly not time wasted, but it was damn cold outside.

I also got a notice from the chair of my program indicating that my time is almost up. I had to send my abstract, recent conversations with my committee, and a schedule of completion before he authorized an extension of time for my degree. He approved of the extension but I was a bit unnerved at the ordeal. To waste close to ten years is not something to laugh at but to be extricated from the program is aggravating. So the clock is ticking; I have the Spring 2008 semester to finish. I am near completion but I've got some editing and revising to do.

And I've got no choice but to finish it now.

'Tis the Season

This is why I hate snow. You figure people will have the common sense NOT to drive. But they do.

LOLOL

Just in time for Christmas!