time makes you bolder, children get older

[freckles_and_doubt]

Consolations of this job: spending fifteen minutes putting the fear of wossname into merry students convinced that they can combine a Student's Representative Council position with, for example, the insanely heavy demands of a PPE degree. I’ve seen a lot of these lately, because the student affairs dept has intelligently taken to requiring a curriculum advisor to assess candidates in curriculum terms and give them a stern Dutch Uncle talking to before they can proceed. I have a sinister little “your marks will drop” speech all worked out. Lots of these kids will be fine, they’re solid students evidently possessed of a work ethic as well as a civic consciousness, but others are a lot more borderline. It is my fervent hope that the ones who proceed with an SRC position in the direct teeth of my warnings will at least have enough fear of wossname percolating their systems that they might contrive to be reasonably vigilant about keeping on top of their work.

Today has, in fact, been insanely productive. This is the direct result of, yet again, giant squid gnawing on Seacom cables, which is my placeholder explanation for any failure of internet access on campus. The bandwidth chart has looked like this all day:



- making me feel mildly seasick to contemplate, for reasons quite apart from the internet withdrawal systems and more connected to inner ear fragility. However, I have been forced in the absence of web browsing to actually do some work. Bother.

I am, however, gnashing my teeth rather less than usual as I feel I’m owed a technojinx outbreak. I am still mildly stunned that, after a month of cowardly delay owing to my fear of losing internet access, I last night finally disconnected the ADSL modem to replace it with the brand spanky new wireless one. It connected first go – all the little blinky lights blinked on within about thirty seconds, enthusiastically. As an encore, Winona found the network first go, and the wireless key in fact unlocked it without any trouble other than that occasioned by my slightly hamfisted typing. I am forced to accept that when my sweet Imaginet geeks say the router is pre-formatted, they bloody well mean it. Also, Achievement Unlocked: lying on sofa watching TV and simultaneously looking up random guest stars because they look vaguely familiar).

This, of course, means that I have a spare, entirely functional ADSL router (four-port non-wireless) lying around the house, and will be very happy to put it up for adoption to a good home. Leave bids in the comments. (Not monetary ones. No payment necessary.)

Comments

[wolverine-nun.livejournal.com]

A recent downturn of the campus bandwidth was blamed on a land-based problem with the line in Egypt. So I figure it's not a squid this time, it's camels. Or possibly mummies.

I was forced to review a paper today instead of reading Twitter. Bloody wasted afternoon.

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. Nyarlathotep. Sphinxes. Nyarlathotep and sphinxes. Nyarlathotep with an army of sphinxes! And mummies, clearly.

I codified about five different faculty policies I've developed over the last few years and which aren't written down anywhere. Now the sphinxes can carry me off without the faculty grinding to a halt.

[wolverine-nun.livejournal.com]

See how I'm all growed-up now? "Reviewed a paper" I say, cool as a cucumber, as if this is the sort of thing I always do...

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

Oh, lord, you remind me that there's one I have to do this weekend as well. Although mine's on fairy tale, which is possibly more exotic than yours ;>.

I also note that you calmly and adultly review a paper while I babble about Nyarlathotep's sphinx-army. This is why you have an academic post and I don't...

[wolverine-nun.livejournal.com]

Hah! Metaphorical sleight of hand, I see right through it.
Me reviewing paper -- you codifying faculty policy (sounds very impressive). Me babbling about camels and mummies -- you babbling about sphinxes. Huh.

The reason you don't have a post is because your dept of choice has its head up its bum.

Yes, a apaper on fairy tale sounds more exciting than one on norms and practices of pre-service teacher training.

[schedule5.livejournal.com]

Ooh, that sounds interesting. Is it? Will it apply to me as a pre-service teacher?

[wolverine-nun.livejournal.com]

Not really. And there'll be better ones out there. It's about the preparation for teaching in a multilingual environment which pre-service maths teachers get, as observed in two different stats classes.

Wireless

[pinkthulhu.livejournal.com]

Wireless is awesome - couldnt survive without being able to look something up on wikipedia as I'm watching it on TV. :-)

Also great for reading email on the loo. Ahem.

Re: Wireless

[wolverine-nun.livejournal.com]

:D
Can't admit to the loo thing
but the wikipedia-while-watching-TV ... I can't understand how I ever lived without it.

Re: Wireless

[veratiny.livejournal.com]

I heart my wireless...

I use it when I'm watching movies to download music from the movie I think is cool.

I use it in bed...which means I only have to heat one room in the house.

And while I haven't tried email on the loo...kinky skype, oh yeah!

Re: Wireless

[schedule5.livejournal.com]

Yup. Wireless is teh only way. I specifically don't read email on the loo. I have a designated "upstairs loo book" upstairs, and a "downstairs loo book" downstairs instead. It's how I read most non-fiction :D.