Monday, May 5, 2008

And now, term papers... and still writin'

Oy. The stack of student research papers is in, the reflection papers are arriving today, and we enter the marathon of reading and grading.

Welcome to my birthday week. (Yes, I have strawberries.)

And I'm still writing. That will now have to alternate with the Grading Marathon.

Also, my end-of-semester student party is this evening. Cinco de Mayo theme* with a little Puerto Rican thrown in. (The Fabulous Teaching Assistant is half Puerto Rican and she is making the beans part of the rice and beans.)

*Note: Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexican independence day. It is mostly a regional holiday in Mexico, but here in the U.S. has acquired greater status than it has nationally in Mexico. Now you can go look up the rest of the story. I am too swamped, alas, to search for and make links. Ay de mi. Señorita Maya Pavlova, however, is fine, and sitting with white paws folded in prayer position in front of her. Thank Godde for cats.

No, I won't forget the North Carolina Primary tomorrow.

3 comments:

Fran said...

Early birthday and strawberry wishes and lots of prayers for those papers!

The whole Cinco de Mayo thing drives me mad- manufactured like a Hallmark holiday by Corona beer and countless subpar so-called Mexican restaurants in the US.

Harumph, what a grump I sound like!!

Jane R said...

Thanks! I really appreciate the wishes and prayers!

Cinco de Mayo here is an excuse to go and buy Mexican pastries for my students (kidlets as well as adult commuter students). There is a panaderia nearby (which in this Southern sprawl not-a-real-city-by-my-snooty-urban-standards means two or three miles' drive) so I figure I am supporting the local Mexican immigrant economy. I was the only non-Mexican in the place! (Cinco de Mayo has not caught up with us here, at least based on that shop. No one was acting particularly festive. Things may be different in the restaurants, of course. This is more of a working-class, pick up your pan dulce and sweet eats for your workplace or your family, kind of place.)

johnieb said...

I have been enjoying strawberries for the first time this year last week: organic, but not yet, alas, local. As I said somewheres, it's still cool enough here to crave a Cassoulet (currently warming in oven.) Brrr!

Happy birthday and a relatively painless grading season; may you continue to thrive in Godde!