Finished my first week of classes, the first of which began at 8 a.m. each morning for the last four mornings. For me, that means waking up at 6:20 in order to get ready, make sure I get a taxi, and tell the driver the best way to navigate the morning rush to the university. My hours aren't entirely switched around yet, because I find myself, old-man style, getting cranky and tired at 4 p.m.
But then I discovered the wonders of afternoon beer. Afternoon beer makes the light a little less bright. In fact, it makes everything a little bit less, which seems to be a pretty good life strategy.
I started each of my classes telling the same story about a pregnant woman who lost her child due to the negligence of a hospital. The economic point: almost everything can end up having a monetary value under the law. For pain, you get cash. For suffering, cash. Even for a lost baby, a big pile of cash.
Anyhoo, I have classes that are entirely male, and on the other side of campus, behind walls that surround them and keep them away from the male students, I have classes that are entirely female. I tell the story to the women, and I can see that the story is having an effect on them. The mood is somber, serious, and, better yet, they are paying attention.
The story works! I tell myself. Then I walk over to the men's side of campus and tell the same story to them.
As a group, they are smiling, snickering, and joking to each other. "Tell her to have another baby," one of them says, as if his comment has "solved" the problem and the discussion is over. I wanted to walk out of the room and lock the door and, like a James Bond villain, I wanted to push the magic button that would slowly fill the airtight room with water. And I wanted to watch.
As the students realized that there would be no escape and that death would be the only outcome, I would announce over an intercom, "I'll just tell your parents to have another baby."
I told you I get cranky in the afternoons.
Anyhoo, there's a new Quincy chapter called "A Very Quincy Valentines Day" ready for your viewing pleasure on the other blog. Being busier now, I imagine that I'll be putting up a couple of episodes per week, Thursday-ish and Saturday-ish. In any case, enjoy!
But then I discovered the wonders of afternoon beer. Afternoon beer makes the light a little less bright. In fact, it makes everything a little bit less, which seems to be a pretty good life strategy.
I started each of my classes telling the same story about a pregnant woman who lost her child due to the negligence of a hospital. The economic point: almost everything can end up having a monetary value under the law. For pain, you get cash. For suffering, cash. Even for a lost baby, a big pile of cash.
Anyhoo, I have classes that are entirely male, and on the other side of campus, behind walls that surround them and keep them away from the male students, I have classes that are entirely female. I tell the story to the women, and I can see that the story is having an effect on them. The mood is somber, serious, and, better yet, they are paying attention.
The story works! I tell myself. Then I walk over to the men's side of campus and tell the same story to them.
As a group, they are smiling, snickering, and joking to each other. "Tell her to have another baby," one of them says, as if his comment has "solved" the problem and the discussion is over. I wanted to walk out of the room and lock the door and, like a James Bond villain, I wanted to push the magic button that would slowly fill the airtight room with water. And I wanted to watch.
As the students realized that there would be no escape and that death would be the only outcome, I would announce over an intercom, "I'll just tell your parents to have another baby."
I told you I get cranky in the afternoons.
Anyhoo, there's a new Quincy chapter called "A Very Quincy Valentines Day" ready for your viewing pleasure on the other blog. Being busier now, I imagine that I'll be putting up a couple of episodes per week, Thursday-ish and Saturday-ish. In any case, enjoy!
I damn well did enjoy!
ReplyDelete