MID TERM EXAMS

Oh no!  Mid term exams coming up fast and furious!

I have an anthropology mid term next week, and a couple weeks later, three others in two days.  Don't want to look beyond that for now.

Well, I don't really do much studying, if you know me.  At least not studying in the sense of cramming into memory all the definitions and vocab etc.  For all I know, that's what they look for, in which case I'm screwed.  But I can't change the way I am.

Today's anthro class (coming up in a couple of hours) will have some time for an exam review.  Have no idea what the review will be like.  Perhaps I'll know what kind of information I have to retain in my head.  Rote memorization, though, will be the death of me.

It's much harder than you think, going back to school as a 1st year undergrad.  So many things that are elementary to me, that seem second-nature or common sense, I now have to SHOW that I actually understand them as though they were earth-shattering ideas.  Let me give you an example.

A recent assignment for anthro illustrates this quite well.  We had to write a short little essay on some ethnographic study.  OK, before we go on, you should know that I have actually PUBLISHED ethnographic studies in peer-reviewed journals.  So it should be a piece of cake.  Or so I thought.

Well, I got a B+.  What?

I asked the TA, this very nice young person who graded my assignment, just what was "wrong" with it.  Her response?  "Well, you used the terms emic and etic, and you used ethnocentrism, but you didn't define them in your assignment, so I don't know that you actually understood them."

Or something to that effect.

Huh?  These things need defining?  OK.  To me, that's like saying "boil some water" needs definition.  You mean heat the water (H20) to 100 degrees celcius?

Live and learn.  It's my bad, actually.  I assumed too much.

I didn't really mind whatever grade I got.  They have their rubric, and I have to abide by that.  Now you understand why I don't assume I'll do well on the exams?  Haha, for all I know, I might even flunk, for being unable to regurgitate stuff.

That's all we need

Food Court in one of the academic buildings

If only the food were free..

TORNADOES HIT

The Ottawa/Gatineau area was hit by two tornadoes on Friday.  So far some 150,000 people are still without power.  Whole communities were destroyed, rendering thousands homeless in the blink of an eye.

I was very fortunate.  When the tornadoes hit, I was in my apartment working on a couple of papers, and didn't even realize the storm outside was of such mammoth proportions.  My area was lucky and didn't receive any of the extensive damages.

At moments like this, I am reminded of how lucky we are each day when we are unscathed.  I am okay not because of what I did.  It was not because of who I am.  I was plain lucky.  At a moment's notice, it could all change.  

We should be thankful for what we have, and enjoy it while it lasts.  And think of those who are less unfortunate.  They, too, are often just recipients of dumb luck (or misfortune).

 **********************

So I was reading some posts on a discussion page, when some people were trying to get together for a meeting (about a class).  Because of storm damage, the logistics were difficult.  One person remarked, "I hate this blackout."

Think of that.
 

Simple things in life

The bus ride from downtown took only 10 minutes or so.  I could have been updating Facebook or texting that whole time, like people do.  But the ride provided free entertainment that didn't even need data or wifi.  So I put on my observation hat and decided to watch people.

A lady had a baby on her lap.  She would cover her face with her hands, and the child would look perplexed.  What's mama?  What is this faceless creature in front of me!  Then the mother moved her hands away, and revealed her smiling face.  And the child broke out in joyous delight.  Then the mom covered her face again, and the child looked bewildered again.  And again, the child laughed with great joy when mom's face appeared again.  

The lady varied the game too.  Sometimes she would cover the child's face with her hands.  What happened, mama?  It's all dark and I can't see!  Then she removed her hands, and voila!, the child saw mother again.  What a smile the kid had!  Such genuine, innocent pleasure.

Other people watched the mother and child playing as well.  And they all a smile on their faces.  How could you not?

But it was such a simple game, no?  Didn't we all (at least most of us) play this as a child or as a parent?  It seems universal.  Joy is universal.  The innocence of a child is universal.  And we delight in simple, carefree, unadulterated happiness.

So what happened to us as we got older?  Why are we so hard to please?  Why do some of us become abject assholes?  Why do we morph into egomaniacs and demagogues?

"What a piece of work is man, How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty, In form and moving how express and admirable.."   So wrote Shakespeare.  Hate to say it, Will old boy, but you are so wrong!  We're just idiots.  Self-centred, greedy, stupid, moronic, insatiable nut jobs.

So, speaking of nuts, it's a Friday.  Almost seven now.  In times past, Meat Loaf (or some other music) would be blasting away from my office.  The fragrance of Green Mountain Double Diamond would permeate the air.  And Tony (the nut man) Gabriel would be passing by my office on his way to print out yet another test to torture his students.  Sharon would be next door hoping to God I would turn down the music.  

Interesting how when something that happened as a matter of course stops happening, one begins to relish them and lament their passing.

As I lament the vanishing of simpler pleasures of childhood.  As I lament the wake of memories from the daily grind.

Perhaps it's fitting that I end this post with another one from Will.   "When to the sessions of sweet silent thought I summon up remembrance of things past, I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought."

Way to go, Willy.

Technology

So we have a technology problem in the classroom.  Sounds familiar?

Seems like IT is not very effective EVERYWHERE.

But, and this is cool, the prof called IT and they were here in two minutes.

OTOH, can't fix the problem.  So now a longer delay.  Time to chill.  The (IT) guy even apologizes.  Nice of him.  He has to rush off and bring in a laptop.  So, more time to post.

I asked the prof if this will be on the mid term....  Funny guy.  She just laughed.

Exercise

I wonder if I should go running. 

Nah!

The STEM Complex

STEM is really given some oompf.  In fact, there is a thing called STEAM now, and the Arts are incorporated somehow.  I like that idea!

Taking the bus

There's a pretty efficient public transit system here in Ottawa.  The Light Rail, which was supposed to come onstream this November, is now pushed back to next year.  Regardless, the buses are plentiful and clean, and they do a really good job shipping people to and from their destinations.

I've taken the bus a few times in the last month.  The stops are typically every couple of blocks, so it's not hard to find one.  And each stop has a designated number.  If you text (or call) the bus scheduling number, and enter the stop number, they tell you when the next bus will arrive.  So you can plan ahead if you had marked down the number of the stop you want to use.  Pretty neat, eh?  And the cool thing is, the buses are generally right on time!

So anyway, it's good to get into air conditioning when it's hot outside.  Most of the time I just walk.  But last Saturday I was going to a play downtown, and I really didn't feel like walking there and back.  So, took the bus.  Ten minutes and I was there!  Same deal coming back.  Nice.

Some stops are designated for several lines.  So, for instance, a stop I was at the other day was for six different bus lines.  Result?  No line ups at all.  Instead, people just stand close to the stop, all looking out for the particular bus they are waiting for.  This creates chaos, no?  The saving grace, I guess, is that it's Canada, where people don't usually do the mob scene.  So when a bus arrives, people gather near the door, and patiently wait and board on a first come, first served basis.  Still, I can see how things can be when it's rush hour....

I love this bus pass I have as a student.  True, it's not really free.  It's covered by my university fees.  But it's also something I probably wouldn't get on my own.  So I am glad they do this.  Things might get interesting in the winter, though, when everyone is bundled up in six layers of winter coats and crap.  And all the melting snow and ice.  And salt.  We shall see.  

I do not look forward to my winter commutes to campus.  On the other hand, they could be rather interesting... 

Edit:  I was told (by my stupid son, no less) that I am absolutely not in touch with the real world.  Apparently, according to said off-spring, the text your arrival time stuff is standard feature on all bus systems...  OK, what the hell do I know?  They weren't when I used to take the bus!  Anyway, so, my bad.  I never professed to know EVERYTHING!  Just most everything.  :)
 

What to Expect

I know, I know.  I had taught for more than 20 years, so I should be quite conversant with university-level exams and stuff.  Still, most likely my profs don't see things the way I do.  Besides, we're talking about subjects that I have no formal experience in.  Seriously, what on earth do they test you on a mid-term on horror fiction?  And how much memorization do I need to muster in writing a history exam?  No clue.

Am I a bit nervous?  Yes and no.  If I actually want to keep that scholarship, I need to keep an A average.  That means work, no?  Hmmmm.

I have midterms coming up in a couple of weeks.  In Canada, it's pretty typical to have a midterm and a final as the main evaluative elements (in addition to paper, etc.).  The finals at UO have to be worth at least 40%.  WTF, right?  Imagine if my BA416 final were worth 40%, hahah.  Grown men and women would have cried.  Well, they did anyway, but that's another story for another day.

So far I've handed in one written assignment for anthropology.  For sure the turnaround time won't be what I delivered as a matter of course.  I am unique, I know.  Next class day turnaround?  Who does that, except Chunski, eh?  Anyway, I probably won't know how I did for a couple of weeks...

I've also done a written assignment for history, but it's not due until October 3, so right now it's just sitting in a drawer.  I also have a term paper for that class, and it's due towards end of November.  Started on it.  Hopefully I'll have it done by the end of this month.

French.  Now, that's giving me headaches.  I don't think I'm suited for that stuff.  We'll see.  But that is one course I am absolutely not comfortable with.  I'll see how I do this term, before deciding if I'll do the next course or take something else next semester.

The horror fiction class is okay.  Lots of mumble jumble about symbols and stuff.  But Chunski can BS with the best of them.  So I think I'll be okay.  And sociology?  It seems pretty innocuous so far.

Hey, I had an insight.  Well, I don't know if it's original.  But I was reading about the Acadians and how they were expelled etc etc.  I'm not going to get into that, but suffice it to say that these folks only wanted to survive, irrespective of who their overlords were.  They were French in heritage, but they no longer had any real loyalty to the French Crown.  They lived under English rule a lot, yet they were the "others" due to their language and religion etc.  So they were straddling both sides.  And their strategy to survive was to play both sides, to go with the flow and not to commit to anything.  That this strategy eventually ceased to serve them (after a century) is beside the point.  So what on earth is my so-called insight?

I think the Acadians were like the people of Hong Kong.  If you don't know much about the history and the people there, just sub Hong Kong for Acadia, English stays English, sub China for France, and there you have it.  I just hope their fate won't be the same as for the Acadians.

Overheard

On my way to class and heard this girl saying to a friend, "Honestly, if I get another sunburn, I'm gonna shoot somebody."

Student Perks

As American Express used to boast, "membership has its privileges."  Well, there are some pretty neat student perks about as well.  And you know me, I gladly take advantage of them.

Every Tuesday, at the supermarket near me, you get 10% off your purchase if you show your student ID.  Yup.  That's a good deal.  So if I were to buy a pound of coffee at $15 a pound, I get $1.50 off.  If I buy 10 pounds, I get $15 off.  If I buy 10,000 pounds, I get $15,000!  Cool beans!  Literally.

A couple other supermarkets even give that student discount on Tuesdays AND Thursdays.  Alas, they are not near where I live.

The other day I discovered there's a playhouse in town, and students get HALF off!  No kidding.  I bought a ticket.  I am paying $14 to see a play, and it's not that far from where I live.

The National Arts Centre, sort of like DC's Kennedy Center, gives students half price too.  But so far this year, I don't see a show I particularly want to go see.  Too bad.  Last year Diana Krall was there.  Wish she would return this year.  But no.

You also get deals at the major banks if you open student accounts with them.  But since I really hate the big banks, I am not taking them up on their offers.  As an aside, I do get Seniors Offers at a different bank, so that's pretty neat.

I wonder if you get student discounts at liquor stores.  Hmm....

I do student discounts at haircut places, but as you know, I use the Flowbee.  So that's moot.

Oh yeah, and there's the bus pass.  Even though the light rail is (again) delayed till 2019, I can get on any bus in the city and just ride.  Maybe one day I will just get on a random bus and explore the city!

Every student at UO is a member of the student association, and through them, everyone gets supplementary health coverage (on top of government health plan) for stuff like eye glasses, drugs, etc.  Maybe I should their funny mushrooms...

OK well, my coffee is done.  And it's time to get off my ass and get ready for school.  Till later!

 

Learning Crossroads

Where I have my horror fiction class.  Perhaps the sleek, modern design is a harbinger of more sinister motifs lurking behind our sanitized view of humanity...

Every morning on my way to campus

Is it Winter already?

This conversation took place in a history class a couple of days ago:


Professor was introducing himself and discussing the contents of the course.  "Any questions?" he asked innocently.

A hand rose from somewhere.

"Yes," he smiled.

"I want to know, since you are a white male, and that you seem to be quite patriotic (this is a Canadian History class), whether this will distort what we are learning," a voice proclaimed.

The prof paused a moment.  Was he expecting this?  I wasn't sure.  He replied, "Well, I try not to let my own personal feelings..."

He didn't get to finish.  The voice said, "What I mean is, you seem pretty imperialistic, and obviously privileged.  So this might give a biased view of history."

I observed this with great amusement and not a little resignation.  What would I say if I were the prof?  Of course the white part wouldn't stick.  But I can see how someone could have asked me in, say, a marketing class, "You are an older Asian guy, fat and ugly, full of himself, and hate advertising.  And you worked in oil and banking.  Won't your views be biased by who you are and so distort what we learn?"

Seriously, what would I say?  For those who had me in class, what do you think I would have said?  How would I have responded?

We all inform and are informed by our life experiences.  As Popeye said, "I yam what I yam and that's all that I yam."

The girl's question is inane.  Everything is subjective.  Everyone is biased by who and what she or he is.  DUH!  Even a Martian would be biased by its view of the universe.  By raising the question, she herself was biased by her snow-flakiness.

Education is a burdensome undertaking.  It is not about taking whatever you hear or read and memorizing it by rote.  Education is very personal.  The teacher facilitates.  Ultimately the learning is our own.  Not only in a possessive way, but also in what it is to the learner.  It's called HIGHER EDUCATION for a reason.  It's fine to be critical.  But there's also something called reality.  Touch down and feel the earth.  It's really there.

So yeah, I could look at this incident with a certain degree of amusement.  A few months ago I would not have been as amused.

Did I say snowflake?  Yeah well, I don't mind offending offensive people.

School Starts

This is my second week as an undergrad.  Well, my second time around, that is.  Even now, there is a lingering ambivalence about this whole adventure.  What on earth is a 62-year old with a PhD doing sitting in a class of 200+ people young enough to be my grandkids?    

Learning would be the lazy person's answer, I suppose.  And there's some truth to it.  I am learning things that I have never formally studied.  But I would be lying if I say I know nothing about some of these courses I'm enrolled in.

I have never taken a college-level course in anthropology or sociology.  That much is true.  But what is left unsaid is that I have actually published in academic journals and conferences in these fields.  I have never taken a college-level course in history, but I believe I have read upwards of 50+ history books.  And horror fiction?  Again, never took a college-level course in literature.  But I have had short stories published.  And even won prizes.  In horror fiction.

Well, there is French.  Never took that either.  I do have a bit of trepidation about that.  Language is not my strong suit.  But then, Ottawa is a pretty perfect place to learn French.  Most people here are bilingual.  In fact, I don't know if one can even get a service job without French.  I used to have a lot more sympathy for French Canadians and their place in Canada.  This sympathy has turned more into annoyance and impatience these days.  So, well, learning French is perhaps just that.  I mean, why the hell not, eh?

So where does that leave me?

I do believe that a formal course of studies is beneficial for someone like me.  Someone with a very regimented lifestyle, an organized way of viewing the world.  Randoming learning is fine, but it lacks direction.  Also, one runs the risk of picking all the wrong things to read.  Or, at least, unknowingly picking only a certain perspective, and ending up with a rather biased view of things.

Time will tell how I feel about this.  Or, perhaps, whether there may be other motivations for this adventure.  For now, I have an urge to be a serious learner -- something I didn't do as an undergrad.  So let's see how things go. 

This blog has no agenda.  No plan.  No outline.  It will be a reflection of whatever comes to mind.  I expect some will be observations.  Some will be my thoughts.  Some will be, well, purely random things.  If anyone is reading this, I hope I don't completely bore you.  If I do, tough shit. 

University of Ottawa

This place is a hell lot bigger than I thought.  Over 40,000 students in a campus of only 100 acres.  How's that for congestion?  If nothing else, it's vibrant.  The main thoroughfare of the campus is perpetually like rush hour in a major city.  Pretty crazy.  As I walk around campus (more on this walking crap later), I hear a cacophony of languages from all over.  A real life tower of Babel, don't you know.  I see people of all colours and races, all integrated (well, the Chinese seem mostly to keep to themselves, but hell, it's their loss) and life seems grand.  I love it.

Did I talk about walking?  OK, this is what's going on.  I live within "walking distance" of campus.  That means I've been walking to school everyday.  Today I put in almost 6 miles.  And that's pretty standard.  If you know me, that's about 6 miles more than normal. 

I've actually been quite impressed by U of O.  Maybe academically it's not a top-notch university.  It's ranked somewhere in the 200-250 range for universities worldwide.  So, it's no Cambridge.  But it's respectable.  This is not what impresses me, though.  The university has embarked on so many sustainability initiatives it's just jaw-dropping.

There's a 50-ft tall indoor plant wall, for air filtration.  In the social science building, the heat generated in the computer room is used to heat the building itself (and nearby buildings too).  UO has banned bottled water, and instead invested hundreds of thousand to install filtered water filling stations all over campus.  There is a food bank for students in need.  There is a free shop for people to donate clothing and other stuff, and students can get these things for free.  Re-use and Re-cycle.  And everyone on campus has a bus pass, so better to encourage public transit and not driving.  Bike repair stations dot the campus.  I don't bike, but hey, how cool is that, right? 

Ok, I'm not writing a brochure for UO.  So enough said.  Maybe more later if something new strikes me.

So that's the backdrop.  More later.