Fuckity FUCK. I just tried to post and upload a video. I got the following existential error message from Vox:
"Sadly, your search couldn’t be completed. You could try again, but it still might not work. The world is a very unpredictable place. For this, we are truly sorry."That sounds very, um, Protestant.
print Lucille Clifton's poem for African American litteach 2 classesmeet Student Girl at office hoursdo rec form for other Student Girldon't forget to do presentation sign-ups in Research Writingprint up Final Portfolio prep assmtrevise, finalize, print up Final Portfolios
Because I think I bought the wrong size. Or it doesn't match the rest of my decor.
This is me after a day spent in the attic. Yes, I'm wearing a bandanna, goggles, dust mask, and a head lamp. It's fricking dark up there. And eerily quiet. And full of moon dust-like insulation. And pixies. But I wasn't supposed to tell anybody about the pixies.
Oh, right, what was I doing up there? Installing ceiling fan braces. There are few home features I hate more than wobbly or rattly ceiling fans, so I believe in attaching them to serious braces fastened to the studs with heavy deck screws. Also, I love ceiling fans. I'm installing them in the bedroom, the office, the living room, and the kitchen. I'd install one in the dining room, but that just seems like overkill.
To prepare for this adventure, I loaded up my backpack with all the tools I thought I might possibly need for the adventure, including my newly purchased cordless drill. I don't own 200 feet of extension cord, so I figured that would come in handy. I should have taken snacks.
The kitchen was easy. I had to enlarge the hole in the ceiling a bit to accommodate a 4-inch electrical box, which is standard for ceiling fan braces, but the brace went in easily. From there, I crawled to the pantry, where I installed a new electrical box, and ran the wiring to the light switch. Then I schlepped over to the office, dragging all my supplies and my plywood platform with me. (Because squatting on joists for hours at a time is unpleasant, it's better to have somewhere to sit.) Once again, the hole in the ceiling had to be enlarged via drill and hand saw. Then I had to shim one end of the brace to make it level, but it went in easily enough.
After that I slithered over to the bathroom to repair a hole in the ceiling and install a new electrical box. Seeing a trend? Yes, most of the light fixtures in the house had been attached directly to the ceiling without the benefit of a box. While doing that, I realized I'd forgotten a box to install in the hallway. And it was getting dark. And the dining room light fixture opening was in the wrong place. I wasn't going to be able to get it all done in a day.
Still, I was dead-set on getting all the ceiling fan braces installed, so I persevered. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. I crept toward the bedroom, but as I felt about with my foot, digging through layers of blown insulation looking for the next ceiling joist, I found ... nothing. No joist. Not where it should have been anyway. In most modern houses, joists and studs are installed at 18-inch intervals, or sometimes 24-inch intervals. Things are slightly less predictable in old houses. I once lived in a house with 21-inch center studs and joists. How I discovered that, it's a long story.
This house, though, this house ... it mostly has 24-inch centers, except where it doesn't, namely in the bedroom and living room. There, the ceiling joists are 36 inches apart. Too far to install a ceiling fan brace. So I get to plan another day in the attic and this one will be a doozy. I'll have to drag a bunch of lumber up there and sister in some more joists, close enough together to support ceiling fans, and to provide a bit more stability in those ceilings.
Am I starting to regret buying this project house? Oddly enough, no. I'm kind of looking forward to the project. As sick as that is.
Especially when they're endlessly recursive. Sorry about that, but it does help so to get something up here in public that I'm responsible for, and that I can cross out in front of other people, too. Today/night:print feedback for stack 1 of unit 2 portfolios, distribute correctlyprint extra credit assignments from emailread/grade extra creditteach 3 classesstay in a good mood the whole time (!!!!)make & print sign-up sheets for presentationsgrade discussion board postsbuy printer paperbuy assorted stuff at grocery storeeat somethingprint discussion board postsgrade proposals for researched change argumentsgrade late submission ethics argumentsread "Everyday Use" for tomorrowprep African American litupdate Final Portfolio prep assignment & get it posted to ereservesupdate Final Portfolio assignment
Today/night:
print feedback for stack 1 of unit 2 portfolios, distribute correctlyprint extra credit assignments from emailread/grade extra creditteach 3 classesstay in a good mood the whole time (!!!!)make & print sign-up sheets for presentationsgrade discussion board postsbuy printer paperbuy assorted stuff at grocery storeeat somethingprint discussion board postsgrade proposals for researchedchange arguments- grade late submission ethics arguments
- read "Everyday Use" for tomorrow
- prep African American lit
- start the next stack of unit 2 portfolios
- finish the list above
- print Lucille Clifton's poem for African American lit
- read/grade the next stack of unit 2 portfolios, or at least put a huge dent in the pile
- teach 2 classes
- meet Student Girl at office hours
- don't forget to do presentation sign-ups in Research Writing
- update Final Portfolio prep assignment & get it posted to ereserves
- print up a bunch of those
- finish the list above
- prep African American lit
- write next short essay assignment for African American lit
- teach 3 classes
- don't forget to do presentation sign-ups in Research Writing, again
- some other stuff I've forgotten
- go see Keb Mo with SLP :) :) :)
Ok, today, I have:
- finished grading a stack of portfolios
- prepped for 3 sections
- gone to the employee meeting for My Bar
- answered student emails
- finish the next stack (major arguments turned in late, so it's not a full stack; phew)
- print feedback for the first stack to turn back
- print the extra credit that got emailed in over the weekend
- finish another stack
- teach three sections
- read a short story and a poem, so I can
- prep African American Lit for the week
- grade discussion board posts for African American lit
- finish another stack
- teach two sections
- print feedback for the stack to turn back
- finish the stack I most certainly won't have actually finished by then
- teach three sections
- write the next short essay assignment for African American Lit
- grade the extra credit that was emailed in over the weekend
- and a few more things I've forgotten
- print feedback for the stack to turn back
- teach two sections
- take a frickin' break
