I broke my own rules last week and skipped two scheduled posting days.
I was tired and sad from having such a wonderful trip. I think of this kind of energy drop as the post-show downs, the blues that arrive after a planned-for performance is over. I've recognized this experience ever since being in my high school production of Midsummer Night's Dream. I didn't realize I'd experience it so deeply simply from an eight minute speech.
But it wasn't just my presentation, of course. Nor was it my nine happy hours in Walt's World. I think my low energy flow signaled an acknowledgement that I've come to the end of my life as an academic who goes to conventions.
Now, there may be more conferences in my future but they will be the sort where I have an "elevator pitch" that I cram into the ears of tired literary agents who will note my wrinkles and lack of Botox and wonder why they're listening to someone so aged (Actually, there are plenty of folks my age writing in the genre I hope to pursue, so the age-thing shouldn't be a problem.)
But, I'm getting back into the swing of things as my last winter quarter rushes to a close. February, where is thy sting? Tomorrow we talk about gender stereotypes in Visual Rhetoric, starting with John Berger's knitting together of artistic nudes and advertising. Also tomorrow I will be giving my last lecture in my last week-day public speaking class. And the interpersonal class is focusing in on conflict management.
I tried something new in the live interpersonal this quarter. Instead of requiring a journal I've had them taking the same quizzes as those taken by the online classes. And here's what I don't understand. How is it that students can take open-book objective tests after viewing a slide show telling them the exact concepts that are going to be on the test and still get Fs? I don't understand how that's possible. I myself would need to work quite hard to avoid studying at that level. Yet, it clearly can be done.
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