Today I turned in all of my grading and evaluations for Spring 2008. I am done with Imperial Russia, and all of Russia for a while (although the prof wants me to TA for Soviet History in the fall). The grades fell along the patterns of Russian society: a small elite, no middle class, and a large peasantry. We had 7 As, 12 B's, 12 C's, 2 F's, 2 passes and an incomplete. I guess weh have a slightly bigger "middle class", but these are the least inflated grades I've ever given. Sad, isn't it? But there is something about Russian history that really sifts the student's work into easily definable categories of A, B, C, and lower (there were many of them too, especially on the midterms).
In happier, crafting news: I finished Knitting Rogue! She's blocking over night and I'll be able to start the seaming tomorrow. I noticed that one sleeve is an inch or two longer and an inch wider than the other, but I'm hoping to block them to the same length. I'm too lazy to go back and re-do one of the sleeves. I'm ok with an imperfect first sweater.
Since then I've cast on for Tempting (I'm using Valley Farms merino/alpaca blend called Lenox in a blue) and will also cast on for Calorimetry (Manos of Uraguay in a variegated purple). I plan to take Calorimetry and the Irish Hiking Scarf along on my upcoming trip as they are both easy, small projects.
Speaking of which, L and I leave for France on Monday! We'll be in Nice with Sandychile for a week, then onto Marseilles, and then to Montana for my BIL and Lily's July 5th wedding. I'll try to post from Franc,e but seeing as how I hardly post from here, we'll see if it happens.
So my goal for the summer is to post once or twice a week. My other goal for the summer is to run more regularly and I've already started that, so blogging more regularly is my second task.
Overall, it's been a really tough but good year. I look back and I'm sort of amazed at what I've done in the past 9 months (read a ton, 1st conference presentation, organized a conference, QE'd, and didn't go crazy or eat the town of SC completely out of its chocolate supply). I'm looking forward to vacation with my SO to a place that doesn't involve in-laws or family (at least not our own), and I get to co-teach a course. Of course I have to start on my dissertation... but one step at a time.
You should run in Nice while you're there--it's a bit hot, but I liked running along the Promenade des Anglais in the morning. Not sure about Marseille, never been there, or maybe when I was 9?
ReplyDeleteBy the way, though there's no possible way to eat France out of its chocolate supply, it is easy to go overboard... I actually somewhat encourage it on this [short] trip. You will get lots of small portions during meals so try everything--most of it is delicious and worth not thinking about the butter content while consuming, trust me!
P.S. Be careful of the boulangeries where the pastries are actually cheaper than in the US and 10000 times more delicious and the grocery stores where huge, high quality chocolate bars are sold at 1 dollar or less.
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