I have at least six things I really want to write blog posts about at the moment, but the day job is a harsh mistress.
So instead of a content-laden post, you get a list so you can play along vicariously.
In the next nine days, I must:
Category Archives: Personal
Passion quilt: a meme for teachers.
More than a month ago William the Coroner tagged me. It is not just that I am slow; this meme is challenging!
Not mush, methodology.
Pop quiz.
Captivated by the colors I saw, I took this picture today.
Any guesses as to what it is?
Evidence that the kids might be getting too much public radio.
As we’re listening to Weekend Edition, the younger Free-Ride offspring asks, “Why don’t they ever have weekend subtraction?”
(I think it was the elder Free-Ride offspring, years ago, who asked why Morning Edition had puppet words. It took us a few long moments to figure out the “puppet words” was actually Bob Edwards.)
A question for those who teach.
Do you ever get to the point where if you haven’t checked your syllabus within the last few hours, you have no confidence that you actually know what day it is?
Or is it just me?
Sustainability starts with sustainable habits.
Another Earth Day rolls around, and I still have major qualms about the typical American approach to it (which seems to boil down to “Consumer choices will save the world!”). Possibly, viewing ourselves and each other primarily as consumers explains how we have had such a dramatic effect on the environment in the first place.
Still, while we try to muster the political will and get ourselves together to respond collectively to the challenges to the Earth we all share, it’s undeniable that our individual choices do have impacts. Here in the U.S., some of those impacts can be pretty big. So, I’m marking this Earth Day by taking stock of some of the habits I’ve tried to cultivate to lighten my impact.
Words of advice for new tenure track faculty.
ScienceWoman has a great post on balancing responsibilities in a new tenure track job, with an eye to publishing papers and setting up a robust and productive research program. It’s a must-read, especially for those who are lucky enough to be starting tenure track gigs in the fall. Since I’m getting toward the end of my probationary period before the tenure decision (ask me on May 23, I’ll know by then), I thought I’d offer my words of advice for hitting the ground running in a tenure track job:
A dialogue on pseudonymity, personae, and interpersonal relations in the blogosphere.
Janet D. Stemwedel: Hey, can we talk about pseudonymous blogging?
Dr. Free-Ride: Haven’t you already written a bunch of posts about that?
Janet D. Stemwedel: Yeah, but the blogosphere seems to be discussing it again.
Dr. Free-Ride: You know I only work on Fridays, right?
Janet D. Stemwedel: Get your pseudonymous butt in gear and help me have a proper dialogue!
A tax-related question.
Actually, a few of them. Since we sent our tax return off already, the answers to the questions probably doesn’t have much practical import, but here they are:
Y’all know that I get paid a (pretty modest) amount for blogging. As such, Seed sent me a 2007 Miscellaneous Income report (Form 1099-MISC).
This form shows the modest amount that I earned in box 5, “Fishing boat proceeds”. Under “Instructions for Recipient” it says:
Box 5. An amount in this box means the fishing boat operator considers you self-employed. Report this amount on Schedule C or C-EZ (Form 1040). See Pub. 344.
My questions:
Help Kay Weber continue to pursue her case against Fermilab.
You may already have seen this at Absinthe or Zuska’s — if so, consider this post a friendly nudge to move beyond your good intentions toward action.
Kay Weber, who is pursuing a lawsuit against Fermilab for (the details of which sound pretty horrific), has come to a point where the expense of moving the lawsuit forward is personally insurmountable. With a little help from others who support her fight for fair treatment, however, it can be done: