precipitate

The instructional assistant is to support student learning, not to teach.

I SO want to reply, "OK," and leave it at that.
Kind of like I want to reply to the suggestion that I put MORE words into my slide deck with, "No."

I mean, they want a paragraph. "I teach the lab classes" is what I got.

I procrastinated and now I need to respond to two things my tenure committee recommended last year by, like, 15 minutes ago. (The rest of my tenure portfolio is complete; this is a tiny bit at the end that is important, but unlikely to be missed tonight).

One was about the instructional assistant.

Screen shot of knife edge under digital magnification. The edge of the knife is rough and wavy.

The edge needs work.

A coffee table with a tray of baby carrots, apples, and some storage containers. Also a Japanese knife in a knife sharpening jig and the white body of a digital magnifier.

This is why we're still together.
He was fixing to cut fruit for his lunches this week. I came back into the living room and this is happening.
On the right, apples. On the left, knife sharpening jig. Lower left, digital magnifier.
Of course we nerd out over our tools!

Mixed Paratha - $5.99 Each A Golden Flaky Flatbread Stuffed With Potatoes, Onions, Green Chilis, Garlic, Ginger, And Chopped Vegetables. Mixed Paratha Is Both Hearty And Delicate, Inviting You To Break Off A Piece And Scoop Up Tangy Pickles or Creamy Curries, Savoring The Soulful Taste Of Punjab In Every Bite. Served With A 8oz Indian Yogurt And Pickles. (Served 9:00am-12:00pm only) Basmati Rice - 16ox $4.99 32oz $8.99 Each Grain Long, Fluffy, And Flagrant, Steamed To Perfection. Basmati Rice Provides Subtle, Elegant Canvas For Soaking Up The Rich Gravies And Spices Of The Punjab Feast.

Something I love about living in this era: truck driver Indian food along every major transport route in California and Nevada.

Ate at a restaurant in a Barstow gas station along the 15 recently.

The food was quite good, and the menu is downright florid.

I remind myself that I'm frustrated with the new students in the fall, and by spring I love them.

I remind myself VERY VERY LOUDLY when the 15th of 34 gets the same fecking thing wrong in the exact same way. WHY DO I GIVE YOU LECTURE NOTES?

"red aposematic coloration, aposematic odor, a tough puncture-resistant integument, unpleasant tasting chemicals on the integument, and exceedingly distasteful internal compounds."

😂
The J. of Arachnology, 50(2):175-180 (2022). doi.org/10.1636/JoA-...

"Overall, velvet mites appear to have no meaningful predators, likely because of their enormous suite of highly effective defensives:

"When sampled by an author, a velvet mite produced an exceedingly bitter, astringent, and spicy taste that endured in the mouth for about an hour.

Mice?

Gray and white pibble readjusted so she is no longer falling off the chair.

If only you could have heard the snorting and snuffling the accompanied this change in position.

Gray and white pibble precariously sleeping in a chair

Aaaand 2 hours later …

A gray and white pibble curled in a chair

She totally fitz.

An orange tabby cat in shrimp pose on a bed.

A gray and white pit bull snoring on a bed.

Can you feel the snores?

Syllabus says use of AI without disclosing the prompt is academic dishonesty.

I'm real tempted to bring down the hammer.

But maybe I should just give them disappointed teacher face this time.

Because they have no idea that they're even using AI.

Full citations? But I don't wanna read that. Meh.

Every year, someone comes up with a new, oddball response to one of the questions.

This year, I have graded 13/32 and five students have given the *same* new, oddball response. I finally Googled the question and it's the AI summary.

Which is, of course, wrong.

They need to explain the rationale for procedures they learned, and create a stepwise protocol for procedures as we teach them (because dog knows, every fucking clinic and veterinarian has their own One Right Way).

I am trying to decide how annoyed to be (I'm annoyed already, of course, but that was on my time).

The students have to turn in a lab journal assignment after most labs.

I agree with your first-quarter take. He improved as the game went on, and looked like a passable backup by the end. Huh.

Tom Brady needs to look up Ochocinco's Botox person, because Chad looks beautiful and Tom is smack into Uncanny Valley territory.

Sigh. New plagiarism record: First assignment of the semester.

Good news? I guess they can't do it earlier than the first assignment.

I am mildly embarrassed that it took me so long to buy a 21st century hair dryer. I avoided styling my hair because it took for-fucking-ever and I mostly don't care much. Old one tried to catch fire, so I replaced it.

Y'all, the new one takes 10 minutes to fully dry my hair and keep the curls.

Guidelines for the Humane Transportation of Research Animals Read online, download a free PDF, or order a copy in print or as an eBook.

The guidelines for humane treatment of research animals (nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1155...) says that cats are thermoneutral at 35-38C (95-100F).

So heck yeah she wants her warmy!

Animals are energetically neutral -- not needing to expend energy to stay warm or cool off -- in a range of temperatures that depends on species and body size.

My sympathies on your newly limited choices.

I just found out I am sensitive to rice. I can have rice bran oil, but whole rice or rice flour puts me in bed for a full day with fatigue, brain fog, weakness.

It started about 3 months after I had COVID. In 2023.

Oops. ALT for this image: An orange tabby cat is lying with his shoulders and front paws inside a shallow cardboard box that is absolutely not big enough to contain a reasonable portion of his body.

Meanwhile, right now, the muppet thinks he fitz. He does not. It does seem to be annoying him, but he's come back to this spot three or four times.

A gray and white pit bull wearing a harness and leash is in the back seat of a black car. Her butt and rear feet are up on the seat, while her head is wedged under the driver's seat.

We have full-on derp in effect here today. This morning, the doggo didn't want to get out of the car because she thought there might be snacks under the seat. I waited about 3 minutes for her to decide she had already eaten the snacks.

A gray and white pit bull is precariously positioned with her ass hanging off a sofa. Imagine a string of zzzzzzzzzz emanating from her face.

My beautiful, classy pibble.

An orange tabby cat is stretched out on a bed, alongside a person’s leg, all cuddled up.

Because 81F wasn’t warm enough.