Last day of class

Not counting the final exam I have to give to a handful of people on 5/5, or the grading I have to finish up, today is the last day of the semester for me. This was my first semester teaching my own class at the college level (not that I have any teaching experience at any other level, but still.) It was an unbelievably fast semester, and I learned more than anyone, including my students, probably care to know. I'm teaching again in the fall, and I'm going to be changing a lot of how the class is structured over the summer.

But that stuff is too boring for this! I have been too srrrrious here! I need to post some random shit again! And so that's going to happen, when I'm done grading (BOO), I'm going to post some random sci-fi shit I have dreamt up for you to make fun of behind my back. Behold! CREATIVITY.

Just another update

1) I have been killing a ton of time playing Fable 2. I like it a lot, but it suffers from some of the same problems most RPGs do, especially more recent ones that allow for more expansive universes and elaborate plots. First, try as they might, the game is still completely linear and that bugs me. I don't like vendors adding progressively more expensive weapons and potions as your experience grows; I don't like the one-mission-at-a-time shit with the slavers and bounty hunters. It isn't realistic, and it's kind of just patting the player on the head. I also don't like the "hurry hurry hurry hurry THE END" aspect of these games. I know most gamers are ADD addled morons but come on, draw it out some, I can take it. That's my main complaint with Mass Effect- here's a gigantic, world ending problem that apparently is easily solved, and your characters basically were good to go from the beginning.

2) Spent the last three days grading. Have a meeting on Monday to talk about my dissertation proposal. Worried about that, to say the least.

3) Started watching Firefly. Like the set up a ton. Looking forward to watching the entire series in a single shot. We're about to finish season 3 of Buffy- 8 episodes in 2 days is always a good use of time. I remember very little about what happens post-graduation, except I know that Riley sucks. He hasn't debuted yet and I already hate him again. Seeing the Wesley/Cordelia interaction for the first time was fun though, since Angel is still a favorite of mine.

4) Had I think my all-time favorite story idea last night that I need to dwell on and flesh out some before I consider either putting pen to paper/fingers to keyboard. Well, that's premature. I have the universe figured out, I just need to figure out what stories could take place in it. Because it's one of those kinds of deals. It's the kind of universe that allows for a TON of creativity and complexity, which is what I like.

5) ESPN hired Matt Millen for Monday Night Countdown, which means I will never watch Monday Night Countdown again.

Killing time

I have a meeting in 10 minutes. It's the first meeting of the new AddHealth Working Group. AddHealth is a massive dataset that I use all the time. I fully expect to generate new ideas and papers out of these meetings. So I'm pretty nervous. But I've gotten good at channeling nervous energy in more positive ways. And I know all of these people anyway. I think I'm nervous because it's the first time I'll be talking about my dissertation outside of the one on one meetings I've had with my committee.

Going to Best Buy on the way home to pick up a new flash drive. May also be buying myself some presents. A little electronic therapy. And then tonight, it's an all Joss night with Buffy, Dollhouse, and then recording the AbG Podcast. Wherein I'll be doing my small, insignificant part to say goodbye to Andy Hallett, a guy I never met and know nothing about, except he seemed nice and died far too early.