Oh. Goody.

Now there are two things that could eat me.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520131750.htm

Apparently there are 30,000 Burmese pythons on the loose in Florida, and, per the Associate Professor of Herpetology and Fear Induction cited, they can live in any environment that gators can, meaning that they can be found anywhere in the lower 1/3 of the United States. Oh, and apparently they are breeding like slithering, limbless bunnies. Bunnies with scales. Bunnies capable of capturing, crushing, and eating a ******* alligator. Bad-ass Bunnies.

In less lethal news, it is sunny and warm and I have Vietnamese food.

Alles Gute.

A quick thought about grading.

I am currently most of the way through grading my first set of exams, so this will have to be brief. There are tests that are easy to grade - those from the people who have studied and know what they are talking about, as well as those who haven't bothered to study, as my red pen makes a few quick slash marks and we're good to go. The problem are the people who write incoherent answers - there are parts of their answer that make sense, but overall it's a mess. There are nuggets of truth contained in the answer, kind of like peanuts in stool.

Alles Gute.

Damn Girl Scouts

First and foremost, it was great seeing the family over Mardi Gras. By the end of the parade, I looked like Mr. T, but without the tasteful fashion sense.

In other news, **** the Girl Scouts with an iron stick.

Devil in a Blue Box

I made resolutions to eat better and exercise more intelligently (i.e., mix things up, don't let the body adapt to one kind of exercise, exercise more regularly, etc.). I bought fruits and vegetables, a new scale to track several body metrics (e.g., body fat percentage, since overall weight might not decrease during dieting, as muscle replaces fatty tissue), and had been good for awhile now (the visiting family was a clear exception). Then the little cookie pushers brought out their table with signs like "Good Cause" and "Noblesse Oblige". I've written elsewhere about my experience with them, so I will quote myself:

**** you, Girl Scouts. You and your Samoas and your Dulche de Leches. Didn't you know I just bought a new scale to track four different body markers? Didn't you see the *healthy* things I bought *right before* you sidled up with your table and "Good Cause" signs? The fruits and vegetables and reduced sodium/calorie soups? Didn't you know I would be helpless before you and your new flavors "Willpower Rot" and
"Eat 'em, Fatty's"? Jerkfaces. All of you. This is all your fault.

So, two boxes later, I have issued a fatwa: Girl Scouts are an Abomination unto the Eyes of the Lord. A sweet, nummy-licious Abomination.

In other news, it's testing season for my students. My personal favorite quote following an exam: "Nothing personal, but I hate you."

I figure I must be doing something right.

Alles Gute.