Self-indulgence (more whining about my oh-so-troubled life)

[onefixedstar]

I am irritated with this year's 101 class. I am so very tired of students emailing me (or the professor) to ask why they got such a low participation mark (apart from the fact that they, you know, didn't participate, as they will freely admit). There are so many variations on the "I know i didn't speak much, but I didn't realize that would affect my mark so much" theme. People, it's called a participation mark for a reason. They wrote the final exam last night, so hopefully the email will soon taper off. And then you can all stop hearing me whine about it. (Or seeing my whine about it, but that doesn't sound quite right. English seems to be structured such that certain types of content are embedded in an assumption of oral transmission, despite at least a couple of centuries of exchanging gossip-filled letters.)

When I showed up to invigilate the exam last night, I found out that the professor had scheduled five TAs coming as well as himself to be there. That was six invigilators for 155 students. He eventually decided that it was too many and sent the two tutorial leaders home, keeping the marking TAs to hand back the papers. Sadly, the exam appears to have cost me an opportunity to get a really great looking apartment. I was scheduled to go see it tonight, but the owner called me this morning to say that she had already rented it out. I don't begrudge him asking us to come to the exam--it is part of my job--but it's a bit frustrating to show up and not be needed, and then to lose the apartment because of it.

On the topic of apartments, I've decided I need a second roommate. This would have two advantages: first, it would mean I could split the apartment hunting with someone else; and second, it would let me go look at some of these really great looking 3 and 4-bedroom apartments in the Annex and Roommate-To-Be and I can't afford on our own. I wonder who I can talk into moving? Because I really am getting desperate.

To complete the whining, I should really insert something here about high expectations, perfectionism and the difficulty of editing my own work, but that's too depressing. So instead I'll end by noting that semiotic_trader and a_just_society are arriving in town tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to seeing them.

Comments

[mrthursday.livejournal.com]

Good luck to you too.
Part of my trouble is I am on my own. it seems easier in London to get a couple fo friends together and go hunting for a flat rather than trying to find a flat with a spare room!

[onefixedstar.livejournal.com]

Yes, I don't envy you trying to find a place by yourself. I tried doing that a year ago, before finding my current roommate. It wasn't really what I'd call a fun experience. And I imagine that London is even worse than Toronto for rent.