I continue to be tired.

And I kind of ache. Whether that is because of the junk I've been dealing with in this horrible week-that-will-not-end or whether it's because we've ramped up into Summer Humidity Mode, I can't tell.

I got an ACADEMIC APPEALS REQUEST (and yes, that's how they send them out - all capitals) on behalf of someone (not the someone I've talked about before this week) who, IMHO, is not really deserving of the mercy pass. Yes, they won't have the required GPA to graduate. Yes, I've "ruined their life." (Good grief how that makes my ears smoke. I didn't "ruin your life" by your failing a class that you need to graduate. I didn't force you to skip. I didn't keep you from studying for the exams. I didn't prevent you from handing in lab reports - in fact, I accepted LATE lab reports, in direct contravention to "da rules" I laid out in the syllabus).

I hate that. I'm not punching the ticket for your guilt trip. You can see I have no bags packed. I am not going there. I don't care that you had to work multiple jobs, or had small kids at home, or broke up with a Significant Other. Other people do those kind of things and they manage to cope.

Gosh, it seems that I've finally run out of sympathy. Gee, too bad.

So anyway, I sent an e-mail back to the administrator who sent it, explaining the problems this student had presented and why I felt the student didn't deserve a W rather than an F.

I'm bracing for blowback. Which is why, I think, my shoulders just started hurting worse.

*****

Usually this weekend is a celebration sort of weekend - a little "thank God I survived another one" (because exam week is next week and all my grading is done until I get the exams back). Usually I use the opportunity to run out to McKinney.

But they are once again predicting BIG GIANT FREAKING STORMS WITH HAIL THE SIZE OF CAT'S HEADS!!!! so I think maybe I'll stick at home. Probably clean house (I plan to start this afternoon as soon as I can escape campus - and I do want to escape in case of disgruntled students; I find it's easier to let them sit and re-gruntle before they speak to me). I'm going to do the "big" cleaning and try to hit the super-cluttered guest room/office as well.

And then, I think I'm going to reward myself by starting a new project. Not sure what, yet. I might wind off the dream-in-color yarn with the silver sparkles in it and start the scarf of that. I want to use one of the old Shetland patterns, just not sure which one yet. (Probably NOT feather-and-fan, I've used that in a lot of things)

Some possibilities are here, but I think I am going to use one called Crest O the Wave (one example of this worked up is here, the Walker Treasury Project version is here (I really like that the Walker Treasury Project is available. I may have to link it in my sidebar because it's a useful way to see good clear examples of how stitches look)

I like Crest O the Wave because it's simple to do - I've done socks of it before - and I think it will look very nice in the dark-blue with silver sparkles yarn.

I may even start this this weekend and use it as invigilating knitting in the coming week - it will be simple enough (the pattern is easily memorized), there is no shaping, and it's a situation where I can tuck the "cake" of yarn up under one arm and walk around the classroom while I knit.

It's probably the only openly eccentric thing I do. I have a lot of eccentricities, but I mostly keep them hidden from students (I am less successful at hiding them all from colleagues).

I don't know. I like it. It amuses me. And if it generates a bit of cognitive dissonance in the students (here is this "modern" woman, with a Ph.D., who teaches some pretty hard science...and she's knitting a lace scarf!), all the better.

I like how I feel like I look a little atavistic walking around the room, with the ball of yarn tucked up under my arm - just like Scotswomen of old did when they knitted while roaming the fields after the sheep or while walking down to meet their husband's boat at the seashore. As I've said before, one of the things that I love so much about knitting is that I feel like I'm reaching back over time when I do it, and sort of shaking hands with women of the past. Even more so when I knit an old pattern like Crest o the Wave. I like honoring the past a little bit in that way.

Incidentally, while looking for some example patterns to share, I found this site of historical knitting patterns. They have everything from Monmouth caps to a funny cheeky 1930's ladies hat.