Tom is Away

Got to Temple 90 minutes early for a meeting. This either makes me a go-getter, or kind of an idiot.

as it turns out, this site is the second result on a google search for my name. Maybe not a good thing?

one class left to teach– multiple seniors attending their final class ever. I imagine they’ll be totally focused.

question: what’s the most logical action to take when your teacher insists that a) you must directly hand your portfolio directly to the teacher, and b) sliding portfolios under the office door is a terrible idea, due to potential for loss, etc.?

answer: slide three portfolios under office door some time before 9:30 AM, of course.

last day of the semester. Sitting around campus for several hours to collect portfolios, then actually teaching in the evening.

Record-low number of panicky emails received.

I’ve gotten in the habit of saying “literally” too much. Not using it incorrectly– I hate that– but just too damn much. So what I’m saying is, if you hear me saying it, you have permission to hit, or at least shove, me. It might be the only thing that works.

the problem with taking the train out for happy hour is that in the morning you have to walk 2 miles to get your car.

I’m just gonna say it– the Phillies lose very little by replacing Jimmy Rollins with Juan Castro.

last week of classes means it’s time to begin the whirlwind of end-of-semester happy hours. In about 1 1/2 hours, I will be purchasing happiness at the rate of about $2/bottle

you know what would make the end of the semester a little more exciting? If someone would just tell me whether I still have a job in the Fall.

I wouldn’t have guessed that Operation Iraqi Freedom sweatpants ever existed, and yet, there they are.

If you’d like a very negative take on the Howard signing, check Crashburn Alley

so here’s the problem with immediate draft grades (besides the obvious point that so many of them turn out to be egregiously wrong, sometimes within 5-6 months): these analysts aren’t grading the teams based on what makes sense football-wise, but rather they’re grading the teams on whether or not their moves confirmed what the analysts themselves believed. Or, put another way, they get angry about “reaches” and “bad picks” and “poor value” and so on not because they’re truly invested in what makes sense, but because they need the teams to reinforce the analysts’ ideas. Without that, then they just look like idiots making random guesses– which, pretty much, they are.

figuring out how to turn 4000 words into 1200 words.

Went to barnes & noble yesterday, found myself standing next to a giant poster with a picture of me on it. They’re already advertising for my book and reading, which seems like a good thing

IgglesBlog with a great breakdown of the draft (Sam’s section is particularly good, I think):

finally back to writing today, during 1 week grading reprieve.

Not that I should complain much– summer vacation looms.

celebrating the arrival of final copies of my book– dinner tonight at one of my favorite local restuarants (also, the only place where I’ve ever eaten rabbit)

disappointing return on all the emails to Eagles fan clubs. 2 responses, one possibly sarcastic

biggest reunion non-surprise: some people, including people who sat next to me in homeroom for years, and people who are class alumni presidents, having literally no idea that I was someone they should recognize.