Last week I was ill. A minor cold is not unusual; I get one almost every winter. However, it's rare that a bug knocks me down for several days, and this one did. I had to cancel my classes for two days, which is also a rarity. But, as Bruce Silver was oft to say, "Education is the only commodity that people expect less than they pay for."

More saddening: I also missed Kataklysm/Sworn Enemy last week at the Mug because of it.

So, I have a batch of papers sitting on the couch, calling my name. When I was sick, I had not enough patience to correct obvious grammatical errors--and in some sense I still do not. Some of the papers have been very good, but the low points this semster so far have been very low (Many of my freshpeople last semester have been better writers than the 'best' upperclasspeople this semester). One paper in particular was just simply unreadable. (C'mon, man: are "there," "their" and "they're" all just that confusing?!?!) I haven't given an "A" yet, and more than half are completed.

I think I'm going to have to go back and curve them--

My new hobby has been to figure out the ins and outs of homemade DVD's. Until recently my DVD payer was a five year old Samsung which I received free for re-signing my lease at Collegiate Hell (in retrospect, still not worth it). To remedy the situation, I just picked up a Toshiba D-R5 on the cheap, which is not only a DVD player but also a recorder. Ah, the joys of modern technology.

I have also been downloading and burning some of my perpetual favorites, including all of the episodes of Oz and Battlestar Galactica. (N. and I have been watching all of the BG's from the beginning, and we're almost caught up with the current season).

I need to clean my place today, go grocery shopping and maybe work on this third (fourth?) chapter on the so-called 'resolute reading.' And maybe watch some Oz.