Good News, Bad News

1. GOOD: Chapter draft finished and submitted and my advisor liked it.
2. BAD: I am fielding emails from students unhappy about their midterm grades, including one who challenged every single point I docked.
3. GOOD: Plumbing repair cost <$500, not $3500.
4. BAD: Repeated changes in water pressure caused by the plumbing repair prompted our old water heater to give up the ghost.
5. GOOD: Now we have a shiny new water heater.
6. ALSO GOOD: It went out with a whimper, not a bang, so we didn't have hot water spraying all over the basement. Just dripping woefully.
7. BAD: Water heaters aren't cheap.
8. SORT OF GOOD: But it still didn't add up to $3500. My friend Jenny and I think maybe plumbers do that on purpose -- give you a colossal number so that whatever smaller total you end up with sounds really awesome. Yes, you can have a big chunk of our hard-earned money! Is that all? Don't you need a little extra? A big chunk is a lot less than $3500, you know.
9. GOOD: I made 10 photo album pages in the past week.
10. BAD: That brings me up to December 25, 2008. Uuugggghhh, I don't like making albums.
11. GOOD: Two more boys have asked me to teach them to knit. They want to chat about techniques and patterns. How many ways do I know to cast on? Which is harder, Fair Isle or entrelac? Very fun.
12. BAD (not really): Our end tables are looking awfully untidy, with all these knitting projects lying around.
13. GOOD: I am delighted with the February baby sweater. So pretty, with unexpectedly nice drape after blocking. Pix to come when I get buttons sewn on.
14. BAD: I just talked to my advisor about my goals for the week and they are going to cut way into my knitting time.
15. GOOD: She says I'm making good progress, which is motivating. Hurray! Seven months until graduation!

Comments

[Lilian]

Wow, so much going on!! We don't have a water heater, but a pressure tank for the well water which will need replacement sometime... I love *not* having a water heater (we have hot water baseboard heat) and having heated water on demand... too bad that because of the luxury of being able to take loooong showers I force myself to do it only every other day. :-( (I feel very guilty for polluting the environment with our oil heater).

[Ariella]

"BAD: I am fielding emails from students unhappy about their midterm grades, including one who challenged every single point I docked."

One of my legal writing students reported me to the Dean last semester because she didn't agree with the grade she earned on her final Brief. She also didn't agree with her final grade, period. I don't know what she expected; all the deans are also lawyers, so she didn't get anywhere and they upheld the grades. Stay strong!