My father told me a story about my 93 year old grandmother a couple of months ago. Apparently after a checkup with her doctor, he told her that she could easily live to 110. Her response: "Oh, shit."
Quality of life really does matter. As do, on a related note, financial resources. At the moment, I'm much more worried about being involuntarily retired too early than dying early. That could, of course, change pretty much at a moment's notice, but, since I harbor few illusions about just how far healthy living can take one (I've seen a few too many people die young of cancer to think, as many seem to, that maintaining health is entirely in our control), the financial issue is the one that I feel like I should be planning for. Somehow.
CC, I am SO in your boat, I feel like we might be toiling on the same oar.
Things have gotten so demoralizing that, fuck retirement, I don't know if I can find the energy to keep my head above water for the rest of the semester.
The writing on the wall is getting larger and louder that, if am not silently terminated from my better paying gig soon, things will soon "all be academic" (edu-speak for "going postal") as the mantra of "keep the customers happy" shifts from being an open secret to actual published policy.
In the past 48 hours, I've had two students complain they don't understand why I am criticizing their work when Eve R. Y'Otherinstructor has LOVED it and they both have had 4.0 GPAs since birth. I also heard from an instructor who admitted to rewriting some capstone work because it was clear the student wouldn't pass and the instructor "can't afford to lose this job."
That's exactly what I thought was meant, simultaneous to what PG expressed, soon followed by "Thought I'd something more to say," and then "Hanging on in quiet desperation," which is what CM and its denizens seem to be doing at times, not that there's anything wrong with it.
I feel that I could better contribute to maintaining a more robust readership, and less desperation over numbers, if I had more to say, or closer to the heart of it, more time to develop what I think should be said.
And shorter of breath.
ReplyDeleteHanging on in quiet desperation is the English way.
ReplyDeleteMy father told me a story about my 93 year old grandmother a couple of months ago. Apparently after a checkup with her doctor, he told her that she could easily live to 110. Her response: "Oh, shit."
ReplyDeleteQuality of life really does matter. As do, on a related note, financial resources. At the moment, I'm much more worried about being involuntarily retired too early than dying early. That could, of course, change pretty much at a moment's notice, but, since I harbor few illusions about just how far healthy living can take one (I've seen a few too many people die young of cancer to think, as many seem to, that maintaining health is entirely in our control), the financial issue is the one that I feel like I should be planning for. Somehow.
DeleteCC, I am SO in your boat, I feel like we might be toiling on the same oar.
DeleteThings have gotten so demoralizing that, fuck retirement, I don't know if I can find the energy to keep my head above water for the rest of the semester.
The writing on the wall is getting larger and louder that, if am not silently terminated from my better paying gig soon, things will soon "all be academic" (edu-speak for "going postal") as the mantra of "keep the customers happy" shifts from being an open secret to actual published policy.
In the past 48 hours, I've had two students complain they don't understand why I am criticizing their work when Eve R. Y'Otherinstructor has LOVED it and they both have had 4.0 GPAs since birth. I also heard from an instructor who admitted to rewriting some capstone work because it was clear the student wouldn't pass and the instructor "can't afford to lose this job."
Quite the quality of life ...
Oh, that guy? Thought you meant CM.
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what I thought was meant, simultaneous to what PG expressed, soon followed by "Thought I'd something more to say," and then "Hanging on in quiet desperation," which is what CM and its denizens seem to be doing at times, not that there's anything wrong with it.
DeleteI feel that I could better contribute to maintaining a more robust readership, and less desperation over numbers, if I had more to say, or closer to the heart of it, more time to develop what I think should be said.