My excursions today brought a few insights/questions to mind that I would like to share with my few, but loyal, readers.
The fountains are running again on campus. Many of you are aware that Georgia has been in a severe drought for the past several years. We have taken steps to conserve water and become much more conscious of our impact on the environment. I'm proud to say that the residents of Clarke County sets records for water conservation (so much so that we're now facing increase water rates because the county can't afford to pay back it's bonds). During the period of extreme conservation, the university shut down all of the fountains on campus to conserve water. As I walked across campus today, I noticed the fountains are running again. While this is a positive in terms of better conditions (i.e., rain), I am struck by the fact that conservation is only important in times of severe drought/water shortages. Wouldn't the responsible action be to terminate fountains completely?
I also had occasion to venture into the library today (I needed some articles for my dissertation). What surprised me most was that almost every table in the library was occupied. I was aghast at the number of individuals utilizing the center of knowledge on campus. Then, I remember that finals begin in a little over a week. These are the students who are cramming for their final exams, rushing to finish papers and projects, and learning that they can no longer procrastinate. I'm spending this week meeting with students to read drafts of papers and responding to a plethora of e-mail inquiries. I am puzzled by the fact that students do not listen, read, or pay attention when I cover material in class. It would actually save them so much time. Why is that I do not understand my students?
Despite my routines and my ability to handle any situation, I can be surprised. I typically pride myself on my ability to handle every situation with calm and rational abilities. In short, I'm rarely thrown by a situation. However, I was quite surprised this evening. I began preparing dinner and I heard the sound of a lawnmower outside. I rushed to the back door expecting to see some errant urchin dashing through the neighborhood on a stolen lawnmower (it is Athens after all). Much to my surprise, it was the lawn service. In the almost four years I have lived in this townhome, I can count on one hand the number of times the lawn people failed to show up on Tuesday morning between 5:30 and 6:00 am to maintain all of our lovely grass, shrubbery, and trees (they're excellent by the way). I've spent the rest of the evening wondering what went wrong that they were so late today. Now I'm wondering what this says about me. Am I that weird/stressed?
The fountains are running again on campus. Many of you are aware that Georgia has been in a severe drought for the past several years. We have taken steps to conserve water and become much more conscious of our impact on the environment. I'm proud to say that the residents of Clarke County sets records for water conservation (so much so that we're now facing increase water rates because the county can't afford to pay back it's bonds). During the period of extreme conservation, the university shut down all of the fountains on campus to conserve water. As I walked across campus today, I noticed the fountains are running again. While this is a positive in terms of better conditions (i.e., rain), I am struck by the fact that conservation is only important in times of severe drought/water shortages. Wouldn't the responsible action be to terminate fountains completely?
I also had occasion to venture into the library today (I needed some articles for my dissertation). What surprised me most was that almost every table in the library was occupied. I was aghast at the number of individuals utilizing the center of knowledge on campus. Then, I remember that finals begin in a little over a week. These are the students who are cramming for their final exams, rushing to finish papers and projects, and learning that they can no longer procrastinate. I'm spending this week meeting with students to read drafts of papers and responding to a plethora of e-mail inquiries. I am puzzled by the fact that students do not listen, read, or pay attention when I cover material in class. It would actually save them so much time. Why is that I do not understand my students?
Despite my routines and my ability to handle any situation, I can be surprised. I typically pride myself on my ability to handle every situation with calm and rational abilities. In short, I'm rarely thrown by a situation. However, I was quite surprised this evening. I began preparing dinner and I heard the sound of a lawnmower outside. I rushed to the back door expecting to see some errant urchin dashing through the neighborhood on a stolen lawnmower (it is Athens after all). Much to my surprise, it was the lawn service. In the almost four years I have lived in this townhome, I can count on one hand the number of times the lawn people failed to show up on Tuesday morning between 5:30 and 6:00 am to maintain all of our lovely grass, shrubbery, and trees (they're excellent by the way). I've spent the rest of the evening wondering what went wrong that they were so late today. Now I'm wondering what this says about me. Am I that weird/stressed?
