spotlight on...sarojaede!

[Sarojaede]

yep. suffice it to say it was a difficult day after. :>



i really enjoyed your answers to the previous questions, incidentally: i ought to have mentioned earlier.

what things do you now appreciate about home ownership that you didn't prior?

ed

LOL. So many, many things.

There's just a sense of deep satisfaction that the house is ours and doesn't belong to someone else. It feels like home, even in it's state of chaos right now.

But, the great thing is that we can make any changes we want without having to run them by anyone. I can paint the walls fuschia and lime green if I want. (Not that I do, mind you.)

But I think the best thing about it is the sense of community. We found a good house in a great location. We did downgrade a bit on what we were looking for to get in this neighborhood and this school system, but it was well worth it. It's kind of nice to feel like we live in a neighborhood that we want to make a commitment to by being involved in things like the Booster's Club for the elementary and high school or volunteering to work and help out at the fall festival fundraiser at the schools.

Granted, the last house we rented, we did live in for almost 7 years, but there wasn't a huge sense of community or belonging there.

 

[Sarojaede]

Oooh, I've got to answer this one.
Dan Brown.
Except for the part about classic, critically acclaimed and work of literature.

LOL. Brown is formulaic, but many best-selling authors are just that. I enjoy his books for the non-thinking kind of read.

 

[silverwhisper]

i was unclear whether you were still considering question 14, from the first post or if clarification is in order. ?



have you encountered any real howlers yet in this year's crop of students?

ed

 

[Kikori]

Met any Lit. members yet? ^_^

 

[silverwhisper]

oo, what's your favorite sandwich? use whatever definition of sandwich you like: if you want to broaden it to wraps, that's fine, too. :>

ed

 

[Quoll]

LOL. Brown is formulaic, but many best-selling authors are just that. I enjoy his books for the non-thinking kind of read.

Oh I agree totally, I don't actually end up with much time to physically read books, but I listen to them while I'm driving and the non-thinking type are just perfect for concentrating on the road as well, it just seems I have hit more plot potholes with Brown than most other authors.

What magazines/books/authors do you read purely for relaxation and what is your preferred non-thinking genre?

 

[Sarojaede]

i was unclear whether you were still considering question 14, from the first post or if clarification is in order. ?



have you encountered any real howlers yet in this year's crop of students?

ed

Honestly, it's really more of the same kinds of things, but it seems more widespread.

I seem to have more students who come to class totally unprepared, as in they come without a book, without a notebook, or without a writing utensil of any kind. (It's a writing class, one would think that they would understand that as such you need to come prepared to write.) They come totally unprepared to learn or do work.

I don't necessarily believe that this is a sign that they are incapable of doing the work. I do, however, think it's a marker that they are not really sure why they are there or why they are in college in the first place.

I seem to have a larger percentage of the class being totally unmotivated. And yes, I realize it's my job to motivate them, but motivation is a two way street and learning is a partnership, so I expect them to meet me at least half way.

I have one student who breaks into song in my class at various times because he's convinced he's going to be a musician/rapper. And while he may have the talent, I do wish he would learn that breaking into a rap in the middle of my class (or anyone's unless it's a music class) isn't exactly appropriate behavior.

It seems that more and more they are unaware of how to comport themselves within a classroom let alone the hallways of an academic building where other classes might just be going on while they yell and scream at each other in the hallways or start rapping down the hallway (and I'm not just talking about my students that exhibit this behavior).

 

[Sarojaede]

oo, what's your favorite sandwich? use whatever definition of sandwich you like: if you want to broaden it to wraps, that's fine, too. :>

ed

I'm not really sure that I have a favorite sandwich, to be honest.

I like a really good tuna salad sandwich if the tuna salad isn't too heavy on the mayo.

I like grilled blue cheese with granny smith apple slices. It's totally yummy.

And I'm really fond of just salami and Swiss cheese rolled up in a whole wheat tortilla with dill cole slaw.

 

[Sarojaede]

Met any Lit. members yet? ^_^

I haven't met any yet, no. I've met a couple of people from one of my other on-line haunts.

BG and I most certainly need to plan a time to meet since we probably live the closest of the Lit. members I would like to meet and I do drive by her neck of the woods any time I travel to visit my family.

 

[Sarojaede]

Oh I agree totally, I don't actually end up with much time to physically read books, but I listen to them while I'm driving and the non-thinking type are just perfect for concentrating on the road as well, it just seems I have hit more plot potholes with Brown than most other authors.

What magazines/books/authors do you read purely for relaxation and what is your preferred non-thinking genre?

I have a penchant for People magazine for the quick non-thinking fix.

Books....hmmmmm.......


Well, I would say probably Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, which is up to Finger Licken' Fifteen, I believe.

And probably Sue Grafton's alphabet series.

I don't know that I have a preferred non-thinking genre, but I do tend to read more mystery, suspense, thriller than anything else, so that would probably be my favorite thinking as well as non-thinking genre, depending on the author/book.

 

[silverwhisper]

do you have a favorite lit category? :>

ed

 

[Sarojaede]

do you have a favorite lit category? :>

ed

No, not really.

 

[bobsgirl]

I haven't met any yet, no. I've met a couple of people from one of my other on-line haunts.

BG and I most certainly need to plan a time to meet since we probably live the closest of the Lit. members I would like to meet and I do drive by her neck of the woods any time I travel to visit my family.

Just say the word, toots. We'll go get matching tattoos.

 

[silverwhisper]

SJ quoth:
it seems that more and more they are unaware of how to comport themselves within a classroom let alone the hallways of an academic building where other classes might just be going on while they yell and scream at each other in the hallways or start rapping down the hallway (and i'm not just talking about my students that exhibit this behavior).

i've noticed the same, truth be told. i wonder if perhaps people have stopped emphasizing the difference between "indoor voice" and "outdoor voice", or something like that, b/c i tend to find that really, really irritating.

really good answers to the questions to date, btw. that of course is a prelude to a few more questions:

1. you're a voracious reader. in a given month, how many books do you read?

2. how do you encounter new music? is it through recommendations, something you hear on the radio, something else?

3. are you still addicted to diet coke with lime?

4. what' are your favorite toppings on a pizza? yes, i know you prefer chicago-style. :>

5. please fill in the blank: "if people would only [blank], this world would be a better place."

ed

 

[Sarojaede]

i've noticed the same, truth be told. i wonder if perhaps people have stopped emphasizing the difference between "indoor voice" and "outdoor voice", or something like that, b/c i tend to find that really, really irritating.

I don't know. In my household, we certainly discuss the differences between an indoor voice and an outdoor voice with my son. We have since he was, oh I don't know...two.



1. you're a voracious reader. in a given month, how many books do you read?

Surprisingly, this is the hardest of the questions for me to answer. It really depends on the month. During summer months, I might might read 10 to 12 books in a month or more. Once the semester starts back up and I start getting tons of papers in, I seriously pare down. Sometimes it's around 4 or 5, other times, I'm lucky if I get through one book in a month. (It just depends on how heavy the grading load is during a given month.)


2. how do you encounter new music? is it through recommendations, something you hear on the radio, something else?


Gosh. Sometimes it's simply through snatches of things I hear on the radio as I'm scanning through stations. Sometimes it's bands featured on Leno's new show or on The Tonight Show or Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, if I'm up that late. Sometimes it's from recommendations from a friend. Or I'll catch a video clip from Youtub posted to another site.


3. are you still addicted to diet coke with lime?

Not as much as I was. I'm switched to either Diet Dr. Pepper or Pepsi Max lately. I'm having a harder time finding Diet Coke with Lime these days.

4. what' are your favorite toppings on a pizza? yes, i know you prefer chicago-style. :>

I don't have an absolute favorite. It's more of a mood thing with me.

Some days, pepperoni and onion really hits the spot. I like the little crisp crunch of the onion when you bite into it. If the onion is mushy on my pizza, forget it. It has to be cooked but still have that crispness to it.

Other days, I like proscuitto and green and red peppers.

Still others, I like grilled chicken and pesto.

And then sometimes, I just like plain cheese with extra cheese.



5. please fill in the blank: "if people would only [blank], this world would be a better place."


Right now the answer to this is...

If people would only read the ^($$(%$%($*$ directions, this would be a better place.

LOL. Sorry, I'm having a little onslaught of students who didn't read the directions for something they were given two weeks ago that was due today and for which most waited until today to even attempt to do so they are not scrambling to get it done but not following the directions to do so.

/bangs head on keyboard

 

[Sarojaede]

Just say the word, toots. We'll go get matching tattoos.

I'm ready for a new tattoo. Let's go!

 

[silverwhisper]

SJ quoth:
i don't know. In my household, we certainly discuss the differences between an indoor voice and an outdoor voice with my son. we have since he was, oh i don't know...two.

i wonder if it isn't the same thing that gives rise to people having their private mobile phone conversations in public, very very loudly.

SJ quoth:
surprisingly, this is the hardest of the questions for me to answer. it really depends on the month.

yeah, i had a feeling it would. :>

SJ quoth:
sometimes it's bands featured on leno's new show or on the tonight show or late night with jimmy fallon, if i'm up that late [emphasis mine].

should i take this to mean that the insomnia fairy's stopped visiting you for the nonce? :>

and i have to say, i had to laugh at your frustrations with your students. some day, remind me to tell you about the first day with a new mailgroup. :>

and now, a few more questions:

6. what've you really enjoyed that you've read/watched in the past few months?

7. right now, what strikes you as the oddest question someone has asked you?

8. what (literary canon) author do you consider most overrated, and time permitting, why?

9. in your view, what is the greatest threat to world peace at this moment?

10. as a rule, i think people have a tendency either towards being too honest and forthright with their opinions, or too circumspect. i think people are too context/situation-conscious to permit a simple yes/no in the vast majority of cases, but having said that: which approach do you find more trouble addressing with others?

ed

 

[Kikori]

*Peeks at the profile*

Which MMO's are / were you into? :3

 

[Sarojaede]

i wonder if it isn't the same thing that gives rise to people having their private mobile phone conversations in public, very very loudly.

I wouldn't doubt it.

should i take this to mean that the insomnia fairy's stopped visiting you for the nonce? :>

Not really. i've been trying to get to be earlier, but has been resulting in me waking at 3 a.m. if I go to bed at 11. I'm not sure which is worse, staying up until 2 and waking at 6 or going to bed at 11 and waking at 3.

6. what've you really enjoyed that you've read/watched in the past few months?

I actually finally watched The Queen with Helen Mirren and really enjoyed it.

As far as reading goes, I'm currently reading Freakonomics and find it fascinating.

I've also recently read Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeht Strout and found it a really well developed character study constructing in a most interesting way.

7. right now, what strikes you as the oddest question someone has asked you?

Do you by chance happen to be Scottish?

8. what (literary canon) author do you consider most overrated, and time permitting, why?

I'll really have to get back to you on this one. I need to think about it.

9. in your view, what is the greatest threat to world peace at this moment?

Hmmm...quite frankly, I think it is simply the vast unwillingness of people to try to understand anyone who is different. I think that this unwillingness breeds intolerance which continues to perpetuate itself on not just small/local levels but global levels.

10. as a rule, i think people have a tendency either towards being too honest and forthright with their opinions, or too circumspect. i think people are too context/situation-conscious to permit a simple yes/no in the vast majority of cases, but having said that: which approach do you find more trouble addressing with others?

I need some clarification here. Are you asking me if I tend to be too honest and forthright with people or if I have a tendency to be too sicrumspect?

Or are you asking if I have difficulty if people are too honest with me? or too circumspect with me?

 

[Sarojaede]

*Peeks at the profile*

Which MMO's are / were you into? :3

I played Star Wars Galaxies for awhile, but quit after the combat upgrade because I HATED it.

I also played WoW for awhile, almost three years actually. I actually have an unused gamecard sitting on my bookshelf that I could use to renew my account, but I find that I have less and less time for much of anything lately, let alone WoW.

 

[Quoll]

I have a penchant for People magazine for the quick non-thinking fix.

Books....hmmmmm.......


Well, I would say probably Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, which is up to Finger Licken' Fifteen, I believe.

And probably Sue Grafton's alphabet series.

I don't know that I have a preferred non-thinking genre, but I do tend to read more mystery, suspense, thriller than anything else, so that would probably be my favorite thinking as well as non-thinking genre, depending on the author/book.

I've seen some these in a couple of the libraries, are they good stand alone novels? The chances of them having the full series in audio books is fairly slim, and even if they do, the library spans six towns and quite a few hundred square kilometres so the wait is quite long.
My preferred genre is sci-fi, but I've done all six of their sci-fi collection and have moved on to murder, mystery, spy, thriller and serial killer.

 

[Sarojaede]

Quoll: I'm not entirely sure that I would recommend them as stand alone. With the Evanovich ones, there are some relationships that are developed that you need to understand because they carry through from novel to novel. Although, Evanovich does a pretty good job of offering a brief recap of the previous novel in the next one.

For the Grafton ones...hmmmm....I'm not too sure about that either. I think they work a little bit better as stand alone novels than the Evanovich series does, but again, there are some things from one to the next that are interconnected that might be helpful to know.

 

[silverwhisper]

SJ queried:
i need some clarification here. are you asking me if i tend to be too honest and forthright with people or if i have a tendency to be too circumspect?

or are you asking if i have difficulty if people are too honest with me? or too circumspect with me?

sorry about that: the intended question was actually the latter.

ed

 

[Sarojaede]

sorry about that: the intended question was actually the latter.

ed

I prefer it when people are honest. I dislike when people try to sugar coat things or when they beat around the bush. I'd much rather someone say what is honestly on their mind.

I think I prefer it that way because I read people pretty well, and I can nearly always tell when someone is being too circumspect, so it makes me wonder what they are so afraid of really saying. And well, I just prefer honesty to half-truths.

 

[Quoll]

Quoll: I'm not entirely sure that I would recommend them as stand alone. With the Evanovich ones, there are some relationships that are developed that you need to understand because they carry through from novel to novel. Although, Evanovich does a pretty good job of offering a brief recap of the previous novel in the next one.

For the Grafton ones...hmmmm....I'm not too sure about that either. I think they work a little bit better as stand alone novels than the Evanovich series does, but again, there are some things from one to the next that are interconnected that might be helpful to know.

Aah, bummer, still, from what I've read off the backs, I might be tempted to give the Grafton ones a whirl, particularly if I can get the first two at least, to get the general feel.

Thanks for your answers to all the questions.