If Music Could Talk

eumaas wrote: ↑

26 Jul 2017, 5:39pm

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

26 Jul 2017, 5:36pm

Ugh. WIthout a doubt, colleges have become more bureaucratic (in the most pejorative sense) as tuition costs have risen. Some kind of intro to computers (for non-majors) would seem like a good blow-off class if you have to come up with one more.

I already took Comp 101 for my quantitative science requirement, unfortunately. But I have also unearthed this gem:

Students who are approved for a senior underload will be allowed to drop non-required courses after the 10th day of the semester, but will not be eligible for a tuition refund.

So I may be able to just pile on miscellaneous classes, never attend them, and then drop them ten days into the semester in order to receive the full amount. Seems a byzantine method of getting my necessary aid but if it works, so be it.

I'd do some casual inquiries to make sure that can work, but I'm not surprised that that kind of loophole exists. One of my classmates has dropped from fulltime to parttime now that she's writing and has exhausted her internal funding. She's officially only taking one class—write the dissertation—but can save a few thousand a year by officially dropping down to parttime. Her status or privileges aren't affected in any way. I wonder how many doctoral students are getting dinged for extra fees when they don't have to be.

The person who answered my call at the Office of Financial Aid refused to answer my questions and directed me instead to leave a voicemail with the person who emailed me.

eumaas wrote: ↑

27 Jul 2017, 10:35am

The person who answered my call at the Office of Financial Aid refused to answer my questions and directed me instead to leave a voicemail with the person who emailed me.

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

27 Jul 2017, 10:51am

eumaas wrote: ↑

27 Jul 2017, 10:35am

The person who answered my call at the Office of Financial Aid refused to answer my questions and directed me instead to leave a voicemail with the person who emailed me.

Yeah, I'm 80% certain that dude isn't even at work today.

Anyway, I was shaking with rage and lost my shit on the phone, so that was great.

I hardly ever blow up at people anymore, but refusing to answer any questions and then being directed to leave a voicemail with the person who did not see fit to communicate in full, clear sentences, was too much for me.

The history department has asked instructors to come up with online promotional posters for their classes this year because, well, enrolment isn't great. Even tho my class is fully registered (because who doesn't want to talk about whether resistant art is possible under late capitalism?), I decided to submit one on the hopes that it'll create interest from those not taking it this year and they'll make enough inquiries that I'll get to do it again next year. The boss suggested I do it up like a concert poster, so I turned the course description into little snippets that are supposed to be bands at a festival (and with band names like those below, there'd be more between-song hectoring than even Biafra is capable of). I used my Cro-Magnon skills to whip up an initial draft, then passed it on to Kory who moved it up the evolutionary chain.

I wish I'd had a little more time—I'd have liked to work on those "band names" a little bit more.

I also have another idea for some color at the top, but oh well. Designers are never done.

Those are all my font choices, so I get the blame there. Your suggestions definitely cleaned it up.

I learned that it had been posted because a couple department members emailed with compliments. To the average dope academic, it looks decent.

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

22 Aug 2017, 8:08pm

Those are all my font choices, so I get the blame there. Your suggestions definitely cleaned it up.

I learned that it had been posted because a couple department members emailed with compliments. To the average dope academic, it looks decent.

To the average dope like me, looks awesome.

It's official: dopes like posters.

Dopes: We're everywhere. Everywhere.

Going through a bit of rigmarole because my epilepsy apparently disqualifies me from most of the PE classes. I need the PE credit to graduate, but the department has assured me that I will get it one way or another. I may have to have an exercise thing crafted just for me. I feel so special.

eumaas wrote: ↑

24 Aug 2017, 2:07pm

Going through a bit of rigmarole because my epilepsy apparently disqualifies me from most of the PE classes. I need the PE credit to graduate, but the department has assured me that I will get it one way or another. I may have to have an exercise thing crafted just for me. I feel so special.

Ask for water wings and a flutter board for the pool. (I can laugh because I'm not allowed to go swimming anymore.)

Just did my book analysis of Class, Race, & Worker Insurgency: The League of Revolutionary Black Workers by James A. Geschwender. God but it's probably trash. I have no instinct for writing history, and I am so low-confidence when I try to do it.

eumaas wrote: ↑

08 Oct 2017, 9:12am

Just did my book analysis of Class, Race, & Worker Insurgency: The League of Revolutionary Black Workers by James A. Geschwender. God but it's probably trash. I have no instinct for writing history, and I am so low-confidence when I try to do it.

My quick and dirty guide for writing a critical book review:
• Intro, which summarize the book's argument and its significance plus your evaluation of the same in no more than a half page
• Summary paragraph that expands the description of the argument
• What's good about the book?
• What's bad?
• Anything else?
• Conclusion, which should not contain any new thoughts, but reinforce your evaluation

What's good, bad, and else will have fluctuating emphases, and what else might be skipped (it's for noting any photos, the quality of the prose, and other significant aspects not related to the argument). I'd say a person should shoot for the intro and conclusion taking up no more than 25% of the word count and the three analysis sections should make up at least 50%.