I’m teach two courses this term (well, three, actually), Fundamentals of Genetics, Evolution, and Development, a required introductory biology course, and Genetics, an upper level elective. And they’re killing me right now.
But yesterday, I went all ADHD on FunGen and focused from 1pm until well after midnight and got all caught up on grading that course (my inbox is empty), and also prepped today’s lecture and next Tuesday’s, and wrote the exam I’m handing out today, and assembled an outline of the final exam. No, really, I can stop thinking about it for a while. It’s like I had two biting, clawing, screaming monkeys on my back and I took one and bashed its skull with a rock. Very satisfying.
Unfortunately, it meant I had to ignore the other monkey for a day, but I’m going to address that today, focusing on just the backlog in Genetics and clearing that step by step all day and all night, if I have to. It’s a monkey-killing rampage!
There’s a possibility that I might even get a free day this weekend, before the next round of exams show up and demand to be graded. Maybe I can do something exciting, like laundry. Or nap. I’ve only been getting 4 hours of sleep each night, so the latter is tempting.
Cutty Snark says
A monkey-killing rampage? Surely this counts as “gorilla warfare”…
…I´ll see myself out.
brightmoon says
Yikes! I’ve been complaining about doing laundry which takes me 5 minutes! Living too much in my head I guess.
stroppy says
monkey-killing rampage… squirrel murder…
Take a deep breath.
Maybe plan a vacation. Someplace nice, a spider infested jungle somewhere with no internet perhaps?
birgerjohansson says
Slightly OT. While on the subject of primates, the British are saying “the higher an ape climbs the more you see of his bare backside”.
This subject has come up in the British press since it finally seems BoJo can no longer cover up his sleaze.
Ironically it is not the continent-size blunders or the multi- million £ corruption when handing out contracts to cronies but a matter of the furniture for No. 10 Downing Street.
If PZ is currently miserable, maybe it will cheer him up to think about mighty people getting their comeuppence…
.
And now I will stop derailing the thread and go back to being cruel to animals and children, the way we librul atheists are.
steve1 says
Um focusing and ADHD don’t go together.
Brony, Social Justice Cenobite says
The hyper-focus kicks in with the adhd if you enjoy what you are doing. We can focus, there is just so much to pay attention to otherwise.
Pierce R. Butler says
birgerjohansson @ # 4; … the British are saying “the higher an ape climbs the more you see of his bare backside”.
Curious: I’d previously only seen that described as an African proverb (though with “monkeyt”, not “ape”).
Alert the Cultural Appropriation Police!
robro says
Maybe something to while away your time, distract you from your teaching chores? You’ve probably seen this but “New Species of Venomous Spider Discovered in Florida”. It’s really quite impressive looking.
Brony, Social Justice Cenobite says
There’s this.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29024273/
“The first brain: Species comparisons and evolutionary implications for the enteric and central nervous systems.”
It turns out that the ass brain might be the first brain. That might explain some things.
unclefrogy says
I vote (if you are asking ) for a few nice long naps stretched out on the sofa followed by an unfocused exploration of some place out side new to you preferably Your batteries sound a little low to me.
uncle frogy
Brony, Social Justice Cenobite says
Although it should be said that more than “enjoyment” focuses the attention.
dragonessfredriksson says
SO glad you meant this in a literary sense lol.
<3
jrkrideau says
I thought PZ had defected to Arachnialand and was advocating wiping out humanity.
Jazzlet says
As a Brit I admit to never having heard the expression “the higher an ape climbs the more you see of his bare backside”, but I am glad that there is finally some investigation into some of Johnson’s sleaze even though he’s holding off investigations of the worst excesses.
Rich Woods says
@stroppy #3:
I don’t think that’s the place to go to escape the web.
steve1 says
@ Brony, Social Justice Cenobite
My perspective comes from a parent with a son with severe ADHD. He says he can focus on things that interest him. There just isn’t much that does. There was much drama when I had him grate a block of cheese.
Louis says
PZ, did you say you inbox is empty?
I am sorry. I do not understand this concept. Could someone please explain it to me.
Louis