I'm pretty sure it happens with all teachers or professors - probably with all people, but most don't have the opportunity to talk to you day after day for hours on end - they have one or two "crutch words" or phrases that they use repeatedly, often without thinking and sometimes apparently without context. My Greek professor, for example, uses the phrase "rough and ready" to refer to the book's translations of vocabulary words or case usages, his point being that Greek is much more subtle and variable than our text makes out.
What actually prompted me to write this post, however, was his use today of the word "copacetic," which was possibly my high school volleyball coach's favorite word ever. She used it as a general sort of positive interjection, e.g. "Is that play clear? Copacetic!" Dictionary.app offers this definition:
copacetic |ˌkōpəˈsetik| (also copasetic)
adjective informal in excellent order.
Interestingly, the word has no known origin (my etymological dictionary doesn't even have an entry for it), so you can use it however you want.
1/15/07
1/11/07
How to Become a Dictator
Step 1: Speak in the Future Most Vivid.
This is possibly the best thing we've learned in Greek so far. It's a form of conditional statement implying a cause and effect that is so because the speaker says so, e.g. "If you don't do what I say, you will surely perish." As another student in my class said today, "It's the first thing we've read in this book with some life in it!"
I don't actually know how to become a dictator - sorry if I got your hopes up. The way Greek class is going though, I may have more thoughts on the matter in the not too distant (and most vivid) future.
This is possibly the best thing we've learned in Greek so far. It's a form of conditional statement implying a cause and effect that is so because the speaker says so, e.g. "If you don't do what I say, you will surely perish." As another student in my class said today, "It's the first thing we've read in this book with some life in it!"
I don't actually know how to become a dictator - sorry if I got your hopes up. The way Greek class is going though, I may have more thoughts on the matter in the not too distant (and most vivid) future.
1/8/07
For the Record
Yesterday was my first experience with recording a CD (with the Mountain Ayres, Midd's madrigal group). It was alternately nerve-wracking and extremely fun, and I've certainly learned a few things in the process. For example, and in no particular order:
14 hours is a long time to spend working with anyone, even (perhaps especially) people you like quite a lot.
In the time it takes to discuss whether you should record a song again, you could have just recorded the song again. More takes in general give better odds of success.
The songs you think will take the longest will in fact be the most painless. Similarly, the songs you expected to plunge to the utter depths of flatness will mysteriously stay (nearly) on key, or even more bizarrely, go sharp.
Recording is not a time for treading lightly and avoiding hurting people's feelings. I personally would like to know if I am messing up, and would be happy to return the favor. A good track is worth stepping (gently) on a few toes.
Sometimes the song just isn't going to be perfect. Corollary: it is really hard to settle for less than your best.
Altogether, I thought it was a great experience, even if I felt like I'd been beaten over the head with a music stand at the end of the day. It was amazing to spend an entire day singing, and I can't wait to see how it all comes out.
14 hours is a long time to spend working with anyone, even (perhaps especially) people you like quite a lot.
In the time it takes to discuss whether you should record a song again, you could have just recorded the song again. More takes in general give better odds of success.
The songs you think will take the longest will in fact be the most painless. Similarly, the songs you expected to plunge to the utter depths of flatness will mysteriously stay (nearly) on key, or even more bizarrely, go sharp.
Recording is not a time for treading lightly and avoiding hurting people's feelings. I personally would like to know if I am messing up, and would be happy to return the favor. A good track is worth stepping (gently) on a few toes.
Sometimes the song just isn't going to be perfect. Corollary: it is really hard to settle for less than your best.
Altogether, I thought it was a great experience, even if I felt like I'd been beaten over the head with a music stand at the end of the day. It was amazing to spend an entire day singing, and I can't wait to see how it all comes out.
1/4/07
It's All Greek To Me
[I apologize for the title. I couldn't help myself.]
Today marked the first day of J-Term and my first day of ancient Greek class since junior year of high school. I'm back to the beginning, since one semester of high school Greek in no way equates to a full semester of Middlebury Greek. The first day of class is always an interesting experience. It takes a while to figure out the dynamic among the class members and with the professor. I can already see that the position of know-it-all is filled. I don't mean that to be terribly disparaging - it has already led us off on a few fun tangents, like the three different possible meanings of Oedipus (know-foot, swollen-foot, know-where; bonus points if you can figure out why they are ironic in terms of the story), but it can also be irritating when the tangents are pointless. One position the know-it-alls haven't filled is that of correcting the professor when he makes mistakes (and unfortunately he made several today - it is unfortunate when the professor consistently misplaces the accents on words when he is trying to teach the rules of accent). I haven't decided if I want to be the obnoxious person who speaks up when the professor is wrong. It's a useful function, especially when the mistakes are of a basic nature in an introductory course - such mistakes can lead to a lot of confusion. In high school I had no problem doing this because my classes were so small (3 to 10 people, usually) and I knew the teachers very well. Also, they didn't make mistakes that often, so it was more of a challenge. Or if they did make mistakes often, I didn't particularly like the teacher and so felt a rather guilty pleasure in catching them. (Yes, I am a somewhat spiteful person.) So the question is, do I take on the role of error police, or do I simply sit back and ignore the teacher's mistakes insofar as they don't impede my own learning? I will see what transpires as the course progresses.
Today marked the first day of J-Term and my first day of ancient Greek class since junior year of high school. I'm back to the beginning, since one semester of high school Greek in no way equates to a full semester of Middlebury Greek. The first day of class is always an interesting experience. It takes a while to figure out the dynamic among the class members and with the professor. I can already see that the position of know-it-all is filled. I don't mean that to be terribly disparaging - it has already led us off on a few fun tangents, like the three different possible meanings of Oedipus (know-foot, swollen-foot, know-where; bonus points if you can figure out why they are ironic in terms of the story), but it can also be irritating when the tangents are pointless. One position the know-it-alls haven't filled is that of correcting the professor when he makes mistakes (and unfortunately he made several today - it is unfortunate when the professor consistently misplaces the accents on words when he is trying to teach the rules of accent). I haven't decided if I want to be the obnoxious person who speaks up when the professor is wrong. It's a useful function, especially when the mistakes are of a basic nature in an introductory course - such mistakes can lead to a lot of confusion. In high school I had no problem doing this because my classes were so small (3 to 10 people, usually) and I knew the teachers very well. Also, they didn't make mistakes that often, so it was more of a challenge. Or if they did make mistakes often, I didn't particularly like the teacher and so felt a rather guilty pleasure in catching them. (Yes, I am a somewhat spiteful person.) So the question is, do I take on the role of error police, or do I simply sit back and ignore the teacher's mistakes insofar as they don't impede my own learning? I will see what transpires as the course progresses.
1/1/07
Global Warming is Scary
Sorry, I couldn't think of anything witty for the title of this article. (I'm sure you're grateful.) I just watched An Inconvenient Truth, and I am scared, but also energized. If you haven't seen the movie, I recommend it. Personally, I'm not in any doubt about the truth of global warming, but if you want to quibble about details, just consider this: isn't it better to overreact and overcorrect now, rather than look back later and regret the things we didn't do? The consequences of not acting could be catastrophic, but the consequences of overacting are simply to make our planet a much cleaner, healthier place.
That said, I think I've found my New Year's resolution. I want to get involved in helping stop global warming, as well as educating people about it. Not that I really know how to go about it. I don't drive (luckily there isn't much need to at Midd), but I can't help flying. I use compact fluorescent bulbs. I recycle. I wash my clothes in cold water. I could stand to take shorter showers, though. The point is, I can think of some individual things to do, but I'm having a hard time envisioning actions with a greater impact. So obviously I googled it. Here are some of the things I found.
Midd's Sunday Night Group: "The Sunday Night Group (SNG) is a regular gathering of environmentally-minded students whose purpose is to launch creative programming that brings the CRI [Carbon Reduction Initiative] to the student body. We are an organization built by students to serve the students."
Stop Global Warming Virtual March: Largely symbolic, but an easy way to spread the word, and it has a good list of things you can do to reduce your personal carbon footprint.
Cool Cities Across America: Is your city a Cool City? Has your mayor signed the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement?
Carbon Offsets: If nothing else, you can write a check (or rather enter a credit card number). The sites listed on this page seem to be well checked out, but you can always do your own research. How it works: "When you buy offsets, you essentially pay someone to reduce or remove global warming pollution in your name."
"Stop Global Warming" Bracelets: A fashion statement and a donation all in one. Plus, they're made from recycled leather. Too bad I didn't find this before Christmas!
For starters, I'll be checking out the SNG and forcing everyone I can to watch An Inconvenient Truth. Hopefully I will have more to blog about soon!
That said, I think I've found my New Year's resolution. I want to get involved in helping stop global warming, as well as educating people about it. Not that I really know how to go about it. I don't drive (luckily there isn't much need to at Midd), but I can't help flying. I use compact fluorescent bulbs. I recycle. I wash my clothes in cold water. I could stand to take shorter showers, though. The point is, I can think of some individual things to do, but I'm having a hard time envisioning actions with a greater impact. So obviously I googled it. Here are some of the things I found.
Midd's Sunday Night Group: "The Sunday Night Group (SNG) is a regular gathering of environmentally-minded students whose purpose is to launch creative programming that brings the CRI [Carbon Reduction Initiative] to the student body. We are an organization built by students to serve the students."
Stop Global Warming Virtual March: Largely symbolic, but an easy way to spread the word, and it has a good list of things you can do to reduce your personal carbon footprint.
Cool Cities Across America: Is your city a Cool City? Has your mayor signed the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement?
Carbon Offsets: If nothing else, you can write a check (or rather enter a credit card number). The sites listed on this page seem to be well checked out, but you can always do your own research. How it works: "When you buy offsets, you essentially pay someone to reduce or remove global warming pollution in your name."
"Stop Global Warming" Bracelets: A fashion statement and a donation all in one. Plus, they're made from recycled leather. Too bad I didn't find this before Christmas!
For starters, I'll be checking out the SNG and forcing everyone I can to watch An Inconvenient Truth. Hopefully I will have more to blog about soon!
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