Humor will not be tolerated!! -Portia

Amity wrote:What did I spend most of this day doing? Dithering around about whether I wanted the red lines in my figures to be cranberry or maroon and how thick the lines should be.

Sounds like someone with an editing or design background! (And if you're not, then good for you anyway. Except for the whole "not getting the main task done" part. )

Random situation/question for anyone who feels like chiming in: Someone I'm not really interested in romantically has hinted not-so-subtly on various occasions that she'd like to date me. She is a nice and awesome person, but I just want to be friends. I'm going to give a first date a shot, but I've probably already prejudiced myself into making sure nothing develops from this. Thus, going on a date might send the wrong message to her. In general, I try to be nice and make people feel good about themselves, but when someone wants to date you, all of that positive stuff sends a mixed message. What are some ways I can let her down relatively gently? (One idea: posting stuff on Facebook about spending time with other girls. Man, I feel like a jerk even just writing that!)

Tell her you're trying to steak someone else's girlfriend. </sarcasm>

I'm super opposed to pity first dates. Passive aggressive FB posts just seem cruel. Or you could just not read into it? Maybe she's not that into you? Did you ask her out (why??) or vice versa?

*steal. But stealing someone else's girlfriend is both punny (stake your claim) and a funny mental image.

Amity wrote:I'm supposed to be defending my dissertation in, like, six weeks. I still have 2.5 chapters to write. What did I spend most of this day doing? Dithering around about whether I wanted the red lines in my figures to be cranberry or maroon and how thick the lines should be.

I didn't realize you were in a PhD program. What are you studying?

Katya wrote:

Amity wrote:I'm supposed to be defending my dissertation in, like, six weeks. I still have 2.5 chapters to write. What did I spend most of this day doing? Dithering around about whether I wanted the red lines in my figures to be cranberry or maroon and how thick the lines should be.

I didn't realize you were in a PhD program. What are you studying?

Political science. Sorry, wryness, I have no editing or design experience. I'm just very, very good at procrastinating things I should be doing.

I think political science is a pretty neat major, too, Amity. No bad blood exists between us if you haven't formally studied absolutely everything that interests you (or that at least distracts you from work). ^_^

So, Portia, as you have clarified, this seems to be my Month of Relationship Woes (and of soliciting advice from random anonymous strangers on the Internet! Two-for-two! Hoorah). I asked this young lady out because she has pretty much flat-out stated more than once that she would like me to, and she's been saying some stuff that to me at least is super-flirty (in the semi-reserved, LDS-culture-appropriate sort of way). I'm afraid that saying "no" without giving her a chance will hurt her feelings. In general I think first dates are always worth a shot, since you never know. So, even though I'm pretty sure my thoughts won't change, the window of possibility is open a crack.

Grumpy.

I was interviewed for a position I really wanted, and it was just as a formality: the principal had already told the department head she could have me. But the other guy they interviewed to make it seem legit had all the same qualifications I could, plus he could coach a sport. So now I'm back to square one. Stupid coaching.

I didn't realize when in high school I stopped doing sports and started doing drama that I was hurting my future search for a career. You'd think drama would be a better fit for English teachers, anyway.

Grrrrrrrrrr! Sports will be the death of American education.

Hiring someone who can coach just sucks. Coaches are almost never actually good teachers, they're just convenient.

UffishThought wrote:Grumpy.

I was interviewed for a position I really wanted, and it was just as a formality: the principal had already told the department head she could have me. But the other guy they interviewed to make it seem legit had all the same qualifications I could, plus he could coach a sport. So now I'm back to square one. Stupid coaching.

I didn't realize when in high school I stopped doing sports and started doing drama that I was hurting my future search for a career. You'd think drama would be a better fit for English teachers, anyway.

I just met with my ninth-grade English teacher who's now the head of school at an eastside independent K-8 school. I know they're hiring for an English teacher for next year (in fact that was part of what motivated me to to get back in touch with him -- to see what their school looks for). I know for a fact they place a higher emphasis on drama than sports. Let me know if working in a private school would interest you at all. (It'd be quite a hike from Provo, admittedly. It's near the U.)

Uffish, that is ridiculous. Good luck. :/

Unrelated, but do you all know the sell/sale merger? It is pretty thorough in Utah, and my dad (who was born and raised in Utah) just sent me an email where he wrote "when it sales" for "sells"! Good stuff.

To be fair, I saw the guy on his way out from the interview. He looked professional and competent and was saying something about getting a masters. He's probably a much better teacher than the average coach stereotype. I hope he is, anyway.

And Portia, I'm looking for high school, so K-8 is a little young for me, but thanks anyway! It was nice of you to ask.

So, the youth speaker in my ward today gave a talk about dress and appearance, and the importance of following the guidelines in For the Strength of the Youth. She specifically mentioned not wearing sleeveless outfits, which was ...interesting, because she was wearing a sleeveless dress while she gave the talk. I'm a little bit flabbergasted. I don't really care which side of the issue you're on, but I think it's a little bit odd to actually get up and preach about not wearing sleeveless outfits while blatantly not following your own counsel. She then went on to say how important it is for women to wear makeup, because it's fun, and easy to apply, and will make you feel good about yourself. Her whole talk had me scratching and shaking my head in turn.

mic0 wrote: Unrelated, but do you all know the sell/sale merger? It is pretty thorough in Utah, and my dad (who was born and raised in Utah) just sent me an email where he wrote "when it sales" for "sells"! Good stuff.

I don't know this. And my mind would be more likely to replace "sales" in that context with "sails" than "sells."

Marduk wrote:

mic0 wrote: Unrelated, but do you all know the sell/sale merger? It is pretty thorough in Utah, and my dad (who was born and raised in Utah) just sent me an email where he wrote "when it sales" for "sells"! Good stuff.

I don't know this. And my mind would be more likely to replace "sales" in that context with "sails" than "sells."

It is the same thing as the hell/hail merger (the classic example at BYU being people singing "All hail to Jesus' name" but they pronounce hell and hail the same). Maybe I should have given more context, he was writing about when a house will sell. So "sales" makes sense semantically.

mic0 wrote:

Marduk wrote:

mic0 wrote: Unrelated, but do you all know the sell/sale merger? It is pretty thorough in Utah, and my dad (who was born and raised in Utah) just sent me an email where he wrote "when it sales" for "sells"! Good stuff.

I don't know this. And my mind would be more likely to replace "sales" in that context with "sails" than "sells."

It is the same thing as the hell/hail merger (the classic example at BYU being people singing "All hail to Jesus' name" but they pronounce hell and hail the same). Maybe I should have given more context, he was writing about when a house will sell. So "sales" makes sense semantically.

I saw a student's paper the other day with the phrase "her friend will still her stuff." I think she meant steal.

Genuine Article: that's weird! I would have been totally confused too. Sounds like her parents may have written her talk haha....

I have the merger. I sometimes overcorrect if I'm trying to be clear about something.

UffishThought wrote:To be fair, I saw the guy on his way out from the interview. He looked professional and competent and was saying something about getting a masters. He's probably a much better teacher than the average coach stereotype. I hope he is, anyway.

And Portia, I'm looking for high school, so K-8 is a little young for me, but thanks anyway! It was nice of you to ask.

You're welcome. I really love the atmosphere of the school, but since I am just getting my feet wet in the current job, I think I will stick with it for at least another year (another plus: the possibility of taking a vacation in the autumn) and reconsidering for the 2015-2016 year. It's also nowhere near my apartment.

Hope it works out. I've known great and not-so-good teachers who had talents in team sports, theater, neither, or both. It's hard when someone's a rival, though. :-| It sounds like you put a lot of thought into your lesson plans and classroom management. (Probably the thing that would kick my butt the most if I switch career tracks!)

mic0 wrote:Uffish, that is ridiculous. Good luck. :/

Unrelated, but do you all know the sell/sale merger? It is pretty thorough in Utah, and my dad (who was born and raised in Utah) just sent me an email where he wrote "when it sales" for "sells"! Good stuff.

Conversely, I've seen things listed as being "on sell" or "for sell," so maybe your dad's email is a hypercorrection of one of those phrases.