She's just a little Filomena...

This week was pretty quiet. Classes are ok, well maybe. I get the sense that the students in my 8-week class have given up. Attendance fell off after the midterm exam, participation is limited to two vocal (and smart) students, and there doesn't seem to be much note-taking activity. Maybe I can win them back with the US-Mexico War. Surprisingly, I'm not too upset (usually I take this kind of rejection personally). Perhaps mirroring their lack of interest, I even feel a wee bit blah about the class, too. Not so much the students, but the subject matter. See, I was never trained to teach the first half of US History (pre-1865), actually my focus was the 20th century US West (actually I was never trained to teach at all. It's just something you're supposed to learn along the way). So, I'm not fully comfortable with US History prior to 1865 and I guess I haven't learned how to fake that confidence. I can't just throw my hands up since I'm teaching four sections of the same subject next semester. Yep, four sections of a subject I feel only remotely interested in. Should be one heck of a semester! No, I don't want to sink into sarcasm. Sarcasm isn't helpful when you are 40 pairs of eyes are staring at you. I'll just have to bone up on my early American history during the Christmas break--and look for documentaries.

In Filo news, G. and I took her to the vet today. She was scratching her ear and I thought she had ear mites (yuck). No mites (yea!), but the start of a yeast infection (yuck) connected to her ongoing allergies. G. and I came out of the office feeling like bad dog parents because we don't feed Filo the right kind of kibble and she went into the office with scratches under her eyes (also allergy related), oh yes, and she has tarter building up on her teeth. And we didn't even talk about the fact that she's behind in her shots. Yikes, if I feel guilt over Filo's condition, how am I going to cope with a real baby? Real babies...I can't even imagine. There were three pregnant girls (and I do mean girls) in my 8 week class--I say "were" because one gave birth last week. They look so young to be coping with a protuding belly and having to pee all the time-- I actually have to consciously keep myself from staring, isn't that awful? (of me, I mean, and well, for them, too, in some ways).

I'm feeling a little impatient this afternoon. I think it's because we have a big dinner planned for this afternoon. G.'s parents gave us a gift certificate to Steak and Ale, so nice of them!! Anticipation for meat, meat, and more meat is too great to concentrate on anything else. Which reminds me of another Ren and Stimpy episode where Ren and Stimpy take care of Kowalski who wants a meat on meat sandwich with a meat shake (or something like that). Do they show Ren and Stimpy on Cartoon Network? I wonder if I would still find it so amusing?