shake, rattle, roll

Well, I've graded all the online work that came flooding in over the weekend, and there are three stacks of final portfolios on my office floor. I've been alternating between the soundtrack to The Blues Brothers and my trusty Christmas mix, which, when shuffled sometimes puts John Denver and the Muppets next to Tom Waits. JUXAPOSITION IS AWESOME.

(Sometimes! When I am in the middle of a particularly grueling stretch of grading! I listen to Passion Pit at top volume! Ha ha! Passion Pit! I make no apologies.)

There's something comforting about grading at the end of the fall semester, when the snow is starting to fall the high is only sixty degrees and the Christmas music provides the soundtrack. In a week and a half, us three ex-pats and one dog in a sweater will drive up to Buffalo. Head north, to the lake, then take a right.

This review of BICHN in Rattle made my weekend. I know most of you saw it and reposted or shared it on the Face, so thanks for that. And thanks for kind words that take me by surprise. Between this, and finally vanquishing some code glitch that had been on the Web site, I am in love with the internet this week.

Final grades should be done by Thursday night. I need to get up to Atlanta and buy a car. There will be fires to put out, and holidays to get through, but it's been a good semester.

It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark ... and we're wearing sunglasses. Hit it.