Pedestrian!

[rms10]

So I think my movie quotes were guessed quicker than anyone else's! (Except there's still another movie with the quote from #10!) I'm sure none of you will be surprised to learn that I've only seen five of the movies nominated for Oscars in any category.

I'll mostly be watching for Jon Stewart tonight.

Meanwhile, I've started reading Bellwether, by Connie Willis, which I'm not crazy about yet. I seem to only like her longer novels, like To Say Nothing of the Dog and Doomsday Book. I hated Lincoln's Dreams. I'm finding Bellwether to be kind of preachy and hand-wringy, and I'm not sure why. Maybe once the plot kicks in I'll enjoy it more.

And in other news, I'm not sure I'm ever writing a midterm from scratch again. I like having more control over the questions. Also, if they're not from a test bank, then students can keep the midterm and use it to study for the final, and they don't have to come to my office hours to see which questions they got wrong. But holy hell, writing the midterm took forever. Maybe, maybe it will save me time in the long run, if they don't have to swing by my office to see which questions they got wrong. Hmmmm.

Comments

[drspiff.livejournal.com]

I'm laughing because you're starting to sound just like me. You'll write a mid-term from scratch again because anything good takes time.

[rms10.livejournal.com]

. . . I know.

I'm actually really happy with the midterm! I think I covered all the concepts I wanted to cover without it being too long, and without any individual problem being too long. But still getting multiple concepts in each problem!

I say this now. Ask me again later when I see that the average score was like 44%.

[aakepley.livejournal.com]

I think it's funny that Bellwether and Lincoln's Dreams are two of my favorite Connie Willis books. I wasn't too fond of To Say Nothing of the Dog, but I did really like Doomsday Book. BTW, have you read Passage?

[rms10.livejournal.com]

I have not read Passage. Have you? The "near-death experience" tag made me think it would be similar to Lincoln's Dreams, so I haven't picked it up yet.

TSNotD does have a very long, very frustrating introduction before the plot finally picks up.

[cangetmad.livejournal.com]

I disliked Bellwether because she seemed snobby and judgemental, basically, and though some of that redeemed itself by the ending, I still resent reading such a dislikable book to get to that.

[kylegirl.livejournal.com]

Indeed. And word. I remember thinking, "What's supposed to be wrong with half these trends anyways?" You'd think someone who was that interested in trends would be less contemptuous of them.

I didn't really like Passage, either, although that was mainly for Abuse of Science. And I'd forgotten Lincoln's Dreams existed until just now, so I guess that one didn't make much of an impression at all.

[rms10.livejournal.com]

Lincoln's Dreams was about dreams and psychology, and a bunch of other bullshit, so there was lots of Abuse of Science in that one, too. And I hated the main characters so much.

I guess I'll stick to her time-travel novels.

[rms10.livejournal.com]

I am so glad it's not just me -- I thought that maybe I was cranky about something else and reading too much into the book.

It's really short, but I don't think I'm going to bother with the rest of it.

[thebostonreader.livejournal.com]

I've found Willis to be hugely variable as well. I loved Doomsday Book wholeheartedly, and To Say Nothing of the Dog almost as much. I didn't like Bellwether or Lincoln's Dreams, though I don't remember much about either. Passage was ok, I guess. Last holiday season I read Miracle and Other Christmas Stories, and enjoyed it a lot, actually.

I'm scared to read any other Willis books, though, because I'm afraid I'll hate them. She does have a tendency to treat her characters rather badly sometimes.

[rms10.livejournal.com]

I also really enjoyed most of the stories in Miracle. I wasn't as crazy about the stories in the Fire Watch collection -- "Fire Watch" was good, but "All My Darling Daughters" was so creepy that I couldn't finish it.

I hadn't realize how hot and cold I ran on her!