Quick update from Quaint Smallish City, where I'm spending the very long weekend (Friday night through Wednesday morning) with George Washington Boyfriend. The goal is write the introduction to my dissertation--or at least a respectable draft--so I probably won't be blogging for a few days unless something dramatic happens with either the diss itself (unlikely, but you never know) or in the outside world.

Yesterday was a productive teaching day--where "productive" means that I jolted a little fear into my survey students: I gave them a quiz. It was a ridiculously easy, 10-question jobbie that really only required that the students have paid some minimal attention in class on Wednesday, when we'd discussed a few terms (which I'd also written on the board and put on a handout), and have completed all of the not-very-many-pages of the reading. My morning section did about as I'd expected--one or two 10s, lots of 7s and 8s, and a few people who bombed out--but my afternoon section did abysmally: lots of 5s and more than a few 2s and 3s.

I didn't know their scores until I looked over the quizzes last night, but, interestingly, in the post-quiz portion of the class hour, my afternoon section was totally on its A-game, producing an interesting, lively discussion in which probably 90% of the students weighed in at least once and many students who hadn't yet said a word lead the way. Compensating for their shitty quiz performance? Realizing they maybe had to put forth some effort? Discovering that class was more fun when it wasn't just me and five students talking? Whatever. I'm happy to see it, and I'm more fun and much more of a ham myself when there's more energy in the room.

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I haven't said anything on this site about Katrina yet, mainly because other bloggers are doing a much better job of it; the whole thing is heart-breaking, and so deeply enraging. Until arriving at GWB's place last night I was spared most of the actual images, since I don't have a television, but just listening to NPR has started me crying with every new story. I've never been to New Orleans, but I've been to Gulfport, once, and I loved the leafy old neighborhoods of 1930s and 40s bungalows set way back from the city's rather barren central thoroughfares, and flying into the local airport over those shimmering white beaches was breathtaking. I haven't seen any photos of Gulfport now, but I gather it's been completely obliterated.