"For one of my birthday presents, can you watch the kids a lot this weekend so I can try to make progress in my stacks of grading so that I won't have to grade on my birthday?"
There are a lot of things wrong with this statement. So many levels of wrongness. But, nevertheless, hubby did provide me with opporutnity for lots of grading last weekend. But am I paper-free today, on my birthday? Nope. Gotta cram in a bunch this afternoon. But there are good things about today, too:
- Birthday greetings this morning by the family.
- A round of "Happy Birthday" from my daughter's kindergarten class when I went in to volunteer.
- Dinner out this evening with family.
- Reading group tonight to discuss Stoner by John Williams.
And tomorrow, after a morning of teaching and an afternoon presenting an assessment workshop, I will meet up with hubby and two friends for dinner out and an evening with David Sedaris.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
9 comments:
Happy Birthday GEW!
*blows one of those paper honker thingies*
jc
Happy Birthday to ya! (singing Stevie Wonder style)
Happy birthday! That sounds like a terrific way to celebrate.
:D
Happy birthday! Sounds like a good day even with the grading!
Best Wishes, GEW! I had to smile reading your post. Life is like this.
Thanks for your recent message on my blog - just spotted it.
What a shame I won't be in Oxford in January (will be home in Sydney), otherwise I'd meet up with you to take you round. It helps having a student with you - Oxford can feel (and be) cloistered and a bit untouchable otherwise.
Some tips: Hotels are expensive here. I could probably get you a twin room at my (less than pretty) College for 35 pounds, otherwise they're around 90-150/night. Have a look around and then ask me what I think of the options. My parents usually stay at the Linton Lodge in North Oxford (about 20 mins walk from town or a 5-10 min bus ride). It's OK. Try to be central or North, I'd say, depending on how long you're staying.
Nice breakfast place: Door 74 Cowley Rd (and Cowley Rd is a good place to visit to get away from students and is the street you want to be on if you feel like curry or tapas or seeing a live band!).
Nice high tea: Grand Cafe, High st, or the Old Parsonage, Banbury Rd.
Nice for coffee and a sweet treat: Jericho cafe, Walton St, or Maison Blanc on corner of Woodstock and Little Clarendon St (you should have a walk along Little Claredon and Walton anyway if you have time) or The Missing Bean on Turl st (closer to town).
Nice restaurants: Gee's on Banbury Rd (but v expensive), more reasonable is Jamie's (Jamie Oliver's) in town. Another nice (and not too expensive) place is Pierre Victoire on Little Clarendon St (it is also less frantic than Jamie's). Cheap eat when you're on the run and just want a quick vegie lasagne and salad: The Nosebag on St Michel's, off Cornmarket st (in town).
Perfect park: University Parks ('cept it will be Winter, of course).
Perfect cows and horses: Port Meadow, Jericho (just off Walton st).
Perfect Colleges to visit: Magdalen, New, Christchurch, and, if you can, Worcester, which has such pretty gardens, fields and a river-lake set-up out the back - worth the effort! You have to check what times they're open to visitors.
Best street in Oxford: Queen's Lane (from High St to Sheldonian).
Best building: Radcliffe Camera (and right next to it, under St Mary's, is a really sweet cafe with some pretty good - but quite expensive - organic food called 'The Vaults and Garden.')
Best cheap clothes: Primark, M&S and TopShop.
Worst street if you're scared of people: Cornmarket st.
Happy birthday. I would totally ask for grading time, so I could have less stress on my birthday. That would be awesome. I'll keep it in mind, in fact, if I'm still teaching in April.
How was David Sedaris? I love his essays.
Happiest birthday, GEW! Hope it's wonderful (and with David Sedaris, how could it not be)?!!
*throws confetti into air and does many herkies in your honor*
Happy Birthday, GEW! (Send me the grading. Then you can legitimately tell your students it got lost in the mail!)
Thanks for the b-day wishes! David Sedaris was very, very funny. So funny. Whenever I read his work, it seems somewhat cynical and dark. When I listen to HIM read it, it seems funny and satirical, but also life affirming. So it's great to go hear him.
AH, Thank you SOOOO much for all of the tips! We're going to be there for four nights, and I'm going to take your advice on looking north. My conference is at St. Hughes, which, if I'm not mistaken, is a bit north. I'll look at Linton Lodge. Yesterday I was also looking at the Parklands hotel.
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