I found my old journal entries on my computer, amidst an unseasonal organizational binge, and present some excerpts for your enjoyment and mockery:

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9 December 2004
7:47 PST (en route from Ireland to California)

First, a note about the appalling state of airline food. I know it’s developed quite a reputation over the many years, and I like to give things the benefit of the doubt, but by gum, how it did suck today. A gigantic roll, a sliver of ham, a sheet of dehydrated lettuce, with mustard—mustard! As the only condiment. Not even a smidgen of mayonnaise. And to top it off—an Atkins (only 3 net carbs!) bar as dessert. Vile abomination.

Anyway, I know now as I knew then that I would enjoy Ireland the most after I had left it; that is, I gritted my teeth and “had a cultural experience” with the knowledge that it would be far more fun to remember it later. In the case of Ireland, the Cultural Experience ® involved a lot of crappy weather, grumpy Irish, grumpy sheep, expensive food and inefficient public transportation. And many, many smokers and drunks. God, Europe is really not my cup of tea at all. Always an American at heart…I like the inexpensive “ethnic” food, cheap and efficient transportation, and the general antipathy towards smokers and public drunkenness and urination in these United States of America. Is there anything that we can learn from Ireland, however? Let us ponder the hypothetical fruits of cross-cultural comparison. And the answer is a clear, resounding NO. To the 3rd or 4th or 5th generation Irish-Americans, I bid thee, stop yearning for a place that does not exist.

Still, I am glad to have the experience under my belt. Character is not formed in peace and quiet and apparently not in the United States, either.

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22 March 2005 10:33 PM Tuesday
Lord 110

Just watched Ghost World. Depressing, depressing movie. But have come to the realization that Steve Buscemi is a sexy bastard. He is what Kelly would call “ugly hot.” I think his grossness/pathetic factor increases his hotness factor. You would think it would be an inverse function but it’s not. I was never any good at math anyhow.

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I was rather obnoxious as an undergraduate, no? And how much I was bored by my FSP while I was there, and yet so nostalgic about it now…interesting how things develop. I love me some cultural chauvinism. How young and foolish was I? I may click through a few old entries for further mockage in a few days’ time.

As I am neck-deep in grading finals, I am coming upon distressing problems in my students’ writing. I’m not interested in minor issues like apostrophes and articles, but in the overall problem of expression. Some of these kids have writing skills that are so bad that I can’t even guess what they were trying to argue.

If a student lacks the technical skills to write, they will never get more than a B-range grade (at BEST!) in any humanities or social science (or even some “hard” science) class. I grow weary of students who shrilly point out that this is a history course, not a literature course. Yet often they turn a deaf ear to my response that poor writing skills impair the formation of ideas and arguments. Also, I have the sneaking suspicion that poor writing skills relate to poor reading skills. By reading I don’t mean ABC stuff, but rather the ability to pick up on nuance in writing, such as irony, style, etc. If you can’t read historical documents and arguments, how can you understand history at all?

The difference between students at this huge public university and the tiny liberal arts college that I attended does not lie  in the quality of students. I have been impressed by their ability to articulate thoughts in discussion and in one-on-one conversations, yet some of those same students end up with F’s and C’s on their assignments. Not, I think, for want of doing the assigned reading or desire to do well, but because of their inability to write.

I know that the UCs have writing requirements, but I suspect that small liberal arts colleges tend to see writing as a much more essential skill. At D, one could not possibly survive without getting some semblance of writing competence beaten into one’s skull. (My friend from Wesleyan corroborates this; her small lib. arts school also insisted on writing, writing, writing.) Perhaps it’s the UCs’ vocational side that permits students to pass out of writing courses (thanks to AP credits, etc). I must say that AP scores are a poor substitute for a college level writing class.

I think that this institution offers motivated students substantial opportunities to improve their writing. However, not every student is motivated to work on their writing. Maybe more GE credits should be allocated to writing courses.

Most importantly,  I feel that the ability to express one’s thoughts and feelings on a basic level is essential to a person’s happiness. Therefore, some level of competency in writing is essential to  human happiness; in an age where texts have become enormously important (think internet!), it will not do to avoid the issue.

Writing is thinking. If we fail to teach students how to write, we fail to teach students how to think.

I received an email from the editor of a literary magazine today, asking if one of my short stories was available for publication.

Can I just say…

WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

that is all.