It's been an embarrassingly long since I've written an updated "Where are they now?" post. Partly, that's my fault--but it's also partly other peoples' faults. I don't often hear from students after they graduate; mostly, it's people for whom I've written a letter of reference telling me about their success. So, if you've graduated, and want to share your story with current students (you know, to give them hope that there's life after university), drop me a line!
(To keep your identity private, I just give initials here.)
- L.B. was accepted into MSc SLP program
- S.H. got accepted into graduate school
- J.A. is in graduate school working on her PhD in pediatrics
- A.B. was accepted into a Master’s program in medical sciences
- A.K. is Assistant Grand Moff at a library in the Edmonton area, and has a cat (I am allergic to cats)
- B.N. is working at Bioware
- C.H. got his Bachelor’s degree in applied arts specializing in animation, and has a unique visually based blog, called SKROWL. In his words: “Skrowl is a sort of combination of scrawl and scroll, with a little stank on it... I pronounce it like owl, prowl... skrowl. I think it has enormous potential as a storytelling tool of all sorts”
Go out into the world and do amazing things!
But in the meantime...
Why aren't you studying?
Showing posts with label miscellaneous. Show all posts
Showing posts with label miscellaneous. Show all posts
Where are they now? Part 3
The 25 Years: The Numbers
• 12 different courses (2 were co-taught)
• about 200 classes
• over 20,000 students
• at 3 different institutions
In a typical academic year, I teach seven classes, and about 1,000 students.
I have been fortunate to have been given awards for my teaching, including:
• Instructor of the month (Faculty of Science)
• Kathleen W. Klawe Prize for Excellence in Teaching of Large Classes
• Instructors of Distinction Honour Roll, Faculty of Science
• Instructor Appreciation award from the Interdepartmental Science Students’ Society
• Teacher Excellence Award from Delta Chi fraternity
• Department of Psychology Teaching Award
In addition, based on USRIs, I have been placed on the Department of Psychology Teaching Honour Roll 20 times, and the Honour Roll with Distinction 144 times.
As I reflect on all of these numbers and awards, I wonder what they all mean. Am I bragging about them? (No. Seriously.) Am I a good teacher? Students often give feedback that they enjoyed my course, which is all well and good. But did I teach the material effectively? That is, did I do something to help students learn the material well? And to what do I compare these outcomes--to myself 25 years ago, or to other instructors now? There’s no way to know. So I went to the research literature (you probably saw that coming, eh?).
A study by O’Connor and Cheema (2018) found that when a course was offered several times, grades given by the same instructor increased (from about a B+ to an A-). That sounds good, but this finding can be explained a number of ways. Is it because instructors get better over time, leading to better student performance? No: much research (e.g., Marsh, 2007) shows that teaching effectiveness tends to decline with age and years of experience--unless there is “systematic intervention”. Maybe it’s because students are getting better, year over year? Nope again: no significant effects were found on GPA as a factor of calendar year.
So what is responsible? The authors could not say for sure, but suggested that with increasing experience, the decision-making process “contaminates” evaluations--and seems to contaminate them in the upwards direction.
Well, that sucks.
Of course, I’d like to think that I’m the exception to the rule--that I don’t give higher marks now just because I’m older and have all this experience. I’d like to think that all the time and effort that I’ve put into my courses over the years has not been for nothing. But what can I do? Well, there is that “systematic intervention” business. The research on that indicates that using student evaluations of teaching along with consultation actually improve teaching effectiveness. The consultation is based on the ratings, and is used to target specific areas for development and selected strategies for improvement.
So, at this point in my 25-year-long career, it’s not time to sit back. It’s time once again to roll up my sleeves and dive in to some hard work.
Why aren’t you studying?
References
Marsh, H. W. (2007). Do university teachers become more effective with experience? A multilevel growth model of students’ evaluations of teaching over 13 years. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99, 775-790. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.99.4.775
O’Connor, K., & Cheema, A. (2018). Do evaluations rise with experience? Psychological Science, 29, 779-790. doi:10.1177/0956797617744517
The Edmonton Expo (2018 edition)
And that's a wrap for the Edmonton Expo 2018! For me, it was 2.5 days, 36,795 steps, 25.74 km (according to my Fitbit), and all things geeky.
Things were a bit different this year. First, the Expo was smaller--fewer halls, and fewer exhibitors. (That's probably because the Expo is now owned by Fan Expo HQ, the company behind Fan Expo Canada, among others.) There were also some notable cancellations: Jason (Aquaman) Momoa, Karl (Judge Dredd, Star Trek) Urban, Katee (Battlestar Galactica) Sackhoff, and Katie (Arrow) Cassidy. Cancellations always happen, but these were some pretty big names.
On the bright side, I got to see two of my all-time favourite voice actors, Maurice LaMarche and Kevin Conroy. Conroy is, of course, the definitive voice of Batman, going back to Batman: The Animated Series in the 1990s. If you don't know the name LaMarche, you are nonetheless familiar with his work if you've ever watched Animaniacs, The Simpsons, Futurama, or Disenchantment.
The panels with Ray Park, Brent Spiner, and John Barrowman were also highly entertaining. Barrowman's dress, in particular, was stunning. (Sorry, you hadda be there...) I also learned that moderator Tanner Zipchen is originally from Saskatoon and does not go around giving out Scene points. One of the most fascinating panels for me was hearing how junior high school teacher Scott Hebert has completely transformed his classroom into a medieval realm using the principles of gamification--something I've been interested in for a while. His talk was titled, "Press start to begin: How turning a class into a live action game changed everything." (And no, that doesn't tell you everything you need to know.)
In previous years, I unleashed my wallet, buying goodies like autographs, toys, and original art. I tried to rein it in a bit this year, buying some Steven Universe-themed items (pins, art, etc.) for my two sweet daughters who did not attend with me. (Don't tell them, but I held some items back as stocking stuffers!)
As usual, I got the Premium Package which includes a bit of swag: comic book, poster, lanyard, and TARDIS lunch box. You could also go around to vendors, getting stamps in a passport. When completed, you took your passport and got to spin the big wheel to win a prize. The result? An Expo sweatshirt (size medium). Check it out:
Would you like to have this swag package? Of course you would. Like last year, I will give this prize package to the person who pledges to give the most items to the UAlberta Campus Food Bank. Make your pledge in the comments below. The contest closes on Monday, October 1 at 12:00p.m. MDT (that's noon). Whoever has pledged the most number of items wins. (You have to show me a picture of you actually donating the items to the food bank upon pickup.) Even if you do not win, I would encourage you to still donate your pledged items to the food bank.
Why aren't you studying?
What I Did on my Summer Vacation (2018 Edition)
Instead of trying to come up with a theme for my summer vacation post, this year I went back through my photos and social media posts to try and sum up my summer. Here goes!
PHD Comics: Summer https://t.co/8k2pKGKaTA via @phdcomics
— Karsten Loepelmann (@kloepelm) June 13, 2018
It is so true, summer is a time to try and work uninterrupted (by teaching at least). I was home with my kids a lot of the time, so there still were interruptions. (I swear, those kids want to eat lunch like EVERY DAY.)
Instead of adding material to my courses, I spent my time scrutinizing my lecture notes overall, and my PowerPower slides in particular. I have increased the legibility, readability, and flow of my lectures, in addition to rewriting material for clarity and understanding. I have converted all physical media to digital files in anticipation of changes to the classroom computers by IST. That also meant spenting several hours with IST staff trying to fix problems, both old and new, with their systems. Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of confidence that everything will be running properly by the time the term starts. (Be prepared for your instructors fumbling and cursing a lot!)
Summer isn't all about work, though. There's time for a family trip. After visiting BC last year, we just stuck to Alberta for a short trip--Aspen Beach, Calgary, and Drumheller. After skipping the Calgary Zoo for a few years, we had to go back to see the pandas. My youngest daughter was so excited...and then so disappointed. The pandas just slept. The most action-packed moment was when one of them scratched its ear. Wow. To make up for the disappointment, we bought her an ice cream cone. Then a fly landed in it and everything went to hell. Yeah, good times.
Don't see how they can do kung fu.
The Royal Tyrrell Museum is always worth a visit.
Hoodoo? I dunno.
Who wants to see pictures of Aspen Beach when I could
show you the delicious cannoli at Sweet Capone's in Lacombe?
Ugh, I thought the smoke was bad last year. The BC forest fires brought clouds of smoke again this summer, especially in August. When it's an otherwise nice summer day with wretched air quality, at least I don't feel bad about being at my computer and working all day.
While my wife wasn't looking, I slipped a jalapeño plant in among her annuals when she was buying bedding plants this spring. (Ain't I a stinker?) I didn't have great hopes, but it exceeded all expectations, growing about a dozen peppers. I think I'll pickle them.#nofilter, we swear. It's that smokey today here in #yeg. With all this smoke, the air quality index is "very high" at 9. For more on our EAS live weather cameras, check the link in our bio #yegsmoke #uofa #weathercamera #panaromaview pic.twitter.com/Nbq7MKFI6q— UofA EAS Department (@UofA_EAS) August 15, 2018
Right at the end of August, the Department of Psychology held its annual Welcome Celebration. It's to welcome new graduate students, post-docs, and faculty members, and celebrate our accomplishments over the past year. Although I claim to go just for the food, it's really to hear the speeches. And lookit the nifty two TUTAs (Tolman Undergraduate Teaching Awards) I got!
Now, it's back to school for everyone. This year is just a bit more specialer, though. It's my 25th year of teaching. To those of you who have been taking my classes for 25 years--er, isn't it time to graduate already?
Why aren't you studying?Back to school. pic.twitter.com/wQzYV2b0vh— You Had One Job (@_youhadonejob1) September 3, 2018
The Reading List (Spring, 2018)
This time, the readings I'm recommending all tie into my recently concluded PSYCO 258: Cognitive Psychology course. It's remarkable that there are so many really good popular books about psychology--if you're into that kind of thing. And if you're following my blog, well, either you're a stalker or you're into that kind of thing...
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Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Waitaminnit--I recommended this book before, didn't I? Yup, in my post The Reading Week Reading List (Fall, 2015). But it's so good, I'm recommending it again. The title refers to the unconscious (fast) and deliberate, conscious (slow) modes of cognition. It also gives the first-person backstory to Prospect Theory, which is a unique thing. This theory was the start of behavioural economics, an approach that continues to shake up the fields of economics and psychology. Kahneman neatly summarizes his work with Amos Tversky, and also his more recent research into subjective life satisfaction. This is not a stuffy, boring read; it applies to everyone. |
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The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds by Michael Lewis You may know Lewis as the author of Moneyball. Here he presents a double-biography of Danny Kahneman and his longtime collaborator, Amos Tversky. Lewis tells a great story, providing important context to the lives of his subjects, which really helps give you a sense of who they really are: the constant self-doubt of Kahneman, and Tversky's devastating intelligence. Beyond the biographies, Lewis also follows the chronology of Prospect Theory, doing a great job of explaining it scientific publication to scientific publication. The final line is classic: "Then the phone rang." |
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Misbehaving: The Story Of Behavioral Economics by Richard H. Thaler This third book on behavioural economics is by far the most technical. You may not enjoy this book if you're put off by terms like "diminishing marginal utility," "bounded rationality," and "economics." Thaler, a recent Nobel prize winner, recounts his relationship with Kahneman & Tversky, as well as his contributions to behavioural economics. There are quite a few graphs, and it can be hard to follow if you have no background in economics. Recommended for only the most hardcore fans of behavioural economics, or econ majors. Psychology majors should just skip to the section on nudge theory. |
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Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool Every wonder how an expert got so good at what they do? An athlete, dancer, musician, or chess player? They make it seem so easy--like they were born to do it. But what really underlies their amazing abilities is something Ericsson calls deliberate practice. Along the way, he also debunks misconceptions about the "10,000 hour rule" and the "10-year rule" Sorry, but it takes more than just time to get really, really good at something. Ericsson gives evidence-based advice on how to turn yourself into an expert at just about anything. (Even, say, psychology.) |
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Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth Duckworth's research has shown that grit--a personality trait for persevering on a task--is a more important contributor to grades than IQ. However, the concept of grit is controversial. Some argue that it may be no different from some other personality traits. Also, you may have "grit" for, say, playing tennis, but not for studying. Shouldn't it apply to everything you do equally instead of being situation-specific? In Peak, Ericsson criticizes the concept for being circular: if you don't stick to a task because you don't have grit, which is why you don't stick to the task. However, reading this book seems to have increased my motivation for persisting on tasks; your mileage may vary. |
Why aren't you studying?
The Reading List (Winter, 2018)
It'll soon be time for another Reading Wee--wha? It's over already? Well, it sure didn't last long. (I swear, a week isn't as long as it used to be.) I did actually spend some time reading--mostly papers on neuromagic, but even more time frantically writing my lecture on neuromagic. (It's for PSYCO 403: Advanced Perception, if you're interested).
Anyway, I've got a backlog of books I've read going back to, er, 2016. (I swear, a year isn't as long as it used to be.) I posted some of my favourite recent graphic novels last time; this time it's some random nonfiction.
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Head in the Cloud: Why Knowing Things Still Matters When Facts Are So Easy to Look Up by William Poundstone Why do you need to know anything anymore? In a world with Google, what is knowledge worth? William Poundstone argues that it may be worth more than you think. This book, based on original survey research, catalogs the many things that people don’t know. It’s shocking. Would you be able to identify Johann Sebastian Bach in a photo? Do you know the sun is a star? Did you know research shows that people with more general knowledge (e.g., trivia) have higher incomes and are happier (Admittedly, it is just a correlation.) When you phone battery dies, you might start to realize just how little you actually know... |
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Gastrophysics: The New Science of Eating by Charles Spence Spence won the Ig Nobel Prize for his study, in which he amplified the sound of a person eating a Pringles potato chip to make it seem fresher and crunchier. Yes, seriously. This book describes how our experience of food is affected by taste, smell, sight, sound, and touch, as well as the atmosphere, the people you are eating with, and more. Some of the most fun parts are his accounts of the often bizarre world of high-end restaurants. Imagine eating in the dark, or with your hands. How about eating food off a tablet computer? Or being spritzed in the face with scent as you eat? Loads of great perceptual psychology for anyone who eats food. I’m recommending this book to students of my PSYCO 403: Advanced Perception course. |
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Touch: The Science of the Hand, Heart, and Mind by David J. Linden My area of training as a graduate student was perception and psychophysics, specifically how the skin processes information, so this book grabbed my attention right away. Be aware that an understanding of our sense of touch is going to require some biology. Terms like HPA axis, stratum corneum, dorsal root ganglia, ventroposterolateral nucleus, and TRPM8 receptor get thrown around a lot--maybe a bit too much for a popular book. If you can get past that, there are some interesting discussions of “hot” and “cool” taste sensations, the nature of itching, touch illusions, and the social nature of touch (yes, that includes sexual touching). I’d recommend taking PSYCO 367: Perception before reading this book. |
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See What I’m Saying: The Extraordinary Powers of our Five Senses by Lawrence D. Rosenblum Yup, another book about perception! (Remember: I’m a perception geek.) Rosenblum’s thesis is that we don’t give our senses enough credit; we focus more on the limitations of our senses. But there are more to our senses than most people realize. This book is not a catalog of our senses; rather, it delves into particular phenomena that highlight extraordinary abilities--some of which are displayed by only a small number of people. Many of these cases will be familiar to students of psychology: the blind man who rides a bike using “sonar,” how molecules in human sweat may synchronize women’s menstrual cycles, and the curious phenomenon of synesthesia. Another recommendation for students of perception. |
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Selp-helf by Miranda Sings Why did I read this book again? She was funny or something? If you really love Miranda Sings, you’ll--well, you’ll probably tolerate this book. Just like the real Miranda, it’s best in small doses. Like, really small doses. In fact, you’re better off watching Miranda on Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (season 5, episode 4, available on Netflix). That episode made me laugh out loud. Hey, not all these books are winners. Wait--this book was on the New York Times bestseller list? I just can’t anymore... |
Why aren't you studying?
The Lecture Notes & Copyright
Why am I being so sticky about this? Here's what happened a couple of weeks ago. I got an email from a student who had a question about something in the lectures they didn't understand. But the question they were asking was weird. They were asking about lecture material that was not in my lectures. At least, not any more. I thought for sure I had taken this particularly confusing section out, years ago. I double-checked, and confirmed that it was indeed gone. So I asked the student where they got my lecture notes from. Oh, an online lecture note sharing site, they said.
Argh.
This unfortunate student had stumbled upon long-outdated notes posted without permission by a student in my class a few years ago. The student had missed a few days of class and instead of asking another student in that class (or me) for notes on what they had missed, they just Googled it instead.
This is why I copyright my lecture notes.
I don't want anyone coming across old, outdated notes posted on some random website. Yes, they may be filled in with all the blanks you missed when you were unable to come to class. But you could potentially be doing yourself a disservice--learning material that you don't have to, or even misunderstanding something important.
Yes, I do want students to take responsibility for themselves. If you miss a class, my policy is to get you to ask another student in the class for the notes. Why? Lots of reasons. You will get to know someone else. Many students complain that even though the university is filled with people, they feel alone--because they are not forming new relationships. There are loads of smart, like-minded people all around you. It wouldn't hurt to get to know someone new. You could, say, share lecture notes if one of you is sick. Smart students will make additional annotations to my lecture notes--not just filling in the words. These students tend to do better on exams. Although I can give you the blanks if you miss a class, that's all I can give you. It would be better to get annotated notes from a fellow student.
Even worse than posting lecture notes, I have found students posting their old assignments and papers online. This is a dumb thing to do. Not only can I download these papers too, I have electronic records of all assignments, going back more than 10 years. If a current student is dumb enough to submit your old assignment, it's a trivial matter to bust both of you for plagiarism. Yes, both of you. See, it's against the Code of Student Behaviour to provide material to another student. How would you like the University contacting you after you've graduated, telling you that your degree is being revoked? Yes, it's that serious.
So I've had to spend hours over the past couple of weeks writing takedown letters to multiple online note-sharing websites, which is a major drag. I'd rather be doing almost anything else.
If you feel my policies are too restrictive (and your social anxiety prevents you from talking to strangers), I've come up with a compromise. I am willing to set up a note-sharing forum on eClass. You can ask for notes or share your notes. I don't have a problem with this because it's under my control. If there are errors in the notes people post, I can fix that. I don't have control over websites that profit from my hard work--and, yes, it's hard work. I spend hundreds of hours developing my lecture notes. In many ways, my notes are the sum total of my work as an instructor.
Please don't give them away.
Why aren't you studying?
The Red Pens
Using a red pen seems to make people pick out more writing errors, and cause them to grade more harshly resulting in lower scores, compared with using a blue pen (Rutchick, Slepian, & Ferris, 2008).
Another study found that corrections in red ink are interpreted by students as being harsher than those made in “aqua” (what, water?), because red is an emotive (“arousing or able to arouse intense feeling”) colour (Dukes & Albenesi, 2013). The corrections are also more likely to be interpreted by students as “shouting,” which leads to emotional loading and anxiety, and a potential rejection of the feedback on the paper.
Even before this evidence appeared, there have been suggestions that teaching mark using purple or pink pens. (That’s the ink colour, not the colour of the barrel. No research on that yet.)
I remember getting term papers back, and seeing the red ink. It didn’t make me feel good. If I had known that there was a typo or a lapse in logic, I would have corrected it before handing it in. See the red made me want to be a better writer. I was getting valuable feedback from professors, and I would be dumb not to learn from it. I can still remember some of the corrections, advice, and feedback I received decades later. Did it hurt my feelings? Sure. Did I let it stop me from improving? No way.
So I use red ink. Yes, it can trigger emotions. But maybe it’s supposed to. In (literal and figurative) contrast with blue (or even black) marks on the paper, red draws your attention. It says, “Hey, this is important.” Maybe it elicits an emotional reaction; maybe it acts as punishment (in the operant conditioning sense of the word). If I have emptied a red pen marking your term paper, it clearly needs improvement. Learn from all the scribbles I make on your paper. I’ve spent time reading, thinking about, and analyzing your writing. It’s customized, one-to-one communication, and it’s what you’re paying for when you take a course. I wouldn’t spend all the time I do if I didn’t think it would help.
I’ve used a lot of red pens over the years. Here are some I’ve tried recently.
Staples 1.0
It’s a pen. A red pen. Nothing special. But they’re cheap: You can get 864 of them for $252.69 at Staples.
This used to be my go-to pen, but even with gel ink the 0.7 mm tip is a bit too sharp. Often dies with ink left in it. (And what’s with the name? Is it made from zebra blood?)
The name grabbed me right away: I need a fast pen. But it has a too-sharp tip, and also dies with ink left. Grr!
PaperMate Profile 1.4B
Now we’re talking. A nice big fat 1.4 mm ballpoint gel ink pen. It’s smooth and doesn’t require a lot of pressure to write with, which helps prevent tendonitis. Makes an inconsistent line though, so I only use it to mark exams.
PaperMate InkJoy 300RT 1.0M
My former favourite pen, the InkJoy series features amazingly quick-drying ink. Super smooth and fast, it’s what I (used to) use to mark term papers.
It looks like I'm not the only one who thinks a bit too much about pens. The Wirecutter is even more keen than I am. Their "best pen" is now my new favourite! The new winner:
Uni-ball Jetstream RT
This pen has all of the upsides of my former favourite--but also does away with the main downside. The ink doesn't constantly clump up, requiring me to wipe off the tip every couple of minutes. Yay! It's hard to find this in stores (especially red ink) but it's available online. There are two tip sizes. I went with the 0.7 mm which is a bit fine for marking papers, so I'll get the 1.0 mm when my current supply runs out.
So, how do you feel about pens?
Why aren’t you studying?
References
Rutchick, A. M., Slepian, M. L., & Ferris, B. D. (2008). The pen is mightier than the word: Object priming of evaluative standards. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40, 704-708. doi: 10.1002/ejsp.753
Dukes, R., & Albanesi, H. (2012). Seeing red: Quality of an essay, color of the grading pen and student reactions to the grading process. Social Science Journal, 50, 96-100. doi:10.1016/j.soscij.2012.07.005
Edit: Updated 2/3/2023--I have a new favourite!
The Comic Reading List (Fall, 2017)
What to do during Reading Week, but read. (OK, get a bunch of work done, too. But everyone needs a break.) Every so often, I like to share my reading list. It's been a while since my last one. Not only has it been a while, but I noticed that I haven't included any comics on the lists. I'm not a snob who looks down on comics; I love comics. And not just in the I-love-the-comics-that-I-read-as-a-kid way, but in the I-still-love-reading-comics way. I just forget to include them in my reading lists. Since I profess to being a geek, here's the evidence--some of my favourite comics from recent years.
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I have to start with Saga. I can't bear the time between individual issues, so I wait to get the trade paperbacks (oh, fine: "graphic novels") every six months. It's the story of a couple from two warring worlds (the science-based planet Landfall and its only moon, the magic-infused Wreath), written by Brian K. Vaughan. It's moving, and thrilling, and heartbreaking. The art, by Calgary's Fiona Staples, is amazing: she can make you empathize with anthropomorphic meerkats. Or aristocratic humanoids with TVs for heads. Yes, it is deliciously weird and different. And good: It's won a dozen Eisner awards, and will win many more. |
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Matt Fraction (writer) and David Aja's (artist) widely acclaimed run on Hawkeye ended a couple of years ago, but I still come back to it. Yes, it's that Hawkeye from the Avengers (and also another Hawkeye from another Avengers). But if you think it's just some dumb, loud punch-up comic book, you are oh-so-wrong. It's a smart superhero book. Care for a wordless story about a dog who loves pizza? Yes, please. It defies expectation in every issue. Aja's spare lines meld perfectly with Fraction's show-don't-tell scripts. It won five Eisners, but deserved more. Be warned: you will have to read and re-read these stories, or you will miss much of the nuance. |
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If you've seen the movie, you might be interested in the original manga of The Ghost in the Shell. I recommend the deluxe edition, which is read right-to-left as it was originally published. It will bend your mind, but only just a little bit. And author Shirow Masamune's behind-the-scenes notes are totally worth it. Yes, it's (mostly) in English. Influenced by (and influencing) cyberpunk, this work has had an effect on movies (notably The Matrix, Avatar, and Ex Machina), and video games (Deus Ex, among many others). It was ahead of its time in the late 1980s, and--amazingly--much of it still is. |
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I'm way, way too young to have seen the original run of Batman in the 1960s, but I caught reruns after school. A goofy, silly Batman is better than no Batman at all. Right? Jeff Parker and Jonathan Case perfectly capture the zany and ridiculous aspects of the smash hit TV show--right down to Cesar Romero's Joker wearing makeup over his mustache. A grim, brooding Dark Knight this ain't. Anyway, nostalgia! Highlights include crossovers with The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Green Hornet, and even the 1970s Wonder Woman. (My favourite? When they encountered the Legion of Super-Heroes. Woot!) |
The Edmonton Comic and Entertainment Expo (2017 edition)
A few weeks ago, I went to the Edmonton Comic & Entertainment Expo. I notice that I didn't write about it last year (even though I went). And my post from two years ago was less than glowing. Could it be that my enthusiasm for pop culture and various forms of geekery is waning? Er, no. Rogue One and Twin Peaks: The Return were fantastic. (I even bought the extra-super-special Rogue One Blu-ray set--only offered by Target in the US--off eBay. And, of course, this past summer was the summer of Twin Peaks.) Nothing against this year's "media guests." I don't really watch Daredevil, but I'm a fan of Charlie Cox because Stardust. It was inspiring to hear Alberta's own Eugene Brave Rock. And Shatner, of course.
But the guest list does not have the depth of other cons, like the Salt Lake Comic Con (sadly, held the same weekend as Edmonton Expo). Don't follow the link to see who was in Salt Lake, I implore you--you will weep. Maybe I'll skip the next Expo, and saving my money to go to Salt Lake, or Toronto, or (cough) Calgary. Eep!
In the meantime, I once again have some swag to give away. But not just give away. This time, I will give my loot to the person who pledges to give the greatest number of items to the Campus Food Bank. That's right, to get something, you have to give something. Submissions will be accepted (in the form of comments below), up until 12:00 MDT on Monday, October 16, 2017. At that time, the selection will be made. To receive your swag, you have to bring the items you pledged to donate to my office, so that I may confirm your generous donation, and bestow upon you the merchandise:
- Edmonton Expo messenger bag ($25 value)
- Edmonton Expo T-shirt (size M, never worn! $25 value)
- Edmonton Expo Bluetooth earphones ($40 value. A warning: I was not able to get these to work with my Windows 10 computer.)
- Edmonton Expo lanyard/badge ($5 value)
- Edmonton Expo souvenir program
- and more!
Why aren't you studying?
Edit: Added closing date. Oops!
What I Did on my Summer Vacation (2017 Edition)
Every year when I write these summer vacation posts, I try to come up
with a theme. Last year was easy; I even had two
themes.
It’s usually a struggle, though. Part of it is that my summers are pretty
routine. I teach a Spring term course. Then I spend the summer working on my
courses and take a few vacation days with my family. Am I getting boring and
predictable? Probably. Anyway, on to my summer vacation!
After teaching PSYCO 367: Perception in Spring term (which was a lot
of fun, as I hadn’t taught it in two years), we planned a moderately sized
vacation this year: Penticton, BC. Not a huge, elaborate thing (just eight days)
but nonetheless a big trip for us, with two kids. Penticton is over 1,000 km
away. Our neighbours own a condo in Penticton and go every year; they drive
there in one day. Yikes. Knowing my family, that would be a recipe for
disaster. Instead, we took a much more leisurely approach, stopping overnight
in Banff, Vernon, and Kelowna.
Did you know that, in celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday, you
could get a Parks Canada pass for free? That’s what we did--along with several
million other people, apparently. I’ve never seen it so busy in Banff. Traffic
was very heavy on all the highways through Banff National Park. Naturally, we
had to go through six construction zones. Yes, there are only two seasons in
Canada: winter and construction.
Stopping in Vernon was a good idea, because we had time to visit the
Planet Bee Honey Farm. It’s worth a stop. If you’re a
science nerd (we all are), pay a bit extra for the PowerPoint presentation (squee!)
about bees. Informative! Plus, you get some free honey. Not only do they sell
dozens of kinds of honey in the gift shop, they also make their own mead (honey
wine) and give out free samples. Don’t mind if I do! (We bought two bottles.)
Now for an interlude. When we started out on our trip, I had no idea that
it would end up being the worst trip I’ve ever taken. A few days before we were
due to leave, I started feeling…not so good. Not wanting this illness to affect
our long-awaited vacation, I went to see my doctor. He prescribed me a round of
(very) strong antibiotics, and warned me that I would experience “some stomach
upset.” Well, that was right on the money. Initially, I had no problems, giving
me the impression that I have superhuman powers to deal with strong medicines.
However, over time my stomach felt worse and worse. Five days into our
vacation, I could only tolerate one tiny meal per day, and couldn’t be away
from a bathroom for more than an hour or so. (I have to point out that through
all of this, my original illness did not improve. At all. It took another round
of antibiotics after coming home to finally fix that situation. Thankfully,
this antibiotic did not upset my stomach at all. What was my original ailment? I’m
not going to tell you. I hardly know you. Maybe after we’ve gone on a few more
dates. Suffice it to say, it had something to do with not being able to sit
without a great deal of pain. And this started right before the longest car
trip I’ve made in over 20 years.) But hey, I didn’t want to disappoint my
family, so what to do but grit my teeth and man up.
In Kelowna, we met up with my wife’s old friend/colleague, and visited
one of the area’s many (many!) wineries: CedarCreek Estate Winery. We got a
(brief) tour of the vineyard and aging barrels--cut short because of the all
the loud, dusty onsite construction. We were in the warehouse for literally
seconds. Included in the tour at the end is, of course, a wine tasting. My wife
sure enjoyed it--she got to drink my samples, as all I could tolerate was the
same sparkling apple juice that my kids got (in fancy wine glasses, though;
they felt really fancy!). Sigh.
Sadly, Lake Okanagan experienced flooding earlier this year, which was
evident in the erosion of the beach at Okanagan Lake Beach in Penticton. (There
were sandbags still scattered around many lakefront properties.) And, as you
know, this year has been the worst ever for wildfires in BC.
The smoke was thick almost every day, and got worse the farther south we
traveled. Check out our lovely (?) day at Skaha Lake Beach: the picture looks
like it was taken at sundown, but that was the middle of the afternoon. You
could hardly see across the lake to the mountains on the other side. At times,
the smoke was choking; my heart goes out to all those people affected by the
wildfires this year.
My wife had fond memories of going to the beach in Penticton as a kid,
but between the erosion and the smoke, it was a big letdown. At least we could
still go cherry picking, as she had also done with her family. Why pick
cherries yourself? It’s cheaper, my wife explained, and they taste better. The
price at the U-pick in Penticton: $2.99. The price for Okanagan cherries at
Walmart after we returned home to Edmonton: $1.97. Sigh. Did I mention that,
the day after we returned home, the winds blew BC smoke into Edmonton? Yeah,
that happened.
I’ve spent a lot of time describing one brief trip (Worst. Trip.
Ever.), and still haven’t come up with a theme for this post. Was there one
thread that ran through my whole summer? Come to think of it, there was. All
summer, I waited in eager anticipation for Sunday night, when a new episode of Twin
Peaks: The Return would air. I don’t watch much TV,
but this was a show I couldn’t miss. Back in the day, I was a huge fan of the
original Twin Peaks. (How huge? I joined the official fan club, and rewatched
seasons 1 and 2 with friends complete with coffee and cherry pie). I watched The Return
as suggested by co-creator and director David Lynch: in the dark, with
headphones. Then I’d spend the rest of the week listening to hours of podcasts
that would recap, theorize, and try to explain what happened--and I’d wait
impatiently for Sunday.
Now the show’s over, and summer is over, too--and I’ve got mixed
emotions about both. I won’t give out any spoilers, but I will strongly
recommend Twin Peaks: The Return; it’s a rare piece of entertainment that
can also be considered art. It made me feel all of the feels: happy, angry, sad,
disgusted, surprised, and frightened. I guess summer did, too.
Why aren’t you studying?
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