Tuesday, October 18, 2005

All I really want...

...is a life.

Its 8pm, I've just spent a day at work teaching...

-t-tests
-one way anova
-how to enter more complex data sets
-repeated measures anova
-mixed design anova
-main effects & interactions
-post-hoc comparisons
-controlling for multiple comparisons using simple effects analysis

...to second year students who are still struggling with very basic statistic concepts. Oh and, btw, they have a test on this next week that counts to their final grade...watch my inbox swell...

Hmmm. I taught this course last year and I'm sure we taught all that over the course of a term - not in one 2 hour tutorial?! (I don't design the course, in case you're wondering why I would do such a thing!)

Now I am entering data (I am grateful to have data, no really I am) at 8pm at night, having been at work til 7pm. Thankfully partner dude has escaped to the pub for the evening, leaving me at home to crank up good old Alanna at her angiest.

How appropriate.

Tips on stress management welcome.

3 comments:

Lorcan said...

Tips that thee requested... As thee works... draw one hot bath, remove thy brain, place brain in hot tub (hot... tub mind you, hottubs are too big... ) let thy brain relax while thy body does the paddy work, after work is over, join thy brain in the tub, perhaps with bubble bath, but thee should place brain back in crainium before attempting to put bubble bath in the tub, that takes real concentration... put Interstice by Sorcha Dorcha ( or the international school of busking ) on the CD player track 5 Maili Dhonn... turn it up loud enough for the neighbors to ask where they might get a copy of the same... place an open bottle of champers next to tub with cheeze and crackers, ( not Wendsledale Cheeze unless thee has a Walace and Grommit Video on at the same time, which actually does go with most of my CDs... ) with a lipstick, draw a line half way down the bottle, to remind thee that that is as much as thee should drink, when the bottle is half empty, ie. thee has reached the line, smudge that line out and draw another half way between the old line and the bottom of the bottle, keep doing the same indefinately, Einstine say ye can... When P.Dooddie arives home, send the same out for fish and chips and another bottle of champers, and a Wallace and Gromit video if thee has not got one, while he is gone, still in the tub, call up thy parents and laugh hysterically, for about five minutes, kiss them goodnight and call the grandfolkies and do the same... make sure when P. Dooddie comes back with the F&C, thy mouth and cheeks are stuffed with crackers and cheeze... and thee has a conical party hat on... write a very serrious note to thy department head, thanking same for all the time spent helping thee get settled into the teaching post, sign thy name backwards...
take two asprin and call me in the morning.
I hope thee has found this helpful
thy good friend
lor

ash said...

I think Lor's suggestions are good here. When I need to seriously relax, I normally head for the bath. Take a beer, a book (poetry), some incense, some candles, a relaxing CD (such as has been rightly and appropriately suggested), and hit the chill for an hour or so.

Or perhaps you could go for a walk in a favoured place. I like to do this too, depending on the need. If you need to relax from sitting down, then walk. If you need to relax from physicalities, take a bath.

Me, I don't like to eat in the bath, but I do like to drink. And I do like to eat after, so fish and chips sounds like another good plan.

Contemplative Activist said...

I really love that album.

My brother (who is a rather dodgy character, even if I do say so myself) used to have a dodgy pirate copy of it which he kept in my mum's car.

So in the great summer after my A-levels, when I was 18, had just learned to drive and had finally finished school - that was my album.

Ah...memories. I wonder if I'll feel the same kind of freedom when I get my PhD done.

CA

PS. I'm listening to an authentic copy now!