Things I would rather do than grade papers
1. Clean the refrigerator.
2. Go to the nearest big grocery store, which is two or three miles away. On foot. (Actually, it’s a nice energetic 45-minute hike if the weather is good and I’m in the mood for exercise, which I was yesterday. And I take the bus home, because another 45-minute hike with groceries is too much. But still.)
3. Visit my local knitting store and fondle every type of yarn in succession — though, to be fair, I do that on non-grading weekends as well.
4. Obsessively check my e-mail.
5. Obsessively check my referrer stats.
6. Watch cheesy movies starring Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, and CGI aliens on network TV.
7. Check my Bloglines subscriptions over and over.
8. Recategorize the books on my bookshelves.
9. Stare at the wall, humming to myself.
10. Plan elaborate menus for tonight’s dinner, involving recipes I probably won’t have time to make.
11. Do laundry.
12. Try to win the "Expert" level in Spider Solitaire.
13. Collect and recycle all miscellaneous and non-important pieces of paper in my apartment.
14. If it comes down to it, chew off my right arm so I’ll have an excuse for not writing any more comments.
[Y’all know I’m not serious about the last one, right? Actual posting of substance will resume in a few days.]
After waiting for the entire week off I forced myself to grade lab reports and chemistry exams today. I only succeeded by hauling myself to a bakery with nothing to read and the stack of papers. Once there I had to mark them. I got in a good 2.5 hours worth. Nothing else works for me.
But once the repetition-compulsion kicks in, you’re home free.
(I am not, myself, manifesting great motivation for work today)
🙂
As I sit here reading this, there is a stack of 9th grade drivel behind me that seems to grow every time I turn around. It could be worse though, they could be 7th grade essays. :0