Coffee:

I also got ideas for college papers from things people said/stuff I read in other sources, but never lifted things whole-cloth from them, so I felt only partially guilty for not being completely original. I called it "effective plagiarizing," which, along with the ability to bullshit at length, was required for every English major.

Actually, there's nothing wrong with using other people's ideas. Especially once you get into higher-level academic writing, there aren't many topics or angles that haven't been written about. The key is to give credit for the source of the idea (i.e. "Anderson's examination of gender in Surfacing suggests a correlation between illness and femininity..." blah, blah acadamiacakes). Synthesis is good. Stealing is bad. I find that this distinction is the one that most students (inclluding me for many years) don't get: citing ideas, even if summarized or paraphrased, along with citing quotes. I still get mad at myself for not being more careful when I was in college.

Aargh. Seems I wrote down both numbers incorrectly, and therefore can't get the information that I need.

Didja' know that tigers sometimes dive underwater to get food? Well, it's true. And here are some pictures: [link]

Actually, a lot of pictures. Taken at a Russian zoo, I think, where you can watch as they throw meat into a pool and the tigers dive after it. Cool and bizarre....

If you scroll to the bottom of the pictures, there are some ads that are NSFW. Those Russians....

I knew tigers were swimmers, and food is a major incentive. I just never imagined what it would look like. That first picture could give a person nightmares.

We were drilled about citing in High School-- to the point where I think we may have over-cited. I remember doing an A paper that cited every sentance (I think it was a research report about the Louvre,so I didn't have many originalideas!) We just learned some method of citing that was not the one I needed to use in college (the MLA).

Today another woman and I yelled at a teenage asshat on the bus. Our bus was packed like sardines today (not ususally the case)-- With an unusual number of mom's and babies and strollers. And these teenage boys sitting in the handicapped seats did not get up to give the mom carrying a six month old a seat! Both of were like "You need to get up and give this lady a seat!". Then I got up and gave another lady with a toddler a seat even though there were about 8 teenage boys sitting -- I can't believe these kids!

Those are awesome tiger pictures. I'd guess they are all snarly-faced to keep the water out of their ears.

ita, it's horrid you have a new symptom/manifestation. Sheesh.

tigers are COOL! That diving thing rocks.

So, Noah needs surgery to close the hole in his aorta. Tentatively, it's scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. Same surgery as Grace had weeks ago.

Also, I have been getting the first set of hospital bills. Just for the stay, not including pathology or consults, each of my kids has racked up over $430,000 in hospital bills for one month.

I have been told too often that a guy won't hang out with a chick for any considerable time if he's not angling for something more.

and yet I think I have this friend who spends time with this guy a lot. um, she's pretty and smart, let's see who is she again?

My favorite plagiarism incident was in France where a student handed in a exact copy of my model outline (from the year before) of the article assigned.

Surgery ~ma for Noah, and for you and your family, Kat.

each of my kids has racked up over $430,000 in hospital bills for one month.

And they're worth every penny. Heck, I hope part of my insurance payments or tax dollars helped.