I've got my absolute least favorite task coming up -- end-of-semester grades. For the class I teach, there's a specific formula for calculating final grades, with a certain weight given to each midterm, the final exam, and the in-class grades (homework and quizzes.) All of these have to be entered into the university's computers. The computers already have the exam grades, because those are graded on scantrons. But for the in-class grades, I've got the grades in an online gradebook (which the university tells us to use). I've also got the exam grades in that gradebook. I can easily get the gradebook to properly weight each of the grades and calculate the final grade for each student. But the way the system is set up, I need to enter the in-class grades into the university computer separately, so that the university computer can then weight all the grades and print out a report with the final grades. The method of entering these in-class grades? Scantron. One scantron per student. I have to have each student fill in their name and ID number at the top of an individual scantron (and then I have to sort through them, figure out who's missing, and fill out the missing ones myself), and then I have to download the grades from the online gradebook, put them in a spreadsheet, get the spreadsheet to average the in-class grades separately from the midterm grades, and then code each student's in-class grade into their scantron. It is the most ridiculously pointless thing ever.

Thanks, shrift! I've registered. That class seems more manageable than the data analytics class I tried to take last Fall. Although I may go back and complete that coursework over time.

Sophia, I'm terrible and tend to guesstimate, but you could add a general category to your tracking and either say it was for all classes, or just take that amount of time and divide by 40 at the end of the day?

That's terrible, Hil. I hate stupid processes like that.

Last semester, when I downloaded the grades from the online gradebook, the column labels got shifted over by one, and I didn't notice, so I ended up averaging the wrong grades, and then had to fill out the entire set of scantrons again.

ION, what do windshields cost, if you're not getting it replaced due to cracks or whatever? Mine is so pitted from dust or whatever that it's a hazard when driving into the sun.

The last time I had one replaced it was about $180 for a Chevy Cavalier, but that was back in 2004.

The rear (hatch) window of my 2012 Focus cost about $400 to replace two years ago. I think front windows would be more, because I think the windshield has thicker glass than the rest of the windows.

I think.

I am eating all the sweets today. Had an apple for breakfast, which is typically all the sweet stuff I would have in a normal day, but today have added two brownies, plan to have cookies, and have a small pile of chocolate next to my keyboard ready for noshing. I neeeed it.

The quote I got for the windshield of a 91 Jeep Cherokee was $153. Rear windows have all those wires for the defroster in them, so that might be why it was more.

There ought to be a way for Hil and Sophia to do their terrible forms together.

(Also, Sophia, round everything up, and there's your Buffista time...)