Gender Inequality and Shopping

I came home from school and immediately came down with a cold. Candi came home yesterday after visiting her mother with a full-blown cold. She slept most of the afternoon and then slept most of the evening in her chair in front of the television. Then she slept all through the night, something that rarely happens. Today she looks better and I think she feels better than I do. Not fair. Females are definitely the stronger gender. If you don’t believe that, just ask one.

This is super Saturday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year. I did not leave the house and will not leave it until we go to the airport on Monday. I plan all Christmas gifts in October. I buy most of them online with free shipping. If anyone wants their presents wrapped, they can wrap them. I do not like crowds. I do not like trying to find what I want in a store where the aisles are so crowded you cannot get from one end to the other. Do you enjoy walking a half-mile from your parking spot to the store? I do not. This year may be an exception after Christmas. I also avoid stores the days after Christmas, the time for returns. This year we are going to see our grandsons for Christmas (and their parents too.) One is a teenager and one is almost there. Their major gift is to go shopping, by themselves, with Grandma and Grandpa to buy the one thing that they really wanted but did not get. I know they will like this. I know I should and hope I do. This is the last blog until we return after Christmas. Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

A little help from your friends

After the work to replace the disposal yesterday, I planned to take the day off and just do some editing. A friend needed assistance replacing an over the stove microwave that was also a light and vent hood. When I got there, he had everything well underway. The mounting bracket was on the wall and it looked like it was just put the microwave on the wall. Just about but not quite. We still needed to make sure the holes to screw the microwave to the cabinet were in the correct place. One side was correct and we could reuse the existing hole. The other side took a little measuring and the drilling, but we got it right the first time. Measure three times, drill once. With that we were able to put the microwave on the wall bracket and then put the bolt in that attached it to the cabinet. A little bit of work on the exhaust ducting and we were done. So much better than the day before. It really helps to have more than two hands on the job. Like most of life, everything goes smoother with a little help from your friends.

Home Repair

First, the dishwasher stopped working. We hope it is because the door springs don’t hold the door up anymore. I went online and ordered parts. They came and were the wrong parts. I called the supplier, and it turns out they don’t stock the correct parts, but that did not stop them from selling me the wrong parts. They went back for a refund. I went online to the dishwasher manufacturer and ordered the correct parts. Surprisingly, the parts from the manufacturer were cheaper than the parts house. The parts should be here this week.

After the dishwasher failed, the garbage disposal failed. I decided I could replace it. I had replaced a disposal before. Off to the big box home center. I found the same model as the old one and got it. Replacement with the same model should make the job easier! With my wife out of town, it was the perfect time to replace the disposal. I even read the directions. Since it was a replacement in kind, I got to skip 10 steps of the instructions. The first instruction was to turn off the power. No big deal, the breaker was marked and the switch was off. The second instruction was to remove the existing drain piping off of the disposal discharge. OK. Not so clear. On my piping, everything was interconnected. I had to remove all of the piping under the double sink to remove the one piece of piping connected to the disposal. Now all of this required getting down on my old and sore knees and working under the sink.

The next instruction was to rotate a ring on the disposal and support the disposal because it would fall when it came loose. The only way to accomplish this step was to lay on my back with my head in the cabinet, use the wrench as instructed, and turn the ring. They don’t tell you what to do it the ring doesn’t turn. So I got up and reread the directions. All the instructions showed the ring turning easily, no help. I thought maybe a hammer would free up the ring. What fun, laying on your back with your head in the cabinet under the sink and trying to hit the ring and nothing else. After 15 minutes of this, I tried turning the ring again. I would not budge. So I get up off the floor and think it is time for a break. But first, I started thinking. What do we normally do when something is stuck? Possibly heat or better yet WD-40. So I got the WD-40 and also picked up a torch. I figured less could go wrong with WD-40 than using a torch in the house under the sink. I sprayed the ring and then took a break. WD-40 needed time to sink and work, and I needed a break. After a break, I realized the little wrench that came with the disposal did not give much leverage. A big screwdriver with a wrench gave more leverage. This time the ring turned quickly. Too quickly for me to catch the disposal, and that is why there is a bandage on my finger. Next step, connect the wiring to the disposal. Not too bad, maybe electrician is more my thing than a plumber.

OK, back to the instructions. Just hold the disposal up to the sink and turn the ring. Let’s see hold the disposal up to the underside of the sink, laying on your back, head in the cabinet, the edge of cabinet killing your back, and engage three tabs on the ring with the part left connected to the sink. That sounds so easy. Not! Try, try, try, try and I cannot hold the disposal up anymore. Get up off the floor, not as easy as it sounds, and give the arm time to recover. Get back on my back, head in the cabinet. On about the fourth or fifth try, all of the tabs cooperated and engaged as they were designed to. Yea! Tighten the disposal, and put all of the piping under the sink back on, after remembering where it went and making sure all of the joints were tight and did not leak. It was about then I remembered that the last time I replaced a garbage disposal was about 30+ years ago. What was the song? May not be good as I once was, but I'm as good once, as I ever was. I think this could be considered a humble brag?

Editing Written Papers

I am back to feeling human again. I am back to editing. I am a comprehensive editor. There are three basic levels of editing, 1. Copyediting, 2. Proofreading, and 3. Comprehensive editing. Copyediting is your basic spell and grammar check on the written copy. The copy editor may also do a rewrite, if necessary, to fix problems this transitions, word use, and style. They may make a revision of the document. A proof reader reads the document after it is ready for publications. They look for minor errors in text and format. In order of difficulty, most people consider proofreading as the simplest task. Copy editing takes much more skill. Comprehensive editing (also known as substantive or structural or content editing) ensures that the structure of the document, content, language use, and presentation are appropriate for the intended purpose, publication route, and readership. A comprehensive editor incorporates the skills of the copy editor and proofreader. The comprehensive editor makes sure that the paper tells a clear and comprehensive story, that the paper flows, and it is easy to follow. Sounds easy enough, but you try it.

I review submitted papers for several information systems journals. If a paper is not well written (not copy edited), I reject it out. Don’t waste anyone’s time reading a paper that is full of errors. I suspect there are a number of people out there that hate me for the rejection. Resubmit after you get a proper copyediting of this work. As you might suspect, writers that do not have English as a first language have the largest problem, and should always have their work edited before submitting it.

I do comprehensive editing for my colleagues that are working to get tenure and need to publish in high level journals. As a professor of practice, I do not need to publish much research. My contribution to the research interests of my department is to get the junior faculty (without tenure) published so they can get tenure. In the last two years, three papers I edited were accepted at A+ level journals. Two others are under review. I just completed another paper this morning and am expecting one this afternoon. No, I do not charge faculty in my department for editing. I consider it a service. Outside our department is another story. And at $100 per hour, I still have requests for my service. Life is good.

I cannot leave this without thanking Dr. Angela Eaton, the best teacher of editing the English language.

Having a Cold Sucks

Having a cold sucks on a variety of levels. If you say, I don’t feel well. And follow that with, I have a cold, you get no sympathy. Here take this or that cold medicine. Suck it up. It’s not fatal. Or in some cases, a sarcastic “poor baby.” Yes, you don’t sleep well. I slept on a recliner in the family room last night, so my better half could get a decent night’s sleep, undisturbed by my uncontrolled coughing and sneezing. It made me feel like a better person (I started to put hero here, but that is probably an overstatement.) My reward was the best biscuits and sausage gravy in the world, made by my dear wife. Who else puts a full pound of sausage in the gravy and just for the two of us!

I did manage to accomplish a few little things today in spite of my severe illness. I bought a new garbage disposal after wandering through Lowe’s forever. Who knew they were in the plumbing department? I didn’t, and like any self-respecting male did not ask. If Candi had not asked, I would probably still be at Lowe’s wandering around looking for them. We did stop and get more cold remedies, some real and some homeopathic. She believes in the latter.

Tomorrow is the deadline for getting Fall semester grades into the system. My grades were in for all classes last Thursday, and today is Tuesday. Hopefully, it is the end of requests for extra credit to get someone from 88% to 90%. I answered several of those today with the reply, “The semester is over. Take what you learned and apply it to future classes. The time to be concerned about your grade is at the beginning of the semester and not when it is over.” Will they? Some will and many won’t. Sad but true.

Away and Ill

Finally, away from campus and home. The first thing that happens is I have a cold. None illness the entire semester, even though it seemed like we had epidemics on campus. It makes it difficult to get excited about the projects that seem to have piled up. These are projects like replacing the door springs on the dishwasher. I ordered parts and they sent me the wrong parts. When I called to inquire, I found that they don’t even stock the correct part. Now the parts have to go back and new parts ordered. I can’t get enthused because the dishwasher now won’t reset. So it may need more parts or replacement. I hate to think about replacement because it is only six years old and it is a Bosch. Then later today the garbage disposer decided to die. It is over six years old and only had a two-year warranty. So it is not an unexpected replacement. Tomorrow we will get a new disposer at one of the two home repair stores in Brenham. Maybe we can get that all done and still have time to see a movie in the afternoon. It is dark, cold, and windy outside. Days are still getting shorter. We still have five days until the shortest day of the year. Stay warm!

Higher Education Cost Breakdown

If you are concerned about the cost of higher education, the first thing you focus on is tuition. Tuition is the cost of education or what you have to pay for classes. Yet it is the smallest part of the cost you will pay to send someone to college. The university has what they call block tuition, which is the cost for 14 to 18 hours per semester. It is based on 15 hours per semester and includes both fees and what you pay for classes. This year's block tuition is $4509 per semester. The mandatory fees are $122.50 per credit hour or $1830.75 for 15 credit hours. Subtracting the mandatory fees from the block tuition gives the cost of classes for 15 credit hours of $2678.25. On top of the block tuition, you will pay Academic Service fees. For the business school, these fees are $105 per credit hour or $1575 for 15 credit hours.

Also, you will pay housing or dorm costs of approximately $3500 per semester and a meal plan of $1550 to $2275 per semester. The total cost for one semester is broken down as follows:

Tuition	$2678.25
Mandatory Fees	$1830.75
Academic Service Fees (mandatory)	$1575.00
Housing	$3500.00
Meal Plan Average	$1912.50
Total Cost for 1 semester	$11,496.50

So the annual cost for one year is $22,993. Where can the costs be lowered? Fees are a place to start. Over $3400 per semester in Fees to support the bloated administration seems exorbitant. Housing and meals can be reduced off-campus. I know of several parents that bought a three-bedroom, two-bath house and paid the monthly mortgage payments from the two roommates. I also know of a student that got room and board free by working as a resident associate/mentor. She got scholarships to cover all fees and tuition. This does not just happen. She worked at it, got to know her professors, got great recommendation letters, and created a great resume. I am one of her professors and very proud of her. Next, she is going for a master’s degree in film making.