Somebody came to the blog with a search request of “why some people tenure track and some adjunct.”

The answer: dumb luck.

Ukrainians always say that everything Ukrainian is better than everything Russian. Ukrainian gorilka is better than Russian vodka. Ukrainian varenyky* are better than Russian pelmeny. Ukrainian climate is milder than the weather in Russia. Kiev is more beautiful than Moscow. Ukrainian women are more assertive and Ukrainian men are more hard-working. The Ukrainian language is more melodic than Russian.

There is just one thing, Ukrainians say, that the Russians have that is better. What is it that is better in Russia?

* The Poles call them pierogy.

I like all of my student evaluations this semester except one. It says, “The course could be improved by having less readings and more in-class hands-on stuff.”

I’m really curious what we could be putting our hands on in an advanced literature seminar.

I also wonder where people get this bizarre and meaningless verbiage of hands-on, etc.