I don’t know if people noticed the uncharacteristic dearth of posts on this blog today and yesterday. In case you are wondering whom or what to blame for it, the answer is my office. Or, rather, lack thereof.

Normally, I have at least an hour and a half before classes start, 2,5 hours between lectures and 45 minutes after lectures end (and before my bus arrives). That comes to 11 hours per week (Fridays are short days for me) of office time. This is the time I use to do all of my teaching and service stuff. Then, I never have to do any grading, class preparation, exam creation, paperwork, etc. at home.

Without an office, however, I spend all of that time wandering around campus and being completely useless. And the 11 hours of work I could have done in the office have to be pushed back to the weekends. Which, of course, is very annoying because who wants to spend all Sunday grading and preparing classes for the week?

The good news is that, in all probability, I will be able to share photos of my refurbished office with you by the end of next week.

Yet again, I have to engage in the supremely boring discussion that crops up with a daunting regularity on this blog. “Oh, these are just your subjective opinions,” people exclaim triumphantly.

Really? You don’t say. What a huge revelation. Because the header of this blog hasn’t said from day one of its existence, “An academic’s opinions. . .” Oh, wait, though. Yes, it has.

People come here to read my opinions on a variety of subjects and to express their opinions. They don’t come here to read my academic research. So questions of the “what kind of an academic you are if you are just expressing your subjective opinions?” variety make absolutely no sense. I’m the kind of academic who decided to start a blog to express her subjective opinions and made it crystal clear from the start that this was her only intention. Seriously, either just deal with this already or move on.

If anybody has any suggestions on how I can make it even clearer than I already have that this blog contains my opinions, feel free to share. Because I’ve written a variation on this very post so many times that I’m losing count.

“A special collection of problems that were given to select applicants during oral entrance exams to the math department of Moscow State University. These problems were designed to prevent Jews and other undesirables from getting a passing grade.” I am useless at math so I have no idea what these problems mean. Thank you, the nice person who tweeted the link to me, anyways.

An absolutely essential post on stimulant medication use among the US children. I think everybody needs to read it. Hopefully, twice.

The true costs of a commute.

A very detailed and informative post from a true Kindle expert clarifying common misconceptions about the Kindle Fire.

A post on performing masculinity by the very talented Noah Brand. And here is part two.

A man who loves a transwoman isn’t gay. An important wakeup call for the transphobic folks.

A powerful post on the horrible and barbaric practice of bride kidnapping.

“Just remember that, would you, when you consider whether or not a medication might be the appropriate treatment for your low sexual desire, slow orgasms, or lack of lubrication. Just remember the centuries of pathologizing of everything female or feminine, that constitutes our cultural inheritance.”

A first-hand account of the Occupy Toronto protests.

Prudishness masquerading as feminism: “This whole scene, from when we the viewer enter through the door until fade lasts 30 seconds with 16 instances of objectification. A woman is being objectified literally every two seconds.” And yes, this seems to have been written completely in earnest.

Another brilliant post on Occupy protests from Maha. I agree with everything except the last paragraph.

What if some people are better at materialism than others?