summer time and the livin' is easy but the summer course sucks ass

I was in the lovely Midwest last week (many thanks to all the folks out there who hosted me!) doing some socializing, a modest amount of work, and running an adventure race. This was my third time running the North Country Trail Relay and it was a blast. Sandy trails over hills and through the woods and a big cookout at the end with veggie burgers and beer--there's really nothing better. This pic is just prior to the 6AM start.

Went to see Ocean's 13 last Friday. What a disappointment. Pitt, Clooney, and Damon have clearly figured out that all they need to do is show up in some nice clothes and act oh-so-metrosexual to get their paychecks, so there was very little effort put in to delivering lines. The plot was deeply lame (another revenge narrative that really had no bite).

I'm currently teaching an online version of my summer course: women's fiction. I've taught this course a number of times and I love it, but the online thing has me thrown for a loop. The best description I can offer is to compare it to hosting a party that you don't actually get to enjoy. That is, I'm doing all this behind the scenes work to get the assignments going, but I'm not getting to know the students very well or follow much of their discussions very closely. So far the only good thing I can say is that it'll be over soon.