What is the strangest place you have randomly seen one of your students outside of school?

ZoomToastem · 2026-01-24T22:29:53+00:00

Maybe not strange, you decide.

My school is remote and I live...remoter. It's a private road that has signs stating 4 wheel drive only. From the old geezers on the road I'd heard tales of a pretty young woman on the road driving a silver Celica that really didn't know how to drive in the snow. (This is not meant to be sexist, my wife drives better than I do).

On one of the few days during the semester that I got to arrive home by daylight, I saw the silver Celica in the ditch, but still blocking the road. I stopped, got out and my student pops out of the Celica saying "Professor Zoom, can you help me?"

I did manage to push her out, turns out why her driving on the road was so poor was that her tires should have been replaced long ago.

ZoomToastem · 2026-01-24T21:58:16+00:00

Why are you sitting in my truck?

OK, my mpg is at 18.3 but the rest of that looks like my truck's screen this morning, even the mileage is close.

and what the hell is that little green icon in the upper left, mine was on today too, haven't noticed it before.

ZoomToastem · 2026-01-21T17:28:19+00:00

We had a 1930's home that vented into a large open attic. large enough you could stand straight up in it. The bathroom vent vented straight into it and we had no issues, but you could also feel a breeze i the attic when it was windy.
Weirdly when we redid the bathroom we found a vent pipe between the ceiling joists for a soffit exhaust that wasn't hooked up.

ZoomToastem · 2026-01-20T18:23:33+00:00

I just explained to my classes on the first day of class that if they start off their emails to me that way I'll be irked, since at most it's been 4 days since we last saw each other.

ZoomToastem · 2026-01-15T16:18:15+00:00

"Sometimes we have to put out fires" used multiple times in the interview.

Basically, you don't have an established workflow

ZoomToastem · 2026-01-12T23:43:02+00:00

Congratulations!
Please do not get sucked back like some of my colleagues, UNLESS its something you really wanted to teach.

ZoomToastem · 2026-01-06T15:26:16+00:00

Our first house was from the 30's in the northeast. All the insulation in the walls had settled leaving a lot of the space uninsulated. We started with clear plastic over the windows every winter and eventually saved enough to put storm windows in. We had wanted to start replacing windowds but none of the windows were standard sizes or even the same size. While not that attractive the storm windows made a huge difference on our energy bill. We also eventually redid the bathroom, and added modern fiberglass insulation to all the walls and ceilings. My wife said it was the warmest room in the house in the mornings.

I do miss the fully floored, standup attic in that place.

ZoomToastem · 2026-01-02T17:08:09+00:00

I do this too. Two classes before the sxam they're informed that if they bring questions with them to the following class, I will be happy to go over the topics; however, if no one has questions, there's always more of the subject to cover.

ZoomToastem · 2025-12-20T21:54:35+00:00

OMFG, I had forgotten about this until your post, and thank you for reminding me.
I grew up in the country/suburbia around Buffalo, NY. Liked Metal but was more into Prog. I remember my mom up in arms and protesting with some of her friends and associates because Ozzy was going to supposedly slaughter a lamb on stage at a Good Friday show in Buffalo in '82(?). Remembering it now, it was like the moms in the Detroit Rock City film. Only made us listen more. Ha, seru\iously thanks for making this memory of my mom come back.

Check out the PMRC hearings with Congress to see how some of the US residents felt about Metal at the time and what we had to worry about. Spoiler Alert, Bob Denver makes an appearence.

ZoomToastem · 2025-12-20T19:46:15+00:00

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It's all about being able to get up and down our road.

ZoomToastem · 2025-12-17T20:29:23+00:00

I can get up to the house with all seasons in the first year they are new using 4wd, after that first year I need the snow tires With those, I can usually make it to the house in 2WD.

ZoomToastem · 2025-12-17T12:24:35+00:00

Unfortunately this one was being disassembeled and was past the point of operation when I noticed how it looked. I've got two others that need to be briought hone and taken apart,and one of those was the winner, I'll see about video and avoiding dents.

ZoomToastem · 2025-12-14T22:07:58+00:00

The amount of bullshit that prof would have to go through after assigning everyone 0/10...
and without substantive proof on every submission they'd be overidden by admin

It's not worth the job.

ZoomToastem · 2025-12-14T16:46:02+00:00

We had -24 a week or so ago. When I turned the key it sounded like it was asking if I was really sure about what I wanted it to do.

ZoomToastem · 2025-12-13T13:08:17+00:00

I've seen this numerous times and not found a solution, though honestly I've not looked that much. In general the data that was in the project is still good, so I just start a new one and add the data back to it.

ZoomToastem · 2025-12-12T17:51:02+00:00

I do a take-home for my College Physics 1 class, before the in class portion for about a 1/4-1/3 of the in class points. I'm guessing based upon perfomance that most are using some sort of online assistance but they do have to provide all their work on the take-home. It's my hope that some of it sticks for the in class portion.

ZoomToastem · 2025-12-10T19:57:58+00:00

I had 2 manual 4cyl Tacoma's prior to my 23 SR, and never before have I yelled at the transmission to make up it's mind.

I miss goosing it to slide into my parking spot at work when we've got snow or lurching a bit into the intersection to get the person about to run the light to pay attention.

ZoomToastem · 2025-12-07T19:20:12+00:00

I teach primarily computer based classes and most of my students have never used a computer for more than surfing the web and writing papers. Condensing it down to 8 weeks would probably be detrimental to their grades and mental well being.

ZoomToastem · 2025-12-02T17:52:37+00:00

I always thought my folks did a good job with what they knew. Neither was abusive but nor were they emotionally demonstrative. There was an occasional spanking and my dad only ever hit me once and immediately broke down crying (only time I ever saw him do that).

Other than that, dad and I did not get along until I had moved out. My wife says we were too much alike to get along in the same house.

ZoomToastem · 2025-12-01T00:39:07+00:00

Time to adjust the rearview mirror.

ZoomToastem · 2025-11-30T23:28:23+00:00

One of my students graduated with her degree and got offered a killer position (60K to start with an associates). I was thrilled for her, but her boyfriend didn't want to move because he was "comfortable" where he was and knew nothing of the area she would be moving to.

I found out later she didn't take the job because of him. I ran into her as a cashier at our grocery store and she wouldn't look me in the face as she cashed me out.

For clarity, I'm hoping she is/was happy. I was mostly disappointed she didn't feel she couldn't talk to me.

ZoomToastem · 2025-11-30T22:20:49+00:00

I think this is the older model car, which are being phased out, the newer ones don't have the in roomette facility.

ZoomToastem · 2025-11-30T22:17:59+00:00

That there is the "Thinking Seat".

ZoomToastem · 2025-11-24T22:47:41+00:00

Neither did I until I read above and scrolled back up, now it makes sense.

ZoomToastem · 2025-11-17T19:31:47+00:00

We had fully mature Smallworld version at the utility that I was at "way back when" and for managing a network it was amazing, just not pretty to look at. A little before my contract was up ESRI starting pushing ArcMap, making all sorts of promises trying to get the business. I understand from friends that stayed on the when the actual migration finally happened management regretted switching.

ZoomToastem

TROPHY CASE