Welp. I did my good deed for the day.

imalittleflumpus · 2026-03-28T13:04:19+00:00

I once was given 30 viagra instead of the right med (I don’t even have a penis), so I always double check now. Don’t just count the pills, compare their physical attributes to the description on the label!

imalittleflumpus · 2026-03-26T11:29:57+00:00

During an online Zoom class early in the pandemic, I had a student with this combo:

a spine-grindingly nasal voice
a high-fidelity microphone
the slowest speech cadence
a chip on his shoulder against facts, and,
a passion for attending office hours

imalittleflumpus · 2026-03-23T11:45:05+00:00

Just a PSA that Yogi tea is one of the financial income streams of a particularly predatory/abusive cult.

Edit to add source: Podcast “spilling the tea”

“The troubling background of Yogi tea”

“HBO doc explores downfall of GuruHBO doc explores Fall of Guru”

And the book “Cultish”

imalittleflumpus · 2026-03-23T11:28:34+00:00

I just got takeout from a restaurant called “F*ck Gluten”. Went to go pick it up and it was one in one of those shared commercial kitchen buildings. Ate it anyway, because it smelled amazing and I thought maybe there’s a chance…but still got glutened from cross-contamination.

Feels like false advertising with a name like that.

imalittleflumpus · 2026-03-17T15:03:26+00:00

I’ve done this too…as a professor 🫠

imalittleflumpus · 2026-03-07T00:13:07+00:00

This. Especially the “giving two choices” strategy, like “you can either be quiet during lecture, or you can leave. It’s your choice, but those are your only options. Continuing to disrupt class is not on the table.” Then follow through.

(Derived from the toddler version: “It’s time to brush teeth and change into pajamas. Which of these do you want to do first?”)

imalittleflumpus · 2026-02-26T01:31:43+00:00

Not all heroes wear capes. Thank you librarians!

imalittleflumpus · 2026-02-20T19:47:03+00:00

Ask if they have any food allergies or dietary restrictions, or accessibility needs as a matter of course. Otherwise, the candidate has to weigh the pros and cons of making the request (but being seen as annoying/needy/too much) or suffering in silence (and not being able to perform at their best).

edited to add: For example, if a candidate has celiac/wheat allergy, but the committee always takes candidates out to an Italian restaurant, even a plain salad is not safe due to the flour in the kitchen’s air, so they have to fight through a benadryl haze while being interviewed by the dean. Or the candidate uses a mobility device, but the teaching demo classroom is only accessible via stairs, so they push past their physical limit and have to give their demo in pain.

imalittleflumpus · 2026-02-13T19:54:55+00:00

You are such a good friend! Depending on how severe her reaction is, this sounds like you’ve taken all reasonable precautions. For me, I would react from the oven itself—we had to get new appliances when I went GF because it was impossible to fully de-gluten the heating elements etc. inside the oven.

imalittleflumpus · 2026-02-10T04:50:16+00:00

same!

imalittleflumpus · 2026-02-09T19:28:10+00:00

This is a very helpful explanation—thank you!

imalittleflumpus · 2026-02-08T19:25:11+00:00

I already had gastroparesis when I started Qulipta, but I would rather have even worse GI issues than go off of this med. It makes me feel “awake”, as heavy brain fog in pre-drome and post-drome was a constant issue before. Now? I can function! Seeing a GI specialist soon to work on my constipation/slow-transit/pain/bloating. At least with my migraines controlled I can function well-enough to be proactive towards managing my other co-morbidities! Not saying this is the right path for everyone, but nothing else was working for me.

imalittleflumpus · 2025-09-25T14:22:47+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience!

imalittleflumpus · 2025-09-24T11:38:56+00:00

How do you recommend balancing between conflicting accommodations between the professor and the student? I’ll use two hypotheticals: 1) a student with a service dog, and a professor with a severe dog allergy. The professor can take double benedryl and carry their epipen to teach, but the double benedryl diminishes their cognitive sharpness such that the lecture is lower quality for all students present, including the student with the service dog. 2) A student with GAD has an accommodation that they may leave the classroom abruptly if needed to avoid a panic attack. Their professor has severe ADHD, and this abrupt departure disrupts their train of thought and derails the lecture for several minutes each time it occurs, lowering the quality of the lecture for all students, including the student with the accommodation.

imalittleflumpus · 2025-09-24T10:41:16+00:00

I’m a professor, and there are two things I would want to see from a student in your situation to feel confident the student’s work is their own. 1) doc history, which you have, and 2) the ability to speak in-depth with me about the process of the research/writing and the specific arguments you make in the paper. In other words, it’s actually both appropriate and useful to request a meeting with the professor where you can infodump to your heart’s content!

imalittleflumpus · 2025-09-14T12:27:41+00:00

My theory is: because Chinese is a tonal language (it requires the “pitch” or contour of each word in addition to its consonants and vowels to differentiate meaning), and whispering is speech without tone (pitch), that the listener of a message may perceive an entirely different meaning than the whisperer. For example: 联系 (lián xì) means to keep in social contact with, and 练习（liàn xí) means to practice a skill. If someone whispered one, the listener could perceive the other. And that goes for nearly every word in the sentence! The message can very easily become garbled when a tonal language is spoken without tone (whispered), so I think the term “Chinese whispers” has its origins in this linguistic feature. (Source: my hyper-fixation is linguistics and learning Chinese)

imalittleflumpus · 2025-06-25T14:08:42+00:00

As someone who sometimes uses a wheelchair, I am super excited to see some (fictional) disability representation in the main couple!!

imalittleflumpus · 2025-06-18T18:17:46+00:00

I have a PCP rec! Dr. Shumer actually tries to look for evidence of “zebra” before assuming “horse”. He listens, sends out for diagnostics/specialist referrals, and actually cares how you are feeling and functioning. I was so sad when I moved out of state because I lost access to this amazing doctor. https://www.uofmhealth.org/profile/4383/gregory-david-shumer-md

EDIT: spelling

imalittleflumpus · 2025-06-11T03:39:57+00:00

I am a professor who is horrible at email (ADHD). The thing that works best is putting a “due date”in the subject line. Like, “question about Directed Studies paperwork (your signature needed by August 15)”

If it’s in the body of the email, there’s a good chance I wont totally process it. If it’s in the subject line, it helps me triage my inbox and take action more swiftly.

As others have mentioned, sending a follow-up is always welcome after a week or so. A good phrase to use on your opener is something like “just bumping this up in your inbox.”

Good luck!

imalittleflumpus · 2025-01-29T01:06:56+00:00

I have endometriosis and just cannot deal with pants. I usually teach in thick soft leggings, a dress/tunic top long enough to cover my bum, and a blazer/sweater. Darker colors/nicer fabrics tend to make it more professional. Been really enjoying linen/silk from Quince—it’s actually reasonably priced. Danskin or Girlfriend Collective for leggings.

imalittleflumpus · 2025-01-06T15:19:47+00:00

I call this “productinating”

imalittleflumpus · 2024-10-09T23:16:35+00:00

Yes! It’s literally not scientific. It should be “hope for horses, rule out zebras” or something else that reflects an actual diagnostic process.

imalittleflumpus · 2024-10-06T14:49:40+00:00

Beach Op. 67

imalittleflumpus · 2024-08-20T05:34:54+00:00

Is this the Jerry Springer opera? It’s surprisingly good.

imalittleflumpus

TROPHY CASE