ZenGum returns - the Dork Nought!
 

Hiya!!!

Hi Cellarites!

My apologies for my long absence. I've stopped by for the occasional lurk but I just know that once I start posting again, I'll be sliding down that slippery slope to obsessive internetitis. And showing undue concern about things like "post count". Oh well, here we go...

So, hmm, shall I update you?

I returned to my hometown of Adelaide, South Australia in February, and immediately got together with my lady-friend for whom I had been carrying a torch for many years. I had been in Japan for a few years and she divorced while I was over there, and after almost a year I went to be with her. Imagine the scene ... travel-tired, taxi-ride, doorbell .... eyes meet, arms wrap, symphony orchestra swells up, camera goes misty etc etc.

Since then we have been mostly very good together, but there have been a couple of seriously difficult passages. But I am adjusting from a chronically single life and she is coming out of a divorce, and we both have various other life issues, so all things considered I think we are doing pretty well.

I slid smoothly into work - casual tutoring of undergraduate philosophy courses at two universities here. I had studied at both in the early to mid 90s and knew most of the profs from my time as a PhD student, and that plus my actual qualifications and experience enabled me to get the work. I was teaching 10 classes per week and had to mark an enormous pile of essays, a large proportion of which were complete drivel. Seriously, after a whole semester of studying "Argument and Critical Thinking" I expect students to at least be able to SPELL ARGUMENT not ARGUEMENT especially when it is on damn near every page of the exam booklet. [deep breath, end rant].

I have now started a new job, better pay and conditions, teaching critical thinking to international students who are aspiring to get into Adelaide universities. Again, I had a contact who got me the foot in the door, but my CV got me the job. I think. This job is starting this week, and so I am in a very brief lull in workload right now. I am also tutoring a higher-level course at uni to keep my brain active.

Hmmmm what else? Of course I have been catching up with old friends, doing some mountain-biking, hiking, damaging my lungs and brain in a manner I could not arrange in Japan, and have been doing most of these at the same time. Good times.

So, now that I have fallen off the wagon I plan to be around here more often. Maybe not quite so much as my first phase, but we'll see. And let me add, it is really nice to see that people had noticed my absence and missed me. Seriously, people, thank you. :grouphug:

Yey! Welcome back ZenGum! *Does the happy dance*

Welcome back you!
I didn't realise you were from Adelaide.
I can hear you in my head now (your accent I mean - my boss is from there)

Yo, welcome back.

Who's ZenGum?

I am so glad it worked out well for you two. I was really afraid of a big crash and burn, because I'm just a nasty cynic like that. Tell her to stop in and say hi sometime . :)

yay, Zengum's back!

That is just so goddamn awesome! I want that job.

As long as you're not teaching them to be "self-actualized, self-learners."

Woa stop the press! It's zengum! Yea!!

I think I was spelling argument wrong. I read that genre all the time and I think I really messed up.

On another note!
The whole return to Adelaide situation sounds very romantic! :) Niiice.

Welcome Back!!! I didn't miss you, so if you think I wrote something about it, you are sorely mistaken. Someone might have used my account to write drivel.
:D

Hi all,

Back from staycation, rested and busy!

Mr Gum, how very nice to hear from you. Glad to hear things are going well! :)

Well, he shows as having logged in just a couple days ago, but Happy Monkey has been lurking silently for over a month. Where you be, HM??

Where is LumberJim?

I've been over the top busy at work, which (in combination with the increased Cellar activity) caused the unread Cellar threads to pile up, which started a vicious cycle of not feeling up to wading through them, which caused them to pile up more, etc, etc...

I'll see if I can get back in the swing of things...

Just mark everything read and start fresh.