Wednesday, May 11, 2005

These should be easy times

The semester refuses to let go. The director of composition dumps a file folder of papers on me, which I am to read to help her evaluate one of the part-time faculty.

I feel for the instructor, a "freeway flier," someone teaching part-time for miserable Colorado wages ($1,300-$1,500 per course) at several colleges in order to try to make a living. S/he might be teaching as many as seven courses, which is two people's work load for writing classes.

Meanwhile, a former student, a "non-traditional" (in his 40s) stopped by today. He wants to enter the M.A. program.

"So you can make $1,300 per class teaching in the community college?" I asked.

"It beats $6 an hour," he said. Maybe. But perhaps he could get a better-paying job in a rural high school, many of which are desperate for teachers as the Baby Boomers retire. It is possible now to be hired and then to pick up the education courses.

I should be sitting back to read Alan Cameron's Greek Mythography in the Roman World to learn something about how the Greek myths were massaged (and invented) to suit Roman religio-political uses. But I also need to explore why the wipers on my old Jeep CJ-5 have quit. (No, I don't think it's the switch or the fuse that is bad.) Jeep first, then Classics.

3 Comments:

Anonymous Herb McSidhe said...

re: your Jeep wipers. Check the vacuum lines.

7:47 PM  
Blogger Chas S. Clifton said...

Herb,

While I have dealt with vacuum-powered wipers elsewhere, the 1973 CJ-5 had electric wipers, with the motor out in front of the windshield under a separate cover.

Chas

8:03 PM  
Blogger Chas S. Clifton said...

Just a follow-up for any Jeep cultists reading this: although the wiper motor bracket was attached with non-rusty screws, apparently rust developed in the windshield hinges over the winter.

Consequently, the motor was not properly grounded. As soon as we jumped a ground wire down to the body tub (at the outside rear-view mirror mounting bracket), it worked fine.

7:32 PM  

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