Uncooperative Crickets

Dirk is Awesome

Here is one thing that many of you don't appreciate enough: just how awesome I am. I am going to dedicate most of this post to discussing my awesomeness, sticking to my plan to try to focus on one topic per post.

Did you know that I have already created all of the paperwork for the entire semester? I have TeXed up all of my lesson plans, worksheets, homework, homework solutions, and text notes for the "textbook." I have even made copies of the worksheets for all of the people teaching under me...for the entire semester.

This frees me up for greater, later awesomity. This could be in the form of research, job applications, or just having more awesome free time.

Teaching is also going well. I have met individually with all of my students, and I am now about to meet with all of the other 60 students in my main course. In my other course, there was a woman who didn't seem to like the course much at first. But she invited me to an event, I showed up, and now you can tell that she likes the course. She used to sit in the very back row, and she now sits in the third row.

At that same event, I saw a student that I knew from two years ago. This student was not in my class, but merely in another class like it. I immediately called him by name and knocked his socks off with my awesomerity. He directly commented on it.

Today I played basketball. One team was winning every game, but then were upset by a team that heavily relied on a Kevin McHale clone. We got on the court next, and I held McHale to two points...and I think that he had to travel to get them. How did I do it, you ask? I never let him get the ball. I played good, denying post defense. The first time they tried to enter the ball to him in the post, I was able to get around and knock it out of bounds. They didn't try again until the end of the game.

While we are on the topic, I was a ridiculously good post defender in high school. No one ever appreciated it enough except for Mike Binder. I held Javier Collins to four points, and he outweighed me by literally 100 pounds. I was a "shut down" defender.

In terms of work, one of my new colleagues has already told me that I am her role model, and that two of the senior faculty have pointed me out as THE example of how to teach well and get research done at the same time.

I have already been called "inspiring" by one of my students.

I would say that I "hope" that I have convinced you that "awesome" is the one word that you should use to describe me, but I won't. This is because I know that you are already convinced. Because I am awesome.

posted by Dirk Awesome @ 7:28 PM