team spirit

It feels like there is really some team spirit among the teachers--fulltime profs, grad students, part-timers--in the freshman writing program. I'm not going to take much credit for it; they're a nice group of people and I think they play well together for the most part. I do like it, though.

I forgot earlier to record that I've now read FREAKONOMICS. I enjoyed it, but I've been in academia so long that books like that seem half-assed. Throw in a clever insight or two, flesh it out with a few anecdotes, and you're done. The interstitial pages consisting of excerpts from an article about the author, though, really showed that he had a hard time filling the requisite pages. I was a little surprised at that.

I'm now reading the new Harry Potter. The wife warned me that, contrary to the good reviews it's been receiving, that it's a tough slog--it's a "get on with it, already" read. I liked the first hundred pages, and told her that I thought she was wrong, but it turns out she's right. I'm going to finish it tonight, finally. Rowling can plot, sure, but I'm not sure we needed all the cutesy set pieces, character development scenes, etc.

Looking forward to reading Bret Easton Ellis' LUNAR PARK next. I like him: I think he's genuinely good, and even AMERICAN PSYCHO had its moments. I'm still waiting for the inspiration to hit for me to get back into THE PICKWICK PAPERS, which I started on a recent plane trip. For me, the Dickens bug is... fleeting.