Professor J's Place

Albert Hofmann is dead. (Not to be confused with Abbie Hoffman , who died almost twenty years ago and was a frequent user of the drug Dr. Hofmann created.) Albert Hofmann is the Swiss chemist who created LSD. It has been some time since the days of the "spirituality" of drug use has been a hot topic. Most of the men who championed that idea are dead. What is it about human consciousness that we seek to alter it? Why do we enjoy a distorted reality? And we do. Even if the hardest drug we ever ingest is gin. I think that self awareness makes us want to understand how the brain works--we'd like to take it apart like a legos creation and figure out what happens if we put it together differently . More than that, Hofmann believed that LSD would help us become aware that we are one with the universe--that all creation is connected. LSD, he thought, should be used a spiritual ritual. Of course, Hofmann hoped for more than a drug that would help people commune with nature. He had...

I am still struggling through the end of the semester. For those of you who don't know, let me tell you what an idiot I really am. I teach composition full time (four sections) at our local satellite school. I also teach composition and literature part time (two sections) for an adult degree completion program at a local private university. Last summer, I took on a section of World Literature online, as well. Yes, my fellow university people, I had seven sections--two full time jobs plus. Well, this term, a fellow teacher was unable to fulfill his commitment to the online classes he was assigned, and we didn't know until two weeks into the term. So when my dean contacted me in desperation, what was I to say? I do know the word no. I just don't seem to be able to say it. So now, I'm teaching 9 sections, which a normal school would call three full time schedules. And most of those sections (7) are composition. Are you getting a sense of my idiocy yet? Of course, I'm n...

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Today before class I went to the cafeteria for a sugar free, fat free, flavor reduced smoothie. "Would you like a booster with that?" "Yes. Vodka." It's been a long morning.

There's a cat in the neighborhood who wanted to come live with us. That is, until she met Joel.

I'm about mid-way through that pile of papers (okay, more like a server full of documents), but I had to share this with you. Jozet sent it to me, and you know how I heart her. I was lecturing the other day and I said, "I am not endorsing any political candidate," and one of my students said, "Oh yeah? I've read your blog!" Busted.

Don't expect much anything from me for awhile. Just one question: do you suppose I'm burning calories doing this?