huge is good, right?

i just submitted a paper that was due at "the end of may" at 11:58 pm on may 31. yeesh. it seems that the past few months i've been frantically rushing to meet even the simplest and most reasonable deadlines. and apologizing, of course, for missing other deadlines by phone and email.

i love getting email for both intellectual and personal reasons. sometimes, however, my inbox backs up on me like a basement sewer, until i'm knee-deep in the effluent of academic life. knowwhatimean? it makes it all the better when students email a little inspiration.

i bet you got some very nice cards and funny emails from students this year. you should take a few minutes to celebrate them. i'll share a couple. the top bloke card above came today in appreciation for "extraordinary effort to reach me when you were going to be a mere 20 min late (email, phone, and note on door - wow) and for the opportunity to work with you."

i also got this one today:

don't worry, I'm keeping my eye out for hard core sociology too - I'm sooooooooooooooo glad I got to work with you last summer, Chris, the sociological methodologies that you imparted have given me insights that continue to make an impact on the way I approach tasks now, and that experience has made me hopeful that I will put all of this knowledge to justice as I keep learning more. The collaborative efforts and accepting atmosphere that I witnessed and that I felt part of are such a gift...

nice. such sentiments are hardly representative, but nice to hear anyway. in the new grad division, i also got this poignant message a couple weeks ago:

hi Prof. Uggen,
this is ______. I just saw you the other day up at Shoreview community center. You're HUGE! but anyway i was wondering if you could give me some advice on finding a job. As you probably know i graduated last december with the BS degree, but i have been having a really hard time finding a job that puts my degree to use. I have put in a few applications with different counties and cities but i have had no luck. And it seems that all the positions don't really apply to my degree. If you have any advice or if you can point me in a direction I would greatly appreciate it. I'll see you around some time. Keep up the hard work at the gym.

no way dude, you're huge (huge is good, right?). i'm not sure whether the author understood my insecurities in raising a way-huge son or my anxiety about gaining weight before a marathon, but it was a nice message anyway. i'm not much help with job searching, but i was glad that this student reached out. i consulted with some other friends and colleagues and offered a lead that might possibly maybe could someday potentially turn into a job. i hope it works out. anybody who livens up the old inbox deserves a break...

have any students brightened your inbox lately?