A Few Non-Medieval Items

• Yesterday I went out to my truck and saw that someone had thrown an old beer box in the bed. As I angrily grabbed it to throw it away, irritated that some drunk saw fit to use my truck as his trash bin, I realized that it still had several unopened cans of beer in it. Someone left beer in my truck. I would like to encourage this trend (though I would prefer a higher quality of beer, please).
• Why is it that students who wouldn't scratch their bottoms to get a final exam grade will do anything for extra credit? Last week, I had midterm exams, and many students put, at the most, an hour's worth of effort into the take-home project (worth 25% of their grade). This week I gave an opportunity for extra credit, worth only a tiny fraction of the midterm, and the students are meeting after class and going to the Writing Center to work on it. Maybe I should start calling my regular assignments "extra credit."
• Few things in life are as much fun as going to a Halloween party for foreigners, most of whom have never been to a Halloween party before. I can't wait for this year's International Student Halloween Party.