Award Ceremony Season

 

Earlier this week, this sign appeared on the teaching assistants' door:

Now you would think if there was ever a department that didn't need this sign, it would be ours. I feel like undergrads are getting more ignorant or something, because the university literally changed the name of our Zoology department to Integrative Biology because so many students thought "zoology" was the study of zoos, so you'd major in Zoology to become a zookeeper. Of course, they both come from the same Greek root, but students nowadays don't know anything about Greek or Latin, or so it seems. What do they know about? Apps.

Yesterday there was an awards ceremony for the top German students, and they each got one of these cookies. Today the faculty member who ordered the cookies gave me one to thank me for all my help. (I arrange the scholarships for all those top German students.)

Apparently it says "heartfelt congratulations," but I know about as much German as the undergrads know Latin and Greek. I really should have saved this cookie, because I forgot that later in the afternoon there would be an awards ceremony for staff. Because I was on the committee that helped pick the winners, I was invited to the ceremony. My coworker named after a Norse god won an award, and his whole family came: his wife, his parents, his in-laws, and his baby who will be one next month. He's so cute! There were plenty of hors d'oeuvres at this reception, and we even got free wine or beer! I chose chardonnay. Another person I know pretty well got an award too, and she said she nominated me for an award. In the unlikely event that I win it, I will let all my readers know.

Famous Hat