I've heard the same point made as advice for taking a deposition. The more silence you leave, the more the witness will feel compelled to fill it with damning concessions.
Dead air is hugely uncomfortable. Something I never mastered in my various forays into teaching and instructing.
"for which I'm on the search committee"
"sand which I'm on the search committee"
In generally, shutting up is the hardest but best thing to do while teaching.
I definitely struggle with letting long silences just stretch on after I ask the class a question.
I'm guessing that "Bueller?...anyone?...Bueller?..." is not the great tension breaker that it once was.
6: In generally
Especially since the generals (generalists?) are a particularly garrulous people.
7: A teacher in my HS reputedly would let silences stretch for many minutes, finally breaking them with a shake of the head and something like "Great class, great class." I had him and he was exactly that kind of soul-sucking lifer, but never personally experienced the extended dead air ... shockingly.
1 is definitely advice I both follow and give. I find it harder to shut up when asking questions of my kid, except when (deposition like) I'm trying to ensnare her in her web of lies.
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Productivity note: I came into to work today feeling chipper and rested, with a very rare day with no meetings scheduled and a list of about 8 things to get done that I was looking forward to doing. Instead I have done absolutely nothing work-related other than scan e-mails and messages to make sure nothing needed immediate attention. I'm still rested, but not quite so chipper*. (Wait, a look at my Sent Items confirms that I have accepted two meeting requests, so liar.)
*But maybe no less so than if I had done work stuff.
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11: have you considered (a) mastrubating or (b) mastrubating a dog or (c) getting involved in a fight on an eclectic web magazine?
12: Are we talking so far today?
12: Actually, I'm about to call the insurance people about a Dental Claim. So that'll count for like 20 million gazillion effort points.
12,13: Ah I see, it's the old misspelling trick; then someone turns on the lights and everyone else is just shaking a Mas-Tru toy in front of their dog.
I am just trying to figure out if Stormcrow is the liar, the truth teller, or the whatever.
17: This should eliminate one of those.
15: McKeachie recommends masturbating a dog. Believe me, the students will talk.
Now we're talking about fucksaws, right?
14: A very pleasant person just played their role quite well in an attempted insurance administration rat-fucking. Smooth.
I came into to work today feeling chipper and rested, with a very rare day with no meetings scheduled and a list of about 8 things to get done that I was looking forward to doing.
I was totally expecting this story to end with you realizing it's a holiday, but I guess it isn't for you.
21: Say more? I have outstanding dental claims and these refinements may be needed.
25: but I guess it isn't for you.
Well, it isn't for my workplace. Me...
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Babysplosion has begun a week early! Photo in Flickr pool.
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26: Sure, the caveat being that everything may be specific to my insurance administrator (or my administrator carrying out the will of my employer--company is self-insured) and my dentist (who is not at all "innocent" in this) , but I would not be surprised if there is a more general "battle" going on between dentists, periodontists and dental insurance companies based on reports from others.
In my specific case, my bi-annual dentist check-up got submitted to the insurance with 4 codes rather than the usual 2 (checkup & cleaning (prophylaxis)--there is a 3rd if I get x-rays). The 4 codes were the 2 standard ones (but reduced in price by 40% to be within the "allowance"), a 3rd bullshit-sounding one called "oral hygiene instructions" (almost as much as the other two combined which brought that part of the visit up to about $11 more than the other two combined from my previous visit), and a 4th which was "periodontal evaluation" (I did in fact get evaluated for a deep gum cleaning--my teeth suck by modern standards). Anyway, insurance rejected 3 of the 4 including one code they paid 6 months ago. Insurance person basically says your dentist overreached and went nuclear periodontal which is covered at a different level (so fine, reimburse me at that level) and they are not qualified to do it, so we rejected everything (not just the one "periodontal" bit) but the basic evaluation. I started to argue, but decided to stay in data collection mode.
Shorter insurance, "Go yell at your dentist" if you want to get paid. And I do need to collect some data from the dentist; looking more closely now at the specific numbers I can see that they *are* trying to game the Participating Provider Allowance with the freaking Oral Hygiene Instructions. And this is probably just a preliminary skirmish before I try to get the one deep cleaning session of two I have already had reimbursed (which I only agreed to after being assured that my plan covered--which I guess it does, but am sure insurance will say it does, but only at a periodontist).
So not a big deal, but my God, just writing all of that out (sorry, but it helped prove this point) brings home the freaking complexity and waste involved in this stuff. I'm sure on the wall of the insurance people place there is a big signing exhorting them to meet this quarter's SPCC (Stop Periodontal Claim Creep) goal. And annoyed that I let my 20+ years with this family dental practice not make me more diligent* on verifying the coverage since they had just moved into a bigger place, and the several sons have just now taken charge from their dad, the old original dentist--I'm sure they are putting their trade magazine "Run Your Dentistry More Like a Business" bullet points into practice.
Boy this got long.
*But more annoyed that getting basic dental care even requires that kind of consumer bullshit, and that I have to know the language for this bit of the Specialized Procedural and Symbolic Manipulation for Profit Wars.
29: Congrats. Ignore my inconsequential whining.
Boy this got long.
Now you've gotten something done today!
Wow, congrats. Excellent!
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There was an other Unfogged birth that I mentioned in another thread, thinking it was in the pool, but it wasn't. It was a certain former person's personal pool.
>
OT: I don't want to bring down the thread so early, but I wondered what the Mineshaft thinks of this article in Slate (I know) about what adult chiildren "owe" (a poor choice of word) their abusive parents. My thoughts: Not fucking much. Fuck off and die.
In related news, I was explaining something about my childhood today to somebody and said, in a tone that surprised even me with its bitterness, that, if we were to have children, my own relevant parent would be allowed near them "over my dead fucking body." (Not for fear of physical or sexual abuse, but to protect said hypotheticals from the nonstop bombardment of hateful accusations, demands, threats, insults, etc., etc. I really didn't enjoy that.)
Well, that's awkward. Congratulations, G-B! Sorry.
29: Congratulations! Widdle biddy nose! Teeny mouth! Aaaaah!
Congrats!
There's a similar splosion going on at my place of work now.
37 is exactly right, but 36 would be a good front-page post. I read that article and thought that this would be an interesting place to discuss it.
Hooray Baby-plosion! Hot on your heels, GB.
Huge congratulations. What a cutie.
That is one adorable baby. Congratulations!
congrats to all preggers and formerly preggers.
Congratulations, GB!! Adorable.
26: Actual short, possibly useful advice for Cady:
Pay attention/ask about coverage for D0120, D0150 and D0180 (and/or combinations)--all are evaluations ranging from basic to periodontal. Also D1110 vs. D4910 (generally prophylaxis from a dentist vs. periodontist). If your dentist submits D1330 (oral hygiene instructions) you're probably getting nothing.
Here is the kind of article the dentists are reading, and the insurance folks are pushing back against.
36. Oddly enough, I can't easily guess. And I agree with you on what is owed. I liked that Slate piece for pushing back against the forgive and forget crowd. (It might be part of Slate's contrarian shctick, but I agree with it.)
Congratulations, Momma Bathyscaphe!
30, 47: Thanks, very helpful. I'm not sure it goes as far as ratfucking but there is certainly some folderol going on at the front desk.
Congrats, GB! Now the real fun begins.
51.1: Yeah, well, "rat-fucking" was in part just my usual profane hyperbole. Looking at the actual details more closely, I can see where the dentist was trying a bit of an end-run as well. But I was impressed with how"nice" the person on the phone while telling me to essentially go pound salt.
Hurray for babies!
Can I get in on the Flickr pool?
There are some pics of Jr. Yawnoc in it for you.
Yawnoc, I think either neB or Apo is the current person to email for Flickr access. (If not, they'll know who is.)
heebie would be the person to contact about joining the group.
Congratulations GB! That is a very cute baby.
It was a certain former person
Y'whaa..?
Easily guessed (but not by me) commenter, you are entirely right. Stick to your guns.
66 - where "former person" = founder and former front page poster.
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From a friend of a friend:
"I am doing a project on gender equality in academia and would like to ask you a favor. If you could spare 10 minutes to complete the survey -- just click on the qualtrics link below -- I would very much appreciate it. The survey should not take too long and the results will be presented in a public lecture on April 29th at the Radcliffe Institute's Sheer House at 4 pm. Results also will be available on the Radcliffe Institute website and on the UCI Ethics center website later in 2013 (www.ethicscenter.uci.edu). All responses are confidential. We are trying to get a snowball sample, so if you also would send the survey link to just a few of your friends, we would be most appreciative. Thanks so much for your help."
Just click on this link to take the survey:
https://harvard.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_5jBhLKb2UtjoFiR
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It looks as though anyone over 18 is invited to take the survey.
Good lord that's a terrible survey. One question, asking for an essay response on what you think of gender equality, with a long suggestive prompt about what you probably might think?
Yeah, I posted the link before I had taken the survey. I rescind the implied recommendation.
Wow, that may be the worst survey I've ever seen.
yay baybeez! congrats to ms. and mr. bathyscaphe!