Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,
Every year I get to host the Summer Institute of Teaching and Technology (SITT), a showcase of innovative teaching and faculty at UC Davis. We meet for two days at the end of the second summer session via Zoom.
One year we opted not to have me perform a SITT poem, and we heard about the absence in the SITT evaluations.
Inspired by a question I asked at the Pub Quiz the previous week, this year the SITT poem tried to echo Eminem’s famous song, but talked about my presenter name pronunciation concerns rather than my crashing and burning at a freestyle rap contest.
Lose Yourself at SITT
If you had only one chance a year to attend SITT,
would you grab that opportunity, or let it slip?
OK. Dr. Andy
We’ve come to the peak of the week,
So try not to freak your freak or
Succumb to internal critique or
Be your typical too tongue-in-cheek
as you rushedly pressure our next presenter.
Tech don’t fail me now;
Just smile and somehow
Learn how to pronounce all the proper nouns:
We’ve got Delmar Larsen, Margaret and Mark and
Cecilia Giulivi.
Oh brain, don’t leave me.
Oh good, my son Jukie has come by to prove he
needs me once again to switch out his movie.
Ope, no burrito
Ope, it’s nice to meet you
Ope, no toasters
It’s a teaching roller coaster
I’m so grateful for the spate-full
Of the frequently heard but difficult words
I get to use when I introduce
You digital formidable summer institute people.
I tell ya, when ya got your agenda
You learn the entire production turns on whether
I can string together cogent introductions
to Talitha van der Meulen and to Heather Hether.
And now we turn to Butner and to Bwalya Lungu;
If you have extra time, fill some with talk of Tor Cross or Janine Wilson.
Dr. Kenji Quides was happy to meet us,
but you know the drill; we’ve spun the wheel:
and we still have to appeal to Professors Jane Beal and Walter Leal.
All of SITT depends on the wit
Of that namby-pamby cotton candy Dr Andy.
I have my doubts, but let’s find out
if our engrossed host with the checklist can persist,
that is, can he stick to our Modus operandi.
Take some final advice,
now that you’ve broken the ice,
Try to preserve your tact,
maintain Zoom room eye to eye contact,
try not to wax,
As a matter-of-fact, if your little pronunciation acts don’t detract,
Then this packed SITT will be on track all year to enact
the advertised roller coaster absent toaster droplet poster
promised thematic big impacts.
Tech don’t fail me now
Just smile and somehow
Learn how to pronounce all the proper nouns.
We’ve got Delmar Larsen, Margaret and Mark and
Cecilia Giulivi
Oh brain, don’t leave me
Now at the end of our day one fun conference debut, as if right on cue,
Jukie has chosen The Emperor’s New Groove, he
Insists that I once again switch out his movie.
Day one of SITT, that’s it.
If you would like to see the video of me performing this work before some of the SITT attendees, visit this page on The Wheel.
Tonight’s Pub Quiz may feature some of the content from above, as well as questions about the following: famous beaches, technological developments, surprising conflicts, people named Linus, big cities where English is spoken, the Pacific Ocean, alphabetical lists, approaching 100, Paris, devastating hurricanes, slow exits, isolated islands, lovely gardens, home-cooked meals, what banks do, five-syllable adjectives that rarely come up in conversation, travelers to Detroit, country music dynasties, soccer, female friendships, felines that inspire films, actors and actresses, brave people, AI concerns, varieties of necks, townships, the examples of Finland and Italy, native expressions, vanishing souls, your memory of recent years, soccer coaches, current events, and Shakespeare.
Thanks to The far-flung Original Vincibles, as well as to Quizimodo, Summer Brains, The Outside Agitators, Gena Harper, Dr. Doug, and others who have embraced the Pub Quiz on Patreon. I appreciate your supporting this endeavor!
Best,
Dr. Andy
P.S. Here are three questions from our last quiz:
- Current Events – Names in the News. What prominent 76-year old U.S. Senator recently indicated that he is too old to run for a second term?
- Sports. According to The Wall Street Journal, Coco Gauff’s triumph at a sporting event last Saturday “felt like a thunderbolt of joy.” Name the event.
- Shakespeare. What ill-fated friend of Romeo speaks the line “A plague o’ both your houses!” in Act III, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet?
P.P.S. Two Bay area poets and the phenomenal Tony Passarell will perform atop the Natsoulas Gallery roof as part of Poetry Night this week. Join us September 21st at 7 PM for the fun. Details here: https://poetryindavis.com/archive/2023/09/tony-passarell-richard-loranger-and-greg-carter-perform-on-the-natsoulas-gallery-roof-on-september-21-2023/