GC, go to the prof and tell him/her thank you for the comments. Tell him/her that you appreciate the respect s/he has for you to tell you the truth. Tell her/him that you made a conscious decision to sleepwalk through the paper because you recognized that as important as that class was, life and death matters were more important, and you appreciate the fact that s/he didn't give you a pity grade.

And then watch as said professor keels over and falls off his/her chair with a heart attack from the shock of a student not coming to complain about a grade.

So, the Pope, as expected screwed up my commute home. I thought it would be because of traffic, but instead I sat and waited in a line of cars that the Secret Service had stopped while they checked out what might be a bomb (I'm guessing, but they were running the dogs in and out and around there). If a bomb had gone off and I'd died because they made me stop near the building I'd be pissed. As it is, I'm glad to be home with the puppy.

I showed people at work the see-through Pope picture and they laughed -- of course, the only people at work were those who weren't on the other side of campus because they wanted to see the Pope. Only heathens at work this afternoon!

edited to deny the double Pope post!

You are wise, Sparky. I think I will do that as I was planning to do an independent study with this professor and was thinking maybe I wouldn't after these comments. But truly he isn't wrong and he did give me an A- on the paper. It was just the comments that stung a bit, true though they were.

So, the Pope, as expected screwed up my commute home.

The Pope also made you double-post!

One of my friends drove me out to Maryland and back for Passover shopping, but we managed to avoid the Pope -- we went at about 1:30, and came back around 4, and I think the Pope was mostly messing up traffic earlier in the morning and later in the evening.

I also ended up buying way too much Passover food. But they had farmers cheese and all kinds of Israeli stuff that I usually can't get.

How's this:

Hi PROF. I just wanted to thank you for your honest appraisal of my final paper. I agree with you that it wasn't my best work/effort. The death in the family was definitely a factor in my performance in your class and truthfully I'm kind of bored with the topic that I chose. I think I might have benefitted from branching out and trying something new, though probably not during last quarter due to the above-mentioned stress. Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I appreciate your candor and agree with your assessment.

I would still like to work with you on my independent study this summer (Session C) if you're up for it. I'll try to get a proposal together soon and might like to meet with you to refine it.

Thanks again,

Glamcookie

It's good, GC. I'm trying to think how to work in something along the lines of

I appreciate your candor [and this is how I know I'll learn from you which is what I'm here to do]

I am, however, brain dead.

Where did you Passover shop, Hil? My DH has to do something about his Passover diet. I know Silver Spring has a large orthodox population.

I went to Kosher-Mart in Rockville. I've been to a few of the kosher grocery stores around here, and it seems like Kosher-Mart is the biggest.

p-c, to my gmail? Hasn't shown yet, so I will check the spamtrap at home.

How about:

Anyway, just wanted you to know that I appreciate your honesty and will strive to meet (hey, maybe even surpass!) your expectations in the future.

We are on friendly terms so I think he'll laugh at the parens remark.