excuses, excuses.

every time a student emails me, days before an exam and citing a medical emergency, two things come to mind:

1. they better have their hospital papers with them.
2. i think about my own accident-prone life. in the last 10 years, i've
   
   fallen off a mountain, as well as a hill,
   been hit by a car,
   elbowed in the throat,
   slipped and nearly fell into an icy stream (a few times),
   crashed my bicycle countless times, in several countries,
   held for hours under airport security,
   been hospitalised for days, due to a freak infection,
   (unknowingly) went canoeing in alligator-infested waters,
   and nearly arrested by the finnish police.

i might be missing some other sporadic situations.
at any rate, life happens: there better be proof, that's all.

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in other news, life is busy. i can see why tenured faculty have ph.d. students. sometimes you have plenty of ideas but no time to work them out.