An Unfinished Life

Queen

2009-11-29T07:04:00.001-08:00

Another reason to love Queen:

What is it about Fall approaching?

2009-09-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

I can see the lightest yellowing of the trees out back. It is the tail end of Labour Day weekend. I am gearing up to teach at the insane hour of 8 AM tomorrow (or at least that is how my students will describe the time of class on the course evaluations, specifically under "factors that inhibited your learning"). I have a to-do list of more than 40 things to do. It would be longer if I remembered to add things to the list (adding them is also on my to-do list). I am sitting here on my last day off, working and sensing the impending craziness I have brought on myself by COMPLETELY over-committing this year.

Now I know myself well enough to realize that I do work best under pressure. I finished the Ph.D. as a single parent with small children in a community where I had no family to help. I moved said kids across the country to a town even further from family just to see what it was like to live in a new place (and learn to snowboard, as promised to #1 son). I took a one year book contract and procrastinated so that I had to write it in two months. Done. I moved to another completely new part of the country (3000 mile jump), started a new job and went up for promotion 4 months after arriving. Success.

So yes pressure = performance for me.

So it makes sense that I would set myself up for a series of fall and spring deadlines and challenges that are near impossible to meet. The second I come off a crazy high pressure schedule of deadlines (assuming I don't crash and burn this time), I tend face the inevitable restlessness that seems to result in my browsing through the job advertisements, daydreaming about cool places to live. So I have learned that I have to stay in this hi pressure mode or I will find myself accepting yet ANOTHER job and moving across country AGAIN.

So on top of the current, to-do list, there is the ongoing plan to write my second book (actually there are two more books to do, but my head will explode if I seriously contemplate more than one at a time. Worse than childbirth. Okay, not really). I want to plan thoughtfully (hah) for a Fulbright year in New Zealand or Australia. I want a sabbatical, but have learned that I don't have the patience to stay somewhere long enough to enjoy one (and how crazy it that?!).

First thing to tackle on my list - dump most of the 3000+ emails in my in box. It is an exercise in serial apologizing as I come across the numerous important emails I never responded to because the inbox is so overwhelmingly full. This has become a 2-3 time a year ritual. You would think I'd learn. Must add reading a book on being an efficient manager to my to-do list.

Post Surgery Limerick

2009-08-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

The upside of getting cut open
Is the reward of seriously good dopin'
Pain free stupor got sacked,
With a stomach so wracked,
So I limp through the house just a mopin'

There is a reason why some things are free

2009-08-14T07:44:00.001-07:00

I was given the most delightful gift from #1 son this week - a Kindle.

I learned rather quickly that I live in a bubble - free of irritating electromagnetic waves that would allow me to take advantage of the wireless downloading of Kindle books. So I must either walk down the road about a 1/2 mile or take the Kindle to work and let stuff download there. So it won't be subscribing to the NY Times, but I have downloaded a bunch of "sample" chapters to try before buying the books.

I also learned that there are Kindle books available for free. So I grabbed a freebie - just to see if I like reading on this device (I do). Now I understand why the book was free - it was a Harlequin Romance. You get what you pay for. And now I am willing to pay. Next step: learning how to delete books off the Kindle.

Thumbing One's Nose at the Hamptons

2009-08-06T06:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is NOT how it is done.

The NY Times published an article and slide show today of a house on Long Island that is decorated as a response to the excesses of the Hamptons. Lots of vintage stuff - a "schoolhouse" look, if you will.

The article stated, "The schoolhouse décor, which incorporates elements like linoleum, mop sinks and graffiti-covered classroom chairs, is their “tongue in cheek” way of countering “the excess we were seeing in the Hamptons."

Interesting idea, but give a looksee at the slide show and the incredible prices they paid for furniture and accessories. If one pays $1300.00 for a floor lamp or $3500 for a wall sconce, or $510 for some industrial metal shelving, or $1500 for 8 vintage classroom chairs, this is NOT thumbing your nose at the Hamptons. Just because it is not "overstuffed couches or antiques," does not mean it is still not insanely excessive or low maintenance. You want to thumb your nose at the Hamptons, then shop at Goodwill (and not the one in the Hamptons)!

yo, summer!

2009-07-31T12:03:00.000-07:00

Where are you, for Pete's sake? I am no hot weather fan, but we have yet to hit more than 82 degrees here this summer. I love the cool temps, but it has been coupled with an AMAZING amount of rain. I am watching it come down steadily as a write. It is reminiscent of living in Central America. All this cool weather gave us a bumper crop of snap peas and a long lettuce season, but the squash plants are barely growing, we pulled all the tomatoes and potatoes (thank you late blight). Everything green is growing like crazy (think jungle), but there is not enough sunshine to produce fruit.

I have kayaked three times this summer, the two most recent this past week on the two sunny days we have had in a long time. We have sunny weather predicted for Saturday, so a long bike ride is in order. Taking Monday off work to kayak again. School begins sooner than ever this year. The summer (the one I was supposed to have off, but didn't really have off) is almost over.

The upside of the rainy weather is that I managed to read a book. No small feat given the hectic summer. It was an interesting waltz through a Title IX lawsuit at a small liberal arts college. Being familiar with Title IX and some of the players in this story; it made for interesting reading. Now I am diving into the Accidental Time Machine - pure brain candy. Having only read a few other nonfiction books (plus a weekly dose of Newsweek, monthly dose of Outside, and more Internet new sites than I care to reveal) this year, I am laying claim to the most poorly read person I know. Must find a way to put up that "Good Reads" feature on the blog - maybe that will get me reading.....

Ahhh, Duh....

2009-07-29T15:53:00.000-07:00

Way ahead of the curve on this one. I keep them in my office to help students stay healthy during the school year. Don't want spinal injuries keeping them out of class....

From the UK Telegraph...

Blue M&Ms 'mend spinal injuries'

Incident at Oglala

2009-07-28T06:34:00.001-07:00

Today could be a very good day. Leonard Peltier goes (again) before the parole board. Time to stop the madness and let that man go free.

Because I Still Love Where I Used to Live, I Beg You....

2009-07-27T07:14:00.000-07:00

Please Don't Californicate Oregon!

As We Prepare for the Next Round of Academic Hirings

2009-07-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

I have found this letter to be a great template for responding to those pesky job rejections. It has floated around the Internet for several years at least, but I highly recommend it as a template easily customized to any institution. Microsoft Word can even set up a macro that will drop in all the names of search committee chairs, making the job search paperwork process just that much easier.

_________________, Chair - Search Committee
0001 Old Hall,
No Name University
Some town you didn't want to live in anyway, IA

Dear Professor ________,

Thank you for your letter regarding my application for the tenure track opening. After careful consideration, I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me an assistant professor position in your department.

This year I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an unusually large number of rejection letters. With such a varied and promising field of candidates, it is impossible for me to accept all refusals. Despite No Name University's outstanding qualifications and previous experience in rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet my needs at this time.

Therefore, I will assume the position of assistant professor in your department this August. I look forward to seeing you then.

Best of luck in rejecting future applicants.

Sincerely,

Your name here

** Guess Who Wrote This Line in Today's WP..."

2009-07-14T06:39:00.000-07:00

We are ripe for economic growth and energy independence if we responsibly tap the resources that God created right underfoot on American soil.

Hint: (Can she please just go away now?)

Four years studying engineering, $180K, and...

2009-07-11T05:44:00.001-07:00

I couldn't be more proud of the guy in the tall while furry hat and the trumpet:

An Old Favorite

2009-07-07T05:15:00.000-07:00

Great example of sound design:

And He Is Still Amazing Today

2009-07-02T07:53:00.001-07:00

Introducing the Junior Senator from Minnesota

2009-07-01T19:46:00.000-07:00

And still looking for his Weekend Edition news segments on SNL when Franken was a self-contained mobile satellite uplink correspondent....

Cognitive Dissonance

2009-06-25T09:32:00.000-07:00

So I admit to having read the Sanford/Maria emails. What sticks in my mind is not the intimate quasi-sexual details - innuendo more than anything - but his most fascinating description of his love for getting away from everything and back to nature... in an excavator-

...there is something wonderful about listening to country music playing in the cab, air conditioner running, the hum of a huge diesel engine in the background, the tranquility that comes with being in a virtual wilderness of trees and marsh, the day breaking and vibrant pink coming alive in the morning clouds...

Can't wait to see the follow up when I watch last night's Daily Show and Colbert Report....

All I can say is....

2009-06-22T11:04:00.001-07:00

wow.

Memory Lane

2009-06-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

I was updating my LinkedIn data and came a cross the name of a colleague for whom I worked some 25 years ago. That started a cascade of searches for previous jobs to list. I found a website for people who worked for the Southern Command Network in Panama. I did many years ago. I remember this video on TV. Didn't produce it myself, but was responsible for MANY hours of local programming. Fortunately, none of it is on-line:)

A beginning is a delicate time....

2009-06-22T05:42:00.000-07:00

The maestro of subtle geekish comedy:

Why I still miss Oregon

2009-06-04T20:15:00.001-07:00

Bill banning semen-throwing on its way to the governor

by Michelle Cole, The Oregonian
Thursday June 04, 2009, 3:13 PM

SALEM -- Usually politicians love the sound of their own voices. But not so when the topic is a proposed new law making it a sex crime to propel "a dangerous substance at another person."

That substance, as defined in House Bill 2478, includes semen, blood, urine or feces.

You can't saddle a horse that ain't been born yet.

2009-05-19T06:27:00.001-07:00

I have been contacting and thanking those people who provide advice and/or support during this promotion process and one of my dearest friends, who has listened to me angst in one way or another since we were in Ph.D. studies together, responded with his good wishes and his typically sage, Tony Hillermanesque advice.

I was talking to him about the pending insanity this summer with leadership changes at the school and the incredible staffing shortages I face because of budget cuts while simultaneously having to plan for a record breaking freshman class.

His advice (note that he is happily retired from a position similar to mine) is the title of the post.

We Be Promoted

2009-05-16T17:29:00.000-07:00

It took over a year - from the time I submitted my letter of intent - to hear the word. The Board of Trustees voted today and the mail came from an iPhone, which makes it all the more sweet. Someday I will blog about the insanity of promotion in academia - insanity raised to the level of an art form at some institutions, but all I can say is I started teaching 13 years ago with a plan to be a full professor the first moment I was eligible. I did it. Major career goal accomplished. Exhale.

Does this count as a sabbatical?

2009-05-11T21:53:00.000-07:00

After a long respite, I am emerging from the abyss and thinking about the blog. Many, many times I have thought to post, and when the opportunity would come along to craft something, there was no time. I had pretty much given up posting - and I still might. I tried some less work intensive social networking options - Facebook and now Twitter - but I hate the new organization of Facebook, so I hardly go on it anymore. Twitter is still new so I don't know how it might fit into the way I work.

So the school year is largely done yet I face the prospect of working just as hard all summer. After all the angst over this country's private schools have a dearth of freshman next year, we - meaning where I work - managed to pull in the largest freshman class in the history of the college. It may take a hotel to house them all! So my summers now looks to consist of me wandering downtown trying to hire anyone who 1) is holding a camera and 2) is breathing.

Looks like the intensive traveling will subside for now. After AUS and NZ, spent 8 days in the Death Valley area followed by a long pre-swine flu weekend in the Yucatan. Now I am in LA - interviewing job candidates for a couple days, and quickly learning that everyone drives here - really, even if it the destination is a 5 minutes walk. My longest foray on foot has been from the apartment to the parking lot.

My one celebrity sighting? Honestly, I didn't know I was looking at a celebrity at the time. Someone had to tell me afterwards. Yes, my celebrity sighting: A woman with unnaturally large breasts, I mean bowling ball size and shape. I cannot tell you anything else about her physical attributes, as all I could see were breasts. Turns out she is a well known porn star. But I don't know how to IMDB her to find out her list of credits. You can't search using key words like "enormous boobs."

Unbelievably luck

2008-12-14T13:50:00.000-08:00

Who would have thunk it. On the eve of my birthday, I find out I won the lottery! My letter of resignation goes in tomorrow. You may start making requests, as I don't need all this money:

新しいメールアドレスをお知らせします
新しいメールアドレス： ukonlinelotterywinningnotifys26@yahoo.co.jp

Your email address has won you $4.6M from the UK Lotto online draws held on 09/12/08 Lucky #: MX014926583 and Free ticket #: APP236566301307. Contact Henry Lrmbert henry_lambert07@yahoo.com.hk with your official names, Nationality and resident country, address, tel/mobile #, date of draw, sex

- UK LOTTERY ORGANIZATION

Down Under

2008-11-23T09:19:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post to say that all is well. The conference went well. The other presentations varied in their interest. Not terribly theoretical, but then hey, they were mainly lawyers.

Landed in Christchurch, NZ on Saturday afternoon and wandered around downtown in the early evening. There was a large Indian (India) festival so I manage to eat some festival food. Sunday, we took off for the west coast. It took the greater part of the day to cross the mountains and once we got to Arthurs Pass National Park, it was raining. So we made one quick hike to the Devil's Punchbowl. Got soaked.

This morning, I am staring out a window at the ocean about 100 yards away. There is a big storm upon us. Started about nine hours ago. The surf looks just like a stormy Oregon coast, except it isn't - it is the Tasman Sea or the "Ditch" as they call it here. I am currently in Hokitika. They are famous for many things - a place where you can feed giant eels, carve jade and bone. Frankly, it is a tourist mecca. I was amazed a room was available 50 miles from this cultural mecca. Arthur's Pass Village with this famous resident, was nearly as impressive.

Actually the appeal of Hokitika for me is the largest above ground habitat of glow worms ( I would have a pictures, but it looks like a bunch of stars cause you can only see them at night.

The Hostel was nice and quiet and had wireless (thus the post). Our room had cute stuffed lambs and a larger than life picture of the killer parrots.

Today, we head south down the coast. Don't know yet where we will stay for the night.

Exhale

2008-11-04T20:07:00.000-08:00

Sarah Palin

2008-10-22T18:08:00.001-07:00

This is becoming personal for me:

Why I have subscribed to "The Nation" for 20 years

2008-10-17T10:25:00.000-07:00

And why you should read the longest running newsweekly in the United States:

From the Nov. 3rd print edition:

In case you haven't heard, there's a guy running for president named Barack Hussein Osama Nobama. This Nobama was born outside America and secretly schooled in Islamic terrorism at a Wahhabi madrassa. He then moved to the United States to take up the radical '60s teachings of the Weather Underground's Bill Ayers, while also organizing for ACORN, a subprime-lending, voter fraud-committing collective of affirmative-action welfare queens. All this happened before he became an elitist celebrity advocate of socialism, infanticide, the sexual abuse of children and treason.

Kind of sums up the insanity in the video below:

Barama, baby

2008-10-17T06:45:00.000-07:00

OMG! Does my son go to school near these people? Do these people realize they are walking onto a college campus where reason and analytical thought are the modus operandi? Oh, wait, I forgot Mr. Intelligent Design is on the faculty there.......

Some wonderful news in a difficult time

2008-10-11T06:46:00.000-07:00

In the New York Times today: A story on the Connecticut Supremen Court ruling on Gay marriage.

Some key quotes:

"The ruling, which cannot be appealed and is to take effect on Oct. 28, held that a state law limiting marriage to heterosexual couples, and a civil union law intended to provide all the rights and privileges of marriage to same-sex couples, violated the constitutional guarantees of equal protection under the law."

"Striking at the heart of discriminatory traditions in America, the court — in language that often rose above the legal landscape into realms of social justice for a new century — recalled that laws in the not-so-distant past barred interracial marriages, excluded women from occupations and official duties, and relegated blacks to separate but supposedly equal public facilities."

“Although marriage and civil unions do embody the same legal rights under our law, they are by no means equal,” Justice Palmer wrote in the majority opinion, joined by Justices Flemming L. Norcott Jr., Joette Katz and Lubbie Harper. “The former is an institution of transcendent historical, cultural and social significance, whereas the latter is not.”

Three states down; 47 to go.

Saturday New York Times

2008-10-11T06:37:00.000-07:00

"...Now, as he spends his last months in office trying to avert a global economic collapse, Mr. Bush has been telling people privately that it’s a good thing he’s in charge."

Nuff said.

Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, said

2008-10-08T07:25:00.000-07:00

“I like paying taxes. With them I buy civilization.”

GRRR

2008-09-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

Joe Garofoli of the San Francisco Chronicle:

The McCain campaign is attempting to do something unheard of in the modern political era. It is not just running against the mainstream media, it is running around it. It's about the GOP's continued sheltering of its vice presidential nominee, Alaska Gov Sarah Palin. She has yet to hold a major press conference 32 days after McCain announced her as his running mate - and that's not changing anytime soon. McCain spokesman Michael Goldfarb said Palin will do at least one news conference before election day. That could mean that the person who could potentially lead the free world will have done one national press conference before being sworn into office. The Democratic vice presidential nominee, Joe Biden, has given more than 89 national and local interviews over roughly the same period of time

Sitting here...

2008-09-25T05:48:00.000-07:00

Proctoring an exam, working on my paper for my Australia trip, but so tempted by the Rough Guide to New Zealand sitting right next to me on the table......

Don't Know Why, But it is Cracking Me Up

2008-09-23T18:28:00.001-07:00

Two tidbits from the NY Times:

RE Supercollider in la France:

But last Friday the machine was shut down after an electrical connection between two of the superconducting electromagnets that steer the protons suffered a so-called quench, heating up, melting and leaking helium into the collider tunnel. Liquid helium is used to cool the magnets to superconducting temperatures of only about 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit above absolute zero. Stray heat can cause the magnets to lose their superconductivity with potentially disastrous consequences.

To make repairs, it will be necessary to warm the magnets up and then cool them back down again, which takes at least two months, engineers say. And that leaves scant time to run the collider before it has to shut down for the winter in early December to save money on electricity.

And also in the NY Times... the headline:

Athletes to Leave Their Brains to Concussion Study

By ALAN SCHWARZ 6 minutes ago

A dozen athletes, including six N.F.L. players, have agreed to donate their brains after their deaths for research on the long-term effects of concussions.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

2008-09-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

Viral email sent to me. I thought it was funny....

BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for change! The chicken wanted change!

JOHN MC CAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure right from Day One! That every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either for us or against us. There is no middle road here.

DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?

SARAH PALIN: Where's MY gun? That chicken's got no choice!

COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE: I invented the chicken.

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.

JERRY FALWELL: Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth? That's why they call it the 'other side.' Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay, too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like 'the other side.' That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.

EVERYONE'S GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heartwarming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2008, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken2008. This new platform is much more stable and will never reboot.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one???

He knows how to soundbite

2008-09-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

Gotcha moment from Obama.

Also, I am so impressed with this NY Times writer Timothy Egan, and not because he is from the west. His recent entry, Moo, is worth reading.

Lake Conneware

2008-09-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot about this lake in southeastern Australia as Ike bore down on my niece who lives close to a similar lake on the edge of Galveston Bay. They both are in relatively low lying areas, probably have varying salinity levels based on lake levels and tidal flow. They both are relatively shallow (certainly more shallow that the glacial lakes in my area).

So as I fretted along with everyone else about the storm surge, I remembered Lake Conneware. No storm surge there but it faced other shallow lake challenges - low water levels and correspondingly high salinity.

This lake was the location of E.'s research and we spent a morning there collecting mollusks (I think) and measured them. We are not talking 10 or 20 little shelled creatures, but about 700, most smaller than a pinky fingernail.

Then each little creature was counted and measured and released. These little dudes have an amazing ability to adapt to varying salinity levels. Ah, field research, how inspiring!

Great Ocean Road

2008-09-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

We spent much of the second day in southeast Australia traveling the Great Ocean Road. What is not pictured here was the paralyzed look of inexplicable fear when I was departing the farm of our delightful hosts and started driving down the road. I was still in the mode where every move with the car is second-guessed because 32 years of driving means nothing when everything gets switched.

Before even my first exhale, I see a car coming straight at me on the road. My first thought is "crap, I am on the wrong side of the road." But I was on the wrong side of the road, which is the CORRECT side of the road. Turns out it was our host, completely messing with me. He will not like the payback next time he comes to the States.

Nevertheless, I was grateful for the gentle reminders offered up by a helpful Australian government.

The Great Ocean Road is much like the roads along the U.S. west coast. We spent some time looking at famous surfing beaches and checking out local national forests. We quickly learned that we would be eating our first of many PBJ sandwiches because any restaurant food was going to cost a more than I could regularly spend over three weeks. Fish and chip lunch for 4? $50.

Of course, we became quicly obsessed with the graphical signs around Australia. Here is the first of several pictures we took during our visit. No sugarcoating anything here:

Homes are pricey along the road as it, apparently, is still commuting distance to Melbourne. This was one of the more interesting houses. It actually is a rental:

Picnic site in Otway National Park:

These trees were really impressive. Heights similar to Douglas Firs in Oregon:

Silver Creek Falls State Park flashback....

This little guy was nestled in the trees along the dirt road to Otway NP. I just caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of my eye. When we drove back several hours later, he was still there and in the same position.

We wandered into on little town because we heard you might see kangaroos on the golf course. There were many and people just played golf around them. Those little round dark spots scattered densely on the golf course. Not rocks. Not tree nuts. You guess.

On the way back we watch the sunset light up the waters over Bells Beach - another famous surfing beach.

And, apparently, like one might expect an abundance of deer at sunset, we were treated to this silouhette on the way home.

Missing Spring

2008-09-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

These were a couple of the pictures I took of some of the spring and summer birds that frequented our feeders.

The rose-breasted grosbeak and its female (pictured on her own) isn't around these days.

The woodpecker and cardinal still come by. Tons of sparrows and chickadees.

And of course the finches - red and yellow.

I never saw any orioles although they are in the area. We will get some fresh fruit out in the spring to attract them. On the shopping list for the fall is a nice birdbath as we will drain the pond when things begin to freeze

Ahh, yes, I did travel somewhere last May, didn't I...

2008-09-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, it is about time I starting posting stuff from Australia. My lack of blogging about it was because the number of photographs were simply overwhelming. I have only labeled the first two days of the trip. So maybe trying to put a couple pictures and description from each day will help.

So voila, Day One in Australia....

We arrived in Melbourne after 23 hours on a plane. E. met us. She had arranged well in advance (because she is that way) for a car rental. But, there was no rental on record. We are all pretty tired, and a little giddy, but we manage to find the rental car receipt, only to discover that Budget Car Rental services more than one Melbourne and we had, apparently, rented our particular car at the airport in Melbourne, FLORIDA.

Regrouping... a theme of the trip... begins.

I am not going to lie to you or embellish this tale. They had more cars and we got one of them and were on our way. But, since to list anyone but a middle-aged, female as a driver would dramatically increase the rental fee, it was up to me to do all the driving on the trip. Sooooo. I IMMEDIATELY learned how to drive on the "other" side of the road. This leads to a couple of quick observations:

While at this point in my life, driving is completely intuitive, driving on the "other" side of the road is not.

I will be much more patient with ANYONE who drives slow, or tentatively... or has wet or extraordinarily clean windshields... or seems otherwise paralyzed with panic because they, too, may be learning to drive on the "other" side of the road.

Manufacturers who ship cars to Australia flip the locations of the turn signals and windshield washers on their cars (see above).

So, slowly.... we headed off to Geelong, the Aurora, Colorado (meaning a sprawling suburban bedroom commuting base for people who work in nearby cities) of Melbourne.

I can't say Geelong was that impressive, but was built on a bay where there were plenty of these:

And these:

We stopped in at local uni (Deakin University) to see where E. had been hanging out for a year.

In the uni student parking lot some guys were attempting to assist a poor helpless.... BABE... jump start her car. My son, who has been brought up to always help those in need, lept to her assistance, (although you can see in the image below that he was not alone in his eagerness to ease the troubles of a stranded driver).

The "assistance" went on for quite a while, and, I might add, it did not seem to bother any of these young men one bit that this young lady had no idea how to pop a clutch.

Honestly, if someone (not completely under a hormonally-induced sense of civic duty) had not stepped in to end this pattern of pushing the car up the hill and pushing it back down the hill, G. and probably everyone else whose asses you see in this picture would still be there.

Did I mention the young female was quite attractive?

G. has told me, with not a small degree of frustration, that this is NOT the picture he would have gotten if he had the camera. And the adventure begins....

Phew

2008-09-10T07:31:00.000-07:00

See below ;)

3:30 AM

2008-09-09T18:35:00.000-07:00

So, it is 9:36 EST and I am going to bed. The supercollider is set to be tested at 3:30 AM in the morning. So.... if I don't wake up ever again, I guess the whole black-hole-sucking-the-planet-in is, well, not so much a theory anymore..... So see you tomorrow?

For Your Consideration...*

2008-09-09T03:54:00.001-07:00

From the front page of the NY Times online edition:

Thailand's prime minister was forced to resign along with his Cabinet on Tuesday after the Constitutional Court ruled that he had violated the constitution by hosting TV cooking shows.

So that is what all those protests were about!

Lost in Space

2008-09-04T14:09:00.000-07:00

Normally, when things are looking this grim, I search the job ads in Canada. But alas, no openings for next year. So instead I must do something.

Interesting fact check article on the Rep. VP candidate.... I love Alaska, but.... its not enough.

And then there's the other half of this ticket.... I will actually meet the producer of this video next week. I look forward to talking to him about this:

Under Pressure

2008-09-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

Given that my promotion file is due in less than 24 hours, this seemed like a good time to update my ring tone to the classic Queen song. It was the first music video I ever saw, not that that has anything to do with anything, except maybe allowing my to digress even further from the deadline looming before me.

Looks like, given those who are able to accompany me on the "down under" adventure, the south island of New Zealand is the front runner for a week of avoiding the real world.

Rack Up Those Frequent Flier Miles

2008-08-21T08:20:00.000-07:00

I just found out I get to return to Australia in November to deliver a paper to the University of Melbourne Law School. It would be one of those papers that would make my sister crazy as it will address normative issues of constitutional law, e.g. what should be as opposed to what is. But that is the liberty I get to embraced living in the ivory tower and not in the courtroom.

So, now I have to figure out what to do with a potentially free week after the conference. There are no classes the week of Thanksgiving, so I could continue traveling anywhere I wish before returning to the US of A. But without a traveling companion, it would not be fun. Need a traveling companion......

Our summer guest

2008-08-18T15:19:00.000-07:00

As sometimes is the case, when one moves to a new place, others who are curious about the new digs pop in for a visit. This one, however, was not expected:

Browsing the jobs

2008-08-09T08:58:00.000-07:00

It doesn't matter when I have started a position or how much I like it. I still watch the job ads. Maybe this explains why I ended up in Oregon and now NY. Both position were ads I happened upon while perusing the academic classifieds during lunch. I see today that Temple University and Southern Illinois U. have openings that would be career steps up for me. Temple is an awesome program and big, but living in the city would be hard on me. SIU is a very impressive program, but in Illinois, which is well, like when I was in Michigan. Flat.
Actually some of my old Michigan colleagues are pressing me to apply for the School's Director position - opening next year because my dear friend is retiring. Those were the best colleagues ever and the town was great for raising kids. But I don't think Michigan is my home. I also got wind that my advisor might be retiring in a year or two. Now there is a location to which I would not mind returning.... I am like a douglas fir. No depth to the roots.

Chicago

2008-08-09T07:27:00.000-07:00

I am staring out the 23rd story window of my hotel room looking south down St. Clair Ave. The skyline at night is beautiful. One block over is Michigan Ave. aka the Magnificent Mile. In two minutes I could be at Neiman Marcus, Tiffanys, the Nike superstore, and the Apple store.

In a couple hours, I will start winding my way to the EL and O'Hare. Most of today, I am on a plane. I get a 6 hour layoever at home and then off to Utah. Chicago is an amazing city. I good friend of mine just landed a deans position here in the city. Very cool, but I am a country girl. I am ready to sit around waiting for Lone Star Geyser to erupt. I love how the thermal features at Yellowstone force to you to adhere to a different sense of time.

Blink

2008-07-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

The lazy days of summer just evaporated before my eyes. The "endlless summer" feeling that comes in early August has morphed into Chicago conference trip next week. I managed to keep that to a 4 day trip.

But the best laid plans of laziness are cut short. Now, I return from Chicago for about six hours - enough time to repack and sleep for a couple hours. Then it is off to the Utah and Wyoming. The lure of joining my sister traveling there for a few days was irresistible. With some strategically placed phone calls, I have managed to get a cabin at Mammouth Hot Springs for two nights and a cabin at the Old Faithful geyser complex for a night.

Yeah for seeing Yellowstone again!

I will return the day I go back to a full time contract and the school year begins again.

Somewhere in the next 24 hours, I have to fire off a paper proposal to a Nov. conference in.... MELBOURNE! Looking for travel companions as I could squeeze out about 9 days of travel after the conference if anyone is willing to do emu, or kangaroo or crocodile for Thanksgiving dinner.

Makes you wonder

2008-07-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

I was poking around on line this morning, procrastinating to avoid the piles of filing I need to do. I googled "Montana wildfires" to check out the fire season as all we hear about is California these days. I found the wildfire report released on Friday the 23rd. Nothing atypical except at the bottom of the report (available to the public, mind you), is a set of "talking points" for officials to use when talking to the media about Montana wildfires....

I am struck by the irony of such an effort to manipulate public perception and then, at the same time, release the document on line that discusses the agency's effort to manipulate the public perceptions.

Here are the talking points:

When speaking with the media regarding facts:

Use non-threatening terminology such as “precautionary evacuation” or “temporary closure”.

When talking about size of the fire or number of acres involved use percentages rather than numbers.

If evacuations are in place, distinguish between “voluntary evacuations” and “mandatory evacuations”

Stress that any closures are “temporary” or “only partial closures”

Accentuate the positive. Fire does have a natural role in ecology.

Early Summer in NY

2008-07-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

It is lunchtime and I am poking around the net. I have found a live videocam of Old Faithful geyser and am watching as it is about to erupt. Skies are clear, brilliant blue. I have sat there many times watching this very scene. Wish I was there.

I am VERY slowly going through photographs taken this summer (including Australia). I found some pictures (... there goes Old Faithful....!) of the house after returning from a month of travel. When I left there were the leaves were just emerging on the trees. The bulbs were blooming and the grass was cut just before leaving (barely needed it but we wanted to try the new tractor).

This is what I cam home to:

A jungle. Beautiful, but nevertheless.

We have never had to water once this summer. We have been told it is an unusually wet summer - mostly torrential downpours each day and then nice weather around it. But everything is so lush here.... Did I mention, things grow quickly?

We decided to leave the back 4 acres or so natural and the local flora and fauna have moved in quickly. The tall grasses, conifers and maple are home to all sorts of birds. We see them at our feeders next to the porch. There are the same feeders that attracted a local bear about a month ago. Still waiting on the cell phone picture taken by a friend of E.'s when they came home and interrupted the bear's seedfest.

The field also is growing all sorts of wildflowers, wild rasberries and strawberries. We are thinking if we become survivalists, we might just be about to graze the land during the summer months and do quite well.

On The Fence About This One

2008-07-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

I just read a quick review and excerpt from David Carr's new book. Carr is the media critic for the NY Times. His book is autobiographical. A memoir. To quote the beginning of the Washington Post story on the book,

David Carr's latest subject is a pathetic human being, a thug, a manipulative jerk who uses people and puts his own kids in danger. [...] He is unsparing as he rips the protective bark off his life, baring his past addictions to crack and alcohol and the utter depths to which he sank.

I am unsure how I feel about this "bares all" story. He says he did it in part to finance his daughter's college education. But there are a lot of people's lives exposes and wounds ripped open by the decision to publish this memoir. By all indications, he is harsh, but most harsh on himself. I think I am especially intrigued by how he learns his memory of events past is so completely wrong at times. Something we all should keep in mind.

I will probably read it as the excerpt suggests some fine writing. But will it just be a well written spin on a theme we have heard before? Is there nothing new in the story of redemption?

There is an except in the NYT magazine here.

It's Election Time

2008-07-16T06:17:00.001-07:00

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

"Where is the Summer Going?"

2008-07-14T06:32:00.000-07:00

So much going on, it is hard to post, which may be why I am not. I almost don't know where to begin.

I am still sorting through the Australia pictures and a trip report is long overdue.

I have this wonderful series of pictures of a robin's nest and the eggs hatching. Haven't even downloaded those from my camera.

I am waiting for my daughter's friend to email her cell picture of the bear the two stumbled upon in our yard, feasting on the bird feeders.

Tons of stuff to write about.

I will try.

In the meantime, I perused the Chronicle of Higher Education today. CHE released a study of the best colleges and universities to work for. There were probably 20 different parameters, from compensation to retirement, to professional support, to facilities..... Consistently on the list was Stanford U. Would love to teach there someday. There is a position in my area, but I suspect, like the guys (and I do mean guys) who teach at University of Vermont and University of Colorado, I will have to wait for a retirement cause no one in their right mind would voluntarily leave those places.

I also was impressed by how often Cornell appeared on the list. Mentioned in almost every category, except work/life balance & job satisfaction. Lot's of resources and compensation, but like many ivys, high stress. University of Michigan made regular appearances. A surprising name in numerous categories: State University of New York at Buffalo. Although, it would take lots of job incentives to get someone to live there so maybe the listing does make sense.

Of course I can sit here and comment on institutions like this from the comfort of my secure position. How quickly one forgets applying for ANY job that seems remotely relevant, prepared to move just about anywhere. Well, almost anywhere, I did turn down an interview offer at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. I think the reasons are self-evident, although maybe premature as living near oil refineries might might mean cheaper gas.

I also remember a phone interview with Berry College. I though it went exceedingly well as measured by the fact my children in the background were successfully bribed with candy and never interrupted. I was confident of a campus interview, but alas it never came. I found out later that they called my references and my adviser in his enthusiasm to talk about what a hard worker I was, explained how I had progressed through all my graduate studies and research assistantships while raising two young children as a SINGLE PARENT. Check out the Berry College overview, mission and history on their website and you will get a sense why they were NOT impressed.

Forget Mortgages, Live on a Plane

2008-05-02T11:55:00.000-07:00

Starting late next week, I will spend more time on planes over the course of a month than I have I feel quite sure I EVER would wish on anyone. Except maybe Bush - flying coach, of course.

I leave for Australia, and before I return to the east coast of this continent, I will have taken 11 flights. I am home for all of 36 hours and then fly on four more planes in order to get from this little town to Minneapolis. So in the course of one month, almost to the day, I will have taken 15 planes.

Without setting a foot on the first plane, I can say, with absolute certainty, I don't recommend this.

There Be Real Signs of Spring Here

2008-05-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this image would suggest that the trees have not yet leafed out. I concede they haven't, but there are buds on bushes and daffodils are blooming. I am told the trees do leaf out before they turn fall colors.

We are in the process of building a garden. Of course that first meant tearing down the ratty mess of a fence left from the previous owners. It was functional, but an eyesore (see above shot) when trying to look at our serene landscape out the picture window with G&T's in our hands (see above shot and imagine a G&T in it). Of course the garden was home to an established planting of rhubarb... oh and a very established planting of WEEDS. Weeds by the way grow well, even in soil composed largely of the contents of the wheelbarrow below:

It did not take long to give up on the ideal of using local soil. We are putting up the beds I took from Oregon and filling them with lots of compost from a guy who stopped by our house looking for directions and just happened to have with him a truckload of shit.

And this picture is for Julie. She wanted to see the new toy. The dealer didn't give us a John Deere baseball cap. S. was disappointed to say the least. It is nice, but suffers from Kubota envy.

Note: The dog is not there willingly, but did acknowledge that S.'s lap was an improvement over when I made her ride in the cart.

:(

2008-04-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

A missing freshman was found in one of the ponds on campus today. Been missing for a couple days. The pond is maybe 500 feet from my office window. Fire trucks, cherry pickers, divers and the wondering have made thinking about anything else, difficult to say the least.

Stories are circulating about possible connections string of suspicious deaths of young college men around the country over the past 11 years - 40 of them. One happened at my alma mater about 4 years ago.

The family is here from the midwest. I can't even comprehend their grief. I need to see my kids. soon.

Across the Street

2008-04-28T06:26:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder if I bought our house not for what is on our property but, rather, what is across the street. I feel personally responsible for its maintenance, so that downed limb will be cleaned up.

One set of stones (not pictured here), upon careful reading, reveals that four children all died in a very short window back in the mid to late 1800s. Illness? accident? How does a parent recover from that? A lot of the stones - more likely concrete, are broken, or worn down so you can't see the information.

End of the Semester

2008-04-26T19:01:00.001-07:00

The Dawg

2008-04-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

Seems to finally have adjusted to NY.

Observations on Office Pixs

2008-04-24T08:40:00.000-07:00

E. noted an interesting part of my office picture. I would say it pretty much sums up the yin/yang of my academic life- Buddhist prayer flags next to Post It notes.

Sorry Ma'am, I am Here To...

2008-04-23T06:45:00.000-07:00

enumerate your dog. Yes, there IS a Dog Enumerator for this county. Knocked on the door. Handed us an enumeration letter. Fined us for not having a license for the dog (who made it hard to deny her existence over her incessant barking).

The remaining mystery: Who narc'd?

I do have a better sense of what the INCREDIBLY high property taxes fund in this county.

Spring and the Office Window

2008-04-21T12:20:00.000-07:00

While it is the 21st of April and the trees have not yet fully leafed out, the grass IS greening and forsythias are blooming. At least in town. The view out the office window is improving with all the sunshine. I think the view of the lake will be more obscured when the trees are full of leaves. When I squint I can see sail boats on the lake. Nice.

Then there is the fact that I miss E. more and more each day. It is time for her to come home. I hung the Ecuadoran weaving she gave me. It goes nice with the Starbucks yellow on my office walls.

**Yes Everyone Else is...*

2008-04-17T16:37:00.000-07:00

posting this, but for good reason. I watched it about 10 days ago when the story appeared in the NY Times. Best use of a lunch hour in a long time.

Heard it on the radio

2008-04-13T19:41:00.000-07:00

In one of my classes, students do a mock oral argument before a mock Supreme Court. The case we just completed was an invasion of privacy suit against Playgirl magazine. The suit was filed by Jose Solano, who played a lifeguard named Manny on the show, Baywatch. The cover of Playgirl showed him in his Baywatch swim trunks. The text on the cover suggested he was nude inside.

He wasn't.

Solano, was/is apparently quite religious, and wanted to protect his image as a role model for Hispanic youth. Notable aspirations, albeit somewhat diluted when I imagine him testifying in those swim trunks.

That aside, I was amused by a recent story about how Hugo Chavez banned the Simpsons from Venezuelan television because he felt it wasn't the best program for children's moral development. In a move that will help you understand why I am writing this entry, Chavez replaced the Simpsons with......

Frak me

2008-04-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Starting watching my Tivo'd episodes of the final season of Battlestar Galactica. As gripping as ever. But now I am faced with the looming reality of the series ending. This at the same time I am about to watch the final season of The Wire. Need good TV suggestions. Now. Gotta keep Netflix busy.

College Branding

2008-04-05T12:39:00.001-07:00

In an age of college admissions that is ALL about branding and creating a sense of specialness, Harvard has taken it to a level that other schools can only watch and weep:

Read and weep for yourself in this NY Times op-ed:

Teaching near to, but not exactly at, an ivy league school, I can only saw....

I bow to the master.

Pissed

2008-04-05T06:10:00.000-07:00

It is one thing to have a public administrative position against abortion, but it is another to rig the most comprehensive medical database so that one can't find information, or after allowing use of the search term again, removing articles that are pro-abortion. What happened to the the principle of challenging ideas one opposes with other ideas? Mill and Milton and Justice Holmes are probably turning over in their graves.

From the NY Times:
April 5, 2008

Health Database Was Set Up to Ignore ‘Abortion’

By ROBERT PEAR

WASHINGTON — Johns Hopkins University said Friday that it had programmed its computers to ignore the word “abortion” in searches of a large, publicly financed database of information on reproductive health after federal officials raised questions about two articles in the database. The dean of the Public Health School lifted the restrictions after learning of them.

A spokesman for the school, Timothy M. Parsons, said the restrictions were enforced starting in February.

Johns Hopkins manages the population database known as Popline with money from the Agency for International Development.

Popline is the world’s largest database on reproductive health, with more than 360,000 records and articles on family planning, fertility and sexually transmitted diseases.

Mr. Parsons said the development agency had expressed concern after finding “two articles about abortion advocacy” in the database. The articles, he said, did not fit database criteria and were removed......

For the rest of the story: click here.

For Rosie

2008-04-04T17:28:00.000-07:00

Yep, new job is a bit different

2008-03-31T09:52:00.000-07:00

Within a 10 day span....

Dinner with MSNBC & Today Show anchor
Dinner with CNN chief international correspondent
Dinner with former assistant to President Clinton and a television commentator/news journalist
Listening to a presentation by a NY Times columnist on Darfur.

Conclusion: I am going to need better work clothes.

Ahhh, Spring.

2008-03-28T05:59:00.000-07:00

For the First Time Since Moving In...

2008-03-26T06:02:00.000-07:00

The inside of the house was above 55 degrees in the morning. In fact it was 66 degrees - the highest reading every recorded on the inside thermostat.

After all this.....

We can credit the warm house to this...

Conversation with Daughter who flew from Melbourne to Perth

2008-03-16T16:59:00.000-07:00

"So the Perth trip was Fulbright related?"

"Yeah, it was a dinner to celebrate the Australian scholars who are going to the U.S. I sat at a table with the US ambassador to Australia, the head of the University of Western Australia, the premier of Western Australia (equivalent of governor) and a woman who is, apparently, the richest person in Australia. Oh, and an Australian Fulbright Scholar who is doing research on refugee policy was also at the table."

"So, you basically flew the equivalent of NY - CA to have dinner."

"Yep, pretty much. I think it was the longest trip to have dinner ever."

"S., who is on a sustainability kick, is going to hang this one over you for some time."

"But I don't have a car, so even with the flights, I'm doing better than most

for sure."

"No doubt. But we can have a little fun at your expense, right?"

"It's pretty ridiculous, and I openly admit that."

Whirlwind Week

2008-03-03T07:09:00.000-08:00

I just returned from a conference in Denver. Even after 14 years, the appeal of that town is still there for me. Can't quite pinpoint it though. Just feels like home. Oddly, I barely got outside the Grand Hyatt except for a quick walk in the morning and the trip to a little mexican restaurant near the civic theatre.

The best views were had riding back to the airport. So sad. I just have a hunch that I will end up in Colorado again, someday.

And now I see that my niece passed through Denver this weekend also. She, however, kept going and is skiing in the mountains. She always was the smarter one.

House Pictures

2008-02-24T17:01:00.000-08:00

It has occurred to me that no one has really seen the house except we occupants and #1 son. My daughter - because she has a wanderlust that exceeds even mine - has not seen it, nor has my Oregon family who I miss with an ache that is ever present.

The front of the house really couldn't be more plain, so I have avoided taking pictures of it. So here are a few pictures all from the backyard and featuring my favorite canine and my favorite kind of precipitation:

For Bear and Otter

2008-02-24T16:55:00.000-08:00

They will know the significant of the coaster and other bits of the picture (click on image for larger version):

If It Isn't Obvious Why I am With This Man

2008-02-24T10:47:00.000-08:00

As a follow up to the most recent heating bill, this is how my better half responded. No, it isn't just to add layers, but he is now in the basement ripping out uninsulated walls and installing fiberglass insulation. Glad to see that parole outfit is finally coming to some use.

Busy few weeks

2008-02-23T10:01:00.000-08:00

Acclimating to this new job has been interesting. Ten hour days are the norm (for me, but I can't say that for everyone). I am finally getting to the point where I can take some weekend time off and for the last two Fridays I have been able to work at home. This new job is probably 75% administrative, something I said I would never want to do, but, in reality, is a pleasant change of pace. I think it is the challenge of it all. There is no training for this job, the expectation was that I would figure it out as I went a long. And I have. But a few deadlines staring me in the face as I started made for a hectic couple of weeks. Now I am teaching my class, handling several job reviews and thinking about what I might tackle for my next research project. I am down to one unpacked box and 4 or five stacks of materials left to be "organized" in my office. That may be the most unpacked I have ever been.

I have looked on line for an image of the building where I work, but none was to be found. This should provide some insight into it's aesthetic qualities. There are few. But it is functional, yet overcrowded with a program that is growing, so hopefully in within a decade or so, it will be replaced. I must admit that I have a very beautiful view out my third floor office window. If you ignore the parking structure below, Cayuga Lake stretches to the horizon off in the distance. Since the college is perched about 800 feet above the city below, the view is largely unobstructed except for the trees at the crest of the hill. I am envisioning a view of many sailboats on the lake in the summer. I will try and take a picture.

My house sold in Oregon yesterday, but not before my neighbor's yard guy came over and cleaned the beds, deadheaded the flowers, fertilized and charged me $70. Consider it my housewarming gift to the new owners. Our raised ranch house in New York is older, but not old enough to be interesting architecturally. I think it was built in the mid 1960's and has had one major renovation that included a sitting area off the new kitchen with a beautiful picture window to the back 5 acres. The previous owners neglected to insulate the house so we are reeling from the first fuel bill and S. is busy down in the basement as I write, insulating the floor. It would be one thing to have 4 inch walls, little-to-no insulation and numerous single paned windows if I lived in Oregon, but with the lows here regularly in the single digits... desperate measures are in order. The dog, who has to sleep on a bean bag covered by a blanket, would agree:

We will be looking for contractors to expand the master bedroom this spring now that we have sold the old house. Once that is in, we can build a deck off the back - one that we can access from the living area and the bedroom. Somewhere in this addition will be a sauna or hot tub. This climate is begging for it.

#1 son comes to visit occasionally. This is his favorite spot, petting his favorite dog, talking to his favorite female (and it is not me):

The first time he came to visit we were researching one Sunday morning what kind of hawks (it was a pair of redtails) were perched in our tree and we all were working on our respective laptops googling this and that since our bird books all focus on the west. At that time I was transition to a new laptop so I had two at the house. We set them up on the table and then added all the cell phones between us because it occurred to use that the there were more cell phones and laptops than humans in the house (this did not count the old g4 laptop that was in the back room waiting to be passed on to a cousin. This was the result- three macbook pros and a pc:

More soon....

Figures it would take something like this to get me to blog

2008-02-05T10:19:00.000-08:00

Saw this on Dooce.com.

Hysterical, especially having dealt with an editor.

Meri Chrissi?

2007-12-23T22:02:00.000-08:00

Might that be Australian for Merry Christmas, mate? This goes out to my beautiful and amazing daughter and niece and their delightful friend Karen. Have a wonderful day when you wake! We will celebrate a second time for you on this side of the dateline. Can't wait to see the 'oliday pix of where you spend Christmas down under.

Love to you all from the land of rain and moss.

The Best Birthday Presents...

2007-12-18T20:00:00.000-08:00

Are the wonderful reminders that I have the best children, EVER>

First is the text message from down under from my daughter (courtesy of my niece's cell phone thank you very much)

Next is the PHONE CALL from Uluru in the center of Australia (aka the middle of NOWHERE). Yep, my daughter wishing me a happy birthday. That young lady is simply awesome. The pictures of her exploring Australia just make my heart sing.

Third is waking up the day after and picking up my son at the airport and bringing him home for the holidays. Wow, I missed him. He is all grown up and, ya know, I really like him. One of those kids that if he was someone else's child, I would be wishing secretly that I had a son like him. BUT I DO!

Three pretty flower bouquets in the house. Smile.

A good birthday all around.

In other news... the new house closes Thursday morning.

The day after Christmas.... packarama.

Lobbying at its Finest

2007-12-10T16:24:00.000-08:00

S. asked me today if medical services were taxed in NY. I looked on line. They aren't. But that is not what prompted me to write. It is what ELSE is tax exempt Here is a list, in no special order (imagine the lobbying efforts that resulted in these):

1. Receipts paid to a homeowners association by its membership for parking services.

2. Laundering, dry-cleaning, tailoring, weaving, pressing, shoe repairing and shoe shining.

3. Admission to live circus performances.

4. Services by funeral homes.

5. U.S. and N.Y. flags.

6. Certain military decorations

7. Certain items sold through coin operated vending machines.

8. Coin operated luggage carts.

9. Garage sales.

10. Milk crates purchased by a dairy farmer.

11. Certain race horses.

12. Copies sold through coin operated photocopying machines at fifty cents or less.

13. Wine furnished at a wine tasting.

14. Services performed to a qualifying barge

15. Certain coin-operated car wash services

16. Certain food and drink sold by a senior citizen housing community to its residents and their guests.

17. Gift shop sales at a veteran's home.

18. 75% of the admission charge to a qualifying place of amusement.

19 Certain portion of the admission charge to attend a roof garden or cabaret.

Source: NYS publication 850

PNW Version of the Winter Storm

2007-12-03T09:52:00.001-08:00

I am sitting at home waiting for my fence to blow over. Normally I wouldn't be fixated on such a thing, but I figure, hey the house is on the market, a big storm is here, there obviously is going to be damage to the house - roof shingles gone, skylights blown away, the fence.... S. is at the coast working and I can't reach him. Verizon service died last night. Can't reach him on Cingular. Land lines are out. Power is out. All the roads to the coast are blocked by trees. Highway 101 is flooded at the north end of town. I may not hear from him for a couple days at this rate. I am sure he is running from farm to farm with generators so farmers can milk.

Maybe the saddest loss of this storm is the Sitka Spruce in Seaside. It was the oldest tree in Oregon and the largest Sitka Spruce in the United States. 206 ft. tall. 52 ft. circumference. 750 years old.

Before: (taken last summer - the top had already broken off from damage during the storm in Dec. 2006). There were plans to cut it down because it was unsafe, but ultimately it was blocked off and allowed to finish out its life naturally.

After: Taken by a brave KATU photog, it didn't survive the Dec. 2007 storm. It looks like it broke about a third of the way up the trunk.

My new school

2007-11-30T16:27:00.000-08:00

I saw this video on a political blog run by students where I will be teaching this spring. I was filled with pride to know students come across stuff like this and let the rest of us people - who don't have hours to burn - know about it.

I hope they take my classes cause I already like them. How could I not after they dig up this amazing piece on the fundamental flaw of evolution, illustrated with a jar of peanut butter.

I love the web.

Maraschino Cherries

2007-11-27T18:35:00.000-08:00

As the countdown to THE MOVE continues, I looked at some of the random jars sitting in the door of my NEW fridge (story for another time but it definitely involves Murphy's Law), I came across a jar of maraschino cherries. I opened the jar and popped one in my mouth. I have no memory of buying them which might be one indicator of how old they might be. But the shelf life of these things must be extraordinay given the dye and preservatives.

The taste of them was like brought on a time warp and I was in the kitchen of my grandparents' summer home on Long Island. Somewhere in the late afternoon (probably when the grown-ups were prepping for a marathon cocktail hour after an afternoon on the beach) my grandfather would take me into the kitchen and give me a maraschino cherry with a stem. I would suck on it and then chew it slowly to make the flavor last as long as possible. It was a signature summer ritual with my grandfather. That and feeding the racoons dinner scraps:)

Just this one- the Fox logo on my blog

2007-11-22T11:44:00.001-08:00

My son pointed out this awesome recording of the Star Spangled Banner by John Williams and this was the best version I could find. While I still wish our national anthem was "America the Beautiful," this version of the anthem is inspiring. Maybe we could keep the melody and just change the lyrics.

The stuff of bad dreams

2007-11-22T10:09:00.000-08:00

Watching the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade. Am I really moving to a state that does this? It is like a helium-induced, lip-synched nightmare.

Need an antidote. Now.

We be homeowners again

2007-10-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

Who wudda thought. Two houses. What am I going to do with TWO houses?

Back and Blue

2007-10-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

It was an exhausting week. (I might mention my dissapointment that no one did my work while I was gone...) Would have been worse if not for the big ole pillow top bed, jacuzzi bath and in room fireplace at my hotel. I am thinking, with the real estate market so squirrelly, I might just as well stay at this resort indefinitely. I wonder if they have week and month rentals....? It is only a mile from work after all.

We looked at so many houses. I like the contemporary with a view of the lake. But there was a busy highway behind and, even worse, obnoxiously barking dogs on the property behind.

I like a home 14 miles west of town - a well built ranch on five acres with a view of the valley. But it was 14 miles from town. And upstate New York has real winters.

But on the up side we did find a delightful quirky house built in the mid 60's. A raised ranch with a lower level single garage. there are windows on the ground level that are part of the basement. Could be finished, but I have never been a basement person. Too much like being buried alive.

It sits on five acres, most of which is behind the house. The owners were there for 38 years and have planted hundreds of trees in back in an effort to reforest the property. There is a very large work shop - probably 800 sq feet, heated and ready for someone to.... I don't know... make things for me:). It also can function as an escape when a certain guy I know needs to get some space from a certain crazy female who, for the purposes of this entry, shall remain unnamed. His first project should be a sign that says "Girls may enter by invitation only."

The sellers added an addition a couple years ago that included a beautiful kitchen remodel with maple cabinets and Corian counters. They added a sitting area with a propane stove and a big picture window looking east to the back yard. And they added an elevator. I kid you not. This is one accessible house. ADA would be proud.

The south side of the house has a porch with fir floors and is shaded by two beautiful mature maples.

The road is quiet and there is a little cemetery nestled in some trees across the street. Most markers are from the 1800s. I can't see the neighbors on either side because of trees lining the property lines, but one house next door is a bit of a dump.

The school district is unimpressive. It doesn't impact me except for resale, which is something I have to consider given my pattern of changing jobs every five years or so.

There are three bedrooms, all small, and no master suite. I am spoiled. I love my vaulted ceiling master suite with a walk in closet and master bath. But then I remember: I am partnered with a guy who builds things and fixes things and who would have a workshop bigger than a small apartment. All the sudden discussions turn to a master suite addition. So with the cost of that in mind, we made an offer. I don't think they will accept it, but what the heck. I will know by Friday night. Plan B is a townhouse rental west of the lake. The cost is as much as a mortgage but they are willing to start with a 6 month lease and it has an attached two car garage so we can store the kayaks.

Fate, have your way with me.

A househunting we go

2007-10-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

We are heading out for a week of house hunting. Given the current market, I am not optimistic we will find something we like enough to make the plunge quickly. I suspect we are more likely to find a rental and maybe look for some land.

One of the highlights of the trip will be the chance to see #1 son and my family for a day. Another plus will be where we are staying. Taking advantage of special rates available to my future employer I am able to stay at a pretty nice resort for $99 a night. Just two days ago the Dali Lama was staying at this place while doing a series of public talks. New faciltiies for his North American base are being constructed across the street I understand.

I am looking at a wide range of housing options from a fixer-upper in town, to a higher end, expensive home in the established and desirable (read: reseale) neighborhoods surrounding Cornell University, to a farm 20 miles out of town, to a log cabin. And then there is building, which sounds most intriguing to me. I have abandoned the idea of a loft in the heart of downtown as it just seems too noisy. There are some alternative housing options - cooperative communities - but I don't think I have time or even want to invest the energy into the personal time commitment of living cooperatively. Plus S. -a loner at heart - has NO desire to be part of a community living situation with shared meals and such. That part of hippiedom didn't stick I guess.

Ingrid Michaelson on Carson Daly -

2007-10-03T20:57:00.001-07:00

I like it in spite of it being overplayed in the Old Navy ad.

Aye Matey!

2007-10-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

D'are be blogging again!

Bruce Springsteen -Long Walk Home

2007-10-01T19:34:00.001-07:00

Thought I would follow-up with the music video associated with the Springsteen song that aired on the Today Show last Friday.

Stand-Up Comedy or A Very Frightening Leader

2007-10-01T19:27:00.001-07:00

Bush responding to a student's question on Blackwater. Can someone slap me out of this 8 year hallucination?

On the market

2007-10-01T11:41:00.000-07:00

It took quite a few weekends of work, but the house is officially on the market today. It looks damn good - and there is a certain sadness about letting it go. I finished all the cleaning yesterday and lit a candle to heat some water containing pure pine oil. It seemed a nice touch on an otherwise rainy blustery typically PNW wintery day.

S. came into the room and I asked him if he smelled anything. I thought the fragrance of pine would evoke nice memories of his woodstove in Montana. He inhaled deeply, and said as he exhaled,

"Yes, I do.... Pine Sol."

Long Walk Home

2007-09-28T09:33:00.000-07:00

One of the good things about moving cross country is the opportunity to reconnect with my Jersey Girl roots. My high school years were defined in part by the Jersey Shore and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. They are doing the Friday concert this morning on the Today Show.

I couldn't help but notice that the keyboard player in the E Street Band is wearing a hearing aid. I don't think there is a member of the band under 50. And the only young people in the crowd are the kids dragged to the concert by their parent Springstein fans.

I could feel the pull back east listening to the Boss and the E Street Band complete with Clarence Clemmons this morning as they played the song that makes up this entry's title. He is still firey on the stage just as I remembered him at concerts in my youth. He would play 3.5 hours without a break. We would leave the stadium hoarse from singing along.

I might add they they starting playing before the Today broadcast started and are contemplating an encore at 2.5 hours. And so he continues with a heart wrenching rendition of Hometown. He's still got it.

Should Have Seen It Coming

2007-09-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

Six years ago, when I decided to take this job, I negotiated that my new employer wait a year so I could insure a smooth transition. To the very end my co-workers at my ending job were kind, supportive and appreciative of me remaining for the year, knowing I could have left them hanging with no time to find a replacement.

I can't say that my decision to stay for an additional 6 months at my current job to "wrap things up" and help with the transition has gone as smoothly. The co-worker issues I always found a bit troubling now in my face. I am concerned about some gender issues that were undercurrents coming to the surface and generally finding that my multi-year "feeling" I was marginalize is no longer a feeling.

I guess it makes closure a little easier, but in reality, I liked how closure worked at my last job better.

Hmmm...

2007-09-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

How often have we shown ourselves as we really are, and yet we need not
have bothered, there was no one there to notice...

~Saramago,The Stone Raft

An Unfinished Life

**Queen**

**What is it about Fall approaching?**

**Post Surgery Limerick**

**There is a reason why some things are free**

**Thumbing One's Nose at the Hamptons**

**yo, summer!**

**Ahhh, Duh....**

**Incident at Oglala**

**Because I Still Love Where I Used to Live, I Beg You.... **

**As We Prepare for the Next Round of Academic Hirings**

** Guess Who Wrote This Line in Today's WP..."

**Four years studying engineering, $180K, and...**

**An Old Favorite**

** And He Is Still Amazing Today**

**Introducing the Junior Senator from Minnesota**

**Cognitive Dissonance**

** All I can say is....**

**Memory Lane**

**A beginning is a delicate time....**

**Why I still miss Oregon**

Bill banning semen-throwing on its way to the governor

by Michelle Cole, The Oregonian Thursday June 04, 2009, 3:13 PM

**You can't saddle a horse that ain't been born yet.**

**We Be Promoted**

**Does this count as a sabbatical?**

**Unbelievably luck**

**Down Under**

**Exhale**

**Sarah Palin**

**Why I have subscribed to "The Nation" for 20 years**

**Barama, baby**

**Some wonderful news in a difficult time**

**Saturday New York Times**

**Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, said**

**GRRR**

**Sitting here...**

**Don't Know Why, But it is Cracking Me Up**

Athletes to Leave Their Brains to Concussion Study

**Why did the chicken cross the road?**

**He knows how to soundbite**

**Lake Conneware**

**Great Ocean Road**

**Missing Spring**

**Ahh, yes, I did travel somewhere last May, didn't I...**

**Phew**

**3:30 AM**

**For Your Consideration...***

**Lost in Space**

**Under Pressure**

**Rack Up Those Frequent Flier Miles**

**Our summer guest**

**Browsing the jobs**

**Chicago**

**Blink**

**Makes you wonder**

**Early Summer in NY**

**On The Fence About This One**