There is always hope

I realize I have not posted since December and it is now a new year. I am going to try to start posting almost everyday (a bit of a far-reaching goal). Regardless, I am so excited and hopeful. It appeared I would not get summer funding this summer (gulp!); however there appears to be one nice graduate student in this program after all. Once she found that she had summer funding, she is willing to "give me" her class this summer so that I may teach it and hopefully get a little funding from it as well. Also not to mention the class is a topic on which I am doing a comps paper on right now. I am excited, but I cautioned her to do what was in her best interest (why I am so benevolent?) but to definitely keep me in mind. For some reason (apparently there is also at least one grad student here with a conscious) she believed that teaching and getting paid while receiving other sources of funding is not right (wow! I've been saying that all along). If I can only count on one person to be so nice, it would truly be a "turning point" in my graduate school trajectory.

never go back

"I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac, a little voice inside my head said 'you can't go back, you can never go back.'" --Don Henley, The Boys of Summer.

Live everyday in the present and enjoy every aspect of life. Even if life is treating you negatively, you will never be able to go back - so even those aspects become memory sooner rather than later.

An amazing book, an amazing man

I recommend "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch (with Jeffrey Zaslow)! I cannot explain how beautiful and inspiring this book is. A great holiday present, and something us, in academia, probably need to read.

For those who have not heard of the book, Dr. Pausch was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in PA, who had a part in creating the first virtual reality program, did a sabbatical as a Disney Imagineer, and had a hand in creating the computer programming package, Alice.

For those who have never heard of the book, I recommend visiting the website:

http://www.thelastlecture.com/

As an aside, I think that teaching about dreams and life's lessons does not occur enough in university/college atmospheres any more. Good reading, all!

The Greentree City

So, K-wood is supposed to be the "tree city" of the state; and although they do have laws prohibiting the cutting of trees that are over a certain "age" they will cut down any tree that is relatively new. Go figure...

I woke up this morning to find that the three trees we had in our backyard (of our apt.) were cut to about seven feet in height, thus leaving them looking like some awkward totem pole misplace in a predominately white suburb. So much for natural shade; now we must pay more for our cooling bill.

Since working from home, I have been privy to the types of "goings on" around here. Since this is a bedroom community, no one else is around all day. And so I present the following picture (above). Yes, our tax dollars hard at work. Apparently this is how we roll in K-wood. Go tree cutters!

Happy (Safe) Halloween

Happy Halloween! That is Theron's skeleton photo, I believe it is called x-ray mode on my new phone/camera.
This year, since we had no trick-or-treaters, yet again, we decided to be the traveling candy giver-outers. Yep. We walked around downtown K-wood and handed out candy to all the cute little kids dressed in costumes. Of course, parents were skeptical at first, but when we explained that no one came to our "house" so we went out, they all loved the idea. We only traveled about two blocks from our apartment. Apparently, most kids in K-wood go to the big, old Victorian houses, maybe thinking the size of the house represents the kind and brand of candy given out...? Ha, we asked some "kids" (probably 15-16 years old) what they had gotten and they were not too happy with their Jolly Ranchers and suckers. We gave out whole Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and other brand-name candy, such as Snickers and 3 Musketeers. Needless to say, after about 20 minutes, our candy was gone.
However, we did do our good deed of the day. We came upon a little girl (turned out to have just turned 8 yrs. old) who was crying and running down the sidewalk. We asked what was wrong and she cried that she lost her parents and cousins and didn't know where to go. At first, I thought, well they are probably looking for you too. So we decided to walk around and look for her family. Luckily they had two baby strollers with them, so it was relatively easy to ask other adults if they had seen her family. One family pointed us one way and we went that way and found her relatives. However, much to my surprise/dismay, they didn't CARE that she was lost! They didn't even know it! In fact, when I said, "is this your little girl?" They reprimanded her and said, "where you been?!?" I explained that her older cousins (11 and 9 yrs old!) ran off and left her at someone's house. One of the sisters thanked me. Unfortunately, the little girl started crying again and they told her to "stay with them this time." Apparently not realizing that she was LEFT and didn't merely wander off. This was about 8:00 at night, in the dark, in downtown K-wood, i.e. cars on dark streets. I couldn't believe it. And, she didn't even know her own phone number. She did know her address, but was on the other side of town and noted that her sisters drove to this side of town to trick-or-treat, and she didn't even know where they had parked.

Up until this point, I felt that the sex offender laws for Halloween (i.e., can't have porch light on, cannot trick-or-treat with their own kids, etc.) were ridiculous and served the purpose of making parents' jobs easier (not having to watch their own kids). But, this little girl was clearly the victim of poor parenting. And for that reason, I suppose the sex offender laws so save children. Very odd Halloween!

Rogue Tomato Plant Update

Apparently the plant produces Roma tomoatoes...Crazy!

come a long way...

Wow! I just had a chance to review what I have written since I started this blog. Clearly I have embarked on a new chapter in life, with new hopes and dreams. It is funny how when we are in the thick of things, we may not like it, but we don't want to leave it for the unknown. Luckily for me, this change was in the right direction. However, it is only after struggling for two years, that I am able to tell where it is that I want to go. It is nice not to have a dictator running my life and career, although that person will surely be missed and is thanked for all the life lessons taught while under his tutelage. All is (now) good.

"momma, momma, many years have gone, since I first left home."
--Greatful Dead, "Brokedown Palace"