My Latest Lament

I actually had enough free time to go to a Halloween party tonight. I was excited. I had a potential 'costume' idea. Of course, then, this is the weekend I manage to get sick. I could probably soldier through it and go to the party, but I would probably just be miserable and infectious.

These things just have to happen to me....

Bucky & The Band

Yes, it's homecoming week! While hanging out at Carson's, waiting for my Writing Center Outreach event to begin, the marching band and Bucky stormed the establishment. It was loud, it was raucous. Bucky leapt up on the table I was sitting at and started dancing. Yes, that's right, Bucky was table dancing in front of/above me.

The problem is this: a former student of mine is one of the many Bucky Badgers on campus (well, I think he is. Last I heard he had sailed through early stages of tryouts). So, when Bucky is trying to engage me in his antics, what do I do? If this is my former student, I might not want to act like a complete fool. At the same time, I don't want to diss Bucky.

I really never thought this would be an issue in my life.

Dissertation Blogging, Or How Much Do You Tell

Last week, a member of dissertation club brought up the following question/issue: How much do we or should we say about our work to those not in dissertation club? Basically, does what happens/is said in dissertation club stay in dissertation club?

Some people hadn't thought about this. A couple of us who have had our ideas appropriated under somewhat shady circumstances prefer to keep the details of our work a little more private. The question becomes, how much information is too much information? And at what point do we leave ourselves vulnerable in the sense that someone could appropriate our ideas and approaches and use them/publish them before we do. And how much of our early, partially formed ideas do we want exposed?

This issue has been festering in my mind ever since our meeting. Part of me wants to blog about my dissertation - it does consume my life right now. At the same time, I wouldn't want to offer up my data to someone before I have a chance to work with it. This is a particular concern of mine because I am working with materials (and a type of material) that haven't been addressed by anyone in my field of study. (And yes, I am one of the group members who has had ideas pilfered.)

I realize that a number of people blog about their dissertations and other research. Some are actually pretty open about their research. I'm just not sure how I feel about it yet. I worry that I sound paranoid. Maybe I am being paranoid. I don't know.

Adding Spice To My Life

A couple of weeks ago, I realized I was in a cooking rut so I created a semi-lame cooking game. Basically, it involves spinning the turntable that holds my spices, pointing my finger, and using whatever spice stops by said finger. If I land on salt or pepper, I must spin again. The first round went to cumin. So now, I'm in a cumin rut. Honestly, I forgot how much I like it. Today I used it to make a spice rub that also included red pepper flakes, garlic powder and other 'hot' things. I whipped out one of my favorite cooking toys, my grill pan, and grilled chicken breast halves cut in half (they grill faster + that is what I am currently considering a portion), and tomato slices, which were then served over brown rice and other veggies. I also roasted a butternut squash, my all-time favorite vegetable.

I tend to cook for the week on Sundays. This doesn't mean that I eat the same thing every week. I tend to make things that I can mix and match throughout the week, and I frequently add a salad to bump up the vegetable count. And it isn't that I don't like to cook - I actually enjoy it. No, that isn't quite right - I love to cook. The problem is that I don't have time to cook every night, and sometimes I need to pack lunch and/or dinner b/c I spend way too much time on campus. I suspect this isn't an uncommon problem.

But now I'm in a cumin rut, so I guess I need to spin the turntable again next weekend.

I think this is probably the most boring post ever....