Harmonia's Necklace

The Less-Than-Great Part Of Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T19:22:00.003-05:00

This year we had some mild holiday drama. It isn't even close to the level of drama some people endure at family gatherings, but for us it was drama.

Wednesday morning, just as as I was getting ready to make pies, my sister stopped by my parents' house with the partially-prepared dish she was planning to make (along with ingredients and instructions). Guess what! She decided to tell us on that day that she and her husband wouldn't be coming to the family gathering. Really folks, she waited until the day before to tell us. So not cool.

I should probably note that even though we see each other a lot, these family holiday gatherings are still important. Or rather, they are important to everyone aside from the aforementioned sibling. Neither of them had their kids this year and everyone knew that. It was understandable that the kids wouldn't be there. Also, it would have been a completely different thing if they were going to see his family over the holiday. But they didn't. Oh no. They chose to go to a resort and casino and waited until the day before Thanksgiving to tell us.

Now, it's true that I'm irked, but it isn't because they didn't come. Instead, I'm irked because they gave such late notice and because it really hurt our parents. They'll never say so to her, but it did. My mom was already under the weather and this didn't help matters one bit. They were both really disappointed since family gatherings like this have always been important to both sides of the family.

The one consolation (aside from more leftovers for the rest of us) is that when extended family members asked where they were and my parents told them, you could tell tell by the looks in their eyes that they thought it was odd, too. Not much was said, but certain expressions along with the comments like "oh...okay" actually say quite a bit. When Thanksgiving is a chance to see extended family that you haven't seen in a year or more and you skip out to go to a casino, people notice.

Anyway, that's our mild version of holiday drama. Compared to other people's drama, it seems pretty lame, but this is drama for us. Of course, we'll all repress it to the best of our abilities. That's what we do. :D

Sophie's reaction to all of this:

Clearly, I Fell Off The Posting Wagon

2009-11-29T19:07:00.004-05:00

It was a busy family-and-food long weekend, so I'll just post a few pictures of the Nom-a-licious foods I've been eating since Thursday. The first photo is the schedule I wrote up for Thursday morning.

This is the turkey breast roulade I prepared. It was soooooooo unbelievably good! I definitely will be making this again.

A close up of the caramelized butternut squash. It's really more appealing than it looks.

My dad's mashed potatoes staying warm in the crock pot.

My pumpkin bread is on the left and the banana bread my aunt made is on the right.

Why, hello there pecan pie! It turned out a little loose - I probably should have baked it for another 5 minutes - but it was very good.

A pumpkin custard pie. The little custard layer wasn't as prominent in this pie as it was in others.

All of the pies (plus the brownies).

There was other food, but that's probably more than enough pictures for everyone. I hope everyone had a good holiday weekend!

Today's Prep

2009-11-24T14:05:00.004-05:00

Clearly, I haven't been great about posting every day. Anyway, today's tasks include:

Baking approximately 8 loaves of pumpkin bread, some with nuts and some without.
Baking cornbread for the stuffing.
Baking brownies for the third time in 4 days. I've barely had any. Apparently, my parents have been starved for good dark chocolate-y homemade goodness.
Mentally preparing for tomorrow's pie baking extravaganza.
Working out the times/schedule for Thursday's culinary wonders.
Pet the cats.
Clean, clean, clean, since my mother's back is worse.* I was hoping for a help with this, but it looks like it will be mostly me with some help from my dad. Maybe I can bribe my brother to do some of it since he's coming tonight.

*No, she won't go to the doctor. She's stubborn and hard-headed that way. She seems to think she needs to live through the pain. If I hurt for more than a couple of days, I'd be at the doctor's office immediately.

And So It Begins

2009-11-22T17:02:00.003-05:00

Or rather, it has already begun. As I mentioned the other day, I do most of the prep and cooking for Thanksgiving (and many other holiday meals). Nevertheless, my mom always gets stressed out about the whole affair. Not that she would admit it, but she does. Every. Single. Time. she ends up with a bad back during the week preceding an event. It's totally psychosomatic. The thing is, all she has to do is set the table. I do all of the cooking and baking - well, except for the mashed potatoes and that's because my dad likes to make those. She doesn't like to cook, so it isn't like I'm taking over the kitchen from her. As a kid I started doing a lot of the everyday cooking by the time I was in high school. By the time my grandma wasn't able to host these holiday meals anymore, I was able to do most of the work.

Basically, there is nothing for her to stress out over, especially not at a meal with the family. Maybe it's because her mother was an excellent hostess. Grandma could pull of the holiday meals with her huge family and not break a sweat. She was the oldest of 8 and always had at least some of them over, plus their kids, grandkids, etc. What we do is much much smaller.

But really, all she has to do is set the table but she already has back pain and limited mobility. I should be accustomed to this by now - I guess I am - but it really makes me tired.

Scratches And Cheers

2009-11-21T14:33:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I took the kittehs to the vet for their annual appointment. This was probably as painful for me as it was for them. Sophie, in particular, despises the cat carrier.

Further evidence of her attitude can be seen on my arm.

This is Dodger, the vet's dog. Yes, his name does come from Dickens

Plum actually seems to like her carrier. I suspect she likes the fact that she can hide in it. It's so dark that it is almost like camouflage for her.

Later that night, I went to my niece's birthday party. She just got her cheerleading uniform that day, so she was pretty excited.

That's all I have for today (and yesterday). I have a lot of work to do this weekend and I need to get back to it.

Books For Maude

2009-11-19T14:27:00.000-05:00

Maude recently asked" "Those of you who are comp teachers, do you have any book suggestions that might help me work through some of my struggles? I mean, is there a book out there like, So, You’re a Comp Teacher Now type thing? (the SB has a So Now You’re a Vegetarian book). Just please don’t suggest any Peter Elbow." Also, she's going to be a WPA starting next fall. So, I'm listing some books that she might find useful. Please feel free to add more titles in the comments.

At the risk of sounding like a corporate shill, I'll first suggest going to Bedford/St. Martin's Teaching Central Professional Resources site. They will send you free sourcebooks. Here's a list of some of the ones I like:

Assessing Writing edited by Bryan Huot and Peggy O'Neill
Feminism and Composition edited by Gesa E. Kirsch, Faye Spencer Maor, Lance Massey, Lee Nickoson-Massey, Mary P. Sheridan-Rabideau.
Teaching Developmental Writing edited by Susan Naomi Bernstein
Teaching Composition edited by T. R. Johnson
Assigning, Responding, Evaluating by Edward M. White

They also have some sourcebooks that tackle teaching literature and teaching developmental reading as well as more books that are about writing studies.

Other texts that might be of interest:

The Subject is Writing edited by Wendy Bishop. This book focuses on classroom practices.
Cross-Talk In Comp Theory: A Reader edited by Victor Villanueva. This is a nice overview of the field. Obviously, it doesn't cover everything, but it's a good starting point. Personally, I'd get it through the library and/or get the table of contents and find the original articles in your library databases. It's a nice resource to have on your shelf if you want to buy it, but there are more economical ways to get your hands on the contents.
The Writing Teacher's Sourcebook edited by Edward J. Corbett. Same advice as for the previous book. This one does focus more on teaching.
Engaging Ideas by John C. Bean. I tend to suggest this book for people outside of English studies, but it does have a lot of good practical advice in it.

I'm not as familiar with texts about WPA work. I do suggest checking out the Council of Writing Program Administrators and joining the WPA-L Listserv. If you're interested in the politics of writing programs, the book Textual Carnivals: The Politics of Composition by Susan Miller is good.

Of course, I need to mention Rebeccah Moore Howard's online bibliographies. Her list for Writing Program Administration is here.

I know I've left things out and I'll probably remember the "perfect" text as soon as I post this, but this is a good start. Everyone should feel free to add more suggestions in the comments.

I Almost Forgot! (WARNING - Excessive Cat Photos)

2009-11-18T16:59:00.007-05:00

Two days ago, on the 16th, was the anniversary of the day when I brought the Plum and Sophie cats home with me. Looking at old pictures, I can tell the Plum has definitely grown and even Sophie looks a little fuller in the face.

Obviously, Plum is still fairly petite. She weighs less than 7 pounds. She was a little crazy from the start. She'd run around like a crazy cat and try to run up the side of the walls, windows, and the limestone facing around the fireplace.

Sophie isn't much bigger than Plum - she's just under 8 pounds. When I first brought her home, she tried to hide behind the furnace, under tables, under the couch, etc.

She looks more confident now, doesn't she!

Now the kittehs spend their days reading zines by librarians. Such a rough life!

Like I said in the post's title, I went a little crazy with the photos.

Plans For Christmas

2009-11-17T22:04:00.004-05:00

I'm being semi-bad tonight. I've been putting together my cat-hating sister's Christmas present. It is a photobook of pictures I've taken of her kids with my cats (plus a several photos without cats and several photos of just cats). It is titled "The Kittehs And Their Friends" and it is partially narrated by Plum and Sophie. I'm probably enjoying this a bit too much.

It's actually a present for her whole family. I have a lot of photos of the kids on their own, with the cats, and with human family members. I've been meaning to get prints made up for them so this seemed like a fun option. One of the kids has a birthday this weekend, so I'm hoping to get a few more photos, but most of it is set up and ready to go. It didn't take me long to put together, so I might make another one (with some alterations and no narration by cats) for my parents. I should have a good chance to get some newer photos of other relatives on Thanksgiving.

The only part that really bothers me is that I'm reminded once again that there are two members of my immediate family who aren't a part of many of my photos. They're always hiding from the camera. Sometimes I can sneak a shot and it will turn out, but it's really frustrating. One is my mom, and I really do want more photos of her. She freezes up in front of the camera and most of the time, if she doesn't have a forced smile, she's frowning. Sometimes I can catch a good photo of her, but she makes it difficult for me. I guess I need to learn to be sneakier.

Random Stuff And More Thanksgiving Prep

2009-11-16T19:51:00.004-05:00

First of all, I cannot believe last night's Colts-Patriots game. OMG!!!!

In other news, I've already expanded my Thanksgiving menu. On top of all of that, I'm also making a roast beef tenderloin with rosemary and fennel that I've made in the past. So, that will be a turkey roulade made from the butterflied breasts of a very large turkey and this tenderloin. I'm also roasting the turkey's wings, legs, and neck so that I'll have good drippings for gravy. Obviously, people can eat the legs and wings if they like, but I'm planning to roast these a little early so that I can make the gravy earlier than normal. I always feel rushed when it comes to the gravy. I suspect this is because once my family realizes that the turkey is out of the oven, there's pretty much a countdown until it's time to eat. The idea of waiting for the meat to rest and waiting while the gravy is made doesn't go over very well with this hungry horde. The meat will get to rest, but the gravy will be ready to go this year. That this excites me is probably a sign that I get too into the meal prep on holidays.

Candied/Caramelized Squash

2009-11-15T15:13:00.003-05:00

Here's the recipe for the squash dish I mentioned in the previous post. Basically, instead of candied sweet potatoes we make a similar recipe with squash. No marshmallows are involved! It is super-yummy.

Ingredients:

2 medium/large butternut squash* cooked tender and chunked**
2-3 dashes of salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 pint cream
3-5 Tablespoons of butter

Instructions:

Place the chunks of squash in an 8x11 or 9X13 casserole pan. Sprinkle salt on top. Sprinkle the brown sugar on top. Scatter a pieces of the butter across the top. Pour the whipping cream into the pan. Bake at 375 F for about 1 hour.

It should come out caramelized and the cream and brown sugar will be the consistency of a syrup. If it is hasn't evaporated and thickened, you can cook it longer.

*Or 3 small or whatever combination in takes to fill the casserole pan.

**We normally just roast them in the oven the day before. I just split them in half, place them cut-side down on a buttered pan, and roast until cooked. The skin will be easier to remove after the squash has roasted and then cooled. I like the squash a little more firm, but other in the family roast it longer so that it is softer. Either way is fine.

A Caterday Appearance By Chewbacca

2009-11-14T19:09:00.003-05:00

But first, the kittehs enjoying the enclosed porch:

And now for a little Chewie:

Menu Planning - Thanksgiving Edition

2009-11-13T18:29:00.007-05:00

I've been thinking about my Thanksgiving menu. I could roast a turkey -

I've done it plenty of times in the past - but instead I'm going to do turkey roulade this year. I made one last year but didn't have a chance to get a picture of it. It will contain lots of sage, prosciutto, peppered bacon, and shallots. I still have plenty of fresh sage leaves on my plant.

Anyway, I like doing the roulade because that means nobody is stuck in the kitchen after the meal dealing with the carcass. Clean-up is much easier. There will be cornbread stuffing for the purists, as well as mashed potatoes and gravy. I will make fresh cranberry sauce. Again, here I need to go basic for the purists. Caramelized butternut squash is definitely on the menu. I will need to figure out something green because my mother thinks that the meal must contain a green vegetable.

I will be making pumpkin bread, as usual.

For dessert, there will be pie. I'm not sure yet if I'll make pecan pie.

The same is true for the pumpkin ice cream pie with gingersnap crust. I'm considering it, though,because a few people who aren't fond of pies in general do like it.

The traditional pumpkin-almond custard pie is a must. Multiple pies will be baked.

I'm sure I'll think of some more things, but this is what I have in mind so far.

Lists

2009-11-12T20:54:00.002-05:00

So yes, I will be making a list for the kittehs as I make one for myself. This actually reminded me that I need to clean up my amazon wish lists. I often use them as a holding space to list things I find interesting - sometimes things for me, sometimes things I might want to get for someone else. Well, that was working out rather well until last year. Apparently, my brother found my general wish list there* (I have several for books based on genre and academic focus). Fortunately, he chose something off the list that I had found interesting for me. However, I need to inspect the current state of the lists in case he takes the initiative to look there again this year. This should be interesting.

*I've never mentioned the lists to anyone in my family since I don't use them as lists of things I want people to buy for me. I suppose I didn't need to keep them public, but there's nothing on the lists that I find embarrassing and I never thought anyone would look for lists associated with me.

Semi-Wasted Day

2009-11-11T18:55:00.003-05:00

Bleh. I woke up with a headache today. I still have it. It isn't completely debilitating, but it's been enough of an annoyance that I haven't been as productive as necessary. Tomorrow better be headache-free.

Someday, When I Finish This Dissertation, I'll...

2009-11-10T22:16:00.002-05:00

Read an actual long and involved novel - maybe even a series! - instead of short stories.
Get a life.
Stop getting headaches.
Stop having weary eyes (seriously, I've had tired dry eyes for the past three weeks).
Feel like I can relax.
Maybe end my dependency on Diet Coke.
Do something fun and not feel guilty
Build a bonfire and burn a copy of the dissertation.

This Is What It's Come To

2009-11-09T19:32:00.002-05:00

While talking to my dad on the phone

Dad: So, we're having [insert number] over for Thanksgiving. Prepare accordingly.

Me: Oh. Okay.

We reached the point where it is just assumed that I am in charge of all food-related aspects of Thanksgiving. Not that this is anything new, but in the past there have been at least been the pretense that I will receive assistance.

Dare I Make A Christmas Wishlist For The Kittehs?

2009-11-08T21:38:00.003-05:00

I'm seriously tempted to do it just to annoy one of my siblings. I can just see her frothing right now. Hee!

Everybody in my family makes a list - it's tradition - and I was considering putting a fountain for the kittehs on my list, because that's the type of thing I/they could use and that my parents might get for me. But suddenly, the idea of making a list for them really amuses me. And yes, it amuses me mostly because I know how much that one sibling would be annoyed by it. Especially if I compose it in LOLSpeak.

But honestly, could you possibly deny these two some goodies?

Oops, Forgot Friday's Post - This Is A Combo

2009-11-07T17:05:00.003-05:00

I intended to post this last night (I had posted it elsewhere:

Game Time! Below is a quotation. Name the book title, author, and date of publication (if possible). No cheating!!!

“It was after the catastrophe when they shot the president and machine-gunned the Congress and the army declared a state of emergency. They blamed it on the Islamic fanatics, at the time. Keep calm, they said on television. Everything is under control. I was stunned. Everyone was, I know that. It was hard to believe. The entire government, gone like that. How did they get in, how did it happen? That was when they suspended the Constitution. They said it would be temporary. There wasn’t even rioting in the streets. People stayed home at night, watching television, looking for some direction. There wasn’t even an enemy you could put your finger on.”

For today, since it is Caturday, there are kittehs!

A Sign I'm Getting Old

2009-11-05T20:41:00.002-05:00

My facebook status the other day was a line from "Everyday Is Like Sunday." Specifically, it was the line "come, come, nuclear bomb." Apparently, this horrified a teenage relative who has befriended me. Having no idea that it was a line from a song - despite the fact that a friend had followed up the title - she thought I was seriously suggesting that we get bombed.

Sigh.

Mixed Feelings

2009-11-04T22:37:00.004-05:00

My niece is trying out for the cheerleading squad this week. As you might imagine, I have all sorts of feminist analyses of the situation rumbling through my head. I'm sure I don't need to go into all of them. I want her to be happy and making the squad will make her happy. I know plenty of people who were cheerleaders who are great people. I probably wouldn't even worry about it if it weren't for a conversation I had with her last winter.

We were at one of my nephews' basketball games. The team played in a church league - this was generally ok, but there were a few things I found "interesting" about the league. Perhaps a post for another day. Anyway, the league has cheerleaders.

At this point I should probably mention that the kids were playing in a school gymnasium and there were two games in-play at the same time. While my nephew was playing in his game, there was a game between two teams in the girls' league for the same age-level. So, I'm sitting there watching his game and occasionally glancing over at the other, and I start to wonder why the 8 yr old boy's basketball team had cheerleaders but the 8 yr old girl's team did not. Same league, cheerleaders don't belong to a specific team. In the game my nephew played, they cheered for both teams, switching every quarter. So I wondered, why can't they cheer for the girls playing on the next court every other quarter?

I wasn't sure if this was always the case, though, so I asked my niece if the cheer squad ever cheers for the girls. She replied, stating that girls are suppose to cheer for boys not girls. WAIT JUST ONE MINUTE!!! I hope that I dealt with it well at the time. I asked her why that was so, and she looked bewildered. She really didn't have an answer. She might have rethought that idea. It wasn't a good time for a feminist chat from Aunt K8 since we were suppose to be watching and cheering on her brother.

So, this is the type of thing that concerns me - that she might still think that it is all about cheering on the boys. Cheering on the boys is great, but I'm hoping that the squad cheers on the girls as well. I know that it isn't practical to have middle school cheerleaders cheering at every single athletic event at the school, but the practice of only cheering on the boys really disturbs me. It diminishes women's and girls' athletics by implying that they aren't worthy of the school-sanctioned support of the cheer squad. It also perpetuates this damaging idea my niece had (and I hope doesn't still have) that girls don't cheer for and support other girls.

So yes, I have mixed feelings. Rah rah, go team!

Any Ideas?**

2009-11-03T19:54:00.005-05:00

So, here's the situation: I have a lot of semolina flour that needs to be used.

I've been making pizzas and have considered pasta, but I still have about 2 pounds of the stuff left. Does anyone out there have a recipe they like includes it? I think I have some bread recipes that call for it, but I'm really willing to try all sorts of things.

**Earlier today I actually had an idea for a substantial post, but I've since forgotten what it was. I must be getting old.

Guilty Pleasures And Other Oddities

2009-11-02T20:57:00.004-05:00

Today I:

Danced around the kitchen while listening to (and singing along to) "I Enjoy Being A Girl"
Followed up listening to Mozart with listening to Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus"
Couldn't figure out what was wrong with my laptop until I realized that Plum had her head on the Control key
Ate some Halloween candy

Oh good grief, I don't feel guilty. I probably should, but I don't.

In other news, I made a pizza:

Usually, I make thin crust pizza, but I had a lot of tomato slices so I figured the crust needed a little more heft. The last of my Amish Paste tomatoes are on there. I saved a few before the freeze and the last of them finally ripened. And they were good!

NaBloPoMo - #1

2009-11-01T23:01:00.002-05:00

Since I've been bad about blogging, I've decided to blog each day this month. They might be short posts, and they might involve photos, but they will be posts. To start off, I give you Touchdown Sophie to honor today's Colts' win.

More Gratuitous Pictures Of The Kittehs

2009-09-17T11:48:00.000-04:00

Sophie knows what's going on and is keeping her eyes on me.

Plum is still crazy.

But they both still love each other.

This is the reason why I rarely eat at the kitchen table. It's also the reason I don't use a tablecloth anymore. It's much easier to just wipe down the table on a regular basis.

Both kittehs still enjoy playing with packing paper.

While spending some time at my parents' house, Sophie took advantage of the heat generated by the satellite receiver on top of the tv in the basement.

One last picture!

Found A Quotation I Like

2009-09-09T17:12:00.002-04:00

This just cracked me up. I hope the Shakespeare folks out there appreciate it, too.

"It has on occasion been a source of puzzlement to me that there are a number of otherwise sensible people, many of them old enough to know better, who maintain, perhaps from some kind of strange cultural snobbery, that William Shakespeare could not have written the plays that bear his name, and that these plays must, obviously, have been written by a member of the British aristocracy, written by some lord or earl forced to hide his literary light under a bushel. And, this is chiefly a source of puzzlement to me because the British aristocracy, while it has produced more than its share of hunters, eccentrics, farmers, warriors, diplomats, con men, heroes, robbers, politicians, and monsters, has never been noted in any century or era for the production of great writers."

from Neil Gaiman's Introduction to Lord Dunsany's The King of Elfland's Daughter. He goes on to note that Lord Dunsany was "one of the rare exceptions."

Attack Of The Mutant Vegetables

2009-09-04T14:52:00.003-04:00

I'm helping out my parents for a few days this week. A couple of days ago, I went out to their garden to see what needed to be done. Well, a lot needed to be done (and still needs to be done), but one thing in particular stuck out. Or should I say, stuck up through the ground. Even with the top of it showing above the ground, I had no idea how big this beet really was.

It is an enormous beet. I couldn't pull it all the way out. It broke at the bottom. There probably should have been someone there to film me pulling it out of the ground with both hands. I'm sure it looked pretty funny. Anyway, after it broke off I shoveled around it and found that I had left 4 inches in the ground. Unbelievable! People - don't let your beets get this big. It's just bad gardening.

That's a size 9 shoe next to it. Yeah.

Going To CCCC Despite My Lamest Presentation Title EVER

2009-09-04T11:55:00.003-04:00

Here's the proposal (and yes, I quoted The Music Man in the title - I am a dork):

“Ya Gotta Know The Territory”: Progressive Era Librarians Creating Community-Specific Literacy Programming in Rural and Urban America

In this presentation, I examine the ways Progressive Era librarians developed and employed a mixture of approaches in their literacy outreach work to a diverse and growing immigrant population. This project explores the ways a predominantly female workforce of public librarians adapted, revised, and rethought their work both inside and outside of the library, expanding their presence in their communities and in public life. Librarians working in these communities regularly contributed articles to various librarian practitioner journals and presented papers at local, state, and national conferences, some of which were reprinted either in part or in their entirety within these journals. In addition, some of their work was reprinted from booklets and pamphlets put out by organizations and roundtables within the American Library Association, most notably the ALA Roundtable for Library Work with the Foreign Born. These rich sources of literacy outreach narratives provide the foundation of this project.

Drawing principally on feminist rhetorical theories and analysis of historical recovery as presented in the works of Cheryl Glenn, Nan Johnson, Shirley Wilson Logan, Anne Ruggles Gere, etc., I weave together the relationships between literacy ideology, institutions, gender, and professionalization as they influenced this textual production during the Progressive Era. Specifically, I delve into the ways in which this gendered history can be recovered and continue with issues of gender and authority within the profession. My historical methods are informed by Cheryl Glenn’s notion of remapping rhetorical history to include those rhetors who have been lost to male-dominated histories of rhetoric and writing. Nan Johnson’s expansion of this concept, describing a project that not only ‘remaps’ women into the rhetorical tradition, but that also considers the ways in which gendered ideologies permeate these women’s (and men’s) rhetorical lives, illuminates the ways in which institution (the American Library Association), the profession of librarianship, and community factor into these librarians’ presence within their respective communities.

In this presentation, I focus on two locations of literacy outreach work: urban neighborhoods and rural communities. In the former, I explore the role of the branch library within the city as an institution separating lower-class immigrant library patrons from the middle- and upper-class patrons for whom the central libraries were built. Librarians at the neighborhood branches write about work in their neighborhoods, in the settlement houses, in the factories, and in the schools. However, librarians working in rural areas faced different challenges, particularly those engaged in bookwagon or bookmobile library service. These librarians worked with an immigrant and non-immigrant population that was largely isolated and their patrons included farmers and men working in mines. In narratives from both of the urban and rural communities, class and gender norms emerge as these advocates for literacy and citizenship seek to serve their immigrant patrons, as well as their own ambitions. Americanization work by librarians and the ALA provided opportunities for publicizing what they saw as the critical function of the American public library within a democracy. The articles written by librarians and library leaders in professional journals sought both to demonstrate the importance of the library as a civic entity and to demonstrate the ease with which librarians across the country could engage in Americanization work in their communities.

The Reason Portions Of My Dissertation Won't Contain The Letters "q," "w," "a," "s," "z," x," and "c"

2009-07-24T21:39:00.002-04:00

Bleh

2009-07-22T15:48:00.003-04:00

I've been really tired all day. I didn't sleep well last night and I haven't taken a nap. At this point in time, I don't want to, either. Regardless, my brain just isn't functioning anymore. So, this picture (taken by my niece last week) of Chewie pretty much sums up how I feel about this tired rainy gloomy excuse of a day.

Does A Happy Dance

2009-07-20T21:02:00.003-04:00

That would be one Cherokee Purple tomato on the left and one Old German tomato on the right. And yes, they are very good!!!

A Short Tale From Yesterday

2009-07-18T12:42:00.008-04:00

I spent yesterday afternoon with my niece and nephew, and later had dinner with the family. It was a gorgeous day - somewhat overcast, nice breeze, about 70 F. We were at my parents, who live about 1/4 mile from a soft serve ice cream place.
So, I suggested that we put Chewie on a leash, walk to Dairy Freeze, and have a treat. My mother thought we were being a little "adventurous" since there isn't a sidewalk (oh, the horror and danger of walking where there are no sidewalks!!!), but we went anyway and she even came along.

As you can see, a large part of the walk can be taken on a cart path at the golf course along the way. This isn't exactly dangerous. Anyway, we had our ice cream and the guy working there even gave Chewie a little treat - a small cup of ice cream with a dog biscuit on top. He enjoyed his treat.

Behind the Dairy Freeze is a small cemetery. I decided that I'd like to take a picture of a statue in it, so my niece came along with me while my mom, my nephew, and Chewie waited outside the gate. Nephew gets a little freaked out by cemeteries and my mother thought it would be improper to take Chewie. It isn't like I was planning to go off the pathways and let him "mark" someone's grave, but she didn't think it would be "right" so he stayed outside the grounds with them. (fwiw, this cemetery is so small that we could easily see that there was no one there to be offended - except, perhaps, for the dead folks).

Anyway, while we were there, we also took a quick look at a small mausoleum.
My niece liked it and decided that she wanted one. I told her to tell her mother and thought that was the end of the conversation. It wasn't, but we'll get to that in a bit.

As I mentioned, there is a golf course along the way. Next to the cemetery is a shed that belongs to the golf course. As we passed it, my nephew (age 9) asked, "Is that where they take out the heart and lungs and brain before they bury people?" We all looked at him with surprise. Apparently, he's getting his information from movies with aliens in them. He wasn't very clear, but he got this idea from either Independence Day or Men in Black. Note to self: kids this age probably won't understand everything that's going on in pg-13 films, especially in terms of what's real and what's not when it comes to the difference between the way dead alien bodies and dead human bodies are treated. We tried to set him straight, but I'm not sure how much of the truth actually sunk in.

Cemetery and dead body talk ended, we arrived back at the house and the kids played for most of the afternoon.
I shucked corn, my mom picked sugar snap peas from the garden, and the kids played with bubble stuff. A fairly calm afternoon.

Dinner was excellent. However, while we were eating, my niece said, "Mom, I have something to tell you." I suddenly thought, "Uh oh!" She told her mother that when she dies, she wants a mausoleum. Also, could her mom please pay for it since niece doesn't have the money for that sort of thing (she's 12).

I'm pretty sure my sister blames me for this. There was definitely a glare directed at me. I could barely keep myself from laughing. I couldn't bring myself to tell her about the conversation we had with her son about removing organs from dead bodies. Perhaps I should have, though. Just another normal dinner conversation with the family.

Progress - Fourth of July Food Edition

2009-07-02T11:52:00.003-04:00

So far today I have:

Completed the grocery shopping. At 9:30 am the supermarket was already packed.
Went to the butcher shop. Meats have been purchased, as well as several pickled eggs for my father.
Soaked dry beans overnight.
Boiled the soaked beans this morning.
Cooking beans with other ingredients in the crock pot for the next 9 hours.
Fried bacon bits for the broccoli-bacon salad.

What I still need to do today:

Make salsa.
Cut pork into kabob-size pieces.
Make marinade for pork (later tonight) and combine with pork.
Clean!!!!!
Furminate the cats.
Figure out what I'm going to put all of this food in/on

Tomorrow I need to:

Cut peppers and onions for the skewers.
Wash cherry tomatoes for the skewers
Prepare the skewers.
Squeeze 2 cups of lemon juice out of lemons for homemade lemonade.
Prepare broccoli-bacon salad
Get ice for the coolers
Place beer and soda in freshly iced coolers.
Table-top prep.

And probably a bunch of other stuff that I'll remember at the last minute.

How Do I Get Myself Into These Things???

2009-06-29T12:01:00.003-04:00

I'm hosting 4th of July-related festivities this Friday (that's when the fireworks at the lake will occur). We are also celebrating my dad's birthday that evening. Naturally, I'm in charge of a lot of food prep. I don't mind that so much, but I wish I had someone to clean for me. That part is a bit less enjoyable. While eating lunch just a moment ago, I plotted out my schedule for all of this work.

I'll be making/preparing the following items:

This salsa. My dad requested chips and salsa. I was going to buy salsa, but the nasty (and premature) heat last week caused my cilantro to bolt, so I need to use it anyway.
This broccoli-bacon salad.
Pork kabobs marinated in a sauce that includes curry, chili sauce, honey, and other goodies. This means I will be chopping up pork, onions, and peppers. Thankfully the cherry tomatoes require less work.
Hamburgers for the 2 or 3 people who are unwilling to try the aforementioned kabobs because they are unadventurous picky eaters. Two of these are kids under 9, so I forgive them. The adult has no excuse. I am picky, but I'll at least try things.
Baked beans. Fairly easy, but I need to keep track of the schedule since I start with dry beans and slow cook them in the crock pot.
Beverages for all ages.

All in all, it isn't too bad - my mom's making a Texas Sheet Cake for dessert and I'm making sure there's ice cream available. She's preparing some fruit, too. But of course, I have a lot of cleaning to do, as well as prep work and set up. I'm getting ready to make a grocery run today for all things that I can get ahead of schedule. I feel so domestic.

I'm Confused

2009-06-22T18:50:00.003-04:00

After spending a day in the sun with no sunscreen on, a person I know got sunburned. I thought this person looked fairly red, actually, especially on the face. Anyway...this person did not treat the burn in any way - said it didn't hurt. This person then chose to spend the next day (from about 1pm to 4pm or later) outside in the blazing hot sun with NO sunscreen on.

Why, why, why would anyone do this? Am I the only one who thinks this is incredibly stupid? When I expressed a little concern, my concern was scoffed at. It seems like this is just asking for major skin damage.

I just don't understand. Maybe I'm over-protective when it comes to these things, but this just seems crazy to me.

Just Got Back

2009-06-21T19:39:00.000-04:00

from Father's Day festivities. It was fairly low key, really. My dad got a new grill, so we grilled.

As such, I decided that it was ok to go with a cliché of a present and went with grill tools. Normally, I'd try to be a little more inventive, but, well, I wasn't.

I returned to this scene:

That's the packing paper my dad's present came with when it was shipped. The kitties seem to enjoy it. This was the first I had seen Sophie playing in it. Last night (yes, I've left it on my floor that long) Plum was all over it.

I think that maybe I just need to buy a big roll of this stuff.

I'm very excited about my container garden. I already have a few baby tomatoes!!! This is a pair of Amish Paste Tomatoes:

This is my first Old German Tomato. I love the creases in it!

And this is the start of a Cherokee Purple tomato.

I can't wait for them to ripen! I haven't seen any of my brandywines yet, but I think they take longer to mature. The plant does have blooms on it, though.

ok - time to get to work since I haven't done anything academic today.

Fireworks, Powerwashers, And Helipads

2009-06-07T19:07:00.005-04:00

I've seen fireworks for the past couple of nights. I wonder if there will be more tonight. I don't know if they are related to high school graduations/graduation parties this weekend, or if people are just setting them off for fun. There are at least two fireworks outlets/stores within 2 miles of where I live.

We had a smattering of rain earlier. Afterwards, my neighbor power-washed his driveway. He then brushed off the excess water. Then he power-washed the sidewalk/path around the side of his garage. Then he used the leaf blower on the walks and drive. I've never seen someone so obsessive about their landscaping and home exterior. He is constantly using his lawnmower, leaf blower, edger, or powerwasher - or, he's mulching, raking, sweeping, etc. It really is at the level of obsessiveness.

This past winter, I was shocked to encounter this scene outside of my window:

So, obviously my first instinct was to grab my camera and run outside to take pics. Anyway, as it turns out the guy two doors down now has a helicopter and a license to fly it. He has a helipad at his primary residence and is trying to think of a way to have one here. Naturally, my father suggested ways he could do this - primarily, building one, placing it on pontoons, and having it anchored/attached to their dock or yard or something like that. Apparently, this was already under consideration. So, we'll see if there ends up being a helipad in the neighborhood by the end of this summer.

Gratuitous Cat Photos:

mmmmmmm...a Sophiesicle!

2009-06-04T15:08:00.002-04:00

And, I finally got a picture of Sophie doing something strange. Just so y'all know that Plum isn't the only one.

This might just need a caption.

2 + 5 = 7

2009-05-25T21:52:00.001-04:00

About #1

2009-05-18T21:24:00.004-04:00

So, I've been asked in a couple places what my "secret" is for Lesson #1 from my last post. In it, I wrote:

"You know those guys who are arrogant, condescending, hyper-argumentative, and a little bit sexist to boot? Of course you do - academia has its share. This is the same type of male student who challenges female instructors' authority. Anyway, apparently I really am good at dealing with them. Although I have to admit that I feel a bit icky when I see them giving me respect while treating others like #%#$(%(#@. I really wish I didn't have to be good at dealing with these jerks."

The thing is, I'm still trying to figure. That is, I'm still trying to figure out exactly what I'm doing that works. I suspect it's a different combination of factors that have worked with each one.

Here's what I know.

I'm pretty good at being calm and firm, not letting them see that they get to me, not giving them a weakness to prey upon. They're like dogs who sense fear on a person. They really are. The second they sense a weakness, they will take advantage of it. For example, I've had a male student try to invade my personal space and try to literally back me into a corner. Thing is, I didn't back up. I stood my ground and looked him straight in the eye. I'm 5' 5 1/2", which is about average and he was definitely taller, but height doesn't really intimidate me. I guess that comes from being the shortest in my family by 3 inches. My brother is a foot taller than I am. The guy tried it on one other occasion and then gave up. However, my actions in that instance could be construed as aggressive, I suppose.

Anyway, I've had a couple out there students in the past, at least one of whom had some untreated psych issues. I guess my mom's (the former social worker) advice about dealing with abusive personalities stuck with me. A lot of that involves remaining calm (or at least have the appearance of calm), keeping the voice steady and firm. Raising volume or pitch can work against you. [It's probably telling that my mother didn't raise her voice when she corrected us when we were kids. Instead, she spoke more quietly, forcing us to lean in and pay attention.] Keeping aware of posture can help, too.

I know that my language tends to be more formal and more polite (but not obsequious) in these situations. Follow through is important, too. If I say that "x" will be a consequence for "y," I absolutely have to stick with it. Even if inside I want to be nice, it must be done.

The reason this came up in the last post, was because I just went through this in an online situation. Apparently, I'm decent in dealing with these guys online, through writing, too. Somehow, towards the end of a thread (about Shakespeare, no less), I was the only one he was treating with any respect. What happened? I didn't react to his outbursts and hyperbole. I didn't respond to his comments using the abusive tone he inflicted on others. I was calm and almost coldly logical with him and actually was able to get him to address the point of the original post, which he hadn't done in the beginning as he was too busy slamming everyone else's comments.

I did feel icky after this. He actually started addressing serious, on-topic comments to me while dismissing other people's valid points - even when I reiterated and supported those people's points. So yeah, he treated me like a human being, but he was still being a jerk to everyone else. Not a total win, but it made me think about this issue and a few "special" students I've encountered in the past.

As a side note, I'm also pretty good at breaking down their arguments logically, which doesn't hurt. As far as those academic guys like this are concerned, it almost disgusts me how many of them treat me like "one of them" because one of my reading areas was critical theory. Bleh! This happened with a number of my fellow grad students who also happen to be male. These are the same guys who are impressed by the fact that I've read Kant and a few other Dead Germans in German, never mind that I have a degree in the language. Even so, most professional translators have surely done a better job with these texts than I have.

Other than that, I'm not sure what the answer is. Maybe I'm oblivious to some things that are going on. Maybe I just don't care enough to let it bother me. Well, that's not true. It's probably more accurate to say that I have little-to-no problem confronting the jerks because I refuse to play their deranged reindeer games. I can be a little hard-headed about things like that. If nothing else, I am stubborn.

I was just thinking that all of these lessons about being calm, firm, and in control were also part of learning to work with the horses we had when I was growing up. Maybe working with large, powerful animals helped me learn how to physically and vocally present myself in these situations. Hmmmmmm.....something to think about.

Things I Learned This Week

2009-05-16T21:14:00.007-04:00

1) You know those guys who are arrogant, condescending, hyper-argumentative, and a little bit sexist to boot? Of course you do - academia has its share. This is the same type of male student who challenges female instructors' authority. Anyway, apparently I really am good at dealing with them. Although I have to admit that I feel a bit icky when I see them giving me respect while treating others like #%#$(%(#@. I really wish I didn't have to be good at dealing with these jerks.

2) The local butcher carries hamburger patties that include ground bacon and chunks of cheddar cheese. I might have to sample one of these.

3) The pumice stone I use on my feet can also be used to remove RustOleum's Satin Strawflower spray paint from my skin (with the help of a little soap and water, of course).

4) I do not care if there is spray paint on the asphalt.

5) I shouldn't be allowed to go to the nursery for any reason. I went and I bought another tomato plant. I'm up to 4 now. That's 4 tomato plants, 1 me. Each one is a different variety. The new one is an Amish Paste tomato.

6) I have "tagger's finger."

7) The fact that my mom refers to Plum as "the juvenile delinquent" is not without cause.

What I Did For Mother's Day

2009-05-11T12:39:00.002-04:00

I baked, of course!

Individual strawberry shortcakes are one of my favorite desserts to make. As you can see, I'm a fan of the biscuit variety (although the spongecake type is ok, too). What's really nice, is that it's easy to cut the biscuits smaller and make cute desserts for those who want smaller portions. I made fairly large biscuits this time and cut them out with a knife, but I've used all sorts and sizes of biscuit cutters in the past. They're also great if you want to get kids involved with the process, whether it be the baking, preparing the strawberries, or assembling the final product.

And then there's the most important part - they are delicious!!

A Perfect Example of Chewie's Mental "Problems"

2009-05-09T17:24:00.001-04:00

The dog is crazy. Just plain crazy.

And this is his normal behavior.

One Day I'll Learn

2009-05-05T17:05:00.004-04:00

I took the afternoon off (in terms of academic stuff) and planted everything that needed to be planted (that I hadn't yet planted - I did a little the other day). This is a good thing. Here are some of the results. There are more.

Anyway, there was a point before I finished when I knew I should stop. I had been out in the sun long enough. But no, I didn't stop. I wanted to finish this so I wouldn't have to play in the dirt again. As a result, I have a light burn. I knew better, I knew what would happen, and I stayed out anyway. I suppose it could have been worse (like, if I hadn't worn sunscreen to begin with). So, I took some ibuprofen, took a cool shower, and moisturized. Hopefully the pink will fade soon. I'm also a bit sore from lifting bags of dirt and moving filled planters to their proper location. I am such a wimp.

Today's Purchases

2009-04-29T19:44:00.006-04:00

English Daisies

Tickseeds

Blue Salvia

Marigolds

Brandywine Tomatoes

Cherokee Purple Tomatoes

Old German Tomatoes

Rosemary

Sweet Basil

Thai Basil

Pineapple Sage and Regular Sage

Fire! (Updated)

2009-04-26T00:17:00.000-04:00

Last night, I heard a lot of sirens while I was in bed (around and after midnight). They came at multiple intervals, and seemed to stop nearby - as in, the sirens stopped before the sound faded away. I figured it had to be close.

Well, it was. About 1 to 1 1/2 miles away, to be exact. And it was big! Ten houses along the lake were on fire; at least five are completely destroyed. We've had high winds the past could of days, and I imagine that helped the fire spread. At least 7 fire departments were at the scene, which explains why I kept hearing waves of sirens. If I had gone outside and onto the dock, I probably could have seen the flames.

I haven't seen any reports that indicate that anyone was hurt, but it's still early. A lot of the houses around here are vacation homes and it's a little early in the season for people to come to the lake. The water's still pretty cold. Regardless, damages are estimated (so far) at 6 to 8 million dollars. There's a lot of expensive property on this lake. My family is only here because we've had the property since the 1950s, way before the real estate market around here went crazy in more recent decades.

Update: No one was injured, which is a very good thing, although they suspect a cat died. Only two of the homes were occupied at the time. We had wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph last night, so it didn't take much to send the flames from house to house. Plus, a lot of the newer houses on the lake are fairly close together. In some areas, when people bought property, they tore down the older (smaller) homes and built much larger houses, leaving little lawn space between houses. I don't know if this made a difference or not, but it couldn't have helped the situation. Where I am, most of the homes are from before the large house building boom and the newer homes, while a little larger, are still in scale with the rest of the neighborhood. Still, it's all pretty terrible.

The fire was so hot, that homes (that weren't part of the fire) nearby ended up with melted siding. The paint melted off of the fire trucks - their safe parking spot became unsafe and they had to move. There ended up being close to 100 firefighters at the scene. This isn't an easy place to deal with fires. The roads are narrow and winding, its slightly hilly, and those houses are close together.

Random Happenings and Obsessions

2009-04-18T17:20:00.000-04:00

This week brought gorgeous sunshine and warmth. It also brought swarms of bloodsucking insects. For about three days, despite the otherwise wonderful nature of, well, nature, I felt trapped inside. Whenever I ventured out, they descended upon me, looking for their next meal. They've mostly disappeared, but there are a few stragglers out there. Miserable beasts!

Hmmmm...what else is going on?

Plum and Sophie love each other, which makes me very happy since I know people who have cats that don't get along quite this well.

I successfully conquered double stuff oreo cravings earlier this week. Today, however, I bought fudgesicles.

I spent too much money on sunscreen today, but I'd like to go outside and enjoy the weather. I'll be starting the season with spf 55 and I'll still need to be careful. I don't tan much at all - I mostly burn - so if I get down to spf 30 this summer I will be shocked. And, with my sensitive skin I can't use a lot of the products out there, so I end up spending more money so that the stuff protecting my skin doesn't irritate it. My sister is a sun worshiper who thinks that spf 8 is a lot and uses those tanning oil products. She always had better skin (mine is hyper-sensitive), but I think that in the long run I'm going to come out on top. Not that it's a contest. No, not at all.

For some reason I've been going back and forth about whether or not I like the color of my eyes. I realize this is weird.

The day I took this picture, I didn't, but today I'm ok with them. It just seems like they were greener when I was younger.

As far as the dissertation goes, it feels like a battle. Is that how it's suppose to be? I know that I set ridiculous standards for myself. I probably shouldn't compare it to books published by top scholars in the field, but I do. I suspect this isn't good in terms of how I value my own writing and research. If I didn't do this, I wonder if I'd be happier about my work?

Detox

2009-04-13T22:47:00.003-04:00

It was a weekend of way too much food. That's all there is to it.

Friday: Birthday celebration the day before my actual birthday. BBQ and accompaniments, cake, ice cream, and Easter candy since my sister's kids were at their dad's for Easter. Ate too much.

Saturday: Actual birthday dinner at good restaurant. Really fabulous onion soup, ridiculously large ribeye steak, steak fries, green beans, carrot cake. Not too mention the fact that I had a slice of leftover cake from the night before at lunch. Ate too much.

Sunday: Easter brunch. So many choices, so little space in the digestive track. Ate too much.

This week, it's raisin bran for breakfast, light sandwich for lunch, apple for snack, salad for dinner kinds of days. A sort of detox since I had so much rich, fat-laden food over the weekend. Plus, I had far more meat than normal. And sweets. I love them but this was too much.

k8's Contradictions

2009-04-07T00:04:00.002-04:00

For those of you who haven't been blessed enough to see the results of the facebook quizzes I've taken in the past couple of weeks, you get to see them now. While I know that these are completely random, I think the results are a hilariously contradictory.

Here are the quiz titles and here's who I am"

1. What kind of weather am I? Rain

2. What Muppet's character am I? Animal

3. What magical creature am I? A Griffin

4. What cat am I? A Funny Cat

5. Which Norse God am I? Freyja

6. Which great philosopher am I? Hegel

7. What Bible character am I? Elijah

8. Which Greek God am I? Hera

9. Which of the 7 deadly sins am I? Vanity

10. Which punk rock star am I? Patti Smith

11. Which social theorist am I? bell hooks

12. Which House, M.D. character am I? House

13. Which Star Trek NG character am I? Counselor Troi

14. Which Joss Whedon character am I? Willow Rosenberg

15. Which Batman villain am I? Catwoman

16. What is my true age? 22 (um, try almost 36)

17. Which character on Lost am I most like? Sawyer

um...yeah, that all makes sense.

Just Say Yes!

2009-04-03T20:15:00.009-04:00

**The following videos are sponsored by the Catnip Growers of America**

The kitties got new collars this week. I thought it was about time to retire the nasty looking things they received at the shelter, so I did a little shopping at Etsy. Sophie is now stylin' in this brown argyle collar

while Plum is pretty in purple and pink

But the real story here is that I purchased some catnip toys for them from the same seller that I got the collars from. Lesson #1 - if the cat collar is shipped with the catnip toys, the cats might want to attack each other's collar. Sadly, I didn't get video of that. I did, however, catch them playing with their new catnip kicksticks (pictured below).

This is Plum engaging in the typical manic drug-seeking behavior we all expect from catnip imbibers.

Sophie takes more of an attack the 'nip approach, which leads her to further strange behavior.

By the end of filming, two catnip kicksticks were soaked in cat drool.

Does Anybody Else Have A Problem With...

2009-03-30T16:44:00.002-04:00

...chocolate execution weapons???

My Cat Plays Fetch

2009-03-27T20:00:00.002-04:00

I took a couple videos of Plum playing fetch. I'm talking to her a lot in them because 1) I'm trying to encourage her to continue to play fetch, and 2) I'd love it if I could verbally direct her to appropriate toys when she is getting into things she shouldn't be getting into. So, there's a lot of positive reinforcement and repetition going on.

In this one, she decides that she is done.

The Work Of Writing

2009-03-25T17:57:00.002-04:00

People just don't get it. I know this is probably every dissertator's complaint. It's probably the complaint of most academics, for that matter.

I just can't start and stop writing at random intervals. If I say that I am writing or that I am reading, it means that I need sustained, uninterrupted time to do these tasks. Note, I said tasks, not pleasures. I enjoy my work, but reading for work is not the same sort of activity as reading for fun. I need time to focus on it, reflect on it, etc.

So, if you want to plan to do something, let's actually make plans. Let's set a time. Saying "sometime tomorrow" doesn't work for me. My schedule isn't that fluid, even if it appears to be. I need to plan for chunks of time to do the work of writing. That's just how it is. That interruption can throw off my writing for the day. It makes me less productive, and that isn't good because I want to finish this dissertation.

I realize that most people don't understand the type of intense work this sort of writing requires. And they don't realize that while reading and writing are things I've always done well, that doesn't mean that these particular reading and writing activities are easy for me. No, I can't just crank out a dissertation like I use to crank out papers the night before they were due when I was in high school. Just doesn't work that way.

CCCC 2009 - The Actual Conference

2009-03-21T21:24:00.008-04:00

So, I've mentioned the details of the trips to and from the conference, so I suppose I should say something about the conference itself.

(I wonder if it means something that New Order's Regret just came on.)

After attending the opening ritual,

I went to support fellow UW folks in session A.01. Mira and Kate rocked their parts of a panel titled "Un/Documented Literacies: Rewriting Cultural Citizenships in the United States. Afterwards, I took a break. I normally wouldn't skip a session so early in the program, but I was due to present during the C session of the day. So, I took a quick tour of the exhibition hall, had lunch, and prepared myself.

Yes, I had two desserts.

I prepared myself for presenting my work to two people, not including the rest of the panel. Good times! Oh well, I am not a big name (or even a little name - I am invisible) and I don't study anything trendy or sexy. Normally, it doesn't bother me that much, but I felt a little boring and irrelevant right then.

After that, I went to a great session - D.26 - about having undergraduate students perform archival research. I really love hearing things like this - it's the librarian in me. It also makes me miss information literacy work. I'm already thinking about potential post-dissertation projects....

(Iggy Pop's Lust For Life is now on)

My E session was another great one, with one disappointment. I went to the featured session: "Before and After Alcatraz: Waves of American Indian Protest." The session itself was a really great exploration of how representations of history are memorialized, performed, understood, etc. My sole disappointment was the fact that there weren't very many people there for this session commemorating the 40th anniversary of the occupation of Alcatraz. Oh wait - I was also disappointed that I was probably one of the few white folks there and of those, one of the very few not involved with American Indian Studies. Really folks, I know there's a lot going on at the conference, but so much for embracing diversity and attending a featured session focusing on a non-white group. The session was good. You missed out.

(Violent Femmes Blister in the Sun just came on)

After that, the panels were over for the day, so I wandered around aimlessly until it was time for a SIG to begin. I went to the SIG meeting for Disability Studies, which was very good. Afterwards, I went to dinner with other people who were at the meeting.

End, day one.

(Oh dear God! Boys Don't Cry's I wanna be a cowboy is now playing.)

Day Two:

I went to an early session - F.30 "Empty Rhetoric and Academic Bullshit: Strategies For Composition's Self-representation in National Arenas" featuring Michael Edwards, Margaret Price, Lauren Rosenberg, and Mark Bauerlein. I'll admit, I partially dragged myself out of bed to hear what wonders Bauerlein had to bestow upon our profession from on high. He really didn't have anything to say that I haven't heard discussed before by people in the field. His talk was tired. The other presenters actually had new and interesting things to say.

(Need a new channel - Jane's Addiction, Jane Says Live!)

Jane says...I'm done with Sergio...

Oh wait, the conference.

I went to see Rik do his thing. From his presentation, I would have never known about the horror he endured when he lost his laptop on the way to the conference. He was great! Sadly, at this point I wasn't. I was too tired, so I left after he presented and walked around the exhibit hall again to wake myself up. I didn't really wake up, but I did acquire loot:

don't know don't know...what to do about it...

I do like my books.

(Cranberries - Zombie)

So, after that I took a nap. Then I grabbed some lunch. And then, I met with my dissertation director to discuss a chapter. I actually made it back for one more session, which was also excellent. K.10 Tracing the Stream and Filling the Well: Afrafeminist (Re)Definitions of African Diasporic Women's Lieracies/Compositions and Critical Intellectual Work.

(Barenaked Ladies - Brian Wilson Live)

I loved hearing Rhea Lathan, UW alum, discussing her notion of Gospel Literacy. I also really appreciated Carmen Kynard's discussion of her work in the classroom and the student writing she shared focusing on the experiences of young black women. Tamika Carey - you rocked too!

I was really lucky to hear such great presentations this year. Normally I hit at least one that is less than good, but this year I lucked out. Of course, I didn't make it to any the next day because of my early flight.

...9:30 on a Tuesday night...

For me, the conference concluded with the Awards Ceremony.

(Smashing Pumpkins - Zero)

One of this year's winner's of the Outstanding Book Award was UW grad John Duffy for his book Writing From These Roots: The Historical Development of Literacy in a Hmong American Community. Check it out!! Sooooo proud of my fellow Badgers!!

(Sugar - Helpless)

I almost forgot! Here's a picture of our swag!!

What City Folk Miss Out On

2009-03-21T19:14:00.005-04:00

Seeing things like this when they do a little shopping.

The first is the best, if only for the clip art on the sign.

Baby Ducks!
Baby Turkeys!
Chickens!!!

The Return From 4Cs

2009-03-17T22:33:00.005-04:00

The return trip from the conference was not particularly enjoyable. I made my plane reservations a bit later than I should have, so my choices (for a reasonably priced flight) on the way home involved either taking the red eye or having two layovers. I chose the latter option. I'm still not sure if this was such a great idea.

Part One: San Francisco to Las Vegas

I get to the airport and am dismayed to discover that I am not in the terminal with the wine bar and extensive wine store. I didn't plan to drink; I wanted to buy a few bottles of the regional beverages for family. It turned out to be a good thing this didn't work out. Anyway, this was obviously the party plane. Here is what I have to say to the two German guys sitting across the aisle from me:

Guys, if you have to sing Viva Las Vegas loudly and repeatedly on the plane, please try to know more of the lyrics than just viva, Las Vegas. I don't care how much you are going to party and I suspect that no one else really wants to talk to you, so please stop asking them to tell you where they are staying and where the best party spots are. Oh, and I really don't care that you haven't slept in 2 days while partying in San Francisco. Take your wannabe hip hop butts off of the plane. Seriously - those sun glasses are not remotely cool and those pants are soooo 10 years ago. Everyone around you is rolling their eyes. We are not impressed. It is times like this one when I wish I didn't understand German. If I didn't, I could at least block out part of your conversations.

It was just bad.

Part Two: Las Vegas to Chicago

I arrive. I look at the list of departing flights and don't see mine listed anywhere. Temporary moment of panic. I ask a woman at one of the service counters for help. She locates my flight and I am off to Terminal D. To get to this terminal, I have to leave the post-security area and go back through security again, and then I had to get on a tram. It is a very good thing I didn't spend money on wine at the previous airport. Still, I was not pleased. You'd think they'd have a tram that transported people to that terminal without making them go through security again. The whole time this is happening, I hear the annoying electronic noises of all of the slot machines in the airport. I'm very thankful that I didn't need to spend much time at this airport. When I arrived at the gate the plane was already boarding, though, so I didn't have time to grab a snack as planned.

The flight into Chicago was 10 minutes early. I was excited. I would have time to grab something to eat!! Sadly, my excitement soon turned into exasperation.

Part Three: Chicago to Fort Wayne

The previous flight was early, but that didn't mean a thing. Another plane was at our gate. We sat on the plane for close to 40 minutes waiting to be allowed to approach the gate. I could have walked to the terminal. When I finally got off the plane, my next flight was already boarding. I moved as fast as I could in my open-back shoes to get to my next flight. I barely made it, winded and panting, ten minutes before the scheduled departure. I hated that I had to sit next to someone while feeling sweaty and exhausted. Bleh.

When I finally arrived at Ft. Wayne, I was starving. I hadn't eaten since breakfast, before 9:00 am PST, and it was now 11:00 pm EST. I didn't get to eat until almost an hour later when I arrived at my parents' house. Had I driven all the way home, it would have been another 1/2 hour. Plus, they were cat sitting. Thankfully, I was picked up at the airport. I was exhausted.

And that was my trip home from the conference.

I'm Back

2009-03-16T22:10:00.003-04:00

I might blog about the CCCC later. For now, some bullets of randomness:

Plum, my little gray cat, has started playing fetch. I fear she might really be a dog in disguise.
While writing my behind off this week, I will also be preparing mass quantities of food. The freezer needs stocked and, fortuitously, the meat department at the grocery store had massive mark-downs on chicken and boneless ribs (!) that need to be used in the next day or two.
Tomorrow the crock pot will cook curried chicken and veggies, most of which will be frozen.
The next day the crock pot will be used to slow-cook the ribs. Most of that bbq goodness will be frozen, too.
I might make bread sometime during the next few days, too.
I think I've recovered from the trip to 4Cs. The trip back was...unpleasant. I might write about it later.
I bought booze for two birthday presents this week. I haven't purchased alcohol for anyone's birthday since I was closer to 21. That was more than a decade ago. Am I regressing? It was wine, so I will pretend that it is a slightly classier move than previous purchases.
I have two new (to me) books of short stories. I'm excited, because each contains only one or two stories I've already read. They do contain stories I haven't read by authors I'm familiar with and whose other stories I've liked. I'm kinda excited!
I recently shocked (and maybe even dismayed, a little) my 12 year old niece when she discovered that I know texting/im language as well, if not better than, she does. In her eyes, I'm probably now a potential cryptographer.

CCCC 2009

2009-03-11T19:47:00.004-04:00

I'm here. I've been here for a little while, but I collapsed from exhaustion. I had the pleasure of waking up at 3:00 am EST so I could make it to my flight in time. We've had unpleasant weather lately (maybe some of y'all heard about the recent tornadoes) and last night we were blessed with torrential rain. There was some flash flooding on some of the streets as we left town. Yes, someone actually drove me to the airport at that unholy hour.

I arrived at the hotel around noon, PST. I fumbled my way down to registration and picked up my mega-program. There was actual conference swag this year! It doesn't take much to get me excited, I guess, but getting a little tote bag and water bottle with my program actually woke me up a little.

I've since lazed about and took a short nap. I should have gone to a pre-conference meeting, but I'm still just too tired. I know I should go out into the city and find some food, but I'm thinking about being lazy and splurging by ordering room service. I can eat, go over my presentation for tomorrow, and go to bed early. Tomorrow I will do the conference thing and enjoy San Francisco.

Really, Daylight Saving Time + early flight + traveling to a time zone three hours behind EST = a sluggish k8.

6:00 AM

2009-03-10T21:46:00.001-04:00

That's what time my flight leaves for CCCC tomorrow. I should really go to bed soon.

Springing Ahead

2009-03-08T17:34:00.005-04:00

While it's true that I normally have trouble with the "spring ahead" portion of Daylight Saving Time, this year I woke up at the appropriate time. Only, it wasn't the alarm clock that woke me up. No, my wake up call this morning came from Plum who somehow managed to fall on top of my face. I think she was trying to walk the headboard. She's done that in the past.

A Call For Feline Equality

2009-03-07T19:57:00.003-05:00

So, I made a few bad short videos of my cats, too.

Does this officially make me a crazy cat lady?

Chewie In Action

2009-03-04T22:58:00.001-05:00

I visited the parents today and did a little tech support. By tech support, I mean that I taught my dad how to download pictures from his camera for the third or fourth time and how to upload to flickr for the second or third time. I've lost track.

After that, I made this short jumpy video of Chewie in action. Enjoy!

Random Stuff

2009-03-03T21:35:00.004-05:00

In bulleted form and in no particular order:

I'm going to a conference next week. I know this is a good thing but I'm just not feeling it. Not at all.
Someone might need puppy prozac:
The swans have been hanging out in the semi-frozen channel behind the cottage:

Plum is sitting on my lap, but she is a little too curious about my laptop right now.
The other day she found my ponytail holders. Throughout the course of the day, I retrieved 12 of them from her. It seems she stockpiled while I wasn't looking.
I submitted 14,576 words earlier today.
I then spent time looking at some memento mori.
Although it's early, I might have to go to bed soon. I'm very tired.

Old School Sexism Via "Humorous" Postcards

2009-02-18T20:34:00.006-05:00

These were meant to be "humorous" postcards once upon a time.

Because you know, women aren't rational:

And they are just after men with money (although this might explain why Ben -on Lost - tried to woo Juliet with ham):

Sexual harassment in the workplace is funny:

And who can't laugh at sexual assault by soldiers:

Yes, that was sarcasm. I am appropriately disgusted. The fact that these are old postcards does not temper my disgust.

Another Book Meme

2009-02-16T23:49:00.003-05:00

I know I've done a similar meme in the past, but I think there are some different titles on this one. I first saw it over at A Collage Of Citations.

BBC Book List

Apparently the BBC reckons most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here.
Instructions:
1) Look at the list and put an ‘x’ after those you have read.
2) Add a ‘+’ to the ones you LOVE.
3) Star (*) those you plan on reading.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen *
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien X+(but more so when I was younger than now)
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte X+
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling X
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee X
6 The Bible - ~(pretty hefty chunks, but not all)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte X+
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell X
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman X+
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens X
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott *
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy X
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare ~ (quite a bit but not all)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien X+
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger X
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald X
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh X
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck X
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll X+
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame X (re-reading this as an adult, I realized that Toad is an addict)
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis X(love some, but not all of the books)
34 Emma - Jane Austen X
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen *
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis X+(this one I do love)
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne X
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell X
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins X+
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery X+
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding X
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert X+ (and I read it in German, too)
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen *
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez *
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck X
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas X
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac X
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker X+
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett *
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray X
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens X
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro X
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert X
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White X+
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Alborn
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle X+ (I've read most of them)
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton *
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad X
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery X
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare X
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl X+
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Total read: 40 - I'm slightly annoyed, though, because there are several books by several authors on this list that I have read (Hardy, Dickens, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Joyce) - I just haven't read the books listed.

Total I plan to read: 7

So I guess that's that.

Gratuitous Cat Photos

2009-02-10T16:54:00.003-05:00

Because I'm too brain dead to post anything else.

Recently Read - The Lost Island

2009-02-02T23:33:00.004-05:00

I just finished The Lost Island by Eilís Dillon.

It's a fun book, though I think that I would have enjoyed it even more if I had brushed up on Irish folklore before reading it. It does contain references specific to the folklore of this region, but the story is still enjoyable for those who don't share this background.

The story follows Michael Farrell's search for his father, who had been missing for four years after setting out for The Lost Island and the treasure it holds. Along the way he and Joe fend off greedy villains, meet a new friend and travel companion (Mike), and brave rough seas on their quest.

As much as I enjoyed this book, I do think of it as a boy's adventure story. The female characters are few and far between. At first I was concerned by the portrayal of Michael's mother, an overly trusting who sometimes seemed younger than Michael. I was relieved later on by a portrayal of a strong woman from Fort Island, owner of a public house, as it provided some balance.

Overall, this is a nice suspenseful sailing adventure. While there are some violent scenes, they are not graphic and they go by quickly.

25 Random Things About Me (Recycled)

2009-01-30T19:22:00.002-05:00

I was tagged for this in facebook and figured I might as well post it here, too, since I don't seem to post much of anything lately. I'm not tagging anyone, but feel free to participate if you like.

1) I refuse to tag 25 people, but I will tag a few.

2) I talk too fast. My brain works faster than my mouth.

3) I had an internship at the International Atomic Energy Agency. Be very afraid!

4) I often prefer books to people.

5) I like to bake my own bread.

6) I'm addicted to chocolate.

7) I'm addicted to diet coke.

8) I am a klutz but I have good balance. I'm always tripping or running into things, yet I rarely actually fall.

9) I have delusions of grandeur.

10) I'm never sure if I'm really actually half-way smart or if I'm just good at faking it.

11) I have a history of being a bad student in formal education-type settings.

12) I like to take pictures of food, particularly if it is something I've made.

13) I love libraries but I also like to own my own books.

14) I am a compulsive re-reader. This might explain #13.

15) Death!!

16) I am a snob.

17) When I was in elementary school, my dad took me on a side trip on the way to see my eye doctor. That side trip involved dropping off a dead body at a crematorium.

18) While I've learned that I can live without television, I seem to binge on it when I have the opportunity to watch it.

19) I would have trouble living without the internet.

20) I like open spaces.

21) I hate heat and humidity. It is oppressive.

22) I am always thinking of ways to revise things, especially things I've cooked or baked. When I do this out loud, people think I am criticizing in a negative way, but really I'm just thinking about possibilities.

23) I am scatter-brained.

24) Because of #23, I make connections that aren't always immediately apparent to other people. While I've had to learn how to explain things to other people, I kinda like that I do this.

25) I make fantastic cookies!

Hello Out There

2009-01-29T18:59:00.002-05:00

Life hasn't been super-exciting lately. I write and I read. The weather is cold and gray.

I was (and still am) very excited that this year's Newbery Medal winner is Neil Gaiman for The Graveyard Book. This year's choice pleases me, and not just because of the death-aspect.

Speaking of reading, are any of y'all on Goodreads? Let me know if you are and are interested in being friends at that locale. I love seeing what others are reading!

Anything else going on...hmmm...not really. My life is boring. This must change someday very soon!

Tired Now!

2009-01-25T19:45:00.001-05:00

Someday I'll Post Something Of Substance

2009-01-24T21:49:00.003-05:00

In the meantime, here's a picture of the cake I baked for my mom's birthday.

I did show some restraint and didn't place 69 candles on it. I was very tempted but didn't for two reasons: 1) the aesthetics of the cake would be ruined, and 2) I would have been in a whole lot of trouble.

Distractions (From Writing)

2009-01-12T16:18:00.002-05:00

We are under a Blizzard Watch. I shouldn't be excited (all of that snow to shovel!) but I am.
The smell of the Chicken Cacciatore cooking in the crock pot. I got the crock pot for Christmas, which didn't surprise me after what happened to the other one. Fortunately, this one is a little smaller - 5 quarts instead of 6 1/2 quarts. Anyway, I want to dig into the food NOW!
The thought of cleaning that I should be doing.

Really, I think it's the food smell that is the most distracting right now. Maybe after I eat I will be able to focus a little better.

In other non-news, I just managed to convince my father that my mom's birthday cake probably shouldn't be an ice cream cake (his idea) when the projected high for that day is 5 F. I am now in charge of baking a cake. I'm thinking that it should be something simple like a good dark chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting. The comfort food version of cake for a cold cold day! Plus, she loves chocolate, it's easy to make, and the picky eaters in the family won't have pained expressions on their faces when they see it.

The Things I Do To Myself

2009-01-09T10:22:00.001-05:00

I finally got around to reading Markus Zusak's The Book Thief. I cried so much as I was finishing this book that I think I frightened my cats.

It is wonderful. Once again, I feel broken and damaged after reading a book and all I can think about is how that book is simultaneously beautiful and horrifying. And I want to read it again.

Some might wonder why I continue to read.

It is similar to how I felt when I read Sonya Hartnett's Surrender last April. I feel completely raw and bloodied, semi-paralyzed yet with an intense need to move (which means I start pacing).

Perhaps I should try something more comedic. I know I'll return to this sort of book eventually, though.

Holiday Pics

2009-01-03T10:14:00.000-05:00

Of course, there were cookies.

By the way, that's me in the background striking a pose in my 70s era togs.

And this is me on Christmas morning, 2008.

Chewie enjoyed one of his gifts in front of the tree.

And the younger brother opened presents with glee!

Someone practiced taking pictures of herself and Sophie with her new camera.

While another engaged the Plum kitty in aggressive play!

One little kitty enjoyed snuggling with her new catnip gopher...

...that is, until Chewbacca showed up.

What's Up?

2008-12-30T12:46:00.005-05:00

I've been away from most internet activities for the past couple of weeks due to holiday craziness. I dread wading through my bloglines folders.

My mother ruined every type of holiday cookie she tried to bake, so I had to take over and bake a ton of cookies so that she could send out her usual holiday platters of cookies.

Eldest sibling (aka Sister Scrooge) didn't make any Christmas cookies, so I ended up baking and decorating cut out cookies with her kids. Granted, she has been busy - she's getting married tomorrow (second time for both of them) - but the kidlets need their cookies.

As usual, YCOM (Youngest Child, Only Male) didn't help with any of this. He did, however, eat many of the freshly baked products. It would be nice if the scientist would learn to bake and cook since it's really all chemistry when you get down to it.

I am now baking more cookies for my parents' New Year's Day party that always involves an obscene amount of cookies.

I have done some writing. And, I read one book for pleasure. I figure I deserved it.

I play with my kitties daily. They also play with each other. They've taken up wrestling.

I think they need some wrestling names - something like Sophie the Sadist or Plum the Paralyzer.

And of course there is everyday craziness. That's about it.

Happiness Is...

2008-12-15T19:09:00.002-05:00

...finding a copy of a much loved and out-of-print book that is in new condition and happens to be the same edition you remember reading so long ago. It looks the same, feels the same, and it is wonderful!

A Quotation To Match This Day

2008-12-12T16:44:00.002-05:00

"The snow lay thin and apologetic over the world. That wide grey sweep was the lawn, with the straggling trees of the orchard still dark beyond; the white squares were the roofs of the garage, the old barn, the rabbit hutches, the chicken coops. Further back there were only the flat fields of Dawson's farm, dimly white-striped. All the broad sky was grey, full of more snow that refused to fall. There was no colour anywhere."

~From the opening page of The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper

Bleh

2008-12-09T17:57:00.003-05:00

I'm here and I'm alive. I'm just sick with a nasty sinus cold (and have been since right after Thanksgiving). I know it's bad when it hurts to wear my glasses.

Cat Magic

2008-12-03T21:44:00.004-05:00

So, my cats' toys keep disappearing and then reappearing after a day or two. Until today I could not figure out where the toys went. I thought I had looked everywhere.

Apparently, I didn't realize the extent of the kitties' skillz.

I'll give you one guess as to the location of the missing toys.

k8's Cats: The Two Week Update

2008-11-29T21:26:00.006-05:00

Sophie and Plum seem to be adjusting well, despite having multiple reasons to see life with me as traumatic. I'll get to the trauma soon, but first I submit a photographic representation of my cats' growing friendship. They were never unfriendly with each other, but they kept a respectful distance the first couple of days.

Then they got closer.

And by Tuesday of the first week we had togetherness! I am pleased.

Now for the trauma. After only spending three days with me, they had the dreaded surgery and overnight visit at the vet's. Getting there was bad enough. Now, I knew that Sophie didn't like the cardboard box-like carrier that we got at the shelter, but I thought that my cat carrier would be ok. I was wrong. I couldn't get her into the carrier. Her claws made four holes in the shirt I was wearing (thankfully just a tee shirt) and I had claw marks up and down my forearms. Needless to say, this was traumatic for me, too. I still had the carrier boxes from the shelter, so I tried to get her in one of those. It worked, but she was not happy. Plum went into the carrier easily. Note: At this point in time I only had one carrier, but I figured it would be ok for this short trip.

On the drive to the vet's office, Sophie attacked her box carrier. Halfway there, I glanced back at her and saw her head sticking through a hole she made in the box. I managed to push her head back inside and push the cardboard back into place. I had to do this four times before we arrived. I was not pleased. I also figured that this cat would hate me after this little adventure. While they were at the clinic, I decided that I needed to get another cat carrier ASAP, and it needed to be a top-loader. I got one, and it is much easier to get her into it.

So, I brought them home the next day and naturally they were both tired. Thankfully, they've forgiven me. Here I am at the bottom of the cat pile:

So, things went well over the first weekend and into the next week. But, as we all know this was also a holiday week and I had a lot of baking and cooking to do. So, Wednesday morning the kitties went back into their carriers and we drove to my parents' house. I can only imagine what they thought they were in for. We stayed there through Friday and they did fairly well, but they met a lot of loud new people and a Chewbacca:

It was a crazy few days. Yesterday, once I got Sophie in her carrier (which is much easier with the top-loading carrier), Plum walked into her carrier on her own and waited for me to close it. Amazingly, they still like me after all of this chaos. I think this second trip was actually very important in that they had a car trip and cat carrier experience that didn't end at the vet's office. As an added bonus, they had a chance to hang out at my parents' while I was there. If I have job interviews, my parents will be cat sitting, so this was a good experience for them.

However, I plan for the next few weeks to be much more stable.

Thanksgiving Preparations

2008-11-22T14:47:00.003-05:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, my control of the thanksgiving menu is more tenuous than I was initially led to believe. All of those people who want little-to-no responsibility seem to have the most to say about the menu.

For example:

My brother insisted that we have to have Stove Top Stuffing. I told him that wasn't happening, but I would be happy to make a homemade cornbread stuffing. His suggestion was not taken well. And he really did mean he wanted that stuff in the box. I have standards.

After being told that I should make the rosemary fennel beef tenderloin roast I made last year, my mother later decided that there should be a turkey, too. It's tradition and some people will expect it. I compromised on this one. I'm not roasting a whole turkey. Instead, I had a boneless butterflied whole turkey breast ordered so that I could make a rolled roast. Some people might lament the lack of a regal roasted whole bird, but I'm going for easier prep and easier cleanup later on. Plus, it will be much easier to carve. And yes, we are having the beef too.

My mother, who doesn't care for mashed potatoes, suggested we not have them, but there is a very loud pro-mashed potato contingent in the family. I like them, but I was planning to do a wild rice dish. The potatoes won, but I don't have to do them so I've decided I don't care.

Pumpkin bread. Everyone wants it and I'm happy to make it. Not a problem, right. Well, some people don't like nuts in their bread (not allergies, just don't like them) and some want the nuts in the bread. I will be making it both ways.

Brother-in-law-to-be is not an adventurous eater. I have been instructed to not make anything "weird." I hope there is enough variety in the offerings to not leave anyone unhappy.

I just found out that there will be a couple more people coming. I am now re-evaluating my sides (in term of amounts) and my dessert line-up.

Names!

2008-11-18T12:19:00.001-05:00

The kitties now have names!

My brown mackerel tabby is named Sophie. She reminds me of the character with that name in Howl's Moving Castle.

My grey cat is named Plum, which is short for Plummer - as in Mary Wright Plummer, the second female president of the American Library Association.

Cats

2008-11-16T14:59:00.004-05:00

I just got a pair. They don't have names yet, but I'm working on it.

This one is about 1 or 2 years old (best estimate by the shelter folks and the vet they use).

And this one is about 9 months old.

My Dewey Decimal Number

2008-11-12T14:35:00.008-05:00

For my Blog's name:

Harmonia's Necklace's
Dewey Decimal Section:

700
The arts; fine & decorative arts

Harmonia's Necklace = 81835491945312135 = 818+354+919+453+121+35 = 2700

Class:
700 Arts & Recreation

Contains:
Architecture, drawing, painting, music, sports.

What it says about you:
You're creative and fun, and you're good at motivating the people around you. You're attracted to things that are visually interesting. Other people might not always understand your taste or style, but it's yours.

Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com

For me:

Katy xxxxxxxx's
Dewey Decimal Section:

397 [Unassigned]

Katy xxxxxxxx = 110595108584 = 110+595+108+584 = 1397

Class:
300
Social Sciences

Contains:
Books on politics, economics, education and the law.

What it says about you:
You are good at understanding people and finding the systems that work for them. You like having established reasoning behind your decisions. You consider it very important for your friends to always have your back.

Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com

As Day Turned To Dusk

2008-11-11T20:00:00.003-05:00

I started and participated in this conversation online at friendfeed:

You posted a message

“I just watched the teenage boys a couple houses down pour gasoline on a pile of leaves that were already on fire. There was a tiny booming noise before the fire burst outwards. And they just added more leaves and did it again!”

3 hours ago - Comment - Like - Hide - More

Ladybug Heather, ♣genieyclo♣, MikeAmundsen and Morton Fox liked this

These are the same guys that accidentally sent a firework through my yard on the Fourth of July and set a bush on fire. I am watching very closely and thinking about the fire extinguisher under the kitchen sink. - You (edit | delete)

And we just had the biggest boom and flare up of all! They are getting bolder. - You (edit | delete)

If I were you, I'd be calling the police before one of them gets hurt or the fire gets out of control. Kids who play with fire are often into even worse things or will be eventually. - Jill is a librarian

As tempting as that is, they are doing it in their fire pit which is right on the edge of the lake. The wind is blowing towards the lake, so I'm not as concerned as I would be if it weren't. They are staying near it and I see they have buckets by the lake (they usually douse embers with lake water). - You (edit | delete)

Okay. At least they're not just burning a pile in a random spot. - Jill is a librarian

Oh no! They are using the pit. They're just having fun while they do it. - You (edit | delete)

these kinds of things rarely end well. - MikeAmundsen

Mike - That's why I'm keeping an eye on what they're up to! - You (edit | delete)

Somebody is about to burn their little asses up. - Derrick

heh, If it was me, I'd bring another can for the hell of it :) - ♣genieyclo♣

Maybe after they hurt each other playing sword-fight with their rakes. - You (edit | delete)

Haha. We used to do that with piles of leaves and lighter fluid. - Rochelle

OMG - they have a seemingly never-ending supply of leaves! They do yard work for about 4 households and I think they've been stockpiling! - You (edit | delete)

Sounds very.... teenage boy. - Ladybug Heather

Oh dear! I think they've added a leaf blower to the mix. Sparks are flying out over the lake! - You (edit | delete)

A Few Random Ramblings

2008-11-10T09:02:00.001-05:00

Last Thursday I attended a benefit dinner and auction for the animal shelter. While there, I witnessed a man putting sweet'n low in his red wine. That man was my doctor when I was a minor. He is also one of my parents' friends. I am still horrified.
One of my forearms still hurts from my leaf raking extravaganza on Friday.
There are now more leaves to be raked.
Yesterday afternoon I was informed that I will be in charge of the food and planning for Thanksgiving.
Only, I don't have complete control as I've been instructed to prepare the beef tenderloin dish I made last year. Okay, but last year I was only cooking for four people. This year there will be at least twelve. I'm not sure how well I can keep up with timing and sequencing if I am preparing for that many people.
Two hours after I was given the news, my sister asked me what she should bring. I haven't had time to think properly about food choices and options yet, let alone decided what she should bring. This item must be chosen with care. Much like our mother, there are some things she can cook well, but cooking isn't necessarily her thing. She once inadvertently made blue hash browns.
While I can make a decent pecan pie, I really want to perfect a killer pecan pie - preferably one that involves bourbon. This is my personal goal for this holiday season.
I need to find a birthday present for my niece by Saturday. She wants clothes. I am horrified by many of the clothes out there for girls her age (she will be 12). Fortunately this is November - winter clothing presents less of a problem.
I haven't been in a bookstore since May.
My brain hurts.

Yesterday I Built A Wall

2008-11-08T10:04:00.000-05:00

Seriously folks, you might not be able to tell from the photo, but that pile of leaves reaches my mid-thigh at its lowest points (fwiw, I'm 5' 5 1/2"). There are NO trees on the property. With the exception of some leaves from a few bushes, those leaves all came from neighbors' trees. I am not happy with the wind's decision to blow them into my yard.

You can probably also see that I didn't do a very thorough job of raking. There are still leaves scattered across the yard. The pile/wall could have been bigger!

Before I began the task, my father had suggested that I gather the leaves in *a* bag and take them to their place (the parents) and put them on the burn pile. I suspect that if these leaves were all in one jumbo pile rather than my pile/wall, that they would take up more space than the actual size of my car. There isn't leaf pick-up around here. Since I am outside the city limits and burning leaves is allowed here, I suspect that the assumption is that everyone burns them. Thing is, I don't have a fire pit or incinerator like everyone else around here seems to have. Not that I like burning leaves, but this is way more than a person could mulch and leave on the ground.

I am not pleased. And, I still hurt. Plus, there are more leaves on the ground that I haven't gotten to yet. Then there are the gutters! Not happy!!

Don't Forget To Vote

2008-11-03T20:37:00.002-05:00

Early Voting - The Halloween Edition

2008-11-01T22:42:00.009-04:00

As some of you know, I voted on Halloween. This is the candy that was meant for the trick-or-treaters who never arrived at my door.

Anyway, I made my way to the courthouse around 2:00,

home of the County Clerk's office and the only place to vote early in-person in the county.

There were exactly two voting machines. I had the pleasure of waiting 1 1/2 hours. This is 1/4 of the line.

I would have taken more pictures, but I got a little embarrassed when everyone turned as the flash went off. The wait was a pain. I brought reading material since I had been warned before I went. As it turned out, I didn't read because it was so overly warm that I had to use my book to fan myself.

But, as bad as the wait was for me, it was much worse for several elderly people who came in to vote. As you might imagine, they couldn't stand for that long - at least not in anything remotely like comfort. There were a couple benches and chairs in the hallways, but they didn't span the entirety of the line. As it turned out, people in line were very kind and held their places, calling them closer when their place in line was near another place to sit. I was really upset that there wasn't some sort of on-site accommodations for these visibly frail people. I don't blame the people at the Clerk's office - they had their hands full and were doing their best to keep things moving smoothly. It just upset me. I'm glad that people who came to vote were kind even as they were frustrated by the wait and the heat.

It actually had its funny moments. If you didn't already know, in Indiana voters have to show a government photo I.D to vote. So of course we were making voter fraud jokes while waiting in line. You know, saying that since it is Halloween that maybe we should have dressed up like Mickey Mouse to vote. I suppose you had to be bored and overheated to find that funny, but it made the experience a little more tolerable.

Finally, a little after 3:30 I voted and was released from the courthouse.

InaDWriMo 2008

2008-10-31T23:52:00.003-04:00

I've decided to take part in InaDWriMo 2008, kindly sponsored by Dr. Brazen Hussy. I'll add a writing meter sometime soon - I haven't decided which one I like best.

So, my lofty academic writing goal for the month of November: 20,000 words.

It doesn't all have to be pretty, but it has to be done. This might be a little crazy, but I have a dissertation to finish, a conference paper to write, and several conference proposals to write.

And They Called It Puppy Love

2008-10-29T23:27:00.006-04:00

Earlier today, I had to provide a little on-site tech support for my dad. This meant a dad-cooked dinner! (Curried pork chops and assorted veggies, if you're curious)

This also meant that I had time between tech support and dinner to cuddle Chewie!!!

Yes, I really am one of the palest people on the planet.

He did have a couple of playful moments.

nom nom nom nom

Back In The Good Old Days

2008-10-29T10:24:00.000-04:00

Santa would gladly help you light your cigarette!

Has Anyone Out There Ever Actually Tried This?

2008-10-27T21:12:00.002-04:00

I came across this advertisement in the antique shop the other day. I know this stuff is still produced, but I've never had the opportunity to try it. Actually, I don't know if I have the nerve to try it, but I am curious.

So, has anyone out there actually tried it?

Seven Random Things About Me

2008-10-26T12:43:00.004-04:00

Maude tagged me for this little meme.

The Rules:

Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog - some random, some weird.
Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

I'm too lazy to leave comments, but here are the tagged individuals: Breena, The History Enthusiast, The Rebel Lettriste, Anastasia, Seeking Solace, Elle, and Kate.

1. In high school I was voted most likely to join the criminal underground. Be very frightened.

2. I really like even numbers. As you might expect, the rules of this meme annoy me a teeny tiny bit.

3. I prefer cool/cold temperatures. Nighttime temperatures should be under 65 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal sleep conditions. Cooler is better.

4. I love watching storms.

5. My first memory is this: sitting on a tractor seat, watching my parents working in the garden, and thinking that I'd like to be a witch.

6. I'm a compulsive re-reader. I could have read many more books through the years if I hadn't read so many books so many times.

7. Despite the many pictures of Chewie that you've seen on this blog, you might be surprised to know that I actually prefer cats.

Fairy Tale FAIL!

2008-10-24T10:01:00.000-04:00

I spent a little time with my niece yesterday afternoon while she was working on her homework (I was her ride to soccer practice later that day). She finished her math homework quickly, and then mentioned her displeasure with her composition homework. Well, primarily she was annoyed because she has it every night, but that's a different issue. Anyway, I asked her about the assignment.

Here's the assignment: Students are to list connections between fairy tales and themselves. Then, they are to take one of the connections/ideas and write a story. This is a repeat journal assignment.

Sounds fun for an assignment, right? Well, for the most part she really was having fun with it. The problem was that she didn't seem to know very many fairy tales. Now, I don't expect anyone to be a freak like I was as a kid. I read and somewhat obsessively re-read the the collections of Grimm's and Andersen's fairy tales that we had at the house. Now, this limited the scope and breadth of my knowledge, but I still knew a lot of fairy tales. Somehow I didn't remember to inculcate this love of fairy tales with my niece and nephew.

Yes, the FAIL is mine. Still, I was surprised at some of the stories she didn't know. They include*:

The Pied Piper
The Frog Prince
Bluebeard (ok, maybe that's not to be expected considering the content)
Thumbelina
The Snow Queen
The Little Match Seller
The Red Shoes
Baba Yaga
anything from 1001 Nights

And of course there were others that I know and love that aren't as common - I wouldn't expect people to know them. But the one's I listed aren't that uncommon. They are also fairly euro-centric (although even then not all that diverse).

Now, I haven't seen the lesson plans and the written assignment, so I don't know the specifics of the assignment. However, from what I can tell students aren't being taught fairy tales in class. This is expected content knowledge. I don't think that's fair. Not because of the scope of my niece's knowledge of fairy tales, but because I get the feeling that students are expected to have this fairly culturally specific knowledge. And it did sound as if the focus was fairly focused on European tales. I've read too much research about how such assumptions affects student performance and teachers' perceptions of that performance. It isn't pretty.

On the plus side, she seems interested in fairy tales now and wants to read some. It probably didn't hurt when I emphasized some of the grisly and unpleasant aspects of these stories. Mentioning that Snow White's stepmother wanted to eat Snow White's heart suddenly makes the story more appealing. What can I say, I understand the middle school mind. Of course, this is the type of thing that seems to horrify my college-age students. I've managed to "ruin" their memories about beloved childhood stories (stories that were corrupted by Disney, in my opinion) while demonstrating that it isn't all light and fun, and some of them really aren't all that romantic. If I really want to have fun with them, I mention possible psychoanalytic interpretations of the stories or mention some of the lewder folk versions of the tales.

If you're interested, my niece ended up writing something related to the connection she made between Jack And The Beanstalk and her uncle/my brother who is very tall (i.e., the giant). She managed to write in a section about his "love" of Hello Kitty! This is particularly funny because her teacher was also one of his teachers, and she remembers him well (6 foot tall 12 year olds stand out). I don't know how the story turns out because we had to head to soccer practice.

* I should note that I wasn't doing her homework for her. I simply listed the names of fairy tales. If she didn't know them, they were not used (even if I did give a quick plot summary when asked).

Visual Metonymy

2008-10-21T18:40:00.002-04:00

In all honesty, I would have found this funny with the name of any politician on the sign.

Danger!

2008-10-20T22:49:00.005-04:00

A couple concerned folks around here (in the non-pixelated part of my life) expressed concern about my walk routes after seeing some of the pictures I took and posted on flickr. "That road is dangerous!" "There's no sidewalk!" Things like that.

The roads are narrow and winding, and it's true that there aren't sidewalks (see exhibits A & B).

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

For the record, I don't own an mp3 player so I'm not plugged in to anything (technically, my cellphone can work as one but I never bought a larger memory card). I take my cellphone with me but I don't use it. I like hearing the world around me. I also like hearing when cars are coming.

I could be over-reading the situation, but I think the comments (from these people) actually have more to do with the fact that I'm female walking on my own in a semi-countrified area. I suspect these particular people wouldn't say much about it if I had other people with me, or at least a big vicious-looking dog.

I should note that the concerned parties were not members of my family. They trust me to be able to take care of myself and not do anything stupid (like, say, taking these walks at 2 am or something like that). The family also knows that, unlike my brother, I have a decent sense of direction and won't get lost. Seriously, he got lost driving home from college. On his final trip after four years of driving that same route. Yeah.

I think tomorrow's walk might take me to another lake. I've also been thinking about doing some of the trails at the state park nearby, but I don't want to pay to get in. I should go while the weather is still decent. Maybe I will soon, but tomorrow will be a free walk.

Lessons From Today's Walk

2008-10-18T21:56:00.003-04:00

There are parrots in Indiana.

I suspect that this qualifies as an invasive species.

Donuts and coney dogs, all at one location!

Hark! A public telephone!!

What? I can really buy propane ice cream? Tasty!

Have I Mentioned That I Love Fall?

2008-10-16T22:03:00.003-04:00

Here are some scenes from my walk this afternoon.

About Three Inches

2008-10-15T18:14:00.003-04:00

The hair is freshly cut!

Then it was wind-tossed and rained upon.

Time To Be A Follower

2008-10-13T01:50:00.002-04:00

Since everyone else is doing it....

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are an Ingrid!

You are an Ingrid -- "I am unique"

Ingrids have sensitive feelings and are warm and perceptive.

How to Get Along with Me

* Give me plenty of compliments. They mean a lot to me.

* Be a supportive friend or partner. Help me to learn to love and value myself.

* Respect me for my special gifts of intuition and vision.

* Though I don't always want to be cheered up when I'm feeling melancholy, I sometimes like to have someone lighten me up a little.

* Don't tell me I'm too sensitive or that I'm overreacting!

What I Like About Being an Ingrid

* my ability to find meaning in life and to experience feeling at a deep level

* my ability to establish warm connections with people

* admiring what is noble, truthful, and beautiful in life

* my creativity, intuition, and sense of humor

* being unique and being seen as unique by others

* having aesthetic sensibilities

* being able to easily pick up the feelings of people around me

What's Hard About Being an Ingrid

* experiencing dark moods of emptiness and despair

* feelings of self-hatred and shame; believing I don't deserve to be loved

* feeling guilty when I disappoint people

* feeling hurt or attacked when someone misundertands me

* expecting too much from myself and life

* fearing being abandoned

* obsessing over resentments

* longing for what I don't have

Ingrids as Children Often

* have active imaginations: play creatively alone or organize playmates in original games

* are very sensitive

* feel that they don't fit in

* believe they are missing something that other people have

* attach themselves to idealized teachers, heroes, artists, etc.

* become antiauthoritarian or rebellious when criticized or not understood

* feel lonely or abandoned (perhaps as a result of a death or their parents' divorce)

Ingrids as Parents

* help their children become who they really are

* support their children's creativity and originality

* are good at helping their children get in touch with their feelings

* are sometimes overly critical or overly protective

* are usually very good with children if not too self-absorbed

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy