Xoloitzquintle

Review

2011-07-05T16:50:00.001-04:00

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Interesting read and set up. The power of the book is that it made me want to learn more about Trotsky, Rivera, and Kahlo. It didn't draw me in during the second part of the book where it engages the issue of the Red Scare and witch hunt. The ending was hokey and predictable.

View all my reviews

Politics

2011-06-25T10:49:00.001-04:00

It's been a couple of busy days around me in the political field.

There is a stark contrast between the state I live in (NY) and the state I work in (NJ).

Getting screwed twice
As if not getting promoted weren't enough, the state of New Jersey has moved to stick it to me (and all state workers). The legislature, both controlled by so-called-Democrats, voted to support a plan by Republican governor Christie, to cut state worker benefits, especially health and pension, and deny our right to collective bargaining. Of course this comes at the very moment that many of the unions are in the process of negotiating their contract renewals.

I attended a rally two days ago in Trenton to protest these changes. It was an interesting experience, although it was hot and extremely muggy. It was my first collective action as a member of a union. There was a lot of noise, a lot of rhetoric, and a lot of people. I was sorely disappointed that only a couple of my colleagues from the college went. A few I knew had legitimate reasons for not being there, but some just do not prioritize fighting for their rights. It's easy to let others do the fighting for you. I know because I have been guilty of that before.

Sara asked whether the rally made any difference. The rally didn't change the outcome. The bill passed and our future, both in terms of our well-being (income, benefits, etc.) and our rights, looks glum. However, the rally might hold hope if it catalyzes action. Will it motivate people to go vote? Will those Democrats that sold the unions out be challenged in the next election? Will the ones that voted against the bill be supported and given the resources to continue the fight?

In this sense, I feel somewhat impotent in the matter because I am not a resident of New Jersey and I cannot directly participate in the electoral system. I am also happy that I do not live in a state where cronyism and corruptions are rampant and where the system allows politicians to hold to positions concurrently, such as mayor of city and a seat in the state legislature.

Those who claim that the bill is part of the "shared sacrifice" that the current economic conditions dictate must be had refuse to see the reality of the matter. This is not shared sacrifice, it is targeting a group of people, demonizing them through demagoguery, and extolling resources from them. Where is the "shared sacrifice" of those who are succeeding in, and probably because of, the economic conditions? Why is the state decreasing the taxes of those whose incomes have actually gone up - both individuals and corporations?

The result of what just happened in NJ is predictable: public services will get worse as resources for them go down, fewer employees will provide them, and those who do will be disgruntled. This will create animosity among the public who will blame the employees and think that they still get paid too much. Meanwhile, the promise that this action will help keep taxes in check or even lower them will go unfulfilled. The attack on public employees does not address the big issues of the state and hence the demand for revenue will continue to go up - meaning more taxes.

What, higher taxes for worse services? And who will get the blame? The pols? Those who have benefited from the reallocation of resources? No. It will be the beleaguered state employees. And the mantra that will follow is: privatize - which means those who will own the schools, the security forces, etc. will make more money.

Meanwhile those with the resources will not care that services are poor. They send their children to private schools, they live in gated communities with their own security service, they can afford to pay for their own healthcare.

The system is broke, though, and this is the only solution, they claim. Unions are only out for themselves and they never give up anything, they claim. The state had no other choice.

Wrong. Take a look just north to New York.

Civility, Compromise, and Making things Work
While the legislature and the governor in New Jersey were busy screwing state employees, events in New York illustrate that it need not be so. Governor Cuomo and the state worker unions acted like adults, negotiated, and came up with a compromise. The unions recognizes that there are financial constraints the state faces and was willing to give up raises, work days, and some benefits to help the state out while avoiding having any of their members lose their jobs.

There was no need for demagoguery and vilification. Collective bargaining rights went kept and were even effective in coming up with a tenable solution.

At the very same time, a deal was reached that recognizes the importance of public higher education and the need to fund it. There is a commitment to try to increase funding for it and at the very least a promise to not decrease the funding. This will allow schools to hire new faculty and have some stability. It is true that some of the burden is places on students by increasing tuition. The increases are modest - $300/year for 5 years - but they are also planned. This means students can plan for the increases they know are coming, rather than be hit by an increase that might have been bigger than they expected.

I know New York is not perfect and that there is enough corruption and cronyism to go around here too. It is, however, an example how things can proceed in a cooperative way where there is a respect for workers and public institutions. And when treated respectfully and their rights are not attacked, workers are willing to compromise for the benefit of all.

Oh, and yes, in the midst of all of this, New York was able to address a civil injustice that had gone on too long by allowing gays and lesbians to marry. Rather than call it gay marriage, I like to think of it as marriage equality because rather than giving homosexuals the right to marry, it is the end of denying them the right they always have had.

As far as how it impacts my own heterosexual marriage, it makes it better and stronger. Why? Because now it is no longer a privileged union that is restricted, but a right/rite that is shared by all.

Civility and respect. If only the politicians and some of the residents of state just south from here could learn that. Either that or if Ramapo and Mahwah (the town the college is in) could secede and join NY - it's right on the border and I think the only thing people would notice would be that you would have to pump your own gas at higher prices.

Appeal Denied.

2011-06-16T14:39:00.000-04:00

I received the letter today from the Provost.

No explanation.

I am considering my options. To fight or not?

Professional Roadblock

2011-06-02T19:17:00.000-04:00

My application for promotion was denied.

According to the letter from the president of the college, he could not nominate me to the board of trustees for promotion because of budgetary constraints.

This means that I am an assistant professor with tenure - if that make sense.

My response: sadness, anger, disappointment, disillusionment.

The process for promotion is that one puts together the application which is reviewed by the "unit personnel committee". Our college is broken down into schools (a whole other complex explanation is needed for that into which I do not wish to engage in at the moment) that are referred to as units. The committee makes a recommendation (strongly recommend, recommend, do not recommend) which is endorsed or not endorsed by all the faculty of the unit. The dean of the school reviews the application, the recommendation, and the endorsement and forwards the application to an all-college personnel committee for review. The all-college committee then makes its recommendation (with the three distinct levels as well). The application then goes to the Provost and then to the President. Ultimately, the President makes a decision whether to nominate the candidate to the board of trustees who usually vote to approve the President's nominations.

This long explanation is needed to try to understand where things went wrong. My unit personnel committee strongly recommended me for promotion, which was endorsed by the unit. The dean enthusiastically recommended me for promotion. It was at the all-college level where my application took a nose dive. That committee knew that there were five slots for promotion alloted by the administration. They ranked the applications and the top five were strongly recommended, all the rest deemed qualified were just recommended. They could also not recommend. I was only recommended.

The President gets all the recommendations, but he is to review all the applications and make a decision taking the committee's recommendation into consideration. He also has the ability to take other issues into consideration, such as seniority, programmatic need, and affirmative action, before making his nominations. He can also increase (or decrease) the number of slots available.

Problems occurred in the process:

The rules state that if the all-college committee's recommendation differs from the unit level's, the chair of the unit level committee and the dean of the school are to be notified.

Problem 1: They weren't.

Also the candidate has a right to appeal within 10 days of receiving the letter informing him/her of the committee's decision.

Problem 2: My letter was sent to the wrong address. The person who wrote the address on the envelope just put the wrong number on it. Moreover, the letter did not state that I had a right to appeal. In any case, I was not able to file an appeal.

It took some detective work to find out what my recourse was. I discovered that the President can consider appeals, so I contacted head of the union at the college, explained the situation, and stated that I wanted to file an appeal. She arranged for a meeting with the Provost (acting for the President who is away). I put together my appeal and presented it to her, followed up with a written letter.

Now I wait.

How did it come to this?

In putting together my appeal, I realized how strong my application is and how strongly my unit and dean supported me. In the three criteria under consideration, I did extremely well.

Teaching: If there is one thing I do well in this world, it is teaching. I am one of the best and most innovative teachers on that campus. My classes are always full, my reviews are outstanding, the anthropology minor more than doubled in size after I arrived. I work individually with students. I supervise internships.

Research: I have multiple research projects that are ongoing. It is true that my publishing record is not as strong as it could be, but in the context of the college it is on par with everyone else. I engage in innovative and applied research.

Service: I am extremely involved on campus. I work with student clubs, I advise honor societies, I am on numerous committees. I took a group of students to Guatemala during MY vacation.

Now, the process is completely transparent all the way up until the all-college committee. You receive feedback and information about your application and even have a chance to make minor changes. The all-college committee is a black box from which no information escapes. The ranking votes are secret. The criteria is supposed to be 40% teaching, 30% research, and 30% service to the college.

Something happened in that black box.

The message: they do not recognize my performance and efforts, they don't value what I do for the students and the college, and they don't understand what it is that I do.

What became even more irritating is that I heard that at least one person without tenure applied and was ranked above me. Yet another messed up thing about the college is the ability to apply for promotion at any point - without any negative consequence. I was strongly discouraged from doing so, but now I understand that I should have. If the rumor I heard is correct, one of the people without tenure started THIS YEAR. Given application were due in December, my question is how can the committee truly evaluate that candidate's teaching abilities and level of service after one semester? How productive could he (I heard it was a he) have been in those four months?

In any case, I am irritated at the black box and the people who operated in it. I am also irritated at the Provost and the President who just rubber stamped the recommendations from the committee. I am more irritated that they held firmly to the five slots for promotion. I have come to learn that 7 people were recommended in total: 5 strongly and 2 just recommended. They could have just as easily added to more promotions. What is the cost to the college relative to its overall expenses? Is alienating faculty really worth that much?

I met with my dean yesterday. I had been somewhat irritated with him for not being more assertive and pushing my case with the administration. He told me he was shocked and was left feeling somewhat naive from this. I came to see that he does recognize my efforts and my contributions. In ending, he stated that he hoped that this situation has not soured me towards to college.

My response was that unfortunately it has. I do feel a strong camaraderie towards the faculty in my unit and the colleagues in my department who have been extremely supportive. However, the other faculty and the administration have led me to feel like there is a lack of recognition of what I do and who I am. The college is moving away from the liberal arts and its stated mission of providing an international, intercultural, interdisciplinary, and experiential education. The professional programs are being expanded: business, communications, nursing - at the expense of the humanities and interdisciplinary social sciences.

Moreover, I am left to feel that institutional racism is alive and well. Who knows whether my last name, my research areas of migration and Latinos, my activism influenced the ranking? It could have. It might have. It still happens. What is clearer, though, is that my role as a Mexican/Latino scholar and educator is not being recognized. The fact that I mentor and advise Latino (and other students from under-represented groups), that I serve as a role model for them, and that I bring a different perspective to the classroom and to the college means nothing to them. So while I am sure they are quick to espouse that they think affirmative action is probably a good thing, they do not understand what that means. It is not promoting me because I am Mexican, but recognizing that as a Mexican I make unique contributions to the college that need to be recognized

There is a lot that needs to be fixed at my institution. Once this is over it will be on my agenda to at least try to address it - it may be beyond fixing. I have no right to complain, though, if I do not try.

But for now, I wait - and hope that my appeal is heard and acted on.

Time to Start (again)

2011-05-26T19:18:00.001-04:00

Life has been throwing all sorts of challenges my way.

Perhaps I need to come back to this venue as a place to vent. Perhaps it can be cathartic or therapeutic.

There are also some experiences I want to reflect on.

Time to start...

Refrigerators

2011-02-03T20:18:00.000-05:00

I don't know what it is about me and refrigerators, but they always seem to crap out on me. Maybe it is because everywhere I have lived has had an old crappy one.

Our current fridge came with the house when we bought it and it seems pretty old. I figured out what the problem is, but I think it is beyond my capabilities for repair (plus I don't have the equipment).

Getting a repair person would probably cost about $350, getting a cheap replacement would be about $600, getting a nicer one would be about $800, and getting a nice one would be about $1100. Problem being, we don't have any of it on hand. It doesn't seem worthwhile to get it repaired. But if we replace it, should we just get something cheap or should we aim for something better.

Ah, dilemmas.

And the joy of home-ownership.

Thoughts on Egypt

2011-01-29T23:02:00.005-05:00

In looking at pictures of the events in Egypt, I am struck by the absence of anti-Americanism. Maybe they are there, but just haven't been captured on film. However, I find this unlikely as the burning of American flags and effigies are usually what the media likes to seize on.

I find the absence of the anti-American rhetoric fascinating because:

- The US is a powerful symbol to rail against in any protest, but especially in the middle east
- The US provides copious amounts of assistance to the Egyptian government that the people are intent on bringing down

The only image I saw that had any reference to the US was some protesters pointing out that a tear gas canister had "made in the USA" written on it.

I guess sometimes it is not all about us.

It uneases me that the future of the country (and perhaps the region) hinges on the wisdom of a leader who has clearly lost touch with the world around him. Hopefully he will recognize that he must move on and that a peaceful transition of power can be achieved.

I'm not holding my breath.

Snow

2011-01-27T10:52:00.000-05:00

We were hit by yet another snow storm last night. According to news sources we are already at the 6th snowiest season since they began recording. I don't mind the snow too much. I much rather have snow than rain. I love how the landscape looks after a snowstorm. I like how the snow reflects light once the sun comes out, which compensates for the short winter days. It is fun to see the tracks of the various animals have treked across our yard. Not having to go to work is a mixed bag. It is nice staying home, but it also means having to catch up with material when we do get back to campus.

Then there is shoveling and clearing the snow. I also have mixed feelings about that. I enjoy getting out of the house and doing something physical in the fresh air. I like the peace in the area if I am out right after the snowfall: few cars, quietness, stillness. The type of snow that has fallen does make a difference. Light flaky snow is so easy to clear; I do not like if there is ice. The one thing I hate - the giant hard levy of snow/ice piled up at the end of our driveway from the plows clearing the street. It's such a chore to break through it.

As I was out shoveling the other day, the silence was broken by the roaring and grumbling of snow machines and riding mowers equipped with snow removal equipment. Then a big front loader came along to clear our neighbor's driveway. I stopped to take a break, which I need to do frequently given my pitiful level of fitness, and I looked around looking at the sources of the din. I was the only one out with a shovel and hence the only one taking a breather. If a neighbor threw a glance my way, I would offer them a wave to which they would wave back. Occasionally a neighbor might drive by perhaps on their way to restock their kitchen. Again waves might be exchanged. But no conversation.

Perhaps if others would be shoveling, they would take a break like me and be willing to exchange a word or two. If that were the case, maybe I would know my neighbors a little better. Is this another example of technology (snow machines) or wealth (paying someone else to clear the snow) isolating us socially?

For now I will continue to shovel on my own amid the buzz of others technology.

Sounds of Place

2011-01-18T23:19:00.000-05:00

Following is a comment I left on Oso's blog following a fascinating post on Mexico City:

This post brought back a lot of memories.

I find flying into Mexico City more fascinating than any other city. It is equally impressive during the day or night. It's not just the sheer size of the city - Sao Paulo is pretty impressive too - but the flight plan that takes you over most of the city as you arrive. Sometimes the descent into the thick layer of smog is both fascinating and revolting.

As to the sounds of the city, I remember that we knew the coming and goings of the neighborhood based on what we could hear. Because doorbells often didn't work, people would announce themselves based on a particular sound. There was the man who drove up on his loud motorcycle and yelled "Las tortillas!!!" You had only a few minutes to grab a few pesos and run outside to buy them before he zoomed off. The milkman had his own particular whistle. Then there were the camoteros, who would ride around on their hybrid bicycle/oven that would emit a particular whistle. Another biker would be the guy who would sharpen knives by propping up his bicycle and pedaling to spin the sharpening stone. He had a little bell he would ring on his handlebars to alert everyone that sharpening services were being offered. The mailman would just tap on our gate. Our neighbors' friends would have their specific whistles to announce that they were there for a visit. A few would yell out the specific person they wanted to see. Then there were car horns that differed in timbre and people had their unique rhythm of honking. And I can't leave out the music - people sang without inhibition and car radios shared the music with the rest of the neighborhood. However chaotic all this may seem, the cacophony was woven into a complex symphony of place. All this may now just exist in my nostalgic thoughts, but I have no doubt that they have been replaced by a more contemporary version.

As to exploring neighborhoods. I don't think you are alone in the city when it comes to finding your movements constrained to a few areas. Involved I do think the difficulty of movement (traffic in particular) in the city is part of it. But Mexico is also very segregated by class (and by fear). Another issue is that a lot of the places you list, there isn't much that would draw an outsider. For example, Naucalpan was right next to where I used to live, but there really isn't much there for you to really explore. Unless you like small industrial parks and warehouses. Obviously, if you know someone there, they can take you to that special taco stand or show you that small plaza where you can hang out. But otherwise, you are the guero who got lost or came to gawk at how the "others" live.

My suggestion, though, is to find specific places to visit in different parts of the city. For example, go to the Sonora market and get a limpia or a sobada. Go to la Villa and sit and watch the pilgrims. If you want to go to Naucalpan, go visit the Basilica de los Remedios where people with illnesses go to pray for cures (there is also a cool statue of St. George slaying the dragon/devil - I could see that statue from my childhood window). Or just ride the length of a metro line, getting off at every other station. An interesting illustration of segregation is if you go to the south of the city, go from Jardines del Pedregal to Cuidad Universitaria to Colonia Santo Domingo. Three completely different worlds within a few kilometers.

But the city extends way beyond the DF. I couldn't tell you what to see in Cd. Neza or Ecatepec or Santa Fe, for that matter.

In any case, have fun and thanks for the trip into my memories...

I spend enough time writing it, I thought I should post it here too. Why not?

Absent-mindedness and Mishaps

2011-01-16T11:51:00.000-05:00

We are back from our jungle and archaeological adventure in Mexico.

We didn't get as much sun as we would have liked and there were the occasional mishaps, but we did have a good time. We stayed at a interesting little eco-hotel (more like a b&b) in a little village tucked away in the jungle. We visited the Maya sites of Coba and Ek Balam, but skipped Chichen Itza. We also explored the small city of Valladolid, which is sleepy and a bit rough around the edges. It does have a cenonte right in town, with a restaurant overlooking it.

Of the mishaps, I shall share the last one. While in Valladolid, we bought two bottles of liquor: Xtabentun, the local drink made with anise and honey (this one had also been infused with coffee), and Kahlua. On the day we were flying back, I mindlessly put them in my carry-on backpack and not in my suitcase. I realized right after we checked our bags, that I couldn't get through security with them. I ran back to see if they could retrieve the suitcase, but they said no. The only option was to toss the bottles or check my backpack. They gave me a little box to try to pad the bottles in the backpack and I checked it, hoping for the best.

Our trip connected through Atlanta and we had to get our bags to clear customs. I thought if the bottles survived, I could repack them in the suitcase and take the backpack on the plane. As I picked up the backpack, I felt some moisture. The Kahlua bottle made it, but the Xtabentun bottle didn't. There was a wet, sticky, and pungent puddle inside the bag. I had to discard the broken bottle in the box - mind you this is just outside customs - and find a bathroom to dump the puddle from the backpack without looking too suspicious. After all of this, I packed the Kahlua bottle back in the backpack, covered the backpack with some plastic bags, and packed the whole sticky odorous mess in my suitcase. We cleared customs ok and rechecked the suitcase. Only then did I realize that my house keys were in my backpack. My worry was that if my bag got lost - not beyond the possibility given the way the days events had gone - we would be locked out when we got home. I called the friend who was dog-sitting for us and asked her to leave a spare set of keys hidden somewhere outside.

In the end the suitcases made it. I did get a note inside my suitcase from TSA that they had opened and inspected it. They were probably wondering why it smelled like a wino. And the Kahlua bottle did survive!

I think in the future, Sara will have to pack for me.

New Year, Same Sh...

2011-01-01T18:09:00.000-05:00

Another year gone by, but not much has changed. I wish I could be optimistic about the upcoming year, but things still look grim.

It's ironic that I received tenure this past year, meaning that my job is fairly stable from here on out (not a certainty, though, with that nutty governor in New Jersey), yet my life seems so very unstable and uncertain. The stress of it all has been overwhelming and depressing. I am not sure where I am going here because I just don't want to vent and spew all the details.

Despite the personal financial crisis that is looming, I am taking a short trip to Mexico next week. Flying down on frequent flier miles and visiting on the cheap. It will be good to have a change of scenery and more sun and warmth. Is it the smartest thing to do? Probably not.

I am not sure why peace of mind and stability in my life continues to elude me. There have been poor choices and gambles that have not paid off along the way, but there has also been a lot of bad luck. I am not sure why.

So here I go, trying to survive, trying to keep my head above water, struggling to overcome the stress and the worry.

Happy (?) New Year...

Good News - No Party

2010-10-06T21:40:00.000-04:00

Today I received two bits of good news. The all-college tenure committee voted to recommend my tenure. That was the last major obstacle. Now it goes to the college's president and board of trustees for final approval, which is just a rubber stamp. I also got word from a journal that they accepted an article I submitted for publication.

I am not celebrating, though. Sara is in Berlin this week at a History of Science workshop. Moreover, I have been feeling down recently. Our finances are a mess and Sara is still looking for work with no real prospects. The stress of it all has been crushing me. Add to it the dismal weather and days that are getting shorter and it all makes for a nasty cocktail of the blues.

That's all for now.

The Birthday Myth

2010-09-24T16:52:00.000-04:00

Somewhere in my youth, along with the Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, the tooth mouse (Mexican version of the tooth fairy), and other lies parents tell their children, the birthday myth was ingrained in my mind. The myth that there is one day a year when you are celebrated, a special day when people stop to remember you and things go your way. It always seemed that birthdays worked liked that for others. But I seemed to be missing out. Like the eternal Cubs fan, though, I always thought that this "could" be the year that the myth would pan out for me. And every year, not only was I disappointed, but it seemed like bad things tended to happen. My earliest recollection was my fourth year birthday party when my party was held in an old-fashioned style ice-cream shop in Mexico. As is the case in many eating establishments, the staff gathered around to sing and make a fuss. Except at this place, they would offer you a bit of cake by holding it up for you to bite, but when you went to take the bite, they would smash it in your face. As a four-year old, I didn't quite enjoy that. I remember sitting under the table crying with cake all over my face.

I won't sit here and reminisce about all the unfortunate incidents that have happened since, suffice it to say that there seemed to be a recurring theme. Over time, I came to distance myself from the concept of my birthday as a time to celebrate. However, that birthday myth continued to covertly live on deep inside my psyche and a part of me continues to long for it. Of course, the negativity I associate with this one day and the absence of having the myth play out for me intertwines with the other demons in my head to create a festival of self-deprecation. It runs ramshackle over any logic my intellect puts forth - why should this day be any different? It's just another day. The world moves on just like it did yesterday, just like it will tomorrow. But somewhere inside this aging 40 year old body (and mind), there is still a child longing for the attention, wanting to be celebrated, and hoping that no one will smash cake in his face.

Yet here I sit at home alone, moping. The day is almost over and I will have another year before I go through the same set of emotions again.

But 40 - wow. My youth is gone. Oh well...

Old Fart

2010-09-23T19:46:00.000-04:00

Today is my last day as a thirty something.

Poop.

Viva Mexico!

2010-09-15T20:48:00.001-04:00

Tonight marks the start of the Mexican Independence bicentennial. It also corresponds with the centennial of the Mexican Revolution. It seems that every 100 years Mexico faces social and political upheaval. So here we go again...

I have been following with dismay the violence that has gripped my home country over the past few years. I was struck with the fear that underlies people's lives when I was there visiting my family. Private guards with automatic weapons, barricades, walls, and general paranoia dominated the landscape. The government has launched offensives against the drug cartels and has tried to purge its ranks to eliminate corrupt officials. But the violence continues to escalate.

I realize that the violence is not widespread, that the media profits by sensationalizing it. Nonetheless, the crimes committed are stupefying. The killings, the disregard for life, and the lack of compassion are discouraging.

What has become of my country?

Violence has been part of its history, so in some ways what is occurring now is nothing new. The Revolution created anarchy throughout the country a hundred years ago. Political repression is part of the historical fabric of the nation. But the recent, albeit slow and uneven, economic and political progress offered glimpses of optimism that Mexico could move on and overcome its skeletons. Such hope has been eclipsed, at least for now. While it is not dead, a major struggle lays ahead.

But why? Why is Mexico, a country of such kind and friendly people, engulfed in such a nightmare?

This is the eternal question. In my eyes, it is a natural consequence of prolonged inequality, both economic and political. Inequality destroys civic society. The blatant disparities that exist in Mexico, while almost invisible to those living there does affect the psyche of people. Blatant wealth and development that provides riches to a few and toil to the many, while the political system stifles voices of dissent, creates an atmosphere of discontent. In such a system, corruption becomes a vehicle for public officials to eat at the table of the haves. Graft by government workers corrodes the public trust and civic participation dies.

In such a place, the lure of quick success, a ticket to wealth regardless of the path becomes very tempting. If morality has been lost in the rest of society, what is the benefit of adhering to it. Loyalties switch, sometimes bought with tangible benefits. In the absence of civil morality and staunch group loyalties, violence becomes the only viable tool. As the violence escalates, vengeance is inevitable. Tit-for-tat, an eye for an eye, into an unending cycle of horrors. All the while, the wealth (and the arms) continues to flow, providing the incentive (bait?) for new recruits, new foot soldiers to carry on the fight and pawns to be sacrificed in the war.

So where is Mexico going? I do not know...

The path out is one that seems untenable at the moment. It would require legalization of drugs and tighter control over weapons in the US, a controlled but free movement of labor between Mexico and the US, and a civic awakening among Mexican citizens. Legalization of drugs would reduce the profits and wealth of the cartels. It would make the recruitment of participants more difficult. Weapon control would make it more difficult for the cartels to arm themselves. Free movement of labor would end human smuggling, would allow for a better flow of wealth from the US to Mexico that would stimulate the Mexican economy and promote entrepreneurship. None of this is likely to happen, though.

So all that is left is civic participation. There have been glimpses of this already. I do not know if on its own it can succeed. Never underestimate the will of determined people, especially Mexicans. It takes a strong will to make the way into a country that is determined to keep you out, to work in the field, to be abused and denigrated, and to continue to smile through all of this.

For now, Mexico will celebrate. Perhaps forget its problems for a day or two. It is a time to be proud, to remember our history. But it is a time to draw strength for the struggles that lay ahead, a time to reconnect with neighbors, to see that there is hope to overcome the violence that lies in wait.

Happy Birthday, Mexico! Hopefully 100 years from now you will be able to celebrate in peace.

Torture

2010-09-13T13:56:00.000-04:00

Sitting in my office during office hours just after lunch, I realize that I have a piece of food stuck between my teeth (in between two molars). Slowly it starts to aggravate me more and more. I try using my tongue to push it out, but it only serves to irritate me more and more. Using my fingernail doesn't work either. Finally, I march over to the bookstore to see if they have floss. They do, but there is the rush of people still buying books so the line is really long. I leave and try buying some gum from the vending machine in the hope that it might stick to the food and pry it out. No, it does not. I find a piece of string and try it in lieu of floss. Not only does it not work, it breaks and now I have food and string stuck in between my teeth. I head back to the book store, grab the floss, and make my way to the back of the long, long line. I cannot deny that thoughts of slipping the floss into my pocket and walking out crossed my mind. The food, the string, and the blaring hip-hop music all conspire to annoy me more and more. In line, I glace at my watch and the time before my class starts is getting shorter and shorter. I finally make it to the register and the person says "No cash". Not a problem - I put the $2 floss on my credit card and rush back to my office.

I cut open the package the floss is in, draw the string of floss out, wrap it taught around my two fingers and plunge it deep between my teeth. With a swift swoosh the food and the string are pried out. I feel liberated. Now it is time to go to class.

Tomato Jungle

2010-09-09T19:00:00.000-04:00

Our tomato patch has gone wild. Even the plant that got crushed when I dropped an air-conditioner from the second story window.

In the tangle there are a plethora of hidden tomatoes that escape the picking. Many fall and roll into oblivion where they are forgotten until they begin to ferment. As I was picking some of them today, I became intoxicated with the aroma of tomato brew. Who knew?

We have different varieties of tomatoes, including some tiny micro ones which are about the size of a pea. Despite their minuscule size, they are packed with flavor. As I popped one in my mouth, I began to think, "Wouldn't it be cool if it also had a punch of spice? Just like red-hot candies." My stream on thought went on to ponder why hasn't anybody created a spicy tomato. Tomatoes and chiles are both nightshades - it seems like with the miracle of science the two could be hybridized.

That's what I want - a spicy tomato.

Issues

2010-09-07T19:03:00.000-04:00

Things haven't been too cheery in the Xolo household.

Due to circumstances that I shan't go into here, I find myself very stressed and anxious. It is distressing when the preoccupation swallows you completely and there is little respite. My stomach hurts and I am sure it is from the worry. Not good, not good.

Classes have started and all three of mine seem promising. Good vibes from the students.

I look with alarm what is going on in this country and if my mind weren't elsewhere I would be concerned as well. The latest: a pastor in Florida wants to have a Qur'an burning. Ironic, isn't it, that those who would be the first to oppose the building of an Islamic center in southern Manhattan and deny the first amendment rights of those people are the first to take advantage of their first amendment rights to engage in book burning. The hypocrisy...

It looks like Congress is going to go from bad to worse in November. Ah people with their short-term ADD memories.

So I am off to deal with my own demons for now. Who knows when things will become more serene? I don't see it in the horizon - alas.

NFNY

2010-09-01T21:50:00.000-04:00

New York City is not fun when the temperature is 100 degrees.

I feel bad for the tennis players playing in the US Open.

I really feel for sanitation workers. I can't think of a more thankless job. Having to deal with fermenting trash in this weather is torture.

Tomorrow is the first day of class for me. One class in the morning and one in the afternoon.

I am going to wing it.

Meetings

2010-08-31T23:10:00.001-04:00

I had a day full of meetings. A great way to start a new academic year.

On the bright side they were much more streamlined and productive this time as compared to times past.

I am slowly becoming aware (or being reminded) of how busy I am going to be this semester. That's on top of teaching classes.

Tomorrow there are more meetings...and a drive into the city (not for anything fun).

And did I mention it was hot. It's pretty awful. I am hoping it is summer's last hurrah. Although we might get grazed by Hurricane Earl on Friday/Saturday. Events like that used to excite me, at least a little. Now that I am a home owner - not so much. I tend to be much too aware of the swaying trees and falling branches. Unfortunately, a couple of our trees are what you would consider "weed trees" - meaning they grow randomly and really fast (not that you could get high off of them). This also means they are not very sturdy and tend to have branches - sometimes very large branches - break off.

I don't think Earl will come close enough to cause concern. There are plenty of other things to worry about.

College Life

2010-08-30T13:57:00.000-04:00

Campus is coming back to life - reawakening from its summer slumber. Voices are reemerging in the hallways along with footsteps and activity. Bodies float across the quad more frequently.

As I arrived today, I saw parents helping students carry, wheel, schlep, lug, and drag their belongings to their dorm rooms. I remember when...

I remember when it was me moving on to campus. The anticipation, the nervousness, the excitement, the relief. Summer was over and I knew that a grueling experience of challenging my mind and taxing my stamina laid ahead. But I was eager to reconnect with my friends (of course, there was the excitement of meeting new people the first year) and to hear about their adventures. There was always the need to get so much done those first few days. We had to register for classes. No internet back then, so we had to go to a room and sign up for classes. There were different time slots according to year, but otherwise it was first in line, first in class. I learned that there was always a crowd when it first opened in the morning, but when those people got through it was fairly empty until about noon when the crowd lingered until registration closed.

It was also important to find the perfect time to go to the bookstore for your books; otherwise you would be bumping into everyone and waiting hours in line. There was always the shock of how much the books cost and the debate whether to buy them used to only save a few dollars. I hated used books. I found people would highlight and markup the wrong sections - and that would be terribly distracting. Why would someone highlight that?

The best part would be the late nights, hanging out in a lounge or outside on campus somewhere. Reestablishing the connection to your fellow students, your collegiate kin. Retelling experiences, lamenting hardship, overcoming disappointment, and reading ourselves for the upcoming challenge.

I never did work as hard as I could have in college, but I did work hard - most of the time.

As I watch the students today I reminisce and in doing so share some of their emotion. But some of their experiences were obviously unthinkable to me way back then. In particular the constant contact they have with everyone else. Cell phones, computers, the internet. How has that changed their experiences? There is no catching up because everyone knows what everyone else is doing from their facebook updates. They don't need to hunt down their friends on campus because they just call them up and ask them where they are.

But the anticipation, the nervousness, the dreariness, the excitement, the dread, and the preparation for the new semester is still there. As their professor, I know what awaits them - at least in my classes. How will they respond? That's up to them. Their response is important, though. It will set the dynamic for the semester, which in turn will determine the nature of the class. I'm bringing my experience and my nerdy enthusiasm...and yes, my nostalgia...which emotions and experiences will they bring?

We'll see....

Random

2010-08-29T20:39:00.000-04:00

I feel like posting something, but I don't know what.

I am feeling glum. I mope.

I would like some stability in my life. What would it take?

Stupid question.

It's hot again. I don't like it. The heat is going to stick around as if to taunt me.

I am starting to think about my courses. I should try to be creative. Make my classes different.

I am up for tenure this semester - although it won't go into effect until a year from next semester. I still need to apply for promotion by December. That's a separate decision, but it would also go into effect next year. Those are big hurdles that once passed will bring a sense of tranquility - at least professionally.

Then I can go crazy with creativity in my classes. The mad eccentric professor...haha.

I am disillusioned with this country. The level of ignorance and stupidity among some people is truly discouraging.

So it goes...

Last Day of Summer (Break)

2010-08-29T14:51:00.000-04:00

Summer is over.

At least summer break is over. Classes start on Wednesday, but my first class is on Thursday. Until then, my week is full of meetings and other work related tasks and events.

It will be nice to get back to a rhythm - summer's lack of structure can be hard to deal with. I have high hopes as to what will get done during the summer months, but it never pans out.

I am also looking forward to cooler weather. This has been a hot summer. And humid - something I don't do well with. The uncomfortable climate can be a great excuse for the lack of productivity. It always is: heat, cold, grey, rain, or whatever happens to be overhead that day...always a distraction.

A return to getting paid will be good too. It has been a very difficult summer financially, trying to make ends meet. Our system of not getting paid during July and August is nuts. I know I should plan ahead and save up, but it never seems to work out. This year I need to be better about that.

Stress has been abundant this summer. I don't think it will go away, but at least I will be busy to keep my mind off of it.

Back in Black

2010-08-25T16:10:00.002-04:00

Back in Black

Well...not really in black.

The world has moved on, the online community fizzled, so there is some mourning to be had.

But here I am, to try to resurrect this depository of ideas that has languished for so long. I need a spark, a catalyst to try to move my "real" writing ahead. I need to take that mess I wrote six years ago that is commonly known as a dissertation and turn it into something more readable, something that someone would actually want to publish.

And yes, there is always complaining to be had. I need a venue for that too.

How far will this endeavor go? Is this a twitch on a corpse that is beyond resuscitation? Or is there new life in this pseudo space? I know more likely than not, this will be a soliloquy; a lone voice in an empty room, theater, arena...

But this exercise is not for others...

If someone wants to converse, great. But if I just rattle off to myself, so be it.

So carry on...

2010-01-22T09:39:00.000-05:00

Facebook killed my blog...Boo.

2009-04-13T23:32:00.000-04:00

2009-01-20T14:59:00.003-05:00

America Turns a New Leaf

From the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. It's spot on.

2009-01-01T00:36:00.000-05:00

Oh crap...

It's 2009.

Happy New Year!

2008-12-27T12:57:00.003-05:00

Public Service Announcement

[The following is prompted by some of the answers on the final exam in one of my classes where students could earn extra credit by identifying the capitals of several countries]

The capital of Mexico is not:

Tijuana
Cancun
Margaritaville

It's Mexico City (or Ciudad de Mexico, D.F.).

Thank you for your attention.

2008-12-19T22:13:00.002-05:00

Snowed In

Today was supposed to be a productive day.

I was supposed to go into the college, grade, collect papers, and get organized.

The weather had other plans.

It became a mellow day at home. Not very productive, but I didn't mind.

I am looking forward to tomorrow. I plan on walking around and taking some pictures in the snow.

2008-12-16T21:23:00.003-05:00

Avoiding Responsibilities

This semester I quickly fell behind with my grading. Once papers start piling up, it becomes more and more difficult to make the pile shrink.

I intended to grade today - I did manage to be productive yesterday - but it just didn't happen. I didn't even look at a single paper. In some ways, it is better for the students. If I am not focused, I am more irritated. The more irritated I am, the harsher grader I become.

Of course, there is no guarantee that I will be feeling more focused or more charitable tomorrow or the day after. Well, tomorrow I probably won't as I have an exam to give at 8:30 and then I have meetings.

I enabled my procrastination by watching the Charlie Brown Chirstmas special tonight. It had been ages since I watched the special. I had always liked Peanuts and the special (in particular the music). This time around I was amazed by the sophistication of the social commentary in the original special. Sara, who was also watching, turned to me at one point and commented, "This isn't really for kids, is it?" It is also amazing how relevant it is even today's society (it originally aired in 1965).

Sara and I also joked about how all the Peanuts kids would be diagnosed with some disorder today and medicated in one way or another (or removed from their families and placed in foster care). I even think it could be a new holiday party game: diagnose the Peanut kid.

Oh, and the similarity between Snoopy and Zeus are uncanny. Except that Snoopy is afraid of cats...

2008-12-15T23:29:00.002-05:00

Sign of the Apocalypse?

It was 62 degrees today. And tomorrow we are supposed to get snow.

I am not complaining about the snow, but I wish the weather would make up its mind.

Today I spent most of my waking hours writing letters of recommendation (what goes around, comes around...it's payback for all of those I asked my profs to write) and grading (I am nearly done with one of my three classes).

Tomorrow I get interviewed by the NY Post. I guess I am one of those rare creatures that has bought a house in recent times. I may use this opportunity as leverage with a little accounting problem we have had with the bank that we got our mortgage through (more on that later).

Back

2008-12-13T20:08:00.005-05:00

The Return

Yes, I have been away. Away in the land of being grown up.

House ownership.

Long-term, permanent work.

Short-term consulting gigs.

Politcs and elections.

Unpleasant surprises.

Bills.

You know? Responsibilities.

I am not sure what to make of it all.

It has been a crazy set of months. The fall semester is done - only finals remain and a ton of grading.

I am looking forward to some down time. I need it. The dogs need it. The house needs it.

The house. It is a wonderful place. We were so fortunate on this front. There have been the quirks of owning a new home, but relative to many of the horror stories I have heard, we are doing well. There is still much left to do to make it fully home. There are still many boxes that need to be unpacked. The wonderful thing, though, is that when I unpack a box, I get to throw it away (yes, it goes into recycling). No longer do I need to save it for "the next move." It is such a wonderful feeling.

We are finally getting real furniture. We now have nice leather sectional for the living room, rather than a collection of rescued arm chairs and futons. I ventured out into the Black Friday madness to purchase a bedroom set that was a good buy during one of those early-bird specials. Being able to identify that the sales person was from Nigeria and asking him whether he was Ibo or Yoruba got me free delivery.

Slowly it is becoming ours.

It has been a hectic autumn and my writing - here and elsewhere - has taken a hit.

But I need to return to it - especially elsewhere, but my writing here can be my muse, I hope.

So grab some coffee and be prepared to indulge in my mindless rants, inane observations, and pointless stories. Maybe...

2008-08-15T20:08:00.001-04:00

Sold!

Finally! We own our home!

I am exhausted and a bit overwhelmed, but excited as what not.

There is a lot left ahead of us, but we control more of that. No more mystery bank decisions, secret new costs, and general uncertainty.

So this is what a whole lotta money gets you in the New York area.

We are so proud - I am giddy but ready to collapse!

2008-08-13T21:29:00.002-04:00

So -

...we are this close to being home owners.

Tomorrow we do the walk through and Friday is the closing.

Yikes.

Movers come next week, although we have until the end of the month to complete the move.

Things are moving along, but today I had a mild anxiety attack. I have been stressed, nervous, extremely worried, etc. before, but this was different. I suddenly felt shaky and extremely unsettled. It is so hard to describe. It was not triggered by anything in particular. I could not specify what the anxiety was about - it was just there. It lasted about five minutes and then it was gone. I was back to my usual levels of worry, stress, and anxiety.

I hope I never have one of those again.

I must say, that the two most unhealthy things I have done in my life are:

1. Write a dissertation.
2. Buy a house.

I guess the ends justify the results, but my body sure has paid a price for it.

It is going to be an intense couple of days...I hope I survive.

2008-08-06T22:41:00.003-04:00

Between Jobs

It's been a busy summer - working on two separate research projects.

Today I worked on both.

In between, however, I stopped to gaze on one of my favorite buildings.

Not for long.

Just enough time to think, wow.

2008-08-03T21:06:00.004-04:00

Nature Hike

Things have been rather chaotic - the house buying craziness, random jobs, trying to pack, organizing my new office at work.

I did take some time for a nature hike today with the dogs.

I would have liked to have taken more pictures, but it is hard when two dogs are yanking at you wanting to run into a field of poison ivy in search of critters. We did come across an interesting uprooted tree (that wonderful green all around it is poison ivy).

I was fascinated by the twists and knobs in the remains of the roots. It did not come out well, but I did see a creepy face outline in the shadows. Do you see it or is it my over-active imagination?

On the way home we walked past one of the most obscene intersections in Manhattan, which is only a few blocks from where our apartment is!

Over the next couple of weeks we hope to close on the house, pack, move, and stay at least partially sane. Wish us luck...

2008-07-18T17:15:00.002-04:00

Yet Another Blast from the Past

About six years ago, Sara and I were living in Bergamo, Italy, working hard on our dissertation research. On Sundays, either as a brief respite from our work or as part of our ethnographic experience (take your pick), we would engage in the Italian ritual of la passeggiata (the walk). I have written elsewhere how this is more than just exercise or walking off nonna's big Sunday meal, rather an important part of the construction of community (if you are interested in the academic take, email me and I can send you the text).

During these walks, you encounter every aspect of Italian life: families showering attention on the only child sitting in his designer stroller clad in the latest fashion, elederly being left on the sidewalk outside the gelateria as though they were the family dog, marginalized immigrants trying to push books, trinkets, or counterfit wears on passers by. In the squares of the city, you could find activists advocating for their cause or roaming musicians playing and selling their homemade CDs. In Bergamo, common sights were the wandering Incas playing Andean music on pan flutes and guitars and the tough biker playing new age music on his electric guitar amplified on the amp towed by his chopper.

Another entertaining sight was the capuchin friar who sang and crooned on a portable amplifier. He was a memorable fellow, rotund in his humble brown hooded habit, a long white breard flowing from his ginning face. His songs were not overtly relgious nor memorable. He didn't seem to be selling CDs, either. It just seemed like he liked to sing and share it with the world.

The yesterday, while half-heartedly watching Keith Olberman's Countdown while reading the paper I saw this:

It was him! No doubt about it. It seems like he has gotten a little edgier since we last saw him. It also appears that he has gotten more popular as well. You can see the Italian news coverage of one of the concerts (worth watching even if you don't understand Italian):

2008-07-09T17:31:00.002-04:00

Nostalgia Karma

Global nomads, that is what people who grow up moving from one place to another sometimes call themselves. They bounce around from culture to culture, never truly setting down any roots, but picking up local customs. I probably don't fit into that category because my bouncing around has happened later in life, but I grew up in an environment where a lot of the people I knew fit into that category. I definitely thought of myself as an outsider or at least different, even though part of my family was local. As such, I gravitated towards those who were also foreign - or at least different.

One of the struggles of global nomads, or whatever you may want to call them, is that your friends end up far away. Back in the day, the only way to keep in touch involved a pen, some paper, an envelope, and a stamp. I did write a lot of letters and got many in return. Some times you bonded more with people who were casual friends once you moved away, while some of your closest friends seemed not to have much to share through writing. Ultimately, the distance won and you had fewer and fewer people from your past in your life.

I am not sure what kind of nostalgic karma tsunami has rippled through the universe, but over the past couple of weeks it seems like many of the people who were part of my formative years in Mexico have all come together in a virtual collision in cyberspace. People who I have not communicated in 20 or more years are popping up on my screen. There are old neighbors and schoolmates who have all dispersed across the globe, each with their own adventure.

Most of the encounters have occurred on or have been facilitated by Facebook. It seems like there has been a flood of people from this period in my life joining the social site. The result has been a snowballing of contacts and reconnections. I've reached people who aren't on there through their siblings or other friends.

The researcher and anthropologist in me is fascinated by the process. But another part of me doesn't want to analyze it. It is such an adventure in curiosity learning about the paths people have taken and where they have led them: Australia, the Philippines, Israel, Canada, or all around the world just to end up back in Mexico. There is gross inquisitiveness to see how people look after all these years. Of course there is often less hair, more rotundness, the extra lines. But people generally look the same - and at times there are points of comparison (I probably look quite different now - I certainly am glad that my mother stopped dressing me. In all fairness, that was a school uniform). However, you can read the experience of life in people's faces. Experiences of having families, triumphs and disappointments, struggles and joys. I also reflect on how people may see me and my experiences - and even how I present myself to them, both through the Facebook page itself and through the words I share with them. Finally, it is curious what emotions that emerge when getting in touch with these people. The afinities, rivalries, respect, and other feelings that existed seem to reawaken to some degree, even after so many years.

So there have been brief messages bouncing all over the world, telling stories and giving updates. I do wonder if there will be a reconnecting and the possible recreation of a community that existed so long ago. Or will these messages bounce around for a while only to begin to fade once again once the curiosity factor wanes. I will be curious to see...

For now, it has been entertaining.

2008-06-23T21:15:00.001-04:00

In Desperate Need of Distraction

2008-06-22T20:44:00.005-04:00

The Blessings of Distraction

Today we were able to put all the chaos and craziness aside to celebrate Sara's birthday.

We headed to midtown and had some wonderful Indonesian food for lunch.

Picture borrowed from Amateur Gourmet

Then we let these silly chaps entertain us:

It was jolly good fun even though the seats in the theater were designed for people with very short legs.

To cap it off, we partook of a Sara tradition and had a wonderful slice of:

Junior's Cheesecake

I fear that tomorrow bodes a return to the craziness. A day off was sure nice, though.

2008-06-21T17:28:00.002-04:00

How to go Mad (or Die Trying) in about a Week...

Try to buy a house in that time period.

So yes, as I mentioned before, we decided to venture into the real estate market.

As of last week, we were still in the looking around phase. We made the bold move to start working with an agent and began to think about a more focused search.

First thing she did, was to send me off to some mortgage bankers to get pre-approved for a mortgage. And we made plans to see some houses with her on the weekend, including one house we had already seen and found much to our liking.

Due to some unforeseen circumstances, our agent had to cancel and reschedule for Tuesday. We were already in the area because we had made plans to have lunch with a friend of ours whose mother lives that way. So we made a trip to the house anyway, just to get a look at it from outside.

On Monday, I followed up with the mortgage people getting copies of all sorts of financial documents to them to try to get the coveted pre-approval.

One Tuesday, we finally met up with our agent to see a few houses including the one we liked. As we walked around, we decided that we really did love it. When we got home, though, we found out that it had an offer on it. That's when everything started going really crazy. I called the agent and she asked me what we wanted to do. I didn't know. I never have done this before.

"Help!" I requested.

She then explained that we needed to make our own offer quick, which required the pre-approval. I asked if we could meet the following day to go through our options and the steps we needed to take.

I then called mortgage guy to let him know we needed the pre-approval. He said he would work on it.

On Wednesday we met with our agent who had received the pre-approval (yay!) and we put in our offer. The seller's agent said they were going to get a third offer. So we expected to hear back the following day or maybe even Friday. After two days on edge and running on adrenaline, I thought we would have a few days to breathe and let things settle a bit.

No chance.

That evening our agent called saying that our offer was accepted. So then it was off to get a lawyer, contact the mortgage guy, and set up an inspection. Yesterday we had the inspection and everything looks great.

Now we need to actually get the mortgage. And something do cope with the repeated surges in adrenaline and the utter exhaustion of the past week.

Wish us luck - and sanity....

2008-06-11T22:02:00.004-04:00

Lecturing Made Easy - Now with two Updates!

I am teaching Food & Culture this summer. A trip to the grocery store makes the lecture on gendered food easy:

I wonder if the Barbie cereal comes with instructions: Pour in bowl, add milk, enjoy, excuse yourself, vomit. Repeat as necessary.

You gotta love the skulls and bones in the Indy cereal. Doesn't that teach our children that cannibalism is ok, though?

------------------------------

Update: On a more serious note, Sara quite rightly pointed out to me that a skull and bones also appears on poison:

Now if you think about it, small children might be apt to associate skulls and bones with a tasty, sugary treat and consume something toxic.

Maybe it is time to send off an email to Kellogg's.

------------------------------

Update II: Here is the message I sent to Kellogg's, Consumer Reports, and MSNBC:

I spotted your Indiana Jones cereal at my local supermarket. At first I found the skulls and bones in the cereal amusing. However, on deeper reflection, I am concerned about the similarity between the cereal and the skull and bones which is the universal symbol that denotes poison. A small child might be tempted to consume poison thinking they are getting the sweet treat they previously had in your cereal.

I hope this never happens, but I would urge you to consider recalling the cereal and changing the contents from skulls and bones to mini-treasure chests or something more innocuous.

We'll see if anything comes of it - probably not. I was tempted to suggest changing the skull and bones to mini Lost Arks or Holy Grails, but that would probably be too sacrilegious.

2008-06-04T14:17:00.002-04:00

I am at home in between my summer course and my summer "consulting" job. I am incredibly tired and could have used a nap. Instead I used most of my time writing a short note to a friend who posted the following status online:

...unbelievably upset Hillary won the popular vote & not the nomination.

I have not really been political here. However, I have followed the campaign very closely and I have pondered the process. I mainly have not written because I never felt like I had the time or energy to invest in the arduous process of verbalizing the complexity of my thoughts and opinions. So rather than do a superficial or half-assed job, I just left it alone.

My friend's comment just pushed me into writing to her because she is extremely intelligent, however, she was buying into a media promoted rhetorical line. I don't know how she will respond, but it was time I entered into the discussion. So here is my note...

M-
Just wanted to comment on your status. Before I start, I just want to disclose that I am supporting Obama. I was on the fence for a long time, though. And while I did vote for him in the NY primary, I was still quite amenable to either candidate. Recent behavior has soured me towards her, but more her campaign staff. I have always considered Terry McCauliffe a weasel, but that is beyond the point.

Don't fall for campaign rhetoric [propaganda?]. The truth of the matter is that you cannot count up the popular vote the way the primary is structured. Here is why:

1. Caucuses are not regular elections. Thus vote totals are often not even reported, rather they are estimated. However, if you are going to claim to count every vote, you can't ignore those votes.
2. If you are going to count popular votes, the votes need to be cast within a short time frame. There are people who would change their votes later down the line. That is why we have election day not election week or election month.
3. Michigan, which gets included in HRC count, was a mess. You can't honestly believe that no people in MI voted for Obama, Edwards, or any other. Write-in ballots were discarded.

I could go on. The point is that there are countless ways to count the popular vote so that whichever side you are on wins.

The system stinks - it is unclear and complicated. It is not democratic by any means. In fact, it is designed to give the establishment the upper hand. Ironically, before the primary campaign started, there were attempts to streamline and cleanup the system and it was HRC people that blocked that change (Harold Ickes in particular). Why? Because it seemed that the system favored them. They were the establishment. When she started to do poorly, they thought they could rely on the "super-delegates", and it was only when that started to fail, did they begin to advance the "popular vote" line.

Think about this, if HRC has such a strong popular backing, why is it that Obama has been able to greatly out-fund-raise her. More so when you see the bulk of his contributions coming from small donors (i.e. the popular vote).

It has been an ugly campaign and it really has shown the real problems in the system. I hope this pushes the party to change the primary process.

I do feel for Hillary and all her supporters. She has worked hard to get to this point and I can't imagine the disappointment and frustration to have come so close. We are way overdue for more women in leadership at all levels, including the presidency.

I hope you can put your disappointment and frustration into a broader context. Both candidates are advancing the same important issues that the Republicans are trying to minimize. The way the system was set has played its way through and we have a candidate. Trying to change that at this time will only be counter-productive to the broader goals.

I offer you this perspective, rather than think of the number of popular votes each side received, think of the number of total voters that have been engaged and mobilized for the whole party. If we think of ourselves as one group, one movement, one people, then not only will we win in November, but we can begin to address all the issues challenging our country.

Peace!

I hope I am not alone in my optimism. There is always a danger in being an optimist...

2008-06-02T22:03:00.002-04:00

My [Crappy] Day in Bullet Points

[Warning: lots of kvetching ahead]

My "wonderful" day started without Sara - she's in Texas.
Realized the fridge is kaput and that a good deal of our food in there needed to be thrown out.
Had to attend some pointless bureaucratic meetings at work - the admin is making us jump through some useless hoops (without really telling us which hoops we need to jump through).
Stopped to get a small fridge to try to salvage at least some of our food (and because our super will probably get to dealing with our fridge next year).
They didn't have the size I wanted. I could get a minuscule one or for $10 more, a large one. Opted for the larger one.
Drove home to quickly walk the dogs
Took the subway to the Upper West Side
Had part three of my root canal - still some pain, but managable
The endodontist decided to push on to try to finish since he didn't want to have to deal with trying to numb me up again.
Discovered that after sitting 2 hours with your mouth wide - I mean very wide - open your mandible muscles really start to hurt
Made my way back home, with my face in my lap (again)
Carried the fridge up to our apartment - kinda wishing I had opted for the smaller one
Unpacked the fridge and moved things around to find a spot for it
Cleaned out the old fridge salvaging a few things - happy that I did get the larger fridge so I could salvage more
Took out the spoiled food
Walked the dogs
Prepared for class tomorrow at 9 - ugh...

I don't think I will have trouble sleeping tonight. And I can hope that tomorrow won't be as bad as today!

2008-05-27T19:16:00.002-04:00

Teeth - The Sequel

I survived the second installment.

As I write this I am feeling the last drops of anesthetic slowly fade away from my lips to be replaced by the subtle throbbing of my gums and jaw.

Yes there was pain, but no suffering this time. I still needed countless injections, including several straight into the tooth. But we made progress...

Hopefully one more visit - then back to the dentist for a crown.

The amusing part of the day was the praise I got from the endodontist as I was leaving.

"You did really well today! We got most of it out."

What I heard was, "Now weren't you a brave little trooper today. I am so proud of you. Here's a lollipop. Don't forget to brush!"

Good thing I didn't get a lollipop. I could just imagine the sticky mess my slobber would have made in my lap on the subway as my face slid off the side of my cheek.

2008-05-26T19:48:00.002-04:00

Of Teeth and Pain

I have been fortunate in my life to have had good teeth and the wherewithal to take care of them. I never had braces and the only fillings I have had were preventative ones where there was a chance that a cavity might occur. Even when resources or time kept me from the dentist for long periods of time, dentists were always amazed on how little work needed to be done.

My mother had bad periodontal diseases when I was a teenager and had to have surgery on her gums. Witnessing that was incentive enough to maintain good oral hygiene: brushing and flossing.

My good fortunes came to an end a few months ago when one of my molars cracked and then chipped off a few days later. I went to the dentist and he filled in the missing part. He said he doubted I would need a root canal, but there was a possibility. There was a little pain, but it slowly went away.

Then I got fairly sick: an unidentifiable illness that started like strep, mutated to a head cold with intense sinus pressure, and ended with a cough. It took several weeks to shake it off, but I was left with swollen glands - and my tooth started to hurt. Not all the time - only when I chewed something hard or when exposed to something cold.

Back to the dentist I went and he informed me that I would probably need a root canal. As I sat in the chair pondering the procedure, he smiled and told me, "Don't look so glum. There are worse things in life than a root canal."

Hmmm.

The dentist referred me to endodontist, who he claimed was very good. I looked him up on line and he seemed to have quite an impressive academic and professional pedigree. Places like Harvard, Tufts, and Columbia were in his past. The guy probably knows his stuff, I though.

The night before I went, I talked to my mother who reassured me that root canals were not bad anymore. So I began to feel a little more relieved.

When I got to his office, I saw there were pictures of many celebrities adorning the walls: Meridith Viera, Barbara Walters, Keith Olberman, Bill Moyers, Lauren Bacall, Raquel Welch, George Pataki. All had personal notes thanking the endodontist for his attention, care, and professionalism. A common thread seemed to be "quick and painless".

The helped my anxiety slip away a little further.

Then he called me in. We discussed the problem and he did some diagnostic work.

Yep, I needed the root canal.

It would probably take several visits. Did I want to start then?

Sure - might as well.

He commented that he wished that all patience were as easy going and accommodating as I was. I felt pretty good. A talented dentist who was well trained and had already taken a liking to me.

Then the fun began...

You see, my body has a little problem. It reacts very slowly to most types of anesthetics - sometimes not at all. This can be handy when someone is trying to get you drunk. It isn't good when you are having some kind of surgical procedure with local anesthetic.

I informed the endodontist about this and he said he would give me some time to sit. He injected me several times and then left for a while. I did get a bit numb - slowly.

When he returned he decided to try working on the tooth.

"Don't be a martyr. Let me know if you feel pain," he instructed.

"AAAuuaaa..." I replied through the dental dam.

He began drilling. And it hurt. So I raised my hand and he stopped. He gave me a few more shots and we waited a while more.

We went through the procedure again and again we had to stop.

After several repetitions, I began to sense the frustration. I will deal with the pain, I thought. I need to get through this. So the next time he started to drill, my hand remained on my lap even though there was some pain. It was tolerable.

Then less so.

The endodontist talked through what he was doing, explaining that he wanted to open up the tooth so that it could drain.

I gripped the arms of the chair as the pain got worse. Lets get through this, I thought. It hurt, but I did not protest. Then suddenly....

POW!!!

The drill made the acquaintance of my nerve and it was not a happy encounter.

My body decided to take matters into its own hands and jerked away. Tears began to roll down my face and my heart was racing. There have been few times in my life that I have felt pain like that. And I hope there won't be any more.

The endodontist stopped and injected some anesthetic straight into my tooth. It didn't help too much. He drilled a little more, but then just worked on getting some of the pulp out and started filing out the canal.

Then it was over.

After he marveled about how much anesthetic he had given me, he told me that there was a big abscess in the tooth and that it had insulated the nerve from the anesthetic - compounding my slow reaction to it. But now he had opened it up and it began to drain. He prescribed some antibiotics and painkillers and told me to come back the following week.

Then came the other painful part. Even though I have dental insurance, it only covers about half of the cost. And yes, it is expensive.

I was anxious about the pain I would feel once the anesthetic did wear off. The tooth did not hurt too much, but my jaw felt like someone had hit it multiple times with a hammer. I was not sure whether it was the procedure or the innumerable anesthetic shots I got.

After a couple of days I was off the painkillers, but my jaw was still swollen. It remained so even when I went back the following week. The doctor decided that working on it would only aggravate the jaw more, so he gave me another week off.

I go back tomorrow.

I have been in a sense of denial about it. I keep realizing, oh yes, I need to go back tomorrow. He assured me last week that it would not be painful this time. He will have to excuse me if I am a bit skeptical this time around.

And oh yes, summer term also starts tomorrow...it should be a swell day.

2008-05-22T21:18:00.002-04:00

I think I am growing up.

The thought makes me shudder. But I think it is true.

Another semester has come to an end and the summer session is lying in wait ready to pounce on me on Tuesday. It will be four weeks of intensive teaching, but then I am done. Only to begin another summer job - this time as a freelance anthropologist. I'll be hanging out at a psychiatric institution. That is probably as much as I can say for now.

I have other research projects I will be working on too. And there is the book manuscript that is haunting me.

Moreover, we will be moving this summer. We are still not sure where, but certainly out of the city and out of this building. We may be purchasing a home. That thought is overwhelming and it leaves me a little stunned. It sure sounds so very grown up.

Although I am so very ready to leave this place, the thought of the actual process makes me oh so anxious.

To top things off, I have had an adventure with an endodontist trying to get a root canal. But that is a story for another day.

2008-05-16T17:32:00.002-04:00

Social Commentary

I can't wait until the sequel comes out featuring Linkedin, Twitter, and Goodreads.

2008-04-23T22:07:00.004-04:00

Reason #4 I am Ready to Move...

Exploding cars outside your building.

Pictures taken by and borrowed from Baratunde

Yesterday morning when I left my building to go to work, I noticed a bunch of fire trucks down the street and firemen scurrying about. There is a novelty toy factory next to our building and I thought there must have been some sort of incident there.

When I came home, I noticed that where the firemen had been congregating there were three charred cars, one of which (the Subaru) was being loaded on to a truck to be carried away. A woman, the owner, was taking pictures. Someone stopped and asked her what had happened and I stepped closer to eavesdrop.

The police believe that the middle car, the VW, was stolen (no plates) and then was dumped there and set on fire.

The fire then destroyed the two cars next to the VW and the leaking gas ran down the hill damaging the cars parked there.

Subaru woman was surprisingly composed, although I did notice a remaining sense of shock. She then pointed out that she had taken her son to the playground and that they had met another child with leukemia. That does tend to put things into perspective.

This is all very disturbing because I usually park right in that spot. I just had happened to have found a spot further up the hill the day before. I felt incredibly fortunate, but also extremely vulnerable. To think, I had been annoyed a few weeks ago because someone stole the antenna from out car.

I am also quite surprised that I did not hear the explosion at night. Our apartment is on the other side of the building and faces the busier and noisier street (which has made me more immune to loud noises). Moreover, I have been fairly sick recently and I was passed out from multiple medications. Nonetheless, I would have thought that something like that would have roused me from my slumber.

From what someone else told me that a few years back in the pre-gentrification days of the neighborhood, this type of thing was fairly common. Near where this occurred, we had seen a little shrine someone left on the sidewalk next to the building wall made up of flowers and candles. Apparently it is because someone torched a car there and there was a dead body in the car.

My eagerness to move has grown exponentially since yesterday morning.

Baratunde captured the events (night and following morning) and has been gracious to share it with the world:

2008-04-01T22:24:00.003-04:00

Reason #22 I am ready to Move...

Fires in apartments down the hallway.

Faulty wiring, they say.

The poor people that lived there just moved in. Now they have to move out.

I am very afraid of this apartment building - with good reason.

Ughh...I can't stop smelling smoke.

2008-03-18T20:56:00.004-04:00

In Good Company...

The other day I came out of our neighborhood supermarket which is on a busy stretch of Broadway. Standing at the kerb was a tall, somewhat lanky African-American fellow, maybe in his fifties.

He was a bit hunched over and he was smoking a cigarette. I noticed he was having an intense and animated conversation.

This would not garner my attention. The conversation he was having was with a parking meter.
I didn't mean to stare, but it was something different. He looked my way and caught me eavesdropping on his exchange - if you want to call it that. He smiled and stretched out his hand, indicating the universal request for monetary assistance. I walked over, handed him a couple of dollars that had nested in my pocket, and said hello.

He proceeded to introduce me to his friend - the parking meter. I don't remember the name, just that it was male.

"He likes to count," the guy explained.

"Pleased to meet you, sir," I said to the meter.

"Don't be rude, man...say hello to the kind gentleman. He just gave us some bread for some smokes," the guy chastised the meter.

The meter didn't say anything to me, but he must have said something to the guy because he went back to having his conversation.

"Excuse me, I need to go. Enjoy your day..." I offered.

The guy just smiled and waved.

And out of the corner of my eye, I swear, I saw the meter smile too. Then he went on with his counting.

2008-03-14T20:46:00.002-04:00

There seems to be a malaise in the air. There seems to be tension, stress, unease, bad fortunes, and a sense that this are just a tad out of harmony. I am not sure what exactly it is I feel, but I do notice that the people around me all seem to be dealing with more troubles than the norm. Deaths, illnesses, uncertainty, confusion, anxiety, and melancholy all seem to be present.

I am facing my own challenges - both from within and beyond.

It seems that whenever there is something to celebrate, something to be proud of, some sense of accomplishment, there is, waiting just around the bend, something to temper it.

My long struggle to find permanent employment has come to an end. But rather than being something to celebrate, it poses new struggles. Moreover, something inside refuses me to be happy about this. Perhaps because it seems unreal, or perhaps because there is some bad wiring in my head.

I am entering the last few days of my break. I thought I would be able to take this time to let my new job security sink in and ponder the prospects for a more stable life. Instead it has been a time to deal with new worries. A few days ago I sat down to do our taxes. As a grad student, tax time was always a time of worry because while students grants, fellowships, and funding are taxed, usually money was not withheld. So around this time, I was always trying to figure out how to put up the money I owed.

I thought this time things would be different. Not so. I work in one state - New Jersey - and live in another - New York. My employer withholds taxes for New Jersey, but not New York. As I completed my taxes, it became clear that I owed a huge amount of money to the state of NY (and the City of New York, which also has income tax) because no money had been withheld. Grad school all over again, except this time I am making a lot more money, so the tax bill is all that much higher.

I do pay taxes in NJ, which I can deduct from NY, but those are much lower because I am not a resident and the NY tax rate is MUCH higher. No one where I worked told me that I would have to pay these taxes and that I should set funds aside. You think they would...but they didn't.

We don't have any cash reserves because we were trying to pay down our debt to hopefully buy a house. And now it is back into the debt pool to pay these taxes.

When I saw that big red number pop up on my little tax program, it really did feel like a punch in the stomach.

The tax fiasco has just fanned the flames of doubt and unhappiness that were already dancing in my mind. The gremlins of depression are fostering mischief despite my attempts to not let them. The inability to reign them in, to not let them rampage through my morale is frustrating. I am not sure what to do.

As I mentioned before, my work insurance is changing April 1, so I will have to switch doctors because the one I am seeing now does not take the new plan. I saw him yesterday and he recommended not making any drastic changes other than increase one of the meds I am on.

Over the past months, I was hoping to decrease my meds. My recent check up revealed that I was deficient in Vitamin D and Potassium and that my blood pressure was a bit high. I also have a tendency to clench my jaw when on the meds. So while they might help my mind, they probably are not doing my body much good. I guess it will all have to wait. The search for a new doctor begins - then maybe a new path to a more mentally harmonious life.

When I take a step back, all these issues seem so petty when I see what others have to deal with. But I can't escape them. The tax man (or woman) will make sure of it.

2008-03-10T20:18:00.003-04:00

Why am I Surprised?

I cannot believe that the governor of my state was implicated in a prostitution ring. You would think that any high ranking politician would know to keep their noses clean; that there are people out there just waiting to pounce on any questionable decision they make.

It is true that the leak about his name came out of the justice department because he is a Democrat and the Republicans hold a double standard by asking for his resignation but not that of David Vitter. But still, how stupid can you be?

It looks like we are headed to become the first state with a legally blind governor. As Sara said, I should really learn his name and stop calling him the "blind, African-American guy".

.....

Ok, I looked it up - his name is David Paterson.

.....

Today I also found a roll of mentos in my coat pocket and I saw an Eagle eat a rat while walking by the Hudson river with the dogs.

Oh, and a Happy Birthday to Frankie. I hope she got to relax.

Busy day.

2008-02-28T17:35:00.002-05:00

Reason #437 that I am ready to move

I want to be able to take a shower without having to the scalding-freezing dance.

Our shower randomly alternates from scalding to ice-cold water. If the apartment above or below us flushes the toilet, then there is a spurt of extremely hot water. Fortunately there is a five-second delay, so you can get out of the way - if you happen to hear it.

Having both burns and a loss of breath (or perhaps a mild cardiac arrest) from the alternating hot and cold water is not fun.

You would think that this "shower dance" would be unnecessary given the amount we pay in rent.

Time to move.

2008-02-21T10:29:00.002-05:00

Dentist Day

Finally, I get to go to the dentist and figure out what is up with my tooth. In all likelihood I will have to go back and have some further dental work done.

I don't mind the dentist that much, except for those exuberant hygienists who try to slice your gums with floss.

I got word, though, that the hygienist is out today and that dentist will be doing the work. That could be good or bad. We'll see.

2008-02-16T21:28:00.000-05:00

It's about time...

...that I grow up.

More details later.

2008-02-12T19:52:00.001-05:00

Thank you all for the good wishes and thoughts.

The trip went well, although I am still thawing out. My tooth is still sharp and I will have to wait nine days before I get to see a dentist.

Now I need to work on my lecture for tomorrow.

Update: While flossing, a chunk of my tooth came out. Now there is a bigger hole in my molar. It still doesn't hurt, but I am wondering if I should try to get to the dentist sooner. Too bad the tooth fairy (in Mexico it was a ratoncito - little mouse), doesn't stop by our household anymore. I could use the cash.

2008-02-09T23:57:00.000-05:00

Job Interview Fun

I am off to Wisconsin tomorrow, where the high is now forecast to be -2 degrees (F). The low is about -8 and the wind-chill is supposed to hit about -40. I am only going to be there until Monday evening, but I feel like I am taking more clothes than I usually do for a week. Mind you they are supposed to be nice clothes since it is an interview.

I will be interested in seeing how they go about trying to sell the place with that kind of weather. Needless to say, job interviews are stressful enough without having to worry about frostbite.

To add to the fun, I have a chip/crack in one of my molars. It doesn't hurt, but it is rather sharp. I have no clue how that happened. Suddenly at dinner I felt something sharp on my tooth. Little did I know it was my tooth.

It sounds like a visit to the dentist is coming up when I get back - that is if I don't end up frozen somewhere.

2008-02-06T23:03:00.000-05:00

Don't Read: Just Complaining

From the time I was approaching the end of my dissertation until a few weeks ago, my job searches have been like sprinting through a swamp: struggling to not get very far, while getting very dirty and demoralized. I had six campus interviews, from which I got two temporary jobs and one offer I turned down.

During the month of February I have three. One as passed. I face one next Monday and one two weeks from Monday. One of them is for a permanent (tenure-track) position at the college I am at now (the one that has passes). The others: one in a very cold place and the other in a place not to far from here. It all is a bit daunting.

Academic job searches suck.

The silence and then the flow of rejection letters is extremely difficult to deal with after all the time, effort, and money you have invested in the process. On the other hand, a call or an email offering a campus visit does not bring the positive opposite you might think. It just sets a different set of worries upon your psyche - some trivial (will my "interview slacks" fit? Answer - yes, but they are quite snug), some more important.

All the thoughts set your head on a high speed spin cycle.

This all comes on the back of a psychic roller-coaster; a teetering on the edge of self-doubt, self-questioning, and an emotional downturn.

I am already exhausted after just one interview. And I did not have to travel for that one.

Sunday I head off to a place where the forecast high will be 6 degrees (Fahrenheit, mind you). Monday looks a little better at 12 degrees. Then I get to fly back and teach a class Tuesday morning.

Or not.

I am leaning towards canceling that class. It just would be a waste of class time. We shall see...

For now, I get my annual check up tomorrow. The will probably go well: all the stress is probably wrecking all kinds of havoc in my body. I am already quite aware of the tension in my neck, shoulders, and back. Who knows what else is messed up?

I better get to bed before this post gets gloomy.

2008-02-03T09:33:00.000-05:00

Just in Case...

...you hadn't guessed who I am voting for next Tuesday. It's worth watching no matter who you support.

I have thought for a while that his words were lyrical in addition to being inspiring. I think we are witnessing one of the first great orators of the 21st century.

2008-01-29T23:33:00.001-05:00

Huh?

Image "borrowed" from Blue Harvest Art .......

I was walking the dogs today just outside our apartment, when a police car sped up the street going the wrong way. Its lights were flashing and it definitely seemed like they were in a hurry to get somewhere.

When the car got near us, it came to an abrupt stop. It had not been the best of days, so immediately I thought I was going to be in some kind of trouble. Perhaps getting wrongly accused of not picking up after my dogs.

The window did go down and one of the two cops in the car called over to me.

"Hey, have you seen a pack of wild dogs around?"

Wild dogs?

"Um...no?" was the only response I could muster.

Wild dogs? In Manhattan?

The police car sped off...leaving me to ponder: wild dogs?

Then I realized maybe I should get back inside.

Mind you, we do live next to some large parks and I have heard stories about feral dogs living in one of them. I have never seen any of them. Cats? Yes. But dogs, no. And there isn't that much space for them to really hide.

Sara said that they must be little feral dogs. I can just imagine a wild pack of chihuahuas terrorizing northern Manhattan.

Later in the day I did notice a strong police presence on the streets around our apartment - keeping us safe from those wild dogs no doubt.

2008-01-23T23:46:00.000-05:00

Delaware license plates look like they were made on an ink-jet printer.

I expect to see the ink start to run when it starts to rain.

2008-01-21T19:49:00.000-05:00

Forging on into the Abyss

Well, it is not quite so melodramatic. The winter break is over and a new semester begins.

After four courses last semester, I felt like the spring would be easy and almost care free. Now I am reconsidering those feelings. Yes, there will be a lighter load, but I am teaching a new class for which there will be a lot of preparation involved. I am putting a lot of pressure on myself too because I want it to go well. The course is Food and Culture, an topic that is very dear to my heart (and gut). Perhaps I should lower my expectations. The first time you teach something is a challenge and there is a lot of trial and error.

I also had expectations for my research this spring. I was hoping to get started over the break, but that didn't happen. It wasn't a very productive break. Maybe I should not have had high expectation for that either. It may not have been realistic to think I could forge ahead with research after being mentally exhausted from the past year. I just feel like I have fallen far behind. And this is problem because....

...my employment situation is still up in the air. Things are moving along this time around more than they have in the past - so that is a bit encouraging. I have had some phone interviews and I will be having some campus interviews as well. However, Sara is going through the same process of applying and interviewing (and waiting). It is disconcerting not knowing where we will be or what we will be doing. Needless to say, this whole process lies ahead in the abyss that is the next few months and it too will eat away at my time, energy, and mental stability.

So in the meantime, I will try not to get too worked up about it, take one day at a time, and try to keep my wits about me. It certainly won't be easy, but there is no other way around the abyss. Wish me luck...

2008-01-17T22:25:00.000-05:00

Our apartment blows out an inordinate amount of light bulbs.

It must be shoddy wiring.

Or evil spirits who delight in watching me struggle with the light covers.

And our freezer frosts up so quickly. This is a problem because the way it is designed the air flows from the freezer to the fridge. If it frosts up, the air ducts clog with ice creating two problems:

The thermostat is in the fridge, so it run continuously making our electric bill go way up.
Our food starts smelling a little wanky.

It is getting to be the time to move.

I am not sure where, but it is time to move.

2008-01-14T16:08:00.002-05:00

On Health

I am a bit irked. No, I am very irked.

I was well on my way to having a productive day when I got an email message from our college's human resources department. The message kindly informed all employees that our health insurance coverage was changing.

Now mind you, we do have fairly good coverage and we do have multiple options in terms of companies and plans. However, the message described how several of the plans were not going to be available to us anymore.

Of course, one of the plans is the one Sara and I are on. We have spent a lot of time researching and finding doctors that we trust and like, and have since developed a good rapport with them. This is important because we both have medical issues that are ongoing and need monitoring, so having a positive relationship with our medical doctors is important.

As of now, it seems like the plans that will be available to us will no longer cover any of our medical providers. This may change as the different websites that provide information have not been updated to reflect the upcoming changes. But I would be highly surprised if they suddenly were covered.

Our health care system, while touted as so great, is really a joke. Health care may be wonderful, I do not doubt the competence of many of our health care providers, but the system in which everything operates is a disaster, at best, and unethical at worst. In a nut shell, it aims to discourage people to seek care, funneling them into the most inexperienced, underqualified, or just poor providers possible so as to save a buck. The goal of many health insurance providers is to get people to leave the program; they make it more attractive for someone to get covered through a spouse's plan.

So most of us get bounced around, being herded into the most "cost effective" system to provide health care, where the bottom line is how little do we consume, not how healthy we are, while the executives of these companies boast how well the company is doing and earning millions in bonuses. And while we may have great health care in this country, it is becoming less and less accessible. Yet we spend more and more on trying to stay healthy.

On a related note, there was an interesting post on the Daily Kos today. It discussed the health insurance coverage of each of the presidential candidates and whether they provided health care for their campaign staff.

Here is a summary:

Candidate...................Coverage......................Provides care for staff?

Democrats:
Clinton .................... Covered by federal employees plan......................Yes
Edwards....................Blue Cross (coverage for the campaign)..............Yes
Obama......................Covered by federal employees plan......................Yes
Kucinich...................Covered by federal employees plan......................No

Republicans:
Giuliani ................Decline to disclose...............................Decline to disclose
Huckabee ..............Decline to disclose...............................Decline to disclose
McCain..... ............Covered by federal employees plan.........Decline to disclose
Paul......................Covered by federal employees plan.........No (staff are volunteers)
Romney ................Decline to disclose...............................Decline to disclose
Thompson ............Decline to disclose...............................Decline to disclose

Clinton, Obama, Kucinich, McCain, and Paul have the federal employees plan because they are all members of Congress. This plan is actually a very good plan, and some candidates argue it should be made available to everyone.

Romney is a resident of Massachusetts, which per law enacted by Romney when he was governor, requires everyone to have health insurance. It is possible that Thompson is covered through the Motion Picture Health Industry Plan because he is a member of the union (a bit ironic).

It is also important to note that Giuliani, McCain, and Thompson would probably be ineligible to obtain health insurance on the market because they have all had cancer.

Unfortunately, I don't see things getting any better anytime soon. However, we need a President (and a government in general) who will not allow things to get worse. I would settle for that.

As for us, we will see what happens. Who knows, we may be moving to new jobs, to a different place, so we might just have to get by in those few months. Or we might just have to deal with going out of network to see the doctors we like. There are lot of uncertainties lying ahead - I'll need to deal with each as I come to it.

2008-01-08T21:30:00.000-05:00

Two Developments

I have become officially invested in the Presidential race. I am waiting on pins and needles for the NH results to come in.

There has been some progress on the job search front. I am still nervous about it and the anxiety is only going to grow.

More on this later.

Burnout

2008-01-07T20:27:00.000-05:00

Burnout

I haven't been around here for a while. I am not really sure why, but if I were to venture a guess, it would be burnout.

The past year was pretty brutal. I taught four courses in the spring, three courses in the summer, and four courses in the fall. Add to that a trip to Mexico (which almost didn't happen), applying for jobs, pretending to do some research, and a conference.

And it hardly feels like I have had a break. I was grading until the 27th. Then we had a stressful incident with Zephyr and last I got sick.

While the new semester is still two weeks away, I need to get back on the wagon and start making progress on all the things that have piled up.

I may also be a little burnt out on the whole writing online thing. But I do need a place to complain, so I will still be writing - at least for now. I think I put pressure on myself to write something of value, rather that just randomly spewing thoughts. Not that I have ever written much of value, just that my own expectations changed. I am not sure why.

Maybe I will pick this up again, maybe not.

We'll see...

2007-12-11T21:35:00.000-05:00

I find this CNN online poll very disturbing. It isn't scientific, but it really shows how close to fascism we really are.

Are there circumstances in which waterboarding of prisoners is acceptable?

Yes 53% 17280

No 47% 15286

Total Votes: 32566

I wonder if the answers would be any different if instead of waterboarding it read torture.

Witchhunts - I can smell them coming....

2007-12-11T18:39:00.000-05:00

There is so much to do - or better put, there is so much I need to be doing.

Yet I don't have the wherewithal to even begin.

Two notes:
1. In Italian there is a great word that fits in where I have the "better put" that does not have an English equivalent: anzi. I find this frustrating at times. I want the equivalent of a word that exists in a different language. Moral of the story: avoid learning foreign languages - it is the cause of unnecessary frustration.

Second note: ........now I forgot. I think I was going to write something about the word wherewithal. Hmmm...not sure if that was it. But since I am on that topic, wherewithal is usually I word we use when we don't have it. And it is a cumbersome word for a period of time when we are feeling overwhelmed and unable to tackle some issue(s).

So there it is. The end of the semester is upon us. The realization that break is not really a break, rather a shift in activities. I will welcome the break in teaching. Four courses is just too many. It is not fair to the teacher and not fair to the students.

I am off to find a different way to avoid what it is that I need to get done.

2007-12-06T19:31:00.001-05:00

It was bound to happen sooner or later.

I got my first official rejection of the job hunt season. It came via email. I am not even worth a stamp. At least it is environmentally friendly.

It just came at a bad time. It has shaken my confidence a little and my sinking morale went a little lower.

I need the semester to be over.

But before I wallow in self-pity too long, I need to send positive energy to a friend who is battling her own woes: health insurance claims denied (among other things).

When will we live in a country where it isn't a privilege to be healthy?

2007-12-05T21:13:00.000-05:00

Órale, wassup with this? I should be a pepper not some Japanese flavor. And truth be told, most of what we call wasabi is just colored horseradish.

I'm tired. So I may be incomprehensible at this point.

Your Score: Wasabi

You scored 50% intoxication, 100% hotness, 100% complexity, and 75% craziness!

You are Wasabi!

You're pretty much insane. You're probably from another planet, even. When you're around people, you go straight for the crown chakra and get them all tingly. You're often imitated by those who want to be like you, but you're definitely one of a kind.

Link: The Which Spice Are You Test written by jodiesattva on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test

2007-11-28T11:10:00.000-05:00

Off to DC

To the Anthropology Meetings.

Be back soon.

2007-11-24T20:54:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving 2007

A walk in the park.

Company: two dogs.

Soundtrack:
Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain
Keith Jarrett - The Köln Concert

Yes, this is Manhattan.

It should probably be called the forgotten corner.

You might say, how can it be forgotten if no one ever knew about it.

But the Wappani knew about it: they called this place Shorakapok and lived in the caves found here.

I am glad it is forgotten, but I honor the Wappani on this day of Thanksgiving.

2007-11-22T12:35:00.000-05:00

Weather

The sun returned today. Good thing I mentioned that I missed it yesterday. Speaking of weather, you know who would make a great weather person?

Steven Wright

I hate how weather people say the temperature as though it were the most amazing thing in the world. It doesn't matter whether it is cold or hot, whether it is far from the norm or just what is expected. I guess newscasters do that in general. I hate that false emphasis on everything. I believe Steve Martin mocked this in his film LA Story.

I also hate how local news now teases you throughout the telecast with bits of weather. They force you to watch inane bits or abuses of tragedy just so you know whether you should take your raincoat or not.

Which brings me to this. You know who else would make a great weather person?

Lewis Black.

Quick, direct, no BS weather.

I can only dream.

2007-11-21T17:54:00.000-05:00

Sparsity

Who knew that was a word? My spell check seems to be ok with it (it doesn't like ok, though). It seems like I used to be comfortable here and putting random thoughts, whine about a unimportant grievance, or just letting my brain fart away. I do not do that anymore. It is true that I am busy - four classes, job applications, a stalled research project, and general life demands will do that to you. However, I have time to dilly dally in other brief and random endeavors, so why not here. Is it the pressure I put on myself to spew something worthwhile? Have I - gasp - become self-conscious? Or have I just become bored with this medium (I do bore easily)? Truth is, I do not know.

But here I am...probably because I am home alone. The dogs are here, but Sara is off to San Antonio to see her grandmother, father, and family.

I thought I would have more free time, but so much crap has piled up and there are so many random errands that need to be run that I have been as short on time as ever.

Who knew it was so complicated to send a large envelope to Canada via priority mail with a way to track it? Tip: it is worth the extra few dollars to send it express (not that it really is express - it take 5 business days). Why? Montreal is much closer to New York than California, where I can send something overnight.

Just to let you know, avoid the Inwood post office station in NYC. I will spare the details. If you want to know, ask.

Why are people so unaware of others around them? Different post office: a woman took five minutes trying to decide between the Christmas knit stamps and the Madonna and Child stamps. In the end, she decided that she didn't like either and got THREE regular stamps. Mind you, that was the only window open and there was a line out the door. I thought the woman in front of me was going to strangle her. That would have been entertaining and worth the wait. I think she was 90 - the strangler, not the indecisive one.

I miss the sun. It went missing a few days ago.

I gave my Introduction to International Studies classes a naturalization test during our lecture on immigration. Based on the results, most of them need to be deported. They probably would also do poorly on the English language test and they might have a hard time showing their attachment to the Constitution (since most of them are quite ignorant of what it states) and proving their "Good Moral Character".

Most of my students' knowledge of geography is also abysmal.

What is even more discouraging is that NJ is supposed to have one of the better secondary education systems.

Our dogs are healthy - determined by a recent vet visit. They are also quite cooperative. The impressed the vet.

We put the notes left by our dog-walker praising them on the fridge.

I bet Zeus is smarter than some of my students. He definitely is more worldly - he's been to 3 countries and 27 states.

I like The Hives new album and I have rediscovered The The.

It's time to eat dinner.

2007-11-02T21:26:00.000-04:00

Sure Sign You are Getting Old

You do online quizzes for your dogs on a Friday evening because you are too tired to do anything else...

Zeus's DNA

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

And Zephyr's

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

2007-10-30T11:59:00.001-04:00

Land of the Brave

Despite Oso's previous traumatic encounters with delinquents around the world, he was brave enough to embark in the lengthy trek from Brooklyn to the hinterland of Upstate Manhattan to meet up for dinner last night.

He brought along someone for protection (or to distract the potential assailants): Dr. Cereal. I have followed the Dr.'s adventures in Monterrey and on Southwest Airlines online, but I had never had the opportunity to meet him.

Oso has become my official social network agent as he helps me meet online personae who are fun and fascinating (the previous example being Nathan and Rosario). I can't wait to meet up with him again because I am sure I will meet yet another interesting individual(s).

We decided (more like I dragged them) to take in some of the local cuisine (or rather the cuisine imported by the local Dominican community). The food was good and the conversation ranging from the mundane to the insightful. It is strange to me that I have only met up with Oso three times, yet it feels like I am meeting up with an old college buddy. It is interesting how this new dynamic medium is changing the nature of social interaction.

We did discuss the veracity of online personae and how it reflects and differs from the actual producer of the persona. Oso sheepishly insinuated that I am whiny online (which I am), but claimed that I wasn't in real life (yet I am - just ask Sara). During the conversation, I realized how much of an academic I have become. Theoretical questions bounced around through my mind: What would Weber have to say? Does this relate to Durkheim and his concept of organic solidarity? I bet Goffman would have a cool blog and he would probably use it to mess around with people's minds. I also questioned why did I have to immediately relate our conversation to the academic. Couldn't I just take it for what it was? Three guys enjoying some Caribbean food over beer and sangría?

Nonetheless, it was a very enjoyable evening. I hope to meet up with Dr. Cereal again since he lives nearby (although a very long subway ride) and he has just started a job that I would like to hear more about.

And as far as I know, Oso got out of my 'hood without incident. I even walked him to the subway to ensure his safety. Although I was tempted to turn to the dark side after glimpsing his iPhone (which he demurely kept shielded even as he used it to look something up).

2007-10-25T22:43:00.000-04:00

Stressful Days

In addition to the loads of work that is consuming my life right now, the fires in San Diego have consumed my attention.

My mother's home is safe - thank goodness. However, they woke one night to the eerie red glow of the night sky. From their window they saw the fire come around a large mountain not too far from their home. They were packed and ready to go. Fortunately they did not have to.

While my mother and stepfather are quite pragmatic (and hence I didn't think they would be in danger), both have put so much time and energy into their home that I could not bear to think of it going up in flames.

Beyond the immediacy of my family, it grieves me to see so many people displaced, so many of the places I know damaged or destroyed. My rational mind tells me that homes will be rebuilt and lives will move on, but my emotions take pause in the wrath nature has brought. The earth has been speaking to us, complaining about how we have treated it. When will we listen? Probably when it is too late.

A HUGE thanks from me goes out to Nathan (and his co-workers) whose hard work at KPBS has helped so many stay informed and connected. If only more of the media worked for the public good we would be much better off.

2007-10-18T15:42:00.000-04:00

Visual DNA

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

I would say I am more of a dreamer and escape artist than a go-getter and conquerer, but these tests don't lie...

Thanks to Heliosphan

2007-10-15T15:14:00.000-04:00

Sorry About the Wait

Ok, I know I taunted you with the picture and left you hanging for some time.

So what the heck is it?

I am a little disappointed that there weren't more guesses.

As to what it is, there is some debate and I guess it depends on the observer.

I consider it art, or at least a form of artistic expression. I call it Manchamantel.

Sara begs to differ (as her comment indicates, she isn't too happy about the picture).

She sees it as what it is: a stained tablecloth at Rosa Mexicano in New York City.

It is the mess we made during our dinner on Mexican Independence Day, featuring mole oaxaqueño, guacamole and chiles en nogada of a special menu designed by Susana Trilling.

While Sara sees the tablecloth as an embarrassing blemish of our lack of class, I see it as the fruit of us engaging and enjoying our meal - thus artistic. A clean table cloth is but a canvass on which we can feel free to create our gustatory designs while partaking of food.

The more spritually inclined might even see inspiration; perhaps spotting religious iconography in the image.

So there it is, perhaps it is banal and mundane or perhaps it is inspired expression. Who knows?

2007-09-29T20:42:00.000-04:00

What IS that?

Since I probably don't have any readers left, I can without worry offer $5.oo or a secret-prize to whomever can correctly guess what the above picture is (Sara is not eligible to win). If you do guess, let me know along with your answer whether you would prefer the cash or the prize.

2007-09-24T22:23:00.001-04:00

Today: Acatl - Acatl - Chalchihuitlicu: 13-Coatl (snake)

As a year bearer, Acatl (Reed) is the sign of day in the tonalpohualli that gives its name to this xihuitl (year). This sign is associated with the direction of the east.

The 13-day period Acatl (Reed) is ruled by Chalchihuitlicue, goddess of lakes, rivers and seas, goddess of horizontal waters. This trecena signifies the transitory nature of all that we may gain in life: it is a reminder to view success and failure, gain and loss, as matters of fate and not as matters of personal worth. The elementals do not reward nor punishment our efforts but, rather, construct the maze within which we might perfect our hearts. The 13 days of this trecena reveal our hearts to us, based on whether we have decided to live within the house of shadows or to seek the secret of happiness elsewhere. These are good days to travel to new places; bad days to hide in fear.

Citlalicue, Her skirt is Stars, is the provider of the Spirit Soul (Teyollia) for days with numeral 13 (mahtlactli-omei). The volatile for this day is the Parrot (Toznene).

The protector of day Coatl (Snake) and provider of the Shadow Soul or Tonalli is Chalchihuitlicue. Coatl is the day of the snaking river that always changes without changing. It signifies the fleeting moment of eternal water. A good day for humility, a bad day for acting on self-interests.

Another year...

2007-09-21T22:10:00.001-04:00

Bidding Summer Farewell

My absence here is a combination of my hectic schedule and mental apathy.

Um...that's all I got.

2007-09-09T16:55:00.000-04:00

Caveat q*uech*up

I would like to warn everyone that there is a nasty spamming worm making its way through the cyberworld. The way it works is as follows:

You get a message: "Invitation from Xoloitzquintle".
When you open it, it sends out a message from you with the same invitation.
The invitation is to a "social networking site" that really is some crappy dating service in Britain.

I, unfortunately, fell victim to this stupid trick and had to send out a warning to everyone who had ever corresponded with (I use Gmail and it keeps all that info), some of which are quite important and influential people.

This is a stress I don't really need right now.

2007-09-03T12:13:00.000-04:00

I always wondered...

Via Sherri who I bow to in nerdom respect.

2007-09-02T22:20:00.001-04:00

"Home" Work

Despite our astronomical rent, our apartment has lots of "quirks". Things need fixing and tending to. Over the past couple of weeks I have had to:

Deal with the return of "Miguelito" - our unwelcome rodent guest. This involved setting up multiple traps (stick and snap). After several appearances, he seems to have gotten the hint and moved to other quarters without having to lose a limb or worse.
Take our fridge apart to figure out why the freezer was working but the fridge wasn't. The problem was that despite the lack of frost in the freezer, the vents between the freezer and the fridge got clogged with ice.
Learn how to fix a leaky tub faucet. I still need to get some tools to address the problem, but I think I know how now.

You may wonder why I don't call the "super" (aka the building superintendent who lives on site and should be responsible for these things) and have these things taken care of.

From the stories I have heard from other tenants, he is not very reliable and it often takes several tries for him to get it right. From what I have seen in our bathroom, his work is not very good (it was patched up before we moved in).
Trying to coordinate a visit with our schedules and the dogs is too much of a headache.
I should learn how to do these things anyway.

In addition to these home duties, I have also been training as a iMac repair person. With all the crashes and errors I have experienced, as well as the calls to tech support, I have become a pseudo expert. I think I have isolated the problem: either one of my memory cards is bad or one of the slots is bad.

So my vacation is coming to an end - back to work next week - and I am tied up with home duties. Actually work already started as I have been putting in many hours working on my courses this past week. These four weeks "off" have really flown by. I could use another four.

2007-08-22T14:46:00.001-04:00

Reflections...

Going back to Mexico always leaves me in a contemplative mood. There are memories, thoughts, nostalgia, regrets, changes, and observations to process. They whirl in my head without my even knowing it. Perhaps that is why I am feeling tired, almost exhausted.

I hope to get to them, but not now. I am not sure when...

2007-08-18T09:41:00.001-04:00

Finally!

I made it to Mexico.

Here is proof:

I guess it really isn't proof because I could have stolen the picture from someone, so you are just going to have to trust me on this one.

There are many more pictures, but I am not sure whether to post them or not. I could also write a lot about the trip both in terms of my observations and my own emotional response to being back. I am not sure if I will do that either.

The trip back was uneventful as far as scheduling went. However the airline lost one of Sara's bags and they have yet to find it.

That's it for now.

2007-08-10T15:07:00.000-04:00

Still Here & Going Nowhere Fast

Ice is forming on the tips of my wings
Unheeded warnings, I thought I thought of everything
No navigator to guide my way home
Unladened, empty and turned to stone

A soul in tension thats learning to fly
Condition grounded but determined to try
Cant keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I
- "Learning to Fly" Pink Floyd

I woke up at 4:15 am this morning to get a 5:15 car to LaGuardia to catch my 8:00 am flight to Atlanta where I was to connect to my flight to Mexico City.

I was worried because the weather report called for heavy rain overnight into the morning. Looking out of my dark window, I saw there was no rain.

However, at 4:30 am I checked my flight status online only to find that my flight was canceled.

Crap.

So I called the airline to find out that I have been re-booked for tomorrow at 6:00 am. I try to get an earlier flight without any success.

I am awake with nowhere to go.

I try to look for a one-way ticket to Mexico just to see my options. I find a $500 ticket in first class. I am tempted to buy it, but I am not that rich.

The rain? It came, but it was a mix of light showers and drizzle.

Tomorrow I am up even earlier to try this for the third time.

Vacations are supposed to be relaxing, aren't they? At least that is what I hear...

2007-08-09T10:31:00.000-04:00

So Much for Mexico

As I mentioned, I was supposed to leave for Mexico yesterday. I was hoping to get away from a rash of bad luck and stress.

But I am still in New York.

The gods (perhaps Zeus?) decided to keep me here by unleashing a massive storm on the city.

The obstacles created by said storm were too much for me to overcome.

I left for JFK (the NYC airport) at 7 am for a drive that normally takes between 35 minutes to an hour and a half depending on traffic.

My flight was at 10:35.

As I started making my way on the freeway, traffic got progressively slower and more congested.

Until it came to a complete stop.

I managed to get off the freeway and began to meander my way through side streets.

It quickly became apparent that this was not going to work either.

At some point I began to second guess myself and began thinking that I should have taken public transportation to the airport.

The radio soon let me know that I would have probably found myself in a worse predicament as most of the subway system shut down due to flooding.

This left people waiting or if you were lucky you were informed before you began to wait that you should just give up.

It was somewhere in between the stopped freeways and the congested and obstacle-ridden roads that I went from being stressed to being zenfully resigned.

The radio mentioned that there was a tornado near the airport and that there were massive flight delays.

So perhaps it would all work out. If not, there was not much I could do.

As I slowly progressed towards the airport, the the skies cleared and the sun came out as if to taunt me. How could I be so late in such a clear and sunny day?

I arrived at the airport at 10:50.

My flight was gone.

For once a flight left on time even when there was inclement weather.

As you can imagine, the airport was full of some very unhappy people. I was given the choice to re-book for today making three or more connections or for tomorrow with one connection (my flight yesterday was non-stop). I chose the latter.

Given the traffic chaos, the fact that I had already parked the car in an off-airport location, and that I am flying out of LaGuardia on Friday (but we are flying back to JFK) I decided to take the subway back home. The A train runs from JFK to where we live, but it is the whole line of the longest line in New York. Moreover, it usually runs express (skipping over many stations), but to add insult to injury, yesterday it ran local (making all the stops).

At least it was running (one of the few), it had a/c (the weather turned unbearably hot and muggy), and I had a safe home (with some very happy dogs) to return to.

Tomorrow I get to try again. The forecast is:

Showers and thundershowers likely.
High 74F.
Winds E at 10 to 15 mph.
Chance of rain 60%. Rainfall around a half an inch.

I am splurging on a private car (same cost as a taxi) and requested it for 5:15 am for my 8:00 am flight.

Let's see how that goes.

Photos from the New York Times website

2007-08-07T22:08:00.000-04:00

Me Voy a México

I need a vacation and this trip will not really count. Why? That's a long complicated story for which I don't have time now.

Back in a week, hopefully with no intestinal visitors or other souvenirs.

2007-08-03T22:00:00.000-04:00

Update

The cheating student's case has been referred to the vice-provost. I suspect that she will get a lecture and then the ultimate decision as what to do will land in my lap.

Fail the class?

Fail the exam?

I am leaning towards the first. We'll see.

My sister arrives tomorrow morning at 6:45 am - she is taking the red-eye from San Francisco. Like the good brother that I am I going to pick her up at Newark. I am excited to see her (and her boyfriend).

My mother and step-father arrive on Monday and then I leave for Mexico on Wednesday. I will be seeing my father and then meeting up with Sara who is there now studying Spanish.

Busy times.

2007-07-30T22:43:00.001-04:00

Too Stupid to Cheat

Last Thursday was my last summer class. There is supposed to be a class scheduled for Tuesday, but instead of an in-class exam, I gave my students a take-home final with the option of emailing me the exam as an attachment.

Convenient for everyone involved.

© DavidJulian.com

I was already looking forward to my whole month "off" without having to teach. Of course, there is the whole issue of grading the exams that I was avoiding. Now if the students just do what they need to do, the whole process could be nearly painless.

The first exam trickled into my in-box today and with it my dreams for a quick start to my abbreviated summer break quickly disappeared. The essays in the exam contain blatant plagiarism. Now there are sophisticated programs I can use to check for academic dishonesty, but this exam only required me to open the document to see the damning evidence.

MS Word has the annoying tendency to lift links and insert them into documents when you clip and paste from websites. In this case, however, it immediately flagged the irregularity and led me straight to the wikipedia page where from it was lifted.

Common people - if you are going to cheat, do a better job of covering your tracks! How can you submit an electronic document with the hyperlinks to the site still in it? That is laziness and ineptitude to the greatest degree!

Better yet, read the syllabus and know that cheating is NOT an option and it will result in a lot of problems for you:

Students are expected to read and understand ______ College’s academic integrity policy, which can be found in the ______ College Catalog. Members of the _____ College community are expected to be honest and forthright in their academic endeavors. All the written assignments must reflect a student’s own work. If you use the material from other books, articles, and/or online sources, you must indicate it in footnotes, endnotes, or in-text citations. If you have questions about how to do this, let me know. Failure to make the distinction between your own thoughts and the insights of someone else constitutes plagiarism. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated and will be subject to the College’s disciplinary procedures.

Moreover it irritates me because now I need to become involved in a bureaucratic process when I was looking forward to my brief month off.

2007-07-29T21:51:00.000-04:00

Home Alone

Sara left for Mexico yesterday. She is doing an intensive Spanish program for two weeks - ya era hora!

I will be going down in about ten days to see my father and she will meet up with me. We will probably do some 'splorin' for a couple of days before coming back.

Things were really hectic around here before she left. I had the last days of my summer class, she was getting ready to go, and we had a minor dog emergency. Then two days before Sara was to leave, she got a call from DC. She had applied for a job there and she had an on-campus interview in June. The call was to offer her the position.

Talk about stress.

After much (and very quick) deliberation, she turned the position down. It was difficult for her because the job was good (although not yet tenure-track).

So I am alone now - with two needy dogs. They get that way when travel occurs - by anyone. It is hot and extremely steamy. I don't like this weather.

More to say, but I am just not really in the mood.

2007-07-20T16:01:00.001-04:00

Do You Know Where Your Food Comes From?

We joined a CSA (Community Sustained Agriculture) Farm this year after Sara had finished reading Michael Pollans' Omnivore's Dilemma. We had been thinking of doing it before, but we had just never lived in one place long enough to actually do it.

The way it works is that you buy a share of the farm's seasonal production. Every week you go to the farm (some have collection sites away from the farm) and pick up that week's harvest. Our share started producing in mid-June and hopefully it will go long into the fall (probably mid- to end of October). After our first share, we realized the two of us could not consume everything we got in a week, so we split the share with a fellow anthropologist from the college where I work.

So far we have gotten a lot of lettuce and greens, a few peas (the fields got flooded in May and most of the planted peas got washed away), cucumbers, radishes, beets, basil, cilantro, parsley, carrots, and beans. It is fun seeing how the produce changes each week.

It is also nice chatting with the farmers and hearing what is doing well and what some of their struggles are.

For the most part, the veggies also taste great. There were a couple of radishes that where just to sharp and bitter for my liking.

Unfortunately, we are still very much tied into the large food production network. But I like mangos, avocados, coffee, spices, cheeses etc. too much to give up on it completely. I do try to get milk and yogurt from grass-fed and hormone/antibiotic-free cows. I think it is important to just be aware of where your food comes from, even if you can't or do not want to consume local, organic, and ethically produced food.

There have been omens about the breakdown or the poisoning of the food network recently. Sometime soon there will probably be a bigger emergency. I hope it doesn't come down my path.

With that I am off to munch on something that came from the field in the picture above.

2007-07-16T17:01:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday, Zephyr!

Thanks for putting up with us, giving us affection, and being a great all around dog.

[She turns 6 today - buffalo (as in the animal, not the style or the place - and yes, I do know it really is a bison) burgers to celebrate!]

2007-07-09T11:56:00.000-04:00

2HT2BZ2WRT

Bleh, Phew, & Ugh...

Sorry, folks...

2007-06-30T22:17:00.000-04:00

Encountering the Past

I met up with a friend from college today. I had not seen him since I graduated way back in the previous century. Fourteen years to be precise (to those of you who can do the math: congratulations!).

It is strange.

Reconnecting with someone whom you knew pretty well, but then just took different paths and fell out of touch.

The irony of it is that in college he was a music major and he now works at the UN, while I was an IR (international relations) major and I am not quite sure what I am doing.

I also studied abroad in Sweden a year before him. I convinced him to go the following year and to stay with the host family I had, which he did. Now he is still in touch with the family, while I have lost touch.

In a reminder of the passing of time, he updated that the host family's youngest daughter is now a medical doctor. She was 8 or so when I was there. Interacting with her was great because she did not speak English and it forced me to speak in Swedish. She would laugh at me all the time because as she put it, "I was a grown up that spoke like a two year old."

Back to my friend, it is a strange dynamic when you meet up again. So much has happened since we last saw each other, but there are clear memories that still linger: debating the virtues of Clinton, Tsongas, third party candidates, the Blue Jays World Series run (he's Canadian), and the wonders of Mongolian Bar-B-Q.

As I sit here writing, I wonder whether we will reconnect or whether it was a parenthetical encounter in our respective lives.

2007-06-24T20:01:00.000-04:00

Friday Date

Friday was Sara's Birthday. To celebrate we went to visit some old woman.

We got to see all sides of her.

We also saw a nautical replica of one of our dogs.

There were some spooky moments.

Some close moments.

Some strange encounters.

And some very intimate views.

We also popped over to the place where some of our ancestors passed through.

And we looked back on where we had been.

And what would a visit and photo show be without a bird picture for Scott?