Snick's Thoughtful Spot

Renewed Geekery

2012-02-01T18:11:00.003-05:00

No, this is not a 17 year old high school senior who has a new gaming set-up. This is a 33 year old accomplished professional in software architecture and agile coaching who has a new gaming set-up. Bottom line? Geeks get older, but gaming mindsets never change. Complete with a brand new $2K gaming computer, ridiculously good headphones, and 3D glasses for his new 3D games since clearly DDO, Skyrim, and Star Wars will never quench the need for more gaming opportunities, I do believe Eric is quite pleased :)

Ellie's First Opera

2012-01-14T15:51:00.003-05:00

Jack and the Beanstalk wasn't exactly the fairie story of old, but this little opera troupe put together a great little gig for kids in only two days, which I found very impressive. Despite Elle's extreme grumpiness for getting up at an absurd 9am on a Saturday no less, she became quite keen on this "Beanstalk" situation. The organisers wisely called all kids who wished to see up front and three rather long rows of very big eyes took in all the excitement. I thought it was decently comparable in quality to her first puppet show in Angel (London) almost exactly one year ago, which made me very happy. The adults were noisy and paranoid, but then the parental hand to hand combat that nearly ensued in Angel's Li'l Theatre didn't happen either, leaving me with the rather strong belief that parents are generally nuts when it comes to their kids regardless of the cultural, religious, or ethnic background.

Elle's grand contribution was to walk up to the stage steps and point to the Giant's shoes to indicate they were untied. Her rather high levels of OCD behaviour was demonstrated in the most public way possible. She also felt the necessity to go up and sit next to the announcer/organiser who was waiting to go up and close the show. She wasn't annoying though, and that was the huge relief to the rather rigid-backed parents with a stricken look of terror sitting in the middle of the audience. We have discovered that her unabashed lack of fear can cause...problems.

The end of the "mini-opera" was a photo session where the idea was to stand between the princess and the Giant, but it would seem that was not her plan. Cute all the same though, tucked under the arm of rather large baritone where she was not inclined to leave and seemed unclear as to the purpose of the cameras ... which... is a bit of a first since posing for camera's is a favourite pastime for her :)

2011 Movie Review

2012-01-14T14:15:00.008-05:00

A friend and I made a pact to watch only new movies for 2011 ... well, that didn't exactly stick but I was very surprised with the amount of 'new' movies I watched given the intentional goal to do so. As such, I plan to do it again this year. Something that is fun is going back and thinking about how those movies impacted you. Below are all the movies that I very proudly have taken the time to watch. My life does not have a lot of time available to watch films, so while I realise that this list isn't exactly comprehensive compared to many, it's especially long for me given that I had to break down and watch my film series for background noise while I work. These series usually involve English mystery such as Midsomer Murders or Law & Order (Criminal Intent and SVU) with a smattering of sci-fi such as the billionth run of Firefly, Bab5 or even DS9.

Beside each movie listed below starting with January 2011 includes what I remember, which can be really amusing since I don't have a great memory for movies.

Silverado - a Western, I think

All that Jazz - some sort of tragic 70s Broadway that put me to sleep

Tron (cinema) - lots of very cool graphics and storyline

The Day the Earth Stood Still - apocalyptic

Big Fish - really interesting perspective of storytelling

The Assassination of Jesse James - the assassination of Jesse James

Million Dollar Baby - horrible and wonderful film that is about ethical dilemma

Brokeback Mountain - ummmm, I'm not really sure how I felt, actually

End Game - I have zero memory of this

Three Kings - remember liking it; refugees or gold? Mmmm

The Day After Tomorrow - yet another apocalyptic film

The Hurt Locker - a reminder that some of us are best at something; otherwise depressing

Jumper - fun teleportation sci fi

2012 - guess what! ANOTHER apocalyptic film. Noah's Ark spin off was interesting

Walk the Line - definitely a pencil in the eye, unless of course you're mad about Johnny Cash

Just Cause - a completely unexpected twist that made an otherwise dull movie memorable

Invictus - fascinating view into South African issues during Mandela's time (as leader)

The Secret Life of Bees - /really/ depressing

The History of the World: Part 1 - absolutely hysterical

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - meh; interesting perspective

Zombieland - totally funny and worth owning

Lost Boys - a classic that I missed somehow, but has now been rectified

Legion - really loved everything about this film - apocalyptic supernatural

Ladyhawke - long, but a nice classic fantasy film

Fierce Creatures - I haven't stopped laughing - must own

Thor (cinema) - they did so much better than I expected - I was terrified of mega cheese

The Dilemma - so painfully stupid and horrible, biggest pencil in the eye ever

Priest ( cinema) - LOVED this post-apocalyptic supernatural

X-men: First Class (cinema) - absolutely awesome (except for Angel...that was messed up)

Pirates 4 - Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom...oh, and Penelope Cruz. Apparently stuff happened.

Ghosts of Machu Picchu: Nova - trying to dip into documentaries - learned a lot

The Dark Ages - more documentary - I feel asleep

Solomon & Sheba: Biography - I'm not so great at paying attention to documentaries

Brain Candy - funny, sort of - lots of mockery

Inspector General - way out of my comfort zone, but found this mid-century comedy amusing

Maverick - awesome western comedy

Miyazaki's Spirited Away - excellent anime, worth owning

Pandorum - new Adam and Eve via cryogenic disaster

Hudson Hawk - very funny - not really something I expected from Bruce Willis

Moneyball - it kept my attention the whole time as a baseball movie, which is impressive

Brewseter's Millions - absolutely funny watching somebody get sick of money

Johnny Mnemonic - a really good cyberpunk movie that is sparking my interest in cyberpunk

Starship Troopers - interesting futuristic military action with aliens

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (cinema) - loved this as much as the first - they are creating the movies in the spirit of the original style of the actual books

My major takeaways include a new interest in cyberpunk (reading Neuromancer now) and that while I really dislike apocalyptic films, I completely adore /supernatural/ apocalyptic films. I also need to watch more anime. Avoiding drama seems to be a good thing for me, although I wouldn't have figured that without reviewing this list and realising how bored I was with the drama style films.

Red Mist (book review)

2012-01-14T14:09:00.001-05:00

Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Seaside Christmas

2011-12-30T17:10:00.003-05:00

After three different ecological experiences for Christmas in a row (2009 in the mountains, 2010 in the desert, and now 2011 on the seaside), I have to throw my vote for the seaside. We've stayed in Cape Cod for a couple Christmas' and it was wonderful, but my absolute favourite environment thus far for Christmas is a warm seaside! Next year will be a wonderful reproduction our our honeymoon Christmas in Rome and Malta ten years ago, but that's just an every-five-year special deal. I think my general leaning each year will be to find a warm, sunny spot with soft salty air. I don't even require terribly warm...but just warm enough that massive bundling is not required.

The best gift I could have this week was going to bed and waking up to the water crashing on the shore. Although Hilton Head's ocean isn't exactly the crashing type (very mellow), I still could hear it as all stress melted into the air. One of my favourite moments was watching Eric and Elle fly their kites that I acquired in Boulder's most interesting kite shoppe. The winds were absolutely perfect.

Overall, it was a fantastic Christmas season for me! I received very thoughtful gifts, and despite my presence in Indianapolis for only a few days in December, I managed to spend quality time with some friends. I made a major dent in my doctoral writing that was enjoyable rather than pressured, and I had the fun of finding the perfect box for gifts. I am one of those pathetic types that finds a 'perfect box' and then looks for a gift to fit it. Rested, somewhat healed from my medical drama, and caught up on the 'little' things that drive me nuts during busy times, I am feeling very ready to hit the New Year parties in Asheville on Saturday! I'll start thinking about 2012 half-way through January....

Medical Drama

2011-12-22T13:12:00.003-05:00

There are currently five medical problems that I am experiencing. I was only aware of one, and the onset of the second issue is what drove me into the MedCheck at 330am in the first place, but now I feel like one of those old people with the squeaky voice who's only conversation quality is a comparison of how many things were wrong with them.

The cold...check. Had a pretty good idea of it's existence.

The infection....definitely check. Thus explains the 330am visit to get through our wonderful system for drugs.

The back...ok, well, yeah. I knew something was wrong with it because the muscle, not bone, popped when I picked that box up incorrectly. The incredible pain and complete lack of motion range were additional clues. Also, when you've trained in martial arts for more than a decade, torn muscles and fractured bones are a little ho-hum. However, this issue seemed to be a far bigger deal to everybody than the reason I was there. At least I got some nice pain killers out of the trouble.

Stage 1 hypertension blood pressure....wow, could you make that any more dramatic? Also, could we consider the fact that my blood pressure is going to be through the roof as you list all the things that are wrong with me when all I want to do is sleep peacefully?

Let's see, there was one more, but I forget, and it's likely to not be important. Regardless, I think that I left MedCheck slightly more depressed than when I entered. At least I have home and drugs now, although I'm concerned that my little apothecary of orange pill dispensers from the pharmacy also reeks of old person issues.

Now to pack for a wonderful trip to a warm(ish) beach for the Christmas holiday week, which is by far the most likely best medicine I can get.

The Litigators (book review)

2011-12-16T13:27:00.000-05:00

The Litigators by John Grisham

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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The Gospel according to Coco Chanel (book review)

2011-12-16T12:50:00.000-05:00

The Gospel According to Coco Chanel by Karen Karbo

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Perceptions

2011-12-12T10:41:00.005-05:00

Perceptions are such unique monsters. Just when I felt that the entirety of United States was insulted, outraged and generally cranky with TSA, I have discovered two new perceptions.

First, TSA is wonderful. If you will read my blog post about my experience with Border Control, you will come to realise that TSA does not randomly threaten violence and while there are horror stories of how they abuse their power, they have many lessons to learn to fully exploit that. Given all the bad press, their general demeanor has overall improved, making flying really quite fine... this is of course only my perspective, but I was amused how a truly horrible experience with a different branch could improve my flying time so dramatically.

Second, while adults are generally offended with the lack of privacy and runaround of disrobing half your clothes for security measures, it would appear that children, ie, my child, is offended with the advent of being left out of this chaos. When the TSA agent informed Elle that it was not necessary for her to take her shoes off to walk through security, she was enraged. "MOMMY AND DADDY'S SHOES GET TO GO THROUGH! MY SHOES NEED TO GO THROUGH!!!!!" Slightly bug-eyed from the shock of this announcement, he tried to assure her that this was a good thing and because she's so little, her shoes didn't need to go through. Wrong tact. Totally wrong tact. I went through at this point because I was a little embarrassed and felt it was more than Eric's turn to deal with Elle's odd little quirks (and there are many... so many). I gratefully missed the final round, but turned to see Elle's socked feet walking through the security 'thing' with her chin a bit high and an expression somewhat similar to what I always thought the Queen of Sheba would have. The poor TSA agent looked a little befuddled and was blinking several times at Eric, who apparently had opted to handle the situation by not handling it at all.

The trip went smoothly after that, besides of course the announcement to the entire (and rather small) plane that "MY PANTIES ARE STUCK ON MY BUTT!!!!" in her fury that I would not loosen the seat belt. I have seriously considered the possibility that she is the anti-Christ, and this manipulation is further proof. I cannot tell you how many people I watch her melt and how many compliments of "what a delightful child we have", which only solidifies my developing belief of her anti-Christ possibilities... after all, the anti-Christ fools everybody, right?

An exceptionally fine morning....

2011-12-08T13:20:00.002-05:00

Despite my lack of morning prowess, this morning was an exceptionally fine one. After a night full of weird dreams and nightmares, I found the alternative of getting up a little early tolerable. Knowing that I had an 11a meeting, ie, before afternoon, did not please me, so I expected morning activities to be tinged with a bit of grumpiness. And I tried to maintain my status quo, but I failed.

A morning at a grocery store seemed to be the best way to maintain my grumpy state for a fine contribution of my presence in the meeting. However, the world was against me. Standing in the deli waiting for my turn to order cold cuts, this lady would not stop talking to me. I don't particularly care for talking at all in the morning, and I really hate to be chatted "at"...so this was a promising sign that my grumpy state would increase. However, she accidentally engaged me. I was rather upset with this as I actually smiled during this conversation. I would have to make up for that bit of friendliness and cheer later in the store.

Moving into the other aisles the morning stockers were very kind, always popping out of the way for my cart. More cheer. What the hell is wrong with the world? Finally I get to the cash-out lines and discover there is only one very long line. Excellent! I can stew in my bad behaviour and criticism...until the manager and co-manager opened a new line and personally escorted a few people, including me, into a new line, and were most professional. That's it. I gave up. Clearly The Fates had destined my day to be positive and I had to accept it. Embracing this new mindset, I smugly handed over my 'free drink' rewards card from Starbucks for the most expensive drink I could possibly think of, and gloated my whole way home of how lovely the morning was.

Mindsets are amazing things.

Welcome Home!

2011-12-05T14:51:00.002-05:00

I say that with all the sarcasm I can possibly muster. After a glorious week of relaxed Canadian holiday in the adorable village of Niagara-on-the-lake, drinking absolutely sublime wine, eating lovely food, and having great scenery (Niagara Falls view from room), I wasn't terribly excited about returning, but Denver is next week, and Christmas in Hilton Head is close on it's heels. I was pretty sure that those details alone could buoy my spirits nicely throughout work and school for December.

That was until the border crossing. These people either need seriously scripts of Xanax or holiday time. They seized my car, pulling everything out of it, tore up stuff, and accused us of not being cooperative because we asked 1) what they were doing and 2) why they were being aggressive when they literally started screaming at us. After threatening Eric physically, our emotion was mostly shame of being a citizen of a country that greets anybody in this manner. They had no apology for being the worst assholes I have ever experienced, but did give me appreciation for the TSA having enough news spotlighted on them that they are somewhat normal. Trust me, the worst TSA nightmare I experienced was not topping the Border Control. The whole thing started because he asked my name three times, and I raised my voice each time for him to hear. He finally heard the third time, and he claimed I yelled at him. They accused Eric for having an issue when he simply asked what was going on in a seriously nice tone. Our takeaway is that you cannot ask anything and just about everything you answer will be twisted to be taken somehow offencively.

I was too scared to sleep because every time I closed my eyes I saw those five guys surrounding Eric ready to hit him, or envisioned their rage in the way that dreams do so unfortunately well in the few snatches of sleep I was getting. The fact that I had to get up at 5am the next morning for a 3.5 hour drive to attend four dreadfully tiring meetings at the university was not helpful to my already heightened state of exhaustion and tension. To make matters worse, it was pouring rain the entire time and every time I would even get close to the speed limit, I would start hydroplaning, resulting in being 10 minutes late to the first meeting.

Apparently the meeting was going poorly, so when I slipped in, my boss came up to me and told me to leave. I was a complete mix of emotions, from shocked to hurt to stunned to anger to frustration. Granted my previous 24 hours had left me in a particular state of feeling apprehensive towards anybody and everything, but I have never been told to leave a meeting I was requested to attend, especially one for which I traveled nearly 4 hours in really crappy weather to attend. This left me feeling pretty worthless and unneessary, but in a struggle with my emotions, I could see everybody around me was incredibly tense. It would seem that the day is not going well here. At least the one meeting so far resulted well, so just two more and then I can work very hard to pretend Sunday and Monday never happened. It's just a black hole, and those two days are heading not quickly enough into the vast emptiness of lost memories.

Much orc slaying will commence later.

So so so so tired....

2011-11-19T19:47:00.003-05:00

Everybody is tired, right? We all have this fantastic habit of packing our days with appointments and tasks, and if completely necessary, making the mundane feel like it's incredibly urgent. While it is true that all the deadlines I have are self-inflicted and self-paced, exhaustion and trapped are the primary emotions. Must I absolutely have a doctorate? No, but if I want to truly advance in my career, the educational industry demands it. Must I push myself on the doctoral writing demands? Probably not, but frankly, paying $4,000 a quarter is not something that I like to inflict simply because I feel the need to slow down the pace. Should I drop my job so I can focus on it better? Well, they are the ones shelling out the $4,000 a quarter. Perhaps not then. Travel less? Only when I'm pushing up daisies. That's the one thing that is incredibly motivating and keeps me thinking. I considered cutting back conferences, but that feeds directly into my consultancy, and when the PhD is done, I want that to grow.

I knew this quarter will kill me, and it did. But I have one week left and survival is promising. The last course with the most incredibly obtuse facilitator is nearly over with the capstone project (qualitative research proposal) complete. Pathetically, I looked at my current grade (98%) and then looked at the value of the project (10%)... and all I could think of was "I have a really solid B if I just blow that whole crazy project off." Definitely missing on the learning mindset, but hopefully you can forgive me when you consider that I was also trying to wrap up a 120 page thesis on systems in education. Don't worry, I did the project, and I'm glad for the experience, even if the facilitator is useless.

One week left and I still have six major projects that I intended to complete before the quarter ended, but frankly, the amount of teaching and learning besides my job and clients that took place in September, October, and November leaves me with a sense of "wow, only six projects that I didn't get to complete :P

The value I am getting out of this is realising that I can still enjoy the little things during deadline focused times. Taking up the cello has been a lot of fun, and my teacher said that I have natural talent. While it is possible he was ensuring my continual return, my psyche is going to choose that I actually can play the thing. It is a tonne of work to do two completely different things at the same time, but it takes my brain away from complex adaptive systems within education, qualitative methodology and the looming dissertation proposal.

Also, Starbucks knows me by name.

Perhaps these jitters should be addressed.

Meanwhile, I have skipped to the really important project....packing for a computer-free trip with friends, wineries, waterfalls, and fantastic food.

Recess!!

The Tehran Intiative (book review)

2011-11-19T19:46:00.000-05:00

The Tehran Initiative by Joel C. Rosenberg

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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2011 Halloween, another awesome weekend!

2011-10-31T18:16:00.016-04:00

Best.Holiday.Ever.

Seriously, I love Halloween so much. We need more holidays that involve dressing in costumes, masks, watching scary movies, and maximising party opportunities ... all in my favourite autumn season!

Slight rant directed towards the absurd special event that the Indianapolis Zoo hosted. ZooBoo has been excellent in the past, but this time the grand total of candy that Elle collected was 8 pieces. Yes, you read that correctly. Why bother with giving the kids the bags? What they really needed were folders, to collect all the crap paperwork they passed out. Nothing like turning on a 4 year old like coupons for kids meals at barely mid-range chain restaurants, advertisement for a private school, toy advertisements, and my personal favourite, a discount for a Sam's Club membership. It would seem that the zoo rented out tables to companies and this was what was deemed acceptable. I thought Halloween was safe from the commercialism disaster that Christmas has been transformed into, but holiday commercialism is another entire rant that I'll spare you for now :) Anyway, Princess for ZooBoo and Jessie from Toy Story on Halloween night, her awareness of the awesomeness for dress up takes another gigantic step forward!

Meanwhile, the adult Halloween marches onward! Eric had the good fortune to be sitting next to Michelle Branch on his flight back from Denver, who gave him two tickets to the first annual Gravedigger Ball that she was opening. I went as a gypsy or pirate, and Eric went as a 1930's bartender...

Michelle Branch, dressed as a safari member from an earlier era did a wonderful job with the opening and exposed me to her music for the first time. Anybody that leads the crowd in the theme song for the Flintstones for her encore and knows the tunes for multiple levels of Mario gets my praise and respect regardless of her tendency towards country music :P

The costume contest produced some seriously amazing costumes. Absolutely awesome and levels of effort that I can only barely conceive. I posted my favourite, and am very sad that I didn't get Frankenstein and his bride. They deserve honours as well.

The Mad Hatter got my vote.

The Hans Solo deal was pretty popular.

These guys were great :)

The photo does not do these guys justice...best undead I've seen!

The start, not end, of the journey!

2011-10-22T10:01:00.006-04:00

When individuals who have earned a PhD or EdD indicate their level of education on every piece of correspondence possible and / or have to include this tiny little fact in verbal communication as well, I feel like they saying to anybody who will listen that they have achieved greatness. It's possible. However, as I come closer to the end of my own PhD, I feel deep frustration that I see so much more out there that I cannot possibly understand in my lifetime. The degree holders can only claim a very deep knowledge of a very small vertical slice within a specific discipline. For example, as I earn a PhD in Education, I can babble on forever about adult learning needs, specifically for the online platform. Can I talk to you about educational technology? Only from what I read on the aside.... Can I talk to you about K-12 needs? Only from what my peers in college specialise in K-12 talk about... Can I talk to you about institutional effectiveness and assessment? Only from what I've experienced in the workplace as it touches my own area of expertise... My point being, there is SO MUCH about education that I can't claim expertise about, but essentially will be writing a book about my area of expertise, and already have written three 120 page theses about it. This isn't even bringing in different disciplines, but merely staying with the single discipline of education (although I feel it's essential that we become more interdisciplinary in our approaches).

As I see people create email addresses such as "doctorjohndoe" or "JohnDoePHD" or drjohn", I seriously wonder about their capability of seeing the world on a bigger scale than their own self-created bubble. Other times I see facilitators tell students to "call me Dr. Joe" or whatever. My thoughts are if you really want to "connect" with your students by being a peer in leadership form (as adult faculty should be), the reference to masses of hours focusing on a super small area of expertise is not the way to do it.

Granted, getting a post-graduate degree is much more than whatever focus you chose. The rigor and structure I have learned to extrapolate data for positive application, run valid studies, and become a change agent on a systemic level is all credited to my experiences with learning post-graduate level research and the mindset instilled by my university, Walden. However, as I look at what's left...two more theses, two more short residencies, and dissertation, I feel incredibly inadequate than before I started the program three years ago. While my focus is very strong on my particular vertical slice right now, I am very excited about graduating, taking a long holiday in Africa, and then coming back to delve into other vertical slices, cross communities with interdisciplinary studies, and discovery boundary objects that I can use for multiple communities to experience the discoveries that a particular discipline has experienced.

My fellow doctoral candidates and graduates, this is not the end. Don't walk away saying "phew, life goal complete". We are merely getting the star chart for discovering galaxies. We don't need to brag, remind, or fulfill minor insecurities with our status of past accomplishment by putting PhD and EdD on everything (putting aside the fact that it's necessary for some things, such as publications and vitas).

Meanwhile, to everybody who knows me...if I pull that "look at my three letters" stunt after I graduate and the celebration party, kick me really hard.

...in neutral...

2011-10-18T18:15:00.005-04:00

Being in neutral in very difficult for highly goal oriented individuals. Eric and I are experiencing wonderful progress with our long term goals and sitting in neutral for our short term goals. What's next? We know of two very clear options in front of us, and one option is not moving in any direction for us to know if we are going with the second option. Given that both futures involve logistical effort, we are trying to ignore the future and enjoy the present. Indianapolis is not exactly a favourite location, but it is a convenient lily pad until future notice. Meanwhile, attention to the small things has been a requirement to not go mad with desire to know what, or I should say, where is in front of us!

Frankly, my very wise friend said that I should take this 'down time' as an opportunity to focus on my PhD and Elle, which is absolutely correct. Elle's growth has been astounding, both physically and mentally as she is now reading and writing, and although I am very glad she has moved on from her one-eyed comic head drawing series to two-eyed comic head series to snails to the current passion of kites. I have no pictures taken of this particular fad yet, but I find the kites far less unsettling than gigantic eyes staring at me.

So what am I doing these days? Writing. Drinking excellent wine. Writing. Trying to learn meditation (another post entirely). Writing. Teaching Elle. Writing. Wishing I knew what the next port of call was. Writing. Taking quick trips out of state to pretty places. Writing. Trying new gins. Writing. Investigating new excellent cuisine in Indianapolis. Writing.

Less writing: T-1 year. Fine. Maybe 18 months, but I'm really hoping not.

Growing Up? Maybe....

2011-10-09T11:05:00.004-04:00

When you are doing something that you know is completely awesome and cool, there are two emotional reactions. The first is a somewhat natural tendency to think "I bet they wish to be in my shoes!" This occurs especially in goal-oriented people that are constantly striving to improve a situation or circumstance. The second is the happy contented sense of thinking how wonderful life is. I believe the transition between these emotions is the cusp of true self-security and maturity, and a transition that I am finally experiencing. Shutting down my Facebook account was the first signal to me that I was still experiencing the first emotion as it was all too easy in my excitement to post obnoxious snippets that essentially said "I am here, where are you?!" Something that I do not want to necessarily do is to disappear into a hole, but blasting my news and life into people's faces constantly seems equally unfriendly. I definitely recognise the value of virtual social sharing, but I also recognize that it is not the best platform for my personal growth. I do love to share my experiences and will be adding links to my Picasa albums in my blog, as well as creating real stories rather than the short hand method of communication blasts. If people wish to share in my life, and I hope you do, please pop by my blog and check out my fun crazy life. Otherwise, just give a ring. Or stop by. Or email :) However, the shotgun approach of my perceptions of a fantastic life is over...

The Last Stand (book review)

2011-10-08T17:05:00.000-04:00

The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn by Nathaniel Philbrick

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Baking Tips

2011-10-07T18:33:00.003-04:00

After reading this post, it may surprise you that I can plan, organize, and cook multiple course meals for many people. I can put on some pretty good parties, be a decent bartender, and have great appetisers. However, what I most certainly lack is the necessary skills for baking. There's zero art to it except in the confines of science. This is where things start going terribly wrong. Sadly, I have not even seriously cooked in a long time because travel life while studying and working is not particularly conducive to many happy hours in the kitchen surrounded by copper, spices, and wine. Thus, my first time back in the kitchen in many moons provides some important reflective insights that I thought I would share with you.

When putting the mixer things in the mixer, do not test if they are really in there to stay while holding on to them. They still fall out and numbness follows for a very long time.
When using molasses, it is strongly recommended to either a) put the cap back on immediately or b) not put it on the edge of the work area you're focused. Very bad things happen, especially if clumsiness has any potential factor.
Do not assume that if you can get the measuring item into the jar of whatever you're getting, ie, sugar, that means you can also manipulate the substance into your measuring device and retract it. In fact, if there is any similarity in size, you are looking at approximately 10 minutes of anger and suddenly having empathy with the sheep that gets their heads stuck in fences.
Baking measure a lot of stuff. I mean, a LOT of stuff. Have lots of measuring devices available so you don't have to keep washing them absurdly thoroughly and trick your man into the washing. Another option is to plan out your dry measuring before the wet measuring, but option A is much easier.
Do not, I repeat, DO NOT use the baking soda let in your refrigerator for two years. It turns odd colours. In fact, you may consider pitching it altogether.
Wearing dark clothes in any activity that involves flour is stupid.
When it says butter should be room temperature, it really means it. Otherwise it has a habit of slipping around, and possibly popping out and sticking to the oven range hood.
Do not expect a manicure to survive any type of baking effort.
It turns out that if you haven't used appliances in a long time, cobwebs develop. Check for these before you use them. If you don't, you then have to wrestle with the idea of just not telling the individual for whom you're baking or redoing the sifting. I'll leave it up to you on which option I selected.

Just for you to have a visual of what happens when you do not maintain the baking habit plus suck at it in the first place, please observe and vicariously learn through me :)

Iceland (book review)

2011-10-03T22:55:00.001-04:00

Ice Land by Betsy Tobin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Harvesting!

2011-09-11T18:55:00.006-04:00

My skill set does not involve gardening. I realise those who know me closely are simply shocked by this confession, but not only do I do not garden well, I kill any thing that tries to stand in my path. Apparently there are silly rules such as watering and other minor care taking matters. It turns out that there are individuals out there that really understand the nuances of gardening, including my father-in-law. I've seen his garden many times from their home's window, but don't recall actually visiting it in the 9 years that I've been aware of it's existence. Close-up experience with it is very cool however, as it provides masses of amazing fresh food.

Since our hotel in DC was a residence hotel with a full kitchen, we decided to take up their offer of some fresh veggies. I took the bucket and started in gleefully. Overwhelmed by the sheer number of harvestable veggies, I asked how much, but apparently it's been harvested already quite a bit, so I piggishly take as much as I possibly can believe that I'd cook. I felt like I was completely out of control at a store that was having a 'free day'.

The food this week has been very happy filled with freshness and delight! It's amazing how much more cool it is cooking with what you've picked yourself than having delivered to you.

Frankenstein (book review)

2011-08-21T01:44:00.001-04:00

Frankenstein (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) by Mary Shelley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Of Saints and Shadows (book review)

2011-08-19T22:59:00.002-04:00

Of Saints and Shadows by Christopher Golden

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Enough Reading... Some Mindset Reflections!

2011-08-13T16:14:00.004-04:00

It seems that this poor blog is nothing but a repository of my book reviews! Unfortunately my only "free" time is to let my brain melt into books with very little true Thoughtful Spot time that is so needed. A more academic and less fun term could call it reflection time. However, with my brain full of exciting new ideas and passions from the conference, I have to detox before moving on to my more mundane brain space landlords, such as career related needs and never ending doctoral writing.

Although I do not cross discussion topics between my personal Thoughtful Spot from my career blog much like my Facebook account is personal and my Twitter account is professional, I was completely inspired by the motivational keynotes that acted as positive mindset development bookends to my own learning. Granted, the conference was about something specific (Agile), the topic itself to me is a mindset and approach to curriculum design and administration; however, the keynotes took me to a personal level and should be shared here too.

Here's what I wrote concerning my conference reflections on career blog.

Dr. Fredrickson kicked off the conference with a great connection of positivism into how experience life. Having positive emotions help us see more possibilities and are naturally creative, aligning well with the agile mindset. Those emotions expands our awareness and transforms us. However, masking negativity with the cliché “be positive” smiley emoticons is simply toxic insincerity, as noted by Dr. Fredrickson. Rather, we should create a mindset of positivity through being open, authentic, appreciative, and kind. This was anchored with (I assume Dr.) Linda Rising who pulled Dweck’s mindset research into the sphere of agile terminology, comparing fixed and agile mindsets. She pointed out that our mindsets determine goals, failure reactions, belief about effort and attitude towards others’ success. She gives a wonderful door of hope that mindsets are simply beliefs that can be changed through brain exercise and the desire for learning and challenge.

Cure (book review)

2011-08-13T15:57:00.000-04:00

Cure by Robin Cook

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Devil's Gate (book review)

2011-08-12T19:42:00.000-04:00

Devil's Gate by David Roberts

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Antartica: A Call to Action (book review)

2011-08-03T14:56:00.000-04:00

Antarctica: A Call to Action by Sebastian Copeland

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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The Invisible Man (book review)

2011-06-28T15:39:00.001-04:00

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (book review)

2011-05-29T22:03:00.001-04:00

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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A Bit of Kindness (philosophy)

2011-05-25T08:36:00.002-04:00

I am an extremely reserved person, so when somebody offers me an umbrella while I'm standing in the rain, I naturally want to say "no, thank you". You would be correct to say I am insane and overly reserved, but there you are. My brain was filled with the necessary obligations of social grace. We would have to banter lightly, return it with thanks, and continue bantering when appropriate throughout the visit to Newgrange and Knowth. As cold as that sounds, my brain immediately went to that and decided it was too tired to want to deal with such things, especially since getting Eric all to myself was a rare treat.

Of course Eric accepted the umbrella. He doesn't filter everything nearly as concisely with pre-determined outcomes.

Sometimes I need to turn my brain off.

Yes, the banter occurred. However, they were such nice people, I found it easy to do so. No posturing or travel comparisons. No suggestions that two American couples finding themselves at one of the most popular tourist locations of ancient culture was ironic. No Facebook connections, which while it is a social networking group, I am often amazed at the lack of connection people have to accept a Facebook friend.

They were simply very nice people who were of similar mindset and enjoyed traveling. The banter was intelligent and un-restrained, but I wasn't bothered to part ways. Umbrella returned, and back into my safe lovely shell.

The next day I excitedly whisk Eric off to the Hill of Tara and other such similar ancient sites. Yes, it's raining, and we're both starved, so we head to the little coffee shoppe that I fell in love with during my last visit just at the bottom of the Hill.

I walk in to look down at the table (seeing Eric is surprised) only to find the umbrella gentleman. While we had only traded first names at the end of Newgrange yesterday, it suddenly seemed very nice to know his name at this completely un-awkward meeting. It was a pleasant bumping into... He informed me that his wife was in the shoppe and I bustled off, finding all sorts of lovelies for Elle, and naturally meeting up with his wife. We chatted about cupcakes and the return of their popularity.

All of it was quite nice. Neither couple was bound to each other's whims or expectations, but simply maintained an ability to have a conversation at two different locations in Ireland, and then a final wave (though we did not know it) in the medieval graveyard next to the ancient one.

Eric made a very good point. "We would have been standing here awkwardly waiting for our bagels and tea hoping for the couple at the table to be leaving; rather we enjoyed conversation with two extremely nice people in this place where we know no-one, and got to borrow an umbrella to boot."

I really couldn't argue. I told my brain to stop over-analysing everything, and enjoy people more. Yes, there will be the idiots, but what do we lose by keeping up a guard against the inevitable idiots that usually get past the guard anyway?

The gentleman took Eric's email address. Whether we here from them or not, we'll see. I definitely wouldn't mind bumping into them again and enjoying a cupcake. If not, we had a lovely bumping into in Ireland.

The Wise Man's Fear (book review)

2011-05-25T08:33:00.000-04:00

The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Earth (book review)

2011-04-29T16:40:00.002-04:00

Earth (the book): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race by Jon Stewart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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The Name of the Wind (book review)

2011-04-15T12:42:00.001-04:00

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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London's Strangest Tales (book review)

2011-03-20T11:24:00.001-04:00

London's Strangest Tales by Tom Quinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Thank you Liz! It was a great Christmas present :D

Freakanomics (book review)

2011-02-26T22:22:00.002-05:00

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Posh Experience

2011-02-26T14:43:00.016-05:00

If you are ever in Scottsdale and love food, it is a requirement to eat at Posh, an improv gourmet restaurant. A fantastic wine list is coupled with several items of food that you can cross out if you're not interested and want to narrow the possibilities of what you'll get depending on how many courses you order.

Despite my goal to try anything that I was either unfamiliar or considered a delicacy, I could not accept pig ears as a choice. However, I did reject the 'typical' food such as short ribs, filet mignon (calm down Ellen), and some typical white fish. Items remaining on the list included sweetbreads, frog legs, kangaroo, clams, oysters, and ahi tuna. Below is the glorious result...

Komodo oysters with pink peppercorns and radish leaves
Although I prefer northwest and northeast oysters, these South Sea oysters were nothing to sniff at - very soft and buttery with a touch of soy sauce added.

Ahi tuni (rare of course) with sweet/sour foam and some sort of amazing soy sauce. Cucumber and blood orange slice are on the side.

My typical craving for Wasabi was completely forgotten with this sweet/sour foam that mixed perfectly with the soy sauce, which is amazing since I am not a soy sauce fan.

Lightly fried frog legs with mango salsa and terrine.

Frog legs were less impressive for me. Mostly tasteless (but very delicate), it takes on the flavour of whatever is supporting it; in this case, the mango concoction. I also discovered that while edible, terrine is not necessarily my cup of tea.

Sweetbread (veal glands) on a bed of steamed spinach and vanilla/pepper sauce.

I have a principle against eating veal because of how veal comes to us, but I had to give this a try since one of my favourite Rex Stout characters, Nero Wolfe, adored sweetbreads. It was excellent, but I doubt that I'd order it again.

Kangaroo with swiss chard, parsnip puree and blueberry sauce.

This was fantastic, and probably even more loved by me given it's slightly gamey and lean meat flavour that I recognised so quickly from growing up with venison. The blueberry sauce and first piece of kangaroo did not survive in time for me to remember snapping the photo.

Creme brulee with edible flower.

I was actually a wee bit disappointed in this. While I adored the flower, I like my creme to be warmer than what was given me. I also felt the torching was a little overdone.

White chocolate, ganache and cream plopped on an anti-griddle.

These were to die for....I wanted to instantly buy an anti-griddle for such amazing treats. Little post-dessert lollipops, I could wipe them out by the dozens.

Fatal Journey (book review)

2011-02-26T13:30:00.001-05:00

Fatal Journey: The Final Expedition of Henry Hudson by Peter C. Mancall

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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The Scarpetta Factor (book review)

2011-02-15T13:06:00.000-05:00

The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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The Joy of English Beauty....

2011-01-23T09:49:00.026-05:00

English Ellie Time

2011-01-22T09:43:00.009-05:00

Elle had another successful time in London, albeit shared with my shopping efforts. Tomorrow will probably be the prettiest day since we're going to the flower market on Columbia Road, but these photos are specific Ellie focus times.

Here we're heading toward Victoria and Albert's Museum of Childhood over by Bethnal Green. Oddly we were the only ones on the bus, so I went ahead and snapped a photo of her excitedly waiting to get off for her 'big inside park'.

The museum had a decently sized sandbox on the top floor.

She patiently waited to be Queen of the Sandbox between school group visits.

She befriended another child visiting alone with his grandmother.

The dollhouse exhibit was phenomenal, including a dollhouse from 1673

that was designed to teach young girls how to run a household.

Elle discovered the interactive dollhouse for quite some time.

It's always important to swing by the hobby horses...

Little Angel Theatre has the most adorable puppet shows.

Today was a toddler version of the Alice in Wonderland show

we attended last week, but Elle seemed to thoroughly enjoy both versions.

She was quite pleased after the puppet show and heading towards a

wonderful Mediterranean lunch :)

Shopping in London!

2011-01-15T17:00:00.019-05:00

Onward to the fun purchases in London...a diverse shopping experience that would put any avid shopper into delirium. For me the focus of Rome is for boots... Paris is for hats... London is for books and antiques. Yes, there are antiques in the other cities, but I always find cool eclectic things in London.

Of course we must not divert to food, because that is simply another plane of existence, and a blog post will be dedicated to my culinary indulgences later. However, that is the case for every major place I visit, as food and wine is an important aspect of any travelling. Never cheat your palate.

Anyway, back to my past week's purchases...

There is an artists shoppe on Old Russell Square that I love. Yes, there are a million artist shoppes around the world, but there is a bit of Old World in this one that drives me back almost every visit to London. I indulged in a slightly larger travel watercolour set from Windsor & Newton. I have a field set already, but this one has more paints, mixing trays, and a better travel brush (Cotman III). Not that I necessarily think more paints has more fire power...in fact, I think that too many options is muddling. However, I plan to set up the two holders for different scene types.

A visit to Leicester Square occurred on my very first visit to London almost 15 years ago as well as all my subsequent visits to England if I was staying even a day in London before heading to various parts of the UK. While this is an annoying tourist trap area, it is also the home to several blocks of bookstores. My select choices this time were three lovely books from the 1920's...a touring guidebook for Devon (sentimental purchase of course with my marriage there and most treasured visits being to Devon), a book about lectures in academic settings (printed during the progressive age of adult learning theory...a specific interest to my career), and a very informative book about ship details from ancient to "modern" ships. With my recent investment in the The Six Frigates, Splintering the Wooden Blockage, and Fatal Journey (historic rendition of Henry Hudson), I have a much deeper curiosity of ship language and artifacts. This book is quite a Rosetta stone for me.

Lastly, but certainly not least, my new 1940's purse mirror and make-up case is completely awesome. Notting Hill completely blew away my expectations with my first there today. And yes, I first heard of it when I watch Notting Hill...as it represents several city blocks of outdoor stalls, antique arcades, and single shoppes. Retro and vintage clothes are so much around you that you it's almost fainting worthy. I found this spectacular piece in one of the many vintage clothing spots.

Just a few more notes on Notting Hill; pictures cannot possibly do it justice, but this is just to whet your appetite for a lovely afternoon. However, you cannot possibly go there without stopping at Mimi Fifi if you are a lover of vintage film toys (Matt Sheehe would have to be carried out on a stretcher of bliss). Also, Alice's is chock full of an incredible antique mixture, that can trick you into "investing" in them quite heavily. Just keep your eye out for these two store front shoppes while walking down Portobello Road.

This is just too weird and cool to pass up sharing, especially those sewing people out there. The entire store front is glassed in antique sewing machines (mostly Singers...but several types were represented). While you might think it's a clever display for antique sewing machine sales, it is in fact an even more clever display for a modern clothiers.

Ellie in London

2011-01-13T15:16:00.006-05:00

London, if looking in the right spots, is completely awesome for children. Little Angel Theatre in Islington is especially fabulous. The first few rows are reserved specifically for children and I received quite a few pieces of advice for Elle to see the stage well, with some apology that it was mostly adults that evening (adults being big enough to block views). They sold orange juice for children and wine for adults. Alice in Wonderland was playing in the puppet theatre, and I have to say that the puppeteers were really fantastic. The children were mesmorised and the adults were amused. I could not believe Elle was held so transfixed for two 45-minute scenes with a 20 minute interval. Her adorable "may I go touch the flowers" allowed her to join all the other little girls petting the oversized plastic daisies with teacups attached. While I was very sad to not be allowed to take photos, it truly was one of those situations that should be fully enjoyed in the moment.

The village of Hartfield is truly a classic English village from the gorgeous countryside (after all, it is only 5 minutes from the 100 Acre Wood!) to the utterly edible beef and Guinness pie (torturous photos of lovely meals to come next week). The photo below is the Pooh Corner store that is required of all Pooh fans.

Elle won the day with her Gigantic Tigger of Extreme Size.

The country view just outside of the Pooh Corner store in the village.

Our foray to Harrod's toy floor was a success with Elle being very particular as to what she wanted, including the Duncan train engine and a stuffed penguin. Meanwhile, an adventure to Notting Hill and the marionette playhouse is planned for Saturday....

Movie Expansion

2011-01-12T18:06:00.002-05:00

Two important changes occurred recently.

Netflix was discovered despite my growling about 'new fangled crap' when Eric signed us up for an account.
Ellen forced me into a commitment to watch only films I haven't seen.

Note all the cruel despotic behaviour that surrounds me :P The new use of Netflix was mostly due to my complete apathy when it comes to film watching. If I have a few I love, the re-watching occurs to a ridiculous level. The idea of learning something that isn't already required (it's easier than you think to get this way if you aren't already there!), was not something I wanted, but Eric convinced me to give it a shot. This directly leads into the second change where Ellen challenged me to a full year only watching films I haven't previously seen. This originally seemed a little horrific, but upon re-consideration with a few concessions of certain ones that must be re-watched (Lord of the Rings, Blue Planet, Planet Earth, etc.). However, the goal here is to not slip into our habitual re-watching and to look for new ones. The agreement includes books, but I never re-read books, so that's not a problem for me.

So here goes 2011 so far!

Law & Order: SVU - Seasons 1 and 2

Silverado

All that Jazz

Tron

The Day the Earth Stood Still

Big Fish

I think I'll keep a running list of 2011 movies on my blog sidebar for the fun of it and to remember the new movies I've gotten to see with just a tiny bit of focus :) While I don't consider movies to be an essential aspect of life, this is an excellent perspective of how all of us can take little things and make sure we are continually expanding our horizons!

Mad Kings & Queens (book review)

2011-01-04T20:15:00.002-05:00

Mad Kings & Queens by Alison Rattle

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Six Frigates (book review)

2010-12-28T21:57:00.000-05:00

Six Frigates: How Piracy, War and British Supremacy at Sea Gave Birth to the World's Most Powerful Navy by Ian W. Toll

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Watercolouring

2010-12-25T12:53:00.004-05:00

It is extremely intimidating to know so many artists of so many mediums. Having a mother who creates anything she wants with a carving knife, brush, piece of charcoal, or calligraphy pen made me feel safer as an art critic than an artist. I am not a grumpy critic, but a bit picky thanks to a lot of exposure to art on all levels.

However, in the past year, I have come to the conclusion that art is not about meeting societal expectations, but to enjoy. It would be inappropriate to tout myself as a trained artist, but it is equally inappropriate to not pursue something that I enjoy. As a result, I decided to make postcard size gift tags for some friends and family, although my first sampling of friends and family was a very small circle given my rather new entrance to personal art.

After many attempts with charcoal, pastel, and coloured pencils, I have surprisingly found that the intimidating concept of painting is the most comfortable. Oils are terrifying to me because of the requirement of precision, but watercolouring is something that actually relaxes me. The clean colours and ability to 'move things about' with water is very attractive to me. I've made 4-5 larger watercolours from travels and postcard size paintings of Malta and France trips, but below are my string of paintings for this holiday season in order of completion.

The 4-Hour Work Week (book review)

2010-12-16T14:20:00.000-05:00

The 4-Hour Workweek, Revised and Expanded: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Playing for Pizza (book review)

2010-12-14T00:40:00.001-05:00

Playing For Pizza by John Grisham

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Complications (book review)

2010-11-27T12:29:00.000-05:00

Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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My New Tree!

2010-10-31T18:46:00.003-04:00

This started with an innocent shopping trip to Fry's (no, not the electronic store; Arizona seems to have a Fry's grocery line here) for some essentials. However, my heart nearly stopped when I saw 4-5 foot Mediterranean Fan Palm's for only $20. That seemed rather unreal because mid-western floral shoppes don't even carry these large of palms and it would still cost more than the traditional western cost of 75-100$. I anxiously check all the prices and see that it isn't a fluke - these are really that cheap!

I rush in to ensure I can reserve my 50lb tree while I shop. Of course this is the one time that the annoying "welcome to Fry's" dude isn't there. I rush to the floral department even though I know better. I finally literally run down a manager yelling "SIR, SIR, SIR" until he had to acknowledge me. He seems in shock that I care so much about it, and explains that they are on the sale because they are starting to dry out. While I can only think "but you charge $25 for a bunch of crappy cut flowers", I just smile and ask to get a ticket so I can check out. I found his shruggy attitude of "just tell the clerk when you check out" terrifying because there are only 12 out there and I fully expected a dozen people to come flocking in the next ten minutes demanding their Mediterranean Fan Palm. How could they not? He did not share my concern.

I race around the store in extreme panic that my precious palm will be gone by the time that I get up front, but shockingly, when I arrive, not even one person had snatched up my prize. Clearly people here have no sense of value. In fact, the check-out clerk seemed completely confused about the whole process and acted like I was the strange one for wanting it. Whatever people! The florist is paged, and in her apparent relief to ditch a palm on an unsuspecting victim, is very helpful as I ask her to stand guard next to my baby as I grab my car.

Her expression as I pull up with my MiniCooper is indescribable.

Only at the loading point do I realize these things have thorns. That was an unpleasant 10 minutes as I provided the shopper's entertainment and misery of the florist getting that thing in the car.

I very proudly pull out, the owner of my very own 4 foot Mediterranean Fan Palm with my hatch up, blinkers on, going 30 miles per hour in constant panic that I may hurt the palm. Elle is equally ecstatic and panicked, giving little "ouch" sounds when she tries to hold the branches and remembers that it hurts to hold just like it did 2 second previously. z4's and other such sports car zip around me with incredulous looks as I proudly beam with excitement of my new purchase thinking "yeah, you buzz me like that with your stupid little sports car. I have a Mediterranean Fan Palm and the fact that you don't makes you an incredible loser."

They seemed to have a different perspective.

Arriving home, Elle leaped out (actually crawled out extremely cautiously) and ran to each arriving car to their flat announcing our new purchase. Neighbors were in awe, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't the positive awe.

Meanwhile, my porch is becoming quite the exotic potted plant garden as people shake their heads and shop for their fake Christmas trees.

I am Superwoman!

2010-10-27T17:00:00.002-04:00

Sound arrogant? Surviving the story below with a 3 year old within the same 24 hours is a little mindblowing to me.

Air travel to me is like the bus system in the air. Stuff happens, routes get messed up, bus drivers get grumpy, and there are many times when it's simply uneventful. For those who travel the system often, you get used to the funky things, but those who don't travel it often (beware the families that are clearly disorganized or have a stressed expression on their faces) are offended by every possible funky thing that could occur and slow the whole system down. Just take your freaking shoes off and don't wear the Roman sandals with 8 buckles. These are the little indications to select the other security line. However, turning my 4 hour flight into a 22 hour / 4 state tour was taking it a little far for me as well.

This story starts when I show up at the airport ready to rock and roll, but was informed of either a 7 hour delay in Indianapolis, or a 4 hour delay there and another 4 hour delay in another equally boring airport (Detroit). I look down at Elle, fresh from her good sleep and ready to destroy the world, and opt for the early next morning flight that will have her zombified.

So let's roll the clock forward to 430am the next morning. Nice and early. Elle is sleepwalking - awesome! We'll start with the classic "we'll be sitting here on the runway for an hour because of storms." Whatever. While I'll miss my connection, I assume there are several more flights to Phoenix from Memphis since I'll still get to Memphis in the morning. Ha!

One horribly turbulent ride to Memphis (my sensitivity to airsickness is phenomenal and I did not have Dramamine - so there's puking at this point), we are circling for an hour when the pilot announces that Memphis is not allowing us to land and we're running out of the fuel. I'm too busy puking to care a whole lot about the crashing possibility, but this was apparently a concern of the pilot's, so he headed down to Mississippi where we refueled and I recovered on the ground for another hour before heading back into Turbulence City.

Let's just skip all the sickness and say we land in Memphis. It was very very unpleasant. Having piloted myself, I could tell what stages he was at in the landing process and the time between each stage was killing me because I wanted it to go faster. Elle was very kind in her announcement to the entire plane that it was "disgusting". Thank you Elle, I'll remember that support when you're sick.

We hobble off the plane and the lady yells at me that I "just stood there" (pardon me for trying to not pass out) when they rescheduled my flight for 15 minutes from the landing. Which terminal, I ask. B11. Right. I know this airport pretty well and there is nothing on this earth that is going to get my carry-on, 3 year old child, and my own sick butt there in 15 minutes. She slows down to take in the situation and agrees with me. I forgave her for what I felt was originally an outrageous expectation when she kindly rescheduled me for a later flight so I can recover.

However, I was dismayed to discover that the rescheduled ticket was to Atlanta before I could get to Phoenix. If you have spent any time at all in Atlanta, you'd understand my dismay. That place is seriously on one of the levels of Dante's Inferno, and continues to achieve a lower level with each visit. I run to the Skyclub and beg for mercy. Explaining my situation, I asked to be switched to another airline that I knew was direct from Memphis to Phoenix. Now this is a secret to those who are less traveled - airlines will rarely, if ever, voluntarily transfer you to another airline, and probably will not if you have baggage, but if you request it, they care about customer service and will usually work with you. As I guessed, there was one more direct flight left in the day (we are sitting at 1p right now) leaving at 230p with US Air. Unfortunately this means going outside security to get to the ticket counter, but I risk it.

You guessed it. That plane was full. Back through security, who freaked with my five million boarding passes for fifteen different planes that had come and gone while I was puking in the air. That was a long explanation.

Kudos to Skyclub lady who let me collapse in the club and get Elle a snack, juice and hot chocolate.

Trucking back out to the Atlanta flight, I grab some Dramamine that fortunately just keeps me only wanting to puke for the next 55 minutes.

Please note as I land in Atlanta, my most hated airport besides perhaps Philadelphia and Gatwick, there is 2 1/2 hours to waste when all Elle and I want to do is collapse. Memphis was kind enough to take my other carry-on as checked baggage at no cost to help them save space. Actually, they thought they were inconveniencing us when I nearly wept with relief to have one less thing to carry around through 82 airports.

Overdosed with Dramamine, worried about Elle right now who seems only capable of asking "is this the last plane" (really, she was amazingly good), and just glad that this was the final leg, I collapsed in the second row (was in the last row for the last two flights, which causes more nausea). 17 hours into this insanity, I just started laughing hysterically when it was announced that engine #2 was not functioning and to immediately deplane.

275 people circling the announcement desk had to be intimidating to the poor chick trying to get us another plane. She was more than happy to shuttle us to another poor victim to be stared at until we could board. It was interesting to watch 275 people with all their crap move en masse 5 gates away and end up exactly in the same positions of staring at Victim #2 as we were previously stationed before.

Finally loaded and in our same assigned seats, which frankly, I was worried about because I finally had managed to procure a reasonable location on the plane, we get the proverbial announcement that we'll be holding for another hour or so on the tarmack for weather. I took it as a good sign as we have come full circle to the first delay that caused this domino effect where we sat on the tarmack for an hour for weather. I was relieved.

22 hours into our trip we landed at PHX. I have to say that I did not expect my two checked baggage (free courtesy of Delta's just trying to get me home) to make it to PHX successfully, but they did. So I would like to just end this long arduous post with one thing:

MAD PROPS to Delta for amazing customer service throughout the whole miserable experience that was totally out of their control due to that stupid storm that overtook the Midwest. The one time that they could have helped me onto another airline, they did try. And guess what...both my bags, although checked in at two different cities, followed me on the exact planes that I was on. You have to understand how insanely amazing that is. There should be a case study on logistics of Delta's baggage service.

The Haunted Mesa (book review)

2010-09-17T21:16:00.001-04:00

The Haunted Mesa by Louis L'Amour

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Summer Review

2010-08-25T19:39:00.004-04:00

As an adult educator, it's a constant focus to implement self awareness techniques and future oriented strategies for motivating adult learners. However, as a typical human, it's easy to make one self exempt from "the message". Implemented personal kanban has really improved my personal abilities for self-reflection, and as such, immediately see the connection point between my small triumphs this quarter that directly apply to my big picture goals. It is good to feel the results of my own efforts with motivational techniques in adult learning curriculum.

That is the message to all of you; however, now I am going to take the time to record my own reflections that the visual controls of kanban has shared with me.

As I have tweeted in the past, my three categories are no longer To Do, Doing, and Done. As an effort to continue self-motivation within the personal kanban process, I switched these out for Opportunities, Active Involvement, and Personal Fulfillment. The subconscious stress of reviewing my kanban board each week quickly turned into excitement over simple name changes because it affected my mindset.

Since my world operates on a quarterly basis being in school and being a director in a school, my three columns get 'wiped' each quarter with a fresh start. The end of August is upon us, and my quarterly celebrations is upon me.

Summer 2010

Opportunities that I was not able to take advantage of this summer...

Finishing my watercolour of a favourite scene in Rome (personal)
Research theorists for my next major PhD compilation (education)
Create the self-directed APA tutorial (consulting)
Write article on the need for passion and relevance to effectively learn as adults (consulting)
Incorporate my consultancy (consulting)
Rewrite CM3000 for Ohio Christian University (consulting)

Action items of which I am still actively involved...

Teaching CM3000 for Ohio Christian University (consulting)
Aligning kanban to university needs administratively (director)
Implementing kanban into curriculum for group learning (case study)

Celebrations!!!!

Decluttered our Indianapolis home (personal)
Moved from Denver to Phoenix (personal)
Registered for Research 8200 for Walden's Fall quarter (education)
Registered for Chicago residency for Walden's Fall quarter (education)
Finalized 130 page compilation on adult learning theory and motivational strategies for PhD (education)
Brainstormed consultancy model (consulting)
Have professional website specs to developer (consulting)
Taught ORE100 for Ohio Christian University (consulting)
Rewrote PS1010 for Ohio Christian University (consulting)
Assisted the guidance of university client through the accreditation process (consulting)
Designed 8 courses for university client (consulting)
Co-wrote GEN322 course for university client (consulting)

A day ago I was completely stressed and feeling that nothing of significance was getting accomplished. Today I feel major strides towards my bigger life goals.

Observe the power of visual controls for self-reflection and goal orientation.

Fashion Rant

2010-08-01T13:06:00.004-04:00

I love high fashion.
I hate high fashion.

How can you love and hate something at the same time?

I have to say that it's always fun to look at people's creativity and imagine ways to adjust your personal wardrobe for next season as if I live in Paris. People without the financial resources to get an entirely new wardrobe seem to easily overreact as it is amazing how you can use accessories and a few key pieces to completely change what you have.

However, watching Fashion TV sometimes drives me batty. While loving the catwalks, I can't help but roll my eyes at the interviews of guests and editors before the show as they proudly state that they are wearing the [designer] blouse, [designer] pants, and [designer] boots with the special [designer] belt accessory.

REALLY?

I grant you that I do sometimes say "I love my Gucci boots" or whatever, but quite frankly, I usually identify all my shoes, boots and favourite pieces in some form, whether it's my unique identification such as "Spot" or "Roman boots" or "Rings", all of which are examples of how I name my clothing yet are also designer. However, this was not the case in the interviews. It was simply a mode for showing how uncreative they are personally by putting labels on their back. I'm pretty sure that at least in my own little world that clothes are to be worn for a flattering and fun experience, not to be a walking advertisment. I was especially pleased when an Elle reporter responded to the query "so what are you wearing" with "I am wearing a biker jacket, black jeans and black boots." Go girl! Wear something because it makes you hot, not because you have to list what designer clothes you're wearing.

Also, she looked better than the others who had a laundry list of show-off tags. I have no doubt that what she wore was designer too, but she focused on her composition, not names.

Additionally, it doesn't matter what you wear if it makes you look good. Self-awareness of your body shape and type is essential for good fashion.

Good things happen with planning!

2010-07-10T19:34:00.003-04:00

As my friend Ellen pointed out to me today, I'm living an amazing life, so I should stop screwing it up with stress! It's possible that she fears my physical destruction with the constant travelling, having a family, earning a doctorate, working full time (remotely) and now starting a consultancy. I too see some possible disasterous endings to this scenario, but I believe some well placed strategies will make this work. The nice thing is that everything feeds each other, which is the first strategy. Many of my ideas for both the consultancy and my work as a director of online education is fed directly from my required research for the doctorate in the very field for which I'm working. Also, taking one small step at a time with the consultancy is an important strategy, but a name, philosophy and experience is needed in preparation for the eventual work I want to enter.

Bottom line with this story is that good things happen, especially when you work it. Now I just have to manage it. A few things I've successfully learned through the last five years that brought me to this point of satisfaction and excitment in my career:

Choose a field that you feel reasonates with your personality, passion and long term goals.
Choose a degree in that field that is either very classic or very new. There are a lot of 'tired' trendy degrees out there.
Make sure that the job you want is not only in demand now, but going to be more in demand in the future. This requires understanding the big picture of that industry and impact the economy will have on it, ie, education is an industry that does well in recession.
Think about the target audience or group that you'll have to work with - are you a face to face person or somebody behind the scenes? Make sure your goals fit that personality.
Keep abreast of publications and try to get involved with professional groups within that field.
Network the crap out of contacts!

As you can see, this requires some upfront thinking and reflection, but it's never too late to find what fulfills you. I've seen so many successful people in careers they love who started completely over in mid-life. What you did before or do now cannot be a waste because you carry those experiences and knowledge into whatever field you wish to enter.

2010-07-07T09:55:00.001-04:00

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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2010-07-04T00:27:00.001-04:00

The Wonder Spot by Melissa Bank

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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Good God...

2010-07-03T22:38:00.002-04:00

There are some days where winning seems so unlikely that you wonder if you should fight it out or just give up and hide. Since tire drama with my MiniCooper caused the cancellation of a trip to Michigan a few months back, it seems only ridiculously appropriate in some sick Fate's mind that tire trouble rears it's ugly head just as I head out to Chicago for a long weekend. While thinking the indicator light for a low tire would be simply adding air, the gigantic gash in the sidewall told me otherwise. It would be difficult to fully express my disgust as the dealership was closed and the rental agency was closed for the holidays. It is also difficult to exactly determine if the offer of the 10 year old pick-up was a good thing or a very bad omen, but I had chosen to fight it out and took the offer.

With tears threatening to ruin my make-up, I control myself as I move my bags from my adorable and zippy MiniCooper that is perfectly suited for Chicago... to the large and not so exciting pick up truck that is perfectly ill-suited for Chicago. Let's just say it's parked and will not be requested until I leave. Taxis suddenly seem attractive.

Before we can at least celebrate the fact that I made it to Chicago though, we have the lovely little pull-over drama where the cop decided the taillight being out was a national crisis. While the verbal warning was a relief, I was not pleased as the entire incident could have been avoided if the dude had a grip on life. The final act that did require touching up the make-up after tears was when the alterations shoppe that is always open on Saturdays was closed for the FREAKING HOLIDAYS. Seriously people, shoot off some fireworks and eat a hotdog, but what is with the entire country shutting down? So of course my newly hemmed Burberry dress was not a wardrobe option for Chicago, which was probably the most upsetting.

I don't know though. Losing the Cooper AND the Burberry dress for the Chicago getaway? I'm only human.

2010-06-27T20:53:00.001-04:00

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Weather Adaptation

2010-06-22T11:31:00.004-04:00

I've heard that the human body is amazing with adapting to the weather you are enduring. This has been clearly proven because I lived in the Midwest in the muggy miserable conditions for years. However, a year in Colorado living 6000 miles above sea level where there is no humidity and not even that many bugs has taught me that when life improves, it's really hard to adapt back to something less desirable. I drove 400 miles east out of Colorado and stepped out the car for a rest stop and nearly wilted on the spot. As a frantically look around for an oxygen mask and tank, I realise just how much I had forgotten what it was like to breath in air that was practically liquid. Since Kansas is probably one of my least favourite states, I rush onward to St. Louis. Guess what peeps. It is WORSE! The gallant plans of taking Elle to each zoo of each city has been officially burned to a crisp. It is my humble opinion that she is suddenly much more into the air conditioned aquariums and art musuems.

...and for the next while, my life will focus on minimal movement outside, treating each exposure to the insane weather with a quick-as-possible stepping stone to an air conditioned facility.

Meanwhile, somebody PLEASE tell me how the HELL I actually taught Tae Kwon Do in this crap in an aluminum and un-airconditioned building for multiple years. I'm not even sure how we maintained such a great body of students in these conditions, let alone survived it myself!

Harry Potter Series (book review)

2010-06-16T18:14:00.000-04:00

Harry Potter Boxset Books 1-7 by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Drood (book review)

2010-06-01T21:26:00.000-04:00

Drood by Dan Simmons

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Updates

2010-05-26T16:44:00.002-04:00

I tend to not post something unless I feel a burning desire to talk about something, so when you see a lack of posts, I'm essentially floating through life taking a day at a time. I am excited about this summer though. I recently implemented an online Kanban board for my department at the university, and after a successful use of it, we got excited and obtained individual boards. Now with a colour optimisation of each facet of my life (OCU, PhD, consulting and personal life) with the handy little hover due dates and the amazing concept of WIP, I feel completely organised and ready to take summer by the horns. My fear of "how can I get all this done" is now "I can get these items done this week" without completely losing it on the overall goals of summer. Woot! I still maintain a calendar of course, but I can actually manage the calendar now thanks to happy prioritisation and WIP.

On another front, I'm slightly jealous of Eric's two week visit to London for time with friends and three small conferences or some sort of work related joy (I think he's confused conferences with wine tastings or something), but I am getting even by making him jealous over taking Elle to St. Louis and Chicago. I don't think Eric understands that he's supposed to be jealous ;) We're still crossing our fingers for the month-long stint in India as a family (thus the nominal money saving efforts of not taking the entire family to the UK in peak season), but I rarely depend on Eric's company being timely with such awesome destinations. They are simply fabulous on coming through on annoying locations like Dallas and Atlanta though :P

Meanwhile, Denver is lovely! The 90 degree weather with zero humidity has resulted in several extra book reading hours on the porch rocking. It seems to be the opinion of Denver's population that this is perfect time to go and exercise. I find this a little confusing as it's a much more appropriate time to go the parks, grill a gigantic steak and fall asleep on the picnic table, but we've already determined that I'm not exactly a great fit for these robust mountain climbing bikers who switch to running if it's snowing. I am happy to report that I have taken the challenge of the P90X series that is definitely kicking my butt and resulting in the loss of 10+ pounds and the rationalisation of more evening picnics.

More to come as the summer wears on! Happy warm days to all :)

Legend of Drizzt - Set II (trilogy review)

2010-05-02T23:11:00.001-04:00

The Icewind Dale Trilogy Collector's Edition by R.A. Salvatore

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Trip Albums

2010-04-22T14:55:00.002-04:00

...and now we have the East Coast trip and St. Louis trip updated!

East Coast Spring Journey

St. Louis

Elle's Third Year (photo album)

2010-04-22T14:07:00.002-04:00

It is unbelievable to me that Elle is three years old and that I'm now starting her fourth year's album! Meanwhile, enjoy reminiscing her third year :)

Elle's Third Year

A Fond Farewell

2010-03-26T09:46:00.003-04:00

They say that you're either an East Coast or a West Coast person. Although my experiences out west are limited (working to adjust that), I am betting that I am truly an East Coast girl. My style fits in here well, I feel very comfortable here, and am usually able to relax better here than other places.

So it is with a fond smile and "I'll be back soon enough I'm sure" that I bid adieu to the East Coast for the season!

In other news, Ellen will be very proud of me in that I am half-way through the third book of the Harry Potter set (annoyingly addicting little things) and actually sat on the porch in the sun smelling the blossoms and did nothing for at least 30 minutes.

*bows to applause*

Oceanic Renewal

2010-03-12T08:55:00.003-05:00

My elements are definitely a strong water and fire. I assume my personality can be attributed to fire, but the essence of my being is largely driven by water. Despite a crushing deadline and other major issues that would normally stress me beyond measure, I have already calmed immensely after only six days of being very near water, especially salt water. Imagine how I'll feel after another couple of weeks down here!

Two blogs in one week is enough signal alone that I'm much more relaxed. Give me a couple more days and I'll even be eating properly and working out consistently. Magical. I started a watercolour that hasn't gotten terribly far, but the fact that it's started is a great sign that I'm recognising life exists outside of work and a few instant gratification activities.

My reading during this month and holiday is dedicated to two book sets, The second Drizzt series by Salvatore and the Harry Potter set. Yes, that's right, I haven't read the Harry Potter set. Sigh. However, I'm almost done with the first book in each set - awesome reading!

A roaring fire, driving on the beach, and tea

2010-03-09T17:42:00.007-05:00

What's all that make? A great birthday of course!

Besides my awesome loot, I mean, extremely thoughtful gifts from wonderful people, I was lucky enough to discover that the north end beach of the Outer Banks islands is drivable. Yes, that means you can take your car on the beach.

Of course, the common sense of driving a MiniCooper on sand may provide doubt, but it has been known while I recognise what probably isn't a great idea, that has nothing to do with the result. Besides, there was enough traffic on the beach to help when I inevitably misjudged a soft section as you can see below.

However, I now understand the nuances of the beach driving experience (better, at least...after a couple failed experiments), and had a fabulous drive. Elle glared at me many times. Hopefully I can kick that common sense out of her soon.

I loved how there was all the stumps, shells, and oh yeah, on-coming traffic with NO LINES. It was magical ... no rules (except you were discouraged to hit other people and to not speed). It was a very cool experience!

Moving on from the beach excitement (well, not really, I'll be returning tomorrow. And the next day.), it's cool enough out to enjoy a lovely fire (real one) in the fireplace while leaving the door wide open for the air to flow in off the water. I'm not paying the heating bill after all :) It's been a most excellent day complete with bacon, wine and tea, so welcome, 32nd year of my life!

The Magnificant Obsession (book review)

2010-02-24T12:07:00.000-05:00

The Magnificent Obsession: Knowing God as Abraham Did by Anne Graham Lotz

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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It's the small things of life...

2010-02-17T15:45:00.002-05:00

...that make it fun. Despite stresses, illness, deadlines and general responsibility, there are the pleasant little things that can make a day special. Today was such a day when I took a dozen or more of books and books on CD that I've read into a local bookstore and got $80 credit. I tend to only keep classics and antiquarian books, but that doesn't mean that I don't greatly enjoy buzzing through the modern stuff. You know modern books will become classics, but you usually sense what kind of stuff from which the book is made in order for it to eventually become a classic, and those usually aren't the light reading material. There are a few fantasy and sci-fi series that I think will stick around for a long while like Piers, Salvatore, and Rowling, but that's not the norm for the zillions of modern writers out there.

Usually I resell books on Amazon if I can undercut the lowest offered book price and still make $10 or more. However, that's not always possible, so the remaining books go to The Book Alley in Lakewood. My loot today involved The Lord of the Flies, Clockwork Orange, Dune, Freakanomics and a couple books on CDs for my travel time. Still plenty of credit available too, so I look forward to future visits.

What promised to be a somewhat lifeless day full of work and definitely a bad headache instead had a great start making the headache an annoyance instead of a mood driver.

Teaching Reflections

2010-02-13T21:01:00.003-05:00

It's interesting looking back over my twenties and realising how completely unprepared I was to teach Tae Kwon Do, but knowing it was the only way to prepare one for such interesting challenges that occur only in the field. Teaching involves far more than expertise in one's knowledge. Psychology, sociology, teaching methodology, and a whole hell of a lot of patience is also required, especially when you teach a physical sport to children. After going through the experiences that essentially mold you into an experienced instructor, it's easier to instantly throw together a lesson plan on managing a class of teaching martial arts to 30 white belt 5 year olds that have zero discipline or support in the home.

There were days though....when my mind was completely blown.

Like when the kid in the back got scared and peed on the floor. What do you do with that? Ignore it? Address it? How to address it?

Or when there is visible lice and pink eye in your classroom, and you wonder how to incorporate hygiene in the martial art lesson (lived with anti-bacterial soap) and still got it every school year. ARG

Or like when I was teaching really tough kids for a summer who were considered extreme at-risk and are probably all in juvy right now. The lessons were far more involving discipline and respect, and that's difficult to do with teenagers who feel that the world is against them.

Or when you know a kid's getting beaten at home and neglected, but CPS will simply make it worse instead of better. Try dealing with that.

Or my absolute favourite, when a lockdown juvy centre rings and wants us to demonstrate Tae Kwon Do, then when we get there, we're told that no violence should be demonstrated. "No kicks, punches or board breaking." Really? Talk about changing approaches on the fly!

I think the most important lesson I learned through everything was to keep them human. It's especially hard when you're dealing with a chaotic class of 20 students with absolutely no sense of protocol or discipline, and you do have to be tough as nails, but never failing on the fairness and consistency. Of course I did fail on that, but apologising for it to the student(s) is the best demonstration any instructor can show for respect. Even more, explaining decisions is not a sign of weakness, but show of respect to the student(s), especially as they get older. How can you ask them to respect you if you don't respect them OR yourself in return?

Anyway, I digress. All of these experiences made me into a different person. Yes, I'm really tired from martial arts in general and don't really have a craving at the moment to go kill myself coaching all day at a tournament, or even better, competing and coaching at the same time. Ridiculous. I don't even want to train right now; although I know that won't last too much longer because practicing is now part of my blood. However, the whole teaching, training, coaching and business running experience was possibly the best, most effective, and longest lesson that makes a the knowledge from a degree program pale in comparison. You learn to think on your feet and trust your instincts. The only component required for that lesson in life is a passion and a mission.

All Moms Work (book review)

2010-01-28T19:19:00.000-05:00

All Moms Work: Short-term Career Strategies for Long-range Success by Sharon Reed Abboud

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Lived another day...

2010-01-25T18:28:00.002-05:00

...thanks to my very strong and overworked guardian angel. Today apparantly involved some overtime. While I tend to live an overall careless life, I was even shaken and very happy to hold still. My angel is happy for the break now that I'm safely parked in Starbucks trying to regain composure from the day.

Getting pulled over for speeding 18 over the speed limit in Ohio (by a State cop no less) wasn't the most fantastic start of the day, until of course I got to infuriate Eric with getting away with it. Then I felt quite smug (although I admit slowing down in general since I'm happy to finally have a clean licence!).

However, the pothole incident left me a bit rattled, and Habanero (my car)a bit banged up. Actually we're both a bit banged up, but when you consider the end result that we're both safe after running into the concrete barrier at 80 mph, I feel very protected by Somebody. I swear, the barrier simply leaped up and attacked us. It was very violent, and fortunately was able to limp into Philadelphia where Habanero is getting special attention at the MiniCooper dealership (replacing both front tires and rims).

In all seriousness, I suggest to the turnpike idiots of Pennsylvania that if they are going to have the gall to charge me $20 to cross their stupid state, they could at least attempt to make the road passable. A disaster pothole shot my poor car straight into the middle median (concrete barriers). I saw it coming and managed to sideswipe it, giving all the impact to the poor tire. Several spins and a ditch later, I am in complete shock that there is absolutely no body damage. Booyah to Mini! However, let's just say the ride into Philly (this happened 114 miles west of town) was really really rough.

Tomorrow everything should be back to normal, but I have to admit, I'm happy to take the train anyway right now ;)

Leadership and Self-Deception (book review)

2010-01-24T19:59:00.000-05:00

Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box by Arbinger Institute

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Echo Park (book review)

2010-01-19T09:02:00.000-05:00

Echo Park by Michael Connelly

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Easier said than done....

2010-01-18T23:36:00.002-05:00

It is always always always easier said than done! If you remember or take a quick look at my previous blog post, you'll know that I'm trying to change my mindset to be more open in providing the benefit of the doubt to others and truly becoming love. While I do maintain my Henna tattoo, i.e., constant reminder, of "become love", my exhaustion with recent work deadlines and renewed studies has shortened my temper with fellow humans. It's now become something that has to be extremely conscience for me to implement, but I have hope - it's still early in the year.

In a spot of bright news, I am now stocked with fantastically delicious mead, and get to restock the best fruit wines in northern Kentucky this weekend with Eric.

In another spot of bright news, this rather exhausting and dreadful week will lead into a much better time in Philadelphia and New York City next week :)

The Five Secrets... (book review)

2010-01-01T23:23:00.002-05:00

The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die by John Izzo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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A Different Beginning...

2010-01-01T22:14:00.002-05:00

Every New Year seems to be a fresh start, but the implementation of that 'fresh start' is usually quite difficult because we have our baggage from all the previous years skewing that so-called self renewal. However, something fascinating that I read in book titled The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before you Die by John Izzo is that we can't change everything that we've identified needing changed at once. Despite our constant attempts being jacks of all trades and masters of none with our multi-tasking everything, we can't truly improve many things at once effectively. Also, goals rarely get the job done as well as simply tuning your mind to what you want changed by a constant presence, ie, mindset change. This insight actually thrills me because I'm really tired of failing my New Year's Resolutions.

Instead, I am going for a complete mindset change by immersing it with my life. Dr. Izzo suggests writing the change on a card where you have to see it a lot, so I decided to put "become love" as a henna tattoo on my arm where I can always see it.

Become love? At first I thought that seemed really sappy or unrealistic. However, this is a strictly interpersonal adjustment where I stop assuming the worst out of people. That most certainly does not mean to be naive, but it's a change in response to people around me, forcing me to drop my defense barriers and not make assumptions why people decide what they do, even if it negatively impacts me. I guess another way to explain it is that I want to not take things personally to the point where my cognitive skills are taken over by blinded hurt and subsequent defensiveness. I believe this will make me much less brittle as a person and more understanding of people and relationships with people as a whole.

A Colorado Drive...and survival tips.

2009-12-20T21:40:00.005-05:00

Our first major adventure into the wilds of Colorado involved a four hour car ride in the Rocky Mountains. It was terribly exciting to 1) finally get sequential hours in place for such a journey, and 2) be close enough to such beauty that it's actually not a full day trip!

First, however, we must establish some important survival tips for such journies.

For those of you like me, you may not realise that mobile phone service is not accessible in the mountains. My Pandora station playing from my iPhone and through my car speakers suddenly stopped. It was at this point I was informed that we were back in the days of the Constoga wagons and service was not to be had. Just for memories, here is a photo of where phone service ends. Very pretty!

Fortunately I have a quick sense of recovery and switched to my iPod. Keep in mind though that you can't listen to your iPod music provided on your iPhone through your car and be able to charge your phone. So eventually, the phone died altogether. This is the critical piece of information: have CD backups. I now understand why we have CD players in cars.

I hope you have gained value from my experience!

Meanwhile, enjoy some more stunning views that are available in the hinterlands of Colorado :) We were already at 14000 feet elevation when we snapped these bohemoths towering over us. I'm sure it is an important peak that everybody knows but me!

The Mermaid Chair (book review)

2009-12-14T11:44:00.001-05:00

The Mermaid Chair: A Novel by Sue Monk Kidd

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Roma Photos!

2009-11-20T15:02:00.003-05:00

I plan to steal pictures that Matt and Tonya took and add them into my little collection, but I wanted to get the photos I had in the official Willeke Picasa files! I am very happy to profess being completely caught up with photo organisation.

Roma

Movie Update

2009-11-17T22:14:00.003-05:00

It is well known that my sparse history of movie watching is pretty pathetic. One friend helped me rectify this rather gaping hole with quite a solid little selection such as Interview with a Vampire, Stir of Echos, The Ninth Gate, The Crow, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Devil's Advocate and a few more of that nature. Another friend introduced me to my deep love of V for Vendetta and the Underworld series, as well as a nominal nod towards Van Helsing, etc.

However, are you ready for it?

Star Wars.

Another friend has taken me down a new road of movies that includes the Spiderman trilogy, Mel Brooks movies, Tarantino movies, and yes, even that dratted Star Wars that I've never previously acknowledged.

Watching 4-6 first was apparantly a requirement, which was fine except for the huge gaping questions that I had, requiring the follow up 1-3 movies, which were freaking depressing. Yeesh.

Jedi are freaking awesome. Chris Lee, Yoda and Samuel Jackson make really amazing Jedi.

While people attempt to recover from 1) the fact that I've finally watched the it, and 2) the fact that somebody can revel in the coolness of it this late in the game, Spaceballs after Star Wars was a very special laughter. Granted I'll never own the film ever, but it was really hilarious.

Young Frankeinstein was totally hysterical and apparantly I have Blazing Saddles to add to that little collection. Pulp Fiction doesn't really fit into the context of this blog except for the fact that it was cool and it cannot be left out.

As you can see I'm bouncing all over the place with these new "old" films that are so good, but I've determined that I should probably still be in the tutoring stages. My personal choice of watching Pans Labryinth was poor as the film is banned from my home as the cause of a stress headache from all the freaking sadness and possibly the source of my newest found depression. It is an absolutely wonderful film that will remove your heart still beating from your chest, nail it to a wall and watch it slowly shudder and die.

Back to strict recommendations for awhile longer.

Sundays at Tiffany's

2009-11-14T15:19:00.000-05:00

Sundays at Tiffany's, Narrated By Ellen Archer, 5 Cds [Complete & Unabridged Audio Work] by James Patterson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Books like this rarely get to my eyes because I am not really into what I would term 'chaffy dramas', but this particular story captures the heart and keeps there until the very end. It's a super sweet story that is a reminder of your own childhood and while I found the end a bit too convenient for the typical happy ending, what is wrong with a happy ending? Seriously! We need to have good little stories like this to help us remember our own emotions and to keep life in perspective.

...and I've learned that there's nothing wrong with picking up a light book (or audio CD book) and enjoying it.

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Second Week in Rome

2009-10-29T08:35:00.002-04:00

Now that I'm back in the States for the fourth day, I'm sad and reflective for the second week of Rome, but because it was that good of a week and I'm no longer there! Despite all efforts to make it a true holiday away from work and school, it still ended up as a working holiday, but seriously, I'm not going to complain. Environment is everything to me and I actually enjoy working, so it was still awesome.

We saved our 'tourism moments' for when friends arrived, which was fun to do together. Walking...lots and lots of walking, even though I think it was the Vatican Museum that killed me over walking the city from stem to stern. Major museums really drain the life out of me because it's always an overwhelming presentation of 'cool' combined with no food or drink support. It takes like 20 minutes just to leave the crazy place once you start to exit. Everything else was in perfect little doses though and highly enjoyable.

Bazaars and street fairs will of course always be my favourite component of every holiday - Rome is no exception. Several shirts, scarves, designer tights, boots and other necessary paraphenalia later, my wardrobe has a breath of fresh air.

Bonus: I lost five pounds between eating less more often and walking several miles a day!

Water for Elephants (review)

2009-10-20T18:48:00.000-04:00

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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First Week in Rome

2009-10-16T10:43:00.002-04:00

Either we are the laziest tourists on the universe, or we just really needed a rest! After being here a full five days, we've yet to visit the usual tourists sites, but I beg an excuse for that since we've been here previously and spent most of time during that visit in ancient Rome. Parked by the Vatican City (again), we are most familiar with the west side of Rome, and my connection to Via Cola di Rienzo and the main shopping avenues off of Piazza del Popolo are strong due to my love of boots, gloves, sunglasses, and designer wear. Besides, I know we'll venture to the ancient sites when friends arrive tomorrow, which will be enjoyable.

We're eating very well and losing weight between eating right and walking a lot. Purposely getting lost and figuring out how to get home is a great weight loss program in old winding cities! Our antiquarian shopping went great if we were millionaires. The first clue was of course the fact that these lovely little "buzz me in" shoppes were tucked between Armani and Fendi. When the greet you with all smiles proudly explaining that most of the pieces come complete with provenance, you think, "yeah, thanks for confirming to me the reality that I won't be able to touch anything you have!" I like to think of the shopping as free mini museum visits as I was cheerfully told that the 1200s gothic sheet music is at a low low price of 32,000 euros. I did take the card though, just in case I win the lottery I never play :)

I slept in too late to hit the horse races today, so after the bazaars Sunday morning, hopefully I can get some in that afternoon. Trotting and gallop races alternate each day down the Appian Way south of Rome, so that'll be awesome to watch some gallop races.

Office time...Saturday morning

2009-10-10T13:20:00.003-04:00

...because you know that Saturday is a work day too! Actually in this situation I'm simply stealing the conference table to spread all my resources out for the paper I have to write for my class. Here we discover a major positive in the world of offices - taking over conference rooms for personal use.

As you can see through the lack of two daily posts, my Thursday and Friday was a little mundane since you didn't hear from me. Neither day was terribly mundane as they were simply exhausting. Thursday was full of meetings that were productive yet draining. Following that up with an evening of study made me feel like I had no life. My excitement of the evening was a relaxing cocktail that I was too tired to finish and a movie that apparantly turned itself off by morning....not very impressive.

Friday held a more interesting perspective, but equally time destructive. The offices of my department moved to a new building, and unfortunately that usually requires the social norm of having people in to take a look. This may come as a surprise, but I'm often not terribly sociable. I left the office door open a crack so I wasn't being rude, but not welcoming either. That made zero impact with strange people poking their face in and calling me by name as I tried desperately to figure out who in the world they were. In retrospect, I believe I could have stemmed off the biggest tide of stupid comments if I'd have just posted a sign saying,

"Yes, you are correct. I am not the person who normally sits in this office. You have great observation skills. Also, this person is not nearly as nice as the person who normally occupies this office. You may be bitten."

I am happy to report the best humour point of the week as my final one.

Humour Point: The President of the school stopping by the flat to tell me that I'm doing a great job. Elle's response to this? Walking up to where he was standing, look down at the puddle of water that he brought in from the rain with him and pronouncing "OH YUCK" while registering a very irritated expression. I'll be working on her political skills next.

Office time....Wednesday morning.

2009-10-07T13:17:00.002-04:00

Things are settling into a moderate routine. Showing up to the office 2.5 hours late was brilliant on my part and saved a lot of early morning irritation. Also, having a bacon, egg and cheese bagel from McDonalds made me feel like I was splurging big time from my usual boiled eggs and tea. However, the big improvement for my day involved having my own office. One of the staff doesn't work Wednesday, Thursday or Friday in the office (works remotely those days), so I was very quick with the seige and capture of private space. Thank God. They had another meeting out in the main area and I would have totally snapped if I had to focus through that for the third day.

No significant news. Unfortunately I don't have a humour point. Holing myself away takes away my exposure to others, or their exposure to my sarcastic mind - I'm not sure which perspective to use.

I have not seen walnut and bee lady today. No news on that front either.

T-3 days for Rome!

Office time....Tuesday morning.

2009-10-06T09:07:00.003-04:00

There are other indicators that have recently been discovered why I should not work with people in a face to face environment. It turns out that I have no patience and and no checking station in my brain for when to stop talking. To make a long story short I accidentally informed the President of the university that his campus maintanence was pitiful at best that his latest program was boring. Oops. The problem was that I had no shower for the second day because of some plumbing issues...and to my dear girl readers...you know how unacceptable that is. It was simply a miserable happenstance that the President crossed my path on a morning where I was desperately craving a shower and reading an article on ways to infuse the latest brainstorm with some pizzazz. We'll find out if I'm fired later.

My tea spilled in my car on the way over to the office. That was a whole different level of trauma.

Humour Point: the walnut lady is now concerned about the bees.

Office time....Monday morning.

2009-10-05T09:49:00.003-04:00

While there are benefits to working in an office (separation from other responsibilities or temptations), I am happily reminded that I made the correct choice in pursuing a self-driven career working in the home. Some things cannot be blamed on working in the office since it's just community issues. For example, the nearest Starbucks is 30 minutes away. That alone would kill a potential office job for me. While it is cool to work in an old train station, it's been too refurbished and you can't tell from the inside, which is annoying.

One and a half hours into my conference table-desk experience and I already know who I want to kill and who may live... if their tongues are removed. Apparantly I am non-existent since people randomly came into the room, walk over to the window, and discussed the tragedy of parking under a walnut tree. They barely escaped with their lives.

Humour point: I needed the security key to get into their wireless. I told the executive assistant and she contacted the guru. He emailed it to me. Just think about that for a moment.

T-6.5 hours...

I am a Barbarian (review)

2009-09-24T11:54:00.000-04:00

I am a Barbarian by Edgar Rice Burroughs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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2009-09-20T15:26:00.001-04:00

Daddy's Girl by Lisa Scottoline

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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The Kite Runner (review)

2009-09-14T02:35:00.000-04:00

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Lovely Weekend!

2009-09-13T19:19:00.003-04:00

Putting aside stress and fears, it has been an absolutely perfect weekend here in the mountains. I am a girl of the autumn, and that's been the weather. The cool breezes have been flowing through the flat, inspiring fun rides into the mountains. Eric's been completely caught up in the outdoor sports, which is understandable given the absolute perfect 65-75 degrees. It's been also a week of investigation withe the successful discovery of a great Mexican restaurant in Morrison, a interesting lapidary in Golden, and an excellent Mediterranean restaurant in Denver. I think of Denver as the 'new yuppie town' and all the outskirting towns attached the older western frontier towns...mostly because that's exactly what it is. Golden, Littleton and Morrison are my favourites so far with Golden stretching slightly ahead. The traffic for Red Rocks in Morrison would get on even my nerves, although nobody can argue with the awesomeness of their 'town park' with completely awesome hiking trails. Although we've been here for nearly three months, I finally feel like we're getting to know the area comfortably.

I'm a little bitter that we have to pay for a month's rent for the flat when we won't even be here for six weeks, but considering the enjoyment of travel, it's not such a painful pill to swallow. However, this next week being the last week we'll be here until the first of November, we're packing in as much exploration as possible for everything from the Art Museum to the Acquariam to the Rocky Mountain National Park.

Here are pictures of fun things we got at the lapidary. The people there are starting to recognize us now :)

A silver and turquoise cross made by the Zuni tribe - etched in the silver on the back.

Adamite Mapimi from Mexico

A slab of lacy blue agate

Petrified wood

Always in waves...

2009-09-11T12:35:00.002-04:00

Why does everything come in waves? There's never a consistent level of work in my line of work. After a month of designing and uploading three 13 week courses for PSEO general education, on top of convincing faculty that, 'yes, it could be fun to teach high schools college level work for college credit' (that didn't go well), my whole body wanted to collapse. Just as a perspective, a month is an incredibly short period of time for that amount of work. It takes several hours per course just to get it online, not counting the design effort and responding to expert reviews.

...and of course that's at the same time that two new core courses, two new electives, and two older courses with edits have to be finished and uploaded by Tuesday. My boss asked me when I could get a new project done that he threw my way last week. I started giggling hysterically.

Why is everything always so last minute? Mostly because the markets make us stay 'agile' and the trying to get curriculum completed way ahead time is defeating to the goal of providing current data to the students. Now that the core courses are nearly done for the BA, I spend the majority of my time on editing older curriculum to keep it up to date and keeping faculty current with technology. Special projects like PSEO are...well, special. Usually bullet to the brain special.

The bonus to waves is that once they are done crashing, it smoothes out a bit before the next wave starts. I'm forcasting calm seas for a couple months at least starting Tuesday :)

My eye of the storm has been reading The Kite Runner. Tea and reading is my break, and it's making everything calmer. Thank GOD for parents who like to visit and support us! Any bad karma that I have gained over time is nicely balanced with being born incredibly lucky.

2009-09-06T02:39:00.000-04:00

Bleeding Kansas by Sara Paretsky

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Yes, I'm Alive...

2009-09-06T02:13:00.005-04:00

My uselessness with blog presence has been at an all time high recently. My professional blogs haven't been touched in months and I almost feel ill with the amount of work that I'm realising for my doctorate program that starts again Tuesday, not to mention several projects at work that resemble one of the lower levels of hell. So why did I take on a new commitment at work? My problem is that I see future potential and often forget to calculate the cost for getting there.

I feel a bit discouraged for no terribly obvious reason, so I'll focus on the positive feelings of a great trip to Indianapolis, Chicago and Bellaire. Over three thousand miles later, my adorable Mini looks none the worse for wear. The amazement is that despite nearly three weeks in the Midwest, I still didn't get everything I had hoped done! It was a great time though being with local friends, seeing the usual 'conference' crowd from the UK, and getting valuable lake time at my grandparents.

Despite the enjoyment of travel, there was a certain relief of being in Denver for a whole month, but that didn't last. Eric's heading to the UK for three weeks followed by a holiday with me somewhere TBD, followed by Rome with friends. The UK trip was unplanned, so that chops off the last two weeks of September. My biggest excitement? Getting a whole week alone with Eric with no work for either of us after the UK. Rome will be fun with the others, but I have to strain to think of the last private holiday with Eric, which seems a little unbalanced. We are at some disagreement as to where to go, but I don't think either of us cares that much in the end as long as it happens :)

Meanwhile, my lungs have reminded me that I am indeed back up in thin air as unpacking the car into the 3rd floor flat required several rests. We'll see if I adjust faster this time!

That's the end of my saga for the moment. No major epiphanies or discoveries - just living.

A Whole New Mind

2009-08-11T13:08:00.000-04:00

A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel H. Pink

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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The Tales of Beedle the Bard

2009-08-07T12:14:00.001-04:00

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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