A/C & TV

Sometimes I feel like I am not like most of the other academics I know. For one thing, I like to watch TV (when I have time). I don't mean I like to sit and watch trashy programs all day or anything- H, D, and I actually watch a lot of PBS and Discovery HD Theater (yes, have HDTV, and a satellite dish, too). I have some colleagues who don't seem interested in TV- or movies for that matter. This is something I really feel in the minority on. Today, I discovered another one: air conditioning. There are at least four or five people at work who either don't have air conditioning in their homes or have it and don't use it. I really don't understand this. I lived in southern California for almost 10 years and never had A/C because I was near the beach. It wasn't that hot, so we really didn't need it. Now, here in SW Ohio it can get really hot and sticky in the summer. We're having unseasonably warm weather right now (more like August) and today it was 91ºF with a heat index of 97ºF (because of the high humidity). Now, call me crazy, but if I have A/C, I am sure as hell going to turn it on today! My colleagues at work don't seem to agree. I just don't understand- if you have A/C, why be so opposed to turning it on? Is it the energy usage? I am all for reducing energy use and reliance on fossil fuel sources of it, but I draw the line when it come to A/C- I cannot stand to be hot- I wouldn't be able to sleep. Even with the A/C on we are usually warm at night!

So my question is this- a) do you have air conditioning in your home, and b) do you use it. If it isn't hot where you live, than I can understand not having/using it. If not, help me understand this attitude of pretending that it isn't hot. Lots of people in Europe DIED a few years ago because they didn't have air conditioning and there was a heat wave!

Another blogthing...

Ah, yes! Being a longtime vegetarian, I could only be...

...Lisa Simpson

A total child prodigy and super genius, you have the mind for world domination. But you prefer world peace, Buddhism, and tofu dogs. You will be remembered for: all your academic accomplishments Your life philosophy: "I refuse to believe that everybody refuses to believe the truth"

Take the Simpsons Personality Test!

I don't agree with the child prodigy part- I was always a bit of an underachiever in school- funny I ended up with a PhD, isn't it?? As seen at Dr. Brazen Hussy's blog.

Peace, man. Tofu rules.

You better believe it!

As seen at The Paper Chase... I found it difficult to answer some of the questions now (since I am married), so I tried to answer the way I would have before I was married!

Which Classic Female Literary Character Are you?

You're Elizabeth Bennett of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen!
Take this quiz!

House to myself for a while...

H went to the office while D is at piano, then they are going for a little walk together. I should be getting some reading done for that paper, but instead I am being quite domestic. I made a batch of cookies (experimenting with whole wheat pastry flour and sucanat), cleaned up the dishes, and I'm also doing laundry. I'm listening to a 90s techno/dance playlist as I finish up in the kitchen. Here's what I've heard so far (it's on shuffle):

1. 808 State - San Francisco
2. Orbital - Speed Freak (Moby Remix)
3. 808 State - 1 in 10
4. Orbital - Oolaa
5. Orbital - Halcyon
6. One Dove - Fallen
7. 808 State - In Yer Face
   

H isn't too crazy about this kind of music, so this is a good time to listen. I originally compiled this playlist for my walks, but haven't listened to it in a while. Wow- it's like I'm back in college in the early 90s! OK- I better go get the laundry out of the dryer and get some quick reading done before they get back!

Sounds good to me!

As seen over at Angry Pregnant Lawyer's blog...

You Belong in Dublin

Friendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions. You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town.

What European City Do You Belong In?

Of course, I wouldn't mind being in Edinburgh, either. I did a summer abroad there in college and loved it. The cooler weather would be nice right now, too, as we're having more of this August weather in May!

I did manage to walk, despite the sauna-like conditions: 3.44 miles, 57.5 min

August weather in May

This weather should be illegal (to steal a quote from my friend S in Tucson). I know it's almost June, but it feels like August. It was in the mid-80s yesterday and HUMID. Today is supposed to be a little cooler, but it is still humid. I think I will stay inside with the air conditioning and get some work done. I have scheduled out my day to do specific tasks, so I will try to stick to it! I'll take a break at lunch to listen to Al Franken- I can't wait to hear what he says about the Bush/Blair press conference. I didn't see it, so I want to hear the good tidbits. OK- enough procrastination. I'll check in later and let you know if I accomplished much.

Don't believe the hype

One of the blogs I read regularly is Dr. Jeff Masters at Weather Underground. He posts on tropical weather and other interesting weather-related things. I wanted to point out his post from today, because I want to be sure that as many people are made aware of the TRUTH as possible. A few select cities are being shown an ad paid for by the fossil fuel industry. These ads are conveniently timed to coincide with the release of Al Gore's movie "An Inconvenient Truth". If you have seen the ads, if you haven't, if you already know about human-induced climate change or not, please read this post and pass it on! Companies like ExxonMobil want us to think that climate change is nothing to worry about (gee, I wonder why?) and are willing to pay out the big bucks to keep people confused and misinformed.

Edited to add this link: for more information on climate change, try the BBC.
Another good link: Union of Concerned Scientists.

Guilty Pleasures Meme

This meme is making the rounds on the academic blogs...

Four Guilty Pleasures in Books/Reading:
Books- who has time for books? I read magazines to feel guilty!
1. Consumer Reports
2. PC Magazine
3. Hollywood Life
4. The Da Vinci Code (I just read it and I loved it!)

Four Guilty Pleasures in Movies:
1. Old School
2. Joe Versus the Volcano
3. Night of the Living Dead (the ORIGINAL- not the crappy 90s remake)
4. The Princess Bride

Four Guilty Pleasures in Food:
I have been a vegetarian for 14 years and am mostly vegan recently
1. Anything chocolate (but not crappy American chocolate- I am a snob!)
2. Smart Bacon
3. Veggie Booty
4. Ben & Jerry's Karamel Sutra

Four Guilty Pleasures in Music:
OK- this is the really embarrassing stuff!
1. Little River Band
2. Styx
3. INXS
4. Dolly Parton

Four Guilty Pleasures in TV:
1. Star Trek the Next Generation
2. Medium (did anyone see the season finale?)
3. Conviction (ditto)
4. Kids in the Hall

Four Guilty Pleasures in Booze:
I don't drink much these days...
1. Any merlot
2. Blue Moon Belgian White
3. Sam Adam's Holiday Case from Costco
4. Trader Joe's $5 wine

I tag anyone who hasn't done it yet!

Algebra rules

As seen over at Chaser's blog:

You Passed 8th Grade Math

Congratulations, you got 10/10 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Math?

Well, let's hope so- I was a math major for my first two years of college!

Another count down

D has two weeks left of school (minus one day, since next Monday is Memorial Day). In that time, I HAVE to:

• finish that {explitive} paper and submit it
• revise another paper with my co-author and send it back
• clean this filthy house
• pack for the trip, etc.

The first two items are especially critical. I'll keep you posted.

I walked this morning- a little slow again, although you have to take the pace with a grain a of salt. I walk through some wooded areas where I lose the GPS signal and the pace goes a little haywire. I feel pretty good about the average pace, because it should be fairly accurate over the whole walk. They have a newer version of my wrist GPS that is supposed to be able to get a satellite signal in tree cover and near tall buildings, but for $250 I will pass!

Here's today's breakdown:
distance: 3.97 miles
pace: 16:27 min/mile
calories burned: 436 (I also don't take this one too literally- it's not great on vertical location)
time: 1 hour 5 minutes

It's a blogthing morning

Your Life is Like

High Fidelity

What John Cusack Movie Are You?

I'm happily married, so I guess this is related to the happy ending of the movie(?) Too bad I don't have any friends as funny as Jack Black's character! I've seen a lot of John Cusack's movies- I wonder which other ones are possibilities in this blog thing. I'm sure Say Anything must be there. Serendipity? Better Off Dead? What about Sixteen Candles (OK- he was pretty minor in that one). I'd love to see what Dr. Crazy's is, since she has been doing the online dating thing (Must Love Dogs?) and my other married blog friends! (you know who you are...)

New blog address!

Sorry to mess everyone up, but I have changed my blog address and shortened my screen name. My name is now Addy N. and the address (which is much more logical) is untenured-no-no!

I'll comment on as many blogs as I can to get the new info out there!

I was put to shame by Deb's post yesterday, so I dragged myself out for a walk today- the ONLY one this week (3.89 miles with a SLOW 16:28 pace).

I just can't do it all

In order to get some work done this week, I am denying myself the luxury of exercising. Since I am not getting up early enough to walk before waking up for D for school, I have been walking around 10:00AM after taking her school. By the time I got back, it would be getting close to lunch time and I would end up doing no work the entire morning. If I can start getting up early enough to walk early (6:00), then I can do it, but for now the publications are really more pressing. Or if I can start getting some serious work done early in the morning, I can do the late walks. I really prefer to go early and get it over with, but I am just not on that early schedule right now. We are going on a family vacation after D gets out of school and I start teaching summer school right after we get back. This means that I have to make A LOT of progress in the next few weeks!

The meaning of life

As seen over at Dr. Brazen Hussy's blog. Can you tell I am a scientist?

You scored as Materialist. Materialism stresses the essence of fundamental particles. Everything that exists is purely physical matter and there is no special force that holds life together. You believe that anything can be explained by breaking it up into its pieces. i.e. the big picture can be understood by its smaller elements.

Modernist		75%
Materialist		75%
Postmodernist		69%
Existentialist		63%
Romanticist		50%
Cultural Creative		44%
Idealist		25%
Fundamentalist		6%

What is Your World View? (updated)
created with QuizFarm.com

Happy Mother's Day...

...to all of you moms out there! I'm looking forward to spending the day with D & H. I think we're going to Thai food for lunch and then a little shopping. BTW, my mom loved her pajamagram. Her husband also thought the pajamas were nice. I'll have to wait a couple hours to call her (since it's only 6:30AM there!) It's a cold (48°F), dreary day here in Oxford, but that's OK. I'll try to forget about all the work I am behind on for the day and just relax.

I hope everyone has a great day (whether you are a mom or not!)

Movies!!!

We don't go to the movies very often, because we don't have a regular babysitter (she graduated last year). Instead, we rent a lot of movies from NetFlix and record HD movies on our DVR. Last night we watched 'Garden State'. We both enjoyed it, but wonder why it has a rating of 8 on IMDB? I didn't think it was that great- a little slow at times, too. If anyone out there loves this movie, please tell me what I missed. Two nights ago, I watched 'The Life of David Gale' by myself. H thought a movie about the death penalty would be too depressing, so he didn't want to watch it. I thought it was a good movie and was surprised to find that a lot of people (including critics) hated it. I don't know if it's because I'm opposed to capital punishment or what, but I thought it was a good movie. The night before that, we watched 'Frida', which we both really enjoyed. It was especially fun to watch, since we were just in Mexico City two months ago. I had wanted to see that movie for quite some time, so it was good to finally see it. Our next NetFlix movie should arrive today ('When Harry Met Sally'), so we'll be watching that one soon. It's one of my favorites and I can't wait to see it again! We'll be going to see 'The DaVinci Code' during a matinee (while D is in school!) next Friday. H read the book and we are both excited to see it.

Any favorite movies? Anything you've seen lately? What's in your NetFlix or Blockbuster queue? Here is our current queue:

1. Along Came a Spider
2. Carnival of Souls
3. Together
4. The Road Home
5. Places in the Heart
6. The River
7. SNL: The Best of Will Ferrell
8. SNL: The Best of Will Ferrell 2
9. Belle Epoque
10. The Dancer Upstairs
11. Broken Flowers
12. I Heart Huckabees
13. Simon Birch
14. A Walk to Remember
15. sex, lies, and videotape
16. Fun with Dick and Jane
17. Apollo 13
18. Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud
19. Map of the Human Heart
20. Mrs. Brown
21. Captain Corelli's Mandolin
22. Return to Me
23. Ever After: A Cinderella Story

My favorite walking weather

Those of you in the Midwest may think I am insane, but I am thrilled that it is only in the 50s today. I took a walk this morning (only 3 miles- I was more lethargic than I anticipated). I love that it's cold enough I can wear the shell from my winter coat, my favorite walking pants (their made for cold weather), and not come home dripping in sweat! It is awfully dreary looking and I may feel like napping later, but at least I can wear sweats and comfy socks today.

A while back some other bloggers were listing music from their mp3 players, so I thought I would talk a bit about mine today. I have a Creative Zen Micro, which I have been pretty happy with. I mostly just use it when I exercise (walk) and lately I've been listening to Al Franken podcasts during my walks. If you listen to his radio show, you know how there are so many commercials. I always listen to the podcasts the day after and they edit out all the ads! Each hour of the show is only 37 minutes of actual show! Unfortunately, the podcasts are no longer free, but I decided it was worth the $ to be able to avoid all those annoying ads- and they have pretty bad ones on Air America (aimed at people who are at home in the middle of day, because they are house wives, unemployed, or on disability from the sound of it). I think that listening to music during walks makes me walk faster, though. On Monday and Wednesday, I listened to music as I walked and I was faster- of course, this could be coincidence, but I will keep in eye on my pace on days I listen to talk vs. music.

Any other Al Franken listeners out there? I'll admit that I am a raging liberal (much to the dismay of my Republican mother), but I think Al does a good job- he isn't hateful, has excellent guests with interesting perspectives, and is also funny.

Today: 3.00 miles, 16:50 min/mile
Week: 11.07 miles, 16:18 min/mile (weekly average)

Thursday in the office

Nothing exciting to report here...

We had a campus-wide power shutdown last night, so I had to physically unplug everything in my office before leaving yesterday. This involved lying on the floor on my stomach to unplug the power cord behind my desk. Today was even more fun, because I had to plug it back in. This may not sound like a big deal, but the back of my desk extends almost all the way to the floor, so this maneuver involved lying on the floor under my desk, using a hand mirror (to see behind the desk) and interpreting what the mirror showed upside down and backwards! I was very proud of myself for getting the stupid thing back in!

I have spent most my time today reading through an advisee's partial thesis draft. I'm meeting with him in a few minutes to talk about what he needs to do. I haven't had a chance to work on THE PAPER today, but it's still in my mind from working on it the past few days. After my meeting I need to pick up D at school (unless I call H to get her... hmmm...), so that will eat up my afternoon. I have gotten back to getting up earlier (6 or 6:30), but not accomplishing much at that time. I'll keep at it... Today is a resting day, but yesterday I walked 4.08 miles (not as fast as Monday, though).

I'm just too good (again)

Just as the results from the "how evil are you?" blogthing showed, I am apparently a 'good little girl!' I'm not sure what to make of that lust score- I guess I've mellowed out as a married woman! As seen at B* and Seeking Solace's blogs...

Your Deadly Sins

Gluttony: 40%

Envy: 20%

Pride: 20%

Sloth: 20%

Wrath: 20%

Greed: 0%

Lust: 0%

Chance You'll Go to Hell: 17%

You'll die from a diabetic coma.

How Sinful Are You?

I'll make time for a "real" blog entry tomorrow...

I love Tom Tomorrow

This is SO TRUE- sad, but true...

Work-related ramblings

This morning, my friend from work read my post from Saturday about graduation and department politics. I am concerned that I came across in a way that I did not intend, because she knows me, knows what I am unhappy about, and knows my colleagues, but got a different impression from my post. I just want to clarify, in case there are others lurking around my blog who know me, but haven't revealed themselves.

First of all, that post was not intended to criticize any one person, group of people, or person's position/job. It was meant to bring up the issue of department politics, in general, in hopes of generating discussion. I really wonder how things are in other departments, other universities, etc. Second, I don't know that anything in particular has worsened recently- only that I can point to several specific situations/incidents/etc. related to goings-on since I've been here and before I arrived in the department and how certain people have "bad blood" between them -how vague is that sentence?! Some of these issues may have existed for a long time and I am only now seeing (becoming aware of) their full impact. Finally, I'm feeling a bit reflective about everything since I have been working at home and out of town all semester. The only time I have been around was to attend faculty meetings (maybe that's why I feel like things are in bad shape!)

I hope that clears things up. Although this is an anonymous blog, I intend to keep it at a level where I am not gossiping about anyone and that if someone from work found it and figured out it was me, it would not be a problem. My friend's concerns made me worry that I am not being clear and I want to avoid any misunderstandings.

On a happier note, I had a great walk this morning- I averaged 16 minutes per mile (I've been really slow lately) and walked 4.0 miles. I'm still not getting up early- I'll try it again tomorrow, because I really need that morning work time.

I'm not even going to pretend to work today

Between traveling and D being sick last weekend, we are sorrily behind on our weekly (or semi-monthly) errands. We live about 45 minutes from Cincinnati and do a lot of our specialty shopping down that way- Oxford doesn't have much to chose from (Kroger and evil WalMart). The distance makes it better for weekend trips, so we usually go down on Saturday or Sunday to go to places like Costco and Trader Joe's (and Indian buffet!) H is still grading (and grades are due at noon tomorrow), so I will go with D to get a few things today. I did laundry yesterday, so that is out of the way. I've got to make a plan/schedule for this week to make sure I make some really good progress. The articles I got last week are helpful, and I will reorganize my paper accordingly.

OK- I better get ready and get going shopping!

Mother's Day Gifts

I've already gotten a mother's day gift FROM my mom (some very nice amber jewelry, that I love) and just ordered her gift yesterday (Mom- if you are reading this, DON'T CLICK THIS LINK!). I think she will like it & I think it's a fun idea. Maybe someone will get me something fun, too!

secret photo

Taking a cue from B*, I am posting a temporary photo. I'll leave it up until tonight or tomorrow morning. These are not my eyes, but my daughter's... (which look nothing like mine, btw)

-------------------------------snip-------------------------------

Graduation Day

Today is graduation at Miami (and it looks like we're having a really conservative commencement speaker this year- yikes). I have attended the "divisional recognition ceremony" the other years I've been here (not the big one in the stadium with the big speaker), but I'm going to skip it this year. My scholarly-looking doctoral regalia will have to stay in the closet for one more year. There is no policy requiring anyone to go and the turn-out is definitely reflective of that- hardly any faculty show up. We also have a departmental dinner for graduating students- I am skipping that this year, too. I think because I have been on research leave, I feel sort of disconnected from things right now. We have also been having some unpleasant departmental politics lately (even worse than usual), so that makes the whole thing less appealing, too. I guess it's the same everywhere, but I have to wonder if ours isn't a bit worse than most. From reading some of the other academic blogs, I can see there are annoying politics and things going on everywhere, but how do you all feel about it? Is it just an occupational hazard (a minor annoyance) or do you find it really interferes with your job? I'm not sure where I am on that scale, but I'm drifting toward the interferes-with-my-job end of the spectrum...

NOTE (added Monday 5/8): If you know me and know my department, keep in mind that I am not casting aspersions on anyone and these are merely my feelings and interpretations of the situation in my department. I am feeling disenfranchised, so my whole view of things may be skewed accordingly.

HOT Last word (finally)

I finally came into the office today and was able to look up the last word of my dissertation (as seen on several academic blogs recently- B*, Jane, Dr. Crazy, etc.). Are you ready? It's

fire.

Pretty exciting, isn't it? I was afraid it would be something boring.

Since I'm in the office (or maybe it should be in spite of being in the office), I will keep it short today. Maybe I can get some work done.

Have a good Thursday, everyone!

Wednesday is half over already!

It's the first Wednesday of the month at noon and the city is testing our emergency sirens. I'm rarely home at this time, so I was startled at first- we live VERY close to the one of the sirens. It's a bit late to post my to-do list, so I'll just update you on my work progress. I am going back to reading some articles before I try to write more of my paper. This is for two reasons: I need some more articles for my background section and I also need to get ideas of how to organize my methods and results (it's getting a bit convoluted). This afternoon (which will be short, since D is out at 2:30 today), I want to at least skim through the articles I downloaded yesterday.

(btw- has anyone else gotten lazy about this? I almost NEVER go to the library any more unless I need a book. Most of my references are from science journals, which are usually available in digital form. Even when we don't have them through the library site, I can often find pdf files through Google Scholar- I love their subheading "stand on the shoulders of giants")

But, I digress...

I never cleaned off my desk yesterday, so maybe I'll do that when D comes home. I also need to think of something to get my mom for Mother's Day (Mom- if you are reading this, feel free to make suggestions!). If anyone has ideas, feel free to comment OR if you want to share what you are getting for your mom or hope to get yourself, if you are a mom, please do! I better get busy- only about 2.5 hours until school's out!

Oh yeah- I walked 4.05 miles today! (If you wonder how I put such precise distances, when I walk outside, I got one of these last year for Mother's Day- it's awesome!)

Tuesday.

D went back to school, although she resisted at first. I am not one of those parents who sends their child to school sick- if anything I keep her home too long when she's recovering. She's tired, but hasn't had a fever since Sunday. When we got there, she started playing with a friend, so I think she'll be fine and forget that her throat is a little scratchy still.

Here's today's list:

1. work on the {expletive} paper
2. clean up my desk (maybe this should #1?)
3. put laundry from Sunday away

Updates later...

By the way, B* had a fun thing on her blog about looking up the last word in your dissertation. I don't have a copy here, but will look mine up the next time I go to my office... Here's the last word of my most recent journal article: ever

21 things about me...

I've been tagged by Seeking Solace...

I am a vegetarian (for over 14 years, now).
I want to feel less stressed out.
I wish I had accomplished more this semester (since I was not teaching).
I hate when I yell at my daughter.
I love my little family (H&D).
I miss my brother (we had such fun together as kids, but now he lives 2000 miles away).
I fear flying (I love the view from up there, but feel very uneasy).
I hear birds chirping outside (& sometimes peacocks, too- really!)
I wonder when people will take global warming seriously.
I regret not appreciating the time I lived within driving distance of my extended family (they are all 2-3 time zones away now).
I am not a very serious person (most of the time).
I dance only if I have consumed massive quantities of alcohol.
I sing in the car.
I cry rarely (sad movies can set me off, though).
I am not always patient.
I make with my hands my daughter's school lunches (I find inspiration over at the Vegan Lunch Box).
I write academic papers, proposals, e-mails, & several blogs.
I confuse my mother-in-law when I speak too quickly and don't enunciate (I'm really bad- it's not her!)
I need to finish that $%&! paper SOON!
I should stop procrastinating and get to the three items left on my to-do list for today!
I start teaching summer session in eight weeks.
I finish my research-only time in five weeks (when we go on family vacation).
I tag Deb & Dr. Crazy (if she ever reads my blog!)

Monday, Monday... UPDATE #2

D was sick all weekend with a sore throat and fever. I took her to the ER on Friday night to check for strep, since I didn't want to wait all weekend. After 3.5 hours (we were there for about 2 hours before we saw the doctor), the rapid test came back negative. They did a culture, which also turned up no strep. She was in bed all weekend, though. She seems better today, but is staying home to make a full recovery. Since she is here, I will probably not accomplish too much. H has to go give an exam this evening (it's finals week), so it will just be the two of us (D & me) for dinner. Here's my plan for today:

1. take a walk (I'm going for 3 days a week minimum) DONE: 3.61 miles today
   
2. print out letters of rec for student DONE
   
3. pick articles for summer RA I'm struggling with this one. I need to pick 1-2 articles for this person to read to get ready to work with me this summer. Unfortunately there isn't just one paper out there that covers exactly what I need it to. I am mulling over a few and will just pick one or two later (and write accompanying caveats to cover them!) DONE
   
4. e-mail articles from #3 to colleague see #3 update DONE
   
5. work on that $%&! paper(!) ggrrr. Maybe I can get up early tomorrow like I keep planning... This will be #1 on the to-do list tomorrow.
   

I'm still not getting up early enough- I'll have to start forcing myself out of bed if I want to get anything accomplished.

Happy Monday, everyone!