Former President, Gerald Ford, Died

Gerald R. Ford, the President that succeeded Richard Nixon, died at 6:45 pm yesterday (Tuesday, December 26, 2006), at the age of 93, in Ranco Mirage, 130 miles east of Los Angeles.

Former President Ford dies at 93

Funny hubby and his Christmas present to me

Okay, so I'm really going to get ready for bed soon. I was checking my e-mail, and I saw a message from Ebay, providing an answer to an alleged question. I thought it was yet another e-mail I'd have to stamp as spam but took a look just to make sure. To make a long story short, my husband used my Ebay account to order my Christmas present. Funny one that husband. He has an Ebay account, but he's using mine to do transactions.

Though I wanted a surprise, I'm excited about my Christmas present. He got me an Ipod Shuffle 2nd Generation, with 1 GB on it! It ships tomorrow. Since it's coming from Dallas, Texas, I'm hoping, hoping, hoping it will arrive before I leave for my trip to Washington D.C. Listening to wonderful music will help distract me from missing my family ever much.

Goodnight to all.

Too late to take this one back

Since I was pregnant and have gone off of my coffee addiction, I am ultra sensitive to caffeine. I just got a reminder of this! I drank a huge cup of yummy hot chocolate, made with Mexican chocolate, and though I am drop-dead tired, I'm also wired. Nuts.

Oh, oh, a baby has awaken. Must go tend to her, eat, and then go to bed. Ta ta.

One day at a time

Life has had its challenges as of late. Such struggles have brought me not just to my pre-pregnancy weight (which was around 134), not just below my weight-lifting competition weight of four years ago (which was 119), but even below that. I've got to take better care. Must eat better and more frequently, not just for my sake, but for the baby's sake. It's difficult to produce quality milk when I'm not eating properly. More over, I must remember I've got a husband and a baby girl, both of whom I love dearly. Must not get super sad, down, and distressed.

Must take it one day at a time.

The increasing interest in my blogs tickles me pink

Relatively recently, I asked Troy what he saw me doing professionally or occupationally in the best of possible worlds. In other words, if there were no restraints and there were ideal conditions, what does he see me doing. His response? A socialite.

What? A socialite? Though I am not an extreme extrovert, by any stretch of the imagination (I tested right between the two, introvert and extrovert, when I last took the Myers-Brigg personality test in college), I am quite an extrovert in his mind's eye. He did hit the nail on the head in terms of the fact that I love to talk and interact with people.

Since moving to South Texas and even still, I feel isolated. I have a few close friends . . . Manda, Junko . . . I have to scratch my head to think up some more names. That's not to say that I don't have other friends or people aren't kind to us. We love our church family, and I communicate with other people, too. Surely, the true meaning of "close" friends means something to everyone. I'm used to having more. Christine and I talk on the phone everyday. It's a very good thing we both have Cingular wireless. Abirami and I talk everyday.

A few people, especially on Troy's side of the family, have voiced their continued anticipation of when and what I'm going to post next. That tickles me pink. Why? I am plain jane. Nothing beyond the ordinary, here; that's what I think anyways. I'm honored that so many people not only take the time to look at all the stuff I've written, but look in anticipation! In some ways, realizing that people are waiting for me to write encourages me, makes me feel needed. That sounds a bit pathetic to me, that I feel better when others want to read what's going on in our lives, but it's true.

The social part of me is feeling deprived and frustrated

One thing I am really not used to as a new mom . . . well, I can't place responsibility on motherhood . . . it has more to do with being relatively new here (well, it's been over a year) . . . is not seeing people much. For one, I'm home all day, everyday, during the week; and that alone, makes me crazy.

I miss my best friend, Christine. When we both lived in Columbia, we were on the phone nearly everyday, if not everyday. And we saw each other frequently. Though she had dubbed me a socialite (because she thought I spend a lot of time socializing with people) and I had a super busy schedule, we always found time to spend with each other. We still talk to each other everyday, but I miss seeing her! I've never seen her son face-to-face, and she's never seen me pregnant or met my daughter.

Those of you who are teachers, you may appreciate this read

My mother-in-law forwarded this to me. Though I don't teach elementary school or grade school, as a teacher, I can definitely appreciate the message being communicated here:

THE BLUEBERRY STORY:
The Teacher Gives the Businessman a Lesson
By:  Jamie Robert Vollmer


"If I ran my business the way you people operate your schools, I wouldn't
be in business very long!"  I stood before an auditorium filled with
outraged teachers who were becoming angrier by the minute.  My speech
had entirely consumed their precious 90 minutes of in-service.  Their
initial icy glares had turned to restless agitation.  You could cut the
hostility with a knife.  I represented a group of business people
dedicated to improving public schools.  I was an executive at an ice cream
company that became famous in the middle 1980's when People Magazine chose
our blueberry as the "Best Ice Cream in America."

I was convinced of two things.  First, public schools needed to change;
they were archaic selecting and sorting mechanisms designed for the
industrial age and out of step with the needs of our emerging "knowledge
society."  Second, educators were a major part of the problem:  they
resisted change, hunkered down in their feathered nests, protected by
tenure and shielded by a bureaucratic monopoly.  They needed to look to
business.   We knew how to produce quality.  Zero defects!  Continuous
improvement!

In retrospect, the speech was perfectly balanced-equal parts ignorance and
arrogance.  As soon as I finished, a woman's hand shot up.  She appeared
polite, pleasant-she was, in fact, a razor-edged veteran high school
English teacher who had been waiting to unload.

She began quietly, "We are told, sir, that you manage a company that makes
good ice cream."

I smugly replied, "Best ice cream in America, Ma'am."

"How nice," she said, "Is it rich and smooth?"

"Sixteen percent butterfat," I crowed.

"Premium ingredients?" she inquired.

"Super premium!  Nothing but triple A."  I was on a roll.  I never saw the
next line coming.

"Mr. Vollmer," she said, leaning forward with a wicked eyebrow raised to
the sky, "When you are standing on your receiving dock and you see an
inferior shipment of blueberries arrive, what do you do?"

In the silence of that room, I could hear the trap snap.I was dead meat,
but I wasn't going to lie.  "I send them back."

"That's right," she barked, "and we can never send back our blueberries. 
We take them big, small, rich, poor, gifted, exceptional, abused,
frightened, confident, homeless, rude, and brilliant. We take
them with ADHD, junior rheumatoid arthritis, and English as their second
language.  We take them all!  Every one!  And that, Mr. Vollmer, is
why it's not a business.  It's school!"

In an explosion, all 290 teachers, principals, bus drivers, aides,
custodians, and secretaries jumped to their feet and yelled, "Yeah! 
Blueberries!  Blueberries!"

And so began my long transformation.  Since then, I have visited
hundreds of schools.  I have learned that a school is not a
business.  Schools are unable to control the quality of their raw
material.  They are dependent upon the vagaries of politics for a
reliable revenue stream, and they are constantly mauled by a howling
horde of disparate, competing customer groups that would send the best
CEO screaming into the night.

None of this negates the need for change.  We must change what, when,
and how we teach to give all children maximum opportunity to thrive
in a post-industrial society.  But educators cannot do this alone. 
These changes can occur only with the understanding, trust, permission,
and active support of the surrounding community.  For the
most important thing I have learned is that schools reflect the attitudes,
beliefs, and health of the communities they serve, and therefore, to
improve public education means more than changing our schools, it
means changing America.

one of my food addictions

I'm addicted to Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Chunk Milk Chocolate Macadamia Sausalito Crispy Cookies. That's all for now folks. Bye.

feeling like a total failure, professionally speaking

I finally had a little window of time, when Isabella was napping, to work on revising my CV. Working on my CV made me feel like crap. I'm updating and revising my CV in preparation to send out a lot of applications for the next academic year. I am anything but convinced that I have a lot going for me in getting a teaching position at a university for next year. Where are my non-existent putblications? Where is any evidence that I've been attending conferences and participating in panel reviews? Nowhere! I'm doomed. But, I need a job!

I really enjoy the work I do, philosophy, that is. But, I don't want to eat, drink, breathe, and sleep it to succeed. I'm serious about what I do, but I want to have a life, too. If I have to choose among God, philosophy, and family for priorities, it goes like this: God, family, and then philosophy.

I feel like crap. Feeling doomed job-wise. Feel like I'll lose big time in selling my self in the meat-market, I mean, philosophy job market.

Dove's campaign for real beauty

My sister forwarded this to me. When you see 'evolution' show up in the center, click on 'play film':

Dove: Campaign for Real Beauty

The e-mail that Dove sends to share this film with friends says:

"(Person's name) thought you'd be interested in this powerful short film from Dove, which explores how the "effortless" beauty we see on billboards is actually created. To view the film, and learn how you can make a difference, visit http://campaignforrealbeauty.com."

I certainly appreciated watching the film, and I think you will, too.

sudoku, sudoku, sudoku

one thing i do to pass time while i'm nursing my little one is to do sudoku puzzles. my mother-in-law got me into doing those puzzles; she got me started around the birth of isabella. now, i've done 40 puzzles, starting from easy to medium. i have a few more puzzles in the medium level before i hit the hard ones. we'll see how i do!

niao mi is more comfortable with getting around without seeing

I noticed that Niao Mi (our 17 year old cat) is having an easier time getting around without seeing now. He's actually getting on objects above the ground, like he used to. Yesterday, while Troy was eating on the recliner, Niao Mi made his way to where Troy was by first getting on the futon and then jumping on the right hand rest of the recliner. He didn't stay for long, because Troy was wearing shorts. I think Niao Mi prefers Troy's jeans.

He's also sleeping on the futon more, like he did before. And, as I am typing this, he's resting in his carrying case, which sits on top of a storage box. I say he's getting around quite well. He hasn't tried to claw his way onto our bed yet. Less than a week ago, he was sleeping with us approximately an hour or so at night. Wonder whether he'll return to doing that some time.

He's also finding his food and water, most of the time, without any problem. However, if his food has been sitting for several hours or half a day, he can't smell it! As a sympathetic one, I drop some fresh food into his bowl when he looks like he's ready to chomp some more. He's lost a lot of weight in the last few months, though you couldn't tell by looking at him; he has loads of fur.

the failing health of my cat of 17 years

several days ago, i noticed that niao mi (pronounced "knee-owww me") had trouble seeing. don't know whether he's completely blind or nearly blind. whatever the case, he's moving around by familiarity and scent.

another problem is that he's been throwing up yellow at least once every 24 hours, except yesterday. looks like he regurgitated food yesterday.

a friend, te norman, came over yesterday late afternoon. she has cats and she has had cats in the past. she's a very observant, astute, and keen individual when it comes to cats and dogs. i was feeling really sad that niao mi couldn't see. more importantly, i wasn't sure whether that bothered him. she looked for signs of responding badly to not being able to see - such as inappropriate purring, sluggishness, etc. he doesn't seem to be exhibiting that. also, he doesn't have any crustiness or puss around his eyes. his eyes do look dialated though, regardless of the amount of light available in any given place. . .

as for throwing up yellow, we looked for other signs of possible kidney failure and spotted none. there's no blood in his urine. he's still drinking water (in fact he drank water while te was over). he's still eating, when he can smell the food.

so, i'm going to closely monitor what's going on with him. for the time being, i'm going to keep him home (he so hates visiting the veterinarian). and, when i'm home, i try to talk to him more. and, whenever i approach him, i vocally let him know, so i won't startle him when i pet him.

like a book that te brought over noted, cats don't know they're not supposed to be blind; so, they won't mourn their loss of sight. they simply adapt or adjust to not being able to see.

i'm feeling particularly sad

I'm not entirely certain why I'm feeling particularly sad, but I am. Could be partially hormonal. Could be partly because I know that Manda and Johnny are trying to leave South Texas as soon as possible. Can't they stay at least until May? Okay, okay, I do want what's best for them, even if that means going to the other side of the country, but that doesn't mean I have to be jolly about the possibility. What else is making me sad? Not sure.

did i accidentally kill my two goldfish?

i'm been procrastinating, in terms of cleaning my fish tank. i've had benny and joon for nearly a month, and the fish tank has desperately needed to be cleaned. well, today was the day to clean it! decided the poor fish could use a clean home. don't ever remember changing a fish tank previously. manda showed me how to change the tank. but after i put the fish into a bowl of water while i cleaned the tank, they became extremely still. when i put them back into the clean tank, with new water and the special water drops, they were floating on the top for awhile. i knew they weren't dead because their gils were moving. but, they kept floating on the top for awhile, sometimes on their sides. was i supposed to put those special drops in that bowl of water????

they seem to be doing better now. perhaps i just shocked them for a spell. poor fish. well, at least they have a clean home, for now.

my dissertation defense date has been set!

good news, good news, good news. heard back from my second reader today. he sent an attachment with ten pages of comments on my dissertation. haven't went through all the comments, yet. but, they seem helpful and constructive, from what i've seen. and, he said i don't have to make corrections before my defense.

my goal is to go through those comments carefully in the next week or so.

my defense is set for thursday, july 6, 2006, at 1 pm. tonight, i just purchased our plane tickets for our trip to columbia, missouri. so far, we have a defense scheduled and plane tickets in hand. yay!!!!!!! while we're there, of course, i keep us busy with activities, hopefully not too overwhelming for the hubby.

what a way to make my day so much better. yes! the big dissertation.

my day started out all wrong. made the mistake of reading an e-mail from our lawyer at 1 AM in the morning. can't write about the particular issue and put it in cyberspace, since the case is still in session, pending, or whatever the right word is. being preggers and reading a message like that late a night - bad idea on my part. kept me awake for at least two hours, thinking about the issue and the impending reality of having to go to court.

anyways, not much later, spoke with my dissertation advisor, who just returned from a conference overseas. turns out she approves my dissertation. what?! MY DISSERTATION ADVISOR HAS APPROVED MY DISSERTATION. that means that my dissertation goes to my second reader. sent a copy of my dissertation to him earlier today - the title page, chs. 1-7, and the works cited. and, my dissertation advisor told me to schedule an oral defense date. i am so excited and so relieved.

so, even though i'm running on low fuel (from sleeping so poorly yesterday), i'm feeling great. praise the lord that some things in my life are going well, even though other things might not be.

things going well in lily's life now (let's be positive!) -

• dissertation has been approved by my first reader.
• hubby's picking up more household duties - like car maintenance.
• niao mi hasn't thrown up for a few days.
• i love my hubby so very much.
• hubby loves me a great deal.
• we have a little munchkin in utero who is growing everyday and getting ready for her entrance into the world.
• troy may have a job lined up for the next academic year.
• we have wonderful friends, locally and elsewhere, that we dearly love and that love us back.
• one of my really good friends, richard, is coming to visit around christmas time (he's originally from england, though he may be coming from geneva - don't know).
• parents, sister and brother-in-law had a safe and enjoyable journey overseas.
• the list doesn't stop here! i have so much for which to be thankful.
  

the dissertation is out of my hands, for the moment, whoo hoo!

On Friday, May 26, I had an unpleasant, lengthy conversation with my dissertation advisor. She spent a good thirty or forty minutes basically making me feel worthless. Only in the last ten minutes, did she give me very general directions and suggestions (I mean VERY GENERAL) for the chapters she didn't like - Chs. 5 & 6, on Confucius and on comparing Aristotle and Confucius. Honestly, those two chapters do not affect the overall content of my dissertation significantly.

Cried over the next day or so. She made me feel super bad! Being preggers and having worked hard on the dissertation in recent weeks didn't help.

Got to work on revising Chs. 5 & 6, though I didn't know exactly what she expects or wants. Took a look at a couple of resources, per her suggestion, before making revisions.

This past Monday, June 5th, I began reading Chs. 1-6 for typos and grammatical mistakes. Today, I finished proofreading the chapters and finished writing the conclusion chapter - Ch. 7.

Not even half an hour ago today, Wed., June 7th, I e-mail Chs. 1-7 and the Works Cited to my dissertation advisor. My dissertation advisor's not due to arrive back in the country from attending a conference for another couple of days. She requested that I e-mail her Chs. 1-4 or Chs. 1-5 by June 9. Instead, I'm not only sending her material early, but I'm sending the entire substantive content of the dissertation.

Hope she arrives back in the States more cheerful and less stressed than when she left. Hope she calls me only after she's had some rest and only after she has genuinely taken a look at my dissertation. I really hope the substantive work for the dissertation is finished. We shall see.

For the time being, I have at least a day or two rest from dissertation work. Whew! What a relief. I'll take whatever I can get.

I'm so TIRED of working on my dissertation and reading my dissertation

I have finished revising those two chapters, Chapter 5 and 6, with which my dissertation advisor had some problems, to the best of my ability, given the little information she gave me. Finished revising Ch. 5 yesterday and finished working on Ch. 6 today. Tomorrow, I've got to revise portions of Ch. 1, in which I talk about Confucius, Ch. 5, and Ch. 6. From there, I've got to check Chs. 1 through 6 for any typos or mistakes. I'd like to finish writing Ch. 7, the conclusion chapter, if time permits. Whatever the case, I'm suppose to e-mail at least Chs. 1-4 to my advisor by June 8. My goal is to e-mail her the entire dissertation.

But, I've got to confess, I'm really sick of reading my dissertation. And, I'm sick of working on my dissertation in general! I want to be done NOW! Will it ever be done?

dreadful dreams about dissertation advisor still not liking chapters in my dissertation

One of the most recent dreams I remember having last night involved my dissertation advisor still not liking my revisions. In the dream, she thought I didn't spend enough time discussing various topics, that are not directly related with my main dissertation topic. And she wasn't very specific about what she wanted. Our alleged conversation (that occurred in my dream) left me feeling very uneasy this morning, when I woke up.

Alright, before I start on my dissertation work, as I promised my accountability partner, Manda, I am going to start with some devotional time. Somehow, in the last few years, I've gotten in my head that for devotional time, I need to do more heavy laden work, rich in theology. But, given how poor my devotional life is currently (yes, that's a confession, and I'm repenting!), I need to get back to it. Manda's lent me Beth Moore's "A Heart Like His." I've done a few Beth Moore studies and I remember enjoying her stuff. So, here I go!

Ladies and Gentleman, Write it Down in History, We are once again blessed with rain!

I've been keeping my nose to the computer, not working on my dissertation (shame on me; I will start before the top of the hour) but blogging, when I looked outside. It's pouring rain! Thank goodness. Rain is always welcome here in the valley, since it comes so rarely.

This past Wednesday, the power window on the passenger, front side of our car decided to stop working, with the window over half way down already. Thank goodness for Providence on several counts. Our pastor, Kevin Sheese, recommended an excellent mechanic. What qualifies a person as an excellent mechanic? In my book, the person knows their craft very well, can do a good job with the actual repairs, and charges decent amounts of money for the service. Well, the blessing didn't stop there. Friday, before we took our car to the garage, I called and asked the mechanic and owner of the garage, Israel Martinez, how long the repair would take. He said if I brought our car in around lunch time (no later than 2 or 3 o'clock), he could have it fixed by the end of the day. He didn't even take 2 hours to fix it. More suprising was just how reasonable the labor cost was. The biggest hit was the cost of the parts. He was able to get the parts used. And the cost of the parts was reasonable, too; I know, given that the driver's side window as fixed not that long ago. Good thing we're not driving around town this afternoon with a half open window. Thank you Lord, thank you Israel Martinez, thank you Pastor Kevin Sheese, thank you Westcotts for everything you've done to help our car get back in shape.

Any of you who need car repairs and need a referral, please let me know! I would be more than happy to pass on this wonderful mechanic's contact information.

Really Hilarious Video, Serves the Guy Who Was Driving the Mercedes Right!

My husband somehow found this video on Google video. It's so funny! Do take a look. Old Lady Crossing the Street in front of Mercedes Benz

It was a very sad day in terms of dissertation stuff

I can't go into details, but after much crying and exhaustion during and following my dialogue with my PhD advisor on the phone . . . and after a nice little vacation, I've got to peel myself off the floor and do some dissertation work tomorrow. Poor Rhonda and John were over at our home when life (or the dissertation saga) began to unravel in a very bad way. The phone conversation lasted at least thirty minutes. I actually made it fifteen or so minutes without crying, which is great, especially for a pregnant woman. Anyways, to make the long story short, after getting yelled at for quite awhile, I know what I've got to work on and finish in the next ten days. I need to have Ch. 1 in perfect condition. And, I must revamp Ch. 6, comparing Aristotle and Confucius. Don't know about the work on Ch. 5, yet. But, if I can get Ch. 1 through Ch. 4 in tip-top shape by June 7, I will be in decent (barely decent) shape. If my advisor likes what she reads, at that time, she'll send those first four chapters on to my second reader, at the very least.

The other piece of bad news is I won't be defending in the third or fourth week of June. Looks like I'll probably be defending the first weekend in July. Please Lord, let that be the case. This has been such a tough journey academically. Sometimes I have a really hard time believing that I can finish this adventure. At the very end of our conversation, my advisor affirmed that she is proud of me and that she has faith in me.

Another Chapter of the Dissertation Finished!

My Doctoral advisor wanted me to refocus my chapter on Confucius, and she wanted me to split that chapter into two. This is allegedly the last substantive work I need to do for my dissertation. Well, this afternoon, I submitted the second of those chapters, comparing Aristotle and Confucius on virtue ethics. I'm actually feeling pretty decent about what I submitted, for the moment, or at least until she tells me how terrible she thinks it to be.

What's left? Well, barring any major changes my advisor wants me to make, I need to write the conclusion chapter. Then, I need to revise the parts of the Introduction that talks about Confucius. And, I am finished with my dissertation!

My goal is to be completely finished with what I can do by the end of May. I'm very nervous about what my advisor will have to say about that. The last time she and I spoke, she told me, after speaking with my committee members, that the plan is for me to defend my dissertation the third or fourth week of June. Hope that's still the plan! I'm ready to get my degree and move on to other matters.

Family is Off to Taiwan Today

Daddy, Mommy, Tenny, and Tim are heading to Taiwan today. The flight from the U.S. to Taiwan is roughly sixteen continuous hours. This was a family trip in the planning for somewhere between half a year to a year. Not too long after the New Year passed, before plane tickets were purchased, Troy and I decided not to go. The primary reason was that by the time we were due to travel, I would be around 24 weeks pregnant. Though my OB-GYN doctor did not explicitly tell me or advise me not to go, those were her implications. Besides, given that I wasn't sure how I'd be feeling at 24 weeks of pregnancy (uncomfortable or what-not), we decided against going.

In hindsight, not going was the right decision for another reason. I'm not finished working on my dissertation. In January or February, I was still hoping to finish in time to graduate in May. Little did I know how teaching five classes and being pregnant would slow me down. Slow me down they did. So, here we are, hanging out in the Valley, while they adventure to Taiwan and, in my parents' case, Japan.

Have a safe and enjoyable trip, family!

Final Grades Have Been Submitted!

Grades are due by 3 pm today. And, I've just submitted final grades for five classes of students (somewhere between 130 and 200 students). Whoo hooo! Now, I can work on my dissertation for awhile, until my husband come home. At that time, I'll help him enter final grades for his students, too.

Then, later on today, Manda, Johnnie, Troy, and I are going to a huge book sale, where there's a super generous discount for teachers. I'm getting pumped. Can't wait.

Finally, a Down Pour of Rain in South Texas

We've been basking (more like frying) in temperatures hovering in the lower 100s in the past few days. And today, we had hot and humid weather, which in other parts of the country, indicate rain. Here, deep in the bowels of Texas, better not hold your breath, hoping for rain. Rain is a very, very rare commodity here. The skies were turning a gray color, late afternoon. But, I've learned not to get excited, in hopes of approaching rain. Well, gladly, I was mistaken today. As I am typing rain is a pouring down here in the Valley. Thank the Lord for rain.

I know, I know, since it rarely ever rains here, that means we'll face an onslaught of mosquitoes once the rain stops. But, hey, can't have everything the way we want, right? I'll take the rain for now.

Troy Made Dinner Tonight!

I was absolutely delighted that Troy made goulash for dinner tonight. He wasn't hungry yet and didn't want to eat. So, I said I wouldn't mind making the goulash myself. But, shortly after five o'clock, Troy started making the goulash. Granted, I had to wash all the pots he used and clean up after him . . . I was very, very happy that he made me dinner. He even dished some goulash into a bowl for me, and I ate every last morsel he put into my bowl. Thank you Kitty! Troy making me dinner reminds me of our dating days, somehow.

To show how much I've grown as a person, I wasn't bothered by the fact that he didn't wash the pots he used. By the way, I put away the leftovers into other containers. I was just thankful somebody else, besides, me cooked, especially since I'll be five and a half months pregnant tomorrow!

Here are the ingredients for Troy's version of goulash:

• lean ground Turkey.
• elbow macaroni (I prefer Barilla, because it doesn't get mushy as quickly as other brands).
• 32 oz. tomato juice.
• diced onions (Troy used the dried, ready-to-go kind).
• salt to taste.

And, viola! You have yummy goulash. Thanks Troy!

Four Exams Down and One to Go!

I just administered and proctored my fourth of five exams. Tomorrow, I give an exam at 7:45 AM, and I'm done. Well, I'm not exactly done, but I am almost done. I'll need to put the last scores into Excel, fill in the requisite final grade forms, and I'll be done. Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyy. Then I'll be set to devote the next three weeks or so of my life to dissertation work.

A Student Squealed With Delight

A student came in around 10 minutes ago to find out his score on the fifth (and last) exam. He made a pretty good grade. I also told him his final grade for the course. He squealed with delight several times! I'm very glad to have made his day.

I'm done typing my dissertation for today!

I very badly want to taste the end of my dissertation that I want to scream at the top of my lungs. But, given that night as taken over the daytime and my neighbors will freak out, I shall refrain from screaming. I'm allegedly on the last leg of work for my dissertation. My dissertation advisor really doesn't like one of the chapters. She wants me to do two things, change the focus of the chapter and split that chapter into two. So, I'm in the process of doing both of those things.

I'm working on the first of the two chapters. Today, for a change, was one of my more productive dissertation days. I typed four single-spaced pages. That's eight double-spaced pages!!! I really want to get that chapter to my advisor ASAP. But, alas, I'm tired and can't do anymore work for the evening. So far, on the chapter, almost eight single-spaced pages are complete. Ideally, I'd like to get in another five single-spaced pages before I call this chapter done; we'll see.

Dissertation, be done! I want that sooooooooooooo badly. And, I want to defend my dissertation and have my degree in hand. Is that too much to ask? Come on, it's about time.

Yay for Naps!

Took an hour nap. That was so great, drool and all. Wasn't sure I'd be able to sleep, but thankfully, after some fidgetting, asleeping I went. What a way to knock off a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Now, I'm off to do some chores . . . cleaning the bathrooms. Then, I'll wrap a baby present for a baby shower after church tonight. That will be a lot of fun. Yay Rhonda and John, for the munchkin in their tummy: Maverick Chandler Westcott, who is due to arrive in four to five weeks.

I'm not feeling my best

Last night, Troy and I went to a party, at the home of a colleague's, where some 48 people said they were planning on coming. I didn't do a head count, and we didn't stay the entire duration of the party; so, I have no idea how many ended up going to the party. I haven't felt that great since the party. I felt a dizzy spell while I was seated at the party. Wasn't sure whether that was a pregnancy thing or not. We went to bed not long after arriving home. I didn't sleep well, seeing nearly every hour pass on the clock. Then, when the alarm clock went off at 6:30, the music kept me awake. I was cold and feeling weak.

Troy went on to music worship practice, at church, without me, bit I asked him to come back and pick me up for church. After I fell asleep, I fell into deep, deep sleep, with several strange dreams. And, I didn't awake until Troy opened the garage door. I think the sleep did me well. I didn't feel cold any longer. But my eyes burn a bit and I'm still feeling a little weak.

Hopefully the prenatal vitamins and the juice I'm drinking will nip anything coming at me in the bud. I hope, I hope, I hope . . . Could I just be experiencing a super bad bout of allergies?

I'm super restless; what should I do?

I feel super sonic restless (no, I haven't been getting shots of caffeine) and even jittery. I have plenty to do (write an ethics exam, work on my dissertation, clear the clutter in my work space), but I'm too restless to do anything. I'm wired! And, I feel useless. What's the deal? Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaggghhhhhhhhhhhh.

Thank goodness for our church family

I'm about to pass out of consciousness, but I wanted to take a moment to note how thankful I am for our church family, at McAllen First Church of the Nazarene. So many nice people have reached out to us with warmness and kindness. I'm still surprised that people I hardly recognize know me by name! People in our church have made our stay here, thus far, more homey than our transition would otherwise be.

I'm sure I'm bound to forget loads of people, but thank you . . .

• Manda & Johnny.
• Rhonda & John.
• Katia & Jeff.
• Pastor Kevin & Pam, and Heather.
• Monte & Diana.
• Dennis & Tracy.
• Leeroy & Rosie.

Oh my goodness, I don't think I can come up with an exhaustive list. I'm thankful for everyone who's made our transition here so much easier by reaching out to us and loving on us.

There are many people that aren't a part of our church, that have made a significant difference in our lives here, but that's another entry, another time.

Thank goodness for Manda and Christine

This past Thursday, April 20 (2006), I had a pregnancy meltdown. Though the day began well, with me stirring after 10 in the morning, my day quickly declined. By around three or so, I was struggling with acid reflux from Hades, my head ached, and I hadn't gotten much dissertation work done. I called my sister and spoke with her for the few minutes she had to spare. I cried telling her how I wish we lived closer to each other.

I ended up calling Manda. Thankfully, she picked up the phone. I hadn't uttered more than a few words, before I started crying. I told her how these pregnancy symptoms sucked big time. Soon enough, I was crying hard enough I couldn't enunciate at all. To make a long story short, Manda asked whether she could come over. She biked a ways in the hot Texas sun over to see me! With her, she brought a tasty green tea iced tea drink for me and two photo albums of pictures. I loved hearing stories behind each of her pictures. During her visit with me, I felt much more comfortable and relaxed. She's a truly amazing friend. Thank you, Manda! Your company was so much appreciated.


Yesterday, April 21, I called Christine, my best friend in Columbia, MO. We did some small talk, in which I shared her my continuing and unrelenting acid reflux. Through the course of our conversation, she suggested that I might be able to allieve some of the heavier acid reflux problems by making sure that I do not let too much time lapse in between times of eating. I don't have to each in the morning on Tuesdays and Thursdays. In recent times, I've taken the liberty of sleeping in until ten or so. In the last few weeks, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I've gotten some eight to ten hours of sleep. Christine commented that that's too long to go without eating. That's a great observation! My tummy and the baby probably don't like that one bit. I've been keeping a cup of water by the bed since my pregnancy began. But now, when I go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, I'm going to try and drag my half-asleep body to the refrigerator and drink a drinkable yogurt.

Didn't work last night, though. When I did go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, I was unsucessful at getting myself to the kitchen. I did, however, get something to eat as soon as I awoke. I drank a Dannon drinkable yogurt. Acid reflux as been tolerable so far today. Thank you for your keen observation and wisdom Christine.

Buffet that Recently Made the New Record Buffet in the Guinness Book of World Records

Manda! Thought of you when I ran across a Reuters article that talked about a new record buffet that made the Guinness Book of World Records this week. Manda and I both share a fond appreciation for food.

To break the previous record, 500 dishes were needed to create a new record buffet. Executive Chef, George Bargisen, at the Las Vegas Hilton, spent some 24 hours overseaing preparation of 510 different dishes. 40 soups, 100 salads, and 150 desserts were available. Nadine Causey, a Guinness Book of World Records official flew from London to verify and certify that a new record buffet had been reached.

Each person was charged $7.50 for the buffet. All proceeds were donated to America's Second Harvest, a hunger relief charity. Pretty cool, huh!

Below is the article from which I gathered the information, published by Reuters, on Wednesday, March 29, 2006:

Four Beautiful Words: All You Can Eat. . .

Cravings that Have Come and Gone from Conception Until Now

Here is a list of cravings that have come and gone from conception until now (this isn't necessarily an exhaustive list):

• Hop Tung's Hot and Sour soup.
• ice cream.
• cucumber salad (with tomatoes and onions).
• pickled kohlrabi (pickled with salt and a bit of sugar).
• cheese (such as slices of pepper jack) with Claussen's baby size pickles.
• fresh, organic carrots and celery dipped in Ranch vegetable dipping sauce.
• fruit popsicles (especially strawberry popsicles with strawberry chunks).
• fresh fruit - strawberries, bananas, honeydew, blueberries, mango).
• Troy's homemade yogurt smoothies, with fruit (fresh pineapples, fresh bananas, sometimes fresh oranges, other times frozen strawberries and frozen blueberries.
• Haagen Daaz popsicles (mint & dark chocolate or chocolate with nuts).
• sushi made with crab meat and cucumber.
• pregnancy tea or herbal tea - English style (with milk and sugar).
  

Keep the pandas, Taiwan tells China

Keep the pandas, Taiwan tells China

The Alleged Urgency of Time Here in the U. S.

Although I am in a most busy season of life finishing a dissertation, teaching five classes, participating in two discussion groups, and being pregnant - I have found time to read a non-philosophy book for pleasure. I'm reading Ryszard Kapuscinski's "The Shadow of the Sun," albeit at a VERY leisurely pace. It is a Polish man's journey of forty years in Africa, recounting details of everyday life there. At this time, I am still towards the beginning of the book. But, one observation I've gleaned from the book is just how different Africans conceive time. They're not constantly running around all over the place, in a mad rush to get here or there. I've experienced the constant hussle and bustle of everyday life activities here in the U.S., in Taiwan, and in Hong Kong. A good friend from England, Richard, also seems to run a rather hectic life, constantly running from place to place, from moment to moment. Is that the good life, though? Is that the sort of life that is worth living? One of my best friends, Christine, from time to time, will point out how much activity I have jammed packed in my daily life. By making such an observation known to me, she means no ill will. But, at times, I must confess, I have overcommitted myself. What is the result of this? I am exhausted and worn to the bone, with not a moment's stillness. Here, in the Valley (Rio Grande Valley, deep in the bowels of Texas), we're very close to Mexico. One event that Hispanics near or from Mexico (what's the PC term here?) are known from is a siesta. And, since coming here, I noticed that things move at a much slower pace. When I first arrived here, I found out that only one person at the City of Edinburg handles service to where I live. I needed to get a trash receptacle when we first moved here, and on one occasion, I happened to phone when the only gal that handles service to our area was on lunch break. To say the least, I was unsuccessful in getting a trash bin delivered that day. Took a few more days to have it delivered. To return to the point for which I brought up "The Shadow of the Sun," at one time, Kapuscinski describes waiting for a bus to begin its route. The amount of time in which a person has to wait each time for this bus to begin its route varies, according to how long the bus takes to fill with people. At one time, a character in the book had to wait two hours for the bus to begin its journey. Passengers on the bus simply were undisturbed by the amount of time they had to wait. I'm getting the impression that that's simply an instance of how life is lived in Africa. Though at first glance (and at second glance) that seems counterproductive, something about taking one's time to do just about anything, without feeling like one is racing for time, seems very appealing to me.

Getting house-arrest for four years for butt slapping

Can you believe that someone would get a 4-year house-arrest sentence for slapping a woman's butt? I'm not convinced the punishment fits the crime. But, I do have to say that I was between the ages of 11 and 13 when some random dude slapped my butt when passing me by somewhere. I remember I was wearing while overalls, in the shorts style. Might have been wearing black tights. Hey, it was the '80s. Anyways, I was very much offended. But, by the time I turned around to see who it was, the person was gone.

The following article is from Reuters:

Man sentenced for ride-by bottom slap

Sun Feb 26, 8:28 AM ET

A Colombian man has been sentenced to four years' house arrest for slapping a woman's bottom as he rode by her on his bicycle, sparking debate on whether the punishment fit the crime.

Showing re-enactments of the incident, television news shows were filled on Friday with legal experts offering opinions about the judgment handed down earlier in the week by Bogota's district court.

Some said that to confine bicycle messenger Victor Garcia to his home for four years for smacking Diana Marcela Diaz's buttocks was excessive. Others said it would deter other men.

One program showed three models having their denim clad bottoms smacked so hard by a phantom hand it could be clearly heard by television viewers.

The women said that while the punishment seemed extreme, they hoped the case would mean they would be safer while on foot.

"It happened to me once," one of the models said. "I was walking very relaxed and a guy rode by on his bicycle and, 'ta!' He smacked me. I took off my shoe to hit him with it but he was already too far away."

Mattel Gets Desperate and Gives Ken a New Life Lift

The new buzz in the Mattel industry is that sales are down by 18%. So, they looked for a way to boost sales back. Their solution was to give Ken a new look. Ofcourse, they made it sound more interesting than that. . . Ken and Barbie have been apart for so many years, and now Ken is out to win Barbie's heart. He's more buff, he has a new hair cut, and he looks for fashionably conscious. Is he a metrosexual now?

Here's the article from Reuters:

Ken gets a makeover, hopes to win back Barbie

Fri Feb 10, 7:43 AM ET

He's been to the gym, looks buff and stylish, and now Barbie's boy toy Ken wants to win back the doll he split from two years ago.

After a two-year separation, Mattel Inc. said on Thursday that Barbie's long-time suitor wants to rekindle his decades-long romance with his plastic paramour.

Mattel is hoping Ken's return to retail stores can also revitalize the company's overall fortunes. In January, the company blamed sagging Barbie sales for sagging profits.

"Ken has revamped his life -- mind, body and soul," Hollywood stylist and Mattel consultant Phillip Bloch said in a statement. "Everyone knows how difficult it is to change, especially when you've lived your life a certain way for more than four decades."

Mattel said in February 2004 that Barbie and Ken had split after 43 years because they wanted to spend some time apart.

Ken, who appears to have spent time in the gym and at the stylist, returns wearing a beach-wear ensemble complete with board shorts and white T-shirt.

For her part, Barbie publicist Lauren Dougherty said Barbie "appreciates the new look Ken is sporting. He really looks great. But we'll have to stay tuned to see whether these two will get back together."

At a press conference unveiling Ken, Bloch said the company was going for a "worldly, European thing," and "definitely wanted to be looking hot."

Mattel's fourth-quarter results January showed an 18 percent decline in Barbie's U.S. sales. The company said that in addition to "tweaking" the Barbie line this year, more dramatic changes would be made in 2007.

"The Phantom of the Opera" is now the longest running musical!

"The Phantom of the Opera" remains as one of my most favorite musicals. I heard that, as of this past Monday, it is the longest running musical. It has surpassed "Cats" in the number of shows performed. Hearing the news sent giddiness through my heart; I was delighted to hear the news. A part of me deeply wishes I could have attended Monday night's performance, which made "The Phantom of the Opera" pass "Cats" in number of performances. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh were there. Would have also enjoyed seeing some of the original cast, such as Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford. Would have been delighted to see Michael Ball, too. Oh well, one can always dream.

---

January 10, 2006

'Phantom' Beats 'Cats' for Longest-Running Show

By JESSE McKINLEY

Poor "Cats."

After 7,486 chandelier crashes, gondola rides and dramatic endings, "The Phantom of Opera" officially became the longest-running show in Broadway history last night, knocking the musical "Cats" off its throne.

The "Phantom" coronation, at the Majestic Theater, was attended by all manner of Broadway royalty and presided over by the two men largely responsible not only for the new record-holder but also the previous long runner - the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and the producer Cameron Mackintosh.

The two collaborated on both "Phantom," which opened in 1988, and "Cats," which played a mere 7,485 performances at the Winter Garden Theater from 1982 to 2000, when it closed.

Last night, both Lord Lloyd Webber and Mr. Mackintosh took to the stage after the performance - and a symbolic passing of the baton from a woman dressed as a cat to the Phantom - to comment on their accomplishment.

"I've got to say I don't think I've ever been more nervous in my whole life," said Lord Lloyd Webber, before thanking his cast, crew and creative team.

Likewise, Mr. Mackintosh embraced Lord Lloyd Webber. "I don't think I've ever thanked Andrew publicly for what he's done," he said. He then recounted the show's genesis in a conversation two decades before. "Andrew said, 'Don't you think it would be fun to do "Phantom of the Opera?' " Mr. Mackintosh recalled. "And I said, 'That's a very good idea.' "

The show, based on the 1911 Gothic novel by Gaston Laroux about a masked, romantically minded composer haunting the Paris Opera House, first opened to a blaze of publicity and ticket sales after wowing crowds in London.

Chief among its selling points - besides the swelling Lloyd Webber melodies - were its special effects, which included a simulated ride through subterranean canals and a chandelier that dropped from the ceiling of the Majestic, over the audience, right to the stage. Frank Rich, then the chief drama critic of The New York Times, called the production "as much a victory of dynamic stagecraft over musical kitsch as it is a triumph of merchandizing über alles."

Over the years, that combination churned nearly $600 million in sales into the Majestic's box office, another Broadway record. The show also spawned numerous road and international productions, which have brought the show's worldwide take to more than $3.2 billion.

During the onstage celebration, Harold Prince, the show's director, tried to give a sense of the show's statistical and financial importance to an industry that was in the doldrums when it opened.

"I've been reading a lot of statistics over the last week, most of which don't interest me," Mr. Prince said, before mentioning one statistic that did interest him: "Since 'Phantom' opened, this show has been responsible for the employment of 6,850 people."

After the post-show congratulations, and the dropping of a silver cloud of confetti and balloons, crowds retired to the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria, where a black-tie, masked ball was to take place. (Masks were provided for those who didn't arrive with the appropriate facewear.)

Nearly 11 million people have seen the show at the Majestic, including the 1,600 theatrical bigwigs, V.I.P.'s, and alumni of the production who took in last night's the record-breaking performance.

Some of them had seen the show before at the Majestic - where it broke box office records as recently as last week - and were hoping to see it there for some time to come.

"It's got years to go," said Philip J. Smith, president of the Shubert Organization, which owns the theater, and collects rent. "There's no end in sight."