Seriously, Who Says That?
I've re-located.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Oh, fantastic...
38 dead after being bitten by vampire bats - CNN.com
Monsters in Montauk and now vampires. End of times or are we just now noticing? I choose to believe that the world is full of monsters which we knew about long ago, explained away, and are now realizing we were right about in the first place.
Monsters in Montauk and now vampires. End of times or are we just now noticing? I choose to believe that the world is full of monsters which we knew about long ago, explained away, and are now realizing we were right about in the first place.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Reasons I watch the Olympics
Julia Wilkinson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1. I love athletes. The human body is an amazing thing, and I am always awed by those who can almost perfect it.
2. I freely admit I cry just about every time. And if the Star Spangled Banner plays - forget it. I'm out.
3. I love the history of it. Yeah - I'm a nerd. Deal.
4. The idealist that lives deep inside of me buried underneath all of my cynicism thinks it's really romantic.
5. Click that link - she was my student. That's right - I know somebody who has a Wikipedia link.
AND - since we are talking about the famous people I know - check out my buddy and fellow blogger:
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/453575/Nuclear-Winter-Wonderland/overview
1. I love athletes. The human body is an amazing thing, and I am always awed by those who can almost perfect it.
2. I freely admit I cry just about every time. And if the Star Spangled Banner plays - forget it. I'm out.
3. I love the history of it. Yeah - I'm a nerd. Deal.
4. The idealist that lives deep inside of me buried underneath all of my cynicism thinks it's really romantic.
5. Click that link - she was my student. That's right - I know somebody who has a Wikipedia link.
AND - since we are talking about the famous people I know - check out my buddy and fellow blogger:
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/453575/Nuclear-Winter-Wonderland/overview
How did I not do this first?
Those of you who know me will recognize that this is a combination of some of my
favorite pastimes: lauding Batman and hating the current administration.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Great news!!
The Associated Press: Edouard now depression after drenching Texas coast
The great news is not that my home state is drowning - that's not a good thing.
But the good news is that this weather is drenching us and keeping the temp at 95 degrees or lower. Today it was 75 degrees at 6pm. That doesn't usually happen until late October or early November. We haven't had rain in a while - or so people tell me. Growing up in the wilds of west TX I have always thought rain more than once every 3 months was excessive. I think it has been about a month or something - whatever. I don't like mud. But I do like relief from the heat. And for now, I've got it.
How sad is it that 95 degrees is a relief? I live in hell.
The great news is not that my home state is drowning - that's not a good thing.
But the good news is that this weather is drenching us and keeping the temp at 95 degrees or lower. Today it was 75 degrees at 6pm. That doesn't usually happen until late October or early November. We haven't had rain in a while - or so people tell me. Growing up in the wilds of west TX I have always thought rain more than once every 3 months was excessive. I think it has been about a month or something - whatever. I don't like mud. But I do like relief from the heat. And for now, I've got it.
How sad is it that 95 degrees is a relief? I live in hell.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Much ado about something
Funding Opportunities - Department of Defense - Minerva Research Initiative (MRI): Chinese Military and Technology Research and Archive Programs (US Army Research Office)
This is generating some hubbub.
Like most things this is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, yeah - it sort of IS important to think about and try to understand things like how groups like Al Queada recruit or what the result will be of a burgeoning Chinese economy and technology. On the other - should the government be funding university research? Researchers in the private sector all know that the source of the money makes a big difference. If there is a vested interest in a particular outcome then researchers can get pushed around a bit by money-men. Do we really want the DoD to be looking over the shoulders of people studying such important things? However, who is better to fund such projects that the DoD? I mean the results will very clearly mean a lot to them - and they've got the money to share.
Since I don't believe in numbers and continue to claim that they are simply just another rhetorical construction we use to try and make sense of complicated situations I will never have to worry about this. Nobody cares what I am researching (yet) and nobody is going to be writing any big checks for me. Which is fine- I think I want to be more of a teacher anyway. But a lot of my friends do social sciencey stuff. And I'm wondering what they might think of it all.
This is generating some hubbub.
Like most things this is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, yeah - it sort of IS important to think about and try to understand things like how groups like Al Queada recruit or what the result will be of a burgeoning Chinese economy and technology. On the other - should the government be funding university research? Researchers in the private sector all know that the source of the money makes a big difference. If there is a vested interest in a particular outcome then researchers can get pushed around a bit by money-men. Do we really want the DoD to be looking over the shoulders of people studying such important things? However, who is better to fund such projects that the DoD? I mean the results will very clearly mean a lot to them - and they've got the money to share.
Since I don't believe in numbers and continue to claim that they are simply just another rhetorical construction we use to try and make sense of complicated situations I will never have to worry about this. Nobody cares what I am researching (yet) and nobody is going to be writing any big checks for me. Which is fine- I think I want to be more of a teacher anyway. But a lot of my friends do social sciencey stuff. And I'm wondering what they might think of it all.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Another sign that I am probably going straight to hell
I tried to find a video of the commercial in question, but to no avail.
It begins with a speech in which the dude says he is calling on the youth of the world to gather in Beijing in 2008 and then it cuts to a bunch of shots of training athletes and they are all texting each other saying things like "I'm ready" or "On my way." Nothing really notable.
This comes on while we are eating lunch, and hubby sort of snorts. I look at him with a questioning look and he says, "Right - because youth gatherings in Beijing have such a successful record."
I paused for a moment, then laughed outloud.
And THAT'S why I'm going to hell.
It begins with a speech in which the dude says he is calling on the youth of the world to gather in Beijing in 2008 and then it cuts to a bunch of shots of training athletes and they are all texting each other saying things like "I'm ready" or "On my way." Nothing really notable.
This comes on while we are eating lunch, and hubby sort of snorts. I look at him with a questioning look and he says, "Right - because youth gatherings in Beijing have such a successful record."
I paused for a moment, then laughed outloud.
And THAT'S why I'm going to hell.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Wow.
I have one more day of 203 left. Just one day of listening to speeches. Today was refreshing because I actually heard quite a few I think will be A's. That never happens.
Today, the most amazing thing happened. A student told me he really enjoyed this class - to the point that he wished he would have taken it in the fall to get the full semester experience. And this isn't a brown-noser kind of kid.
Really? REALLY? Nobody has ever said that. Ever. In the whole history of speech-teaching.
So do I feel bad for hating the class so much? A tiny bit. Bad enough to want to do it again to give myself a chance to enjoy the experience? No way in hell.
Today, the most amazing thing happened. A student told me he really enjoyed this class - to the point that he wished he would have taken it in the fall to get the full semester experience. And this isn't a brown-noser kind of kid.
Really? REALLY? Nobody has ever said that. Ever. In the whole history of speech-teaching.
So do I feel bad for hating the class so much? A tiny bit. Bad enough to want to do it again to give myself a chance to enjoy the experience? No way in hell.
Legit news
This is real news. It's on CNN (yeah - I know. But there is a difference between "real" and "important" or "legitimate source") - go check it out. We are living in a sci-fi world, and THAT improves my mood immensely.
http://www.nowpublic.com/strange/what-washed-beach-montauk-ny-help-solve-mystery-photo-jenna-hewitt
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/07/31/moos.montauk.monster.cnn
This is one of the first things I saw this morning:
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/frustration.png
Today will be a better day.
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/frustration.png
Today will be a better day.
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