Isabel gets a brother...

Congratulations Holly! Guess we had your thesis review timeline down to a VERY fine wire.

new baby!

This past Wednesay (March 30), my colleagues brought a new little life into the world. She is adorable (newborn picture is beautiful!), and I cannot wait to meet her in person. I'm posting it here so I can remember the date; although I really should be able to remember it based simply on the fact this it is one day after MP1's birthday. Happy Birthdays to MP1 and little M.

TH has a birthday

TH turned another year older on the 8th. Since we are both on sabbatical and can do such things in the middle of the week, we went to his childhood stomping grounds for a hike. The wind was just hell here (as in really bad for my allergies). We had lunch in M.Valley's quaint downtown, hiked around Mt. T., then down to the beach, where a cute dog insisted we indulge his fetch obssesion). After walking the beach, we headed back over the mountain to dinner at the Mexican cantina that used to be owned by Carlos Santana. (It didn't do so well under his ownership and was resold to the original owners--who nonetheless kept some of its mid-career charm but seriously improved the food). By the time he had polished off two margaritas (I know--a real role reversal) and a big dinner, the traffic had subsided and we were able to make the drive back to Windy City for a Day in no time at all. It was a lovely get away. Wish we could afford to live there. 

 

  

happy birthday to mp2

June 2, 1989, Methodist Hospital: 7:08 a.m., 7 lbs. 8 oz. Time flies. Happy 21st--hope it's a great one!  Try to stay cool out there, and don't forget to check the mail...

4 O'Clocking it. Denton Arts and Jazz Festival, April 2010

roadtrip

a moment of wedding crashing in the:

Happy B'day MP1

happy birthday to TH

Hope you survive this Monday and that the number of needy faculty and students who cross your threshold are fewer and farther between. Almost there!

news flash from Chicago

My niece had her baby yesterday. She is a real cutie, 7 lbs., 9 oz. My brother texted the news during our faculty meeting and sent the first photo below, along with my favorite line of the week: "By the way, I finally broke down and got an iPhone...I don't know how Western Civilization was born and we got to where we are today without it! I have SO drunk the Kool-Aid!!" That makes me smile almost as much as the newborn photo. Congrats to all--new mom, dad, aunt, and grandparents. Flowers are on the way!!

your big day...

Happy Birthday! I sent a card with the 3 surviving members of our natal family featured on the front. You'll know us, when you see us!

Welcome to the World, Isabel

HL (the guest of honor at this event) had her baby a month earlier than expected! April 3, 2009, to be exact. Mom, dad, and baby are all doing well. Warm wishes to all three.

Musical Progeny 1

Happy Birthday! (Well, almost--3:53 pm CST). See you soon...

Happy Birthday to MFW

I made my belated excuses over at YOUR blog! But Happy Birthday and stop by my office for your present. My crystal ball is telling me that you're going to have some doctoral program choices to make this year.

Finals Week? Who Would Know?

Finals week is usually the start of the winter break for most faculty, who see a significant reduction in the amount of time they must be on campus given that classes are "done." Not me, not this semester. Monday I was up at the crack of dawn to pick up MGC (whose car has cratered), then chairing our final search committee meeting (hurrah!), then picking up various and sundry crap from I*K*E*uh for our holiday party (mostly TH's dept. folks), and then in the evening, writing justifications for our candidate rankings. Yesterday I edited the latter, turned it in, proctored my final, went to our college's winter reception, then headed home to fix dinner for us (and mostly MP2 who is hoping for home-cooking before he heads back to the dorm food and mystery meat). I was going through the motions of sauteeing ground round, reached for the bottle of pepper (our pepper grinder broke a month ago and I'm holding out for a gorgeous red pepper-grinder for Xmas), unscrewed the lid (thinking it was the bottle of coursely ground pepper) and promptly shook at least 250 pepper corns into the pan. No lie...the two bottles look exactly alike. Two shakes of the bottle before my brain refocused from our job search to the cooking. Sigh. I should have taken a photo...more pepper than beef in that pan. Literally. The evening ended on a good note, though, because I did manage to properly submit a couple e-recommendations for admission to doctoral programs on MFW's behalf. Then, this morning, I was awake at 6 AM mentally willing our top-ranked candidate to call our Dean and accept whatever offer he's made. I think candidate will, but I'm NOT going to have a good Xmas until it happens. And now? Well, I'm off to get a birthday cake for our super wonderful office manager (he's all of, hmmm, 23 or 24?), pick up MGC (whose car came out of the shop and then went back in within the space of 24 hours), and then the two of us head over to the interview of our second assoc. dean candidate (MGC and I are both serving on this committee). This evening, a haircut, tomorrow another interview, followed by a commencement committee meeting, Friday yet another assoc. dean interview, plus the deliberation meeting, followed by our recommendations to the dean (that's 3 hours of associate-dean-fun, folks), followed by 4 hours of commencement out at sports arena on the other side of town. Day after? Holiday Party. Somewhere in all that? Posting grades, finishing Xmas cards, and doing some Christmas shopping. Not complaining, just noting. I am stretched to the limits.

Giraffes in Hawaii

Last year, we gave ED a bug box and giraffe umbrella for her 4th birthday (I'm apparently trying to turn these kids into naturalists. Two years before that I gave WMD a stuffed giraffe--which also went along on this island jaunt). But this month, I totally spaced on WMD's birthday (by 10 days-oy), so I wrote Alison to apologize and ask what WMD is into these days (answer: Legos. Legos. Legos). She sent these photos of the kids playing with the giraffe umbrella in Hawaii. So cute. And tonight, we bought WMD a very cool lego kit. No giraffes or bugs or other animals involved. I'll mail it tomorrow. After I bake a carrot cake for the reception.

Happy Birthday Graphics Girl

MP2

Happy Birthday to Musical Progeny 2!

Road Trip

Yesterday was MP1's birthday and so we went into the City to shop and eat and hike and generally get out of town on the first official day of Spring Break (that was also well and truly her birthday). Here are a few photos that more or less chronicle the trip (in relative order).

I love these hills in the Spring; in a few months they will be golden brown.

View of Alcatraz from our lunch table at the Franciscan.


MP1 had Spicy Prawns.



Yours truly had sea bass poached in mild thai curry broth (delicious!!)

And, himself had olive oil poached halibut. (I need to think up
a better pseudonym for him...maybe I should ask him what he'd like.
TH for "the historian"? Sounds like a bad journal to me.)

On the way out, I took a few photos of their massive and really fun
celebrity gallery. See anybody you know??

Below is the cute sign for the gift shop beneath the restaurant.

After stuffing ourselves we started down the

Embarcadero to work off our lunches.

Remembering when I drove a stick shift...

Making our way toward Fort Mason, we had to weave

our way through lots and lots of crab and other seafood

street vendors. My dad loved to see these guys at work.

Kids playing in the surf behind the closed-for-renovation

(until 2009) Maritime Museum.

The view/reward after hiking up that steep hill.

View of the Golden Gate from high up in Fort Mason National Park.

More photos on another day, perhaps. It was a lovely and super relaxing trip. Today I am cleaning up the house so I can write my conference paper in relative non-clutter (you know that's all it takes to "write a paper"--an uncluttered house.) Tomorrow MP1 will be headed back to the Bay Area to go sailing with the orchestra conductor and other grad students. Speaking of grad students, I have to run in and sign a thesis prospectus tomorrow even though campus is closed for Caesar Chavez day...I hope I don't forget...

Happy Birthday to MP1!

We are headed into the City to have seafood and shop till we drop--such fun! Pictures to be posted later. (But you can still call your sister and tell her happy birthday!).

Happy Birthday!

A certain thesis-writer is *apparently* celebrating her birthday today. SO, Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear thesis-writer, happy birthday to you! (You don't want to hear me sing that, especially with my yucky cough. I cannot seem to knock this virus out of my system--geez!!) At any rate, I am sending good tidings your way. AND, I think you gave yourself the best present of all by getting your draft turned in. It is hot-off-the-printer on my end. Looking forward to reading it. Have a great b'day even if you do have to spend it selling undergrads a career in the wine industry. This, too, shall pass.

Happy Birthday!!

You, yes you! Happy Birthday!
Give yourself a great present and make someone else be chair next year. Just think of the writing and painting you could get done!

Gianna Isabella P.

A colleague (in himself's department) became a daddy (again) last week (Jan. 29, 2008). I meant to post this right away, but job search deadlines got the best of me. He also sent a darling photo of mom and baby--both of whom are doing really well. Congratulations to the proud parents. Enjoy the paternity leave!!!! Work is killing me. I'm coughing my lungs out and hoping I live to the weekend. But I have to blog one more message before I go for the meds.