pros and cons

Over the course of the last week, I've been working hard to clean up and organize the debris of the 2011-2012 academic school year.  In the past, I've managed to get this chore done during or immediately after finals week, but this last year has been especially busy and crazy. And I started the school year behind, in the sense that I had never managed to recover from the mental, emotional and physical chaos caused by the ongoing saga that is my mother's crazy life (notice I am trying not to call her crazy).  I've only just now managed to refile boxes of documents and mss. that I brought home from my aborted sabbatical. I'm working on letting go of my resentment about the timing of her latest crisis, but I'm not there yet. 

While I've not found much time to blog this year, I did keep a computer file of images that were intended to be blog fodder. Since I'm now working on cleaning up my computer desktop and Endnote files, I'm going to go ahead and post them. Some are really out-of-date. Others, while old, still retain some currency. This one is an instance of the latter.  I smile every time I see it. It is a white board in MP1's Dallas apartment. She's still acclimating to her work place and city (which has lots to recommend it--great museums, for instance).  And she hasn't been there a full year (i.e. serious summer heat and humidity still to come).  We always encourage her to write out her thoughts, so I was happy to see this (and she gave me permission to post it).  I guess the only thing that has really changed since she made this initial list is that she's been thinking of going to SMU for an MBA--they have a version that incorporates an Arts Mgmt. Certificate. The two of us visited the campus in March (a trip I'll never forget). But that's a different post and set of pictures. Right now, I'm off to church w/MGC (jk); we are headed to "second Sunday"--antique/junk market under the freeway. 

catching my breath

Just logging in long enough to report (to those of you who know about the family crisis I've been living for the last year) that my mom is settled in Chicago. We still aren't sure how we pulled it off, but clearly the fall and second trip to a skilled nursing facility brought home to her the high degree of vulnerability her age and current mental state represents. My sister-in-law escorted her on the flight, while my brother and I, along with TH and MP2 (poor kid!--not much of a Thanksgiving Break) loaded the furniture from her assisted living apartment (unoccupied since her fall and long-term stay in the nursing home) into a u-haul truck for return to her house or the drive (my brother's) to Chicago. MP1 and MP2 saw her house (she didn't want that to happen, but it was good for them to see what we've been dealing with) and reminisced about memories of running around it as kids. That made me happy. I'm leaving out the details of the crisis on the Chicago end when my SIL and mom arrived to the facility into which she was supposed to move only to discover that they'd overbooked their skilled nursing facility (where she was supposed to be for a few more weeks before release to her assisted living facility in the same Senior Home). She spent Friday through Wednesday night at my brother's house meeting her great-grandkids, etc. Last night she was in the new apartment (and I mean new as in she refused to go back to the one originally reserved for her). Her cast is off and she is walking again (still needs lot of physical therapy, though). Last night I didn't wake up in a cold sweat worrying about her or her house. I SHOULD worry about her house, but I think I'll wait till January. Maybe I can write coherent posts by then.

progress

My brother and I have been frustrated and worried because my mom (since we moved her into her assisted living facility in mid-May) hasn't been joining the other residents down in the dining room for meals. Instead, she's been isolating herself in her room and eating there, and missing out therefore on social opportunities that will improve her mental health. Whenever one of us visits, the staff will inevitably remark on the fact that she doesn't come out of her room. Yesterday she told me that she went down for televised church services and that she's been going down for dinner (not sure about the other meals). This makes me SO happy. And I can hear the improvement in her voice.  Further, I had a conversation with her about her house. She tends to worry about maintenance issues constantly (hello!, she deferred it for 11 years--why worry now?), but anyhow--when she said we need to call termite people to spray so the house doesn't "fall down," I gently suggested that this was a waste of her money (like fixing the roof in any permanent way). I told her we need to clear the house out and sell it, so she can bank the money. She actually agrees (although my brother and I notice that she tends to say one thing to one of us and another to the other; nothing new there). But, she seems truly to be on board with this. I told her Spring Break would be the first opportunity to really get in there and go through stuff room by room. She wants to go and sit in the driveway while we do this. I had to give her some hope that this might happen and said we'd see after talking to her doctors, etc. She ended the conversation with "and now Santa Claus, can you buy me some more blouses and a skirt or new pants? I can't wear the same things down there [dining room] every week!" Some things never change. Looking forward to seeing MP2 in July/August!  MP1will be in Texas residence by August 1. Time flies.

on a happier note

Some good things also came out of our last trip to Texas. After we got my mom moved into her new assisted living place, we headed up to the greater Dallas area to visit with MP2, who needed a new flute (actually--he's never had one of his own, but had been playing his sister's from high school).  His girlfriend went with us (it is her primary instrument) to help him choose one.



didn't take the camera,
so these are all iPhone



After that, we went to nearby Richardson, where MP1 is moving in August. We drove by her new place of employment and the apartment complex that was recommended to her. And luckily, they had an apartment coming available the week before she starts work, so we were able to help reserve that. It is a very cool mixed use retail/residential development. I think she's going to love it. I know I would.

We then had equally good luck back in Denton, since MP2 and CG were able to find a new apartment in MP2's current complex that will become available in August. So that means everyone in the fam is moving this summer, but us. Fun, fun, fun. 

l'austin

MP1 and 2,  along with 2's gf, spent a few days of NT spring break in my favorite hill country cité. It is truly amazing how much I miss that place. I offer a few pics since I have basically nothing to say for or about myself--except that I am scrambling to tie up loose ends (read-read-read, write a paper I have to give in a couple months, scan some sections of humungous old govt. volumes that I need for sabbatical writing so that I don't have to haul them back to sabbatical house [sabbatical house: yay!], write a ridiculous number of emails and an agenda for upcoming prof. mtg. etc., etc.). Sheesh that organization is SO much work. So, so much work. Why do I never get those service gigs that are "show up and breathe"? Better get back to all that. These may go poof. But maybe not, cause I do miss these guys.

~  all gone ~

catching up with April (part 1)

The last few months have been beyond crazy and I have had little time for blogging. This is partly my own fault,  because I designed and taught a museum course that was about 3 courses-worth of work for me. I am still wrapping up that class, even though grades are in and the semester is long over (more on that in another post). Okay--back to April.

We spent April 22-25 in Texas, upon the occasion of the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival.  The  headliner was Chick Corea, who drew a huge crowd, including the little redhead (below) in the Paul Frank t-shirt. But we were really there to visit MP2, see his lab band play, and listen to the famous "One O'Clock."  We had lots of fun, despite (me) having a low-grade fever (the 4th floor of my building is such a petri dish),  insane winds and allergies, and hilarious fair "food."

Thanks to MP1 for the decent photos. I decided to leave my camera at home, which explains the blurry iPhone images I already posted here and here.  We flew home on the 25th. I think I was furloughed on that Monday, but I'm also sure I worked that day--because I had papers to grade and to write. Can I just say that we have now gone from World Cup (all day) to a sci-fi film called St*nehenge Apocalypse? At least it doesn't have that obnoxious buzzing in the background.

land of bluebonnets

We are visiting MP2, making the best of furloughs in the form of travel. Last night, we had dinner with him and his gf  (CG) at a fun restaurant to which TH and I had never been. MP1, who has only been here once before, then got to see all the various and sundry music buildings, then CG took us on a tour of the library (my favorite of all venues to hang out in and yet I'd never stepped foot inside this one these last few years).   She works in the music library, so we got to see it's vastness. It is really, and I mean *really,* impressive. The rare music book room was closed, not that we would have known what to ooooh and aaaaah over, but still--very cool that there is one.  I was also  floored by the number of music periodicals that are 1) apparently in publication and 2) subscribed to by the university. (And here, I just have to say how depressing it is going to be to go home to my institution, which has such a pathetic library when it comes to research. When I was hired, it was not spectacular by any means, but it was at least up to the par one expects at a teaching univerity. NOW, it is pretty sorry. I was in the stacks two days ago checking that the most recent issues of a journal were still on the shelves and not off at the bindery,  so that I coud send students over to work on a journal-related assignment , and I nearly fell over when I saw how many journals have been dropped). The most impressive and simultaneously depressing thing about this tour? This library was open and very much in use after 10 pm.  Good luck with that at my place.

This morning (after a night of little sleep), we dropped off MP1 to hang around with her sib and go to some music event, took care of some apartment issues for next year, walked around the downtown square (with a brief side trip into the antique mall to look for Americana Indian crap for MGC), and got ourselves some coffee. We are back at the hotel for a while, trying to cope with the effects of the time change. This is why I hate giving papers anywhere outside of my timezone--I'm just a zombie if I don't get at least 6 good hours of sleep. On the  paper-giving front, I got some work done in that direction on the plane. So I don't think I'll be in horrid shape next Friday, especially since I have to get home from here and that will be 3 more hours of being "unplugged" from distractions, plus another furlough day on Monday (oh,  yeah, on which I will NOT being doing any  'work.'   Can you tell that  I am pretty fed up with not being paid my full salary under the pretense that my workload can be reduced by magic and nothing in the scope of my job will suffer?!).

Here are a few random photos--iPhone and in the dark quality. Too lazy to bring along my good camera or my personal computer (which is loaded with software that might correct these somewhat).

roadtrip

a moment of wedding crashing in the:

Happy B'day MP1

first official day of Spring Break and...

yours truly spent it in the ER.  I was furloughed on Friday, but I really have  to get the current exhibit finished before we come back from Spring Break, so I went in yesterday (Saturday) to make some progress in that direction. While I've had lots of really good help from students, one wall is/was just a mess of bad foamcore-trimming (sloppy cuts at hilariously bad angles).  Thus, I was reprinting and/or retrimming most of those interpretive panels so I could move along to entirely unfinished areas of the exhibit, when I sliced a long, deep, and truly disgusting cut in my index finger. You may remember that I did a similar, but less bloody thing to my thumb a couple years ago, while working on MGC's exhibit. Gah!!! My job is full of liabilities: one super nasty-tempered faculty member, climbing ladders that are 180 degrees straight up to lofts that were never meant to allow for walking (criss-crossed by low steel beams), and then this business of needing to wield x-acto knives on a regular basis. This show has more than 150 pieces of foam core to trim. Each one has 4 sides (some have more). You do the math. What a party.

Anyway, the good news is that at least it was me and not a student who sliced themselves up. Plus, the exhibit is coming along quite nicely (if somewhat beyond the deadline) and in 10 days I can go have these 6 stitches yanked out.  Many thanks to TH, who came up to campus to drive me to the ER, went back to the Museum with me to help me finish trimming and laying out some materials, then treated me to a great bowl of seafood gumbo at dinner with friends downtown. Today, I'm writing the intro panel and finishing up the fabrication and installation. Tomorrow, a road trip for MP1's birthday (yay!!) and then I have to buckle down and start working on a grant proposal (I'm actually looking forward to that).

And did I say yet that I'm very proud of my Museum class? I am.

to prove I'm still alive

As is usual for this time of the year, I am beyond overloaded with exhibit development, committee meetings, midterms, etc. I look longing at my colleagues who only show up to teach, complain because they have to come on campus more than 2 days a week (!!),  and serve on maybe one or two committees at the departmental level.  I want their jobs. While I'm neglecting this blog, I'm blogging almost daily at another site (and under a different pseudonym) that represents my latest experiment in holding students accountable to each other for group projects and lab hours. Each of them maintains a blog linked to my primary course blog on museum methods. I think it has been a pretty effective strategy for managing this class and project. Rented Life--I caught your recent post on group work via my RSS feed and wanted to respond; stay tuned and I'll go into more detail when I hit Spring break--I'm hoping to snare at least ONE day of that for something not entirely job-related!  I actually took this past Saturday off from work and have photos to prove it.

Captions top to bottom:
1)We promised MP1 a new cello case maybe two Xmas ago and she finally found the one she wanted (BAM).
2) Blossom in the un-named strings store parking lot
3) Lunch view! Note to self--must find beach or bay house!

recitals and randomness

MP1 at grad recital last Friday--and then, a repeat of Brahms at the close of the String Project Recital on Monday evening (below)...

The U. president came to this event, which made some people very, very happy--though the kiddie musicians couldn't have cared less, I'm quite sure.

MP1 tries to get the cellists seated and settled...

It was a great recital--better than last year's I think.

And now we have two random outdoor scenes. TH and I went for Thai food 2 days ago & saw these guys scaling and hanging out in trees downtown.

I posted this to FB already...an out-of-focus image of the teeniest bit of snow in our front yard. We got a couple really hard freezes right after this, so our citrus trees are well and truly shot.

And now, I'm off to give the first of my finals. I'm hoping to get them graded before tomorrow's (which is entirely scantron-based). And a good thing, too, since MP1 graduates tomorrow (and TH has talked her into walking at Commencement--something I think she agreed to only because she'll be hooded in pink ;) and I've done almost NO Christmas shopping. Gah.

party pics

Tis the season of parties, 2 last weekend (iPh*ne pics from the non-obligatory one below), another this weekend, with MP1's recital and reception thrown in tomorrow evening for extra good measure. Today is my last class of the semester and it is all student presentations. I'm having lunch with MGC, then heading to an art history lecture, then doing a (very) brief guest lecture in a senior seminar in another department. Tonight and tomorrow morning I plan to grade all the assignments (undergrad essays and grad portfolios) turned in during today's class. Then tomorrow, I'll make up the final for that class, pick up party trays and cakes for MP1's recital, and head to our last faculty meeting of the semester. Lucky lucky me, I'll be leaving it early to go to set up for the reception (but I'm sure someone will fill me in on all the "fun").

"artist at work on green snow man"

gallery of "old masters"

Miss Good Eyelashes teething on my iPh*ne case (minus phone)

countdown to finals week

Watched the sun come up at the airport this morning (that little dot on the horizon is MP2's plane headed back to Texas). It was such a nice holiday break--lots of good (excellent) food and fun with family and friends. The rest of the semester should fly by--2 more furlough days, 2 more weeks of instruction, 1 more curriculum committee meeting, party for retiring colleague (Sunday), final faculty meeting of the semester (next Friday), followed immediately (literally--all of 30 minutes) by MP1's master's recital, followed by her graduation on yet the following Friday. The big news of tomorrow will be whether or not the CMS people will be able to fix one of my Spring course/lab listings so that students can actually enroll in it. For the past week, it has been forcing them to add themselves onto a waitlist. So predictable. None of the office staff can figure it out. And I can just imagine how pleased they'll be if they are forced to add everyone by hand...

spaced out

Do I have office hours this morning? NO!!! Did I nonetheless race onto campus through all kinds of traffic in order to be here for them? YES. I clearly need a good night's sleep (a necessary pleasure that has entirely eluded me this week).

This about covers my state of being; iPhone photo credit goes to MP2, with whom I had a great conversation yesterday morning. He has settled into an excellent year at UNT, thinks he gave his best audition ever, is super happy he is finally in a jazz combo and has graduated from the ranks of classical lessons. Maybe in a week's time I'll feel all settled into the new school year, too. I take comfort in the fact that MP1 seems to share my current state of mind--it takes a while to get back in the groove.

back-to-school shopping

This is a follow-up to my previous post about MP1's new car. I think anyone who has purchased a car in the last 100 years knows what a hard sell the business office begins once they've got you in the office to sign the loan papers. This person, who checks one's credit, draws up the loan papers, obtains one's signature on 40 different documents (at least that number, when cashing in a clunker) etc., is motivated by commission to sell you an even better (i.e. more costly) warranty, on-call road service, anti-theft this-n-that, and the famous inside and out sealant. Having been through all this quite recently, with the purchase of my Prius (2 years ago counts as recent in our family--especially where new cars are concerned), I was fully prepared to keep this guy from a) selling us stuff we didn't need, and b) trying to fold what we did decide to buy into the loan price. He was pretty disappointed when I related that the Toyota finance agent had a big snit-fit when I refused to purchase the already-installed-by-the-dealer anti-theft device (he had to send someone out to remove it from the car and was absolutely furious that I wouldn't pay for it). I realize these folks need to make some money on their side of the car sale, but it is our money they are going after. So the other night, this guy realized pretty quickly that we weren't going to be suckers for all these add-ons that would effectively raise our purchase price by the very same amount we'd gotten through their rebate: $3,000.00. But he did try, and I suppose he has too. I could just feel his pain as he was forced to delete item after item that he had ever so hopefully added onto our loan. We ended up going for only 1 add-on, the sealant. I did this for my Prius and it does help to protect the car (especially the exterior finish, which is very important when parking daily under sappy trees, or--in the case of MP1--without benefit of garage). Both our cars have white leather interiors and in truth, I don't think we needed them "sealed." We buy leather for its durability, versus its resale, since we tend to drive our cars till they are literally all worn out. However, there is no option to go for just the exterior sealant, so we got the price knocked down by $100.00, wrote a check for that amount, and then made an appointment to have the job done that Friday.

This day also happened to be TH's first formal "furlough Friday," and given the fact that a) the dealership would need the car for quite a few hours and b) there is a very nice mall nearby, we decided to turn this into a back-to-school shopping day for MP2, who needed a few special items for when he performs. He has been wearing the same dress-shirt and couple of ties for several years, so I was thrilled that he actually wanted something new (he is a committed non-consumer of everything, but music).

Once we got to the mall, TH and MP1 went one way (blue-tooth device shopping), and MP2 and I headed off to Macy's. I had the sales clerk take his measurements and here is what we bought. I love it all, but especially the paisley.

Very jazz-musician worthy, I think. The white shirt has french cuffs,

so we found some very stylish cuff-links for that.

New shoes!

These handsome, Ecc* Berlin, bicycle-toe, dress shoes will be very comfortable for the long hours of standing up, playing the horn. [Side note: they were a little more expensive than some similar brands, but they've got great rubber soles. It was easy to justfy buying them for that reason alone. But I also felt like they were practically free because they cost almost to the penny the same amount of money that I had just, a few nights before, emptied out of one of our many change jars and rolled up to take to the bank. We throw all our loose change into one or another container--we've got several around the house--and then TH and MP2 inspect it for old or rare coins before we turn it in.]

This was my big purchase for the day.

A new Paul Fr*nk silicone iPhone case. Isn't it cute?

de-clunking

As some of you know, we have been shopping for a new car for MP1 for a few weeks. She has needed one for some time and we've gone around and around with various options. Another good used car? A new car with payments she can (maybe) afford once she's out of school in another semester? Her '89 Acura Legend, which we purchased 8 years ago, has served her mighty well (even when she worried that it might not be worthy of her passengers). Back and forth for 2 years to Male Saint High School, then scooting around nearby-college-town for 4 years, and now--for the last two years--back and forth between college town (where she gives cello lessons) and our city (where she is finishing her Masters). Let us not forget the many trips to the greater Bay Area and wine country--where she plays in quartets and operas and weddings, etc. When she is not driving other musicians and their instruments around, she is being driven by them with her own instrument. Thus, a comfortable 4-seater was an absolute must, along with a trunk large enough to hold her cello (hatchbacks are not so good, as the cello can be spotted through the parked car window). Lots to think about.

We wanted to take advantage of the federal clunker program, but also knew that a used car would do and might well be a better deal than a new vehicle (required under the clunker gig). So we shopped and test drove both sides of that equation. In the end, we went with a new car. We got a super good deal at dealer north of town. They were having a $3000 rebate on 2009 editions and then took several hundred off the list price just to seal the deal. Plus we got another $3500 credit for ye olde clunker. It was sad to say goodbye to it, but it had started having reliablity problems that were nickle and diming her to death and worrying us all that she'd be stranded on a highway somewhere at 2 am). Plus, we worried whether or not the airbags were still good after 20 years. (This accident took place in a 1993 Acura Legend--which suddenly made the business of shopping for a new car take on a more urgent tenor.) Thus, we finally landed on a new Sonata. Here are a few pics to commemorate the event, which transpired Monday night (a week ago).

bye-bye Acura

before & after interiors

someone's happy!

and has transferred the goods from one trunk to the other

and finally (below), a daytime visit to our house the next morning

The color is "natural khaki" but reads differently in different light. Tomorrow: another post about related shopping adventures.

Adventures in Tortillitas and other babblings

Yesterday, being really sick of eating out (isn't it amazing how this is so much fun on the first day of a trip, and then after that it's the LAST thing you want to do?), I poached salmon and made insalata caprese for dinner. While I was out, I also bought all the herbs, veggies, and other seafood (clams/shrimp, etc.) I'd need to make seafood soup for tonight. Then, this morning, while reading the New York Times online, I saw this yummy appetizer (complete with video instructions). I already had everything I needed to make these tortillitas--except the chickpea flour--so back to Whole Paycheck I went.

Now, I'm all set for tonight. But first, I'm going to check out a nearby estate sale and make up a reading quiz for Tuesday. Oh, and the nifty highlighter sharing the frame in this photo? A very clever freebie from the conference (courtesy of the lovely recruiter who had an outreach table next to us). LOTS of historical music/musical performance/musicology MA and Doctoral programs at her university. No jazz, more churchy and classical, so I picked up a flyer for MP1--who at this very moment is probably thinking of doing anything BUT going on for a doctorate. But, I'm sure she'll take the highlighter and brochure off my hands anyway...

2nd Batch of Brownies

Sigh. I am SO not Martha St*wart (whose show is now providing ambient noise for blogging and emailing and doing laundry). I just ever-so-slightly charred the bottom of the first batch of brownies I intended to send of to MP2 (who is in need of a treat. To be sure, he'd prefer the end of the semester, but this is all I got--sorry!). I popped them into the oven and out exactly as prescribed, but the dark non-stick pan really called for pulling them out a good 5 minutes earlier. Darn. So, TH will have to eat those. The second round of brownies is now cooling--and they are perfectly baked. But, since I'm running late this morning, I've now got time to upload a photo of the goodies I bought yesterday.

Isn't this just the cutest-shaped colander? I had to have it, and the muddler, too. They are from one of my all-time favorite houseware/hardware stores in town of MP1's alma mater. We took her there for birthday breakfast yesterday morning, and then went to all of our and her favorite haunts. Of course, we bought her some critical (ok--cute) kitchen things, too. Very relaxing and casual day. Except that the wind was really, really bad and so for me (being so allergic to everything) it was kind of like poison just to go outside. But, it the end, it was worth it, because the muddler will improve my mojito-making skills and the colander and towels and silpat are all highly functional. Okay--NOW I am going to get MP2's brownies and tea-infuser (he's a green-tea fanatic like his dad) in the mail. And then go to lunch with MP1, and then head over to MGC's house and get on the same page re: our panel and mini-exhibit for this week's conference (yep, we are lugging artifacts to San Diego). Nonetheless, it still feels like spring break. And I really needed it. ***The semester is almost over for you MP2. Hang in there.***

Musical Progeny 1

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

Yet More, from Fiesta de Bebe

Courtesy of CD's smugmug gallery (thanks!), we now have some images of the mariachi dancers and band-by-the bar referenced in my last post. So there you have it--too funny. I'm having a seriously (surprisingly?) productive weekend, despite catching up a bit on blogging, and shopping for an obscure Portuguese sparking wine TH fell in love with at KT's superbowl party, and meeting MP1 for breakfast and hearing all about the ups and downs of conferencing in Atlanta. Brutal flight going, I remember that well (much easier coming back). And now, back to my own conference paper. I present it at the end of this month. My goal is to be done with it by 3 pm tomorrow. The next day I'm going to be grading 33 midterms--all identification and essay. BLECH.