Bar Harbor

Because I'm too lazy to write a proper post, but am overwhelmed by guilt because I really owe you a post, here are some photos from my trip to Maine. My thanks to the organizers, both for the conference itself, and for these photos, which I stole from them.

I am unconvinced by my colleague's argument:

Yes, even in twenty-fourth grade, we still sit around in a circle on the floor when we have discussions:

Maine is incredibly, insanely beautiful in the summer:

No, we're not reenacting a sacrificial scene to the gods of tenure, we're gazing at the stars:

Squash...

I am flush with a good thrifting find today. We needed a DSL modem, and being too cheap to pay $50 to the phone company and also unable to scam an old one off my brother, Andrew had the brillant idea to head to the thrift store. They had a selection of half a dozen appropriate models, so even if the one we chose (for a mere $7.50, thank you very much) doesn't work, we can go buy another one and try again.

In other news, the eggplant and summer squash season is in full swing. Anybody have any great summer squash recipes? So far, the winners this month are a saute with garlic and mint, served at room temperature and a marinara sauce with lots of summer squash and garlic, which was sweet and spicy. But I've got enough squash for any other recipes you feel like tossing my way.

Conferenced out

I'm back! And those two conferences: Wiped. Me. Out. The first, four days in North Carolina, were a jam-packed overview of everything that's happening in the field. We left our sleeping quarters at 7am and returned each night around 11pm. (Boy, sleeping in a dorm room again sure makes you appreciate the finer qualities of apartment living: Your own bedroom! A bathroom shared by only two people! No one walking by your door at two in the morning, their conversation amplified by their beer consumption.)

The second, a week in Bar Harbor, Maine was more fun. The conference was, as conferences go, tiny, with only 53 participants. While the days were long, there was lots of unscheduled time to eat good dinners, enjoy hanging out at the dock watching the Perseid meteors, and spend a lot of time hearing about people's work. It was the kind of schedule designed to give you time to really hash out ideas, as well as just better understand how all the different research fits together.

Now it's back to real life. Andrew organized our move and spent many long hours cleaning, so I've focused my efforts on finding homes for all of our belongings. As soon as the last box is gone, I'll be posting pictures, because this house comes with a whole host of new decorating challenges, and I'll be looking for ideas.

Summer

Yesterday was a perfect summer day. Andrew got up early and played golf (which was perfect because he got to play golf and I got to sleep in) and then we went to the beach. There we feasted on tomatoes and bread (these tomatoes were so yummy that they didn't need things like salt and pepper or aioli to make them taste better) and iced tea and deviled eggs. Then we played in the surf, took a nap in the sun, and came home.

The only un-perfect thing was that Andrew got sunburn on his belly-button. (Let that be a lesson: when they tell you to apply sunscreen everywhere, they mean everywhere.

Now I'm off to conferences. I'll probably be be out of touch for the next two weeks, but don't feel bad - when I return I'm sure I'll be full of fascinating tales of curriculum development and implications for classroom activties.

A pinata how-to guide

Click to Play

My dad turned 60 this year, and I decided that to celebrate this
occasion we required pinatas. Motorcycle and bulldozer pinatas, to be
precise. So, in case you too wish to make machinery-shaped pinatas, I
provide this handy how-to guide.

1. Tape a bunch of balloons into a shape that vaguely resembles your
chosen vehicle.

2. Prepare your supplies. (Useful Internet tip that may be true: use
several tablespoons of salt when making the paste to prevent the
fomration of mold.)

3. Apply strips to the balloons. It is impossible to do this without
becoming covered in paste, so wear something easily washable.


(Useful tip that should have been on the Internet: keep your balloons
away from sharp, pointy plants.)

4. Place the proto-pinatas next to a dehumidifer.

5. Repeat steps 2-4 several times.

6. Paint.

7. Convince your boyfriend to spend the evening adding construction
paper to approximate the vehicle of your choice.

8. Hang, and beat repeatedly with a stick.

Whistle while you work

Ahhhh, the book was lovely. I'm just so sorry it's all over. Although I won't miss the sobs that wracked my body for two days as I mourned so many dead characters. I understand that it required death to show what a big, important book the Order of the Phoenix was but did we need so many? As all my acquaintances know, I am prone to tears in the best of times (Who cries over Kleenex commercials? Why, I do. Talk about creating a market for your product.)and this certainly did me in.

But on to happier thoughts. I have been busting my butt this week. It's the week before everything happens to me, and I'm busy getting ready. And by everything, I mean that next week I attend a conference, give two talks, schmooze for four days, oh and I'm moving. Of course, when I say I'm moving, I really mean that my stuff is being moved, because I won't even be in the state while it's happening. But don't think I've just left all the work for Andrew. I've been packing for three weeks, and gosh darn it, I guarantee I'll be leaving that house gully packed up and ready to be transported.

Enough of the complaining - I'm grateful that I get a full night's sleep every night (unlike my acquaintances who just had babies), I'm happy that I'll be living in a new place, with Andrew, soon. And I'm looking forward to my conferences being done in two weeks.

No news is good news

Starting this morning, I have imposed a media blackout. Well, it's really more of a media brownout. I am one of the legion of Harry Potter fans who detests spoilers. Since a few copies have already escaped, I'm only consuming media that I'm reasonably sure will not tell me anything I don't want to know. Before today's events, I would have assumed that avoiding HP websites and television would be sufficient. But since the newspaper The Baltimore Sun published spoilers (this may be just a rumor, but as I won't look at any news sites, I can't confirm), I've decided I need to be extra careful until my copy arrives on Saturday.

So, adieu to NPR and the Washington Post. Goodbye to surfing the Web (maybe I'll actually get some work done). I'll see you all again once I emerge from my book on Sunday morning.