Mary Kay Took the Wife Away

. . . and sorta-daughter's singing in the choir.

A Taste From the Big Easy

The in-laws drove down into New Orleans recently on a two-week trip and returned with some treats available only there. They followed my recommendation to the Cafe du Monde and returned with some chicory coffee, some pralines, a bit of fudge, some beignet mix, and a six-pack of Abita for yours truly and wife. Now how you gonna top that, huh? What a haul! I even picked up some true LARD to fry the beignet in for that true taste, so if my arteries suddenly clog up, you'll know why. The mother-in-law learned the lard secret from beignet gurus in the big city, so it should be good.

Goodbye, Old Paint

All things must pass. My old Dell computer has served me well in my office for a half-dozen years or so, plugging away long before I got my little Gateway Tablet. But when a recycling offer came along, I realized it was time to let the old machine go. After all, I had two other computers I could use in the office, and each one takes up space, so I had it toted off to be piled in with the other machines on campus.

Several students in past years have written about computer recycling, and I've read some on my own, and the news isn't always good; although some companies do offer programs to extract key polluting elements from cast-off electronics, some just get the offending electronics out of the country. Check the EPA for a list of contacts for electronics recycling.

Public Libraries and Free Stuff

I envy New Yorkers who can drop by the New York Public Library, entering through its doors into the vast holdings of books, publications, and other artifacts. But a comment elsewhere sent me looking at their online site and I discovered a wealth of material that I (and you) can get at for free, legally, online. You can stream movies, download audio books, watch animated talking picture books, and listen to webcasts, among other things. I suspect other libraries offer the same options. I'd still like to climb the steps past the big lions and check the place out for myself, but for now their online presence will have to do.

An article that I read recently, leading me into other available free stuff, was on Business Week, "World Wide Web: Land of Free Stuff." Check out the slide show available there.

Fox Hunting Success

Some things in life can still be had for free, and despite pressure from some cable TV lovers I know, we're still off the grid in terms of TV channels. We've been making do with a pair of rabbit ears that brought in CBS, ABC, NBC, and a fuzzy PBS, but I had brought the big antenna from the old house. It had been sitting in the attic since we moved, not hooked up. It took Super Bowl weekend to get me up there with the gear to get the antenna in the air and the signal to the TV. It's done, and channel 17, FOX, host of Super Bowl XLII, is coming in dandy. We're having a game!
Our other old channels are also coming in clear and bright, and we're picking up something called the CW, which I thought might be the country western channel, but when "Will and Grace" came on, I decided otherwise. Who knows, maybe someday I'll wonder how I got along without "Gossip Girls," "Aliens in America," or "Friday Night Smackdown." For now, I'm happy to have the fox and a clear signal from PBS.

Shanghai Surpise: Snow!

Our friends in Shanghai are reporting on their experiences with the recent heavy snows in China. From Chun (in blue):

Just came back from a one-week trip to Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province,which is one of the most renowned national parks and world relics in China. Danyan, Songmei, and Zhaobei went there too. We had even more snow there than in Shanghai. The blizzard, which was reported to be the heaviest in 50 years, blocked the highway and most flights were cancelled. We're lucky enough to catch a midnight flight to flee back home during the interval of two snowfalls. My heart is still fluttering with fear when I see how terrible the situation now in Hunan is from TV newsreports. The local government had to turn to the Army for help with the relief work and Mr.Premier flew there to investigate the situation.

The heavy snow, the falling stock price... we really need something nice to boost our spirits for the coming new year :) . Kids are quite happy with the snow. They rarely see so much snow in Shanghai. We made a snowman yesterday.

And from Bei (in white):

Yes, we did have a lot of snow this year in Shanghai as well as in the other parts of China.It causes many trouble since the traditional Chinese New Year is around the corner. Many people can't go back to their hometown to have family reunions.

I always like snowing because actually I was brought up in the northern part of China with my grandparents.

And from Cuiping: There is a lot of snow in Shanghai and the other peripheral cities this winter, which is rare in meteorological history in China. Maybe you know that the Chinese traditional Spring Festival (Feb. 7.) is approaching now, so millions of poeple working outside their hometown are eager to go back for their family reunion. They are now hindered by the heavy snow on the way home for several days. Despite a lot of snow these days, it melts quickly as soon as it falls down. So it is muddy on the roads and people here somewhat hate the snow.

So there you have it, a variety of responses, with commentary. It's clear that this area of China isn't accustomed to snow, with many people relying on bicycles to go to work. It comes at a bad time as well, with a big percentage of people on the road. I wish them well. My friends who plan to go to China this summer wish that some of the snow could be kept for summer, when its cold would be welcome.

Monkey, Monk, Samaritan

A clash of cultures appeared in my little world today, a contrast concerning the aftermath of a life on earth, whether the actions, good or evil, of a human being, have an effect on an afterlife. The contrast came as a result of my getting up early this morning and reading some of the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, or Monkey, followed by attending morning services. In the novel, on display is the Buddhist philosophy of reincarnation and a life of works that will lead to a better next life. Monkey and his troupe struggle with the concept of doing good for others, saving a king from a wrongful death, for example. They are selfish and mean, but with effort they can gather their will to do right for others. When they do right, it’s not clear why they do it. Monkey does some good works for fame, Pigsy does them for treasure. But why does the monk take on these challenges? That’s a tricky question, in part because he’s got Monkey and Pigsy (and Sandy) to do his good deeds for him. But well understood among them all is the importance of acting for others; it’s just not easy or desirable always to do.

With this concept in mind of the importance of a life of self-sacrificing acts leading to an improved state in the afterlife, with the possibility of reaching perfection, I then went to services which included a hymn that pointed to the falseness of such teaching. The hymn stated emphatically that works don’t count in salvation, that only faith matters. For my poor whiplashed mind, it was a clash, something I wonder about and something religions clash over. In your teaching, how do you make it clear that the Samaritan should stop? So it says in Luke 10: "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" The idea here is the struggle, “What must I do?”

Sometimes It's Cold

There's no denying the cold sometimes. It could be colder, yes, but it's damned cold now. The wind isn't blowing, so that's something.
I wish the wood stove were in.

Mary Oliver: Maybe what cold is, is the time
we measure the love we have always had, secretly,
for our own bones, the hard knife-edged love
for the warm river of the I, beyond all else . . .

From Mary Oliver's "Cold Poem."

Following the Monkey King

At the beginning of my World Literature class, second semester, we begin with the story of the Monkey King, or Monkey, or Journey to the West. It's a crazy mixture of Buddhist philosophy and action/adventure, a great story that just begs to be told and retold--and is. I've been gathering images for a photo slideshow to use in my class, and it's impressive what there is available, from images of a TV show (stills and video) to pictures of toys, exercise equipment, cartoons, movies, and comic books, among others. The reader follows the adventure of Monkey as he assists Tripitaka who travels west to India. The two are accompanied by Pigsy and Sandy, a pig and a dragon.

What's really amazing is that although millions of people recognize Monkey and his crown, people in the West are largely unaware of the story. Most do enjoy the encounter, however late it comes.

Walter's Whiplash Imitation

Walter's usually game for trying something with a little coaxing, so he got to be the first to try the little horse I salvaged from the burn pile and got ready for a little young'un that was having his first birthday party Sunday. Little W. seems uncomfortable, since the toy is built for a creature with thumbs.

Progress Report

It's been some busy days lately, some good times, some work, some travel. You can see here the results of the day's work on the fireplace project. The new header is in, the back wall is up, the interior wall for the alcove is in. With some prodding I took down the old back wall with the doors to the closet and built the new wall all the way to the ceiling. In the last photo all the closets were still intact, but they're gone entirely. We'll have some kind of cabinet behind the wall you see to the right.
In the process we've discovered that the big doorway, the header to which you can see outlined by the light paint in the photo here, was probably framed by a short wall/cabinet that came up about two feet or so, then probably a column coming up from that to the header. Too bad that's gone. You could see the short wall outlined on the floor and on the back of the wall to the right. I just finally quit on the project for the day. It's too late for more.
Things are going well. The header had me worried since I had to decide finally how high to go. It may still change, but I'll just space it out--easy enough.
The worst part of today was trimming back the plaster and lath on the left wall; it was a dust cloud to end all dust clouds, even with the wife holding the shop-vac tube right at the saw blade.
We also discovered the dining room floor we thought was in pretty good shape there has got a light coat of glue. I imagine it will sand down okay if it comes to that.
Enough. Thanks for checking in. I might need encouragement, so drop me a line!

Replacing the Fireplace

We've been busy at our house with yet another remodel project, replacing the fireplace with a good, solid wood stove that will provide some relief from the sudden rise in home heating costs. In the meantime it's a bit of a mess. But Anica, our new foreign-exchange student from Germany, has already proven herself to be helpful as we try to make this improvement. Keep a watch here for progress!

Abstract Dryer Painting, or Pen and Ink?

The wife tried her hand at some abstract painting and sent me some images of her work, which she has since destroyed. I'm not generally one to criticize, but using the dryer (which we use on a regular basis for laundry) seems a little impractical, and employing an entire load of blue jeans to apply the ink to the inside of the dryer also seems extravagant. If the effect here appeals to you, though, it's a relatively simple procedure to try for similar effects, though your results will vary. You'll need a dryer, several pairs of blue jeans (the wife used a mix of work and good jeans, but work jeans will probably work fine, and cleanup is easier), and a good, full rollerball pen. The wife used a brand new one the dentist gave me for Christmas. (It's best to ask, or use your own).
As a side benefit, when you do decide to edit or erase the painting you've created, the fingernail polish remover generates some powerful mind-altering effects when you apply it in the dryer drum and put your head in.
If you want more tips, contact her directly. I don't care to relate the questions; she seems a little touchy about the procedure.

My Kingdom for a Crown II

Each time I go to the dentist it seems as though they want to crown me, and not to bestow jewels on me (not like my cool faculty crown), but to lay on me a new tooth, a fake one in place of a real but faulty one. So they were busy with drills and buffers and goop getting me ready for another crown to replace one that popped off. Too bad the old one's not worth much; it sure cost me a pretty penny when they put it in there.
Of course, there's an upside. The wife and I just suck our TV channels freely out of the public air, but it's slim pickings, so the dentist chair is one of the few places I get to wield a remote that commands more than three channels. This morning I was there about long enough to watch Peter Lorre in Mad Love, where he plays wacko surgeon Dr. Gogol, who loves a woman (played by Frances Drake) married to a pianist, whose hands get crushed. When the wife asks Gogol to save her husband's hands, he grafts a murderer's hands on him secretly. The hands take on a life of their own, but the end of the movie only shows Gogol getting a knife in the back, not what happens to the pianist/murderer and his lovely wife.
Then I got to see just the beginning of Lorre in The Beast with Five Fingers, another pianist, another hand problem.
Leaving the dentist's office, my mind wanders into what implications there are to having a manufactured tooth, if the tooth might influence me like it did the pianist, rendering me more machine than I was before, perhaps leaving me less genuine, less earth-friendly. Who knows.

New Year Frost

The new year in Madison dawned cold and clear, -2 degrees by our thermometer, with the wind blowing to make it colder yet. The little pooch danced in the cold snow to do his morning business, and frost etched this white backdrop for the celebratory corkscrews in our kitchen window.

Preparing for Anica

The past few days we've been working on a room to be the home for a new member of the August House family, a German foreign-exchange student who's been living with another family in Madison for the past half-year. Today we had our interview with the supervising person and apparently we and our house were found suitable! We're looking forward to having her here, where she'll be a member of the family until June or thereabouts. We're a little nervous, but I think we'll be fine. You'll hear more here!

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas from Madison, SD

It's a good Christmas day in Madison, with our lights aglow, a fire in the fireplace, and snow falling gently outside. Here's hopes that you, dear reader, are enjoying your Christmas!

Be Thankful for Your Neighbors

I'm not sure the light display here would be legal in all communities, and I suspect the owners might have been shut down after we drove by and stopped to take this video of a house that seemed to be signaling to beings who might not have the same capacity for perception that most human beings do. Could you see this from a block away? Yes. From a few miles out of town? Probably. From a cross-country flight? Possibly. Maybe the homeowner felt the need to signal someone on her way from Atlanta to Seattle that we celebrate Christmas in South Dakota in a BIG way. Thanks for the video from the B's who have taken their sleek beemer out of town for its maiden voyage. Happy Holidays!

XMAS 07, A Cartoon by David Morris

Each year my old friend David Morris sends out, in lieu of Christmas cards from a box, a hand-drawn cartoon depicting something that's on his mind about the holidays. In the past it's been a little randy, but this edition is relatively tame. I took the cartoon and made this electronic version. Enjoy!

Get Into Yale Free Card

Several schools, including MIT, offer content online for free, and Yale is now offering seven courses for interested people, including one in Modern Poetry, another in Psychology, and five others. MIT has oodles of cool content online, free and open to the public. Here's Yale's mission statement for their courses, noting the importance of critical thinking and learning:

Open Yale Courses provides free and open access to seven introductory courses taught by distinguished teachers and scholars at Yale University. The aim of the project is to expand access to educational materials for all who wish to learn.

Open Yale Courses reflects the values of a liberal arts education. Yale's philosophy of teaching and learning begins with the aim of training a broadly based, highly disciplined intellect without specifying in advance how that intellect will be used.

This approach goes beyond the acquisition of facts and concepts to cultivate skills and habits of rigorous, independent thought: the ability to analyze, to ask the next question, and to begin the search for an answer.

We hope these courses will be a resource for critical thinking, creative imagination, and intellectual exploration.

Emphasis is mine; discussion of curriculum and the purposes that informs it was on the agenda for today.