2-27-18

My grad student and I were testing analogues of nanotubes for a strength test. We tried a variety of materials and the winner was what we expected-- a hollow fiber, human hair. My human hair! 

2-26-18

LONG day. I had student advising all morning, meetings with grad students in the afternoon, and then taught this evening, I made up a story about a Nerdy kid who wanted to be Mean in order to help my students memorize the standardization equation for their test.

2-24-18

Today students came over to work. First alw came over to work on Snails stuff, then my Saudi student came over with her baby to work on her dissertation. I had a babysitter come over to watch the other three children. I really do hope my student finishes and graduates.

2-23-18

I got something off my to-do list today-- I organized my jewelry drawer.

Today I found out my colleague got promoted to Full Professor. I wonder if I ever will.

Squirt called tonight with a bad back situation. He worked today and came home with a lot of pain and discomfort. I'm really worried about him,

2-22-18

I play this brain game (my neurologist told me to) and one game with trains is really hard. You have to plan ahead and think quickly. I've played it a zillion times. Today I got my best score. Wow.

Dan is in Oregon with Squirt. they are ok.

2-20-18

Today is my mom's actual 84th birthday but I was too worried about Squirt to really even care. He is having really scary back problems and Dan is flying out there tomorrow to be with him. He spent several hours in the ER today without even being seen by a doctor.

Meanwhile the tulip tree is in bloom. I'll have to see when it was in bloom last year. 

2-18-18

I wanted to paint my sisters' fingernails-- give them manicures. I bought a color I thought they'd like and did the whole manicure thing. They liked it. We had dinner at Mom's and it felt like our old family,. Funny that way. When Dan and I were 21 the five of us would eat together every night (or so) when he was living here that one quarter.

2-17-18

My sisters are here for our mother's 84th birthday. I started this blog when she was still 73. Wow. We did a little clay project today where we put imprints in a roll of clay that we cut into three pieces. I'll color it once it's bisqued and then glaze it.

2-16-18

I met my friend for coffee today to kvetch about my life and all the things that seem to be going wrong. I noticed how nice her nails looked and took this surreal picture.

My "doodle in clay" came out of the kiln. Pretty interesting.

2-13-18

Today is Squirt's 27th birthday. I started this blog in January 2007 when he was still 16 years old. Wow.

Today I worked on creating some nanomaterial analogues using my hair and other fibers.

My new pattern from the kiln.

2-11-18

Posting those photos yesterday of my birth father and me spurred my 1st cousin Barb, whom I've never met, to get in touch with me. She sent me a photo of her father's father, my actual grandfather.
A grandfather I'd never met. I think he was a drinking man-- an engineer-- and not extremely nice.

And the house the two brothers grew up in. I bet they had fun sledding down that front yard hill in the winter in Ontario.

I wonder who's sitting in the front yard. When I zoom in, it looks like a priest and three girls and someone else.

2-10-18

This is my birth father, PTJ.

I did a stupid Facebook test to see what I'd look like as a man, and I got this:

I guess I look like my birth father.

2-9-18

A remarkable day.
I was supposed to be gone today, so nothing was on the calendar.
I texted my doc student A to see if she was OK and she said she was in the hospital about to be induced at 40 weeks and 4 days.
I drove right there in time to see the pitocin drip in. I stayed all through the labor, the epidural, and relief of pain, and then it was time to push. I looked in her face as she pushed out a baby--- and held my breath and pushed with her. I heard the baby's first cry before it was even out. I saw it get placed on her belly and then I was asked if I wanted to cut the cord. I did. In two snips. Then I took a picture.

The babe was tucked inside my student's clothes and snuggled there for a while.

Then she was weighed, and then snuggled in for her first meal.

It was a remarkable day. I stayed until 7pm or so... to leave her on her own with a new baby girl.

2-8-18

Today was busy and I did a lot of running around which kept my mind busy. I had a minor surgical procedure this morning which went fine. It was pretty sore afterwards and I didn't want to do much, so decided not to travel to South Carolina to see my cousin graduate from basic training. By the mid-afternoon I was feeling OK enough to so hear a speaker on the history of women in geology. It was really interesting. Then I went to dinner with the speaker and some other folks, and then went to help out with the afterschool program. By the time I got home I was sacked and ready for some TV.

2-6-18

I went to the studio this morning and glazed some pieces in blues and greens.

Then went to school for a noon meeting that got cancelled.

Instead my Department Head came to talk to me.

He said in so many words (so that it was MY idea-- a great leadership trick) to remove the mural.

I did so with great big tears and lots of sobbing.

Came home and got on the couch with Teensie and didn't leave it for many many hours.

2-4-18

Today was interesting. We went to church, came home, worked, and then went to Mom's for dinner. We had just finished this first course when the doorbell rang and it was a homeless man looking for a place to lay his head. I talked to him on the front porch for quite a while and then Dan and I drove him to a place he could stay.

2-3-18

We had dinner tonight at our friend Terri's house. She is a local artist and her house was full of her artwork: sculptures, paintings, collages. She had artfully organized collections of shells and rocks and other found items. It was fun seeing her studio and meeting her cats. Speaking of cats, here's mine chilling on her back in my arms.

2-2-18

Friday. I had a department meeting today.

I also added two people to my mural.

I also went to see the bowls that I'd made for the Empty Bowls project. Dungaree Denim is the glaze name.

This evening Dan and I went to a concert and I knitted during it.

2-1-18

This morning I realized my calendar was blank. So, I sent a text to my friend J to see if she had time to meet with me to discuss our grant. Before I left the house, I got an email from a student asking me if I needed any help today.

So I met my friend for coffee and talked shop and talked about life. Then I met my student at my office and she helped me organize a pile of papers and organize my life a bit. I got to see a few more students, which was great. One wrote a song on the ukulele about the edTPA. Brilliant.

1-31-18

Today is today, the last day in January. Today was the blue/blood/lunar eclipse, but I didn't see it. This is a screenshot from a life feed from California.

I'm struggling.

Today I had a meeting with a student and my colleague participated. Her chair was all scooted back from the table as if to make a statement that she didn't want to come near my desk.

This morning I realized that I've not been taking my thyroid pills. Somehow I got it in my head that I take 3 pills in the morning when I'm supposed to take 4. I don't know how long it's been going on that I've not been taking my thyroid pills. When the pharmacy phoned that my refill was ready it confused me. I have two weeks' worth left in the bottle so I might have missed a half month of thyroid meds. That might explain a few things.

1-30-18

I finished this Merino wool blanket today. It's got a blues look to it, so maybe my first grandson will get it. It still needs blocking, but it took months to make.

1-29-18

This is what my hair looks like put up in a hyperbolic crocheted plane, with a crochet hook anchoring it.

1-28-18

Church today. I played piano and these three sang some songs also. I stayed afterwards to clean up, and Dan was a greeter.

1-26-18

I threw a bit today--- actually, I think I trimmed. I went out to a school to see some students. Tried to pull myself together.

1-25-18

I spent all day on the couch or bed mostly crying today. Could not go to work. I was so upset by the way my colleague treated me yesterday that it just seemed to ruin everything.

Meanwhile, Gwennie went to that arts thing and purchased this tile, then realized I'd painted it. Recognize it? It seemed like a good omen of something. I don't know. It's interesting how every little dust speck of cobalt turned up blue.

1-24-18

Today was horrible. My character was attacked by a colleague and it just hurt so badly. It occurred in the evening, so I was able to work today, and I even went to the store to get Teensie a harness so I can take her outside. I call it her coat. She likes wearing her coat.

1-21-18

Today I hosted a baby shower for my student from Saudi Arabia. She received tons of gifts and went home with a packed car. It was really really nice to be able to do that for her. Made me feel good inside.

1-19-18

My students cleaned up the science storage room for me. Bless them.

1-18-18

There is a new app that compares what you look like to major works of art.

Geez. This is what I have in store for me.

Well... it looks like I'm well on the way already.

Today is Aza's 30th birthday which makes me feel really old.

My baby girl is 30.

That's her on her baba below.... in Alexandria at 4 months old.

1-17-18

Picture perfect postcard from the snowy south. We got the day off, and I took Teensie outside to put her paws in the frosty goodness. I think we got 2 inches or so. I actually woke up at 4am to watch it come down it was so amazing.

1-15-18

I had coffee today with a former student who is now teaching geology at the university. It's nice when former students become colleagues and friends. Geez, my eyes look tired and puffy.

It's Monday a Holiday, MLK Day so I don't have to teach, but all the Mondays after today I will teach.