2-23-17

I just have been looking for photos of my homeland in Belarus.

Anyway, the week has been horrible. The day started out OK but by evening my head was wracked in pain.

2-20-17

I don't know why I screenshotted this today, but today started off OK but then turned ugly. I didn't have to go to Burns for my research, so I worked on getting ready for class. Face pain started setting in mid afernoon so that I was not able to teach. I put all the lessons online and went home. Hoped it would blow over.

2-19-17

Our cousin left this morning. I tried to work the rest of the day to catch up on things. But soon my life was to take a turn.

2-18-17

Today was busy. I went for breakfast at Mom's then took Cousin Boris around town.

We got to see the second new Toomer's Oak being planted. See it behind us?

2-17-17

I played with a thermochromatic pigment today. It's blue when cold and clear when warm. 

Full day of meetings.

Salad for dinner.

Headed to Mom's because our cousin Boris (his name is not really Boris) is coming into town tonight!

2-16-17

I saw this on my way home tonight after teaching.

I'm always shocked to see ignorance displayed here because my community seems so civil.

2-14-17

Dan took me out for Valentine's Day and I had this drink. It had lavender infused sugar around the rim. It was go good... but the headache I had going into dinner only got worse because of it.

But dinner was really special. We don't "dine fancy" that often, so it's really a treat when we do.

I ate the orchid. 

It was slimy and tasted like the tip of an asparagus stalk.

2-9-17

We went to Sundilla to see a concert given by a three piece bluegrass band--- and the musician on the left is my former student. I taught her from 5th - 8th grade and here she is, 31 years old all grown up. She became the musician we always knew she would. I can still remember how amazed I was listening to her play guitar when she was 12.

2-8-17

My grad student and her puppy...

We worked at Momma Mocha's this morning for two hours and the puppy was so sweet. 

2-4-17

Daffodil from the yard.

I tried making Zara a harness so I could take her for a walk. But she wouldn't let me put it on her.

2-2-17

This groundhog does not see her shadow.

Time for more winter.

But why are all the flowers in bloom???

2-1-17

This is where I was standing. Right after I took this picture, I saw an email from a teacher that started the downward spiral of things. A student of mine was in trouble and I had to consult with the higher-ups and then rush over to the school to deal with it. Not fun.

1-28-17

Dan and I decided to go for a walk in Opelika and then go out to eat. 

We saw signs of renewal and decay in this old mill town, county seat.

1-27-17

Holocaust Remembrance Day.

These are my grandfather's first cousins who were murdered by Nazis when they invaded Libau, Latvia in 1941.

You can see our tulip tree in bloom in the winter.

1-25-17

Zara was trying to get him. First time she's tried to attack a person on TV.

It's been a busy, full week of meetings and class and grant work and lots of stuff.

I'm best being busy.

1-24-17

I did this. I went to Montgomery and stood with about 25 people outside the courthouse to protest the appointment of DeVos as Secretary of Education. 

1-22-17

It's spring here.

The tulip tree is blooming.

1-21-17

Sitting in our hallway during a tornado warning.

I knit a pink kitty cat hat.

It's all I could do.

1-20-17

Today felt really gloomy. It felt doomy gloomy.

So I knitted a pink hat.

1-19-17

This is some pressure-sensitive film I got a sample of. It turns pink under pressure and you can see that when I twist the two pieces together, increased pressure is at the twist. Just trying to think about how to use this stuff.

Today I spoke with an important person at the National Academies of Science about the possibility of co-authoring a book. That was cool. 

1-18-17

Today at midnight Aza turns 29.

Here are photos from her 20-something decade....

She is a determined woman with a head on her shoulders and lots of adventures and surprises ahead of her in life!

Today I started work on a new grant. It's fun work!

1-16-17

Abandoned, forgotten, once loved basketball net thingy causes me to pause and photograph it on my walk this morning. Someone purchase it and either had it shipped to the house, or carted it home on the top of a station wagon, went to the hardware store to buy concrete, dug a  very deep hole, placed it with the help of some extra hands, and secured it while the concrete cured with eyes watching and anticipating. Then, the children played, bouncing their ball, shooting their ball, rescuing their ball from the woods or the street, pestering their father to play with them after supper. Then, the children grew up and moved away. The basketball net thingy stood silent and rusted.

The house went on the market and sold.

The house waits.

The basketball net thingy spoke to me this morning on my walk.

1-15-17

My students (or former students) are actively making babies. This is happening so often that I'm always creating baby blankets for them. Three are expecting right now. I started one this evening--- it will be pretty, and made from an alpaca blend.

Today we went to church, (we walked both ways!) and Dan watched the Packers game while I worked and cooked. We watched Sherlock this evening. 

1-14-17

Last night I went to bed with a migraine-- the sick feeling one that is pain plus the feeling that your brain has had vinegar poured into it. So, I called off my Saturday morning walk with LACA and decided to sleep in.

7:55 I hear a text alert and decided to see what the fuss is about.

"Hey, You on your way??? Just checking!"

I had a comprehensive exam to administer in 5 minutes and my head was still on the pillow.

Take pills

Brush hair

Brush teeth

Get dressed

Print exams

Boil water

Gather breakfast food

Make coffee

Leave house.

I got there at 8:20 and the students started their exams at 8:30.

Maybe I'll get some items crossed off my to-do list this morning.

By the end of the day (I was on a roll), I had finished writing an immense report summarizing three years of research on this one project--- and I submitted it!

A winning day that started with oversleeping.

1-13-17

Today was my first day walking to school. I had meetings from 9:30 - 2:30 so I left the house at 9. It was a warm, sunny day-- in the 70s. It felt good to be walking to school again. I listened to a podcast on computer science on the way and on the way back home, which was really interesting. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-being-with-krista-tippett/id150892556?mt=2&i=1000379900590

1-11-17

This trigger image reminds me that Dan and I went on a nice long walk across College Street, over behind the medical school, around the pond, and over to Donohue and back through the arboretum.

This funny image reminds me of when Zara actually really IN FACT got on my lap this evening. She was kneading on my sweater while I was trying to read a book. Awwww.... she must have wanted me to get up and get her a treat. Which I did. To encourage more lap snuggling.

Checked calendar--- this morning I had an ultrasound of my uterus to see what's going on there. Also, got dressed up and held a meeting for my new interns, which went very well. It was a full day and I felt really fine.

1-9-17

Monday morning- it feels like the start to a good semester. I met with two students at 10 for a "spring cleaning" of the lab space and the storage closet. We got it all done, and it feels great.

Of course, because I am writing this on Saturday, I can't remember anything else about my day. The picture is the trigger image.

1-8-17

Went to church and met a couple new folks. I just love that place. There was a potluck afterwards, so I quickly made a big spinach salad to bring before we went. It was a hit and got eaten all up.
Went grocery shopping and walked for about an hour to try and get enough steps to not be ashamed in my Weekend Warrior competition with my daughters, niece, and sister Sta.

What I struggle with is guilt when I'm not working. A goal for the new year is to work during the week and not feel guilty for not-working during the week-end. Good luck with that, Chrissy.

Cat trying to eat my shoe:

1-7-17

Saturday.
I went for a walk with my friend LACA and we found some ice- the only evidence left of our cold, rainy night. I was in a good mood. Felt really positive about life. The rest of the day, I got some work done on course syllabuses and Canvas sites. Made a nice big spinach salad for dinner.

1-6-17

Friday.
I went to a school this morning and had a good meeting-- positive and optimistic about the semester.
Then went to the university and did some busy work and talked with a friend.
And since I'm blogging this on Sunday, I have a very faint memory of what happened next.

Oh I know, I waited for the snow!!! And I waited and waited, and Weather.com said it was snowing for hours, but it was just raining raining raining and by the time the temperature dropped below 32, the precipitation had moved on. Pooh.

1-5-17

Today I got up, made my bullet coffee, worked a bit then WENT FOR A WALK/RUN. Came back, worked some more--- had lunch, worked some more, went to a school, etc. etc. Then went for a second walk after dinner so I wouldn't be too shamed this week in my FitBit challenge with my daughters and sister and niece.

Also-- great news-- the cat sat on my "lap" (if the construct is defined loosely.)
Here's proof!

This Prisma rendering brings out the mood so much better than the raw photo, which is very very tan.