I am still trying to finish an essay that I owe. Too many things have happened while writing this piece. First, my grandfather got sick and then passed away. Then I got sick not once but twice in a month, when I have only had three colds in 8 yrs while living in Evanston. Now my brand, spanking new laptop's LCD is on the fritz and has to be replaced. I was with tech support about 4 hrs yesterday troubleshooting. I have been keeping my editor up-to-date with my progress. I must admit that each new email to her makes me sound more and more like a graduate student who is running out of excuses. If my dog eats my hard drive, I'm going to get really ticked off.
Michelle and her team, a.k.a. the "four chickas," did great on their presentation yesterday. They shared their psyche research on gesture as part of a final project for their capstone class at "another" university. It was good to see her relaxing last night after a job well done. Time to catch up on some Gray's Anatomy!
I am still writing this weekend. Blah! Tonight, however, we are going to see the high school production of Les Miserables. This musical has a special place in our family's history, because Michelle and I saw Les Mis the night before our first child was born. I'm looking forward to it!
I'm not much of a coffee drinker. I actually made it all the way through my Masters and Ph.D. without relying on the black gold. One of my reasons: Caffeine actually makes me sleepy.
Today, for an energy boost, Adam and I decided on another kind of liquid goody--Jamba Juice. Can I just say, "I love Jamba Juice." True, each cup packs a good amount of calories; but something about juice makes me feel good. I feel good about letting my son have this rather than a bag of chips. I feel good about the weather that I usually associate with frozen juice smoothies. And I feel awake. The energy boost (mostly B vitamins) actually wakes me up. Sorry Mr. Java, I'm going to keep slurping my Strawberry Whirl. Yum Yum.
The writing is going pretty well today. I am pushing against a deadline. When am I not pushing against a deadline? Still deadlines these days are less stressful if not more numerous.
Today, my thoughts go out to friends of mine who are hitting up against crucial deadlines: Brooke, Joe, Leticia, and others too many to name. May your committees be surprisingly gracious, and may your inspiration flow like coffee in a scholar's veins.
There is so much going on right now, with too little time for me to comment adequately.
--Of course, prayers out to those in VA, who are healing from the trauma of the VA Tech. shootings.
--Imus continues to try and defend himself after his well-deserved firing from CBS radio. What an idiot. Even with all of the education that is available about racism, it baffles me that prominent individuals and the media continue to spin this incident according to predictable race scripts—“I’m not a racist. Look what I have done for X community.” Uh, last time I checked racism is not just about individual prejudices and poor choices, but about how one’s actions affect a whole system of social realities. Mr. Imus, do you think that the fact that a wealthy, powerful white man saying such profane things about black women might mean something in our present social matrix? Duh!
On the personal front:
--Michelle is working hard on her concluding project and thesis. It all comes to a head on April 20th.
--I have an April 20th deadline for an essay on the Simpsons and Sampson’s mother. No, that’s not a misprint.
--Because of all that is going on in our household prior to April 20th, dinners will be simple, easy, and probably come from a box or a packet.
--My sabbatical is going well. I love the more flexible schedule. I hate spending most of my waking hours by myself with my computer. Although, I really dig my new computer (see the next line).
--I received a grant/fellowship that allowed me to purchase a new laptop. Woo Hoo! It’s loaded with all the newest bible software and useful tools. Very cool. This PC replaces my former laptop that I purchased in 1995 (16 MB of RAM, 1 GB of hard drive, a 120 Mhz processor, and an external CD ROM drive). Talk about a dinosaur! I also got a new laser printer, a new wireless network, and extra money for my first book project.
--My dissertation is going to be published later this year. I am working on my revisions. I’m not sure I how I feel about the fact that my first published book will be on rape in the bible.
On the larger extended family front:
--My grandfather’s funeral celebrated his life in a way that honored who he really was. He wasn’t a warm fuzzy kind of guy. In fact, he would have hated the idea of having a memorial service in his honor. My mother sprinkled some of his ashes in the Snake River, where he would have wanted to be in his last days.
--My sister and brother-in-law are adopting a child from China. They left a few days ago. We are all very excited to greet Mia into the family clan.