In the Classroom
As a teacher I, like so many other math teachers, am asked why my students need to know something. At the beginning of October, my students were learning matrix algebra and asked just that sort of thing. I have tons of responses but this semester I'm trying this one: because it is good for you. I liken doing matrix algebra to going to the gym and lifting weights. When will they ever need to bench press something? To help make my point, I started class one day by showing the following comedic clip of Brian Regan.
In the Kitchen
This month we started making flaxseed muffins for quick breakfasts. We use variations of the Muffins recipe that Mike's mom shared with us. Instead of oranges we have used zucchini (to attempt to use up some of the 10 pounds of squash from Dan and Maureen) and bananas.
We are slowly but surely growing our social network in Missoula. And now that we have a year under our belt and the house is in good shape, we can entertain. We had Andrew and Sherry over for a Moroccan chicken dinner. We were thrilled to finally host them for dinner! (We were long overdue because they had us over last spring!)
Menu:
Moroccan Chicken by epicurious
Lemon Risotto by epicurious
Salad (Andrew and Sherry brought the salad and made MacKenzie River dressing)
Apple Pie
I entered a Kitchen Memories contest, sponsored by Kitchenaid. These are the stories I chose to submit (one for me and one for Mike).
This is a story about how two physics graduate students simultaneously strengthened their friendship and lost a girlfriend. Mike and Jim were exploring the culinary possibilities of pumpkins. While the boys cooked, disinterested Mary* waited to get some time with her boyfriend. At the end of a long day listening to the hemming and hawing of two aspiring gourmets, Mary went home to sleep. She exited through the door next to the stove where Mike stood stirring the pumpkin soup. The next morning, Mary returned for Sunday brunch with Jim. To her horror, there stood Mike stirring the pumpkin soup.
I decided to impress my in-laws by making homemade pizza for them. I wanted to share my new favorite topping – eggs over-easy – that I enjoyed during my summer in
In the House
In a memorial service for Astronomy Professor Dave Friend, who died in May, the physics and astronomy department sponsored a star-gazing event. We met at the center of campus and looked through high-powered telescopes into the heavens. For the first time in my life, I saw Jupiter's moons! It was so cool! What an amazing man...Dave was renowned for his excellence in teaching and his legacy continues.
Our house has a telephone nook and instead of a telephone, I put little doo-hickies in it to decorate. In October, my ceramic jack-o-lantern that my Mom made in 1982 populated the nook.
I finally had it with my hair. One morning, after getting tangled in my hair and clothes, I decided that it was time. I called my hair stylist (Janae at Twigs) and made an appointment. I wasn't sure I would have enough to donate but I couldn't live with the length any longer. Janae was a seasoned veteran at cutting hair for donation, which she pointed out to me after I showed her all the information I had downloaded from the internet. I had plenty of hair...10 inches go to Locks of Love.
Muzeview Gets Press
In addition to teaching, I work for a little Competitive Intelligence firm. Here is where we made press. Go us! (If you are interested in our services, feel free to contact me or to go to muzeview.com for more information.)
Voting in Montana
With all of the hype for the presidential election, you would think that I would get to the polls early. One thing was holding me back...the fact that this is more than a presidential election. This is the first time I get to vote in Montana and I needed to read up on all the stuff that is on our ballot.
I spent plenty of time at miscellaneous websites trying to get informed. I was lucky to find these two for Missoula and Montana government:
http://missoulaschoice2008.blogspot.com/
http://montanaschoice2008.blogspot.com/
Pretty cool, huh?
Halloween
For Halloween I was inspired by a children's book called "Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots?" and my princess-hood that I embraced due to my dear enabling friends, Jim and Wendy. I decided to wear my wedding dress and hiking boots and to be "Princess of the Bitterroot Valley". It was fun putting the dress back on (yes it still fits!) and getting compliments from the middle school aged girls who came knocking for tricks or treats. (I gave treats.) This year, my favorite group of trick or treaters came with a dog. I opened the door and was so enthralled by five little tots saying loudly "trick or treat?!" and "thank you!" that I didn't notice a dog (dressed as a ladybug) sneak in by me. While I was handing out candy and conversing briefly with the parents I kept hearing Mike say "nooo. don't go in there." I thought he was nuts until I turned around and saw the dog waiting patiently for me to get my big poofy skirt out from blocking the exit! The last thing I want to remember is that handing out candy is another way to meet the neighbors and more people introduced themselves and said how nice a job we have done in renovating our house. It sure is nice to be in a nice neighborhood!
Media
Books
Tender at the Bone
Comfort me with Apples
Talk
My new favs:
Michelle Martin on NPR
Rachel Maddow (still)
Internet
Kid Rock's Music Video for "Roll On" - Some shameless video of Detroit...including Teresa's Detroit Princess!
Science Education and the Election
Going Digital
http://www.hulu.com/watch/
I get lots of email about the election but this one from my friend Jan was particularly intriguing in a sociological sense:
Ponder the following:
What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, including
a three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?
What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was a divorcee?
What if Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after a severe
disfiguring car accident, when she no longer measured up to his standards?
What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while
he was still married?
What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to pain
killers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?
What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?
What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five?
(The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of corruption
in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings
and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s.)
What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?
What if Obama couldn't read from a teleprompter?
What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included discipline problems and a record of crashing seven planes?
What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many
occasions, a serious anger management problem?
What if Michelle Obama's family had made their money from beer distribution?
What if the Obamas had adopted a white child?
You could easily add to this list. If these questions reflected reality,
do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?
This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes
positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in
another when there is a color difference.
Educational Background:
Barack Obama:
International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna=2 0Cum Laude
Joseph Biden:
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)
vs.
John McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899
Sarah Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters
University of Idaho - 2 semesters
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism
Education isn't everything, but this is about the two highest offices in
the land as well as our standing in the world. You make the call.
