just a thought

Does it really not bother anyone else that one of the teams in the super bowl, the team that's about (probably) to go undefeated got caught cheating at the beginning of the season? I mean... really people. Dang.

someone is in trouble

There was a relatively minor snafu with the insurance on our house when we bought it. As with all things involving real estate these days it's complicated but what it comes down to is that because of someone else's mistake we might have to have another insurance inspection done, we already paid for one but apparently there is something not right about it. Archaeogrrrl is having NONE of this, she is tooling up. She has phone numbers for state senators, representatives, real estate regulators, insurance regulators and anyone else she thinks could help. Someone is is deep trouble and thankfully it is not me.
PLUS yesterday these inspectors show up with NO notice they call me at work to tell me that they're at my house for this inspection. AND they want to know why my wife won't let them in. As if I'm going to call my wife and tell her to let this strange man into our house with her alone.
But anyway like I said she's tooling up... this should be fun.

Weekly fossil (almost NSFW edition)

Ok so this is a very special fossil. I bought this amber pendant and matching earrings for archaeogrrrl at the 2000 national Geological Society of America meeting. It was the first jewelry I bought her. And if you're wondering about fossil content yes there are arthropod pieces in the amber (no you cannot get DNA from them) While at the meeting I went to the Zeiss booth and put it under one of their microscopes just to make sure (aren't I a romantic dog). As Archaeogrrrl says it worked because today is the 9th anniversary of our first date.
Y'all have a good weekend I know I'm going to.

Today I have learned....

NOT to leave old Starbucks cups on my desk... I may absently mindedly pick them up and drink from them.... BLECK.
(it wasn't THAT bad but it wasn't good)

Galileo??

Our story begins in 1633 when Galileo was convicted of heresy for suggesting that the Earth goes around the sun (cheeky bastard). He managed to avoid prison but was sentenced to house arrest. Fast forward to 1992 when Pope John Paul II conceded that the Earth goes around the sun (Good man there). BUT before that in 1990 when the current pope, Ratzinger, was a cardinal he said that he though the Galileo trial was "rational and just", and now... he's in trouble for it. There were plenty of people in 1633 who didn't think the trial was "rational and just" but how you can still think it in 1990 is... stunning.
Do NOT talk smack about Galileo I mean he's up there playing golf with God. He has a direct line...you don't.
Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.

Interactive class??

Ok so I'm teaching what's known as an "interactive class" this semester. (My first thought was aren't all my classes interactive.) This is a little different I have a camera and a video monitor on my end and there is a camera and video monitor in a class room across town. In a perfect world my image would be projected on one screen and my Power Points would be on the other. For various reasons this is not working and we've had to seriously tweak the system and it's mostly working now but it is very different.
1) I'm yelling: as I lecture I'm talking way louder than I usually do to try and make sure the remote class can hear me.
2) I can't walk that much: I'm usually someone who walks half a mile or so during he course of a lecture I can't do that here because it moves me away from the microphon eso my voice comes and goes.. not good. they're working on getting me a wireless microphone we'll see.
3) eye contact: there isn't any with the remote class but that didn't stop me from staring down the computer screen and trying to MAKE eye contact all the while ignoring the class in front of me. My bad working on that one.

all in all very strange and I'm not sure it's worth all the trouble

Gotta get my GROOVE back

I'm up at my sisters' house for the weekend to be followed by a one day trip back to the elephant graveyard with my mom. We had dinner at one of those Japanese resturants where they do the cooking at the table: flipping food into peoples mouths etc. The food was pretty good but the kids LOVED it. They were fascinated.
I'm feeling like I need to get settled into my work routine, there are some very different things going on this semester that are going to require my attention to make them work and so far my attention has been taken up with moving and family I need to get back into me, the grrrl and work.

Students

Profgrrrrl had some nice things to say about her students and I think that at the beginning of the semester that's only appropriate I'm SURE there will be plenty of time for complaining later but for now:
I too have some awesome students. One class in particular is not just laughing at all my stupid jokes they're making jokes of their own. They seem engaged and interested and all that good stuff that faculty dream of. Interestingly though, the class right before them.. dead... can NOT get a rise out of them. Funny the way class dynamics work. All the difference in the world.

House !!!!

Ok I was hoping for a bigger roll out on this but with the help of our families Archaeo grrrl and I just bought our first HOUSE!!!!!!
It is SOOOO cool it has a fireplace and a pool and nice big rooms including a nice big kitchen that opens to the family room and.. and... and.. it's SOOO AWESOME. We are very VERY happy especially since we are almost done moving!!
Pictures soon

Lots going on

so much going on in fact that I'm having trouble finding the time to Blog. Normal blogging will resume shortly stay tuned.