Dasein ist köstlich...

Vivat Wikipedia!

2012-01-22T07:27:00.001-06:00

Crow gathering at Laxenburg, Austria, December 2006

I have a love/hate relationship with Wikipedia. On the one hand, it makes my job as a collegeeducator very difficult, because the current generation thinks that Wikipediais a one-stop shop for all your research needs. I found out the limitations of Wikipedia as a research tool in 2006,when I was writing a paper for a 4000-level German class. Frederick the Great was one of the maincharacters in the book I had chosen to write about (Das Odfeld - Odin’s Field -by Wilhelm Raabe. Fabulous read - justdownloaded it for free in German on Kindle! here’s a slideshow of the plot byGerman high school students). The English Wikipedia article at that timefocused solely on his sexuality (this has now been reduced to a section). Despitemy warnings, my students tend to rely too much on Wikipedia and internetsources in general.

Another kind of piracy -
Byron's autograph on the temple of Poseidon at Sounion
From superfluidity.com

But Wikipedia and other shared websites have legitimate uses! For example, if you happen to have been bornon January 22, you share a birthday with Lord Byron, Rasputin, and GottholdEphraim Lessing (while we’re on the topic of German literature, make sure youread the “Three Ring Parable,” one of my all-time favorite stories). Telly Savalas and Heath Ledger both died on January 22, Roe vs. Wade wasdecided, and David Bowie came out as bisexual.

Websites like YouTube and Vimeo can show you wonders such as the dangers of deep fat frying turkeys (a specialty in Louisiana), "Sir" Oliver Mally (the greatest!! Austrian blues musician), or a murmuration of starlings, which still gives me chills - the kind I imagine Magister Buchius experienced when he saw the battle of ravens over Odin's Field.

"Sir" Oliver Mally - Buy his albums!

The internet is an information junkie’s Nirvana. And if you’re reading this post, you’velearned something today because the law allowed me to share it. Vivat Wikipedia, Stop SOPA/PIPA and God bless America!

Krampus Redux

2011-12-06T17:01:00.001-06:00

It's that time of the year again!

Until this week, the most popular posts on my blog(s) were found by googling the terms "Louisiana gecko" "forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit" and "In Cold Blood vocabulary." But as of today, the search term "Krampus" has found my blog 111 times in the past week and I'm at a loss to understand why! My blog pops up immediately on an image search for the other terms. But how do people find my blog when it doesn't appear in the first ten pages of an "Everything" search and this picture only shows up on page 6 of an "Image" search?

Here's a lovely video (not mine) of the sights and sounds of Krampus:

On this, St. Nicholas Day, I confess that I miss Krampus night. I miss the brioche Krampusse with their red ribbon tongues and the gingerbread Krampusse from Cafe Mitter.

Brioche Krampusse - Thanks, Ingrid!

Gingerbread Krampus - Thanks, Caitlin!

And I miss the real Krampusse with their bells and masks and switches!

Dueling Krampusse

I especially miss the Goaß!

My happy place

2011-11-20T10:39:00.001-06:00

I know I've mentioned Strands Cafe before but this semester it has taken on new meaning. Last fall my H & R Block Tax Course met on Saturday mornings so I never got to enjoy Strands. Last spring I was so busy working two jobs that I didn't have time or energy to spend at Strands on Saturday mornings. This summer I was too broke to afford the luxury that is Strands, and earlier this fall I was trying to stay away from fat on the advice of my doctor. But with 74 student research papers staring me in the face before the end of the semester and a cholecystectomy scheduled for December, I have decided I need a happy place. That happy place is Strands.

Strands has a European ambience - the first thing that caught my eye were the large framed photographs of castles from Germany and Austria hanging on the rough brick walls. The owner is a former pilot and his favorite destinations were in central Europe. The high tin ceiling, wood floors, and cafe furniture give one the feeling that "I'm not in Baton Rouge anymore." The menu consists of coffees, teas, baked goods, hand crafted chocolates and recently they've added lunch selections.

Coffee service, croissant with butter and raspberry jam

They regularly have scones (sweet and savory) and the best cinnamon rolls I've every had (big enough to share in popover form), along with plain, chocolate, and almond croissants. They also have sipping chocolate, a double-shot of rich chocolate spiced with cinnamon and hot chili (cue Chocolat):

They also have Wi-Fi which means I can sit at the corner table next to the big grandfather clock and work. Or, if I'm feeling indulgent I can sit and draw. And it's a real meeting place where I have sat for hours on end with former students or friends or colleagues just catching up and escaping from the rigors of academic life. So far I've submitted my article for the colloquium in Croatia, and I've almost successfully negotiated an entire semester as professional-in-residence in Greek and Roman art history. I've built up some valuable knowledge about the Near East and Egypt, and about the advantages and disadvantages of assigning undergraduate research papers. All of this will be helpful next semester when I teach an introductory survey course (275 students!), Later Greek Art and a graduate research seminar on Rome through the Ages. And on my four-day weekends, you'll probably find me de-stressing at Strands!

Urban Oasis

2011-10-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

Fall Break 2011

2011-10-16T14:42:00.000-05:00

It's been quite a week - there's nothing quite like Fall Break to help put things in perspective. On the one hand, we're half way through the semester, which helps me figure out where I need to be in all of my classes (it also reminds me how close we are to the beginning of the spring semester - yikes!). I also cleaned the house, did laundry, prepared food for the coming week, met with a good friend who was visiting from Missouri, and caught up a little on sleep.

But four days off also gave me enough free time to complete page 5000(!) of the journal I started when I was sixteen. And as I do with many journal entries, I reassessed where I am and where I want to be in the future. It's just like having a long, introspective conversation with myself.

Just a few of the volumes I've written in since I was 16!

Many of you know that I am was hopelessly addicted to the Internet. A week ago I deactivated my Facebook account, and part of my reassessment included how important news and entertainment headlines, LOLcats, the Deathlist, etc. are for me. Answer: they're not. Like television, the Internet is a vast wasteland that can suck you in and reluctantly spits you out again. I got rid of my television years ago. And while I can't get rid of the Internet, which truly is a helpful tool for research and communication with students, I can limit myself to what's really important.

I also managed to set priorities and identify my big rocks: My long term goal is to get a semi-permanent teaching job, preferably in Austria (hoping I haven't jinxed myself by putting that in writing!). My immediate goal is to finish an article for the Proceedings of the Colloquium on Roman Provincial Art I attended last May. I also have to see my students through their next set of exams, and get them started on their term papers. And I've got some medical testing ahead of me, just to keep things interesting!

All in all, I am in a much better position, physically and emotionally, than I was a year ago at this time. The Foreign Language Fourteen still meet once a month, but most of us have landed on our feet and are looking forward to what the future brings.

Greek Theatre

2011-10-11T12:08:00.000-05:00

I have a Photostream!

2011-10-03T22:16:00.002-05:00

Last week I became an official member of Urban Sketchers! To celebrate I set up a Photostream on Flickr, so that all my sketches are in one place. To view them, click here!

Simmering Goddess 2010

On a roll!

2011-09-20T22:38:00.007-05:00

Gordon & Sandifer Auto Service

Urban Sketching

2011-09-19T20:02:00.000-05:00

Exciting things are happening just when they need to be! First, there's a new monthly breakfast lecture series called Creative Louisiana. It's based on something called Creative Mornings, which is gaining an international following. The first Creative Louisiana I attended was about the new Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame by Trahan Architects. The second lecture was by renowned Louisiana wildlife photographer C.C. Lockwood. The whole point of this series is to bring together creative types. One thing led to another, and I now find myself on the cutting edge of a new group: B.R. Urban Sketchers A LA Carte. We are inspired by Urban Sketchers, another international initiative "to see the world one drawing at a time." Our first outing was last Friday, and we're so excited that we're planning weekly sketches, when we first thought we'd only meet monthly. Here's my first sketch at City Park in Baton Rouge:

What I like most about our new group is the opportunity to draw meditatively with easy-going people who all have artistic strengths and encouragement to share!

After the storm

2011-09-06T07:38:00.000-05:00

After depositing eight inches of rain in the Capital City, Tropical Storm Lee is now trundling off to the northeast and we are waking up to 58° this morning! For a city that has a single weather forecast from June to October (low 74°, high 93°, with an afternoon thunderstorm between 3:00 and 4:00 pm), this is almost as joyful as waking up to new fallen snow! To sleep with the windows open, to enjoy coffee on the porch, to walk around the lakes without the threat of heat exhaustion - well, I can think of plenty of outdoor activities over the next few days before the 90° weather sets back in.

Caution: Artist at work!

2011-08-24T19:03:00.000-05:00

Sketching at Artist's Point, Grand Marais, MN

What I sketched

A new beginning

2011-08-23T10:25:00.006-05:00

After months of uncertainty, the winds finally turned in my favor! For the academic year 2011-2012 I’ll be a professional-in-residence in Greek and Roman art history. The position gives me stability for a year, and allows me to work on research and publications. The only drawback is that I’ll still be in hot and humid Louisiana. I try to focus on the good points, such as the terrific rhythm and blues radio station broadcast from Baton Rouge High School. I’d also rave about the food, but the seafood is still a little suspect after the BP oil disaster last year.

Teaching just MWF leaves my TTh open for research and errands that I never seem to have time for. I’ve been back two years and am just getting around to getting my brake tag. But first I had to take my car in to get the taillight replaced and some windshield chips repaired. Ragusa’s is an awesome place to go for car maintenance - unfortunately everyone in town knows that, so when I stopped by at 7:45 this morning, they already were scheduling for the afternoon. Always flexible and ready for anything, I came prepared to work on class material and do a little shopping. I’ve been craving homemade Austrian soup and needed to pick up some soup bones at Calandro’s. Calandro’s is an institution, celebrating it’s 70^th year. They carry a few Austrian wines, Austrian pumpkin seed oil and a domestic Slivowitz that isn’t half bad.

Is it soup yet?

Calandro’s is less than a mile from Ragusa’s, so I dropped my car off and set out with my cooler ... on foot. The folks at Ragusa’s thought I was crazy. So did the cop at Calandro’s. Seriously it’s the same distance from the center of Wörschach to the train station! I’ve driven that stretch of Government a thousand times, and I saw things on foot that I’ve never seen before: a charming old boarded up grocery, a law office with Christmas decorations still hung, antique shops and second hand stores I never knew existed. And yet along this extremely busy four-lane road at rush hour I could still appreciate the cool breeze and the trill of crickets in the grass.

Thanks to Tiger Trails which conveniently stops right in front of Ragusa’s, I made it back home with my purchases, put on some soup, and will work on class prep until they call to come pick up my car. With apologies to Mr. Rogers, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!

Update: 9/23/2011

Mr. Roger's Introductions 1967-2000

The Deliberate Life

2011-07-14T09:59:00.004-05:00

My goal for this summer has been order and routine. I figure if I can get into a physical routine, orderly thought processes, instead of simply reacting instinctively to external stimuli as I have for the past few months, are sure to follow.

This is one reason I planned a month in Europe. There is a deliberate orderliness to life there that can’t be matched in the States. Maybe it’s the fact that there is planning involved: days are organized around public transportation schedules and the times shops are open. Some might think that this makes life more complicated. I think it simplifies everything. There’s no waiting until the last minute then rush, rush, rush to get everything done.

For four weeks I lived a very orderly life: I woke up, made my bed, put on my slippers, ate breakfast, bought organic food, tidied the kitchen after every meal, recycled, composted, rinsed out a few items of clothing every day and hung them on the rack provided, not on random pieces of furniture and put all of the things I used during the day (books, papers, computer, clothes) into cupboards before I went to bed.

And then... I came back to Louisiana where jet lag and the uncertainties of life sent me back into survival mode. After a week and a half of that nonsense--and possibly because my living space was approaching plague rat status--I decided to bring order into my American life and cleaned my apartment. As in, I sorted through all the papers, shredded, filed, folded, vacuumed, swept, and scrubbed. No longer can I use the excuse “I can’t work in a mess” to avoid all of the things I’ve got to do. I also have an idea of what I’ve got and where everything is, in case I have to “bug out.”

The result is better than any MAOI. I am calmer and happier than I’ve been since August 27, 2010. I’ve begun to do research again and I even have time for creative endeavors. I am prepared for whatever life throws at me -- and I should hear any day now!

Green Bananas

2011-07-08T19:21:00.000-05:00

My father, who was born in the first third of the 20^th century, often jokes that he’s so old, he doesn’t even buy green bananas any more. I had a similar experience today. As I handed my Winn-Dixie card to the cashier, she shook her head and said, “Go back and get you your free one” Excuse me? She pointed at the sticker on a package of pork chops, “It’s buy one, get one free.” I said, “I only need one.” She stared at me in disbelief - was I really going to turn down free meat in these hard economic times? “But if I’m only here for a month, I can’t eat more than five pork chops in that time.”

“If I’m only here for one month...” rang in my ears as I walked to my car in the oppressive 96 degree heat. But it’s true, I don’t know where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing come the beginning of the fall semester. I was so busy surviving the past year (from being fired without cause to working two full time jobs, one of which involved learning a new trade) I haven’t had much time to think about what’s next. While in Austria I interviewed for two jobs which depend on the nostrification of my American academic credentials, and since I’ve been back I’ve interviewed for a job in the States which depends on approval of the budget. One would keep me in Louisiana, the other would involve selling everything I own and moving overseas.

But right now I’m daintily treading the tightrope of uncertainty between my past and the future. There’s a green banana peel up ahead. No matter what happens, it’s sure to be an adventure, right?!

My summer in pictures

2011-07-06T08:27:00.001-05:00

At the Roman amphitheater in Pula, Croatia

On the beach at Brijuni, Croatia

Spolia beneath the church in Zadar, Croatia

'Coffee to-go' in Narona, Croatia

At the Volksoper in Vienna with Camerata Alpinica

Sigi debuts his new dulcimer

Friends Anita and Raimund celebrate their birthday

Wörschach at sunset

Peacock, Eggenberg Palace, Graz

Wolkenstein ruins overlooking the Enns Valley

Carnuntum - Right place, right time

2011-07-04T19:01:00.004-05:00

St. John the Baptist and Evangelist, Hohenberg, Austria

A houseplant

2011-06-23T15:52:00.002-05:00

3 unrelated items

A bowl of fruit

A jar full of something (in this case, a jar full of cherries
fermenting to become Kirschwasser!)

The contents of a trashcan

30 Days of Drawing

2011-06-13T06:47:00.002-05:00

A former student posted "30 Days of Drawing" to Facebook, with assignments for every day. I'm grateful to her for giving me the motivation to pursue drawing while on vacation!

My own foot

The interior of something (Orchid)

Something not pretty

Interior of my closet

A new feature - Restaurant Review!

2011-05-30T15:32:00.001-05:00

I was recently in Pula, Croatia for a conference on Roman provincial art. The site was chosen for its extensive Roman history, founded in the Republican period and for the numerous archaeological sites that are preserved, including the amphitheater that dominates the skyline. After I finished tweaking my paper, I set out into the city for a celebratory meal. I discovered the Forum Cafe, located in the heart of Pula on the original Roman forum. The menu was posted in several different languages (Croatian, German, English, French, Italian, and Russian) accompanied by pictures. The waitress greeted me, assessing what kind of food I was interested and what language I spoke. She wasn’t pushy like most restaurant shills, so I allowed myself to be escorted to a peony-bedecked table and immersed myself in the extensive menu.

There are several specialties in Istria: seafood including fresh fish, squid, and octopus because of the proximity of the Adriatic; fried cutlets inspired by their Austro-Hungarian history, and truffles. I was torn between the fresh asparagus omelet and the fried squid (I love the tentacles!) but the waitress persuaded me to try fuži with truffle cream sauce. In addition I ordered a mixed salad and a Croatian white wine then sat back to enjoy the bustle of the forum.

Temple of Augustus, Pula

The function of the Forum hasn’t changed much in 2000 years. It is still a center of commerce and law. Every provincial center had a forum, harking back to the original forum in Rome. In addition to the reconstructed first century temple to Augustus, there was originally a temple to the Capitoline Triad (Jupiter, Juno and Minerva). City hall has replaced this monument, but the outline of the (presumed) Diana temple can be seen at the back of this building. The Pula tourist bureau is also here, as are several other restaurants and souvenir shops around the wide central square.

Fuži

Fuži are thin squares of pasta which have been folded over into tubes. The sauce was pure cream and butter, with a dollop of truffle tapenade on top. The salad was a mixture of tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage and cucumber, and could be adapted to taste with oil and vinegar (you have to ask if you want olive oil). The house white wine was the perfect complement. My only complaint was that the pasta was undersalted, but that may be because my tastebuds are not sophisticated enough for truffle. The price for my meal was reasonable by American standards: about $12 for the pasta, $4 for the salad, $3 for a glass of wine and $3 for a bottle of mineral water.

The dinner was exactly what I needed to relax, and my paper the next day went well. Thanks to the friendly staff at the Forum Cafe for taking good care of me!

Greetings from Croatia!

2011-05-27T14:23:00.048-05:00

This year has been good for conferences – first CAMWS in Grand Rapids and now the XIIth International Colloquium on Roman Provincial Art in Pula, Croatia. In retrospect, it’s amazing that I presented a paper in Pula. I didn’t know about the colloquium until the day before the deadline and begged for another 24 hours to submit an abstract. By the time I found out it had been accepted (through the program posted on the internet) I had missed the registration deadline. I never received any information about the conference except for hotel information. Somehow I made my way from Baton Rouge to Atlanta to New York to Venice, and then to Trieste by train and by bus to Pula, arriving 28 hours after I’d started my journey. When I showed up with my 26 minute paper, I found out it as supposed to be 20 minutes – but this was an hour before I presented and it was too late to change anything. It wasn’t until the last day of the conference that I discovered that the email address they had for me was wrong! But my paper was well-received, and should be published in the Proceedings – a real publication for me!

Headquarters, Italian Community in Pula

In most other respects, the conference was extraordinarily well-organized. It was held at the Headquarters of the Italian Community in Pula in a state of the art meeting room with simultaneous translation of papers into Croatian, German, English, French and Italian through headsets. Coffee breaks were held on the expansive terrace and lunch was held in the lapidarium of the Archaeological Museum of Istria, where we stood on Roman mosaics and used tombstones as tables!

New friends at the Archaeological Museum of Istria

Several excursions were arranged, including cocktails at the archaeological site of Nesactium, lit by titi torches, with entertainment provided by a Roman music enthusiast:

We traveled to Brijuni National Park by boat, and visited local museums at Buzet and Labin. After the conference, there was an optional excursion to Nin, Zadar , and Split to see Diocletian’s Palace. An anonymous benefactor made this excursion possible (Thanks, Dad!).

Pula amphitheater at sunset

ABCDE

2011-05-15T19:52:00.000-05:00

Bonnie Branson Illustration

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. How do I know and why should you care? Because I am a survivor of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP), the “most benign of all the skin cancers,” according to my dermatologist as he gave me the news.

ABCDE refers to the warning signs of skin cancer, particularly melanoma:

Elevation - The mole should not be raised or have an uneven surface.

Unfortunately I had none of these warning signs. I had a thickening of a patch of skin on my left hip. It felt like scar tissue although I’d never had an injury there. My dermatologist thought it was nothing to be concerned about. “Watch it. If it grows, we’ll biopsy it.”

A year later, this mysterious patch had doubled in size, so it was now about an inch in diameter, but still skin colored. The biopsy came back positive for DFSP, a relatively rare form of skin cancer which my nearly-retired dermatologist had only seen a 12 times in his career. The only cure involves cutting out the cancer, but taking a wide enough margin that all the “runners” are also excised. I ended up with a surgical wound 13 x 15 x 7 cm (5 x 7 x 3 in). That’s length, width, and depth – I often joke that the doctor exacted his pound of flesh.

Remarkably, this was done as outpatient surgery and I was bedridden for three weeks (with surgery after 12 days to close the incision properly). I’ll spare you the gory details of vacuum pacs and skin grafts and dressing changes. The original surgery was January 4, 2002, and I wasn’t out of bandages until mid March of that year. My lasting legacy is medically termed a “contour deformity” but I lovingly refer to it as my “alligator bite.” It makes for a much more interesting story.

And the moral of this story is, if you ever have anything on your skin that you know doesn’t belong there, get it checked out as soon as possible. Prevention and early detection are the key to avoiding a potentially disfiguring and even deadly disease. I was lucky - and don't think I don't count my blessings every day!

In training!

2011-05-06T09:35:00.002-05:00

Remember the 600-yard dash, AKA the 600-yard run-walk? It was part of the Presidential Fitness Test (now the President's Challenge) that my generation had to participate in every school year, along with assorted other tasks like sit-ups and pull-ups.

Well, today my 11 year old self would be so proud! I just jogged around the lake, 1.6 miles total, pausing momentarily to pick a sprig of elderflowers. That's 2816 yards. Take that, Mr. Chambers!

Dirndl by Schneiderei Kathrin, Irdning

Why a sprig of elderflowers? On 600 yard run day, my mom would always spritz my wrist with perfume. She said, "When you think you can't go any farther, just sniff your wrist for inspiration." My mother had top-quality perfumes (Joy, Lalique) and sharing them was a gift from her heart. The sweet-smelling elderflower I picked today was my inspiration, reminding me of Europe where elderflower grows rampant and is used to make syrup for refreshing drinks.

And that's why I'm in training: It's been a long, sedentary winter, and soon I'll be back in Austria. I have to be in shape to climb every mountain (cue Julie Andrews) and fit into my custom-made dirndl!

From the tax desk

2011-04-17T19:08:00.003-05:00

Seven months ago, I knew absolutely nothing about income tax. The annual trip to the tax office was like a game of roulette: would I owe? would I get a refund? how much was this tax preparation going to cost me?

But in order to be gainfully employed after January 21, I took the H&R Block income tax course, a grueling 9-week program, 9 hours a week for a total of 84 hours, followed by 33 hours of skills training and tax updates. Three months and 115 (!) tax returns later, I’ve learned a lot about taxes, our government, and human nature.

I frequently have to explain to clients why they are not getting a huge refund, or worse, why they have a balance due. Most of it depends on how you fill out your W-4 forms when you start a new job. Unless you are married with children, you should always claim “Single”and “0” (on your state forms too!). We all like a little extra money in our pocket come payday, but here’s the thing: the government wants its cut when you get paid and how you fill out those confusing W-4s pretty much determines whether you’re going to owe or get a refund at the end of the tax year. Taking out too much (withholding at a higher, single rate) practically ensures a refund. Withholding more than you owe also may cover other tax liability from other income (investments, self-employment, early retirement distributions). If you’re working two jobs, you should have extra money withheld from each paycheck. By withholding too little, you’re going to owe. If you end up owing more than $1000 in tax at the end of the year, you’ll probably end up with a penalty.

Yep, your government is sneaky that way. And get this: The deadline to file is April 18, because April 15 was Emancipation Day in Washington DC this year. But if you file after April 18 and you owe, your government can charge you interest back to April 15. As I said, sneaky!

Now about human nature… I didn’t find it surprising that people don’t understand their taxes or retirement any better than I did seven months ago. What did surprise me is the number of people who know exactly how to defraud the government. Not that it is in their best interest, financially or legally, but someone has told them “this is how you get over” and, by gosh, they are going to try it. Probably the most heartbreaking case this tax season was a 21 year old kid who worked in fast food all year. He came in trying to claim his little sister as a dependent. As soon as I started asking questions, mom came around the corner and took over the tax interview. Turns out they were trying to claim two head of household exemptions for one family, when the parents were married (!!) and paid all expenses for four children. When the kid realized that his parents had made him file a fraudulent tax return last year, that he could be audited by the IRS and forced to pay back his ill-gotten gain, he started crying. We filed his taxes legally and encouraged mom and dad to come back in and let us do their taxes the way they should be done (honestly, they probably would have come out ahead!). But they had been told that this was the way to “stick it to the man” and we never saw them again.

Personally, I wouldn’t want to mess with the IRS. After all, Al Capone was never convicted of murder – the feds got him on tax evasion!

Day 34 of my Facebook fast

2011-04-11T06:53:00.001-05:00

It's true! I gave up Facebook for Lent! It's been a lot easier than expected. And a lot more difficult because it's easy to find other procrastination sites on the web. Including webcomic xkcd

The author of the xkcd is insightful and brilliant. He's also human and gets sucked in to online distractions like the rest of us. Here's his solution to regaining lost productivity (Bonus: your house might even get tidied!) Make sure you read the comments, offering different ways of achieving the same goal.

52 hours in Grand Rapids

2011-04-09T19:54:00.001-05:00

There's something very comforting about the annual meeting of the Classical Association of the Middle West and South (CAMWS). After last semester where the message I kept receiving was "the study of Latin and Greek is useless, you've wasted your entire academic career," it was nice to learn that classics is not endangered everywhere.

I gave a paper on poetic language in Tacitus' Germania that was quite well received. I was invited as a special guest at the vice presidents' dinner to plan strategies against administrations that ruthlessly attack classics. And I made a lot of new contacts and reconnected with colleagues from every stage in my career: people from Iowa, the Vergilian Society, Missouri, and those lucky folks who managed to escape Louisiana years ago who went on to forge successful careers in classics.

As for Grand Rapids, the conference was held at the elegant Amway Grand Plaza. I had a corner room on the 19th floor overlooking the river. I had dinner at San Chez Bistro, a tapas bar where I ordered albondigas (meatballs of Moroccan lamb, beef and chorizo over roasted vegetables, served in a black skillet) and queso recubierto which functioned quite nicely as dessert: breaded baked goat cheese with crispy fried beets and orange blossom honey. I had lunch one day at Angel's Thai Cafe where I had chicken pad cashew reminiscent of Springfield cashew chicken with the addition of bamboo shoots and water chestnuts (my favorite!). Too bad the hotel food was so abysmal - I, for one, do not consider a chunk of tofu marinated in balsamic vinegar and served warm over an uninspired mixture of vegetables gourmet fare.

The best thing about these conferences is that they always renew my interest in classics. After years at an institution that neither valued nor fostered academic excellence, CAMWS in Grand Rapids (co-sponsored by Calvin College and Grand Valley State University) was truly inspirational!

Decorah Eagle Nestcam

2011-04-02T16:40:00.003-05:00

One eaglet has already hatched (first seen at 8:48 am Saturday 2.4.2011). There are two eggs left. Watch as nature unfolds before your very eyes!

Free Videos by Ustream.TV

Update: Eaglet #2 hatched Sunday - the two are now engaging in sibling rivalry, fighting over who gets the next morsel of rabbit/crow/fish/unidentified mammal. There were some tense moments Sunday afternoon when one eaglet ventured too close to the edge of the nest. The last egg should hatch in the next day or so. Stay tuned!!!

Update II: Full house! er... nest! Eaglet #3 hatched on April 6. Now we get to watch them grow and fledge. Fun for the whole family!

Coming up for air

2011-03-13T12:55:00.005-05:00

With the time change come other changes. My last semester at LSU was rough – fortunately my friends and family in Iowa and Austria gave me a soft place to land. I thought my month off in snowy climes was just what I needed to wipe the slate clean. Little did I know how demanding two full-time jobs would be. I arrived back in the States on January 10 and started at H&R Block on January 11. I did not have a day off for two weeks, during which I also started teaching at BRCC (two classes turned into three). I’ve been on the go, go, go ever since!

My to-do list has increased exponentially. I have three midterms to write and administer this week. There are two conferences I must prepare papers for (beginning of April and end of May). And I should find a job to pay the rent after the end of tax season/the semester. In order to accomplish everything, I have given up Facebook for Lent and am resolved to start living like a responsible adult.

The alligators are circling… leave words of encouragement in the comments!

Jingle Jingle Jingle!

2011-01-14T08:17:00.006-06:00

The annual Glöcklerlauf ("Bell Run") takes place in Stainach, Austria on January 5. It is a romantic, age-old tradition, meant to scare off the spirits of winter. Dozens dressed in white wearing oversized jingle bells on their belts and festive candle-lit luminarias on their heads participate. They run through the town square *jingle* *jingle* *jingle* while the audience drinks mulled wine and "oohs" and "ahhs" over the stunning beauty of the luminarias. The performance is enhanced by a brass band, whip crackers, Christmas carolers and this year, a poem by local author Paula Grogger. I've gone every year for the past four years (and tell the astonished natives that I travel to from the U.S. to Austria especially for this event!)

Footprints in the snow

2011-01-13T18:33:00.001-06:00

Three King's Day

2011-01-06T19:12:00.001-06:00

Epiphany (aka Three King's Day) is the official end of the Christmas season. In Austria, people take down their Christmas trees on January 6. Children dressed as the three wise men sing the last Christmas carols (these are known as Sternsänger, "star singers") and mark houses with the blessing C+M+B and the year. There is some argument over what CMB means: either Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar or "Christus mansionem benedicat" (May Christ bless this house).

Some Americans may be uncomfortable by the representation of Balthasar in black-face. This is done not to mock African people as it was in minstrel shows in the U.S., but to recreate as faithfully as possible the different ethnicities of the wise men who came from all corners of the earth.

Many thanks to the mother who gave her permission to post this video!

These are a few of my favorite things!

2010-12-04T19:08:00.004-06:00

The Baton Rouge Arts Market
Printmaker Layla Messkoub
Strands Cafe on Laurel
Meeting with former students for coffee

This scene from Twin Peaks:

And what's REALLY great is when all these things come together! For the first Saturday since September, I was able to go to the Baton Rouge Arts Market, where I bought myself the above print by Layla Messkoub for inspiration in my new pseudo-journalism career, after which I met a former student for coffee at Strands. Life is good!

To do list, 12/4

2010-12-04T08:10:00.002-06:00

Not too shabby! Posted 14:18, 12/7

Posted at 8:07 am, 12/04.

Let's see how much I can cross off this weekend!

Fine print: Tasks are listed in no particular order. Does not include giving or grading exams or final projects. Offer good through December 10th, 2010. No deposit, no return. Void where prohibited.

An Advent gift for you!

2010-11-30T22:20:00.001-06:00

Click on the image above and download it full size to your computer. Enjoy!

and there was much rejoicing... yay!

2010-11-24T09:33:00.000-06:00

Last night I took my H&R Block Income Tax Course final exam and passed! I've had two interviews with H&R Block and have been offered a position. Life doesn't look nearly as bleak as it did two months ago. At least I will continue to be a productive member of society (until April 15 at any rate!)

In other news, an abstract I submitted for the XIIth International Colloquium on Roman Provincial Art was accepted. I'm heading to Pula, Croatia in May!

Back online!

2010-11-16T21:54:00.001-06:00

My favorite board game is back online! Oh Joy! Rapture!

Yes, I know, the instructions are all in German. If you can't get the hang of it, let me know and I'll give you a tutorial!

A big week for the FLXIV

2010-11-06T06:55:00.001-05:00

Last week the university received a letter from the AAUP (American Association of University Professors) urging the administration to reconsider our non-reappointments and extend our contracts until the end of the academic year.

On Tuesday the Faculty Senate voted unanimously for a resolution that urges the administration to reinstate the foreign language instructors until other options to absorb budget cuts have been explored with full faculty representation.

On Wednesday members of the FLXIV met with the Advocate. The resulting article is here. Please register to use the site and leave a comment (preferably in a foreign language!)

On Wednesday the Russian instructor was interviewed by Channel 2 about her offer to teach Russian one more semester for free.

On Friday one of the German instructors was interviewed by Channel 33 about the AAUP letter and Faculty Senate vote.

On Saturday the Board of Supervisors will consider a petition to step in and undo the damage that has been done.

You can read more about the FLXIV and see links to the above stories here. Please leave a comment!

For all the saints

2010-11-01T20:28:00.004-05:00

This has been a year of heartbreaking losses.

My dear friend, Muse and patron Brigitte died unexpectedly in January just days after I said goodbye to her in Austria.

The last of the Whiskey Widows and my partner in crime, Sue Barlow, passed away in March.

My student, Lani Bewley, aka "Pink Haired Girl," died suddenly in June. She was only 22 years old and had just received a BA in Latin in December 2009 and a BA in German in May 2010.

My best friend's father, novelist Vance Bourjaily, died August 31 after one last trip to New Orleans and to Iowa to see his children and grandchildren.

And September 2 was the 10th anniversary of my mother's death. As he does every year, my father sent me flowers on her birthday, October 30.

Avete atque valete, y'all

Ibes or ibides?

2010-10-24T10:53:00.001-05:00

Not bad for a little Canon IXUS!

State of Affairs

2010-10-23T20:34:00.015-05:00

This semester had so much potential. Knowing that my time at LSU was limited, I was going to spend this semester teaching my three classes and the rest of my time in the library working on publications. It was a beautiful plan - if only it had been put into practice!

When 13 of my colleagues and I were fired on August 27, I figured "well, that's life." But the more I spoke with my colleagues, the more we couldn't understand why this was happening to us and why the administration thought it was acceptable What has consumed nearly every waking moment for the past two months is summarized at www.flxiv.blogspot.com.

I have been fighting this battle since May. You can see some of my previous attempts to avert the disaster which has come to pass here and here and here. At this point, we have exhausted all of our options. And unless there is a deus ex machina, I will be officially unemployed in 89 days.

The worst part is that my marketable skills are limited to experience I obtained over 15 years ago as a legal and medical secretary. So I enrolled in the H&R Block tax course. The class meets 9 hours a week and has consumed the rest of my free time. If I pass the class, I should have a job from January to April. After that is anybody's guess.

I am spending the next 36 hours working on my CV so I can apply for jobs in the U.S. - jobs that won't officially begin until Fall 2011, but deadlines for which begin in November. All that energy I channeled into the Foreign Language Fourteen is now shifted to salvaging my academic career. The research component will have to wait until after my tax course, which ends November 23.

Not my normally cheery post, but there's really not much to be cheery about, my friends. I'll leave you with a quote that pretty much sums up the situation:

"A degree in classics teaches you how to live
without the job it keeps you from getting."

- David Meadows

Homesick

2010-09-18T16:41:00.002-05:00

Somewhere between Donnersbach and Raumberg

The other day I was looking for photos to include on my other blog Practical Hedonism, which is all about achieving balance and leading a productive and fulfilling life. In other words, it's about everything my life is not right now.

Looking through the photos of my two years in Austria as a Fulbright teaching assistant, I see pictures of me as a happy girl. I had broken free from the unhappy life I'd been leading in Louisiana. I was fulfilling the dream I'd had since college of living in Europe. I took more than a 50% pay cut to do it, and I adjusted my cost of living to my income. Not a difficult thing to do when you don't have to worry about health care insurance, and the food is not only organic but affordable. Entertainment came in the form of free public festivals and hiking through the mountains, although sometimes I splurged on a blues concert. And I was teaching. It's what I do best.

For two years I taught English and American culture to German-speaking high school students. I planned to stay for a year. I extended to two. After the second year I never thought I'd come back to the United States, but bureaucracy intervened. Try as I might, I could not secure a job that would support my Austrian residency.

So I came back to the American South. My living expenses increased: my rent and utilities were more than 3x what I was paying in Austria. I now had to have a car and that meant loan payments, gas, and insurance. In order to avoid food with hormones and chemicals I have to pay premium prices. But I was teaching! It's what I do best.

But in this case, my best isn't enough to save my job from budget cuts http://www.2theadvocate.com/opinion/103108854.html.

The only reason I came back to this toxic environment was because I had a job in a financial crisis. I thought I could save enough money to go back to Austria at least four months a year and in the meantime maybe find a job overseas that would support my residency. Now those plans are stepped up. I've calculated what I will make between now and January 21, 2011. My paycheck for September (due Tuesday) is already spent. I have scheduled all the doctor's visits I need to ensure that I will hit the unemployment line healthy.

I realize that in all likelihood I will not be teaching in the near future. I'll apply this fall for academic jobs that begin in August 2011. I'm working on getting certified to teach in Austria. But in the meantime it looks like I'm gonna have to go "back to school" to learn a practical skill like tax preparation. I just hope I can shift my best efforts to the other side of the classroom!

recuperate regroup & recoup

2010-08-29T11:21:00.004-05:00

On Thursday the Chair of my department sent an email to me and 13 of my colleagues inviting us to a meeting with the Dean on Friday. We knew it was bad news because not all instructors in the department of Foreign Languages and Literatures were on the cc: list. The Dean waltzed in and said "There's no good way to tell you what I have to tell you, so I'm just going to be brutal. The University has decided to enforce the letters you received in January. In other words, as of January 2011 you no longer have a job at LSU."

While this was expected, it was heartbreaking to see all the people, most of whom have spent their entire professional career teaching Louisiana's students, grasp the implications of this blunt announcement. The usual questions were asked aloud: "What will happen to the students?" "Are we eligible for unemployment?" "What were the criteria for retaining some of the instructors?" But there were individual questions that were left unasked: "How will I make my house payments?" "How will I feed my five children and send them to college?" "How will my chronic health issues be treated without insurance?"

Most of us are in the same boat: we were hired to teach. We were not expected to do research and publish to keep our jobs. We taught onerous course loads and some of us taught a new class practically every semester. Our "research" was done to present the material for our students but it was never published. This means each one of us will enter the job search without the basic credentials that separate the candidates into Pile A and Pile B. I've been through this before: No one will even look at my application and I will receive a form rejection letter. This despite the fact that I can teach Latin and Greek and Classical Studies and German and I have experience in residential colleges, academic advising and study abroad.

I'm taking this weekend off to recuperate (I've been sick for a week) and regroup. Monday morning will find me recouping my losses. Words of encouragement strongly desired!

150 days

2010-08-23T07:06:00.005-05:00

Today is the start of Fall Semester 2010, exactly 150 days before January 21, 2011 which marks the end of my contract with LSU. Here's what we know about the situation:

* We were told nearly 400 instructors received pink slips back in January 2010. If they are all released, it would be nearly a third of the faculty. (Later we learned that only 238 letters of non-reappointment had been sent).
* An email, carefully calculated to arrive on the day when most of the faculty and students had officially begun their summer vacation, announced that the University was seeking to eliminate several programs, including degrees in Latin and German.
* On July 16, the Board of Supervisors met to discuss the proposed program cuts. The motion was evidently tabled but there has been no official report of that meeting.

So where does this leave me (and the other 300 instructors in the same boat)? We can only assume that we have no job as of January 21, 2011 and must plan accordingly. In other words, there are exactly 150 days for me to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I've got many irons in the fire, including writing academic articles and applying for teaching certification in Austria, along with non-academic writing projects, ideas for self-incorporating and Plan B.

I do not mourn the loss of my job. I see it as an opportunity to spread my wings, both professionally and individually. But it galls me that the humanities-based education on which the modern university was founded has been devalued to such an extent that these courses, which foster cultural communication and understanding, are the first on the chopping block. I feel like someone has told me that everything I've studied since I was 13 years old was just a waste of time -- and I'm too young to be put out to pasture!!

Favorite Photos - Flora and Fauna

2010-07-15T21:26:00.000-05:00

Favorite Photos - Landscapes

2010-07-15T21:17:00.001-05:00

The Weinstraße (Wine Road)

The Enns Valley from Aicherlkar above Wörschach

Eggenberger Schloßpark (famous for its rose garden and peacocks)

Calling all cheerleaders!

2010-07-15T06:39:00.001-05:00

Less than 12 hours ago I arrived in Baton Rouge from my tour as a visiting lecturer in Austria (more later). But there's no rest for the weary. There are officially 189 days until January 21, 2011, the day I will be officially unemployed due to budget cuts at Louisiana State University. And there are grants to apply for, job opportunities to suss out, articles to write, classes to teach and schemes to be devised. I really could use a cheering section right now! So grab your vuvuzela and follow my progress, here on Dasein ist köstlich

(source)

Open Letter to the LSU Board of Supervisors and the Citizens of Louisiana

2010-06-25T12:07:00.002-05:00

(Note: this letter was sent twice to The Advocate and was never published. As of October 23, 2010 the proposal by Chancellor Martin had not been approved by the Board of Supervisors. The firing of 14 foreign language instructors was precedented on this approval.)

Chancellor Martin's letter (June 23) was full of doom and gloom, but he makes his proposed cuts to the Humanities and other programs at LSU sound like a fait accompli. These cuts still must be approved by the Board of Supervisors, which meets on July 15, and by the Board of Regents.

I call upon the members of these Boards to keep in mind that Humanities are the basis of the modern university. By recently renaming the college the "College of Humanities and Social Sciences" President Lombardi reaffirmed the University's commitment to the Humanities, which may be defined as the interdisciplinary study of languages, literatures, history, philosophy, religion, art and culture of ancient and modern civilizations--in other words, all the facets which define us as humans. The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, which has been singled out in Phase One for the elimination of two BA programs and the reduction of language choices, fosters communication and understanding between cultures and within our own. These are skills that our students need to compete in an increasingly global job market. The elimination of languages and other Humanities-based programs will limit the opportunities for our graduates, and is bound to reduce the number of international students and international researchers who are awarded grants that bring money and international recognition to Louisiana State University. If you blast the foundation of a university education with such tactics, the rest of the institution is sure to crumble.

Furthermore, I call on the citizens of Louisiana to protest these cuts by writing to the Board of Supervisors (addresses can be found on the LSU website at http://www.lsusystem.edu/boardofsupervisors/). If we react by doing nothing, Chancellor Martin and the rest of the administration will gladly accept their Pyrrhic victory and the southern tradition of a classical, Humanities-based education will perish.

Sincerely, JKS

My very cool parents

2010-06-10T09:14:00.002-05:00

My very cool parents were interviewed by Bur Oak Blog (University of Iowa Press). See what the authors of The Iowa Nature Calendar have to say about their interest in the great outdoors!

http://buroakblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/interview-with-jean-c-prior-james.html

Pro Lingua Latina (or: In defense of Foreign Languages and Literatures)

2010-06-02T10:47:00.009-05:00

2 June 2010

Michael V. Martin, Chancellor

156 Thomas Boyd Hall

Louisiana State University

Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803

Dear Chancellor Martin,

Surely you, the Chancellor entrusted with the integrity of this institution as the Flagship University in the state of Louisiana, cannot agree with or support the recommendations of the planning task force that the BA programs in Latin and German at Louisiana State University be eliminated and that language options in general be reduced. It is my experience as a life-long member of the academic community and of LSU's faculty for the past ten years that task forces often make decisions that look good on paper but have disastrous consequences for higher education in practice. I urge you, therefore, to reexamine your proposal to the Board of Supervisors in light of the following considerations.

The name of our college has just been changed to the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. In his email to faculty Dean Foster stated: "Our College has been around since 1908, our social science disciplines for well over a century, and the humanities for millennia... Maintaining and expanding our tradition of excellence is the important thing." Latin and Greek form the basis of the humanities, which may be defined as the interdisciplinary study of languages, literatures, history, philosophy, religion, art and culture of ancient and modern civilizations. By eliminating the Latin and German BA degrees and reducing the language choices through the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, LSU would effectively be undermining the entire humanities-based education on which the concept of the modern university was founded.

Our world is becoming increasingly global, and the modern university should instruct its students in global communication. Contrary to popular belief, English is not the international language of business and politics. In order to foster business and foreign relations with other countries, we should be well-versed in the subtleties of language and the differences between cultures. How will our students learn this with the proposed reductions to a department in which not only language courses but courses in culture as well are taught? Furthermore, the ability to read and communicate in a variety of languages enhances research and cross-cultural enterprises, thereby increasing the skills of our students for their chosen professions. The elimination of languages at this large research institution will limit the opportunities for our graduates, and is bound to reduce the number of international students and international researchers who are awarded grants that bring money and international recognition to Louisiana State University.

So what does international business and politics have to do with a BA in Latin? Latin teaches the basics of English grammar and expression which are no longer taught as part of the basic high school or college curriculum. For the Greeks and Romans, the study of rhetoric was the cornerstone of formal education because the ability to communicate determined your success as a military leader, politician, lawyer, or poet. Students graduating from LSU should be able to express themselves in a way that reflects the high standards of language and communication of this institution. Sadly, the dominance of electronic communication has seriously weakened rhetorical standards across the nation and many of our students lack the skills to communicate effectively in the professional world. And if students are not able to communicate effectively in their own language, how will they be able to compete in world where people are trained to speak two, three, even four languages?

The study of Latin at its most basic level provides students with an awareness of the correct method of expression in their own language and a vocabulary suited for intellectual discussion, thereby improving these crucial communication skills. Latin also teaches problem-solving that approaches the level of mathematics, and the study of classical civilizations leads to an understanding of the principles on which our Western culture is based. Students graduating from an American university should be aware that our founding fathers were well-versed in the classics, and that our legal system, history, literature and art are inextricably linked to the civilizations of the Greeks and Romans.

It is my understanding that Louisiana State University is currently defending its accreditation through SACS. While there is no stated language requirement in SACS' Principles of Accreditation, paragraph 2.7.3 clearly requires a general education component, including courses from the humanities which will ensure a "breadth of knowledge" and which "do not narrowly focus on those skills, techniques, and procedures specific to a particular occupation or profession." The reduction of programs and languages in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures would dramatically reduced the already low number of General Education Humanities courses available to satisfy this accreditation requirement.

The elimination of any language at a large, internationally-supported research institution such as LSU does not belong in Phase One of the process to reduce costs, even in the face of severe financial crisis. Your email of 24 May even indicates that the savings to the University with full implementation of this plan would be $1.5 million, a drop in the bucket compared with the $43 million cuts the University has received during the past academic year. If you blast the foundation of a university education with such tactics, the rest of the institution is sure to crumble.

Chancellor Martin, stand up for the University, stand up to the nay-sayers who tell you that humanities are of tertiary importance in the scheme of higher education. Reconsider your recommendation to the Board of Supervisors and fight to keep the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures and its programs intact and central to a meaningful educational experience at Louisiana State University.

Sincerely,

JKS

Instructor of Classics

A Call to Arms

2010-05-31T05:04:00.000-05:00

Dear Colleagues,

It is clear from the correspondence we've received that Latin, Greek, German, Italian, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Swahili are all at risk of reduction or discontinuation at LSU.

We have long received mixed messages about language instruction at this institution. On the one hand, the name of the college has recently been changed to the "College of Humanities and Social Sciences." I wonder what the administration thinks the term humanities includes, if not the study of Latin, Greek, classical studies, and the languages and literatures of the world?

On the other hand, the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures receives virtually no funding for the advertisement and continuation of their programs. At Fall Fest, the department is allotted one table to advertise all foreign languages and no money has ever been made available for posters, banners, professional brochures and other promotional and recruiting materials. Likewise, there is no departmental funding available for receptions, awards ceremonies, or regular get-togethers between students and faculty. Many of us are willing to contribute to these things from our own pockets once a year, yet to sustain a program takes many hundreds (not millions) of dollars and the continued dedication of all foreign language faculty members.

The discontinuation of comparative literature last fall, the announcement of instructor cuts in January and now the suggested elimination of language programs and offerings seem to be the calculated steps in devaluing the importance of the humanities, which is a disturbing trend across the nation. The University claims $1.5 million dollars could be saved with full implementation of their plan to eliminate programs in Latin, German, Library Science and to reduce language options. That's a drop in the bucket compared to the $43 million dollars in budget cuts the University has received over the past year.

It is convenient that this decision comes at the beginning of the summer when most of us are off campus pursuing research or recovering from the last academic year. Many of us are too busy or unwilling to challenge the administration, many of us think that this is simply another threat to the legislature, many of us consider these decisions a fait accompli. But if we react by doing nothing, the administration will gladly accept their victory.

In light of these facts, how many of you are willing to fight? I admit it would be easier to channel my energy into applying for jobs in places which understand the value of a classical education. But I feel loyalty to the concept of a university as an institution founded on the study of the Greek and Latin languages and the literature, history and philosophy of the Greeks and Romans. In the fragmented world in which we live, the study of languages and cultures shows us how human experience is interconnected and depends on communication. If nothing else, this humanistic approach shows us that we are not the first to suffer a financial crisis or to be affected by natural disasters or to be forced into a war we feel is unnecessary. We can learn so much about human relationships and responses if we take the wisdom of our predecessors to heart instead of labeling it the ramblings of an ancient or inferior civilization. And you can never go wrong by fighting for what you believe in, even if you are unsuccessful in the attempt.

post tenebras spero lucem

2010-05-26T14:24:00.003-05:00

"These are difficult and heart-wrenching decisions, but they are decisions that must be made in light of the current fiscal crisis. Academic programs recommended for closure include ... the Bachelor of Arts in German and Latin and the reduction of language options for a savings of approximately $1.5 million at full implementation." - Chancellor Mike Martin, Louisiana State University, 24 May 2010

My "office"

2010-05-17T14:00:00.003-05:00

My desk is in the cast gallery at the University, with Polykleitos' Doryphoros looking over my shoulder!

Meanwhile, my desk window looks out over the courtyard planted with linden trees, a symbol of jurisprudence. Linden trees are featured at the center of towns and universities, according to my very knowledgeable landlord.

Follow the bouncing ball

2010-05-16T14:31:00.002-05:00

Monday 5/10 - had lunch with my friend Alli; gave a final exam (23 students) at 5:30 pm

Tuesday 5/11 - gave two final exams (33 students) at 7:30 am

Wednesday, 5/12 - all exams graded, grades submitted by 8:00 am, shopping

Thursday, 5/13 - office hours, car to body shop, post office, finished packing with no A/C, nearly electrocuted the maintenance man, took a taxi to the airport, flew to Memphis, flew to Amsterdam

Friday, 5/14 - flew to Munich, lost luggage, took train to Ennstal

Saturday, 5/15 - bought clothes for class on Monday, picked up Scottish-Styrian dirndl, dinner with friends

Sunday, 5/16 - all day at accordion contest in Deutschlandsberg, arrived at my new apartment in Graz at 7:30 pm, reunited with luggage, but too tired to find free bouncing ball image on the internet

Monday, 5/17 - my classes at the University start!

A new blog! - Practical Hedonism

2010-05-09T12:14:00.000-05:00

I've started a new blog for people who need a little balance in their life.

Practical hedonism is all about balance. It is a philosophy, a system of checks and rewards which leads to the ultimate satisfaction of a balanced life. In short, we practical hedonists work hard so we can play hard.

Please take a look, send me feedback, and spread the word!

The Funeral Crashers

2010-04-16T08:59:00.001-05:00

Another Whiskey Widow has gone off to that big cocktail hour in the sky. Mama Sue and I had a special connection because she was a teacher. She understood that teaching is hard, but so is learning. And that teachers teach, not because it brings in a big paycheck, but because we love the interaction with people.

Sue and I also were partners in crime. When Ms. Verone died, her family deliberately kept the obituary and the funeral information out of the local newspapers to keep out the riff raff. Sue, being the resourceful woman that she was, called up the big funeral parlor in town and asked when services were scheduled for Ms. Verone. Then Sue and I crashed the funeral! When we got there, Verone's daughter-in-law had quite a dilemma: throw us out on our ear, or play the gracious Southern hostess. Lucky for us, good breeding won out and we were allowed to pay our respects to Ms. Verone, founder of the Whiskey Widows.

I'm sure that Sue was warmly welcomed into heaven by Verone, Dottie with the Body and Ms. Frances and that they're having one heck of a party with the Man Upstairs!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T10:41:00.005-05:00

Another IRISHsteirisch video, this one from last summer in Dechantskirchen, Austria. The band opens their concerts with this traditional Austrian Jodler (yodeling song). Enjoy!

Magnolia's Memories

2010-03-14T09:54:00.004-05:00

Friday night I went to Magnolia's Memories, a cemetery tour sponsored by the Foundation for Historical Louisiana. The tour takes place at Magnolia Cemetery at night and visitors are guided by "spirits" dressed in white robe and wings. The paths of the cemetery are lined with luminarias and musicians -- harpists, fiddlers, mandolin players -- play unobtrusively in the shadows. Five or six stations are set up throughout the grounds, with spectator seating and footlights. Local actors perform scenes from the lives of people who are buried in Magnolia Cemetery. This year there was Sarah Morgan who wrote a civil war diary and her brother Harry who was killed in a duel; Cecil Morgan (Sarah's nephew) who fought to bring Huey Long to justice; and a police chief who was killed by one of his fellow officers in 1911, played by friend and colleague, Mike Katchmer.

My first trip to Magnolia's Memories in 2007 was such a moving experience, not because of the dead, but because of the living. At the last station, the life of Scotsman John Hill Jr. was reenacted. A bagpiper introduced him and a kilt-wearing actor came on stage. But in the shadows beyond, a dark figure roving between the tombstones caught my eye. I couldn't be sure if I was seeing a person or a phantom, but I couldn't take my eyes off it. At the end of Hill's performance, the figure stepped out of the shadows. It was a woman with auburn curls dressed in a dark Irish cape, and when she lifted her face to the spotlight, I thought, "Wow! That looks like Nikki!"

But it couldn't be my friend Nikki, I told myself. Nikki was too stressed out with work and being pregnant and taking care of two teenagers and a baby. And Nikki would never have the confidence to sing in front of all these people. But sing she did, the most moving a capella Scottish hymn. Her beautiful voice rose above the rustling leaves of the live oak trees and the traffic rushing by on Florida Boulevard. When she was finished and the tour was over, I walked up to the woman and said, still in disbelief, "Nikki? Is that you?" "Joey! I didn't know you would be here!" I told her how beautifully she'd sung and how everyone would remember her performance. And I thought to myself, this is a new start for Nikki, a dear soul who had had her unjust share of bad luck, bad health and bad relationships.

A few weeks later, I sat with Nikki in front of our office building as she waited for a ride. She was quite unwell. When her ride came, I escorted her to the car, never dreaming that in the night Nikki would have a stroke.

She was in the ICU of the hospital when doctors discovered that she also had leukemia. I visited Nikki four times, and each time she improved a little. She went from being unable to talk to asking if we could pray. So on my last visit I led us in prayer, and God truly guided my words. It was the last time I would see Nikki. A month after her stroke she died, never having left the hospital. She was 34 years old.

I was in

Germany

when they had the memorial service. They say Nikki's oldest daughter sang the same hymn that Nikki sang in the cemetery that night.

And Friday night, March 12, 2010, I went on the cemetery tour again. At the end a woman with long dark curls dressed in an Irish cape sang the final hymn, accompanied by a folk quintet. She looked exactly like Nikki. I don't know whether that's just what I wanted to see, or because Nikki's spirit is still among the tombstones of Magnolia Cemetery.

Third time's a charm!

2010-03-10T21:32:00.000-06:00

ScriptFrenzy is a sister project to NaNoWriMo which I've tried to do twice (last fall was a disaster, topping out at 4700 words. Let's just say I was being a bit hubristic, thinking I could write 50,000 words while teaching a writing-intensive Greek and Roman Tragedy course!). This time, instead of a novel, it's a script.

Why do I think this time will be any different? First, I've had a script in mind for years, and maybe this will force me to get it down on paper. Second, for the first time since I got back to the States in July, I actually feel somewhat on top of my game. Just this week I discovered I have FREE TIME. Chunks of it. Time to work on all those projects that have been piling up...

So join me in April for ScriptFrenzy. It's sure to be a gas!

Now playing on YouTube

2010-02-21T16:01:00.001-06:00

I FINALLY got around to uploading some videos to YouTube from the IRISHsteirisch concert I went to in January. Please check them out!

A Valentine's Day Tip

2010-02-14T10:31:00.000-06:00

WORDLE is a free, online internet tool to create word clouds in different colors, fonts, and layouts. Here's one I made from a Mardi Gras text:

So if you're one of those people who waits until the last minute to do holiday shopping, make your loved one a collage of words that mean the WORDLE to you!

Things that can't easily be explained, Pt. 2

2010-01-30T13:58:00.002-06:00

Last year around this time, I wrote an entry entitled "Things that can't easily be explained". My friend Lydia had died unexpectedly in her sleep on January 29, and a few days later I received a letter from her which she'd written just days before she died. Lydia was an incredibly gifted artist, and she had recently learned of my own artistic endeavors. In her letter she wrote something like, Are you sure that with your artistic talent that you are in the right profession?

Flash forward to 2010: Two weeks ago I was in Austria saying goodbye to my friends, among them my friend Brigitte who had encouraged my artistic endeavors with art supplies and a painting course. Brigitte herself learned only four years ago that she had awe-inspiring artistic talent. A few days after I said goodbye, Brigitte too died unexpectedly in the night.

Both of these women were a source of love and inspiration to so many people who all gathered this week to remember and celebrate their lives.

I don't know if I'm in the right profession, and I certainly don't know that I will ever have the artistic talents that Brigitte and Lydia had. I do know that I will probably get the chance to reevaluate my career path, because LSU in its infinite wisdom has decided to pink-slip all instructors effective January 2011.

So in addition to updating my resume and seeing if there's a paper or two I can send out for publication, in addition to preparing for my four (count 'em FOUR) Latin classes, I'll be scheduling some creative time this weekend. Because you never know what the future holds...

P.S. When I posted this to my Facebook page, the security words were "revalue" and "power". Life is spooky sometimes!

Inspiration

2010-01-22T23:18:00.003-06:00

Last year for my birthday, my friends surprised me with a party and some unexpected gifts. Most unexpected was a backpack full of art supplies including a gift certificate for a weekend painting course from my friend Brigitte.

The attached photos are the things I created during the painting course. Note that most of them are drawings. My teacher, Manfred Lecher, wanted me to show him what I could and could not do before I started painting. I did a decent pitcher and pinecones (the alarm clock is a little Daliesque, but it demonstrates attention to detail).

When I painted the bottles, however, Manfred said I "wasn't ready" and "used too much water." (I was so proud of them, too! Especially the colors!)

So it was back to drawing with colored pencils, which may (or may not) be my medium. I drew the bottles again. And again. Different shading, different treatments, different techniques.

Then I graduated to apples.

When I proved that I could draw apples and color them correctly, during the last couple of hours that weekend, I was allowed to pick up a paintbrush again. I think they turned out pretty well (for someone who found out 30 years later that she had "artistic talent that should be fostered" in pre-school).

More on Brigitte, inspiration, and coincidences next time!

Joey's Jetlag Breakfast

2010-01-20T06:46:00.000-06:00

I arrived home from Europe on Sunday, and the semester began on Tuesday. This is my recipe for getting over jetlag!

Make your favorite coffee, and make it STRONG. Pour it in a cup and add milk or cream to taste. Slowly sip while you prepare the rest of the breakfast.

In a bowl, combine:
1 envelope instant oatmeal
about 20 raisins
2 dates, pitted and sliced into thin rounds
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
a sprinkling of ground cinnamon
a teaspoon of butter
a pinch of salt

Add 1/2 cup boiling water and stir until blended. Let set two minutes. It's going to be icky-thick when you stir it and that's when you add the secret ingredient: a generous splash of your coffee and cream!

Mmmm....caffeinated oatmeal. Good for your energy. Good for your digestion. Good for your heart!!

Moon Tide Press Poet of the Month

2010-01-03T11:53:00.001-06:00

My friend, Bryn! Read her poems here http://www.moontidepress.com/poet_of_the_month.html.

Big Rocks (aka New Year's Resolutions) - Part II

2009-12-31T11:21:00.002-06:00

A month in the Enns Valley is just what I needed to gain some perspective. 2009 was a whirlwind of searching out job opportunities and trying to find a way to stay in Austria. When that didn't work out, I spent the last few months of the year playing catch-up at LSU, teaching four (count 'em FOUR) courses and generally working nine to five. All my writing projects and plans for getting back to Austria went on hold.

But I've had time in the last few days of 2009 to reconsider my goals. Here are my "big rocks"

1) Follow-up on job opps in Austria (and search out new opps if current ones fall through)
2) Write something every day
3) Spend less frivolous time on the Internet
4) Be more focused
5) Live a healthier lifestyle

With those resolutions having been set in pixels, I assume that at the stroke of midnight I will become a serene and productive dervish (I'll be the one wearing pistachio!).

For a fascinating article on female dervishes, click the picture!

Christmas Renewal

2009-12-30T08:16:00.006-06:00

My first job as a Christmas clerk in a garden center forever changed the way I look at Christmas in the U.S. Instead of the magical childhood memories of handmade sequined stockings hanging by the fireplace, listening to Ludwig Thoma's Heilige Nacht on Christmas Eve and snowy trips to grandma's house, Christmas retail is one of the deepest levels of hell. From the non-stop electronic Christmas music to selling kittens and puppies of dubious origin, from the unreasonable demands of procrastinating customers to the kitsch, kitsch, kitsch, kitsch!

Christmas in rural Austria is a return to the magic of childhood. Yes, there is a commercial aspect, but it ends exactly at 2:00 pm on Christmas Eve. From that time on, Christmas is all about church and family.

Before mass at 5:30 pm, nearly everyone visits the cemetery to light candles on the graves of their loved ones. Then the entire town proceeds to the church, not one by one, but as a whole community while a brass band plays a processional on the main square.

The (unheated!) church is ablaze with candles, even those decorating the Charlie Brown Christmas tree on the altar. Christmas carols played by a Styrian trio float down from the balcony. The air, thick with incense and pine, jingles with offerings well into the Communion liturgy. After being greeted, led in prayer, serenaded, absolved, blessed, and dismissed, the entire congregation meets outside on the street and disperses family by family to their individual Christmas dinners and gift exchanges.

After a hearty meal including all of the Austrian food groups (fried meat, potatoes, rice, and pumpkinseed oil), cherished gifts were given and received. Then I enjoyed the close harmony of a family singing songs both sacred and profane, accompanied by piano, guitar, Bohemian bagpipes and zither. When I walked home late that night, I reflected on the many wonderful gifts of God: good health, dear friends, close family, air travel, music, high mountains, bright stars and the Son.

Big Rocks (aka New Year's Resolutions) - Part I

2009-12-29T13:19:00.000-06:00

Do y'all know the Big Rocks parable? A physics professor walks into class with a bucket full of big rocks. He asks the students if the bucket is full. They, of course, answer "yes." Then he takes a bunch of pebbles, and pours them into the bucket, where the pebbles search out the spaces between the big rocks. "Now is it full?" he asks. The class is a little more skeptical. He then takes several handfuls of sand, which seek out the spaces between the big rocks and the pebbles. "Is the bucket full now?" "No!" answers the class. The professor pours in a gallon or so of water, filling in the spaces between the big rocks, pebbles and sand grains.

He then explained that there's always a way to fit more into a defined space, whether it's a bucket or the hours in a day. But you can only fit it all in if you start with the big rocks. If you start with sand and pebbles, the big rocks won't fit in -- no way, no how.

I hope you all have a chance to think about your Big Rocks in the next few days. Stop back here on New Year's Day and let me know what they are!

forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit

2009-12-25T11:11:00.004-06:00

Between the last week of classes and my first final on December 8, I made a flying trip to Iowa. Who does that?!?

It was a good trip. Did some shopping, did some networking, but most of all I wanted to attend the memorial service for Roger Hornsby, my undergraduate advisor at the U of Iowa, who died in October.

Roger Hornsby (second from left) and his wife, Jessie (center)
at St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome

Roger was a friend of the family long before he was my advisor. That I ended up studying classics was complete chance, and I'm so glad I got the chance to learn Latin when I did. Gerda Seligson, who co-wrote our textbook, Latin for Reading, was a visiting professor and she and Roger devised a way to teach Latin that made the transition from language learning to application less traumatic for students. The second year courses were taught by the same method as the elementary levels which allowed us to translate all four Catilinarian orations by Cicero in the third semester, and two or three books of Vergil's Aeneid in the fourth semester. Unfortunately I can't convince my colleagues that this can be accomplished.

We students were introduced to all that academic life entailed, including elegant cocktail parties at the Hornsbys. Their apartment was decorated with antique furniture and deep blue velvety carpet. Jazz was always playing on the stereo, and caterers made sure the guests had enough wine and nibbly things. This introduction to social graces is also something I've never experienced at any other university.

In addition to Latin, Roger taught a course entitled Concept of the City of Rome which provided background about Roman institutions. I assisted him in the preparation of a corresponding art course, Concept of the City of Rome II: Renaissance to Fascism, which he co-taught with Dr. John "Comments or Observations?" Scott. A few of Roger's more promising students were invited to participate in Concept of the City of Rome III: On Location, an informal 10-day tour of Rome during which he and Dr. Scott showed us everything they thought students should see on their first trip to Rome. This included many non-Roman churches and expensive restaurants. I still remember eating at the foot of the Temple of the Sibyl in Tivoli where every table was "Reserved" until the guests passed the riff-raff test. Never mind that Roger's laundry bill at his hotel cost as much as my entire stay in the Albergo Lago di Alleghe for the same amount of time!

Roger wanted all of his students to share his love of Latin literature, Roman culture, travel and the finer things in life. Many of his students are happy to pass those lessons on!

Dasein ist köstlich...

2009-12-18T07:54:00.000-06:00

Caution: Amateur linguistics ahead!

Whenever a student wrestling with a Latin, Greek or German text says "I know what it means, I just can't translate it," my usual response is "bull-hockey." But today I want to explain the title of my blog for my non-German speaking friends, and find that "I know what it means, but..."

The title of my blog is a quote from Austrian poet, Peter Rosegger. It is hard to capture the meaning in English. Dasein is an abstract noun formed by the verb sein ("to be, exist") and the adverb da, meaning "there" (it can also mean "here"). So dasein means something like "being there" or "living in the present." Köstlich is also tricky. It's an adjective used mostly for food; food that is köstlich is "tasty" or "delicious." It can also mean "delightful" or "blissful." However "To be there is delightful" loses something in translation. For me it means "To enjoy life in a place you love with all five senses is the most wonderful thing in the world."

Let me give you an example: This morning I woke up in the Enns Valley, the place where I feel most at home in the world. I arrived yesterday and have enjoyed the cold sting of -18º Celsius and the warm embrace of friends welcoming me back; the taste of brioche with butter and Austrian cappuccino for breakfast in an old-style coffee house with its Christmasy green and red decor; the smell of roast chicken at a curbside stand and of smoky pubs; the sound of Stoansteirisch (the local dialect) and the mountain brook that bubbles past my door; the sight of the Grimming, Christmas lights in every little town square, the bus driver's smile, the frantic last-minute shopping at what passes for a mall around here.

The rest of the quote is easily translated: man muss nur den Mut haben, sein eigenes Leben zu führen means "one must simply have the courage to live his own life" (with no apologies to those of you who have nothing better to do than to criticize the fact that common gender in English just happens to look like the masculine). It's taken me many years to realize that I can make my own decisions even in the face of disapproval and there's been heartbreak along the way. But I'm confident that everything in my life has happened just the way it was supposed to, and brought me to this place. I'm actively pursuing my dreams, and right here, right now dasein ist köstlich!

Where the wild things are

2009-12-03T07:37:00.003-06:00

Louisiana is famous for its wildlife, and since I live just a block or so away from the University Lakes, I see more than my fair share (not that I'm complaining!). I have to carry my camera wherever I go or I'll miss sights like this:

Do you think he's dreaming of being the Coca Cola Christmas truck?

This egret chose to dine on geckos at the LSU Law School!

I call this one "Cajun Christmas Tree" (with exclusive cormorments!)

Louisiana Heron (or are we calling it Tricolor Heron now?)

Massive Action Correspondence Day!

2009-11-15T07:04:00.010-06:00

I am FINALLY done with grading (just in time for it to start all over again on Thursday). But today I am taking a break to catch up on correspondence: all those thank you notes, "I'm thinking about you" cards, belated birthday greetings, and a few small packages that have been accumulating over the past few months. I enjoy getting mail myself, and my P.O. Box has been quite empty recently. Send me a postcard at P.O. Box 16294, Baton Rouge, LA 70893! I do take special requests, so if your mailbox has been empty too, send me your address in an email.

P.S. The Red Cross is running Holiday Mail for Heroes, so I'm including a link (www.redcross.org/holidaymail). Just watch the guidelines. I think they open all individual envelopes and scan for contraband, so cards, (up to 15 per sender) inscribed to "Dear Service Member, Family or Veteran," should be sent loose in a larger envelope. Do NOT send any personal information like an address or email address.

Ever have one of those days?

2009-11-07T19:06:00.008-06:00

This picture pretty much defines what my life has been like the past couple of weeks. NaNoWriMo has fallen by the wayside. Still digging myself out from the last avalanche of grading. Sleep? What's that?

On the bright side, I bought my ticket to Austria for Christmas (December 17-January 17!), I am taking this weekend to reassess priorities, and there were 100 pelicans flying over my apartment today!

For all the saints...

2009-11-01T19:24:00.006-06:00

The beautiful flowers arrived at my office on Friday, a gift from my father. The occasion? My father sends me flowers every year on October 30 to commemorate my mother's birthday. This year Mom would have turned eighty (she was born the day after the great stock market crash of 1929!) Mom was an extremely talented and beautiful woman, artistically gifted with limitless creativity (who else would have dressed their kid up as Mighty Mouse for Halloween?!). She wrote poetry and double acrostics (!) and made fried chicken and potato salad that people still rave about. But she was also one of those highly versatile and accomplished people who can't live up to their own dreams and expectations, and she died in September 2000. People tell me I inherited her creativity; I know I inherited her romantic view of the world.

Ave atque vale: My mentor, Roger Hornsby, passed away last week. My relationship to Roger goes back many years, even before my birth. The silver Tiffany cup in the photo above was his present to me when I was born. Roger was a tremendous influence, not just academically. He showed me Rome when I graduated from college and years later I showed him Vienna. I last saw Roger in August, and he was still perusing the train time tables for Europe as his bedtime reading. Those who knew him know that there was and will be no one like Roger Hornsby.

Also saying goodbye to Whiskey Widows:
Frances Paula Holliday
Dorothy "Dottie with the Body" Smith
and
Anna Kolder

Second time's a charm?

2009-10-20T15:23:00.004-05:00

I just got my first NaNoWriMo pep talk email, which means National Novel Writing Month can't be far off! I seem to have gotten sidetracked last year. Perhaps my new routine will be more conducive to writing the 50,000 words necessary to produce a worthy novel(la)! Anyone else out there participating?

A day at Avery Island

2009-10-18T07:23:00.018-05:00

After acres of sugarcane fields...a Zen Garden...

...complete with Buddha!

Tourists poking an alligator with a stick (sign didn't say "No Poking")...

Egrets content to eat fish...

A nice day to reflect!

Always look on the bright side of life

2009-10-15T22:03:00.013-05:00

[Monty Python whistling here]

This week has been devoted to "defragmentation." With my heart in Austria, my body in Baton Rouge, my head somewhere in between, and my possessions strewn from Hell to breakfast, I was feeling pretty fragmented. This was counterproductive to my teaching, grading, correspondence, eating and sleeping habits. So last weekend I had a couple of indoor project days (Target shelving unit with about 300 pieces), this week I've been grading like a wild woman, and I finally managed to get to the OMV and insurance office. I now have a Louisiana Brown Pelican on my license plate! And I only had to pay about half the fees I expected :-)

The insurance visit was a fiasco. After 45 minutes the agent still wasn't finished processing my information and I had to excuse myself to teach class. I was so annoyed! But on the way home, I was driving along one of those beautiful live oak-lined boulevards in the Garden District and saw what I thought was a big pigeon drinking from a rain puddle in the middle of the street. Turns out that it was no pigeon, but a sharp-shinned hawk! Luckily I had my camera with me. Ta-da!

(I love that you can see strands of old blackened Mardi Gras beads from the St. Patrick's Day parade that goes through the neighborhood! Kind of makes up for the fact that you can't see his head.)

So I think there's a reason for everything! If the insurance agent hadn't kept me so long, I never would have seen this hawk at precisely the moment he was getting a drink! Pretty cool, huh? Share your "bright sides" in the comments!

Night of the Gecko

2009-10-07T22:42:00.012-05:00

(A gecko looks a little like a transparent baby alligator)

My blogger friend over at An Extended Vacation has an anecdote about a gecko in the dishwasher which I thought I would follow up with a couple of my own gecko stories.

Gecko Tale #1: My first encounter with a Louisiana gecko (not to be confused with the charming anole) was a terrifying experience. I was looking for something under the kitchen sink when I moved one of those 2 quart Rubbermaid iced tea pitchers. A gecko had somehow managed to climb in, but because the sides were so high and slick, his little velcro paws couldn't get any purchase. Frustrated, Senor Gecko was running around in circles about 78 rpm around the bottom of the pitcher. I peered in to see what was causing all the fuss and saw this 4" translucent reptile with black buggy eyes and thought for sure it was a baby alligator! Like my friend at An Extended Vacation, I didn't go near the kitchen sink for weeks!

Gecko Tale #2: Getting ready for school one morning, I was looking for earrings in my jewelry box. I didn't have my glasses on, so I was Mr. Magoo'ing the offerings on the vanity when my eyes stopped on the lint roller about six inches from my face. The lint roller to which a gecko was stuck, and had been for some time! The gecko was still alive and allowed himself to be peeled off the sticky backing. We tried to rehydrate him with water, but whether he scampered off into the philodendron or was eaten by one of the local pigeons, we'll never know. Amusing in retrospect, but not at the time!

(Anoles, like chameleons, change color according to the environment)

On hot steamy nights like this one, you can count the geckos on the ceiling of any veranda Baton Rouge. Geckos and anoles are part of the Louisiana landscape. They eat bugs and are harmless... just as long as they stay outside where they belong!

Mozartgasse 13

2009-10-04T09:30:00.014-05:00

The past few months, as I've moved from Austria to Iowa to Louisiana, it's been difficult for me to define "home." After living like a guest in other people's houses for two years, surrounded by their furniture, sleeping on their bed linens, and using their pots and pans, I forgot what it was like to be truly on my own. I've been in my own place for three weeks now, and until this weekend I was still feeling displaced.

They say that home is where the heart is, and I feel most at home in Steiermark, the Green Heart of Austria. "Green" refers to the 58% uncultivated woodlands, but it also means a healthy lifestyle with affordable organic food and an emphasis on nature and the outdoors, and people who live lightly on the earth. As I was lamenting my return to Louisiana, my friends all asked me "Can't you create a little Austria in Baton Rouge?" Thanks to them, I've come to realize that home isn't just a physical address, it is a state of mind.

When I left the Enns Valley, friends Anita and Raimund gave me an Austrian house number, a substantial piece of red and white enameled tin, reminiscent of the Austrian flag. Since July 20, the first thing I've done when I've moved into a new place, however temporary, is hang this sign in a prominent location. It doesn't matter what physical location I'm in, I live at Mozartgasse 13.

The people who've visited seem to like it here. :-)

Another photo-inspired contest

2009-10-02T10:12:00.004-05:00

Check out my friend Angie's Short & Sweet Book Title contest. The contest runs through midnight, October 4, and she offers a choice of prizes for the winner. Even if you don't submit something, the entries so far are very entertaining! Tell her I sent you in the comments!

Whiskey and Funerals

2009-09-16T22:01:00.008-05:00

We buried Ms. Dottie last week... for those of you in the know, that's "Dottie with the Body." Dottie was a member of the Whiskey Widows, a select group of elderly women who lived in my old apartment complex. Ms. Dottie always introduced herself as "Hi, I'm Dottie... with the Body." Of course, she didn't introduce herself to me that way, but rather to the attractive young man who was helping me move in. Dottie was a bit of a flirt :-)

When I first arrived, I was greeted by a neighbor who said, "We have cocktails every day at 5:00 pm at Ms. Verone's. You have a standing invitation to join us." Ms. Verone was the widow of the lieutenant governor under Earl K. Long. She was in her mid-80s and owing to a bum knee, she was virtually confined to her apartment (except when she ventured out in her indestructible Lincoln Town Car). Her social life was the cocktail hour, and she entertained us with stories of Louisiana politics, and fed us appetizers like olive cheese balls* and shrimp salad. On LSU game day, there was always a crowd at Ms. Verone's.

Carolyn, Dottie, Frances, Jerry, Sue, Nancy, Fred

For every Whiskey Widow there's a story: Ms. Frances was the daughter of a publisher and taught in the Baton Rouge schools even though she didn't need the money. She owned half a condo on the corner of Esplanade and Bourbon Street in New Orleans. She was very generous with the key, and I stayed there at least twice. Ms. Doris was the secretary for five Louisiana governors, including Jimmie Davis (who wrote "You are my Sunshine"). Sue B. also worked for the Baton Rouge schools trying to make a difference. There are two Ms. Margarets and a BeBe, and a number of us who just like to be inspired by these phenomenal women.

Because of their advanced age, the Whiskey Widows are becoming rarer and rarer. Verone died in 2005, the weekend of Hurricane Rita. Sue B. and I crashed her funeral (a long, sad story, best saved for another time). Ms. Frances died this past summer. And now Dottie... with the Body.

Contrary to their moniker, the Whiskey Widows prefer vodka martinis with a green cocktail tomato. Drink one this weekend in their honor, and to the health of those remaining!

Joey and Dottie

* Verone's Olive Cheese Balls:

½ lb. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 stick butter, chilled and shredded
1 ½ cups flour
cayenne pepper
worcestershire sauce
Jar of pimiento-stuffed olives

Combine the shredded cheddar cheese, the cold shredded butter, flour and cayenne pepper to taste. Prepare as for a pastry dough/pie crust, adding just enough worcestershire sauce to hold the mixture together. Wrap individual olives in the dough about an 1/8 of an inch thick. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. TIP: These freeze well and can be reheated!

Movin' on up...

2009-09-16T18:43:00.005-05:00

This past weekend I moved into my own one bedroom apartment within walking distance of my office on the LSU campus. It's also within walking distance of the University Lakes. How cool is that?!

This is the third time I've moved in two months. First I had to pack up everything in Austria, leaving behind what I wouldn't need in Louisiana (sweaters, ski pants, winter coat, Eisstock) and I moved to Iowa for a month. Then I repacked all my belongings and moved to Baton Rouge, where I lived with very kind and generous friends for a month. Now I'm in a penthouse apartment (read: third floor) thanks to help of Expert Moving of Baton Rouge – I highly recommend them! I've learned much about myself during this move. When I moved everything into storage two years ago, I thought I really downsized. Looking at the mountain of boxes in the front room, I have no idea where I got all this stuff, what I did with it for all those years, and what the hell I'm going to do with it now. Most of it is books or kitchen supplies, which is I suppose natural for an academic whose hobby is cooking. What surprised me though is what I got rid of... I gave away my favorite bookshelf, which means I'm going to have to get another wall unit (for all the books in all those boxes). And things that I missed when I was in Austria (like a hubby, i.e. backrest for reading in bed) I evidently tossed. And I'm still missing a box of mixing bowls and measuring cups...

Well, back to unpacking. If anyone needs a set of Rosepoint crystal or books by Thucydides, let me know.

Assignment - Labor Day!

2009-09-04T07:46:00.008-05:00

For all my writer friends out there, here's a challenge! Select one of the photos below and use it as inspiration for a poem, or short story, or character sketch that you write over the Labor Day weekend. I'd love to read what you write (pocketjoey@gmail.com). And feel free to pass along the challenge. Who knows? I might be able to come up with some sort of reward for your LABOR!

Katrina Anniversary

2009-08-29T15:10:00.004-05:00

Last year, as Hurricane Gustav was bearing down on the Louisiana coast, I set down my thoughts about Hurricane Katrina, which happened four years ago today. For those who missed it, here are links to my Reflections on Katrina.

Read PART 1
Read PART 2
Read PART 3

Still as real and as surreal as it was on August 29, 2005.

Meanwhile, back at LSU...

2009-08-24T21:41:00.005-05:00

Today was the first day of classes at LSU. I left the house at 6:50 am, and arrived home at 6:10 pm. NOT my idea of fun! This is because my schedule has me teaching at 10:40 every day and until 4:30 every day except Fridays (when I get to leave at 3:30, woo hoo!) I will miss having Fridays off, but then, I don't have Mr. Scheer to arrange my schedule like he did for the last two years :-)

I've already met three of my classes and the biggest challenge so far seems to be Moodle, the online course "assistant" which would be fired if it was a human being. No one I've talked to likes it, neither faculty nor students. Oh, for the days of Semester Book!

I hope to be signing a lease tomorrow for an apartment on the LSU busline, so this traffic/parking nightmare will soon be a thing of the past!

It's not the heat, it's the humidity

2009-08-23T09:15:00.007-05:00

It's no secret that I despise Louisiana weather. Baton Rouge has a single forecast for July, August, and September: Low - 74ºF (23ºC), High - 93ºF (34ºC), thunderstorm between 3:00 and 4:00 pm. The only time it is bearable is between 7:30 and 8:30 in the morning, when the sun starts to burn off some of the morning humidity and the heat of the day hasn't hit yet. The humidity is usually as high as it can be for the temperature which makes the summers unbearable and the winters bone-chillingly cold. The best time to visit is in March/April, when there are also fresh Louisiana strawberries (!).

The thing I hate most about the humidity is the effect it has on my hair. And so I got a Louisiana friendly 'do -- don't be shocked when you see me on campus!

There is one advantage: most women look at least 10-15 youngers because the high humidity is good for the skin!

No photos allowed...

2009-08-20T11:48:00.002-05:00

Yesterday in my continuing hunt for decent living quarters, I was required to obtain my own background check for an apartment complex. One used to go downtown to the Baton Rouge Police Station to do this. Now it seems you have to go out to EBRPP, the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison, a low building surrounded by bail bond companies across from the Baton Rouge Metro Airport, where the gravel parking area was full of potholes, puddles and people just hanging around waiting for rides.

I checked in at the guard post and told the rather jovial deputy there that I needed a criminal background check on myself. "Why?" he asked, with just a hint of a smile. "Are you a criminal?" He continued his joking manner when I presented my Iowa driver's license as proof of ID. "Oh, well, IOWA... now that's a different matter altogether." He sent me back to my car, because you are permitted to take only your car keys, a photo ID and cash into the prison. Anything else is considered contraband. When I returned from stowing my purse and other belongings in the trunk (after all there were lots of people hanging around the parking lot waiting for rides), I entered the prison. I passed through security and proceeded to a rather large, minimally air-conditioned room to wait for my background check.

About 20 people were waiting, and I thought "This is going to take forever." Baton Rouge is about 60% black so I wasn't surprised that there were only four white people in the waiting room. Most of the people waiting were overweight moms with kids ranging from babes in arms to about seven. The boys without exception were wearing Nike Air Jordan athletic shoes, and the moms were wearing Payless specials. One little boy about three had his hair in cornrows and looked like he'd grow up to play football for LSU. A little girl was still wearing her school uniform and had multiple ponytails with lots of color coordinated bows.

So we're waiting and there's strangely very little conversation. I shared a lot of smiles with the young mothers and their carefree children. Then the deputy from the guard post came in and read off a list of names. After each name, a woman and her family would stand up and follow the prison guard out into the courtyard. Only then did I realize these folks were not here for their criminal background check as I was. They were there to visit their brothers/boyfriends/husbands/loved ones in prison. A half hour later they returned, some with eyes red with tears.

In the meantime, the people who worked behind the presumably bullet-proof glass of the bonding and criminal background check office were suffering as much as we were, and a janitor brought each one of them a long sheet of paper towel to wipe their sweaty brows. Eventually I got the official document showing that I have a clean criminal record (at least in Louisiana!) and left the prison just in time for the three o'clock thunderstorm. The ubiquitous deputy offered to escort me back to the guard post under his big green umbrella, which was useless against the pelting rain. By the time I reached my car I was soaking wet. But the impressions of the day cannot so easily be washed away.

Tell me a story...

2009-08-19T09:26:00.005-05:00

When I set off to Austria in September 2007, I wanted to accomplish three things:

1) improve my German
2) discover if I could actually "live" in Austria
3) figure out what I want to be when I grow up

The easiest decision was #3. After a month or so of doing academic research, I realized that I don't need to be a professor at a high-powered research university to be happy. I'd much rather stand before a class of students and tell stories, and if that doesn't earn me the big bucks, well, I've proven that I can live comfortably on less than €1000 a month ($1300-1400 depending on the exchange rate). While I don't want to do academic research, I do want to write. So when I'm not at school I will be working on stories that have rattled around in my brain for far too long.

Integrating into the culture (#2) depends a lot on communication (#1). The first year in Austria all of my friends were either native English speakers, teachers of English, or people in the Enns Valley who spoke dialect nearly exclusively. It was frustrating to understand only 40% of the conversation.

What a difference a year makes! The adult English classes in Aigen gave me a chance to get to know people my own age who understood that communicating in a foreign language is difficult. I helped them with their English, and they helped me improve my German (or at least my Stoansteirisch!) I no longer sit silently in the corner because I can't follow the conversation. In fact, I might even tell a story or two!

Biscuits for Breakfast!

2009-08-18T08:52:00.004-05:00

Will y' look at dem dere biscuits?!

Until I find an apartment I'm staying with dear friends in the Baton Rouge area. Yesterday morning I woke up to fresh, flakey southern-made biscuits, which we ate with homemade apricot jam -- from Vienna! I guess that's what you'd call a cross-continental breakfast!!

SHIFTING GEARS

2009-08-15T11:11:00.005-05:00

"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

No, Toto, we're in Baton Rouge, Looziana. And the intended blog audience (blog-ience?) has shifted from my friends and family in the States to my friends and "family" in Austria. Still providing cross-cultural insights and hoping to entertain with pictures and stories, but now focusing on life on the Mississippi (with apologies to Mark Twain).

How I ended up back in Baton Rouge is an epic tale, as twisted as Austrian bureaucracy. Suffice it to say that my visa ran out and I returned to Iowa in July. Luckily, LSU had generously granted me a two-year leave of absence so I had a job to come back to in the middle of an economic crisis. I drove to Louisiana this past week in a newly acquired 2005 Chevy Cobalt, and am currently gearing up for the fall semester which starts August 24.

Because I don't want to lose contact with anyone, I've updated my email, Skype, Facebook, cell phone at right. As for my address, I can send you my Post Office Box number on request!

Good to see all my friends again, and I'm counting the days until Christmas break!

Update coming soon...

2009-08-08T10:07:00.002-05:00

All about what I learned during my two years in Austria, my return to the land of round doorknobs, and buying a car that will take me to Louisiana next week!

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-20T06:51:00.045-05:00

Joey and DoD's EXCELLENT Adventure
(in about 50 Words Per Day!)

May 26: The adventure begins! Party at Stainach for Joey's last day (with champagne between classes!). Arrived in Bavaria for dinner at Haus Brannenburg and planned to spend the evening on the balcony relaxing. Dramatic windstorm -- went to bed as soon as the drama could no longer be seen from my window!

May 27: Joey up before 6:00 – walked 25 minutes in the rain to train station. Met DoD on time at Munich airport – relief! Rented Mercedes (!) from EuropCar after Budget lost reservation. Drove to Brannenburg. Ate lunch, walked into town, had coffee, took pictures, walked back to hotel, ate dinner. Admired the view!

May 28: A gray day. Breakfast, then off to Rottach-Egern am Tegernsee where authors Ludwig Thoma and Ludwig Ganghofer lived and are buried. Made pilgrimage to Thoma house, now a private home. Lunch, then on to the Ennstal! DoD safely ensconced in Glitschnerhof – a working farm. Soup and salad at Im Dörfl.

May 29: Early sun. Coffee in Aigen. Spent the morning in Pürgg visiting church and chapel with 11th-13th c. frescoes – Beautiful, but cold and windy! Lunch in Aigen after rain began. Joey tutored some folks in English, then her friends joined us for dinner at Im Dörfl, a 19th c. style inn.

May 30: Another gray day. Coffee in Aigen. Early start to author Peter Rosegger's stomping grounds. Lunch in Krieglach. Curator of country house remembered us from four years ago. Rainy and cold visit to the church and cemetery in St. Kathrein. Lots of slugs! Fabulous dinner in Alpl. Slept with the heat on!

May 31: 35º F! Climbed 1.8 km (600 m!) to Rosegger's birthplace; sun burned off lingering fog. Visited Rosegger school. Paid respects at Rosegger's grave. Returned to Ennstal, ate ice cream. Walked around Putterer Lake. Saw ruins of St. Aegydius church. Drove Mercedes on cowpath high above Donnersbach in vain search for food.

June 1: Rain in the morning. Coffee in Aigen. Friend Brigitte led tour through Trautenfels Palace – natural and social history of Ennstal in one cool building! Special exhibit on birds. Lunch at fish restaurant. Coffee with friend Sigi in Irdning. Dinner in Pürgg at Krenn, a very cosy inn with a view!

June 2: Our day in Admont, which boasts the largest monastery library in the world. Adding to the newly refurbished library frescoes, goldleaf and sculptures, is a special exhibition of manuscripts, some dating to the 11th century. Back to Irdning so Joey could tutor, then dinner at the fish restaurant with colleague Bernhard.

June 3: Visited Joey's school and met her colleagues. Joey tutored until 1:00 pm. Lunch in Stainach. Drove to Bad Aussee, the geographical center of Austria,marked with a giant Mercedes symbol. DoD bought Austrian jacket. Then to Wörschach where we toured the Wolkenstein ruins with Sigi. Dinner in Wörschach, house platter for three!

June 4: Late start. Leisurely coffee in Stainach. Visited Joey's school again. Friend and colleague Ingrid led us on a car chase to Öblarn where we met friend and colleague Theresia and husband for lunch, followed by a private tour of author Paula Grogger's house. Coffee at Ingrid's. Fabulous dinner at Brigitte's.

June 5: Bad Ischl – toured imperial gardens, ate at Zauner Restaurant AND Zauner cafe, which existed at Franz Josef's time. Paid homage to Franz Lehar at his former villa. Dinner at the Knödelalm with Irene and Rob. Dumplings filled with cracklins or spinach as entree, and with jam or chocolate for dessert!

June 6: Left Glitschnerhof mid-morning and set off to Radstadt in search of Roman milestones – which we missed :-( Had great lunch in Radstadt then drove to Munich to drop off Mercedes. Ate at sketchy inn where the proprietor looked like Mr. Allnut from the African Queen. Overnight accommodations in Schwaig.

June 7: Dawn broke at about 4:30 am. Joey escorted DoD to airport at 7:00 am and poured him onto the plane. Joey proceeded to Ennstal, and further to Salzkammergut where she attended a rehearsal of IRISHSteirisch and embarked on a short Austrian journalism career. Dad arrived safely in Moline at 5:05 CDT.

DoD,

Herzlichen Dank

für die wunderschönen Tage im Ennstal!

Alles liebe, Joey

Now is the month of May!

2009-05-06T12:23:00.003-05:00

It's been quite a while since I wrote, eh? Shouting for updates, are you?! Well, my adoring public, your wish is my command!

Spring has finally sprung in the Enns Valley and not a moment too soon! Spring break began on April 4, when I traveled to beautiful Stift Göttweig for Literatur und Wein (Literature and Wine). For two evenings, my friends and I listened to contemporary authors read from their works, interspersed with musical interludes. Each author was sponsored by a different vineyard and there was wine tasting throughout the evening. On Saturday afternoon we toured the Wachau Valley, with vineyards lining the Danube River.

I spent a few days in Vienna with my friends Kurt and Annemarie. We played lots of games and spent hours on the terrace enjoying the spring weather. We also went out to dinner with friends Gaby, Artur and Kathi whom I hadn't seen in ages!

When I returned to the Enns Valley, Easter week was in full swing. On Saturday I ate two traditional Easter dinners. By traditional, I mean laden with cholesterol (mine is currently 258...)! It is traditional to go to church on Saturday morning and have meat blessed by the priest. This meat (various ham, smoked pork, and tongue) is then served with slightly sweet Easter bread and generous amounts of horseradish. There are also radishes and colored eggs... girls are supposed to give a red egg to the boy they like! That night, we had an Easter bonfire in Irene's Garden. On Easter Sunday, we repeated the process. The Easter Bunny had visited overnight and brought me a bicycle (I am one of the few people who actually forgot how to ride a bike... last year, I forgot to pedal and slowed down to the point that I just toppled over like Arte Johnson's old man character on Laugh-In!). But I've relearned the basics, and I have a helmet just in case. Now I'm a little more mobile!

A couple of weeks ago I spent a beautiful spring day in the south of Styria. I visited a colleague on his farm, then met up with friends in Leibnitz for the Austrian Blues Masters concert, headlined by "Sir" Oliver Mally. You know he's one of my favorites, and he didn't disappoint! I even got my picture taken with him before the show began (thanks!).

So what else has been keeping me busy? Last week, my students at Stainach and I presented an evening of theater, poetry, satire and lectures about women's status throughout the world. Entitled Pandora's Legacy, the program was was quite well attended and the students did a marvelous job! The people who attended said that they really enjoyed the topics and the high level of English that the students presented. I am so proud of everyone who pitched in to help make the evening a success!

This past weekend was May Day in Austria. For more, please see my Kleine Zeitung blog at www.meinekleine.at/gastspiel.

A new blog!

2009-04-28T02:41:00.006-05:00

Hello All! An update is coming soon, but I wanted y'all to know about a blog I've been asked to write in English for an Austrian newspaper. Please check out GASTSPIEL ("Guest Performance") at http://www.meinekleine.at/gastspiel

If there is enough interest in the blog (i.e. if there are enough "hits"), the Kleine Zeitung says it will publish my own page in the newspaper!

Thanks for your support!

Change the Conversation - 03.31.09

2009-03-30T10:47:00.001-05:00

Mind the Gap!

2009-03-28T13:15:00.014-05:00

Sorry about the interruption in service. A lot has happened since I last wrote. For one thing, it's snowed nearly every day. Six inches covered the pretty little crocus in the last post. Luckily I wasn't in Austria for most of the snow, because I accompanied Form 7B to London, where it was cold but springlike! Here's Kensington Park and our glorified youth hostel, The Royal Bayswater Hotel, in the background (left).

We were in London for five days and change, and we saw soooo much! We saw Portobello Road on Market day (cue the song from Bedknobs and Broomsticks), Camden Town, Covent Garden, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral (above). We went to the British Museum where I saw the Etruscan sarcophagus of Seianti Hanunia Tlenasa. It was like running into an old friend, because I've taught Seianti in Women in Antiquity and Roman Archaeology for so many years.

We also went to the Tate Modern Museum, and I went to the National Gallery. We spent time at the London Dungeon and at Madame Tussaud's. Here I am with William Shakespeare:

Speaking of Shakespeare, we also went to the Globe Theater, which was one of the highlights of the trip. Here you can see part of the stage, the seating, and the thatched roof (first in London since the Great Fire of 1666):

On Tuesday evening, we all went to one of two musicals. I went to Chicago which was quite entertaining, but then I was familiar with all the songs from high school; the others went to The Phantom of the Opera. We took a river cruise to Greenwich, but a sudden downpour kept us from visiting the prime meridian. marker. An hour later the sun was shining (sunset over Hyde Park)!

On Thursday, I took a day for myself while the students went to Cambridge. The highlight of my trip was cream tea at Fortnum and Mason, a fancy department store in Piccadilly. I was joined by an elderly gentleman who had lived in the U.S. for 15 years and we had a nice chat.

The students were so awesome! No one fought, got in trouble, was injured, went missing. Sometimes they even spoke English! :-) And despite the fact that breakfast was a nightmare (standing room only with only toast, cornflakes and instant coffee), some rooms had no electricity, others had flooded bathrooms, and it took 45 minutes for water to boil on the antiquated stoves in the kitchen area, we still had a marvelous time!

Thanks, 7B, for inviting me to go along! You ROCK!

The first crocus of Spring

2009-03-17T08:13:00.002-05:00

It's a beauty, isn't it? Can sunny days and grill parties be far off?

P.S. Happy St. Patrick's Day, y'all!

...but winter isn't!

2009-03-09T11:15:00.015-05:00

UPDATE: Due to the danger of AVALANCHES, the highway

that passes by Irdning at Trautenfels has been closed.

Check out this link for villages that are completely snowed in! http://steiermark.orf.at/stories/348425/

Pruggern (center black pixel is a sledder!)

March in the Ennstal is nothing more than a taunting game of weather roulette. It's too warm for ice skating or Eisstockschießen. A week ago Irene and I went sledding in Pruggern under gorgeous sunny skies. On Sunday my friends and I dined al fresco at their alpine cabin (40˚F!). Pussywillows are in bloom everywhere and there are snowdrops in Irene's garden. Ants have invaded the apartment in Irdning, another sign that fair weather can't be far behind. But right now it is snowing; in fact it has been snowing off and on for the past three days.

It's enough... it reminds me of a song that we learned in junior high school (copyright Mr. Bowles, wherever he may be):

I just can't sit around waiting for winter to melt into spring

Because summer's just gonna be too late, and I know

Deep down way under the ground there are flowers

Just waiting to blossom and winter is gonna make them wait...

Day after day as I sit and listen springtime is trying to propose

Beckoning through all the ice and snow to daisies and iris

and violets and roses.

So maybe if all of us sing about sunshine

and flowers that bloom in the springtime

Wait, isn't that when April showers?

And summer when temperatures rise to a

hundred and twenty degrees in the shade

That's when summer's got to go.

By then I'll be wishin', forget about fishin'

By then I'll be wishin' for snow!

The party's over...

2009-02-25T11:52:00.018-06:00

Another Mardi Gras season has come and gone. In Austria, they call it Fasching, but it's still a crazy time when usually sane people take the opportunity to act a little insane. Here are some Fasching highlights from this year.

I made a King Cake (from scratch, mind you!) for my colleagues on our first day back at school (January 7). A pecan nut was substituted for the baby. We had done this little ritual last year, and everyone remembered how traumatized one of my male colleagues was when he thought he had to "bake" a King Cake for the next gathering, not "bring" one. Said colleague wouldn't touch this year's cake, and strangely enough, the last piece of cake was the one with the baby (not that I'm accusing anyone of cheating...)

It seems that Austrians do not enter into the spirit of King Cake like we do. Instead, they serve Faschingskrapfen, which are big, fluffy jelly donuts filled with apricot jam and covered with powdered sugar. I've eaten about eight in the past two days, and if I never eat another one it will be too soon.

We served King Cake at a small, impromptu gathering last week. In the meantime, my parents had sent a box of Mardi Gras beads, which really helped us get into the holiday mood!

In Austria, it is traditional to dress in costume for Fasching. We had a costume ball at school on February 13, dressed in costume for dance class the next week (see below), then went Eisstockschiessen (and barhopping) the next weekend. The Usual Suspects

Finally on Fat Tuesday, most of the students and faculty went to school in costume. I went as the goddess Diana (here with my dance teacher, Heidi):

Post #100

2009-02-20T01:52:00.012-06:00

It's all about communication, folks!

Recently one of my English classes was discussing the addictive qualities of the Internet. Some students cited social networking sites (like Facebook and MySpace) as the place where they spend most of their time online. I asked them if they were addicted to the Internet per se or if they were addicted to the limitless methods of communication that the web provides. This got us all to thinking...

I'll be the first to admit that I have been addicted to communication since my teens. In junior high, I used to charge fountain pens and stationery to my mother's account at Pearson's Drug Store just to feed my addiction. In those days I wrote letters to friends I met on vacation in Minnesota, to people who had moved from Iowa City to Arkansas, to my penpal in Devon, England, and to a boyfriend who lived 500 miles away. It was such a thrill every day to see what the postman had brought, and such a downer when there was a Federal holiday and mail wasn't delivered.
My father is the world master grand champion at this sport. I have collected hundreds of letters and postcards from him over the years. When I was a child he'd send me postcards from Austria with pictures of Mecki the Hedgehog and the Lindwurm in Klagenfurt. Then when I traveled abroad or was at graduate school, he wrote me a letter every.single.day. Even when I was married, I received a postcard or some other communication from him every day. Now 5000 miles away in Austria I still get at least 2 cards, 3-4 emails and we talk once a week.

The internet has certainly simplified the process of communication. How easy it is to keep in touch with people, to chat with them pixel for pixel in real time, or to find them after 25 years of "I wonder whatever happened to..." And yet, I find that people are much less communicative than they used to be. It's easy to think "I have so-and-so's email address, I can email him whenever I want..." or "She's my friend on Facebook, so obviously I'm thinking about her." But is it really enough? Yes, it was a pain to find a piece of paper that wasn't stained with coffee or chewed by the cat, to find a pen that actually worked, to find where that damned address book was (behind the fishtank among the dustbunnies), to find a stamp -- and not just any stamp, but one that somehow complemented the stationery you'd written on or the theme of the letter you were sending. But it was worth the hassle to present your words on a piece of paper you'd touched that could be savored by the recipient and placed into a metal "love letters" box or a basket on the credenza for future enjoyment.
My favorite communication of all time came from an old boyfriend when I was living in Missouri. He wrote 8-10 pages of heart-felt prose over several days, and compiled a CD of music he was listening to when he wrote it. I read the letter while listening to the CD and felt immediately re-connected.

Communication: It's all about connection and shared experiences. I don't need fancy gifts or flowers or chocolate, I need to know that someone very far away is thinking of me as fondly as I think of them. It doesn't have to be with pen and paper, a simple email will do. And although I try, I know I don't write my peeps as often as I should or would like to. I'll try to do better. In the meantime, here's what Pliny the Younger had to say about personal communication:

Dear Fabius Justus,
You haven't sent me any letters for ages. You say, "There's nothing to write about." Then simply write that there's nothing to write about, or write only what people used to begin their letters with: "If you are well, I am well." This is enough for me, in fact it is the best I can hope for. Do you think I'm joking? I'm begging you in all seriousness. Let me know how you are, because otherwise I can't go on not knowing without the greatest amount of concern. Farewell.

Now, don't you have someone in your address book who needs to hear from you by email, postcard, or letter? Do it. Now! (and leave a comment while you're at it!)

Happy President's Day!

2009-02-16T14:46:00.004-06:00

Since I mentioned Barbara's Bake Shoppe in the last post, I thought we'd take a little trip down Memory Lane.

Barbara's Bake Shoppe was located on Washington Street in Iowa City, roughly two blocks from Schaeffer Hall where my father had his office. Every morning when I was in college, Dad would give me money and send me to Barbara's. There I bought him a plain cake doughnut and a black coffee, and I would get a half pint of milk and some delectable pastry. I think maple snails were my favorite, with thick maple flavored icing. Running a close second were the raspberry jelly sticks, which were made of puff pastry about a foot long, criss-crossed with white icing, and which would disintegrate after one bite into a pile of crumbs on your lap. You also couldn't beat their chocolate covered cake doughnuts. In February Barbara's celebrated Valentine's Day and President's Day with everything cherry flavored: snails were covered with cherry icing, the jelly sticks had cherry filling, etc. I would then trudge back to Dad's office carrying a little white bag of goodies and we'd have breakfast using his big Steelcase desk as a table. Only after we had completed this ritual could the day begin.

Try as I might, I can't find any pictures to accompany this post. You'll just have to use your imagination, and leave further Iowa City reminiscences in the comments!

The Contemplative Turtle

2009-02-07T02:35:00.013-06:00

I made this in my first pottery class as my animal totem

Although I'm still not talking about my age again (ever!), my birthday continues to be celebrated. My friends surprised me with a birthday party on the 23rd, and gave me the most marvelous gifts for body, mind, and soul. Yesterday, I received two more gifts: my very own Eisstock (a game in which I still continue to amaze my colleagues and friends with my prowess):

...and The Original Recipes of Bushnell's Turtle. Bushnell's Turtle, what's that? Glad you asked!

The *original* Bushnell's Turtle was a submarine used in the Revolutionary War. A couple in Iowa City called their restaurant Bushnell's Turtle - Home of the Original Submarine (as in sandwich). Although this eatery closed in 1994, it has achieved cult status, chiefly due to the cartoonist Berkeley Breathed. When he left Iowa City in 1985, Mr. Breathed drew an editorial cartoon featuring Bloom County characters Opus and Binkley sitting on the downtown fountain (not the new one, the one that looked like three ladies peeing on the ped mall... do a google picture search for Iowa City Fountain and it will be the first result). In the cartoon Opus the Penguin was waxing philosophic about leaving Iowa City, with a soliloquy that went something like this: "Iowa City... How will I miss thee? Let me count the ways... I will miss the swellest public library west of the Mississippi, the wild women of Barbara's Bakeshop, the obscenely yummy hot turkey sandwiches at Bushnell's Turtle, and the criminally obnoxious name 'Things Things Things. Yes! Yes! I will miss everything about Iowa City!" To which Binkley responds "Except the water... the water tastes like Spic'N'Span." (The original cartoon hangs today in the Iowa City Public Library, natch).

Sadly, none of the businesses that Mr. Breathed and Opus raved about on the front page of the Press-Citizen are still operating.

These two gifts (the Eisstock and the cookbook) represent the two places which have had such a profound influence on my life. Iowa City has always been the center of my universe, where family and familiar converge. But Austria is still where I feel most at home.

Last year, as I was about to leave Austria for a summer in Iowa City, I had a dream. As with all my dreams, it was taken directly from life. I had just attended a graduation ceremony where the students gave their form teacher the class turtle named Einstein. In my dream, I was carrying the terrarium and it tipped over. Einstein was ripped in half, and I kept trying to put him back together, with no success. Dream interpretation, anyone?

Turtle has been my nickname since I was about 13. I was sitting on the front porch in a beanbag chair waiting for my best friend to arrive. I threw the beanbag over my shoulder to carry it inside and Robin (who not-so-coincidentally gave me the Bushnell's Turtle cookbook) said I looked like a turtle. In what ways have I embraced this totem? Well, turtles carry their homes on their backs, and I've proved that I can live with very few possessions. Like a turtle, I am slow and deliberate, almost to a fault. And turtles protect themselves by pulling their head and legs into their shell and waiting until the threat has passed.

Like Einstein the turtle, I guess that I am feeling torn between my two worlds. When threatened with making a potentially rash decision, I would rather pull in my head and close myself off than actually face the many uncertainties that lie ahead. Uncertainties like whether I'll still have a job in the fall, will I make it as a writer, should I apply for Austrian residency on the off chance I could get a job here? But decisions need to be made soon, and the only way to make them is to meet them head on.

In memoriam, Kent W. Parks, January 10, 1964 - February 7, 1993.