There have been several occasions since my last post when I had an idea for something I wanted to write here, but I was busy and didn't make the time. Now that I am writing...can't remember or don't seem relevant any longer, LOL. I know, saw Barenaked Ladies at the Egg last Friday (sixth time we've seen them, and they were awesome, as always), and one project I am working on for the Village that I am really excited about: Repair Cafe (July 15). It will be the first in the Capital District!

Some recent pictures.

My view is a construction site.

Fun day

Purple hair and Beagle-Proof Fence coming soon

I am so excited...going to the first day of the NYS Fair! I've never been to the fair before (hard to believe). BNL is going to play! Great way to celebrate summer as the new semester looms.

More progress on the Beagle Proof Fence. The musket slot is so the Beagles can still monitor critters. (We'll add 2-3 more).

Almost finished with grades! Tonight we are going to Advent Lessons and Carols at the Parish of St. John the Evangelist and St. Joseph in Rensselaer. Four choirs from Southern Rensselaer County (including ours) will be participating. Can't wait!

One Beagle +

 One Beagle =

Two Beagles!

Welcome to your forever home, Harry.

PS BNL @ Tanglewood was awesome!

"When it rains it pours" has been this summer's mantra, although in literal terms we've gone from nonstop rain to nonstop heat & humidity. The cliche works for my life right now, though. Sam...my lifelong "best" friend's mother passed away on Sunday...my mother had surgery on Monday. (She's doing well.) I resumed my routine yesterday, after sleeping in (til 10) for the first time in weeks. I have some teaching-related tasks that I need to accomplish but it's all very do-able.

We had Sam cremated on Sunday at Breezy Nook Pet Crematory (highly recommended), I created a tribute album on FB, performed the sad task of putting away his "things." He lived life to the fullest, even though he only had eight years. But he is no longer suffering. It is hard to believe that two months ago he was his powerhouse self. He remained vital until about three weeks before he died. His death was peaceful, more so than any of my other pets, but the last couple days were tough. He passed away in the yard, with Bob and I sitting with him. I was petting him.

Bob has been encouraging me to look for the next dog. It doesn't take much pushing of course, as I know I won't wait long, but so far I have not made a major effort. I know it will be a male dog, and about 25 pounds. It is too difficult physically for either of us to get another large dog. I don't think it can be another senior, even though Rosie is a treasure. But Edna died in 1999, Ande in 2010, Sophie in 2012, and now Sam in 2013. Four pets in 3.5 years has tested both of our endurance, and Rosie is 9. So while we don't want a puppy, this dog must be "young enough."

We went to the Troy Pig Out on Saturday (it was HOT), took Rosie with us (she was a big hit), and General Joe's BBQ took second place in ribs and 11th place overall!

This weekend we will head to Samsonville. Seems like forever since we've been there. Tuesday: Barenaked Ladies at Tanglewood!! Can't wait.

"Ignorance is bliss" and "the unexamined life is not worth living;" was Thomas Gray or Socrates closer to the truth? I often ask students to reflect on and discuss quotes and the one from Socrates generally is favored more by them. I don't think Gray meant this exactly -- but I do wonder if being shallow or self-reflective leads to greater happiness. Not that I think "deep" people are necessarily less satisfied than others; the ignorant have their share of disappointments too.

I was thinking about this the other day (ironically as I was performing the rote task of cleaning the cat box). It isn't the only time I've turned the dilemma over in my mind, and this time it wasn't just to amuse myself while doing something unpleasant (though that would have been a good enough reason) but because I am engaged in a difficult and rewarding project -- creating a new syllabus for a class I am going to teach for the first time this summer.

I am going to attempt a blended learning class again, after what I consider to be a disaster with that type of delivery (in 2008). This time the class will be graduate, and I am going to use a combination of face-to-face on campus, web conferencing, and online.

To that end, I am likely going to buy a new laptop. I don't have a camera for video recording, and although I know I could get by with audio and text web conferencing, I want the option of video. It will also allow me to take the current laptop to Samsonville, because the desktop there is minimal (can risk a decent wired machine there with the chance of lightening strikes) and I hate packing up the laptop to schlep it back and forth.

I've also created a reader for the class, sort of like a course pack of journal articles, but instead of photocopies, this is a real book that will also be available as an e-book. I am so happy with the experiment that I will do the same with foundations and toleration in the future.

So aside from grading "papers" from this semester, this is what has been occupying me. I've had a productive break, and in spite of my prediction otherwise, feel pleased by my progress. The on campus meeting yesterday was interesting (for a task force about online teaching and learning that I am on), and I feel in fairly good shape for this semester. More "papers" to go, but I'll get there.

In other news, we got tickets for BNL at Tanglewood in July. (Really good tickets, in fact!) And, I am successfully managing to (re-)read The Winter of Our Discontent a little at a time, without letting it take over my life and crowd out all else. This is the third book I've been able to read this way, and I'm pleased.

I bought a recumbent bike, which will be delivered this week. (One more effort to combat my aversion to formal exercise.) Spring (not that it feels like it) and summer invitations are starting to arrive. Will have to be careful about not getting too booked up. Things are good!

What a beautiful night it was for the food festival, and Eddie Money was great! One thing that was funny, though - he said he grew up in Greene County, in a town called Phoenicia! LOL! If it was Phoenicia, that doesn't speak well of my alma mater's teaching of local geography. (But if we blame elementary school rather than junior or senior high, at least it wasn't the one I attended.) If it was Greene County...not my district.

I actually do remember learning geography in school, but nothing local; it was only the capital cities of other countries. I don't remember what grade that was, but I do remember the teacher was male. It was a memorization exercise in social studies, and he used one of those wonderful visualization tricks for remembering things: one example, he said picture a turkey with an anchor around its neck, and so I still remember Ankara, Turkey.

Yikes. 

Added: Really good column this week! 

And: I've written here that the container tomatoes are huge, but a picture is worth a thousand words in this case.

Today I spent two hours watering, weeding, weed whacking, picking produce and taking pictures. Just so I'm not only about happy flower and veggie snaps:

Uh-oh! This is what squash bugs do to curcurbits! And right on the verge of the cucumbers being ready. I will be spending some time among my vines, crouched down like a cat ready to pounce on a critter. I don't know whether squash bugs are in the category of love me or hate me, probably they are indifferent. Regardless, I have zero affection for them. The vermin will not win.

This reminded me of something I forgot to mention when I wrote about the concert. We lingered until the last encore, allowed the mob to rush out ahead, and play demolition derby in the parking lot. As we were walking out, I noticed the lawn was littered with all sorts of crap. The audience was mostly not college students, not that being 20-something is an excuse. The majority were 30-something and 40-something. Why are people such slobs? Yes, staff will clean it up, but so what?

Aside from the racino part (it's no secret how I feel about that) this was LOL-funny!

Back to happy gardening pics:

 The eggplant grows very slowly...but it's a-comin'

 Today's harvest

 Coleus always does well...its neighbor in the left corner is oregano

Almost forgot! A picture of General Joe's BBQ is on page B2 of the TU today.

Added: I wondered if anyone in this list shared my birthday...James Gandolfini!?

 

Nice long weekend! The concert at SPAC was great. Of course my favorite was BNL. I could have gone just to hear them, but it is long ride and it would have wasted the tickets, which I would not do. It lasted over 4 1/2 hours! Beautiful night, if a tad hot. I got some bug bites on my ankles, although we sat inside. The lawn smelled strongly of "Off" so it must have been brutal out there. 

The bands mostly played their older stuff, much of it songs that had received radio play, I guess because they had to appeal to a broad range. I was very surprised to see that the entire balcony, plus both left and right sides of the rear orchestra section were empty! A sign of the bad economic times? Lots of boarded up and for sale stuff in Saratoga in general. I am somewhat despairing about when it will get better. Feels so much like the late '70s.

There is a long list of rules for attending SPAC. There always has been, but it used to be very lightly enforced. I suspected it would be tight security now, but as it turns out, there were many folks taking pictures and doing other things that are supposedly not permitted. It was more orderly than it was the last time I was there, and there have been many good improvements and renovations. One rule is that you can bring in one factory sealed bottle of water per person, so I brought a pomegranate seltzer. For some reason, I forgot this always happens - and when I opened it...it sprayed all over me, Bob and the woman in front of me! Luckily it was a mellow crowd, and it wasn't soda!

Class ends tomorrow and grades are due late Tuesday. I have everything that I can evaluated, pending the assignments that are due tomorrow. I think it was a hard class for some students. That's always true, especially in the intensive summer online class, but the upgrade in blackboard made it more so.

So my thoughts are turning to the weekend. Bob is taking his vacation in several long weekends, either Monday or Friday or both. That works for us, since we want to go to the weekend house, but neither of us likes long breaks in our jobs, and we also don't like to leave our garden and flowers without tending for too long. This is one of those four "dayers," split between both houses and regions. Tomorrow we'll be swimming and Sunday we'll be seeing BNL at SPAC.

We both like to go to concerts and theater prepared - being familiar with the music. Once I had the course details (mostly) taken care of (there is always a loose end in teaching, it seems; students are sometimes unpredictable even to a veteran like me) I decided to download some MP3 songs. I very rarely download music, I find it easier to buy CDs.

The concert is kind of strange, there are four bands. I suppose it is because some would say BNL, Goo Goo Dolls and Michelle Branch never really achieved the pinnacle for very long, and now are past their prime. (The other band, Parachute, is new and not that well-known.) So a bunch of bands are needed to sell a lot of tickets.

I am a major BNL fan, one who came somewhat late to the party (about 10 years ago). They were popular in the '90s with folks a few years younger than me. I don't need to buy anything of theirs, I own every album (in some cases more than one copy), know every lyric for every variant of every song. Of course I was aware of Goo Goo Dolls and Michelle Branch, but I can't say I could identify anything specific. Parachute I'd never heard of.

We'd casually discussed listening to some of their music, but didn't make much effort beyond paying attention on the radio and maybe catching one song. So today I searched Amazon for their latest albums, figuring that would be better than greatest hits for being ready for the concert. (Die hard fans are debating the merits of the new stuff in the reviews; some are overjoyed to have new work, others are mourning the days gone by.) I don't listen to music on my cell or an ipod (and honestly, I often prefer silence so that is why this is such an ordeal), so I found three old writable CDs and managed to get it all to work!

This is one area where I am definitely not an early adopter of technology. I am way behind the curve, with no interest in catching up. I mean, I want to be able to do it, but I don't care to do it often, or to listen to music with ear buds while I work, etc. I'd say it is my age showing, except that I know a lot of people who are not young who are very interested and adept. I think it must be that silence preference, it makes me not interested - or else it is that I am enough of a jack of all trades, I can't fit in one more activity.

It did make me more excited about the concert, though. I played a bit of all three downloaded albums to test them, and they all sound right up my alley. (Yet still I am sitting here in silence.)

I had a really lovely weekend. Yard work figured into it prominently. There is nothing like the feeling of accomplishment from working outside. I just know in my blood I was meant to be a farmer! Last evening, we went to get a pizza after the long day of working in the yard and spied an abandoned vegetable stand on the way. I pointed it out, said that is the sort of place I want to patronize this year to buy my annuals. (If it was in business, that is!) Bob said wistfully, "I would love to chuck everything and open up something like that." Unfortunately after thousands of dollars of education and years of hard work of the mental variety, plus all the financial obligations that we've accumulated, that sort of lifestyle change isn't possible. And I know it may seem charming to a hobbyist, but it is a lot less romantic when it is the way one has to make a living. So I satisfy myself with some perennials and a few annuals, container tomato plants and three squares of carefully managed vegetable plantings. Oh, how could I forget? Also two days of haying in July, if my schedule matches with the timing (which is an opera).

The other thing that made yesterday particularly nice was that it was the 40th anniversary of our priest's ordination, and so the Mass had a few extra touches. We have a choir, band and musical director who are extremely talented. It's like going to a concert every Sunday, yesterday even more so. I also appreciated that there was no mention of the "rapture." Not that I expected it, but I know some clergy of other faiths planned to bring it up. The media was falling over themselves covering it, as if it was news worthy? Why?

Speaking of concerts, I bought tickets to see Bare Naked Ladies at SPAC in July. We rarely travel to SPAC any more; just don't go to concerts as often as we did, the ride to Saratoga is too far, and the last couple of times we went to SPAC we didn't enjoy the experience very much for various reasons. But I had to make an exception for BNL. They aren't playing alone, but with Goo Goo Dolls and Michelle Branch. I don't remember much of the music of either one so I'll have to get up to speed, but BNL could be playing with bands I hate and I wouldn't care.

On the subject of anniversaries: tomorrow we're off to Stockbridge to the Norman Rockwell museum (surprisingly, I've never been before) and the Red Lion Inn to celebrate ours! It's been two years since Bob was really well on this date, so this is major! For us it is about the equivalent of two weeks in the tropics since we do not really take vacations or even full days off. (Part* of that has to do with having two houses, it is the trade off one makes.) He was able to do some outside work yesterday, and I know he felt especially good resuming normal activities.

Finally: off to Samsonville for Memorial Day weekend! Really looking forward to it.

*not all, we never really did, even before the second home. Provincial me, I'm not much of a traveler.

I know it has been a while since I signed on, because the blogger dashboard is different tonight.

I got my grades done (I thought I had until 11:59 pm on the 21st...turns out that I was holding up the registrar from doing degree clearance for August graduates! Yikes! I am not sure if Lyme Disease has impacted my brain, or if the registrar was just hassling me). I failed two students and gave three D grades. I already had quite a go around with one of the students who failed. I suspect I will get some complaints, if not from another of those five then from one of the students who got C or B. There were quite a few A grades this summer also. That is the way summer is, students are either completely motivated, or total slackers.

I have three of my syllabi done, and the online class partially updated. I am always pushing deadlines, but this semester is ridiculous.

But I will get everything done tomorrow, and the weekend looks great for swimming. I am also going to plant spinach.

Last night we went to see Neil Diamond at the Times Union Center. (Note: it will always be the Knick Arena to me.) I am not a fan of his at all, in fact the only song that came to mind when I agreed to go was "Coming to America." (Turns out that was the encore.) We got the tickets for free, though, and who can say no to that? They were nosebleed, second row from the top, but even those go for $55 each. Apparently, when shows don't sell out, the unsold tickets are donated to charities, and become tax write-offs for the arena and entertainer. So that's how we got them.

It was a curious experience, watching the concert from so high up. I don't think I have ever sat so far away. It wasn't bad, actually, because it was not nearly as loud up there. And when you aren't a major fan, it is more comfortable to sit away from the groupies who were throwing underwear on the stage. Sometimes it was almost like being an observer, rather than a participant. The one drawback was that it was hot up there! It seemed that many people around me were afraid of heights. Despite my various phobias and neuroses, that isn't a problem of mine.

He played several songs from a new album (the standout was a song called "Pretty Amazing Grace,") and a lot of his old stuff. It turned out that I knew about three-quarters of them, for example "Sweet Caroline," "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" (a song I have never liked, but then I am not a Streisand enthusiast, and most recently she generates memories of my last root canal - when the dentist was playing one of her albums and I thought I would go insane), and "Forever in Blue Jeans."

He spoke about his faith and his Brooklyn childhood. There was a big screen behind the stage with close ups of the band, or sometimes with pictures of his family, from when he was a kid, so binoculars were not necessary. It was somewhat generic (he didn't mention Albany) and he didn't do that much chatting. There was no political commentary, which was a welcome change from most concerts I attend. I can't say it transformed me into a fan who will run out and buy his albums, but it was a surprisingly enjoyable night.

I almost forgot! Ande got his first mouse. He was so proud that he puffed up to twice his size, but even at that, he is still much smaller than Edna. She supervised. It was kind of awful in a way (I can't even kill spiders or ants), but on the other hand, getting rid of (indoor, he will never be allowed to get critters outside) pests is a great thing about cats. Both dogs were either afraid or disgusted, I couldn't tell which. They do not seem to have any instincts.

There are parents who put "my child is an honor student" bumper stickers on their car. And then there's me, recording my cat's first successful hunt.

Finally: some interesting links on Lyme Disease / transmission from insects other than ticks here.