she said carbon footprint!!!

Today, I was talking to my first niece, mostly about this and that, nothing special. Then we got on the subject of gas prices and gas mileage. And you know what she said? She said she wished she had a smaller vehicle that got better mileage, because she knows her carbon footprint is huge from one of the jobs she does (ferrying children in foster care around for their visits with their not-quite-suitable parents).
Wow! Did she really just say that???
I guess I am having an impact on at least one of my nieces and nephews.
I am so very proud of her!

no Goldilocks

Dear Tony,

First - excellent sermon. I am so proud of you for presenting such a good message about responsibility. And how very good that others took the message to heart and spoke with you afterward. That is definitely a positive event.

I do hope life is going well in your new building. I also hope you will soon be returned to the Y buildings, but I have to wonder: considering the timing of your sermon and your move, perhaps you are where you are needed at this moment in time? Perhaps you have met some men who are lost and need a lifeline back to shore? I certainly do not know, but I know to trust God and to observe and to think.

I am so glad your pain has been swept away! I know what a distraction pain can be, tempting dark negativity to one's thoughts. Ugh. But it sounds like you are back on an upward path and I am grateful for that.

Funny - when I sat down to write this card, I had thought I was going to talk about other things. Then I read your sermon and just let my pen write as my heart, head, and hand led.

Thank you for that path.

with my love!

goth grrl 2014

Goth Girl Blog Day has come yet again, and the world is still here.
THAT is a surprise.
Well, maybe. It depends on your perspective of heaven and hell.
If living here is hell, then the planet will no doubt exist forever.
If living here is heaven, then why do people still kill each other and why is there still so much sadness and why can't I find black nail polish with flat opalescent highlights?
I first saw a black opal in my brother's Guinness Book of World Records. Halley's Comet Opal is what they named the stone and it was found at a place called Lightning Ridge. The picture said it came from Australia, just like almost every other opal on this planet. It is so appropriate, though, that something so dark and beautiful comes from a lightning-struck area of the land Down Under, n'est-ce pas?
Get it?
I wish my mom would get a clue. She likes diamonds. Ugh. The more sparkly and bright-white, the better she likes them. Double ugh.
I want a black diamond.
Not those stones called carbonado. Sure, I like that they are three billion years old. But they aren't a single crystal, they're a collection of crystals. That sounds flimsy to me. Still, if they ever prove they came from a supernova, then I definitely want some. Even if the stones do look a little too shiny for goth wear.
Anthracite may be a cool word in the mouth, but it's full of rough edges. It's also just plain old coal, whether some people try to dress it up as "black diamond" or not. Surprisingly, it's shiny, too.
I'm not opposed to a synthetic black diamond. If there's one thing I've learned over the years from my mom's bff, it's this: synthetic substances are composed of the same, identical types of atoms, and quantities of those atoms, as the substances found in nature. So, a solid carbon diamond is a solid carbon diamond, whether the pressures and temperatures of the Earth made it or the pressures and temperatures in a laboratory.
So, scientists, listen up. This Goth Grrl has a task for you.
I want a flat, light-eating black diamond that tries to drag you into its depths while you look at it.
That would be amazing to own.
Amazing.
I would be the envy of all of my friends.
Like I'm not already.
Most of them don't know any scientists. I try to educate them, but it's an uphill battle.
I think if I could get the scientists to make the type of black diamond I want, then all of my friends would be more accepting of science in general and chemistry in particular.
I really want that black diamond.
I'm going to go and mope now.
And eat a sandwich.
And pretend that Sam Johnson is eating a sandwich with me and complaining about Miley Cyrus.

science nerd swag!

Seven hours of interacting with high school students as they compete for the opportunity to travel to Washington, DC, to represent Georgia in the National Science Bowl - wow.
That kind of satisfaction simply cannot be bought.
Thank-you's from the kids and coaches were especially gratifying.
Plus, I walked away with a spiffy new T-shirt and a shiny insulated lunch bag.
Life is good!

graze

Okay, admittedly,
I had my doubts about this program.
Healthy snacks by mail?
And the first box was free?
Yeah.
Just how big are the packages of snacks?
And how much will it cost me in the future?
Important questions.
I had spotted the ad in an issue of Rolling Stone, while looking for an article about one of my Kickstarter projects. Free food? No shipping and handling fees? Really?? What's the catch?
But I had pulled the page out and set it by the computer, to consider.
A week it sat there before I decided to give it a whirl.
First thing I noticed was they wanted a credit or debit card number.
Yup.
But they had that line: "your first box is free & you can stop deliveries any time."
Fine. That's what I would do. get the free box and jet outta there.
But I'm going to stay.
My first box arrived today, nestling inside my mailbox with the daily pleas from charities around the country, all waiting patiently for me to return from my day's activities.
First on the agenda was a faculty lecture about LGBTQ issues. I referred them to the First City Network, here in town for twenty-five years, and no one seemed to know about it. I must live in some different world than many of my colleagues.
Next was a two-hour meeting of the committee I have served on, actively, too, since Fall of 2011. (You may recall my fight to continue to serve for Student Success last fall.) We are meeting with the President of the university on Monday and wanted to have a brainstorm session. Lots of good ideas on how to keep students here; hopefully, other faculty will be supportive, but I doubt they will be in my department.
Afterward, I met with the physicist for dinner prior to the opening night's film of the 6th Annual Francophone Film Festival. We kept it latin-based and international, dining on Mexican fare at the last El Potro in town. We then returned for the festival! The film this evening, "Les Adieux a La Reine", was a cinematic feast in its own right, with lavish costumes and room decor, full of angst during the days immediately following Bastille Day. I can't say any of the characters are particularly likable, but their tale is engaging.
I had hoped to stay for the reception, but the bfe had to get home, having had a very early day and another in store, so off we jetted. Then I had returned to find a package in the mailbox.
I opened it, curious to see which of my selections might have been chosen for this free box. "My Thai", with its sweet chili sauce for dipping the soy crackers! "Apple Cosmo", featuring lime-infused apple slices, raisins, and cranberries! "Banoffee Pie", chock full of banana chips, fudge, almonds, and pecans! "Black Pepper Pistachios"! How very nice!
Good portion sizes, attractively - and ecologically - packaged treats. All for what would have been $1.50 per package, including shipping & handling. Six bucks per box of four snacks, flat fee, all included. All snacks portable, none needing refrigeration or heating, sized and ready to slip into a pocket or purse any time.

Yeah, I think I'll stay in the program!
I invite you to give it a whirl, too.
That's right, I said "invite."
You simply enter the code shown here and you can try them for free, like I did.
They are well aware of the power of word-of-mouth advertising, much like the restaurant Cheddar's is. Cheddar's began as a single casual cafe in Texas in 1979 and is still going strong, with restaurants all over the United States and zero dollars spent on advertising of any kind. It's all word-of-mouth business and it definitely works. No funds spent on advertising means a lower overhead for the business, allowing them to pass those savings on to you and me.
So, I invite you to try "graze".
Use the code "FAUSTI1ZB" (as in fausti 1 z b) and you'll actually receive TWO free boxes.
That's a treat that's doubly good!
What do I get? Well, I get $1 off my next box.
Win, win!

she's a beauty

Spring has sprung!
I saw my first gnats last night, struggling to break through the glass on the second floor of the Science Center.
(shiver)
They looked hungry, too.
And my Japanese magnolia is in full-TILT boogie mode, blooming like there's no tomorrow, like the only time is NOW, live for the moment and celebrate the WARMTH!

That's a good attitude!

small ones count too

A word on miracles...

Faustina, don't let those that have not yet transpired, blind you to those that have.

It really fouls things up.

Tallyho,
The Universe
*******************************************************

Yes, indeed.
I'll accept, with gratitude, every small miracle as its time arrives.
Thank you.
Today, I received a new key: a key to my new office, S[cience]C[enter]135.
No, it isn't mine alone; other adjuncts will share the space.
No, it doesn't yet have a printer or lockable drawers for students' papers.
But it does have a desk and chair for each of us, with additional chairs for our students who come to visit.
It does have partitions between our spaces, for a modicum of privacy.
It may not be quite ready for occupation and sharing with my students.
But it's a good start.

poetry 2 me

This is for my favorite aunt, T,

I wanted you to know what you mean to me!

I love you so very much

That I am writing in rhyme and such.

When it comes to aunts, there is no contest!

You, Tina, are the best!

Now that you know that you are # one,

all my silly rhyming is done!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Wow.
My first niece, Christina Ann, wrote that for me and had inserted it into the Valentine's Day card she gave me today.
I haven't had anyone write a poem to me or for me since my Uncle Jimmy did when I was eighteen years old. My family was down in Waycross, visiting my maternal grandparents, and we were all out in the yard, enjoying a summer evening. The moon was full and the sky was clear, much as it will be tonight.
As I said, we were all outside, and my Uncle had asked me what I thought the moon looked like, in that dark and starry sky. I replied that it looked like a bright, shiny nickel, on a black velvet background. We went on talking about a variety of things, but my description and teenaged enthusiasm lit a fire in his mind and he wrote the poem that evening in the inside cover of one of his literature books from college. I know this, because he gave me the book the next day.
Sadly, I no longer have the book. In a fit of pique about twenty years ago, believing myself to be showing solidarity with my mother and her anger at her brother's actions, I destroyed the book. I tore it up and burned it.
I wish I still had the poem, destroyed so long ago.
I wish I still had my Uncle Jimmy, dead for the past five years.
I wish I still had Mama, gone from my life for thirteen years.
Sigh.
But I do still have my beautiful first niece! And we are here together in one of our favorite places in the world!
Smile!!!
She will soon be out of the shower and we will go to the Valentine's Day party thrown by Barbara and Andrew at the Daytona Beach Regency. Then we'll be off to MOAS for the intaglio and Napoleon exhibits before they vacate the spaces there. And we'll finish the evening at Cinematique, watching "Girl on A Bicycle" and the new Broadway rendition of "Romeo and Juliet", starring Orlando Bloom! Ooh la la!
Later, y'all!

howling winds, turning wheels

The Universe via tut.ccsend.com
to me
5:15 AM

Faustina, it's working.

No, you probably can't see it yet, but I can. Wheels are now turning that have never turned before. Winds are now howling that have never howled before. And players from every walk of life are being drawn into place as if in some hypnotic dance. All because of you, your dreams, and your divinely stubborn persistence.

If I wasn't the Universe, I don't think I'd believe it.

Phew-w-w-w-w-w-w...
The Universe

-----------------------------
Amazing.
This week, the total lack of preparation of the Labs for MY students has resumed. Of course, the student lab assistant is being blamed, or my presumed lack of attention to the lab prior to class.
Of course.
And now they've dragged Suzy into the fray.
How disgusting.
If the department truly wishes to abolish these chemistry classes which I teach, why don't they go about it the upfront way? Why not lobby to obliterate the courses from the student catalog? Why do this endrun of attacking the students through misuse of the students' time and money? After all, the CHEM1151 and CHEM1152 Lab fees are higher than those for the other freshman chemistry classes.
Now, for the second time in as many weeks, my students will be tasked with performing TWO labs in one evening session, instead of the one that everyone else has to perform.
There has to be a better way to confront this.
Trying to appeal to the department head is of no use.
He is the one spearheading the assault on these classes.
Trying to appeal to the dean of CST has had very limited success.
He is catching flak from all sides, above and below.
What I need to do, evidently, is to mobilize the students in the health professions classes. Perhaps if they lodge a complaint with their dean, something beneficial for them will result.
Certainly, complaints on my part have fallen on deaf ears.

egos and fins of old cars

Today, a Tuesday, I happened to be at the school for Spring Convocation. Well, that's what I meant to happen, but I dillydaddled around until I was truly only in time for the free lunch.
That's cool.
I then treated myself to a movie about a dalliance between a computer and a man. Hai had seen "Her" and spoken highly of it, and I was killing time southside, so I went.
I was the only one there.
That was the same situation he had experienced, too.
And we both found that to be okay, as the first twenty minutes or so are meant to make the viewer feel like a voyeur.
A little unsettling, to be sure.
The lead character was pretty unsettled, too, by that last "sexual" encounter. So he turned to a virtual companion.
That got pretty weird, too.
The part that was the most disturbing to me, though, were his pants. They were like old man pants, high-waisted, but beltless, and rendering him pretty gender-neutral.
Maybe that was the point.
Anyway, after the film, I contacted the physicist to see if he would like a ride home. You see, he had invited me to Chez Secrest for dinner and a movie - again! - and I just thought I'd save him the bus fare.
Too late. He had already fled north. After all, he had a dinner to make!
Then we proceeded to have this conversation about geometric shapes.

him: Be there or be a rhombus.
me: I choose parallelogram. :-) Pretty sure i spelled that wrong.
him: I find the parallelogram to be pleasing!
me: Like egos on old cars.
me: Like fins
him: I can see that.
me: Stupid word choices by my phone. Unless the egos of old cars are manifested in their fins.
him: They may be...
me: I would hate to think my phone knew that..

Actually, I wonder if anyone has ever researched the correlation between the size of the fins on those beautiful old vehicles and the egos of those who designed them? I could see that being a nice master's thesis for an art or psychology or maybe even an engineering graduate student.
So, the bfe and I dined on salmon tonight - yum!
he knows how much I enjoy seafood!
I had brought my favorite white wine to share with him. He rather enjoyed the monks' Blanc du Bois, too, and its crisp grapefruit tang worked like magic with the oily fish - very good combination!
Then we indulged in the sumptious feast which IS Mae West. No, really! He had come upon the film when he was out and about and knew my predilection for the divine Ms. West, so he had bought it.
Nice.
"My Little Chickadee" was pure fluff, but that was good! Light and funny, romantic in a not-so-serious way, easy and entertaining.
Perfect for petting Contessa the Cat, continuously, allowing me - and her - to get in plenty of touches to savor for later.
Very nice.
Thanks, bfe.

early hearts flying north

Hey, Tony!

You will never guess what I did last night! I was there and even I can hardly believe it! Really! Here's a hint: I was in a time machine that took me to fifty years ago!

Actually, yesterday's travel back in time began at noon. It was Free Museum Sunday and I joined a group of friends at the Savannah History Museum. There, I saw Johnny Mercer's Oscar (from 1962), Juliette Gordon Lowe's Girl Scout uniform, and a 1902 car! My No Kidding! group was joined by my longtime friend Hai - he really enjoyed meeting them, especially Christa, because she is a "Dr. Who" fan like he is. Yeah!

Afterward, we all had lunch together and then I went to join a new movie-going group, Cheap Thrills, so called because they go to matinee films. Somehow, I had the theater wrong, so I missed them. But, no harm! It was a beautiful sunshiny day and warm enough to have the car windows down - so I had a nice drive to Pooler and back. Yeah!

(inside the card) Happy Valentine's Day!

Okay, okay, what about last night? Right?? I traveled back in time to 1964, watching "The Ed Sullivan Show" episode with the first appearance of the Beatles!!! They sang six songs, 3 at the beginning of the hour-long program, then 3 more near the end! And it was shown on a movie screen! Hai had invited me to accompany him to this invite-only screening - lucky me! There were probably forty people there and we all felt like we were part of the audience at the tv show. The screening even included the old commercials for Pillsbury pancake mix and Lipton tea - What a hoot! Of course we had to go to Waffle House afterward, to step back into the present year.

What an awesome blessed day!

with my love!

gotta get a GOTT!

bfe: Contessa, begin transmission:
bfe: Good evening Dr. Smith.

me: Good evening my dear Contessa!

bfe: I have in my possession one cooler you may know:

me: Oh yes. Silly moi. But i know it to be safe with you.

bfe: i require a ransom on said cooler. Either a.) you have dinner at my abode where I will feed you salmon with an apple/horseradish thing-a-ma-jig or b.) one million united states dollars! Not euros, not dinars, not yen, but USD.

me: I see. A ransom demand. Clearly more pets are required.
me: I choose choice a.
me: When would my presence be requested?

bfe: Contessa! End transmission! Oh by the way that's an awesome chair!

me: Oh i am well aware of your power. I exist to do your bidding.

bfe: ha ha! That is ... wise of you.

bfe: I purchased three movies over the weekend. You may choose one if one is to your liking:

me: Very nice!

bfe: What day works best for you?

me: Shall we again do Tuesday?

bfe: That sounds awesome!
bfe: I look forward to it!

me: I shall share my last Blanc du Bois with you.
It will be very yummy with the fish.

bfe: Your cooler thanks you... today.

me: :-)

bfe: :) I look forward to that!
The flight went so well!
I trust your ... taste.

me: Thank you!
I shall endeavor to please...

Go, Seahawks!

Hey, Dood!
"In your face!" That's what this wolf told me to tell you. Brassy, ain't he?
He's from Colorado and he's still a little upset about that Super Bowl fiasco. What a blow out! He's pretty sure the Broncos would have been okay if the state had not legalized marijuana. After all, they must have been stoned, right? Missing all those passes, just standing there while the Seahawks scored and scored.
You'll have to excuse him. He doesn't understand that the drug isn't allowed across state lines, so no way it could have been at the Super Bowl site. Right? Lol!
I just found out that my credit card was not lifted from that website - whew! Still, I'll have to be more careful. They think it was someone local who stole my number when I used the card. Checks are safer!
More later!
with my love!

ps I'm glad your friend's mom and the little girl are hanging in there.

(on the back)
A joke, eh?
Last week it got so cold -
How cold was it?
It was so cold that my grandpa's teeth were chattering - and they were at home on his dresser.
Hahaha!

roast beast with spears!

The flight tonight took off without a hitch and flew smoothly and gracefully to its destination.
You recall that there was a flight from San Sebastian Winery to Nicoll Street, right? True, it had been delayed for over a year, but the wait did no harm to the travelers and they were well received.
Yeah!
The physicist had prepared American soul food - i.e., roast beef with potatoes and carrots - to complement the three reds which made the flight. The asparagus echoed the meal which had inspired the invitation to dine downtown.
So, let's meet the flyers, shall we?
First, of course, was dear Rosa, a fine, mildly sweet girl, very light on the tongue. The beef was bit overpowering for her, but she was delightful, and I do mean delightful with the chocolate almond straws for dessert. Delightful!
The Reds, however, were a perfect duo for the roasted meat. Sipped alternately, the Castillo was full-bodied and dry, bringing out the darker depths of the dish, while the Vintners, with its wetter flash of summer muscadines, accentuated the country heart of the pot roast.
All in all, a wonderful evening of two friends dining in style, talking like old times, eating ginger cookies, petting the two kittehs, and laughing over a video of found footage.
Sweet dreams, to you, too, dear friend.

we are the champ-eee-ons!

Yep, you got that right -
that's me,
holding the first-place trophy!
For what, you say?
For scoring 550 points
in Justin's
"Forget I'm 40 Scavenger Hunt"
birthday party
last night!
My three team mates and I totally rocked it!!!
Mostly,
perhaps,
for garnering
the highest number of people
(I think the count was 70!)
on film
wishing our host
a "happy birthday!"
That's something he can treasure over and over.
And we had a blast asking strangers to do so,
from the cashier at the new CVS at Abercorn and DeRenne
to the River Street worker toting the trash bin,
from the ice-cream loving family
to the honeymooning older folks, all
- except one! -
gladly complied
with our request for a birthday greeting on video!
I will make sure I do the same in the future for any folks gathering such fun footage!
We also really rocked it on the other thirty-nine items on the Scavenger Hunt list. Well, not all of them, as we ran out of time on some while others we simply did not have a consensus to perform. (Cartwheels, anyone? No, I don't think so!)
I really didn't know the three women on my team. Two, Mel and Lynita, are fellow Odd Lotters, like Justin is, and the third, Jessica, is a big fan who is frequently at their shows on Monday nights. I've known Lynita a long time, and we are fb friends, but we aren't close. Justin put us all together, partly because none of us were coupled up and only one of us (Jessica) had a video maker.
So, after a scan of the list, off we went to pile into my car. But, wait! One of the items was someone had to "wear their clothes backwards all evening" - so I volunteered to do that and did so!
Before we drove off, though, Mel entered my car "through the front window" like the guys in Dukes of Hazzard! (I even got to keep a memento for that one! LOL!)
Then, off to the CVS for "Mentos and Coke" for the item at the top of the list! Mel also did the "nap in an unusual location" in their toy aisle and I was the one who "found" her there. What a fun way to start!
Then to bounce over to the midtown YMCA to "get in the shower together" - NOT! It was closed. Drats!
Over to downtown, with Lynita and Mel calling their "moms to say I love you" enroute! (Lynita called her mom twice, since my mother is dead. Nice touch!)
First stop: Forsyth Park! There, Lynita and Mel "ran toward each other in slow motion", "marched around the Pulaski monument", and off we went again! North of Gaston Street!
(If you're from these parts, that means "to the real downtown Savannah". Inside joke, y'all!)
After we parked around the corner from the Lucas Theatre, it all became a bit of a blur.
Off to place Mel with her "doppelganger", Lynita reciting a sushi "haiku" on Broughton, Lynita as Romeo to Mel's Juliet in "the balcony scene"!
Mel and I singing "A Very Merry UnBirthday" with an older couple, all of us in an "earthquake" with a bunch of young revelers!
Gathering "jokes from three people" (including a kid I shared my "Flatman and Ribbon" joke with), being part of "twenty feet walking in unison" with a group of travelers, and getting the "theme song from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire" sung by an artist on River Street!
Jessica danced and received 9.5 from "the judges on the street", Mel did a "pole dance" on a Handicapped marker, and one of us shook "the hand of a bearded man"!
Then Mel and I did our "kung-fu fighting" in a parking garage, Lynita and I were "on top of the world" on the toy tugboat, and both of them were against me as a homicidal vagrant, like "an episode of Cops"!
Lynita also sang "never gonna let you go" to a very nice fellow and Mel echoed in the "Magic X on River Street"!
Lynita was "Forrest Gump on a park bench" as I sat responding to her madness, then she and Mel did the kidfun "wheelbarrow"!
Mel also had a case of "celebrity mistaken identity" with a near-Sheldon Cooper!
Then they all 'washed" my car while "Workin' at the Car Wash" played in the background - sadly, I was working the camera and the scene was not recorded. Drats!
But we DID get all of us vamping to the "Mission Impossible" theme as our final item!
We looked for "a fence to all climb over", a "street vendor to sell something to", a person to "help get their groceries to their car", and another team to "secretly film" - but were unsuccessful.
I don't even recall the other (five? six? seven?) items on the list!
Then, off to Muse Arts to turn in our video by 11 PM!
Success! We were the first team there!
Then we were all treated to each other's works of art on the big screen! Nice! Four teams, four versions of the many skits, four times the fun we had already had!
And... when all was said and viewed, we WON!!!
What a night!
Thanks, Justin, for inviting me to your party!
And even, though I didn't get to keep the trophy, my car will be my reminder of that fun evening. How so? Part of the window vent guard was broken by Mel's re-enactment of the country boy "jump in the front window". But hey, that bit of plastic is almost thirteen years old - no problem! That will be my car's badge of honor!