penn

Video post: new house edition

My parents have a new house, and I'm visiting for a few days. My visit is mostly filled with fixing their electronics, sorting through my old boxes, playing wii with my mom, and taking the beagle for walks. I took a few minutes to share with you in this video:

Enjoy!

The Best Connections

I just got off the phone with my dear friend Viola, an expat who now lives in Spain. She's visiting a friend in the states and called me up just to chat. Our conversation was brief -- 20 minutes -- but important.

Some days, in all my moving around the country and craziness and new experiences, I lose touch with something that is truly important: community. Perhaps it is my lack of a consistent community that drives me to say this, but I do think community is one of the strongest and most important things in our lives. And not to knock my online friends, because they're great, but a community of people who lives close is the best.

I don't have a close community yet in Minnesota, but I do have a community of people who have known me over time. These people have seen me on good days and bad; they've helped me write papers, learn how to cook, play games, and love life. And reconnecting with these people really helps me know my sense of self.

Viola and I are friends from college. We lived on the same floor (different wings, tho) in the dorms, and I'm pretty sure we met because we were in the same honors writing class. We didn't have many classes together, but we did take poetry as well. Despite not interacting in class, we always took time to spend time with each other. Viola did teach me a good many things about cooking (first and foremost: improvise!). She's always been my dedicated poetry buddy and life contemplating friend. We can go months without talking, but each time we do reconnect, it's just normal.

I need to remember these old friendships, and also let these friendships encourage me to get out in the world and make some new friends too.

The Housekeeper and the Professor

This book, written by Yoko Ogawa and translated from Japanese by Stephen Snyder, is one of the best books I have read in years. I heard about it from Stephen Strogatz, who has been writing excellent math columns for the NYTimes. In a column about rock groups and how different methods of thinking can simplify math problems, he brought up an example from this book. (By the way, go give the column a read, and check out the rest of the series. He's writing about basic math for an adult audience, and the writing is both entertaining and informative.)

The book involves a professor and his housekeeper. The Professor only has an 80-minute memory due to a car accident, so every day with the housekeeper is just like the first for him. However, for the housekeeper, working with the Professor is a continuing journey into the beauty and elegance of numbers. The housekeeper brings her young son to work at the insistence of the Professor, and he also benefits from the teaching and the unique relationship.

One of my favorite quotes from the book concerns education:

For the Professor, there was no shame in admitting you didn't have the answer, it was a necessary step toward the truth. It was as important to teach us about the unknown or the unknowable as it was to teach us what had already been safely proven.

The Professor also teaches about prime numbers, amicable numbers (220 and 284!), and all sorts of lovliness.

It's quite beautiful, and I would recommend it to anyone. Truly lovely, and a good reminder of the true beauty of numbers.

Strange Coincidence

Matt and I are working on reviving a regular "date night" where we put aside everything else and do something together. We've gone bowling and ice skating, and this week we had a movie night. It got interrupted to watch the Olympics, so we're finishing up our movie tonight.

We've also been watching old episodes of the TV show 7th Heaven. The library has the complete seasons 1-3. Matt and I both like the show but never watched it regularly, so we're starting from the top.

Our movie is the original Star Trek motion picture. Last summer's new Star Trek movie was my first Star Trek ever, but I discovered that Matt loves the series. Therefore, I'm embracing something he enjoys.

You might ask yourself: Leah, what's the point? We don't care what you're watching on date night. But there is a connection here! One of the characters in the movie, Commander Decker, has been driving me crazy. I couldn't figure it out until just now. The actor is the same as the dad on 7th Heaven! His name is Stephen Collins, and he's been in tons of stuff over the course of thirty years. Matt was skeptical at first, but we looked everything up, and I'm right.

Matt just informed me that the mom on 7th Heaven, Catherine Hicks, is also in a Star Trek movie, though she doesn't appear until the fourth one. Catherine Hicks also has a long career in acting.

This was totally unexpected, but it's the little things that make my day sometimes.

On Being a Housewife

I've been underemployed for a month and a half now. I get occasional working from substitute teaching, but most days are completely free for me to spend as I wish. I've heard from a lot of people who say "how exciting! You can do whatever you want, and you have plenty of time to volunteer!"

There are definitely upsides. I do get to do whatever I want. Some days, this means lots of practicing ukulele. Other days, that means cleaning the apartment and working on job applications. Unfortunately, there are also days where I spend too much time in bed, even more time on the internet, and feel awful for not getting much done.

I would like to volunteer somewhere, and I've got a few ideas mulling around in my head. However, having regular volunteer hours doesn't work well with the substitute teaching gig. I'm also waiting to hear back on some jobs that start in March, and I would be unhappy to volunteer somewhere only to renege if I get a full-time job.

On the whole, I'm not happy being a housewife. I have been trying to get to the library or go for walks just to give myself something to do outside of the house. It's far too tempting to sit around all day procrastinating while I attempt to do what I'm "supposed to" (mostly those job applications and keeping the place clean). My days just aren't fulfilling, for the most part.

I think this would be different if I were a dedicated housewife; that is, if we had consciously made the decision for me to stay home. There is satisfaction to be had in putting a nice dinner on the table and keeping a clean house, but it is hard for me to see it as satisfying when I feel like there is so much more I should be doing. Certainly, if we had kids to take care of, I would feel like my days were much more productive.

For now, I'm doing the best I can working when possible and trying to stay hopeful. A lot of new jobs in my field are opening up soon, and I'm also reach my personal deadline for starting to apply for any job rather than trying for my ideal jobs. In the meantime, at least our apartment looks nice, and I'll try to be happy with achieving that each day.

Bits and pieces

First, a few great articles I'd like to highlight. They're all so great that you should go read them instead of hearing me yammer on about them:

Plastics in the microwave are not so good for you. Not too shocking for me but definitely a good reminder. A highlight of the article is actually a pull from another article in which doctors are asked what they personally do to minimize cancer risk. One big thing? Don't microwave plastic. More good tips in this article and research on which plastics are the worst for your microwave.

Keri Smith, author of the great book How to be an Explorer of the World, has a blog. Recently, she posted a list of how to feel miserable as an artist. Honestly, it's a universal list of how to feel miserable as a human.

The NYTimes recently had a great article on some significant potential education reforms, including the importance of play. Somewhere I read that we are training students for jobs that don't even exist yet, and this always resonates with me as an educator. Rather than teach kids specific facts or even specific concepts, I think it is key to promote curiosity, exploration, and invention. Yes, there are some things that need to be drilled in (how to read, write, and do math). But to develop the kind of education that prepares people for the working world? My most useful skills learned in K-12, or, heck, even college are writing short papers (no one wants to read anything more than a page), doing anything on the computer, like programming and desktop publishing, and being physically fit. Taking gym forced me to do something I didn't like at the time. The class I was in required setting goals, making an action plan, and achieving the goals. It was excellent. I really love the ideas in the NYTimes article, and it motivates me to keep learning about education.

Did you know there's a group of hot yet intelligent girls that travel around promoting learning? Yeah, I didn't know either. They're the Nerd Girls. Pretty snazzy group with a good goal. The group is mostly made up of engineers, programmers, and biochem.

Steven Strogatz is a guest columnist for the NYTimes writing columns about math that are intended for adults who don't know about math. There are two up right now, and they are both excellent.

Second, life is good. I keep meaning to post, but I have lots of pictures I want to put up, and I haven't gotten around to uploading them. Suffice to say, I am staying busy but am only marginally employed. I'm substitute teaching a day or two a week and otherwise being domestic or relaxing, depending on the day.

101 things: months 21 and 22

Time for my December and January report. The new year rolled on in, and this is my last year for the 101 things. I'm making some progress, and I am hoping to knock a few of these goals out soon.

7. Join a dance class for at least a month

For the last month, Thursday night is my belly-dancing night. So much learning! I can do all sorts of hip circles, shimmies, and cool stuff now. I've still got four weeks left in the class, so I will be learning a lot more.

31. Organize “my documents” folder in order to easily find all documents

I organized, purged, moved around, and thoroughly combed through all my documents. I deleted old stuff that's no longer important and came up with a good system that should work for quite a long time to come. Finally glad to have that huge task done. We'll see how long it takes me to get a similar job done on my photos, as I have lots more photos than documents.

33. Do 5 video posts on my blog

With the bari posts I've been doing, I'll call this one done! Don't worry; I'll still keep video posting from time to time. I have too much fun with it to stop!

44. Donate (or attempt to donate) blood three times

I tried to donate blood again, but my iron level was still too low to donate. It's fine -- I'm not anemic -- but not good enough. I'm now taking daily iron pills, and I will try one more time in about a month.

49. Implement three household changes to be more eco-friendly

Matt and I have made a second change: we now clean almost exclusively with vinegar and water. I mean, we use dish soap (biodegradable), but we've phased out most commercial cleaners. The most awesome part is that Matt is completely on board with this, though finances might be a major factor in that. Still, it makes me feel good about our household.

64. Bowl over 100

close enough! I've spent several bowling trips working on this. Slowly but steady, getting better.

Oh, and Matt normally does much better. In our first game, he scored 126 and I had something in the 70s. We both like bowling, so we're hoping to go more often and ultimately improve.

82. write 4 posts reviewing peer-reviewed biological literature

I posted about coffee and reviewed some literature about coffee growing. It's a nice little start for me. I really miss reading biological literature.

101. learn three songs on guitar

Guitar, baritone uke? I call the bari uke close enough, and these are my goals. Glad I've been learning. I enjoy music, and I'm glad it's a larger part of my life now.

the tally:
-1 / +1 more in progress for 7 total in progress
5 more completed for 51 total completed (over halfway!)

Do what you want

I just finished reading a lovely short interview that Maggie Mason did for Bon Appetit. In the interview, she talked about her Mighty Life List, which is a much more aggressive version of my 101 things in 1001 days.

I've thought about starting a life list. I certainly have a lot of dreams and hopes for the future, and in these dark days of January it is sometimes all I can do to hang onto those and await the return of the sun. What I love most about the life list, and Maggie's interview, is when she says "Even if you don't keep up with it, you'd be surprised at how much can happen for you just because you've written your intentions down."

That, in my experience, is the most amazingly accurate thought about writing a long-term to do list of any sort. As I alluded to here, my priorities have definitely changed since meeting Matt. I'm no longer gung-ho on speed dating, and I don't know whether or not I'll end up living alone in the foreseeable future. I have learned how to brew beer and ski downhill.

But, even more important, I have had great things happen because I made my intentions clear. I actually ran a 5k instead of talking about it! I conquered my fear of eating alone, and I now attend movies alone just for fun. And being with Matt has helped me accomplish some other goals (again, more on this eventually) on my list.

To me, goals are key. How can you know what you want to accomplish in life without goals?

What if?

I've been searching for quite awhile to find a charity that I both admire and think will do good work on the ground in Haiti. I know millions have donated to the Red Cross, but I've always been skeptical of their work in other countries; since they respond to emergencies, they're not usually an established charity on the ground, and it can take time to get relief up and running. From my own time spent working in Latin America, I know that it takes lots of time to create a working relationship in a country. Further, sustained relief will be necessary, and the groups that work in Haiti need support to continue working through the rebuilding effort that is likely to last years.

That said, I've finally found my foundation for helping Haiti. I learned about the foundation from a couple in my church that regularly visits Haiti to do service projects. Further, this foundation's work is so awesome that I want to keep this list on my regular non-profits donation list (other non-profits on this list include Heifer Project, Donors Choose, the Nature Conservancy, and local non-profits). They're a small charity that is extremely efficient -- 92% of donations go straight to Haiti -- and they work both in education and food aid for children.

The What If? foundation really is one of those non-profits that gets it right. They work with people on the ground, which is awesome. They are filling a need that existed, as identified with people who are there. And they are doing so in an efficient manner that maximizes the utility of aid.

One of my favorite sayings is "If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time; but if you are here because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." Service is about more than just saying "this is what I think you need." It's about working together with the people who have a need to identify the need and work cohesively to meet that need. The What If? Foundation excels at this.