A couple days ago Forbes.com listed the "U.S. Cities Where It's Hardest to Get By" (see the article here). And guess which city came up first...that's right, Providence! And why was it first?
HIGH unemployment,
HIGH cost of living, and
LOW median income.
Not exactly what you want to hear as a job seeker in the Providence area, but it does help us feel better about being two people with master's degrees from top world universities who couldn't find jobs here. And it explains why Rhode Island is experiencing "brain drain", with university graduates moving to other states for jobs.
I'm somewhat surprised Phoenix didn't make it on the list because our resumes seemed to go into black holes out there too.
Well, it is reassuring that we're moving somewhere that at least has a low cost of living, and a much lower level of unemployment.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Pea Soup and Pancake Thursday
In the past few weeks, I've noticed that a lot of churches, schools and other organizations are having pancake fundraisers. While most Americans probably think of pancakes as a breakfast food, growing up in a Swedish-American household we often had pancakes for lunch or dinner. Swedish pancakes are similar to crepes, only a bit more chewy and buttery. You probably could fill them with savory things like a crepe, but we usually have maple syrup, jam, powdered sugar and/or whipped cream. And yes, it still counts as dinner.
On Thursday evening I joined my grandmother for a local Vasa lodge's pea soup and pancake fundraiser (ärtsoppa och pannkakor). But perhaps I should first explain this combination of foods to those of you who aren't familiar with Swedish cuisine. As part of a long-standing tradition, the Swedish military and other government institutions (like schools) serve pea soup followed by pancakes on Thursdays. I'm not really sure when this tradition originated, but wikipedia.org says it may have something to do with preparation for fasting on Fridays, back in pre-Reformation times. Whatever the origin, pea soup and pancakes are tasty and the meal is still served throughout Sweden on Thursdays.
Unfortunately Paul was sick with a stomach bug, so he wasn't able to make it for pancakes and pea soup. But I was still happy to have some time with my Grandmother, and I made sure to make Paul some pancakes the next morning since he missed out on the feast.
On Thursday evening I joined my grandmother for a local Vasa lodge's pea soup and pancake fundraiser (ärtsoppa och pannkakor). But perhaps I should first explain this combination of foods to those of you who aren't familiar with Swedish cuisine. As part of a long-standing tradition, the Swedish military and other government institutions (like schools) serve pea soup followed by pancakes on Thursdays. I'm not really sure when this tradition originated, but wikipedia.org says it may have something to do with preparation for fasting on Fridays, back in pre-Reformation times. Whatever the origin, pea soup and pancakes are tasty and the meal is still served throughout Sweden on Thursdays.
Unfortunately Paul was sick with a stomach bug, so he wasn't able to make it for pancakes and pea soup. But I was still happy to have some time with my Grandmother, and I made sure to make Paul some pancakes the next morning since he missed out on the feast.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Smelling like a sheep
Recently my grandmother gave me a beautiful hand-knit Irish wool sweater. She'd had it custom made years ago and it doesn't fit her any more, but it fits me perfectly. It looks a lot like this one:
Well, I put it on the other day and noticed myself having an allergic reaction - sneezing, itchy, red eyes. When I took the sweater off, I wasn't sneezing and felt a lot better. So I decided today that it probably needed to be washed because it had been sitting for a while with no one using it. I'm still not sure if that will fix the allergy issue, but I did learn something about nice quality wool - it STINKS when you wash it! It smells like a wet sheep is hanging out in the laundry room and that's AFTER washing it in Woolite. I did some research on it, and it seems to have something to do with the natural lanolin that's on wool. Lanolin is great for repelling water and dirt, but it really does stink.
Let's hope it smells better when it dries out. It's a really pretty and warm sweater and I want to be able to wear it without having to take an allergy pill first!
Well, I put it on the other day and noticed myself having an allergic reaction - sneezing, itchy, red eyes. When I took the sweater off, I wasn't sneezing and felt a lot better. So I decided today that it probably needed to be washed because it had been sitting for a while with no one using it. I'm still not sure if that will fix the allergy issue, but I did learn something about nice quality wool - it STINKS when you wash it! It smells like a wet sheep is hanging out in the laundry room and that's AFTER washing it in Woolite. I did some research on it, and it seems to have something to do with the natural lanolin that's on wool. Lanolin is great for repelling water and dirt, but it really does stink.
Let's hope it smells better when it dries out. It's a really pretty and warm sweater and I want to be able to wear it without having to take an allergy pill first!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Extreme Pig Out...
...that was the title of a show I was just watching on the Travel Channel as I ate some of the massive slice of chocolate peanut butter layer cake that Paul and I took home from Gregg's last night (if you've ever been to Gregg's for dessert, you know they are very very generous with their cake slices!). Thankfully they were showing skinny teenagers trying to eat 7 pound burgers, so it didn't turn me off from the cake (does that mean I've completely re-acclimated to the American lifestyle?). Anyway, Gregg's cakes are one of the things I miss when I'm away from the Rhode Island area. That and Del's frozen lemonade.
But there are definitely new things to look forward to with regard to "extreme pig outs". Like Steak N' Shake, a burger and milkshake restaurant that's open 24 hours. Their claim to fame is that they use steak in their burgers, as opposed to other chain fast food burger joints that supposedly use lesser quality beef. Either way, it's tasty. And then there's Bruster's ice cream, which Paul introduced me to on our recent trip to Bloomington, and I am now a card-carrying member of their "sweet rewards" club so I can get a free ice cream cone after I buy 9. And I'm sure I'll get there.
I'm also fascinated by farms. There are some farms in and around Seekonk, but not nearly on the scale of what you've got in the midwest. I think grain elevators are really neat, and I love seeing tractors and combines in action. In Bloomington, I'm hoping to take full advantage of the weekly community farmers market and if we can, we might be signing up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) plan where you pay to get a share of each week's crops, kind of like the vegetable box scheme we signed up for in Oxford. I've got a lot to learn about our new home state, that's for sure! And I think even Paul will be experiencing a lot of new things since he's going back to his college town as a grown and married man.
Well, we've got a lot to figure out in the next few months, but at least most of our stuff is packed (and has been for nearly 2 years!), so getting there won't be much of a hassle!
But there are definitely new things to look forward to with regard to "extreme pig outs". Like Steak N' Shake, a burger and milkshake restaurant that's open 24 hours. Their claim to fame is that they use steak in their burgers, as opposed to other chain fast food burger joints that supposedly use lesser quality beef. Either way, it's tasty. And then there's Bruster's ice cream, which Paul introduced me to on our recent trip to Bloomington, and I am now a card-carrying member of their "sweet rewards" club so I can get a free ice cream cone after I buy 9. And I'm sure I'll get there.
I'm also fascinated by farms. There are some farms in and around Seekonk, but not nearly on the scale of what you've got in the midwest. I think grain elevators are really neat, and I love seeing tractors and combines in action. In Bloomington, I'm hoping to take full advantage of the weekly community farmers market and if we can, we might be signing up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) plan where you pay to get a share of each week's crops, kind of like the vegetable box scheme we signed up for in Oxford. I've got a lot to learn about our new home state, that's for sure! And I think even Paul will be experiencing a lot of new things since he's going back to his college town as a grown and married man.
Well, we've got a lot to figure out in the next few months, but at least most of our stuff is packed (and has been for nearly 2 years!), so getting there won't be much of a hassle!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
I love dogs, but not inconsiderate dog owners
Today was one of the most beautiful days we've had all year. Temperatures were up in the 60s and it was sunny and gorgeous. So, taking advantage of the weather, Paul and I went rollerblading on a new bike path in Pawtucket, called the Ten Mile River Greenway. It's actually just 2.5 miles long, and while I was looking up that statistic, I also discovered that it cost a whopping $3 million to built it! http://www.earmarks.omb.gov/authorization_earmarks/earmark_189619.html (in case you're interested). Of course that immediately makes me think of the stimulus package that was just passed, but I'll refrain from further comment right now as this isn't really meant to be a political blog. Anyway, the bike path runs along the reservoir that separates Seekonk and Pawtucket, and I had no idea how beautiful a place it was until we first went there a few weeks ago.
So there we were rollerblading on the path and since it's Sunday and gorgeous, there were lots of kids and dogs all over the place. It was a fun little trip from one end of the path to the other, but on the return trip we went past a family walking a cute and friendly springer spaniel. Only the dog was so friendly that it darted across the path and tried to come up to me, and since its owner had its nearly invisible leash extended about 10 feet, I had to swerve off the path, tumbling twice into the mossy ground. I'm fine except for a few scratches on my back, and Paul said I did a good tuck-and-roll (thank goodness for my wrist guards) so I'm happy I didn't break anything. I gave the woman a good and loud lecture about keeping a short leash on the path, so hopefully there won't be more incidents. It stinks how there can be 30 people responsibly walking dogs on a bike path and one person ruins it. Luckily I like dogs, but I could imagine if it'd been someone else, they could have been seriously hurt and could cause a ban on dogs on the path.
So there we were rollerblading on the path and since it's Sunday and gorgeous, there were lots of kids and dogs all over the place. It was a fun little trip from one end of the path to the other, but on the return trip we went past a family walking a cute and friendly springer spaniel. Only the dog was so friendly that it darted across the path and tried to come up to me, and since its owner had its nearly invisible leash extended about 10 feet, I had to swerve off the path, tumbling twice into the mossy ground. I'm fine except for a few scratches on my back, and Paul said I did a good tuck-and-roll (thank goodness for my wrist guards) so I'm happy I didn't break anything. I gave the woman a good and loud lecture about keeping a short leash on the path, so hopefully there won't be more incidents. It stinks how there can be 30 people responsibly walking dogs on a bike path and one person ruins it. Luckily I like dogs, but I could imagine if it'd been someone else, they could have been seriously hurt and could cause a ban on dogs on the path.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Our visit to Bloomington
This past weekend we took a trip out to Bloomington to accomplish two things. One, for me to meet a bunch of professors and students who I'll be working with for the next few years, and two, to find a place to live for the summer. It seems both worked out really well!
We stayed in Bloomington from Thursday to Monday. Paul's friend Nicole was generous enough to host us while we were there, and give us the run-down on the town. Apparently in the last few years since Paul graduated from IU Bloomington has grown a lot. They've increased the number of undergrads and there's been a lot of students coming from NY and NJ, sparking vast construction of condos and "New York style" apartments. Needless to say, there is a huge selection of housing options. We decided it'd be best to go for a summer sub-let so we can get (re)familiarized with the town, and figure out where we want to live more permanently. Houses are ridiculously cheap compared to what you get in Massachusetts, so we are basically cutting our expected housing budget in half or more.
We wound up finding a summer sub-let on the east side of town. It's fully furnished, includes a washer and dryer, dishwasher, central air, and best of all, we can get a puppy! I think the puppy idea is what I'm most excited about right now. A lot of you probably know I grew up with 2 golden retrievers, Lisa and Disa, and I do miss them. They were wonderful dogs, so friendly and always happy to see anyone. Having a dog really brings a special kind of joy into your life. I think you don't really understand it unless you have had a dog. So we're looking at adopting a golden retriever puppy once we find a reputable breeder. We'll probably look at the pound too, but it's hard to find purebred golden puppies.
As for my program and the people in it, I am really blessed to have found such a great group of people to be working with over the next few years. Since a bunch of prospective grad students were visiting, the graduate secretary set up 15-30 minute meetings for each of us with different professors. I was amazed that professors who I thought I had nothing in common with actually do have research interests that overlap with mine. It's so reassuring, because while there are probably 2 or 3 professors I see as the best "fit" for me, I really appreciate having input from different perspectives and I know I'll have that at IU.
As for pictures, we didn't take a whole lot, but here's what the campus looks like from inside the Sample Gates (named for an alum).
And here's what you get in the countryside just outside the town. Beautiful, isn't it? I'm so looking forward to this fantastic combination of college town and country roads!:
We stayed in Bloomington from Thursday to Monday. Paul's friend Nicole was generous enough to host us while we were there, and give us the run-down on the town. Apparently in the last few years since Paul graduated from IU Bloomington has grown a lot. They've increased the number of undergrads and there's been a lot of students coming from NY and NJ, sparking vast construction of condos and "New York style" apartments. Needless to say, there is a huge selection of housing options. We decided it'd be best to go for a summer sub-let so we can get (re)familiarized with the town, and figure out where we want to live more permanently. Houses are ridiculously cheap compared to what you get in Massachusetts, so we are basically cutting our expected housing budget in half or more.
We wound up finding a summer sub-let on the east side of town. It's fully furnished, includes a washer and dryer, dishwasher, central air, and best of all, we can get a puppy! I think the puppy idea is what I'm most excited about right now. A lot of you probably know I grew up with 2 golden retrievers, Lisa and Disa, and I do miss them. They were wonderful dogs, so friendly and always happy to see anyone. Having a dog really brings a special kind of joy into your life. I think you don't really understand it unless you have had a dog. So we're looking at adopting a golden retriever puppy once we find a reputable breeder. We'll probably look at the pound too, but it's hard to find purebred golden puppies.
As for my program and the people in it, I am really blessed to have found such a great group of people to be working with over the next few years. Since a bunch of prospective grad students were visiting, the graduate secretary set up 15-30 minute meetings for each of us with different professors. I was amazed that professors who I thought I had nothing in common with actually do have research interests that overlap with mine. It's so reassuring, because while there are probably 2 or 3 professors I see as the best "fit" for me, I really appreciate having input from different perspectives and I know I'll have that at IU.
As for pictures, we didn't take a whole lot, but here's what the campus looks like from inside the Sample Gates (named for an alum).
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| From Bloomington March 2009 |
And here's what you get in the countryside just outside the town. Beautiful, isn't it? I'm so looking forward to this fantastic combination of college town and country roads!:
 |
| From Bloomington March 2009 |
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Academia and Opposing Views
Lately I've been reading a graduate message board on the internet where applicants and current graduate school students can discuss the admissions process, funding and other issues. Today I read something that made me want to comment on my blog.
One person posted a question about whether they should go to a school if they have severe differences in political opinions from the faculty there. The overwhelming majority of responses were that it's better to be around people like yourself to discuss ideas you agree on.
That kind of attitude is definitely NOT what I'm looking for in a PhD program, especially in the social sciences. I remember once in an undergrad course on globalization when the topic of global warming came up. I mentioned that some scientists contested the global warming theory in favor of a theory that the world naturally goes through temperature cycles, like the ice ages. The class quickly dismissed those scientists as "ignorant" and erupted into shouts and anger, so I declined to contribute further to that discussion, but it made me realize that conflicting ideas can be squashed out of higher education. Is that really academic discourse?
Anyway, that's one of the reasons I wanted to go to a larger program. It's still only 12-15 students per year, but some programs take 1 or 2 students every couple of years. I know that I will have strong disagreements with some of the faculty (and students, for that matter), but that can only make me better informed about issues I care about. The problem comes when people take it personally and start name-calling or crying or whatever. It's great to have ideas batted around, and I enjoy that part.
Hopefully I won't have to deal with too many whiners, name-callers or holier-than-thou types. Unfortunately for those types, they're going to have to deal with me calling them out and making sure they really know what they're talking about. I most certainly don't want my cohort to be anything less than the best they can be.
One person posted a question about whether they should go to a school if they have severe differences in political opinions from the faculty there. The overwhelming majority of responses were that it's better to be around people like yourself to discuss ideas you agree on.
That kind of attitude is definitely NOT what I'm looking for in a PhD program, especially in the social sciences. I remember once in an undergrad course on globalization when the topic of global warming came up. I mentioned that some scientists contested the global warming theory in favor of a theory that the world naturally goes through temperature cycles, like the ice ages. The class quickly dismissed those scientists as "ignorant" and erupted into shouts and anger, so I declined to contribute further to that discussion, but it made me realize that conflicting ideas can be squashed out of higher education. Is that really academic discourse?
Anyway, that's one of the reasons I wanted to go to a larger program. It's still only 12-15 students per year, but some programs take 1 or 2 students every couple of years. I know that I will have strong disagreements with some of the faculty (and students, for that matter), but that can only make me better informed about issues I care about. The problem comes when people take it personally and start name-calling or crying or whatever. It's great to have ideas batted around, and I enjoy that part.
Hopefully I won't have to deal with too many whiners, name-callers or holier-than-thou types. Unfortunately for those types, they're going to have to deal with me calling them out and making sure they really know what they're talking about. I most certainly don't want my cohort to be anything less than the best they can be.