Today while walking through campus during another big rain storm (we've probably had about 6 inches of rain in the last few weeks), I overheard two undergraduate guys having this conversation:
Guy1: Dude, when I go home this weekend I'm totally getting an umbrella.
Guy2: Yeah, me too. I already called my mom and was like "Hey Ma, get me an umbrella." And she was like "You mean one of those $5 umbrellas?" and I was like "Yeah, get me one of those."
Umm.. yeah... you guys are old enough to buy your own umbrellas!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Bird Watching
So we just went out the front door to take the dog out, only to be greeted by this!
UPDATE: To explain further, this thing is a hot air balloon in the shape of a bald eagle. Why it looked like that, I don't know. There was another normal hot air balloon further out that said "Oliver Winery" on it (a local winery), so I guess they must do these fall foliage balloon rides. Either way, it scared the heck out of me when I saw it!
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| From Dresden |
UPDATE: To explain further, this thing is a hot air balloon in the shape of a bald eagle. Why it looked like that, I don't know. There was another normal hot air balloon further out that said "Oliver Winery" on it (a local winery), so I guess they must do these fall foliage balloon rides. Either way, it scared the heck out of me when I saw it!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Interdepartmental Courses
WARNING: Nerd Alert!
One of the most exciting things in graduate school is the opportunity for interdepartmental courses. Right now I'm taking a class in Health Policy, and while it's not listed as an interdepartmental course, we have students from a number of different programs, including Public Administration, Sociology, Social Work, and Political Science. Some of the students have never left school, while others have been working for a decade before deciding to go back for an advanced degree. It's just great to have those perspectives when you're discussing things like how state-run Medicaid programs should function versus how they actually function.
Now if only I could get focused on the book I have to read for that class, called "Healthy Wealthy & Fair: Health Care and the Good Society". I'm having to look up tons of things, like what "inside the Beltway" means (thank you Wikipedia.org), but that's probably a good thing since I don't usually read economics or political books on my own. Plus, it can only make me better at telling economists why they're wrong about people (haha).
One of the most exciting things in graduate school is the opportunity for interdepartmental courses. Right now I'm taking a class in Health Policy, and while it's not listed as an interdepartmental course, we have students from a number of different programs, including Public Administration, Sociology, Social Work, and Political Science. Some of the students have never left school, while others have been working for a decade before deciding to go back for an advanced degree. It's just great to have those perspectives when you're discussing things like how state-run Medicaid programs should function versus how they actually function.
Now if only I could get focused on the book I have to read for that class, called "Healthy Wealthy & Fair: Health Care and the Good Society". I'm having to look up tons of things, like what "inside the Beltway" means (thank you Wikipedia.org), but that's probably a good thing since I don't usually read economics or political books on my own. Plus, it can only make me better at telling economists why they're wrong about people (haha).
Monday, October 5, 2009
Pronunciation
A funny thing in Social Science theory, or at least I think it's funny, is that people who are normally speaking English suddenly develop a German accent when referencing Max Weber. Apprently, saying Maaahx Vay-baar must sound much more sophiticated or intellectual than saying his name like you'd read it out of a US phone book - Macks Web-ber. I don't know, I just think it's kind of pretentious, but then again I'm the odd one out on this. For now, I'm holding out as long as I can with my American accent. Maybe I'll sound just as abrasive as the Germanophiles sound to me, but I can deal with that better than pretending to have an accent.
Might I also add that Hoosiers doesn't mess with foreign pronunciation, as in Peru, Indiana, pronounced "pay-roo". Our neighbors in Illinois do likewise with Des Plaines (dehs playnes). Even Kentucky gets it, pronouncing Versailles, KY as "ver-sails". I'm definitely not the only one to Americanize pronunciation.
So let's see how long I get away with my little rebellion.
Might I also add that Hoosiers doesn't mess with foreign pronunciation, as in Peru, Indiana, pronounced "pay-roo". Our neighbors in Illinois do likewise with Des Plaines (dehs playnes). Even Kentucky gets it, pronouncing Versailles, KY as "ver-sails". I'm definitely not the only one to Americanize pronunciation.
So let's see how long I get away with my little rebellion.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
A Preview
It's definitely starting to feel like fall, with the temperature dropping enough today that I needed to wear a jacket over a long-sleeve shirt. So seeing as time is marching on, that means that Halloween is coming up soon. Here's a preview of what's going to be going on at the Simacek house
She's too small to fit into the rest of the costume, but can you guess what it is?
She's too small to fit into the rest of the costume, but can you guess what it is?
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Rain and more Rain
This past week we've had rain every day, but it really has been all for the better for us. Paul is very happy about it because prior to this, he was out watering the new grass seed three times per day. With the constant rain and cloudiness, there's been no need to water the lawn for about a week now.
I would have thought I'd be more productive with the poor weather, but really it just makes me want to have tea and cookies all day and listen to the thunder. Tomorrow's supposed to be sunny with a high of 75, so we'll see how that affects productivity around here...
In Binsey news, she's growing fast! We were worried she wasn't fattening up, but considering all the worms & fleas she came with, and the fact that she's doubled in weight since we got her despite her ever-extending spindly legs, we're not too worried about her thin build. I'm sure she'll fatten up once she slows down growing. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have a normal, healthy puppy!
I would have thought I'd be more productive with the poor weather, but really it just makes me want to have tea and cookies all day and listen to the thunder. Tomorrow's supposed to be sunny with a high of 75, so we'll see how that affects productivity around here...
In Binsey news, she's growing fast! We were worried she wasn't fattening up, but considering all the worms & fleas she came with, and the fact that she's doubled in weight since we got her despite her ever-extending spindly legs, we're not too worried about her thin build. I'm sure she'll fatten up once she slows down growing. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have a normal, healthy puppy!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Fall is Here!
It's the first day of Fall, and I made sure to deck out the house with a fall-themed wreath on the door:
There's just something about a wreath that makes a house feel more like a home.
And while I'm on the topic of fall, I remember hearing in grade school that on the equinox, and only on the equinox (which is today), you can balance an egg on one end. Well, I googled it and it's not true according to snopes.com. Oh well, I guess there's better uses for eggs anyway.
There's just something about a wreath that makes a house feel more like a home.
And while I'm on the topic of fall, I remember hearing in grade school that on the equinox, and only on the equinox (which is today), you can balance an egg on one end. Well, I googled it and it's not true according to snopes.com. Oh well, I guess there's better uses for eggs anyway.