Geeky Mom

It’s raining and will probably be raining for the rest of the day. I’m relieved, actually. It’s a nice spring rain and it’s sort of nice to be sitting inside, listening to it drip onto the sidewalks and leaves and hear the cars driving by, sprays of water springing up and cascading onto the curb. This might mean that lacrosse will be cancelled and it definitely means I don’t have to work in the yard. I’ve started a huge project, which is nearly finished, but I haven’t had the motivation to work on it.

I really need to hit a coffee shop and do some writing and there’s grocery shopping and laundry to do. Mr. Geeky wants to go see The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe this weekend. That would be okay but I’m sort of worried about this writing thing.

Last night, I played video games with my son. We’re playing an old Lara Croft game together, one that we played together a long time ago. It’s really been fun. We’re constantly saying, “Oh, I remember how we figured this out!” He still has to cover his eyes for some parts. It’s pretty funny and sweet. He is really a very non-violent person. This is the most violent video game we own and we only have it because we bought it for me. He got intrigued by the strategy aspect of it when I first started playing it. I think he’d like something like Myst, though it might be over his head. If it continues to rain, perhaps we can continue our gaming.

I started taking thyroid medication yesterday and am feeling much better. I don’t think I’ve mentioned this here, but back in September, I had half my thyroid removed with the possibility that it could be cancer. That turned out not to be the case and in fact, the doctors thought that the remaining half thyroid had been doing all of the work for quite a while. Well, that turned out not to be true. The symptoms: fatigue, depression, among others, but those were the main ones for me. I think I’m also relieved to know there’s a medical explanation for my feeling out of sorts. The symptoms weren’t strong enough to really be overly concerned about, but I just didn’t feel right. And I think this has been true for 10 years. Signs of trouble I ignored.

I think I’m back to blogging more regularly. I’m still not completely caught up with reading, but getting there.

I know this isn’t fair to those who are buried under papers right now, but I’ve been having a blast at work lately. Oh, I’ve had the occasional frustration, like not being able to get the large format printer to cooperate properly, but generally things are going very well. I can hardly believe I wrote this, or this, or this. Just two weeks ago–man, that’s sad. Someone remind me of these last few days when I go back into the funk again.

Today, Jean-Claude Bradley from Drexel came and gave a presentation on podcasting and screencasting lectures. If you do lectures at all, you should check it out. It was very interesting and several of the faculty who attended are interested in giving it a try.

Tomorrow is the last day of classes. Monday, I’m attending three students’ thesis presentations. They’ve all worked closely with Mr. Geeky and two of them worked for me last summer in what I call a semi-slumber-party atmosphere. So we’re close. Soon things will be gearing up for that semi-slumber-party atmosphere again and though it’s hard work to get things set up for that, it’s really fun. Basically, I’ve hired 6 students who will spend 10 weeks learning and developing multimedia projects. They work very closely together and rely on each other and me for lots of help and support. I’m looking forward to it!

I just feel like a lot of things are falling into place and I really have some direction. Let’s hope it lasts for at least a little while.

I’ve been attending some local events–lectures, presentations and whatnot–in addition to hosting my own. Attendence is small at most of them, less than 15 people. Jimbo had mentioned a while back that he was disappointed in attendance at his Big Gorilla sessions.

My question is do you think that the increased tenure and promotion requirements at most institutions actually squelch participation in such community activities?

I was wandering across campus today thinking that this place is supposed to be a community, but how much of a community is it? Are there separate communities? And are these presentations, lectures, colloquia, etc. ways of forming community and if no one attends, does it mean they don’t want to be a part of the community? What is it that we are trying to foster on college campuses–especially smaller campuses?

Okay, that was more than one question.

This is going to be a crazy week; blogging might be light. I am bringing in a speaker this week. I have a writing deadline Sunday. I have multiple personal obligations. I will come up for air next Monday, but I’ll try to stop by.

I love everyone’s comments on the health post below. I especially appreciate pg’s suggestions on quick meals. Isn’t it funny how you think, yeah, of course, but advertising convinces you that hot dogs or McDonald’s is better?

Should I be worried that I have some people’s url’s memorized? Do those of you who discuss your blog with others ever get looked at like they’re thinking of calling the cops? Is blogging any weirder as a pasttime than watching tv?

That is all for now. Good night.

This week, the Journal of the American Medical Association published report showing that overweight people might live longer than underweight people. Really, it’s main point (from my brief reading) is that there were fewer deaths as a result of being overweight than as a result being underweight. For some more detailed quotes and links, go here. While I was at Drexel, I talked to the Dean, who told me about a study on mice that showed similar results. I haven’t seen anything about the mouse study, but I’ve seen plenty on the other research.

John Tierney writes about the connection between body weight and class (completely unscientifically).

In four-fifths of the societies studied by anthropologists, people have sensibly considered a plump pear-shaped body to be the female ideal. Subcutaneous fat was traditionally a sign of fertility and health, a status indicator showing that a woman was not too poor to afford food.

But as food became cheaper and more available, the ideal changed. Avoiding temptation in the midst of plenty became a virtue and a status symbol of the rich. Thinness became a form of conspicuous consumption, what might be called conspicuous conservation. . . .

As long as it’s more expensive to be thin, fat will not be fashionable, no matter what scientists find.

No matter where I’ve lived, it’s been expensive to be thin. Yes, you can always get out and walk or run for free. But there’s the food and there’s the time. Healthier food (aside from some of the basics like beans and rice) are almost always more expensive. Fresh fruits and vegetables are more expensive than frozen or canned (and take longer to prepare). Exotic fruits and vegetables in most of the country are really expensive or non-existent. Soy products are often expensive. Lean meat is more expensive than fatter meat. Healthier meat (like chicken or fish) is more expensive than beef (aside from really good steak cuts). And then there’s the prep time for fresh food vs. buying prepared versions. And most of those prepared foods are less healthy (more sodium and saturated fats). Sure, once you learn some tricks or prepare ahead, maybe the time won’t matter, but so many people are used to making quick meals (myself included sometimes) that they don’t know those tricks or want to invest the time to learn them. And let’s not forget about the people who don’t even know what’s good for them (thanks to the new pyramid).

And then there’s the exercise side of the equation. I struggle to find time to exercise. Imagine if I’m holding down two jobs to make ends meet. I think there’ll be Hamburger Helper for dinner and no workout. And yet, the CDC and the FDA and agencies of their ilk, recommend healthy eating and 60-90 minutes of exercise a day. The average American just doesn’t have that kind of time. Interesting how this fits into work-life balance, isn’t it?

Then David Brooks had to chime in and be all weird about it. Both Tierney and Brooks use the study to give middle-aged men an excuse for their middles (Brooks more so than Tierney) and that’s just weird. Now I don’t have a perfect figure, but I’ve been blessed with a small frame and a high metabolism, so I am considered thin by most of my friends. I do not feel healthy though–and that’s what I think is more important–and it should be the take-home message of a study like this. The message should be extreme anything is bad–too fat, too thin. I do think our culture is obsessed with thinness and that that obsession is tied to class and race issues.

I have been trying to improve my health without worrying about my figure. As I said in another post, I just don’t want to feel tired when I do basic things. I have been gradually increasing my exercise though it’s hard to keep up with. And I’ve been thinking lately of going back to vegetarianism. I’m not going to rule out meat entirely yet, but just take it a day at a time. I’m thinking of starting with a no meat at home policy but if we’re out, we’ll have meat.

It will be interesting to see what the real fallout of this study is for the food and diet industry. I suspect nothing. Until you get the thin people off the covers of magazines and off tv and out of the movies, thin will still be in. It takes a cultural shift to change people’s eating habits. They’re part of our lifestyle not just sustenance. That’s what someone needs to figure out how to change. How to change our lifestyle. If Heading Out and Prof. Goose are right, peak oil may have us living off the land soon enough.

Because that’s easier to write about than being fat or promoting science to the public (but those are coming, really!) and because jo(e) asked. Laundry is coming along nicely. Bills are paid (including real estate taxes!).

We made a trip shopping yesterday, mostly to get Mr. Geeky some clothes and shoes. We went to a mall nearby, slipped into all the stores that had men’s clothing and were disappointed. We saw a few things we liked, but a lot of stuff was way too expensive or just a little too “out there” for Mr. Geeky. He’s Geeky, not particularly stylish or unstylish, prefers not to stand out. The Queer Eye guys would not be horrified by him, but he would also not be their model. We ended up with a pair of good-looking, kind of funky shoes for him and then headed off to Target. (Please tell me Target is better than Wal-Mart, cause I love it.)

We split up and I picked out some workout clothes (yay!). I also tried to ignore a woman who was yelling at her kid.

So my new pajamas. This past winter, I reinvigorated my pajama collection which had made a turn for the old lady category thanks to some gifts from my inlaws (they mean well). Now, I don’t do sexy lingerie (I got over that in my late 20s); I want to be comfortable, but not to the complete detriment of style. So I got some mix and match sets–pants, tops, boxers–at Target. I would say, sexy in a cute way. They’re fitted and don’t try to hide much of anything. So my winter nightwear is looking up.

Summer nightwear is another story. Basically, it’s been a collection of ratty t-shirts, most of which I hate. There are two, however, that I will never give up no matter how ratty they get. One is a Steve Dallas shirt that I bought my sophomore year in college (which means it’s almost 20 years old) and another from shortly thereafter from a Bob Dylan concert (1988, I believe), a concert I went to for the opening act, The Alarm (iirc). So, I was starting to look dumpy.

I spotted at Target a quite nice collection of jammies with lightweight cropped sweatpants and fitted very soft t-shirts. The t-shirts were almost as soft as my well-worn beloved Bob Dylan and Steve Dallas shirts. I got a denim blue set, the pants slightly darker than the shirt and they are so comfy. I wanted to buy more, but I restrained myself and noted that Mother’s Day is around the corner and perhaps the spouse and children can be convinced to return and purchase some in different colors.

There’s just something nice about padding around the house in a pair of pajamas that is comfortable and shows off your figure. Oddly, I feel like I can take on the world in a good pair of pajamas much more than if I’m in a business suit.

What I need to accomplish:

Laundry–out the wazoo
Bills–mostly under control, but need to check up on a few–need to check on some leftover tax stuff, but that’s pretty minor
Writing–real writing, maybe even at a coffee shop (if Mr. Geeky will lend me his laptop)

Then I have several posts in mind: a public science post, something about being fat, then another poem. Meanwhile, I’m going to fold clothes and watch political pundits (cause that’s what Sunday’s all about!). Also, I will have to tell you about my cool new jammies or pajamas (and that’s with the second a pronounced “ah”). Before any of that–more coffee.

You’ve all made Geeky Boy’s day by posting comments on his blog. I was a little leery of posting his link here, not that I don’t trust my regular readers, but this is public and the news has done a great job of scaring the bejeezus out of me about internet crime and whatnot. He was very excited to see your comments and feels compelled to keep up more with his blog. He promises pictures of the hamster(s) (little sister gets one too) when he gets them–probably in two weeks. Thanks again, everyone!

Narrative

Children’s drawing of a Christmas tree, the bottom
boughs of the pine curve perfectly, and beyond
the tree, the white house, the tiny window facing

always a light in it, reddish from the thin curtains.
My hands dip into the sink, the warm water. Once
I told my father I wanted to be a professional football

player. Later, I imagined myself carrying a briefcase rushing
across a street-the perfect haircut-slightly late
for an important meeting. Where is the story

I told to myself as walked through the yard? I have narrated
myself into a corner, deleting what no longer seems true. Neither
the football player nor the executive exist when I look

out the window, watch a squirrel dart across
the roof of the house, leap to the pine; I wonder
why can’t I do that? It is something else,

before anyone asked for definitions. When I rinse the dishes,
placing them neatly into the rack to dry, what
keeps me from leaving them, from standing
under the pine to look up its length or from running down the road

until the house is small behind me, from rewriting
what I insist is finished? Somewhere
my childhood spirit still wanders, drinks in the smell

of rotting leaves, climbs trees and presses her palms
together, sticky with sap. I have let her go,
kept from her the chore of washing dishes

and now she will not come back. I might never find her.
But sometimes when I walk home, kicking the leaves,
I imagine myself as seven and trudging from school,
dictating to no one, the story of my life.

Rob points out in a comment on my science blogging post that one of the problems related to using a blog as a document of research is the non-lasting nature of work on the internet. I have seen arguments and have made the argument myself that it’s possible to ensure the longevity of blogs, but it is not entirely without risk to rely on a blog (or other internet source) as a stable source. As luck would have it, there’s an interesting article in Inside Higher Ed that discusses the same problem.

Our time here may be fleeting — “Out, out brief candle!” — but footnotes are not supposed to be. When online citations extinguish, every discipline is befouled, because replication, at the heart of the research process, becomes difficult without stable archiving, which libraries used to provide.

It is probably risky to rely on a service like Blogger–which is free and offers no real assurances that your material won’t disappear–as a permanent record of any kind. And this may be a greater problem than copyright as more and more material goes online openly. There are ways of retrieving older versions of web sites (The Way Back Machine, for example) but they, too, are volunteer efforts and not reliable. While I’ve seen some discussion here and there about libraries attempting to do some archiving of resources that are only available online, there doesn’t seem to be good policy in place for how to deal with this. It’s up to the librarians to select what should and should not be archived.

And this can also be an issue for hard copies of materials as libraries run out of physical space and make decisions about what to keep and what to put into offsite storage or get rid of completely. An example of something someone might not think to keep came up in the last 24 hours. Intel was seeking a pristine copy of the issue of Electronics magazine that first published “Moore’s Law.” A British man found a copy and received the offered reward, but one could easily imagine that all copies disappeared or were trashed to make space for newer material. Disaster can also strike (Library of Alexandria anyone?).

Online sources seem less stable and permanent, but it’s certainly possible that we can find a solution to that problem. But hard copies are not immune to instability either.