fidlmath

Diana the Spider Wrangler

Greetings 2

Hello from the Bicker family:  Mommalogue and her 2 daughters, Agro and Bitch.  All in fun.  I arrived the 16th, Sunday, spent several days in Salt Lake City area, including the day at Solitude Ski Resort and parts of 2 days at the Subaru mechanic.  Stayed with daughter L [Agro]. Then Saturday, we and friend K drove down to Vegas.  I 15 through "the Gorge" was barely moving due to roadwork.  That plus, probably, an extra large amount of traffic made us late.  Daughter J [Bitch] had gotten tickets to the Cirque du Soleil production "Oh" - which is mostly performed in varying depths of water - absolutely wonderful.   Fortunately, all we missed was the 15 min introductory section - despite parking from Hell at the Bellagio.  Anyhow we spent the night, then late brunch at Treasure Island, which has  marvelous buffet, and, finally, drove back up to Torrey in Southern Utah, which is  on the edge of Capitol Reef National Park - marvelous red rock.  Luckily, we stopped for some food, then at the Subway, one of the only places open.  The coup de grace for the trip [recall the traffic and parking lot] came when we accidentally locked our motel key, purses, cellphones [which didn't work there, anyhow] in the room [this at 9:30PM after the place had closed] but luckily there was a phone forwarded to a staff member, who returned and saved us.  Our Christmas dinner consisted of nuts, trail mix and cheese!  Some of my friends call that sort of trip a Tuna Run. Fun!  I'm going to have to cook a turkey or breast when I get back to Miami.  I spent some time in REI yesterday and now own a down jacket, great scarf, very warm mittens and ski hat.  This after nearly freezing in S Utah and at a dog park 3 nights ago, when in my fleece jacket, scarf and hat borrowed from daughter L [Agro] and gloves  [suede with fuzzy liner, purchased from Lands End].  The hat and scarf were the only warm items.  After standing in the cold for about 20 min, I had to come back to the car, turn the heater on to avert frost bitten fingers.  I've half a mind to send the gloves back to Lands End.  The red, fuzzy lined boots I also got from them are great and I've lived in them when not in my hiking boots.  This afternoon, after  lovely brunch at a coffee shop, we took J's 6-mo old puppy [Chewy, Snapdog, Demon, M - whom I am certain has Beagle, jackrabbit and goat in his lineage] up Mill Creek Canyon, where on odd-numbered days dogs are allowed to run free.  Of course there are cross country and skate ski skiiers - so sometimes a little congested.  I had about a 2 mile hike - half up a slight grade, and it snowed lightly part of the time.  Whoopee!  Last night daughter J, having received an Indian cookbook from friend, K, made a sort of shrimp curry and somewhat spicy cornbread - delicious.  We had some leftovers just now.  Sunday night I have to fly back to Miami - sob.  Friend NN has bravely taken care of the cats - litter and all.  He had very happy news this past week - one of his profs asked him to be his Research Assistant - so he now has validation and knows he is a CHEMIST!  Congratulations and kudos to NN!!  TTFN

posted by: mafidl at December 29, 2007 21:07 | link | comments (2) |
humor, weather, family

Toto we're not in Miami anymore.

Whoopee, whee, snow.  I went up to Solitude Ski Resort with daughter, L, and 2 of her friends and their baby yesterday.  We were only going to be gone for a couple of hours, wound up staying all day.  I stayed in the lodge and was longing to take a skiing lesson - knees and all.  I'm really tempted to do it next week if I can get some clothes that are at least semi-waterproof.  Anyhow, here are 2 of the pictures I took on my phone:

posted by: mafidl at December 20, 2007 21:23 | link | comments (5) |

So this is what happened in an episode of SG-1

I followed a trail from Neutronnorman's latest post and this is what I found - wow!

 

posted by: mafidl at December 20, 2007 00:09 | link | comments |

Greetings and Salutations for the coming Holiday Season

The Brothers:   Milo                      and                        Nosedive











Voodoo
and last but not least,  Emmy











My beloved feline pride.

posted by: mafidl at December 09, 2007 10:38 | link | comments (9) |

What can I say

Here I thought I was living in a progressive - well at least not too backward - state.  It seems that apparently I've been wrong:

"For the past 11 years, the biology curriculum in Florida schools has ignored the one great organizing principle of biological science.

Darwin's theory was blackballed, never mind that his work has been bolstered by 148 years of scientific inquiry. It has become the key to our understanding of living organisms and provides the intellectual foundation for bio-medicine, physiology, ecology, genetics, biochemistry, even computer science.

But the word was banned from Florida school curriculum. No one had the courage in 1996 to take on the seven-day creationists and their concept of a 7,000-year-old world. Or their pseudo-science cousins pushing intelligent design."

At any rate, if you want to read more here is the full article.  How can people be so ignorant?  I'm sure there is room for more than one viewpoint to at least be examined in schools, but, to completely discredit evolution is, in my opinion, base ignorance, if not insanity.  I am, basically, at most an agnostic, having been diagnosed as that in the early 1960's by a close friend who was a Catholic Brother.  I am spending much of my time with a science person who acknowledges that there is some sort of a "God" although not in the traditional Christian or any other major religion sense [if I'm wrong there, feel free to correct me because I'm by no measure an expert - far from it - on any religion, including Christianity, into which I was rather ineffectually Baptized - being that I was wearing a bathing cap during the rite, so I've always maintained that it probably didn't take.]  BTW I hope that last doesn't outrage anyone too much - if so, please lighten up.

On another note, one of the residents in my large townhouse complex decided to complain to the County about our lack of adequate lighting.  As a result, we will all be hit with an assessment, to be paid for several months at the rate of, I believe $436/mo - this in addition to our monthly dues of $440.  Merry Christmas!  Not that the lighting didn't need to be looked into [it's not just light poles, but all the underground wiring, too, that is out of code].  As usual, when meetings about this were announced, only a few people beside the board attended them, and then when the meeting to approve the assessment was announced, suddenly many owners came, causing a near riot, as usual.  One group had distributed a flyer demanding the recall of the board [the same person, JC,  usually is recognized as organizing this] and two statements on this missive - to wit that the next door complex paid less than half for the lighting work and is smaller than our complex - was based, as usual, on misinformation.  When an ex-president, Nancy,  went next door to determine who had been hired to do their lighting work, two things came up.  First: that company went bankrupt without, I believe, finishing the work, and second: the spokesperson for that complex told Nancy that the problem with our Condo Board was that "they need to get rid of all those Jewish women on it"  I'm sure this reflects the opinion of JC, who also evidently misrepresented himself as a member of the Board and negotiated some contracts. 

I'm hoping that this latter can be characterized by "Only in Miami" but I would probably be wrong.

posted by: mafidl at December 09, 2007 09:25 | link | comments (5) |

HEALTH ALERT:

There is a dangerous virus being passed around electronically, orally and by hand. This virus is called Weary-Overload-Recreational-Killer (WORK). If you receive WORK from any of your colleagues, your boss or anyone else, DO NOT TOUCH IT! This virus will wipe out your private life completely.

If you should come into contact with WORK, put your jacket on and take two good friends to the nearest grocery store. Purchase the antidote k nown as Work-Isolating-Neutralizer-Extract (WINE) or Bothersome-Employer-Elimination-Rebooter (BEER). Take the antidote repeatedly until WORK has been completely eliminated from your system.

You should forward this warning to 5 friends. If you do not have 5 friends, you have already been infected and WORK is controlling your life.

[This email courtesy of friend, Martha]

posted by: mafidl at December 08, 2007 11:39 | link | comments (2) |

Update

My school changed the schedule for the one final exam yet again.  It went from 6:45AM  Wednesday to 6:45AM Monday to, finally, 9:45AM Wednesday.  I've put that info on my school web page and asked them to email me when they read it.  So far only one has.  Oh well, there is time - and I can try to call them Sunday or Monday if I don't hear from them.

posted by: mafidl at December 06, 2007 22:08 | link | comments |

It's Bitch Time

Would you believe?  my Registrar's Office decided to change the final exam schedule for some of the classes yesterday.  Next week is final exam week and the exam for one of my classes, which was scheduled for Wednesday at 6:45AM was switched to Monday at the same time.  I am meeting the class tomorrow, would announce this then and put that news on my web page - possible problem, those students who don't come to class and don't read their web page.  Now, this afternoon, we've been notified that the exam schedule MAY be changed back - and this won't be made definite until tomorrow, maybe by noon.  My problem class meets at 8AM!!!  So now I've put the info on their web page that the exam MAY go back to the original time and day and that they will have to check it tomorrow or Thursday for an update.  I can't believe this.  The Calculus classes are 4 credit hour classes and have to have a separate class schedules so also a special exam schedule.  Wouldn't you think that when the regular final exam schedule is made up, the Calculus one would be done at the same time?  NO - that makes too much sense.  Every term the Calculus final exam schedule is sent so late that I, several other instructors, secretaries and, I believe, our chairman, have to contact the Registrar's office to light a fire under them and send us a schedule - usually only 1-2 weeks before the exams.
EEEEEEKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!
Now to grade the 2 tests I have to hand back Thursday, the last day of classes before finals.  BTW I heard today that some professors are so disgusted about the exam situation that they are giving their finals this week - which has always before been illegal. 

posted by: mafidl at December 04, 2007 20:03 | link | comments (7) |

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