haiKupiec

There are some days that the only cure for crazy is Bob Marley.

Today the internal jukebox served up Buffalo Soldier to soothe my soul.

If you know your history,
Then you would know where you coming from,
Then you wouldn’t have to ask me,
Who the ‘eck do I think I am.

The Historic Quadrangle at the Univerity of Nevada, Reno is being transformed for commencement. Each chair is placed with remarkable precion, lined up with the string guides. On Friday and Saturday, those chairs will be filled with happy graduates and their parents. Commencement on the Quad is one of the outstanding perks of being a member of the Wolf Pack.  These are uncertain times, but uncertain times are easier to face with the degree in hand. Congratulations to everyone graduating this May.

Today I became a student again. Technically, I haven’t stopped being a student since starting work on a master’s degree in Fall 2007. But today I was reunited with teachers and I realized that being a student without a teacher is a sad and lonely existence, perhaps the poorer half of a rich relationship. I believe that any interaction between student and teacher is a valid way to learn. I live online and to say the face to face experience trumps everything would be disingenuous. But there has to be two-way communication of a rich and complex sort. Books are wonderful but they are no replacement for the living, breathing, thinking, feeling teacher. I know some of my friends can’t wait for school to end. They want out and believe me the intensity of the experience has driven me to beg for mercy more than once. But being away from the university was more than I could bear. I stood on the Quad today and I wanted to kiss the ground and hug the majestic trees. Today was a day filled with work as always but there was the smart grid, and the geology of the American West and historic preservation of the recent past mixed in and the engine in my brain that seems to kick in when something new and different is at hand roared to life. Today I saw so many people in multiple dimensions and I appreciated anew their passion for their fields and appreciated heir willingness to share that passion.

It’s amazing how lazy our brains get. We become competent at a set of tasks and we can hum along on back-up power. But nothing beats the rush of full throttle. Like a perfect double espresso. Anyone who knows me knows there is no higher compliment than being compared to a perfect cup of coffee.

These are tough times everywhere and universities are no exception. I hope that my beloved university–this one and the others I have known and love–will weather the storm.

I may whine and complain when I next have to give a presentation or turn in a paper–or write my thesis!–but I may re-read this love letter and remember this day and my gratitude for being witness to small acts of human greatness, the ones that happen every day at universities. I will try to remember the feeling of wrapping my brain around new ideas and the sheer joy of adding a brick that will become a permanent part of my foundation and hold up everything else that comes later. I hope that this brick will be toward the bottom when all is said and done.

“Our best thoughts come from others.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

“If we succeed in giving the love of learning, the learning itself is sure to follow”
–John Lubbock

I bought some boots after Christmas–calf high, black microfiber numbers with super cute snowflake-shaped tread. I’ve worn them once but it really wasn’t enough to break them in. Then March 26 in Boulder, Colorado happened. People told me that the weather can be unpredictable and true to form after weeks of spring-like weather we got dumped on today. Full-on blizzard warning in effect. Freeways closed. Offices closed. Schools closed. Well, I decided that I had better go outside and look at the condition of my truck. I don’t know, I guess I wanted to see how stuck I am (with no shovel, I might add).

Let’s just say that I have never seen the bed of my truck full of snow. Full. To the rim.

It’s quite a sight.

There was about 6-8″ on top of the cab and hood. I got most of that snow off. I have no idea what to do with the truck bed. I can imagine drving down the road with snow blowing everywhere. That just doesn’t seem like a good idea. So I’ll thaw out and see if I can find someone in the hotel with a shovel and dig out some more.

I have been reading The Song of Songs: The Soul and the Divine Beloved by John Davidson, and thinking about the layers of meaning in what we say, what we write and who we are as individuals. It occurs to me that we often interact with each other on one or two layers of our beings. Sometimes these are the superficial layers—sometimes not. But very few people interact with others in a multidimensional way. There are moments however when you meet someone who manages to take a core sample of who you are and sees the multi-layered person…and they offer you a great gift: acceptance or validation or understanding.

These are the messengers of love in this life. I met one this week and still I am marveling at—and grateful for—the gift of the messenger.

1. A news story about Frozen Dead Guy Days 2009 held in Nederland, CO. Just to prove that I am not making this up, I invite you to visit the Nederland Chamber of Commerce for complete details: www.nederlandchamber.org/events_fdgd-home.html.

2. Pearls Before Swine. I laughed out loud in a public place. People probably wondered what I was up to. Check out the 3-7-09 strip.

3. An invitation to the services of the Hell Yeah Church of Love and Miracles. Again, I invite you to visit them on the web. Sounds nice actually. Nice with a little edge. www.hellyeahchurchofloveandmiracles.org

Remember, I didn’t make the news…I am only reporting what I read. And at the rate papers seem to be going under, they need all the help they can get…

Back in the day, sporks just seemed a little pathetic. Not a fork, not
a spoon it was an odd little utensil with an identity crisis. Fast
forward about 20 years and wade through mountains of disposable
plastic ware at the dawn of global climate change and we start to
examine everything destined for the landfill.

Inspired by Low Impact Man, his blog, and comments from his following,
I purchased 4 sporks from Light My Fire for me and 3 friends that I
thought would appreciate–or at least be amused by–such a gift. These
are a wholly different utensil from their confused predecessors. These
are utentsils on a mission! They come in several colors. I bought blue
for my beloved, red for my favorite buckeye, yellow for a girl who is
not afraid of color, and green (of course) for myself. My spork has
already saved me and the earth from disposable plastic madness on
multiple occasions.

Now all I need is a jaunty reusable napkin to tuck in my bag so I can
just say no to paper napkins.

This is a date that will remain recognizable–and memorable–for many years. So many dates are remembered for the death, destruction and tragedy they evoke. The dates seared into public memory are too often because of accidents, assassinations, acts of terror, battles fought… Today is wholly different. The mood today is jubilant, triumphant, filled with love and pride and the fruits of perseverance. There are no losers in today’s triumph, there are only winners. Today is more than the election of another president. It is the transfer of the baton from generation to generation. It’s the realization of the 45-year old dream of a visionary King. It is an important day in one man’s journey intersecting with the journeys of so many others. May it be the turning point that we all need.

Today, we freecycled. For those who haven’t tried it, Google Freecycle and learn more. It’s like craigslist only everything is free and people are organized into local groups (makes it easier to exchange stuff that way). Today we found a home for 5 used, but very clean, litter boxes and a metal mailbox. The recipients needed what we had and we wanted to keep these things out of the landfill. It’s a win-win.

Something very strange happened. It walked outside and it felt sunny and warm. The Christmas snow was meting, the sun was shining. I felt WARM. It was 48 DEGREES. That is not warm where I come from.

I guess my blood is thickening.

December is not really the best time to clean the garage (unless you live in Phoenix, then it’s not bad). However, sometimes in the course of human events it becomes necessary to dig out from under the pile of stuff that’s been flung out in the garage to deal with at the magical time known as “later.”

Well, later is today.

So we broke down cardboard boxes that have obviously been multiplying when we weren’t looking so we can make a recycling run. And we rediscovered a few items that need a new home if possible so those were listed on Freecycle, there are a few bags for charity and a few items for friends. Mostly, I wondered if we would ever be able to buy a smaller house in the future. Maybe we can as long as it has a giant garage.

When we were house hunting the first time around, I looked at a house that had a 5-car garage (as long as the cars were Hondas, not Tahoes). Sometimes I daydream about that garage. Ok, really it’s more of a fantasy. Anyway…today that garage would be awesome.