B.M.

Part 1.
A long time ago, when my mother was potty training me, she couldn't bring herself to say defecate or poop. When that had to happen, she would say "Dr. Bowtie (name omitted to protect the innocent), do you have to B.M (have a bowel movement)?" I think that it made her feel better, but really it just made others wonder what B.M. stood for.

Part 2.
Today, I thought I should post something in honor of leap day. I found a good friend just before we moved from Kansas. We had a passover dinner with our families. His wife and my wife even liked each other. The best and most important part is that he taught me how to tie a bow tie. In fact, he gave me my first bow tie. I thought that I would write a post in honor of him because without this new skill that he gave me 1) I would be left without such a handsome wardrobe (costume / gimmick) for my classes and 2) this blog would have some really bad name like the "ex-miner consultant goes to campus, for the third time." As I began to write my tribute to the man who gave me my first bow tie, I couldn't figure out how to identify him. I could use his blogging name, his comment name, one of his tags 'Turd Ferguson', the name I gave him when I linked his blog (the intellectual) to mine, or some other identifier like his initials.

Part 3.
Thank you B.M. for all that you have done for me.

How women are traded in Saudi Arabia

One of my assignments for class is to write weekly (sometimes weakly) thought pieces that incorporate concepts from the text in a country that the student chose at the beginning of the semester. One of my students wanted to write on Saudi Arabia. They have done well applying political concepts in a nepotistic monarchical state.

Today their assignment was about dominant problems in Saudi Arabia from the perspective of the west and from Saudis. It was a bright concept that he executed well. Unfortunately he misspelled one word which sent me into a laughing fit. He stated that one of the problems that Saudis see in the system is how women are traded. He repeated traded instead of treated in every instance. My favorite was this line "I didn't mean the way they are traded by society because they are already traded very well. I believe that they are traded better than American women are traded in the U.S.A."

I guess that the Saudi women trading system may be problematic.

Gone

My family left today from a two week visit. It was nice to have them here. I essentially dropped everything except for class maintenance and we played. We went to the beach both weekends and visited sites in and around Portland on the other days.


During their stay we had our first visit from the rodent class. We saw one mouse, which quickly changed into mice. I bought traps and within five days, I had trapped/killed 6 mice. I told my apartment owner that I had a one-year old crawling on the floor and the where I was from mice meant hantavirus and probable sickness. She said that it was out of place to complain about mice because we are in their habitat. She offered to lend me a cat for my duration in the apartment.


While my family visited, it was sunny and warm. Now that they are gone I imagine that Oregon will retake its prevalence over the atmosphere and return to dismal gray.


I will miss the warmth of the house with R, R, and E around. Now it is time to buckle down and finish projects until I see them again.

The men who make my bow tie come off

Part 1
In every class that I teach, I am going to talk about Arrow's theorem. It is the most wonderful and disturbing thing to throw at students. It essentially states that when more than two choices exist, there is no method of aggregating the preferences of people into a coherent outcome that doesn't violate a principle of democratic fairness. So I came to that point in my comparative class this week.

Part 2
I always wear a bow tie. That isn't completely true because I have probably missed 3 school days since the start of the term. Either I wasn't feeling myself, or I had to wear a regular neck tie for a more formal event. But on the whole, I have worn a bow tie for 6 weeks of class. In my class presentations I always try to find pictures of people with bow ties if I need pictures. These people include Winston Churchill, Karl Polanyi, and other important figures. When an important person doesn't wear a bow tie, I usually make a note on the slide.

Part 3
So we got to Arrow's theorem and I put pictures of Kenneth Arrow and Richard McKelvey on the first slide. I tried long and hard to find pictures of them in bow ties to no avail. So in honor of their achievements, I took off my bow tie at the beginning of class. My students almost gasped that I had that much repect for their achievements. It was fun to watch all of their faces as the tie came apart. I am unsure if it was that I had such respect for these people, or a realization that I tie my bow ties.

Conclusion
Yes these men make my bow ties come off. And yes, I tie my own bow ties.

Here comes the sun!

After many days, the words of the Beatles came unto Portland saying "Here comes the sun...do do do do... here comes the sun, and I say, its alright!"

This is my glowing back yard. It was nice to have the sun wake me up today. I was going to try to sleep in, but the sun woke me up. I AM HAPPY THAT IT DID!!!

So I got up and danced around a little bit and noticed that the chickens were making a ruckous. They were clucking and making other sounds (I don't know what they are called, but they sound like chicken grumbles), so I took a picture of them.

I went into Portland and ran about 5 miles on the banks of the river. I imagine that there were probably 50-75 runners in the area during my 50 minutes there. That totally overlooks all of the other people who were bicycling, strolling, or otherwise enjoying the sun.

I went back home and showered and went back into town on the "Pioneer Express." It is a school sponsored bus that runs continuously between Lewis & Clark and downtown Portland. They claim that it is to reduce traffic at the school and allow students to purchase food (there are no grocery stores in walking distance of the school), but I really believe it is to make sure that none of the students drive drunk around town. The support for this hypothesis is that the bus runs late into the night on Friday and Saturday (2am is the last run). The furthest point into downtown that the bus goes is Pioneer Square. I took this picture of Pioneer Courthouse and the square in front of it.
I set off walking to explore the downtown. My feminine side came out as I saw the Nordstrom's Rack store. A while ago, R's aunt gave me some money for a no-iron shirt and pants which I later bought on a trip to Chicago. The shirt and pants each cost more than I had spent on a single item of clothing for almost 7 years. They have been so nice that I have longed for more. Anyway, I made a b line for the store to look around. They had some nice clothes, but it was the shoes that took me off guard. Like I said in one of my last posts, I get tired of wearing my only reasonable brown dress shoes, and I have been casually looking for some new ones. I think that I found them. I tried them on and took pictures. The first pair are okay, but the second pair deserved two pictures. (At the Rack, they only have one of the shoes out on the floor, so the comparison shoe on the left is my steel toe with the two inch heel mine boots.)

Here they are!!! I used to make fun of the extended square toe dress shoe for me, but they were super cool.



I withstood the temptation and didn't spend the $60 (they were originally $150) on the shoes. Instead, I bought a book at Powells and hiked around the downtown. I got back on the bus and rode back to campus. En route I realized that Mt Hood was visible. By the time I got to where I wanted to snap the picture, the mountain has been hidden by wispy clouds and a bright reflection. I took the picture anyway. It is a set of gardens behind the Frank Manor that perfectly frame the mountain.


After I snapped the shot, I turned 180 degrees and took a picture of the back of Frank Manor. You can see the shadows!! That means that there was sun!


I have been refreshed, and I hope that it continues. Let there be light!

As promised

Here is one of the pictures that I promised to provide in one of my last posts. I took another picture at the front of the temple but because it rains all of the time, the picture is full of rain drop reflections.

I really miss the sun. I haven't seen it for a while and I think that it is taking a toll on my mind. My sister suggests that I go tanning to get the endorphins going, but I am reluctant to sit in a potentially cancer causing bed.

Odd feeling...

Yesterday, I treated myself to a Temple session and a pizza prior to my night class instead of prepping and re-prepping my classes. (Temple picture to come as soon as I get my camera from home.) The Temple recently reopened after some remodeling and it was a nice break from the world.
I am relentlessly cheap when it comes to almost everything, so on my way home I stopped for a cheap treat, a take and bake pizza. I settled for the Papa Murphy's cheapest special, the chicken artichoke bacon De-Light pizza. I went home and quickly cooked it. It tasted really good but didn't sit right. While I felt okay, I just didn't feel right. The class was a disaster as I lost my train of thought, watched people almost fall asleep, and rambled all over the place. I went home and almost directly to sleep.
I woke up today with the same not me feeling, so I ditched the bow tie and went with some slacks, a nice corduroy shirt, and my favorite tennis shoes. The rationale was that I really didn't want to wear the same shoes that I have been wearing for the last few weeks (a discontinued, elf-appropriate green Clarks dress shoe) . They are comfortable, but no variation makes 'jack a dull boy'. Consequently, I couldn't reasonably wear a bow tie with blue Adidas Gazelles (although after today, I may try it sometime). Then, I tried to determine if I could get away with jeans, but quickly decided not to risk it since I haven't ever seen anyone here teach in jeans. (What would PJ do if he couldn't wear running shorts?) I am comfortable, but still not me. I feel like I betrayed all of those students who trusted in the bow tie. The class went well, in fact really well, so I feel a little better about myself. Still not myself, just better about myself.
Tomorrow will be another bow tie. If I go too long without one, the students may think that I am getting cooler, er, soft.

Bow ties and professors

I dismissed my class today and then waited around to answer a few questions that they had. There were probably 6 or 7 people who wanted something from me, either the ability to turn in a late assignment or clarification of some issue. Instinctively they all formed a line. Near the front of the room one person lingered, out of line. After the line was gone, she started walking towards the door very slowly (less than 5 feet in a minute). She turned around and shyly asked why I had decided to wear bow ties. I think it went something like this...
"Dr. Tucker, I have an odd, er, personal question."
"That's fine"
"Why did you start wearing bow ties? I mean was it a long time ago, or did you just want to look like a professor?"
I explained that I found my inner geek a couple of years ago and started wearing them on occasion.
"Are they hard to tie?"
I explained that they weren't easy to tie, but that over time it got easier. I also said something about needing a mirror to make sure that they look right.
Then she said "I'll remember that whenever I need to tie a bow tie." Then she walked off to another class.

I walked up to my office smiling for having been asked that question.

Now I wonder why it is that bow ties are only associated with a few distinct occasions. These are concerts (bow ties by the orchestra or performers), very fancy events or dinners (bow tie and tail required), and professors at some schools (?). I have no idea how it came to be that these were acceptable for bow ties whereas other occasions or locations were not really bow tie friendly. All of my professors had distinct styles (running shorts or vests for example) yet none ever wore a bow tie. I believe that somewhere deep in everyone's conscious is the lingering idea that a bow tied professor means that you are at a good school. If that is the case, I am simply helping them feel better about spending so much money on their education. And that makes me feel good.

Time

It always seems like I don't have enough time for my day. I have a lot of things to do for my future like writing and editing papers. Unfortunately they don't have the importance of getting things done right now. It is not as if I don't have enough time, but rather the focus to get it all done. Today my list includes writing on a paper, doing some prep for my methods class, and then finishing work on a conference paper. When I look at it that way, it doesn't seem like much but the inertia takes a long time to build. After I get going, I'll be done in a few hours. It just takes some getting going.

After lunch

After lunch, I did some more work and then went to mail my Fullerton contract. This is the view from my office to the south.


I went to the post office and bought a stamp and placed it in the bin. These little boxes with stickers are where the students get their mail. I thought it was really unique the first time that I saw it, so I decided to take a picture.
I came back to the office and did a little more work. This picture is from before lunch, but it was better than the one I took later. This is literally what I see almost all of my day at school.


I had a chat with one of the other professors and decided to go home. On the way home (and there), I have to walk around this roundabout. The cars are generally good about stopping when people are in the crosswalk, but not always. Just beyond the crosswalk is the law school. I go through the parking lot of the law school and meet up with the trail that I showed on the earlier post.


Then back across the main road and down my street to my house. On the far left of the house is the access to my apartment. The upstairs is being rented by a nice young couple who generally leave me alone.
If you go to the left of the house (in the picture) you get to my upper door.

If you continue on down the side of the house, you get to the chickens and my sliding glass door. I primarily use the upper door just because I don't like muddy feet. If I really wanted to be earthy, I would pass the chickens each day and tell them how much I like eating their eggs.

This is a picture of my backyard and view from my windows. It is very green and surprisingly sunny (when there is sun). It is part of the Tryon Creek State Park, but you can't get here via any trails.


When I got home, I decided to go on a run. I love my stretchy pants.

For my run, I went to Tryon Creek State Park. It is the same trail that passes the law school (the one I use every day) but if you continue on, it will go all the way to Lake Oswego. I only went a little over two miles one way, but I took a picture of part of the trail near the nature center. The vegetation is very dense as you can see.


After the run, I stretched on the floor.

And then I ate some chicken enchiladas. I made them the other day and then froze them. I put them in the oven at 350 for almost 2 hours, and they were not fully cooked. I also put some mexican sausage over a portion to add extra flavor. It was pretty good.

After dinner I sat down to do some work, but decided to sit and relax instead. I will get up early instead of work late into the night.
My normal routine for bed entails getting in PJs (you don't need a picture). Brushing my teeth (no picture for you), prayer, and reading my scriptures and other books. I am almost done with the Proper Care and Feeding of Marriage, and I just started Gospel Symbolism by Joseph Fielding McConkie.

I set my alarm for 5am so that I can be to school around 630 at the latest.
I have a lot of other things that I should do, but there is always something to be done. Sleep calls.

Daily Life Update at Midday

Today started like every other day in my life, I fought waking up. I decided that it might really bother the neighbors upstairs if I didn't stop the alarm clock. I was up late ironing shirts, so I reset my clock for 6am. I got up, smelled my armpits and decided that I needed a shower.
After that, I had to decide on which clothes to wear. Most importantly, Rachel has indicated that I shouldn't just wear white shirts. With that in mind, I grabbed my new blue shirt and tried to choose a tie. Luckily, there was a brown bow tie that had blue in it. I put on my pants, shirt, bowtie, coat, scarf, and cap. Then, I took this picture in the mirror of the bathroom.

Then I ran to the kitchen for a bowl of cereal (not my normal breakfast meal, but I was in a hurry). I like to eat honey bunches of oats but it doesn't taste like food, but rather like sweets. I never quite feel satisfied with cereal for breakfast.
Then out the door to walk to school.

Down the road and across the street to the walking path to the Law School.
And on to campus. This is somebody's old mansion that now houses someone special on campus.

Here is my building the way I see it everyday. It is a lot nicer than it looks in the picture.

This is my office (the one with the light on), and evidence that even leaving late in the morning (by my standards) is much earlier than nearly everyone else.


I walk up the steps in the middle of the building, and inevitably see this joint in the building. It strikes me as beautiful but I cannot determine why. I have included it because it is part of my daily routine.


Here is my office from the hallway. I share it, but only really use the portion of the office in front of the main desk. All of those papers are hers. She is 'away' most of the time. I got to talk to her once on the phone and she seemed nice enough. I doubt that I will ever meet her, but who really knows. Mostly I feel like I am a visitor (which technically I am).

Here is how I work everyday.

I did some research on current events for my class, checked my email, and then went to class. I gave a lecture on conflict and critical thinking. At the end of class, I asked if I could take a picture of the class to document my day and they agreed. Here they are (some of them).

After class I returned to my office to grade papers and write some papers. It is now noon and I just finished my lunch. It was a banana and a peanut butter and jelly berry bagel. I love the texture of bagels and bread goes bad really quickly here, so I thought, I might as well try. It was really good. So good that I didn't even think about taking a picture of it for you.

I still have a majority of the day left to write papers for Andy (my co-author and mentor), so I will post the second part of my day later.
I think that this picture looks funny, but I am starting to realize that the way I view myself and how others view me vary greatly. I think that it started with the closed-circuit television at McDonalds demonstrating my baldness, but it has overflowed into believing that the way the picture comes out says more than what the mirror in the bathroom says. Either way, the bowtie ended working out well with my wardrobe.