20th Anniversary for a working stiff

About this time 20 years ago, I was applying for my first job. When June rolls around, I will be able say that I have been employed (or on full-time voluntary service) for 18 out of the last 20 summers. For the last 15 years, I have had two summers of unemployment, but only because I was in transition from undergrad to grad school, and later from L&C to CSUF. There were about 6 months of unemployment outside of those summers, but otherwise I've been employed. I don't know why I thought this was interesting. I feel old.

New social media is dead; the internet is dead

Not too long ago, a friend of mine commented on how blogging and facebook are dead. I echo that sentiment. If I spend more than 10 minutes online, it is probably because I am looking at the selection of motorcycles on motors.ebay.com. I am reminded of the following commercial from 2002. Being from that long ago and referencing the state of the internet (Facebook had yet to appear), the commercial is as pertinent as ever.




Rather than updating this blog or my facebook status, I can now be found theorizing about human behavior and eating sardines in my coat closet.

Facial Aversion

Everyone remembers their mom telling them to not stare at somebody. Maybe it was the kid in the wheelchair, the lady who had suffered a stroke, or maybe some really creepy homeless dude.
Working in at a large public institution, I get to see this ingrained behavior play out on a day to day basis. Everyone tries to strike a balance between intrigue and apathy, but they go about it in different ways. Some, like myself are balancers. We allow ourselves to look for a moment if we 'balance' that look with another at a different person either beside them or in the other direction. Other people are peripheral-peekers. They use their peripheral vision to peek from under their ballcaps, behind their dark glasses, or even from a ducked head... hoping to catch a glance... they don't care how long they stare because it is only a partial stare. There are the 'you caught me's' who chance to stare until caught at which point they seek the comfort of looking at the ground until they are safely out of range of the individual. There are others, but I'll reserve that for the comment section (please share) or another post. I need to get to the more important issue of the types of people who attract our stares.
Today I noticed that I have facial aversion to different groups or types of people, so I assume that others do too. For example, I don't allow myself to look at extremely pretty or extremely ugly women. I think that it helps them not think that I am creepy. I don't look at the bodies of the physically disabled, but I will look directly into their eyes. I avoid looking at people in immodest clothing, even when I could look into their eyes and avoid their bodies. I never look up in a stairwell in case someone is wearing a miniskirt, and I never look down in a stairwell in case someone is wearing an open blouse or otherwise revealing their cleavage. I will often avoid eye contact with groups of non-white students in case they think that the 'bald white guy' is singling them out. I never look at a women if she is walking alone for fear that she thinks I am going to follow her or treat her as an object of lust.
Alternatively, I don't have the facial aversion problem with most non-aggressive looking men. I generally try to smile at people, but find myself more often than not, simply looking down or away. It just seems easier.

New Faculty Orientation

Two years ago, I was unprepared for classes, working out of an office without furniture, getting a foreclosed house ready for my family, and worrying about life in SoCal. I have learned a lot over the past two years about my school, being a professional academic, living in a bankrupt state, and what I would tell others who were in my shoes. This week, I presented a little talk on being a new faculty member to this year's new faculty recruits. As I spoke, I realized that teaching is less important to me than the other stuff that I do. Mainly, I know that I will get my teaching done well, but it is easy to let other stuff slide, like grant applications, revising (my own) research papers quickly, doing the mindless paperwork, and thinking a couple of years ahead. It was a nice prompt to encourage a little self-reflection about what to do with my time.

So, what makes me different today from two years ago? I guess everything has resolved itself except for being prepared for classes. Why write a syllabus until an hour before class?

Why a motorcycle will never kill me

I have been drooling over a motorcycle for approximately 700 years. On the top of my list are the Triumph Scrambler, the BMW F650, and the Ducati GT1000. My wife has been longing for a dog in a similar manner. I hate dogs and she hates thinking that I will die in a motorcycle accident. A couple of months ago I put my foot down and said, "if you get a dog, I'm getting a bike." She actually understood that I was serious.

After today, I know a motorcycle won't kill me. it will be too many gulab jamun. These little warm, sweet, donut-like Indian treats will be the death of me. That, and a number of other foods that I simply refuse to give up. I have a serious addiction to saturated fat, sugar, and cheeses. My veins and arteries are likely more clogged than the freeways here in SoCal.

... the mice will play.

The cat left and took two of the kittens. What should you expect from the mice? - A seriously crazy long day full of fun and adventure.

In chronological order:
1. get up, eat breakfast, pack the car
2. take mom and sisters to the airport in OC
3. ride to the car mega mart and look at mini coopers
4. ride to the gas station for a soda and candy
5. ride to dad's work
6. play video games on the computer while dad tries to work
7. ride scooter around campus while dad has an impromptu meeting
8. go to Ruby's for lunch (eat french fries with meal)
9. play video games while dad tries to work
9.5 eat some candy, gum, and other generally unwelcome items
10. go to class when I would normally be going to bed (7pm class start time)
11. play ipod games while dad holds a two hour class
12 get out of class in time to quickly pack up and
13. ride to Disneyland to watch the fireworks from the top floor of the parking garage
14. ride to Arby's for a sandwich (only to find that they had cleaned their shake machine)
15. ride to McDonalds for an ice cream cone
16. fall asleep in the car (sometime around 10:45pm)

What kid wouldn't have loved that day? I just hope that he can remember.
I will never forget how many sincere thank you's I heard.

Space or no space

I am a little confused. Normally I would up and do everything that Steven Hawking says - because, you know, he is the smartest person with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ever to wheel the earth. BUT, it seems like he is asking too much from us. First he says not to go look for aliens and then he says we must abandon Earth. Hasn't he ever watched Star Trek? All planets that are inhabitable by humans already have some humanoid life form on them. Seriously, if this is the smartest guy we've got we are all doomed.