The 3:10 to Tucson

A few weeks back, we went to Phoenix to visit my brother's family and to welcome young little 1900 into the family. While we were there, we decided it would be a good opportunity to visit some friends who had moved to Tucson a few years back (about an hour south of Phoenix), and whom I hadn't seen in about 4 years.

After college, a friend of mine from UVM and a couple of his high school friends decided to move to Boston, get jobs, and have a good time in the big city ('big city' in relation to Hartford and Burlington, not 'big city' in relation to NY). The three of them, me, and a friend of mine from high school all moved into a 4+1 bedroom house in Cambridge (with our unofficial sixth roommate, Banana Man). We had a foosball table. We had a basement, and a guy who would occasionally come over and pee in the basement. We were across the street from the greatest dive bar in the history of dive bars. Needless to say, we had some good times.

After a few years, the 262 House started breaking up. Babies and marriages and time all contributed. New guys moved in, but it was never really the same. Rob had moved out before me to live with his girlfriend, Kyrsten, and they would eventually move to Tucson together. Soon afterwards, I left the house and moved to the Northwest.

Rob and Kyrsten are two of the happiest, most positive people I've ever met in my life; if you can find someone who would speak ill of them, I will give you a shiny nickle (dogs don't count, as I know some people who aren't super big fans of Kali). They're created a nice life for themselves in Tucson. They have an awesome house, with a swamp cooler. They have three dogs, that despite the occasional 'dog freak-out,' are pretty cool. And they have an awesome backyard. We spent most of time back there, where Rob cooked up some phenomenal chicken quesidillas on the grill. We sat deep into the night, drinking beers around the fire, reminiscing about old times at the 262, catching up on our lives away from Boston, and listening to Rob's impressive stories about winning chili cook-offs (no small feat for a Yankee from Connecticut living in the Southwest).

The next morning, Rob took us to a small local place for some tasty Mexican breakfast goods. Kimberly could hardly contain her excitement. The food was spicy good, and we certainly ate our fill.

Afterwards, we took a quick jaunt into the Saguaro National Park, which is right on the borders of Tucson. Pictures can't do this place justice. It is one of the more breathtaking places I've been to, right up there with Joshua Tree National Park in California - something about tall, green, statuesque succulents stretching to the horizon in an otherwise desolate place really gets me going.

On the way back to Rob's place, we drive through the 'city' of Tucson and some of the neighborhoods. Overall, it seems like an artsy, funky place - lots of coffee shops, bars, and thrift stores in cool old buildings. Although we didn't get to experience it so much on our feet, it seems that the city has a much more human scale to it than the strip mall concrete that we experienced in the Phoenix area (You can walk places? Aghast!) (am I too hard on Phoenix? People love it there, and I guess I only spent like 3 days there, but I'm not sure. It didn't leave a good first impression with me. Maybe I need to give it another chance).

As we left Rob and Kyrsten and their gaggle of dogs to head back north, we out through the desert and past the Saguaros. Tucson gave me a good sense of why people love the desert - the sense of isolation, the drama of mountains and cacti shooting up in the stark landscape. It will be nice to go back in May and experience the area a little more in depth. Rob and Kyrsten are getting married. Let the party start.

Just a minor interruption...

to tell you that it is 15 degrees outside right now. No seriously. It really is.

that is all.





updated at 2:50...

It has warmed up to a balmy 26 now! Woowee! It's like spring (except not really).

This Baby has Cooler Clothes than Me

Dreaming of Enter The Dragon

A few weeks back, before Thanksgiving break, the two of us took a trip down to Arizona to visit our niece, 1900. While I was not overly impressed with the Phoenix area, it was really nice to get out of the on-coming cold of the middle and spend some time in a 90-degree desert. And it was really nice to finally meet 1900.

To entice everyone to the desert, BtO and S.I.L.K. had a naming ceremony for 1900, even though they're not Jewish; the whole thing was just a really good excuse to throw a party in the very cool Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix. Almost the entire immediate family from both sides was there (except for my Uncle Loveday and S.I.L.K.'s brother, who doesn't fly), so it also served as a bit of a family reunion.

My father, BtO, 1900, S.I.L.K., Aunt Youyou, and S.I.L.K.'s father

Needless to say, 1900 is pretty cute. Somehow, two blond-ish parents ended up with a bright red-headed baby. She has enormously large cheeks, which I had to fight against every gene in my body to not pinch. And she has huge [color omitted] eyes. If I had a son, and I wasn't related to her, I would put a down payment on the dowry for her.

My mom, Sister-the-Youngest, BtO, 1900, S.I.L.K. and us.

Since Kimberly and I are 1900's favorite Aunt/Uncle pair (not to mention, the only Aunt/Uncle pair), we had to get her the best gift. I think we did ok:

[Looking back on it, 1900 got a lot of clothes as gifts. It almost makes me wish we had gotten her a book or a stuffed animal or something else different and cool. Although, since all the other clothes she got were pink or white, I figure this nice brown onesie, which goes well with her red hair, will be a nice change for her.]

After the ceremony and some great dinner [please note: I love roast duck, even when it's made with chicken], we went back to 1900's place, where her favorite Aunt and Uncle got to hold and play with her. I was trying my hardest to wake her up, but S.I.L.K. was having none of it.

Me, looking terrible, with two much better looking ladies

The event was a success and a blast. The Botanical Gardens were gorgeous and served as a wonderful backdrop. And 1900 was a charming young lass. It almost makes you want to have one. Almost.

"Shut Up Toby"

[If you didn't watch The Office last night, and care about the show, this post might be considered a spoiler]

The Office has been pretty weak lately - I think the move to a one hour format hurt. I mean, the show is still probably the best sitcom on tv right now, but it was slow going for a little bit there. But last night was a return to form.

The whole deposition was fantastic, and classic Michael Scott. It makes me wish Jan was still the boss and Ryan was just a bit part of the show. My favorite was when the Dunder-Mifflin attorney was reading Michael's journal and asked "who is this girl Ryan? Not as pretty as Jan, but still sexy?" Then Toby started laughing hysterically. That killed me.

The Michael - Toby relationship is one of my favorite parts of the show. Something about Toby's sad-puppy face and Michael being so mean to him just gets me every time.

And the Kelly-Pam ping-pong thing was a nice side story, although I feel like Jim is enough of a geek that he would have been better at ping-pong; it wasn't surprising that Dwight is a ping-pong savant. Kelly talking smack, not trash, to Pam was priceless. It would have been better if Pam was nasty good at ping-pong and just slammed it in Kelly's face every time, totally emasculating Jim in the process.

[Quick Tangent: Due the writer's strike, it appears The Office will be running out of new shows here in the near future. Apparently, NBC is thinking of showing the original British version of the show to finish the season. I think this is a great idea, and maybe the only good thing to come of the strike ( I miss you Daily Show ). While I really enjoyed the Brit version, I think the length of the American version has allowed it to pass the Brit version. The Brit version has more painful awkwardness with the boss, but the American version has a better supporting cast. And Dwight K Schrute.]

Oh the weather outside is frightful

A long time ago in a temperate place, I got some advice about my future. Dr Athlete (from City U) used to live in our new home town and had much advice. "It's going to be cold" she said. She even gave us an ice scraper with a warm mitten handle. Dr Culture (who is from up north) says "No, it's not so cold. You'll be fine!" Peter just laughed and said "she's going to be cold. But she'll have to learn."

Well, I have been cold. So cold in fact that I bought some of these. They are so fantastic and I thank Em for suggesting them. Now my hands don't freeze while I grade! My office is decently warm, but I've been spending a lot of time in our department computer lab which they keep quite chilly (what with all the computers I guess). Various people walk in and out during the day and chuckle at my getup. It's not unusual for me to be wearing a hat, or coat, or extra layers to keep warm. Note that it is only the middle of November. I'm totally screwed.

Dr Athlete's parting words were, "Don't worry, you'll be so productive there. There's nothing else to do!" It's scary how right she was. This semester is winding down. I'm ending my time teaching 52 students (we actually only have one week of classes left as we have individual conference appointments after the holiday). My three classes are winding down too. I still have two group projects to finish, one research project of my own, and a few papers to write. Amazingly, next semester is already starting to take form. I'm only teaching one of my own classes next semester (but now have total autonomy- I even get to pick textbooks!). But I still need to write a syllabus, figure out assignments, order textbooks, get at least my first week of lesson plans written before the new term starts. I'm also a teaching assistant for a course in my field (yay!) with a favorite prof here, so I need to start reading the new text book and figuring out what this class involves (think more intro to my field than general ed requirement). New Prof and I are also doing a research study on some new things we're implementing in class. Hopefully we'll end up with a publication. And I'll have three new classes for next semester of my own. I just met with another prof (let's call him Testing Prof) to talk about a potential research study for next semester. It sounds promising, and even though we won't have any money, we might be able to get two publications out of it. A third prof (Teaching Prof) has invited me to go to Mexico to teach at some point over the summer. And I might be able to continue the research project I'm doing for one of my classes and turn it into the beginnings of a presentation or something.

I'm looking forward to this upcoming break. Farm U has resigned itself to students leaving for Thanksgiving, so they close the whole campus down all week. We'll be back in Rose City on Saturday to relax and recuperate (well, and catch up on all the stuff that I haven't had time for over the semester, and write paper, and collect data. But relax too). After that there's two weeks of school, a week of finals, and then four precious weeks of holiday. We're looking forward to a little time off together. And we're planning to make it up to Minneapolis (finally!) too!

It's amazing how quickly 4 months has gone by (and scary too). Perhaps the Middle won't be so bad after all.

Traveling is for the Birds (Not Cats)

Sometimes, I think they don't love me anymore. First, they disappear for 3 months, sticking me with Ben and Jerry - those guys were always playing pranks on me, making it look like I was making a mess, when really, I'm OCD about keeping clean. Then, when I finally get settled in and can deal with all the hissing, they come back and drug me for a week straight until we end up in this very strange new place.

And now, once we've all settled in, they take off again. Something about a baby. Don't they know babies are dumb? They can't even feed themselves or talk. Not like me. I talk a lot. And I'm a ferocious hunter, stalking my food bowl, making sure it can't get away. Although, it might be nice to meet a baby - I could snuggle up to her warm little body, steal some food, maybe steal their breath.

I'm pretty sure these two are getting ready to leave me again. I'm not dumb, I can read the tea leaves on the wall. I see the leaves turning colors and falling off the trees. I see the kids in their silly little costumes, throwing eggs at houses. I feel how cold it's getting - and man, it's getting cold. I know the 'traveling season' is upon us (I think you humans refer to it as the 'Reason for the Season'?).

But the most obvious way I know they're leaving is they introduced me to my 'baby-sitter.' This crazy Chinese chick came over a little while back, and I heard them talking about how to take care of me. Here's how you take care of me: PUT FOOD IN MY DISH AND PET ME! It's really quite easy. Here's what not to do: pull my arms out of my socket and ignore me. I know I'm a cat, so I'm flexible and all nimbily-bimbily, but my arms, they really don't move in that direction so well. Chill out, woman.

So, in order to avoid this crazy woman, I'm going to sleep on this red thing until it's warm out again - I don't know what this thing is, but I know they take it with them whenever they go away. If I just camp out here for the next 2-3 months, they won't be able to go anywhere without taking me. I'm just so lonely here when I'm alone. I get so sad and miss the snuggling with Kimberly. She keeps me warm. And fed too. It's not like I can feed myself. I mean, I am only a cat.

Excuse me, do I know you?

When I lived in my two previous university towns I frequently ran into people I knew or just people who were familiar looking. At Hippie U, I had the same route most days (going from class to class) and often crossed paths with the same folk each day. We didn't know each other, but we did recognize each other. At City U, I knew a lot of people around campus (mostly due to the fact that I spent way too many years there and had many different positions at the U). I always ran into people I knew.

Here at Farm U, I don't really know anyone. But, as I walk across the quad each day, I see people that I just know that I know. And it seems so strange that these people would be here in the Middle. How did they get here? And then, I look more closely and realize that they just bear some sort of passing resemblance to people from City U (or even Hippie U every once in a while). I'm sure that eventually I will indeed recognize people here. But not yet.

An Open Letter to the City of Phoenix

To the City of Phoenix and all Phoenicians:

Hi there, Phoenix. I have always heard the you are a wonderful, up and coming new American City. The weather is supposed to be great, especially in the winter (when the high only gets to the 80's). People are moving to you in droves, escaping the cold of the Midwest and rain of the northwest.

However, I have to point out a few things that make you really difficult to like.

First of all, your airport is terrible. Considering that you are a hub for Southwest Airlines, as well as a major tourist and snowbird destination, you would think you would have a nice, clean airport. While a new, modern airport would be nice, how about just fixing up your precious Sky Harbor? How about some windows in the terminals? How about some color on the walls, or public art work? And don't even get me started on the passenger pick-up/drop-off areas, where I watched as person after person came perilously close to getting side-swiped by passing motorists.

While many will argue that renovating an airport while it is still functioning is a pain in the a-- and causes many headaches, it is possible. Just do it one terminal at a time. I would think that Southwest alone would be clamoring for a nice airport, and maybe they are, but I have to say, Sky Harbor is a dump.

Now, about your drivers: if anyone ever tells me that drivers in Boston are the worst in the country, I will laugh very sarcastically in their face (like this: HA HA HA HA HA), then make them drive in Phoenix (or from Ames to Des Moines for that matter, but that's a whole different post). Here's a tip for all Phoenicians: it's very difficult, and probably dangerous, to text message on your phone, while driving with your knees and going very fast. I should interject here that the highways in Phoenix are of wonderful quality, newly paved and spacious. However, when you have a wall of people 4 across going 60 because they can't figure out what LQTM means, it doesn't matter how well kept the highways are.

Additionally, in order to have a functioning highway, you need to have some of the on-ramps open so that people can actually get on the highway and drive on it. At 430 in the morning, when you get off the highway to buy gas for your rental car so you don't get dragged over the coals by the rental company, you should be able to get back on the highway relatively soon. Like, maybe, at the exact same place you got off. Having to drive 10 miles on surface streets, following poorly placed detour signs, to get on the highway because all the on-ramps are closed, is unacceptable. If it had been a busy time of day, I have no doubt we would have missed our flight.

Finally, I need to comment on the abundance of strip malls and sprawl. I understand you have almost endless flat land down there. But let me clue you in on something: just because you can, doesn't mean you should keep pouring concrete over the desert and building another Target or Home Depot. I understand that the weather for most of the year makes it difficult, if not impossible, to walk anywhere. But how about not having everything be miles apart? How about trying to create some pedestrian friendly areas? Density can be a good thing, especially in a place that has no natural water source and has so much concrete that it is disturbing the surrounding weather patterns. Urban planning and zoning, while having many flaws, is probably a concept that you will want to further explore, and possibly even implement.

Having said all that, I would like to complement your City on its wonderful Desert Botanical Gardens. While we only spent a little time there, it is obvious you take great pride in this place. I can imagine few places that would be a better setting for a sunset.

Thanks for letting us visit, Phoenix. We may come back someday, but probably not to visit you. Maybe as a gateway to your surrounding desert. Or to visit friends and go to weddings. But we almost definitely will not be coming in the summer. 120 degrees is not really my cup of tea. Even if it is a dry heat.

XOXO
PEter