Ruth & Jonathan

Yesterday two former students came by for a visit. Ruth was a student in my ed. courses, and Jonathan was a student in my Japanese class. They are now teaching in Hokkaido, Japan for the JET program. They love it so much they are re-upping again.

Linda & Abby

Last week I had the chance to catch up with a classmate from Northwest. Linda just resigned her job from a very large software company and is living it up with her best pal Abby.

A New Family Member

Look at this westie...isn't she adorable? Christy is the proud owner of Molly, a Christmas gift.

I'm in denial OR Procrastination strikes again

Ack!!! School starts tomorrow and I'm in the office working on syllabi. I just did not want to believe that it would happen, yet incredibly, it has. So I've finished 3 syllabi and must now read the textbook for the new class I am teaching. Once again, biting off more than I can chew. In other news...

Some friends got together for a Chili Cook-Off which was a rousing success. There were three entries, plus one thrown in just for judging. Cherie H. was the winner with a green chili. Very interesting flavor...it may have had cinammon or nutmeg. All contestants received a prize pack but in addition, Cherie won a trophy and medal. The next party will be the Ph.D. party (for Wally and me) sometime in February.

All right. Back to work.

Happy New Year!

Well, the New Year is here. Unbelievable. It's cold and damp here in Seattle, but I still love it. I didn't go out on New Year's Eve, which actually was so relaxing. I'm now prepping for school. Yikes. There's a lot to do.

I did get to finish Heaven Lake by Dalton. While it was a good book, I didn't have that satisfying feeling at the end...you know that feeling. The one of closure and relief. Instead I felt dissonance and a need to sort through it again. Not a bad thing, really.