Smokin'

Cousin Greg & I headed over to Dos Jefes in N. O. after having a great dinner at Couchon. Having a nice smoke, a cognac for me/beer for Greg, and the sound of Chaz' Washboard Trio. A nice time in the grand old city of New Orleans. We met a couple of Greg's lawyer colleagues and weighed in on most of the world's imponderables.

Who's That Knocking at my Door?

This morning about 1 AM, someone starts knocking at my door. I let it go thinking it was probably a bum (bardon my language) looking for something. Three times the person knocks. I then hear the person depart. OK back to sleep. About 15 minutes later again comes the knocking. so I get up, open the window in the bedroom on the 2nd floor above the porch and yell "Hey!" The person walks down the steps and appears in view, a strange woman. I yell, "What's the Problem!!!" She asks, "Is this John's house?" I said, "No!!!!!!!!" She rushes off apologetically down the street. Now I'm starting to feel like Dan Rather, "What's the frequency, Kenneth?"

A Monty Ending

Well, the little bugger was pushing up daisies when I got home. He had gotten around the downstairs a bit, but didn't really do much damage. A pop can was knocked over and a couple of candles. It had gotten all around the sink and stove. Dirty little squirrel footprints all around. No sign of him upstairs.

So I headed to the basement, and there he is or was---keeled over in the laundry basket (of what were once clean clothes). A quick trip outside, and the stiff is gone. I guess he couldn't find the way out from whence he came and also couldn't find any water (althugh it could have checked the toilet in the basement which was nearly impossible to block off) or food. He tried to get into some of the spices and tried to open a package of muffin mix, but all for naught. May he rest in peace.

2006 IFPE Conference

These photos are simply location shots. I was too busy to get into taking many people shots around the conference. However, this year the membership chair was taking many shots all over. I hope to be able to get some shots of me and my friends from her. It was a very good conference, and the weather was great. This was a lot of fun. The meetings were quite helpful and stimulating. Usually this is not the case at many conferences.

My paper went well, although the Sunday morning 9 am time slot is not conducive to attendance. Since Saturday goes from 8:30 am through 7:30 pm, followed by the conference dinner at 8 pm. Well, you get the idea. But many of my friends roused themselves to make it to the paper. There's a pretty good picture of me giving it that I hope to get. Well, as you can see, this was a nice place to be.

What Will I Return To?

I'm not sure what I'll be coming back to. I arrived home Wednesday night (Nov 1) at 10 PM. As I go to feed Penelope, I see a brown furry creature on the counter wedged in between the wall and the crockpot---a squirrel. I called Critter Control to see if they could send someone out. After waiting for the return call, they tell me they can't send anyone out. OK. So I try to create a sort of funnel system from the kitchen to the front door. I block off the avenues to the stairs and basement as best I can. I line up boxes and furniture. Out comes the broom. Swoosh. The squirrel hops off the counter onto the floor, sliding all over the place since it can't get a grip on the wonderful, slippery Pergo flooring. It bounds into the dining room. I am on the chase. I steer it toward the open door. However, it tries to veer upstairs instead. No luck, so it runs all the way back into the kitchen and crawls into the space around the pots.

Round two. I try to arrange things even better. If I could have put neon nights guiding the sucker out the door, I would have. I chase it out and the same situation happens. It will not take a left and go out the door and instead takes a right into the stuff I'm blocking off the stairs with. I swat around several times. In the commotion I lose sight of it. I gradually move everything I have placed around and no squirrel. I think it must have gone out the door. I set the house in order.

A bit later I spot it. Oh crap. It's well after midnight, I have to bring Penelope to the vet at 8:15 am to board her and then catch a plane to California. I try again, but it goes somewhere into hiding. I don't hear it at all for the rest of the night or next morning. I got to sleep about 3 am.

So, what will the house look like when I return?

Making Plans

I head off to Pasadena on Thursday to attend and present a paper at a psychoanalytic conference, sponsored by the International Federation for Psychoanalytic Education or IFPE. Although it's great to get away, and I'm happy to go to a place I haven't been before, getting ready is a pain in the neck. This week is advising week for students, and I'll be trying to see some before I go, working that into doing next week's lecture preps and making a test for next week. Yowza.

Today the Professor's union at the university met with the president and other administrators about finances. In December 2004, they asked us to give back some money that was supposed to go to our retirement fund. The university was attempting to secure loans to undertake a great deal of capital improvement. In order to demonstrate financial solvency, the university figured a variety of cost cutting schemes, including forced faculty generosity. We were told that this would enable the university to eventually improve the campus to a substantial degree. But the plans unveiled at the Convocation were underwhelming. Hence, we ask "what gives?" Today's answers were likewise underwhelming. Unfortunately, our union is as anemic as can be. I'm not really the union type myself, but I have to live with it at this university. I'm not sure where that's heading. But I'll be heading to Pasadena for a few days. I'll try to blog from there (will bring camera).

Dreary Fall Day

We have one of those cold, damp days where it feels colder than the temperature says and you want to make a fire to get warm (hey-good idea). Fall has been very wet this year. Each day I leave the house, it seems like it is dark and rainy and stays that way for most of the day. The kind of weather that makes you want to go back inside. But it's better to make the best of it. I took these pictures in my backyard with my Canon Powershot A70, a handy little camera that has made taking pictures more fun. Actually, the camera isn't so special. Rather it's the digital photography revolution. Click away and don't worry about the developing costs or waiting for photos.

I'll be off to Pasadena in under a couple of weeks to present a paper and attend a conference. I suspect the wather will be nice, and it will be a fine change of pace.