timna

living in another language

I have been very blase about not knowing any Bangla. I do expect to take a class there once I'm settled in. Maybe ben t. will join me (he doesn't get any at his international school).

meanwhile, reading this at savtadotty's helped somehow. esp the comments about doing yoga in Hebrew before knowing the language.

add to the list: glasses

in my dream last night, my glasses got so warped out of shape -- like into a big pancake -- that I couldn't use them. by the time I needed them to drive with, however, they had snapped back to the original (and useful) shape.

hmmmm. probably should get a spare pair. Check - new pair ordered.

what do we do with the cello?

I have to get in touch with the cello doctor and ask her if we should store it? if so, where? We're planning to get one in India for this year since we've been told that the climate changes would possibly damage ben t's current wonderful cello. She says tune it down a note and leave it in the case. see you next year. DONE!

also: get the books that he needs for lessons there. still to do. ORDERED, pick up on Friday.

banking stuff is getting figured out. just log in, set it up and send a check! DONE!

tuition for him there, not so much.still to do. waiting for email answer.

packing? not started. still to do. started.

cleaning up the study and organizing the paperwork here -- start tomorrow. continue after returning from LA.  started - much still to do. getting there. went over all bills.

go over the drafts and get them back by Mon pm. DONE!

write the final. DONE! (now grade it!)

finish the quilt. almost done.DONE!

get a camera. ordered! and a much bigger MP3 player, too. Camera came! DONE!

look into the extra insurance for ben t. still to do. DONE!

talk to the insurance people about cutting back to one driver here. also about the crack in the windshield.  still to do. DONE!

clear the office desk at school. clear the desk at home, too. still to do.

get a note from the doctor about the malaria prescription. have the whatever-6 blood test done on ben t. before starting the anti-malaria medicine. still to do. Monday morning blood test.

I feel like I'm forgetting something.

teaching there? no idea. just going to take a bunch of books. did get an email from the dept head and she mentioned one book to bring and said we'll talk when I get there. This is much improved -- I now have a syllabus for one class I haven't ever taught but am looking forward to do, and know which other class I'll be teaching.

more to do: set up the new blog. still to do. not sure why I'm so reluctant to migrate.

 

8.5 out of 9 squares done

I cannot seem to finish this quilt. won't have it done before lunch at my friend's house.

still it's the 3rd quilt in the last 6 weeks, so I am getting something done.

online class in the background

since I've been teaching pretty much all summer, I guess I've gotten used to the class almost as background noise. yikes! stayed up until 2am reading last night for my book club and then, only at 8am today, did I think about the online class as having a draft due this morning.

actually it was the email clues -- the folks telling me about why it wouldn't be in on time. their choice. 10% of the grade for the paper is getting in a draft on time. also, it should be about the assignment. that is, if you have to present the argument of an academic article, then, no, it's really not ok just to tell me your ideas about Shel Silverstein. don't even continue drafting. it's not going to fulfill the assignment.

back to quilting. this is getting off my to-do list by noon tomorrow. only 3 of 9 stupidly complicated squares done.

gone conferencing

 

will have to come back down to earth soon. quilt to make tomorrow.

trip to USC next week.

leaving in 3 weeks. the folks in Dhaka got the rent money. still no teaching info. I suspect that I've been offered to a different department for another task. not something I yearn to do, but it will be part of the adventure. as I've told my dean in the past when asked about reassignment: I'd rather teach. did get the ok to take my computer with me. whew.

not ready to pack yet. is this real?

full weekend

some parties, some biking, some sitting around with friends. a good time overall.

not knowing what I'm teaching is making it kind of hard to pack. should I take everything I've ever taught? I'd probably rather have books with me than more clothes. I have dreams of being asked to build log cabins, since after all this week my students are reading Little House on the Prairie and The Birchbark House. I guess the idea of being asked to teach Shakespeare shook me up a bit.

a little bit more done each day

now we know that the malaria pills will have to be purchased quarterly. it's the only way the insurance will pay.

now we know that the bank will get the rent money from here to there. we hope.

the apartment director is still addressing me as mr. timna. hope there's no problem with renting to a woman!

word from the dept head -- maybe on Sunday I'll have more of an idea of what I'll be teaching.

the money is going out in big chunks. incoming? trickles. yikes. but we have flights and an apartment. not so sure that we'll be able to fund a visit for the timnas who aren't coming. not seeing them for 10 months would be very very difficult. we're still hoping for winter break in Thailand.

beautiful day here. keep working on my class. then some housekeeping, then some desk clearing. have to figure out which bank will work there. apparently not wells fargo.

15-year-old on kibbutz, somewhere up by the pool?

so he's having a good time. doesn't say a word in English apparently. got re-introduced to the kids his age and hasn't been seen much since, though he did show up when his grandmother came out from Beer Sheva to see him. didn't stay with her and his grandfather for lunch, uh, no, the kids were sitting together in the dining room over somewhere else.

next week - raft building on the kinneret (sea of galilee). sounds like a good vacation.

the rest of us -- dealing with leaving. signing a lease for Dhaka. buying sheets for almond joy's dorm. cleaning and tossing.

caught up on grading! and only one small quilt to make by next Friday. a lull here. it's about time.

grades are due today

and I have 10 more papers to read.  home at 3am after a long long day of sight-seeing boat ride in Chicago, and ed debevich's and later a birthday meal in some far northern suburb. could relax after 11pm when I got word that ben t. made it to his grandfather's in Israel. first time he flew alone and British Air would not take him as an unaccompanied minor since he had a 10 hour layover in London. which was actually reduced to 7 as they didn't take off from O'Hare on time anyway.

much work here. a taping today for a documentary. also almond joy had to be back for work this morning.

the wedding was wonderful. a chuppa in frothy white and ribbons, a beautiful ceremony, lots of people who do not usually see each other (family tensions abound) nonetheless made efforts at getting along or avoiding. we did the 1-2 nights at each of my siblings - the timna family road show - and I suppose I should have been saying good-bye since we're leaving for Bangladesh in less than a month. I wasn't ready to acknowledge that I might not see everyone one more time later in the month when I go down to pick ben t. up on his return.