App State is in the news again ...

... though in this case it is definitely not positive. The National Review's education blog has this entry quoting one of my colleagues, one who sends me countless e-mails about the Women's Studies program here:

Of course, one of the topics was the conservative assault on women's-studies departments. They handed out free copies of Ms. magazine, which included an article by Martha McCaughey, director of the women's-studies program at Appalachian State University. She is writing a book called Sexy Knowledge. Her article, "Academic Freedom: The Right-Wing Campaign Against Women's Studies," turns a treasured ideal on its head. She wrote:

But women's studies is also under fire today by well-funded watch groups, which hold conferences, host blogs and disseminate slick 'research' that many scholars consider shoddy. They call on their members to join in letter-writing campaigns, litigation procedures and legislation designed to undermine the academic programs they find threatening.

I wonder whose research is more "shoddy" — that of women's-studies departments or that of their challengers?

I think it is safe to say that Nat'l Rev is no friend to Women's Studies.

One odd thing about little Ciaran ...

... which means "Black Haired Boy" in Irish. He actually doesn't have black hair - it's brown. And it has a slight curl to it. And there is very little of it. Otherwise, he is the image of the perfect little Asian boy, complete with his very own Mongolian Blue-Spot.

Like the Two Stooges ....

... Máeráed's little brother Ciaran was also there at the Mellow Mushroom. The last people to slip in to the closed restaurant to join us were a young couple who also had a one year old adopted baby from Vietnam named Thomas. They sat him next to Ciaran, the little 14 month old Vietnamese boy. The two looked at each, stared, picked up fist of food, and then began patting each other on the face, sticking their thumbs in eyes, fingers in mouths.

Kids, do not try this at home. Leave it to professionals like Ciaran and Thomas.

Tonight was a little strange at the Mellow Mushroom ...

... as soon as we walked in and sat down the waitress told us that we would be served, but the restaurant would have to shut down. So no more people could come in. We kept letting people in, like Clovis, who was able to make the very last, ultimate order. The weird thing was that the waitress didn't seem to know why they were shutting down (it was plumbing problems).

Anyway, I was there with Máeráed, her mom and her brother Mickey. Máeráed took one look at my book bag and dug out my little NEO typewriter and started typing on it. It looked like and entire screen of this:

algjoeue495aa@aaldi(odaoaaouarfalvbz'a'''d r720-a

I tried to read it. She told me it was Greek. I thought that was about right.

Then she started on a fresh screen. It looked even crazier, and right in the middle of it was a really naughty four letter word, purely by chance. I said "Maire, you're daughter has typed a really naughty word, which I won't repeat, right in the middle of her page!"

Máeráed then wanted to know what word. I said I couldn't tell her it was so bad.

She looked at me like I was an idiot and said with absolute assurance: "It's Greek! It says "I love you."

I had to give her a hug.

I have this odd suspicion that I was outfoxed by a six year old.


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I have not been posting here very much...

... and I am not sure why. Just haven't managed to get around to it. It seems that the more time that I have to get things done the less I actually do. It is almost as certain as a law of physics. But I will try to do better from now on. Perhaps.

Update on my meds ....

... to help cure my incurable sleep apnea. Since the little pill I was taking every evening was putting me right to sleep but not really waking me up, I decided to double the dose. So now I take two pills every night.

It works much better, oddly.

FINALLY ... Boone gets a new movie theater...

... called the Dragonfly. You can check it out here. Best thing about it other than the fact of its mere existence: it will also be a pub! You can drink beer and munch on food while watching.

Why is all this such a big deal? Because since I moved to Boone in '89 Boone has steadily lost all but one (1) of its commercial movie houses. The one is a multi-plex which shows only the movies its corporation chiefs decide we want to see. Now we will at least have two (2), plus the movie house on campus (which shows at least some of the movies the corporate bosses don't think we want to see anyway). I'm not into higher math, but I think that makes three (3).

It doesn't take much up here in the foothills and the high country to keep us happy. A movie theater where you can drink beer does it for me.

This pug's for you... Emily!

09 Jul 2008 10:37 am

There is absolutely no point to this video...

... but for some reason it has become a mega-hit on YouTube.

And it makes me feel better.

New meds ....

to cure my sleep disorder. Once I didn't sleep enough, now I sleep too much at the wrong time, and still don't get enough deep sleep. Stage Four sleep they now call it. So ... another new medicine to try out. It is supposed to help me get into that deep sleep zone so I can finally feel rested and not fall asleep at the wheel of the car. It doesn't work. Though I am not sure I really mind. It makes me feel drowsy in a very pleasant, drifty way all day long. I can take two hour naps in the afternoon, which feel delicious with this new drug, and still be ready to drift off to happy dreams by 11 pm.

Guess I'll have to tell the doctor about this. But there is still about 6 refills left on the prescription, and it only costs $10 dollars for two months worth. .... but ... I am ... getting drowsy.

Think I'll go to bed.

I hope our niece Mulan has recovered ...

... from coming down last night to visit with us. She is 13 now. When she showed Carmen a picture of herself after her debut as a ballerina in "The Nutcracker Suite" Carmen burst into tears!

She is so fond of Mulan as our "little" niece that she was not prepared for a picture in which she not only looks fully grown up, but remarkably elegant and sophisticated. I think Mulan knew that.

Another horrible accident on 421 ...

... at the exact same spot the last fatal accident occurred. As I was driving up to Boone today I could see that the Boone bound lanes were closed and traffic was being routed around an accident site. There was a large fire truck, a large crane and lots of other emergency vehicles (but no ambulance). What the crane was trying to pick up was the twisted wreckage of a tracker trailer. The cab had broken lose and the windshield in front of the driver's side was ripped missing, as if something large had gone through it. The body of the truck was turned around facing the other way, smashed up against the side of the mountain.

It looks like the truck took the curve too fast, tipped over and slid across the road exactly the way the truck that killed four people did several months ago. I did not see any signs of any other wrecked vehicles.


UPDATE: There was another vehicle involved and several of the people in it, along with the driver of the truck were injured. There is an article in the local paper with a picture of what I saw. If you click at the bottom of the article you can watch a short video that looks like it was taken about the time I came through.