Write, write, right.

OK, last 2.5 weeks. I think I'm sitting in a pretty good place for the quarter. I hope last night didn't sound whiny.

3 papers. A final. A little quantitative analysis. And a couple hurtles for the bigger China project.

Speaking of which, lots of folks have asked: Nope: don't know anyone there. Nope: didn't go there (although Chengdu and Chongqing are on the short list of places I want to go). Nope: nobody I've talked to has personal ties to the area. It's not like I know all that many Chinese people. And hey: there's a heck of a lot of them.

For the curious (or the morbid), check out China Daily. I won't link to the policelady photo everyone has been talking about: it sounds better than it is. Unless there's more than one floating around. NPR here in the States happened to have 2 reporters in Chengdu: their coverage has been fantastic.

Boggles the mind.

Sigh.

Cory's going from Seattle today to the Bay Area tomorrow. It's a little depressing living in a drive-by / flyover region.

At least Barack stopped by Eugene for a milkshake on Saturday on his way to Portland Sunday afternoon.

Here's a summary of the day:
8:00 - 8:30: study Chinese / drink coffee.
8:30 - 11:00: work.
11:00 - 12:00: Chinese conversation.
12:00 - 5:00: work.
5:00 - 6:00: Chinese study group.
6:00 - 6:30: transit via pharmacy.
6:30 - 7:15: eat dinner, talk to parents / wife.
7:15 - 9:00: stats homework.
9:00 - 9:20: walk to Red barn with wife. Buy / make popcorn.
9:20 - 11:00: stats homework, prep for class.
11:00 - 11:15: read boingboing, drink beer, write this post.

This is about typical, except when I'm really under the gun to complete an assignment. I remember being in classes with single moms back in Milwaukee: I can't imagine how they did it. Nuts. Absolutely nuts. Makes me want to go work in a school with a larger non-traditional population just so I can worship at the feet of real non-traditional students. I've got it sooooo easy in comparison.

Sunny, warm

Wow, totally early summer day.

Anyway: a coworker was just visiting and she was totally effusive in her admiration of my office. Who know that a window could bring such joy? I told her she can come visit any time.

Maybe I don't appreciate it enough.

Still here.

I'm deep in the quarter, but even my mother is complaining about the lack of posting. So here is the news:

• It's spring! May flowers are going like mad. We just finished tulips.


• Classes are keeping me busy--but so are my incomplete from last quarter and pushing my thesis forward.


• I've been liberated from a committee at work. Got a few 'attaboys but also some hard feelings. I am starting to understand a couple friends who have left the field because they just don't like working with librarians.


• 张丽 got into the PhD program at 北大. Great job!


• We've been invited to the ordination of the next batch of Roman Catholic Women Priests. I'm really starting to like them.

And now, back to Cory Doctorow's new book, Little Brother. Download it now!