This Christmas 2006

Merry Christmas to everyone! We don't have a white Christmas, no snow, but only dark clouds, and a snowy rain announced. We really don't mind the cold, and still miss the warm Southwest :-)

This Christmas I asked my friends to not exchange any gifts.
--- reason was that I decided to not buy my friends gifts since they do have what they need, and my gifts would mostly be only extra junk... so, since I am the President of AAUW SIUE branch I decided to give the gifts for those in need. We had this December a great project "Fill a wish" (if you click on the AAUW link you can see our project details) for Oasis Women Center in Alton, IL. I thought my money on gifts would have a better place and would be better used. :-) I thought that approximately as much I would spend only on buying gifts (more to go for the mailing) so I did buy needed gifts for those in real need. I think I did a good job! :-)

Some of my friends agreed some did not (Ingrid specially asked me to not do that since she is single also and her Dad is not a good gift giver so she might end up having no gifts for Christmas, so, Ingrid got gifts :-)). But other friends sent me gifts anyhow. God, how I really enjoyed these ones!!! unexpected gifts, those are the true ones! THANKS! (I am still a child) .... I think I should have told them the entire story not only asking them to not exchange gifts. But I think next Christmas I will repeat the same and ask them also to instead sending me gifts to make a donation to a charity of their choice.
Gifts sending in two corners of the country Tucson, AZ and towards Buffalo, NY meant last year only the mailing was around 160$ (way too much and the money can have a better use). Many are in real need. I hope they will have a Merry Christmas too!

Merry Christmas everybody!

Merry Christmas!

What do you mean you saw Santa?
Where?
Where is he?

Show me, show me, show me....



OK, now we are ready!
Where did you see Santa?????


Do I make it for a good rein deer?
I see him, I see him, I see him... do I really see Him?
Hey guys let's go to the fire place Santa will come through the chimney!

Is He coming? Is He here yet? Can you hear that? Santa will come through the chimney soon...

Ho ho ho....
Happy Holidays!

Christmas in Camelot

Today was the Day for the horse tournaments: Christmas in Camelot.
It took place at the Triangle H Farm, where I learn horse back riding. It was much fun and I took some great pictures. I am so glad I was part of this wonderful opportunity to raise funds for Make a Wish Foundation, and enjoy the companion of many other people who love horses.

There were just beginners like me, we started the show and competed in four teams dressed as nights: red, black, blue, and yellow. Then others with more advanced skills followed us. Couple of ladies presented a free style show. At the end was the parade of breeds. Wonderful horses were shown and Cindy - our trainer who designed and conducted the entire show - explained the story behind each breed shown.
The below pictures tell the story :-)

Siva's Graduation

Here a very proud Sivakalyan (Siva) - my former graduate assistant - who graduated today!
Because of traffic I had to go from Taylor's agility fun day directly to the graduation ceremony since I was afraid that I will miss it if I spend one hour going home to drop Taylor and come back to school.

I considered very important to be there no matter if I am not in dressed up clothes.
I know I was so happy to have there at my graduation Sha and her Mom from California, Carol my good friend from Eugene, Oregon, and Ingrid.
It is not easy for us internationals to celebrate our successes far away from our family and close friends.
I cheered for Siva, and was so proud of him for his graduation. Siva already has a job, which is even better!

CONGRATULATIONS SIVA!!!!




After we took pictures I asked if they want to go to a restaurant or they choose to come to my house and we can cook a good home made dinner. The choice in total agreement was to go home :-) So, we did go home and everyone chipped in to cook a great dinner and we enjoyed Siva's successful accomplishment.
Sunita's turn is in the Spring! Another party then. Now I was so glad to be able to open my house for my friends. It means so much to me and I think they were also happy, it is not easy to have our big events far from our families.
I am glad I could be part of this joyful moment! ...and great food :-)

Before and after today

Since 2000 I raise my hair with a purpose: Locks of Love! I wait till my hair is longer than the minimum 10 inches and then I give it in gift of love for those who need it more.
I learned that if I cut it straight then it will grow even and faster. It was pretty long to be over 10" and still have left over for myself :-)

So, today after my C++ exam, and other meetings, I stopped by Great Clips and a stylist did her best job by leaving me even more than I expected will be left...
So, I really have a pretty long hair. Taylor was a little surprised since my hair is all over my face now when I pick her up, but she will get used to it. It's harder for me to get used to it since it stays all in my face.
Now I have ahead two or three more years to keep it growing.
I hope a child will enjoy my good hair, and I pray it will bring hope also...

More on the last storm...

Here some more pictures I took when walking Taylor around our community. Looks much worse than the summer tornado. There are still people without power, even if most of us got the power back last Friday. We are really fortunate having the light and heat on.

When the wind blows in the trees they make a sinister sound and frozen icicles are falling at each movement. More branches fell in the last days. Even if the day temperatures go up to 36F because of the wind and frozen nature it feels like 29F. Not much is melting from the trees and snow... Night is cold.

It's pretty creepy to see the woods with so many broken frozen trees... looks scary, really worse than the tornado in the summer.

But here they are judge for yourself...

Winter storm

This picture above is like a carbon copy of the one I took after the tornado we had this past summer. The difference is that now we had a winter storm. Ice was falling like little spikes yesterday afternoon. Shortly turned all into the Land of Ice. By 5PM all was frozen and the sharp wind was blowing and ripping branches. Shortly after midnight the power went off - and right away I thought of how I forgot to turn on my fire place because once I don't have power I won't be able to turn it on... Over night the house got cold.
Morning was bright and frozen with all the damages visible. Lots of ice. Lots of broken trees, the damage on trees is worse than after the tornado last summer, much worse here in my neighborhood. Incredible scene of mixture between fairy tale and catastrophe. Right when my house got down to 54F by 11AM the power came on, and the heating and all other appliances kicked in. I have to admit that winter storm is even worse than the summer tornado.


My little brand new trees have 1 inch of ice on their little branches, couple of branches broken. The ice covered completely the entire tree and the branches are like frozen veins that do not have enough power to keep the branches lifted up. I tried to break the ice from some weak and damaged little branches. Not sure it will help.

The thermometer is frozen since last night, preserving in time the temperature like a memory under the shield of ice.

Giving Thanks

Tuesday early morning I drove up to Chicago (close to downtown) to see some friends of mine  who were visiting their daughter and will leave this weekend back home. It was a short visit and I did not have time but to chat for a couple of hours and then drive back home, but first I got stuck in Chicago's traffic jam. It took us (Taylor and I) three ours to drive 40 ML from Maria's home. It reminded me of highways in LA. Then once out of Chicago I just kept driving... stopped once to get some gas and by 8PM we were home. Driving almost 12 hours to be there 3! It was worth since I did not see my friend Maria from long time.

I hope next time I will get to see more of Chicago. That will be pretty soon in next Spring at AERA conference.

Maria and Doru enjoied Chicago and hope to come back and visit and might next time around they will come down to Edwardsville :-)



Last night my computer crashed... I graded some papers in the morning, responded e-mails, was working well. Then in the evening when I wanted to continue my work the computer just did not turn on... I have Sophos and Firewall and I am very good on not opening e-mails from not known address, I also have filter on all my e-mail accounts. So, I have no clue what happend. Might be one of the new and smart worms. If I think well one single thing was weird yesterday. A pop-up window was installing something and just was there not finishing it. So I clicked cancell and the window never went away. I worked and then turned off the computer. Then I could not turn it on again.
I called some friends computer geeks, tried to start it from CD-ROM but was something weird so we just dropped the idea by doing over the phone. Then I was able today to start in safe mode and took me 4 hours to save some files from my project. I am also pretty careful on backing up all files, but as it happens I did not back it up since mid September! Lots of work would be lost. I was in rage, desperate, furious on computers and myself, almost in tears, and with a solemn promise that I will be compulsive. It's not for the first time. I lost a final exam like 3 years ago a day before the due date. Then I kept saving everything at least once a month. Lately I forgot to be compulsive saver... bad idea!
Good lesson again to save it compulsively or upload to Z:/
I realize how lost I am if I loose my work and don't have back up.

In the end I was thankful that it is only my computer the sick one and not myself!

A tree was killed in my back yard...

I know this news will not be broadcast by the CNN, and the local news papers will not mention it, not even the Holiday Times, but a tree was killed in my back yard...
The old Cottonwood tree planted by some previous owners on the property limit. A tree that from the height must have been 25 or 30 years old was the ONLY adult tree and ONLY shade on my property. I loved the shade in my back yard in sunny summer days, from sunrise till around 11AM. Taylor loved the tree all year round and could spend hours watching the squirrel to visit the tall tree.

My neighbor did not like it because "it was so messy" with its flying puffy seeds in the spring, and being too close to his house, he complained that branches might fall on the house. His house is there long enough, as the tree was there also. Last summer after the tornado he did not have any leaves and branches on his house, and not even in his drive way, all were fallen in my back yard. The winds blow here from NE, and that protects his house from branches that fall in the opposite direction, away from house. It was I gathering 10 big black trash bags of leaves this fall, all in my back yard, the wind did not blow the other way...

My neighbor wanted me to pay half of the price of taking down the tree, since being on the limit half was mine, and half was his. I gave him the permission because I understood his concern that the branches might fall on his house and produce damage, but I really could not pay to killing a tree that I loved and did not want to loose.

Some guys from a tree cutting company came and chopped my tree to the ground...
Taylor is searching for the tree, still looking in dismay that the tree with the visiting squirrel is no longer there... both of us feel the empty place... our tree is missing. Now my house will be like a sunflower in the summer with no shade at all from sunrise to sunset. The back yard is towards East, the front is towards West. No shade means higher AC bills in the summer, and no more reading under the shade of a tree in hot summer mornings...

The first picture on this page was the BEFORE and here below is the picture of AFTER the tree was killed in my back yard....

Texas ranger :-)

I did not find yet my Sunrise Ranch in Texas, but I was there last week; weekend to the Conference on Curriculum and Pedagogy.

I loved to be in warm weather, with small bushy like vegetation, and to meet again my friend I did not see in three years. Even though I have spent all day at the conference I did enjoy the driving from Austin to Balcones Spring where the conference took place. I learned about some nice research (mostly qualitative), and enjoyed meeting with other faculty across the country.

Again I realized how much I miss the Southwest. I had the feeling that people are more talkative, bubbling of welcoming thoughts, everything seems much faster. I saw the green hills and farms with horses and cows. My childhood dream was searching for evidence in reality :-)
I also enjoyed the welcoming home of my friends, such a big house!

Then I had to get back to Illinois and 51F for the high of the day... winter is really here.
My friends still enjoy mild temperatures of the fall and need no heating yet in their big home.

Halloween around the corner >:-0

It' s around the corner... boooooo!
I love the Fall with the many colors of trees embelishing our neighborhood. From dark green, all shades of red and brown, to translucent yellow. Some trees look like big torches giving their light under the gloomy sky. But the evenings are so different now with the many spooky decorations. Pumpkins, ghosts, witches, and Vampiers...

I am like a ghosts myself my nights are longer and longer... Last night I went to bed at 3AM. What a weekend... I am supposed to be happy for the weekend and I start dreading it, knowing I have so much to catch up and never get it all done... then something always is postponed to the next week.

My students start slowly to post their literature review on their blogs. Even though I told them please do not e-mail me that you made a post, I can see it through Bloglines...
It's interesting that they think if it is online I am 24/7 online also and give them feedback in the moment they post it.... if I don't then they send me an e-mail.
I am a lot online in the weekends and check my bloglines at least four times every day and give them feedback. Today I spend more then 5 hours just giving them feedback and checking the Blackboard postings also. I promissed myself that I won't give so detailed feedback, it is so much time spent on that... but I see they struggle. The interesting is that they think and perceive this as my responsibility, even though in other classes they turn in the final projects and are graded on the final product never ever receiving feedback throughout the process.

I am almost half way through my situated cognition project with 4th and 5th graders. Must revise an article, write one more, read a lot because I am behind my readings, finish all my C++ assignments in time, and next week I will have a C++ lab exam.

My house is a mess... (I think it is only in my eyes; might be other people would not see it that way, but I hate all papers all over in the house). I neglect Taylor, we take shorter walks, and her training is neglected also, poor Taylor. It's getting so cold around here and I hate cold! Next week the high will be in the mid 50sF. Brrrr....
I miss the warm Fall in Tucson. I wish I live on a ranch in Texas, or New Mexico, or Arizona, or California... OK, I would choose California :-)
...but till then I'll get back to my chores!

Happy spooky Halloween!
Make sure you get some garlic in your pockets :-0

Fall snow

No, these are not pictures from last winter! My friends in Buffalo , NY have sent me these pictures after the big snow fall on October 13th, 2006. They were left without power for three days, in dark and cold winter. Their power is back, heated houses again...

I was wondering which is worse? The big snow fall in October or our tornado in July?
The same lack of power, complete darkness in the nights... Summer with spoiled food (in the winter at least the cold keeps the food fresh). What is worse: 38F in the house or 88F?
To put all the clothes on to keep warm or take all them off to cool down :-)

Neither is better. We only realize how important is to have the normal conditions when we loose them... And we realize how comfortable is our normal only when we loose it.
I was telling a firend here that I grew up with no shower and toilet in the home. We used to have a portable bath tub that we could bring in the middle of the room, filled with warm bubbly water, and the toilet house was outside (so we made sure we use it evenings before going to bed, especially in the winter). I was in 5th grade when we moved in our new home with real bathroom and a toilet in the bathroom. Since we have a private weel, in draught we have to be very careful with how we use the water, so showers are army style, quick and short on water consumption.

It's so easy to get used to all commodities of a warm, lighted, heated or air conditioned house :-)

The snow as the rain and wind can do similar damages. I am glad my friends are all safe and sound, no house damages, but many trees were lost under the heavy snow.

JRT Fun Day

Taylor and her friends Morgan, and Max had lots of fun Sunday at the Purina Farms.
They had fun digging in the tunnel for the little rat (Max seems more interested in that activity). And also they enjoyed running for the lure (here Morgan was the big surprise, he really loved chasing that squirrel tail). Max and Taylor got each a sting from the wild bees. Taylor was the rest of the day very grouchy (having from Friday aproximative 10 Hershey chocolate bites from Sandy's house - were left on the coffee table).

I don't know when will be again Taylor's big laughing day since I am so very busy with school and research work that all my weekends are working weekends.
I am more and more tired every week adding to the load, trying to catch up, and cutting from the sleeping time (hey, now is just 12:45AM, pretty early taking into consideration that lately 1AM and 2AM is my go-to-bed time).

I started my research and try to work on all three of my studies in the same time.
My students from EPFR515 think they have plenty of time to start their Final Projects (some did start, most of them did not), but there are only 6 more weeks to go till the end of this semester.

I still love the C++ (one more reason why my nights are so short).

Fall is here and cold freezing temps also (tonight might be the first frost). Leaves of all colors are all over, the grass does not grow as fast as before, it does not rain (that is quite bad, it's like Arizona dry). I wanted to take a picture of my little tree in the back yard, was like a yellow flame... today all leaves fell.

It is so cold 34F! I miss Tucson (their low of 62F in the night is higher than here the predicted high of tomorrow, 61F). I really dread winter.

Time or stress management?

I thought I am the only one thinking that this semester is faster, more loaded, and more stressful than usual. No matter with who I talk everyone has the same complaint. Too much, too stressful, can't keep up with all....

I know there are 20 days since I did not give you any news... School is loaded, I work with a team of other three faculty on a project on Student stressors and reactions to those stressors. I continue my little research with elementary kids, teach three graduate courses, and take my C++ as serious as I can!
Oh, by the way last week I had exam in the main lecture and tomorrow in the lab (will measure how much I learned the C++).

I sleep less and less; 4-5 hours/night maximum. I did not have real weekends, all my weekends are work and effort to catch up and keep going. I feel tired, and stressed ( no wonder I study stressors and reactions to them).

I try to set realistic goals, and keep good track of my time management... it seems to not be enough. Might be I have too much on my plate?
I open my e-mail to respond just the urgent e-mails and after two hours I find myself stuck in front of the monitor giving directions to my graduate students on how to start their final projects, and how to conduct a lit review, and how to find articles via the Library web. Just because they seem to not be able to follow the many handouts and directions step-by-step to do their assignments. I feel like a Customer Service rep... Then I get upset on this. Teaching should not be mainly about teaching students how to use the library search, they are graduate students, they should know by now how to do a literature review.... Anyhow. My time is going by, many hours I could spend on my research, doing my readings, writing articles and publishing them.

In two weeks I have to keep a workshop for students in the dorms about Time management, learning styles, and test taking skills. I will teach them how to set goals, how to select the Important ones from the Urgent ones, and how to allocate the time in their calendar for these goals.

DO THE IMPORTANT BEFORE THE URGENT!

Think you have to live one more year: What would be those goals you would not want to miss?
Think where you want to be in five years from now? What would be very important to do NOW that would help you to get there?

Indecision. Procrastination. Inefficiency. Interruptions that are not important and unexpected. Unrealistic time estimates. Errors. Crisis management. Poor organization. Ineffective meetings. Lack of priorities.

+ being sucked in to the tube! (be it computer or TV)

... hmmm.... in theory I am pretty good, the practice is killing me :-)