A few nights ago, I was getting boy ready for his shower. When I helped him get his pants off, he said,
Mama, can you lift me up to look at my penis?
You want me to look at your penis? Does it hurt?
No, I want to look at my penis.
Oh, you want to look at your penis in the mirror?
Yes.
He wanted me to help him stand on the bathroom counter so he could look at his penis in the mirror. Kind of a strange request, but there are not many mirrors in this house that are at his level. I thought that maybe he just wanted to check things out since he knows what his dad looks like from the outside. Right?
I lift the boy up and stand him up on the bathroom counter. He laughs and says,
My penis!
Then he grabs his penis, and starts making shooting sounds. Seriously. SERIOUSLY.
What are you doing? (trying to sound nonchalant).
I am pyew-pyew-pyewing (shooting sounds) mine penis!
You are shooting with your penis? Your penis is a weapon?
Yes! Pyew-pyew-pyew.
I am slightly mortified, but also choking back laughter. I mean, he's at that age where he pretends a lot of things are weapons, including shoes, fruit snacks, and pretty much any other object you can think of. We sometimes make him leave his "weapons" in a special cabinet before he plays with other children so that he doesn't pretend to shoot them, and it actually seems to work. I was at first bothered by his weapon obsession, but feel better (sort of) knowing that he is primarily attacking monsters and "bad guys" and that what I perceive as a gun is often a much more elaborate weapon like a rocket or light beam (way better, right?). I have also noticed that since he started pretending to have weapons, he actually hits other children and me much less. I *think* this is a good thing. (???)
He has pretended that his head shoots laser beams. He has pretended that his feet propel rockets. He has even staged battles between his "robot fingers". Why wouldn't he use his penis as a weapon? I mean, it's the one body part he can actually aim and already shoot stuff from. Makes perfect sense, really.
I think to myself, it's no wonder Freud had some of the ideas he did. But mostly, I just want to laugh.
I stifle the laughter, because I don't want to a) encourage penis weaponeering, b) make him feel like I'm laughing at his penis, or c) make him feel like there is something different about his penis compared to the rest of his body. All I said was, oh honey, I don't think a penis should be used as a weapon. It has many better uses and it's already cool because you can pee with it. Are you ready to get in the shower now?
As an aside, it's pretty awesome that he calls it a penis instead of some other goofy name. About six months ago, he had loose bowels, and his father said, oh, buddy, I think you have diarrhea.
No, I have a penis. Mama has a diarrhea.
I guess that's close enough...
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Academic Phone Interviews
A friend who is still in grad school contacted me for tips on academic phone interviews. He's interviewing for a psychology instructor position at a decent sized university, so not all of my stuff was relevant in this case. He specifically asked if I had prepped any questions and answers prior to the interview. Why yes, I had--I still have the document and I sent it to him. I have posted these questions and answers below, because they were fun for me to read and because maybe someone, somewhere, will find them useful. My actual notes were more concise and written in short-hand--I've expanded them here a little into something resembling complete sentences.
I do have to say, after being on the other side of the hiring process, that the thing that most often hurts a candidate is a lack of research about the job they are applying for. When we talk to a candidate who knows nothing about the institution, the people they would be working with, or the classes offered, it really hurts their chances of being invited out for an on-campus interview.
1. What is your dissertation topic and time line for completion?
That was totally not a reasonable time line for completion, but I got it done anyway.
2. What is your teaching philosophy?
I feel pretty much the same way. My objectives haven't changed, but I continue to acquire new tools to achieve them. If you have experience with different methods of teaching, you should talk about this. Specifics are helpful.
3. What undergrad courses do you want to teach?
This was a great answer and it was tailored to a specific institution because I had done my research. When they ask you what you want to or are willing to teach, they really want to here "anything". I went to their website and found out what courses they offered so that I could speak directly to those courses. I tried to craft an answer that was was honest about what I'm absolutely not qualified to teach, but also showed that I was open to stepping in to fill a need. I like teaching things that are outside of my comfort zone because I learn more in the process.
4. What graduate courses can you teach?
I think these are still accurate. At the graduate level, you should really only teach what you are an expert in. I'd still like to do brown-bag seminars on statistics topics, but will all of my other service commitments, it would be hard to find the time.
5. What are your research interests?
These were great answers at the time. I just created a short blurb for my faculty listing on the psychology department website: Social and personality psychology: gender roles; gender identity; stereotyping and prejudice; aggression; evolutionary psychology. Not much has changed.
6. What experience do you have with grants?
That's pretty much all I could say at the time, and there's not much more to say about grants other than you either were funded or weren't.
7. What do you think your vita (resume) will look like in 5 years?
This was too many answers, even if it was the truth about my goals. I was trying to play up my strengths and show that I had some big goals and some more manageable goals, but it was still too much. The emphasis on teaching was important for the job that I was particularly interested in, so that was good. If I could do this question over, however, I would split it up into what was most promising (the aggression stuff) and what I would like to put more time into after establishing a publication record (pregnancy and motherhood stereotypes) in a way similar to the way I split up my teaching interests.
8. What skills do you bring?
I would emphasize that I really, really, love working with students. If you are applying for a Research 1 job, that's a bad answer. They want to know that you have a line of research ready to go, and that your students will be working on it. I, however, really enjoy student-driven research even when it's outside of my main areas of interest. This is a major plus for liberal arts jobs, or the unique position I have at UND where research does happen, but teaching is valued. It also turns out that I have way more statistical knowledge than the average faculty member, so I am perfectly happy to analyze data, write up the results, and take a 2nd author position. This may not be a plus in some interviewing situations (like an R1 job), but it's a plus to other faculty once you have arrived (especially in smaller departments).
9. What makes you unique/diverse?
I made sure for the interview with UND to mention that I came from a rural area because I had done my research about their student population. This may not be a plus for some jobs, but I think it was a good thing to mention for this job. I would now add that I am approachable--students seem to be comfortable with me and I think that's a good thing, and it probably stems from me feeling like an "impostor" in academia :)
10. What are your weaknesses?
These are still my greatest weaknesses. My love for teaching and the fact that students approach me means that if I am not careful, teaching and working with students sucks up all of my time. I still struggle to get writing done, which is why I don't mind taking a 2nd or 3rd author position on a paper if it means that I just wrote little snippets and analyzed data. However, if I ever want a promotion, I will need more first-author publications. Publish or perish. Publish or perish.
11. What is my theoretical orientation?
I'm not even sure what that answer means. After being out of grad school for a short period of time now, I have to say that the theoretical framework that I find myself most often bringing up in conversation is an evolutionary social psych framework, but that's in part due to the fact that I'm the only person in our department with any real expertise in evolutionary social psychology. When I was surrounded by evolutionary psychologists at ASU, I often brought up sociocultural perspectives. I don't think they are at odds with each other--I think they compliment each other. The big trend that's surfacing now is how to merge evolutionary psychology and cultural psychology. Maybe my personal theoretical orientation is "devil's advocate" or "shit disturber".
12. What is your teaching experience?
I would now emphasize that even though I could probably get most of my research done with very few research assistants, I will work with almost anyone who wants research experience. I start the questionable students out on tasks that are less important so that I can determine whether they are reliable. I think one of the greatest things that happens in psychology departments is that undergraduates get research experience--that's where they really learn about psychology. In this regard, I try to make research a teaching activity. I would now emphasize the importance of training a chain of leaders and delegating responsibility. If you have a job where you are supervising grad students, you can pretty much put them in charge of your lab. If you are using undergraduates, you need to find the real stars who function as well as grad students, get them trained, and then delegate. The delegation part is hard, and it takes some time, but hopefully it means that they will then train their replacements. If you are applying for a liberal arts job or a teaching-intensive job, they want to know how your research is an extension of your teaching. I cannot help but make my research an extension of my teaching because I cannot help but want to teach students how to be researchers. Even if they don't pursue careers that have anything to do with psychology research, I hope that they at become better consumers of information and better citizens as a result of the time they spend in my lab.
I do have to say, after being on the other side of the hiring process, that the thing that most often hurts a candidate is a lack of research about the job they are applying for. When we talk to a candidate who knows nothing about the institution, the people they would be working with, or the classes offered, it really hurts their chances of being invited out for an on-campus interview.
1. What is your dissertation topic and time line for completion?
- My dissertation is a secondary data analysis focusing on abortion and mental health, and how early risk factors and exposure to violence may explain the association that has been reported between abortion history and mental health.
- Because it is a secondary data analysis, the data has already been collected. I have recoded most of the data and conducted some pilot analyses. I have extensive familiarity with the data set at this time.
- My prospectus meeting is scheduled for the beginning of the spring semester and I plan to graduate in May.
- My committee members all agree that this is a reasonable time line for completion.
That was totally not a reasonable time line for completion, but I got it done anyway.
2. What is your teaching philosophy?
- I emphasize critical thinking and the scientific method in all of my courses
- I believe the goal of a liberal arts education is to create well-informed citizens
- I try to provide a solid foundation for future researchers, while ensuring that other students get useful information for their daily lives
- I try to present material in a wide range of formats
- I utilize different modes of assessment whenever possible
I feel pretty much the same way. My objectives haven't changed, but I continue to acquire new tools to achieve them. If you have experience with different methods of teaching, you should talk about this. Specifics are helpful.
3. What undergrad courses do you want to teach?
- Top choices: Introduction to Psychology, Research Methods, Social Psychology, Advanced Social Psychology, Any other social psychology course, Gender, Psychology of Women
- Comfortable teaching, but not top choices: Statistics, Health Psychology, Personality Psychology, History and Systems, HumanSexuality
- Could do if necessary: Cognitive Psychology, Learning
- Absolutely not: Physiological Psychology, Neuroscience, Biological Psychology, Sensation and Perception
This was a great answer and it was tailored to a specific institution because I had done my research. When they ask you what you want to or are willing to teach, they really want to here "anything". I went to their website and found out what courses they offered so that I could speak directly to those courses. I tried to craft an answer that was was honest about what I'm absolutely not qualified to teach, but also showed that I was open to stepping in to fill a need. I like teaching things that are outside of my comfort zone because I learn more in the process.
4. What graduate courses can you teach?
- Top choices: Any social psychology topics, research methods, courses on gender/psychology of women
- Could do with prep: History and systems, Univariate statistics, Brown-bag "crash courses" on quantitative psychology topics
I think these are still accurate. At the graduate level, you should really only teach what you are an expert in. I'd still like to do brown-bag seminars on statistics topics, but will all of my other service commitments, it would be hard to find the time.
5. What are your research interests?
- Aggression, especially gender differences and evolutionary influences. I am particularly interested in the role status plays in aggression for men versus women.
- Violence against women and early childhood risk factors on sexuality and reproductive health; abortion and mental health
- Stereotypes about pregnancy and motherhood
- Stereotypes about gays and lesbians
- Gender identity
These were great answers at the time. I just created a short blurb for my faculty listing on the psychology department website: Social and personality psychology: gender roles; gender identity; stereotyping and prejudice; aggression; evolutionary psychology. Not much has changed.
6. What experience do you have with grants?
- I applied for National Science Foundation funding as a first-year graduate student; it was unfunded.
- I applied for grants through the Graduate and Professional Student Association, but these were also unfunded.
- I successfully obtained a research assistantship through the university. This was a short application, but it required a budget estimate and a description of research to be conducted; this was funded.
- I applied for a pre-doctoral fellowship through the National Institute for Health (NIH) with the National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA) as the funding agency; this was funded.
That's pretty much all I could say at the time, and there's not much more to say about grants other than you either were funded or weren't.
7. What do you think your vita (resume) will look like in 5 years?
- A handful of abortion and mental health studies that utilize structural equation modeling
- A program of research that focuses on stereotypes about motherhood and pregnancy and the implications for quality of medical care and employment opportunities
- A few aggression studies that are follow-up studies to my Masters thesis
- Collaborative projects on gender identity
- Potentially some projects about gay and lesbian stereotypes
- Greater breadth of courses taught
- Additional extramural (grant) funding
This was too many answers, even if it was the truth about my goals. I was trying to play up my strengths and show that I had some big goals and some more manageable goals, but it was still too much. The emphasis on teaching was important for the job that I was particularly interested in, so that was good. If I could do this question over, however, I would split it up into what was most promising (the aggression stuff) and what I would like to put more time into after establishing a publication record (pregnancy and motherhood stereotypes) in a way similar to the way I split up my teaching interests.
8. What skills do you bring?
- Broad training in social psychology
- Familiarity with learning, developmental psychopathology, clinical psychology
- Background in Women's studies
- Strong quantitative background
- Experience with secondary data analysis of large scale data sets
- Integration of social and clinical psychology--early risk factors that influence life-course trajectories
- Openness to work with students who have a wide variety of interests; enjoyment of student-led projects
- Openness to collaboration
I would emphasize that I really, really, love working with students. If you are applying for a Research 1 job, that's a bad answer. They want to know that you have a line of research ready to go, and that your students will be working on it. I, however, really enjoy student-driven research even when it's outside of my main areas of interest. This is a major plus for liberal arts jobs, or the unique position I have at UND where research does happen, but teaching is valued. It also turns out that I have way more statistical knowledge than the average faculty member, so I am perfectly happy to analyze data, write up the results, and take a 2nd author position. This may not be a plus in some interviewing situations (like an R1 job), but it's a plus to other faculty once you have arrived (especially in smaller departments).
9. What makes you unique/diverse?
- Non-traditional educational trajectory
- First generation college student; comfortable working with a diverse range of students
- Raised in rural area; sensitive to needs of rural students
- Background in Women's Studies and social psychology with a heavy evolutionary focus has enhanced my ability to consider diverse perspectives
- Training in experimental methods, survey methods, quantitative methods, large-scale data sets, some qualitative methods
I made sure for the interview with UND to mention that I came from a rural area because I had done my research about their student population. This may not be a plus for some jobs, but I think it was a good thing to mention for this job. I would now add that I am approachable--students seem to be comfortable with me and I think that's a good thing, and it probably stems from me feeling like an "impostor" in academia :)
10. What are your weaknesses?
- Physiological/biological/neuropsychology
- Passion for teaching--it's often easier to focus on the immediate gratification of teaching at the expense of finding time for writing
These are still my greatest weaknesses. My love for teaching and the fact that students approach me means that if I am not careful, teaching and working with students sucks up all of my time. I still struggle to get writing done, which is why I don't mind taking a 2nd or 3rd author position on a paper if it means that I just wrote little snippets and analyzed data. However, if I ever want a promotion, I will need more first-author publications. Publish or perish. Publish or perish.
11. What is my theoretical orientation?
- Broad interdisciplinary framework
- Multi-level approach that integrates the power of the situation and the broader social context that gives meaning to a particular situation
- Background in psychology of women as well as social psychology and evolutionary psychology
I'm not even sure what that answer means. After being out of grad school for a short period of time now, I have to say that the theoretical framework that I find myself most often bringing up in conversation is an evolutionary social psych framework, but that's in part due to the fact that I'm the only person in our department with any real expertise in evolutionary social psychology. When I was surrounded by evolutionary psychologists at ASU, I often brought up sociocultural perspectives. I don't think they are at odds with each other--I think they compliment each other. The big trend that's surfacing now is how to merge evolutionary psychology and cultural psychology. Maybe my personal theoretical orientation is "devil's advocate" or "shit disturber".
12. What is your teaching experience?
- Instructor: Research methods lectures and laboratories; Introduction to Psychology, Introduction to Statistics
- Teaching assistant: Social Psychology, Introduction to Psychology, Introduction to Statistics
- Tutor in high school and as undergraduate
- Recruit research assistants from courses taught
- During first semester, research assistants have light duties to prove they are reliable (pass/fail grade)
- Increased responsibility with experience--supervisory roles, training on data analysis, etc.
- Willingness to mentor student-driven projects with students who are motivated and interested in doing so.
I would now emphasize that even though I could probably get most of my research done with very few research assistants, I will work with almost anyone who wants research experience. I start the questionable students out on tasks that are less important so that I can determine whether they are reliable. I think one of the greatest things that happens in psychology departments is that undergraduates get research experience--that's where they really learn about psychology. In this regard, I try to make research a teaching activity. I would now emphasize the importance of training a chain of leaders and delegating responsibility. If you have a job where you are supervising grad students, you can pretty much put them in charge of your lab. If you are using undergraduates, you need to find the real stars who function as well as grad students, get them trained, and then delegate. The delegation part is hard, and it takes some time, but hopefully it means that they will then train their replacements. If you are applying for a liberal arts job or a teaching-intensive job, they want to know how your research is an extension of your teaching. I cannot help but make my research an extension of my teaching because I cannot help but want to teach students how to be researchers. Even if they don't pursue careers that have anything to do with psychology research, I hope that they at become better consumers of information and better citizens as a result of the time they spend in my lab.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The menstrual cycle and other wonders
We talked about sex in my introductory psychology class yesterday. I answered the questions that they had submitted. I used this video and this image to discuss the menstrual cycle and pregnancy.
I used this page to discuss why the withdrawal method is not very effective, as well as to address the question, can I have sex without a condom and just put one on before ejaculation?
We discussed the history of the vibrator to "cure" hysteria--I didn't show this slideshow, but I wanted to. We just didn't have enough time. I talked about Freud's views on femininity and a mature female sexual response, such as:
Many people still feel that there is something "wrong" with a woman if she can't achieve orgasm through vaginal penetration alone. I talked about that for a few minutes too.
On Thursday, we'll be talking about Personality, so we'll discuss Freud some more. I can't wait.
I used this page to discuss why the withdrawal method is not very effective, as well as to address the question, can I have sex without a condom and just put one on before ejaculation?
We discussed the history of the vibrator to "cure" hysteria--I didn't show this slideshow, but I wanted to. We just didn't have enough time. I talked about Freud's views on femininity and a mature female sexual response, such as:
With the change to femininity the clitoris should wholly or in part hand over its sensitivity, and at the same time its importance, to the vagina.I love this quote, because in my cartoon brain I see a little clitoris character literally handing something over to the vagina, and the vagina just stands there looking confused.
Many people still feel that there is something "wrong" with a woman if she can't achieve orgasm through vaginal penetration alone. I talked about that for a few minutes too.
On Thursday, we'll be talking about Personality, so we'll discuss Freud some more. I can't wait.
Monday, November 15, 2010
On lying to my kid and other guilty pleasures
I missed a post yesterday because I was exhausted from wrangling a 21 pound turkey for 3 days, and then I fell into a turkey coma. Dinner was fantastic.
Not only did we do our Friends Thanksgiving yesterday, but we also took Dude to see Mickey's Live Rockin' Road Show. I didn't think it was as good as the live Playhouse Disney show last year, but the boy enjoyed it.
I didn't tell him about the show. Instead, I wrote a letter to him from Mickey Mouse and put it in the mailbox. At 3:00, hubbie said, oh, that's strange, the mailman just put something in our box--on a Sunday!
We retrieved the letter. The letter told Dude that if he followed the instructions, he would get a surprise. I glued a picture of Mickey Mouse at the end of the letter and signed it, Your Pal, Mickey Mouse.
The instructions were to get in the car at 3:45 and follow the directions, which were driving directions to The Ralph (the Disneyland of hockey stadiums). When we pulled up, he totally figured out what was going on because that's where the show was last year. He was really excited to see Tigger again.
While the other kids sang and yelled and danced, Dude just sat in his seat, perfectly still. We asked, do you want to dance? and he shook his head no. I don't know if he just felt shy or if he was trying to be "good" by being quiet and still. He went to see his daddy perform about a month ago, and we go to see movies on the weekends, so he is a seasoned pro at being quiet and respectful at theaters. However, he was completely still like this last year as well, which was before we started going to any kind of movies or shows. I think that when he is amidst chaos he just needs to retreat inside and soak it all up sometimes.
But then...then...Tigger started his bouncerrific techno finale number. We asked if he would like to stand up and bounce with Tigger. He shook his head up and down really fast and we said go for it. OH. MY. GAWD. It was like he had been holding it all in. He was overcome with the spirit of Tigger and looked like he was either possessed or having a dancerrriffic seizure. It was awesome.
I've noticed that when there is music on at home, he will rarely dance just a little. He's not the kind of kid who kind of sways to the music. It's all or nothing. He's either oblivious or overtaken. Strangely enough, the one band that will always get him moving is Joy Divison. Seriously.
So, yes, I lied to my kid. I fabricated a Mickey Mouse letter. To make matters worse, I secretly hate Disney because the company is really nothing more than a marketing machine. DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED on how pissed I was that an entire plot point of the Rockin' Road show was centered around Minnie's need for SHOES. I wanted to puke. I was so happy that I hadn't taken a little girl there, until I realized that it's also teaching little boys that all girls care about is shoes. All this, and I still bought the tickets. And it was worth it to see him bounce up and down and flail his limbs with a look of pure joy on his face. I lied to him because there is this tiny window of make-believe that will disappear someday. I wish that I could get a letter from a cartoon character and believe it. Hell, I wish I still got letters. Or sent them for that matter...
This is not the first of my lies. I also told him that thunder and lightning were caused by Thor riding his chariot through the sky, and that he threw lightning bolts down upon the earth because it was fun. Because really, if you could hurl lightning bolts, you totally would, and you know it. And I thought that the story about Thor made for a much better story than gods bowling.
Not only did we do our Friends Thanksgiving yesterday, but we also took Dude to see Mickey's Live Rockin' Road Show. I didn't think it was as good as the live Playhouse Disney show last year, but the boy enjoyed it.
I didn't tell him about the show. Instead, I wrote a letter to him from Mickey Mouse and put it in the mailbox. At 3:00, hubbie said, oh, that's strange, the mailman just put something in our box--on a Sunday!
We retrieved the letter. The letter told Dude that if he followed the instructions, he would get a surprise. I glued a picture of Mickey Mouse at the end of the letter and signed it, Your Pal, Mickey Mouse.
The instructions were to get in the car at 3:45 and follow the directions, which were driving directions to The Ralph (the Disneyland of hockey stadiums). When we pulled up, he totally figured out what was going on because that's where the show was last year. He was really excited to see Tigger again.
While the other kids sang and yelled and danced, Dude just sat in his seat, perfectly still. We asked, do you want to dance? and he shook his head no. I don't know if he just felt shy or if he was trying to be "good" by being quiet and still. He went to see his daddy perform about a month ago, and we go to see movies on the weekends, so he is a seasoned pro at being quiet and respectful at theaters. However, he was completely still like this last year as well, which was before we started going to any kind of movies or shows. I think that when he is amidst chaos he just needs to retreat inside and soak it all up sometimes.
But then...then...Tigger started his bouncerrific techno finale number. We asked if he would like to stand up and bounce with Tigger. He shook his head up and down really fast and we said go for it. OH. MY. GAWD. It was like he had been holding it all in. He was overcome with the spirit of Tigger and looked like he was either possessed or having a dancerrriffic seizure. It was awesome.
I've noticed that when there is music on at home, he will rarely dance just a little. He's not the kind of kid who kind of sways to the music. It's all or nothing. He's either oblivious or overtaken. Strangely enough, the one band that will always get him moving is Joy Divison. Seriously.
So, yes, I lied to my kid. I fabricated a Mickey Mouse letter. To make matters worse, I secretly hate Disney because the company is really nothing more than a marketing machine. DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED on how pissed I was that an entire plot point of the Rockin' Road show was centered around Minnie's need for SHOES. I wanted to puke. I was so happy that I hadn't taken a little girl there, until I realized that it's also teaching little boys that all girls care about is shoes. All this, and I still bought the tickets. And it was worth it to see him bounce up and down and flail his limbs with a look of pure joy on his face. I lied to him because there is this tiny window of make-believe that will disappear someday. I wish that I could get a letter from a cartoon character and believe it. Hell, I wish I still got letters. Or sent them for that matter...
This is not the first of my lies. I also told him that thunder and lightning were caused by Thor riding his chariot through the sky, and that he threw lightning bolts down upon the earth because it was fun. Because really, if you could hurl lightning bolts, you totally would, and you know it. And I thought that the story about Thor made for a much better story than gods bowling.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Recent phone pictures
Heaven in a glass:
It's a layered iced americano, using Peet's Espresso Forte blend (or maybe Major Dickason's--I can't remember). I have Peet's shipped once every 6 weeks or so for a treat, even though my husband gets free pounds from Starbucks. I use some of the Starbucks coffee, but we also give it away.
We have a home espresso maker--a good one--and it have saved us a lot of money, especially since I can't seem to find a really good coffee shop in this town. I mixed a shot with some vanilla sugar (i.e. sugar that has vanilla beans hanging out in it), added a tish of water, added the ice, poured some half n' half slowly, and then added the last two shots by pouring them gently over the back of the spoon. It's similar to the way you make a layered latte. I can't say that it tasted any different than if I'd just mixed it all together in the first place, but I felt like I'd given myself a real treat.
Boy as Wall-E:
This was boy's Halloween costume. He knew exactly what he wanted to be this year, and I think he looks adorable.
Autumn on campus (it turns out that leaves really do change into colors other than green, less green, and brown):
We have a home espresso maker--a good one--and it have saved us a lot of money, especially since I can't seem to find a really good coffee shop in this town. I mixed a shot with some vanilla sugar (i.e. sugar that has vanilla beans hanging out in it), added a tish of water, added the ice, poured some half n' half slowly, and then added the last two shots by pouring them gently over the back of the spoon. It's similar to the way you make a layered latte. I can't say that it tasted any different than if I'd just mixed it all together in the first place, but I felt like I'd given myself a real treat.
Boy as Wall-E:
Autumn on campus (it turns out that leaves really do change into colors other than green, less green, and brown):
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