For a while, one of Xander's favorite movies was "Megamind". To be quite honest, I liked the movie too. It was one of those kids movies that had enough sly humor to keep the parents entertained.
Anyway, the anti-hero of the movie had the speech eccentricity where he would mispronounce common words like school and of course the name of the city "Metro City" became "Met Rocity". I tend to recall an interview done with the person who provided the voice for Roger Rabbit where he said all memorable cartoon characters should have a speech impediment.
So, I had a long day and it has honestly been a bad year. As I have mentioned, Paula not being able to find work has put a strain on just about everything. I know she is trying but I also know how tough it is trying to support everything and keep up a happy face.
So, when I start feeling down I start thinking of Megamind - silly but anything to smile.
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Back to School!!?
So next week Xander starts back to school - 6th grade this time.
One of the things we discovered when we moved to Tennessee was that Xander's school was 'almost' year round. It is still 9 week terms but it is set up similar to my time in Ohio State's quarter system. He gets a couple of weeks off in the fall and spring, a month for Christmas and a couple of months in summer. But it still seems sudden.
Anyway, he goes in Thursday for a couple of hours, Friday is an 'in service' day and then the following Monday he starts in earnest. Not even August and he is in school...
That is not at all what I experienced. When I was in school it seemed to always start around Labor Day. It was kind of a joke that Jeff's birthday was usually around the first day of school so no one really wanted to celebrate it.
So we took the kiddo out today to buy shoes for school and he is going through his closet making sure he has enough clothes. Luckily he gets to wear shorts until it gets too cold out so most of his summer clothes will be fine for the first few months.
This weekend we will pick up his supplies and then before you know it he will be back in school. I know he will miss his summer but I think he will have fun and it will be good to get him away from his electronics for a few hours.
One of the things we discovered when we moved to Tennessee was that Xander's school was 'almost' year round. It is still 9 week terms but it is set up similar to my time in Ohio State's quarter system. He gets a couple of weeks off in the fall and spring, a month for Christmas and a couple of months in summer. But it still seems sudden.
Anyway, he goes in Thursday for a couple of hours, Friday is an 'in service' day and then the following Monday he starts in earnest. Not even August and he is in school...
That is not at all what I experienced. When I was in school it seemed to always start around Labor Day. It was kind of a joke that Jeff's birthday was usually around the first day of school so no one really wanted to celebrate it.
So we took the kiddo out today to buy shoes for school and he is going through his closet making sure he has enough clothes. Luckily he gets to wear shorts until it gets too cold out so most of his summer clothes will be fine for the first few months.
This weekend we will pick up his supplies and then before you know it he will be back in school. I know he will miss his summer but I think he will have fun and it will be good to get him away from his electronics for a few hours.
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Summer Television
It is probably a little strange but I find that I prefer summer television to the new shows in the fall. Not sure when the change happened but I fear it is irrevocable.
Summer shows just tend to be more "fun" and honestly it seems the networks are not as concerned with rating so shows are given a chance rather than yanked out of the lineup at a moments notice. So the summer is when we get to really sink our teeth into shows without fear of them being pulled after 1 or 2 episodes.
This year we have started watching a few new shows - The Musketeers on BBC, The Last Ship on TNT and Extant on CBS - in addition to the regulars we have watched for years. For the most part the production values on these shows are not up to "regular TV standards" (Extant being an exception) but overall the shows are better.
Whether it is lack of fear opening up the creators to take more changes, or a joy of seeing actors I did not recognize (how many times have you watched a procedural and know that "That Guy" is the killer because I recognize him).
Anyway, our DVR is filling up again so that is one more distraction to keep me from reading and writing my research.
Summer shows just tend to be more "fun" and honestly it seems the networks are not as concerned with rating so shows are given a chance rather than yanked out of the lineup at a moments notice. So the summer is when we get to really sink our teeth into shows without fear of them being pulled after 1 or 2 episodes.
This year we have started watching a few new shows - The Musketeers on BBC, The Last Ship on TNT and Extant on CBS - in addition to the regulars we have watched for years. For the most part the production values on these shows are not up to "regular TV standards" (Extant being an exception) but overall the shows are better.
Whether it is lack of fear opening up the creators to take more changes, or a joy of seeing actors I did not recognize (how many times have you watched a procedural and know that "That Guy" is the killer because I recognize him).
Anyway, our DVR is filling up again so that is one more distraction to keep me from reading and writing my research.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
My parents came up to help us celebrate Xander's birthday last week and while they were up my dad and I watched the 'Desolation of Smaug' i.e. the second Hobbit movie. We both had the same reaction to most of the movie and while watching it I thought that I should probably write those feelings down. So here is my review...
Against my better judgement I let Paula (and mainly Xander) convince me into going to see the second Hobbit movie before we moved from Birmingham. I think I have made my feelings on the first movie pretty clear since it was released. My disdain for it actually became a running joke at my lab. But here I was about to watch the sequel to it. Call me crazy.
As I thought would be the case after watching the first movie - this one covered from Beorn to the awakening of Smaug (meaning the last movie is almost entirely the Battle of Five Armies). If you are covering that land the areas you MUST hit are:
Once again, it is a pretty big list and Peter Jackson hits them for the most part. But once again at no point do you actually feel like there is a correlation between the movie and the book. Let's look at them one at a time
1. Gandalf leaving to address the problems with the Necromancer
In the books, everyone goes into the adventure knowing that Gandalf is leaving "at some point". That is the whole reason for Bilbo being along. There are 13 dwarves - unlucky. Bilbo is along so that there will be 14 adventurers - the "lucky number". If Gandalf is going to stick around the entire time there is no need for Bilbo because Gandalf would be the 14th member of the party. In the movie however, Gandalf has no reason to leave at the beginning and it is only after meeting with Radagast near Rivendell that he even KNOWS there is a problem with the Necromancer.
2. The dwarves getting lost in Mirkwood and being caught by the spiders
Jackson pretty much gets this but in a trend that will become evident throughout the movie, he tended to greatly condense the amount of time necessary for things to happen.
3. Bilbo's rescue of the dwarves and becoming the hero Gandalf promised
Nope. Not even close. Bilbo barely rescues the dwarves and they do the majority of the killing. Then the ELVES show up and kill the rest. Bilbo...what is he doing? Recovering his ring which Jackson is determined to show us is evil and controlling Bilbo's thoughts already. So once again, one of the "big" scenes showing Bilbo's heroism is given away reinforcing the dwarves opinion of him as a "grocer".
4. The capture by the Wood Elves and subsequent escape
Ah, the dwarves escape. In the book Bilbo searches for about 2 weeks until a big feast occurs. The dwarves load into barrels and float to Laketown while the elves sleep off their wine. In the movie, this sequence is the big action scene. Elves chasing the dwarves down, orcs lying in wait for the escaping dwarves, dwarves swinging axes and swords against both of the opponents...until Kili is injured with a Morgul arrow.
5. The arrival at Lake Town
So rather than just washing up on shore the dwarves need to be smuggled into Laketown. Jackson does this and suddenly we are in the middle of a political drama between Bard and the Master of the city. Why does this drama exist? No clue. It is never really mentioned in the book and really serves no point other than to add some excitement to the issue.
Oh and Kili? He, Fili and one of the other dwarves decide to stay in Laketown looking for a cure. Which just so happens to come up from one of the Mirkwood Elves that shows up hunting the orcs from earlier. She has the cure for the poison...despite the fact that in LotR we are told that the cure was basically "forgotten" and the fact that he knows it proves Aragorn is the heir of Isildur.
6. The finding of the hidden passage into the Lonely Mountain
So the majority of the dwarves head out of Laketown, climb a mountain, and find a hidden entrance to a secret passage that is disguised as just another part of the mountain...in a day. Not even a full day, they make it to the spot and still have daylight available. This was obviously written by someone who had never climbed a mountain.
Then Jackson decides to change the "last light of the setting sun" line to make the light be the MOONLIGHT of that day. Really...and if so wouldn't it be the last moonlight of that day. Nope. It is the FIRST moonlight. Just bizarre change for no real reason.
7. Bilbo's "talk" with Smaug.
So, with the entrance found Bilbo goes down and talks to Smaug...without his ring on. Why is he not invisible? Did he want to be fair? No way of knowing, but he takes the damn thing off so Smaug hunts him. Oh what are the dwarves doing? Why of course they come in the tunnel as well and help Bilbo escape from Smaug by reigniting the furnaces and covering the dragon in molten gold. Of course.
Oh and the "shining moment" for Bilbo in this one. You know...how he sends word via thrush to Bard that Smaug has a hole in his armor over his left breast so Bard knows where to shoot? Never happens. Turns out Bard knows about the hole from a family legend.
Now, despite all of this you would think I hated the movie...but honestly I liked it a lot more than the first one. My dad and I talked about it and we both came to the same conclusion.
The first movie had scenes from the book and then scenes of just complete craziness. But those scenes from the book were almost "familiar" and so it led to a very disjointed sense when you were watching it. You would get into a scene and then be jarred out of it the rest. This movie on the other hand, had ideas that seemed familiar but all of the scenes seemed different from the book so you avoid that jarring sense. It is kinda weird but by going FURTHER from the source material, Jackson actually made a better movie. It just wasn't the Hobbit.
Against my better judgement I let Paula (and mainly Xander) convince me into going to see the second Hobbit movie before we moved from Birmingham. I think I have made my feelings on the first movie pretty clear since it was released. My disdain for it actually became a running joke at my lab. But here I was about to watch the sequel to it. Call me crazy.
As I thought would be the case after watching the first movie - this one covered from Beorn to the awakening of Smaug (meaning the last movie is almost entirely the Battle of Five Armies). If you are covering that land the areas you MUST hit are:
- Gandalf leaving to address the problems with the Necromancer
- The dwarves getting lost in Mirkwood and being caught by the spiders
- Bilbo's rescue of the dwarves and becoming the hero Gandalf promised
- The capture by the Wood Elves and subsequent escape
- The arrival at Lake Town
- The finding of the hidden passage into the Lonely Mountain
- Bilbo's "talk" with Smaug.
Once again, it is a pretty big list and Peter Jackson hits them for the most part. But once again at no point do you actually feel like there is a correlation between the movie and the book. Let's look at them one at a time
1. Gandalf leaving to address the problems with the Necromancer
In the books, everyone goes into the adventure knowing that Gandalf is leaving "at some point". That is the whole reason for Bilbo being along. There are 13 dwarves - unlucky. Bilbo is along so that there will be 14 adventurers - the "lucky number". If Gandalf is going to stick around the entire time there is no need for Bilbo because Gandalf would be the 14th member of the party. In the movie however, Gandalf has no reason to leave at the beginning and it is only after meeting with Radagast near Rivendell that he even KNOWS there is a problem with the Necromancer.
2. The dwarves getting lost in Mirkwood and being caught by the spiders
Jackson pretty much gets this but in a trend that will become evident throughout the movie, he tended to greatly condense the amount of time necessary for things to happen.
3. Bilbo's rescue of the dwarves and becoming the hero Gandalf promised
Nope. Not even close. Bilbo barely rescues the dwarves and they do the majority of the killing. Then the ELVES show up and kill the rest. Bilbo...what is he doing? Recovering his ring which Jackson is determined to show us is evil and controlling Bilbo's thoughts already. So once again, one of the "big" scenes showing Bilbo's heroism is given away reinforcing the dwarves opinion of him as a "grocer".
4. The capture by the Wood Elves and subsequent escape
Ah, the dwarves escape. In the book Bilbo searches for about 2 weeks until a big feast occurs. The dwarves load into barrels and float to Laketown while the elves sleep off their wine. In the movie, this sequence is the big action scene. Elves chasing the dwarves down, orcs lying in wait for the escaping dwarves, dwarves swinging axes and swords against both of the opponents...until Kili is injured with a Morgul arrow.
5. The arrival at Lake Town
So rather than just washing up on shore the dwarves need to be smuggled into Laketown. Jackson does this and suddenly we are in the middle of a political drama between Bard and the Master of the city. Why does this drama exist? No clue. It is never really mentioned in the book and really serves no point other than to add some excitement to the issue.
Oh and Kili? He, Fili and one of the other dwarves decide to stay in Laketown looking for a cure. Which just so happens to come up from one of the Mirkwood Elves that shows up hunting the orcs from earlier. She has the cure for the poison...despite the fact that in LotR we are told that the cure was basically "forgotten" and the fact that he knows it proves Aragorn is the heir of Isildur.
6. The finding of the hidden passage into the Lonely Mountain
So the majority of the dwarves head out of Laketown, climb a mountain, and find a hidden entrance to a secret passage that is disguised as just another part of the mountain...in a day. Not even a full day, they make it to the spot and still have daylight available. This was obviously written by someone who had never climbed a mountain.
Then Jackson decides to change the "last light of the setting sun" line to make the light be the MOONLIGHT of that day. Really...and if so wouldn't it be the last moonlight of that day. Nope. It is the FIRST moonlight. Just bizarre change for no real reason.
7. Bilbo's "talk" with Smaug.
So, with the entrance found Bilbo goes down and talks to Smaug...without his ring on. Why is he not invisible? Did he want to be fair? No way of knowing, but he takes the damn thing off so Smaug hunts him. Oh what are the dwarves doing? Why of course they come in the tunnel as well and help Bilbo escape from Smaug by reigniting the furnaces and covering the dragon in molten gold. Of course.
Oh and the "shining moment" for Bilbo in this one. You know...how he sends word via thrush to Bard that Smaug has a hole in his armor over his left breast so Bard knows where to shoot? Never happens. Turns out Bard knows about the hole from a family legend.
Now, despite all of this you would think I hated the movie...but honestly I liked it a lot more than the first one. My dad and I talked about it and we both came to the same conclusion.
The first movie had scenes from the book and then scenes of just complete craziness. But those scenes from the book were almost "familiar" and so it led to a very disjointed sense when you were watching it. You would get into a scene and then be jarred out of it the rest. This movie on the other hand, had ideas that seemed familiar but all of the scenes seemed different from the book so you avoid that jarring sense. It is kinda weird but by going FURTHER from the source material, Jackson actually made a better movie. It just wasn't the Hobbit.
OK...now I feel better
OK. Call me crazy but I already feel a little better after getting all the stuff on the last post off my chest. Since I need to start writing soon anyway (the dissertation isn't going to write itself) I think I will try once again to get back in the game posting to this site. No guarantees, and for the most part no rhyme or reason as to what makes a post.
But I am going to try.
Was this all a big mistake?
No, not the blog - I have not done enough on here to warrant it being a "mistake". Despite my best intentions I just never can seem to free up the time to write on here as much as it might be to my benefit.
And no, not the Ph.D. Despite the time and energy commitment I have really learned a lot and I am having fun using that knowledge.
I mean, of course, the move to Tennessee. I posted to Facebook a couple of nights ago that some storms had knocked out the power for a few minutes a friend asked if i was second guessing the move...and I could not immediately say no to him. Because I had been.
I guess I should explain what has happened since the last posting - almost a year ago according to the Blog calendar (sorry about that).
Birmingham
As far back as last May I had misgivings about this whole situation - I had never had time to think and plan a move, had never really had a choice in any of my moves..and now I had a wife and son to think about, but we pushed through. I was supposed to start at Tennessee Tech in August of last year so I would be in place for the start of Fall Semester. That, unfortunately, was delayed. Dr. Soni was not able to secure my position right away and so while I knew the job was there and I would be moving, it delayed the move up until January. I spent the remaining time putting the finishing touches on my doctoral committee and finishing up my second to last semester of course work.
We cleaned and worked around the house and ended up putting it on the market around Labor Day. It is still on the market.
Paula quit her job right after Thanksgiving and my last day of work was the 15th of December. We spent the last two weeks in Birmingham packing and getting everything ready for the movers to show up and take us to...
Tennessee
After our trip up to Tennessee looking for places to live I thought we had decided that Mount Juliet was the winner. Shows what I know. To my surprise Paula thought the best place to move was to Cookeville. She argued that the ability to hopefully get by with only one car, less driving and other savings in the college town meant we could have more money on smaller paychecks which would be nice until our house sold in Birmingham. We worked with a realtor and found a house that was only about 2 miles from campus and an added bonus would rent to us until our house sold.
I started to work at Tech and discovered that nothing had been done to prepare the lab for my arrival...and the amount of red tape involved in getting started was going to be staggering. Add to that I was teaching a class for the first time, on a computer language I only had a passing familiarity with, I was taking 6 hours of coursework remote with U.A.B. AND trying to get my proposal together so I could proceed with my doctoral research.
The last 6 months I have worked to get things squared away. Most of the equipment for my lab has been purchased - with a few glaring omissions. My proposal was very well received by my dissertation committee who informed me that I had answered all of their questions and had one of the more complete proposals they have seen and turns out I am a pretty good teacher. I just cherry picked those traits my favorite teachers portrayed and the students did wonderful work. So I guess you can honestly say that despite some minor setbacks THAT portion of my life is really looking up.
So what's wrong? Everything else.
To tide us over until Paula found work she applied for Unemployment. Figured she had left her company in good terms but had to leave because her husband was relocating to a place more than 150 miles away should be a no brainer...except it was. Turns out Alabama only recognizes relocation as a rationale when the military is involved. No military, so no unemployment.
Add to that the simple fact that we live in a small town with a local university suppling lots of cheap labor and it is, perhaps, easy to understand why Paula has not had any luck finding work. She has tried hard and has been on a handful of interviews but she always loses out to someone with previous experience (or better knowledge of the hiring director). Some of the jobs she has done in the past will not even consider her because of her lack of degree. Call my silly but i would rather have someone with 4 years experience in the job than someone with a degree.
And remember what I said earlier about the state of the Birmingham house? Yep. Still unsold. We have changed realtors, we have lowered the price (more than we could afford) and have been down a few times to repaint a room the realtor did not like, clean, mow the grass etc. None of it works. People just do not like the house and I am having to keep paying for it.
So here we are - a little over 7 months in the state and we still have 1 paycheck coming in, 2 mortgage checks going out...and all the utilities/fees/etc. Needless to say my bank account is running on fumes and we have had to put more than I am comfortable with on credit. The amount we had to lower the asking price in Birmingham was basically our downpayment on the house here in Cookeville so I am not sure how we are going to come up with THAT.
As I repeatedly tell Paula IF she had qualified for unemployment or IF she had found work or IF we had sold the house in Birmingham we could get by. Not comfortably but at least enough to go out every once in a while. All three of those things being "no" however means I am just about at the breaking point and I do not see what I can do to fix it.
The problems have caused some issues, or the issues have caused some problems I am not sure which. I am stressed of course, which leads me to being frustrated and short. Xander, who is used to being a little spoiled, is getting upset that he can not get everything he wants. He says the right things at times, then turns around and asks for something.
Don't get me wrong, I love my work, I think the University has great potential and I think once we catch a break or two we will probably love it...but until those breaks happen I can not help but wonder if we would have been better off in Birmingham, with a little less opportunity for me, but work for Paula and only one mortgage check hanging over our head.
And no, not the Ph.D. Despite the time and energy commitment I have really learned a lot and I am having fun using that knowledge.
I mean, of course, the move to Tennessee. I posted to Facebook a couple of nights ago that some storms had knocked out the power for a few minutes a friend asked if i was second guessing the move...and I could not immediately say no to him. Because I had been.
I guess I should explain what has happened since the last posting - almost a year ago according to the Blog calendar (sorry about that).
Birmingham
As far back as last May I had misgivings about this whole situation - I had never had time to think and plan a move, had never really had a choice in any of my moves..and now I had a wife and son to think about, but we pushed through. I was supposed to start at Tennessee Tech in August of last year so I would be in place for the start of Fall Semester. That, unfortunately, was delayed. Dr. Soni was not able to secure my position right away and so while I knew the job was there and I would be moving, it delayed the move up until January. I spent the remaining time putting the finishing touches on my doctoral committee and finishing up my second to last semester of course work.
We cleaned and worked around the house and ended up putting it on the market around Labor Day. It is still on the market.
Paula quit her job right after Thanksgiving and my last day of work was the 15th of December. We spent the last two weeks in Birmingham packing and getting everything ready for the movers to show up and take us to...
Tennessee
After our trip up to Tennessee looking for places to live I thought we had decided that Mount Juliet was the winner. Shows what I know. To my surprise Paula thought the best place to move was to Cookeville. She argued that the ability to hopefully get by with only one car, less driving and other savings in the college town meant we could have more money on smaller paychecks which would be nice until our house sold in Birmingham. We worked with a realtor and found a house that was only about 2 miles from campus and an added bonus would rent to us until our house sold.
I started to work at Tech and discovered that nothing had been done to prepare the lab for my arrival...and the amount of red tape involved in getting started was going to be staggering. Add to that I was teaching a class for the first time, on a computer language I only had a passing familiarity with, I was taking 6 hours of coursework remote with U.A.B. AND trying to get my proposal together so I could proceed with my doctoral research.
The last 6 months I have worked to get things squared away. Most of the equipment for my lab has been purchased - with a few glaring omissions. My proposal was very well received by my dissertation committee who informed me that I had answered all of their questions and had one of the more complete proposals they have seen and turns out I am a pretty good teacher. I just cherry picked those traits my favorite teachers portrayed and the students did wonderful work. So I guess you can honestly say that despite some minor setbacks THAT portion of my life is really looking up.
So what's wrong? Everything else.
To tide us over until Paula found work she applied for Unemployment. Figured she had left her company in good terms but had to leave because her husband was relocating to a place more than 150 miles away should be a no brainer...except it was. Turns out Alabama only recognizes relocation as a rationale when the military is involved. No military, so no unemployment.
Add to that the simple fact that we live in a small town with a local university suppling lots of cheap labor and it is, perhaps, easy to understand why Paula has not had any luck finding work. She has tried hard and has been on a handful of interviews but she always loses out to someone with previous experience (or better knowledge of the hiring director). Some of the jobs she has done in the past will not even consider her because of her lack of degree. Call my silly but i would rather have someone with 4 years experience in the job than someone with a degree.
And remember what I said earlier about the state of the Birmingham house? Yep. Still unsold. We have changed realtors, we have lowered the price (more than we could afford) and have been down a few times to repaint a room the realtor did not like, clean, mow the grass etc. None of it works. People just do not like the house and I am having to keep paying for it.
So here we are - a little over 7 months in the state and we still have 1 paycheck coming in, 2 mortgage checks going out...and all the utilities/fees/etc. Needless to say my bank account is running on fumes and we have had to put more than I am comfortable with on credit. The amount we had to lower the asking price in Birmingham was basically our downpayment on the house here in Cookeville so I am not sure how we are going to come up with THAT.
As I repeatedly tell Paula IF she had qualified for unemployment or IF she had found work or IF we had sold the house in Birmingham we could get by. Not comfortably but at least enough to go out every once in a while. All three of those things being "no" however means I am just about at the breaking point and I do not see what I can do to fix it.
The problems have caused some issues, or the issues have caused some problems I am not sure which. I am stressed of course, which leads me to being frustrated and short. Xander, who is used to being a little spoiled, is getting upset that he can not get everything he wants. He says the right things at times, then turns around and asks for something.
Don't get me wrong, I love my work, I think the University has great potential and I think once we catch a break or two we will probably love it...but until those breaks happen I can not help but wonder if we would have been better off in Birmingham, with a little less opportunity for me, but work for Paula and only one mortgage check hanging over our head.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Of Cookouts and Committees
Dr. Soni had his final gathering at his house a couple of Sundays ago so Paula and I had to stop working around the house to attend. Don't get me wrong - parties at Dr. Soni's are a good time. He has lots of beverages, good food and it is nice to see everyone away from work.
The party started about 4 and until 6 it is small talk and finger foods....if you can call grilled shrimp skewers and tandoori drumsticks finger food. Dr. Roy made the drumsticks and while not as messy as they usually were (he baked them so not as wet) they were still delicious. I think I had 4. At 6 Dr. Soni's wife breaks out dinner. Now despite the fact that the finger foods were meat, dinner was vegetarian. Not exactly my tastes, but I had some Nan and rice..and another chicken leg.
By all accounts the night was a "success". Everyone had a good time and while apparently there was some tension early on about Dr. Soni's leaving, it was long forgotten by the time the food started leaving the kitchen.
If the evening had ended on that note I would have been happy. A night out, even at the "bosses house" is a rare thing. But the night was even a little more special because I came one step closer to finishing off my committee. I approached Lee Moradi (Dr. Lee) about being on my committee and he said he would be happy to be on it. Lee is the Director of Engineering Research here at UAB so he adds a little weight to the committee, plus he is another Engineering professor so it helps balance out Dr. Kerby being primarily a medical doctor.
In addition, I finally heard back from Dr. Snyder. Dr. Snyder works closely with Dr. Kerby and had been recommended to me by both Dr. Kerby and Dr. Soni so I had approached him about meeting to discuss the final 'UAB faculty' seat on my committee. Dr. Snyder agreed to meet AND I found out Dr. Kerby sent him a letter strongly advising him to accept the position on my committee.
Means one more spot to fill and I will be done with that side of things.
The party started about 4 and until 6 it is small talk and finger foods....if you can call grilled shrimp skewers and tandoori drumsticks finger food. Dr. Roy made the drumsticks and while not as messy as they usually were (he baked them so not as wet) they were still delicious. I think I had 4. At 6 Dr. Soni's wife breaks out dinner. Now despite the fact that the finger foods were meat, dinner was vegetarian. Not exactly my tastes, but I had some Nan and rice..and another chicken leg.
By all accounts the night was a "success". Everyone had a good time and while apparently there was some tension early on about Dr. Soni's leaving, it was long forgotten by the time the food started leaving the kitchen.
If the evening had ended on that note I would have been happy. A night out, even at the "bosses house" is a rare thing. But the night was even a little more special because I came one step closer to finishing off my committee. I approached Lee Moradi (Dr. Lee) about being on my committee and he said he would be happy to be on it. Lee is the Director of Engineering Research here at UAB so he adds a little weight to the committee, plus he is another Engineering professor so it helps balance out Dr. Kerby being primarily a medical doctor.
In addition, I finally heard back from Dr. Snyder. Dr. Snyder works closely with Dr. Kerby and had been recommended to me by both Dr. Kerby and Dr. Soni so I had approached him about meeting to discuss the final 'UAB faculty' seat on my committee. Dr. Snyder agreed to meet AND I found out Dr. Kerby sent him a letter strongly advising him to accept the position on my committee.
Means one more spot to fill and I will be done with that side of things.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)