Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Koi, lactation, and Regina.
Last night I came home to find out our favorite fish had died. Today we will conduct a small ceremony for all the losses we have experienced recently. It will involve fire.
On a completely unrelated note, I read this article today about useless body parts. One of the entries was on MALE NIPPLES, and had this to say:
And here's a Regina video to top off the madness. (I was going to post a video of male lactation, but then when I got to youtube I found them too disturbing.)
On a completely unrelated note, I read this article today about useless body parts. One of the entries was on MALE NIPPLES, and had this to say:
Lactiferous ducts form well before testosterone causes sex differentiation in a fetus. Men have mammary tissue that can be stimulated to produce milk.I have heard this before. I know I discussed it with Liz at one point. I dug up this for those who would like more information.
And here's a Regina video to top off the madness. (I was going to post a video of male lactation, but then when I got to youtube I found them too disturbing.)
Sunday, June 03, 2007
For Maddie
Stately, kindly, lordly friend,
Condescend
Here to sit by me, and turn
Glorious eyes that smile and burn,
Golden eyes, love's lustrous meed,
On the golden page I read.
-Algernon Charles Swinburne, "To a Cat"
Maddie, we will miss you.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Update
I received two wonderful emails from my contact in Facilities Management. He explained the options and situation thoroughly, apologised for the confusion, and after talking to the site manager is fairly certain they are letting go of the contractors who were acting inappropriately. I am amazed that he responded so quickly and efficiently. Yay guy-in-Facilities-Management!
Potty Talk
I just got back from my art class, which is in the basement of the art building on my campus. Normally it would be on the 2nd floor, but they're conducting asbestos abatement on the 2nd and 3rd floor this summer. Today we did printmaking, which was particularly exciting as the water was shut off so we were working out of 6 buckets of water. My teacher didn't find out about the unavailability of water until last night.
So the bathrooms are closed from the basement to the 3rd floor, but the 4th and 5th floor still has running water (and they're not doing anything up there this summer, supposedly). But it didn't work out as planned today. I wrote the following email to an individual in Facilities Management after calling the office of the Dean of Students to express my concerns. I think it explains itself.
Hello (Individual who works in Facilities Management),
I am a UW-O student currently taking a Spring Interim class in the basement of the A/C building. I have a concern about the asbestos abatement currently being conducted.
Today the water on floors 3 to the basement was shut down. We were under the impression that the 4th floor ladies room and the 5th floor mens room would be open in the tower portion of the building. When I went up to the 4th floor room, there was a workman in it who abruptly left and joined his 2 laughing friends in an empty room across the hallway. About an hour later, one of my classmates had to use the facilities and when the elevator opened on the 4th floor the elevator entrance had been barricaded with a ladder and taped off. She then went up to the 5th floor and was told by a workman that she shouldn't be going into the mens room.
Shortly after that incident, we were made aware that all of the bathrooms were being shut down in the building. My questions are as follows:
Why are there workmen sitting around the 4th floor investigating and laughing about the ladies bathroom? Is there something amusing I should know about before I use it next year?
Why would a workman lecture a female student about the inappropriate nature of using the mens room when it's the only one available? Is he getting paid to harass students?
Why are the 4th and 5th floor bathrooms shut down? Is there a problem with the plumbing in the 4th and 5th floor?
Is it acceptable to expect approximately 40 students who pay tuition and taxes to go to another building to use the bathroom? (At least one of whom is disabled?)
I apologize for the irritated tone of this email--I have already contacted the office of the Dean of Students and they directed me to you. I know there is probably a good reason for this. I would appreciate any insight into this situation you have to give.
Thank you for your time,
Noushieboushie
So the bathrooms are closed from the basement to the 3rd floor, but the 4th and 5th floor still has running water (and they're not doing anything up there this summer, supposedly). But it didn't work out as planned today. I wrote the following email to an individual in Facilities Management after calling the office of the Dean of Students to express my concerns. I think it explains itself.
Hello (Individual who works in Facilities Management),
I am a UW-O student currently taking a Spring Interim class in the basement of the A/C building. I have a concern about the asbestos abatement currently being conducted.
Today the water on floors 3 to the basement was shut down. We were under the impression that the 4th floor ladies room and the 5th floor mens room would be open in the tower portion of the building. When I went up to the 4th floor room, there was a workman in it who abruptly left and joined his 2 laughing friends in an empty room across the hallway. About an hour later, one of my classmates had to use the facilities and when the elevator opened on the 4th floor the elevator entrance had been barricaded with a ladder and taped off. She then went up to the 5th floor and was told by a workman that she shouldn't be going into the mens room.
Shortly after that incident, we were made aware that all of the bathrooms were being shut down in the building. My questions are as follows:
Why are there workmen sitting around the 4th floor investigating and laughing about the ladies bathroom? Is there something amusing I should know about before I use it next year?
Why would a workman lecture a female student about the inappropriate nature of using the mens room when it's the only one available? Is he getting paid to harass students?
Why are the 4th and 5th floor bathrooms shut down? Is there a problem with the plumbing in the 4th and 5th floor?
Is it acceptable to expect approximately 40 students who pay tuition and taxes to go to another building to use the bathroom? (At least one of whom is disabled?)
I apologize for the irritated tone of this email--I have already contacted the office of the Dean of Students and they directed me to you. I know there is probably a good reason for this. I would appreciate any insight into this situation you have to give.
Thank you for your time,
Noushieboushie
Catullus: "We can make love so long as we have silphium."
I just read a really interesting article about the world's first recorded birth control industry--the trade of silphium (giant fennel) from the ancient Greek city of Cyrene. Interestingly enough, images of the plant were stamped onto coins--to the right is a coin with a silphium seed on it.
Look familiar?
As a future art teacher I will be dealing with adolescents who will cling to this type of image as a sort of visual language that is almost universal and very safe (and encourage them to move beyond it). I think it's amusing that the heart icon, which is one of our most cherished images, comes from a plant that inadvertently advocated free love. Maybe the Greeks were the original hippies. No wonder teenagers like it so much.
(The title is for you, S.)
Sunday, May 20, 2007
My Sunday Off
I just got home from my Mom's house, where me, Yoda, Mom, and Carl spent the day hanging out with Meadow and Golly. Carl and Yoda cut down a tree, and then we ate a late lunch of delicious burritos. We also did laundry. And I picked phlox, bleeding hearts, and lilacs and made two pretty bouquets. And Yoda and I went for a walk to the pond with Meadow. It was a good day.
On our way home we decided to stop and pick up some chicken breasts and bell peppers for supper. We quartered yellow, red, and green peppers and lathered them with olive oil and Caribbean Jerk seasoning. We rubbed the same seasoning, along with freshly ground black pepper, into every crevice of the chicken. And then we fired up the grill.
The result was a brilliant, spicy, sweet, juicy and caramelized selection of peppers and chicken. It was a nice way to finish the day.
I'll leave you with this. I thought it was pretty good.
On our way home we decided to stop and pick up some chicken breasts and bell peppers for supper. We quartered yellow, red, and green peppers and lathered them with olive oil and Caribbean Jerk seasoning. We rubbed the same seasoning, along with freshly ground black pepper, into every crevice of the chicken. And then we fired up the grill.
The result was a brilliant, spicy, sweet, juicy and caramelized selection of peppers and chicken. It was a nice way to finish the day.
I'll leave you with this. I thought it was pretty good.
Maiden Voyage
After months, if not years, of failing to maintain a blog, I am about to start again. Cross your fingers.
I was rifling through June Tree by Peter Balakian this morning, and hit upon the poem The Oriental Rug. I wanted to share the last stanza--
Tyrian purple, from a mollusk shell
lodged in Phoenician sand--
gurgle all your passion in my ear.
I've been thinking lately about how easy it is for me to read others' blogs but not write myself, and how writing has become a school activity only. I used to write all the time, but lately that hasn't been happening. I'm hoping our new project will help change that. I also started a new endeavor with B yesterday--every morning we are waking up early to shake it to Yoga Booty Ballet. Thus dawned a new era of activity in the chronicles of the noushieboushie...
(sadly, this is the best video I could find...)
I was rifling through June Tree by Peter Balakian this morning, and hit upon the poem The Oriental Rug. I wanted to share the last stanza--
Tyrian purple, from a mollusk shell
lodged in Phoenician sand--
gurgle all your passion in my ear.
I've been thinking lately about how easy it is for me to read others' blogs but not write myself, and how writing has become a school activity only. I used to write all the time, but lately that hasn't been happening. I'm hoping our new project will help change that. I also started a new endeavor with B yesterday--every morning we are waking up early to shake it to Yoga Booty Ballet. Thus dawned a new era of activity in the chronicles of the noushieboushie...
(sadly, this is the best video I could find...)
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