So, Take your Child to Work Day was a big, BIG, success, due in part to all the people who helped move kids around, and all the people who set up activities in their sections ( Read more... )

How is one supposed to work 40 hours a week, AND do academic writing ( Read more... )

Today, we received our TM1, or TMone if you want to pronounce it all Mexican. This is a cable saying that a board has reviewed our appointment to our next post, and has approved it ( Read more... )

O.k. -- so in 2009ish, I attended a conference in Portugal where I agreed to write a chapter for an upcoming explication of Yeats's book *A Vision*. And now the book itself is being completed ( Read more... )

One of the things about being in management is seeing first hand the different management styles. I am surprised how many managers are of the 'react' and 'react to crisis' kind. If we did that as teachers, I think we would lose our minds. I can't imagine going into a semester without a syllabus, or, without a game plan. As it is, I am playing ( Read more... )

The memorial service went off quite well; everyone stayed on task and on time, the speakers were set up (with my suggestion) so that everyone could hear Ambassador mumbles mumble through spanish, and the clock the committee chose for a memorial looked fine ( Read more... )

One of the things living in the State department: When world events happen, world events come home. Eight of my friends in the consular section volunteered to help after the Japan earthquake -- they are spending extra time sorting e-mail from people who are looking for relatives (among other things) and are helping keep everyone up to date. This ( Read more... )

Started the CLO job this week by overlapping with the current CLO -- she is a friend, a Peruvian, and a professional Clown. Yes, she works as a professional clown and used to have a magic act, but stopped the act because she felt bad for the rabbit who had to wait all that time in the secret compartment waiting for its star moment ( Read more... )

Jake and I found out that our next post is going to be Amsterdam, starting August 2012. I am excited, but at the same time, I am a little annoyed since I feel that I am finally getting a handle on living here in Mexico, and, that I am finally getting better at learning Spanish ( Read more... )

Though out the semester, I have been using Park's 'eCompanion' system for my course, which is much clunkier and less intuitive than Blackboard, if you can believe. You have to plan everything out by the week rather than set it up organically, so moving lessons around is a nightmare. The grade book is also set up by week, so if at the beginning of ( Read more... )