The British Invasion

Preparation proceeds for implementing the changes that semi-privatization will bring. There is a new web site, still unfinished, but looking reasonably clean and user friendly. Certain objections have been heard in regard to spelling, "enquire" for example. Celebrating diversity. Not much visible change so far, just hints of feverish activity behind the scenes, enough to keep a gaggle of administrative types busy for months or years. Students and teachers, meanwhile, soldier on as best we can. Fall term is winding down even as we write.

 

Football Update

Our Rose Bowl hopes are dashed. Last Saturday we were the knockees, demolished by our hated in-state rivals by a score of 65-38. Ouch! No, it wasn't basketball; it was just bad. Or as one of my students put it, "We got smashed." His English seems to be coming along reasonably well.

 

Shipping News

The innocents' long-awaited shipment from Turkey has arrived at last, after four and a half months in transit. My god, the expense! And the wait! And for this? A couple of pairs of shoes, a rug, an Amelie poster and a hat stand? This is ridiculous. And wait, what's all this busted stuff? Just by chance, the name of the company who packed these things so poorly happens to be visible in this photo. We say no more.

 

 

That was just a little souvenir plate, a gift from someone in Pamukkale, but it’s sad to see it broken. Sadder still is this one. Someone worked hard on it, and made something beautiful.

 

 

But not everything is broken, here’s a sharkskin suit that looks pretty cool. But where will we wear it? And the purple wall hanging? Fantastic, but where will it go? Plenty of socks; they didn’t break. But who cares about socks? Some good powdered soup, though, and some good organic pomegranate sour sauce.

 

Party Time

Our institute staff recently had quite a party at Joyce’s house; it definitely had an end-of-an-era intensity. Plus, two staff are turning 60(!) and one former director has accepted the evil blandishments of greener (slug-infested) pastures down the road. To commemorate all this, there was live music courtesy of The Remnants and spectacular performances by the Pointless Sisters, who more than lived up to their uneven reputation.

 

Language Purity

Purists will have remarked upon my use of 'gaggle' in today's first paragraph, and may even now be complaining that it is not the proper collective noun to use when referring to educational administrators. I know. I know. The truth is that I meant to use "phalanx" but I wanted to use it in the plural and I couldn't figure out how to spell the plural, so I took the easy way out and used an inappropriate term. Mea culpa. It turns out that according to Miriam-Webster online, I could have used either 'phalanxes' or 'phalanges' though surely the latter would be confusing, possibly making it sound like I was referring just to the waving finger and toe bones of administrators, which was not my intention.