Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Is there a doctor in the house?

Why, yes! Dr. Ron Paul is in the house.

Plus, just a few members of the press, and all their gear.



and a guy selling t-shirts and buttons.


It all made my literature table look a little puny.


But the crowd of my co-workers was good, especially considering it is the week between Christmas and New Years, and the parking lot was only half-full today (what with vacations and all...)


So, the CEO kicked things off with a glowing introduction


eventually yielding the floor to Dr. Paul


who apparently has qualified for a security detail now, given the looks of the two wide-bodies in suits on either side of him.


We set up the poor-man's version of jumbotrons so that guys like me in the cheap seats could see Dr. Paul's wrinkles a little better. ;)


Afterwards, the media horde descended on his intimate conversations with a voter, so that I had to stand on a chair to get a glimpse.


Good thing I've already shaken hands with him at another event. No need to introduce myself again, although I'm sure he wouldn't have minded, since we're so well acquainted.


I mean, look at the lovely Christmas card he and Carol sent us. Aww.. Guess we should add them to our Christmas letter list now, huh?

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Happy Hanukkah!

"Jazz and Latkes" was how the event was billed. Hard to resist on the opening night of Hankkukah at Beth El Jacob only about a mile from the house. :)

The jazz combo was really young, but had an excellent grasp of the classic jazz repertoire. They play every Tuesday night at a club downtown, which I think I might just visit.


The latkes were accompanied by either sour cream or applesauce, plus several quiches and even jelly doughnuts for dessert. (Called "Sufganiyot", apparently.)


And of course, before dinner there was the menorah lighting and several blessings chanted, mostly unintelligible except for the part that went "Baruch attah adonai, Elohenu, Melech ha-olom..." etc.

That part I know from Passover. I even like my homemade cantor melody better than the Rabbi's, although I'm sure his was more authentic, if not quite as appealing.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

A few weeks "off"

... from school. Yay! I can catch my breath..

Oh, I'm still working hard at my day job, trying to finish certain MBOs by year-end, but at least my last paper in TS794DE is turned in, for better or for worse (mostly better, I think, thanks to the comments of my lovely live-in editor.) I have my evenings and weekends back now for a little while, and have started in on my "recreational reading" pile. :) Soon I will also catch up on TV shows missed, and take in some of the new movies coming out. On the list: the new Mission Impossible flick, the Sherlock Holmes sequel, the feel-good Matt Damon zookeeper movie, and the feel-bad Dragon Tattoo movie.

Soon enough, I'll be back at it again with TWO classes in Winter, and one in Spring, but then in June comes graduation... and freedom! Right now, though, a little rest on the bench, and then... back out on the field for the final period, and hopefully a strong finish.

Saturday, December 03, 2011

It's not plagiarism when you steal from yourself

... is it?

During my Seminary career I have occasionally written something in a research paper that I thought was really good - a particularly apt analogy, or a penetrating bit of insight, or some such writing. Now, 18 months later I am taking another class, and darned if it doesn't come back to memory, when the topics for the current coursework overlap with the original class for which I wrote the piece!

So what to do? Rack my brain for new & equally stunning arguments? Or take an already proven concept (per a prof's favorable grading) and simply re-apply it in a new setting?

Technology enables this kind of idea recycling. I can remember a key phrase from an old paper, search for it electronically in my Seminary documents folder, snag the pertinent text, rework the phrasing to fit the current topic, and drop it into the new paper. VoilĂ ! Sparkling, clever, pertinent (and original!) text, with far less effort. :)

It was an original insight with me, so.. it still is original work, right? Just applied in a new setting! Kind of like learning a skill (say... home winemaking), winning some awards for it, giving it up for several years due to changing circumstances, and then getting back to it again using the old tricks you learned the first time by trial & error.

So, it's the 3 Rs simply applied to writing: reduce (effort), reuse (ideas), recycle (phrases). I mean, what's the point of a well-phrased, hard-thought insight if you can't reuse it? After all, versatility and persistence are proofs of an analogy's vigor.

(that last is original with me, btw..)
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