gotta keep those alumni happy

This is a follow-up to this post.





I think they've now earned the small donation I'm going to send them.

what I'm reading

I have a tendency to get so tired of trying to read the books I have to read that I go and try to do something else entirely instead of reading. Which is really a shame, because I used to just enjoy reading books (rather than just surfing the web)and do it all the time. So in an effort to remind myself that it's ok, and a good thing, to read books for fun, I'm going to start blogging about my non-academic readings.

This morning I read the latest issue of the Princeton University Library Chronicle for fun. This issue was mostly focused on Princeton at the turn of the century: the history of the Whig and Clio debating societies, Princeton's involvement in the founding of the Olympic Games, the development of the Princeton University Library (Firestone in particular), the history of the "precept" (basically the history of TAing, or leading small discussion-session classes, at Princeton).

My advisor wrote the article on precepting. The original precept system `failed', apparently because the young faculty they hired got stuck precepting about anything and everything, and then weren't able to accomplish enough research to get any permanent position down the road. (This seems much the same as the `teaching gypsy' adjunct problem today in academia...)

So then they got rid of preceptors that had been hired specifically for the job, and made faculty members (both junior and senior) precept for each other. I can't imagine this working with the number of academic prima donnas out there, but Grafton claims that it was really a great system and worked very well!

Finally they replaced that system in the 80s with the current system, in which graduate students get paid to precept (and complain that all the TAing is keeping them from getting their dissertation work done). The more things change, the more they stay the same?

Well, I guess reading the PULC wasn't completely nonacademic in content, even if it was not what I'm supposed to be working on at the moment. I'm also trying to figure out the basic article style for that journal in case I ever have the time to finish archiving the House Committee's papers and write an introductory article on what's in there...but it'll be awhile before I get around to that.

Evoo too

Kevin took me to EVOO for a belated birthday celebration (we were going to go to Dali, but the wait was an hour and a half for a table...)

After the usual basket of fresh-baked bread and breadsticks with the obligatory Extra Virgin Olive Oil, I had a sweet potato plantain soup with rock shrimp and mango salsa and a touch of chipotle sour cream (very good), followed by a lemon-oregano marinated rack of lamb with giant asparagus spears, arranged elegantly on a little pile of potato cubes mixed with small tomatoes and kalamata olives (really excellent). For dessert we split a mango-chipotle sorbet with lime shortbread cookies (my favorite)--it was like salsa sorbet. What can I say? EVOO never disappoints...

Now, back to trying to translate a French paper I'm trying to read. I recall someone telling me once that French translation goes easier once you've had a glass of wine (a very nice Australian Shiraz in this case), so I guess I'll find out if that's true!

chips'n'salsa

Dragged Andrew and Leo to Chevy's since I was craving chips and salsa. I know, I know, it's not 'authentic' chips and salsa, but it's still really good. And unlimited, too. The waiter patiently brought us three (or was it four?) basketsful. I took the last one home for next-day lunch.





Also, Leo reminded me that I haven't done any of these silly pop quizzes in awhile.

What Age Do You Act?

You Are 28 Years Old

28

So supposedly I do indeed act my age. I guess that's a good thing.

lindy hop heaven

Went dancing on Friday night at the Jersey Jumpers, where Lindy Hop Heaven was performing. The music was really good, but I really need to go dancing more often...I ran out of steam around 11 pm!

birthday party pics

My birthday party on Wednesday was a lot of fun. More people came than I had expected (17 RSVPed, but around 30 actually came), but luckily there was just enough food for all. People brought cookies and chocolates (Joting even baked a cake!) and I got to share my tea collection, which nowadays includes about 35 different types of tea. I had ordered a mixed berry tart from the Little Chef, and when I went to pick it up I found that my friends had already conspired to pay for it, which was incredibly thoughtful of them.

So there was indeed tea and edible goodies and swing music (as the invitation promised), and afterward everyone helped me with the cleanup and with carrying everything back to my room...I've never thrown a more effortless party. Thanks everyone--I had a really great time!

birthdaying

I have received a fantastic assortment of gifts from friends and family this year, including
- a 16-in-1 screwdriver gadget
- two biscotti
- Schick Quattro razor blades
- corned beef & Jewish rye bread
- an Amazon.com gift certificate
- Spanish tuna & pepper bread
- a beautiful book about books
- brandied cherries
- a subscription to the Princeton Library Chronicle
- chocolate-dipped figs
- a French mixed berry tart for the party
- lots of emails and phone calls

Note the recurring themes of food and books. You all know me well... Thank you, everybody! It's been great so far, and I haven't even had my party yet.

Fedora

Had a really great dinner with Andrew at Fedora Cafe in Lawrenceville, since Procter Hall was closed for a major dinner for Development. David and I tried to go there when I first arrived in Princeton, but at that time it was closed, alas. So it's taken me two years to finally get to this place.

Wish I could have taken a picture of the plate of calamari--lightly breadcrumbed, fried with cherry peppers, drizzled with butter, and served atop colorful salad greens. It was delicious. I also had a plate of fried clams, and a bowl of cream of mushroom soup that were both very good, but somehow the appetizer is always the best part of the meal. Andrew brought an excellent bottle of Tokay, which we had with the dessert (I had a fancified brownie that had fudge in the middle of it, reminiscent of Raj's molten chocolate thing), and if the calamari had been less good I would probably be raving about dessert.

But I'm still thinking about the calamari.

The Bells

Went to see a play at McCarter Theater last night called The Bells with a group of friends for "Graduate Student Appreciation Week". It was the world premiere production of the play, which was a ghost story set during the period of the Alaskan gold rush. Unfortunately I can't say I thought it was very good, so I doubt we will be seeing another production of it anytime soon.

The Graduate School provided a nice wine-and-finger-foods reception for all the graduate students afterwards, and Leo wanted to experiment a bit with his newly outfitted digital camera--hence the photos.

thought this was quite funny