Your permission to punch me - hard

I lived in Iowa for 40 years before moving to the middle east.  Over the years I learned that there's nothing worse than an Iowan who moves to a warmer climate coming back to Iowa in winter.  Invariably they'll say, "Oh, it is sooo cold.  How does anyone live here?"

It's like saying, "I was good enough to get out, what's wrong with you?"  To me these people put the "douche" in the term douchebag.  I don't wanna be that guy.

If I say anything like that please feel free to slug me.

I'm back!

It's 2AM Saturday morning.  I'm still awake - which may or may not be a good sign on the getting over jet lag issue.  At this point Ann is on the same flight right now over Iran.

It was not a great trip but at one point I yelled "Wow!" in a men's room.

I'll try to have the brain cells to explain tomorrow.

2011 Christmas flight home

For those who would like to track my 14-15 hour flight on Friday:

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/ETD151/history/20111216/0625Z/OMAA/KORD

My flight will arrive in Chicago between 3-4PM on Friday.  Right now I am on a flight to CR that will arrive at 10:45 PM.  If I'm lucky I will get through customs and catch an earlier flight.  I haven't even lined up anyone to pick me up at the airport because I really hope I can make an earlier flight.  

T-shirt wanted

I wonder how difficult it would be to have this made:

Democrats

(for Obama)

for Newt

Quote of the day - II

A student whose cousin lives in the US said, "I want to marry my cousin to get the passport."

Quote of the day

In class I said to a student, "When I was your age I was actually a runner."

A student sitting behind her blurted out, "NO WAY!|

I have been laughing ever since.  The student stopped by after class to apologize for offending me and I said, "Not at all!  It's really funny..."

Newt

Democratic congressman Barney Frank said,

"I did not think I had lived a good enough life to be rewarded by Newt Gingrich being the Republican nominee."

Newt's leading in most national polls and leading in Iowa, which goes first on January 3.  He's a close second in New Hampshire and ahead in South Carolina.  If he were to win all three he'd pretty much be unstoppable.

How did the guy Democrats most want to be the Republican nominee become the front-runner? The answer seems to be Reagan.  In the late 1970's Democrats were rooting for Reagan because they thought he'd be the easiest to beat.  We all know how that turned out.

I don't think Newt is Reagan 2.0 but apparently many Republicans think the "big ideas" guy is the right guy to be their nominee.  Today my boss' boss (a Republican) indicated he'd be fine with Newt as the nominee.  Poor Mitt couldn't seal the deal.

In 2008 some Republicans lived to regret rooting for the black whose name rhymes with "Osama."  Maybe my side will end up eating crow but for now I'm agreeing with Barney.  I will happily caucus for Newt on January 3 because I believe he's the best opponent for Obama.

I think it's the right thing to do but please, don't ask me to bet $10,000 on it.

Christmas Party 2011

At 1:30 AM the guests from Christmas Party 2011 have left.  It was a great party in that anytime you can get 30+ people to show up and bring great food you have had a good night.

Ann helped with most of the prep work:

I don't think I'm the only American to have a fascination with the Greeks.  To have Greek friends at my party bringing an awesome quiche-like dish?

 OK, my photo doesn't do this anything close to justice.  The couple here are standing in front of the there quiche-like dish and the home-made Greek bread to go with it.  "Phenomenal" is all I can say.

Canadian friends brought mulled wine and intricate Christmas cookies.

This is my favorite picture of the night.  My Singaporean neighbors dressed their daughter in a winter coat to walk her the 60 feet from my apartment to their apartment.

As I made fun of them my friend said, "She's from Singapore.  Her blood is not used to this cold."  The temperature was 65.

******
I love to throw a party.  I've said before that I much prefer to throw a party than to go to one.  The Christmas Party 2011 was a notable party: Over the course of the evening 30+ came, so in total numbers it was a success.  I am amazed at the people who went out of their way to say to me, "I will be there" and then didn't show.  I've never had so many nationalities at one party.  I think I may have topped 20 nationalities.   That's a huge plus in my book, but when the Spanish speaking South Americans started greeting/arguing with the Greek/Italian guests?  Yeesh, I felt bad for my neighbors.

I don't have many gifts.  Teaching is one.  Planning and throwing a party is another.

I'm happy that I have to come to know my gifts and limitations.

And there goes my run for public office...

...but it was so much fun it was worth it.

By the numbers

I woke up this morning at 4AM with the realization that it is 10 days and counting until I am back in the US.

Later I checked the weather in Cedar Rapids:  -11 <-- That was the temp my iPhone showed for Cedar Rapids.  The NWS says the overnight low was 23.  Huh?

Also the 30 day temperature forecast is for a normal December:

I am happy the -11 was a mistake.  I confess I was thinking, "Do I love my friends and family that much?"

I'm sure that will earn me a warm welcome home.

Matt, are you listening?

I don't think my confederate friend reads the blog anymore but in case he is, I wish he could hear me saying, "Newt! Newt! Newt!"  I am chanting it many times per day every day.

Is it a Diet Coke?

I don't have children because I am too afraid I'd have a moron as an offspring.  Perhaps that's admitting too much about my side of the gene pool or my possible parenting abilities, but I just had to get that out there...

Coke created this really cool can for holidays which they have promptly pulled because people thought it was a Diet Coke can.

Seriously?  If you can't tell the taste difference between Coke and Diet Coke your problems are deeper than the can you are holding.

I really want one of these cans.  Please, if you are one of the four blog readers I have left get me one of these!

Paradise

Mohamed was a student of mine in 2009 and he became a close friend over the past couple of years.  Creating a cross-culture/religion friendship is not easy and we definitely hit many bumps along the road.  For most of the time, however, our friendship was good for each other and we certainly have similar personalities.

I bought him this t-shirt:

Little did I realize how ironic the gift would be.

While our friendship was enduring Mohamed was always insecure.  He'd be jealous of any friend I spent any time with and that even followed me to the US.  Last week I broke down as he again accused me of liking another friend more.  I thought my breakdown would be the end of it; he'd understand that he has no reason to be insecure.  Unfortunately, that only lasted until my second day back here.

Now I realize that we are simply incompatible as friends.  I thought things would get better when he recently started a romantic relationship but alas, it only became worse.

I am not blameless; I am sure I did things to lead to the deterioration of our friendship.  I certainly had many moments of anger.  As the anger has now subsided I now feel the loss of a good friend.

*****

Last week Mohamed posted this video on youtube:

I watched it and didn't understand.  I posted on his wall:

You know I like Coldplay... but one of the reasons I stopped watching music videos is that I often don't get it... I have no idea what this is supposed to mean!

He replied:

I think it means that when you are around the people you like or your friends then it is like Paradise so he is searching for his friends to find Paradise :)

I wish Mohamed the best; I hope he finds his elephants... I hope he finds Paradise.