Recession fatigue?

Consumer confidence made a huge jump in February.  There are a few signs the economy is getting better but the increase in confidence was much higher than expected.  Basically, people are getting tired of feeling worried and want to feel better.

This should sound familiar because it happened exactly a year ago and almost exactly two years ago.  Signs of spring bring out the optimism in Americans.  There's no other explanation I can come up with.  There hasn't been much hard economic data to justify the sense of euphoria.

Stopping by to help a student

Mansour is on the trip to Canada.  He was in a car accident two days ago (he's OK).  I offered to stop by to get him up to speed on what he missed.  Take a look at this picture carefully.  In less than five minutes after I arrived we were given a plate with six bottles of water (there were two of us), Arabic coffee, and green tea with mint to drink.  The yellow things you see in front of me are called "Camel eyes."  They are very chalky with a creamy filling.  As I bit into a "camel eye" it crumbled, which sent one of Mansour's brothers searching for a Kleenex.  His other brother explained that they are to be eaten in one gulp.

Behind the bowl of water to wash any dishes we use are fresh dates - the red and black ones - and processed dates.  Over to the right is a huge gift basket Mansour received yesterday.  Whereas we send flowers and cards when someone is hospitalized, here they bring lots of food... and in Mansour's case, a ferret.

A ferret as a gift for being in a car accident.  I'm sorry I don't have a picture; the ferret was sleeping and it was in poor light.

I keep saying that I will stay here as long as I keep seeing new things.  Obviously, I'll still be here for a while.

This is the first Emirati house I've been in.  I've lived here for 3.5 years but today was the first Emirati house I've been in.  That's pretty amazing in itself.

What I'm missing in Iowa right now...

A friend posted this on FB.  I love late winter snow storms... no matter how bad they are you know they will be over soon.  Seeing this in November would depress me but in February?  I so wish I was in Iowa right now.

Pug love...

... it's a wonderful thing...

Bad cop

Update on the trip to Canada:  As of right now I may be paying my own way.  Yippee!  When I found out they may not be paying for me my first thought was "C'est la vie" - it's OK if I don't go.  Later I realized I NEED this trip.  Being around thousands of energized students is something I need to recharge my batteries.

Long story short, tonight I had to e-mail two students to inform them they will not be making the trip.  Each student delegate is required to write position papers in advance.  They are supposed to be short - 1 to 2 pages.  In the six weeks we've had the assignments two delegates have submitted nothing.  Nothing.

I simply can't imagine how this happened.  As a college student (or even now) if someone said, "You can go to a conference on the other side of the planet but first you must write a 2 page paper..." I would have had the first draft written the next day.  If I had nothing submitted six weeks later I would not be upset at getting kicked out.

My friend who has been the adviser for the past two years warned me that there would be students who wouldn't do even the minimum and I said, "Oh, come on!  It's a free trip to Canada!"  Either Canada is less appealing than I expected or I overestimated students' motivation.

Realizing she was right and I was wrong I ate my crow and volunteered to send the expulsion e-mail.

Mitt - they're just not that into you.

Summing up the race for the Republican nomination from Rachel Maddow's blog:

We knew Rick Santorum was running a lean campaign operation, but we didn't know it was quite *this* lean.  He has no paid advance staff, he's getting outspent in Michigan 29 to one, and he's leading in the polls.

The guy has no money and very little campaign staff and he is leading in the Michigan and national polls.

Deja vu all over again?

A few short months ago the discussion was:  Are we going to have a double recession or we already back IN a recession?  A few good months of job reports and other economic data and suddenly President Obama's approval numbers are in positive territory and he is beating Romney soundly in all national polls.

As a Democrat I should be elated.  

I'm not.  We've had similar positive numbers in the spring of 2010 and 2011.  Fed Chair Ben Bernanke used the term "green shoots" back in the spring of 2009.  It's part of the American psyche - we want to believe it will  all be better.

The problem is that there every economic recovery has had a reason... a rocket engine to push the economy forward.  Usually, it is lower interest rates and/or housing.  Interest rates have been at the lowest levels possible for three years now and Bernanke is promising they'll remain this low until at least 2014.  That's good but it's nothing new to spur growth.  And housing?  There's no reason for hope there.

And if when Greece defaults?  Wow, this is like Groundhog day.  I'll just back into my burrow now...

Valentines day irony?

Fifteen years ago today I solemnly asked a surgeon, "Can I donate my heart?"

Tonight I had the opportunity to tell a former student - who has become a friend - the story of Doc.  There are oh, so many, things that I'll never be able to thank him enough for... but there is no doubt he is the reason I am a teacher.

And as I said to Abdulkarim tonight:  If you liked my classes it is because of Spellman.  He was the master.

I appreciated telling the story.  I am not religious but somehow I think that being the best teacher I can be is keeping Doc's legacy alive.

Workshop

For several weeks my friend/colleague Dan and I have been recruiting students for a workshop on entrepreneurship.  My goal was to get at least 100 to attend today and 60 to sign up for the program to write a business plan.

We had over 300 attend and 135 sign up for the program.  We ran out of forms for students and there were no seats left in the auditorium.   It was successful beyond my highest expectations.  

*****

I can't explain now (and please don't comment) but for my friends/family in the US all I can say is that I feel like this is  "head shaving - part II."  Send good thoughts.

The power of a comma

I guess it must be the stress, but I keep chuckling at this one... made all the more funny to learn from my Canadian friends that seals are like deer in Iowa - adorable, yes, but you're pleased to see them dead.

The familiar taste of alkaline

I am way too stressed out about a workshop on Tuesday.  Why?  It is being held in an auditorium that seats 500 and anything less than 200 attending will look like a failure - at least to me.  Not being able to control the outcome unnerves me like nothing else.

Twenty plus years ago Sandy commented that I have severe control issues.  I can't remember if that was before or after we dated. Hmm...

From this I learned:  1.  Never date a psychology major, and, 2.  Sandy is always right.

The stress has insanely reached the point that I have developed an alkaline taste in my mouth.  It's a taste I am familiar with because it became a constant companion when I worked for Susan at Hamilton.  Going to work each day with the expectation of being fired is quite stressful... imagine doing it for five years.

And that's what makes my current situation so comical:  If only 10 people show up I won't be fired.  I probably won't even get in any trouble.  This is a stress that is 100% of my own making.

Sometimes it is not easy being me.

Family planning

As funny as this is:

It's even funnier (or scarier, depending on your point of view) here.  Brides are expected to prove their virginity by providing the blood of breaking the hymen on the wedding night.  No blood is grounds for an instant divorce.

How to, umm, get around that?  Well, the obvious answer is above.

If Bill Clinton could say with a straight face that getting blown is not sex most guys here would say the same about the rear entrance.  Culturally, there's no way I'll ever have this discussion with a woman here but obviously some of them would agree.

The calm before the storm

My Fall 2011 semester just ended and next week is the start of the spring semester.  

And for me, the big question is whether or not I can attract 80 - 100 students to sign up for an extra-curricular entrepreneurship certificate.  The kickoff event is next Tuesday - the third day of classes for the new semester.  It was a risky choice to go that early in the semester and I might regret it.

I know I am worrying about things that are beyond my control *and* I've worked out backup plans if there is a failure.  Regardless, I'm losing sleep over this.

The funny thing:  I know my Dean gave me this job as a "thank you" for not leaving.  He set expectations low to make me feel comfortable.  I'm getting course release and a higher salary.  It's all good.  

IT'S ALL GOOD!

I have to keep repeating this to myself.

Quote of the day

Tonight a friend said:

"People on this blue planet -  planet earth - just don't think the way you do."

I'm pretty sure he meant that in a positive way.

Canada bound!

Today we received funding to take students to the Model United Nations program in Vancouver Canada in March.  I am excited to be coming back to the western hemisphere!  Yippee!

A bit hard to explain, but...

...tonight I ran over my work laptop with my car.

First thought:  Thank God I backed up my grade spreadsheet today.
Second thought: How will I explain this to the IT guy?

Unbelievably, it is not broken.  Apparently my Iowa Hawkeye laptop bag has super protecting powers.

Only Serious Lego Players need to read this post

I'm cross posting from something I put on FB tonight:

This week I met a guy (an American, no less) whose resume includes "Master Trainer for Serious Lego Players."  I have no idea what was said for the rest of the meeting because I was fixated on the thought, "How does one get a certification like that and what does it really mean?"

This meeting was for my new job and the guy was trying to sell me his services.  In the course of the meeting he brilliantly displayed his credentials, which included "Chief Innovation Officer" for three companies in addition to his Master Training Lego title.  The guy really wanted to establish street corporate cred.

I really enjoy training and recently volunteered for a new slew of workshops.  The problem is that I don't like many people I've met in the profession.  I feel bile rising in my throat and I find myself restrained from saying what I am thinking, "Wow!  You are a quite large piece of excrement!"

In high school I read every self-help book I could get my hands on (I know, what a shocker!).  Years later I concluded that they made me a better person by realizing that a large part of them in BS.  I guess I'm drawn to the profession because I believe training (like teaching) can be helpful... unfortunately, in both professions there are too many people who would be better suited selling used cars.