Such a gorgeous day. The trumpet vines are blooming! I will post a picture eventually.

I'm getting excited for the concert tomorrow but it's hard for me to think about Saratoga without remembering this. Disgusting, cruel "sport" enjoyed by vile, wretched people.

Class ends tomorrow and grades are due late Tuesday. I have everything that I can evaluated, pending the assignments that are due tomorrow. I think it was a hard class for some students. That's always true, especially in the intensive summer online class, but the upgrade in blackboard made it more so.

So my thoughts are turning to the weekend. Bob is taking his vacation in several long weekends, either Monday or Friday or both. That works for us, since we want to go to the weekend house, but neither of us likes long breaks in our jobs, and we also don't like to leave our garden and flowers without tending for too long. This is one of those four "dayers," split between both houses and regions. Tomorrow we'll be swimming and Sunday we'll be seeing BNL at SPAC.

We both like to go to concerts and theater prepared - being familiar with the music. Once I had the course details (mostly) taken care of (there is always a loose end in teaching, it seems; students are sometimes unpredictable even to a veteran like me) I decided to download some MP3 songs. I very rarely download music, I find it easier to buy CDs.

The concert is kind of strange, there are four bands. I suppose it is because some would say BNL, Goo Goo Dolls and Michelle Branch never really achieved the pinnacle for very long, and now are past their prime. (The other band, Parachute, is new and not that well-known.) So a bunch of bands are needed to sell a lot of tickets.

I am a major BNL fan, one who came somewhat late to the party (about 10 years ago). They were popular in the '90s with folks a few years younger than me. I don't need to buy anything of theirs, I own every album (in some cases more than one copy), know every lyric for every variant of every song. Of course I was aware of Goo Goo Dolls and Michelle Branch, but I can't say I could identify anything specific. Parachute I'd never heard of.

We'd casually discussed listening to some of their music, but didn't make much effort beyond paying attention on the radio and maybe catching one song. So today I searched Amazon for their latest albums, figuring that would be better than greatest hits for being ready for the concert. (Die hard fans are debating the merits of the new stuff in the reviews; some are overjoyed to have new work, others are mourning the days gone by.) I don't listen to music on my cell or an ipod (and honestly, I often prefer silence so that is why this is such an ordeal), so I found three old writable CDs and managed to get it all to work!

This is one area where I am definitely not an early adopter of technology. I am way behind the curve, with no interest in catching up. I mean, I want to be able to do it, but I don't care to do it often, or to listen to music with ear buds while I work, etc. I'd say it is my age showing, except that I know a lot of people who are not young who are very interested and adept. I think it must be that silence preference, it makes me not interested - or else it is that I am enough of a jack of all trades, I can't fit in one more activity.

It did make me more excited about the concert, though. I played a bit of all three downloaded albums to test them, and they all sound right up my alley. (Yet still I am sitting here in silence.)

On Sunday when we were crossing the reservoir on the way back home to Castleton, the sunset was so pretty. This isn't the picture I took (it was late and I only had my cell phone camera handy) but the view looked very similar to this one. I don't remember taking this picture or two others that day, I found them in an album on photoworks when they transitioned to shutterfly recently. I think I took this picture circa '03.

Another find, but this was from the filing cabinet:

Fate of the Esopus Valley

by Clarence Wager, resident of Olive, moved to WA in 1907

Where is the Esopus Valley? Yes, tis with us today.

But a few short years, and a few sad tears, and its gone, yes swept away.

Its orchards of apples and cherries: its hickory and maple trees.

Even the stony pastures and hives of honey bees

Are dear to the heart of the people and dearer they will grow,

As the years go by, and sad hearts sigh for the homes of long ago.

Friends and brothers and sisters and fathers and mothers with silvery hair,

Must soon leave the old home, and wander, we know not where.

Some families will still be families when they reach their new abode

But others will part forever, as each takes a different road.

Dear old Esopus Valley, we cannot part with you...

For a hundred years you have shared our tears, our joys and sorrows knew.

And oft in the evening twilight, by our firelight ruddy glow,

We will stand once more on the pebbly shore, where we played in the long ago.

And many a time we'll hear the chime of the old church bell

On the far away hill in the Valley where we were born.

Here's (some of) what was taken:

The "Simpler Living" blog in the TU fascinates me. I have mentioned before that I disdain materialism, and yet I am attached to things. I am not sure how to part with heirlooms and even special ephemera, or why anyone would want to do so. Her most recent post was about downsizing from 900 to 400 square feet. Both my houses are tiny (about 900 square feet each) by most people's standards and as a result, they are what she would consider cluttered. But if I disposed of my treasures, I wouldn't have a copy of the above poem, or the note from my sister that inspired the part of my post that follows:

Aunt Jean died 14 years ago today. In the same file as the poem, there is an email from my sister, dated February 1997. She wrote that a woman she knew from church told her she pictures the Virgin Mary putting her arms around her (grown) kids when they get in the car to leave for a trip. So my sister told me that she pictured those arms around Aunt Jean.

Long day of working on evaluations within my class (last day is July 29). The sun came back out after some rain and I went outside to admire the zinnias. Page Seed Company rules! (Now that it is sunny, all I hear is the drone of a lawn mower.) On the menu for tonight, zucchini and green beans with horseradish yogurt dip, sweet corn, and salad caprese. I'm headed downstairs to whip it all up!

Back to the main abode late last night. I was worried about the plants, but they weathered it just fine - and greeted me this morning with an abundance when I went out to water and inspect! Tomatoes, three kinds of beans, zinnias. (The zinnias have replaced the petunias as my favorite annual this summer.) Cucumbers and eggplant are coming, but it will be a while longer. In Samsonville, we ate zucchini all weekend: raw with dip, grilled, parmesan (also on the grill!), and I brought back some for the week. There will surely be a shopping bag full when I return. Picked up local corn, peaches and cherries at Davenport's farm stand in Stone Ridge.

I got a new N router and hooked it up, in spite of the heat. It works great, although I am still not satisfied with the range. I also need to do something about the home phone connect - the (poor) signal can only be found in the yard. I feel like I am on Green Acres, when they had to climb the pole to talk on the phone.

I swam and sweated and got chewed on by bugs. I think I have never been so hot in my life! I could never live in a really hot climate. But that didn't keep us from the Rosendale Street Festival, which was great. Here's the story about the short flix fest. Twelve selections out of forty! Not too shabby.

Just now I heard a little thunder and we had a downpour! (This is why there are no zinnia pictures today, as planned.) The plants are celebrating. I am too, because certain parts of the lawn need weed whacking, but others are crispy - and without rain I don't want to cut it. So maybe this week, if there is a dry day.

Here's a subject that's dear to me. LOL! Not really, what I mean is that it is something I often write about here. I am amazed by this story. Not by the professor's discovery that a lot of students cheated in his computer science classes. What amazes me is that he was this naive. Or was he not paying attention?

Just two examples of why this is a "hello?," a Duke University study found that 75 percent of college students admit to cheating at some point. In 2005, the Stanford Center on Ethics found that two thirds of students in an introductory programming course at MIT were found to have cheated. Apparently, it is rampant in computer science, even more than in other disciplines. I understand that it is fairly common in schools of business, too. Unfortunately it is not completely absent in any field of study.

The conclusions he decided to implement, to change his methods so that it is much more difficult to cheat, are a big Duh. His evaluations went down? So overlooking cheating = good evaluations? The classroom dynamic became nasty? So overlooking cheating = engaged class? What's wrong with this picture?

I think there is something more going on here. I don't know if NYU frowns on professors going after academic dishonesty. I can only speak from my own experience, and trust me, administrators do not discourage it being rooted out. They do not glory in it, of course. Nor do I, but that doesn't mean I look the other way, and whine. These are teachable moments. I think maybe they frowned on how he presented it on the Internet. I am not sure what he wrote, since the post has been taken down. But if he only revealed what the Chronicle reports, I doubt there is a legal problem. Again, my instinct is that there is more to this story.

I think it is likely this guy has some other issues. Whenever someone spouts off and claims they now thought it was safe to do so because they have tenure, I get suspicious of their motives. I don't like people who cower in fear of reprisal. People of good judgment don't have these kinds of problems and don't need tenure to protect their speech. Don't get me wrong, I am not attacking tenure or suggesting it doesn't protect academic freedom. It's just that I am not tenured, and things like this don't worry me an iota. Maybe it is a set-up, so down the road he can sue and say his rights were violated.

Finally, something else amazing: This from Dear Abby. I am not sure whether the problem could be this extreme or if the writer is exaggerating or perhaps has a serious case of death denial? I completely agree that it is not acceptable to throw trash around or damage property, but to act as if a cemetery cannot be a place of joy is absurd! I am trustee for a cemetery - while purposeful vandalism can be a problem (thankfully, rarely), visitors are not. Visitors are encouraged! Go! Say "Hello in There, Hello." :-)

I also live in front of another cemetery and often walk my dogs there. A lot of other people do too. It is the absolutely favorite place on the planet for any dog I've ever had, including the current two. Better than the yard, better than the park, better than the street or sidewalk. I've never seen anyone blasting music or being rowdy there. Nor is it desolate or depressing; it's a beautiful, serene place, truly a selling point for the village.

While it is true that a few slobs don't clean up after their dog and (again, rarely) a beer bottle turns up, it is not a larger proportion than are rude in this respect anywhere - the park, along the sidewalk, etc. Regarding cleaning up after a dog: if I saw someone do, or rather not do this task I would not hesitate to call them out, but considering the number of dog walkers in the cemetery it is not a major problem; the vast majority of visitors are respectful.

I look at the wonderful stones in the older sections as Sophie sniffs around (her favorite graves are the Hills, who were born in England and have been dead long over 100 years; I imagine them to have liked hounds and to be pleased to see me and my Basset lingering nearby). It makes me smile and reflect - those people are not forgotten.

Added: Speaking of flix, we watched two DVDs late at night over the weekend. Too hot to sleep! Neither was awful, but they also were not great: The Adjustment Bureau and Unknown. I'd wanted to see the former in the theatre, now I am glad we waited for the small screen.

And: It's official!

In S'ville since Thursday night. No A/C! Took my first swim of the season yesterday. The water is 88 degrees!

Class is humming along (lots of work to do), figured out the (latest) blackboard problem, green beans are just on the cusp of being ready! This weekend will be Samsonville (yay! The pool!), but next weekend we are "splitting" the weekend because we are going to SPAC to see Bare Naked Ladies on Sunday. It's on my mind because when I bought the tickets I didn't think about it being "in season" (which lamentably is getting earlier and earlier every year). Ugh. Oh sure, the primary concern is the health of the horses and jockeys. Here's my post from this time last year, here's my post for Travers weekend last year (if you really do like horses, there are a couple of gorgeous pictures in the latter) and here's the story I mentioned from 1998:

Saratoga Summer

A horse died at Saratoga yesterday.  During a commercial break on television I heard of the story on a preview for Fox news at 10.  At 11, we watched the local CBS news, and there was no mention of it.  Today, I read the whole newspaper -- even the Sports section, which generally I reserve for immediate recycling, and could find not a word.  Oh, there was an article about pests at the race track -- bees, skunks, Canada geese -- upsetting the gamblers, and another about race announcing being a true art form, but nothing about the death of a horse.  A page of results, and odds, and payoffs, but no obituary.

Then again, it isn't really about the horses, is it?  Even in that annoying orange mini-page that the Times Union comes wrapped in every day during the month of August.  The speed of the horses and whether they are likely to win are discussed, but the important part is not the animal; it's being fast, and the outcome -- money invested, wagered, won or lost -- is the point.  The result for the slow, the lame, the "losers," auction and perhaps the slaughterhouse, is not mentioned.  And the paper doesn't refer to the people at the track as gamblers, as I did, does it?  They are called by the euphemisms "spectators" and "visitors."  They gush about how classy, how elite, how special it all is.

I think of the majestic horse, dying while the Capital Region thrills in the collective insanity which happens every August around here.  I think of my mother's eight horses who roam through the fields at the farm, their manes flying in the wind, a testament to the beauty and power of this magnificent animal.  I think of thirty-five-year old Olive, the great lady of that small herd, still going strong under a true horse lover's care.  And so I must reflect on that more famous horse, cut down in the prime of life, by a spectacle too cruel to be called a sport.

Here is the schedule for the Hudson Valley Short Flix Festival. Tom's film is the second one in Program A, and will show at 3, 5 and 7 on Saturday and at 3 and 5 on Sunday.

When I pass a bookshelf, I like to pick out a book from it and thumb through it. When I see a newspaper on the couch, I like to sit down with it. When the mail arrives, I like to rip it open. Reading is one of the main things I do. Reading is everything. Reading makes me feel I’ve accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. Reading makes me smarter. Reading gives me something to talk about later on. Reading is the unbelievably healthy way my attention deficit disorder medicates itself. Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape; it’s a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and it’s a way of making contact with someone else’s imagination after a day that’s all too real. Reading is grist. Reading is bliss. But my ability to pick something up and read it—which has gone unchecked all my life up until now—is now entirely dependent on the whereabouts of my reading glasses. ~ Nora Ephron

I went looking for this quote because a few months ago, when I was complaining about having to wear glasses, a colleague said he had little sympathy, since he'd had to wear thick glasses since childhood. For about the past 4-5 years, I have a slight problem with distance, and (of course) a need to wear them to read. I can't get used to wearing them all the time, and I hate my bifocals. I have pairs of reading glasses all over the place - some prescription, some drug store cheapies. I wonder if it is worse for those of us who have not had to wear them until middle age.

So I responded, having to wear glasses has taken away some of my joy in reading. I love(d) to read, and now it is a struggle, a hassle. He replied that well, that changed things somewhat, he did feel a little sorry about that and he told me that Nora Ephron had poignantly written about having to wear glasses and its impact on reading. I don't have the book, and probably won't bother to read it (I haven't read much by her, although I suspect she writes well, but have seen a few movies -- one or two were OK but I hate "chick flix" [hate that term too] such as Sleepless... or ...Mail), but I assume the above paragraph leads to more reflection on aging, glasses, and reading.

I want a Kindle. I think that would help to restore some of my ability without glasses. I'll just make the font bigger. Since I am approaching 50, I thought I would tell "people" that's what I want, and maybe I'd get it. If not, I will buy one for myself after my birthday. But now I find that I don't want to wait. I want it now, while it is summer and I have more time for pleasure reading. I am debating every day about what to do, looking longingly at my Mark Twain book with the teeny font that is only half finished after seven months.

General Joe's BBQ champ to filmmaker without missing a beat: My nephew Tom's short film will be shown at the Rosendale Film Fest this weekend!

The weekend was great! Very tiring though, and of course I didn't get a lick of work done. Even Oneonta was too hot yesterday, so that meant no hike although I decided not to wait, and got my new shoes on Saturday. (They are SAS, my second pair, just awesome. I'd like something besides leather but it is (more than) nearly impossible to find anything I can wear even in leather. Custom made don't work either. So, I buck it up.) Class has two weeks left! Today is cleaning day so off I go (reluctantly, I hate to clean). But Sophie's groomer is making a house call, so no choice!

Stray thought: Ever wonder about a past post that didn't and still doesn't seem like any big deal but contiues to get a lot of hits?

General Joe's BBQ took second place in the people's choice competition! Awesome, especially for a first-time try. Buzz in the crowd was that their product was great. Everyone was asking where their restaurant or catering business is, but for all on their team, it is purely a hobby. They were one of the teams featured in yesterday's Schenectady Gazette (not sure if it is online). Congratulations to them and good luck today!

Remember to vote for General Joe's BBQ!

 Sophie is sending good vibes to the eggplant

 TB/TC wishes the mean person had left his nails alone so he didn't have to wear this stupid leash

Sam thinks he might have heard something up at street level

And...for something completely different: I've been meaning to share this hilarious video that has been making the rounds of email and facebook. Whenever Bob or I starts grousing about something trivial, the other says "that sounds like it could be a line in the first world rap."

I'm impressed by the Governor. I say that, even as a state employee whose livelihood is under fire. (Not exactly, since I am behind the university firewall, but as an adjunct I don't have ironclad job security. Not that I'm worried. My professional life is going well.) Anyway, you know what I mean. Public sector is taking hits in private sector fashion and it's hard not to be sensitive to it, especially in the Capital District. Still, I can see why he has such a high approval rating. We are so desperate for leadership, and he has really taken charge, in almost a charismatic way - but more a rational way, not in the nasty manner of Spitzer.

OK, fine. But this issue right here is a heart breaker that rises to the level of deal-breaker.  It's what struck me during the debate, besides the hilarious line up (or have you forgotten rent being too d-mn high et al?). He was going to push fracking! Exempting the NYC watershed of course (and now Syracuse too? What gives? The mayor is a friend or the area is dear to the Lt. Gov's heart? OMG - just now I went to see if I'd written about the debate, and I had - can it be he made a deal with the Green Party and that's the reason?).

I saw the new head of DEC on a show I won't name interviewed by a reporter I don't like (wouldn't want to add to the "fame of the name" by being specific) and he has industry guy written all over him. He said the reason for those two being exempt is that they are the only unfiltered systems in the state and it would be cost prohibitive to filter them. (That was the reason given for restrictions on development in the MOU on the watershed in the past as well.) I wonder if that could be true? The only two? Or how about private wells? The good of the few or the one doesn't matter, ala Star Trek?

I'm thrilled the watershed is exempt - NIMBY and all that - but it is annoying that you just know the exemption is not because of our pristine Catskill towns being precious, but because of NYC. As always. Brings up all those prickly feelings about the loss of our town that have been passed down though the generations.

This reminds me, right now, near the reservoir, the road is a debacle. No one even talks about it, though. So used to it. As a kid, my bus was diverted during a bridge repair and it took a lawsuit to get them moving. After 9/11 the road across the dam was closed - and it has never re-opened. The detour is even more twisty and turny than other roads in that area - it was built more to service the reservoir itself than intended as an option for lots of "thru" traffic. A few tourists have wrapped themselves around trees while riding their donorcycles over the years, and it is a hassle for people going to and from work, especially in the winter. So after nearly ten years the road is being straightened. It is a project that is taking forever, years! and resulted in all sorts of destruction. Currently it is almost impassable. One wonders if it will take another lawsuit for it to be finished.

This weekend is going to be another busy one - that's one of the attributes of summer I suppose. Tomorrow there is the Troy competition - going to support General Joe's BBQ! It's a team of my two nephews plus two friends. (General Joe is my one-year-old grandnephew.) A 12 person van and caravan of cars (if needed) are heading up the Thruway to cast their votes as well.

Vernooykill Falls Mother's Day hike. These folks and more will be in the (cara)van.

Then on Sunday heading to my beautiful central New York - Oneonta! I have been exercising my ankle, hoping to hike Table Rock. The last time I hiked there was during undergraduate days, when I did it many times. I haven't been able to hike since before I sprained my ankle - two years! Bob hasn't either, since his surgery nightmare. I'm "hoping" not because of my ankle, but because of my usual metatarsal arch / foot problem, which is acting up because I need to get a new pair of shoes and maybe an orthotics adjustment. (It is on the agenda for next week.) Bob's been having a RA flare in his knees but he is looking forward to (maybe) doing it too, so we'll see. If we can't hike, it will be a disappointment, but that's OK, a walk on Main Street and campus will suffice.

Watkins Glen State Park

It is looking like I will miss haying again this year, at least the first half of the field. Right now is the longest stretch of no rain in a while, and so hayin' is on the agenda (for those in the 12 person van and caravan of cars) for Sunday.

Anyway! This was a stream of consciousness! Join me in telling the governor no fracking! (That word! So tempting! I can hardly keep from writing various puns and vulgarities but it would be too easy.) I know the financial circumstances are difficult right now, but land and water are precious and cannot be replaced.

The view from Overlook

As I was picking basil (for insalata caprese) last night, I noticed one of my tomato plants was toppled over! I have them all staked and tied up, but this branch must have been especially heavy with fruit. Oh no! So I risked burning the empanadas and plantains I was making (I know, mixed ethnicity dinner), ran inside, and grabbed my spool of string. As I was saving the branch, one of the large tomatoes fell off, but my rescue worked out fine otherwise. I took the errant tomato and with the caprese, plantains and cheese empanadas - we had fried green tomatoes! What a treat, and so easy to make. Just drench them in flour and fry! I rarely make them, because usually I don't want to pick any tomatoes before they are ripe. (Maybe this year I will reconsider that policy.) Sorry, no picture. They didn't last long enough.

This book looks like it would be good: ‘Mindset Lists’ a mesmerizing look at history. I'm always mindful of making obscure cultural references when teaching. A movie I consider sort of "new" may have been popular when they were too young to be permitted to watch it. And with how splintered viewing habits are now, one cannot assume they will have watched it on television.

This isn't related: I am bad at "collection" and back in my clerical worker days, avoided jobs where it was an expectation. I now find it can be a problem with consulting. Is that just the way it is always, or is it a sign of the current financial difficulties in society? Couple this with a tendency to allow myself to be taken advantage of (something I probably have elaborated on before, but I don't feel like looking for the post and anyway the less said, the better) and I get myself into unpleasant situations. Right now I am torn between sad and pissed.

Then there is the blackboard problem. Still not resolved. Just pissed over that one.

Added: I figured it out! So now the only irritant is accounts receivable.

I'm kind of interested in true crime stories. I'm not sure why, but I always have been. A television example, last night there was (finally) a 48 Hours about the Oak Beach cases (it is very clear how careless the initial investigations were); print examples, I was riveted by the books about Martha Moxley, Chester Gillette/Grace Brown, and Mary Beth Tinning. I also like television dramas such as Criminal Minds and CSI. At the same time, I am not the sort of person who feels a strong emotional reaction to current crime news. In fact, I barely follow it. That's a lot easier without 24/7 cable news.

So it is surprising me how relieved I feel about a recent (cold) case's verdict and sentence in Rensselaer County. I am not going to link any stories or write any names. Too weird. If you don't know, you can figure it out in a few seconds on Google. Dude (especially) and his family seriously creep me out. I am sure he is guilty. Beyond a reasonable doubt does not go far enough. It it amazing how advances in technology: forensics and record keeping (the latter due to changes in law) discovered the evidence! Grapevine says he is very disturbed and scary. Pictures from trial speak that too, I think.

Remember to vote for General Joe's BBQ on Saturday!

I forced myself to finish the essays yesterday, one day before the deadline I had set for myself, and one day later than they would have been done had blackboard been cooperative. I finally posted the grades at 8 last night. Long day, and big relief to have it over.

I wanted to be finished because the yard was calling! Things needed watering and I had to weed whack. I wanted to do it first thing in the morning to avoid the heat, so got up earlier than usual and did it, without having essays to grade hanging over my head.

I picked tomatoes today! And not just the usual early varieties such as cherry or grape. I think this may be the earliest ever. Who would think I'd have tomatoes before green beans?

The green beans are coming, though.

My favorite annuals this year are white wave petunias.

The tiger lillies have arrived! Mine are always later than other people's, not sure why.

Today is the one year anniversary of "Little" Ande's death. So very sad. I remember a few years ago my cousin's dog died suddenly at about age 6. He was a small dog, and not a breed that is usually short-lived. Shortly afterwards she adopted an adult dog around the same age, to live out the years her late dog didn't get to experience, she said. That struck me, and I did the same thing. It seemed as if Little was cheated, dying so young. So now Teddy Bear -- or Theo Cat -- is living out the rest of his adulthood and hopefully senior years here with us. (He doesn't really respond to his name.) Of course there was also the name coincidence, as TB or TC was called Andy. (He doesn't know that name either. He also doesn't know "Kitty.") He's not very much like Ande, and even though he looks similar to Edna, he's not very much like her in personality, either. Thankfully he's a voracious eater - like a dog, since my poor Little could hardly eat. Here's Little in Samsonville doing something TB/TC could never do (because mean people took away his front claws), anyway, what a cutie pie: