New site!

I'm in the process of making a new site on snappages.com (it's awesome, check it out!), which means I will no longer be posting here. The site allows me to have a blog tab, so that will be so much easier than monitoring all the e-portfolios and other sites that I currently have active.

My new site is leahadelaide.snappages.com. Please visit!

Thanks for your patience while the transfer occurs!
-L

Something to think about

I just finished reading an article for class tomorrow by Warschauer (2005), and there was a section that really resonated with me about Hernando de Soto, an internationally renowned economist and President of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy in Peru. He published a study about the importance of land records for international development. He notes that a lack of transparency in regards to land ownership has devastating results in developing countries.

"In every country we researched, we found that some 80% of land parcels were not protected by up-to-date records or held by legally accountable owners. Nobody can identify who owns what, addresses cannot be easily verified, people cannot be made to pay their debts, resources cannot be conveniently be turned into money, ownership cannot be divided into shares, descriptions of assets are not standardized and cannot be easily compared, and the rules that govern property vary from neighborhood to neighborhood or even from street to street".

According to his research, the total value of real estate held but not "legally" owned by the poor of the developing and former communist nations is equal to some 9.3 trillion dollars. Wow.

He continues by noting that this sum is often many times greater than the total savings and time deposits in banks, the value of companies registered in local stock exchanges, ALL foreign direct investment, and ALL privatized public enterprises PUT TOGETHER.

If a small portion of that capital were unleashed, it could have ENORMOUS benefits for developing countries.

-L

Gearing up!

I'm getting prepared for a new semester. I have some articles to read, which may or may not be read today, but definitely by tomorrow, as classes start on Monday. It seems weird to not be in session yet; I'm still not quite accustomed to this "get out late-start back late" schedule that UW is on. And I can tell you right now that I'll hate it come the middle of May and we're just finishing exams.

Right now, I'm basically just trying to get as much "necessary" stuff done before classes begin. That basically boils down to house-cleaning. I just always feel so much better when the house is clean; it helps me be more productive, too, because I'm not thinking about how dirty it is and subsequently, that I want to clean it. I've got my passport renewal paperwork ready to go; I just need an envelope. My office is cleaned up and ready for a semester's worth of chaos. Insurance stuff is filled out. Got my bus pass, too. So, more or less, I'm ready.

I forgot to write earlier that I finally got funding for the spring semester! I'll be working on an online Chinese course for high school students, primarily on the teacher's manual. So, with any luck, the course manual will get published, which means that I'll be published! Woohoo! I'm also taking a course this semester about online learning, with a goal of producing a publishable work, so fingers crossed there, too! I would love to publish in my first year.

But, I also am trying to relax as much as possible before school starts, too. Since I'll be teaching swim lessons again on Saturday mornings, I REALLY want to enjoy my last full Saturday of freedom. Joe bought some wood at the store last night, so we'll have a fire tonight and maybe watch a movie :-)

So, with two days left to go before the semester, I'm both nervous and excited- typical for me before a semester. Here we go!

-L

Christmas Break

Over break, I've "forced" myself to relax to the fullest (it was very difficult, trust me!). It seems so odd to still be on break and know that I have another 12 days of relaxation before the semester begins again. I've never been on a schedule like UW's and it's taking some getting used to.

I finished another book today, bringing my Christmas break total to 4, which isn't all that much, if you know me. However, each book has been finished in less than a day and a half, so my speed hasn't diminished at all :) So far I've read The Song of the Silk Road, The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit, The Help, and A Thread of Grace, in that order.

My 2nd and 4th choices dealt with the Jewish population in Italy, one that I'm not very familiar with. I love reading about WWII, particularly Jewish survival stories; this may strike some as odd or slightly (or very) morbid, but I marvel at the strength and courage these people had and the hardships they endured. Many are fiction, but are often accurate representations of the historical events.

The Help was just awesome, and I can't wait to see the movie. However, after reading it, I thought about our country and its current state and was extremely saddened and dismayed in knowing that there are many parts of the country still reflect Jackson, MS in 1960. When will we learn to accept others and not hate?

The Song of the Silk road was good, but not at all what I expected it to be. I felt that the strong sexual scenes slightly detracted from the story's main plot, but it was still enjoyable. Definitely not appropriate for young readers nor people who are uncomfortable reading about sexual encounters.

I'm still deciding what my next foray will be. I have Enrique's Journey, The Lacuna, Eat, Pray, Love, and The Midwife left to tackle, the latter two being my mom's books (so if I want to read those, I'd better get on it!).

Ahh, the joys of Christmas break. The best part about it? Knowing that when I graduate and get a job, I'll still have a Christmas break! Woo for academia!

-L

1st semester, DONE!

As of 4pm Eastern time on December 23, 2011, I officially finished my first semester of my PhD. It was a long, hard-fought battle to the very end, as I was super stressed out over a final paper that I had to write. To get to the stressed part, let me take you back through the last week or so.

During the week of December 15th, I saw lots of posts on Facebook about everyone finishing exams, getting grades, and starting their winter vacation. We had class until that Thursday, followed by a week of exams. Needless to say, I wasn't celebrating with my friends.

Thursday, the 15th: I received my take home final for SLA. Five questions about five different chapters. I knew I needed to dedicate myself to nothing but it until it was finished, so I could then dedicate myself to nothing but my Spanish 815 final.

Saturday, the 17th: I finished my SLA final that night, a day and half ahead of schedule. I was really happy, thinking that maybe I could even finish my 815 paper before I returned home to Michigan.

Sunday, the 18th: I set out to get a lot of data coded and and analyzed, thinking I could get most of it done that day. 12+ hours of work later, and I still wasn't finished.

Monday, the 19th: I held an extra, 4-hour review session for my students, to help them prepare for their final that Tuesday. Most people would think I was crazy for losing 4 hours of work time, but I knew they appreciated it, and it showed on their finals. I came home by 4 and starting analyzing data again for another 6 hours.

Tuesday, the 20th: I worked from 8:30am until 6pm that evening (still on data!), when I had to go give my SPN 201 final. We had a grading party afterwards at the Sett in Union South that lasted well past midnight.

Wednesday, the 21st: I met with my prof to go over some questions I had about the paper and my data. Then I had my TA checkout to turn in grades. When I got back to my car, after having taken the bus, I discovered that I did not have my keys. I had left them in my building on campus. Almost in tears, I called Joe, who came and picked me up. I decided not to traipse back to campus, since I had a spare set of car keys at home and I desperately needed to work. I made it home, worked for another 5 hours (still on data :-P) and then packed to come home to Michigan.

Thursday, the 22nd: We left at 8am for Michigan and made it to my parents' house by 3pm. I started working by 4 and worked until 11. I FINALLY started writing the actual body of the paper during that time and was able to finish the lit review. Exhausted, I went to bed.

Today, Friday, the 23rd: I woke up at 8am and got right to work, even forgetting to eat breakfast until my stomach loudly reminded me to feed it. Around 2:00, I panicked when I realized that Word's spell checker had stopped working. Well, that's not 100% correct. It was working, but only for the first 12 pages of my to-be 25 page paper. Even running the manual spell checker wasn't working, and it was considering words like "durtion" (duration) and "ntonation" (intonation) to be correct. I called Joe in a frenzy to help me, and eventually figured it out, but needless to say, my heart was beating out of my chest.

The panic didn't end there. As I was formatting some of my tables, I discovered that some of my cells in Excel had moved (no idea how...) and had replaced some of my actual data. I then had to hurriedly re-calculate durations and F0 movement to be able to finish my paper. At this point, I'm not even sure what I was writing was coherent.

At 3:30ish, I started to proofread and by 4:00, I had turned the monster in. It was a very stressful day.

However, I did get an A in stats (much to my disbelief) and am still waiting for my other two grades. We'll see! Oh, and I got funding for next semester, too!

-L

I *heart* cooking

I love to cook. I always have. Thankfully, my mom is a wonderful cook, and I always loved spending time in the kitchen with her. I would do the same thing when we'd visit my grandparents in CA. There's a reason my sister called her "The Spaghetti Grandma".

Cooking is my release. I love the feeling of a knife slicing through a tomato and the sound of the blade hitting my enormous bamboo cutting board. I especially love that feeling when my knives are freshly home from being sharpened. You can't beat the smell of garlic and onion hitting a hot pan of olive oil, and the slow gurgle of marinara sauce bubbling away on the stove. The scents fill the house, tantalizing your taste buds from every corner. And then, when you finally sit down to eat your creation, the sense of accomplishment is overwhelming.

For example, tonight I attempted to make pot stickers for the first time. It was a DDD recipe, and I was kind of nervous because it was a scaled down version from the restaurant measurements, so I wasn't sure how they would turn out. I got to use my mini food processor, which I love, and the scent of garlic, ginger, and cilantro soon emanated from my kitchen. I also made the dough using my KitchenAid mixer, which I use every chance I get! Then I successfully fried the bottoms and then steamed them through. They were great, especially with the dipping sauce I made!

I like to cook on Saturdays because I have more time to tackle new recipes. During the week and on Sundays, there's just too much going on, mainly due to homework (and especially at this time of year!), so I try to reserve Saturdays for new recipes :-) It helps to keep me grounded, and I get to try yummy new food!

That being said, I hate baking. Ok, maybe "hate" is too strong of a word. More accurately, I'm horrible at it. Nothing I make, besides chocolate chip cookies and brownies, comes out well. Especially cakes. Oh, my cakes are awful. Baking also seems tedious to me, with all the measuring and the measuring and the measuring. When I cook, I just throw things in and don't really measure at all. I've gotten pretty good at knowing what a couple tablespoons, cups, or teaspoons looks like. My sister is a phenomenal baker and goodie-maker though, so between the two of us, we rock the kitchen.

I'm seriously considering attending culinary school after my PhD. I just love it and everything to do with it (including grocery shopping; I could spend HOURS wandering around a good grocery store).

-L

Common sense

The younger generation is getting less and less knowledgeable about common courtesy and etiquette. And, sadly, common sense all around. I experience various levels of this every day on campus. Here are just a few thoughts.

On the bus: move to the back if it's crowded. Don't just stand in the front because you don't feel like moving and you feel others should move around you. If you're getting off at the next stop, hang out by the door. If you have a lot of baggage, it doesn't mean you get to have 5 seats for yourself. If you have too much stuff to manage, drive your car or take a taxi that day. Also, say thank you to the driver; they're providing a service to you.

Walking: LOOK BOTH WAYS. When did this become optional? And, just because pedestrians have the right-of-way does not make it ok for you to simply step out into traffic without taking into account the truck barreling down the road at you and assuming it will just stop. Go ahead, stand up for your right-of-way, but if you get killed in the process, was it really worth it? Also, if you're jaywalking, GET YOUR HINEY ACROSS THAT ROAD. You're the one breaking the law, so move it! Also, don't stand at the very edge of a sidewalk at a crosswalk. It appears to drivers that you're going to step off into the street in front of traffic. Crosswalk signals are there for a reason- if it shows a red hand, there's probably a good reason. Check the opposing lights to make sure there aren't any green arrows for turn lanes. And, just because there's a gap in traffic does not mean that they're about to get a red light and it's ok to saunter your way across the street. If you go during a gap, run, or at the very least, powerwalk!

Biking: In Madison, it's very biker-friendly. However, YOU ARE NOT CONSIDERED A PEDESTRIAN. You're on a vehicle and are obligated to follow the rules of the road. This involves not cutting off cars when you change lanes, using your arm signals to indicate turns, stopping at red lights, allowing pedestrians to cross in front of you, etc. Do you think that red light on the one way street is for the traffic going THE OTHER WAY? I highly doubt it. So obey them before you get yelled at and/or hit. Also, wear a helmet.

Opening Doors: When you go into a building, look behind you to see if anyone else is coming and hold the door for them if they are. If not, no biggie. When you're following behind someone, there's nothing more annoying than having them squeeze through the door, allowing it to slam in your face. I take that back. What's more annoying is when you politely hold the door open for someone and they walk right through it, without acknowledging the favor you just did for them. I like to say, "You're welcome!" just to make them feel uncomfortable. It's pretty funny. Also, attempt to take over the door-holding responsibilities. Don't let the kind person stand there all day holding the door for you and the 15 other people going through. Most importantly, SAY THANK YOU.

We can't let politeness and common sense go to the wayside. Otherwise we'll all die in biking-walking-car accidents. And then where will we be?

-L