I am deeply grateful, today, for clarity of mind and spirit.

Thanks.

My theme this weekend was appreciation.  Not gratitude, necessarily, but appreciation --  knowing the value of what I have in my life. 

After chopping up my week's worth of lunch veggies, an hour+ ritual I undertake every weekend, I had an amazing opportunity to take a 4-hour hike in our local state park whose front gate is five minutes from our home.   I'm up there quite a bit, in fact I've tramped each of the 70+ miles of trails throughout.  This weekend in particular, however,  I was struck by the sheer natural beauty I was surrounded by.  The well-maintained trails, and the clean air, and the views.  I appreciate that I possess the health to complete such a strenuous hike without a hitch.  That health isn't an accident. It's the end result of serious investment.  Hitting the gym every morning at 5:30,  having quit smoking, having my knee fixed, maintaining my weight, practicing yoga, eating right, and getting enough rest.  It may sound as if I'm full of myself, that's not my intent at all.  I mention these because each one reflects discipline I've had to acquire, through lots and lots of work.  

I loved the hot tub I got to soak in afterward, and the cool shower after that to revive me.   Of returning to a home I *want* to come back to, to study, to write, to think, to play-at-playing the piano, to pet my cat, to kiss my lover, to to to....

Damn.  Life's good.

Wow.. started out listening to my favorite tenor sing live at a little Italian cooking school in Sebastopol, then off to a late dinner with him on the Russian River where he gave me some great insights into my writer's block.  Saturday puttered in the gardens until it was time to head off to the gym and from there to pick up his accompanying accordionist for a gig at a garden party in Walnut Creek.  Great Greek food, lovely views of the sun setting on Mt. Diablo, great guests with whom one could hold actual conversations (I find that difficult at most parties).  Fell in love with the host's dog, threatened to kidnap her since 1) she was so very, very cool 2) she obviously loved me, too and 3) she chromatically matched our cat.  What more could you ask?  Stayed over night in order to avoid driving to and fro as we attend another morning party Sunday on a boat (ok, a yacht, really) in Oakland, eventually taking a turn on SF bay to view the Bay Bridge construction work from underneath.   Haven't been under the Bay Bridge since my navy days.  Followed with a BBQ and another great gaggle of guests.  Monday was a great gym day, lots of swimming and sun, and some thoughtful movies with my best guy.  To bed early enough to get up at 5 this morning to hit the aerobics class with some enthusiasm.  Life's good!

I appreciate the friends I have on LJ who provide me with daily wit and incredible insights and great photography.  I don't have such free-wheeling writing or creative skills such as they, nor will I ever, most likely, since my mind seems to be more academic than narrative. 

Life continues to be better than ever.  Looking forward to a full semester, continuing to work on the book and developing my teaching skills.  My daily emphasis is to work on my physique, my mind, and my spirit .. all else falls in order after those.  Got invited to a birthday party for a long-long-long time friend, who I've not seen in a good 10 years. 

What a great weekend!  Had dinner and theater Friday night, great workout followed by greater poolside lunch Saturday, and Sunday spent the day in S.F.  Who could ask for more?  Kind'a hard coming back to work, but I'll suffer through it!

For the first time in, quite literally, months, there's no work on the schedule for this weekend.  No papers to grade, no book chapter to work on, no property management, no on-line deadlines, no gigs, no painting, no no no... nothing but time to lay in the sun like a turtle!

"The American Higher Education Agenda: Promoting Education that Makes a Difference."  This is my hoped for program track for the ASPA conference next April, for which a paper proposal using my research on immigration is due by this Friday.

Arg!

Phhht.

It's been a heck of a few weeks, let me tell you!  I think I'm happiest when up to my neck in business, but I always like to complain about how busy I am.  A psychiatrist would have a field day with that, I'm sure.   Not trying to escape my life, just very jazzed when I can feel productive and purposeful.  Fortunately, the guy who shares my life is also very driven, so we're well matched.  Neither of us do well with sloth, although we've been known to "slug fest" every now and again.  Slug fest is a set-aside day off when, besides going to the gym, which is in itself relaxing, we force ourselves to turn off.  It takes a lot of self-discipline to relax.... trust me!

Our annual migration to the Poconos is a ten-day modified slug fest, where we're forced to lay  by the pool (forced!  forced, I tell you!), eat too much, read trashy novels, and watch way too many movies.  This year, we're excited that the night club on the property is now non-smoking and we can actually go out dancing...  Of course, the Pocono slug fest is mitigated with local theater, hiking, swimming, gym visits, and a one-day trip to Manhattan.  Other than that we relax.  Really!

So... Classes started both at NVC and SRJC on 6/15, two days after our hugely succesful Project Applause Gala event.  The book is proceeding apace, working on Chapter Three, and still fairly well on schedule, considering the two papers presented in denver in April.  This chapter is a comparison of the campain rhetoric surrounding immigration during the 1898 and 1996 elections.  It's not the most exciting, but it suits the book's purpose well, and I'm finally getting into it.  Took a while!

Well, I finally broke down and uploaded a new user pic...  it's a rare one that finds me both smiling and with my eyes open. This was taken by our campus photographer for our Alumni Board page... Whoo hoo!

Justice Moreno declares that "Proposition 8 represents an unprecedented instance of a majority of voters altering the meaning of the equal protection clause by modifying the California Constitution to require deprivation of a fundamental right on the basis of a suspect classification." He states that "[t]he rule the majority crafts today not only allows same-sex couples to be stripped of the right to marry that this court recognized in the Marriage Cases, it places at risk the state constitutional rights of all disfavored minorities" and "weakens the status of our state Constitution as a bulwark of fundamental rights for minorities protected from the will of the majority."

Michael and I both commented, after Joan River's performance at the Castro, that we're both kind of beyond negativity as entertainment.  A little goes a long way, if you know what I mean. I guess we work so hard on being optimistic and positive, that when hit with waves of negativity, it leaves a distasteful feeling afterwards.  Oh, well.. we change, we grow. 

We finished painting the vacant unit, now all that's left is fine tuning and the fluffing of landscaping.  We should be good-to-go for an open house this Saturday afternoon.  Cross your fingers!  Can't well have a vacant unit too long in this economy. 

It dawned on me that I'm hitting the road at about 125% for the last few months... and it feels good.  If you're busy, and productive, AND happy, then you must be doing something right, eh?

I'm thrilled to have received a full scholarship from the National Endowment for the Humanities' to attend their summer workshop program in Cleveland to study the nexus of immigration, migration, and culture at the Western Reserve Historical Society! Whooo-hoooo!

Had a great time in Denver this past week.  Stated the trip out in SF with a 42nd Street Moon perfornance about the life of Noel Coward.  Meh.  Stayed overnight at the airport, and had a great flight out.  Presented two papers at the SWPSA, one on parties and one on federalism.  Also chaired a panel, and was discussant on two others.  In between had some great time to just hang out and enjoy the sights.  Had a couple of great dinners out, strolling, and people watching.  Back on Saturday with a layover in Reno and back to work now.  Still working on the book, into chapter four, now, on campaigns and elections.  Hope to submit an abstract on it to a conference in Chicago in late May.  Cross thy fingers! 

Life continues to be great.. busy as heck, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  I have three online sections at SRJC, but lost my in-person course at Napa due to budget cutbacks.

Decided late last year to start writing a book, little did I know how time intensive the proposition would be!  It's an examination of the development of immigration and naturalization policy at both state and federal levels (zzzzz, I know).  My unprecidented three week vacation last December was all but swallowed up with research, as well as a great part of January, and now February has seen the result of about one and a half chapters.  This is actually spot on target, from what I can gather ... writing a book of this type (non-fiction / quasi-text book) usually takes at least two years, if not more. 

Heck, the lit review alone took me weeks (that's just getting a comprehensive list of others' writings on my subject, not actually reading them...).  Zoiks!!!

I recently went to Baltimore to present the theme at the APSA Teaching and Learning conference, got some good feedback, and now I'm set to present the first two chapters as drafts at the SouthWestern Political Science Association meeting in Denver the second week of April. 

I'm anticipating solid professional feedback.  No time for being "nice," I need to get this thing published!!!

I also have a grant request in for an NEH Summer Research Stipend, as well as a summer teaching workshop request pending.  No big plans for the fall, yet, as I wanted to leave a little wiggle room. 

Planned vacation in the Poconos for August will provide a much needed rest.  I'm already talking about vacation in August, and it's not even March.   Life IS full!!!!

And that's all the news that's fit to print!

Nothing like a three-month delay in posting.  As they say, better late than never. 

I've had a long standing tradition of considering Sept. 29 through Jan 1 the "high holy days" of the year.  Starting with Michaelmas (or St. Michael's Feast Day) on Sept 29th, through to New Year's, there seems to be a spate of holidays which, when lumped together, give one an excuse for an extended party!!

Our combined feast-day, my birthday, our second marriage and first wedding anniversaries, Samhain, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Rick's birthday, Chris' birthday .. well, you get the drill.  It's a busy time!  We've been doing an awful lot these past few weeks, and I'll try to capture the essence here as much as possible. 

We saw/attended Irma la Deuce, 42nd Street Moon productions, SF; Death of a Salesman, 6th Street Players, SR; the Italian Festivals at Copia, Napa and in Santa Rosa; twice to the Santa Rosa symphony and once to their Le Jazz Hot concert; the King Ballet, SF; the SSU Distinguished Alumni Dinner; our friend Jeff Finn's art opening in SF; the SF Parlor Opera doing Cosi Fan Tutti; Glide Memorial, SF (Kenneth Cole was there!); the East Village Rock Opera Company; Thanksgiving at the Flamingo Hotel; a  Book signing at Copperfield's in Santa Rosa; a World Affair Council lecture by History Prof Steve Bittner on Georgia/Russia; the SSU President's holiday party and tonight is the annual Church holiday dinner at the Flamingo. 

Today I start 3 weeks vacation!  Whoo hoo!

It's been a fairly busy couple of weeks, hence the lack of blogging.  Classes started with a vengance.  Got a 50 enrollment at Napa, and two 45 enrollments for on-line at the JC.  They added a third late start beginning in late October, so that's another 45.  That's 185 wonderful students that I get to talk to about the mechanics of the American political system during a presidential election year.  It's going to be very exciting!  I actually have class on election day.  I'm thinking pizza and turning on CNN!!!

I've almost completed my Summer goal of hiking every trail of Annadel State Park.  This Saturday I'll tackle the Ridge Trail, the South Burma Trail and the Creekside trail, and I'll have covered all 40 miles of that amazing, amazing park.  Then it's on to Sugarloaf and Jack London State Park. 

This weekend I saw a great performance, "Darryl, Come Home" by the Narrow Way Stage Company in association with Actors Basement at the Glaser Center in Santa Rosa.  This was a very intense examination of the effect of war on returning veterans.  Great script, great acting, minimalist stage so as not to distract.  Also had the great joy of going to "Dayglo Yodel," part of a Chatauqua Review at the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center.  OAEC is an amazing place!  These are the same folks who hosted Project Applause in a "Night at the Opera" event a few weeks back.  Duo Zighi Baci was there, with a great performance including O Solo Mio and Padam, Padam.  As usual, the audience was on the edge of their seats during Michael and Sheri's rousing effort.  Bravisimo!!!

Speaking of Project Applause, we're having our first meeting of a newly reconstituted board on Saturday, Sept. 27th.  Although I appreciate the incredible time and service of the passing board, I'm excited for a new opportunity to work with folks who might help take Project Applause to the next level.

Napa starts tonight, good ol' "American Gov't 101."  I still enjoy teaching out at Napa, and am forever grateful for the chance they took on an unknown with no experience 12 years ago.  I hope I've done them proud.  Although it doesn't really pay (with gas prices, having to eat out, etc.), I still get a kick out of working there!  The JC on-line classes started yesterday, 80+ students and a wait list of 40+.  Whew!  I'm still amazed at how quickly the summer went.  Wasn't graduation just yesterday?  No, seriously.. just YESTERDAY?

This past weekend saw a great 12 mile hike in Annadel State Park on Saturday, followed by a swim at the club.  No wildlife this time, other than the usual deer, turkeys and lizards (last hike I spotted my first rattlesnake).  My goal is to achieve all 40+ miles of trails before my birthday in November.  Sunday, with The Handsome One in rehersals all day, I zipped down to SF to take in the Frida Kahlo exhibit at SFMOMA, and then the Ming exhibit at the Asian Art Museum.  Frida was amazing - well conceived, well executed.  A bit crowded, but that was to be expected.  The Ming exhbit, however, left me cold.  The feel of the exhibit was cold and overly academic.  I did enjoy going up to the main exhibits, however, so that made it worth the extra side trip.  Swang by the Castro for a cup of coffee on the way to Pres a Vi, a great new(ish) eatery at the old Letterman Hospital site.  Dinner with friend and triathlon team biker, Bill.  Great food, nice atmosphere, prices about what one would expect.  Great conversation. A truly kind and gentle man.

Speaking of Handsome's rehersals, he's got a number of performances coming up.  The Chautauqua Review athe the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, a Project Applause event titled "A Night at the Opera," and continuing work with Zighi Baci and the irrepressible Sherry Crawford.  Life's good!

Out of the blue, a woman near Sacramento emailed before vacation asking for background on my great uncle, the man who I consider to be my paternal grandfather.  It turns out, after a little research, that we're actually distant cousins.  She sent a packet of info that contained a family photo from the late 1800s showing my grandfather as a teenager, posing with his entire family -- a photo I've never seen.  Also included were the ship's register from his trans-Atlantic crossing in 1912, his 1930 Census Data (showing my dad and aunt listed as family members), and info on his brothers, sisters and parents.  Amazing!