a long month

It's been a month of no entries and if you're one of the 3 people who seem to check this site with any regularity, I'm sorry. A week turns into a month before you know it. This gap in posting is partially due to a sudden influx of travel, illness, and long hours, but also because I've psyched myself out with regards to what I should post. I'd started to feel like I needed a funny story or some kind of complete allegory to write about. It was weighing me down, which is stupid, but I was thinking of just deleting the blog entirely. Instead, I've decided to try easing up on the self-imposed rules a little bit, and just write more as a journal. I know the blogs I enjoy reading the most are more like that - regular chats about what's going on. Eh, we'll see how it goes. Could be boring as hell. I can always delete it later if need be.

So, we just came back from a week in Kansas. We went back for my doctoral hooding. Even though I actually finished last summer, KU only does one doctoral hooding a year in May. I really just saw it as an excuse to go back and see all of the friends we left behind, which was great, but I'm actually glad I went through the hooding. It was nice to have a little pomp and circumstance at the end. All this crazy medieval symbolism everywhere - get my clerical robes, walk across the stage past the University Mace, shake hands with the Chancellor wearing the Chains of Learning, or some shit like that. Seriously nutty. But also a little awesome.

My advisor and I passed the time waiting through all the other hoodings seeing who could find the most Byzantine dissertation title in the program. Unfortunately, I don't have the program with me, but I'll post the winner later. The best part was when my advisor leaned over to me while we were watching someone get hooded for a Doctor of Education and whispered, "Just remember, their degree isn't as high as yours." Hahahaha! Like they'd have to give up the better parking spot whenever we might meet. Like people will whisper when they pass, "Yeah, but he only has a Doctor of Education, not a Doctor of Philosophy in Education." I don't know, maybe it does make a difference in some circles. In fact it probably does. Who am I kidding? It totally does. I still think it was a hilariously random thing to say.

It was great being back in Lawrence and seeing friends. In some ways it was actually harder saying goodbye to people this time, because I knew that I probably won't be seeing many of them again. Some of our very close friends may actually come out to visit us at some point, but I'm not holding my breath. Others, especially the families, won't. It's just not practical. So, we'll keep in touch for awhile and then eventually slip out of contact. I hope not, but that just seems to be the way. Okay, this is making me feel maudlin, so next topic...

While in Lawrence I bought myself some art. Three painting, actually. A present for myself for the hooding. One by Paul Hotvedt and two by Paul Flinders. I knew before we went out that I wanted to see if Hotvedt had anything that I liked. My friend Brad has two little paintings by him that I've always coveted. He does these beautiful little landscapes of the region around Lawrence, and I wanted something to remind me of it. Here's the piece we got ("September 4, 2004"):


He had these great tryptichs, and if I could have afforded it, I would have bought one. But I'm not complaining - I love this piece!

I'd told myself that if I saw something I liked while we were there, I'd buy it. Lawrence has better art around than where we live now. There's some good stuff around town here, but I think we live too close to Portland and everyone just goes there. But I think Lawrence is pretty much it if you're an artist in Kansas. Every restaurant and coffee house in town has some local artist's work on display. I don't know if it's so great for the artists - I gather that supply is greater than demand, but that means, frankly, that we could afford it. We saw a bunch of Paul Flinders' work up at one of the coffee houses in Lawrence and I loved about four pieces instantly. Here's one of the ones we bought ("The Big Promotion"):


I don't have a picture of the other one - it's this awesome little oil of some spindly-legged birds. Both Pauls were very nice people as well, as far as I could tell.

An all-around lovely trip. Got hooded, hung out with friends, came home with some art.