What's up with the kids?

It's been a long stretch of a short period of time. Rose has the memes for which we can't seem to find a pharmacological reference. Nor do behavioral intervention seem to be working.

Whose bright idea was this parenting, anyway? And who the hell thought I'd be up for the job? Pure genius, whoever it was.

I feel like my transition to work has entered a new phase. Yeah, I've been back at work for three years now, but I know it took between 1-2 years for the transition out of the house to sort of settle. And now I feel a new phase: the balance phase. Neither the girls nor I have figured out the right balance yet. Mostly it's me. While I don't think I'm "bring work home with me" I do think a good look at energy expenditure is in order.

I use a LOT of energy at work and I'm afraid that I come home without my best game on. My family gets my leftovers and that's not fair.

On the upside, I've been able to bike to work most of this week. For the two weeks prior to this one, I was mostly on the bus due to the snow-freeze-snow cycle. Damn Alberta Clippers.

Christmas with Shareen's family tomorrow. Oh goodie - how embarrassed will I be by our girls wondering if "that's all" or pitching a fit about buttons on the new shirt? We'll see...

This little piggy had frostbite...

So this morning I set out on my 10 mile commute to work – hell-bent on riding the bike instead of the bus. This morning's temp: zero. That’s about as low as I can go – despite two good pairs of socks, my toes freeze about 30 minutes into my 40-minute ride.

7:13am – Leave house with Rose for walk to school. Worried my toes will catch a chill during the walk; that they won’t fully recover while I’m inside saying goodbye to Ms Kindergartenhead.

7:22 – Arrive school. Toes feel fine but I still worry they’re not quite “totally” warm.

7:33 – After a prolonged drop-off (a few extra minutes to get those toes recharged), I’m off. Insterad of a shortcut across the grassy hill outside the school, I have to go SW and follow the sidewalk that’s ride-able. Bad sign: Going SW to head NE. My poor toes.

7:40 – Arrive at Lake Harriet Pkwy noticing how slow I’m riding because of the snowpack on the streets and my wariness about rush hour traffic on seriously narrowed streets with nothing but rutty trouble to the right. Gotta pick up the pace if my toes have any hope of making it to the U still attached.

7:45 – Lake Harriet Rose Gardens, almost to Bryant Ave and 40^th street. I remember from last year: if  toes start to get cold on Bryant – before I reach the Greenway - I’m in trouble. It’s too far from Bryant to campus to make it bearably if toes get cold on Bryant. So far so good. Lots of wiggling while I’m pedaling to try to keep the blood moving. “So far, so good.” I mumble – hoping the audible cheer will spur a degree or two extra down in the lower digits.

Also trying to pick up the pace a bit. Trouble is the air is so cold, and I haven’t ridden consistently for two weeks, my lungs aren’t working like I’d like them to, so keeping a good pace is tough. Damned if ya do…

Beard crusting up now too. It’s growing, adding ice with every exhaled breath.

Ride up Bryant Ave is tricky – Bike lanes are nonexistent due to encroaching snow from parking  lanes. Riding the right car tire lane up Bryant provides stability but it invites dingbat drivers to trespass all over me. HAVE ANY OF YOU PEOPLE HEARD OF THE THREE FOOT RULE?!?!  (Gotta give bikes minimum three feet when passing…)

What's up with the car that insists she can get around me before she and the oncoming school bus share the same space on the planet?

And what's up with the guy who – despite no oncoming traffic whatsoever – decides that moving over a full 24” is ample berth for passing a bike? Why WOULDN’T you just move into that other lane?? Oh, would you look at that – he’s reading an email on his BlackBerry…

7:55 - Bryant Ave and the Greenway – Toes have started to chill. Still a ways to go but at least now I’m out of traffic and can focus more on wiggling and moving my feet around, rather than wondering just how much a styrofoam helmet will protect my head from being crushed between the pavement and someone’s rear differential if I slip. I continue the conversation with my toes – just a brief utterance of encouragement: “You’re doing great; staying warm!”

8:07 – Sabo Bridge – While riding the Greenway, I notice that my pit vents are open – I can feel the interaction of the cold morning air and the little bit of sweat going on under there. One minute warmth, the next, a frigid tickle.

While my body and hands are warm, the toe report is not good: they’re tingling. Wiggling and moving them around isn’t helping like I’d hoped. I tell them we only have about 10 minutes left and that I think they can tough it out. The tingling surges as if to demand another layer of SmartWool.

Somewhere about here I start to see the wind. I see the heat slipping from rooftop vents in an industrial area and I’m not happy in predicting that my final 15 minutes are going to be against what gentle breeze there is this morning. Chop-chop – the toes aren’t getting any warmer.

8:15 – Franklin Ave – There’s light in the air. The inevitable sun is stirring..I turn into the wind. Body is fine, hands are fine, toes are ready for a sauna. I note aloud that we’ll be on campus in a mere 5 minutes. As if that’ll comfort my This Little Piggies somehow.

Thankfully the light at Franklin and the River Road is short-lived. Red remains red. Green turns to red. Don’t turns to do in all directions. With idling motors trying to warm their passengers, the Do Walk sign encourages me to jump out of the traffic lane and into the crosswalk so I can make my final ascent to campus without waiting.

8:20 – Campus! Riding up Oak Street from East River Road, I tell myself and my toes that we did it. We rode through no degrees at all and despite some discomfort, we made it. Toes could care less – they only want to get some warm air circulating between them again.

8:30 – The first stream of water from my hot-ish shower pours over my still pissed-off toes. Damn that hurts. Didn’t I just read that it’s better to gradually warm-up frozen parts then to shock them with warm-to-hot water all at once? Or am I imagining that…?

Tomorrow’s forecast is for above zero temps all day. But before I get there, I’ve gotta deal with the commute home. Hopefully by then we’ll be fully charged with heat.

Poverty equals diversity?

Heard in grad level class: a school is diverse because of high percentage of reduced price lunch students and few white students...

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Not it.

"I'm sorry, but on behalf of the School of Youdontbelonghere I need to tell you that we're not willing to lift a finger to help create access to our knowledge and the opportunity that comes along with it."

That's essentially the message from a school on campus today. We asked for a file format that we could work with so we could add captions to video material for a Deaf student enrolled in the course. (Note: The student is now FIVE weeks behind.) They didn't even ask what was involved in "doing their part". They didn't even ask how long it would take.

I'm as guilty as the next person of the bad practice of making assumptions but when denying someone access to a University course...? I'd like to think that before making that decision, I might ask a few more questions.

Dang people! We all got-ta work together to make this happen. We can't just expect that we're gonna share our brilliance with the world - or at least with the part of the world that's easiest to share it with based on our own privilege - and ignore our responsibilities to "those other people". When a U student with a disability asks for access to information for a course, it's not acceptable to say "Not it." We ALL have responsibilities to make the U a place that welcomes the diversity that people of all abilities bring with them.

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Education funding

Really hoping we fund a gazzilion dollar football stadium in MN instead of education so I can do a "Family Fun Walk" every single Saturday morning from this Saturday until 2038 to raise money for my kids' schools. Assuming LGA stays in the toilet, of course.

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UD, privilege and oppression

Thinking about Universal Design's relationship with privilege and oppression: What is it?
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52.6 mpg

First trip in new prius: mpls to rochester @ 52.6 mpg. Nice.
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