Grandma Barb's Stuff U Didn't Know U Wanted 2 Know

Some sort of news: bad and worse

2010-07-24T20:08:00.000-07:00

It's been over a year since I posted - yikes! I've noticed, though, that blogs have been taking a beating by Facebook. But I felt like entering something, not necessarily profound or interesting, but illuminating about me: everything I do (walking, standing, sitting, lying down, reaching, brushing my teeth, taking a shower, cooking, cleaning, deadheading my geraniums, etc., etc.) gives me pain EXCEPT (this is the worse part, depending on one's perspective) eating and talking.

You have my permission to feel sorry for me and love me anyway.

Our bodies are miraculous, but....

2009-06-06T18:44:00.000-07:00

It has occurred to me that, when God was creating us, he must've decided to outsource the development of our digestive systems to someone who was a professional plumber, who figured to benefit bigtime from his design. I want to know why our intestines and organs weren't set up to utilize - totally - what we eat so that we wouldn't have to deal with leftovers that require regular releasing. Take a minute and think of the improvement in our world - in every facet imaginable. Does anyone have a plan that would accomplish such a thing? If so, notify me, and we'll take it to the logical place for such miracles: Hollywood.

pious persons attending electronic church service

2009-03-22T15:31:00.000-07:00

picture-posting 101 - some cute, some not

2009-03-22T08:55:00.000-07:00

I have now completed my training in adding pictures to my postings; we're talking heaven on earth.

After 6 months, I feel like posting. Wish I knew how to include pictures, but not of me.

2009-01-14T13:11:00.000-08:00

Profound thoughts along with some that aren't: We have four children, ten grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, so we certainly qualify as experts at parenting, right? Does the sun rise in the west? Nevertheless, we do feel blessed with our brood - which includes our children's spouses and some grandchildren's spouses and a fiance and Significant Others - for which (as I've said many times) we take no credit or blame. I'd like to mention that, by the time our kids had kids, our kids began to admire us rather more, as in "How did you ever manage - make that survive - raising 4 kids who came in a five-year period?" I'm not going to divulge the answer to that - and don't anyone dare to think we put schnapps in their milk.

We had the good fortune to spend time over the holidays to have visits from a good percentage of our family, so that almost all have seen our new home (not Caleb [Kiara's fiance], Travis [Anna's S.O.], or Amiee [Derek's S.O.]). We don't have quite the accommodations we had at our old place; e. g., Burn and Mark slept in the bed in Bob's room, while Kiara and Stefan slept on the floor in there, one on each side. After they left, some Burks came: Elissa slept in the bed in my room, putting Ansel on the floor in the adjoining closet, while Barbi and Anna slept toe-to-toe on the sectional in the bedroom. . Tom took the sectional in the livingroom. Bren and Mark utilized the lodgings at Brad and D.A.'s house. The Burk's visit got extended by one day because of bad weather, so we appreciated that.

Still waiting for the profound thoughts? Me too. But here's one with some outrage: our old house has been on the market for about six months, and there's been nary a nibble, which is bad enough financially (think two heating bills and real estate taxes for starters), but this has been during the snowiest December, nay, the snowiest MONTH in recorded history, so - even though this place has snow-removal service - Bob has had to do some shoveling here in addition to trying to remove the snow at the other place, which is a corner house. The snowblower has been on the fritz for most of the time, despite having been serviced. The Crowning Touch is that, due to the position of each of these homes, we get the most snow in our yards of almost anyone else in the Moorhead-Fargo metropolitan area.

Maybe my next blog will be profound. This one was just long, and you're welcome.

Old Geezers that Go-Go-Go

2008-07-25T11:33:00.000-07:00

We've been in our new digs almost a month now, and haven't done anything to get kicked out of the association yet. We basically like this place a lot and wish we'd made such a move long ago. Several guests have visited and given thumbs up on the accommodations. We're closer to a number of the places we often shop at - most importantly, DUANE'S PIZZA.

The reference in the title to us O.G.s that go-go-go is not meant to say that we travel a lot, but we did make a journey way up to Crookston (MN) - a whole hour away - July 15-17, for my 57th class reunion (50th, 60th reunions are so overdone, we wanted to be different). Our class in 1951 was unusally small compared to the classes of '50 and '52, which were half again as large: we were 42 depression babies. Not to say we were blah kids, although our class was not noticeably athletic: not a single senior on the basketball team! Soccer hadn't been invented in MN back then, nor hockey for girls. We were more musically inclined, always placing high in district and regional contests. However, no one suggested we try to organize a reunion choir or band; most of us don't have the lung capacity to sing or blow anymore. There were 17 of the 30 survivors in attendance, most with spouses along, so we made a nice size group for the banquet. We checked out the new high school (built 10 yrs. ago); our old school no longer exists, having been removed from the face of the earth. And there's a great Polk County Museum in town, consisting of at least 6 buildings, that was fascinating. My walker Rocky and I could only manage 2 of them before giving up. I brought my knitting to the hotel and actually knitted a few rows on the dish cloth I was making, about the only things I make anymore.

I consider us go-go-go-ers because we made this significant move, indicating that we have a lot on the ball. Oh, another geographic adventure is coming up soon: to St. Paul July 31 for the joint baptism of Dalila Jeanne Hansen and Ansel Thomas Cosgrove, our two newest great-grandchildren. Cousins Elissa - Ansel's mom - and Trygve - Dalila's dad - were baptized together also, 27 yrs. ago. How's that for sweet and touching?

I haven't learned how to add pictures yet, but Barbi's blog http://indecisivity.blogspot.com will give you a good look at both babies.

When I was merely a grandparent, I was in good shape and able to carry a baby and walk ad infinitum; now, however, I'm restricted to holding one in my lap while I sit. Sigh. It's still a thrill.

'til next installment - Gr. Barb

fruition

2008-06-26T07:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, June 25, 2008, I played an integral part in two BIG EVENTS: (I wanted to use "visceral," but found it means acting from one's instinct rather than intellect, and I resented that): great-grandson Bruiser (Barbi's choice of a temporary name since E. and B. haven't settled on one yet; he gave his mommy a pretty hard time before arriving) Cosgrove arrived at 10:47 EDT in Boston, weighing in at a hefty 9 1/2 pounds and measuring 21 inches in length. Parents Ben and Elissa Cosgrove; Elissa is our daughter Barbi's daughter, thus deeply connecting me and Gr. Grpa Bob to Baby Bruiser. We hope/expect to meet the not-so-little guy sometime this summer, when he and Elissa come to Minnesota for a few weeks.

Secondly, I signed my name approximately 17 times to documents which made us happy owners of a townhouse a couple of miles from this house, which we also own and have lived in for 48 years. Anybody familiar with the term "cash flow problem?" We haven't even listed this house yet, as we're having some basement repair done first; possibly we'll be able to start having the house shown within two weeks or so. We've already moved a lot of stuff over to the "new" place (5 yrs. old) and having the carpeting cleaned there today, and the movers will bring over our furniture tomorrow. Then we'll start living there primarily; we've met a few of the neighbors and find them pleasant. I'm rejoicing in the all-one-floor design and the attached garage. Our daughters Brenda and Burna have been providing amazing and invaluable help the last week or so in packing, packing, and more packing, and sorting and discarding in the process. Our lives in the new place will start out fabulously well-organized. Burna even made a quadruple batch of oatmeal cookies, some with choc. chips, some with butterscotch chips, some with peanut butter (dearest to my heart).

Bottom line: our cups runneth over.

A lot of excitement for two old codgers

2008-06-08T14:22:00.000-07:00

The months of May and June are being full of events and promising more to come. We've welcomed a new great-granddaughter - Dalila Jeanne Hansen, born May 1 to Trygve and Jeanne, joining big sister Chloe, who's 7; we've seen a grandson graduate from college - Kip Lee Hansen, son of Brenda and Mark, brother of Tryg and Per, from Minnesota State Univ.Moorhead in Mass Communications May 9; we're looking forward to a new great-grandson, due in a week or so to Elissa and Ben Cosgrove, Barbi's daughter and son-in-law in Boston. Barbi will go there June 16 to either welcome "Lumpy" (Barbi's choice of name that would be unisex) or to help wait for him.
We have a bunch of birthdays in our family in May and June, at least 9.
And now, Bob's and my so-called minds are trying to focus on selling our house that we helped build and have lived in for 48 years, intent on finding a place to live with no stairs (this one - a split-level - you can't live in w/o going down and up stairs, as there's no bathroom on the main floor). Also no snow-shoveling or lawn-mowing. If I had my druthers, I'd pack a suitcase and move tomorrow (into the townhouse Bob looked at and brought home a brochure with pictures) and not have to go through all the hassle. However, that's not an option at this point.

forget spring

2008-05-28T04:19:00.000-07:00

In spite of the fact that our potted geraniums had to be brought in because of a frost advisory just two nights ago, I have determined that we're into summery weather now and need give only a cursory glance at the predicted lows from now on.
Grpa Bob has put black dirt and grass seed in the areas of our front lawn which were denuded of grass (partially from a truck's having driven over part of it and partially because we get snow that stays there longer than anybody else's in the metropolita area [because we face north and our lot is smack dab in the prevailing NNW wind's dumping path] and thus smothers the poor little grass thingies that try to get enough air to poke up out of the ground). He has watered the areas thoroughly, much to the delight of the robins and blackbirds (he calls them grackles) who congregate to pluck seeds and heedless worms who foolishly come near to the surface. As I was working on the jigsaw puzzle, which is right in front of the front window because the light is best there, I watched a robin get a substantial worm and - to my astonishment - suck the approx. 2 1/2 inch creature (are worms creatures?) right down, like a strand of spaghetti, and then prance around picking up seeds to augment its supper. Obviously the start of an electrifyingly exciting summer for moi.

Epilog #2 to has Spring Sprung?

2008-04-28T12:40:00.000-07:00

This had better be the last epilog necessary this spring. After the snow had melted from our last two snowfalls, and Bob had raked almost the whole yard, we got 9.1 inches of snow April 25-26. He had put the snowblower away in the shed, but it wouldn't have been able to handle the wet, heavy snow anyway; so he did a lot of shoveling. 'Tis fortunate that he's in pretty darn good shape for an old geezer of 75, but he'd done a lot of shoveling the previous few weeks, plus the raking, plus had GOLFED a half dozen or so rounds.
His golf course has been closed for 3 days already, but he's hoping that it'll open Tuesday; the snow is almost gone and may disappear this very day. He usually gets in around 200 rounds of golf each season; now he may have to be satisfied with only 195 or so....
A fellow survivor - Gram Barb

epilog re the Sprung Spring post

2008-04-09T09:10:00.000-07:00

In the intervening week, we received 8 inches of snow, and Bemidji got TWO FEET of the winter-stretching stuff. It's mostly melted here in Moorhead (still very deep in the woods area of Bemidji), so one would think "that's it for snow 'til November," but we actually have a chance of snow around Friday, but prob. not to the extent of last Sunday.
It's wonderful to live where the weather is full of surprises....
Stay tuned - Gr. Barb

Has Spring sprung?

2008-04-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

Here in northwestern Minnesota on April 2, we still have a fair amount of snow (particularly in our front yard, which faces north), but overall, I think it's safe to say that there's more grass showing now than snow.
I'm curious as to conditions elsewhere amongst my "connections," i. e., is winter seriously saying goodbye where you are?
Bob is in his last 13 days of working on tax returns at EideBailly; it's just as well that his golf course hasn't opened yet, as it is a titch painful for him to be stuck in an office - cubicle, that is - when 18 holes beckon. More often than not, the two overlap, but he can get 8 hrs. in at the office and still have time to golf in the afternoon, since he's usually at work by 6-6:30.
I used to plant flowers along each of the four walls of our house, but have done less and less each year, 'til now we buy two large pots of healthy, well-developed geraniums to set either side of the front door and find that keeping those alive is all we can do.
The reason I'm posting is that I'd like folks to tell me their plans for the springtime, sending pictures if possible.
Let's everybody smile now - - - - Gr. Barb

Do the eyes have it?

2008-02-29T06:32:00.001-08:00

In my reading of fiction (and some non-) I don't think I've found a single author who can resist crediting the eyes with an incredible range of expression, which I challenge as to actual veracity. Other than a few obvious "actions" of one's eyes, like squinting or wide open or sidelong glance or tears - all of which can denote totally opposite reactions, requiring the rest of one's face and possibly bodily movements, to define their actual meaning - one's eyes are useless to indicate emotion, in my judgment. If we were presented with a large page of pictures of just eyes and asked to determine what each pair was communicating, I maintain that we would fail abysmally to correctly identify even 10%.
I think some authors use references to eyes' so-called expressions to fortify a position in their story and/or to move it along because they can't figure out any other way to do it. Except for using the obvious ones referred to earlier, I want them to stop it.

Gr. Barb

important notice

2008-02-22T11:55:00.001-08:00

This is to alert all fans to my potentially posting something here in the near future; I had an S.B. (Scathingly Brilliant) idea a week or so ago, but lost it on my way to the computer. Certainly, any day now - nay, any minute! - my brain will cough it up. So, please stay tuned.

Pain: friend or foe?

2007-10-16T16:30:00.000-07:00

If anyone was hoping for a well-researched treatise by me on this subject, get real. But I've come in contact with pain just enough to feel I have some salient thoughts about it.

First off - ideally, I believe in No-Pain, No-Pain, but that's rarely possible. My orthopedist, while not really a member of the No-Pain, No-Gain camp, said I could try to tolerate a little pain, the amount of which he described with his thumb and forefinger, about an inch worth.

Anyone with arthritis knows the discomfort is almost never just an inch worth, so one wants to find a way to alleviate it; in my case, short of surgery. Currently, I have a regimen of exercises - not quite high-impact aerobics - that is hoped will eventually provide some relief, plus a maximum dosage of Tylenol every day. Incidentally, surgery - that's replacement - on each joint that hurts would leave me pretty much a person with new knees, shoulders, and hips, almost a bionic woman. But my orthopedist doesn't consider me a good candidate for surgery because I take prednisone for a lung condition and asthma.

Uff da, this is really boring. Basically I want to point out that pain has a purpose, so total suppression of it can be a bad idea, masking some condition that requires attention. On the other hand, enduring excruciating pain - without having it checked out in case it signals a situation that could do permanent damage if not treated - is contraindicated, I believe.

Let me know if any of you think I should submit this "article" to the J.A.M.A. for publication.

She's Back!

2007-08-30T19:07:00.001-07:00

Gram Barb is google-fied and ready for business; or, at least she hopes to be able to make comments on other blogs.

Thought for the day:

Do any of these nostrums irk you? And just what is a nostrum?

* There but for the grace of God go I. (This implies that God favored you above that other slob.)

* God must have work for me yet to do here on earth. (Spoken after a close call.)

* God will not test you beyond your ability to withstand. (Why does God need to test?)

Until next time--

Barbi, for Gram B

Movies and Literature: too much fantasy?

2006-08-22T03:09:00.000-07:00

An 8-month hiatus from posting anything new - but expecting others to keep current - is perhaps enough, although I would like to point out that Derek's blog has remained non-current even longer.

I am requesting input from my readers/fans: does it seem to you that many, if not the majority of films and books, now and in recent years (like 20) come out of the weird imaginations of the writers? I'll list the movies in our Aug. 20 Forum and ask you to count the sci-fi and otherwise non-reality films and compare with the number of non-fiction, please.

The Ant Bully
Barnyard: the Original Party Animals
Cars
Clerks II
Click
The Descent
The Devil Wears Prada
An Inconvenient Truth
John Tucker Must Die
Lady in the Water
Little Man
Little Miss Sunshine
Material Girls
Miami Vice
Monster House
The Night Listener
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Pulse
A Scanner Darkly
Sketches of Frank Gehry
Snakes on a Plane
Step Up
Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
World Trade Center
You, Me and Dupree
Zoom

I myself am so-so about watching movies/reading books of the fantasy genre (I usually can't understand them) but am genuinely curious as to why there is so much of it and seemingly so popular: are people looking for escape from the real world because the real world is more frightening? Or should I just be impressed at the cleverness of the writers?

Please share your opinions on this subject and enlighten me in the process.

The oft-bewildered Grandma Barb

A pair of words to consider

2006-01-29T19:20:00.000-08:00

It's been almost 3 weeks since I posted anything, and it's time. The words I've chosen to describe are INGENUOUS and DISINGENUOUS. I feel they're somewhat confusing and opposite to what a person logically would assume they mean. INGENUOUS ( not to be confused with INGENIOUS) means frank and open and somewhat naive, whereas DISINGENUOUS means lacking in candor or sincerity. Let's see if I can come up with a clarifying sentence:

Being ingenuous, I was a perfect patsy for the sneakiness of my disingenuous friend.

Readers/commenters are encouraged to come up with other sentences with these useful words.

ENIGMA

2006-01-09T11:09:00.000-08:00

I realize that Derek didn't issue invitations to a poetry contest, but, as you'll soon see, I've truly been inspired:

Enigma by Gr. Barb
--------------------

How do you separate Poetry from
Prose?

May as well try to separate Gr. Barb from

cookies (and bars and pies and ice cream and pizza).

word to the wise and/or not so wise from the latter

2006-01-08T15:52:00.000-08:00

LUCIFACTION: vivid coinage from Marilynne Robinson's novel Housekeeping; suggests the coruscating* reflections of light on a body of water: "Set apart from the drifts and tides and LUCIFACTIONS of the open water, the surface of the bay seemed almost viscous...."

*CORUSCATING: emitting vivid flashes of light; sparkling, scintillating, gleaming.

Note from submitter Gr. Barb: I couldn't find LUCIFACTION in any of my dictionaries, but the internet came through. Next time you're on or in view of a body of water - other than the kitchen sink or bathtub - be sure to check out the LUCIFACTION, okay?

addenda to the lasagna recipe

2005-10-29T04:37:00.000-07:00

A question has arisen as to the possibility of increasing the ingredients slightly so as to fit into a 9x13 pan, which is a more common size than 7x11. Yes, I've actually done such a thing; some of the jars of pasta sauce now come in a larger size (4 cups instead of 3, I think - an increase of, let's see: 33 1/3 %, right?), so add that much (or so) of the other ingredients; e. g., 22 oz. of cottage cheese (the usual next larger size), 2 or 3 more lasagna noodles (or the equivalent in other forms), about 2/3 cup more of mozzarella & a titch more parmesan.

Also, I neglected to mention adding meat: I add "some" browned ground beef if I have eaters who don't want the vegetarian version. For awhile, I would have that available "on the side," but my gourmet son, Brad, said that that "just doesn't do it, Mom," so generally make two panfuls of lasagana, one with meat, one w/o.

Enjoy!

Easy but tasty Lasagna with or without lasagna noodles

2005-10-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

1 jar (28 oz.) pasta sauce, any brand, choice of styles (with meat, with mushrooms, etc.) I choose the traditional w/o meat.

Enough UNCOOKED pasta (curly noodles, e. g., or even six lasagna noodles if you prefer & have some on hand) to make two layers in a 11"x7" baking dish.

15 oz. cottage cheese ( I use fat-free)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided to be added at 2 different times

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Spread about 1 cup pasta sauce in a 2-qt. shallow baking dish (11"x7"). Top with a layer of noodles, the cottage cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, the parmesan cheese, & 1 cup pasta sauce. Top with another layer of noodles and remaining pasta sauce, spreading the sauce so no pasta is exposed (curly noodles required a bit more sauce, as they stuck up). Cover (I use aluminum foil as I don't have an "official" cover). Bake at 375 deg. F. for 1 hr. Uncover and top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Let stand 5 minutes (not necessary to put it back into the oven). 6 servings.

One of the several great features of this recipe is that you don't cook the noodles, thus eliminating the dirtying of another pan. Another is the joy you'll feel if you have leftovers for the next day.

Word for today - INTEGUMENT

2005-10-06T13:30:00.000-07:00

INTEGUMENT: a natural covering, as a skin, shell, or rind.

Used in an ordinary sentence: When I see pictures on t-v of wriggling bugs, it absolutely makes my integument crawl.

Some of you may wonder if I sit down with a dictionary & choose words to feature; au contraire! The words I share are ones that have come up in my reading or in a crossword, ones that I have had to look up for my own understanding. I like to think I'm saving you the trouble of having to look up these useful words.

A word to the wise - not necessarily new, but good

2005-09-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

Efficacious: capable of having the desired result; effective. Used in a sentence/paragraph:

I, Gr. Barb, still believe in the efficaciousness of my LOSE/WIN challenge: i. e., (1) eat anything I want, just in smaller quantities, enough to eliminate any hunger pangs; (2) get as much exercise as can be tolerated. But, here's the thing: believing in the efficaciousness of something and actually BEING efficacious have sort of parted ways in my case. I seem to feel it necessary to consume more than I did - in the early months of my challenge - in order to assuage those very persistent hunger pangs ("pangs" is a titch dramatic for what are really urges) (I'll maybe take up the word "assuage" at a later date), so that I haven't lost any weight for over 3 months, have remained at -40-42 for all that time. Which is not to be sneezed at, but I need/want to lose at least 40 more. I'm pleased to report, however, that I've been totally diligent about the exercise part. And here's the biggest rub of all: there are only two places that show evidence of those bygone 40 lbs.: my face (think 99 yrs. old) & my height (picture me 3 1/2 inches shorter). So, if anyone casually asks you if you believe there's justice in the world of weight control, you have my permission to answer with a firm NO.

So here's to EFFICACY (the shorter noun version of efficaciousness)!!!!

DTB starts classes---as if there's anything I have to learn!

2005-09-25T20:34:00.000-07:00

As I anticiapte the first line of a new chapter of my life--a chapter which will no doubt include many ups and downs, lessons learned and assumptions abandoned, and which will change who I am and shape who I will be--I suppose everyone is wondering, "How does he feel?" Well, after an exhausting self-examination, I've managed to put my state of mind into words: I feel okay (BRB might have seen that one coming).

For anyone who's curious, I've posted my classes (with descriptions) below. Very interesting reading, I'm sure.

BIOS 10110. Biological Issues and Paradigms. 12:30-2:20, MWF Students must
confirm their registration with their instructors by the
second class meeting or their registration may be canceled.
This course addresses the question "what is life?" with a
discussion of topics that range from the essential properties
characteristic of all life to the complexities of evolution
and interactions between all forms of life in the biosphere.
Students in the course develop a broad common core of
understanding of the nature of life through lectures, small
group discussions, writing, and laboratory investigations.
Laboratory fees apply. A second biology course (listed under
"Topics Courses below") builds on this core knowledge,
focusing on a specialized topic of biological inquiry. Autumn,
Winter, Spring.

14000-14100-14200. Reading Cultures: Collection, Travel,
Exchange. 10:30-11:50, TTh This sequence introduces methods of literary,
visual, and social analysis by addressing the formation and
transformation of cultures across a broad chronological and
geographic field. Our objects of study range from the
Renaissance epic to contemporary film, the fairy tale to the
museum. Hardly presuming that we know definitively what
"culture" means, we examine paradigms of reading within which
the very idea of culture emerged and changed. Autumn, Winter,
Spring.

14000. Reading Cultures: Collection. This quarter focuses on
the way both objects and stories are selected and rearranged
to produce cultural identities. We examine exhibition
practices of the past and present, including the 1893 World's
Columbian Exposition and the University's own Oriental
Institute. We read Ovid's Metamorphoses, The Arabian Nights,
and collections of African-American folk tales. We conclude by
considering modernist modes of fragmentation and
reconstellation in Cubism, T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land, and
Orson Welles's Citizen Kane.

14100. Reading Cultures: Travel. Focusing on the literary
conventions of cross-cultural encounter, this quarter
concentrates on how individual subjects are formed and
transformed through narrative. We investigate both the longing
to travel and the trails of displacement. We read several
forms of travel literature, from the Renaissance to the
present, including Columbus's Diario, The Interesting
Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa the
African, Basho's Narrow Road to the Deep North, and
contemporary tourist literature.

14200. Reading Cultures: Exchange. This quarter works toward
understanding the relation (in the modern and post-modern
periods) between economic development and processes of
cultural transformation. We examine literary and visual texts
that celebrate and criticize modernization and urbanization.
Beginning with Baudelaire's response to Paris in his prose
poems, we then concentrate on novels that address economic,
social, and cultural change in the 1930s, including
Abdelrahman Munif's Cities of Salt and Richard Wright's Native
Son. As the quarter concludes, students develop projects that
investigate the urban fabric of Chicago itself.

12100-12200-12300. Self, Culture, and Society. 10:30-11:20, MWF PQ: Must be
taken in sequence. M. Postone, B. Cohler, W. Sewell. Autumn,
Winter, Spring.

12100. In this quarter, we explore the nature and development
of modern society through an examination of theories of
capitalism. The classic social theories of Smith, Marx, and
Weber, along with contemporary ethnographic and historical
works, serve as points of departure for considering the
characterizing features of the modern world, with particular
emphasis on its social-economic structure and issues of work,
the texture of time, and economic globalization.

12200. PQ: SOSC 12100. In this quarter, we focus on the
relation of culture, social life, and history. On the basis of
readings from Durkheim, Lévi-Strauss, Sahlins, Foucault,
Benjamin, Adorno, and other anthropologists and cultural
theorists, we investigate how systems of meaning expressed
through metaphors, symbols, rituals, and narratives constitute
and articulate individual and social experience across a range
of societies, including our own, and how those systems of
meaning change historically.

12300. PQ: SOSC 12200. In this quarter, we concern ourselves
with the question of how personhood is constructed socially,
culturally, and historically. Our considerations include
issues of gender, sexuality, and ethnic identity, through the
study of the wide range of approaches found in the works of
Freud, Goffman, Vygotsky, de Beauvoir, Fanon, and others.

Aren't you jealous? It adds up to three classes this quarter (the sublistings are descriptions of each quarter in the sequence). Although that may sound like I'm being lazy, I assure you that three classes is a full load. I just want to ease into things, and if I do well with three, then I'll add a class next quarter. Is that good enough for you?

As snotty as I may seem, I am open to advice and encouragement. Soon I'll let you know which RSOs (Registered Student Organizations) I'm getting involved with. Could it be The Model UN? The Feminist Majority? Tune in next time.

Book review: THE SECRET KNOWLEDGE OF GROWNUPS

2005-09-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

Kari (our granddaughter who is in her first year of teaching 5th grade) told me about this book, & it's - let me see if I can think of an appropriate word/phrase - the epitome of twisted, but comedic, thinking. I'm not sure 5th graders are old enough to catch all the nuances, but I'm confident they'll enjoy it, as will adults. It was published in 1998.

Author David Wisniewski chooses eight rules (Eat your vegetables - they're good for you; Drink plenty of milk - it's good for you; Comb your hair - it keeps it neat; Don't blow bubbles in your milk - it's noisy, sloppy, & rude - Don't play with your food - it's messy and rude - Don't jump on your bed - you'll break it & you might get hurt; Don't bite your fingernails - it makes your fingernails look terrible; Don't pick your nose - it's gross and disgusting); that kids get drummed into their heads by grown-ups, &, while he doesn't totally debunk the standard reasons for the rules, he reveals the hidden purposes of the grown-ups. Believe me, they're fascinating! I defy anyone to guess the real reasons b/4 turning the pages.

If the author of this book had been given as Derek Thomas Burk, I would've had no trouble accepting that as the gospel truth; somehow, he seems to have inherited the genes of a person with a wry sense of humor. I'm positive his Grandma Burk is innocent: she's too nice.

Doing a little research on David Wisniewski, I found that he and his wife Donna - with whom he ran a shadow puppet theater - have two children; one can't help but wonder what rules he hands down to them & whether they have secret reasons.... His awesome illustrations he made with cut paper.

This is a book to delight a wide range of ages.

by BGK, official book-reviewer on Grambk's staff. Sept. 24, 2005

There's a new blog in town

2005-09-18T22:33:00.000-07:00

You're wasting your time reading this you know. What you need to do is hop on over to The Quixote at thequixote.blogspot.com/, the new HOT blog that everybody is talking about. Don't hesitate; tomorrow it might be too late. Just kidding everybody, but I did want to alert Grandma and others that my blog now actually exists and eagerly awaits it's first postings. I wonder though whether this will become some sort of fierce rivalry. I sure hope so.

Better late than never

2005-09-18T06:54:00.000-07:00

I finally made it to college, even if I am a month late. My mom and dad drove me down to Chicago on Friday and we moved into my dorm on Saturday. The move-in was pretty smooth considering my dorm only has one entrance and four elevators and there were 250 new students moving in with me.

Just FYI, I live in Shoreland Hall, a building that was built in the 1920s or 30s as a luxury hotel. I wouldn't call it luxury anymore, but it is probably an above-average quality dorm. One downside is that Shoreland is about a mile away from campus, but I have my bike and there is a shuttle that runs pretty regularly taking Shorelanders to campus or back to the Shoreland.

My room is spacious to say the least, and it has five closets and a bathroom. I share the room with two other students: Mike Haibach from Pittsburgh and Jeremy Peterman from Ridgewood, New Jersey.

I think I'm going to the gym now, more info later.

Triple Delight Fruit Crisp

2005-09-06T13:30:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe I (Gr. Barb) created out of my fondness for Apple Crisp. Why not, I reasoned, add yet more flavor to Apple Crisp, especially when you have other fruits you need to use up, because of freezer burn, natural over-ripeness, etc. So!I used up three fruits with one recipe....

TRIPLE DELIGHT FRUIT CRISP Oven 350 deg. baking time - approx. 45 min.

In a 9x13" pan, place about 2 cups each of cut-up apples, rhubarb, & peaches, arranging as evenly as possible. Over them, sprinkle about 1 teasp. cinnamon & 1/2-1 cup of sugar, depending on whether or not you like a tart flavor. Over the fruits & spices, spread the topping, which is mixed like pie crust (do not use a mixer):
1 1/2 cups br. sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup soft butter
Bake, checking after about 30 min., until the fruits are starting to bubble & the outside edges of the topping start getting darkish brown. Ideally, serve while warm, although the flavors make it good anytime, crisp or not. Some like whipped cream, 1/2 and 1/2, or ice cream as toppings over the topping.

You perhaps noticed my penchant for non-absolute terms (about, as evenly as possible, depending on, etc. ) Kind of like the world of medicine in that regard (although I would like that world to contain only absolutes, so you can see I'm totally out of the world of reality on that score).

new (to me) & possibly interesting word

2005-09-05T05:40:00.000-07:00

ULTRAIST: person who takes an extreme view of something, as in "Barbi is an ultraist if she thinks this blogging thing is going to fly." Other forms: ULTRAISM, ULTRAISTIC

This Should be FUN!

2005-08-28T14:06:00.000-07:00

Barbi here, favorite youngest daughter to Grandma Barb. Grandma and I are creating this unique blog. Everything was going smoothly until we saw how the title came out: Everything You Didn't KNow You Wan. Apparently there was a size limit-- something we didn't know we wanted to know (that catgory of items is looming large about now). The full title, in case you didn't guess, was to be "Grandma Barb's "Everything You Didn't Know You Wanted to Know."" So we tried again with the ingenious title you see above, with some inspiration from Kari.

This website is my brainchild, intended to provide an outlet for Grandma Barb's unbridled creativity, wit, compassion, and discretionary time. We're not too sure yet whether this is the proper vehicle. It could be that we'll be looking for a place that allows longer titles and more flexibility....

The vision is that the site will allow guests to access information about the following array of fascinating topics:

Grandma Barb's Lose/Win challenge (where Grandma Barb loses unwanted pounds and you win fabulous prizes by guessing how many) (42.5 pounds, and counting and/or holding)

PSTIWSWFACAGS News (you can't help but be intrigued now)

Grandchildren Updates: learn what's happening in your cousins' lives (assuming that Grandma Barb is your grandma)

Book reviews: Learn what Grandma Barb and her associates think about the books they may or may not have read

Recipes: Usually for decadence

Vocabulary builder: Grandma can feature a new and useful word every week.

Pillow Possibilities: As many of you know, Grandma Barb's pillow creations are state-renowned.

Check in anytime to see how this project is faring!

Barbi

2005-08-23T13:59:00.000-07:00

gram barb here with my initial posting, which could very well be my last, due to lack of inspiration or something.
I let Barbi create this "thing" w/o seriously taking it seriously, but who knows? If I get any postings, history could be made!
For now, know that I'd like to know "stuff" from you-all, so I can comment on it. Do we have a deal?