Working

I spent most of my writing and thinking time today working through just two pages of revision of the section "What is design?" One reviewer liked it, the other wanted us to remove it, saying it was written for a management rather than a design journal. At first I thought to leave "as is," but when I looked further, I could see how we had put all the theorists we referenced into context, and that might seem condescending to readers who were well versed in design issues. By the end of the day 1,110 words were reduced to 940, but every word was a struggle!
I took time out to reconoiter two local university libraries -- at the Ringling School of Art and Design (primarily fine arts and some visual design) and University of South Florida at Sarasota (undergraduate liberal arts, no management). Neither has reciprocal borrowing privileges with SHU, but I'm sure I can do all that I need to while sitting at the libarary tables.

Dissenting opinion

Email from academic friend who read my blog:
"Truly, you are a sick and twisted individual if you think I might enjoy seeing pictures of pelicans and thermometers with 80 degree temperatures while I am whiling away the winter in New England! What is the world coming to when Jill Woodilla is blogging on her sabbatical? Isn’t that what Jack is supposed to be doing??"

Get back to work!

Enough of wandering the sands looking for different viewpoints on life -- it's time to hunker down editing the first revision (but already accepted) of the "Dancing within hierarchies ..." paper. Only then can I return to the sophorific task of reading obscure articles in the hopes of making (new) sense out of them. After all, the AVP may be reading this blog!

You may need to click on the photo to enlarge it for the full effect of this presentation of "beach artifacts." I don't know who made it, or why they left it on the beach for others to enjoy. (Yes, that's sand, not snow!)

Tempertaures

Air temperature (on balcony, out of direct sun) as above.

Outdoor pool temperature = 86 degrees (@ 6PM)

Gulf ocean temperature = 66 degrees

Phoning ...

It was hot walking on the beach today, so I did not mind returning to my local office to wait for scheduled phone connections to Fairfield. I will probably be pleased to escape back to the beach as soon as they are over!

Reading ...

Lot's of reading today! Daughter Karen sent her draft dissertation prospectus on the development of the California coast, setting out an ambitious and interesting project that inolves research in San Mateo, San Francisco, Mystic, and New York! Then the materials for the NewDean search meeting on Monday (I plan to attend by phone) arrived by FedEx just as we were returning from our morning walk, not to mention the fact that I now have sufficient notes from my reading on paradigms to need to re-read and digest them. Enough for one day! Off to the pool -- I can't read with my head under water!

Where is YOUR ironing studio?

Today, when we were at Home Despot buying energy-saving lightbulbs, I saw a car advertising "Leona's Ironing Studio." I was so overcome with awe that I ommitted to take a photo or even record the phone number to inquire about the range of services. But the experience did prompt me to visit "Jill's ironing studio" to dispense with the winter clothes still waiting processing.

Milestones of the day included clebrating being here one week, making the "pork chops with mustard sauce" recommended by daughter-the-younger (yummy, but I have to work on my sauce reduction techniques before taking a photo), and doing precious little "real research." Am I settling in to a sabbatical mode?