March 27, 2015

I figured I am long overdue with sending out an update. It’s a little challenging to recall what all I have been up to since last July. Hmmm…. Fall 2014 wound up being more or less a blur. I decided to take it upon myself to incorporate group research projects into my Stable Isotope Course, which wound up being a lot of extra work but also quite rewarding. Three of my five groups presented their project results at a recent University-wide graduate research symposium, and at least one of them will eventually lead to a publication.

For the most part, fall was beautiful and Matt and I enjoyed visits from a variety of friends and several fall festivals. I believe that there were four weekends in a row that we walked from our house downtown to check out an event. We celebrated Matt’s birthday with some friends at a local Chuck E Cheese. The event was a resounding success and I suspect that this might become a tradition. My mother and Matt’s family joined us for Thanksgiving in Cincinnati (I really enjoy hosting this holiday). We had a great time drinking some of our homemade cider and playing a giant version of Jenga that my mother in law, Drucie, made for us a Christmas present. It’s a whole lot of fun.

After our fall term ended, Matt and I took our parrot, Lou on a rather epic holiday road trip. We first stopped in Nashville. We then picked up my brother in New Orleans and continued on to Florida where we met up my father, aunt, and her extended family for a few days. And then we drove North to Pennsylvania where we spent a few days with Matt’s family. It is always good to see family, particularly during the holidays. And I am very glad that Scott got to spend some time with Matt’s family. The only real downside for this particular trip was that it rained more or less every day we were on the road. That gets pretty dreary pretty quickly. Nevertheless, we had a good time and Lou was quite a trooper. Hopefully this trip (or at least a version of it) is something we can do again in the future. It’s quite a journey but there is a lot to see along the way. Upon our return to Cincinnati, my mother drove down from Michigan and spent New Years with us. All in all, this was quite a full but fun winter break.

Matt and I briefly went to Barcelona in January (essentially over a long weekend) and had a marvelous time. I have posted some photos on my Shutterfly website (password is monkey). We spent several days thoroughly exploring the gothic district and checking out all of the Gaudi architecture. We drank copious amounts of sangria, cava, and beer, and enjoyed some truly epic paella. I can still taste it. Mmmmmm. For the most part we had great weather. It was remarkably similar to Santa Cruz on a nice winter day - cool but pleasant in the sun. But when it rained (which it did the last day), things were a bit less enjoyable. We holed up in a number of rather bizarre and memorable small establishments. The most notable sites we saw were the magnificent Sagrada Familia cathedral, Parc Guell (which were both designed by Antoni Gaudi), and the Palace of Music. Sagrada Familia is one of the most impressive feats of architecture that I have ever seen. This immense building has been under construction since 1882. It is anticipated that construction will wrap up in the next 20 years (just in time to start restorations I imagine). Thanks to a tip from my brother, I knew we could opt to go up inside one of the spiral towers that crown the cathedral. This was an excellent choice. In addition to giving us the chance to explore some very intriguing architecture up close, this experience gave us a chance to look out at the city from a unique vantage point. If you find yourself in Barcelona, I would highly recommend a tower tour. We topped off our trip with a tribute to Strauss at the Palace of Music. The interior of this venue is stunning. I very much enjoyed studying the meticulously decorated ceiling and stage before, during, and after the show. All in all, this trip treated us really well. Hopefully we’ll have an opportunity to return to Barcelona one day.

Back in Cincinnati, 2015 has proven to be quite fast paced. I am teaching a course I have taught before (thank goodness) and am finally figuring out how to make it run smoothly. And my science continues to truck along. My lab has been bustling and my masters student, Stella, is finishing her thesis this spring. Among the more notable events, I submitted my first NSF grant. I am rather proud of this accomplishment. I worked quite diligently on the proposal for over four months and do not thin I could have improved the final product I submitted. Fingers crossed it is reviewed favorably. In early March I had the pleasure of hosting Sora Kim (an old friend from Santa Cruz) as a guest colloquium speaker for our Geology Department. I also organized a departmental workshop to overhaul our undergraduate curriculum.

Spring break came at just the right time. I was pretty exhausted and needed the time off. I think I could have used more time but at least I enjoyed a few days of relative down time. Plus, it appears to finally be Spring. My dad came for a visit as well, which gave me the opportunity to explore parts of Cincinnati I hadn’t previously explored and learn a few magic tricks. Thank you Dad! And now, Matt and I are in Saint Louis for the annual meeting for the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. So far the meeting has been superb in terms of science as well as catching up with friends and we have had the opportunity to explore a little bit of the city. Tonight we are going to visit the City Museum. I cannot wait to see Matt’s reaction to this very, very memorable venue.

Up next - we are more or less at the end of our spring term. I will be ready for it to end. So far 2015 has been rather full. In addition to teaching my spring course, I was in charge of organizing an externally facilitated workshop for our Geology Department to revamp our curriculum, and I have students who are finishing up their degrees or advancing to candidacy. My Masters student, Stella, successfully defended her thesis earlier this week. I am quite proud of her. Matt has a lot of travel planned for work but I will mostly be at home. I very much look forward to having a little more down time over the summer. I have fallen a bit behind on pumping out publications over the academic year but anticipate I will be able to catch up during the summer months. And I look forward to warmer weather!