Cheap Trick
In a nod to Rhonda, I had to put this up. Yesterday we went to Lowe's to pick up some stuff, and as we were driving, Plainbellied actually requested that I put on "I Want You To Want Me" from Cheap Trick's At Budokan album that I bought not too long ago. It was a very exciting moment. Her Nibs even demanded that we all sing along with the song, which she also enjoyed very much, even if she didn't know the words.
Laptops in Education
In Friday's NY Times, they had an article on the introduction of laptop computers into school classrooms. It's interesting because it discusses the fact that many schools are now giving up the programs they started, even while many other schools are still developing their programs. You may recall that I have issues with the over-focus of American schools on test scores. I don't think they do much good for students, and they are playing a key role in the dumbing-down of American children (I think).
Well, I look at the laptop issue in a similar fashion. There are those who think that cutting edge is always best, and that technology can cure all problems, so long as it is used properly. I personally applaud the schools for getting rid of the computers. I think they do more harm than good. Often, people claim that poorer schools are somehow technologically deficient and that explains the disparities in test scores, when in reality it isn't a technological problem. It is a social problem. Studies are now showing that students in the laptop programs don't do any better on tests.
In fact, it looks like students are becoming complacent, using the computers for recreational purposes, and even taking advantage of the laptops to cheat in school. Laptops are useless in helping students learn how to read or write well. Technological savvy should not be a goal. It should be a tool, and putting it above learning how to think does our children a disservice.
I am particularly disturbed by the conclusions of one researcher who, after concluding that the computers did not affect test scores, argued the following:
Frankly, I don't buy it. Creativity can be taught just as well with a pencil and paper as with a laptop. There are larger problems at work, and the following quote from the article summarizes my feelings on the matter (especially since I teach history):
My students recently submitted a term paper for an advanced college-level history course, and I found that many of them were reluctant to actually go to the library to find books. They thought (wrongly) that everything they needed was on the Internet. Because of this attitude, a number of them did quite poorly on the paper, because they misunderstood fundamental issues.
Now that I've written this, I need to clarify that I am not against teaching technology. I use my computer for much of what I do. However, it is only a tool. There are things for which it is quite unsuited. Even when I do find relevant articles online (many academic journals now publish online, through subscription services like JStor), I usually print them up to read and to mark up. The computer is just a tool for finding them.
I do think that schools should conduct computer classes (we had to take a typing class), and classes should have access to computers for relevant projects, but they really need to focus on what is most important. That should be teaching our children to think. Unfortunately, they're so set on test scores and technology that many seem to have lost track of that.
I wish I had something pithy to say at the end of this post, but I don't. Oh well. At least I got through it without saying "puke." (oops, there it is.)
Well, I look at the laptop issue in a similar fashion. There are those who think that cutting edge is always best, and that technology can cure all problems, so long as it is used properly. I personally applaud the schools for getting rid of the computers. I think they do more harm than good. Often, people claim that poorer schools are somehow technologically deficient and that explains the disparities in test scores, when in reality it isn't a technological problem. It is a social problem. Studies are now showing that students in the laptop programs don't do any better on tests.
In fact, it looks like students are becoming complacent, using the computers for recreational purposes, and even taking advantage of the laptops to cheat in school. Laptops are useless in helping students learn how to read or write well. Technological savvy should not be a goal. It should be a tool, and putting it above learning how to think does our children a disservice.
I am particularly disturbed by the conclusions of one researcher who, after concluding that the computers did not affect test scores, argued the following:
“Where laptops and Internet use make a difference are in innovation, creativity, autonomy and independent research,” he said. “If the goal is to get kids up to basic standard levels, then maybe laptops are not the tool. But if the goal is to create the George Lucas and Steve Jobs of the future, then laptops are extremely useful.”
Frankly, I don't buy it. Creativity can be taught just as well with a pencil and paper as with a laptop. There are larger problems at work, and the following quote from the article summarizes my feelings on the matter (especially since I teach history):
In the school library, an 11th-grade history class was working on research papers. Many carried laptops in their hands or in backpacks even as their teacher, Tom McCarthy, encouraged them not to overlook books, newspapers and academic journals.
“The art of thinking is being lost,” he said. “Because people can type in a word and find a source and think that’s the be all end all.”
My students recently submitted a term paper for an advanced college-level history course, and I found that many of them were reluctant to actually go to the library to find books. They thought (wrongly) that everything they needed was on the Internet. Because of this attitude, a number of them did quite poorly on the paper, because they misunderstood fundamental issues.
Now that I've written this, I need to clarify that I am not against teaching technology. I use my computer for much of what I do. However, it is only a tool. There are things for which it is quite unsuited. Even when I do find relevant articles online (many academic journals now publish online, through subscription services like JStor), I usually print them up to read and to mark up. The computer is just a tool for finding them.
I do think that schools should conduct computer classes (we had to take a typing class), and classes should have access to computers for relevant projects, but they really need to focus on what is most important. That should be teaching our children to think. Unfortunately, they're so set on test scores and technology that many seem to have lost track of that.
I wish I had something pithy to say at the end of this post, but I don't. Oh well. At least I got through it without saying "puke." (oops, there it is.)
Movie weekend
This weekend, Plainbellied and I saw three new movies. On Friday night, we watched "Rocky Balboa." Plainbellied had never seen "Rocky" until after we got married, and she's not very familiar with the earlier movies. I really like the first four, though (usually I pretend "Rocky V" never happened). Well, I'm not really into "Rocky II," but I really like "Rocky," "Rocky III," and "Rocky IV." I have to say that I enjoyed "Rocky Balboa." If you're not familiar, it follows the same basic storyline of "Rocky," but it's about life after Adrian and how Rocky tries to relate to his kid. It's a schmarmy, feel-good kind of movie, and I am not ashamed to say that I liked it. There are even a few memorable scenes where Rocky talks sense into his son. If I had a choice, though, I'd probably watch I, III, or IV before renting this one again.
On Saturday we saw "Hot Fuzz." It was amazing. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. If you've ever seen an action movie, then you may love it (noticeable influences are "Point Break" and "Bad Boys II"). The plot itself is engaging, if absurd, but it's really the dialogue that makes the film. It does start off a bit slow, but that's all right, because once it gets going, it doesn't really stop. There are a number of running gags, but they aren't annoying. The only caveats I'll make is that it is incredibly graphic in its depiction of violence, and there is a fair amount of cursing. It is definitely not a family movie. If you have a weak stomach, don't go. If that's not a problem for you, then you may have the same experience we did when we saw it in a filled theater where everyone was absolutely laughing their head off.
When we got home that night, we popped in "The Queen," which Plainbellied got from Netflix. Frankly, I didn't like it. It isn't my kind of film. I didn't like any of the characters. I never had any sympathy for Diana, even. More than anything, watching everyone interact made me wonder why the British would maintain the monarchy for so long. I'm not a fan of bowing and scraping. It particularly bothers me that when the Prime Minister, elected by the British people, goes to meet the Queen, he has to bow and he can't turn his back to walk out of the room, and he actually has to ask her permission to form a government. I realize these are all simply formalities, but come on! Why biology should be considered a reasonable way to choose a head of state is beyond me.
Plainbellied later confessed that she didn't realize that the whole movie was about Diana's death. She thought it was a biopic of Elizabeth II. I don't think she'll make that mistake again.
On Saturday we saw "Hot Fuzz." It was amazing. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. If you've ever seen an action movie, then you may love it (noticeable influences are "Point Break" and "Bad Boys II"). The plot itself is engaging, if absurd, but it's really the dialogue that makes the film. It does start off a bit slow, but that's all right, because once it gets going, it doesn't really stop. There are a number of running gags, but they aren't annoying. The only caveats I'll make is that it is incredibly graphic in its depiction of violence, and there is a fair amount of cursing. It is definitely not a family movie. If you have a weak stomach, don't go. If that's not a problem for you, then you may have the same experience we did when we saw it in a filled theater where everyone was absolutely laughing their head off.
When we got home that night, we popped in "The Queen," which Plainbellied got from Netflix. Frankly, I didn't like it. It isn't my kind of film. I didn't like any of the characters. I never had any sympathy for Diana, even. More than anything, watching everyone interact made me wonder why the British would maintain the monarchy for so long. I'm not a fan of bowing and scraping. It particularly bothers me that when the Prime Minister, elected by the British people, goes to meet the Queen, he has to bow and he can't turn his back to walk out of the room, and he actually has to ask her permission to form a government. I realize these are all simply formalities, but come on! Why biology should be considered a reasonable way to choose a head of state is beyond me.
Plainbellied later confessed that she didn't realize that the whole movie was about Diana's death. She thought it was a biopic of Elizabeth II. I don't think she'll make that mistake again.
If you don't like vomit. . .
. . . stop reading now. Also, keep in mind that I'm exhausted, so this might not be the stellar writing quality you're used to on this blog.
Imagine this scene: a child lies asleep on the living room floor, at her mother's feet (literally between the chair and the ottoman). The mother sits, half-watching "Pride and Prejudice" (with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle), and nodding off to sleep. The father, tired, sits to write a blog entry.
As you have guessed, that's what our house looks like right now. While I normally spend my nights working on either my dissertation or my teaching responsibilities, last night was different. Plainbellied and I got a baby-sitter and went to the movies with some friends. We saw "Hot Fuzz" (loved it! look for a review soon). After we came home, things seemed great. Her Nibs was in bed and had eaten a lot for a change. Plainbellied and I watched "The Queen" (not my kind of movie), then she went to bed and I sat down to grade papers at 1:00 AM.
That was the end of the good times. Usually, it's my job to put Her Nibs back in bed if she wakes up at night. Around 3:00 AM, I heard her start crying, so I went upstairs to put her back to sleep. She seemed fine, but as I started to put her down, she started crying again, so I picked her up. As I did so, she puked all over me. I've seen vomit, but this was more than I had seen go on a single person. My shirt and pants were soaked, and it reeked. Frankly, it made me want to vomit.
Since I was already soaked, I got Her Nibs into the bathroom and turned on the water. This is when I realized I couldn't do it alone. So I yelled for Plainbellied, who had only been asleep for two hours, to wake up and help me. My plan was to start Her Nibs in the bath and turn her over to Plainbellied while I went and cleaned up the mess left on the carpet. Things went well, but we took her downstairs while I cleaned to make sure that everything had come up.
After about an hour, I had finished cleaning, and Her Nibs was ready to go back to bed. I started rinsing off our clothes when I heard Plainbellied cry out, "Come help me!" When I went back, Her Nibs had puked on Plainbellied, and we now had a new mess to clean up. So we put Her Nibs back in the bathtub to clean her up, and I worked on the clothes and carpet. After a while, she really wanted to go to bed, because she was so tired. But, as she walked to the stairs, she yakked on the carpet. Another bath and now there were no clean nightgowns. More cleaning. At around 5:00, things had calmed down, so we finally got to put her back to bed.
You probably know what happened next. Her Nibs puked on the bed. At least we had figured out that we shouldn't give her anything to eat or drink by now, so she only had a little bit left. Plainbellied took her into the shower while I cleaned up the bed. I learned that it's much easier to clean up a plastic-covered bed than to clean up carpet, and I was happy about that. We put her in bed again, and she finally started to go to sleep, even though her pig was now in the wash, a casualty of the previous attempt to put Her Nibs in bed. Thirty seconds later, she came out of her room and said, "I have to puke." She likes to use that word. She also says things like, "I'm not pukey anymore," or "I got puke all over!"
From then on, we knew how to play it. Since we caught it, no bath was needed. But now she was staying with us for good. She sat on Plainbellied's lap for a while, and we came up with a system: Plainbellied held a cup, and I had a wet paper towel ready. Every half hour or so, Her Nibs said, "I have to puke," so we put up the cup, and she puked in it, then I wiped her up, rinsed out the cup, and replaced it with a clean one. She actually got a little sleep on Plainbellied's lap, and then she crawled onto the floor and fell asleep there. And there we stand. I'm about to go to the store for ginger ale, Plainbellied is going in and out of sleep on the chair watching "Pride and Prejudice," and Her Nibs is asleep on the floor (at least until she has to vomit again).
By now, you're grossed out, and you wonder why I told you all of this. I'm not trying to set us up as a pair of martyrs. I've learned something tonight. I'm at the point now where I am way past my bedtime, and I didn't get much sleep yesterday. Plainbellied only got a few hours of sleep last night. We're exhausted. But neither of us got grouchy. It is frustrating and maddening to watch your child get sick, but neither of us resents it. When Her Nibs first threw up on me, I felt like I was doing exactly what a parent is supposed to do. Our kid throws up on us, we clean it, and we don't complain.
Don't get me wrong, it's not fun. It sucks (and smells). But it's what parents do. If you'll excuse me, I need to go clean up some more vomit.
Imagine this scene: a child lies asleep on the living room floor, at her mother's feet (literally between the chair and the ottoman). The mother sits, half-watching "Pride and Prejudice" (with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle), and nodding off to sleep. The father, tired, sits to write a blog entry.
As you have guessed, that's what our house looks like right now. While I normally spend my nights working on either my dissertation or my teaching responsibilities, last night was different. Plainbellied and I got a baby-sitter and went to the movies with some friends. We saw "Hot Fuzz" (loved it! look for a review soon). After we came home, things seemed great. Her Nibs was in bed and had eaten a lot for a change. Plainbellied and I watched "The Queen" (not my kind of movie), then she went to bed and I sat down to grade papers at 1:00 AM.
That was the end of the good times. Usually, it's my job to put Her Nibs back in bed if she wakes up at night. Around 3:00 AM, I heard her start crying, so I went upstairs to put her back to sleep. She seemed fine, but as I started to put her down, she started crying again, so I picked her up. As I did so, she puked all over me. I've seen vomit, but this was more than I had seen go on a single person. My shirt and pants were soaked, and it reeked. Frankly, it made me want to vomit.
Since I was already soaked, I got Her Nibs into the bathroom and turned on the water. This is when I realized I couldn't do it alone. So I yelled for Plainbellied, who had only been asleep for two hours, to wake up and help me. My plan was to start Her Nibs in the bath and turn her over to Plainbellied while I went and cleaned up the mess left on the carpet. Things went well, but we took her downstairs while I cleaned to make sure that everything had come up.
After about an hour, I had finished cleaning, and Her Nibs was ready to go back to bed. I started rinsing off our clothes when I heard Plainbellied cry out, "Come help me!" When I went back, Her Nibs had puked on Plainbellied, and we now had a new mess to clean up. So we put Her Nibs back in the bathtub to clean her up, and I worked on the clothes and carpet. After a while, she really wanted to go to bed, because she was so tired. But, as she walked to the stairs, she yakked on the carpet. Another bath and now there were no clean nightgowns. More cleaning. At around 5:00, things had calmed down, so we finally got to put her back to bed.
You probably know what happened next. Her Nibs puked on the bed. At least we had figured out that we shouldn't give her anything to eat or drink by now, so she only had a little bit left. Plainbellied took her into the shower while I cleaned up the bed. I learned that it's much easier to clean up a plastic-covered bed than to clean up carpet, and I was happy about that. We put her in bed again, and she finally started to go to sleep, even though her pig was now in the wash, a casualty of the previous attempt to put Her Nibs in bed. Thirty seconds later, she came out of her room and said, "I have to puke." She likes to use that word. She also says things like, "I'm not pukey anymore," or "I got puke all over!"
From then on, we knew how to play it. Since we caught it, no bath was needed. But now she was staying with us for good. She sat on Plainbellied's lap for a while, and we came up with a system: Plainbellied held a cup, and I had a wet paper towel ready. Every half hour or so, Her Nibs said, "I have to puke," so we put up the cup, and she puked in it, then I wiped her up, rinsed out the cup, and replaced it with a clean one. She actually got a little sleep on Plainbellied's lap, and then she crawled onto the floor and fell asleep there. And there we stand. I'm about to go to the store for ginger ale, Plainbellied is going in and out of sleep on the chair watching "Pride and Prejudice," and Her Nibs is asleep on the floor (at least until she has to vomit again).
By now, you're grossed out, and you wonder why I told you all of this. I'm not trying to set us up as a pair of martyrs. I've learned something tonight. I'm at the point now where I am way past my bedtime, and I didn't get much sleep yesterday. Plainbellied only got a few hours of sleep last night. We're exhausted. But neither of us got grouchy. It is frustrating and maddening to watch your child get sick, but neither of us resents it. When Her Nibs first threw up on me, I felt like I was doing exactly what a parent is supposed to do. Our kid throws up on us, we clean it, and we don't complain.
Don't get me wrong, it's not fun. It sucks (and smells). But it's what parents do. If you'll excuse me, I need to go clean up some more vomit.
I'm just amazed. . .
This entire post is the work of a relatively young father bragging incessantly about his incredible daughter. You've been warned.
Her Nibs has discovered a new talent. Recently, she's started drawing (sort of) recognizable faces on drawings. She does it on her own, too. I know I'm an incredibly biased observer, but for some reason it seems to me that she's a bit advanced with her small motor skills.
There. My bragging impulse has been satisfied. I included one of her faces below. I know it's not high art, but hey, she's not even three yet.
Her Nibs has discovered a new talent. Recently, she's started drawing (sort of) recognizable faces on drawings. She does it on her own, too. I know I'm an incredibly biased observer, but for some reason it seems to me that she's a bit advanced with her small motor skills.
There. My bragging impulse has been satisfied. I included one of her faces below. I know it's not high art, but hey, she's not even three yet.
Whose room is it, anyway?
When I arrived to teach my class today, my students were all congregated in the hallway. It was a couple of minutes before we were scheduled to begin, and the previous class still hadn't left. This is not unusual, but since there's a fifteen-minute break between classes I don't sweat it. There's plenty of time for me to get set up.
Well, today was different. Class time came, and the other group was still in the room. through the window on the door, it was clear that they were doing class presentations, and as today is the last day of classes, I decided to cut them some slack. After five minutes, though, it was time to put an end to things, because it was getting ridiculous. We needed to have class, too.
I knocked and stuck my head in the door, announcing, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but my class needs this room." Some of you may not believe me, but I was quite polite about it. I totally channelled my "diplomatic" brother, assuming that they simply had lost track of time. Well, I was wrong. The other instructor came over to the door and said, "We came in here because our classroom is not available. Is there another room you could take your class to?" At this point, I got a little angry (I still wasn't rude, though--you can ask my students), and I told her, "No." Inside, I thought (but did not say), "We've been in this room every Tuesday this semester. What makes you think we should go somewhere else? Get out!" Then she had the gall to say, "We'll be done in five minutes." Remember, class was already supposed to begin five minutes ago. Luckily, her students had already begun leaving, so disaster was averted.
I'm still shaking my head fifteen hours later. At least I got a good laugh with my students after the other group left. They couldn't believe it either.
Well, today was different. Class time came, and the other group was still in the room. through the window on the door, it was clear that they were doing class presentations, and as today is the last day of classes, I decided to cut them some slack. After five minutes, though, it was time to put an end to things, because it was getting ridiculous. We needed to have class, too.
I knocked and stuck my head in the door, announcing, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but my class needs this room." Some of you may not believe me, but I was quite polite about it. I totally channelled my "diplomatic" brother, assuming that they simply had lost track of time. Well, I was wrong. The other instructor came over to the door and said, "We came in here because our classroom is not available. Is there another room you could take your class to?" At this point, I got a little angry (I still wasn't rude, though--you can ask my students), and I told her, "No." Inside, I thought (but did not say), "We've been in this room every Tuesday this semester. What makes you think we should go somewhere else? Get out!" Then she had the gall to say, "We'll be done in five minutes." Remember, class was already supposed to begin five minutes ago. Luckily, her students had already begun leaving, so disaster was averted.
I'm still shaking my head fifteen hours later. At least I got a good laugh with my students after the other group left. They couldn't believe it either.
"Bienvenidos a Miami"
I think that it's only fair to warn you up front that this is going to be a pretty long entry about our trip to Miami Beach. You might want to make yourself comfortable. It's been a busy few days and I have a lot to say (you may judge for yourself whether any of it is worth reading).
In order to prepare for our trip, we downloaded the pilot of 'Miami Vice' from iTunes. I hadn't seen the show for a very long time, and I don't think Plainbellied had ever seen it. I thought it would be fun to find some of the places where they filmed and re-enact scenes, like when Crockett told his partner's wife that he had been killed. Luckily, there was not time for that on this trip.
You may have already read Plainbellied's blog about the drive down, so I'm not going to repeat what she has already said. I will just point out that I generally prefer Mapquest directions, because they tend to send you on a shorter route than other services, and they actually get the time right. Once, I checked it against Google Maps, and Google wanted to send us about 100 miles out of our way (Google does have a better interface, though). I used Mapquest again this time, and we arrived at the door of our hotel within five minutes of the time it had predicted. Making good time is very important to me, and this made me feel pretty good.
It turns out that we made a really good decision on the hotel. Instead of a dive, we stayed in a renovated Art Deco hotel right on Ocean Drive, across the street from the beach. It was a little away from the clubs, so where we were was pretty quiet at night, thank goodness. The room was small, but it was clean, and it had a really nice shower. Normally I hate hotel showers, but I actually felt clean coming out of this one. It had nice marble tile, so it really was nice. That was the best part of the room, though. Mostly, it reminded me of almost every hotel I had stayed at in Spain, which is to say that it had tile floors, adequate beds, and nothing else. The only noticeable difference from a Spanish hotel was the price. My goodness. It should be illegal to charge that much for a tiny hotel room. I'm lucky it was for a conference and my department is footing part of the bill. Otherwise, there is no way we could have done it.
We went to the beach both mornings we were there, and Her Nibs liked it a lot. She wouldn't put her feet in the water by herself, but she would ride the waves with me if I held her. We didn't go very far in, since I'm afraid of sharks, but the water was clear and warm. It was fun. I don't usually like the beach, but since we went early, the sun still wasn't shining, and there weren't crowds. Actually, I saw a guy wake up after a night on the beach when the water started licking his feet. I thought that only happened in the movies. It actually took him a while to realize the water was at his feet. I think he had a good time the night before.
The conference itself was pretty good. The first session I had wanted to go to was cancelled, so I had a chance to catch up with some of the other people there, some of whom I hadn't seen for several years. My session, in the afternoon, was well attended, but unfortunately the other two panelists had more "interesting" topics than I did, so no one bothered to ask me any questions or make comments about my work. Luckily, a few people spoke with me later and I got a few helpful comments. If they hadn't it would have kind of ruined the conference for me, because the whole point is to get input on your work (well, and "network" with people in your discipline). The sessions on Saturday were pretty good, too.
Friday night we went out to dinner, and we found a nice Spanish restaurant just down the street from where the conference was. It is run by an actual Spanish family, and the chef, along with much of the waitstaff, is from Spain as well. Good Spanish food is tough to find in this country, and we were really lucky. When we walked in, it felt Spanish, with tile that looked as though it had come straight from Seville. When the waiters switched to Spanish, they spoke with Madrid accents, and it reminded us of our time there. It also reminded us of a time when we went to a restaurant in Seville with my parents during the Feria de Abril. Everyone was at the fair, so we were almost the only ones in the restaurant. There were like three waiters just for us. The same thing happened in Miami. Because of Her Nibs, we eat early, so we were the first ones in the restaurant. They were all so friendly, and the service was great. The food was even better. We got a sampler of appetizers, so we each got some tortilla española, jamón serrano on bruschetta, and croquetas de jamón. Then Plainbellied got a barbecue pork tenderloin and I got paella valenciana.* Her Nibs nibbled on a salad (salad is her favorite food right now). We got gelato afterward, and I'm sure Plainbellied will tell all about that.
As we walked back to the hotel (the long way), a guy came up to us with a huge snake and asked if we wanted to pet it. Her Nibs was really scared, so the guy asked me if I wanted to hold it. I resisted, but he put it around my neck anyway, and then Her Nibs touched it and laughed. Well, I'm not stupid, and I know that when something like this happens they're going to ask for money. I'm thinking he'll ask for five bucks or something like that as a "donation." But he said, "I take Polaroid pictures of you with the snake for a donation of 20 dollars." He actually said it with a straight face. I know Polaroid makes its money on film, but 20 bucks for a single photo? Not on your life. I turned him down and he move on to the next sucker. It was almost as weird as the time a girl wearing a clown nose (and no makeup) got right up in my face as I walked home one night in Madrid and said, "Oooooooooooooo" while doing some strange dance. Of course, it also reminded me of Hulk Hogan's "24-inch pythons."
The trip was really great, but I should add a couple of caveats. I'm not sure I would have liked it so much if I had just gone there to hang out. I'm not a beach person. An hour in the morning is enough for me, because there were no crowds and the sun wasn't shining. I burn easily, so the beach is not for me. I think I was lucky to have a conference to go to, so I really only had to fill short periods of time with stuff to do, mostly the mornings and dinner time. I'm not into partying either, so most of what the beach has to offer isn't really my style. Also, if I had to pay for the whole thing myself, it would have been too expensive.
Even so, it took the bad taste of my last Miami trip out of my mouth. Maybe there'll be another conference there sometime.
*Tortilla española is basically a potato omelet. Jamón serrano is a Spanish cured ham, kind of like prosciutto but better (second only to jamón ibérico, which is incredible), and Croquetas de jamón are kind of like savory hush puppies with bits of jamón serrano in them. What they called paella valenciana was really paella mixta, which has both chicken and seafood in it. Paella valenciana should have rabbit and spanish chorizo in it, and maybe chicken, but no seafood. I've never had good paella at a restaurant in the US before. It was absolutely great.
In order to prepare for our trip, we downloaded the pilot of 'Miami Vice' from iTunes. I hadn't seen the show for a very long time, and I don't think Plainbellied had ever seen it. I thought it would be fun to find some of the places where they filmed and re-enact scenes, like when Crockett told his partner's wife that he had been killed. Luckily, there was not time for that on this trip.
You may have already read Plainbellied's blog about the drive down, so I'm not going to repeat what she has already said. I will just point out that I generally prefer Mapquest directions, because they tend to send you on a shorter route than other services, and they actually get the time right. Once, I checked it against Google Maps, and Google wanted to send us about 100 miles out of our way (Google does have a better interface, though). I used Mapquest again this time, and we arrived at the door of our hotel within five minutes of the time it had predicted. Making good time is very important to me, and this made me feel pretty good.
It turns out that we made a really good decision on the hotel. Instead of a dive, we stayed in a renovated Art Deco hotel right on Ocean Drive, across the street from the beach. It was a little away from the clubs, so where we were was pretty quiet at night, thank goodness. The room was small, but it was clean, and it had a really nice shower. Normally I hate hotel showers, but I actually felt clean coming out of this one. It had nice marble tile, so it really was nice. That was the best part of the room, though. Mostly, it reminded me of almost every hotel I had stayed at in Spain, which is to say that it had tile floors, adequate beds, and nothing else. The only noticeable difference from a Spanish hotel was the price. My goodness. It should be illegal to charge that much for a tiny hotel room. I'm lucky it was for a conference and my department is footing part of the bill. Otherwise, there is no way we could have done it.
We went to the beach both mornings we were there, and Her Nibs liked it a lot. She wouldn't put her feet in the water by herself, but she would ride the waves with me if I held her. We didn't go very far in, since I'm afraid of sharks, but the water was clear and warm. It was fun. I don't usually like the beach, but since we went early, the sun still wasn't shining, and there weren't crowds. Actually, I saw a guy wake up after a night on the beach when the water started licking his feet. I thought that only happened in the movies. It actually took him a while to realize the water was at his feet. I think he had a good time the night before.
The conference itself was pretty good. The first session I had wanted to go to was cancelled, so I had a chance to catch up with some of the other people there, some of whom I hadn't seen for several years. My session, in the afternoon, was well attended, but unfortunately the other two panelists had more "interesting" topics than I did, so no one bothered to ask me any questions or make comments about my work. Luckily, a few people spoke with me later and I got a few helpful comments. If they hadn't it would have kind of ruined the conference for me, because the whole point is to get input on your work (well, and "network" with people in your discipline). The sessions on Saturday were pretty good, too.
Friday night we went out to dinner, and we found a nice Spanish restaurant just down the street from where the conference was. It is run by an actual Spanish family, and the chef, along with much of the waitstaff, is from Spain as well. Good Spanish food is tough to find in this country, and we were really lucky. When we walked in, it felt Spanish, with tile that looked as though it had come straight from Seville. When the waiters switched to Spanish, they spoke with Madrid accents, and it reminded us of our time there. It also reminded us of a time when we went to a restaurant in Seville with my parents during the Feria de Abril. Everyone was at the fair, so we were almost the only ones in the restaurant. There were like three waiters just for us. The same thing happened in Miami. Because of Her Nibs, we eat early, so we were the first ones in the restaurant. They were all so friendly, and the service was great. The food was even better. We got a sampler of appetizers, so we each got some tortilla española, jamón serrano on bruschetta, and croquetas de jamón. Then Plainbellied got a barbecue pork tenderloin and I got paella valenciana.* Her Nibs nibbled on a salad (salad is her favorite food right now). We got gelato afterward, and I'm sure Plainbellied will tell all about that.
As we walked back to the hotel (the long way), a guy came up to us with a huge snake and asked if we wanted to pet it. Her Nibs was really scared, so the guy asked me if I wanted to hold it. I resisted, but he put it around my neck anyway, and then Her Nibs touched it and laughed. Well, I'm not stupid, and I know that when something like this happens they're going to ask for money. I'm thinking he'll ask for five bucks or something like that as a "donation." But he said, "I take Polaroid pictures of you with the snake for a donation of 20 dollars." He actually said it with a straight face. I know Polaroid makes its money on film, but 20 bucks for a single photo? Not on your life. I turned him down and he move on to the next sucker. It was almost as weird as the time a girl wearing a clown nose (and no makeup) got right up in my face as I walked home one night in Madrid and said, "Oooooooooooooo" while doing some strange dance. Of course, it also reminded me of Hulk Hogan's "24-inch pythons."
The trip was really great, but I should add a couple of caveats. I'm not sure I would have liked it so much if I had just gone there to hang out. I'm not a beach person. An hour in the morning is enough for me, because there were no crowds and the sun wasn't shining. I burn easily, so the beach is not for me. I think I was lucky to have a conference to go to, so I really only had to fill short periods of time with stuff to do, mostly the mornings and dinner time. I'm not into partying either, so most of what the beach has to offer isn't really my style. Also, if I had to pay for the whole thing myself, it would have been too expensive.
Even so, it took the bad taste of my last Miami trip out of my mouth. Maybe there'll be another conference there sometime.
*Tortilla española is basically a potato omelet. Jamón serrano is a Spanish cured ham, kind of like prosciutto but better (second only to jamón ibérico, which is incredible), and Croquetas de jamón are kind of like savory hush puppies with bits of jamón serrano in them. What they called paella valenciana was really paella mixta, which has both chicken and seafood in it. Paella valenciana should have rabbit and spanish chorizo in it, and maybe chicken, but no seafood. I've never had good paella at a restaurant in the US before. It was absolutely great.
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