docoflove1974

I want this on record: I have the coolest students ever. My Intermediate Spanish class is a unique group. 60% of them are over the age of 50, and are taking this to better their knowledge...no requirements here. The rest are a mix of college-aged and teenaged students, taking the course for credit towards their school or degree. They all knew, like their colleagues in my other classes, that I was gone last week for my dissertation defense. But this class was different. First, they bombarded me with emails, letting me know that they wished me well, and that they were rooting for me...and that I had better let them know how things turned out. Of course I emailed them with the good news. Today's class was the first one 'back'...and they had a surprise for me. They all brought out bubbles, and blew bubbles in my honor. They had all signed a card for me. And finally, because I had stated that I was now a PhD, KIA (Know-It-All), they siad that there might be times where I'd be tired of flapping my gums...so they gave me a pair of wind-up chattering teeth! Honestly, I was absolutely speechless...such a great sense of humor, great level of respect and comraderie. It gives me goosebumps! I'm still speechless! Earlier this semester I had decided that on the last day I would do a surprise for them...this sealed it. I'm not 100% sure of what I'll do, but guaranteed there will be something in their honor. They have all enriched my lives in a way that no set of students has before...which is saying something, as I have had one great crop of students after another in every institution that I've taught at. But this is even more than what I expected...a true group of friends.

Probably many of us State-siders have heard of Frank Caliendo...if not, as well as for those who are elsewhere...here's a great introduction. TBS's Laugh Lab

Well, I don't know how historically accurate it is...but the presentation itself is hella cool. Being able to circle the forum, enter into various parts...that's blowing my mind.

"What??? The seamstress assured me that it emphasized my curves perfectly! Dammit..." So Doc hurries off...and changes her outfit yet again...another indigo number, but this time paired with a blood red underpinning. She refuses to wear the royal purple, but comes close!

All that training has really paid off! Doc quickly runs out and up to her chambers...and like a whirlwind changes into her waterproof vestments. And they're a very pretty indigo! Now properly dressed for the upcoming water fight, she scampers back downstairs to join in the fun!

Uh oh...methinks my party is no longer mine...(which is totally and completely cool, dudes)

Well, lesseee... --If I go Greek...well, I was brought up by the Italian side of the family that the only thing worse than a Sicilian is a Greek...so maybe that's not a route. --If I go Welsh...well, I do have members of my father's side of the family who came over from Wales about 350 years ago. Ok...Ariahnah Stormblaeze it is!

And I'm sure that has much to do with the similar topic in recent (at least 10) years with Jefferson's slaves. I'm sure there are those who are trying to figure out if the other Founding Fathers held the same beliefs.

Oh, and I don't know if it's been done...but AD should get a 'Magister' title, no? As for NN...he so should be 'Artifex Achitecturae'...

Oooooooooooh...and Taos is the name of a very wonderful place in New Mexico...it would fit!

Damn that Crassus...always ruining parties....

Most of the American Southwest was annexed from Mexico by treaty. Some of the more militant Hispanic groups actually want to remerge it with Mexico. The bulk of it came after the Mexican-American War and subsequent treaties in the middle 1800s...a last chunk along the border came from another treaty later in the 1800s...if memory serves. Not an expert on this field, but I think many Hispanics are actually a mix of Spanish and Natives. Sorta. Much depends on where you are, as there are different migration, conquerring, and immigration histories, but there is a generalization. It more-or-less breaks down like this (I'm using the Spanish terms, but the Portuguese ones are very similar): When the Spaniards and Portuguese conquered the New World, those 'whites' who were born in the New World were called criollos, or 'creoles'...all white, zero indigenous blood...and you'll still see them in the high elite, particularly in Mexico and the Caribbean--very light haired and eyed. Those Spaniards/Portuguese who mingled with the indigenous population--which accounts for the extreme majority of the Latin American population--are the mestizos, or those of mixed blood. In most Aztec-ruled areas, the mestizaje is thorough; in Mayan-ruled areas, it's much much less, but in the coastal areas it's pretty thorough. In the Inca-ruled areas, it varies, depending on where you are--coastal areas are highly mixed, up in the Andes are hardly mixed at all. In the Southern Cone (Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and the eastern half of Paraguay) the indigenous population was mostly wiped out, save for very rural areas, so there is basically no mestizo population, and almost 100% European blood. In the Caribbean, the native (mostly Taino) peoples were also almost 100% wiped out, so most everyone is *mostly* European...many have gone to the Caribbean from Mexico and Venezuela, so there are mestizos, but from a different source. The Spaniards and Portuguese brought many African slaves to run the agriculture...the products of the indigenous and African unions were mulatos, and are mostly in the Caribbean-touching parts of Central and South America (Shakira is from Baranquilla, Colombia, which is a big 'hub' for mulatos in that area). Those 'white' folk in Central/South America who mixed blood with the Africans are usually considered to be negros; in the Caribbean, there is so much intermixing that there usually isn't a specific term. Just that, as is typical to many areas, the lighter the skin, the more 'acceptable' you are. There has been a large Asian population in much of Latin America for over 100 years...that's a whole other can of worms. Now, that's most of it...there's much, much more. Depending on the time involved, the Spanish-speaking population could have been 'indigenous'--as in, were here as part of being in New Spain, and then Mexico before California, Arizona, etc.--or were probably Mexicans who emigrated and immigrated for work and because of family ties. West of the Rockies there isn't much of a Caribbean Spanish influence--there are pockets, naturally, but mostly the Cuban, Puerto Rican and Dominican 'centers' in the US are on the East Coast. The Mexican Revolution of 1910 brought many into California and Texas, in particular, in order to flee from the chaos and corruption. With the various Central American Revolutions and guerilla movements from the 1940s on, more and more Central Americans account for the populations. One other thing: again depending on when they came and where they came from, different groups are called (both on their own parts and by others) different names. At least here in California, my grandmother grew up with Mexican families--very common in the coastal communities of California for Italian and Mexican workers to live together--and they called themselves 'Spanish'...to say you were 'Mexican' meant that you were here illegally. That still held true through my parents' generation...until the 1960s and the Civil Rights movements, where there was a huge push to announce one's specific culture. The 'Pachucos' were those inner-city Spanish-speaking groups of a specific culture--big baggy pantsuits for guys, etc. 'Chicano' was never in existence until the 1970s almost. Now? Who knows...'Latino' is often used, as a 'generic' term for anyone from Latin America...although often Spaniards are lumped in here. Which, btw, many resent...they see themselves as European (and they are), not Latin American...and it's often a contentious issue. 'Hispanic' is also used, often by the 'white' community to again relate to anyone who is from Latin America...although the history of this word, as most of you know, comes from 'Hispania'. 'Spanish' is really only used for someone from Spain. Hope that helps!

First...I am honored by the title. Really...thank you very much. Nephele...you are a dream. My favorite color is actually red, but purple is a very close second, and the trio you have chosen sound stunning. Asteria in particular would be one I'd love to see...like a white star! Perhaps a type of diamond? You guys rock. And that's not just the lack of sleep, long plane ride, and tons of kitty love (I practically got tackled by my 8 pound cat when I came home) talking.

Thank you all...again! I should be picked up shortly to go home...be it by American Airlines or my own power, I will be flying home soon. Oh, and should any of you find yourself coming off an adrenaline rush, and you need to stay awake...walk into a boutique shop and buy yourself some cute stuff...and follow that by going to a sushi restaurant and flirting with the general manager I'm ready to go now!

I want to take a nap...I've been so revved up, I couldn't sleep hardly at all last night, and now I'm finally starting to crash...but I leave Austin today! I gotta find a hole somewhere to sleep for a couple of hours. Usually when I travel, the 'time difference' (2 hours between California and Texas) affects me for a day, and that's it. But my body won't let me work on 'Texas time' at all...my stomach is still ruled by Pacific Daylight Time, and getting to sleep last night was damn near impossible. After watching the Golden State-Dallas game (which was a helluva game), it was like 12:30a local time. I stayed up to 1a, thinking that I had planned on waking up at 9...7 hours is fine. Yeah, right. I wasn't even remotely tired. Neither corporally nor mentally. Wide awake, full of energy. But with the weather as crap-tastic as it is (probably the only major negative to Austin...outside of the fact that it's in Texas), I didn't want to go down the street to a couple of pubs. Besides, they were only going to be open for another hour...why get all dolled up for nothing? So I tried to lay in bed...to no avail. 1:45 I got out of bed, turned a light on, and went on the computer. Talked to an old friend for a while, and then at 2:30 I tried again. I still couldn't go to sleep, but at least this time I was 'calm' enough to be able to lay still. Any odds on what time I woke up? If you guessed "7am," you'd be right. I tossed until 7:45...but still was way way earlier than I wanted. And I had good energy, too...not like I was dragging ass. So I took my time in getting showered and ready for the day...pakced my stuff up...etc. Check out is before 11am, so I decided to go down at 10, check out, leave my bags at the desk, and go down a couple of blocks to an old haunt for breakfast...after all, Katz's never kloses! Then walked a couple of blocks to take the bus to campus in order to print off some material. Now I'm sitting here...it's 12:20p CDT...I've done everything I needed to do...I need to be back at the hotel by 4 in order to catch my ride to the airport...and I'm bushed. Jeez...will the ups and downs end? (Answer: yes, after a little bit)

*perks up* Yes? Someone rang?

Not much, you?

Kinda, yes. "In theory" one's corrections should take a week; if need be an extension can be given, a one-time 90-day extension, to make deeper ewvisions. So I have 6 weeks to actually make my revisions, send them to my supervisor in Europe, and hope for the best!

Thank you all...yep, it's a reality. Well, I have a 90-day extension for revisions, but it's true. I passed my defense *does the dance* It hasn't sunken in yet in general...and will take a while to do so. In consulting work, I will have zero problem being called 'Dr. Harmon'...but elsewhere...eh. I'm still Sarah...that's never going to change. But I guess I do have to change my checks and email signatures lol I have no idea what the robe colors are! As much as I love the University of Texas, I'm seriously hoping it's not burnt orange and white (the school colors). You know, when I was a kid, my dad used to say glibly that he wanted a doctor, a dentist and a lawyer in the family (there are 3 of us bratty kids)...well, he got a doctor; it's his fault he didn't specify an MD!

If anyone needs further proof that too much research leads to way too active an imagination...key-rist, talk about giving academics a bad name!

Aw, c'mon...it wasn't that heavy...*pant pant* But happy birthday, Big Bear Dude...enjoy it!

What about lathering? It'll be over soon enough...and then you can breathe again. Just hang in there, kiddo.

Only if you're adequately compensated in a monetary fashion Actually, it hasn't sunken in yet, and may not for a while. It means I have to re-do my private business cards, tho!

*gush* yeah, I did! Strike up the band! Let the good times roll!

Doc strolls into the hall calmly, coolly...requests and then recieves a Perfectly Patented Pertimaxus...and sips away with her laurel wreath firmly on her head. Ya damn straight. (In reality, I'm even giddier than a schoolgirl...but still...)