Jenny’s Journies

Jennifer Epley’s Fundraising Page

Thursday, 21 May 2009.

I’m currently in Melbourne. I was in Michigan for the fall and winter semesters. I’ve been so busy with teaching and balancing other aspects of my life that I haven’t had time to blog for many months. Sometimes I wonder how people spend as much time on the internet as they do, but I suppose they make the time. I’m debating whether or not to continue this blog… I’ve enjoyed journaling when I have a spare moment and I can appreciate the function of keeping family and friends appraised of my activities and whereabouts. On the other hand, I don’t like the guilt or pressure of another thing to do but not getting to it…

Sunday, 16 November 2008 @ 3:30pm.

My mom and I took Pluto to Swiftrun Dog Park today. Snow started falling. I wonder what my Aussie pup thinks of it all? Here are two pictures I took:

All smiles despite the cold…

Pluto was wet from snow, mud, and dog slobber from his friends at the park. I think he was glad to be back in the car where it was much warmer.

On November 4, 2008, we went to the polls. My mom has voted in the past, but usually by mail, so this was her first time doing it in person. We were excited to be a part of history.

Don’t you just love the fall colors in Michigan?

Our Halloween pumpkin has had bites taken out of it… Local squirrels perhaps?

Here is Pluto with his squeaky toy. The squeak actually only lasted a day. He still enjoys the toy, though.

Sunday, 02 November 2008 @ 8:54pm.

My dog has been mopey as of late in the evenings. I treated him to a day at the park this afternoon and so instead of being mopey, he is currently fast asleep much earlier than his usual bedtime. He played with some new buddies - Fido and Miami - today and swam in the river. My mom was kind enough to give him a bath after we returned.

It’s raining now…

I watched the film “Dan in Real Life” this weekend. It was pretty good.

Election Day is going to be here soon!

Quotes of the Day:

“The point is not to become a leader. The point is to become yourself, to use yourself completely–all your skills, gifts and energies–in order to make your vision manifest. You must withhold nothing. You must, in sum, become the person you started out to be, and to enjoy the process of becoming.” - Warren Bennis

“The chief purpose of a liberal arts education is to give students bullshit detectors that run all the time and rotate 360 degrees.” - Professor Chris Pyle, Mount Holyoke College

Monday, 27 October 2008 @ 3:40pm.

Teaching in about 20 minutes on the topic of “national security” and here are some words of the day:

deign: “to think it appropriate to one’s dignity; condescend” (e.g., wouldn’t deign to greet the servant who opened the door).

hokum: “something apparently impressive or legitimate but actually untrue or insincere; nonsense.”

sanctimony: “feigned piety or righteousness; hypocritical devoutness or high-mindedness.”

And on another random note, here are items on my desk:

box of Kashi trail mix bars

box of Jasmine tea bags

San Churro Chocolateria mug, which was a gift from my partner

lots of Post-It Notes

U-M travel clock

small bottle of lotion

box of chalk

wooden container with image of bamboo plants for pens, pencils, and miscellaneous plasticware

red water bottle

Monday, 20 October 2008 @ 5:45pm.

I returned to Michigan from Louisville, Kentucky yesterday. I had a lovely visit! A lot of little things made the visit a good one from the digital welcome at the airport for conference participants upon arrival to folks with “Southern Hospitality” to small touches around town like historical markers, art sculptures, and tidiness. I attended the annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR). I presented a paper, attended various panels, networked with scholars from multiple disciplines (e.g., Political Science, Sociology, and Theology), met people from all over the world (e.g., U.S., Brazil, and South Africa), attended a touching memorial seminar for past SSSR President Dean Hoge, and even managed to squeeze in a little time to see downtown Louisville. I enjoyed a walk near the Ohio River in particular.

I was fortunate to stay at the classic Seelbach Hilton, which is conveniently located near Fourth Street Live. This street is not long, but is packed with dining, entertainment, and retail options. The place isn’t cheap, but I did find some good deals such as J. Gumbo’s. Try any of their big bowl meals and if you have room, order the bread pudding. If you head to Fourth Street Live on a weekend night, be sure to bring some ID as security can only let those 21 and older in to the area. The Seelbach Hilton itself has been around since 1905. Though small, the hotel has a grand feel to it. I enjoyed the conference proceedings in the traditional rooms and liked the shared room where I spent evenings. My roommate and I agreed, though, that the beds and pillows were much too soft for our liking.

On one day, I went to the Brown Hotel, specifically to its J. Graham’s Cafe for the famous “Hot Brown,” which was invented in 1926. As a vegetarian, I wouldn’t normally go straight to a meal with turkey or bacon, but I was told it was t-h-e thing to try and my experience in Louisville wouldn’t be complete without it. I can be a “social meat-eater,” so I decided to go for it. Think of a dish with roasted turkey breast on thick pieces of white bread, smothered entirely with cheese, topped with two pieces of bacon, garnished with a couple of tomato slices, and baked to a gooey loveliness. No chips/fries or salad or anything else, just you, the Hot Brown, and a fork and knife. I was sorely disappointed that I did not have any room to try the legendary Derby pie, though!

I also went to the Louisville Slugger Museum and had a ball. In my opinion, the museum had two fantastic must-sees: very old memorabilia (like original Babe Ruth bats!) and a pitching cage where a Major League Baseball player (I picked Roger Clemens) throws a 90 mph ball in your direction. Thank goodness visitors don’t actually have to swing; you just stand by while a little clown of sorts gets clobbered by the balls. Did you know that real batters only have two-tenths of a second to decide whether to swing or not? After checking out the museum, I took a tour of the factory. It was pretty cool to see bats of all kinds being made, especially the pink bats for charity.

I also stopped by the Cathedral of the Assumption, which is the cathedral mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville. Had it been the season, I would have liked to visit Six Flags or seen the Kentucky Derby. I can only imagine how fascinating it would have been to see a live thoroughbred race given that I got excited just from watching the video for “Big Brown.”

Sunday, 12 October 2008 @ 9:12pm.

* Recent first: flying in a plane that only fits three, maybe four, people. Flew over the U-M stadium and my house in Ypsi.

* Discovery: tasty clementines from South Africa.

* Swamped with teaching: prep work, GRADING, reading, organizing, office hours, and more!

* Transportation: still the public bus.

* Current reading: “Stones from the River” by Ursula Hegi

* Cool t.v. show: Bones

* Political updates: National Public Radio

* New fave restaurant: Bomber Restaurant

* Fun music in the form of mashup style remixes: Girl Talk

* Upcoming conference: SSSR in Kentucky

* Home and yard maintenance: window insulation kit, gutter guards, caulk for faucet, lawn winterizing, discount evergreen bushes, and some other things I can’t recall at the moment.

Monday, 22 September 2008 @ 3:44pm.

A lot can happen in a short amount of time… I’ve decided to postpone being on the job market this fall. Lots of pros and cons for the decision to go out or not. While I’m eager to move on, I’ll be taking the Javanese “alon-alon waton” approach, which roughly translated is like the proverb “slow and steady wins the race.”

I’m off to teach, but hope everyone is well wherever they may be. Keep a smile on your face, appreciate all that you are and have, and enjoy your week!

Friday, 19 September 2008 @ 11:53am.

Wow, it’s been a while since I last posted. Since the school semester started, my days have been very busy so I just haven’t had the chance to sit down and reflect. I’m presently dissertating (writing draft chapters of my dissertation) and teaching as a graduate student instructor (GSI). I am teaching undergraduate students from the Political Science 300: Contemporary Issues in Political Science course. It’s an enjoyable experience so far, but the workload is quite heavy. I am also preparing for the job market. Wish me patience and luck!

Recent issues:

* Basement flooded twice! My mom and I spent a lot of time using the wetvac, moving stuff into the garage, repairing gutters outside, and the like.

* Taxes. Expensive payments due. Folks at H&R Block were most helpful given my unique situation, but I’m still taking a big hit.

* Figuring out where the U.S. presidential candidates stand on certain public policy matters. Take away the soundbites, mudslinging television ads, general interviews, etc. and many people including myself don’t know what’s what. Our economy, education system, health care, international relations, environment, and more are in need of some serious attention and repair. Sigh…

Interestingly…

* Pluto has discovered squirrels. He’s barked up a storm at the little critters in the front yard where I have two maple trees.

* I found out that in 1970, U-M Political Science Teaching Fellows walked out of classes to protest budget cuts, foreshadowing a move to unionize. In 1974, the Graduate Employees Organization (GEO), Local 3550, AFT Michigan, AFL-CIO, came into existence on April 15 when U-M teaching fellows voted 807-424 to unionize. And in 1981, after five years in court, the State of Michigan ordered the university to recognize GEO’s right to exist.

Sunday, 31 August 2008 @ 10:15am.

Hold yard sale to make some extra cash. Check.

Clean and organize bedroom, study room, and living room. Check.

Help dog adjust to new life in Michigan. Check. (He’s still mopey on some days, which is sad.)

Complete paperwork for home, bills, and employment. Check.

Hire a Sears contractor to install a new furnace. Check.

Clean and repair gutters and live to tell about it. Check. (Though where is the Icy Hot when you need it the next day?)

Catch up with friends. Check.

Prepare for first day of classes. Check.

Finish dissertation draft… not a check yet… getting there…

File taxes… not yet…