Living up to its name

Here's my blog living up to its "random musings" name:

1. After the last office post the first comment I got back was from Jennie! Jennie and I went to high school together in Florida but have only seen each other at reunions since then! Blogs are so funny that way, connecting people... and her idea was great -- get a rug to anchor the space. Well, let me tell you... I ran out to IKEA last Saturday and after my yummy lunch -- I love to have my fix of Swedish meatballs when I'm there -- I spent less than $100 and got two bookshelves and a rug.

'Came back to my office, got the desk turned around facing the door, got that lovely rug down and even assembled the bookshelves. One is now my own little personal media library. Most of the faculty covet my collection of DVDs, CDs and VHS tapes I show in classes. It is just fabulous (the collection and its shelving unit). When I get the pictures hung I'll post photos. *Great* idea, Jennie! And it was so easy and fun to do -- I felt like I was in one of those redecorating shows I was so addicted to when I lived in the US! People from all over campus were coming by to look at my office -- I even sent an email out to all my advisees to come to an open house office hours session last Monday, complete with chocolate from the local chocolate factory. Only one came, but that was hardly the point. We did find her great internship opportunities, though, with Doctors Without Borders, so there you go!

2. What else? I am working on a great new idea... I have a promise to write grants for projects at the school, which means I need to write the grants, but also to create grant-able things... so I came up with an idea to generate a conference on Women, Freedom of Expression and the Middle East. The conference will bring together professors and students, media practioners and academics, women from Israel, the West, Palestine and many Arab nations... and we'll have it right here! How exciting is that?! I've already got some academics, bloggers and students organized... more to come on that, for sure! I'm not sure yet how I'll make it something that actually makes a difference... maybe just gathering those people in one place to have the conversation is difference enough as a start.

3. And then there's the what next question. It's come up with regards to work, where to live and this new relationship I am in. It's funny -- in my twenties the long-distnace thing worked a little better for me than it does now. Now it is REALLY not working for me. I get to see him soon, though, and that is good.

4. One more thing... this weekend I watched the entire first season of Grey's Anatomy for the upteenth time. Season three starts soon. Does anyone know how to legally download it formt he Internet? It isn't on iTunes and I don't know why.

OK. How was that for random? It's to work for me now. I hope your weekend was happy and healthy.

Ciao tutti!