Three Cheers for Max

Congratulations to Max, who finished his Ph.D. on May 8.  I was invited to his defense talk and was thoroughly impressed with the presentation itself, as well as his ability to articulate his work to me (the layperson) and to the specialists simultaneously.

What’s next?  A post doc at the U of M for Max, more urban design at CGA for me.  Yahoo!  We’re staying in Minneapolis.  We can look forward to many years of cooking, eating, and drinking in our new kitchen, battling squirrels in the garden, skiing and hiking in our parks, and enjoying the company of our dear friends and neighbors in all places.

Kitchen Project Updates

Cindy and I have been working hard in our kitchen. We decided it was time to rip out the old vinyl floors and those lovely bottom-end, late 80s era cabinets. I’m not going to reveal the final design “vision” yet, as we change our minds a lot. Rest assured that it will be exciting.

We’re a long way from done. But it’s been (mostly) fun so far. We’ve learned a lot about our house’s history, and we’ve gained a bunch of do-it-yourself skills.

I’ve shared photos on Flickr. We’ll post more updates as we make more progress.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/maxharp3r/tags/kitchen/

Max

Italy!

We went to Italy!  Max presented at CHI, and I got another two-for-one vacation deal.  And, of course, we haven’t written a thing about it.  Some lucky folks got postcards mailed from Minneapolis a month after we returned.  Maybe we’ll write some stuff later, but for now, click here for photos.

Corfu Trip

I invited myself to join Max at his latest conference location (Greece – wouldn’t you?).  Immediately I set out to gain three important bits of knowledge: how to cross the street, how to use the bathroom, and how to ride a bus.  It turns out that finding shade is equally important.  I applied and improved these skills during my solo explorations throughout Corfu while Max focused on listening and presenting at the conference hotel.

Some things I learned during my time alone and our time together: Greece is hot.  Corfu people are refreshingly non-risk averse.  Dining al fresco is both a pleasure and a necessity.  I like smoking bans.  Exploring tunnels in deserted ancient forts alone is terrifying.  I will cross streets with confidence if I’ve had two Mythos beers and two glasses of ouzo.  I don’t like ouzo.  I love traveling alone.  I love traveling with Max.  Flexibility and openness toward locals and independent travelers encourages stimulating chance meetings, conversations, and free drinks.  I must travel more often.

See photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ccharp3r/tags/corfu2007/ 

Crazy Dog Moonwalk

If you want to feel blissfully happy, jump in one of these. For an even more refreshing experience, jump in one that sits in your neighbor’s back yard, is called “Crazy Dog,” and is filled with several other neighbors in their 30s and 40s. We broke the rules and jumped in it with our glasses on. We are daring and brave.

Plants and Trees

I’ve established my posting pattern and you all know it well…so I won’t bother with the “retrospective” or “catching up” titles any longer.  I may be late, but at least I’m consistent.

We had two yard projects in early summer.  One was to build and install additional raised beds in our garden, and the other was to plant our river birch from the City of Mpls and Tree Trust.  Abbie helped us build the beds, and even has one of her own in our yard – community garden style.  The most interesting bit about the tree is how we transported it home.  It involved a total recline of the passenger seat, with me in it, and creative knotting of the tree to the side mirror and windshield wiper.

See photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ccharp3r/tags/garden2007/ and here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ccharp3r/tags/tree2007/

Catching Up: DuNord Trip

It’s April (but it’s almost May). And this is a post about February. And it’s out of order. You understand how burdensome this is for me…but embracing my tendencies and then deliciously abandoning them for posting’s sake is part of the reason I’ve been posting at all.

Well, DuNord was a blast. Throughout the weekend, the nine of us went XC skiing, walking, and hiking; we cooked and we ate, we charaded and we puzzled. Our cabin vernacular included creepy Jolly Green Giant references as well as Scientologist warnings. The whole weekend was a highlight, but my favorite moment involved Max imitating the Titanic during charades. Max would disagree. His highlight vote would be cast for his and Pete’s homemade cinnamon rolls.

You can see photos of the cinnamon roll process (but sorry, not the Titanic imitation) here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ccharp3r/tags/dunord2007/

Week in Review

Snow! Finally, we have a substantial two feet of snow, so we’ve been frolicking and shoveling several times a day for a week. Minneapolis plows bike paths before streets, so the only linear neighborhood skiing left is along the railroad, in the “no trespassing” zone. My friend Michal and I deemed it worthwhile to break the law for a good ski, and I to break my ski pants jumping the fence to get there.

Food! Our block club held its annual progressive dinner during one of the snow storms. Our next-door neighbors and we hosted dessert at our house, after having appetizers, salad, and dinner at three previous stops. I can’t decide which is best: the food or the excuse to see the interiors of neighbors’ houses. Both were good this time around.

Squash! Max has a new passion: squash. He has daily reports of his escapades, which I didn’t understand…until now. The U is hosting the state squash championships this weekend, which means I am temporarily not banned from the members-only rec center and have watched and learned about this fascinating game.

Ira Glass! We saw him. It’s wrong, I know, but This American Life came to Minneapolis as part of its promotional tour, and we went. The show was what you’d expect: thought-provoking, challenging, and enlightening…a thorough and typical public radio seduction of the mind. I left feeling inspired, but also humble and ordinary. I thought I had original thoughts and perspectives, but Ira and his crew called me out on every one of them, forcing me into the now familiar routine that involves a personal reassessment of complex issues I’ve simplified. It was an amazing show and experience, and I no longer vilify them for deciding to try TV. The promotional tour (and Terry Gross interview) worked on me. Sigh. Check out their TV trailer: http://www.thislife.org/

See snow and food photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ccharp3r/tags/snow2007/

Notes on a Friend

I don’t know why I feel compelled to post on this topic, but I suspect it is in the interest of supporting the power of blogs to connect and relate people, stories, and ideas.  I think it is also because I want our readers to think of my friend, and in honor of his family to reflect on the meaning and value of your own companionships and families.

The 27-year-old wife of my high school swimming teammate (and driver of our team toiletpapering van), Chris Ireland, is near the end of her struggle with cancer.  They have two young daughters. For the past year, Chris has blogged about their experience from our hometown of Blue Springs, Missouri, giving the world a view into their private experience.  http://www.jenniferireland.blogs.com/

More Pizza Makers Born

Shilad and Katy have purchased a stone. We, along with Dan and Melissa, welcomed it into the world with six tasty pizzas. Photos are here.