Knowns and Unknowns

This weekend, a lot of things happened at once. Okay, well maybe two big things. But it seems that they are coming all at once. I've hit the time where it seems that endings and beginnings all mingle and mash together.

First for the beginnings and the knowns. Most reading this will know that I finished my dissertation this May. I actually defended the thing last November, but took some time to address some shortcomings that my committee saw. That pushed back my graduation date until this past weekend. I had waffled on attending, but I finally decided to do it. Eight years, after all, is a long investment and I should get something out of the deal. If that means walking across a stage and getting a diploma and a handshake, then so be it!

Going back to New Orleans was great as usual. We stayed with our friends Kevin and Brenda and the kids. However, it was a little sad. Every time we go back, it was with me as a student of the University of New Orleans. That was at the time the major connection with New Orleans that brought me back time and again. We would also go to Mardi Gras, but that was made possible because I was a student, and didn't have a steady job.

However, as of Friday, May 16th, I am not a student. That connection with New Orleans has been severed. I'm an alumnus of the University of New Orleans. We have friends there, and Mardi Gras will still go on year after year. But something seems changed. Other things will change as well. No more student prices at our local movie theater. I've joined the adults again!

The second big thing to hit was my acceptance of a job. I agreed to a one-year contract with the political science department at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. The opportunity is a great one. I will teach three classes a semester and have time to work on research that will make me a more attractive job candidate for a tenure track position next year. But, taking the position means leaving Megan and staying in Lubbock on weekdays and commuting home on weekends. That is going to be difficult on us, and we have to take care of a few difficult logistics before I start in August, like buying a car (an activity I loathe). It will also possibly put the crimp on going to Mardi Gras (at least for me) in the coming year.

I had to agree to a one-year position because of the apparent shortcomings in my resume. I don't have enough publications that matter, I have been out of the academic environment for four years, and I only taught, heavens forbid, at my own institution. I also am not a specialist in the Middle East (the flavor of the month in political science - it suddenly became important after 9/11). So while I watched all my colleagues get tenure track positions around me, I languished. So, Texas Tech here I come.

If I sound whiny, okay, you're right. I'm iffy on living in Lubbock, especially after living in California, Milwaukee, San Antonio, New Orleans, and Albuquerque. And I'd hoped that I would find a full-time position with a tenure track. Alas, it was not to be. But, a job's a job, and for at least a year we will have two incomes and maybe save up something that will help us buy a house in the future. Perhaps if we are lucky, we'll be able to stay in Albuquerque. I may find academia is not for me, or may find that if teaching is what I want, a community college is acceptable. So there are lots of positives.

It's all endings and beginnings. Here is the vid of the event that led to this musing, if you're interested...

Help us name our new friend!

Megan met "Erica" at a groundbreaking for a big solar panel manufacturing plant at Mesa del Sol. Mesa del Sol (Mesa of the Sun) is a big development here in Albuquerque. "Erica" was there because at 3 years old she had recently been turned into the city animal shelter and was considered very adoptable. The mayor of Albuquerque mandates that a shelter animal show up at his press events in order to publicize the plight of shelter animals and encourage adoptions Megan liked her from first sight. I showed up because Megan had gotten a flat tire on the way. I liked her too. Because we agreed to adopt her at the event, the mayor waived all the fees, which included her spay surgery, vaccinations and microchipping.

Here's our problem. Megan doesn't feel that "Erica" fits her. We are searching for a new name, and hope that you will weigh in. Based on the pix below, does she look like an "Erica?" Or does she need another name? We were thinking something that refers to the sun, given her coloring and the fact that we met her at Mesa del Sol.

Here's our options - you can add one if you like:

Erica (name stays the same) - I think that it could be a female version of Eric the Red, which would fit.

Surya (pronounced Sur-ee-yah), the chief solar deity in Hinduism. We've seen the deity referred to as both male and female.

Fiona - Megan just likes the name - means "fair," "white," "beautiful."

Brigid - associated with sacred flames, or the Celtic sun goddess.

Soleil - pronounced so-lay. French, meaning sun.

Foxy Brown - well, she does look like a fox a bit!

Any help you can give us would be greatly appreciated! If you think of a name, by all means suggest it. Comment away, the forum's open!

 
 
 
 

All on a Mardi Gras Day

Megan and I have just returned from New Orleans, where the weather was unseasonably warm and Carnival wrapped up its 2008 season with parades and revelry on February 5th, Fat Tuesday, otherwise known as Mardi Gras.

The Communist Crawfish Committee and Proletariat gives a final salute before heading out to the French Quarter on Fat Tuesday, February 5th, a day that will go down in history as the rising of the new Red Menace.

This year, we tried to capture some pictures, thanks to the new digital camera, of different sides of the festivities. For years, we have tried to convince people that Mardi Gras in New Orleans was something different, something that made this city where we lived for four years culturally unique. The destruction and devastation caused by the failure of the levees after Hurricane Katrina (and let's be clear about this - Hurricane Katrina did not destroy New Orleans, the catastrophic failure of inadequate levees built by the Army Corps of Engineers did), made this mission even more urgent. New Orleans is a unique place well worth preserving. We have argued with people who we consider reasonable, who ask why New Orleans is worth saving. We think it is, and I hope this post gives some reasons why.

This picture sums up what the rest of America thinks Mardi Gras stands for. These are tourists, not native New Orleanians, who manage to get lots of beads even though they do not flash for them, and manage to have a family-friendly holiday. No, I did not take this picture, but got it off the web here if you must see the unedited version

A lot of misunderstandings about New Orleans come from its signature celebration, Carnival and Mardi Gras. For those who don't know what this means, Carnival follows the Catholic liturgical calendar. It begins after the Christmas season ends in early January, and runs until Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Because it follows the Catholic calendar, Carnival has a different length each year, and Mardi Gras, the Tuesday before the beginning of Lent, falls on a different date each year. This year, Mardi Gras was early, falling on February 5th. In 2009 it will fall on February 24th.

Costumes are fantastic and whimsical during Carnival

Carnival is historically the time when mirth and revelry reign, before people had to do 40 days of sacrifice and reflection in the time leading up to Easter. This spirit of celebration has been linked to various pre-Christian traditions - harvest, Roman paganism, etc. - but the tradition has continued to this day. Numerous European countries celebrate Carnival (I experienced Carnival first in Germany), as do a number of South American countries.

Carnival in New Orleans has been traced back to the 1700s, when the French residents hosted balls and masques. When the Americans took over in the 1800s, Carnival began to reflect some of their traditions. Societies known as Krewes began to form in the mid-1800s, and their parades and balls and the crowning of kings and queens began to dominate the Carnival celebrations.

Much of that tradition continues today, though the rest of America sees only one type of image - that of young ladies flashing their breasts to receive beads thrown from balconies on Bourbon Street. This type of revelry is the exception to Carnival and not the norm, and is usually performed by tourists to New Orleans, not residents. The Carnival that we have come to know is family friendly. It starts in earnest typically about two weeks before Mardi Gras, with small neighborhood parades increasing over the two weeks in size and frequency until, the weekend before Mardi Gras, the Super Krewes stage elaborate and fantastic parades each night.

These large parades feature as many as 30 floats, 10 or more marching bands, and can take 3-4 hours to pass by. The traditional parade route is down St. Charles Avenue, but the Super Krewe of Endymion's traditional route is through Mid-City down Canal Street. Families come out in droves to watch these parades and host parade-themed parties if they live in the neighborhoods where the parades are. People look for the politically-satirical themed floats of Krewe D'Etat and the Krewe of Muses, the fantastic and whimsical floats of the Krewe of Bacchus and Endymion, the floats of Zulu, who's tradition is in mocking Carnival, and the parade of the King of Carnival, Rex. Children eagerly look forward to the throws they get from riders on the floats, which include beads, stuffed animals, and other trinkets. During this time even the music changes, with radio stations (particularly WWOZ) playing Carnival-themed music 24-7.


Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, is headlined by two giant parades and mirth and revelry in the French Quarter. Families line St. Charles Avenue to watch the parades - it is another family holiday like Christmas or Thanksgiving - and spend the day together afterward. Others, like Megan and I, head in costume down to the French Quarter, to walk around and enjoy all the other fantastically costumed people. Of course, on that day, you will find some people enjoying the holiday for all it is worth in a minimum of dress or with a very risque taste. However, most of it is simply fun and exciting to watch.

The best part of Mardi Gras is realizing that it's a Tuesday, and while the rest of America drudges along in its work, an entire city is taking time off to celebrate life and each other, before entering back into normality. This year, Mardi Gras fell on Super Tuesday, so while our neighbors and friends back in New Mexico were standing in line trying to vote for Barack or Hillary in what appears to be an embarrasment of a democratic caucus, we were blissfully celebrating, having a drink at a little party with a guest costumed as Super Tuesday (in fabulous boots). It's a tradition unlike any other in America. That, along with the musical contributions of New Orleans, it's history as our most "European" city, and its importance as the largest port in America makes it worth saving.


Click here if you are interested in seeing more of our 2008 Carnival experience. And read this column by New Orleans Times-Picayune columnist Chris Rose, who sums up the end of Mardi Gras 2008 more poetically than I. For me, I'll say that after a Carnival season, the urge to settle down and become more preoccupied with more spiritual and "heavenly" pursuits almost comes as a welcome - like the rest at the end of a long day of focusing on some task at hand. Like everyone else, I'm tired, and maybe that's what Carnival is all about - reminding us that we can celebrate now and pursue the pleasures of life, but there's always a need for self-reflection and the pursuit of higher and more important endeavors. In New Orleans, that pursuit is facing reality again - for many, rebuilding homes, reconstituting family and trying to remake a once great city from the ground up.

Angel framed by sunlight at St. Louis Cemetary #3. Time to stop celebrating and think of higher pursuits

Surprise Visit Home

It was a great idea, a perfect idea. My mom, I was thinking, was convinced I was a terrible son because I didn't go to visit her during Christmas. The reasons were valid - Megan was heading to El Salvador and we had just gotten back from my defense in New Orleans, our credit card bill was piling up, and a myriad of other reasons. My mom was understanding, but you could hear the disappointment dripping out of her voice each time we talked. Then, I saw a deal come up at Southwest Airlines for mid-January. I could take the trip while Megan was in El Salvador, and spend time with her. So I booked the ticket and planned to surprise her. My sister, who lives with my mom, was in on the plan.

Last Tuesday, January 8th, I flew out. I told my mom that I was going to be working and otherwise unavailable the whole day until later and that I would call her in the evening. In reality, I flew into Sacramento, rented a car (they gave me a Prius - how about that?) and drove the four hours to my hometown. I arrived at around 8:30 p.m. I silently drove the car up the driveway (and because Priuses are really completely silent on electric power at slow speeds, it was a bonus!), and parked by the garage. I called my mom on the phone, standing just outside her door, and she thought I was in Albuquerque. She happily chatted for a minute or two, while my sister ushered me in. I got inside where she was sitting in her chair watching television with her back to me while talking to the son she thought was in New Mexico. At an opportune point in the conversation, I interjected a "is that so?" She turned her head to the side, telling me "just a minute, someone's here." She looked but by that time, I had moved around to the other side. "Pauline, is someone here?" she asked my sister. Pauline said, "you're hearing things, woman." Or something to that effect. When she turned back around, I was standing in front of her.

My mom's eyes looked at me uncomprehendingly, then got a little bit of an annoyed wrinkle around her eyes, as if to say "I'm talking to you on the phone, you are not in front of me." Perhaps she thought she was having an hallucination. I think she stayed in shock the rest of the evening, as she didn't look at me much, mumbled something about giving her a heart attack, and instead of conversing with me much read the supermarket ads. But, I have to say, the visit was probably one of the best home I've had in a long time...very relaxing and my mom was more than happy after her initial shock wore off to make me feel welcome, fed and rested. My sister was filled with an endless amount of things to do, and we took our cameras and went traipsing about. You can see more pictures of our adventures that she has posted on her MySpace blog by clicking here. About the only downside of the trip was that the whole time I was there the weather was foggy, cloudy, or rainy, except for the glorious blue sky that greeted me on the day I had to leave. And I didn't get much sleep the last night because the dog had a glorious fit of diarrhea that made him need to get up and get outside every two hours because he ate some bad thing outside. But, we've all had that happen at one time or another, haven't we?



The above photo was taken at Camp 20. My mom was literally raised in the woods. Her father was a logger, and she grew up in lumber camps far from civilization. We made a trip out to where she lived until moving into town when she started high school. We were really seeking sun because we hadn't seen it for days at the coast.



This is the school she attended. It really is a little red schoolhouse! She was in charge of getting up, opening the building and starting the fire in the winter. They actually moved the building on skids when they moved the logging camp using a "donkey" machine to pull it.



An enormous wave rolls in on a cloudy day in Fort Bragg.



A harbor seal pokes its head out of the frothy surf to see what I'm up to. In Irish legend, some seals are Selkies, and can take human female form, actually, beautiful human female form, and seduce men. I can see why...on land they are pretty bloblike, but in water they are sleek, gorgeous, and curious. Once, one made a soft, womanly sounding "hoo" at me. A friend of mine told me that one should feel honored when an animal chooses to acknowledge them and communicate. I have felt very touched by these seemingly gentle creatures since, and make sure I go to see them and honor them in turn whenever I go to my hometown.



This tree on the property adjoining ours looks like a gnarly hand waiting snatch at whatever comes within its clutching reach.



The trees did trap this old car, which I discovered while out "boondoggling," as my sister Pauline colorfully puts it, which is, to say, I was traipsing about the woods and trespassing on people's property. I can't think of a more beautiful graveyard. Just cover me with leaves and let me decay!



My youngest sister, Pauline, up the trail on the edge of the bluff, "boondoggling."



Pauline serenely looks out over the Pacific ocean bluffs at Little River, California, quietly emulating the heron sitting on the rock in the distance. See how Buddha-like she is.

Playing with the new camera

My mother and my sister combined to give me a nice birthday present this year, and I've been having a great time playing around with my Canon Powershot A560. This is the first digital camera that I've truly owned (that's not a hand-me-down) and though it's not ideal if you want to be a professional, or even take professional looking amateur shots, it still allows some fun pictures - and I can always touch them up using photo software!

With that in mind, I wanted to post a few of the shots I've taken in the past couple of weeks. I've also been posting pics from the past on a cool website called Panoramio. It allows you to map your photos using Google maps, and photos that meet their criteria are linked to Google Earth. It's kind of cool to find some of your photos in Google Earth, where many others can see them. If you want to see some of my Panoramio photos, you can find them here.

Without further ado...some photos from the new camera...

Virgen de Guadalupe in tile keeps our porch blessed

Sunset over the West Mesa in Albuquerque

Green chile stew, posole, fresh tortillas and salad at Frontier Diner

"Indian-head" sign on Central Avenue

Blue-man on downtown mural

Part of Route 66 mural

More of the Route 66 mural. Notice how the vent was made into the airplane propellor!

My Twisted Birthday Humor

Source: Perry Bible Fellowship

I usually don't make a big fuss about my birthday, and now that I'm in my 40s, the mid-life crises are hard to stave off each time another year passes. Here's some humor about it, though!

Prospero Ano Nuevo from Mike and Megan

Has it really been another year?

Another year has come and gone, and we are still here and kicking in Albuquerque. We have spent the last few days frantically getting ready for and celebrating Christmas. We recently attended a La Posada in a neighborhood here in Albuquerque, which is where residents re-enact Joseph and Mary’s attempts to find shelter so she could give birth to Jesus. A young woman dressed as Mary sits on a burro and is led by a young man dressed as Joseph, and they stop at houses in the neighborhood asking for shelter, and are refused. They are accompanied by children dressed as angels, a depiction of the star of Bethlehem, and a group of Matachinas dancers, all wearing shirts commemorating the Santo Niño de Atocha. At the last stop, the Catholic church, the doors are opened and they are allowed to come in.

We have no momentous events that compare to the birth of the Christ child and the passing of another year, but there have been many important events for us in the past year that we would like to share with you.

Dissertaton...Done!!!! - by Mike

Seven years ago, when we moved from San Antonio to New Orleans so that I could begin a Ph.D. program in Political Science, did we ever think that it would take so long? We survived four years of my classroom studies, a move to Albuquerque so Megan could take a new job, watching from afar as our friends and the city we loved suffered through Katrina, and finally my push toward the goal for three plus years here in the Land of Enchantment.

Well, it’s finally done. I defended my dissertation on November 12th, 2007 and pending final revisions, I will be hooded by my committee chairman in New Orleans this spring. For all intents and purposes, you may call me Dr. Michael L. Hess, Ph.D.

It still hasn’t sunk in completely yet. I’m very aware of all the support I have had throughout this journey. Specifically, because she has supported me and kept me in food and toilet paper, and put up with my down points (which were pretty down), my biggest Christmas present this year is that Megan is still here with me. And she still is pushing me and exhorting me – to get a job!

So that’s the next step. If you know of a college or a university near you that needs a political science professor with an emphasis in international relations and comparative politics and a regional interest in Latin America, let me know.

I also want to shout out thanks to a few other people, living and not. Thanks, Mom, for all your support and encouragement. Uncle Elwin, even though you are gone, you always looked forward to having the first Ph.D. in the family, and I’m sorry you aren’t able to share it with me. Uncle Jack, you were always meant to be the first Ph.D. in our family, in political science no less, and you fueled my desire to go to college. I think that it is a tribute to you that I have achieved this goal. Wherever you are, I hope you’re smiling. John and Elaine, thanks for your support and advice – your familiarity with academics was a great resource. Megan, you have always been the rock I leaned on, so this achievement has been as much yours as it is mine. I love you and thank you. To the rest of my family and friends, thanks for all your support and encouragement over the years. You may not think you had any impact, but you did.


Megan's Corner

How can I compete with all that? Let’s just say it’s been momentous to be along on the ride for all this with Mike. I’ve decided to follow in his footsteps to El Salvador. I’m going down in January for 10 days with a prayer and action delegation from our parish with a number of younger students. We’ll be visiting sites commemorating the civil war, such as the Misa Popular where Oscar Romero is buried, and working with Aprodehni, a group set up to help the children of El Salvador.

Otherwise this year has been quite busy for me. I’m still at the New Mexico Business Weekly, which has had a fair amount of turbulence this year, but seems to have settled down for the better. I cover the film industry, which is exploding here, tourism, arts business, small business and government. I’m doing some occasional freelance for AAA’s New Mexico magazine and others. And I do radio regularly on our NPR affiliated KUNM. I host Weekend Edition every other Saturday morning and I do a women’s newscast for the Women’s Focus show every couple of weeks at noon, and occasionally some longer interviews. Every so often I host the global music show and Mike and I will be hosting the freeform music show on Christmas Day, which should be a blast. If we get this missive to you in time, tune in at www.kunm.org.

We’ve grown to like New Mexico quite a bit. It’s beautiful, has fabulous outdoor activities, an amazingly varied terrain, great weather with four seasons and a vibrant cultural life, but it’s likely we’ll have to move on if Mike gets a job next year. We’re both feeling a desire to settle somewhere, so picking up and moving again is not necessarily desirable. I’m getting tired of saying goodbye to people. But we’ve certainly been lucky to live in some fascinating places.


Mike finds his birth family - by Mike

This year was another momentous year in that I found and came in contact with my birth family on both my birth mother’s and father’s side. It really started the previous November, but I really didn’t make actual contact until January of this year. I discovered that although my birth parents have passed on, I have a half-brother and half-sister on my birth-mother’s side, and multiple siblings on my birth-father’s side. This past summer, when we went out to a friend’s wedding in LA, I met my half brother, Bob, at his home near San Luis Obispo, and while there I spoke to my half-sister, Jeanne, on the phone. In addition, I have met my birth-mother’s two surviving sisters and a whole brood of cousins that live in Ohio. After I spoke with one aunt, Maxine, she and a cousin, Diana, made it possible for Megan and I to attend the family reunion in June. It was there for the first time that people told me how much I looked like a “Mayle,” my birth-mother’s maiden name. It was a fantastic experience meeting these people that I never knew existed just a year before.

Unfortunately, my attempts to make contact with my birth-father’s other children did not meet with much success. They don’t really think of their father in a good light, and therefore are not that interested in learning about me. However, my birth father came from the province of Ontario in Canada and he has one surviving brother. This man, Morris, is my uncle and I have spoken to him over the phone and have had extensive e-mail conversations with his granddaughter, Sherry. I hope to get out to meet them sometime this coming year.


Trip to El Salvador - by Mike

This small country has played a big part in our lives this year. In May, I flew to San Salvador for five weeks of intensive language study. I lived with a 75-year-old woman and her 15-year-old granddaughter, and I rode a loud, belching, recycled American school bus daily to the school where I did 4 hours of language class and then afternoons of cultural study. I also did interviews for my dissertation with political leaders and academics. I came out of the experience with a basic understanding of Spanish – ¿Donde están los baños? – and a greater appreciation for the problems of developing countries in general and the difficulties faced by Salvadorans in particular. If you want to see some photos of my experience, you can go to
http://picasaweb.google.com/salsa.fresca/ElSalvador.


Other Travels - by Megan

Mike made a madcap 2 day drive into Mexico to help deliver a donated van to a project there. We saw our friend Elisabeth married in the Los Angeles area. We returned to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, of course, and for Mike’s diss defense (shout out to the Fitzpatricks for always welcoming us into their home!) Things keep getting better for the city each time we go back, but it’s still struggling in the wake of Katrina. I encourage everyone to visit and spend your money there. We returned to San Antonio in the spring to attend an anniversary event for Mike’s old employer, the Socially Responsible Investment Coalition. Thanks to Leilah and Scott and their beautiful bambino for their hospitality. For our 12th anniversary in September, we spent a few days at Mesa Verde National Monument in southern Colorado. And we returned to Wisconsin in October for the first time in many years because I had a journalism conference there. Thanks to Kevin and Karen for putting us up in Milwaukee, the Bolins for putting up with us us DePere and giving us the best chocolate toffee on earth, and Eileen, Vic and Connor for hosting us in Chicago. We connected with old New Orleans friend Maya Held in Milwaukee and my former grad school friends Jim Chilsen and Matt Simonette in Chicago. We also visited my parents at Thanksgiving, which was lovely and relaxing (I slept nine hours a night) and helped rehydrate my dessicated winter skin (high desert + cold = lizard hands).