the moustache as civil disobedience, public nuisance and token of perfect smugness

this is my cousin Malcom (left) in a picture taken a couple weeks ago during a trip through Munich. my uncle and his family are living and working in Lugano, Switzerland and they periodically send us updates on their adventures, including photos. like a blog.

it was so good to get this in my email the other day, for several reasons. I had actually gotten up early just that morning to make 5 gallons of hot chocolate, and then schlepped it sloshing into work in a huge cooler. hot chocolate should never be a hassle but somehow this was.

also, behind a figleaf of reduced state education budget, they've started firing people here too. lots of people. since we work off of a grant that I write every year, our little outfit should be OK, but it still sucks to watch this happen to so many other people I like and respect, many of whom have been here 20+ years. I don't know if people are organizing yet but there’s quite a bit of fallout still to come.

and aside from this, things have been pretty hectic. would you believe that I just allowed my Saturday to be spent giving a presentation to a boardroom full of people (yes, their Saturdays too!) on a 9 volume set of white 3-ring binders called USOE Standards for Adult ESOL? 4 hours of driving for a 5 hour meeting, to which I contributed just 1 hour. yeah, I know!

so anyway, I'm now wearing a moustache. thanks, Malcom, for helping me regain my bearings here. we'll see how long it lasts.