Thoughts and Words Ill-Sorted

As I was weaving through the airports yesterday I got a sense of how far removed I am from the business world. The magazine in the seat-back pocket had articles on how to rub shoulders with the big boys, best ways to get the most out of employees, etc. The lady next to me was reading a book on eight ways to improve your life and make your work a success. Three guys ahead were sharing anecdotes that conveyed to all who could hear them that they were big-business travelers.  I, meanwhile, was curled up in my seat, eating my way through a novel I’m hoping to assign for my class in the fall, feeling about as far from that world as possible.

This morning my mom and I attended a lecture by Ken Blanchard, who is a big leadership and business guru, known for his One-Minute Manager book and recent stuff on situational leadership theory. Are any of you familiar with him? I was intrigued because a) he got degrees at Cornell b) I’m curious to see what these business people really talk about c) he was giving a talk on business leadership and Christ.

He was quite interesting, and offered some really nice affirmations of disciplines that we can gain from Christ’s example: solitude, prayer, care for others, etc. But it made me a bit edgy that those things that I affirm and hear about in church were woven in with business techniques or ways in which following Christ’s example can make one a better [business] leader.  I’m pretty old-fashioned: I don’t want my sermon mixed in with trips to Starbucks at the back of the church.  I like hymns over rock songs in church.  And I am not completely comfortable with the implicit message that becoming a student of Jesus means you are also going to lead your business to success.  In one sense, I completely understand that.  Striving to reach out to others, put them before your own concerns, etc., you’re going to obviously be a much better person than if you don’t do these things.  But if we think success in business means you make money hand over fist, I have some real problems with that model.  I didn’t notice that Christ was all that “successful” in those terms.

Anyway, I had some majorly mixed feelings.  But it’s nice to know that there are some religious businessmen out there, hopefully ones who carry their church lessons into their workplace.

Erin

I have gone from the free-range-organic-all-natural-local-vegetarian Ithaca to Hudson, Iowa, where people were standing in line at the meat counter to catch the sale on 10-pound tubes of lean hamburger meat. Meat in tubes? That’s a new one even on me.  I think I also really confused some woman by asking if they carried basil pesto.  Maybe I’ll just hold tight to my strawberries and sit still 🙂

Erin

Yesterday we took a hike around Treman Park, which is our favorite park in Ithaca.  A couple of miles through woods, along a river, and up stone steps, and you reach a beautiful waterfall that is called “Lucifer Falls.”  It was a popular setting for old westerns when they used to make movies in upstate New York.  Wonderful nooks and crannies, and a great view of the cliffs and hills.  It was interesting weather: light rain kept other people away, and made the view quite spectacular.  The birds made calls high above, and we got a nice hike in.

But early tomorrow I head out to Iowa for two weeks, visiting my parents and then my grandmother.  I look forward to being my parents’ kid again for a bit, but I’ll miss Sydney and Arwyn.

Erin

was a success.  We weren’t sure how having 15 people over to our tiny apartment would work, particularly as I only have 8 place settings!  But thankfully you can wash dishes and still join in the living room banter–it’s all the same room!

As usual, Nelson outdid himself.  The guests were impressed with the salad, amazed by the pasta, and overwhelmed by the dessert.  It was an assortment of guests: lots of philosophers, a few English students, friends from church, Christi, and, of course, the three of us.  Our house invites people to settle in and get comfortable (for space reasons, if for nothing else!), and they seemed happy to do so.

Erin

Paper’s done.  Worst paper I’ve ever written, but it’s now out of the way.  And man do I feel the sense of relief!

I finally took Nelson out.  We hit up the Farmer’s Market and took a boat tour around Cayuga Lake.  On a hot day like today, it felt good to be out on the water.  We also hit up the Ithaca Festival downtown, walking by the craft vendors, karate demonstrations, etc.  It was nice to be out and sociable after a long, silent night of staring at my computer screen.  This is also the last day of Sydney’s conference, so Nelson will be able to hang out with his brother again

We’re all getting a bit sick of the heat and the mugginess.  I never would have thought air could hold so much water at this high of a temperature.

Despite the heat, however, we’re throwing a dinner party.  Nelson wants to cook, we have friends we want to have over, and after a long semester we’re feeling sociable.  I shouldn’t be around when Nelson’s in the kitchen, though.  I ask lots of questions, put away things he’s not done with (sorry!), and end up eating odds and ends.  I don’t think I need to be eating leftover cookies and tasting whipped cream!

Erin

More slug-like behavior from all three in the house today.  It’s not that the mid-eighties weather is so terribly hot.  It’s the humidity, filling the air so that you need to swim through it, and the barometric pressure mounting, promising thunderstorms but generally failing to deliver.

Nelson has been a good sport, staying around home as I struggle through this last paper.  I’m doing my best to have it done by tomorrow, so that we can go out and enjoy the Ithaca Festival and see a few of the sights.  Tomorrow is also the last day of Sydney’s conference, so he’ll soon be able to spend more time with us (and we’ll be able to do those activities he made us promise we wouldn’t do without him!).

Erin

And both guys are lounging around in their shorts, looking miserable, occasionally throwing themselves across a new piece of furniture to vent their frustration at the weather.  Considering that the warmest part of the day is yet to come, this doesn’t bode well.

I will be keeping my hot little computer right across my lap this hot afternoon, typing away at a paper that needs to be done tomorrow.

Erin

Nelson has survived an entire day in our household, and a full day it was!

– Sydney put him to work in the garden

– I fed them lunch

– We went for a hike

– On the way back Nelson checked out our grocery stores.  And we bought groceries and he made us dinner.  Apparently he sensed a weakness for Mexican food and somehow knew that was the one thing we couldn’t get in Ithaca!

– After dinner we took a tour of campus in the near-dark, to show Nelson we weren’t kidding about the scenery on our daily commute to school

– We returned to Sydney’s home-made mango-coconut ice cream

Erin

It seems fashionable, among philosophers at least, to have personal websites in which to talk about what one does (does somebody care?). I just put mine up here. Feel free to comment about it, e.g., if it horribly violates more refined aesthetic sensibilities. I’m especially interested in knowing if it doesn’t display properly in different browsers.

Erin and I will be picking up my brother at the Syracuse airport tonight. I know that he’s on a holiday from his job as a chef, but I’m hoping to enslave him anyway and thus to eat well.

Since we’re going up into the northern regions of the state anyway, we’ll spend the afternoon wandering around Highland Park in Rochester before heading over to pick Nelson up. Unfortunately, the famed lilacs will probably be a bit past their prime by now, but at least we won’t have to run into Martha Stewart.

Sydney

Just as we began our drive this morning a tiny fawn stepped out into the middle of the road, then slowly trotted off into the ditch.  His legs were the biggest part of his body, and he was quite a sight.  He stopped in the ditch, I got out of the car, and just about petted him before it occurred to him to bleat and run off to his mom.  So cute!  Christi, our housemate, had a little lost fawn come up and be petted by her the other day when she was out for a run.  This is a great place to live!

Later, we were on a walk in the wooded bird sanctuary, we saw lots and lots of geese families.  Again, the little goslings were quite close to us, but this time there were hissing adults around to make sure I wasn’t tempted to pet them . . . or at least not overwhelmingly tempted.  Some of those families were pretty large: 7 goslings, 9 goslings, even 11!

Erin