something a little less formal
Personal Miscellany
(hopefully more interesting than the Career Bio)
Dog Photos
Here is an outdated, formal family portrait; here and here are two informal ones. Those dogs are no longer of this earth, and I look different (I think) from the formal picture, hence the "outdated" disclaimer.
My first dog was an undergrad at Cornell. Otis (formally "Otis T. Wonderdog", and informally "Otie" or "O") lived in the ATO fraternity with his owner Tim McGhee (Cornell '84), and came to be mine when he was seven. Like Smokey The Bear, his middle name was indeed "The". He lived to be 17, dying in December of 1998. Fellow Cornell alumnus Chuck Kalmanek delivered Otis to me in spring of 1989. He and Tim are now brothers-in-law. Ironic that Otis chose people with such similar family names.
My second dog (the spare, backup dog to keep Otie company [as Dave Barry would say]) was feral when I adopted him from the SPCA in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1992. Reggie T. Fox (the "shift register") quickly learned from Otis "how cool dogs behave", but he never lost his passion for dumpster diving. He played "dumb blond", but he was the only of the three dogs in the Virginia country house who figured out how to open the door and let himself out. This led to his being shot in the mouth by a skunk (salivated for weeks!), and being bitten on the snout by a snake (that was even grosser than the skunk incident). Overall, he was a pretty good boy, though. Reggie shared the same middle name as Otis. He died in May of 2002.
My third dog (the spare, backup dog to keep Reggie company) came from Best Friends Animal Shelter in southern Utah. Stella B. Hyena (B for "Bella") had the biggest ears I'd ever seen on a dog. They could move independently, tip forward, tip back, or stand straight up. When I first adopted her, she managed to eat two freshly baked baguettes off my kitchen counter (I wasn't in the room) before I figured out what was going on. I immediately did my best imitation of Marlon Brando in "Streetcar Named Desire". She quickly learned that dogs do NOT eat people food, especially off the counters. She died of leukemia in September of 2004.
My current dog is not a shelter dog. Flipflop T. Panda (a smaller storage component than his predecessor, the register -- he can only hold a little bit) is a Tibetan Spaniel who was born in June (he's a Gemini, and you know what they say . . .). He's my first purebred, my first puppy, and my first small dog. He's adorable, though, and very smart. And he looks cute even in low resolution. He had many nicknames when he was little: Bandit (from Johnny Quest -- remember that?), Gizmo (from "Gremlins"), Munchkin, and Pipsqueak, for instance. More photos to come.
People Photos
Here is a formal portrait of me. I hate having my picture taken. I really look much smarter in person (or so I hope). I had this taken for my family, since I hadn't had any real photos taken since I graduated from college.
Interesting (or Not So Interesting?) Trivia
- I helped Jodie Foster log on to a mainframe (and succeeded).
- I once attended the Bal Polonaise at the Plaza Hotel in NYC (I'm really a farm girl from Michigan, so go figure).
- I asked Bill Gates for a boat ride (and received it).
- I studied with a relative of Ernest Hemingway.
- I studied with a relative of Jimmy Hoffa.
- I share a birthday with a cousin of Diane Ackerman (former chair of the Philosophy Department at Cornell).
- Medgar Evers and I coexisted on this planet for a single day. I'm thankful that he worked for what he did when he did, and I wish we had overlapped more.
- My brother is a professional (and well known) horse race announcer, a rare accomplishment in a rare profession.
- My childhood babysitter (Mike Bloomfield) is an astronaut who piloted the Space Shuttle more than once. He was Athletic Director at the US Air Force Academy briefly, but has returned to NASA. Of course, you know his real claim to fame :).
- I used to send email to my 98-year-old grandfather, who was a farmer and horse trainer before retirement. He died the last day of July, 2005.
- One of my grad school housemates from UVa became the first woman to be promoted to senior status in research and development at Industrial Light and Magic. She's helped set some interesting skydiving records, too.
- Rob Pike didn't really name my favorite editor after me (but it's still a great editor).
How to Hemorrhage Money
First of all, buy property in New York State. Taxes, taxes, taxes.
- comestibles (here and there)
- Martinelli Winery (Master Winemaker Helen Turley is a Cornell alumna, btw.)
- Chocosphere (where you can order my recreational drug of choice; try the ones with toasted cocoa bean pieces --- it's the next best thing to mainlining.)
- Ithaca Fine Chocolates (Think globally, shop locally? Art and chocolate make a lovely combination. Wait --- chocolate *is* art! These people put too much sugar in their chocolate [for my tastes], but the art card included with each bar is interesting.)
- Debauve & Gallais (This is my favorite for-profit establishment on the planet [so far]. The sales women are polite, but perhaps just a touch aloof [it's PARIS, after all]. They at least feign not to understand English. Your college French will get you by just fine, though, as will pulling out the credit card and piling a stack of 100g bars on the counter. After flashing that credit card, inquire delicately "est-ce qu'on peux goûter quelques choses?" [is one allowed to taste some things? said as "ess cone puh gootay kelka shows", approximately], and see what happens.)
- Guy Savoy (Chef Savoy probably WISHES he were a Cornell alumnus . . . well, maybe not. Get on the mailing list, and you'll get a lovely holiday card every year.)
- Willi's Wine Bar (where you can meet distant cousins of famous Cornell faculty, and you can DEFINITELY "goûter quelques choses". Btw, the owners are British, and practically everyone in the place will be speaking English. Don't go here to practice your French. Do go here to admire their artwork [see below].)
- Claude & Dominique's Cafe (In Pleasanton, CA, this is the next best thing to a trip to France. So if you happen to find yourself in the Bay Area . . . .)
- furniture (restored antiques) and art (originals or
prints)
- Shogun's Gallery (ask for Anna Peden, and tell her I sent you)
- Siam Traders (Out of Portland, OR. The kalagas are beautiful, and affordable. Tell Bob I sent you.)
- Lyu Hanabusa 1993 Willi's Wine Bar poster
- Lyu Hanabusa 2001 Willi's Wine Bar poster
- Klimt prints
- Travel
- Musée National de l'Orangerie (another source of art prints)
- UPC's Departament d'Arquitectura de Computadors (or "Cornell University, Barcelona" -- ask Prof. Martinez)
- Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon (one of my favorite non-profit establishments on the planet)
- The Portland Chinese Garden (Lan Su Yuan --- The Garden of Awakening Orchids) (Lan Su Yuan --- The Garden of Awakening Orchids) (The above-mentioned, brilliant Anna Peden gives decent tours.)
