Just made it back into town... 982 miles and 14 hours of driving! Photos and stories will follow... after a long sleep.

Have we done nothing but eat, drink, and chat with friends and family? I guess that is what coming home and visiting is all about. We're still on schedule -- seen so many people already and have so many more to see in the next few days. We are looking forward to Brenham (staying at a B&B with friends from Seattle). Should be fun! Time to head out to check out the post-Christmas sales!

We made it to Houston! We left Saturday morning around 6:15am and arrived just after 9:00pm. Not bad for approximately 1040 miles. We stopped in Ocala for breakfast and then again just north of New Orleans for an early dinner and kept moving. Other than that, we only stopped to fillup (for either gas or diet coke!). Sunday was nice. We visited with family, made pit stops at each house, played some football, etc. Stephanie and her mom went to see A Christmas Carol at the Alley Theatre while I met up with an old friend for dinner and a movie. I tried getting tickets to the Houston Ballet's The Nutcracker at the Wortham in early November, but there weren't any good seats left. I remember going to The Nutcracker in high school and college during the holidays (that was a l-o-n-g time ago). Steph said A Christmas Carol was a very good production (factoid: one of the actors from earlier episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was in the performance...). Today we are meeting friends, who now live in Arizona but are in town visting family, for lunch at Ninfa's. And then perhaps a little bit of shopping before Christmas. The crowds were insane at the mall yesterday. I'm not sure I want to venture out into that! There's something nice about being "back home" -- it's hard to put a finger on though. I mean, moving back isn't something that interests me right now, but the familiarity is pleasant.

The doctor was right -- no bacterial infection. It turned out to be just "the bug" -- whatever that means. I think the medical translation is that I had the common cold. After several days of headaches and the sniffles it passed. Stephanie and I ended up playing tennis later in the week. I think that actually helped my sinuses. Unfortunately, between the packing, the parties, and the cold, the gym took a backseat to everything else.

The doctor decided that I didn't have a bacterial infection (e.g., sinus infection), but rather that I had "the bug". The remedy for "the bug" is lots of fluids, rest, and a prescription cough syrup (laced with something that prevents me from operating heavy machinery). The cold weather and strong winds at the game over the weekend didn't exactly help my defenses (not to mention 10 hours of driving -- ugh!). I'm hoping that by tomorrow I should be feeling better. The one nice thing about the trip to the doctor was that the nurse commented on my health -- specficially my low blood pressure (118/68) and low heart rate! I'm working on building muscle, but it was pleasing to see some of the results of aerobic activity! At the time, it was all I could do to respond with a sniffle and a sneeze, but I left feeling good about it.

I attempted to post earlier, but was foiled by a glitch in blogger! Isn't technology wonderful? This weekend, Stephanie and I watched Rockledge High School win the state football playoffs (2nd year in a row)! We woke up early Saturday morning, headed out around 6:30am for Tallahassee, stopped in Ocala for breakfast at Cracker Barrel, and made it to the game around 12:30pm. Rockledge tore up Crestview 22-0. After the game we attended the tailgate party and visited with the kids, parents, coaches, and other teachers. We had a great time. I was happy that we were able to go. The kids really seemed to appreciate us being there. Afterward, we headed back and stopped in Gainesville at Grill Masters for dinner with a couple of others. We didn't make it home until 12:45am. And to think our trip to Texas is 15 hours . . .

Feeling puny this morning... I think I caught what my wife had late last week (sore throat, sinus pressure, etc.). Time for a trip to the doctor...

Meg O'Malley's was fun -- almost half the class attended, which was better than expected given that it wasn't mandatory. I have a huge stack of finals to grade this weekend! More later . . .

For my MIS students who read my blog, this is a reminder that tomorrow night's final class will be held at Meg O'Malley's from 5:00pm - 6:15pm. Attendance is NOT required, so that's OK if you aren't there. We'll discuss the group presentations, blogs, and other course related information. Let me know if you plan on attending so that I can tell them how large a table to prepare (I don't want to request a table for 15 and then have half as many attend!)... :-)

Finals have arrived! With the holiday season, our number of obligations have increased, but so has our workload. And people wonder about the term "holiday stress" -- hah-hah. Between today and the 31st, we have a full calendar. Completely full. I'll be more tired after the holidays than before I'm afraid. What's odd is that I'm not sure how we became this busy. Not that it's bad. We are both looking forward to this next month. But unlike "normal" months when there is down-time between events, there just aren't any this month. And that significantly increases stress levels I think! Had a friend over for dinner tonight. Stephanie roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes, grilled zuchinni, and I grilled the Delmonico steak. We topped it all off with a good merlot. And then (does this sound strange) freshly basked snickerdoodle cookies for dessert. Don't know what snickerdoodle cookies are? The short answer is that they are sugar cookies with cinnamon sprinkled on top. Yum! The gym was quiet again today -- initially. Shotly after I arrived, the crowds started coming in. Oddly, the treadmills "fill up" faster than the elliptical trainers (equal numbers of each). And the cycles are almost never used. One of the attendants was new or had never experienced a full set of treadmills because he was getting nervous about the 30 minutes rule and having available treadmills. Shortly after, someone finished so he relaxed a little, but it was interesting watching him pace back and forth checking the time.

Sometimes I worry about my home state... "Texan Killed Friend Who Drank Last Cold Beer"

The students in my MIS completed the last of their group presentations last night. Overall, I'd say they did an excellent job. It's interesting watching some of them present. Individually, they tend to be confident and well-spoken. They are management-school graduate students and many work full-time, so they definitely have the interpersonal skills down. What's interesting is that, for some of them, presenting in front of a group changes everything -- sometimes almost immediately. I know it's a function of unfamiliarity, but the transformation can be so vivid. From what I can tell, nervous students tend to focus more on themselves (or the content of the presentation) and less on the audience. When that happens, they tend to "lose touch" and, more often than not, "push through" the presentation with very little audience interaction, fewer checks for understanding, etc. I wonder how common it is to offer graduate level Public Speaking courses?

I completed the review of the blogs for my MIS course this term -- the overwhelming majority of my students thought blogging was a great tool for the classroom (I recognize, as some of my colleagues have suggested, that the term is still in session and students may be motivated to make such comments that are independent of their true thoughts and feelings -- not my students though!). There are a number of issues to consider (what's next, how do I objectively grade blogs, in what context are they the most appropriate, etc), but right now I'm wondering how I can include blogs in my courses while maintaining my existing structure. That is, given that I usually have a mid-term, final, group presentation, case studies, etc. -- how do I effectively utilize blogs without diminishing (or possibly worse -- eliminating) the current performance measures? I recognize that evaluating blogs is more subjective than evaluating a multiple choice exam, yet it's obvious that blogs are richer and deeper in thought than a typical multiple choice exam. In many ways, this is a old debate with new technology. But isn't that what makes all this fun? ;-)

Went to the gym today and worked out for 45 minutes on the elliptical trainer. I'm a little confused about RPMs on the elliptical. I know that for cycling, I aim for about 90-100 rpm. I'm not sure what's ideal for ellipticals. Thoughts on that? I did notice that to increase my rpms, I had to lower my center of gravity (which burned!). I googled for information, but didn't find much.

What a great tune... (lyrics from http://www.lyricsstyle.com) John Mayer Your Body Is A Wonderland We got the afternoon You got this room for two One thing I've left to do Discover me Discovering you One mile to every inch of Your skin like porcelain One pair of candy lips and Your bubblegum tongue And if you want love We'll make it Swim in a deep sea Of blankets Take all your big plans And break 'em This is bound to be a while Your body is a wonderland Your body is a wonderland (I'll use my hands) Your body is a wonderland Something 'bout the way the hair falls in your face I love the shape you take when crawling towards the pillowcase You tell me where to go and Though I might leave to find it I'll never let your head hit the bed Without my hand behind it You want love? We'll make it Swim in a deep sea Of blankets Take all your big plans And break 'em This is bound to be a while Your body is a wonderland Your body is a wonderland (I'll use my hands) Your body is a wonderland Damn baby You frustrate me I know you're mine all mine all mine But you look so good it hurts sometimes Your body is a wonderland Your body is a wonderland (I'll use my hands) Your body is a wonderland Your body is a wonderland

Sports Authority had a great sale this weekend. I received a tennis racquet as an early Christmas present. I'm still adjusting to it, but it feels great -- definitely more power on my serves. I went for a 12 mile walk this morning and made better time than Wednesday (2:40:49). There were lots of people outside -- working to burn off some the Thanksgiving turkey and dressing I'm sure. Back to work in the morning... lots to do before the end of term!