Jax Pics

As promised, here are some pics I took while in Jacksonville for my interview last month. All the pictures are from my hotel, which was on the edge of downtown, just north and west of the river.





















The two evening shots I took with the shutter open a while---trying to capture the city lights. The blue bridge is especially pretty and no doubt will soon, to me, represent home.
















The river is the St. John's River, which is one of the US rivers that flows north (the second longest in the US that does so, I believe).

Interestingly, this river is two or three miles wide in spots without flooding. ;-) Although I've not done a lot being close to the Mississippi, I'm still glad to have a large major river in my new home city.

Howard and the Mississippi

A couple of weekends ago, Howard and I headed downtown and walked along the river. Over on Mud Island, half of the park was under water; the river was so high! We drove over into Arkansas too, and the river was over three miles wide--going all the way to the levee just outside of the first city across the state line.



Howard even took a drink out of the river!



At one point, he became quite interested in the water . . . as a barge passed by.

Gravity and That Different Perspective

Last night in yoga we did a number of inversions/partial inversions. I was near some other intermediate/advanced yogis as we did the prep pose for shoulder stand, and the four of us went ahead and took a shoulder stand. I actually got lifted up and out of it too, for the first time. But let me explain how that happened (as I see it in hindsight).

In the past, in those inversions, I've always felt a little odd. And self-conscious. I figure we're all just pretty used to our shapes and bodies. Some of us, admittedly, me too, carry some extra poundage around. But we get used to how we carry it and, well, where it falls.

Then put yourself in an inverted position. Darned if those extra pounds don't shift and gather quite awkwardly. And they feel oh-so-visible.

But last night, the two yogis to my right giggled, and one said "I hate how my fat falls together when I'm like this." And they giggled again, pointing out the part of their physical form, that layer of, well, fat, that fell toward the floor in an abnormal position when they were inverted. (This is most true with a shoulder stand; as you might notice from the pic, you're staring right at your tummy in this pose.) I laughed out loud and thanked them for saying that. Seriously, I had thought I was the only one who felt like that! Ah, yes, and that one of them is thin and young and cute---helps all the more.

And so, what I take from that is that the issues we each have with our bodies, for the most part, we're not alone. We're all a little self-conscious about things, but in reality, so is everyone else. And thus, I was encouraged to let go of those hang-ups and let go. After all, if the young, thin, cute girl feels the same way, heck, we're all in that boat.

And who knows. Maybe that's why I was able to lift up into my shoulder stand and really experience it. Feeling my shoulders release, my legs stretch high up in the air, my hips steady and firmly supported in my hands. For the first time, I let go of other issues and just really enjoyed the pose---and seeing things from a new perspective. Whaddaya know. That's just what inversions are supposed to do for us.

That's a Wrap!

Officially, classes are over! WooHoo!

Both of my classes met today, and it was the last time. I announced in both classes that I would not be returning in the fall, and I must say, it was a great feeling when so many students told me they were sad I was leaving and wouldn't be around teaching here next year.

I also, for the first time, got a round of applause at the end of each class. Some classes do it; others don't. Frankly, I don't remember it happening all that many times when I was a student. And so when I even got a couple of "woohoos" from the students, again, what a great feeling.

Of course, my Contracts students were surprised to learn I'd be teaching Torts. Me and their current Torts prof are quite different, and they've now decided that I am the example of a "Contracts professor" and him of Torts. Ah, what little they know, for actually, if we go with common stereotypes, I probably much better fit the persona of a torts prof and him contracts. Go figure.

Anyway, I'm still working on the exams. Looks like this one will take me down to the wire. I figure, though, as long as I can get them done in time to copy the day before, I'll be doing good.

And Another New Chapter Set to Begin

Go Jaguars!

Yes, my new AFC team will be my new home team: the Jacksonville Jaguars. :-) Don't worry, even if they go up against da 'Boys, my loyalties will always lie with that team from Dallas.

My long (very long) search has finally come to an end, and I'm headed to Jacksonville Florida. I've accepted a tenure-track position there with Florida Coastal, where I'll teach Torts and Remedies this coming year, adding another course in '09-10.

It's certainly been a long process. This spot came up at an odd time, and we had not been connected during the traditional season last fall. But this past January, this ball finally started rolling.

In early March, I did the committee interview over the phone, followed by another phone interview with a company designed to rate my talent for teaching. I did well on that, and they invited me to campus for the multi-day interview at the end of March. The other nice thing was that I got to see the city, and I really liked it!

What's even better than all of that is that I also really liked the people. They were friendly, open, welcoming. Okay, sure, so they were trying to sell themselves as much as I was me. But the thing about the multi-day interview is that if people are not being genuine, it's easier to figure that out when you're there for so long. I cannot say it in any better way, really, than just that it completely felt "right."

And then came the long wait for the offer. Their school had spring break the week after my visit, so that added extra time in the wait. But finally, an offer came Monday, we negotiated over the week, and I accepted yesterday. WooHoo!!

And yes, Jacksonville is just about on the coast: eighteen miles away. I find the beach and the sound of the ocean to be especially healing to my soul, so I'm tickled to be so close.

Other things? well, yes, I think Howard will be happy. I know already of at least two fenced-in dog parks in the city. The city itself is the largest city in land area in the US, but population-wise it reminds me of Fort Worth or even Memphis. Demographic seem similar to Fort Worth. It's in northern Florida, so it's more like southern Georgia than Miami. It's large enough to have a symphony orchestra, get tours of Broadway shows, and have an NFL team, but ti's still small enough that you can become a part of a community. For me, it's the ideal size. (I usually consider a city's population much more than its geographical size.)

My relocation package will take care of the move, and I'll head down in mid-June to look for a house. I'll rent first, with the goal of buying perhaps next summer---once I know more about the neighborhood I want to live in. The big move will occur probably in earl July. I"m still trying to plan a trip for me in early August, but I'll need to work that around a faculty orientation scheduled early that month too.

In the meantime, I'm writing final exams, which my students take next week and the week after. I"ll have to grade those (painful) then work on the article I could not focus on with this job prospect that came up. A few folks are also trying to work out schedules for visits next month, so it's going to be busy around here!

I did it! A year ago, I took a chance by leaving my familiar life to do something I wanted more than anything else, taking the risk that with only a one-year gig, the future would work out. And it has. Beautifully. This new place seems like just the right fit. And so the next step is about to begin: me, as a Floridian.

Zombies? Huh?

Okay, what's up with zombies? There's a thing going on here next weekend where you can get "attacked" by zombies and become one yourself. For the 2008 Memphis Zombie Attack, just show up to an area of town, indicate your willingness to play by sticking a large piece of duct tape on yourself (being sure to dress in clothes you're willing to have ruined), and at some point, a group of zombies will come up to you and "zombify" you. You also could show up to a particular parking lot and have professional make-up artists zombify you. Huh?

In another town I've become interested in lately (still not "official," so still waiting), it's having a zombie film festival.

Huh?

And in a law prof blog I read regularly, there's an entry about the legality of "your zombie escape plan." Included in the comments are links to a movie about zombies' rights (to vote?) and to a site listing the best method for killing zombies.

Huh?

Okay, what am I missing?

Shake, Rattle, & Roll? Nope

No, I didn't feel the earth move last night. And no, I don't have a new boyfriend.

It seems an earthquake---5.2 or 5.4 on the scale---centered in Illinois occurred early this morning. I've heard reports that people here in Memphis felt it, but Howard and I slept right through.

Go Tigers Go

Perhaps you recall the post back in January about Memphis's basketball team? Well, they wound up losing ONE game, knocking them out of the #1 spot in the rankings, but their record still gave them a #1 seed for the NCAA tourney. And they've swept through the tourney so far all the way to the championship game tonight!

The Kansas Jayhawks, though, have also swept through the tourney (with a very impressive showing on Saturday against North Carolina), and that's the team Memphis will meet tonight in San Antonio.

I know I have at least one student who'll not be in class today; she's in San Antonio. And my friend Kristin, a Jayhawk, is headed down probably as we speak.

The city's very excited---you cannot turn on the news or a radio without hearing "Go Tigers!" My gym is even closing tonight at 7:30 so no one there has to work during the game.

Me? well, I told Kristin I was cheering for her Jayhawks and the Tigers up until today. But now, I do gotta consider: The Tigers pay my rent!

Go Tigers Go! ;-)

Being Aware

Since the weekend, my leg is much better. I also talked over the injury with my yoga instructor last night, and she probably pinpointed exactly what happened. It has something to do with, oh, gosh, being an "over-achiever." Who, me?

Last Thursday, we did a lot of poses during which she would remind us to externally rotate the leg. And I probably did that as if I was being paid for every bit I rotated. Instead, it's important just to be aware of where you are and what you're doing, but not go beyond your limits.

Isn't that the same in everything?

If you scrub the bathtub, for example, do you (usually---we're not talking what it was like to clean my tub here when I first moved into this house) . . . anyway, do you really need to scrub hard, really using, or even taxing, the muscles in your shoulder and arm? No, probably not when you clean the tub each week or so. But some of us do.

When you're chopping veggies, if someone walked in, would they wonder what the veggies had done to make you so upset with them? You don't need a lot of force to chop a carrot. Why not just do what it takes, being aware of how much is needed to chop that carrot, and not slamming through it any more forcefully than needed?

When you brush your teeth, are you brushing---or scrubbing with force? (my own clue: the difference in my gumline on the left side of my mouth (I'm right-handed) than on the right, showing my tendency to mindlessly scrub.)

And so in yoga and in other areas of my life, I'm going to try to work on paying attention to where I am and what I'm doing in the moment. Am I going too far, or am I doing things with purpose? Am I aware of all of the sensations my movements and actions are resulting in? Am I fully tuned into the things I'm doing and the related outcomes? Or am I doing things, with too much "umph" in a mindless manner, without being truly plugged in to what's going on. I need to plug in, to be aware. I'll be working on that.