happy bearly retirement to ME!

if you don't know, i got married and now my husband is moving* me to ken-sucky. today is my third to last day of work and i plan on having as much fun as this bear during my temporary retirement.

*i use the term moving loosely, since i'm actually the one packing up our entire house. yip.
video shared on facebook and found on youtubes here

SOB.

not the best quality.



UPDATE: PAT GETS THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM


WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced Patricia “Pat” Summitt, former head coach and current head coach emeritus of the University of Tennessee’s women’s basketball team, as a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  The Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. 

President Obama said, “Coach Summitt is an inspiration – both as the all-time winningest NCAA coach, and as someone who is willing to speak so openly and courageously about her battle with Alzheimer’s.   Pat’s gift has always been her ability to push those around her to new heights, and over the last 38 years, her unique approach has resulted in both unparalleled success on the court and unrivaled loyalty from those who know her and those whose lives she has touched.  Pat’s coaching career may be over, but I’m confident that her work is far from finished.  I look forward to awarding her this honor.”

joe pa's statement

released today:

“I am absolutely devastated by the developments in this case. I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for their comfort and relief.

I have come to work every day for the last 61 years with one clear goal in mind: To serve the best interests of this university and the young men who have been entrusted to my care. I have the same goal today.

That’s why I have decided to announce my retirement effective at the end of this season. At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can.

This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.

My goals now are to keep my commitments to my players and staff and finish the season with dignity and determination. And then I will spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to help this University.” (via)

oh, my two cents? well, it seems a bit presumptuous of him to release a statement, without facing the press, students, or alumni in person, in which he determines his own fate. he is basically instructing the board to let him finish up his season, and not to fire him. and i'm not certain that he's deserving of that level of control over the situation that he directly or indirectly enabled.

what do y'all think?

maura b. jacobson, a national treasure.

i love maura b. jacobson, and the nearly perfect crosswords she's created for new york magazine for 31 years. she is the primary reason i maintain a subscription, and i have been PISSED over the last year that every other week i have to deal with cathy allis's amatuer bullshit.

i'm sad to see her go, but you just have to read this feature on her. she is aDORbz!

Even the most consistent things must eventually come to an end, and 31 years and a bit over 1,400 puzzles later, Maura is retiring, despite our protestations. (One editor here actually burst into tears when she heard the news.) Over the course of her career, Maura has also contributed lots of puzzles to the New York Times—her longtime friend Will Shortz, the Times’ puzzle editor, calls her “a national treasure”—and to the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, the annual convention of across-and-downers. Maura’s the only one who’s kicked in a puzzle every single year since the tournament began, and when her name is announced, she gets thunderous applause. That’s because the crowd knows her trademarks well: grids that are unusually dense with theme clues, shot through with a distinctive and sometimes antic whimsy. (via)

i nearly burst into tears when i read this, too (i actually bit my finger when i read the title: "thirty-one down"). did you know she is a three-time jeopardy winner?!!? RIP maura! i'll miss you so much!