March 1, 2007 @9:42 AM
Gracias Doctor Linda ~ I believe it is part of the role of a good scholar, good educator and good doctor to exhibit the capacity to 'break it down' for others who are not of high-intellect. Your field of endeavor has always seemed somewhat obscure... you help to investigate the environment in practical ways that can help governments and other institutions. It seems you are finally getting the recognition your deserve. Key term: Think Global!
Bear with us ol' Mama Bear!
| Year | Ash Wednesday | Easter Sunday |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Feb 25 | Apr 11 |
| 2005 | Feb 9 | Mar 27 |
| 2006 | Mar 1 | Apr 16 |
| 2007 | Feb 21 | Apr 8 |
| 2008 | Feb 6 | Mar 23 |
Love Ya! ~Peta
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Linda Olsvig-Whittaker <olsvig2000@yahoo.com> wrote:
Linda Olsvig-Whittaker <olsvig2000@yahoo.com> wrote:
Hi everyone,
This has been a week of decompression from the excitement and hard effort of last week's field trial of our new mapping method. (Ever experience the swing down after a particularly exciting and stimulating experience? It is like there has to be some kind of balance.)
I spent the week quietly working on office chores and watching post-exercise developments. We have a lot of post-mortem work to do, figuring out the successes and failures, what to change, etc.
One part of this came as a surprise. I've been pressing our Dutch colleagues about how to analyze the mapping data coming in, and not getting satisfactory answers. Some folks in our field exercise had the same questions. So once again I fired queries at Holland and got a big surprise.
Of course the analytical end is a work in progress--I figured that already. What I didn't know is that the Dutchies were drafting a big EU project specifically on analysis of Mediterranean long term studies. At least I didn't know until they invite me to join the project. (Me and my big mouth, eh?) I'm no slouch at data analysis myself, and they know that since they've known me maybe 15 years and know the group where I studied at Cornell in the 1970's, so my track record on multivariate analysis means something to them.
This would pull Israel into the EU project, and the next challenge is to find North African countries that would work with us all. Tunisia and Morocco, I guess. Anyway, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I got the offer from the head of the project. I know him by reputation. In fact I have three copies of his textbook on data analysis, which is my number crunching bible, with at least one copy on loan to people I'm training. So would I like to work with him for three years? Mama mia, which arm do you want???
So I went bopping around the halls for a couple hours like I lost my mind--which I had--and my boss thought it was very funny. It's not the first time he's seen me pull a rabbit out of my hat like this. But the last two years with no international work (outside Nepal and SCB, I mean project work) has mostly been pretty depressing around the office. I need to get my butt out there and mingle with people who understand my real professional work, and the folks in Israell who can understand that, I can count on one hand and not use the thumb. And most of them, I taught the trade. I gotta go international or go stale.
So, I'm praying this project proposal works and I am on the frequent flyer route to Holland for the next three years, not just for fun but also to keep me on the cutting edge in my field, which is where I like to be. Oh, and incidentally do a lot of good for how Israel maps landscapes and handles mapping data, in dialogue with Europe, if people really want to bootstrap their brains up a few notches. (Our field exercise suggested many do, which is encouraging.)
So, there is a bit more sunshine out there in my work as well as in the weather. Flowers are blooming here. I've got daffodils and hyacinth in the garden, and the field flowers are starting to bloom. Purim is this Sunday and Passover in a month after that. Easter is somewhere in there as well, athough I can never find a Christian calendar here. April 3, isn't it, this year?
I feel kinda sluggish but the increasing light and warmth will shake that off. This is the season we all start to emerge half frozen from our lairs and think about traveling around the country. I would like to do a few things this spring, haven't figured out what yet. Haven't been north in ages.....
So, the rustling you are hearing in my quarter is the fat old bear shaking off the dead leaves and coming out of hibernation. I better go look for some grubs.
shabbat shalom,
Linda
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Posted By Linda Olsvig-Whittaker to Shabbat Shalom - Jerusalem at 3/01/2007 07:43:00 PM
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