Jigsaw puzzles

I love doing jigsaw puzzles. Not those "impossible" ones that are all one color, or in which all the pieces are exactly the same. I like the standard 1000 piece, picture with some structure, type of puzzles. I also do the border first, find all of the straight edges. In looking for puzzle images, however, I found this one, in which the puzzler is working on the corner and middle. Usually, after the edges, I start to fill in a little. The bottom often gets done first, I think because it is closest to me. The center usually gets filled in early, too, since that has some identifiable pieces. I like to keep the pieces in the box and shuffle through them, letting them sift through my fingers while I look for just that right one. It is easy to do things like the edges of buildings, signs, things with distinctive colors, too. Gradually, the puzzle gets filled in. For some reason, the sky is almost always last. All that blue seems like just too much to figure out.

Jigsaw puzzles are very relaxing. You can work at your own pace, carry on a conversation at the same time, or work silently by a partner. They remind me of an old fashioned quilting bee. My sisters and I usually work puzzles when we are together. It bugged my mother. I think she thought it was anti-social. Or else she just didn't like the space it tied up. Still, it is a family tradition. My husband and kids have no interest. So, when we go on vacation I get to do one all by myself! It is a highlight of the trip for me.

Puzzles that can be solved are soothing. You know what you are working towards (I always consult the picture on the box.) There is only one right answer, but there is an answer. You get a sense of accomplishment as you complete the picture. There is that thrill when you find just the right piece for a particular spot. Jigsaw puzzles are like math problems, or logic puzzles, or any of those other pursuits that provide a definitive answer if you look long enough.

Kitchen sinks

When I lived in Central Pennsylvania I remember an evening when I was standing at the kitchen sink, looking out the window and could see the kitchens of three other houses. We all had the same fluorescent lights, the same window over the sink. What's the deal with kitchen windows? Are kitchen sinks designed to be under windows for a reason? Is it so women can see out into the world and imagine what is out there for them? Do they all have fluorescent lights?

Growing up, our kitchen sink did not have a window over it, at least not after the dining room addition was built. The sink faced a blank wall. It did have a fluorescent light. But, ever since then, every house I've lived in has had a window over the sink. In our current house, the window looks out over a small patio with a tree, flowers, and bird feeders. It is a pleasant view. Does it make the task of dishwashing more pleasant? I don't know.

But, on that evening long ago, I was struck by the fact that in four houses, at the same time in the evening, someone was standing at the kitchen sink, fluorescent light glowing, washing dishes. Is that comforting? A sign of shared routine and domestic tranquility? Or is it depressing? A sign of shared routine and drudgery?

Is the difference what your window looks out on to?

Gettting courses ready

When I started this blog I intended it to supplement my introductory sociology course. It would be a place to expand on topics covered in class, to introduce recent events relevant to our discussions, and to cover things we didn't have time for in class. I hoped it would also give students a better sense of what their professor does in the other hours of her life, those outside the lecture hall. Some of that has to do with me as a person, as a researcher, but also I wanted to talk about the "invisible work" of teaching.

One of those invisible tasks is the construction of the course syllabus. There are books written on how to make a good syllabus, what should be included, what messages you send students through the syllabus. I worry more about the substance--what topics do I want to cover and in what order? what do I want students to read? what assignments will be useful and when should they occur? Even after I have taught a course many times I still find things I want to change. New videos or readings, new topics, new ideas. But adding something means something else must go. What to delete? What didn't work last time or didn't capture student interest? What is essential to the course and what is fluff?

For the fall I'm teaching two courses. Both are very similar in terms of the topics--research design and data analysis. I'm working on the ordering of topics, the assignments, the timing. Check back and see what happens.

Play

What is the purpose of play? As a sociologist, I would have to say that play serves several purposes. It is part of the socialization process. Through play children learn some of the rules of society--taking turns and sharing, for instance. We also know that humans need social interaction in order to thrive. In Introduction to Sociology I usually assign a classic reading about feral children, those who have been raised with little or no human interaction. Most are unable to ever fully gain the skills lost by those early years of deprivation. We certainly saw examples of that in children raised (warehoused?) in Eastern European orphanages. Play is one way to have social interaction.

But what about for adults? What purpose does purposeless activity serve? I listened to an interesting program about play on Speaking of Faith, an NPR program, over the weekend. It was a rebroadcast, but the point is timeless. Play "enriches us and nourishes human spirit and character," argues Stuart Brown, director of the International Institute of Play. (how's that for irony, your job is to study play!)

Play creates trust and empathy, helps us deal with stress and solve problems. What a good drug. Play doesn't have to be social, however, it can be solitary, like reading a book or listening to music. Still, I think the social aspect of play must add a dimension that further enriches. So, go play.

Mother of the Groom

Having two boys who are nearing the age when I can begin to contemplate that they may marry someday, and having just attended my nephew's wedding, I've been thinking of what it means to be the mother of the groom. The mother of the groom has very limited involvement in the wedding, that seems pretty clear. I think the groom's family is officially responsible for the rehearsal dinner and that's about it. She has little say in the other aspects of the event, or little involvement in the planning.

But, what does it really mean to be the mother of the groom? The one who is welcoming another woman into her home and life? While it is the father, and more often now the mother, too, of the bride who "gives her away" to the groom, what is the mother of the groom giving away? Is it seen that she is only gaining a daughter, not losing a son? Is the mother of the groom like being the father of the bride? What about the mother of the bride, or the father of the groom? Do those relationships change with marriage? It seems like the same sex relationships are easier to maintain after marriage, the lines of communication are clearer and the roles are simpler--father of the groom can still go fishing and watch sports on TV at holidays, mother of the bride can still go shopping and be there for advice and comfort. But us opposite sex parents seem to lose a little more, to have our roles changed more. It will be interesting to see. Check back in 10 years or so and see what I think then!