Best graduation present ever

A replicated Bernie Note! I now have this framed in my office. Thanks Rich and Julie!

Best book ever

You've got to love Elementary Statistics. EAM and I have one of his copies . . . I don't think he remembers.

Forays into Bernie's office II

YES! Another running map. In case you didn't know, Bernie runs everywhere, and to keep track of his mileage, he counts his running steps which he converts to miles. He can tell you exactly how many steps it takes to make it up that horrible hill on the Bridge to Flowers 10K in Shelburne Falls ("just keep your head down and keep counting, Michaella") which totally beats out Heartbreak Hill near our apartment that's on the Boston Marathon course.

Forays into Bernie's office

When I went home for CPPA's Birthday Celebration, I stopped by Bernie's office (thankfully with the camera):

Bernie shopping lists

When Bernie goes grocery shopping, he makes sure to hit Big Y, Stop and Shop, Trader Joe's, and each CVS. He leaves Whole Checkbook to my mother. He especially loves Big Y, their BOGO's, and telling us all about it when he gets home. It also explains why we have 44 bags of tortilla chips and cheeze-its, but nothing else in the house when he gets back.

Bernie and LL Bean

I returned to the Herst this weekend for a wedding. I found some Bernie Notes, reunited with my 4th and 6th grade teachers, and I was THISCLOSE to Bruce Springsteen and his wife at the Newton Shaw's. My life is now complete.

Bernie notepads and health plans

1. Switching health plans during annual enrollment = Major Drama and Preparation.
2. These notepads are from before I was born

The man himself

Bernie Quotes from the Boston Globe on student engagment in the classroom:

Bernard J. Morzuch, a UMass Amherst professor of resource economics, studied the faces of his students this summer, often toggling between the photos and the evening's baseball scores. If he could summon their names after being immersed in box scores, he had them down.

"That was the acid test," he said.

For years, Morzuch learned his students' names as the semester went along. This year, he already has most of them down.

Morzuch said he stunned some of the 350 students in his introductory statistics course last spring by calling on them. He called only on students whose names he knew, of course, but students didn't know that.

"You call two or three by their first name, they assume you've memorized the whole class," he said with a chuckle.

And the occasional cold call transforms the classroom dynamic, professors say. Students sit up straighter and may even forgo their habitual Web browsing in class if there's a chance they'll suddenly be called on by name and thrust into the spotlight.

"I want students to get over the mentality that there is safety in numbers," Morzuch said.

Bernie meets my futon

Bernie's never met something he can't put together. Case in point: my futon that has made it through at least eight different moves. Bernie labeled every piece. I still couldn't figure it out, but Finger did.

Bernie Budgets

Bernie put together a budget for ELM which she promptly left in the Herst on the fridge, which is a tragedy really, since I think it should be framed.

Not a note per se

Bernie loves his wood pile and is currently working on chopping up a tree we had to remove. Unfortunately, I did not catch him on a day where he was wearing his other (blue} puffy paint sweatshirt care of 7 year old ELM.

Finger's overdue debut

The Republican Boyfriend, aka Finger, forgot his work clothes one day last week. Now: a constant reminder. I like the tape job. You never can be too careful.

Bernie and the lettuce spinner

Bernie did this after my mother went to bed. We do have a lettuce spinner. But this is Bernie's version.

Bernie Notes make it to Seattle

I don't know what's better: the fact that he had to notify my mom and ELM to his whereabouts, or that the owner of the bed and breakfast's name is Cecil.

All hail the University Store

An equation: A discount at the University Store = More Little Purses

Back on the internets

Sorry for the Bernie Notes delay. Between moving and starting the new job, the last thing I wanted to do was be on the internets. But it's THURSDAY, the end of my first week is near, and public transportation was a little more speedy today.

FY to the I

Bernie Notes posts may not be updated for the next little bit as we do the Moving Thang (returning to the eastern part of the state) and The End of My Glorious Freedom officially commences on 7/28/08 (although I am excited to start my job). You know, figuring out the internets, putting up all my curtains, relegating the Republican Boyfriend's things to the linen closet, letting go of the Spice Rack Drama Mama 2008 (you just don't want to know), etc. We pick up the moving truck tomorrow with a side trip to BJ's. Hilarity will most definitely ensue. So to all of you in the Herst area, I am really bad at goodbyes and just pretend that they don't happen. But I love all of you and I am only a gchat/facebook away.

Being neighborly: The sequel

Directions to feed the cats. It's not like we haven't been doing this for 20 years.

Bernie precautions

After a few mickey-mouse break-ins in the neighborhood, Bernie is being extra careful. My favorite police report of the summer resulting from the Republican Boyfriend's experience when he forgot to lock his car that was in our driveway:

Monday, June 23

RECOVERED PROPERTY

3:39 a.m. - Police received a report of a bag and contents strewn on Cherry Lane. The contents included $16 cash, a cell phone, a watch, three prescription bottles, ID card, deodorant, hand sanitizer, a library book, an umbrella, two pens, two Chap sticks, a lipstick, a wallet containing credit cards, a driver's license and a social security card. Police retrieved the bag and notified its owner, who claimed his property.

Sallie Mae

Bernie is paying off Sallie Mae for all of us, which I consider more than generous in this day and age of overinflated college endowments and ever-escalating tuition and fees. They know I am upset about leaving the homestead and Cher told me that I "Could come back . . . . . . . . To visit."

P.S. I found the payment booklet in the econometrics textbook. Hence the addition to Bernie's original note in red.

Get out of my house

A week from today I am officially leaving Bernie and Cher's household with EAM. At the age of Almost 27 (ewwwwww), I AM HAVING A REALLY HARD TIME WITH THIS. These past two years finishing grad school I've realized that even though we are all completely nutzo, I really love my parents. And I also have to leave Coco, which is a tragedy in and of itself. I am hopeful he will become the Permanent Foster Cat.

P.S. Just because the remaining Girls are leaving the nest (again), does not mean an end to Bernie Notes. He always manages to come through as evidenced by Notes for ELM in Seattle. Plus, there will always be Notes for Cher.