The show is now in its 5th season, but somehow we hadn't really paid attention to it until this past summer. But once it grabbed hold, it didn't let go. It's fascinating on so many levels. A show hasn't latched on to me like that since "Six Feet Under," which i really miss.

Even though I am a psychologist, it is hard to believe that such twisted behavior exists out there. Of course, watching 106 episodes does tend to give one a jaundiced view of things. On the other hand, the show brilliantly depicts the human side of the principal FBI / BAU characters. They all have their strengths and their vulnerabilities. Most of the time, it's all about business -- but every once in a while a very human glimmer shows through. These are folks you'd trust your life with. I'm glad they're out there protecting us. I hope they are, anyway.

A few times, I found myself shouting at the TV - "NO! Stop! Don't give anyone ideas like that!" Especially in the episode about anthrax contamination of the Metro in DC.

My "favorite" episode (that's really the wrong word for it...) was "Riding the Lightning" - Season 1, Episode 14. The show was powerful at the most elemental level.

stay tuned...

Following their set was Jozef van Wissem on baroque lute. A pretty interesting guy, but he never let fully loose with his playing. Most of his pieces sounded similar, more like etudes than the real thing. But the real treat came at the end, with 2 early 20-something guys who look like the most improbable duo you could find. There were only 2 of them, but in the course of their one (long) set, they played bass clarinet, violin, sleigh bells, other bells, a small keyboard powered by blowing, a gadget that looks like a castle with a keyboard, a small piano played by bellows, and I'm sure I'm forgetting at least 5 other things. The piece lasted about 30 minutes and was surely improv - but they made some interesting sounds and had some nice points of contact. And oh yes, they had 3 small casette tape recorders and did looping -- recorded snips and played against their recordings, becoming ever more complex. One of the guys told me they were from Brooklyn, but I didn't catch their names. They were in their own world, totally absorbed ... Flow personified.

The encounter was largely unplanned and unexpected - a welcome respite to a month that has been very highly structured with commitments and deadlines. Montague is 45 mins north of here, but there are lots of little places like it (well, not really like it) tucked away here in western MA. I look forward to exploring many of them!

I've found it to be more engaging than blogging, because there is an immediate audience, one known to me, and I can share feedback with others when I wish. With blogging, I've never fully known the extent of my readership. I have had over 11,000 hits, but that's not terribly many for 4 years. I've enjoyed posting and doing my own version of citizen journalism. My blog has also been a spot to reflect in a more extended way than is possible on FB. The two media serve different functions, but they both take precious time. I haven't decided to stop blogging, but we'll see.

In the meantime, fall has arrived in Massachusetts, and the tonks are huddling in their fleece bed. Of course, these are just the MN tonks. Shadow and MacKenzie mercilessly hassle New Mexico Chloe - we have to intervene in major screeching chases around the house several times a week. They are each sweet and wonderful in their own way, but the 2 female chemistry is not working. We thought that when we found a new home for Sadie, this would stop. But in her absence, the other two have taken up the cause. Pookie continues to be above it all. Once in a while, he and Chloe sniff and touch noses, but they're certainly not sleeping together!

Just so she doesn't feel left out, here's a recent snap of Chloe - she loves warm places too!

I'll start with last night. We joined Chris at the Saratoga (NY) Performing Arts Center to hear the Philadelphia Orchestra. The first piece was Valses nobles et sentimentales by Ravel -- a real treat. I'm a sucker for Ravel, Debussy, and Impressionist art - so there. The second piece was Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto played by Joshua Bell. Serendipitously, he was interviewed on NPR during our drive to Saratoga - sounds like the kind of guy you'd enjoy meeting and having a casual conversation with. It was fascinating to hear him talk about his Stradivarius and how getting his new instrument a few years ago felt like divorcing one partner and taking on a new one with more vivid colors and life. As much as he loves the new instrument, he said he might replace it if just the perfect one came along. He is an amazing violinist. I had heard him a number of times with the SPCO and have several of his CDs. After watching calm violinists playing away in their orchestra seats, it's always such a contrast to see the physicality of a soloist like Bell. (He's also close to being a pro tennis player - it shows.)

Seeing performances like that always ramp up my dedication to whatever I have going on. ("Seeing" isn't the right word. Although I'm sitting in the audience, I'm much more engaged than "seeing" or "hearing" would imply. I wonder what the right word would be?) The final piece, Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 (from the New World) was a special treat. It brought me back to high school. I was participating in summer band camp at UT Austin and we performed the 4th movement in symphonic band. We worked very hard and pulled it off. It was especially challenging and fun, because we clarinets had all the great parts that the violins would otherwise have gotten. Anyway, the Phila Orch played with great passion and energy. I must say, the conductor drove me crazy. His beats (such as they were) were all over the place. As a seasoned orchestra would, they mainly ignored him and followed their collective internalized conductor, and it worked just fine. In person, I suspect he is as pretentions as his program notes made him sound. They stated, "Mr. X has traveled and visited ALL THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD." (caps mine) ... Really??!! C'mon! Give me a break. Anyway, it was a delightful evening.

Earlier visits to the Berkshire Choral Festival last weekend (for the Rachmaninoff Vespers) and Tanglewood (for Stravinsky's Rites of spring and the Brahms Violin Concerto) were equally enjoyable. Even though each of these venues is a 2-hour drive away, the countryside is beautiful and the journey makes it really feel like summer. Life is good.

Out here, he loved being able to run out in the yard and in the wild area around the house. He had been going in and out for the better part of a month, but left one day and never returned.

Although I may be over-anthropomorphizing, I think it's really changed the dynamics within the tribe(s). First of all, Chloe misses her sleeping buddy. They have been bosom buddies since birth. (That's Dylan on the left.)

Chloe's seemed lonely, and since she lost some air cover, she is being increasing ganged up on by Shadow and MacKenzie. And Pookie has been missing Sadie. Tonight, for the first time, Chloe and Pookie came within 3 inches of each other and sniffed - no growls, no chasing. Maybe they will be the next soulmates ... one can hope.

Every day I go outside, I hope that Dylan will come trotting down the hill, but I'm losing hope. Then I remember that I gave up on Shadow and he showed up 9 days later. Shadow has used at least 5 of his 9 lives. I think Dylan still has at least 8 left.

I also discovered, to my surprise, that my division at the university has a facebook page of its own! Needless to say, I have signed on.

Facebook has double interest for me now. The grant application we are working on involves social network analysis, and of course, facebook is the ultimate social networking tool. We will be studying social networks in a different way, but the experience of being on Facebook is giving me some new ah-ha's about social networks in general. Stay tuned for more on that...

Go to this link for a trailer.

Enjoy!

Saige Reisler, Development Officer for our College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, died last Saturday after jumping off the Tappan Zee Bridge into the Hudson River. She was 33, with a teenage daughter and a new fiance.

Her memorial service today was beautiful, uplifting, even transformative. Her family had put much energy this past week into making meaning of something that seems unfathomable. Life and death are indeed mysteries.

Saige's minister gave profoundly comforting comments, reminding everyone that her spirit is very much with those gathered together. He felt confident that the Lord, rather than turning his back on Saige, caught her spirit before her body even hit the water.

I had had some interaction with Saige and was slated for more. I looked forward to our meetings - she seemed very sincere about the people she worked with. After a recent honors event, we shared the joy of a successful scholarship nomination for a very deserving undergraduate student. Her memorial service revealed the many ways in which she cared profoundly about others. She lived a life of sacrifice and giving and modeled that for others. Her approach to life has become magnified many times over in her death. Her mother urged people to share, to give, to help others.

Saige had apparently told her sister and daughter that when she died, she wanted her favorite piece of music to be played: a reggae version of "Over the Rainbow." It was light, airy, whimsical, and provided just the right touch after a very emotional few hours. I found the version on the internet - it was by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole; go to this link and then click on "Over the Rainbow" to hear 30 seconds of this song, and think of Saige. And here's a fuller version: enjoy...

Rest in peace, Saige. You will not be forgotten. Every time we see a firefly, it will be a reminder of your too-brief life and the many ways in which you touched others.

It looks like the ranking was due to a number of factors, including 5 colleges in the immediate area (UMass, Amherst College, Smith, Mt. Holyoke, and Hampshire); reasonable cost of living; access to cultural events; and good public transportation. The article forgot to mention the natural beauty of western Mass.

The MN tribe always seemed to sleep in pairs or as a foursome. Pookie always paired with Sadie, but you can see that the dynamic is now a threesome - they seem to be pretty happy, although I'm sure they miss Sadie. On the other hand, peace now reigns in the house and Chloe and Dylan can move around without slinking and fearing attack. By all reports, Sadie is doing well in her new home.

ASU had the bad taste not to present him with an honorary degree. Yahoo news reported the following: "His body of work is yet to come. That's why we're not recognizing him with a degree at the beginning of his presidency," university spokeswoman Sharon Keeler said after the school's student newspaper first reported the decision.

Obama turned this lemon into lemonade by telling the graduates that their "body of work" would ALWAYS be in progress and that they should never rest on their laurels or their titles, even if the title was POTUS. Here is the first part of his speech. The 2nd and 3rd installments are available on YouTube.