From: LALFORD@FSU1.CC.FSU.EDU
Subject: On shoes and ships and sealing wax, and other sundry things
X-Unparseable-Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 10: 32:30 -0500 (EST)
Organization: Yale CS Mail/News Gateway
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 15:32:41 GMT

Nicarra prepares for the sort of post she hates to make.  

"Yes, people, it is getting to be that time.  I will be leaving Tallahassee 
at the end of the week (Saturday to be specific). I don't know when this 
account disappears, but I do know that I won't have time to be reading the 
group until some time in January.  So this is farewell for the moment."

"A few points that I would like to make, while I have your attention.  One 
is that someone else can host the annual (well, sort of annual) New Year 
Pizza Party.  The VPM is going to be two years old, and the party does seem 
to be a good thing for those who stay around computers between Christmas 
and mid-January."

"Getting ready to fly back is going to be 'interesting' to say the least.  
We have been acquiring stuff at a fairly consistant rate and we certainly 
have more things than we started with.  Our bags were close to packed, 
though, which means that making room to pack the new stuff is going to be a 
real challenge.  We are going to be shipping most of our new/used books 
separately, but that still leaves all sorts of little things.  Like my 
Discman, and the cds that we bought to go with it.  We have averaged about 
four cds a week, which is amazing considering how seldom we were buying new 
music in Oz.  Then again, on the way to the Uni here, there is a shop that 
sells new and used stuff, and this is the first time we've had reason to 
buy cds.  Ten years on, and we just caught up with the cd revolution.  We 
are trying to buy interesting new stuff (or at least new to us).  Kate 
Bush, Frank Zappa (how did I manage to miss him for so long?  I guess 
because it was only a little while ago that someone sent me a tape with 
Broadway the Hard Way, a bit of Jazz From Hell, and Suicide Chump.), Laurie 
Anderson, Julian Lennon (I didn't know his cd Help Yourself had a song that 
should be the net anthem...Get a Life.)  Some used cds were boght for 
specific things.  I *finally* have a copy of Led Zeppelin's Stairway to 
Heaven, Billy Joel's Piano Man and (I probably shouldn't admit this one) 
Roger Whittaker's The Last Farewell.  Small as cds are compared to albums, 
this is still going to add a lot of bulk to the carry-on baggage.  Send 
email if you would like to ask about any of the above artists, or make 
recommendations on different/interesting music.  No need to recommend 
things like; Beatles; Crosby, Stills, Nash or Young; Simon and Garfunkel or 
Grateful Dead."  Nicarra grins and takes a deep breath.

"So far, only three new cookbooks.  An Italian, The Well-filled Tortilla 
book and The Real Thai Cookbook.  Since we have a minimalist kitchen, I 
have only been able to try the tortilla book."

"I did read some of the discussion about the traumas of University.  I 
don't remember having much of a problem other than the basic adjustment to 
the fact that it was *big*, and I was going to have to actually work at 
class for the first time.  Actually, I originally wanted to become a 
animal vet, but changed my mind when I realised how hard it was going to be 
to have the sorts of grades necessary to get into vet school.  Especially 
when I was on work-study and didn't have the free-time some students did.  
Still, after the initial disappointment on grades, that was fine."

"However, I did want to mention one thing I find disturbing about Uni.  The 
fact that many Universities consider research *much* more important than 
teaching.  When it comes to getting tenure, you must prove that you are 
doing research that has/will lead to important publications.  I knew 
someone who put a lot of time and effort into making the undergraduate 
Invertabrete (urk, no dictionary) Zoology class easier.  He didn't get 
tenure, he wasn't doing enough research.  For the students, this means that 
you don't necessarily get the best teachers.  I wish the system would 
change."

Nicarra grins at her audience as she leaps from the soapbox to a safe place 
in the rafters.

"Hmm, perhaps I should wind this down.  Not that it has had much of a theme 
but anyway..."

"Best wishes for the holiday of your choice/upbringing.  We will be in 
south Florida with my folks for Christmas, the first time the entire family 
has been in one place for *years*.  It should be interesting, to say the 
least.  Anyone who wishes to contact me can write

Lynn Alford
13362 5th St SE
Fort Myers, Florida, 33905

until about the 10 January.  Bye bye, and behave
yourselves children."

Nicarra grins and does a Cheshire Cat disappearing act.