This photo was taken by one of my students.

I teach courses on Chinese art and history. Here, I'm trying to impersonate a Song Dynasty storyteller -- hence, the funny hat. Someone asked if she could take my picture. Of course, I replied. But when Bao saw a camera come out, he assumed it was about him (after all, it usually is about him) and immediately struck a pose. Kinda cute, huh?

We are having "unseasonably cold and wet weather" in Tucson. A couple of years ago, it was 109. This morning it was 56. That's sort of amazing, isn't it? It's not often that it's warmer in Vancouver than it is in Tucson! I find myself actually feeling sorry for the rattlesnakes. They probably don't know what hit them.

Just as well it's nippy, because my air conditioner is broken. The valve that keeps the freon from freezing needs to be replaced. Turns out, this isn't just any old valve. This is a very special valve and the nearest one is in Memphis, Tennessee. It's being air freighted in and I'm hoping it'll get here and get installed before all the workmen go away for Memorial Day Weekend.