James Mock Journeys On

Alicia: I will never forget the morning of Friday, January 5. We were still dealing with the fallout from the broken water heater as well as from an incident in December when my wallet was stolen (the thief then wrote over $2,000 in checks from our account and we had to deal with the collection agencies for months, file a police report, sign affidavits of fraud, etc.). Then, early in the morning, we received a call from my mother. My dear Uncle James (husband to Maria Mock and beloved father of seven children) had just passed away that morning from a suddent massive heart attack. I couldn't believe it. Almost immediately I think I went into action mode ... it still seemed so unbelievable. After coordinating details on notifying friend and family, we headed out for Demopolis, a small town about 2 1/2 hours west of us. There are only a few moments that are clear from that weekend ... sharing grief and love with all the family and friends that gathered, helping to organize the service, comforting loved ones, crying at the viewing, and then the funeral. The clearest moment was at the service the morning of the funeral. I felt so filled with James' love and spirit. I know he gave me strength to speak and welcome everyone and to make it through the day. I felt so at peace. It was a lovely service. We will miss you so very much James and will strive to champion lofty virtues in everything we do. I am saddened a little as I write this, but not just because I miss his presence, his humour, his kind words and his peaceful ways, but because we cannot yet journey with him. He has gone ahead. I love you, James. Thank you. Thank you.


One of James' parting gifts ... he gathered so many family and friends together, many of whom had not gathered in a very long time. We gathered in unity and love.

(I will post more pictures later as well as copies of the articles about his life and contributions to the local community.)

Water heater breaks!

Alicia: So, we returned from the New Year's celebration to find that the water heater in our apartment had broken and wet half the apartment-significantly. We hurried to get furniture and belongings our of the way and, then, spent the next two weeks trying to get management to come clean up the water and to look at the damage. We lived in a wind tunnel for a few days as three blowers and one huge dehumidifer (you can see the imprint in one of the pictures ... we had so much condensation on the windows and it smelled) ran throughout the day and night. The carpet was soaked clean through to the pad and it spread throughout the dining room, spare room closet, half the spare room, the entire hallway, into the entranceway of the master bedroom, and a little into the living room. The only non-wet room was the office. Everywhere else was slosh, slosh. On top of it, when the carpet clearning company came back to clean the carpet and tack it back down, they put in this chemical to reduce the chance of mold and mildew growth, but neglected to tell us that we needed to be out of the apartment while they did this. So, upon walking out of my office and breathing in the fumes, I went into an asthma attack and we rushed out of the apartment. Don't worry .. I recovered and we ended up going to a hotel for the night to let the fumes settle. Not fun.

Celebrating the calendar New Year in Huntsville

Alicia: For the New Year's weekend, we went up to Huntsville to celebrate with family and friends. We were also fortunate to have Brian's mother, Linda, visiting from Colorado. Take note of the man in the gray and, later, red, sweater. That is my dear uncle, James Mock. He will play a pivotal role in another post soon after this one.

Trip to Ohio

So, in mid December (2006), we went to Ohio to visit Brian's Dad, Bill, and stepmom, Lou. We had a lovely time meeting friends and other family (Brian's half brother, Steve, his wife, and their two kids) and getting the tour of Vandalia and Dayton. It was quite a nostalgic time for Brian as he used to live there when he was a young lad... well, in middle school and the first couple of years in high school.
So ... here's some pictures ...

So .. yes we need to update our blog

Alicia: Good afternoon all! Yes, we have been remiss in updating our blog, but so much has happened since October, it's hard to know where to start. I think, for now, given the constraints on my time, what will follow will be primarily a collage of photos that will tell the story of the last several months. I may provide some narrative, but largely these next several entries will constitute a picture diary of the goings-on. We will start with a trip to Ohio, but prior to that, major events included: a fun trip to Huntsville for Thanksgiving which ended, unfortunately, with food poisoning, but then followed shortly with (for me) a week long visit in Nashville to help visit my newphew, Jameh. Then, Brian and I successfully finished our semesters at school, he at Auburn and me at UNT. Unfortunately, I then promptly got sick with a bad sinus infection ... probably from the demands of my schedule, but I later recovered in mid-December.
So, thank you all for your patience and let's begin.

Celebration for Geoffrey and Navid

From Alicia): We also recently visited family in Huntsville to celebrate my brother, Geoffrey's birthday and my cousin, Navid's birthday. We had a fun, silly time at a Caribbean restaurant, Todi's!

Good times in Huntsville

Here are some pictures from a quick visit to Huntsville in September to perform (well, Brian, not me) some emergency repairs on my parents' cars. While there we went out on the town with my parents (a rare and lovely outing) and also a sherbert-filled night of fun at the Family-on-the mountain home. We were blessed to be joined by Katrina and Jameh.







Aren't they adorable!

The Summer Story

From Brian: Over the Summer I shifted gears from lots of studying to a more open schedule that allowed time for more things. The studying did continue in a smaller way, though, in the form of a review of quantum mechanics, but I had time for more important things: Alicia and I went camping on the Gulf Coast, in Panama City I had been eagerly awaiting that trip and I'm really glad we had the chance to go. We also visited family in Gulfport, Mississippi, and spent some nice relaxing days there. It would have been almost nothing but fun and relaxation all Summer if it weren't for two unfortunate things: 1. We both worked part time (I was teaching assistant for first-term general physics - definitely not as cool as the engineering physics I had taught last year - and Alicia worked remotely for the NEHA journal) - OK, well having to work is not that unfortunate...we need to eat and we do like working and I like having the chance help students!, and 2. Alicia got a bad sinus infection. I took her to a clinic, and afterwards she had to take anti-biotics for about a month. Neither of us has a lot of time for being ill and it's frustrating, but she bore it well, and I'm just glad she let me take care of her. Afterwards we found out that our AC/furnace unit had - no, not an old filter - it had no filter at all, and that must have been a big factor in the infection and in our overall health. We were unamused. The Summer Story will continue ...

Second year at Auburn...

From Brian: Physics studies have been going strong through the Summer and now are broadening also. Last year I essentially did the 'year of mechanics': classical, quantum, and statistical (meaning thermodynamics). So since I did motion last year, mechanics being the study of motion, this year I am doing the other main area in physics, electrodynamics. Hopefully this will get me ready for the qualifying exam I will most likely take Fall 2007! That exam is the main factor in being able to earn the degree. So electrodynamics, some quantum review, another math course, and teaching second semester intro physics as a TA are what I am doing these days.

Still playing catch-up

From Alicia: So...let's see...I turned 30 (aaaahhhh! But age is only a number, right?)! I don't really feel older or 30, whatever that's supposed to feel like. It is hard to believe the number though....it just doesn't feel like that much time has passed...but it definitely seems to go by quicker the older you get....let's see...what else...I have been suffering from a nasty sinus infection (resulting in chronic migraines, headaches, and face and head pressure-basically being bed-ridden fairly often) and from the side effects of the meds (more headaches, dizziness, nauseousness, disorientation) that I am on to hopefully combat the infection. It's been fun! (heavy sarcasm here)... Also, I just finished my first class (graduate level, Intro to Anthropology) as part of the Online Masters Anthropology Program with the University of North Texas. I don't know my final grade yet, but so far I have received full marks for discussion and all my assignments. It was a challenging class both from an intellectual standpoint and because I was ill and on meds for most of it. It was especially facinating to take part in the kind of virtual community that developed among the students in the class who range in ages from 25 to 56 and who represent a diverse mix of ethnic and economic backgrounds. I probably learned just as much from the other students as I did from the classwork and lecture notes. If this class is any indication of what the next three years will be like, then it will be an amazing experience and discovery process. On an entirely different note, Brian and I are hooked on Agatha Christie mysteries. Namely, we have been watching all the Poirot and Miss Marple mysteries we can get our hands on either through our local library or Netflix. Well, I think that's about it for anything significant...much like the rest of the U.S. it's been hot here as well so we try and go swimming whenever possible, both for exercise and recreation, and I am proud to say I have lost and kept off 10 pounds...not much, I know...but I'm working on it. Next week, I leave for the Texas heat as I will be attending Orientation for the anthro program at UNT. So...that's about it...other than celebrating my fabulous husband's birthday yesterday...it's just steady as she goes here in Auburn, Alabama.

Catching Up...

So much has happened since our last post that I hardly know where to begin. First, thank you all for your kind words and prayers on behalf of my family and my mother. Her was successful and she is recovering well. Of course, there is a five-year out waiting and chec-up period to make sure the cancer does not return, but her health is definitely improving and we are very hopeful.

After returning to Auburn, Brian and I took a short trip down to St. Andrews State Park in Florida for a little camping adventure. And, adventure it was. The site we had reserved had been flooded just days before our arrival from the tropical storm that passed that way earlier in the week and waterfront view we thought we were getting was actually the shore of the lagoon-not the beach! It was still plenty of fun and the water was so clear and beautiful and the waves were fun.

Though we probably won't return to St. Andrews unless we can get a beachside camping spot, we will definitely check out Henderson State Park near Destin.
Also, a very beautiful beach.




Unfortunately, I did pay a heavy price for all the fun at the beach-very painful and bad sunburn! Apparently, the sunblock I was using was no longer effective and I received what was probably 2nd degree burns on my back and neck. Pain and discomfort for a week afterwards!

We've also had a chance to visit my grandparents and other relatives down on the Gulf Coast. We surprised my father for Father's Day at the tail-end of our trip to Florida and then returned for July 4th weekend. Both were very memorable trips (pictures to come).

However, I am still amazed by the expanse of damage from Hurricane Katrina that is still so very evident !
This wonderful place that created for me such fond childhood memories will never be the same again.



Now, on to some happy news...while Brian chugs along with his program at Auburn (he's taking a summer course and teaching an Intro Physics class), I have decided not to attend Auburn. The program, unfortunately, doesn't really offer the depth and breadth of study that I crave and is necessary at this point in my professional and academic career. However, all is not lost. A couple months ago, I came across a program at the University of North Texas. "What? You're moving to Texas?," you ask. No. This is just one of what I hope will be many applicable, unique, and suitable aspects of the program-it is an online program with a very flexible schedule offering an interesting array of study from professors with diverse and fascinating backgrounds. Well, I applied and a couple of weeks ago was accepted to the Online Anthropology Masters Program at UNT, http://www.unt.edu/anthropology/onlinemasters/. I have to take a summer leveling course that started yesterday and that promises to be very intense and challening and then I begin full-time for three years in August. I am very excited. This program will, I believe, combine a lot of my interests and experiences, professional and personal, into a rewarding experience that will be very useful as I look to options for a Ph.D. program down the road. I also hope to continue my employment with the National Environmental Health Association. It is a valuable organization that has been very good to me and I find my work rewarding and applicable, in fact, to some of my goals and interests in Anthropology.
So...there you have it...that's about it for now...more to come...thanks for visiting!