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I like to borrow audiobook CDs for my commute from the library. I found sometimes a couple of CDs in the package are badly scratched. Here is how I’m able to fix them.

If the scratches happened on the shiny side, you probably also know how to fix them. You just use some slightly abrasive polish agent and use a clean cloth to rub it.

Sometimes the scratched happened on the cover side. It then become seemingly hopeless as the laser would just go through the scratches and read nothing. But you can’t polish off the scratches as it will further damage the cover and make things even worse. However, I found a very simple way to fix this. I used a black dry erase marker – since the particular CD cover is mostly black. I think permanent marker probably works too, but I wasn’t too sure the first time so I use something that is reversible. After I covered the scratches, the CD magically reads fine!

Give it a try next time you found abused CDs from the library.

It saddens me greatly to learn a couple weeks ago after my travel that Maxine has passed away. It’s been a grave possibility ever since she was hospitalized a short while ago (see my previous post), but it still felt so sudden and unexpected.

It is also moments like this that makes us contemplate our lives on this planet – how do we take full advantage of it while we are still able, how do we spread the love to others in our lives. Maxine sets a great example for us to follow: always love what you have, love your friends and family, enjoy life fully, and learn as much about life as possible.

You will be deeply missed.

Maxine and Don Huffman are both professors at Central College, Pella, Iowa. They are both very dedicated to education and especially cross border education. They have been using their own fund, time and other resources to promote the exchange scholars program between Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China and Central College since 1986.

They are big fans of the friendship between China and USA and have traveled extensively to China up until the last a couple years. In their senior ages, Maxine’s mobility becomes more limited and she has been mostly Pella bound recently.

Heading into the holiday season, Maxine unfortunately had a stroke after she fell at home. She is in stable condition while being treated at the Mercy hospital at Des Moines. Our prayers are with Don and Maxine. We hope Maxine will pull through and have a speedy and complete recovery.

Below are quoted from Zhejiang University website:

Maxine Huffman教授，长期以来致力于发展美中关系，发展美国中央大学（Central College）与浙江大学的校际合作交流，在她的积极努力下，美国中央大学与浙江大学自1986年起建立校际合作交流关系，中央大学英语系每年选派经验 丰富、学术地位高的专家来浙江大学任教，并使得我校多名英语教师在中央大学的工作学习中得到了业务提高，为我校的英语教学作出了巨大贡献。Maxine Huffman博士及其丈夫Don Huffman还经常在中央大学举行各种各样的专题讲座，介绍中国文化，让更多的美国朋友了解中国，成为中西文化的使者，中美两国人民友谊的桥梁。Maxine Huffman博士业务能力强，教学工作认真负责，一丝不苟，赢得了全体师生的好评。她曾多次受聘来浙江大学任教，所教授的课程包括英语语言学、英美文 学、英语写作、英语口语等，她所教授的课程内容丰富，形式多样，生动活泼。在课堂内外她始终把学生作为她的朋友，从学习、生活各个方面关心学生，成了学生 们的良师益友。在外语系组织的历次对外籍专家、教师的检查评估中她都获得一致的好评，学生们称赞她是他们所遇到过的最好的外籍专家。

Maxine Huffman博士始终如一地关心支持浙江大学外语系的发展，给外语系提出各种办学建议，并每年用自己的工资购买大量的书籍、资料寄给外语系资料室，为外 语系的资料室建设作出了巨大的贡献。外语系资料室为她设立了专柜，这些资料给外语系研究生、本科生的学位论文、毕业设计提供了大量有价值的素材。在他们夫 妇的影响下，他们的女儿也用自己的钱购买图书资料寄给外语系。

Maxine Huffman博士对中国大学英语教学也作出了巨大贡献。浙江大学外语系自1995年开始进行大学英语教学改革尝试，1997年学校正式立项进行教改，并 编写一套旨在培养学生提高综合应用能力的全新的大学英语教材。Maxine Huffman博士夫妇得知这一消息非常高兴，立即买了一台新的电脑，在国外帮助我们收集、编写大量时代气息浓、信息量大、语言规范、贴近学生日常生活的 材料，源源不断地发往中国，使教材编写工作进展顺利。

Turbo Tax has always been doing a great job of minimizing the pain of filing for tax. But it is a pain nonetheless. And this year Turbo Tax has started more nagging about upgrading to premium version whenever I navigate to the stock/investment section.

In places like California, most people have decent jobs will be subject to the pain and humiliation of AMT (Alternative Minimum Tax) again this month.

The outlook isn’t better either. If some of the president’s proposed changes to the tax code go through, tax burden will become even higher in high cost of living areas next year.

Just found out that I’ve always been a lucid dreamer – I knew that but didn’t know there’s a name for it. I always thought subconsciously that everyone does that and it’s not a big deal.

But aparently there’re groups and information about lucid dreaming and dream control. Internet is a great place to find any peculiar topics and like minded people.

Apparently toddlers are the best QA engineers. Our house has one vulnerability and it didn’t take our 2.5 year-old very long to find it – she locked the door to the garage. And since all my tools and the garage remotes are all locked in, there’s no way to get into the garage anymore. Usually there’s a back door, but in this case it is an old house and we didn’t bother to get the side door re-keyed.

Fortunately it didn’t happen in the rush hour of morning and she didn’t lock herself or someone even younger into it. It could be a lot worse. In this case, all it takes is to go knock the neighbor’s door and borrow and small flat-headed screwdriver. Thanks, neighbor!

Needless to say, I now have a small screwdriver in the living room, just in case next she locks one of the other three similar doors in the house, during funny hours.

I recently started a new job in a new city. So I have gone through this process of gradually relocating myself and eventually my family to a brand-new environment. One of the things we decided to do is to move from the house we have lived for many years into an apartment in the new city.

Obviously this is not very ideal. Once you get used to have your own house – in our case a brand new house – to an much smaller, much more restrictive apartment – in this case also a much older apartment, you would feel a little shock and disappointment. I remembered many many years ago when we were still students living in small apartment, some visitor made a comment that he would go crazy living in such a small apartment. We laughed about that comment and that person for years. Now, today, I suddenly felt that I can somewhat relate to that comment now.

Obviously I can do better than that. Being adaptive to new environment has always been a strength and an advantage. If I pride myself in being able to adapt to bigger, better environment, then I should be able to adapt to smaller, sometimes worse situations equally well. When I put myself into that right mindset, I can now view the new environment as a set of interesting challenges instead of the “what did I get myself into?” type of negative thoughts.

OK, I’m ready. After the initial shock, things can only turn better from here.

1. Often have to put in park to finish NPR news update;
2. The AC starts to work half-way;
3. It is faster to drive home for lunch than eating out;
4. Have very little to talk to co-worker about at the morning coffee station;
5. It is shorter than most shopping route;
6. Feel slightly energized after the morning commute;
7. Cup-holders are the most rarely used;
8. Don’t care about gasoline prices;
9. Very concerned about making the third free services within the 4-year warranty period;
10. Feels a sense of accomplishment by just watching the opposite traffic.