ACET, Inc. Blog

Although we focus on research and evaluation tips or grant leads on this blog, we also understand the need for some lighthearted posts – that’s why we occasionally have staff book reviews. Many of you may know that I majored in English in college, which would lead you to the obvious assumption that I like to read. You may not know, however, that one of my all-time favorite authors is Dr. Seuss. My parents introduced me to Dr. Seuss when I was a very young child – I even taught myself to read using Dr. Seuss’ books when I was 3! His works stuck with me as I grew up. To this day, my favorite Dr. Seuss book is “The Sneetches” and I would give anything to own a one-piece Sneetch pajamas!

You can imagine my interest when I discovered “The Seuss, the Whole Seuss, and Nothing But the Seuss,” by Charles D. Cohen. By reading the book, I learned how Theodor Seuss Geisel gradually adapted his pen name to Dr. Seuss after he began publishing in “Judge” magazine (he was adding mock authority to a cartoon he drafted). I learned that Dr. Seuss had many varying explanations for his odd characters, so one rarely knew the accurate story of how he created them. Dr. Seuss was well-known among his schoolmates and peers as a clever and witty person – in fact, he was penning whole pieces of parody when he was only 14 years old. Although I knew that Dr. Seuss had done far more than authoring children’s books, I found that he also created adult books, publications, illustrations, paintings, sculptures, screenplays, and more! And, of course, I learned the history of “The Sneetches.” Dr. Seuss created the characters to promote equality in a world of intolerance after seeing multiple court cases involving racial segregation.

Cohen’s detailed biography of Dr. Seuss proved to be an interesting, and informative read for any Seuss bibliophile curious about the life and ideas of the popular author. The book is also filled with pictures and illustrations – some of which were nearly lost and required much research and dedication on the behalf of Cohen. Cohen’s book is particularly useful because much of the information out there is cursory or even incorrect. I appreciate that I now have a deeper understanding of a man who has influenced my entire life through his works.

Cassie

As we embark on our new year, the ACET team wanted to take a little time to reminisce about our last few weeks of 2009 and share what we did over the holidays.

Stella and her husband, Jason, were excited to spend Christmas in their new house, where they put up their very first Christmas tree. To celebrate the holidays, they had a small gathering with some of Jason’s family at home. Jason did all of the cooking and Stella cleaned – Jason is a great cook and Stella is good with dishes! Stella received lots of candy and chocolates for Christmas, which she is slowly but steadily working her way through. Stella and Jason worked off their holiday treats by shoveling out their driveway all of Christmas Day – a definite workout! Neither Stella nor Jason did anything business-related during the break, which is quite a rarity!

Kirsten and her husband, Zack, stayed in town for the holiday weekend. On the 24th they ate dinner at her parents’ house with mostly traditional Swedish food – Swedish meatballs, brown beans, and Swedish potato sausage. There was also an overabundance of sugar – cookies, chocolate, and shortbread. On Christmas Day they got together at her sister and brother-in-law’s house for prime rib and turkey, mashed potatoes, and trimmings. For New Year’s Eve, Kirsten and Zack are heading slightly north to Stacy, MN, to get together with Kirsten’s aunt, uncle, and many cousins to ring in the new year.

Heather began the holiday season with a fresh, new look – she went from blonde hair to red! She also embarked on a Christmas cookie baking spree which resulted in hundreds of tasty treats. Heather and her husband, Aaron, traveled to southeastern Wisconsin with their dog, Bocephus, and Joseph’s dog, Zelda, to celebrate Christmas. They attended five different family gatherings in Wisconsin and one in Minnesota! Heather and Aaron are looking forward to a quiet New Years celebration with friends and Heather will be making her first attempt at Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon.

Joseph flew back to California for the holidays to visit his family. The first thing he had to do when reaching the West Coast was remove his winter jacket – it was 60 degrees! He had a good time back in his hometown and got to spend quality time with the family. It did take a while to scrape the ice and snow from his car upon his return, but Joseph is glad to be back home and his dog, Zelda, is even more happy.

Cassie has another job, so she ended up working most of her holiday, but she did enjoy some well-spent time with both sides of her family. She also celebrated her boyfriend’s birthday, which included an unruly snowball fight! On New Year’s Eve, she’s attending a party at her friend’s house and ringing in the new year with friends, champagne, and yes, even karaoke.

We hope that your new year is full of health and happiness! Cheers!