In my book abundant authentic Middle Eastern food would easily trump lack of Tex-Mex. But the social issues and world record previously-thought-impossible heat index (172°) would be dealbreakers.

Not to mention the lack of alcohol.

Is it appropriate to email her and ask if she could write me a letter of recommendation?

Yes, assuming that you have other letters from people who know you better and can speak to your other qualities.

If it's a lecturer position, then a letter from someone who has direct experience with your undergraduate teaching would be very valuable. That is the one thing that is essential.

If it is a more research-oriented position then the situation is almost comically different. In my department you need a unanimous vote by the tenured faculty that your research is excellent (5 on a 1-5 scale) to be put up for tenure. But even though we have nearly 40,000 undergraduates on our campus who need to be taught, the criterion for teaching is an average score of 2 on the 1-5 scale to go up for tenure.

Fortunately most people are good teachers anyway, because the bad ones have such bad experiences that they drift toward medical school jobs, but it shows the priorities at big research universities.

If it's a lecturer position, then a letter from someone who has direct experience with your undergraduate teaching would be very valuable. That is the one thing that is essential.

I don't really have enough research experience to apply for a research position, so pretty much everything I'm applying to is lecturer. I asked for this letter of recommendation, and also one from my supervisor, who hasn't sat in on my class but has worked with me for three years. Pretty much all the research I've done lately has been advising an undergrad on a research project (which isn't going too well), and a vague sort of "hey, this might work -- we ought to look into it" with one of my colleagues that most got put on hold when his daughter was born.

JetBlue "even more legroom" seats - worth it or not? For a 5-hour flight, it's tempting.

Oh hell yes.

I leave for Maui in 10 days. I'm gonna need to make a list.

How do you do research in math? Are you trying to prove unprovable theorems or something?

I'm going to guess that West Point will be more disability friendly also.

I am eating yogurt for dinner while cooking many vegetables -- roasting butternut squash and beets in the oven, roasting peppers on top. They will become meals another time!

How do you do research in math? Are you trying to prove unprovable theorems or something?

Try to find new theorems. Usually, it's taking something that someone else has done and saying, "OK, what if you change this little thing about it? What happens then?"