I’m in the rocking chair, quarter after 5PM, writing while the kids watch some Garfield movie. Pretty soon I’m going to shave, get my clothes ready for tomorrow, and bathe. I’m hoping to be in bed by eight. Snow is falling, and I want to take advantage of the calm, breathing night.

Last night T, M and I stayed up late and watched “Hancock”. The movie was surprising in its quality. I had no expectations and no complaints. This morning N woke me early after I fell asleep on the couch. No big deal…I was ready to wake anyway. After inhaling a couple cups of coffee, I started cleaning the first floor until I drove over to Best Buy and bought a Sims game. I’m in the mood to clear my head and maybe it’ll help. Later we bought a Christmas tree at the little stand near the Congregationalist church. I finished cleaning and worked out to the first half of the Pack game while M hit the store in advance of the snowstorm. Later Shadow and I walked through the cemetery, just as flakes started to fall, where the trees were shaking to the point where they appeared alive. I was glad to see her run. She’s still got life in her. I made pasta rolls for dinner, listened to NPR, and here I am.

Suddenly I’m tired. I survived you again, November. Well-played, but I win.

Three more quick waterpark pics...

Three cool purchases over the last year!

1. A new showerhead. You wouldn’t think a new showerhead would be all that cool, but I dig this motherfucking piece of metal. Shoot me. I think this is the one, but I’m not sure mine has twelve…I think mine has eight settings. I could be wrong. Anyway, the mist setting rocks. ROCKS, I tell you. I feel a little better every time I take a shower.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=14673431

2. Two Day of the Dead pieces that I’m counting as one purchase. I have this piece on my desk at work…it reminds me, in a weird way, to not take what I do too seriously.


http://www.lafuente.com/product.php?pid=996

2A. This is in the home office now…I like the glow at night. I like nightlights in general, by the way.


http://www.lafuente.com/product.php?pid=4389

3. This Herodotus edition arrived yesterday. I’m saving it for the end of the semester/Christmas break. Can’t wait.

http://www.amazon.com/Landmark-Herodotus-Histories/dp/0375421092/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228074602&sr=8-1

The boys are about to watch “Space Chimps”. I’m not proud.

Today was a weird day. This morning I tried to lift but didn’t have the energy. After some coffee and a shower I grabbed T and stumbled towards the library. The space was empty. I read in the downstairs lobby while T searched for books and harassed the librarian. Later, restless, I drove into the office, watered the plants, and prepared for the week. I thought of grading papers but didn’t have the focus. Instead I stopped at Michael’s and bought what I hope is the last of the boys’ Christmas presents (a few more art supplies and a “green” easel, apparently green art supplies are not in high demand as they were heavily discounted). My restlessness remained so I accessed the energy to lift and complete an hour on the elliptical while watching the bizarre foods guy visit Sicily. I showered, ate (man I love yogurt and granola) and snagged the computer from my “Civilization” obsessed children.

I don’t know how much of this movie I can watch. The second floor is calling me.

Three to six inches of snow should arrive tomorrow night. I’m ready.

The house is messy. Tomorrow I’ll clean and clear my head. I hit the ground running Monday and Tuesday is the last of my marathon teaching sessions, so I want to be prepared.

I’m in a somewhat strange mental state right now. I wonder if it’s the right kind of cognitive dissonance. Remember, the anniversary of my teenage incarceration is only a few days away.

N seems frustrated lately, but he’s getting better, I think. He can be hard to read. I’m never quite sure how he’ll react to most stimuli. I suppose in some ways that’s good.

More later, with pictures. Good night.

On the couch, just after 5PM, black Friday. My latest CD mix is playing while T and N search for S, who is hiding behind the glider, about five feet to my right. He’s an enormously patient hider. I’ve been misdirecting his brothers. M just called me evil. Ha.

The last days have been active but exhausting. Wednesday night we did Thanksgiving dinner, shepherd’s pie, roasted vegetables, etc. I crashed not long afterwards. Thursday morning I worked out to some special on the White House and wasted the morning waiting to head up to the waterpark. We left near one, checked into the suite, and hit the waterpark. I ran up and down the stairs with the boys, repeating the largest two waterslides, until I found a table near the edge of the pool and tried to relax with a book. Two hours passed before we stumbled back to the suite, where the boys watched television and I called pizza places until I found a Papa Johns open a couple miles from the hotel. I drove through the overwhelming Sheboygan night, past the faded, lightless houses to the pizza place. That town may have been decent at one point but goddamn, you leave downtown and the ghosts of decade-dead industrial productivity and the nearby workers haunt the winter streets. The guy at the overlit Papa Johns told me the place had been dead and he had been getting paid for doing nothing all day. I sat on a plastic chair and looked at an apartment circular while I waited for the pizza. After taking a different route back to the hotel, I found the boys and we scarfed down the food before returning to the waterpark for a couple more hours. Later I slept on the lower bunk because N and S didn’t trust the bunk beds. I was ok. I read and listened to my mp3 player, mentally programming the disc to which I’m listening now, until falling asleep.

This morning I woke near five and hit the hotel workout room by 5:30AM. I ran five miles in about an hour, nothing too fast, but I didn’t want to push the knee. If my knee wasn’t injured I could do some serious time on the treadmill. Anyway, I needed the workout as I felt I had eaten like shit the two previous days and the pizza alone left me feeling blah. After I showered T, S and I sat in the hotel lobby. They drank rare (for them) sodas while I drank coffee. They’re old enough to run off on their own for a while so I read the papers while they explored the hotel. T threw quarters on the carpet and tried to predict on which design (anchor, wheel, compass) the quarter would land. We returned to the hotel room to find N in a very bad mood. He recovered within a few minutes and ate breakfast. We spent a couple more hours at the waterpark before T and I left at eleven (M and I drove separately, in case you’re confused). T and I have shorter attention spans for that type of experience. M, N and S stayed at the waterpark while T and I stopped at Kohls. The checkout line easily contained 150 people. Most of the line-waiters held what appeared to hold one or two items. I don’t understand why people would wait an hour to buy one shirt. Anyway, Target didn’t look much better so T and I drove home. He sat in the back seat, listening to the mp3 player, and I cleared my head. Later he watched The Hulk while I cleaned the kitchen and started the disc. M dropped off N and S and left for the stores.

I’m ready to stay inside for a couple days. My knee hurts. I love my family, but I’ll be hiding upstairs if you need anything. Good night.

A few quick pictures from the past week...

1. T and S in front of the tacky lobby fountain. We were hanging out in the lobby while N and M slept.
2. T in front of Lake Michigan at sunrise...S taking the picture.
3. Dancing on the tables in the suite!
4. Thanksgiving dinner...S providing lounge music.
5. Yes, we have snow. And yes, we throw it.

More later, whether you like it or not...:)

I’m sitting in the rocking chair, a little after noon, while T watches television and N and S are off in the house somewhere. M is working today. I do an awful lot of covering for my wife’s 60% job, and it’s starting to piss me off, but she swears it’ll get better soon. I don’t like doing a shitty job at my 100% position to cover for M. This is her first semester, however, so hopefully the time conflict will disappear soon.

So the last few days have been hell on wheels. You know how that first day of a long weekend hits you with an exhaustion that almost leaves you ill? That’s where I was at last night. Today I’m a bit better. Later today the boys and I will make Thanksgiving dinner (yes, I know it’s Wednesday, more on that in a second). After M comes home we’ll eat and maybe watch “Fred Claus”. I want to hit the bedroom early with a book because I haven’t read much the last couple of days and I could use the sleep before a busy couple of days. Tomorrow night we hit the waterpark. Sunday I’ll drive into the office to make up for today’s missed office time. Saturday I hope I can rest.

T has been all over the place today. Sometimes he’s, well, constantly underfoot. I had to rag on him about the habit today. I think he understands. He needs to learn to be more self-sufficient with his time. After we talked he drew (did a great job, actually) upstairs at the hallway desk.

I guess it’s starting to feel like winter. Last night I loaded groceries in from the car in the 5PM dark. The world felt lifeless. I turned on the full spectrum light and watched basketball until 10PM, way past my usual bedtime.

More later…I think I’ll start cutting up sweet potatoes.

Sunday evening, close to 6:30, although the hour feels much later. November is creeping to an end. Have you noticed how late Thanksgiving falls this year? My students are pissed I’m not canceling Tuesday night’s class, but I can’t because our last session is only seven days later. Oh well.

I slept twelve hours last night. Well, Shadow woke me by walking back and forth in the upstairs hallway near 3:30, but after I let her out and back in the house I fell back asleep and didn’t wake until seven. Goddamn, I felt miles better than yesterday. This morning I read the paper, showered, cleaned, and answered email while M shopped for Christmas presents. Later I lifted weights and knocked out 60 minutes on the elliptical while watching the Bears manhandle the Rams. Then T and I hung out while I finished laundry, burned discs, built playlists, and caught up on minor tasks like quitting Netflix and ordering a book from Amazon. Later T and I grocery shopped for our Thanksgiving dinner at the increasingly lame and crowded local supermarket. I made pasta for dinner, made tomorrow’s lunch and arranged tomorrow’s clothes, and took a shower. I’ll probably read myself to sleep soon.

The late afternoon light scares me. More later. M’s running the goddamn hair dryer.

I was just talking with some people about Chicago tourism...and...it's cold out...so I'm revisiting some summer Chicago pictures...

N is building at the dining room table, playing on his own, while T and S play Guitar Hero upstairs. They were surprised I knew the words to “Rock and Roll All Night.” Ha.

Yesterday was stone-cold exhausting. I was up early for thirty minutes on the elliptical followed by an hour of basketball. Upon my return home I lifted weights (harder lately, not sure why), showered, answered email, and drove south to the office. A slew of meetings later I left campus. Goddamn, what a long day. The boys were watching “Journey To the Center of the Earth” (the new one), so I slammed some pizza and beer down my throat, took a bath with “The Learners”, and collapsed into bed. This morning I woke at four, thinking the hour was later, and finished the book before trying (and failing) to fall back asleep. After reconciling my approach to my waking state I showered, ate, and checked out the black Friday ads on the computer. Nothing in the ads looks too interesting. No sweat. We’ll be up at the waterpark that morning anyway. I cranked DBT (Southern Rock Opera) and drank coffee on the couch. The library opens in twenty-six minutes. T has books on reserve. Later he attends a birthday party at a nearby roller rink. I’ll sit in the lobby and read. What about tonight? Maybe I’ll watch a movie. I’m tempted to visit the office in the morning. The visit isn’t necessary but I thrive on the quiet and could use prep time before the mad pre and post Thanksgiving rushes.

More later. I’m still not fully awake.

The boys are upstairs doing something that’s shaking the house. I’m worried I won’t sleep well tonight. This afternoon I used my new coffee grinder to prepare some Starbucks-brand coffee I bought at Costco. A couple cups of that and I was FLYING. Will I sleep tonight? Too early to tell. I think so.

This morning I woke a little after four and managed thirty minutes on the elliptical between five and five-thirty. Before six I drove over to the Y. A friend promised to leave me a guest pass at the desk so I could play hoops, but the girl at the desk, a student at my University, let me sneak into the building. Awesome. Twelve months have passed since I last stepped on the YMCA court. For the previous seven years I played three or four times a week. Truth be told I don’t miss basketball much. Seven years in Wisconsin, plus four or five in Chicago, left me burnt out. Still, I had fun playing with the same group of guys and after a few minutes my rhythm returned. I wasn’t awful. How’s that for a ringing endorsement? Still, I doubt I’ll play again, and I’m not joining the YMCA.

After returning home I started lifting weights but decided to bag the session and pick up the routine Friday. All the pushing and shoving in the key left my muscles off-kilter. I showered, ate, answered email, and started cleaning. After nine I hit the library (nothing), Target (coffee grinder), Kohls (nothing), Costco (a lot), and Pick and Save (a little). I put everything away, ate a quick lunch, and began the cleaning/laundry session in earnest. Ninety minutes later the house was clean enough for writing. I can’t write when the house is messy. Have I mentioned that? I drank coffee and worked on an academic article. This subject (boring, I won’t go into it) isn’t all that intense but I’m struggling to get my head around what I’m trying to say. Excuse my language, but I think you’d have to be retarded not to know already what I’m trying to say. Still, this struggle worried me I usually find academic prose a breeze. I pushed through an hour as the sun set and the house grew dark. I walked from room to room, turning on the lights, and started dinner (lasagna rolls). I listened to Schumann because NPR was too depressing. I also made tomorrow’s lunch and folded laundry, so I can take some solace from domestic productivity even if I couldn’t write for shit. M and the boys didn’t arrive home until just before five because of some school activity, but the timing was perfect as I had just putting dinner out as they entered. I had planned on leaving the computer off for the night but I wanted to tackle the article again (goddamn academic prose isn’t getting the best of me!) so I fired up the machine and felt better about the results. Dan called, so he and I chatted until I came downstairs to finish the journal. Now I’m turning off the computer. Good night.

I’m on the first floor, just before 6PM, catching up on the journal. This morning I woke by 3:30 or only to discover last night’s harsh weather knocked out our net connection. Since there’s nothing else to do at 4 in the morning I worked out to a first season “30 Rock” episode, showered, and headed to the office. Have I mentioned I love the office early in the morning? No one shows up until 8:15 (unless Sue next door arrives early, but she and I get along), so I can crank my music and monopolize the copy machine. I caught up on email and the last of the week’s grading then cleaned my office. My only class of the day featured presentations, so I took a seat in the back of the room and let my students do the work. By noon they were finished, so I hung out with Terry and talked with students arriving early for the 1:10PM classes until, at 1:30PM, I decided my 1:00PM student appointment wasn’t showing. I swung by Blockbuster for a couple movies and drove home. The house was cold, as M insists on turning the heat down to 64 when we’re gone, but I punched it up to 68 before getting ready for a second elliptical stint. Just as I was climbing on the machine my cell rang. The dean and associate dean wanted to talk through some major university gossip related to building/office moves. No sweat, although my dean, much to my chagrin, refused to put my request for a pet monkey into the package for which we’re asking the leadership board. She never lets me get my pet monkey. Later M dropped off S and N before T’s drum lesson. The two younger boys played on the computer while I finished working out. M and T took forever to get home, due to a late eye doctor appointment, so N and I ate dinner while S waited for his older brother. I feel vaguely wired now. From where is that coming?

I think I’ll hit an upstairs bedroom with a book soon. Remind me to breathe.

I apologize for the stretch between entries. Amidst exhaustion, seasonal depression, and social calendars the journal sat neglected for over a week. Allow me to make amends.

I suppose I should start with the weekend. On Friday afternoon Dan and I met in Roscoe Village before The Hold Steady/Drive-by Truckers gig. We hit Powell’s (nothing), Reckless (double-nothing, except shared mockery of hipsters), and Taco and Burrito House (torta and junior burrito, thank you). Although the sun hadn’t set yet we wanted to make sure we snagged prime parking (my car was already stashed on Lawrence) and a balcony. The peanut brittle kid aka PBK (don’t ask) wasn’t due until about six so we parked near my car and sat in the Borders across the street from the Riviera. I drank coffee. We sat in the corner and chatted until PBK arrived. He told an insane story about a friend who met a girl from China on the internet and wants to fly over to visit her. The mood was relaxed, very calm, as we had time to kill and hung out until near 6:30, when the doors were set to open. My knee was slightly fucked from early morning running (I should have known better than to ditch the elliptical on a concert night) but I stumbled up the stairs to the balcony’s first row. Dan and PBK laid claim to extra seats, which left me uncomfortable as the venue filled, but the security didn’t seem to mind (of course, they were the least manly security guys I had ever seen…it was like the Doobie Brothers were providing security) and no one asked us to move. Both bands, honestly, struggled through their sets. The encore, however, during which both bands came out and played along with each other’s songs, was top notch. After the gig we walked PBK back to his car, cut through a side street to our dual automobiles, said goodbye, and headed home. I listened to the Dalai Lama’s book on meditation on the highway and arrived in the garage just past 2:00AM.

A few hours later I was awake. My dead legs directed me to the couch, where I sat until close to eleven, when I fell back asleep and slept until two. M and N left for a birthday party while T, S and I hung out at home. T and I watched part of Hellboy 2 until he decided the film freaked him out too much and left the room. I didn’t work out and instead finished “The Wordy Shipmates” and started “The Learners”. Rain fell most of the day, and I took advantage of the grey, inert late afternoon and early evening to read and relax.

On Sunday morning I lifted, knocked out an hour on the elliptical, and managed 175 crunches. I felt a ton better, although still somewhat lame, as I needed an entire day to recover from one concert. Anyway, M took the boys to church while I cleaned the first floor and started laundry. I love cleaning on Sunday mornings. Later M and I finished Hellboy 2 before she took the boys to Madagascar 2 (she claimed the boys wanted to see the film, but I know she did as well). While they were gone I read, finished cleaning, and caught up on some internet activity. Later I took “The Learners” upstairs and read until about 6PM, when the early evening bore down on me with the seasonal depression I recognize from my youth. You know, the kind when you want to crawl under your blanket and stay there until, oh, March. But I was ok. I slept pretty well, woke this morning at four, worked out for thirty minutes, and headed to work. The day passed slowly but productively. I rolled through my emails, worked the floor circuit, and forced myself to grade assessment plans. Since I arrived so early (before seven) I didn’t feel guilty about leaving at 1:30 (although I almost nailed one of my colleagues in the parking lot…helps if I look behind me before I back up). I thought I was getting sick but another thirty minutes on the elliptical while watching a Travel Channel special on the Tibetan Book of the Dead, along with post-shower coffee, brought me back to health.

Ok, the boys are claiming the computer mouse is broken, and I should probably make dinner. More later.

I’m sitting in the living room, vaguely irritated, either from the diet coke switch or from lack of exercise, of which I can’t tell. Or maybe neither. I’ve had three cups of coffee already, but I’m forcing myself to take a day off from working out because yesterday I struggled on the treadmill and I could tell my body could use a break. Now I’m close to bouncing off the walls. Oh well. Maybe I’ll go for a walk after M and S get home.

So last night we attended the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s concert. I had a great time, and I think M did as well. She said, as we were leaving, that she felt like she had done something “grown up”. Now, as some of you know, thirteen, fourteen years back, when we lived in the Wrigleyville or Roscoe Village neighborhoods (we moved) of Chicago, we had a Chicago Symphony Orchestra subscription. The tickets weren’t expensive; six dollars a person per concert for the worst seats in the house. However, we were so broke we’d take the bus to the concerts so we wouldn’t have to pay for parking. Last night was much different. First, we went out to dinner beforehand, Milwaukee Ale House, although I felt like an idiot in my tie. I’m convinced I don’t wear formal clothes well. Still, dinner was great. With time to kill we stopped by my office and picked up my suit jacket before driving downtown. With Chicago in the back of my mind I expected to drop fifteen bucks on parking before walking four blocks through a blistering wind. Of course, I forgot we were in Milwaukee, where we paid five bucks to park in a garage adjacent to the concert hall. And by “adjacent” I mean “a heated skywalk that connects the two buildings.” Rock and roll. We hung out in the lobby for a few minutes before finding out seats, up near the top of the hall but not at the very top, as we can afford more than six bucks a concert these days. Our row and the rows behind us were about 80% full but the three rows ahead of ours were empty. We conferred with nearby patrons and decided our row was the cutoff of the price range. In Chicago, if my memory serves me well, empty seats were scarce to the point of nonexistence. Once the concert started people spread out into the empty rows and we had room to stretch. Awesome. Now, the MSO may not be the greatest symphony in the world but there is no substitute for live classical music and the orchestra knew what they were doing. I hope they have enough funding to continue for a long time. I liked the first piece (Beethoven’s 3rd piano concerto, which Maura said she recognized from cartoons) but the second piece (Mahler’s fourth symphony) bored me. You know what I loved? Intermission. I like standing in the third floor lobby and looking down on the cars passing in the street. We have four more concerts in the series and I’m looking forward to them all.

We arrived home near 10:30. I drove Calvin the babysitter home, slipped him forty bucks, and read for a while before falling asleep on the couch. T came down near 6 so I stumbled upstairs and slept for a couple more hours. After waking I made coffee and took a shower. As mentioned above I decided not to work out today. M and the boys attended church without me. I cleaned, showered, and set up D and D. We were delayed slightly due a lack of ten-sided die tragedy but the adventure went well. Later M took S to a party, then left to shop/work, so T, N and I have hung out all day. We watched some football and finished “Get Smart”. Well, T and I did, N drew and played on the computer. I tried to read some Vowell but the kids kept interrupting me, so I fired up the computer, checked the scores, and started writing. I’ll probably get everything ready for tomorrow, take a bath, and hit bed with a book early. I want to get up early to lift and work out in the morning. Good night.

Noon just passed. The boys are upstairs, at least S and N are upstairs, T might be out front playing with his Heroscape guys. M might be out there with him. She just returned from a local bead shop, where a “going out of business” sale features everything 60% off. Who in goddamn hell would open a bead shop in Port Washington, Wisconsin? God bless you, American small business owners.

So yesterday was a long but not horrible day. The conference was a joke. I’m estimating the state paid anywhere from 20 to 25 grand to throw the conference, and goddamn, it was motherfucking useless. During the intro the lead organizer, a friendly woman, from what I can tell, actually displayed every single item in the swag bag, e.g. “Look! You got headphones!” Holy crap. Then I attended the first panel which, in the name of informality, was a complete mess. No one, panelist or audience, knew their role. I gave up and left around noon. My knee was tight after thirty minutes on the treadmill and thirty on the elliptical (all before 5:30AM) so I was worried about the ride home but the knee held. I left the interstate at 33 near Portage and rode the two lane highway, straight like an architect’s, to its eastern terminus. I passed through Horicon, Fox Lake, Beaver Dam, all the small Wisconsin towns enduring the gray, bristling, sunless November Friday. When I neared the lake I detoured to Blockbuster (“Get Smart”) and Target (check for Wii games) before stumbling into the house. Fatigue was taking its toll by now so, after some quick Indian food/rice I settled on the couch with the movie. Anne Hathaway is gorgeous…the rest of the movie ok. M and the boys returned, so we hung out for a while until they turned “Nim’s Island” on. I read upstairs then fell asleep until seven, when M and I watched “The Office” and “30 Rock” before falling asleep for the second time.

After sleeping like the dead I woke near six. I lifted and worked out while watching “Gray’s Anatomy” (M was on the elliptical while I lifted, so she had the remote) and “The Amazing Race”. Afterwards T and I hit the library, Best Buy (he saved enough money for a Wii basketball game), and Costco. I’ve decided that I don’t want to pour diet coke chemicals in my gullet every day so I’m switching to coffee. I bought Dunkin Donuts coffee at Costco and made a few cups once we arrived home. Dunkin Donuts coffee tastes like punk rock. At least the caffeine edge is off. For now. And I haven’t had a diet coke since yesterday. Yay me.

Tonight M and I are listening to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra play Beethoven and Mahler. Tomorrow is a necessary rest day. Stay warm. The wind is blowing hard today.

Very early Friday morning, around 3:30AM, in a Wisconsin Dells waterpark hotel room. I’m worn out. I’m past my third week of an hour of cardio a day, plus weightlifting and crunches. Do I need a day off? I haven’t watched a movie in forever.

Where to start? Ok, let’s get the election over quickly. I was up by four and in line at the polls by 6:15AM. An elderly woman with long grey hair was first in line; I was second. We didn’t talk much. I forgot the travel book so I fished Rollins from my car. I read and listened to NPR while the line grew. By the time the doors opened about 150 people were waiting to vote. After some initial confusion as to which ward I belonged I voted (black marker in Wisconsin, not the touch screen) and got on the road to work.

Later that night I stayed up to watch the returns. Since the election was over, really, by eleven (do you still bother voting in Hawaii if you know the election is over?) I didn’t have to remain up all night. I watched Obama’s speech from my elliptical; Grant Park looked great. Well done, hometown. I was proud to be both an American and a Chicagoan.

The rest of the week has been fine but busy. Shadow hurt her shoulder, too, and I’ve been worried about her. She can hardly put pressure on her front right leg. We carry her out to the yard and back and help her up on the couch.

Yesterday I taught in the morning (thought the class went well) then tried to get on the road to the Dells by noon but couldn’t get out of the office until closer to one. A huge, end of the world rainstorm descended on I-94 just west of Madison. I almost pulled over; the Saturn slid all over the road. But the storm ended within twenty minutes, right when the highway bends north, and I checked into the hotel near four. I briefly visited the end of the day meetings, worked out, and, as I was ravenous, ordered an Uno’s deep dish pizza. The outlet mall across the street was open, so I bought a shirt at the Gap for four bucks before picking up the pizza. I stopped at the gas station for a newspaper and, after much thought, decided not to buy beer. It was a tough call, as I was in the mood. Then I inhaled the entire pizza upon my return to the room. I felt guilty of the calories, but goddamn, I was hungry. I really need to read more about this health thing; I’ve reached the point where I’m pushing myself too hard and I’m not sure I’m using my energy well. Maybe I should refine my techniques. Anyway, I was so drained that I could tell, immediately, that no work would get done tonight. I read Vowell and collapsed into bed, then switched beds because of hallways noise. Did I mention that the resort upgraded me to a suite? Why not give the suite to some family with kids? I don’t need three beds and two bathrooms.

I’ve been listening to Sigur Ros’ “()” a lot.

That’s it for now. Good morning. Consider yourself updated.

So everyone snagged an extra hour of sleep but we pay for the additional sixty minutes with an early, oppressive sunset. This annual darkness, which makes me think of vampire movies, is somewhat of a personal legend. I’m combating the blanketed feeling by drinking green tea under the full spectrum light. It’s working.

So I was in a bitchy mood for most of the morning but I’m fine (if discombobulated by the time change) tonight. I didn’t work out early because N and I were up, followed quickly by his brothers and later by his mother and grandmother. Instead I showered and drove down to the office. I graded papers/gcasts, answered email, and cleared a few menial tasks from the back of my mind. The floor wasn’t empty; another faculty member, a staff member, and a stats study group (poor bastards) were all working. I turned down my music and finished what I could before leaving around ten. Since M and her mom were still at home I decided to stop at Michaels and pick up a frame with a 40% off coupon. Some poor girl working the register couldn’t figure out why one lady’s loot wasn’t discounted, and I, fourth in line, wasn’t in the mood to wait so I put back my frame and left. Thirty minutes after inhaling some Indian food and rice I closed the doors between the living and dining rooms and lifted while watching the football pre-game shows. I tried to run outside and failed, but returned and managed a solid hour on the elliptical while watching the Pack/Titans. Goddamn I needed the exercise. All the weekend’s stress and business could have spiraled me into previous habits (e.g. eating everything under the sun, avoiding workouts) but I gritted my teeth trough the first ten minutes of cardio and I’m glad I did. A quick shower later and I felt much better than two hours earlier. I suppose M’s mom’s departure lifted my spirits as well. She wasn’t horrible this time around. But I feel like she wants the boys to be something other than what they are; she tolerates rather than loves them. I cooked an early dinner (pasta and vegetables) than snuck upstairs with the travel book.

Ok, I haven’t done bullet points lately. Here we go:

1) I’ve had “The Band’s Visit” from Netflix for close to a month. I also have “La Dolche Vida” (did I spell that right?). Both are draining my account, but I usually watch films later at night and my workout/reading schedule has me in bed fairly early. I’m not sure what I can do differently. “Get Smart” comes out Tuesday, too, and I want to see that, of course.
2) We have symphony tickets for next Saturday, then I’m in Chicago for The Hold Steady/DBT concert the following Friday. And I’m in the Dells for state meetings Thursday night and Friday. I’m leaving the house. Hold on to your hats.
3) Should I drive into work tomorrow? Not sure, my friends, not sure. I’ll probably work at home, at least through the morning.
4) I feel guilty getting my iced tea from Starbucks instead of the local coffee house, but sometimes the local coffee house takes too goddamn long. But I don’t trust the smartass kid working the Starbucks window not to fuck up my iced tea. What’s it going to take to keep him from adding sugar? At least he has a sense of humor. He fucked with me last time by saying “Sweetened, right? No, I’m kidding.” The little fuck had me going.
5) My ear feels more or less better.

N and I have been up since 4:30. Well, 4:30 with the whole “fall back” thing, but 4:30 by the official definition. We’re watching television and trying to stay quiet. Why is he up so early? Hm. I'll lift and work out later, I guess.

Yesterday I felt aimless. After thirty minutes on the elliptical, while M and her mom were out shopping, I thought I was done for the day on all levels. My energy was nonexistent. Still, I’m not very good at doing nothing, so as soon as M returned I jumped in the car and went to Michaels and the library. I tried sitting in my favorite chair with the travel book but my concentration failed me. The house was empty upon my return (everyone went to “High School Musical 3”) so I cleaned and channel-surfed. Later I ran four miles. My knee held up pretty well until the bike path’s uphill stretch. Still, I was glad my knee cooperated at all. After a shower and some pad thai I curled up in the bedroom with the travel book while M, her mom, and the boys played loud board games downstairs. I don’t remember when I fell asleep, but it was before double-digits.

I’m not sure what I’m doing today. M’s taking her mom to the airport in the early afternoon. If I wasn’t dreaming Tristan threw up in the middle of the night. I’m restless already. Happy Sunday morning.

Today is the first of November, although Halloween is still in the air. November is my least favorite month, but we have an agreement, November and me, to stay out of each other’s way as much as possible. I don’t complain about the dead sky and November doesn’t mind if I curl up on the couch and read all Sunday.

I considered driving to Chicago today but decided against the trip because 1) I’ve been driving a lot lately, 2) my ear hurts, and 3) I’m going to Chicago in two weeks for The Hold Steady/Drive-By Truckers gig. So today is wide open, almost like a free day. M and her mom are off shopping. The boys are on the computer, but I’ll probably kick them off soon. I haven’t worked out yet and the first stirrings of the desire are starting in my legs. I wouldn’t mind stealing some library time later. M, her mom, and the boys might check out HSM3 this afternoon so as long as I work out this morning the library is an option. Goddamn, I love the library on cloudy afternoons.

Yesterday was decent. I woke, lifted, and finished thirty minutes on the elliptical by 6:30. Then I hit work, gossiped with Preston, and facilitated a somewhat frustrating but productive meeting until eleven. I tore the hell out of the building and took the lake road to Whole Foods, where I picked up a dozen cans of Indian food and more blueberry granola. Have I mentioned how much I love Jyoti Indian food? I’m still working through all the options, but I’ll report my favorites soon.

http://www.jyotifoods.com/pages/catalog.html

After returning home and eating lunch I hung out with the boys for a while (N was putting together lego sets…he’s quite good) before completing the daily elliptical hour to last night’s “30 Rock”. A shower later and I was on the road back to work. Sometimes Friday afternoons are my most productive. The floor is usually deserted and I’m driven to eliminate paperwork so I don’t have to think of it over the weekend. A few interruptions slowed me down but I managed three hours of productivity before leaving near 5:30PM. The air was growing colder and darker. I hauled ass home, took a bath, and hit the bedroom with the travel book. The boys, back after trick or treating in a neighboring town, read with me. N fell asleep on my shoulder. I crashed before nine. Rock and roll, ladies and gentlemen, yes, rock and roll.

I’m listening to Stars now. What a great band.

Happy All Saints Day, by the way.