Decent weekend, I guess, but way too fast, faster than usual. I'm feeling that end of the semester exhaustion. Soon I will walk away from my colleagues, thank you very much, and I don't want to see them for at least two weeks. This is the last real week of the semester, thank God. Then I get a week with hardly anyone in the office, during which I can finish my doctoral data transcription, clean my office, and otherwise decompress. Then I get a week away from everything. If I get my transcriptions done, I might stay away from doc/work for the bulk of that week. Ok, here's a ten bullet post to wrap up the weekend, save for a "Crap, I have to return to work tomorrow" Sunday night feeling.

* Yesterday I went to Michael's and bought sculpture clay. I played with the clay last night after everyone fell asleep. I tried to render a recurring meditative vision, a gray tree with a serene face, and I thought I did an ok job for my first try. I want to take a sculpture class, maybe over in Cedarburg at the arts center. Maybe I'll call them tomorrow, as their website appears outdated.

* Today I watched "Clerks 2" while M and the boys were visiting friends. The afternoon was a bit weird, actually. I thought I should do something productive, so I played with the clay a bit more, wrote a few lines of poetry that have been in my head, etc., but I felt like I needed to decompress a bit more before work tomorrow. I watched football for a while, then turned on the movie, which held up well to a second viewing. There aren't too many movies about friendship amongst loser guys. Thanks, Mr. Smith. I speak that language.

* Yesterday N and I were home most alone of the afternoon while M, T, and S attended a birthday party at a roller rink. We had fun...we made cookies together, then he played with the sculpture clay at the kitchen while I made dinner. Here's a picture:

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i196/randomanthony/nov06pictures205.jpg

* Last night I couldn't find Shadow's leash, and I really wanted to take her for a walk. Man, was I pissed. I drove to both local pet stores, both of which had just closed (this was at about six PM), then bought a leash at Target. We walked through downtown, up the hill, and down some side streets. Worth it.

* Isn't the shortest day of the year coming soon? Let me check. December 20th. Not that far off. Winter's going ok, I think, considering we've already had a load of snow dropped upon Wisconsin.

* I need to play hoops tomorrow. I've hardly worked out at all in the last week, and I can feel my muscles ready to move. I'll organize my clothes tonight so I can get up and go early. The temps will be higher than last week, cold but not oppressively so, and I'm looking forward to getting on the court before tomorrow's meetings.

* Oh, we watched "Pirates of the Carribean 2", too. Man, did that ending suck. I think the producers watched "The Lord of The Rings" a bit too much beforehand. Anyway, maybe I didn't like the ending because I was enjoying the film. I didn't hate it. I love watching DVDs on double-time, by the way. I'm an impatient bastard.

* M and I also stumbled onto a show called "My Boys" last night on TBS. The show was surprisingly watchable. The film was set in Chicago, too, and at least made an attempt (e.g. mention of Kingston Mines) to retain a local feel. The apartment looked like a Chicago apartment, if that makes sense...tight against the street in a walk-up, if you know what I mean.

* I haven't read much lately. I guess I've been in the Simic a lot, but I haven't found a book that has caught and held my attention since the Klosterman. Maybe I'll go back to the Thoreau and the Francis books before Christmas. Mary recommended a few titles, or I could pick up some Murikami again. The book I need will find me soon.

* I haven't been to the museum since my birthday. Maybe next week. I'm in the mood. The museum loosens the snakes from my heart.