I can hear M and the boys upstairs, talking, as the boys get ready to fall asleep. S and I just watched most of the Packers/Broncos first quarter. Our street is eerily quiet when the Packers play. I’m slightly wired, although I wish I could fall asleep early.
This morning before dawn Shadow and I walked to the library and post office to drop off books and movies. The stars were bright, the air cool, and I was glad to move my legs. My ass/back still hurt, though, so I sort of limped the last few blocks home. I arrived at work just before eight and spent most of the morning grading papers and feeling a bit under the weather. I taught, somewhat badly, through early afternoon. Some student/staff drama seems is emerging. Oh well. I guess I’m due. I’ll hit it head on in the morning. After teaching I stuck around and finished my paper-grading by just before four. I was going to drive west to half-priced books because of a 40% off coupons, but I was tired, and I have a ton of unread books, so I skipped the trip and hit the freeway north. I scarfed way too many enchiladas way too quickly, chased by Halloween candy. Man, I was sure I was going to barf. A quick bath, followed by a “rocks, papers, scissors” tournament with T, kept me upstairs until close to seven. S and I read a bit, too. While reading I caught on the idea of titling a poem “walking to the library at night.” I don’t think I’m beholden to any coffee house or book store idea of a poem’s subject matter, and I don’t want to recreate poems I wrote twenty years ago. I also may title the collection “Afterlife”. We’ll see.
I’m trying to find my way post-doctoral, post full-on administrator. I’m teaching way too much this term, honestly. Next term will be easier. More later. Good night.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Sunday morning, just after 10AM. N just got in trouble because he wouldn’t stop bothering his brothers while they were preparing for a Halloween party at church (yes, we Unitarian Universalists have Halloween parties at church…we’re wacky that way). Oh well. He’s got the bratty little brother thing going on today.
I’m not attending the party. I thought I would but M gave me “skip” permission. I’d essentially get in the way during the party, I think, and the “upstairs” service wasn’t that interesting. However, the real problem is my ass. I’m serious. On Wednesday morning I went up for a layup during YMCA morning basketball and collided with another player. I fell HARD on my ass. With the adrenalin running, in the heat of the game, I laughed off the injury and kept playing. Within fifteen minutes I was struggling to get up and down the court. By the end of the day I had told all my friends at work about the injury, but I was doing ok, a little better, even. However, since then I have proceeded steadily downhill. Yesterday exquisite pain accompanied any rising from a sitting position. I don’t understand how I could be getting worse, but if this continues, I’m going to see a doctor. M seems to want me to wait out the pain, which I’m trying to do, but that plan doesn’t appear effective. We’ll see. In the meantime excuse me if I sound bitchy.
I still feel as if I’m adjusting to life after Italy. My sleep pattern returned to normal late last week, at least, but I’m not quite in the groove as far as work, etc. in concerned. Maybe the ass-pain is interfering. I don’t know.
This weekend has been decent. On Friday night T and I fell asleep early while reading. I woke near two, so I watched “Clerks 2” and Sportscenter until everyone else woke. Once everyone was up I returned to sleep, until about nine, and hung out with T while M took N and S trick-or-treating at the downtown businesses. T thinks he’s getting too old for that sort of thing. We watched “Empires Strikes Back” together while they were gone. I wish T had more kids his age on the block…he’s always the older, responsible one. Later in the afternoon S played at the girls’ house, N built a heroscape village, and M watched “Catch and Release.” I felt badly for T, so he and I hit the coffee shop and read our respective books (one of the Harry Potters for him, a St. Francis bio for me). Later I made chickpea/spinach pitas for dinner and read while M and the boys hit church for (another, separate) Halloween party. Oh, I also downloaded some old Chicago punk rock (Out of Order) and played some songs on Dan’s answering machine for him to identify. We may hit a film on Chicago punk rock history later in the month. Here’s the info:
www.regressivefilms.com
When they returned T and I read and fell asleep next to each other again. This morning he and I walked the neighborhood, pre-dawn. He’s a good kid.
I finished “The Reluctant Saint” last night. I find Franciscan scholarship fascinating. More later. I’m listening to the latest Shins CD and getting ready to clear my head and maybe work on some poetry. More later…hope my ass feels better.
I’m not attending the party. I thought I would but M gave me “skip” permission. I’d essentially get in the way during the party, I think, and the “upstairs” service wasn’t that interesting. However, the real problem is my ass. I’m serious. On Wednesday morning I went up for a layup during YMCA morning basketball and collided with another player. I fell HARD on my ass. With the adrenalin running, in the heat of the game, I laughed off the injury and kept playing. Within fifteen minutes I was struggling to get up and down the court. By the end of the day I had told all my friends at work about the injury, but I was doing ok, a little better, even. However, since then I have proceeded steadily downhill. Yesterday exquisite pain accompanied any rising from a sitting position. I don’t understand how I could be getting worse, but if this continues, I’m going to see a doctor. M seems to want me to wait out the pain, which I’m trying to do, but that plan doesn’t appear effective. We’ll see. In the meantime excuse me if I sound bitchy.
I still feel as if I’m adjusting to life after Italy. My sleep pattern returned to normal late last week, at least, but I’m not quite in the groove as far as work, etc. in concerned. Maybe the ass-pain is interfering. I don’t know.
This weekend has been decent. On Friday night T and I fell asleep early while reading. I woke near two, so I watched “Clerks 2” and Sportscenter until everyone else woke. Once everyone was up I returned to sleep, until about nine, and hung out with T while M took N and S trick-or-treating at the downtown businesses. T thinks he’s getting too old for that sort of thing. We watched “Empires Strikes Back” together while they were gone. I wish T had more kids his age on the block…he’s always the older, responsible one. Later in the afternoon S played at the girls’ house, N built a heroscape village, and M watched “Catch and Release.” I felt badly for T, so he and I hit the coffee shop and read our respective books (one of the Harry Potters for him, a St. Francis bio for me). Later I made chickpea/spinach pitas for dinner and read while M and the boys hit church for (another, separate) Halloween party. Oh, I also downloaded some old Chicago punk rock (Out of Order) and played some songs on Dan’s answering machine for him to identify. We may hit a film on Chicago punk rock history later in the month. Here’s the info:
www.regressivefilms.com
When they returned T and I read and fell asleep next to each other again. This morning he and I walked the neighborhood, pre-dawn. He’s a good kid.
I finished “The Reluctant Saint” last night. I find Franciscan scholarship fascinating. More later. I’m listening to the latest Shins CD and getting ready to clear my head and maybe work on some poetry. More later…hope my ass feels better.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Ok, I’m trying to stay up past eight tonight to combat my crap-ass jet lag. Except for Tuesday night, the night of my return, when I collapsed on the futon and slept all night, I have fallen asleep early and risen in the middle of the night. I have to break the pattern, so tonight I pledge to remain awake until at least 9:00PM. Rock and roll!
This morning I was up by three or so. I watched the rest of “The Office”, polished the Italy journal (slow going, by the way, I’m still early in the trip), and ate pizza. In fact, I’ve been eating like a madman since my return to the states. What, I can eat whenever I want? I’m all for it. I also think fatigue is playing a role in my gluttony. When I’m tired I eat everything in sight. After breakfast and a shower we decided to drive west to Holy Hill. Here’s a link to their website:
http://www.holyhill.com/
Mapquest had the trip clocked at just under an hour, but I figured we could knock twenty minutes, at least, off the predicted time. However, someone (probably teenagers, according to T) fucked with a street sign, and we detoured in the wrong direction. Still, we probably arrived at the site within the mapquest hour. The trees along the route were brilliant red and yellow. S was pissed from an earlier incident in which he lost Wii privileges, so he was a bit pouty, but the kids brightened when they saw the church. They agreed the church (basilica, whatever) was the largest they had ever seen. T, God bless him, said, “Didn’t you get enough of this in Italy?” He’s a smart kid. I think I wanted to visit Holy Hill to compare the shrine to those I saw in Italy. The experiences paralleled each other in interesting ways. For example, while we were approaching the church a group speaking what sounded like Polish or German stood around the door taking pictures. Put me back a week and move me a few thousand miles east and I’m one of those people, speaking a foreign language and hanging out at pilgrimage sites. The church is huge by local standards but has nothing on Rome, of course. Also, the church is pretty much brand new, fresco-less, and the bathrooms were probably clean (I didn’t check). We first took an elevator to the church entrance, way up high (another similarity to some of the Italian pilgrimage sites). The colors on the trees were beautiful. A hawk cruised lazily back and forth at our eye level. We walked through the church (T noticed the Hail Mary written on the walls, and said, “that’s a football play!”) and looked for a walking path, but we couldn’t find one, so we headed home.
I gave S a free pass on the Wii-banning, so he went upstairs for some backyard football while N and I played heroscape and M and T hit autumn’s last farmer’s market. Later she took the boys to the park while I inhaled cookies and screwed around on the computer. I also purchased a cool pencil box from an Australian girl I know from the eels board. I’ll post a picture when it arrives.
Ok, that’s it for now…S and I may watch the Indians/Red Sox soon. Get some sleep.
This morning I was up by three or so. I watched the rest of “The Office”, polished the Italy journal (slow going, by the way, I’m still early in the trip), and ate pizza. In fact, I’ve been eating like a madman since my return to the states. What, I can eat whenever I want? I’m all for it. I also think fatigue is playing a role in my gluttony. When I’m tired I eat everything in sight. After breakfast and a shower we decided to drive west to Holy Hill. Here’s a link to their website:
http://www.holyhill.com/
Mapquest had the trip clocked at just under an hour, but I figured we could knock twenty minutes, at least, off the predicted time. However, someone (probably teenagers, according to T) fucked with a street sign, and we detoured in the wrong direction. Still, we probably arrived at the site within the mapquest hour. The trees along the route were brilliant red and yellow. S was pissed from an earlier incident in which he lost Wii privileges, so he was a bit pouty, but the kids brightened when they saw the church. They agreed the church (basilica, whatever) was the largest they had ever seen. T, God bless him, said, “Didn’t you get enough of this in Italy?” He’s a smart kid. I think I wanted to visit Holy Hill to compare the shrine to those I saw in Italy. The experiences paralleled each other in interesting ways. For example, while we were approaching the church a group speaking what sounded like Polish or German stood around the door taking pictures. Put me back a week and move me a few thousand miles east and I’m one of those people, speaking a foreign language and hanging out at pilgrimage sites. The church is huge by local standards but has nothing on Rome, of course. Also, the church is pretty much brand new, fresco-less, and the bathrooms were probably clean (I didn’t check). We first took an elevator to the church entrance, way up high (another similarity to some of the Italian pilgrimage sites). The colors on the trees were beautiful. A hawk cruised lazily back and forth at our eye level. We walked through the church (T noticed the Hail Mary written on the walls, and said, “that’s a football play!”) and looked for a walking path, but we couldn’t find one, so we headed home.
I gave S a free pass on the Wii-banning, so he went upstairs for some backyard football while N and I played heroscape and M and T hit autumn’s last farmer’s market. Later she took the boys to the park while I inhaled cookies and screwed around on the computer. I also purchased a cool pencil box from an Australian girl I know from the eels board. I’ll post a picture when it arrives.
Ok, that’s it for now…S and I may watch the Indians/Red Sox soon. Get some sleep.
Friday, October 19, 2007
My Italy report might take a while to post, so I thought I’d get back into journal mode with some post-return entries. Here we go:
Today was a decent day. Stupid jet-lag won’t let go, however, so I’ve been up since about 3AM. Still, yesterday I was up at 2AM and asleep by 6PM, so I’m slowly improving. I watched last night’s “30 Rock” (probably my favorite television show) and part of “The Office” before grading papers and cruising the web. M woke at about six. I showered and left home a little after seven. Today’s weather was awesome. The wind was blowing hard, the sky filled with low, bilious clouds, and the long-colored trees losing their leaves. I drove to work, watered the plants, and cleared shelf-space for my Italy booty. I hit a school (as opposed to college, as opposed to university) meeting from 9 until eleven (cutting out during the boring parts, of course) and facilitated a semi-conflict resolution between two school entities from 11-11:40. I hauled ass out of the meeting before noon to get lunch (I was starving) and check Blockbuster for “Meet the Robinsons”. After a fruitless search the Blockbuster guy told me the movie won’t hit the stores until Tuesday. Oops. I returned to work where I was chided for failing to pick up Jimmy Johns for anyone else besides F (a colleague and one of my best friends at work). I countered with the “I am not the food guy” argument, complete with a harrowing story about how last year I lost about fifty bucks because too many lazy fuckers never paid me back after I picked up their lunch on the honor system. I wasn’t going to send them bills, you know? We essentially goofed off through the lunch meeting, as we were loopy from the morning, and ended before one. I answered a few calls and closed up my office before two. In Italy I acquired a taste for quality olive oil, so I stopped at Sendiks for some garlic olive oil (five bucks) and decent bread (two bucks) before driving home. After N recounted his pumpkin farm visit (sleeping pigs) I took a quick bath and left again to pick up the boys from school. M called with a request we mail a letter for her, so after a quick detour home (S ditched us at that point to play Wii backyard football), T and I hit the library. I snagged “Clerks Two” upstairs while T grabbed historical comics and football biographies downstairs. We checked out the books and grabbed two pizzas at Papa Murphy’s. After we hit home I cooked both pizzas and ate way too much, but what the hell, the jet lag has wreaked havoc on my appetite. I started the Italy journal, recognizing the text will run way longer than expected, before deciding I should update the journal now rather than wait until the Italy journal is finished. S is currently upstairs, playing Wii, and M and the boys are finishing up their jack-o-lantern carving. The weekend should be mellow, I think. I could use a walk. More later. Good night.
Today was a decent day. Stupid jet-lag won’t let go, however, so I’ve been up since about 3AM. Still, yesterday I was up at 2AM and asleep by 6PM, so I’m slowly improving. I watched last night’s “30 Rock” (probably my favorite television show) and part of “The Office” before grading papers and cruising the web. M woke at about six. I showered and left home a little after seven. Today’s weather was awesome. The wind was blowing hard, the sky filled with low, bilious clouds, and the long-colored trees losing their leaves. I drove to work, watered the plants, and cleared shelf-space for my Italy booty. I hit a school (as opposed to college, as opposed to university) meeting from 9 until eleven (cutting out during the boring parts, of course) and facilitated a semi-conflict resolution between two school entities from 11-11:40. I hauled ass out of the meeting before noon to get lunch (I was starving) and check Blockbuster for “Meet the Robinsons”. After a fruitless search the Blockbuster guy told me the movie won’t hit the stores until Tuesday. Oops. I returned to work where I was chided for failing to pick up Jimmy Johns for anyone else besides F (a colleague and one of my best friends at work). I countered with the “I am not the food guy” argument, complete with a harrowing story about how last year I lost about fifty bucks because too many lazy fuckers never paid me back after I picked up their lunch on the honor system. I wasn’t going to send them bills, you know? We essentially goofed off through the lunch meeting, as we were loopy from the morning, and ended before one. I answered a few calls and closed up my office before two. In Italy I acquired a taste for quality olive oil, so I stopped at Sendiks for some garlic olive oil (five bucks) and decent bread (two bucks) before driving home. After N recounted his pumpkin farm visit (sleeping pigs) I took a quick bath and left again to pick up the boys from school. M called with a request we mail a letter for her, so after a quick detour home (S ditched us at that point to play Wii backyard football), T and I hit the library. I snagged “Clerks Two” upstairs while T grabbed historical comics and football biographies downstairs. We checked out the books and grabbed two pizzas at Papa Murphy’s. After we hit home I cooked both pizzas and ate way too much, but what the hell, the jet lag has wreaked havoc on my appetite. I started the Italy journal, recognizing the text will run way longer than expected, before deciding I should update the journal now rather than wait until the Italy journal is finished. S is currently upstairs, playing Wii, and M and the boys are finishing up their jack-o-lantern carving. The weekend should be mellow, I think. I could use a walk. More later. Good night.
Friday, October 05, 2007
This journal entry will most likely be my last until Oct. 16th or so. I’m leaving for Italy tomorrow afternoon, and I won’t have blog access in Europe. This last week has been crazy busy, too, so I haven’t written much. I can’t complain about the week, I must say, even though I didn’t have much time to think. In order to feel even remotely ready for my departure I worked pretty much every second of every day until four or so, then drove home and attended different football practices, etc., until I collapsed with a book on the couch. More soon!
Saturday, September 29, 2007
T is off at a “dance” at the local YMCA. Now, I don’t know how much dancing one does when in third grade, but the dance was open to third, fourth, and/or fifth graders, and he thrives on that sort of social activity, so I hope he’s having a good time. He has my cell phone. I dropped his friend Ethan and him. The cell phone has been put to good use, as he’s called me twice to let me know he’s having a good time. However, I called him about thirty minutes ago and he didn’t answer. Come to think of it, I’m not sure I taught him how to answer the phone. Oh well. He’s due home in about fifteen minutes.
Today did not start off well. I usually take T and S to the farmer’s market the next town over on Saturday mornings. M wanted to come along, so we all climbed into the van for the twenty minute drive west. Five people is probably too many for a walk through a farmer’s market, esp. when N is whiny and S is angry. I was glad to arrive home, but I was pissed off. The boys had lost computer, wii, and television, so they played with their Heroscape guys until I took them over to a baseball field for some hitting practice. We had fun. Afterwards T and N climbed through a playground while S honed his tetherball skills. S had to leave for a birthday party not long after lunch. T and I caught the new movie starring “The Rock” as a quarterback. I honestly don’t know what the movie was called. Anyway, The Rock has lost a lot of weight. He looks good. The movie was tolerable, and I had a good time just hanging out with T, esp. since the morning had been rough. After dinner (spinach ravioli) I cruised the net for midi software before I thought of calling Jed down the block for advice. Turns out he has the program I need, and I can snag a copy for free. Good man. I’m going to hit the rocker and read for a while before bed. A couple of bullet points:
I’m reading “A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines”, by Janna Levin. The book is a fictional account of the lives of Kurt Godel and Alan Turing, both somewhat insane mathematicians. The author is a mathematician herself, I believe, and I enjoy her precise, careful style. James, you would like this one.
http://www.amazon.com/Madman-Dreams-Turing-Machines/dp/1400032407/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-3424530-4240138?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191117729&sr=8-1
I think I’m finally ok to run again. Tomorrow morning I’m hitting the pavement. I worked up a playlist for the occasion.
T just called. He’s on his way home.
A week from now I’ll be on a plane to Zurich. Good night.
Today did not start off well. I usually take T and S to the farmer’s market the next town over on Saturday mornings. M wanted to come along, so we all climbed into the van for the twenty minute drive west. Five people is probably too many for a walk through a farmer’s market, esp. when N is whiny and S is angry. I was glad to arrive home, but I was pissed off. The boys had lost computer, wii, and television, so they played with their Heroscape guys until I took them over to a baseball field for some hitting practice. We had fun. Afterwards T and N climbed through a playground while S honed his tetherball skills. S had to leave for a birthday party not long after lunch. T and I caught the new movie starring “The Rock” as a quarterback. I honestly don’t know what the movie was called. Anyway, The Rock has lost a lot of weight. He looks good. The movie was tolerable, and I had a good time just hanging out with T, esp. since the morning had been rough. After dinner (spinach ravioli) I cruised the net for midi software before I thought of calling Jed down the block for advice. Turns out he has the program I need, and I can snag a copy for free. Good man. I’m going to hit the rocker and read for a while before bed. A couple of bullet points:
I’m reading “A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines”, by Janna Levin. The book is a fictional account of the lives of Kurt Godel and Alan Turing, both somewhat insane mathematicians. The author is a mathematician herself, I believe, and I enjoy her precise, careful style. James, you would like this one.
http://www.amazon.com/Madman-Dreams-Turing-Machines/dp/1400032407/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-3424530-4240138?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191117729&sr=8-1
I think I’m finally ok to run again. Tomorrow morning I’m hitting the pavement. I worked up a playlist for the occasion.
T just called. He’s on his way home.
A week from now I’ll be on a plane to Zurich. Good night.
Friday, September 28, 2007
I thought I’d write a bit before I fell asleep tonight. Ten O’clock just passed but I feel as if I’ve been up all night. The house is supernaturally quiet. Perhaps I feel that way because my ears are full of snot. I don’t know. I can’t shake this cold or lack of energy.
Today was decent, anyway. I graded papers at the coffee shop for a couple hours after breakfast. My schedule doesn’t allow me much coffee shop time this semester, so I was glad to slip on the headphones and knock out some commentary. The U’s email server is slow as ever, of course, so I couldn’t speed through the papers as much as I would have liked, and a few neighbors interrupted my work, but I still managed a serious dent in the backlog. I ate a quick pre-lunch at home and sped down to Borders to pick up a couple Archie comics for the boys and another book (Kevin Smith’s journals) for the plane ride. I think I’m set for books through at least the end of the year, but I’m terrified of running out of reading material while either on the way to Europe or actually in Europe. Yes, I’m aware that, well, someone in Europe should get his pretty little nose out of a book, but the texts’ presence ground me even if I leave them back in my hotel room. I hit a quick meeting at work then locked myself in my office for more grading. A few friends visited here and there, but I knocked out about 75% of the work before the afternoon ended. The email server went down (of course) for a bit, so I picked up a couple BK veg burgers (slimy today) and checked with Best Buy on a charger for my mp3 player. Apparently Best Buy stopped selling creative/zen accessories back in Europe. This worried me. Later I met M down at a new restaurant and ate dinner. We didn’t have much to do afterwards so we hit Radio Shack, where a guy told me they didn’t carry creative/zen accessories either. When I arrived home I checked the Circuit City site and found the charger I needed. Whew. I ordered one with extra-fast shipping. The shipping added eight bucks to the tab, not good for Catholic guilt, but I’ll be damned before I fly to Europe without an Mp3 player. I flew to Denver last year with a CD player, and that fucker almost caught fire on my lap. I am converted to the church of the mp3 player, and I worship happily at the altar.
Later the boys were still up, so I took T and S on a ride through town. We had fun. They hadn’t stayed up that late in a while, and I don’t think they’ve been out in the car that late all summer. They seemed fascinated by the city at night. S mentioned that he hadn’t expected the town’s lights to burn all night. Funny. Dan and I talked on the phone for a while, until my voice faded, and here I am.
A couple of bullets:
The Brewers are officially out of the playoffs. I hate the fucking Cubs. The hate will do us well. Next year we’re going to blow them totally out of the water. I am rooting for whomever the Cubs play.
Stars of the Lid are brilliant.
More later.
Today was decent, anyway. I graded papers at the coffee shop for a couple hours after breakfast. My schedule doesn’t allow me much coffee shop time this semester, so I was glad to slip on the headphones and knock out some commentary. The U’s email server is slow as ever, of course, so I couldn’t speed through the papers as much as I would have liked, and a few neighbors interrupted my work, but I still managed a serious dent in the backlog. I ate a quick pre-lunch at home and sped down to Borders to pick up a couple Archie comics for the boys and another book (Kevin Smith’s journals) for the plane ride. I think I’m set for books through at least the end of the year, but I’m terrified of running out of reading material while either on the way to Europe or actually in Europe. Yes, I’m aware that, well, someone in Europe should get his pretty little nose out of a book, but the texts’ presence ground me even if I leave them back in my hotel room. I hit a quick meeting at work then locked myself in my office for more grading. A few friends visited here and there, but I knocked out about 75% of the work before the afternoon ended. The email server went down (of course) for a bit, so I picked up a couple BK veg burgers (slimy today) and checked with Best Buy on a charger for my mp3 player. Apparently Best Buy stopped selling creative/zen accessories back in Europe. This worried me. Later I met M down at a new restaurant and ate dinner. We didn’t have much to do afterwards so we hit Radio Shack, where a guy told me they didn’t carry creative/zen accessories either. When I arrived home I checked the Circuit City site and found the charger I needed. Whew. I ordered one with extra-fast shipping. The shipping added eight bucks to the tab, not good for Catholic guilt, but I’ll be damned before I fly to Europe without an Mp3 player. I flew to Denver last year with a CD player, and that fucker almost caught fire on my lap. I am converted to the church of the mp3 player, and I worship happily at the altar.
Later the boys were still up, so I took T and S on a ride through town. We had fun. They hadn’t stayed up that late in a while, and I don’t think they’ve been out in the car that late all summer. They seemed fascinated by the city at night. S mentioned that he hadn’t expected the town’s lights to burn all night. Funny. Dan and I talked on the phone for a while, until my voice faded, and here I am.
A couple of bullets:
The Brewers are officially out of the playoffs. I hate the fucking Cubs. The hate will do us well. Next year we’re going to blow them totally out of the water. I am rooting for whomever the Cubs play.
Stars of the Lid are brilliant.
More later.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Ok, I’m back. I’m writing on my new Dell laptop. At the risk of sounding like a commercial, Dell’s customer service is stunning. After I unboxed the computer (a reconstituted, er, used Inspiron 1501 laptop) everything worked except for the battery charge. Nothing was charging. I could use the computer as long as the device was plugged into an outlet, but as soon as I unplugged it, everything shut off. I conferred with a couple of computer expert guys I know, and they said I should call Dell. (Sidebar: I apologize to the those people with computer expertise on behalf of people like me bugging you with dumbass questions you can’t answer or could answer when you were eleven.) I first checked with Dell through the online chat computer support system, which worked fine until the guy asked me to unplug the computer and everything shut down. Before the conversation ended, though, I noticed the little needle on the power cord, where the power cord connects with the computer, was bent. Within two minutes the phone rang. A Dell lady (she sounded Indian, yay outsourcing) told me she would send me a new power source within sixteen hours. Sure enough, this morning a new power cord arrived this morning, and everything works fine. Yay Dell.
I’m home sick today, by the way. I’ve been working like crazy, trying to get everything prepared for the Italy trip, and I finally collapsed. I guess all this started on Saturday. Of course, on Friday night I drank nine beers and collapsed. My immune system weakened, and I’ve been sick since. I didn’t do much on my birthday, and I fell asleep by about seven. I sleepwalked through work both Monday and Tuesday. My Tuesday classes were particularly lame. I need to rethink my approach to some of the undergraduate courses. Oh well, I suppose this is progress. I don’t crash and burn very often in the classroom, and some humility will do me well.
Anyway, my energy is fading quickly, even as I just sit here and type. More later. Good to be back.
I’m home sick today, by the way. I’ve been working like crazy, trying to get everything prepared for the Italy trip, and I finally collapsed. I guess all this started on Saturday. Of course, on Friday night I drank nine beers and collapsed. My immune system weakened, and I’ve been sick since. I didn’t do much on my birthday, and I fell asleep by about seven. I sleepwalked through work both Monday and Tuesday. My Tuesday classes were particularly lame. I need to rethink my approach to some of the undergraduate courses. Oh well, I suppose this is progress. I don’t crash and burn very often in the classroom, and some humility will do me well.
Anyway, my energy is fading quickly, even as I just sit here and type. More later. Good to be back.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
I don't mean to blow off the blog, but my laptop committed suicide, and I don't like writing longer texts on the desktop. A new laptop arrives Monday, so I should be good to go.
I turn 38 tomorrow. Usually cold, torrential rain falls on my birthday (seriously), which I don't mind, but the weathermen are predicting 70 and sunny, so I may go hiking in the morning.
Also, I'm mildly obsessed with Caribou's new disc. More Monday.
I turn 38 tomorrow. Usually cold, torrential rain falls on my birthday (seriously), which I don't mind, but the weathermen are predicting 70 and sunny, so I may go hiking in the morning.
Also, I'm mildly obsessed with Caribou's new disc. More Monday.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
About 9:30PM, not really tired, although I feel as if I should sleep soon. Work-related issues are running through my mind, and I’m grinding my teeth, although I suppose there’s nothing so pressing that staying until 5PM or so for a couple days in a row won’t clear the air and my desk. I can’t imagine what life would be like if I were still chairing both departments. I’ll answer a few emails tonight and hit work by nine or so tomorrow morning. I should be good to go. The Brewers are winning (5-3) and I have “Sean on The Dead” on tape, so maybe I’ll stay up a little later tonight, even though last night I didn’t sleep well. I had tried sleeping on the boys’ floor, in the air conditioning, but woke after a while and moved to the front porch. S followed me down a couple hours later, stating he had a “hairy monster nightmare”, and proceeded to kick me in the balls as he writhed in his sleep.
Still, today was decent. I failed to run before work, so I was a bit tight, and I wanted to drop off the boys at school, so I skipped basketball. The boys ran off to the playground as soon as I slowed the car down enough for them to jump for it. Apparently they had a good first day of school, although T can be hard to read on such issues. We’ll see. I arrived at work by 8:45AM and guided my students to a library session by nine. A few were late/absent, and I will kick their asses sideways if they start to fuck up. Ah, the joys of teaching freshmen and transfer students. Anyway, a colleague from the English department died last night. One of the librarians gave me the scoop. I won’t go into detail here (legal reasons), but I will say I was struck by how easily we all processed the news and got on with the day. Sure, the guy wasn’t in our building, and none of us knew him at all, but still, beyond a few cursory “life is short” comments, we returned to our conversations about the weekend and whatever I record time. My friend Paul from the English department will probably have a different perspective. We should talk soon. The University priest led a powerful prayer at the start of a painfully awkward and boring convocation ceremony about how “you know never the hour when God will call you, etc.” I cut out of convocation early. The ceremony was awful, I was dressed formally, and the gym temperatures were close to 100. Remember, also, I hadn’t run. I cut out, stopped at Pick and Save for tea and recyclable bags, then drove home. I ran for a couple miles, nothing too serious, careful of some pain in my left knee. T, S and I played hoops in back before I showered and ate dinner. The boys watched some of “Spaceballs” before an early bedtime. Ok, a couple bullet points before I watch the end of the Brewers game.
This has been the worst mosquito year in memory. Goddamn, those suckers are everywhere.
I’m about 2/3rds through David Foster Wallace’s “Consider the Lobster.” I’m reading the essay on traveling with McCain’s campaign now. Wow, these essays are great. They’re probably a bit too erudite for reading on the plane, but I’m enjoying the book as much as anything I’ve read in a long time. I laughed out loud, practically slapping my knee, a few times today.
The temps in Wisconsin are supposed to hit the upper eighties tomorrow. I can’t think of more offensive weather than late summer during which what should be the start of fall. The football season starts in two days, for Christ’s sake. I’m sleeping in the air conditioning tonight.
I love trustworthy Amazon “used” sellers. I picked up a used Derogotis book today for $4.50, with shipping, that would retail for close to fifteen at Borders even with a coupon.
More later…good night.
Still, today was decent. I failed to run before work, so I was a bit tight, and I wanted to drop off the boys at school, so I skipped basketball. The boys ran off to the playground as soon as I slowed the car down enough for them to jump for it. Apparently they had a good first day of school, although T can be hard to read on such issues. We’ll see. I arrived at work by 8:45AM and guided my students to a library session by nine. A few were late/absent, and I will kick their asses sideways if they start to fuck up. Ah, the joys of teaching freshmen and transfer students. Anyway, a colleague from the English department died last night. One of the librarians gave me the scoop. I won’t go into detail here (legal reasons), but I will say I was struck by how easily we all processed the news and got on with the day. Sure, the guy wasn’t in our building, and none of us knew him at all, but still, beyond a few cursory “life is short” comments, we returned to our conversations about the weekend and whatever I record time. My friend Paul from the English department will probably have a different perspective. We should talk soon. The University priest led a powerful prayer at the start of a painfully awkward and boring convocation ceremony about how “you know never the hour when God will call you, etc.” I cut out of convocation early. The ceremony was awful, I was dressed formally, and the gym temperatures were close to 100. Remember, also, I hadn’t run. I cut out, stopped at Pick and Save for tea and recyclable bags, then drove home. I ran for a couple miles, nothing too serious, careful of some pain in my left knee. T, S and I played hoops in back before I showered and ate dinner. The boys watched some of “Spaceballs” before an early bedtime. Ok, a couple bullet points before I watch the end of the Brewers game.
This has been the worst mosquito year in memory. Goddamn, those suckers are everywhere.
I’m about 2/3rds through David Foster Wallace’s “Consider the Lobster.” I’m reading the essay on traveling with McCain’s campaign now. Wow, these essays are great. They’re probably a bit too erudite for reading on the plane, but I’m enjoying the book as much as anything I’ve read in a long time. I laughed out loud, practically slapping my knee, a few times today.
The temps in Wisconsin are supposed to hit the upper eighties tomorrow. I can’t think of more offensive weather than late summer during which what should be the start of fall. The football season starts in two days, for Christ’s sake. I’m sleeping in the air conditioning tonight.
I love trustworthy Amazon “used” sellers. I picked up a used Derogotis book today for $4.50, with shipping, that would retail for close to fifteen at Borders even with a coupon.
More later…good night.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
M and the boys are off at Unitarian Univeralist picnic. I should clean, but I’ve already cleaned quite a bit, so I thought I’d take a break and write before the afternoon grew too busy. We’re throwing the ceremonial end of summer bonfire tonight, too, so I may be occupied with other endeavors late into the evening. I’m downloading The Chills greatest hits as we speak. The blog from which I snagged the disc is an absolute treasure trove of noise to which I listened back when spinning at WZRD in the 80s and early 90s. Coil’s “Gold is the Metal”? I’m so there. Here’s a link:
http://brixtonspage.blogspot.com/
Yesterday was fine. I decided against running, as my knees needed a break, so I spent the morning on the deck or watching television with the boys. Oh, T, S, and I went to Costco as well. We bought a case of sprite and a watermelon the size of a small engine from a European car. Later M took the boys out to get new shoes. N and I played in the backyard and looked at animal webcams on the internet. Here’s his favorite site to check out animals:
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/videos/index.html
Here’s another good set of animal cam links:
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/WebCams/?nzps=navbar
After M arrived home Rick and I hit El Ray for Mexican food. We didn’t talk much on the way, which felt a bit awkward, I guess, but his stepdad just died so I think he had a lot on his mind. I can’t help but feel as if I’m a potential criminal target when I get out of the car on Chavez and I’m the only white guy for blocks. The food is worth the fear. Yesterday I went with a vegetarian torta. Heaven. Actually, a touristy-looking couple and a few run down Caucasians showed up after a while. I picked a table with my back to the wall.
Later I felt like going for a drive, but I’m trying to save cash, so I decided against a bookstore visit. Instead I read from “Consider the Lobster”. The essay on grammar and usage is both fascinating and hilarious. I fell asleep pretty early, by ten or so, on the front porch. This morning I woke before six, ran downtown, and returned home. I had planned on hitting work today but…nah. More later. September is here.
http://brixtonspage.blogspot.com/
Yesterday was fine. I decided against running, as my knees needed a break, so I spent the morning on the deck or watching television with the boys. Oh, T, S, and I went to Costco as well. We bought a case of sprite and a watermelon the size of a small engine from a European car. Later M took the boys out to get new shoes. N and I played in the backyard and looked at animal webcams on the internet. Here’s his favorite site to check out animals:
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/videos/index.html
Here’s another good set of animal cam links:
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/WebCams/?nzps=navbar
After M arrived home Rick and I hit El Ray for Mexican food. We didn’t talk much on the way, which felt a bit awkward, I guess, but his stepdad just died so I think he had a lot on his mind. I can’t help but feel as if I’m a potential criminal target when I get out of the car on Chavez and I’m the only white guy for blocks. The food is worth the fear. Yesterday I went with a vegetarian torta. Heaven. Actually, a touristy-looking couple and a few run down Caucasians showed up after a while. I picked a table with my back to the wall.
Later I felt like going for a drive, but I’m trying to save cash, so I decided against a bookstore visit. Instead I read from “Consider the Lobster”. The essay on grammar and usage is both fascinating and hilarious. I fell asleep pretty early, by ten or so, on the front porch. This morning I woke before six, ran downtown, and returned home. I had planned on hitting work today but…nah. More later. September is here.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Tonight is the last night of August. The air is cooler and, as M pointed out last weekend, the sun falls earlier. I guess I don’t feel autumn is anywhere close until September arrives. I know this doesn’t makes sense, but in my mind a big difference exists between August 31st and September 1st.
This morning I woke just after six, threw on my gear, and drove to the Y. I rode the bike for twenty minutes and lifted weights. After the workout I drove into a coffee shop near work and took in a meeting on a college-specific alumni association that might synergize with some of our recruiting efforts. The sun poured into the windows, but I closed some of the blinds, so we didn’t squint through the meeting. After I arrived at the office I prepped for next week’s leadership courses and caught up on email and the like. I might drive down to the office Sunday morning if the kids hit the church picnic. The church picnic makes me nervous. I don’t like attending, and I don’t think M wants me there either, because I just want to get the hell out of there pretty much as soon as I arrive. I’m not good at sitting on blankets and chatting about bullshit with people I don’t know well. I have promised I’ll start attending church again next week. Maybe I’ll even leave the coatroom and sit in the sanctuary. I’ve been sitting in small dark places in churches since I was seven years old, when ancient and mean-spirited ushers in blue polyester jackets would yell at me about failing to sit in a pew like a normal person. I loved the darkened stairway that led to the unused balcony.
Mary and I considered hitting El Ray for lunch, but I wasn’t in the mood, so I headed north and reached home by one or so. After lunch I worked on that undergrad alumni proposal while the kids were at the beach, then hit the ATM for cash and Papa Murphy’s for pizza. I ate about half of the fucking pizza, but hey, in the past I’d eat 75% of the pizza and finish it off with ice cream, so I’m progressing. I don’t want to starve myself, and I’m slowly improving my habits.
Later the boys played with all their friends in the back field and between the yards. I watched most of the Brewers game, Cleo on my lap, and made a couple of token appearances with the neighbors. M is out there now, drinking. Ten bucks she’s pretty drunk by the time she arrives home.
This has been a good summer. More this weekend. August has also been my most successful journal month since before the dissertation. I wrote about 8,500 words, 15 single-spaced pages, even with a break as the semester started, and I’m on a roll. Off to read some “Consider the Lobster.” Good night.
This morning I woke just after six, threw on my gear, and drove to the Y. I rode the bike for twenty minutes and lifted weights. After the workout I drove into a coffee shop near work and took in a meeting on a college-specific alumni association that might synergize with some of our recruiting efforts. The sun poured into the windows, but I closed some of the blinds, so we didn’t squint through the meeting. After I arrived at the office I prepped for next week’s leadership courses and caught up on email and the like. I might drive down to the office Sunday morning if the kids hit the church picnic. The church picnic makes me nervous. I don’t like attending, and I don’t think M wants me there either, because I just want to get the hell out of there pretty much as soon as I arrive. I’m not good at sitting on blankets and chatting about bullshit with people I don’t know well. I have promised I’ll start attending church again next week. Maybe I’ll even leave the coatroom and sit in the sanctuary. I’ve been sitting in small dark places in churches since I was seven years old, when ancient and mean-spirited ushers in blue polyester jackets would yell at me about failing to sit in a pew like a normal person. I loved the darkened stairway that led to the unused balcony.
Mary and I considered hitting El Ray for lunch, but I wasn’t in the mood, so I headed north and reached home by one or so. After lunch I worked on that undergrad alumni proposal while the kids were at the beach, then hit the ATM for cash and Papa Murphy’s for pizza. I ate about half of the fucking pizza, but hey, in the past I’d eat 75% of the pizza and finish it off with ice cream, so I’m progressing. I don’t want to starve myself, and I’m slowly improving my habits.
Later the boys played with all their friends in the back field and between the yards. I watched most of the Brewers game, Cleo on my lap, and made a couple of token appearances with the neighbors. M is out there now, drinking. Ten bucks she’s pretty drunk by the time she arrives home.
This has been a good summer. More this weekend. August has also been my most successful journal month since before the dissertation. I wrote about 8,500 words, 15 single-spaced pages, even with a break as the semester started, and I’m on a roll. Off to read some “Consider the Lobster.” Good night.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
I’m slipping a bit, as I’ve almost let a full week pass between journal entries, but I suppose I can blame the first week of the semester for the lapse. I would give the start of the semester a “B”, no pun intended. I’m relearning how to teach, day to day, with a heavy (15 credit hour) load. My students seem responsive except for a somewhat thorny group of freshmen on Monday and Wednesday afternoons. That group is small and divided, at this point, but I have faith they’ll evolve. I’ve been slightly more social these last couple of weeks than I’ve been all summer, as far as my colleagues have continued, but I like disappearing into my office on the far end of the hall. I might as well live in Canada as far as most of the department is concerned. Tomorrow I have a 9AM meeting about some recruiting event. The rest of the morning I will devote to getting as far ahead in my classes as possible.
Despite the fact the Y has closed the gym for the annual gym floor refinishing project, I’m probably working out more than usual. This morning I ran a couple miles. Yesterday I rode the bike at the Y for twenty-four minutes. I’ve also been eating healthier, but I have to lose weight at a more reasonable rate. Over the past week and a half I’ve lost about five pounds, probably too much to maintain, and I’m probably not eating enough. Nobody can sustain that rate. This afternoon I had a couple of tacos, full on beans and all that, to regain some energy. Tomorrow Mary and I might hit El Ray in the afternoon. God bless Mexican food.
A Costco opened down the highway today. I visited after work. I was hot and somewhat agitated, after a long and frustrating afternoon, and Costco didn’t help my situation. That place is huge. I realize I could say I was overwhelmed, and you could probably say I was exaggerating, but I swear I’m not. First off, the parking lot was crowded. Second, a huge crowd had gathered near the front of the store to sign up for a membership. Third, I entered the store with my cart and had no idea where to start. Televisions? School supplies? Beer? What the hell? I maneuvered back to the fruit aisles and picked up some (“some” defined in Costco language as “probably more than I can eat in four months”) strawberries. Then I worked my way through the crowd and snagged huge boxes of yogurt, cereal, oatmeal, diet pepsi (36 cans for seven bucks, the lowest price I’ve ever seen by far) and blue chips (the kind you eat…not sure what to call them).
Social restraint was not present in the store. People gaped in front of displays with no courtesy towards anyone wanting to pass. Others stood in front of the “free sample” tables (of which there were many) and relaxed while I waited for their fat asses to get out of the way. It was kind of like a crisis situation but the crisis was a huge goddamn supermarket opened in our neighborhood and nobody knew how to respond. Did people expect to close at 4PM, never to open again? What the fuck? Is this not Wisconsin, where people say hi to each other and practically fall off the sidewalk to let pedestrians pass? How embarrassing for America. Anyway, I had to negotiate with the checkout guy because my card was messed up, and then I had to pay by debit card because the store only takes American Express. I was going to pay by debit card anyway, but the entire transaction confused me. Afterwards I hit the membership counter, where a guy (I couldn’t blame him, today was the store’s first open day) did something wrong with my membership, causing the women at the printing table to whisper how his behavior was “unacceptable” only to kiss his ass when he checked on the membership progress. I couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there. I don’t know if I’ll visit regularly. I suppose some of the big ticket items (e.g. the yogurt, which my kids inhale, was a great deal), but the stress wasn’t worth the trip.
I also got a haircut today. I look retarded.
Ok, off to read some David Foster Wallace. Did I mention I finished “Spook County?” More later. I thought I’d have a hard time sleeping tonight, but my eyes are closing as we speak. Good night.
Despite the fact the Y has closed the gym for the annual gym floor refinishing project, I’m probably working out more than usual. This morning I ran a couple miles. Yesterday I rode the bike at the Y for twenty-four minutes. I’ve also been eating healthier, but I have to lose weight at a more reasonable rate. Over the past week and a half I’ve lost about five pounds, probably too much to maintain, and I’m probably not eating enough. Nobody can sustain that rate. This afternoon I had a couple of tacos, full on beans and all that, to regain some energy. Tomorrow Mary and I might hit El Ray in the afternoon. God bless Mexican food.
A Costco opened down the highway today. I visited after work. I was hot and somewhat agitated, after a long and frustrating afternoon, and Costco didn’t help my situation. That place is huge. I realize I could say I was overwhelmed, and you could probably say I was exaggerating, but I swear I’m not. First off, the parking lot was crowded. Second, a huge crowd had gathered near the front of the store to sign up for a membership. Third, I entered the store with my cart and had no idea where to start. Televisions? School supplies? Beer? What the hell? I maneuvered back to the fruit aisles and picked up some (“some” defined in Costco language as “probably more than I can eat in four months”) strawberries. Then I worked my way through the crowd and snagged huge boxes of yogurt, cereal, oatmeal, diet pepsi (36 cans for seven bucks, the lowest price I’ve ever seen by far) and blue chips (the kind you eat…not sure what to call them).
Social restraint was not present in the store. People gaped in front of displays with no courtesy towards anyone wanting to pass. Others stood in front of the “free sample” tables (of which there were many) and relaxed while I waited for their fat asses to get out of the way. It was kind of like a crisis situation but the crisis was a huge goddamn supermarket opened in our neighborhood and nobody knew how to respond. Did people expect to close at 4PM, never to open again? What the fuck? Is this not Wisconsin, where people say hi to each other and practically fall off the sidewalk to let pedestrians pass? How embarrassing for America. Anyway, I had to negotiate with the checkout guy because my card was messed up, and then I had to pay by debit card because the store only takes American Express. I was going to pay by debit card anyway, but the entire transaction confused me. Afterwards I hit the membership counter, where a guy (I couldn’t blame him, today was the store’s first open day) did something wrong with my membership, causing the women at the printing table to whisper how his behavior was “unacceptable” only to kiss his ass when he checked on the membership progress. I couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there. I don’t know if I’ll visit regularly. I suppose some of the big ticket items (e.g. the yogurt, which my kids inhale, was a great deal), but the stress wasn’t worth the trip.
I also got a haircut today. I look retarded.
Ok, off to read some David Foster Wallace. Did I mention I finished “Spook County?” More later. I thought I’d have a hard time sleeping tonight, but my eyes are closing as we speak. Good night.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Sunday morning. I feel like I have been up all day, but we’re still an hour and a half from noon. I’m slightly wired. I’ve already cut the grass, which needed to be cut due to this week’s prodigious rains, but the wet ground meant I ran over the grass more than actually cut the grass. I also wanted to scramble some eggs, but we’re out, so I settled for some unhealthy quesadillas. I’m slowly getting healthier, I think, but I’m remaining careful to avoid trying to become healthy at all once. I’ve tried that strategy before, and it hasn’t worked.
The frantic pre-semester meeting week has passed. I survived with wits intact. In fact, I did a little dance in the hallway Friday because I didn’t have to work on Saturday, traditionally the action research introduction day. Thursday’s all day meetings were ok, I guess, although I think the orientation and initial coursework for the incoming freshman were organized and executed badly. The powers that be wanted me to administer a standardized test on my first fucking day of class. How stupid. I had to lean on the students a bit to remain quiet during the stupid fucking test, but I suppose I now have the behavioral context set for the students still learning how to act like college students.
I fell asleep early Friday night, by eight, and slept until seven Saturday morning. Yesterday T celebrated his birthday with a slew of his friends. I’ll post some pics/Youtube files later. The kids were good, although more than energetic, and M did a good job of providing about half a million water balloons for their entertainment. I met the father of the only kid in the school with a Mohawk. He (the dad) has a shaved head, a colored (white) goatee, and tattoos up and down his arms. We talked about punk rock, etc., and shared some discs. He seems like a nice guy. He also has balls of steel. I can’t imagine how many weird looks he gets in this town. By the way, M nailed his son with a water balloon during the festivities, giving him a fat lip. She’s dangerous!
After the party I walked downtown to check out this new age festival in the park along the lake. Most of the booths were spiritual gemstones or whatever. I found the presence of a Pampered Chef tent, between the drum circle and am aural photography tent, amusing. Those Pampered Chef people are everywhere. I considered buying a singing bowl, but they cost upwards of seventy-five bucks, without the little hammer, so I passed. The singing bowl place was based in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, too. I’ve been through Beaver Dam. I don’t imagine the singing bowl market is huge in that town. I hope they do net orders. The walk through town was pleasant, though. The rain stopped falling Friday afternoon, and by Saturday morning the sun returned. The feeling of emerging from a dream stuck with me all day, sort of like the first thirty seconds of Eels “The Medication is Wearing Off.”
After I returned home I cleaned, read, and took a bath with William Gibson’s “Spook Country”. The boys played with T’s new toys, esp. some “Heroscape” additions. Two thirteen year old babysitters arrived at 5PM. M and I ate mediocre Mexican food in Brown Deer. We hit Toys R Us, and, brace yourself, bought a couple Christmas presents for N. Their clearance sale, probably designed to empty the shelves for the holiday season, was in full force, and we picked up a couple of cool Matchbox sets. Bow to our astute Christmas present purchasing habits. After Toys R Us we hit Borders, where I bought David Foster Wallace’s “Consider the Lobster” for the plane ride to Italy. Of course, I started reading as soon as I arrived home. After Borders we hit Bayshore, where M bought some clothes at J. Jill. We drove through town a bit before returning home. I dropped off the babysitters. M was pissed because the babysitters “cleaned”, or at least they tried to clean, but the house was already pretty well organized, and the babysitters did little but fuck things up. For example, M had bags ready for the kids’ first day of school, and the babysitters wrenched them under the chairs on the front porch. What the fuck? Also, while the babysitters cleaned the kids watched television. Bad form.
Ok, I’m still wired. Maybe I’ll take out the bike, although I kind of feel like I need some rest. Wired but tired. I don’t like this feeling. More later
The frantic pre-semester meeting week has passed. I survived with wits intact. In fact, I did a little dance in the hallway Friday because I didn’t have to work on Saturday, traditionally the action research introduction day. Thursday’s all day meetings were ok, I guess, although I think the orientation and initial coursework for the incoming freshman were organized and executed badly. The powers that be wanted me to administer a standardized test on my first fucking day of class. How stupid. I had to lean on the students a bit to remain quiet during the stupid fucking test, but I suppose I now have the behavioral context set for the students still learning how to act like college students.
I fell asleep early Friday night, by eight, and slept until seven Saturday morning. Yesterday T celebrated his birthday with a slew of his friends. I’ll post some pics/Youtube files later. The kids were good, although more than energetic, and M did a good job of providing about half a million water balloons for their entertainment. I met the father of the only kid in the school with a Mohawk. He (the dad) has a shaved head, a colored (white) goatee, and tattoos up and down his arms. We talked about punk rock, etc., and shared some discs. He seems like a nice guy. He also has balls of steel. I can’t imagine how many weird looks he gets in this town. By the way, M nailed his son with a water balloon during the festivities, giving him a fat lip. She’s dangerous!
After the party I walked downtown to check out this new age festival in the park along the lake. Most of the booths were spiritual gemstones or whatever. I found the presence of a Pampered Chef tent, between the drum circle and am aural photography tent, amusing. Those Pampered Chef people are everywhere. I considered buying a singing bowl, but they cost upwards of seventy-five bucks, without the little hammer, so I passed. The singing bowl place was based in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, too. I’ve been through Beaver Dam. I don’t imagine the singing bowl market is huge in that town. I hope they do net orders. The walk through town was pleasant, though. The rain stopped falling Friday afternoon, and by Saturday morning the sun returned. The feeling of emerging from a dream stuck with me all day, sort of like the first thirty seconds of Eels “The Medication is Wearing Off.”
After I returned home I cleaned, read, and took a bath with William Gibson’s “Spook Country”. The boys played with T’s new toys, esp. some “Heroscape” additions. Two thirteen year old babysitters arrived at 5PM. M and I ate mediocre Mexican food in Brown Deer. We hit Toys R Us, and, brace yourself, bought a couple Christmas presents for N. Their clearance sale, probably designed to empty the shelves for the holiday season, was in full force, and we picked up a couple of cool Matchbox sets. Bow to our astute Christmas present purchasing habits. After Toys R Us we hit Borders, where I bought David Foster Wallace’s “Consider the Lobster” for the plane ride to Italy. Of course, I started reading as soon as I arrived home. After Borders we hit Bayshore, where M bought some clothes at J. Jill. We drove through town a bit before returning home. I dropped off the babysitters. M was pissed because the babysitters “cleaned”, or at least they tried to clean, but the house was already pretty well organized, and the babysitters did little but fuck things up. For example, M had bags ready for the kids’ first day of school, and the babysitters wrenched them under the chairs on the front porch. What the fuck? Also, while the babysitters cleaned the kids watched television. Bad form.
Ok, I’m still wired. Maybe I’ll take out the bike, although I kind of feel like I need some rest. Wired but tired. I don’t like this feeling. More later
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
The rain has fallen nearly continually since Saturday. This afternoon we had a few hours of sun but in the late afternoons the clouds returned and an absolute motherfucker of a storm descended on southeastern Wisconsin. M tells me the beds upstairs are soaked because I failed to close the skylights. Oh well. I like the air. Today’s rain is fresh, while the rain earlier in the week left me feeling as if every surface in the house was covered with a slick sheen of water.
M is off at a Unitarian Universalist children’s committee meeting. The boys are watching television. They’ve been gone the last few days, up with friends in Door County, and I can tell they’re tired. I doubt they’ll have a hard time falling asleep, even if their beds are covered in rain. I suppose I could drag them into interacting with me, but I don’t want to force the issue.
Today was ok. I played basketball this morning, a little better than usual, despite last night’s weight lifting session (lifting weights tends to throw off one’s shot). I spent most of the morning airing out the house and cleaning in the family’s absence. After lunch I ran errands. I sent a CD overseas (I find it curious, by the way, that the people at the post office can’t seem to decide whether or not I have to fill out that green form every time I send a CD), returned library books, returned movies, and talked with Freda on the phone in the car. I also stopped at garden store for new houseplants (I need them for work) and a supermarket for office tea. I hung out at work for a couple hours, but I wasn’t especially productive. I finished preparing for one class next week, but my prep was half-assed at best. I then gossiped in another office with a couple colleagues until close to five. Mary and I were supposed to attend a new student orientation dinner, but the organizers did that evil thing where they assign everyone seats so people mingle or whatever, so I bailed and drove home. The storm was in full swing by the time I hit 43. Trees swayed along the highway like they were auditioning for a weather channel commercial. The skies were nickel grey. I swung off the highway earlier than usual, since traffic was kicking into gear, and took the back roads home. I was happy to see the family, and they seemed happy to see me.
A few bullets:
I saw “Superbad” a few nights ago. Very good. I think M should see the film. The script had an improvisational feel, and the kid from Arrested Development did a great job.
I’m working through Gibson’s “Spook Country.” I like the book, but I’m afraid I’m reading one of my favorite authors at a time when my concentration isn’t at its highest, and I may have to return to the book later.
I ran into the priest who is taking us to Italy at work today. We leave in something like seven weeks. I’m not remotely mentally prepared. Where do I get Italian money? There are people going on the trip with me who already HAVE Italian money.
I mentioned tea above. Question…the organic tea or whatever I buy in bottles makes me feel good. However, the tea costs a buck fifty a bottle. Worth it?
More later. Good night.
M is off at a Unitarian Universalist children’s committee meeting. The boys are watching television. They’ve been gone the last few days, up with friends in Door County, and I can tell they’re tired. I doubt they’ll have a hard time falling asleep, even if their beds are covered in rain. I suppose I could drag them into interacting with me, but I don’t want to force the issue.
Today was ok. I played basketball this morning, a little better than usual, despite last night’s weight lifting session (lifting weights tends to throw off one’s shot). I spent most of the morning airing out the house and cleaning in the family’s absence. After lunch I ran errands. I sent a CD overseas (I find it curious, by the way, that the people at the post office can’t seem to decide whether or not I have to fill out that green form every time I send a CD), returned library books, returned movies, and talked with Freda on the phone in the car. I also stopped at garden store for new houseplants (I need them for work) and a supermarket for office tea. I hung out at work for a couple hours, but I wasn’t especially productive. I finished preparing for one class next week, but my prep was half-assed at best. I then gossiped in another office with a couple colleagues until close to five. Mary and I were supposed to attend a new student orientation dinner, but the organizers did that evil thing where they assign everyone seats so people mingle or whatever, so I bailed and drove home. The storm was in full swing by the time I hit 43. Trees swayed along the highway like they were auditioning for a weather channel commercial. The skies were nickel grey. I swung off the highway earlier than usual, since traffic was kicking into gear, and took the back roads home. I was happy to see the family, and they seemed happy to see me.
A few bullets:
I saw “Superbad” a few nights ago. Very good. I think M should see the film. The script had an improvisational feel, and the kid from Arrested Development did a great job.
I’m working through Gibson’s “Spook Country.” I like the book, but I’m afraid I’m reading one of my favorite authors at a time when my concentration isn’t at its highest, and I may have to return to the book later.
I ran into the priest who is taking us to Italy at work today. We leave in something like seven weeks. I’m not remotely mentally prepared. Where do I get Italian money? There are people going on the trip with me who already HAVE Italian money.
I mentioned tea above. Question…the organic tea or whatever I buy in bottles makes me feel good. However, the tea costs a buck fifty a bottle. Worth it?
More later. Good night.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Ooh, I loved today. The rain has fallen steadily since about noon. The sky is a perfect fall grey, like the grey I remember sitting outside of Lane Tech High School, where I had no friends, or riding the CTA, clinging to the window and feeling totally at peace. I love this weather, and I will be thoroughly depressed when warm weather returns. I could not live somewhere without seasons, and I’m somewhat concerned that when I leave for Italy I’ll miss ten days of the most beautiful Wisconsin Autumn weather. Maybe we’ll take the kids up north to see the leaves change. A few minutes ago I sat on the back porch, under the gazebo, and listened to the rain, faster and more furious than before, and watched the apple tree sway in the wind. The sky was the color of Hopper’s “House At Dusk”, maybe a little darker, even, and I huddled with my flannel (first time I had worn the flannel in forever) and drank iced tea. Beautiful.
This morning S and I drove over to the local farmer’s market not long after dawn. Our local farmer’s market sucks compared to West Bend’s, fifteen miles west, but I wasn’t in the mood for the drive. West Bend’s market has about 100 stands, mushrooms, blueberries, etc., while our local market has weird arts and crafts stands and about ten vegetable stands. The stands stick with the basics, tomatoes, etc. I snagged some kale, cookies, and chocolate/zucchini bread. S was in a good mood, very chatty, and we had fun. After we returned home I could smell the impending rain, so I quickly cut the grass and filled the beer feeders. I was playing Madden on the Wii when M handed me the phone. A neighbor, a Mexican guy named Rick, asked if I wanted to drive down to Milwaukee and help him load a couple dressers into his truck. Now, the most natural response for someone like me would be a quick apology for my packed schedule (the Wii-game was only in the second quarter), but I was in a good mood, so I agreed. We drove down to the Milwaukee barrio, I guess, whatever you’d call the stretch of restaurants and small shops off National without sounding disrespectful. We ate in the back of the El Ray supermarket. I had a burrito. Jesus Christ, the burrito was good, Taco and Burrito House good, and the environment couldn’t have been more authentic. I think I was the only non-Latino in the place. The booths were all standard fast-food, the counter packed, a little girl eating Fruity Pebbles at the next table while her parents had their lunch, man, this place is only thirty minutes from my house, but I might as well have been on Saturn. We drove through a couple rough neighborhoods afterwards. Maybe college is a good idea, you know? I do wonder if my kids are too sheltered, though. I hope my kids learn to fight sooner or later. Anyway, we loaded up the two dressers with minimal drama and drove home in the rain. After unloading the furniture I returned home to discover half the neighborhood playing in my house while M read “Harry Potter” on the front porch. I pulled up a chair and read the Jancee Dunn book next to her. This might have been the first time in thirteen years of marriage and about fifteen years of living together when my wife and I sat next to each other and read. Weird. I wonder if she’ll pick up another book after she finishes the Harry Potter series. I got bored, so I drove around town, picked up batteries (turned out I didn’t need them, the remote control was set on “VCR”) and a twelve pack. After everyone left the boys watched television while I took a bath and read some more. I closed the skylight and turned on the heater. Bliss. Later T and I watched some of the Brewers and Packers games, then a little of High School Musical 2, until we went upstairs and silent read until they fell asleep. Oh, I also told them a stinkpot/wart story. Pretty soon they won’t want to hear them. They’re good kids. I didn’t get to hang out with N as much as I would like today. Oh, at one point M told him to show me how clean he was, so he came into the living room and dropped his pants. Lovely.
I hope the rain continues tomorrow. Good night.
This morning S and I drove over to the local farmer’s market not long after dawn. Our local farmer’s market sucks compared to West Bend’s, fifteen miles west, but I wasn’t in the mood for the drive. West Bend’s market has about 100 stands, mushrooms, blueberries, etc., while our local market has weird arts and crafts stands and about ten vegetable stands. The stands stick with the basics, tomatoes, etc. I snagged some kale, cookies, and chocolate/zucchini bread. S was in a good mood, very chatty, and we had fun. After we returned home I could smell the impending rain, so I quickly cut the grass and filled the beer feeders. I was playing Madden on the Wii when M handed me the phone. A neighbor, a Mexican guy named Rick, asked if I wanted to drive down to Milwaukee and help him load a couple dressers into his truck. Now, the most natural response for someone like me would be a quick apology for my packed schedule (the Wii-game was only in the second quarter), but I was in a good mood, so I agreed. We drove down to the Milwaukee barrio, I guess, whatever you’d call the stretch of restaurants and small shops off National without sounding disrespectful. We ate in the back of the El Ray supermarket. I had a burrito. Jesus Christ, the burrito was good, Taco and Burrito House good, and the environment couldn’t have been more authentic. I think I was the only non-Latino in the place. The booths were all standard fast-food, the counter packed, a little girl eating Fruity Pebbles at the next table while her parents had their lunch, man, this place is only thirty minutes from my house, but I might as well have been on Saturn. We drove through a couple rough neighborhoods afterwards. Maybe college is a good idea, you know? I do wonder if my kids are too sheltered, though. I hope my kids learn to fight sooner or later. Anyway, we loaded up the two dressers with minimal drama and drove home in the rain. After unloading the furniture I returned home to discover half the neighborhood playing in my house while M read “Harry Potter” on the front porch. I pulled up a chair and read the Jancee Dunn book next to her. This might have been the first time in thirteen years of marriage and about fifteen years of living together when my wife and I sat next to each other and read. Weird. I wonder if she’ll pick up another book after she finishes the Harry Potter series. I got bored, so I drove around town, picked up batteries (turned out I didn’t need them, the remote control was set on “VCR”) and a twelve pack. After everyone left the boys watched television while I took a bath and read some more. I closed the skylight and turned on the heater. Bliss. Later T and I watched some of the Brewers and Packers games, then a little of High School Musical 2, until we went upstairs and silent read until they fell asleep. Oh, I also told them a stinkpot/wart story. Pretty soon they won’t want to hear them. They’re good kids. I didn’t get to hang out with N as much as I would like today. Oh, at one point M told him to show me how clean he was, so he came into the living room and dropped his pants. Lovely.
I hope the rain continues tomorrow. Good night.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Nearing eleven, late Friday night. 62F (about 17C) with an audible breeze off the lake, skewing a bit to the north. The skies are mostly clear but dotted with night-clouds, white against the sky's dark blue. Beautiful. I went for a drive just to take it all in, and I don't want to die, ever, on nights like tonight.
I’ve been thinking about death lately. I suppose most middle-aged guys start thinking about death, so I doubt I’m onto something new and exciting. My thoughts can be summarized in two bullets:
1) I am happier and more content in my life on a daily basis than ever before. I’ll be out on a ride, like tonight, or out watching my kids skateboard in the cemetery, and my heart will about burst from wanting to grab hold of the moment and hold it as close as I can.
2) Someday I am going to die.
I hope that makes sense. More on this as I think through the context. Tonight, though, I can hear the wind set off the neighborhood’s wind chimes, and all is good and right in the world.
I skipped hoops this morning and managed twelve hours of sleep. No wonder I’m up late tonight, eh? Not long after waking I called the Craigslist guy about the drums. He seemed older, and I tried to talk price on the phone, but he said I should wait until I see the set before I say anything. I drove down to Mequon, expecting some old guy in overalls or something, but the guy was actually just a little older than me. He was really cool, and the set was in great shape. He said his son was getting ready to ship out to Iraq and wanted to get rid of the set. Wow. I don’t know how to process that sort of karma. He also said he would use the money to buy his other son a new cello. Now, the guy was far from broke (this was Mequon, an affluent suburb), but the deal seemed fair, so I gave him $250 and called it a day. Score one for Craigslist. We loaded up the drums in my van and I drove home. M and I set up the drums in our bedroom and let the kids go crazy. T actually seems to have some sense of rhythm. Maybe we’ll get him lessons or teach him how to play along to The Ramones. I guess drummers are always needed, as there aren't a ton around, but I don’t think they get the chicks. Hopefully one of the boys will stick with the drums, and the other two can pick up guitar and/or bass or keyboards or something else, and they can form a band. They can practice here. I don’t mind, and the sound doesn't travel much outside. I checked.
I couldn’t get into much of a groove the rest of the day. S tried to teach me how to play Madden football, and I said “goddamn” and “fuck” in front of my seven year old son because I couldn’t figure out how to get my quarterback to pass. Great parenting! S actually told me to calm down as it was only a game. Well, that’s progress, anyway. I cleaned for a while and uploaded a video of T skateboarding through the cemetery. Here’s the link:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=FYWWih0kpno
Later I figured out the passing and beat the computer-Bears (I was the Steelers) 35-3. M left for a party early in the evening. The boys and a friend watched High School Musical 2. I wasn’t in the mood to watch the movie, so I talked on the phone with Dan, back from Branson, but N kept interrupting me (apparently he wasn’t into HS Musical 2 either) so we cut the conversation short. N and I played with clay for a while. I programmed a mix CD for someone from the eels board. I’ll post the songs tomorrow. The computer was giving me a hard time, and I fucked up the mix once, so I got frustrated. S was also sneaking into the kitchen for brownies every ten seconds. I had to breathe deep and wait for M’s return. After the kids were asleep I went for the ride mentioned above. Oh, my passport arrived today, too, and I look nothing short of a terrorist in the picture. I might not reach Italy.
Tomorrow…farmer’s market, hopefully a walk with Shadow, and some lawn care before the rain. Good night. Great sleeping weather ahead. I’m looking forward to fall.
I’ve been thinking about death lately. I suppose most middle-aged guys start thinking about death, so I doubt I’m onto something new and exciting. My thoughts can be summarized in two bullets:
1) I am happier and more content in my life on a daily basis than ever before. I’ll be out on a ride, like tonight, or out watching my kids skateboard in the cemetery, and my heart will about burst from wanting to grab hold of the moment and hold it as close as I can.
2) Someday I am going to die.
I hope that makes sense. More on this as I think through the context. Tonight, though, I can hear the wind set off the neighborhood’s wind chimes, and all is good and right in the world.
I skipped hoops this morning and managed twelve hours of sleep. No wonder I’m up late tonight, eh? Not long after waking I called the Craigslist guy about the drums. He seemed older, and I tried to talk price on the phone, but he said I should wait until I see the set before I say anything. I drove down to Mequon, expecting some old guy in overalls or something, but the guy was actually just a little older than me. He was really cool, and the set was in great shape. He said his son was getting ready to ship out to Iraq and wanted to get rid of the set. Wow. I don’t know how to process that sort of karma. He also said he would use the money to buy his other son a new cello. Now, the guy was far from broke (this was Mequon, an affluent suburb), but the deal seemed fair, so I gave him $250 and called it a day. Score one for Craigslist. We loaded up the drums in my van and I drove home. M and I set up the drums in our bedroom and let the kids go crazy. T actually seems to have some sense of rhythm. Maybe we’ll get him lessons or teach him how to play along to The Ramones. I guess drummers are always needed, as there aren't a ton around, but I don’t think they get the chicks. Hopefully one of the boys will stick with the drums, and the other two can pick up guitar and/or bass or keyboards or something else, and they can form a band. They can practice here. I don’t mind, and the sound doesn't travel much outside. I checked.
I couldn’t get into much of a groove the rest of the day. S tried to teach me how to play Madden football, and I said “goddamn” and “fuck” in front of my seven year old son because I couldn’t figure out how to get my quarterback to pass. Great parenting! S actually told me to calm down as it was only a game. Well, that’s progress, anyway. I cleaned for a while and uploaded a video of T skateboarding through the cemetery. Here’s the link:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=FYWWih0kpno
Later I figured out the passing and beat the computer-Bears (I was the Steelers) 35-3. M left for a party early in the evening. The boys and a friend watched High School Musical 2. I wasn’t in the mood to watch the movie, so I talked on the phone with Dan, back from Branson, but N kept interrupting me (apparently he wasn’t into HS Musical 2 either) so we cut the conversation short. N and I played with clay for a while. I programmed a mix CD for someone from the eels board. I’ll post the songs tomorrow. The computer was giving me a hard time, and I fucked up the mix once, so I got frustrated. S was also sneaking into the kitchen for brownies every ten seconds. I had to breathe deep and wait for M’s return. After the kids were asleep I went for the ride mentioned above. Oh, my passport arrived today, too, and I look nothing short of a terrorist in the picture. I might not reach Italy.
Tomorrow…farmer’s market, hopefully a walk with Shadow, and some lawn care before the rain. Good night. Great sleeping weather ahead. I’m looking forward to fall.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
I’m on the office floor, mid-evening, although I’m more tired than one might expect. I’m not sure why. Anyway, at least the air is cooler, with overnight temps projected at below sixty degrees F, so I’m looking forward to sleeping.
This morning I skipped hoops and drove to work early after watching “My Boys” with M. I spent most of the day finishing cleaning out my old office and moving into my new office. I had way too much fun organizing my crap on my shelves and the like. I think I’m going to like the new space. The overhead lights will remain off, if I can help it, with two small, dimmed lamps and the computer screen providing all the illumination I need. A student with whom I was going to get tea cancelled, so I drove home early in the afternoon. T is gone all day, at a waterpark with a friend, so N and I played “guys” (action figures) until he grew bored. S has been asking to hit Bayshore’s Barnes and Noble, so we got in the car on a lark and droved south. Just as we pulled onto 43 my phone rang. The Craiglist drum guy called back. I might go see the set tomorrow, although he wants $275 for it, and both M and a guy on the eels message board said $200 was more reasonable. Here’s the set:
http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/msg/380530868.html
I suck at talking people down, so perhaps M can drive down and negotiate. T really wants a set, though, and if drums keep him out of trouble and become a serious interest, how can you lose?
S picked up a book on “birds of prey”. After we left we snagged subs and Potbelly’s, where the girl behind the counter first thought S was a girl and then asked me who the girl dinosaur was on Barney (Baby Bop, although I didn’t know, someone else had to supply the answer). I took a bath and read after arriving home. M and her friends were all out back, and I stopped over to say hi, but I wasn’t in the mood for mom socialization, and M kept cutting me off in the conversation, so I gave up and came inside.
Some bullets:
Stars’ “In Our Bedroom After The War” has grown on me. You have to give the band credit; they do the synth/New Order thing as seriously as anyone and don’t suck at all.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stars_(band)
I also don’t know much about Broken Social Scene, but apparently both Stars and Feist are connected to the band in some way, so I must check them out. Dan burnt me a disc, I believe.
I’ve been reading Jancee Dunn’s “But Enough About Me” over the last few days. I like it.
http://www.amazon.com/But-Enough-About-Me-Adventures/dp/0060843640/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/002-8553311-0500848?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187311700&sr=8-2
More later. Boys bouncing around.
This morning I skipped hoops and drove to work early after watching “My Boys” with M. I spent most of the day finishing cleaning out my old office and moving into my new office. I had way too much fun organizing my crap on my shelves and the like. I think I’m going to like the new space. The overhead lights will remain off, if I can help it, with two small, dimmed lamps and the computer screen providing all the illumination I need. A student with whom I was going to get tea cancelled, so I drove home early in the afternoon. T is gone all day, at a waterpark with a friend, so N and I played “guys” (action figures) until he grew bored. S has been asking to hit Bayshore’s Barnes and Noble, so we got in the car on a lark and droved south. Just as we pulled onto 43 my phone rang. The Craiglist drum guy called back. I might go see the set tomorrow, although he wants $275 for it, and both M and a guy on the eels message board said $200 was more reasonable. Here’s the set:
http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/msg/380530868.html
I suck at talking people down, so perhaps M can drive down and negotiate. T really wants a set, though, and if drums keep him out of trouble and become a serious interest, how can you lose?
S picked up a book on “birds of prey”. After we left we snagged subs and Potbelly’s, where the girl behind the counter first thought S was a girl and then asked me who the girl dinosaur was on Barney (Baby Bop, although I didn’t know, someone else had to supply the answer). I took a bath and read after arriving home. M and her friends were all out back, and I stopped over to say hi, but I wasn’t in the mood for mom socialization, and M kept cutting me off in the conversation, so I gave up and came inside.
Some bullets:
Stars’ “In Our Bedroom After The War” has grown on me. You have to give the band credit; they do the synth/New Order thing as seriously as anyone and don’t suck at all.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stars_(band)
I also don’t know much about Broken Social Scene, but apparently both Stars and Feist are connected to the band in some way, so I must check them out. Dan burnt me a disc, I believe.
I’ve been reading Jancee Dunn’s “But Enough About Me” over the last few days. I like it.
http://www.amazon.com/But-Enough-About-Me-Adventures/dp/0060843640/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/002-8553311-0500848?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187311700&sr=8-2
More later. Boys bouncing around.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
I feel as if my skin is completely covered in sweat, not because of the Mexican food I just ate, but because of the high humidity. How the hell do you people in the south survive all summer? This weekend we’re supposed to have high temperatures in the sixties. I can’t wait for football weather.
M and the boys are home. I picked them up from O’Hare on Saturday afternoon. When did O’Hare become such a hellhole? Anyway, the first few hours of return are always stressful. The fragile cleanliness of the house disappears in moments. The kids bounce off to see their friends. M and I adjust to each other’s presences. We’ve got the system down. I’m glad they’re home.
I returned to work Monday morning as well. You know, I’m starting my seventh year at my current organization, and my previous record for job stability is four years. Every day is a new experience in permanence. I feel like I know what I’m doing more often than not. I’ll know which form to use for what and whom to call when the copier does this or that. I like feeling like I know what I’m doing. Today I moved most of my crap into a new office. I cleaned out a ton, too, throwing away a lot of old paperwork and literacy books. My new office doesn’t have a window, but I requested the space because of 1) the location, away from the controversy corridor, 2) the fact I can close my door and no one can see inside, and 3) the solidification of my program as separate from the other programs in controversy corridor. I hope my colleague moves all her crap out of the office soon, so I can decorate and feel like the space is mine.
Last night Shadow and I walked downtown. If you live in a town like this one you owe yourself evening walks every now and then. Downtown shuts down early, except for the bars, and the local teenagers sit on the corner benches, bored. A friend told me she was going to have to put her dog down (I hate that phrase) soon, and I got to thinking Shadow and I won’t be able to walk together forever. I guess the walk was for old time’s sake. I love that dog.
A few bullets:
T wants a drum set. I’ve called a guy from Craiglist to find out if his is still for sale. The neighborhood should brace itself.
I’m getting more into the new William Gibson every day, but it’s hard to read with the heavy weather. Do people in the tropics read books, or do they sit in the air conditioning and watch television all day?
I listened to The Stars “In Our Bedroom After The War” a few times at work today. I like that disc. Yesterday I listened to Stars on The Lid’s “The Ballasted Orchestra”. That’s as good as ambient gets, in my eyes, anyway.
Did I mention I saw “I Think I Love My Wife?” Good movie, but don’t watch it with your spouse, or you’ll end up in the “would you ever cheat on me?” conversation. Good luck.
I like sitting on the porch and watching the birds on the bird feeder. I’m easy to please.
More later. Good night.
M and the boys are home. I picked them up from O’Hare on Saturday afternoon. When did O’Hare become such a hellhole? Anyway, the first few hours of return are always stressful. The fragile cleanliness of the house disappears in moments. The kids bounce off to see their friends. M and I adjust to each other’s presences. We’ve got the system down. I’m glad they’re home.
I returned to work Monday morning as well. You know, I’m starting my seventh year at my current organization, and my previous record for job stability is four years. Every day is a new experience in permanence. I feel like I know what I’m doing more often than not. I’ll know which form to use for what and whom to call when the copier does this or that. I like feeling like I know what I’m doing. Today I moved most of my crap into a new office. I cleaned out a ton, too, throwing away a lot of old paperwork and literacy books. My new office doesn’t have a window, but I requested the space because of 1) the location, away from the controversy corridor, 2) the fact I can close my door and no one can see inside, and 3) the solidification of my program as separate from the other programs in controversy corridor. I hope my colleague moves all her crap out of the office soon, so I can decorate and feel like the space is mine.
Last night Shadow and I walked downtown. If you live in a town like this one you owe yourself evening walks every now and then. Downtown shuts down early, except for the bars, and the local teenagers sit on the corner benches, bored. A friend told me she was going to have to put her dog down (I hate that phrase) soon, and I got to thinking Shadow and I won’t be able to walk together forever. I guess the walk was for old time’s sake. I love that dog.
A few bullets:
T wants a drum set. I’ve called a guy from Craiglist to find out if his is still for sale. The neighborhood should brace itself.
I’m getting more into the new William Gibson every day, but it’s hard to read with the heavy weather. Do people in the tropics read books, or do they sit in the air conditioning and watch television all day?
I listened to The Stars “In Our Bedroom After The War” a few times at work today. I like that disc. Yesterday I listened to Stars on The Lid’s “The Ballasted Orchestra”. That’s as good as ambient gets, in my eyes, anyway.
Did I mention I saw “I Think I Love My Wife?” Good movie, but don’t watch it with your spouse, or you’ll end up in the “would you ever cheat on me?” conversation. Good luck.
I like sitting on the porch and watching the birds on the bird feeder. I’m easy to please.
More later. Good night.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Friday night, quiet, a little after 9PM. I’m glad the neighborhood seems more or less still (although I didn’t look towards the corner, maybe that’s where the action landed), although I did show up at a bonfire for all of thirty seconds earlier in the evening. Tomorrow M and the kids fly home, and I didn’t want to get drunk or anything leading up to their return. I wanted to clear my head, get to sleep early, wake up early tomorrow, finish up some tasks around the house, and drive calmly down to O’Hare for the pickup.
I had a decent Friday. This morning I played hoops, redeeming myself for a horrific Wednesday performance, and picked up the Friday papers. I considered lifting weights, but I wasn’t in the mood. This morning I finished the last season of “Arrested Development.” Man, I loved that show. I’m hard-pressed to think of a more original series in the history of television. Oh well, all good things must come to an end. After finishing the series I ate lunch and drove over to see “Stardust”. I love Neil Gaiman’s work, so my expectations were high, and I wasn’t disappointed. Listen, I agree with the NY Times critic that the entire Robert Deniro crossdresser thing could be excised from the film with no ill effects. I don’t care. I’m a sucker for that sort of fantasy, the broad sweeping kind, and I enjoyed the film immensely. Claire Daines was luminous, no pun intended. I was one of only six people in the theater, at the first showing on the first day of release, so I’m afraid the film’s commercial prospects are less than promising. I also had to pee three different times during the film. Damn diet coke! After the film I ran through the supermarket, shopping for the family’s return, and drove home. Within a few minutes after my return home, while picking up the mail, my neighbor Jim informed me he was coming over to finish building a set of stairs from the back yard to the deck. For the nine years, since the pool’s removal, we’ve sort of stepped high or scooted across the deck to get from the ground to the wood surface. I watched Jim build the stairs, since I have no expertise in that area whatsoever, and I think I learned a bit about woodworking in the process. I might be able to build something like stairs on my own in the future. I’m serious.
After Jim left his wife and I talked about her potential new gig (Costco) and I briefly visited the bonfire. Neighborhood guy drama (loud rap music, smoke allergies) was lurking nearby, so I ditched the event early. I took a bath then watched the first forty-five minutes or so of “I Think I Love My Wife.” The movie was better than I expected. Did it make any money? I have no idea. I felt fatigue near, so I turned off the television, fed Shadow and the cats, and watched a bit of the Brew game. I think I’ll read some Gibson and sleep on the couch. Maybe I’ll meditate.
I’ve started writing poetry again. More later. Good night.
I had a decent Friday. This morning I played hoops, redeeming myself for a horrific Wednesday performance, and picked up the Friday papers. I considered lifting weights, but I wasn’t in the mood. This morning I finished the last season of “Arrested Development.” Man, I loved that show. I’m hard-pressed to think of a more original series in the history of television. Oh well, all good things must come to an end. After finishing the series I ate lunch and drove over to see “Stardust”. I love Neil Gaiman’s work, so my expectations were high, and I wasn’t disappointed. Listen, I agree with the NY Times critic that the entire Robert Deniro crossdresser thing could be excised from the film with no ill effects. I don’t care. I’m a sucker for that sort of fantasy, the broad sweeping kind, and I enjoyed the film immensely. Claire Daines was luminous, no pun intended. I was one of only six people in the theater, at the first showing on the first day of release, so I’m afraid the film’s commercial prospects are less than promising. I also had to pee three different times during the film. Damn diet coke! After the film I ran through the supermarket, shopping for the family’s return, and drove home. Within a few minutes after my return home, while picking up the mail, my neighbor Jim informed me he was coming over to finish building a set of stairs from the back yard to the deck. For the nine years, since the pool’s removal, we’ve sort of stepped high or scooted across the deck to get from the ground to the wood surface. I watched Jim build the stairs, since I have no expertise in that area whatsoever, and I think I learned a bit about woodworking in the process. I might be able to build something like stairs on my own in the future. I’m serious.
After Jim left his wife and I talked about her potential new gig (Costco) and I briefly visited the bonfire. Neighborhood guy drama (loud rap music, smoke allergies) was lurking nearby, so I ditched the event early. I took a bath then watched the first forty-five minutes or so of “I Think I Love My Wife.” The movie was better than I expected. Did it make any money? I have no idea. I felt fatigue near, so I turned off the television, fed Shadow and the cats, and watched a bit of the Brew game. I think I’ll read some Gibson and sleep on the couch. Maybe I’ll meditate.
I’ve started writing poetry again. More later. Good night.
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