When was the last time I completed an entry on a Monday night? I don’t remember. Let’s rectify that situation.
I’m on the couch with T. He starts 5th grade in the morning and has decreed he will no longer be taking a lunch but will instead get whatever they have at school because apparently the cafeteria features “a wide variety of things”. That’s ok with me. He’s in fifth grade. Go be cool.
Today will hopefully be the last of the rush around because we’re paying babysitters day. This morning I woke at four, after weird melatonin-influenced zombie dreams, and worked out from 5-5:30. I hit work by seven, taught at nine, did some taping for the U’s PR at 10, met with a couple people at 11, and hauled ass home at 12. Our comatose babysitter left soon after, thirty-five bucks richer, including five dollars in quarters from the change jar because I didn’t have enough bills. Later we dropped off S at a friend’s and drove around for a while before deciding to go home. I worked out to Andrew Zimmer’s Gulf Coast episode, inhaled some pizza (stress eat! Stress eat! At least I work out, eh?) and showered. Now I’m here. What should I do? Murakami? Probably. Breathe deep. My kids start school tomorrow. They’re good kids. They’ll do well in school.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
I just downed half a tablet of melatonin. How long will I be awake? I took the drug early so I’ll wake with little in my system so I can work out without feeling spacey. And I want to get to sleep early to maintain my rhythm. Yesterday I slept through afternoon sickness and fatigue then stayed awake until 1AM. At least I A) watched the excellent Adventureland and 2) hung out with the dogs while drinking and listening to Vic Chesnutt’s “About to Choke”.
This week sucked. Usually the first week of work is pretty easy, nothing too intense, all the classes are planned and few fires to address. This semester I hit the ground running and didn’t stop until Friday evening. I was ill from Tuesday on and had to rush home a few days (including tomorrow) to avoid paying teenagers to “babysit”, which apparently in this day and age means sitting on the couch and texting while the boys watch tv. Then on Saturday morning T’s completely fucked up football organization botched his scrimmage’s location and led me (and a slew of other parents) on an unexpected tour of the Belgium/Cedar Grove area while searching for the contest. Then, despite wearing four shirts, I froze my ass off in the sub-fifty temps (remind me in a couple months, by the way, that I considered sub-fifty temps very cold) while reading a book on Cooperstown and the Hall of Fame. When T (who played well in the scrimmage, esp. on defense) and I returned home I went into internal mode and, frankly, didn’t want anyone to interact with me for about twelve hours. I read then slept upstairs until N woke me near five. Then I hung out with the boys until they fell asleep. M and I watched the movie, I drank and listened to music, then crashed until seven or so. Today was better. I cleaned the house (always a sign of improving health) before lifting weights. Oh, I also took this week off of lifting after reading that you’re supposed to let your muscles recover with a week off every four months. I haven’t take time away from weights in over a year. But today I was back on schedule and felt pretty good, I guess. Later I read from Kafka on the Shore, watched Suppan beat the Pirates (revenge after we saw the Pirates kick his ass silly at PNC) and played baggo with T and S.
What else happened this week? I finished For Whom The Bell Tolls. Did I mention that already? I should write a review, eh? And I taught a lot. And I worked out some, too, although I alternated fairly healthy food (e.g. wild rice, yay Trader Joe’s) with ice cream. The dogs aren’t barking at the elliptical, at least. Paul and I went out Thursday night, Starbucks and Half-priced books. I miss his presence on campus. The temps will reach the low forties tonight. Could I be more random?
The boys start school on Tuesday. They’re ready. Have a lovely end of August.
This week sucked. Usually the first week of work is pretty easy, nothing too intense, all the classes are planned and few fires to address. This semester I hit the ground running and didn’t stop until Friday evening. I was ill from Tuesday on and had to rush home a few days (including tomorrow) to avoid paying teenagers to “babysit”, which apparently in this day and age means sitting on the couch and texting while the boys watch tv. Then on Saturday morning T’s completely fucked up football organization botched his scrimmage’s location and led me (and a slew of other parents) on an unexpected tour of the Belgium/Cedar Grove area while searching for the contest. Then, despite wearing four shirts, I froze my ass off in the sub-fifty temps (remind me in a couple months, by the way, that I considered sub-fifty temps very cold) while reading a book on Cooperstown and the Hall of Fame. When T (who played well in the scrimmage, esp. on defense) and I returned home I went into internal mode and, frankly, didn’t want anyone to interact with me for about twelve hours. I read then slept upstairs until N woke me near five. Then I hung out with the boys until they fell asleep. M and I watched the movie, I drank and listened to music, then crashed until seven or so. Today was better. I cleaned the house (always a sign of improving health) before lifting weights. Oh, I also took this week off of lifting after reading that you’re supposed to let your muscles recover with a week off every four months. I haven’t take time away from weights in over a year. But today I was back on schedule and felt pretty good, I guess. Later I read from Kafka on the Shore, watched Suppan beat the Pirates (revenge after we saw the Pirates kick his ass silly at PNC) and played baggo with T and S.
What else happened this week? I finished For Whom The Bell Tolls. Did I mention that already? I should write a review, eh? And I taught a lot. And I worked out some, too, although I alternated fairly healthy food (e.g. wild rice, yay Trader Joe’s) with ice cream. The dogs aren’t barking at the elliptical, at least. Paul and I went out Thursday night, Starbucks and Half-priced books. I miss his presence on campus. The temps will reach the low forties tonight. Could I be more random?
The boys start school on Tuesday. They’re ready. Have a lovely end of August.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
First blog entry in a while…my apologies. Tomorrow is the first day of the semester. In turn, today is all about keeping this calm and quiet and mentally preparing for the semester. I suppose much of what I do on days like today is symbolic but I find the rituals valuable nonetheless. I get all my clothes, lunch, etc. ready so I don’t get rushy or pissed off in the morning. I drink a ceremonial beer after dinner. I eschew caffeine after lunch. I am starting my seventeenth year as a licensed teacher, two masters degrees, one doctorate, and the profession still feels new.
This week wasn’t bad. Highlights/bullet points:
• Last night S’s much-delayed birthday party took place at the nearby laser tag facility. The kids were great. N in particular held his own with the big kids. He kicks laser-tag ass. The last two rounds were outside since the sun was well below the horizon and the lasers work in the dark. Watching these light-vested children spaz out in the dark was a blast.
• I hiked just below seven miles of the Zilmer trail in less than two hours Wednesday. See pics below. Great hike. I also had fun driving past pristine, postcard-worthy Wisconsin farms when I cut across backroads into the Kettle Moraine. Sometimes it’s easy to take local beauty for granted.
• This morning T and I cleaned out the car and hit Costco for the latest version of Madden football. T essentially bought it was S. He’s a great brother.
• I’m down to the last ninety pages of so of For Whom The Bell Tolls. The Hemingway experience has been revelatory; I underestimated his work based on a few minor encounters years back. Not sure what I’ll read next.
• The puppies are doing well. T, S and I took them to the seven acre dog park in Grafton earlier in the week and holy bejesus are M and P fast once they get out in the open. I also let the two sleep on the front porch with me Friday night because P hates the crate. They tried to sleep on my head, more or less, but otherwise were fine. M just stole a turkey sandwich from the dining room table. Good boy!
• As I speak I can see one of the neighbors moving. See ya. I guess I’ll miss the dad and sometimes the kids but the mom…
• I ran into another workout wall Friday. While on the modified stairmaster (I don’t know what else to call that machine) I felt chest pains and knocked off with fifteen minutes left after a forty-five minute start. I’ve read too many articles about triathalon (sp?) athletes dying while training this summer to push myself that far. On the plus side M barks like crazy at the home elliptical but at least doesn’t attack my ankles or try to bite the machine.
• Should I stay home the rest of the day? Maybe. Not sure.
• Happy semester start. More later.
This week wasn’t bad. Highlights/bullet points:
• Last night S’s much-delayed birthday party took place at the nearby laser tag facility. The kids were great. N in particular held his own with the big kids. He kicks laser-tag ass. The last two rounds were outside since the sun was well below the horizon and the lasers work in the dark. Watching these light-vested children spaz out in the dark was a blast.
• I hiked just below seven miles of the Zilmer trail in less than two hours Wednesday. See pics below. Great hike. I also had fun driving past pristine, postcard-worthy Wisconsin farms when I cut across backroads into the Kettle Moraine. Sometimes it’s easy to take local beauty for granted.
• This morning T and I cleaned out the car and hit Costco for the latest version of Madden football. T essentially bought it was S. He’s a great brother.
• I’m down to the last ninety pages of so of For Whom The Bell Tolls. The Hemingway experience has been revelatory; I underestimated his work based on a few minor encounters years back. Not sure what I’ll read next.
• The puppies are doing well. T, S and I took them to the seven acre dog park in Grafton earlier in the week and holy bejesus are M and P fast once they get out in the open. I also let the two sleep on the front porch with me Friday night because P hates the crate. They tried to sleep on my head, more or less, but otherwise were fine. M just stole a turkey sandwich from the dining room table. Good boy!
• As I speak I can see one of the neighbors moving. See ya. I guess I’ll miss the dad and sometimes the kids but the mom…
• I ran into another workout wall Friday. While on the modified stairmaster (I don’t know what else to call that machine) I felt chest pains and knocked off with fifteen minutes left after a forty-five minute start. I’ve read too many articles about triathalon (sp?) athletes dying while training this summer to push myself that far. On the plus side M barks like crazy at the home elliptical but at least doesn’t attack my ankles or try to bite the machine.
• Should I stay home the rest of the day? Maybe. Not sure.
• Happy semester start. More later.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Shit. Today is my mom’s birthday. Better send an email.
I’m slightly out of sorts tonight but I don’t mind. I read not long ago that marathon runners, triathletes, etc. take the day before their races easy. I work out six days a week, with Saturdays off, and tomorrow I’ll hit the gym, I hope, with new vigor.
I haven’t liked how I’ve felt this week. Maybe that’s why I’m out of sorts as well. I’ve felt slightly on-edge, scattered, although I’m not sure why. Most days I’ve felt unsure of what I should be doing and as if I’d rather be somewhere else.
Wednesday was good. I should talk about Wednesday. After sleeping a little later than usual and walking four miles with the puppies (they saw their first deer, a mom and two babies near Whitefish Park), I drove down to the Milwaukee Art Museum. For some reason I thought they had taken down “Edge of England” but the sculpture was there, as always, and I took a couple minutes to breathe in the space and covertly snap a few pics. The furniture show in the main galleries, the work of some Rolf (sp?) guy, was excellent as well. He created a candelabra in honor of his dead son. That stuck with me…the guy’s son dies and the best way he can honor him is to design a piece of furniture, what he does best, in his son’s name. I dug that. After the museum (I discovered, by the way, you can park a little north and not pay for the garage) I hit the Milwaukee Public Market and had a great organic sandwich. The MPM has improved over the last couple years. Nice place.
What else did I do this week? Meetings, I guess. Paperwork. Played with the puppies. Drove T back and forth to/from football practice. Watched Mad Men. Read Hemingway, but not as much as I would have liked. Today M and I took N to the Maritime festival since T and S were busy. That was fun. He bought a couple of rubber ducks and reveled in the exclusive attention. At one point he said, “Could I have the honor of choosing your duck?” That made me laugh.
So tomorrow I want to hit the gym and clean the rest of the house. The front porch is in pretty good shape but upstairs is a mess. Maybe I’ll read, too.
Today while sitting on the front porch and looking back toward the kitchen I felt this weird sense of past, present and future all at the same moment. I remember thinking, when we moved up to Wisconsin, that we would have seconds I should cherish with all of my heart and remember for potentially difficult later days. Watching my two puppies run to me while N followed, well, maybe I’ll be dying in a shitty nursing home someday. I hope I can remember today, sitting by the door, watching my son and puppies.
I’m slightly out of sorts tonight but I don’t mind. I read not long ago that marathon runners, triathletes, etc. take the day before their races easy. I work out six days a week, with Saturdays off, and tomorrow I’ll hit the gym, I hope, with new vigor.
I haven’t liked how I’ve felt this week. Maybe that’s why I’m out of sorts as well. I’ve felt slightly on-edge, scattered, although I’m not sure why. Most days I’ve felt unsure of what I should be doing and as if I’d rather be somewhere else.
Wednesday was good. I should talk about Wednesday. After sleeping a little later than usual and walking four miles with the puppies (they saw their first deer, a mom and two babies near Whitefish Park), I drove down to the Milwaukee Art Museum. For some reason I thought they had taken down “Edge of England” but the sculpture was there, as always, and I took a couple minutes to breathe in the space and covertly snap a few pics. The furniture show in the main galleries, the work of some Rolf (sp?) guy, was excellent as well. He created a candelabra in honor of his dead son. That stuck with me…the guy’s son dies and the best way he can honor him is to design a piece of furniture, what he does best, in his son’s name. I dug that. After the museum (I discovered, by the way, you can park a little north and not pay for the garage) I hit the Milwaukee Public Market and had a great organic sandwich. The MPM has improved over the last couple years. Nice place.
What else did I do this week? Meetings, I guess. Paperwork. Played with the puppies. Drove T back and forth to/from football practice. Watched Mad Men. Read Hemingway, but not as much as I would have liked. Today M and I took N to the Maritime festival since T and S were busy. That was fun. He bought a couple of rubber ducks and reveled in the exclusive attention. At one point he said, “Could I have the honor of choosing your duck?” That made me laugh.
So tomorrow I want to hit the gym and clean the rest of the house. The front porch is in pretty good shape but upstairs is a mess. Maybe I’ll read, too.
Today while sitting on the front porch and looking back toward the kitchen I felt this weird sense of past, present and future all at the same moment. I remember thinking, when we moved up to Wisconsin, that we would have seconds I should cherish with all of my heart and remember for potentially difficult later days. Watching my two puppies run to me while N followed, well, maybe I’ll be dying in a shitty nursing home someday. I hope I can remember today, sitting by the door, watching my son and puppies.
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Already August 9th. I’ve lost touch with the month’s days. The boys are watching “Home Alone 3” in the next room. I didn’t know “Home Alone 3” existed. Mack Truck is sleeping next to T on the couch. M is out back, reading under the gazebo in the rain while Peterbuilt Truck sleeps on the small couch nearby. Rain’s been falling since, oh, near four. Before that the temps hovered above ninety. Today is the type of day that reminds me why I don’t live further south. Fuck it, give me Wisconsin February over this shit any day.
So yesterday we picked up the puppies. They’re doing well. My God, they’re definitely brothers...they wrestle back and forth across the house and chase N when he laughs and runs away. Their foster mom kicked ass; she pretty much housetrained them, taught them how to sit, etc. We’re trying not to fuck up what she taught them. Let me backtrack. Yesterday morning we drove over to the doggie daycare place where an adoption open house took place. We were early so we waited a few minutes, checking out all the dogs and cats, before Sheila arrived with the new boys. We recognized them from their pictures as she led them across the parking lot. Some of the teenagers, kids who must help out at these events, also recognized the new boys from previous visits and said they had grown quite a bit. T, S, and N walked the dogs around the building a couple times while M completed all the adoption paperwork. We left, the dogs in their new travel carrier, and headed home. Mack and Peterbuilt seemed to adjust quickly. The backyard is sealed off, even underneath the deck, so I feel better about their hanging outside with the boys. We baby-gated the front stairs, too. About half a million neighbors/friends stopped by to see the dogs. We probably didn’t need the stimulation. You know I can’t handle too many people once. Add the high temps and new dog excitement and I was ready to either punch someone or crawl into the closet. Later at night I tried to watch the Brew game/ICarly movie with T but more neighbors visited. Go away go away go away! Finally I gave up and collapsed on the front porch. In the middle of the night I had to pee but didn’t want to wake the puppies so I opened the front door and peed on the bushes. Don’t worry, I kept an eye out for passing cars.
This morning I hit the Y at 8 and did a complete weights circuit, legs included, along with 30 minutes on the elliptical. I guess Ross stopped by at 8:30. We had loosely talked about hitting the coffee shop but, dude, call first. After I showered my mom arrived from Illinois. She wasn’t as annoying as usual. Another ringing endorsement, eh? We sat on the deck and talked and drank iced tea. The high temps left me in a bitchy mood but I more or less controlled my heat-induced wrath during the visit. Yay me. I hate a messy house when the weather is out of control, and the dogs’ arrival left the space a mess, so I cleaned before watching the Brew game’s first couple innings. Later Ross blew me off at the coffee shop, texting me at the last minute to say he wasn’t coming. I didn’t mind. I read Hemingway in the pristine air conditioning and drank iced tea in the good chairs before bailing to see if N wanted an early ride home from the pool. I couldn’t find anyone through the fence so I drove home and played with the new boys until everyone arrived home. T has been psycho hyper since the dogs arrived, and I’ve leaned on him a couple times, so I tried to hang out with him before sending him and his brothers upstairs to play. Later I read Hemingway upstairs. The rain is slowing down. M is about to take Mack and Peterbuilt for a walk. I’m looking forward to office-time. Need to meditate. Good night.
So yesterday we picked up the puppies. They’re doing well. My God, they’re definitely brothers...they wrestle back and forth across the house and chase N when he laughs and runs away. Their foster mom kicked ass; she pretty much housetrained them, taught them how to sit, etc. We’re trying not to fuck up what she taught them. Let me backtrack. Yesterday morning we drove over to the doggie daycare place where an adoption open house took place. We were early so we waited a few minutes, checking out all the dogs and cats, before Sheila arrived with the new boys. We recognized them from their pictures as she led them across the parking lot. Some of the teenagers, kids who must help out at these events, also recognized the new boys from previous visits and said they had grown quite a bit. T, S, and N walked the dogs around the building a couple times while M completed all the adoption paperwork. We left, the dogs in their new travel carrier, and headed home. Mack and Peterbuilt seemed to adjust quickly. The backyard is sealed off, even underneath the deck, so I feel better about their hanging outside with the boys. We baby-gated the front stairs, too. About half a million neighbors/friends stopped by to see the dogs. We probably didn’t need the stimulation. You know I can’t handle too many people once. Add the high temps and new dog excitement and I was ready to either punch someone or crawl into the closet. Later at night I tried to watch the Brew game/ICarly movie with T but more neighbors visited. Go away go away go away! Finally I gave up and collapsed on the front porch. In the middle of the night I had to pee but didn’t want to wake the puppies so I opened the front door and peed on the bushes. Don’t worry, I kept an eye out for passing cars.
This morning I hit the Y at 8 and did a complete weights circuit, legs included, along with 30 minutes on the elliptical. I guess Ross stopped by at 8:30. We had loosely talked about hitting the coffee shop but, dude, call first. After I showered my mom arrived from Illinois. She wasn’t as annoying as usual. Another ringing endorsement, eh? We sat on the deck and talked and drank iced tea. The high temps left me in a bitchy mood but I more or less controlled my heat-induced wrath during the visit. Yay me. I hate a messy house when the weather is out of control, and the dogs’ arrival left the space a mess, so I cleaned before watching the Brew game’s first couple innings. Later Ross blew me off at the coffee shop, texting me at the last minute to say he wasn’t coming. I didn’t mind. I read Hemingway in the pristine air conditioning and drank iced tea in the good chairs before bailing to see if N wanted an early ride home from the pool. I couldn’t find anyone through the fence so I drove home and played with the new boys until everyone arrived home. T has been psycho hyper since the dogs arrived, and I’ve leaned on him a couple times, so I tried to hang out with him before sending him and his brothers upstairs to play. Later I read Hemingway upstairs. The rain is slowing down. M is about to take Mack and Peterbuilt for a walk. I’m looking forward to office-time. Need to meditate. Good night.
Saturday, August 08, 2009
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
8/5/09 6:46PM Wednesday
A few minutes to write are presenting themselves this fine evening. S and N are in the yard feeding ants (both S and N are in full Halloween costume for some reason, I’m not going to ask), T is at football practice, M at the Y for Zoomba. Yay quiet. This morning I slept a little later than usual, after seven, and felt immeasurably better than I have over the harried, over-busy last few days. I was full-on down last night when I fell asleep. I’m esp. worried that I’ll start the semester without a proper break (Chautauqua DOES NOT COUNT…when you’re on edge in your mother-in-law’s house, you are not relaxing) so I’m building in four “off” days the next two weeks, starting Friday, when M and the boys will be down at Great America. I’ll “work at home”, which hopefully means I’ll watch movies and maybe get the house puppy-ready.
Puppy-ready, you ask? Yes, if all goes well in less than seventy-two hours we will pick up two fox terrier/spaniel puppies (four months or so old) from an open house/shelter gathering a couple towns south. We started exploring adopting the puppies a couple weeks back and found two pairs that looked as if they needed to stay together. The first were way up in Ladysmith, and they seemed popular, according to M’s conversation with the shelter lady, so we went with the other puppies. I don’t want to jinx the process, so I’ll stop talking about it now except to note that the shelter is crazy thorough and even did a home visit to make sure we were sane. The home visit went well, by the way, and the shelter guy’s kids didn’t want to leave after playing with ours.
So how was today? Decent, then. I took a leisurely approach to the morning, arriving at work near nine, and worked on class prep (three weeks early, maybe a little overkill) until eleven, when Preston stopped by the office. We chatted for thirty minutes or so, followed by more class prep, followed by my cutting out and hitting Bayshore. I picked up a book for M and Barnes and Noble then a slew of food at Trader Joe’s. Trader Joe’s is quickly becoming my favorite food store, or at least the perfect compliment to Costco. After dropping off the groceries I drove over to the Y and knocked out thirty minutes on the elliptical and thirty minutes on the modified stairmaster. I was pretty cashed, since I hadn’t eaten much today, so I showered quickly, ate dinner, and settled on the couch to watch the replays of Prince Fielder trying to kick Mota’s ass in the Dodger locker room. Later I took T to football (more on that in a minute), stopped at the library, and otherwise made myself useful.
Bullet Points!
• I was pissed off when the puppy home visit fucked up this week’s routine. Between the assessment class, Chautauqua, and M’s class last week my routine has been fucked. Totally fucked. And after a decent Monday Tuesday was fucked. Today was better. Stop being fucked, routine. Now.
• T started football on Monday. This isn’t little kid flag football, it’s testosterone-laden manly football. The kids practice every night this week from 5PM to 7:30PM, just helmets and shorts now, full-on conditioning. He seems to enjoy the experience. More power to him. I only lasted through fifth grade with football. Maybe he’ll break my record. Why, by the way, are all youth football coaches below 5ft9in tall and over 300 lbs? Is there some sort of rule?
• I’m enjoying the Hemingway quite a bit, but I may read Everything’s Ravaged, Everything’s Burned this week since I only have the book for fourteen days from the library.
• I haven’t seen a movie in forever. Maybe I’ll check out “The Watchmen” on Friday. Maybe I’ll live dangerously and go to the theater. Do I dare? I just checked the listings and didn’t recognize half the movies playing Friday.
• I should shave. But I’m digging the shorter hair. Makes life easy.
Have a lovely Wednesday evening…
A few minutes to write are presenting themselves this fine evening. S and N are in the yard feeding ants (both S and N are in full Halloween costume for some reason, I’m not going to ask), T is at football practice, M at the Y for Zoomba. Yay quiet. This morning I slept a little later than usual, after seven, and felt immeasurably better than I have over the harried, over-busy last few days. I was full-on down last night when I fell asleep. I’m esp. worried that I’ll start the semester without a proper break (Chautauqua DOES NOT COUNT…when you’re on edge in your mother-in-law’s house, you are not relaxing) so I’m building in four “off” days the next two weeks, starting Friday, when M and the boys will be down at Great America. I’ll “work at home”, which hopefully means I’ll watch movies and maybe get the house puppy-ready.
Puppy-ready, you ask? Yes, if all goes well in less than seventy-two hours we will pick up two fox terrier/spaniel puppies (four months or so old) from an open house/shelter gathering a couple towns south. We started exploring adopting the puppies a couple weeks back and found two pairs that looked as if they needed to stay together. The first were way up in Ladysmith, and they seemed popular, according to M’s conversation with the shelter lady, so we went with the other puppies. I don’t want to jinx the process, so I’ll stop talking about it now except to note that the shelter is crazy thorough and even did a home visit to make sure we were sane. The home visit went well, by the way, and the shelter guy’s kids didn’t want to leave after playing with ours.
So how was today? Decent, then. I took a leisurely approach to the morning, arriving at work near nine, and worked on class prep (three weeks early, maybe a little overkill) until eleven, when Preston stopped by the office. We chatted for thirty minutes or so, followed by more class prep, followed by my cutting out and hitting Bayshore. I picked up a book for M and Barnes and Noble then a slew of food at Trader Joe’s. Trader Joe’s is quickly becoming my favorite food store, or at least the perfect compliment to Costco. After dropping off the groceries I drove over to the Y and knocked out thirty minutes on the elliptical and thirty minutes on the modified stairmaster. I was pretty cashed, since I hadn’t eaten much today, so I showered quickly, ate dinner, and settled on the couch to watch the replays of Prince Fielder trying to kick Mota’s ass in the Dodger locker room. Later I took T to football (more on that in a minute), stopped at the library, and otherwise made myself useful.
Bullet Points!
• I was pissed off when the puppy home visit fucked up this week’s routine. Between the assessment class, Chautauqua, and M’s class last week my routine has been fucked. Totally fucked. And after a decent Monday Tuesday was fucked. Today was better. Stop being fucked, routine. Now.
• T started football on Monday. This isn’t little kid flag football, it’s testosterone-laden manly football. The kids practice every night this week from 5PM to 7:30PM, just helmets and shorts now, full-on conditioning. He seems to enjoy the experience. More power to him. I only lasted through fifth grade with football. Maybe he’ll break my record. Why, by the way, are all youth football coaches below 5ft9in tall and over 300 lbs? Is there some sort of rule?
• I’m enjoying the Hemingway quite a bit, but I may read Everything’s Ravaged, Everything’s Burned this week since I only have the book for fourteen days from the library.
• I haven’t seen a movie in forever. Maybe I’ll check out “The Watchmen” on Friday. Maybe I’ll live dangerously and go to the theater. Do I dare? I just checked the listings and didn’t recognize half the movies playing Friday.
• I should shave. But I’m digging the shorter hair. Makes life easy.
Have a lovely Wednesday evening…
Friday, July 31, 2009
Happy last day of July. N is watching some hour-long Diego special on dinosaurs. M is off at her class, the other two at summer school. I can write a little with my feet up on the ottoman.
This week has been busy. I’m exhausted. N abdicated summer school so he and I hung out every day while M and his brothers were out. We’ve had a good time, actually, hitting my office a couple times, Hoffers’ pet store once (with S) and a couple other stores/sites here and there. Through the afternoons I’ve let the boys play video games as T bought a couple new ones for his birthday. Yesterday I made them pick up all the crabapples. That was fun to watch. After a modicum of bickering they eventually finished the job together.
Week highlights!
• I need a couple days off from working out. I can’t remember the last time I didn’t lift three days a week (Memorial Day?) in additional to all the regular cardio, and over the last three days I added hoops and jogging. My knees need a break. I’ll take off the rest of today, tomorrow, and maybe Sunday as well.
• T has come along for basketball this week, mostly because a cute fifth grade girl he knows shows up at the Y with his mom.
• I had a rare stretch away from books, too, early in the week. My routine is out of whack. Mary says demolishing routines can be good, and I agree, but between last week’s Chautauqua visit and this week’s schedule I’ve had enough, thank you very much. I’ve read the last few nights, at least, Ross MacDonald’s excellent “The Moving Target”.
• Yesterday N and I visited the model store. I tried to find a cool model to build, maybe something from ancient Greece, but N was in a hurry and a couple very weird teenagers got in a big argument about Magic:The Gathering at a nearby table, so we got the hell out.
• I want to see “The Watchmen” but haven’t had time to even order the movie off of cable.
• I’ve liked working at night. No one is in the office and I get a ton done. Ghosts are the only drawback. I also set up my calendar on Google. Thanks, Louie!
• Mary and I met at Alterra’s Wednesday evening. We sat outside. I watched pretty joggers pass and we talked about the upcoming year. Beautiful night. I cranked The Hold Steady and drove home with the windows open.
• M wants to go to the Ozaukee County Fair tonight. I don’t want to go! I don’t want to go! Doesn’t she know I want to see The Watchmen?
• I need to catch up on True Blood.
• I don’t know if I can travel any more this summer. We’ll see. I at least want to get down to Chicago to check out the Art Institute’s Modern Wing. Maybe I’ll take the train.
• S and I are have hardly visited the WB farmer’s market. We’ll go tomorrow before M hits Zoomba.
That’s it for now. Have a lovely start of August.
This week has been busy. I’m exhausted. N abdicated summer school so he and I hung out every day while M and his brothers were out. We’ve had a good time, actually, hitting my office a couple times, Hoffers’ pet store once (with S) and a couple other stores/sites here and there. Through the afternoons I’ve let the boys play video games as T bought a couple new ones for his birthday. Yesterday I made them pick up all the crabapples. That was fun to watch. After a modicum of bickering they eventually finished the job together.
Week highlights!
• I need a couple days off from working out. I can’t remember the last time I didn’t lift three days a week (Memorial Day?) in additional to all the regular cardio, and over the last three days I added hoops and jogging. My knees need a break. I’ll take off the rest of today, tomorrow, and maybe Sunday as well.
• T has come along for basketball this week, mostly because a cute fifth grade girl he knows shows up at the Y with his mom.
• I had a rare stretch away from books, too, early in the week. My routine is out of whack. Mary says demolishing routines can be good, and I agree, but between last week’s Chautauqua visit and this week’s schedule I’ve had enough, thank you very much. I’ve read the last few nights, at least, Ross MacDonald’s excellent “The Moving Target”.
• Yesterday N and I visited the model store. I tried to find a cool model to build, maybe something from ancient Greece, but N was in a hurry and a couple very weird teenagers got in a big argument about Magic:The Gathering at a nearby table, so we got the hell out.
• I want to see “The Watchmen” but haven’t had time to even order the movie off of cable.
• I’ve liked working at night. No one is in the office and I get a ton done. Ghosts are the only drawback. I also set up my calendar on Google. Thanks, Louie!
• Mary and I met at Alterra’s Wednesday evening. We sat outside. I watched pretty joggers pass and we talked about the upcoming year. Beautiful night. I cranked The Hold Steady and drove home with the windows open.
• M wants to go to the Ozaukee County Fair tonight. I don’t want to go! I don’t want to go! Doesn’t she know I want to see The Watchmen?
• I need to catch up on True Blood.
• I don’t know if I can travel any more this summer. We’ll see. I at least want to get down to Chicago to check out the Art Institute’s Modern Wing. Maybe I’ll take the train.
• S and I are have hardly visited the WB farmer’s market. We’ll go tomorrow before M hits Zoomba.
That’s it for now. Have a lovely start of August.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Some Chautauqua pics...
1. T on the bridge next to the Athanaeum (sp?) Hotel.
2. M's mom's street. Those are the boys' bikes in front of the house.
3, 4, and 5...all from the Hall of Philosophy, where M and I married. The second pic is from right where we stood during the ceremony. S is in a pic, too. The last one is of the red brick walk leading to the HOP.
1. T on the bridge next to the Athanaeum (sp?) Hotel.
2. M's mom's street. Those are the boys' bikes in front of the house.
3, 4, and 5...all from the Hall of Philosophy, where M and I married. The second pic is from right where we stood during the ceremony. S is in a pic, too. The last one is of the red brick walk leading to the HOP.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Jesus…I haven’t written since Sunday. I thought I hadn’t written since Tuesday. Where did the week go?
Instead of going through the day by day specifics, let me go through the Chautauqua week highlights:
• S and I hit Pittsburgh for the Pirates/Brewers game Wednesday, then we got lost in the terrifying city of Youngstown, Ohio, then we went to the largest candy store in the world (self-billed) in Sharon, PA, then we drove home. Pics to follow, but they’re already on facebook, you lazy bastards. I’ll remember the day as great. PNC Park is beautiful. S and I were early so we walked around, got food, and took pics. Then we settled into our seats, right next to the left field foul pole, and watched the game. The Brew were winning, then losing, then winning, then losing, then tied, then lost in the ninth. S was pissed, of course, but I still had fun. A couple college students behind us were from Cedarburg. The number of Brewers fans surprised me. After the game we got lost on the way to Sharon, leading to the accidental Youngstown visit. S played navigator with the road atlas and got us on the right path. The candy store, Daffin’s, looked like a giant Walgreens but had a ton of candy. They also had this weird room with huge chocolate turtles or whatever in the back. Creepy. We dropped about forty bucks on candy and drove home through the rain. Great day.
• T and I saw Transformers. My God, that movie was awful. I also saw The Hangover and Star Trek. Both were excellent. I saw the former at a horrible run down theater in a the kind of mall zombies take over. The projector went “tick tick tick” and the walls were covered with dust. Gross. I saw the latter at the Chatauqua cinema where a large man with a German accent talked so much through the first ten minutes of the film that I gave up and moved.
• I worked out every day. Monday and Wednesday I ran, not quite for an hour, but A) I hate running, and B) I didn’t have a way to tell for how long I had run. Otherwise I worked out in the usual style at either the center near the north gate, where they have televisions attached to the ellipticals and the weights in an adjacent gym, or the much smaller center near the lake where I watched water flow pass and listened (today, at least) to Mogwai. I ate some candy (see candy store post above) but only succumbed to ice cream once.
• The boys had a great time and were more often than not well-behaved. No, in fact, let me change that, the boys were wonderful. They’re sleeping now.
• I met this guy across the street named Gary. He talks like a 50s disc jockey, all breath and stretched-out syllables. We met when I commented favorably upon his Hold Steady t-shirt. I think he wanted to hang out more with me. But I’m an anti-social bastard. Sorry, Gary. You were cool, though. I’m glad our kids got along.
• M’s mom was fine until today, when she tried to push the idea that T should visit on his own soon when I made clear, earlier in the week, that we said he couldn’t until he was sixteen. No thank you. I went for a walk to cool down. She has a hard time respecting the decisions we make. She already raised her kids. Let us raise ours.
• I read a lot…Handke, mentioned previously, the first 50 pages of The Idiot, some travel essays, and the first part of a Ross MacDonald book from the “Archer in Hollywood” series. I can’t remember the title.
• Rain fell every day, but not all day, and I like the rain. Today I sat on the second floor porch, reading the NY Times, and eventually put down the paper and watched the water pour through the tall trees.
That’s it for now. Everything’s packed. I should get some sleep. Good night.
Instead of going through the day by day specifics, let me go through the Chautauqua week highlights:
• S and I hit Pittsburgh for the Pirates/Brewers game Wednesday, then we got lost in the terrifying city of Youngstown, Ohio, then we went to the largest candy store in the world (self-billed) in Sharon, PA, then we drove home. Pics to follow, but they’re already on facebook, you lazy bastards. I’ll remember the day as great. PNC Park is beautiful. S and I were early so we walked around, got food, and took pics. Then we settled into our seats, right next to the left field foul pole, and watched the game. The Brew were winning, then losing, then winning, then losing, then tied, then lost in the ninth. S was pissed, of course, but I still had fun. A couple college students behind us were from Cedarburg. The number of Brewers fans surprised me. After the game we got lost on the way to Sharon, leading to the accidental Youngstown visit. S played navigator with the road atlas and got us on the right path. The candy store, Daffin’s, looked like a giant Walgreens but had a ton of candy. They also had this weird room with huge chocolate turtles or whatever in the back. Creepy. We dropped about forty bucks on candy and drove home through the rain. Great day.
• T and I saw Transformers. My God, that movie was awful. I also saw The Hangover and Star Trek. Both were excellent. I saw the former at a horrible run down theater in a the kind of mall zombies take over. The projector went “tick tick tick” and the walls were covered with dust. Gross. I saw the latter at the Chatauqua cinema where a large man with a German accent talked so much through the first ten minutes of the film that I gave up and moved.
• I worked out every day. Monday and Wednesday I ran, not quite for an hour, but A) I hate running, and B) I didn’t have a way to tell for how long I had run. Otherwise I worked out in the usual style at either the center near the north gate, where they have televisions attached to the ellipticals and the weights in an adjacent gym, or the much smaller center near the lake where I watched water flow pass and listened (today, at least) to Mogwai. I ate some candy (see candy store post above) but only succumbed to ice cream once.
• The boys had a great time and were more often than not well-behaved. No, in fact, let me change that, the boys were wonderful. They’re sleeping now.
• I met this guy across the street named Gary. He talks like a 50s disc jockey, all breath and stretched-out syllables. We met when I commented favorably upon his Hold Steady t-shirt. I think he wanted to hang out more with me. But I’m an anti-social bastard. Sorry, Gary. You were cool, though. I’m glad our kids got along.
• M’s mom was fine until today, when she tried to push the idea that T should visit on his own soon when I made clear, earlier in the week, that we said he couldn’t until he was sixteen. No thank you. I went for a walk to cool down. She has a hard time respecting the decisions we make. She already raised her kids. Let us raise ours.
• I read a lot…Handke, mentioned previously, the first 50 pages of The Idiot, some travel essays, and the first part of a Ross MacDonald book from the “Archer in Hollywood” series. I can’t remember the title.
• Rain fell every day, but not all day, and I like the rain. Today I sat on the second floor porch, reading the NY Times, and eventually put down the paper and watched the water pour through the tall trees.
That’s it for now. Everything’s packed. I should get some sleep. Good night.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
As promised in the earlier post...day one (first full day, I should say) in Chautauqua:
1 and 2. The small building where I attended the Quaker meeting. I tried to take pics inside but the door was locked.
3. Yes I am.
4. The bookstore (or what N calls "The Underground Library") and the post office.
5. T with the fountain in the palm of his hand.
1 and 2. The small building where I attended the Quaker meeting. I tried to take pics inside but the door was locked.
3. Yes I am.
4. The bookstore (or what N calls "The Underground Library") and the post office.
5. T with the fountain in the palm of his hand.
This seems as good a time as any to write in the journal. S and T are off somewhere, the plaza, I think, while N and a new friend are playing cops and robbers up and down the street. M is watching from the porch. I was falling asleep reading an hour ago so I drank coffee and now may be up until 2:00AM. I’m ok with that.
Today was decent. I woke near 6:30, cold morning, and creaked downstairs and drank Folger’s because that’s all I could find in the kitchen cabinets. Raz the cat and I watched Sportscenter, first just us, then with S, who bundled under a blanket and put his head on my lap. I decided, since the grounds were quiet and T and N were still sleeping, to leave S to the television and leave the grounds for a supermarket run. The Mayville Quality was deserted and much too white and barren of anything interesting but the nice checkout girl helped me get a new discount card for the coffee, diet coke, and two chocolate chip cookie packages (we cleaned out Nana last night).
I decided to hit the first UU Sunday service because I have been a bad, bad Unitarian Universalist over the past year. I hijacked a back row pew and read Handke’s A Sorrow Beyond Dreams and kept to myself until the service started. A woman began by introducing her grandson and extolling his gifted music ability for a good five minutes. Fuck it, that’s exactly what I hate about Unitarian Universalism in practice; there are too many affluent white people showing off their purchased advantages and privileged lives. The minister mentioned he had to speak quietly because the Quakers were having a silent service nearby and I thought, well, you know, that sounds better than this bullshit and walked over to the small octagonal building in the direction the minister earlier pointed. A woman with a brace on her hand waved me into the building or else I might not have entered. I sat at a small wooden desk in the outer row of two concentric circles. A card on the desk explained the service. Apparently Quakers sit silently in a circle (the circle symbolizes the lack of a minister and the equality of those present) and pray however they choose. Every now and then someone gets up, if the spirit holds them, and speaks about what’s inspiring them or a subject related to their prayer. I sat and looked at the grey floor in the grey light and felt at home. Silence is very hard work (I’m paraphrasing from someone I’ll mention in a moment) for me. I prayed, let my thoughts wander and focus, considered anger, how much is inside me, found moments of peace, and basked in the quiet. The card said that everyone contributes whether they speak or not. I love that. A woman rose and spoke of some friends who usually visit and heal themselves after a long year and extolled the importance of journeys. I get that. After a while another guy talked about how engaging in mindful living is hard work (I’m paraphrasing here) and how we’re all here to support each other. The service was beautiful. I sat quietly for nearly an hour. I left before the ending handshake. I’m not ready for that yet. But the Quaker ceremony was by far the most meaningful religious experience, coupled with visiting Bear Butte, I’ve encountered in many years. A service without words, without ministers, without grandstanding—I need that. I looked up the Milwaukee Quakers early this afternoon. Perhaps I’ll check them out.
Later T and I hit the bookstore (or what the boys call “the underground library” after one of N’s first evaluations of the space). He chose a book and I fingered a book on Quaker spirituality but decided to hold off since I brought so many books with me and I didn’t know if better Quaker texts exist. My research mind kicks into gear for better or for worse. I ate a little, read while the boys developed a pulley system for the second floor porch, and walked over to the gym for a workout. The ellipticals (at this gym, there are two on the grounds, one near a north gate, one near the lake) have individual televisions attached. I watched CNN. After the cardio I lifted in a no-nonsense bench/free weight setup. When I returned home I showered. M’s mom was back from Rochester, so we talked a bit before I took the boys to the basketball court. T knocked off my glasses, so we cut the one-on-one game short, then T and S caught fly balls on the baseball diamond. I had tofu sandwiches for dinner. M’s mom and I conflicted twice but nothing major. I can’t remember one of the conflicts, so perhaps I should say we conflicted once. T sat with me on the Bestor Plaza porch while he ate ice cream and I drank coffee. Cute, dressed up girls kept walking past us. I’m not sure why.
I’ll post a few pics. Happy Sunday.
Today was decent. I woke near 6:30, cold morning, and creaked downstairs and drank Folger’s because that’s all I could find in the kitchen cabinets. Raz the cat and I watched Sportscenter, first just us, then with S, who bundled under a blanket and put his head on my lap. I decided, since the grounds were quiet and T and N were still sleeping, to leave S to the television and leave the grounds for a supermarket run. The Mayville Quality was deserted and much too white and barren of anything interesting but the nice checkout girl helped me get a new discount card for the coffee, diet coke, and two chocolate chip cookie packages (we cleaned out Nana last night).
I decided to hit the first UU Sunday service because I have been a bad, bad Unitarian Universalist over the past year. I hijacked a back row pew and read Handke’s A Sorrow Beyond Dreams and kept to myself until the service started. A woman began by introducing her grandson and extolling his gifted music ability for a good five minutes. Fuck it, that’s exactly what I hate about Unitarian Universalism in practice; there are too many affluent white people showing off their purchased advantages and privileged lives. The minister mentioned he had to speak quietly because the Quakers were having a silent service nearby and I thought, well, you know, that sounds better than this bullshit and walked over to the small octagonal building in the direction the minister earlier pointed. A woman with a brace on her hand waved me into the building or else I might not have entered. I sat at a small wooden desk in the outer row of two concentric circles. A card on the desk explained the service. Apparently Quakers sit silently in a circle (the circle symbolizes the lack of a minister and the equality of those present) and pray however they choose. Every now and then someone gets up, if the spirit holds them, and speaks about what’s inspiring them or a subject related to their prayer. I sat and looked at the grey floor in the grey light and felt at home. Silence is very hard work (I’m paraphrasing from someone I’ll mention in a moment) for me. I prayed, let my thoughts wander and focus, considered anger, how much is inside me, found moments of peace, and basked in the quiet. The card said that everyone contributes whether they speak or not. I love that. A woman rose and spoke of some friends who usually visit and heal themselves after a long year and extolled the importance of journeys. I get that. After a while another guy talked about how engaging in mindful living is hard work (I’m paraphrasing here) and how we’re all here to support each other. The service was beautiful. I sat quietly for nearly an hour. I left before the ending handshake. I’m not ready for that yet. But the Quaker ceremony was by far the most meaningful religious experience, coupled with visiting Bear Butte, I’ve encountered in many years. A service without words, without ministers, without grandstanding—I need that. I looked up the Milwaukee Quakers early this afternoon. Perhaps I’ll check them out.
Later T and I hit the bookstore (or what the boys call “the underground library” after one of N’s first evaluations of the space). He chose a book and I fingered a book on Quaker spirituality but decided to hold off since I brought so many books with me and I didn’t know if better Quaker texts exist. My research mind kicks into gear for better or for worse. I ate a little, read while the boys developed a pulley system for the second floor porch, and walked over to the gym for a workout. The ellipticals (at this gym, there are two on the grounds, one near a north gate, one near the lake) have individual televisions attached. I watched CNN. After the cardio I lifted in a no-nonsense bench/free weight setup. When I returned home I showered. M’s mom was back from Rochester, so we talked a bit before I took the boys to the basketball court. T knocked off my glasses, so we cut the one-on-one game short, then T and S caught fly balls on the baseball diamond. I had tofu sandwiches for dinner. M’s mom and I conflicted twice but nothing major. I can’t remember one of the conflicts, so perhaps I should say we conflicted once. T sat with me on the Bestor Plaza porch while he ate ice cream and I drank coffee. Cute, dressed up girls kept walking past us. I’m not sure why.
I’ll post a few pics. Happy Sunday.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
I’m in the Chautauqua house’s third floor bedroom, where M’s dad used to play free cell and check her stocks. A complicated upright fan runs in the corner. On the street below I can hear S, T and four or five other kids playing a modified four-squaresque game. T approached the group and asked if he could play. There is nothing as heartbreakingly beautiful for me as a parent as watching one of my sons approach a group of people he doesn’t know and asking if he can be included in the activity. T’s very good with this sort of thing, which makes him somewhat not my son, or my son plus everything I never had. I recruited S to back him up by mentioning the activity was vaguely competitive. S was ready to kick ass within thirty seconds.
Today was a good traveling day despite some (literal) roadblocks. I woke near four-thirty and the entire family was out the door by 6:15. The boys bundled up in the backseat with blankets, stuffed animals, and video games. We free-fell south through Wisconsin, caught fifteen minutes of accident traffic on the Edens, then ran into a motherfucker of a backup on the Indiana toll road. Turns out a FedEx truck spilled its contents all over the pavement. Forty-five minutes’ worth of crawling later, to the point where I turned off the car a couple of times, we inched passed the detritus of packages that, alas, will not reach their intended recipients. I imagine some pissed people are wondering where their pants, toasters, and Oriental Trade trinkets could be. Check the Indiana Toll Road, people. I saw them.
The rest of the trip was uneventful except for my reminding T not to hit the gearshift with his foot about 4,000 times and a particularly disgusting Indiana rest stop. When the hell are they going to upgrade those facilities? Awful. Thank you, Ohio, for getting your shit together as far as rest stops are concerned. We pulled into the Institution just before the 10 hour mark at 6:15 local time. M forgot to ask her mom to get diet coke so I walked over the plaza and picked up a bottle. After unloading the car and inhaling half a pizza I showered and let the exhaustion of travel creep into my legs. I walked over to the concert, read Tunneling To the Center of the Earth in the back row, but left when I discovered I wasn’t in the mood for Britten’s (sp?) serenades. T and I watched a little Disney Channel, his head in my lap, before he went outside to meet the latest neighbors.
S and N just invaded the room. Where do they get their energy? More later. The night promises to be cool. Excellent.
Today was a good traveling day despite some (literal) roadblocks. I woke near four-thirty and the entire family was out the door by 6:15. The boys bundled up in the backseat with blankets, stuffed animals, and video games. We free-fell south through Wisconsin, caught fifteen minutes of accident traffic on the Edens, then ran into a motherfucker of a backup on the Indiana toll road. Turns out a FedEx truck spilled its contents all over the pavement. Forty-five minutes’ worth of crawling later, to the point where I turned off the car a couple of times, we inched passed the detritus of packages that, alas, will not reach their intended recipients. I imagine some pissed people are wondering where their pants, toasters, and Oriental Trade trinkets could be. Check the Indiana Toll Road, people. I saw them.
The rest of the trip was uneventful except for my reminding T not to hit the gearshift with his foot about 4,000 times and a particularly disgusting Indiana rest stop. When the hell are they going to upgrade those facilities? Awful. Thank you, Ohio, for getting your shit together as far as rest stops are concerned. We pulled into the Institution just before the 10 hour mark at 6:15 local time. M forgot to ask her mom to get diet coke so I walked over the plaza and picked up a bottle. After unloading the car and inhaling half a pizza I showered and let the exhaustion of travel creep into my legs. I walked over to the concert, read Tunneling To the Center of the Earth in the back row, but left when I discovered I wasn’t in the mood for Britten’s (sp?) serenades. T and I watched a little Disney Channel, his head in my lap, before he went outside to meet the latest neighbors.
S and N just invaded the room. Where do they get their energy? More later. The night promises to be cool. Excellent.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Ok, I think I’m going to have to write fairly quickly, but I thought I’d write a little before the day got away from me. Today is the pre-drive “pack, clean, do laundry, arrange for the mail” etc. day before we leave for Chautauqua. I slept past seven on the cool porch and I don’t feel entirely awake. We’re due at the middle school in fifty one minutes for a meeting with T’s future principal. He tries to meet for thirty minutes with every incoming fifth grader’s family. How cool is that?
This week has been busy and I can feel the need for time off creeping into my muscles. I guess Chautauqua is good enough for vacations, but I’d be just as happy staying home. We’re toying with the idea of leaving today but I doubt we will. Tomorrow we’ll be in the Subaru for ten hours.
More later. I’ll have a lot of time to read in NY. I’m ready to go.
This week has been busy and I can feel the need for time off creeping into my muscles. I guess Chautauqua is good enough for vacations, but I’d be just as happy staying home. We’re toying with the idea of leaving today but I doubt we will. Tomorrow we’ll be in the Subaru for ten hours.
More later. I’ll have a lot of time to read in NY. I’m ready to go.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
I’m in the glider, 1:32PM, and I still feel as if Sunday morning hasn’t passed. S and I are watching the Brew game. M and T are at Target preparing for T’s birthday party and buying water bottles that, I hope, the boys do not lose immediately. Where did the morning go? I guess I slept later than usual, near 6:30, then hit the gym for a hard workout from 8-9:15AM. I ate, showered, watched a Burn Notice, and started reading Tunneling to the Center of the Earth.
How about some highlights of the week:
• I almost finished Boyle’s After the Plague, one of the most relentlessly depressing books I’ve ever read. Or maybe I’m not in the mood. Last night I decided to skip the last two stories because I couldn’t see a good reason to continue.
• On Friday afternoon I checked out I Love You, Beth Cooper at the North Shore. The actor playing the main male character overacted in full-geek mode but the girl playing the title role (she also played a cheerleader in Heroes…Hayden something) was perfect. I loved the cool, nearly empty Friday afternoon theater. Summer moviegoing rocks.
• We leave for Chautauqua in six days. I’ve started planning my trip-reading. This will be busy at work, as I’m teaching every day but giving the students off to write Friday, but at least I don’t have afternoon meetings scheduled. I haven’t finished the annual report but I’m waiting on some data from Institutional Research and I’d rather knock that f—ker out sooner than later.
• The boys are in good spirits. Yesterday the neighborhood kids/moms staged a massive water balloon fight. N wants to sign up for Tai Quon Doe (sp?). T stayed over at a friend’s last night. I missed him.
• Yesterday I hit Costcutters and had my hair cut military short. A hair-cutting apprentice did the job. She was friendly but probably shouldn’t have told me she was an apprentice.
That’s it for now. I need a few breaks from work before the fall semester kicks into gear. More later.
How about some highlights of the week:
• I almost finished Boyle’s After the Plague, one of the most relentlessly depressing books I’ve ever read. Or maybe I’m not in the mood. Last night I decided to skip the last two stories because I couldn’t see a good reason to continue.
• On Friday afternoon I checked out I Love You, Beth Cooper at the North Shore. The actor playing the main male character overacted in full-geek mode but the girl playing the title role (she also played a cheerleader in Heroes…Hayden something) was perfect. I loved the cool, nearly empty Friday afternoon theater. Summer moviegoing rocks.
• We leave for Chautauqua in six days. I’ve started planning my trip-reading. This will be busy at work, as I’m teaching every day but giving the students off to write Friday, but at least I don’t have afternoon meetings scheduled. I haven’t finished the annual report but I’m waiting on some data from Institutional Research and I’d rather knock that f—ker out sooner than later.
• The boys are in good spirits. Yesterday the neighborhood kids/moms staged a massive water balloon fight. N wants to sign up for Tai Quon Doe (sp?). T stayed over at a friend’s last night. I missed him.
• Yesterday I hit Costcutters and had my hair cut military short. A hair-cutting apprentice did the job. She was friendly but probably shouldn’t have told me she was an apprentice.
That’s it for now. I need a few breaks from work before the fall semester kicks into gear. More later.
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