Writing is Like...

Miscellany

2011-09-19T21:47:00.002-05:00

Been a while since I posted in here. Lots of new things going on. I have two new 2nd cousins this year and a new cousin-in-law. Andre had a baby boy, James, and Renee had a baby girl, Elise. Pierce got married, and I got engaged. Not a bad year for the Ninja Turtles.

This does not mean that we haven't had our share of tragedy, however. Too many people getting sick and dying. The loss of Jeremy's dog. Various annoyances and frustrations and crises and feelings of hopelessness that make life, life.

Tonight, I just want cake. I don't know why. I have been wanting cake and mac n cheese lately. Maybe it's the comfort I crave. Probably. Between all this range of emotions, I just seek stability. It's funny, when I first broke up with K, I wasn't burdened by these emotions (remember kids, I have been engaged before). Then as I grew closer to Jerome, my emotions started opening up. At first I felt bad that I was so devoid of emotion; now I kind of long for those days. I'm tired of having emotional breakdowns and being stressed out. I have chilled out considerably, but I can still be an emotional wreck far too frequently. I don't know why I can't seem to find a happy medium.

Wedding planning is rough. And since this is the second time for me, I am feeling that numb feeling that I was just referring to. It's not that I'm not excited about marrying Jerome--he's a great guy--but it's just hard to get excited about it anymore since the last time left me with such emotional damage.

I'm finding myself searching for the childhood I never had, since I was born old. I am now more well-versed in Internet memes than my students. I am keeping up on new movies and video games and trying to catch up on YouTube videos. I still don't feel cool enough. And I am finding myself drawn to comic books for the first time since I was maybe 10. I tried to get into the X-Men once, but it just didn't happen. Now, however, I have a Marvel app that I find myself spending far too much money on.

And it's not just comic books. I am probably going to ask for TMNT cartoons on DVD for my birthday this year. I have really gone through a craving for the Turtles again. And Mega Man. And other stuff from my kidhood.

Last night, Jeremy showed Jerome and me a video that was supposed to be scary. It didn't affect me at all. I actually kind of miss being scared. Maybe it was too many campy B-movies with K that made me immune. Or maybe it was being a creative writer. I don't know what caused it. I do miss the adrenaline rush of feeling scared though. Not scared for my life, but just creeped out. You know, the kind of crap we used to pull on each other at Halloween.

Which I might actually participate in this year.

All my life I have hated Halloween. Not because I feel any kind of religious antagonism toward it (I think it is an innocent holiday of dress up, regardless of origins), but I just have this incredible aversion to dressing up. I like being taken seriously, and if there is one thing about dressing up, it is that you cannot be taken seriously. Honestly. But I'm trying to not take myself as seriously and to just learn to have fun. We'll see how long that lasts.

Also I'd like to try to write a scary story for Halloween. I don't know. I have papers to grade and should probably quit with these random thoughts. Maybe a bit of Nutella will serve as comfort food enough for tonight.

Summer Vacation!

2011-05-23T20:18:00.002-05:00

It is nice to be on summer vacation for a few weeks, though I am teaching a month of summer school closer to the beginning of the fall semester. I've been at my parents' just over a week, though in a way, it seems a lot longer.

Of course I miss Jerome. Once again, I cried at the airport, but I am doing better now, since he talks to me daily.

I played a lot of Pokemon on airplanes, and continued to do so at my parents'. However, I have also been expanding my horizons a bit, and have decided to watch several movies (some on DVD, others in the theater). Jerome and I have plans to do a long-distance date to see X-Men: First Class when it comes out. Also, I watched Saw on DVD just today. I am considering watching A Clockwork Orange today, as well.

Regarding books, I do have several that I would like to read, but my main goal is to finish Brave New World. I started the book several months ago, but I just can't find the time to read it. But then, like 1984, the book takes a while to digest, and hopefully like 1985, I will like it all the more for having taken a while to read it.

Gaming! As I've said, I have been playing a lot of Pokemon, though I'm only to Route 5 in Pokemon Black right now. I think I'm about the same place as Jeremy. Jerome considered buying a DS and a copy of the game so that he could play it with me, but he hasn't done so yet. Also, I've played quite a bit of Puzzle Quest 2 on my iPad. I have been giving serious consideration to starting up my WoW account again, but I'm afraid that if I do that, I won't accomplish any of my other goals.

Such as exercise. The weather has been all over the place this summer, so I have yet to start going on walks. However, I might start that soon. Also, Mom has a Zumba video here at the house that we should probably start using soon. I certainly need to lose some weight.

We are planning a vacation for next month. Hopefully it will be fun. Part of the vacation could include a hike, so that might help me get back into shape. Also, vacations are good for...

Writing material! Obviously, you can see that I am trying to get back in the habit of writing, and perhaps going on a trip would inspire some more creativity. After looking at my resume, I see that I also should really start trying to get things published again and/or attend/present at some conferences. Busy busy!

And on top of this, I have some cooking/baking and craft projects to do. Oh and I'd like to listen to some podcasts and watch PBS. So many things going on.

Got that Bitch a Meme. Bitches Love Memes

2011-05-04T17:34:00.002-05:00

There was once a time in the dim, distant past when all you needed to be cool was a Blogger account and a working knowledge of Urban Dictionary. Or, at least that was the case where I attended college. I used to be one of those cool kids that was sorta on top of things. Not sure what happened, exactly, but I think grad school can shoulder some of the blame for me losing my coolness.

Anyway, as implied, times have changed. And for me to once again regain my status, and add to my cred, I have to keep up with these ever-changing times. This is not always easy as I now work many, many hours a week as a college instructor. Well, and the fact that I'm soon to be out of the "cool kid" demographic.

But apparently, my students don't think so. One of my college students suggested I check out Reddit a few weeks back. I'd heard of it, but Reddit was one of those things (along with the geeky/nerdy websites and webcomics that my boyfriend and his brother frequent) that I simply felt I did not have the time for.

Around the same time, Jerome, Jeremy, and I all started looking at Reddit. Not really sure what spawned it, but it has been terrific. I have been sending comics like a boss, laughing at rage faces, and picking up on Internet memes.

Reddit seems to be the place where all the hipsters come to hate on the other hipsters and all claim to not be one. The hipster must be the most elusive creature known to mankind, for s/he cannot admit to being one without simultaneously losing the status. It is the ultimate form of irony, which hipsters nationwide aspire to, but of course they can't because that is so yesterday. Hipsters always have been and always will be hipsters before it was cool. But they won't, either.

So am I a hipster? Absolutely not. Accuse me of being one and I'll send you a rage face with f7u12. But am I regaining my former coolness? Possibly. I have two and a half years left of being a 20-something. Hope to have to creds to prove myself to the disinterested cool kids.

That Awkward Moment When...

2011-05-03T20:19:00.002-05:00

...you run into that kid that works at the comic shop... while you are at work... and you work as a college instructor. Yeah, that happened to me today. This guy is used to seeing me in ill-fitting Disturbed shirts and equally ill-fitting shorts, browsing Dungeons and Dragons books, Warhammer miniatures, and Magic: the Gathering cards. He's also seen me at a friend's house for a birthday party. Where I was failing miserably at the Scott Pilgrim video game because I was looking at the wrong character. This guy isn't supposed to see me as a professional English instructor.

But he did. As badly as I wanted to talk about Mortal Kombat and Portal 2 and other various games, I forced myself to talk about end of the semester work stuff and then duck up the stairs to hide in my office. Another crisis narrowly averted: between this and my day of playing Puzzle Quest 2 in my office hour, I am dangerously close to being found out as a nerd by my colleagues.

Office Etiquette

2011-05-01T23:15:00.005-05:00

I work as a college instructor. But since I'm fairly new and the school is growing by leaps and bounds, I am currently housed in a cubicle room. Being fairly antisocial, it's not ideal, but I'm just grateful to have a job.

Usually this office sharing isn't much of a problem: I come in, log onto my three email accounts that students may use to contact me, and turn on Stuff You Should Know podcast on my iPod and commence to reading/responding, etc.

But the other day, I literally had no work to do during my office hour time. It was a welcome relief after having been stressed to the brink of emotional breakdown off and on during the past several months. Anticipating that I would have very little to do during this time, I decided to bring my iPad to my office hour.

I have 3G capability on that bad boy, but haven't ordered a data plan yet, as I have unlimited Internet most places. However, I didn't want to waste the school's nets (and we were kinda asked not to anyway), so I decided to play Puzzle Quest 2, which is an app that doesn't require online communications.

Do you realize how difficult it is to pretend to be doing something productive while actually playing a game? First, I plugged in my earbuds so that no game noises would accidentally occur. Then I sat in my chair, facing my computer (while legitimately checking email), with the iPad in my lap. Periodically, I would sae my game's progress to refresh my email pages, but that's about it.

It's not like I would have gotten into trouble. I mean, I had nothing at all to do. I'm not sure if I was hiding my iPad out of game-playing shame, or because I didn't want to have to talk to anyone about it.

ETA: This was a lot funnier when I first had the idea (while iPadding in my office) than it was in writing. Sorry everyone.

Geek Code/Cred

2011-04-15T20:28:00.002-05:00

I have finally decided to start messing with my electronics kit. I haven't fooled with electronics for probably 15 years, give or take. I remember when I "dating" Ross that I was very much into electronics, tech stuff, and other geekish activities. This is probably about the time that I had this little cheap breadboard and played with resistors, capacitors, LEDs, etc. I loved using this thing, and I even learned a bit about electronics, but, as with all my other interests, it was short-lived and I soon moved on to something else.

I'm just as flaky with my interests today.

Well, not today as in this very day, but rather today as in, me at age 27. Anyway, today I finally took the notion to get out the electronics kit that I've been lusting after ever since I bought it at Radio Shack some several weeks ago. Yes, I lust after things I already have. It's the purest lust available. Got down the kit and almost gave up. Side note: When I first got it, I started reading the info they give you for before you start, but then I got tired of it. But this time I decided to just review the safety stuff and jump right into the first project, which was to create a blinking LED.

So I followed the rules, installed batteries, turned the sucker on, and, though I was proud to see the LED light up, I wa dismayed that it was not blinking. Took me a few trials and errors to find out that I had the IC upside down. Fixed that and it worked perfectly. Even did the additional modified projects for it. Then I moved on to the second project, titled, "Build a 555 'Black Box' Test Circuit" which worked properly the first time. I'm already picking up on the various capacitors and resistors. Wish I was actually learning how this stuff all worked again, rather than just plugging wires into a breadboard. Sure I learned about it in junior high and high school science classes, but it didn't stay with me as well as some other lessons did.

Anyway, I was wondering if circuitry would count toward my geek cred. I have a long way to go, but I really want to establish myself in the geek world. Jerome said I could probably figure out a way to incorporate it into my geek code, so I looked up the official website. I'm still not sure if I can add electronics into it, but I can probably fit it in there somewhere. In the meantime, I'm going to continue listening to Tech Stuff podcasts, practicing coding, and experimenting with my electronics kit.

On a side note, I also helped Jerome with MLA today. Feels kinda good to be a geek and a nerd in the same day.

Turning Tables...

2011-04-13T19:04:00.002-05:00

What? Turntables?!

Man, I wish. If I had a turntable and some vinyl right now, I'd make Alvin and the Chipmunk records like I did back in the day. But alas, 'tis not the topic of mine discussion.

It hasn't been that long since I was in grad school. Maybe... three years since I graduated? Sounds about right. Seems I started teaching Fall 2009, meaning that I graduated Summer 2008, meaning I started Spring 2007. So I guess it was four years since I started, and two and a half since I graduated, give or take. In the grand scheme of things, not all that long since I was a student.

And now I'm a teacher.

Well, a college instructor, to be exact. Feels kind of strange to be on the other side of things. Yet, here I'm finding myself eating pizza and reading PDFs on JSTOR. Feels a lot like grad school. At least this time around, it's more pleasant. This time around I don't have a boyfriend who tries to discourage me from doing my work. This time around my boyfriend encourages me and tried to build me up, rather than tear me down. I still have trust issues, but Jerome treats me very well and is patient and understanding of my insecurities. Obviously it's not all peaches and cream, but it seems to work quite well.

I'm by no means an optimist. Or an optometrist. But I do agree that hindsight is 20/20. Looking back I recognize various behaviors exhibited by Kris that simply were mild forms of abuse. I hope to not use this as a crutch, but to learn from it. To recognize these behaviors for what they were and to move on, understanding that I am, as Jerome has to remind me daily, a special and important person.

It's probably a good thing that I have kept correspondence from Kris. Now that I am distanced from the situation I can see the relationship for what it truly was. Jerome is by no means perfect, but neither am I (though I wish we were). However, we seem to have gotten along rather well this past year.

Anyway, I suppose I should get back to reading my academic essays. They are more enjoyable this time around. Maybe it's because nobody told me to read them. Or maybe it's because no one is telling me not to.

Reminiscery

2011-04-10T12:45:00.004-05:00

Yes, I think I just coined a new word. No, I don't care.

So anyway, I was just looking through old blog posts (can I really be on my way to my 6-year blogiversary?!) and I noticed a few things.

My life has gone through some fairly drastic changes in said years.

I know, I know... this is the kind of thing to post on an actual blogiversary, not on a random unassociated day, but eh, at this point, if the muse calls, I need to answer.

Anyway, observation #1: I'm not a whole heck of a lot different now than I was "then."

Translation: I am still interested in noir, neo-noir, certain elements of graphic novel, video games, and similar types of music.

Observation #2: There are alarming similarities between my current boyfriend and my ex.

Translation: They are both into gaming and horror movies and some of the same comedy shows/movies.

Additional Translation: The games they play are wildly different, and they seem to like comedy for different reasons. Also, I actually like my current boyfriend.

Observation #3: Somehow (probably as a result of being with the ex for 3 years or whatever) I have become even more nihilistic, cynical, and jaded.

Translation: I am more conscious and aware of this nihilism, cynicism, and enjadedness that has been growing ever since my first existential crisis emerged at age four.

Observation #4: There was a time when I was actually sorta on top of things, technologically.

Translation: These days, I gotta earn my geek creds. But I keep up with podcasts and nerdy webcoms in addition to the miniscule amounts of gaming I don't have time for.

Observation #5: I was a better writer back then.

Translation: I do my best writing when extremely depressed.

Observation #6: Blogging has become too icon-based and user-friendly for my taste.

Translation: I was just talking to Jerome about this. He prefers WYSIWYG, but I like code. I miss the days when you had to manually format everything. Like typing the word strong in to bold something. I absolutely love code, and HTML is a pretty easy coding system. But I really miss the days when I used to spend hours in front of my old Panasonic computer (I had forgotten the brand etc., but ran across an article on the very one I had here after several months of agonizing on again/off again Google searching. The search terms that found it were "panasonic cpu keyboard 1980s blue keys hook up to cassette player" since that's pretty much all I remembered about it. I don't even know how I remembered that it was Panasonic.) programming various, well, programs in BASIC.

Observation #7: I am more long-winded than I used to be.

Translation: See translation above.

Anniversary!

2011-04-04T23:33:00.003-05:00

So today was Jerome and my 1 year dating anniversary. Even though we both had to work, it ended up being a great day. After work, Jerome surprised me with flowers. No, Betty, no ring, but chances are, I will probably have to ask him instead of the other way around. In fact, when we got together last year, it was because I had gone to his parents' house for Easter, and I asked him online later that evening how long he'd liked me, and he answered, then asked me the same question, which I answered. Then he awkwardly asked if I wanted us to "be together... or... something" and acted quite shy and embarrassed. This is why, if all goes well, I would probably have to be the one to propose. We shall see.

After the flowers, we went out to this great pizza place called Mama Mia's. I had Tri-Color cheese tortellini, and he had cheese ravioli, and we shared an appetizer of stuffed green olives and a piece of chocolate cake. He also got me some iTunes cash, and a copy of Pokemon Black.

Speaking of Pokemon, after dinner, Jeremy came by and wanted to play Pokemon, since he has Pokemon White. It was a long and difficult battle, but I came out the victor. Though I had 4 Pokemon in my reserves, they had all been switched out, and were near fainting. Obviously, being a competitive person, I was thrilled to win, but I was also happy to feel included. The fact that my boyfriend's brother feels like a brother to me, should be a good thing. Maybe it is a sign that some day he will be my brother-in-law. Or maybe I'm just being a silly schoolgirl. Who knows. Regardless, it was a perfectly euphoric day, and I'm sad to see it come to a close.

A Lonely Misanthrope

2011-04-03T01:04:00.003-05:00

You know, there are just some days when I realize that my misanthropy is a direct result of entropy. Take tonight, for instance. I have been incredibly stressed out due to the fact that there is just too much work to do and that I may as well give up on weekends. However, after a few sips of pineapple rum (not many, mind you, but just enough to calm the nerves), I was feeling good enough to begin grading the papers.

However, a few papers in, Jeremy and Jerome decided to leave to a friend's house. I always worry about them when they go out without me to chaperone because I'm afraid they'll drink too much. Also, I get quite lonely by myself, which is pretty good: a lonely misanthrope.

So speaking of misanthropes, the essays I'm grading are on Johnathan Swift. Side note: I hate that name Johnathan. Never know how to spell it. Not even sure if this spelling is correct. After grading several, I decide to take a break. But before that, I manage to have conversations with three friends. Those went well enough.

I play video games during my break. This is the point at which I become involved in quite the convoluted texting situation involving me, Jerome, and Jeremy, via Jeremy's phone. Then Jerome calls to check on me, and probably because he misses me (I certainly was missing him already by that point). It's hard to play Call of Duty while on the phone, but I managed better than I usually do.

So randomly, my very first boyfriend from when I was 12 starts chatting with me, which is always a good time. Since we were childhood friends, we don't let a little thing like a 7.5 month relationship get in the way of our friendship. It's beautiful, really. He's a gamer too, so we start talking about Call of Duty. Then, Jeremy, who is now intoxicated, starts texting me about Pokemon, blowing that he's gonna beat me at it, as his texts progressively become harder to read and follow. Ross, in the meantime, confesses to me that he is also quite drunk, and Jerome admitted to drinking two beers early in the evening, but is waiting them off so that he can drive home. I'm sure he's fine to drive. Flattered by the two nerdy conversations I'm having with guys, and concurrently depressed by the fact that both these conversations were most likely induced by alcohol, I get up to add more pineapple rum to my glass. Not much, mind you. And come back to see that Ross now has a crescent moon by his chat name, meaning he's probably passed out or something.

Whilst we were still chatting, Ross was talking to me about marriage. Not with him, but with Jerome. He had caught wind of yesterday's April fool joke and took it seriously. Then he started asking if we were going to get married anytime soon. Perhaps I should talk to Jerome about this, as his sister and I were just having a conversation about this earlier. Everyone I talk to seems to think I am going to get married soon, or should. And this has nothing to do with the April fool.

It's rather awkward to talk to your first boyfriend about the possibility to marrying your current boyfriend, even though your first boyfriend is a great guy who will actually listen and communicate, etc. Even if more years have passed since that relationship than you had lived when the relationship began. There's just something about that first love, and I know that I loved Ross. It's even more awkward knowing that Ross is single.

Another interesting side note: On Ross' 27th birthday, I will have been with Jerome for one year.

So here it is, 1:30 in the morning. I need to get back to grading Swift papers. Somewhat ironically, this has been the slowest grading session ever. I'll responsibly sip my pineapple rum and grow more misanthropic and sad as the evening progresses.

What a Wonderful Way to Spend a Saturday

2011-02-26T17:53:00.003-06:00

This is great. Here I am, chilling on the loveseat with some Chips Ahoy and a Pepsi Max. My DSi and iPod are well within reach, and I am practicing HTML. Jerome had been messing around with his little media center, but he got discouraged and quit, unfortunately. His brother, Jeremy, is painting miniatures. Probably Warhammer guys, but I'm not sure. Listening to Cage the Elephant, which is completely working for me right now. I'd like to put together another Lego project, but to be honest, I'm having a ball relearning algebra. Who knew I'd become so lame? I do this sort of thing for fun. And lemme tell ya, HTML is rocking my world. Maybe someday I'll be able to write humor again, but right now, I'm in nerd/geek mode. Anyway, if I can ever get the hang of basic HTML, I think I'll move on to JavaScript (which I did mess around with just a little this morning), and then eventually work my way up to C or C++. Not sure which C language I want to go with. I'd need to do some more research first.

Sure, I have essays to grade and stuff to read both for class and for pleasure, but my brain is craving this math/science stuff at the moment, for some reason...

Off topic: Howlin' Wolf just came on my iPod. Blues music is working for me too!

The Madness Continues...

2011-02-21T17:54:00.002-06:00

Over the weekend, I completed two fairly crazy construction projects. Well, the construction projects themselves weren't crazy, but my doing of them was. On Saturday evening, I spent an insomniac night putting together a Lego Technic motorcycle project. Then, on Sunday evening, I spent an insomniac night putting together a Lego architecture project. Fallingwater. I think that is the largest, and, arguably, most difficult Lego architecture project. I spent a fair amount of time listening to podcasts about a variety of topics, including spiritual/philosophy, technology, and female difficulties (to put it politely).

Well, since that's over, I am considering reading up on programming again, and perhaps practicing math and science problems. I also have an electronics kit that I just don't feel like working with tonight. I also, of course, have work to do (grading and reading both). If I weren't always so tired, I would try my hand at humor writing again. I guess at least blogging keeps me in the writing mindset. Well, I'm off to do something--just not sure what.

Nerd Alert!

2011-02-19T13:49:00.004-06:00

Continuing on with my unbridled nerdiness, I find myself this weekend lounging on the loveseat with my iPod being charged by my laptop, which is, not surprisingly, on my lap as I type this. On the coffee table, you will find Chemistry Workbook for Dummies and Algebra Workbook for Dummies because, yes, I enjoy doing math and science problems for fun in my spare time. That iPod has a paused "Stuff You Should Know" podcast loaded up on it. The topic is how taste works. Speaking of taste, there is also a bag of baked cheddar fries snacks and a Coke Zero on the coffee table, keeping me energized in a low-fat and low-calorie manner.

Also on the coffee table, you would find my DS and my ereader. Brave New World is on the ereader; platformer games are in the DS. There is a deck of Magic cards and four d20 dice, two d10s, one d12 and a counter. There are also some miniatures that we used as Magic creatures last night, but that can double as monsters in Dungeons and Dragons.

I just bought a couple of Lego kits (you can thank Josh and Chuck for this one); the other day I listened to a podcast of how Legos work. This rekindled my love for Legobricks and construction. I just got Fallingwater the other day, and a Technic kit yesterday. Wish I had the time to do all the things I want to do. As you can see, I'm finally just now getting around to blogging, which was another of the things I've been wanting to do for a while. I also have been playing very small amounts of Fallout: New Vegas, and sometimes Mega Man. And then, of course, there are always my iPod apps. Now I just need to learn to program apps. I am glad that I have so many interests, but I wish I had the discipline to pick and choose which things I do which days. And I also wish I had the patience to learn all the things that interest me.

Oh and also, to satisfy some of my nerdy cravings, I still type html codes in manually when I blog.

Too Old for a Quarter-Life Crisis; Too Young for Mid-Life...

2011-02-06T14:54:00.003-06:00

Okay, so I'm obviously going through some kind of crisis.

If you read my last post, you would see that I've been thinking quite a bit about high school, the past, and my unrequited love for the sciences.

To make matters worse, I am now listening to a lot of podcasts. It's like I just keep trying to add to my knowledge base, things that won't exactly benefit me in my job. I have the most peculiar hobbies, I suppose. But then, I'm still doing the gaming thing, except... as a gamer, I am reverting to an even younger age, as I seem to have acquired quite a taste again for... Mega Man!

Yes, Mega Man. Anybody remember that game? I just bought the app for my iPod and Mega Man 9 on Xbox Live Arcade.

I'm all about the platformers, for some reason. It's been a while since I was into those type. I'm usually a huge FPS fan, and, don't get me wrong, I still am, but there was something last year that made me want a Nintendo DS, and then to get some Mario games and Kirby. Then, just a couple days ago I remembered Mega Man.

I called my grandmother last night, who is an old-school gamer who can't stand violence but loves those old games she used to play on probably a 286 or 386. It was funny because I reminded her of Mega Man (which, by the way, she introduced me to), and she mentioned a couple of games I had completely forgotten about: Freddy's Rescue Roundup, and Oil's Well.

To make a long story short, I think we're going to get those for her. Maybe next time I'm at her place I can relive a part of my past that has less regret tied to it. In the meantime, I'm going to go make a list of all the places I want to visit and all the skills I want to learn and knowledge I want to gain. And I'm gonna go listen to those podcasts for a head start.

Reminiscing and Regretting

2011-02-03T21:07:00.003-06:00

Hmm, I just haven't been feeling as inspired lately. I'm trying to force myself to write, though, so that I don't lose my touch. These days, most of my time is taken up with grown-up stuff: teaching my six classes (and prepping for them and grading papers from them), doing other work-related things, and keeping up with my part of the household-related stuff. I just don't have much to write about, but as I ran across some old stuff I'd written about myself a couple years ago, I figured I should document myself these days so that in a couple more years, I'll remember what I was like at this point in my life.

Well, I went through a brief resurgence in my appreciation of the hard-rock/metal genre, but now I'm turning more into my high school self. Yeah, that's a good way to put it. I feel like the high school me.

Now I'm not sure how good this is, reverting to my 17-year-old self. Life was pretty rough for me 10 years ago. I was making that life-changing decision to change from a chemical engineering career path to one of English education. I was seeing my former dreams shatter in front of my eyes with the revelation that, no matter how much I loved engineering, chemisty, physics, and various maths, I just was not good enough to build a life around it. Also, this was about the time that I was suffering severe panic attacks that impaired my performance at school, further reinforcing my negative self-image. I was depressed because I didn't feel like I belonged in my school and no boys were interested in me. You know, your typical teenage angst.

Anyway, I'm not feeling so much like that, per se, but I am finding myself fascinated by the sciences again. And another similarity to high school is that my musical tastes are changing quite frequently. And I seem to have picked up my vague interest in hockey again. How bizarre.

To deal with this new math and science obsession, I have purchased several books in the Dummies series (involving chemistry, physics, and math) and invested in an electronics kit. I don't have time to use any of these much, but it is comforting to know they're there.

And don't even get me started on the 3-D puzzles.

Things are going well between Jerome and myself. Every day, however, I live with this gnawing regret that I was unable to know him at a younger age. If I could somehow go back in time and change my own history, I would move to where he was raised in 1997. This way, I could still have my experiences with my 6th grade boyfriend (which, aside from the breakup, were remarkably pleasant) but without all the negative stuff that came in 7th grade and after. Now don't get me wrong, not ALL of my high school experiences were bad, but the negatives strongly outweigh the positives. To the extent that given the chance, I'd move in a heartbeat. Anyway, then I could have gone to a teacher's academy AND (more importantly) a science academy.

I honestly think that if Jerome and I had met at a young age, both our lives would have been exponentially better (ha--exponential, get it? math? never mind). We've talked before, and have come to the conclusion that we would probably have been great friends in junior high, and probably would have dated in high school. Heck, since neither of us went to prom in real life, we probably would have gone together. Jerome thinks we probably would have been married and maybe even have children by now.

Regrets.

Makes me even unhappier with my grad school years and the relationship that accompanied it. Makes me hate that I can't go back and change things. I would still be a skeptic and a cynic, but I probably wouldn't be so jaded.

Even one of Jerome's friends from his high school said today that it would have been cool if I had gone to their high school. Made me feel really good. I never felt that accepted at my own schools.

Well, I sure came up with a lot of stuff to say, especially considering I was feeling uninspired earlier.

First Update of 2011

2011-01-06T19:52:00.002-06:00

I feel so horrible that I haven't updated in three months! It was a crazy busy semester in the fall, and I just didn't have much free time. This semester will probably be pretty busy, as well, but maybe I can squeeze a blog post in here and there. Hopefully, anyway. Happy 2011!

My Nerdiness Cup Runneth Over

2010-09-07T18:29:00.001-05:00

I've been playing World of Warcraft for the past two weeks or so. Last year I spent Labor Day weekend playing Settlers of Catan. This Labor Day weekend I spent playing Magic: The Gathering. Need I say more?

Feeling Kinda Blah

2010-08-13T21:51:00.003-05:00

Bored and lonely on a Friday night. I wanted to go see the Scott Pilgrim movie tonight, but I assumed Mother would want to clean house since Jerome's coming in a couple days. However, no cleaning has gotten done as of yet. Jean and Beth hung out with their parents tonight, but I bet if I'd asked, they'd've probably gone to see the movie with me. Now I can't decide what to do. I kind of want to try to see the movie in the morning matinee, but I don't know if Jean and Beth want to or even will be available, though I asked both of them about it tonight. Mom's going to want me to do some laundry in the morning, which is fine, but I need to know how to schedule everything since Jerome's getting in early Sunday afternoon.

Speaking of him and laundry, I'm super lonely because he was talking to me a little today but then had to go do laundry. He came back a little bit and then said he had to get something to eat. I don't mean to be needy, but I'm feeling pretty isolated right now. Guess that's why I decided to blog.

Regaining Feeling in My Formerly Stony Heart

2010-06-18T23:39:00.004-05:00

Well, it's a bittersweet day for me. I gave away Jasper and Sunshine today. I tell you, pets just become a part of the family. Even if I didn't see them much after moving out. And even if they were a nuisance to take care of.

The good thing is that they went to a good home. One of my friends from high school's parents own a pet shop, so I gave my parakeets to them. I am under the impression that these are going to be the pet shop owners' personal pets. I hope so, anyway.

I was sad last night, and a little this morning, but on my way to the pet shop, I was strangely at peace. True to form, Sunshine kept falling off her perch. Both birds seemed kind of keyed up, so I turned on NPR, which was playing Classical music, to calm them down.

On the way to the pet shop though, a wave of loneliness hit me and has been tearing my heart to shreds all day. I've only been away from him for about 2.5 weeks, but I miss my boyfriend like crazy. I really don't think I've ever felt this way about anyone before. And after I told myself I'd never allow my heart to become tender again. Suddenly I'm just all emotional and I'm actually really surprised with myself.

Anyway, then I did okay as I dropped off the birds. I didn't even say goodbye to them--it was just as though I was leaving them at the vet or something. But when I got back in my car without them there, it hit me too. My eyes teared up, and I'm not one to cry much. I tried to "man up" as much as a girl is expected to be able to do and went on with the rest of my day.

However, I then realized that it was Paul McCartney's birthday, which made me wish I could have been at Paul's 64th birthday in Liverpool (which I could've gone to, had I taken advantage of a study abroad opportunity that very summer).

Anyway, about the birds. Last night when I was cleaning their cage up all pretty to give them away, Sunshine managed to get out. She's the really paranoid one, so catching her and getting her back in the cage wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done, but it wasn't as difficult as I'd expected it to be, either. I might write a humorous piece detailing it at some point, and how I had to close the door so that the cats didn't get in and eat her and how she kept squawking and flapping, and almost getting behind my TV stand, but that's for another time. When I finally did get her back in the cage, Jasper let out a squawk that sounded for the world like, "Ja wohl!"

Why did my beautiful Jasper have to start speaking German the night before I gave him away?

D-Day

2010-06-06T22:00:00.002-05:00

Today is D-Day. But I was unaware of this fact until a high school friend that I hadn't heard from in a few months randomly communicated this fact to me. Huh.

Makes me think about how I need to go to Normandy still. I think I blogged about this sometime back, but age is sneaking up on me prematurely (at least as far as memory is concerned. Actually, my memory bank is more like Orwell's memory hole. You can be Freudian with that if you choose, but you'll just end up making a fool of yourself if you do. Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yes. Normandy.

So I had this great-uncle that was killed at D-Day. I'm guessing it was Omaha beach, since a certain cousin of mine wrote a story about a kid who was killed at Omaha beach, but that's just my speculation and assumption. Anyway, I'd love to visit the beaches of Normandy for that reason, and simply because I'd like to learn more about WWII. And to actually visit some places where battles took place would just be surreal.

I guess if nothing else, perhaps my learning more about WWII will enhance my playing of of Axis and Allies when I get together with my boyfriend and his friends.

Oh Aunt Flo, How I Hate Thee...

2010-05-26T01:54:00.002-05:00

I really despise certain things about being a woman (most of them, really). And having that pesky Aunt Flo is at the top of that list. It usually doesn't bother me that much, but for some reason, it's really messing with my emotions tonight. I've been irritable, sad, and now depressed. The really bad thing is the depression. I had a problem with depression in high school and I would get to where I literally didn't want to do anything. Kind of like how I feel right now. Tonight, I didn't even want to blog. It's just something I'm doing until the allergy meds kick in and knock me out so I can get some sleep. Well, that and because as I recall, I tend to do my best writing when I'm feeling the worst.

But tonight might be an exception.

I'm hoping that I come out of this madness tomorrow. In the evening I'm supposed to have dinner with my cousin and a friend. Before that, who knows. If I'm still depressed, I probably won't be doing much of anything. Unless I start writing again. Or sleep all day. My boyfriend was kind of hinting that he'd like me to come to his place tomorrow, but, once again, if I'm in a nasty mood, I'd rather him not see the bad side of me. Goodness knows he's already seen enough bad sides of me. It's amazing he even still likes me.

If I didn't live with other people, I'd probably do something really crazy like cook a box of macaroni and cheese at 2am. Or play my guitar. Or play Fallout 3 and make really bad decisions just for the heck of it. Or maybe even do some cross-stitch. I haven't done crafts in a long time. But not because I really want to do any of these things; rather to take my mind off the fact that I'm depressed for no reason and, once again, have persistent insomnia.

However, one thing that makes me really happy is the fact that I am most likely going to order an Xbox 360 tomorrow. This means more gaming potential, since I already have the PS3. And most of my friends and my boyfriend's friends, and our shared friends have the 360. Plus, he has them both. I think my mood just improved a micrometer.

Now I'm off to make myself some late-night nachos.

I'm No Good with Kids...

2010-05-22T14:12:00.002-05:00

Somewhat ironically, when I first started typing this nearly an hour ago, I only got as far as the title, when the kid showed up and I had to quickly close this window and shut my computer off.

So I'm at my boyfriend's house, and we're setting up for his little sister's 4th birthday party. She's actually his adopted sister, but that's neither here nor there. Anyway, I've moved tables, unloaded chairs from a pickup truck, set up said chairs, and filled a Hello Kitty pinata. All this in addition to keeping the little kid company for a while.

I'm exhausted. I don't know how to deal with children. Jerome is losing his patience with the whole thing, as well. To top things off, I forgot to even buy her a gift.

Well, I think I'm learning, though. When she started asking me too many questions and I was too tired to answer, Jerome asked her what she wanted. She replied, "nothing." He then asked what she was doing in his room. Before the kid had a chance to answer, I told her that if she was looking for nothing, there was a whole lot of nothing in the living room. She actually went into the living room in search of "nothing." It lasted for a good 30 seconds.

Things I'm (Not So) Proud Of...

2010-04-28T00:14:00.005-05:00

1) I can play Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 online for hours on end.

2) I'm being a jerk on Fallout 3 on my first go.

3) I not-so-secretly want to make a vegetarian version of KFC's Double Down.

4) I think the chip in my windshield that looks like a bullet hole is pretty freaking awesome.

5) I can make a "that's what she said" reference or other double entendre out of just about anything.

6) And I usually do.

7) I quite possibly have no soul.

8) I have an overwhelming desire to visit all the places in "I've Been Everywhere."

9) I have been known to quote certain parts of "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails. Probably not the parts you are thinking of though.

10) I ate pizza with macaroni and cheese on it yesterday. And kind of liked it.

11) I got my @$$ kicked by Buffalo Wild Wings' Blazin' sauce. Just last week!

12) I just made a list of things I'm not proud of.

Not That I Would Know, or Anything...

2010-04-18T10:36:00.003-05:00

So, how much of a nerd are you if you chat with your boyfriend about your progress in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 solo spec ops missions? How about if you are playing him online and chat about strategy in between missions? And secretly wish to be Soap MacTavish? And take a quiz to find out that you are, in fact, Soap MacTavish? Or, at least a female version of him?

Less Than Coherent...

2010-03-22T01:10:00.003-05:00

I have this love-hate thing with insomnia. I love it because, often, some of my best writing comes as a result of it. Also, it's kinda cool to know that my brain just keeps going and going like a bit of marketing from a famous battery company a few years back. But I hate it because, well, it means I'm not sleeping.

I can't say as I really have a sleeping pattern. I'm assuming this is not a good thing. A few weeks ago I slept 4 hours per night each night of the weekend. I felt fine. Then, Sunday evening, it hit me.

I've been traveling a lot today, and, as a result, have found myself napping on airplanes.

By the time my good friend picked me up at the airport late this evening, I felt somewhat intoxicated. I'm not even sure what I said to him. It's been just slightly over an hour since we had this conversation, and I can't recall most of it.

God only knows what I might have said to him.

Anyway, I think I was even dreaming on the plane. I know I was dreaming when I was napping at the airport. Funny thing is, I was only sleeping for short bursts--maybe five minutes at a time, if even that. Now that I'm home and in a nice, comfortable bed (rather than sitting bolt upright in a cramped economy-class airplane seat), I suddenly find myself sleepless. And the darnedest thing is, I'm extremely tired. And sleepy. And yet I can't sleep.

Well, maybe writing about it has helped. Who knows. All I know is that I'm going to need to do my best to get some rest with what is left of this night, because later today, I'm going to have to get back to work.

You know, glancing back over this thing, I think it's the most coherent thing I've ever written. On here, anyway.

Happy 100th Birthday to My Grandfather

2010-03-10T19:10:00.002-06:00

Okay, first and foremost, my grandpa died when I was 10. So he's not still alive. But if he were, today would be his 100th birthday, God rest his soul.

Anyway, he kind of started getting dementia when I was a very young child, so unfortunately, I don't have many memories of my grandfather. One that does stick out in my mind, however, is the time he walked me across the street to the grocery store. Whenever he let go of my hand, I remember that my hand smelled like gasoline and motor oil and GoJo cleaning cream. My grandpa was a mechanic, so his hands perpetually smelled like mechanic work.

I really don't have many other memories, except for the times he was living in a nursing home. A few other moments that I can recall are the time he "told on me" for eating margarine straight from the tub, and the times he claimed that I wanted to go eat pizza when he really did. Okay, let's be honest. I did too. Miss you Grandpa!

And Just When You Think It's Safe to Go to Sleep...

2010-03-06T07:15:00.002-06:00

Dear Brain,

Please tell me, in a three-page, double-spaced, Times New Roman size 12 font, formal essay, just exactly why you decided to give me a dream in which I am the only person in a town that looks strangely like one of the many towns somewhere along the Rio Grande, who is able to save Llewelyn Moss from Anton Chigurh while the neighbors slept peacefully and I managed to get pretty bloodied up and Llewelyn had to be sent to the hospital in three boxes to sew him back together, and then President Obama came by to open up a bottle of Ozark water and clean my face with it.

Thanks. That will be due Monday at 8 sharp.

Sincerely,
Sunshine Jones

Updating for the Sake of Updating

2010-03-04T19:27:00.004-06:00

Wow. I just realized that I haven't updated since Valentine's Day. And I'm not even all that sure why I updated then. I'm insanely tired. I had a conference last weekend (which was very awesome, I might add) and then I had an interview at the same job I have for fall semester this afternoon. And I still have essays to grade and hopefully return tomorrow. I feel sorry for those students since I had to cancel class last week, but I suppose it will be okay. I just need a nap. Then, maybe during my office hour I'll finish up any excess grading I may have. I think I can pull this off.

Gracias a Dios, el dia is almost over!

2010-02-14T21:55:00.002-06:00

Oh how I simply dread Valentine's Day. It reminds me of what a misanthrope I really am. I had a pretty decent day in the morning, at least. Had a great time reading my novel (for book club--it's okay, but not one I would have picked) and studying Spanish. I even crocheted a little, as well. Basically, I did things I enjoy by myself. Man, I hate commercialism. I mean, even though I did buy myself some candy for Valentine's.

One thing I've learned about myself through the years is that I'm a callus. I hate romantic anything. I'm not exactly your typical girl. I always have been, and most likely always will be, very tomboyish. But I'm also quite the loner. Only on rare occasions do I like to be around people. But usually, I prefer to be by myself learning things. So I'm a nerd. I don't care.

Even when I do things, it's usually only with close friends or family. People seem to assume that I'm very outgoing. And it's true, I do socialize very well. I just don't care for it. Anyway, this God-forsaken day is almost over. For some reason I'm feeling depressed. Holidays seem to do this to me. Oh well, guess it's time to start another week of work. Hope it's a good one.

Ah, Insomnia!

2010-02-08T23:11:00.002-06:00

Okay, so I'm an insomniac. It comes and goes. Lately it's been fairly severe. I don't know what causes it, and I sure as heck don't know why it sometimes goes away. All I know is that my mind races at nighttime. I feel like I'm in college again. Back then I could do crazy things like stay up to 3:00 and then get up at 6:30 to get ready and then be 30 minutes early for an 8:00am class.

It's like I run on adrenaline. Except I have no energy.

Ah, conundrums, enigmas, perplexities, how I'm drawn to them. It's really windy tonight. Maybe that will help me sleep. Usually a good drizzly rain can do the trick. IHOP sounds really good once again for some reason. I never used to like pancakes, but for some reason just lately... I don't know. Anyway, back to what I was saying, it's like my brain is always switched on for some reason. I guess there's nothing wrong with that, but sometimes I think it might be good for it to take a break and get some rest. But then, most of the time sleeping causes weird "nightmares" (yes, I intentionally quotified the word, because they really aren't frightening nightmares, but they are unpleasant dreams; but when I wake up, I never can figure out what element of the dreams were so unpleasant; sometimes those unpleasant dreams can put me in a foul mood for much of the day though).

I'm really not that emotional of a person. I mean, most of the time I feel like I'm just one big callus. I am sort of anxious to get Valentine's Day over with. I've never been much for the mushy stuff. I hate romantic comedies with a passion. I mean, I think I've elevated it to an art form. And I know I have it down to a science. Let's see how many other cheap and easy cliches I can riddle this post with.

Okay, so on that note, I'm reading The Memory Keeper's Daughter for book club. Thus far, it's been a lot better than I expected. But then again, I fear that it will turn into chick-lit. I guess time will tell.

I'm really getting the travel bug. Maybe it's because it's winter. I mean, invierno does that to a person, right? No se. By the way, just a word of caution: sometimes I slip into Spanish here and there. All apologies for that. I am studying the language, and I'm to that point where sometimes the Spanish word comes easier than the English one.

So I finished 1919. Man I'm starting to sound like Holden Caulfield. If I start calling everything a phony and say I ought to go see ol' Phoebe, then I'll know there's a problem. But yeah, finished the John Dos Passos book and abruptly shifted gears to Kim Edwards. As I said, I'm learning Spanish, but I'm already making plans to study German next. Boy howdy. I sure know how to pile the extra work on myself.

Addition

2010-02-07T14:30:00.003-06:00

Well, I just haven't had a whole lot of insight to share with the world recently for some cause or other. But I do have some news. My cousin Andre, and her husband, Scott, just bought a Schnauzer puppy last night. And oh my, if he isn't hyper! We've taken some precautions to puppy-proof the house to the best of our ability. Such as closing doors. Used to be that the only way Pierce and I knew that the bathroom (that we share) was unoccupied was that the door was wide open. Now, it's always closed. Let's just hope we each remember to lock the door while in there.

Oh, and something else to be on the lookout for: walking around barefoot. Puppy seems to have taken a dump on the floor of the breakfast nook last night with no warning that he needed let out. Oops. And also, there appeared a mysterious puddle about a foot and a half from the other offering. And human footprints lined the kitchen. We're not sure which of us stepped in it--most likely it was either Andre or myself, though it could have been Pierce. See, used to be, water on the floor was no big deal. Maybe somebody spilled a little water walking from the refrigerator to the table in the breakfast nook. You stepped in it, it dried, no big deal. Now, if we step in anything questionable, it is a big deal.

But the little guy really is a joy. He just loves everybody (though he might try to bite toes) and has been providing us all with some much-needed laughter for the past 18 hours or so. We're all getting to that point in the semester where the pace is picking up. Not bad yet, but a little stress relief can't hurt.

When All Else Fails, Ramble about Tarantino Movies...

2010-01-31T15:22:00.004-06:00

Okay, so I finally got around to watching both of the Kill Bill movies. I thought they were brilliant. And the other night I couldn't get the sound effect of Uma Thurman in swordfighting mode out of my head. Now I can't remember what it sounded like anymore. It's strange, but back when those movies were in theaters I remember thinking they sounded incredibly stupid. I thought they were slasher flicks.

Guess I was the stupid one.

Anyway, my first Tarantino movie was Pulp Fiction. Oddly enough, that is a movie I did want to see when it first came out. But I was a little young and I don't think my parents wanted me to be exposed to all those "adult" themes at such a young age. Sure, the reason I wanted to see it is because I enjoyed its spoof (Plot Friction) in Mad Magazine, but it's all good, right?

I thoroughly enjoyed Pulp Fiction last year when I finally rented it, and moved on to Inglourious Basterds which I saw in the theater on opening night. It was great too.

I should back up and say that technically my first experience with Quentin Tarantino was Reservoir Dogs, which I gave up on far too early, being unaccustomed to Tarantino movies and not really knowing what to expect. So I'll have to watch that one in its entirety before making any judgments about it.

RIP J.D. Salinger

2010-01-28T16:02:00.002-06:00

Okay, so as not to appear hypocritcal, let me begin with this disclaimer:

Laying it on the line, I'm a little miffed that Mr. Salinger had to make The Catcher in the Rye as reclusive as he was.

There. I said it.

I would have loved for him to have given permission to someone to make Catcher into a play. And I'm not much of a play person, but I really think it would have worked. I mean, I fell in love with Holden Caulfield in college when I read the book.

I taught the book to a group of students and did something that would probably make the late Salinger roll over in his burial of choice: I had the students write something in Holden's voice. I wanted to make sure that they understood the character, and that was my way of assessing them, while incorporating creative writing into the mix.

Mr. Salinger, if I offended you in any way by making that assignment, I do apologize.

But, the apologies are not over yet. Another thing I must confess is that I wrote a story with Holden Caulfied in it. Nothing that I would ever try to publish, you understand, but just a writing exercise, basically.

Once again, meaning no disrespect by these actions, I'm just a big fan of Holden Caulfield. And to know that the man who created him is no longer with us, even though he wanted to be out of the public eye most of his life, is kinda sad.

Even though I'm sure he wouldn't have wanted anyone to feel that way.

Potentially Disjointed Post

2010-01-25T23:36:00.002-06:00

Okay, night #2 of insomnia. Problem is, my insomnia last night caused me to be very tired and unmotivated today. I tried my best to act enthusiastic, but in reality, I felt like I was in grad school all over again after having stayed up all night reading academic essays on pedagogy and then getting up early to tutor students in writing, going on nothing but caffeine. Except this time, it was without caffeine.

I knew I should have made some coffee.

I can eat gelatin knowing when it's made of, thinking about what it's made of, even though I'm a vegetarian. Hey, I never promised to be vegan.

My Spanish is getting better. Just last night, I went to eat Mongolian food with the book club, and when I saw the orange root vegetable, the first word that came to mind was, "zanahorias." It took a few minutes for "carrot" to come to mind. We'll assume this is promising.

I was thrilled to receive correspondence from a former student. I did ask them all to keep in touch, but remembering how I was "one poor correspondent" (sorry to rip off "Sister Golden Hair") with most of my former college instructors and professors, I was pleasantly surprised to see that a student actually did send me a message.

All in all, it's been a decent day. Now, if I could just get a little sleep so that I'll feel more refreshed tomorrow. And possibly less random than I seem to be right now...

The Absent Minded Instructor

2010-01-21T20:48:00.002-06:00

Okay, so I managed to get through the day without my ID or my EXPO markers. Nothing short of a miracle.

The high school where I teach dual enrollment classes apparently knows me well enough that no one seemed to notice that I was ID-less. And I wasn't about to advertise it. Somehow I managed to get past all four security checkpoints (two at ingress and two at egress) sans the ID.

Then I showed up at the college to teach my second class. I didn't figure my lack of an ID would be a problem there since I can pass for a college student if I really want/need to (side note: a security guard at the college once informed me that I was parking in a faculty parking lot. I said, "I know--I am faculty"). Anyway, so the ID thing really wasn't a problem. And my students had a good laugh at my expense when I admitted to them that I'd forgotten my ID badge. It wasn't so funny, however, when I realized I was without my beloved EXPO markers, as well. Seems I'd cleaned out my bag before break and forgotten to repack the markers once the new semester began.

Aside from the goofy stuff though, it wasn't too bad of a day!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2010-01-20T20:10:00.001-06:00

Today is my dad's birthday! I hope he had a great day :)

Hmm...

2010-01-18T00:00:00.003-06:00

Was just reading Dos Passos' 1919 (published in 1932), and noticed he mentioned the scents of mustard gas and roses. I wonder if Vonnegut ever read Dos Passos. Granted, this mustard gas and roses came from WWI, not II, but there might be a connection there.

I must really miss grad school.

A Slightly Philosophical Moment (Or, Faith Restored)

2010-01-17T19:57:00.003-06:00

Well I went out to the park today. It was pretty nice. I read some on 1919 and took a couple walks. I didn't quite get my 10000 steps, but I did get some exercise.

During one of the walks, I saw something precious. And when I say something is precious, you know it has to be, since I'm not the mushy, sentimental type. Anyway, a woman was walking with her small child (since I've been studying Spanish, the first thing I thought of was "La mujer y su hijo caminan") down to the pier. As they were walking down, two geese waddled up to the kid. I'm sure there's something philosophical there, but I haven't thought about it enough. All I can say is that just about the time I'd given up hope in this world, that sight restored some of it.

The Muse Strikes! (This time with a blunt object)

2010-01-16T22:06:00.003-06:00

I had a lovely day today. I spent much of it practicing Spanish. It's a slow go, but I ~~think~~ know I'm making progress. It almost makes me wish I were a student again. Almost.

On that topic, at least two of my friends from grad school are in PhD programs now; one of my grad school buds is applying for grad school; and one of my undergrad friends is finishing up, preparing for grad school, and already making plans for the PhD program.

I still think I made the right decision for myself. After being in school for nearly 20 years, I was ready for a break. I wanted to travel, which I got to do a little of. I wanted a full-time job, which I got. And I wanted some R&R, which I sorta got. It's been wonderful to have a little bit of time to actually do the things I always thought I'd do if I ever got the chance. These days, I'm trying to work in anything I can. For instance, on days where I have large chunks of time (think, today) I like to spend the bulk of it on my Spanish, and spend a fair amount of time reading.

I already read the book for next week's book club meeting, so I checked out the 2nd book in the USA trilogy, 1919, earlier this week. To be honest, I haven't made much progress on it. I keep trying to go to the park, but it's just too chilly to sit and read. I was, however, able to do some walking, which is a good habit, I'd say. Tomorrow, weather permitting, I plan to try reading/walking in the park again. We'll see how that goes.

I've also been crocheting myself a doily. I thought I had one particular pattern, but as it turns out, I have a different one. Eh well, this one seems easier, and they're both pretty. Plus, I'll probably have enough thread left over from this doily to make another anyway.

I finished up a project I've been working on for Raquel. I am still finishing up one for her sister. Hopefully I'll get them both wrapped up this semester. But then, I also have several counted cross stitch projects to do. Most of them are small, and I'm thinking of giving them to my cousin as a set. I haven't seen her in probably ten years or more. I thought she was coming for Christmas, but turns out she couldn't. Maybe next year.

Anyway, I also talked to my parents, grandmother, and Raquel today. All in all, it's been a pretty good day, and I'm sad to see it come to a close. I always want to stay up as late as possible to squeeze out the last drop of day, but then I always make up for it by sleeping in the next day. Sometimes I think I'm the type of person who wouldn't sleep if it weren't necessary. But then, I tend to get a bit grumpy if I don't get my sleep, so I suppose I'm a bit of a contradiction.

This rambling business must mean that I need to get off the computer and get ready for bed. I hear 1919 calling me...

Wrapping up the Week

2010-01-15T07:35:00.002-06:00

Yesterday proved to be a nice relaxing day, even after the incident. Anyway, I was able to spend a considerable amount of time studying Spanish, I read some on 1919, I started a crocheted doily for myself, I finished a project for Racquelle, and I was even able to take a walk in the park with my cousins.

Now, today there are two meetings slated. But then, there's always the weekend.

Fixed!

2010-01-14T09:47:00.001-06:00

Well guys, after I got done blogging the previous post, I rolled up my shirtsleeves and got to work. And learned a lot about bed construction in the process. It really wasn't hard to fix, but the worst part was trying to move the mattress and box springs out of the way to get to the problem area. I'm kinda pleased with myself :) Maybe this won't be such a bad day after all. But then, to be on the safe side, I'd better knock on wood and not speak too soon...

P.S. All this before breakfast!

One of those Days...

2010-01-14T09:06:00.003-06:00

Okay, so I know now why I was on pins and needles about the all-too-good day I was having yesterday. It was in preparation for what happened just after I woke up this morning. I was lying in bed musing about how embarrassing it would be for me if my light ever burned out in my room because I'd have to ask my cousin or her husband to replace it for me. And I have a terrible aversion to asking for help/feeling like a nuisance. Yes, even over a burned out bulb. Anyway, I'd been contemplating this for some time, but decided that I needed to really wake up and get going on this day. After all, it's a meeting-free day that doesn't involve class planning, so I really needed to get up and make the most of it. As I was rolling over in bed to reach for my laptop (I find the Internet a very nice way to wake up), a board or two fell out from under the bed and now the northwest corner of the box springs is now on the floor, and my bed's a bit droopy.

Yes, that's right all you James Thurber fans. The bed fell. Sorta. It made a horrendously loud noise and I was afraid that people would come running up wanting to know if I was okay and all that. Sure, I'm fine. The bed, on the other hand...

So I was thinking, just now as I sit on the floor because I don't want to get on the bed for fear of what might happen next, this is going to be far more embarrassing than asking someone to fix a lightbulb. The first actions I took were to clean around and under the bed, just in the event that anyone might come barging into my room (fortunately, no one did; the walls in this house are fairly soundproof). The second thing I did was to get on here and blog about it. Now, my next plan of action is to see if I can fix it. I don't know what the deal is, but I really hope that it's manageable because I don't want them to have to buy another bed.

I suppose if worse comes to worst, there's always that air mattress.

One of Those Days...

2010-01-13T14:41:00.002-06:00

Fortunately, I'm not talking about one of those days, but one of those good days. I've been a little nervous about the way things are going. They're going too well. But then, I had one day that I can recall where nothing went wrong at all with me. Now that's bizarre.

Anyway, so today, though my one alarm did not go off, I bought a new alarm clock, which did go off (though it's a horribly annoying alarm that I rather hate) after I'd already woken up. Not bad. I got an early start to the day, getting breakfast and a shower before anyone else got up. Not bad.

Then I came back to my room and started working on course outlines. I finished two of them last night, and managed to get the others put together this morning. That means I was then able to drop all five off at the copier's this morning, and hopefully they and the syllabi will all be done Friday for me to pick up.

See why I've been nervous?

Oh, and plus, even though my textbook never got ordered, the guy who orders them gave me his copy. To keep! I felt bad about the whole thing because I know he has a massive job ordering the textbooks for everyone, plus he teaches also. Anyway, somehow I wasn't in the file, and I imagine that's how my request got overlooked. Such is life. Anyway, since he gave me his, I should be covered!

Let's see... then I was able to exchange office keys today (I wasn't able to yesterday, though they were supposed to have been ready).

Made it to my meeting early and they had pizza! I was just thinking that I hoped they'd have pizza. It was glorious.

Sat at a table with three of my four former portablemates (the people I shared the portable building with until I was moved to an academic building). I wish they could have moved with me too--we seem to get along famously. We're all a bit on the sarcastic side, and most of us are very independent people, though we work well together, oddly enough. We had lots of good laughs during the meeting, and a good time was had by all.

Deja Vu... Sorta

2010-01-12T15:12:00.004-06:00

I feel like I'm in grad school again. And for some reason, it feels like that was eons ago. Anyway, the new faculty at the school are required to read not one, not two, but three academic essays to discuss (I guess) tomorrow at the meeting that I just became aware of yesterday. Then, of course, there is this capstone project that they mentioned before break that I totally forgot about until I dug out the essays (which I easily could have read over break had I not forgotten about this entire project) and saw that I had scribbled some sort of note to myself about a capstone project in April. I think this means we're supposed to do some sort of experiment with our teaching pedagogy or something. I guess I forget that not everybody took pedagogy classes like I did. Really, this should be a breeze, but I'm just seeing it as extra work.

Now one thing I must remind myself is that, although I feel slightly overwhelmed right now, I have significantly fewer students this semester than last. More I get to thinking about it though, I don't know that this necessarily means less work. After all, several of the students that are not showing up on my spring dual enrollment rosters didn't write papers in the fall, either.

Well, such is life. I should get off here and get back to reading/highlighting those essays. Then maybe I'll have a chance to put together some sort of a course outline this evening.

Meeting Day

2010-01-11T23:04:00.002-06:00

Well, today was the first day of two meetings. There will be another similar day on Friday. Meaning two meetings separated by a healthy lunch break. Anyway, that consumed much of my day. But I am happy to say that I have copies of all five of my syllabi printed out. This means I can drop them off to the copy place tomorrow and avoid the copy problems I had in the fall. Hopefully. Then, tomorrow I need to exchange keys so I can get into my new office, and return a library book. Also, I'll need to come up with a course outline and read over some academic essays for my Wednesday meeting. Among other things. Sorry this post was a bit dry. Just feels like I'm pretty busy somehow.

Back to Work

2010-01-10T20:32:00.002-06:00

Well school starts next week. That means tomorrow we have meeting day. Yikes! I'm not ready yet. I still had things to do over break that didn't get finished. Eh, such is life.

This whole getting back to work after break thing is totally kicking my butt. I do like my job, I do like my students, and I am excited about the new textbook. I'm not, however, excited about putting together new class preps. That's why I'm starting them early--tonight.

I haven't technically started them yet, but I plan to very soon. Fortunately, my cousin just happens to have a copy of the textbook I requested for my Rhetoric class. Thisaway I can take a look at it before I get my own copy. Problem is, I've been traveling all day and I'm a little worn out. I took a nap before eating (I probably wouldn't have even eaten except that I was starting to feel sick), but I'm still really tired. I think after a break we should get another week or so to recover from the break. (Yeah, yeah, I know we get a week before school starts, but I'm talking a week before the meetings and the planning and all that).

Well, I suppose I could've come back sooner.

Anyway, I'm going to need all the support and positive reinforcement I can get here. One of my goals for 2010 is not to put things off. In other words, I want to get in and get things done. I'm not really a procrastinator, but I want to get even better about getting things wrapped up soon, thus freeing up larger chunks of free time to maximize the amount of stuff I can get done in any given day.

Whew! Just read back over that last one. Makes me tired. Maybe I should take a second nap.

Musings

2010-01-07T12:06:00.004-06:00

Well, I got the old tripod out again today to take some snow pictures. Really I probably took about the same ones as last year, except that this time I tried using the self-timer thing so that I could be in them as well. Those weren't the greatest, but it was fun to experiment.

Other things on the agenda for today: make cheese spread (gotta love those comfort foods!) called Ultimate Grilled Cheese from Taste of Home magazine, make chocolate pudding (maybe with amaretto--we'll see how daring I'm feeling), work on the granny square afghan and try to finish The 42nd Parallel.

I'm trying to get various craft projects wrapped up before I have to go back to work. So far I've finished two: the latch hook rug for one grandma and the needlepoint heart project for the other.

I have a confirmation from one grandmother to go with me to karaoke, weather permitting, tomorrow if the place is having it. I haven't karaoked in a long time. Not sure how it will go or if we'll even go. I would also like to go to her house and work on the beading project she got me for Christmas. Just thought it would be nice to do that together before I have to go back, but if we don't end up having time, then maybe we can get together and work on it during my next break.

Really, I've managed to accomplish a fair amount of diversified things over this break. It has seemed far longer than it's really been. That's a change for me. Usually time flies right by me and it totally freaks me out. That's why I'm so fond of doing several things in one day. Somehow that gives the illusion of slowing down time. I know, it runs totally contrary to what they say about time flying when you're having fun, but try it sometime--diversify the things you do in a day and see if at the end of the day it doesn't seem as though you've lived through two or three days instead of just one. I first discovered this phenomenon more years ago than I really should be admitting. Probably... 10-15 years ago I'd guess? It's been too long for me to remember. Anyway, that day I went to town with some friends from church (something I rarely did) and actually had a really good time. Then, in the afternoon, I went to another friend's house. It seemed like two days, but it was really just one.

Anyway, I started packing for my trip back today. It's a little sad, but I've had a good long break (made even longer by diversification) and there's always spring break which will be coming up in probably a couple months or so. Then there's summer. I'd like to take another trip with my mother this summer. I'd really like to visit San Francisco.

Just a Couple of Thoughts...

2010-01-06T16:53:00.002-06:00

1) I'm sure that whoever is sending me anonymous comments in foreign languages and/or advertising WoW and Viagra must have too much time on their hands. Not that I have a problem with comments in other languages than English, but the anonymous ones appear to fake ones. Perhaps these individuals could find themselves employed with Wal-Mart (as checkers), which leads to...

2) What is the deal with Wal-Mart? The last time I went, there were employees crawling all over the place, seriously impeding shoppability, moving items to the front of shelves. Seriously, those people could have been stationed to man the checkout counters so that the lines didn't have to be freaking nine miles long. Sheesh.

It's All My Fault

2010-01-05T19:16:00.003-06:00

*This is the preliminary draft of something I'd like to probably proofread and add to a larger work at some point*

My father and I went to my grandmother's house to stay with my aunt who has autism. Really, she did just fine, though my father and I became remarkably sleepy during the course of the stay. The reason we were there was that my grandmother had a routine mammogram scheduled for today. As she is a breast cancer survivor, these checkups are extremely important.

Anyway, that's the background. So at some point my father and I were both conscious again after we'd each had our turn at napping during the afternoon. Seems as though when one was awake the other was asleep. Anyway, Dad asks me if I want cornbread for supper tonight (to go with some leftover butter beans). I reply that I'd prefer corn muffins. After a short discussion as to whether or not we had corn muffin mix, he came to the conclusion that I should call my grandmother (who had planned to stop at the store after the mammogram) and ask her to pick up a pouch or two of the mix.

I dialed the number.

(indistinct rattling and muffled electronic voices)
"Just a minute. Let me get my Bluetooth in."
(more of the same)
"There we are. Just a minute, honey. Let me pay her and then I can talk to you."
"Oh, you're checking out? Well, nevermind then."
"No, what? Did you need something? I can go back..."
"No, seriously, if you're in line, and paying, don't worry about it. It's really no big deal."
(checker in background) "I can hold your stuff if you need to go back and get something."

This continued for about 10 more minutes, ad nauseum. Finally, my grandmother insisted that she had already left her things with the checker and demanded to know what it was I wanted. Holding my hand over the receiver, I asked my dad, "Should I tell her?"

"Yes" he hissed, as he'd been telling me lo these 10 minutes that I should tell her to forget about it, not worrry about it, it's not a big deal, etc.

Confused and irritated, I replied, "Um, corn muffin mix."

My father scowled, thinking I meant should I tell her to forget about it.

"Like the kind that you make corn casserole with?" my grandmother asked.

"I don't know... the kind you make corn muffins with," I stupidly replied.

My grandma was mumbling something and my dad was growling something, and I really didn't catch what anyone said, but in the extreme drama of the situation, I figured I was bound to get in trouble with someone. Maybe both of them.

Turns out, my dad wasn't mad at me, but was rather horrified that my grandmother, in an extreme attempt at goodwill, would waste so much time (and possibly create an offensively long line at the store) over some blooming corn muffin mix. I was equally horrified, but as I was also still sleepy, I just wanted to get the thing over with. Becoming a hair grouchy, I mumbled, "This was a bad idea. I shouldn't have called. I've messed everything up." I really wasn't looking for sympathy, but I felt that I'd created quite a stir over something as simple as corn muffin mix.

Grandma, who is usually almost as deaf as I am, actually heard that. "No, you're not in trouble honey. I'm here. Now, how many do you want?"

This created yet another problem, as my father and I, both groggy and a bit moody from our nap/vigil shifts, neither one wanted any lousy corn muffins at this point. "Two" I blundered out. And it was as simple as that. Muffin mix was officially procured. Having survived the drama of the situation, my father and I were just calming down from the long-distance humiliation of the imaginary scene we inadvertantly created when his phone rang. Of course, it was my grandma. Seems she had locked her keys in the car. When Dad asked about spare keys, she told him that she'd locked them in the car, too.

I knew I shouldn't have asked for those lousy corn muffins! If I'd just agreed to cornbread, none of this would have happened.

Goals, etc.

2010-01-03T16:45:00.003-06:00

Okay, so here's how I've been doing thus far:

The needlepoint project for my grandma (that I probably haven't mentioned on here) is almost done. Sure, there's some more background stitching for me to do and some outlining and some embellishments, but it's certainly coming along. I might even get it finished before the school year starts again.

The granny square afghan might have to wait until the next break or summer or something. At Thanksgiving, I had good intentions of finishing the afghan at Christmas; however, I haven't felt like working on it. So it goes.

Have been learning Spanish again. I have two workbooks (one on pronouns and prepositions, the other on verb tenses), three DVDs, and a Rosetta Stone. I'm making decent progress in the pronouns and prepositions book (won't start verb tenses, the DVDs or the Rosetta Stone until school starts, probably).

My new year's resolutions (goals, whatever) are made. We'll see how I do with them. Some of them are rather lofty (ex: publish something), whereas some of them are easier to do (blog more often), though some of them (procrastinate less) are hard to define. Several of the goals involve completing something (finishing a novel(la) I'm writing, reading various novels, and completing craft projects). Here's hoping the spring semester is a great one and that 2010 will be even better than '09!

I Have to Admit It's Getting Better...

2010-01-01T18:28:00.003-06:00

Well, 2010 is looking up! Even though the bowling and billiards and karaoke are all closed tonight, I was able to go shopping with my mother and grandmother. I usually hate shopping, but we went to Barnes and Noble, which was just awesome. Also, we met up with my cousin and her husband for lunch. Well, I don't really have time to blog right now, so I'll get off and hopefully I can check back on blogs later. Happy 2010 everyone!

2010

2010-01-01T08:47:00.002-06:00

Well, here it is, friends and foes, whether we're ready for it or not. I didn't do one lousy thing to celebrate last night. I'm kind of thinking about not celebrating holidays anymore. They've lost their luster.

Still, I feel depressed thinking about how I'm going to have to hear about how much fun everybody else had last night. I want to go sing karaoke tonight, but I don't know if any of the local places will have it or not, and I don't know if the two friends that I ever do anything with will want to. Correction: I don't know if their parents will let them. This isn't a very good way to start the new year. Hopefully I'll feel better as the day progresses. The main thing I've learned is to never get one's hopes up or become excited about anything. That's the best way to cope with life.

So Long, 2009. We've Had a Good Run...

2009-12-31T08:30:00.002-06:00

Well, the year 2009 comes to a close. Being the pragmatic realist that I am, I'm baffled as to why people celebrate New Year's. We don't celebrate New Month's or New Week's, or even New Day's. So why all the hoopla about a new year?

I just realized that I sound dangerously close to Andy Rooney all of a sudden.

Anyway, I guess I'll do what everyone else seems to like to do at the end of a year: reflect on it. Really, this has been a pretty good year for me. Far better than that other year that totally sucked for me. But see? I can't even remember which it was. I'm guessing 2008 though.

Okay, what has 2009 brought me? Well, a resurgence in blog posts, for one. Granted, I'm not as good at it as I was back in my heyday (2005-6) when my blog was new, but I've made quite an improvement over 2007 when I hardly blogged at all.

Also, I got a full-time job. I'd say that's something to get excited about. So I moved to a different place, started teaching kids of all ages (from junior in high school all the way up to adults older than I returning to school).

Also took a road trip to Appalachia over the summer. That was nice. I got to see Shenandoah via Skyline Drive, so I sorta fought my fear of heights on that one. It really was beautiful and a great time.

I read several books over the summer, but I almost can't keep track of them anymore. I know there were several Sinclair Lewis', and Little Dorrit by Dickens, and The Great Gatsby because I couldn't believe I'd taken a Master's in English without reading Gatsby. I know there were more, but as I said, there are too many to count.

I got a new car, so along with that new job, I have new payments to deal with. But it's all good.

I've also started playing my guitar again and doing crafts more regularly. Case in point, I just finished a latch hook project from I don't know how many years ago last night. I'm still working on that granny square afghan. I've probably been working on that since before I started this blog. But I really don't feel like working on it at the moment, somehow. Thus, I think I'll get back to my small needlepoint project. I figured I'd give the latch hook to one grandma and the needlepoint heart to the other.

Well, that's about all I can think of for 2009. I'm sure there were other blogworthy things about the year, but if so, I can't seem to recall them at the moment. Here's hoping that 2010 will be even better! Now, onto those resolutions...

Happy New Year's Eve Eve

2009-12-30T15:59:00.003-06:00

I remember New Year's Eve last year, but I can't say as I recall New Year's Eve Eve last year. Strange, huh? Well, the reason I remember New Year's Eve is that I had to do laundry at the laundromat. And something bad happened. I've repressed most of the memory, but I do recall that something bad happened. And then I went to Subway with Beth and Jean. And the other Beth showed up. And her Subway gift card wouldn't work. Then my mom called and we went shopping. That's a pretty lousy memory, isn't it?

But the strange thing about this is that I can't seem to remember more important things. You know, things like what happened on New Year's Eve Eve last year. Why is it that I remember the New Year's Eve story that nobody really cares to hear? Eh well. Such is life.

Well, I'm happy to announce that my Spanish verbs book has come in! Sure, it's a little late, but who cares? And I finished The Road. Nothing like a little Cormac McCarthy to make a dreary day all the more dreary. This has been one of the bleakest Christmas-New Year's stretches that I can recall in the history of recorded time. It's almost a shame that I don't have Bleak House to reread. Or, I guess I could have checked out Ulysses from the University library again. I mean, sure I didn't get very far on it when I started it over the summer, but it's a big book. It could take a while to read. Plus, I don't see the book club suggesting it anytime soon, so to try to read it alongside the book club books and juggling all that with teaching/grading stuff? I'm worn out already.

And speaking of juggling, you should have seen me play the Wii at Jean's house the other day. I think the first thing she conned me into doing was Wii Juggling. Okay, so I can't even juggle in real life, so I'm not sure why I got cocky and thought I ever had a snowball's chance in heck to do Wii Juggling. Perhaps it's because I'm not bad at Wii: boxing, tennis, baseball, and bowling. Though I'm terrible at all those things in real life, save boxing, which I've never tried in real life, but you get my point.

Anyway, the juggling. So you have to balance on a beach ball thing while juggling. It was nigh onto impossible for me to do, so I moved on to other things. I think in just under two hours' time, I juggled, hula hooped, skiied, snowboarded, skateboarded, did martial arts, did step aerobics, and did some crazy game where I had to control a bird character. All I remember from the latter is Beth screaming, "FLAP HARDER! FLAP HARDER!" So when I flapped harder (looking a complete fool, I'm sure), I overshot the pole I was supposed to land on and heard Beth screaming, "STOP FLAPPING!" at which time I did, in fact, stop flapping, and my bird sunk into the ocean.

Good thing I'm not a bird.

Christmas, Part Deux

2009-12-25T22:07:00.002-06:00

Okay, so anyway. We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast--mmmm. Then, headed over to Dad's mother's house. She wasn't feeling the greatest when we got there--her pulse and blood pressure were both high and she was shaking. Fortunately, it didn't last long, and she started feeling much better while we were sitting around visiting. After she felt better, we opened gifts. Just before we left, she took her blood pressure and pulse again and it had returned to normal.

From her, I got a scarf that she knitted, a beading kit, and some money.

Came home and watched some SNL Christmas/Hanukkah specials. I love Adam Sandler's Hanukkah song! Oh, and Dana Carvey is my hero! He does a terrific job as George Bailey. And since I love It's a Wonderful Life, the alternate ending sketch was priceless, in my estimation.

I baked a loaf of bread (I had my doubts about the quantity of flour), and my now-famous cheesy potato soup. It's sort of become a tradition on Mom's side of the family for me to bring this combo to the annual soup supper extravaganza.

While the soup was cooking and the bread baking, we finally got around to opening our gifts. I got two learning Spanish DVDs, a video game, some candy, a gift card and some more money.

At the evening party, I got the third learning Spanish DVD, another game, another gift card, a planner, and some more candy. It was a very good Christmas, but not just for the gifts.

We had a great get-together tonight. Pierce (always the joker) was making cracks constantly (no surprise there), but, on occasion, was also the subject of much jesting. We had a bit of a game of "things [certain people] will never be heard saying." Needless to say, that was a riot.

Andre had wedding photos to give out. I took a couple of wallet pictures. She even gave me a hug. I'm not sure we've ever hugged before. She knows and respects my introvertivity, but I think she just likes me.

The weather has been bitterly cold, so Andre and I were humming "Mele Kalikimaka." Not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow, but I'd love to drive down to Jean's house and play some Wii with her and Beth. I am glad to announce that, even though it was a busy Christmas, it really wasn't quite as rushed as I feared it would be; though, we were late to the evening gathering.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T08:53:00.002-06:00

Well, this is my 26th Christmas. I think I'm ready for it. I had fun wrapping gifts and watching PBS last night. The potato pancakes and hot cocoa must've helped degrinchify me. Anyway, Peyser wanted to help wrap gifts too. He can melt even the coldest heart. Actually, he's sitting on my lap right now helping me type this entry. After the gifts were wrapped last night, he positioned himself among them. Oh yes, and he, of course, had to play in the ribbon.

So, I got up at 7:30 this morning, thinking I'd really gotten up early. Thought maybe we could get a head start on the whole Christmas thing. Well, then I found out that my dad had been up since 4:00, and my mom since 2:30. Maybe I really should have stayed up all night like I'd planned. But then, Santa might not come if I don't go to sleep, right?

Well, anyway, I need to get off here. Dad's got his Santa hat on and I haven't gotten dressed yet. I'll hopefully have more updates later.

Merry Christmas to all celebrating!

Potato Pancakes!

2009-12-24T15:34:00.003-06:00

Okay, I know this is unorthodox and wrong, and possibly even sinful, but I made potato pancakes without egg. In fact, I just stirred up some Potato Buds, milk, margarine, and water, then stuck this in the microwave for a minute, and browned them in a nonstick skillet without any oil, etc.

They were really good.

I'm feeling a bit more festive now; so much so that I actually had Dad pick up two kinds of ribbon (curling ribbon and wire ribbon) so I can decorate my gifts nicely. Yeah, just so they'll be ripped open and damaged beyond recognition in around 28 hours or so.

And you know what? I don't even care about the rushed Christmas thing anymore. I'm just glad to have some days off. I'm hoping to shoot some pool while I'm here, and I definitely need to go to Jean's house and play some Wii, and heck, I might even find the time to make some more potato pancakes.

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!

Another Blogiversary

2009-12-23T13:28:00.002-06:00

This post has very little to do with the fact that today is my 4-year blogiversary. It seems like it's been much longer, somehow.

Apparently, this year Christmas is going to be more hectic than ever and even less enjoyable. I mean, I don't know that I ever saw the holiday as magical, but this year is going to be like the old days when we would rush around from one location to another without getting to enjoy the day one iota, until it's over, and then there's the lousy anticipation that starts all over again. You wait all year for this day, and then it's gone.

I'm getting mad just thinking about it.

And what really burns me is that it shouldn't be this way. For the past several years, we've gone to one grandma's house on Christmas eve, and the other on Christmas night. Well, this year, the Christmas eve grandma decided to haul off and spend it with some people she barely knows. Without even asking us if it was okay to totally railroad us out.

So now, we're forced to do the Christmas day rush. Oh yes, and I thought I was going to get to see my uncle and a cousin that I haven't seen in years. Yeah, no. They're not coming, either.

And I'm in a foul mood as a result. I don't have much time here with my family before another busy semester starts, and I'd really like to take the time to actually enjoy Christmas. But, then again, my feelings amount to nothing. I guess that's why I don't generally have feelings--I've conditioned myself to lose all feelings and emotions (unless under intense stress and at certain times of the month).

Call me Clark Griswold (actually, please don't), but I had this overly idealized concept that maybe this year we could slow Christmas down a little. I mean, separating it into two days helped, but I still get really depressed once it's over. Now I have to contend with the depression plus the feelings of insignificance that accompany being pushed to the back burner in favor of strangers.

I'm sure that I'm overreacting and that ~~someone~~ ~~everyone~~ anyone who reads this anymore (if anyone does still read this blog after I've practically abandoned it numerous times) will probably consider me horribly spoiled. It's not that I don't appreciate Christmas--quite the contrary. I appreciate it a lot, and that's why I'd like to slow it down and actually enjoy it for once, rather than treat it like work where there are stresses and deadlines to meet and all sorts of unhappy things accompanying it (which is not the way Christmas should be).

I guess I could still make those potato pancakes I've been so hungry for.

End of the Semester

2009-12-14T21:00:00.003-06:00

Today was my first final as a college instructor. It went pretty well. I'm going to miss my students. I'll probably see most of them again next semester, but some of them won't be in my class anymore. They wrote such sweet things to me on their finals.

I'm grading those finals now. Well, not right now. Right now I'm updating my blog, but I just took a quick break from grading. I have a Grateful Dead concert playing, courtesy of www.archive.org. I hope to get through all these finals tonight and calculate a few grades. Then, I'll get to do it all again tomorrow.

Except tomorrow I shouldn't have as much paperwork to do. Today, I had a tremendous amount of paperwork to do. I think I have a form to sign tomorrow, but for the most part, I got that type of thing taken care of today. Maybe that means that tomorrow I can start getting ahead of schedule. Well, we can always hope, anyway. Gonna get back to the grading now. Peace out.

Where Does the Time Go?

2009-12-12T09:34:00.002-06:00

Well, the semester is certainly coming to a close. I had my last class meeting yesterday. Finals week starts Monday. That should be fairly easy. I don't know if any of my students are going to turn in late essays or not. I'm planning to grade in-class essays today, as well as (hopefully) finish To Kill a Mockingbird for book club. I've read it a million times, but I like it so well that I decided to read it again, rather than rely on memory.

The essay-grading plan is thus:

Saturday: grade and record all in-class essays
Sunday: maybe grade some essays (if any from Monday's class come in late); otherwise, chill
Monday: give first final; grade essays to be returned Tuesday; grade Monday finals
Tuesday: give second final; grade essays to be returned Wednesday; grade Tuesday finals
Wednesday: etc.
Thursday: I'm not sure what to do during their final, as I haven't received essays from the Friday class to grade; perhaps read The 42nd Parallel.
Friday: collect final drafts of their essay; give last final; grade drafts during final; catch a plane home for Christmas; grade Friday finals on the plane
Saturday: figure and post grades

And voila! From Saturday morning on, I'll be on break! And one of my top priorities is making some potato pancakes.

Another is picking up Ulysses again. I started reading it over the summer, but with my teaching workload and the book club and the writing group, and my own personal quests to read the U.S.A. trilogy and practice guitar and learn Spanish and conquer Call of Duty and pick up an embroidery project I'm still working on for a friend and occasionally update this blog, I just can't seem to find the time to try to wrap my mind around Joyce. Might be a nice Christmas goal though. At least to make some more progress on it.

Weird Blast from the Past, Lately

2009-12-06T10:42:00.003-06:00

Hmm, so this year has been a crazy mixture of new things combined with pieces of my past that keep popping up. New things involve my job and where I live, but the old things are what interest me for this post.

When I got my new car, it came with Sirius radio. Okay, so first things first, that brings me back to the mid 2000s when I used to hang out at Annette's house all the time. I used to bum around on the couch listening to the Sirius channels on their TV. Then, we'd often have a meal (or go out) and come back to either watch a movie or play cards. It was really awesome, and I miss those days.

Secondly, one of my new friends introduced me to Sirius 32--the Grateful Dead channel. Okay, well this takes me back to my college days. I've heard of the Grateful Dead as long as I can remember, but the only song I'd heard by them for quite some time was "Touch of Grey." But at the time, I didn't know what the song was called or who sang it. A few years back (it seems like it hasn't been that long, but I know it's been a few years now), I randomly heard "Alabama Getaway" on the radio. Now, most 'heads will know that to hear the Dead on the radio is a rarity. This is the first time I was aware that I was hearing a Grateful Dead song. I fell in love with "Alabama Getaway" and knew I had to hear more. At some point I managed to hear "Truckin'" and "Sugar Magnolia" on the radio as well, and that was it. I had to own a Grateful Dead CD. So, my obsession began in college, but the only music I was aware of were the songs on the CD + "Alabama Getaway." I had no idea what I was missing out on.

With the Sirius radio, I have been exposed to far more Dead tunes than I ever dreamed existed. I haven't heard them all yet, but I'm getting there.

Okay, I've also managed to reconnect with some old friends. Jean and Beth (sisters) and even sometimes the other Beth (their cousin). I talk to Jean around once a week. We always have a good time. When I came home for Thanksgiving, I got together with her and her sister Beth. I didn't want to leave--we were having that much fun.

Then, the really weird thing happened last night. Other Beth's brother, David, the one I had a crush on for about three years, randomly called me up. I don't have feelings for him anymore, but had he called me sometime between 2001-2004, I would have been ecstatic. I'm not sure what prompted him to call me last night. We did used to be friends, so maybe he wants to regain that friendship. What I don't understand is that when I liked him, he never wanted to have anything to do with me. Then he got married. Then he got divorced. Now he's dating someone else and for whatever reason, he called me last night. I don't understand it.

A couple other things from my past that have come back are video games and music. The music came first. When I started listening to the Grateful Dead (and even figured out how to incorporate a YouTube of the band playing "One More Saturday Night" for my classes), I decided I wanted to play guitar again. Also, one of my students plays, so that did it. I had to go buy a cheap guitar so I'd have something to play. I've been playing much more now than I did 13 years ago when I first started taking lessons. I guess now that I don't take lessons, I'm more dedicated.

It was probably in 2002 that I got my Xbox. I really don't remember. I'm not even sure what made me want one. I made a huge leap in gaming systems--I went straight from Atari 7800 to original Xbox. Granted, I played original Nintendo and N64 with friends between times, but as far as systems I owned, that was it. Well, after hearing my students talk about games, games, games, sure enough, I had to buy a console. I was a little irritated with Microsoft for discontinuing Xbox stuff so quickly, when PS2 has really held on; and after reading multiple essays on how PS3 was better, I opted for the Sony. Actually, it was the Blu-Ray player that sold me. That being said, I only own one PS3 game, and I've already conquered it. It just feels weird to be sort of living my past again in the present. Trippy enough for ya?

Ah, the Weekend...

2009-11-22T17:18:00.003-06:00

This has been a fairly relaxing weekend. Except for the heartbreaking emails I've had to send to students, the unnerving nightmares I never completely remember but still feel unnerved by, and the grading I ended up doing, though I told myself I wouldn't.

Tomorrow's a short day--one class, one advising hour, and however long I want to stay in my office doing the grading I've been trying to avoid this weekend.

Tuesday is a regular day, except that I'm taking off after work to head home for Thanksgiving. Hard to believe--it'll be here before I know it!

Today is Pierce's birthday. I'm still not sure what we're going to do to celebrate. I've cloistered myself in my room most of the day.

Except when I went to the park for two glorious hours. Were it not for the fact that my bladder was urging me to get back to the house, I could've stayed in the park all day reading Dos Passos.

Have I mentioned that I really love Dos Passos? I don't recall Manhattan Transfer at the moment, but I remember liking it a lot. Well, I should clarify: I think I remember it, but some of the literature from that time period (Modernist) is pretty similar. And I've read a bunch of it. Maybe I'll just Google the novel to see if it's the one I'm remembering.

I just love reading in the park. If only I had more time to do that...

Additionally, I worked on a cross-stitch project! I usually don't have time for crafts, but today I was able to. I have several cross-stitch projects in progress. Two for friends and one for my mom, and some others for my cousin. I'm hoping to get the ones for friends done by Christmas, but I'm not holding my breath. I thought I'd get them done for last Christmas, but obviously that didn't happen. And I wasn't even working that much back then. I'm not sure where my time goes, but it seems to really get away. I think it has something to do with having too many hobbies.

Still Waking Up...

2009-11-21T10:34:00.004-06:00

And now it's Saturday. Not sure what I'm going to do today. Have a bunch of papers to grade, but I've been doing that all week! Want a little time off. I have plenty of things to do today, it's just a matter of deciding which to do, rather than wasting the whole day.

Yesterday was a big day. Taught class from 8-11:50, then had a meeting from 12-2. Then in my office from 2-4. At a little after 7, went back to the college to hear my cousin and some others in the music department play a recital from 7:30-9. Pierce played some of his own compositions, as well as some Classical (opera?) pieces and the very impressive "Winter Wind" etude by Chopin. I'm totally at a loss on Classical music, but I really enjoyed "Winter Wind." It's haunting and a little creepy in places. If I'm going to listen to Classical, that's how I like it. Haunting.

Anyway, Thanksgiving is coming up. I'm looking forward to seeing my friends and family. I have a lot of things planned for a very short handful of days, but maybe we can make it all work. I'll probably be so busy that I won't get rested up before I have to come back to work! But then, there will only be the last few days of classes left before we get another break--Christmas!

I can't get too excited about Christmas though, because I haven't started shopping yet. And I have a bad feeling that I won't have much time to shop during those last weeks of classes.

Anyway, I'll probably call some people today, play a little music and read my Dos Passos book. I'd like to do some embroidery, but I seem to never have the time. It is a very time-consuming hobby. But then, I guess I don't have to do much embroidery at once. We'll see about the grading.

P.S. Tomorrow is Pierce's birthday. I wonder what we will do to celebrate?

Where's the Red Bull When I Need It?

2009-11-18T22:00:00.003-06:00

I love Wednesdays, but I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed with work. Not that bad yet, but I know I'll be getting more essays tomorrow. And probably even tonight. Been grading, grading, grading, and listening to Grateful Dead music courtesy of archive.org. One of my former professors introduced me to the site. I'm really glad he did because, though I don't get to listen to it very often, I've found some great concert music on it.

Well, I guess Thanksgiving is coming up--a week from tomorrow. Hard to believe. Tying back to my previous post (was that just yesterday?) about time, where did 2009 go?

Tuesday's Gone... with the Wind

2009-11-17T16:57:00.002-06:00

Thank you to Lynyrd Skynyrd for that awesome lyric. And all apologies for ripping it off. I was rereading some of my old posts and some from my friend AG lately. They reminded me of the "old days." I put this in quotes because I'm being slightly facetious, but not too much, when you think of it. My college days have come and gone and sometimes I find it hard to believe that I'm out of high school. I think this is because when I was a little kid (and too much of a thinker), I used to think things like, "Wow. In the year 2000 I'll be 16 and have a car! In 2002 I'll graduate high school!" It seemed like the magic turn of the millineum was an event that was too far in the future the ever happen. Plus, when the 19's ended and the 20's began, well, we all just knew that was going to be the end of the world. Anybody remember stocking up on rice and beans and/or buying a generator to outwit, outplay, and outlast the dreaded Y2K?

But nothing happened. It was just life as usual. I guess what blows my mind is that the 2000s are almost over and the teens are going to begin. In the naughts, I have graduated high school, community college, university, and graduate school. Not only that, but I have also seen all my employment during those years. In a way, it seems so short. How did all that happen in a mere 9 years?

But then, you say, 9 years isn't anything to sneeze at. Nine years is 1/10th of 90 years. And 10% can go a long way. But seriously, what can I say about the '90s? A whole heck of a lot more. I started school, met all the milestones, and even became a teenager. The 1990s were a strange time. They somehow linked the 1980s with the 2000s. To me, that's a major feat.

What does all this have to do with the title of my post? I honestly haven't a clue. Maybe I'm just thinking about how it blows my mind that Spring 2010 is rapidly approaching. Maybe I'm having another quarter-life crisis. Could be related to being on the 30 end of my 20s now. Maybe it's because I teach some dual enrollment classes and I see high schoolers almost on a daily basis. Sometimes I forget that it's been years since I was there age. About 9 years, to be exact. And why is it that that pesky numbah noin, numbah noin, numbah noin, keeps popping up, anyway?

Like that reference just then. I wonder how many (if any) of my students would have a clue that I made a reference to the Beatles just now? If they even read this blog. Which I hope they don't. I sometimes forget that I'm supposed to be out of the loop. The only time I remember it is when I truly am. High school. It's been an eternity, but it just happened yesterday. And what really freaks me out is that these students were little kids when I was their age.

Anyway, I think the moral of this story, if one can be distilled, would probably be something like this: Tuesdays tend to wear me out. But this week, it's over. Maybe the tie to my childhood is my subconscious or my unconscious or whatever not-entirely-conscious-but-sorta part of my brain trying to tell me that high school is done. Over. Fin. And so is college.

But wait! While rereading the first part of this (whatever this is), it came to me. I miss the old days when AG and I had just begun blogging. I felt so full of inspiration and creativity back then. I also had dreams of being published. What happened to those dreams, anyway?

My Evening, in a Nutshell

2009-11-16T18:33:00.003-06:00

I just made a cheese bread out of a refrigerated pizza dough. It wasn't the greatest, but it'll do. Chased it with a Ferrero Rocher and a Coke (they've already put Santy Claus on the cans) and I felt pretty good. Somehow I've been really tired lately. Think it might have something to do with the cold front and the overcast days.

Maybe I just haven't fully recovered from my birthday last Tuesday.

I wanted to go to the park, but by the time I'd eaten, it was getting dusky. Plus, I'm really too lazy to get out. It feels good just to lie down. Problem is, I have so many hobbies that once I'm done with work, I rarely have time to do them because I'm usually too tired!

Hmm, let's see... I played a bit of "Wish You Were Here" on my guitar. Heard a guy in a restaurant play it over the weekend, so I went home and practiced it. I'm not great by any means, but I can at least play it.

I would have played video games, but I only have one game. And I got through it in just over a week. Too cheap to buy another at the moment.

I do have a copy of The 42nd Parallel by John Dos Passos. It's so refreshing to be reading modernist literature again. Don't ask me why stories of industrialization and socialism in early 1900s America is so appealing to me.

Our book club is going to tackle one of my favorite books of all time: To Kill a Mockingbird. Even though I've already read it umpteen times, I'm looking forward to reading it again. But my heart yearns for Dos Passos. I'd like to read the entire USA trilogy, but we'll see how much time there is for that.

Right now a nap sounds like it might be in order. I'm sure I'll hate myself later for sleeping my evening away, but I'm just so tired.

Update

2009-11-12T08:26:00.002-06:00

Hey y'all...

Can't stay long today--been super busy lately. Have to fill you all in on everything when I get a chance. Anywho, just wanted to give a heads-up that I enabled comment moderation, but only on posts older than two weeks. Hopefully this will cut down on/eliminate the spammy comments I've been getting on posts that are nearly four years old. If it doesn't, though, I'll turn on comment moderation for all of them. Wish we could just blog without fooling with all that nonsense. Have a good day, everyone!

Catching Up

2009-11-07T09:16:00.004-06:00

You know, it just occurred to me that I haven't updated this blog since Bob Weir's birthday. Let's see... how to recap the past few weeks into one post?

In no particular order...

I bought Halloween candy for all my students. That cost a pretty penny. I then handed out candy to trick-or-treaters here in the 'hood. That was fun, though I'm not very good with kids.

Courtesy of a joint co-operation between some of my students and Urban Dictionary, I learned the gaming term "teabagging." 'Nuff said on that one.

I read four essays from students telling me that PS3 is better than Xbox 360.

And one that World of Warcraft is better than City of Heroes/City of Villains.

I made gnocchi for the first time. It wasn't the disaster I feared it would be.

Got observed for work. Same day, a student brought his guitar to class and played "Dust in the Wind." During the break, of course. That was pretty cool. Speaking of guitar, I've been practicing mine almost every night. Mainly Grateful Dead tunes, but I occasionally mix it up.

I bought my own video game system. Betcha can't guess what it was! I also bought a Blu-Ray of Woodstock stuff and a Grateful Dead scrapbook. Early birthday gifts to myself.

Having four (4) parties at school next week to celebrate my birthday. Two of the classes really got into it and seem really excited.

Finally watched In Cold Blood, Dead Poets Society, and the original Stepford Wives.

Anyway, my birthday is coming up on Tuesday. I'm sad to see 25 go--it was such a good year. Andre says that 26 will probably be even better. I hope she's right.

Happy Birthday, Bob Weir!

2009-10-16T16:36:00.003-05:00

I love celebrating celebrities' birthdays. I used to celebrate Fred Savage's and Buddy Holly's birthdays every year. I started celebrating John Lennon's quite some time ago, but this is my first year for celebrating Bob Weir's. My Bob Weir ~~obsession~~ appreciation began when I was introduced to Sirius 32: Grateful Dead channel. Well, let me take that back, I've thought Weir was hot ever since I bought my lone Grateful Dead CD. But then, he was 18 or 19 when the picture in that album booklet was taken. Anyway, I started hearing more songs and getting a feel for his voice and realized that I really liked it. Plus, I learned that he got even hotter through the late '60s and early '70s. But I have consistently liked his music throughout the years. I hope to get the chance to see both a Furthur and a RatDog concert someday. Well anyway, happy birthday, Bobby!!

Random Ramblings: October Edition

2009-10-14T21:53:00.003-05:00

I thought it was time to update my blog because it's been a week since my last update and since I'm planning to get final drafts of a narration paper from one class this weekend and rough drafts of an argumentative paper early next week (read: I'm gonna be uber-busy starting with this weekend).

Not a lot to report on right now. I did buy a fairly inexpensive Squier Strat the other day. I've had a lot of fun playing some Grateful Dead tunes (my best so far is "Ripple," though I can do pretty well with "Mississippi Half Step Uptown Toodeloo" and "Me and My Uncle" and even "Mexicali Blues" (if I skip a particular chord).

Been reading Winesburg, Ohio, but I'll admit, it's not as good as I expected it to be. I'm gonna keep truckin' and hope to finish it before its due date (though I've already had to renew it once).

Also, I've been fairly sick; I got sick the day before I got the guitar. And that's been almost two weeks ago. Not sick enough to have to stay home from work, but sick enough to sound like crap. I was hoarse all last week. This week, my voice has reached the Janis Joplin level. That's what I like to call it. In other words, my voice isn't as hoarse, but is still gravelly enough that if I try to belt out a song like, oh, say "Mercedes Benz," I sound remarkably similar to Janis. It's kinda cool, but I'd also like to get over this sickness, too.

Well, that's all I've got for now. Plus, even though I don't have papers to grade, I do have other things to do. So I guess I'd better get to it, because papers will be here before I know it! Peace out, y'all...

Dear Jerry and Bobby,

2009-10-07T17:19:00.004-05:00

I only think it fair to address this letter to both of you, seeing as how its content kind of involves all three of us.

Jerry: Your guitar skills are through the roof. So much so that I actually bought another guitar and would like to try my hand at lead. Nothing like you could do, but at least a start.

Bobby: I like the rhythm your strumming produces; you have a nice voice; you are extremely hot from the 1960s to the early 1990s. Yes, I realize you're married and have children. Just sayin'.

Fact is, boys, I'm realizing that I'm leaning towards yet another vocalist, here. Jerry, I love you on "U.S. Blues." You know I can't get enough of it. I actually saw an Uncle Sam hat shaped pinata at Wal-Mart the other day. I considered putting it on, but there was no one around to take my picture. Then I thought about buying it, but I passed. Anyway, I also love you on "Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo" and "Ramble on Rose," to name a few.

And Bobby, I think the world knows that one of my favorites from you is "One More Saturday Night," although I also love "I Need a Miracle" and "Samson and Delilah."

But guys, neither of you quite has the blues shouting skills that Pig Pen had. I'm sorry to be so blunt, but it's true. I've heard "Easy Wind" three times in the past three days. And each time, it excites me more. I'm really getting a taste for this blues sound. In fact, I got really excited hearing some of his work on Sirius 32 the other day. Does this mean I'm leaving the two of you? Of course not. But please, understand my needs, guys, and don't be hurt if I start listening to more McKernan for a few days. I'm kind of new to his sound.

Thanks for understanding.

Your fan,
Sunshine Jones

Musings Musing From the Last Day of September, 2009

2009-09-30T23:24:00.003-05:00

Today may not have been my best day ever, but the way I have it figured, if I can work the Grateful Dead and the Beatles into one class period, it can't be all bad.

I Love Cheese

2009-09-25T22:35:00.004-05:00

I really do. My favorite cheese is asiago. It's great on pizza. However, I also really dig these twisty cheddar and mozzerella string cheeses (Mom and I like to eat those on road trips, it seems). Let's see, if we're talking cheddar, my rule is: the sharper the better. I tend to like loud flavors (I also like my chocolate dark, my peppers hot, and my sourdough, well, sour). Anyway, if the cheddar doesn't bring tears to my eyes or make me start foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog, I'll probably pass. Okay, so maybe I wouldn't. After all, it's very rare that I pass on cheese...

...unless of course that cheese would be any type of Swiss. I've always been a little scared of Swiss cheese. When I was a little kid the fact that this cheese had holes in it scared the (insert noun here) out of me. Additionally, I'm not crazy about the taste (described by many as "nutty"--whatever that's supposed to mean).

Anyway, back to cheeses I do like. I'm a pretty big fan of pepper jack. I remember riding the Smoky Mountain Railroad through the Nantahala Gorge in North Carolina and hogging all the complementary pepper jack cubes and still being greedy for more. Note: cheddar cubes were also provided, but seeing as how they were not particularly sharp, the cheese snob in me put them away, opting for the deliciously salty (though not all that spicy) pepper jack.

Whatever I do, I've learned to avoid fresh mozzerella like the plague (apologies for the cliche). But I do. I once stupidly assumed I'd like fresh mozzerella after watching some Martha Stewart cooking show in which she made some sort of fresh mozzerella crap that appeared delicious on TV; well, when I finally tried fresh mozzerella for the first time (in Scottsdale, Arizona), I almost threw up. I think this is because fresh mozzerella is not sharp.

Other cheeses I appreciate include Parmesan and Romano. I like them in gratable chunks and in powdered form both. In fact, my favorite pizza includes parmesan, romano, and asiago on a homemade crust with slices of green olives. I could go for one of those about now.

So, does the fact that I just blogged about cheese make me cheesy? Or is it because I just made a bad pun about it?

Check out Sunday Scribblings for more cheesy posts.

I Said My Name Was Ramblin' Rose

2009-09-23T23:35:00.003-05:00

Dear Jerry,

I find I'm thinking about you more and more every day. I've even found myself listening to such tunes as "Mississippi Half-Step," or whatever it's called. I never really figured out what the official title is, but you do a good job on it. Anyway, I've also been listening to "Shakedown Street," or whatever it's called. I apologize, Jerry--since I only own one of your band's albums, I have to rely on Sirius 32 and YouTube for my song titles. Bobby hasn't filled me in on any official titles yet.

Anyway, my point is that I'm gaining a whole new appreciation for your singing. And watching you pick guitar on the Half Step song--I had to stop grading papers for at least a whole minute to watch in awe as my jaw dropped. Very impressive fretboard work. That being said, I think Bobby can do a pretty good job with a guitar as well.

Point being, Jerry, maybe I was a little rash in my last letter. I mean, we'd been spending so much time together and all that maybe I just needed a fresh sound. I don't know. I don't even know what I'm trying to say. My emotions are you everywhere tonight. I mean, I really like Bobby, you know? But if things don't work out between us and I decide I need to listen to a different style of music, do you think you could find it in your heart to forgive me and take me back as a fan? I am still your fan, Jerry. I don't want you to ever forget that. But I'm just going through so much right now, what with changing my musical tastes everyday and all. It's just a lot for a girl to handle. You do understand, don't you Jerry? I knew you would. Thanks for always being there to support me in my decisions.

Your increasingly Grateful fan,
Sunshine Jones

Feeling Good...

2009-09-22T22:18:00.003-05:00

Well, I'm done grading papers for now. Unless, of course, some late papers come in. But for tonight, I'm done! I've been grading for about two weeks now. I haven't had an honest to goodness weekend in three weeks, if that makes any sense. Now I need to finish planning classes for the remainder of the week.

Getting rain here tonight...

But I don't care. I must say, the rain put the song "Brown Eyed Women" in my head. Especially the part about the sound of the thunder and the rain pouring down or something like that.

Anyway, I'm in a musical mindset tonight and feeling good. Who knows how long this mood will last. I'm also kind of tired though...

I Need a Miracle (Every Day)

2009-09-19T21:03:00.003-05:00

Dear Jerry,

It hurts me to write this letter, but to get to the point, I am going to have to leave you for Bob Weir. To be honest, it was "Samson and Delilah" that did it for me. However, he really had me at "Sugar Magnolia."

Don't get me wrong, Jerry, I still love you for "Franklin's Tower," "Friend of the Devil," and "U.S. Blues." It's just that those aren't my top songs at the moment. I apologize for being so fickle.

Really Jerry, it's not you, it's me. I love your sound, but sometimes it's just too mellow for me. I can't help myself, but I really love the screaming rhythm of music like "One More Saturday Night."

I really do dig your lead guitar skills, and I like you better in a full beard and mustache. In my opinion, Bobby should go back to the long sideburns, long ponytail, and hair in the face look he had going on in '72; but you Jerry--you rocked that bushy beard look.

In closing, I'll "say my piece and get out." We've had some good times together Jerry Garcia, but for the time being, I think I'm going to have to listen to another lead singer. I hope you'll understand.

Your fan,
Sunshine Jones

P.S. Please don't take it personally, Jerry. I'm sure I'll come around and favor your songs again sometime. After all, you were my first favorite Grateful Dead lead.

No Falling Asleep in This Service...

2009-09-13T21:35:00.002-05:00

I never cease to be amazed at the stuff I hear at church. Tonight Pastor Tom sang a bit of "Let's Get it On" to explain how Jacob must have felt at the end of his seven-year stint of work for Laban to "earn" Rachel. Sometimes I think he does things like this just to keep us awake. Not that there's much fear of falling asleep during a 5:00 PM service, but you never know!

My Students Are Awesome!

2009-09-09T21:53:00.002-05:00

I've been teaching for just over a week now. I guess you could say a week and a half, though I had Labor Day off. In this period of time, I have already had students refer to me as "Professor" (even though I only have a Master's degree), a student who asked to call me "Master," (though he never decided to actually call me that--which leads me to wonder: if a PhD is a doctor, is a person with an MA a master???), a student say I was cool, a student say he enjoyed coming to my class, and a whole class that wants to celebrate my birthday.

I have four groups right now, but will be adding a fifth in October. The students are a riot! They really know how to make me laugh and have a good time. Fortunately, I can make them laugh too, usually.

If the classes get loud and I have to quiet them down, many of the students will shush the noisy ones. It's amazing. I don't want to jinx anything, but it's like they're really "on my side."

I know you're not really supposed to apologize for lack of bloggage, but I just wanted to let everybody know what's up. I'm teaching full-time now, so I'll still try to blog when I can, but I haven't been able to do memes for a while now. Peace out, y'all!

Terrific News!

2009-09-04T19:17:00.002-05:00

Update: I found another copy of my novella! I am SO EXCITED right now!

Angry...

2009-09-04T13:56:00.003-05:00

Okay, so I met up with my cousins at a local coffeehouse. Objective: good fellowship and writing. I didn't get much writing done because I was so out of the habit (new job = not a lot of spare time until I get into the swing of things). Anyway, I did write a little today. Fired up from that, I came home to open up my novella and possibly add some to it. First, I couldn't find my novella. I found the first chapter and nothing more on my computer's hard drive. No biggie, I thought, I'll get out the old flash drive--it'll be there in its entirety. No. It's gone. The victim of a corrupted file. Now I'm not even in the mood to write. I'm just mad. I know I've printed out the stuff I've written, but I also didn't bring it with me. The stuff is nearly 1300 miles away. That is not cool with me. I mean yeah, I can still write chapters, but I'm not happy with my USB drive right now. Of all things to ruin, it ATE MY NOVELLA. (insert expletive of your choice here--insert a couple actually).

I have to head to the school to hold my office hour. Maybe I can get some grading done and feel better about the whole prospect of writing afterward. Thing is, I thought I had my novella saved in about three different places, so I don't know what happened.

Been Busy...

2009-08-30T22:41:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to update y'all--I took a new job and moved. Thus, I've been busy with training, etc. lately. I start teaching tomorrow.

Random Ramblings...

2009-07-30T13:29:00.002-05:00

My blog entries haven't been terribly organized lately. I'm reverting back to the old Sunshine who wrote about whatever was on her mind and whatever happened during the day (circa 2006). I'm still plugging away at Little Dorrit. I know, I've been reading it all summer. Hey, it's a long book. And I took some time off to read Catch-22, which is nothing to sneeze at.

I'm taking a bit of a break from reading, though I intend to get back to it very soon. The plot has really picked up now that I'm about ten chapters from the end. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed what Dickens had to say in previous chapters, but the plot was kinda lacking (sorry Chuck).

Looking back to my most recent post regarding crafts, I have picked up an afghan project again. I'm crocheting the last round (which is quite time-consuming and consists of nothing but picots and single-crochets). But it's almost done! In a way.

As I type this worthless blog post, I'm sipping some green tea. It's Lipton: Orange, Passionfruit, and Jasmine. I first fell in love with this tea in it's iced version with sugar. I'm finding that it is also interesting hot and unsweetened.

Isn't the past an odd thing? I often look back to the past (hey, I'm a creative nonfictionist, so I kinda need to, right?), and I tend to muse far too much. Especially while reading. It's a wonder my mind retains anything I read when it's going the speed of light flashing through thoughts that I'm only barely aware of. I especially enjoy pondering this one: I've noticed that every year I'm a different person somehow. I imagine most people are like this, but I can only speak for myself. I am blessed with a photographic and (I'm not sure this is a coined term yet) a phonographic memory both. I can remember events like frames of a film, if I'm lucky, and like snapshots if I can't remember something in its entirety. Often, a song or a certain phrase will bring these pictures into focus. It's very bizarre. I'm saying all this because, in remembering these various pieces of my past, I have come to the conclusion that I keep repeating myself in variations on a theme. Sure, I'm a totally different person in 2009 than I was in 1999 or even 1989, but let's examine some of the similarities. I was quite the reader in 1989, often taking on books that were too advanced for me at the time, but not being intimidated by them. In 1999, I was listening to a lot of music (I've toned down the music addiction, but I still find myself spouting off random bits of trivia about Billboard chart positions, artists' backgrounds, etc.) My point is, that with each "new" aspect of me that emerges, I retain something of the former me and they get sort of swirled together like finger paint that isn't completely blended. I change from day to day, picking up various hobbies, and setting others aside for a while. I always come back to the ones I've set aside--they're not abandoned. Even blogging. Though I admit I don't blog as frequently in 2009 as I did in 2006, it's been a vast improvement over the blogging I did in 2008. I left crocheting behind for probably five years or better, and reading... well, I had to read SO MUCH for college, that it was about six months after I graduated that I started picking up books to read for fun again. Funny thing the past.

Crafty Musings...

2009-07-24T11:13:00.002-05:00

I'm taking Granny to buy some embroidery floss today. Maybe that will put me back in the mood to do crafts. Lately I've been on a reading kick and have been playing far too many computer games.

Nostalgia

2009-07-22T14:39:00.002-05:00

It's really cloudy and gloomy outside, but for some reason, I'm not depressed! Usually this kind of weather bothers me, but today I'm feeling cheerful enough. And a little nostalgic.

In the fall semester of 2005 I took probably the hardest college course I've ever had, but the texts were a thrill to read. The course was difficult for me for a number of reasons: #1 I was an undergrad in a graduate course, #2 I was enrolled in five other courses at the time, and #3 I was working two part-time jobs in between classes. Whew! No wonder it was tough! Anyway, this course was Victorian lit, and I remember Wednesdays at the library that semester. Wednesday was my longest day--I was on campus from 9:00 AM to 9:30 PM for classes. In fact, I had four classes that day. After my morning classes, I usually grabbed something to eat at the student union, then headed to the 4th floor of the library (I had a certain area I liked to study in) to the study area near the large south-facing window. If the tables were occupied, then I'd lounge in the soft chairs nearby. I always prayed for seclusion, though that was pretty selfish of me in a university library.

From the time I finished lunch to around 5:30 or 6:00, I was in the library, usually doing nearly a week's worth of assignments for that Wednesday night's class. It's not that I was trying to procrastinate, but this class only met on Wednesday nights from 7:00 to 9:30, and my other five met more frequently. Combined with the number of hours I spent on the job, I usually had time to start the Wednesday assignment sometime on the weekend, then finish it up during my big break on the Wednesday we would discuss it.

Several of my classmates didn't understand how I could spend literally hours alone in the library without going crazy. Many of them wanted to go out with their friends to eat together or go to the bars after class. The last thing they wanted was to be stuck in the library. I didn't mind it.

Being alone in the library gave me a chance to really pay attention to what I was reading, though I usually had to skim the long secondary text articles to save time to read the primary texts more closely. It was an intimate moment with the literature, and great literature it was, too. A few books I remember reading in this class were: Charles Dickens' Bleak House, Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Sign of Four (which is technically a novella). I remember reading much of The Moonstone in the comfy chairs near the window. It was such a cozy spot. I wish I had a cup of hot tea to sip while reading it. Another benefit of reading quietly in the library before class was that everything I read was fresh in my mind for discussion later that night. Yes, I had to do a lot of work for the class, and yes, the semester was very hectic that fall, but by golly, I miss those long evenings of reading by myself in the library.

Catch-22 Reviews (quick overview of book and film)

2009-07-20T13:17:00.005-05:00

I finished the book last night, then popped some corn and watched the movie. The movie was good, but not as good as the book. I hate that the moviemakers left out the "Washington Irving" nonsense. That was one of my favorite recurring themes of the novel. I realize, though, that to condense a 500+ page novel into a two-hour movie requires a good deal of editing. Still, it seemed as though the moviemakers took out mainly the humor and satire, which was my favorite aspect of the book.

I love this: three actors who would later join the cast of "The Bob Newhart Show" are in Catch-22. Newhart himself plays Major Major, Peter Bonerz (Dr. Jerry Robinson on BN Show) plays McWatt, and Jack Riley (Mr. Elliot Carlin on BN Show) plays a surgeon. Other funny stuff: Anthony Perkins (Norman Bates on Psycho) plays, of all parts, the Chaplain, Martin Sheen plays Dobbs, Jon Voight plays Milo Minderbinder, Orson Welles plays General Dreedle, and, to my utter shock, Art Garfunkel (yes, of Simon and Garfunkel) does an excellent job of portraying Nately. I was impressed.

Thought Yossarian was a little over the top, even for Yossarian in the movie. There's a lot of line-screaming in this film. I think the movie would have been far move effective had the actors not been quite so dramatic. While reading the book, I pictured the characters speaking loudly and with excitement, but not with that much excitement.

Several of the characters looked as I pictured them. Yossarian fit perfectly, in my estimation. Major Major was a great role for Newhart, also. Once again, Art Garfunkle fits Nately's persona well. All in all, it was an effective and humorous film, but nothing compared to the angry hilarity to be found in the novel by Joseph Heller.

Uninspired...

2009-07-12T19:37:00.002-05:00

I'm feeling good,
Full of food,
Comfortable in what surrounds me.
I want to write
But try as I might
My muse has not yet found me.

Photography... and reading

2009-07-08T16:13:00.004-05:00

Agh. I haven't been able to take the kind of photos I want lately. Either I'm busy doing something, or the lighting is off, or (like today) it's way too humid. Oh I took a picture, alright, but it's all hazy. I'm scared I'll ruin my camera pulling shenanegans like that. I really didn't know it would fog up the lens though, because I didn't realize the humidity was so high. Should've known better though, since the thunder was beginning in the west.

So, since I don't have photos to share at the moment, you get to hear me talk about the four books I'm reading! I've plowed through a few more pages of A Clockwork Orange and I'm now on page 8/175. A Clockwork Orange is a slow-go because I'm constantly looking up the Nadsat words in the glossary provided at the back of the edition I'm reading. I'm really thankful that there is a glossary, because otherwise, I wouldn't have a clue what any of the veshches* mean.

I'm on 248/561 on Catch-22, and holding steady on the other two. This means that with 342/788 on Little Dorrit and 22/783 on Ulysses I'm now to 620/2307 total, or just over 25%. I'm 256/736 or just over 33% finished with the books that are due on July 23, and I'm 364/1571 or just under 25% through the books that are due on August 1. I've really enjoyed Catch-22 so far. I'm planning to watch the movie after I finish the book. I mean, come on, Anthony Perkins, Martin Sheen, Bob Newhart, John Voight, Orson Welles, and Art Garfunkel? This has to be good.

*things

Reading Update

2009-07-02T13:43:00.003-05:00

Well, friends and neighbors, I'm still recovering from the whirlwind that was June 2009 slowly but surely. I haven't taken any photos yet :( but hope to soon. I might be a little late on True Colours Thursday. Not only did I make my bed today, but I got dressed and also vacuumed and wiped down the kitchen and bath. The situation is improving! Anyway, my real purpose here was to update any of you who are interested about the books I'm reading. Thus far I am on 342/788 on Little Dorrit, 32/561 on Catch-22, 22/783 on Ulysses, and 3/175 on A Clockwork Orange. I rarely read one book at a time, as you can see. My main focus is on Little Dorrit since one of my professors has already finished the book, and the other professor I know to be a speedy reader as well, though I don't know where she is in relation to my progress. Catch-22 is next on the agenda because I'm enjoying it immensely, and it's due earlier than some. Then I plan to read A Clockwork Orange because it is also due earlier, and it's the shortest of the four books. Finally, I plan to finish with Ulysses since it's just so long and I have extra time to read it. Think I'll get them all read without renewing? Orange and 22 are both due July 23, whereas Dorrit and Ulysses are both due August 1. Basically, I'm at 399/2307 and it's July 2nd.

Catching Up

2009-07-01T12:08:00.002-05:00

It's amazing how one little wedding can throw you off so much. Especially when you're just a guest. Sheesh. I had this thing all planned out last month, and everything kinda went to hell in a handbasket after Thursday. That was the last day of my photography class, and the day before the rehearsal dinner.

Friday was a mess--I had three loads of laundry to wash and dry at my grandma's, had to take my mom's car in for an oil change, and still had to do the last dusting of the Mexican Wedding Cakes for the party later that night. We stayed at the party until about 11, which totally threw me off. I had been in the habit of going to bed at 10ish and getting up between 6 and 7 and starting right in with chores. It was a beautiful thing, while it lasted.

So of course, I slept in on Saturday. Because not only did I stay out till 11 Friday night, but I didn't get to sleep until around 2 Saturday morning. Thus the problem snowballs. I overslept on Saturday and was unable to get any chores done. Seriously, it was all I could do to eat, shower, and get dressed in time to be ready to leave at 2ish to pick up my grandma and co. and head to the church where I could "man my post" at the guestbook.

I wanted to dance at the reception, but I think I already complained about that, so I won't anymore. Yeah, so we got home around 9:00 that night, but once again, I didn't get to sleep as early as I had been.

Then Sunday. After church, Mom and I had a scrapbooking class to attend at the teacher's house/workshop. It was fun, though I'm really not a scrapbooker. I mainly went because Mom wanted to go but didn't want to go by herself. Then, I dropped her off at the store to meet Dad, and I went home to presumably try to catch up on things again. I'm not sure what happened, except that I talked to some friends and decided to go out for pizza with S on Monday. Oh yeah, I guess I did read some on Dorrit and took a nap, also. Real productive.

That takes us to Monday, the day that I met S for pizza. I hadn't seen S in weeks, so we hung out longer than is typically needed for pizza consumption. I was supposed to go out with BJ and Mom and Marigold and Pansy for dessert, but Mom had to cancel because Andre and Scott were opening their gifts that evening. That was okay with BJ because she said Marigold and Pansy couldn't make it that day, anyway. Come to find out, we didn't go to the gift-opening either, because they bumped it back a half-hour and moved the location to Renee's house, which is a good hour and a half's drive from Mom's job. Mom decided to just stick around and play catch up herself.

Yesterday was a frightening blur that I can't seem to account for very well. I know I slept in again. I know I crocheted on my afghan and read some on Dorrit, but other than that, I'm at a loss.

Now it's today, and you'll find me in my pj's past noon, finally caught up on my Word of the Day and not caught up on much else. I have two more lessons to complete for my online class, I need to take care of the 'keets, I need to vacuum, and I need to get a shower. But you know what? at least I made my bed.

Wedding Bell Blues (Oh wait, adjust that white balance)

2009-06-27T22:47:00.005-05:00

Well, today was my cousin's wedding. Kind of hard to believe she's married. I figured she'd be a free-spirit, but I guess she settled down! So now Pierce and I are the only single cousins left. Pierce will probably get married someday. I guess weddings are nice, if you like that sort of thing. I personally think they're too flowery and sentimental.

Speaking of flowery, Mom tried to take some photos of the flowers (and dresses), but the purples came out blue each time...

During some song (in the wedding ceremony), Andre (the bride) and her twin, Renee, looked at each other and burst into tears. Hearing loud sobbing from the front row, I turned to see their mother boo-hooing too. Then, to my right, sat my mother, Marguerite, bawling her eyes out. I couldn't help myself. With all this emotion floating around, I broke into fits of laughter. Unrestrained, irreverent laughter. I laughed right through the prayer. I don't belong at fancy-schmancy gushy mushy emotion-riddled events such as these.

I did my duty. I chatted with the groom's brother (who bears a striking resemblance to Steven Weber), I made people sign the guestbook, I handed out programs, I blew the bubbles at the bride and groom, and I toasted Andre and Scott with a glass of champagne at the reception. But I didn't dance.

This is not to say that I didn't want to dance--I did. But Mom wanted to leave the party at 8:30 just as the party was getting started. See, the dinner took too long. Had it been a cake-and-punch affair, we could have gotten some quality dancing time in. But this was like a three or four course meal (I'd know which it was if I knew the definition of a course) and it was strung out over a long period of time. Of course, I'm an idiot and didn't know which of my three freaking forks to use for what. I probably made a real fool of myself because I'd never had such a fancy meal before. I'm not comfortable with such high-class stuff.

Anyway, they called the wedding party out for a dance, but I wasn't sure if that included me or not. I was billed as a member of the wedding party in the programs, and I was wearing a coursage, which technically associated me with the wedding party, but I hadn't been to the rehearsal and I wasn't really "in" the wedding. So I sat back. I considered dancing with Pierce, since he just looked lost and alone, but being my first cousin (and basically my twin in age), I figured it would be weird for both parties invovled, so I stayed back. I considered shelling out $2 for the dollar dance and dancing with both Andre and Scott, but that's about the time Mom decided we needed to go. It was a real bummer. I think she felt bad about leaving so early, but she didn't know what time it was. It was much darker in the reception hall than it was outside. And she didn't have a watch. I really wish we could have stayed a little longer. I at least wanted to listen to some music, if nothing else.

It was nice to meet Scott's family, and it was cool to see a couple of my former college instructors there, but the icing on the cake was that I didn't catch the bouquet. Like I say, those things aren't for me.

Addicted to Academia

2009-06-25T15:56:00.002-05:00

It just occurred to me today that I am addicted to academia. I haven't been out of school a whole year yet, and still I can't seem to stay away from my community college or my university. In fact, I went to the university today to meet with a former professor and visit the library, and this evening, I'm heading to the community college to take, yes, a noncredit course.

This is not the only noncredit course I'm enrolled in. No sir! This is the final meeting of a three-week photography course, but I'm also enrolled in an online writing course, and a one-day course in something elusive that appears to be of a scrapbooking nature. It's summer and I've enrolled in three courses? That's practically a full load (in grad school terms, that is a full load).

But wait, there's more!

As you all know, I'm currently reading Little Dorrit with none other than two of my former professors. I'm also reading Ulysses as recommended by one of the profs, and I just checked out A Clockwork Orange and Catch-22. I've been reading all kinds of literature this summer and trying to get as many MLA Top 100 novels under my belt as possible. And I've been writing. Creative writing, that is.

If I start writing academic papers, then I'll know I have it bad.

True Colours Thursday--What a Maroon!

2009-06-24T16:42:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I had to rip off Bugs Bunny there. At least I gave him credit. Seriously though, I'm still plugging away at Little Dorrit (which looks much more maroon-y in real life). You know, for having a name like "Little" Dorrit, it's a rather long book ;)

True Colours Thursday is hosted by friend Blue.

Fraidy Cat...

2009-06-23T11:34:00.003-05:00

Peyser, our goldish-colored cat, is a big wimp. He's pretty much scared of everything. Especially the vacuum cleaner. Now, this fact alone isn't very surprising, but his response to my vacuuming is more bizarre than our other two cats' responses. Snugs just sits quietly in a chair and ignores it; Abby runs into the kitchen and ignores it; Peyser finds a cubby-hole and keeps it under constant surveillance--usually.

Since Peyser is usually the cause of the vacuuming (he's been shedding a lot due to the hot weather), I've been having to vacuum more frequently, which in turn, scares the crap out of him more frequently.

Peyser has taken to hanging out in the bathroom for some reason. Probably because it's the coolest room of the house, and also, he seems to be partial to napping on the soft toilet seat. While vacuuming today, I thought it might be a good idea to sweep up the furballs he's created in the bathroom, as well (not realizing that he was napping on the toilet). We have a small bathroom, and the toilet is hidden by the door which opens inward only as far as the toilet will allow. So I came in, sweeping up the various hairballs while still standing in the hall. When I made my way into the bathroom to continue sweeping around the toilet, I saw Peyser, frozen on the toilet seat with large eyes. I tried to tell him it was okay and that I was just cleaning, but he wasn't having any of it. In fact, he jumped into the bathtub, and from the safety of this new post, proceeded to hiss at the vacuum cleaner. Twice. Finally, I decided that the bathroom floor was just going to have to be good enough for the time being, because I really didn't want to scare him any more than necessary. So I took the vacuum back into the hall so I could finish up later. As soon as I did, Peyser rocketed out of the bathroom, knocking down anything that got in his path (almost including me, but I regained my balance).

If only a pet company made some sort of silent pet-friendly vacuum to help the shedding problem... Or maybe I should just brush him more ;)

Monochrome Maniacs: Yarn

2009-06-22T16:32:00.003-05:00

For more monomania, visit Aileni

Juneteenth

2009-06-19T16:39:00.002-05:00

Today being June 19th, is Juneteenth. Were I not busy reading Little Dorrit and Ulysses, I'd have checked out the Ralph Ellison novel of the same name to start today.

Happy Birthday, Sir Paul!

2009-06-18T13:10:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to wish Paul McCartney a happy birthday.

True Colours Thursday--Black and Tan

2009-06-17T14:53:00.001-05:00

My grandma found a little nest of baby rabbits the other day.

This little guy was watching me pretty intensely.

True Colours Thursday is hosted by friend Blue.

Happy Bloomsday... I guess?

2009-06-16T15:55:00.002-05:00

One of my former professors informed me that today is Bloomsday. This is associated with James Joyce's Ulysses, which I'm also reading. Basically, I'm reading Little Dorrit through the day, and Ulysses at night. The modernist structure of Ulysses might explain the strange dreams I've been having lately. By the way, Ulysses is this former professor's favorite book, I think. Enjoy your Bloomsday!

Monochrome Maniacs: Catching Up

2009-06-13T14:13:00.004-05:00

I'm reading Little Dorrit by Dickens. I liked the texture of the book cover, so I started playing around with angle more.

This is a row of empty tables at an Italian restaurant where I was dining one day.

Click here for more monomania, courtesy of Aileni.

True Colours Thursday--Late Again!

2009-06-13T13:54:00.002-05:00

Yes, friends and neighbors, I'm quite far behind on all my memes and blogging in general, but I'm trying to make it up to ya'll today.

These are my purples from last week.

I won the above lotion/body wash set from my cousin's bridal shower during a game of Bingo.

These also came from the shower. Each lady was given a small box with purple Jordan almonds.

And now for ivory. I used Peyser (in the foreground) for gold one week, and now I'm using his twin sister, Abby, for ivory. She's a little more backward and shy when it comes to being photographed. Also, the wallpaper in the background is a bit of an ivory colour.

True Colours Thursday is hosted by friend Blue.