Line! Line?

One of the coolest things happened this weekend.

I ran off to Trader Joe's to get some stuff for the tortilla soup. I only had a few items, so I got into the 15-items or less line, but right before I got there a very heavily made-up very plastic-looking woman (I'm shallow - sue me) wheeled her heavily-laden cart into the line ahead of me. Ah, crap. Oh, well, no worries, I'm in no hurry. When she gets to the front of the line, she asks the cashier to grab her a bottle of some vodka and she walks off to peruse the bottled water options. Cashier guy was distracted helping another cashier and didn't notice her.

She finally returns with her two cute boxes of Fiji Propaganda, er I mean Fiji Water, and the cashier takes one look at her, takes a look at her basket, and tells her, "This is a 15-item or less line."

She kind of flounced, and batted her eyes, and I swear she shook her saline at him. She said, "oh, really? I didn't even see a sign." (read in a cutsie bubblehead voice) and stayed in line.

"Yup."

awkward silence.

Cashier guy walks around her to get my basket, which finally convinces her that she's not going to get her way.

Woohoo!

Seriously, it wasn't such a big deal. I really wasn't in a hurry, and I certainly wouldn't have made a scene, but I wanted to give cashier guy a tip.

Now Where Did I Put That...

Halfway through a recipe is not a good time to realize that the can-opener did not make it in the move.

On the other hand, the tortilla soup turned out alright, I think.

Other apartment and moving joy:

• Bookshelves are installed and happily carrying their load. Well, I assume they are happy. It's kind of like their life goal to carry books, right? The downside is that they are now pretty prominently featured instead of in boxes, and I get to look at them and be reminded of how many of them I need to be reading.
  
• There are still a lot of boxes that need to go away, but they are stubbornly refusing to go of their own accord.
• I think I've finally nailed down my route to campus. It's 4.3 miles each way according to Google. It's really not that bad though. Uphill in the morning and downhill in the evening. Fun Fun!
• My Zune went and bricked on me. I should say this is the last time I try to support a product out of spite. It's really isn't a bad product at all, I just wished it worked still. I have been podcast-less for the entire weekend. I've got an old Zen around here in a box somewhere. Why am I so dangerous for my mp3 players?
  

Overheard by Overread

Dafthead in the breakfast line:

"Can I get a muffin without any meat in it? I just want the bacon."

Ah, bacon. It truly is a miracle product.

Quick Review

Not much time for a full review, but dang. Wall-e is simply one of Pixar's best so far. It's right up there with Nemo and Toy Story.

Go see it. Now.

Where will I Eat?

Ok, it must be clear that I started this 'what song was going through my head when I woke up' thing to try to force myself into blogging more, but this morning's song was really disturbing:

Bonnie Tyler - Holding out for a Hero (Hil-arious video, by the way)

I'm pretty sure I haven't actually heard that song in at least months, maybe years. What in the world is going on in that little peabrain of mine?

Completely unrelated and uninteresting: The place that I planned on stopping at for breakfast when I bike in to campus is apparently not doing the mix you own omelets for the summer. Booo!

Class is trundling along nicely. I have to say I'm pretty impressed by the dedication of the students so far. Taking a year's worth of this class in 9 weeks, four hours/day is really tough. I think I may lose a few of them, but most seem pretty game.

More Songs in my Head

Today and yesterday were both from the Squirrel Nut Zippers. At least that makes sense because I found their CD while I was moving. Now it's happily nestled in my zune. For those playing at home, yesterday was Got My Own Thing Now, and Today it seems to be Hell.

So there you are.

I think I've found a decent route to campus on the bike that only hits a couple of major roads - the rest are nice residential roads. Only trouble is that there are two monster hills right at the beginning. Well, that'll wake me up, right?

Today it was a 35 minute ride. That's about 10-15 minutes faster than the bus, not counting time waiting at the bus stop. Woot! Now I can be even more pretentious and snobby than I already am! Should I get those clicky (spell-check wants that to be coliky) bike shoes and conspicuously carry around my helmet or something? I know the standard rule of prtentiousness is that I have to ask people constantly how much money they pay for gas and insurance, and then get overly astonished that they have to pay for parking. hehe.

I Don't Believe in Peter Pan, Frankenstien or Superman...

I might have mentioned that I almost always wake up with a song in my head. That sounds a bit more poetic than it is in actuality. Today's song? No, it wasn't the one that inspired the title, it was Motley Crue's Dr. Feelgood. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Ok song and all, but not a real tooth-bruthing anthem.

I wonder if these songs are predictive of the way my day will go. So far (admittedly 7:30ish), so good. I biked to campus today to test how long it will take. Bike handled really well, although I way need to think about another seat. It's been a long time since I rode every day. As for the commute, I think I'm ok if I get out early - that way it's still coolish and the traffic isn't too bad. It took me about thirty minutes, and it wasn't nearly as bad as a feared. I tried a less busy side-street than the one I planned on (ok, I admit it, I took a wrong turn, but it was a fortuitous one), and the scenery was actually pretty pleasant.

Let's hope class goes as smoothly.

And the way home is downhill, so there's that.

One More Thing

I have a serious crush on Anne Hathaway.

Moving Update

Well, there I was saying nasty things about Time Warner and they go and turn all efficient and helpful on me. Originally, the website said I needed to go down to their office and yadda yadda, but I called them up and they scheduled an install the next day, so hey presto, I've got cable and the internet. Hooray!

Other developments. My old bike was in really bad shape, so it found a new home and I got a new one. Hooray again! I haven't been riding to school in about a year now - ever since I came back from Japan, I guess. Anywhoo, I rode around a bit yesterday and today, and it feels so good to be riding again. I live a ways away from school, but one of my friends bikes in every day from about the same area, so I might give it a shot, too.

That's because I'm teaching summer school, starting tomorrow. I'm always a bit nervous before a new class, but I've already taught this particular class two times here, so hopefully it'll go well.

Oh, I promised photos of the new pad, so here we go with a couple pre-move in shots:

Living room:


















Kitchen:

Stealth Blogging

Moved.

Time Warner wins the first round. No internet for at least weeks.

Borrowing some internet from an anonymous neighbor(?) with a silly network name.

very tired.

Pealess

Ya know, I was really happy to actually buy a real bed a couple of years ago when I moved in to this place. It was almost like I was a grown-up or something. So, I really shouldn't have bought that Ikea Malm. It looked really nice, but it pretty much fell apart after about a year. That's what I get for trying to be cheap, I guess. It was awkward and heavy, but it felt nice to throw it away.

'course now I don't have a bed again. Should I go for a futon, or actually get a bed bed? Ya know, box springs and such? hmmm... choices choices...

More Moving

Woot! The moving begins! I should be in the new apartment by the end of the week.

I'm looking forward to new and exotic cable channels.

That's sad, right?

Yeah, that's sad.

Moving, ya know, it's a funny thing. One of the boxes that I always moved without opening for the past 3 or 4 moves fell apart when I was organizing things, so I had to rebox it. It was full of old pre-digital photos from about 2000 when I was teaching abroad and right when I met the woman I would date for the next 5 years. There were so many other people in those photos too. I'm not in contact with any of them anymore. I guess I'm just kind of like that. That's a part of me that I'm not particularly happy about.

There is a Point, but It's at the Very End

There's something really frustrating about begging for the opportunity to spend money. I listen to a podcast called Buzz Out Loud, and one of the hosts is always talking about how this is working with electronic media and internet services.

Examples - I needed a piece of software, but it's published elsewhere in the world and not sold on our shores. It's a really common program, but the only way to buy it is either to pay some random person on eBay for a most assuredly pirated copy, pirate a copy myself, or - oh holy of holies - the company's website has a pay for download service. But, it only works if you use a bank card from the country of origin. No international cards are allowed. I wonder if they ever considered that if I their customers had such a card, They might probably be living there and wouldn't need to buy online. Here, I want to give you my money. I want you to have my money. Please please pretty please let me give you my money. I want to make sure you are compensated for the good work you have done, and you are making it very difficult.

I really liked that Chelsea Dagger song and one or two of the others on that album. Pretty fun, but I don't buy DRMed music anymore. I'm not sure I want the whole CD though. Picky picky, I know. (Insert old codger here saying, "In my day, you couldn't even listen to the music beforehand. You bought your stack of victrolla records, and you listened to them all, and you liked it! Uphill! Both ways!) Anyway, I've been checking Amazon every month or so since it was popular (on an iTunes commercial? Maybe I should reinstall iTunes and check there. They do DRM-free now, too, right?) to see when it'll be available for download. Nope. Still not there. It would be really easy to get a pirated copy, but I really do want them to have my money. Really. Please let me pay you!

So, the point of all this is that I've been worried all weekend about whether or not I would be so graced by the credit score gods and the whims of the management company that I might be selected for the great honor and privilidge of paying an metric dumpster-load of cash every month to live in their apartment. There's a little more reason behind this, I know. Buying a CD ain't exactly the same as signing a contract to pay all that money every month for a year.

Still, I got the apartment. I sign the lease tomorrow. I'll get some pictures for you guys.

Anyone want to help me move? :)

Wherever I Hang My Hat

So between apartment #1 and apartment #2, I put in an application on apartment #3. Actually, it's about apartment #12, if you go by how many I looked through. The one I put in for is pretty nice. It's a little bigger than I probably need, but one I get all my books and crap in there, it might seem small. It's in a good location for buses, but slightly bad for noise (window toward big street). Another lesson learned was that, like refrigerators, A/C units are as rare as well-written final papers. This unit has a refrigerator, but no A/C. We'll see how that goes if I can get the place.

So anyway, that's that for now. Oh, and since I deferred a couple of months ago, yesterday I got a new jury summons.

A Swing and a Miss

Well the one I wanted got rented yesterday while I went hunting proof of my salary. Feh. Looks like I get to start over again.

You're Packed, Right?

Things you may have missed while I've been incommunicado:

• I was hired to teach this summer -yeah!
• They gave us raises for the summer session - yeah!
• Because of the raise, the class size has been doubled - Boo!
• That '2 years' that the university said that I could stay in the University housing? Yeah, well, they meant 2 academic years, not two calendar years. So, they just sent me an email reminding me that I need to be out of the apartment by the end of the month, thanks. Boo!
• So, um. That means I need to find an apartment and move in the next couple of weeks. I guess the pressure will at least get me off my lazy tukus, right? Boo?
• I spent all day today looking for apartments and hunting down managers to open doors. Don’t they want me to look at their apartments? Boo!

• Things I’ve learned today:

• There’s no way I can afford to live in a place anywhere near as nice as the place I live now. I’m going to have to live much further away and pay a whole lot more for a much worse place. Everyone I’ve talked to has told me this, but I really didn’t want to believe. Boo.
• Apartments don’t come with refrigerators anymore. Really? When did this happen? I’ve got to rent a regrigerator now? Boo?
• When they say that they want proof I make three times the monthly rent in salary, it’s hard to explain to management companies where my money comes from exactly: “Well, there’s a little bit from a fellowship, then I’ve got a TAing job, and of course, that pays my tuition, so that’s money, but I don’t see any of it because it goes directly to the university. And of course that varies from term to term, and it’ll be completely different over the summer. Then there’s those side jobs that I do, right? Um. A paycheck stub? Errr… Let me get back to you on that one.”

• After today, there are two possibilities:

• Apartment #1

• Closer to grocery stores and on several big bus lines
• Cheap(er): about the same as what I’m paying now for about half the space.
• Small – basically a studio with a kind of attached kitchenette thing, oh, and a miniature shower/bath seemingly made for a chihuahua.
• Lots of shelves and cabinets
• Old, partially refurbished
• No A/C (very bad for me, as my sweat point is about 77 degrees)

• Apartment #2

• Slightly far away from most major bus lines, but on one good line that goes directly to campus
• Very Pricey – more than I planned of spending, but still doable
• Good size, kitchen, main room and a bedroom
• Really gorgeous view out of the main window.
• A/C, dishwasher, laundry room
• Newer, more refurbished
• Nicer building, keypad lock enterance thingie.

I guess it’s clear which one I like better. I’ve got a couple more places I’m going to look at tomorrow, but I think if they’ll accept my application, I’ll take #2 and try to cut back of other things. Thank goodness I don’t have a car.

Look There's a Gold Medal in My Orange Chicken!

I know that Panda Express is bad. It's a chain fast-food place. It's mass-produced dreck. It's very unhealthy. Heck, it's not even really Chinese food. And I know from Chinese food! At best you can call it Chinese food for white Americans who think going out for Mexican food is culinarily adventuresome.

I could say that I go there 'cause it's the only place thats close and open near campus on a Sunday.

I could say that it's a last resort.

But the horrible truth is... I kinda like it.

Jakie O Does Not Know You

Another in my efforts to force out a post or two by posting videos.

Almost makes me wish I had Showtime:

This American Life: Season 2 Animation
Uploaded by Showtime

The funny thing is that I do this too. I can completely see myself co-opting someone else's memory.

Faster Pussycat, Kill Kill!

The bestest blog evar had the bestest video evar. So I took it:



Oh, and yes, I'm aware that this is the epitome of an empty post that makes other people make fun of pathetic bloggers - the funny cat post. yadda yadda, I like cats. :)

Excuse Me, I'm Going to Need to See Your Fashion License

Ok, folks, now, as your TA*, I feel that I should let you in on some news you can use. I'm speaking in particular to the double-chromosomed among you. I realize that as the weather gets warmer, many of you are deciding to wear less clothing. I completely agree that this is a good idea and I support your choice as far as that goes. Now, as I am a heterosexual man, you might think that I am particularly in favor of the women among you wearing much less clothing. While I am a great admirer of the female form, there are some issues here. First, you are in a classroom situation, this might suggest a slight need for a little bit of decorum. Also, there is a difference between comfortable and cool clothing and oh, so very trashy. Finally, what the fuck? Did you really choose to wear that? With that in mind, I offer some warning signs that you may want to rethink your wardrobe:

• The neck of your blouse/shirt/top ends at your belly button
• even moreso if you are wearing a granny bra
• Also, go get your bra size checked. You aren't the size you were when you were 15. Seriously, folks, that looks painful.
  
• If you are wearing a micro-mini skirt, go ahead a put a sweatshirt or bag or something in your lap when you sit down, and go ahead and keep your knees together or legs crossed.
• I don't care what fashion says, I still really really really don't want to see half-way down your crack. really. I don't.
  
• Your heels are so high that you can't actually walk
• Although I have to admit it is hilarious to see you running to classes in flip-flops.
• Remember that when you are walking up stairs there will be people behind you that are eye-level with your butt. Perhaps the very thin white pants are not the best choice to pair with your teddy-bear undies.
  
• Admittedly, they were cute.
  

* Note that your TA is particularly fashion-challenged, and no one who should be listened to when it comes to clothing suggestions. Go here for better fashion advice.

Hooray for funding!

I just found out that I have a real live source of funding for next year! I actually won a competitive fellowship! Woot! It's even enough that I might not have to teach at all next year - just take classes and research. What a novel idea!

Now, the question is, do I want to keep my name in the hat for teaching anyway? I do love teaching and this fellowship allows for some teaching, but these past two years, teaching has been a huge drain on my research time.

If I don't teach, it would be the first time in - jeeze, about 4 years that I haven't taught. Will I remember how life works without it?

Also, on a completely related note, does going to Taco Bell count as celebrating Cinco de Mayo?

Notes From Iron Man

Trailer for "The Happening" - oh no. This looks nearly as bad as that motel swimming alien movie. It's a really bad sign when your trailer's main selling point is a repeated earsplitting jarring 'uh-oh something dramatic happened' thump.

Trailer for the Hulk. There cannot be anything in the full movie that wasn't shown in the trailer. Meh.

Trailer (for some reason not online yet? Only could find the shorter trailer) for Indiana Jones - ok, I'll bite. looks fun. looks better that the second, but probably not as good as the first or third.

A TV remake of the Andromeda Strain? Ok, cool. Might be interesting.

Ah, the movie. I've read a whole lot of geekgasm about how this is the best geek movie evar, yadda yadda, and I guess it's probably one of the best comic book adaptations, but that's really not saying much. When your historical competition includes "Howard the Duck," well, it's not hard to excel. That's not to say that it's a bad movie - it does really well as a fun popcorn movie, but don't go in thinking you're going to see a really great flick.

• So, explosions - check
• cool suit - check
• cool fight sequences - check
• Reminding me of my serious crush on Gwyneth Paltrow -check (where is my copy of "Shakespeare in Love?"
• Black Sabbath - check, but maybe not enough.
• predictable villain/plot/dead friend/etc... etc... - check

If I remember, wasn't Tony Stark supposed to be an alcoholic? Wouldn't have been funny to see Mr. Downey Jr. play up the whole addiction thing? hmm?

All in all, it's good especially if you're just looking for a boom-boom flick or you are a fan of comicy-geeky goodness.

Overheard

Best overheard: From a female student looking at her neighbor's laptop in the back row of an undergrad class I'm taking: "Oh my god! It's like three tranny hookers!"

I tried so hard to eavesdrop for the rest of the conversation, but no luck

Runner up, walking back to the office, "No, the first testament was like so cool! Everyone went around smiting each other!"

What a Cruel Cruel World!

Ok, seriously. I'm melting. I haven't put on the pointy hat yet though. There's also a sad lack of flying monkeys here, but that's probably much further than that poor joke was ever meant to be ridden.

So. It's well over 90 degrees at 5pm. That's just wrong. It got into the upper 90s today. I don't know how in the world I survived growing up where it was often over 100 during the summer. Well, I do remember hating life a lot. I also remember lying in a pool of my own sweat on the floor (floor's cooler, still way too hot, but cooler) at 3 in the morning trying to sleep. I do remember that.

It is really embarrassing in a way. I'm sure it sounds awfully pathetic and all, but I'm ok with that. I'm a wuss when it comes to heat.

On the plus side, I went to a festival ("the kings festival?" err... no) today, and I'll probably go back. It's pretty place-specific, so no real details, but it's very very cool (and by that I mean freakin' hot). I also ran into an old professor that I had no idea would be there. Chatted for a bit and even got his new book, signed and everythin' Hooray!

Oh, also, I'm back in my dungeon office. It has AC, but only in the way that Fox News has credibility - that is, there are people who claim it to be true, but I'm dubious.

Good thing I'm underground.

FYI, Jackalopes are a No-Go

Now, I ain't Jewish, but this list of mythological animals and their Kosherness is a handy guide.

Also, it's nice to know that if a mermaid is Jewish and you are too that you could probably find a Rabbi who would marry the two of you.

Domo Arigato, Mr. Jury Robato

I really prefer dealing with automated systems when calling in to big faceless services. I know, I know, I'm probably the only person who has ever said that, but hear me out. They're open every day, 24 hours a day. They can handle almost everything you need to deal with. They free up humans to deal with uncommon situations, and hey, let's face it, the humans mostly aren't very reliable in their answers anyway.

So tonight I had to call in to the evil jury service robot to see if it required my presence this week. The robot politely told me that I was a problem and then hung up on me.

Soooooo, maybe it would have been better if I could have called a human.

Rub-a-Dub-Dub

We have many 'issues' about the bathroom that is nearest to my office. It's a pretty low-traffic area, and if you know about the side door, well, you can get in and out with relative anonymity. So then, we've always had trouble with folks coming in, especially on the weekends or late at night, and enjoying themselves and/or others in there. There've been police reports and supposed increased patrolling and such, too.

I do think it's gotten a lot better. I've never actually found someone in there doing anything that folks normally don't do in bathrooms, but I've come in a few times and found people that seemed overly startled. Then there was the time that I was washing my hands and heard something muffled from one of the stalls. I looked under the barrier and saw no legs.

So ick, right? really really ick, right?

This morning I found a giant clump of hair in the sink.

Why does that gross me out as much as the other activities?

Hmm... I wonder where the next-nearest bathroom is?

From the Link Dump Truck

I'm hoping that by posting a couple regular posts with no real content, I can get back into the swing of things, so here ya go.

• Jonathan Coulter sings funny songs. I suggest his cover of Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back", and "Code Monkey"
• This is perhaps the coolest robot t-shirt. Can you name them all?
• There's a town in China that produces most of the classic painting reproductions in the world. Someone asked the artists to paint self-portraits. The result is wonderful. I especially love the one by Xu Zanpeng
• National Geographic rocks - this is well-known. They've got a cool article with typically wonderful photos about the 'instant cities' that are popping up in China.

Nice Miter

Do we really need the entirety of the pope's mass televised on CNN?

No. The answer is no. We do not.

Surely there is news out there they could be covering.

Errr... Ok.

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
The Midland
The Northeast
Philadelphia
The South
The West
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

The Wedding

Well, it's been a week, so I really should have blogged this already, but I'm doing it now, so there you go.

Most of the bloggy folks who come here are likely aware of the ever-so-sweet romance between Jayfish and Zerodoll. So, last Sunday was the big day - they got hitched! I was there, so you get a rather rambling play-by-play! Yea you!



I wasn't able to spend much time in town, but I managed to get in on Friday night despite the best efforts of the driver of the airport shuttle and its 'exact change only' policy to thwart me. Friday night I got to see their new house, which is huge and beautiful. The house is a great non-cookie-cutter place, with very fun nooks and crannies and switches that most probably turn on dark and mysterious machines, but for now only seem to make click noises. They've got a ginormous orange tree in the back yard, along with many other curious plants and shrubs and such.

On Saturday, the Fish side of the family got to meet up with the Doll side of the family. For the Dolls, this weekend also served as a sort of reunion, too. Folks flew in from everywhere, adding that much more to the festivities. It was a very happy gathering with a creche-full of babies and toddlers and also my eldest niece who is (how in the world did this happen?) five years old. She has also apparently learned to speak Chinese by watching TV. There was banjo playing, and some singing (alas, no karaoke), and even some attempts on the piano by niece the second. Not to leave any niece out, niece the third is only few months old, so she played that card and giggled and cooed and charmed us all.

Conversations of all manner of everything flowed well with wine and beer and various snackies to complement the pizza. Soap bubbles floated about, reflecting the paparazzi-worth of flashes going off as we all tried to catch good shots of the happy couple, or the babies, or any number of other shiny objects. A very good time was had by all.

The day of the wedding came, and as one of the folks with a big camera, I headed over to Casa Dollfish to document the hair and clothes and nerves and general happiness. If you don't know, Zerodoll is gorgeous, and Jayfish is a sharp, sharp-looking guy. When you dress 'em up in a tux and gown, damn. They're a great looking pair. I should note that Jayfish wore the tux and Zerodoll wore the gown. They could have gone the other way, but I'll stand by their choice.

The park where they had the ceremony is really nice. There's a wonderful view - water, sky city, trees, it's all really pretty. It was a touch chilly, and there was a good stiff breeze coming over, but everyone held together in good cheer. Scarves were playfully batted back down and the infectious happiness spread to all. The ceremony was purposefully short, but very moving. A few well-chosen words, a recitation, vows they wrote themselves, a kiss, and done.

Another Hollywood opening's worth of photography, and we all hopped into cars to head to the reception.

The reception restaurant was the one where they had their first date, well, the end of it anyway, sort of. If you want that story, you'll have to ask them. We got there a little early to arrange the namecards and such. The cake came with a slightly unexpected accent-color, but was more than beautiful anyway (Yummy too, but that's later). The guests began arriving, and the mood of friendly joy kept everyone up.

As brother of the groom, I had been given the first speech, which was long-winded and slightly garbled by my voice breaking near the end, but no one seemed to mind much. Jayfish and Zerodoll, stood and welcomed us kindly and sweetly with a much better control of voice and length, and then Zerodoll's mother also stood and said a few very nice words, nicely put.

Then the meal began. J&Z really went all out. It was simply wonderful. I can see why the first date went so well. 4 courses and 7 or eight dishes later, they got up and cut the cake together, and we all had our pieces.

It's kind of funny, when I look over that, it seems almost like it's just a standard wedding. Maybe that's the impression you'll get too, but I can't help but be so happy just recounting it. J&Z and my family mean so much to me, it's anything but standard to me.

Cheers to you both!

Whoa.

Anonnymous to the very very very young girl in front of me in line buying an E.P.T. kit this morning: Good luck.

CNN Gets Worse Daily

I really do agree that autism is an important topic worth investigation in the news, but why has CNN suddenly become the Autism Channel? There was just a tease asking "What do the presidential candidates say about autism?"

Really?

Surely we need to ask Bernanke about it. I've no doubt that Mugabe would have some insight, too. "President Hu, do you think that the Tibetan people understand the dangers of autism?"

Up Close And Personal With A Light Saber

Fair warning - another long, rambly post follows :)

So when they say it doesn't hurt, they aren't exactly lying. They also say it might be uncomfortable, too. That's a little closer to the truth.

Let me step back a bit.

I've wanted to get Lasik for a couple of years now. I dug around looking at the safety issues and dangers and all that jazz for quite a long time. I'd pretty much decided to do it, but maybe some day in the indefinite future.

A little over a month ago, I ran out of contact lenses. I called the 1800contacts folks to get a couple of new boxes, but they said my prescription was too old and I had to go and get checked again. Ah, well, I figured, that's probably a good idea anyway.

I called the Kampus Kwack Klinic, and they said that they couldn't even give me an appointment because they were booked well beyond their ability to make appointments. That seems odd to me. Did their appointment book run out of pages? Are they dealing with a strange version of the Y2K issue (the Y3.2008 problem?). Anyway, they said my best bet was to call at the beginning of summer and pray to the minor gods of appointment-books, or I could call every morning at 8 until doomsday and see if anyone canceled (I'm exaggerating, but I'm also being more polite than the person on the phone was).

The final option was to go out and see an outside optometrist. Well, that sounded better in a lot of ways. After talking to some folks and checking reviews on Yelp!, I found a well-respected and quality guy fairly near where I live who even took my pathetic little grad-insurance. I called up and got an an appointment that day (through a cancellation - thanks minor gods of appointment-books!).

I showed up and brought up to the Doctor that at some time I might be interested in Lasik and asked his opinion about the whole thing. Turns out he works regularly with a really good lasarium (laser-drome? laserapolosa?) which is also very local, and he'd be happy to look at my eyes with lasers in mind. Cool.

Everything went fine, and the Doctor turned out to be really great. We talked a lot about the zapping, and by the end of the visit, I had decided to go for a full checkup at the laser-B-Q. Because you aren't supposed to wear contacts for awhile before getting zapped, I didn't even get a new set of contacts, out the door with my old beat up glasses.

To make an already long story slightly less tedious, after the second checkup, I decided to get zapped at the earliest convenience. We're on spring break here, and if I needed a couple of extra days to recoop, I had 'em. So, I asked when they had an opening to zap me. They said tomorrow. I said ok.

The next day, everything went hunky-dory. Like I said, it was uncomfortable though. They pull open your eyes, Clockwork Orange-style and the laser machinery sits directly on your eyeball (I'm guessing here - they numbed up my eyes pretty good, but the evidence is in what they say is eyeball bruising. Seriously. ick.). Zip-zop, they slice your eye open and Zap-Zip it's all done. For me it took about maybe 10 minutes, tops.

I sat around for a few minutes in a dark room with a glass of juice (they also offered me a power bar, which seemed... odd.), and the doctor came by and took a look at my eyes. All looked good, so they sent me home (wearing some very snazzy goggles).

No lie, the next day I woke up and I could see. Wizz-bang-poof. I mean, I could see a whole lot better already immediately after, but it was still very hazy. The next day, it seriously felt like I had brand new contact lenses in. This is going from -6.5 in both eyes to, well, I went in for the follow-up exam and tested 20/20 the day after the operation. It's been a little over a week now, and everything is healing the way it should. I went in for another follow-up a couple of days ago and it looks like I wont need any glasses until I need reading glasses. Hooray!

Random pieces of info:

• Yes, I do have slight haloing around lights at night, but that was expected and is getting better as my eyes heal. It should go back to the same as pre-operation.
  
• One of the people at the laser clinic had some of the worst facial plastic surgery I've seen ever.
• It really is very freaky waking up in the middle of the night and being able to read the clock. It seems that a lot of the places use that as a selling point, but seriously, I don't ever remember being able to do that.
  
• I'm still a bit freaked out that they sliced open my eyeball with a laser. Ew.
  

Into the Uncanny Valley Of Death

Uncanny Valley: Definition
Uncanny Valley: Staring at you out of the monitor

via Kottke.org

Hit The Links

• Some genres get no respect
• It's a little overly wonky, but this video making fun of Clinton is pretty good if you've kept up with your internet memes:
• 
  
• Very funny take on Ethic food. It's really really hard for me not to go all academic on this and try to analyze it. Would you like to go out for an English tonight?
• and finally a sex scandal cheat sheet
  

Pardon Me, Where Do You Keep The Microfiche?

I'm fairly certain that I never could have even attempted to get a degree of any kind before technology ruled the world. Evidence? The Inter Library Loan is perhaps the coolest thing ever. I am now happily in the possession of a book that really ought not to exist. Technically, it might not be technology, but I never would have even known the book even existed without another reason I couldn't hack it earlier: Online library databases. Remember card catalogs? hehe Card Catalogs!

Ok, maybe we're loosing the ability to do, ya know, actual research, but still, card catalogs?

Also, scans? PDFs? online searchable journals? digital photographs? digital number crunching? And I'm in the humanities!

Ok, I'm off to read my secret shouldn't-still-exist book

TV Tonight

What does it say about me that I am flipping back and forth between Emma and Tomb Raider? I'm pretty sure it must be a diagnosable illness, a chemical imbalance to be sure.

By the way, what are the odds that I'll be able to use those two tags again?

Commercials That I Hate

So I'm watching some basketball today, and although I actually love good ads, boy are they craptacular. Even when I'm right in their target market. I'm sure this list will grow.

Coke vs. Coke Zero Taste Infringement series
- Inspires loathing. What a horrible useless campaign. Did they think it was funny? Why is it that idiocy is now considered a positive point? This has been around forever, and I just can't figure out why.

Degree Antiperspirant in the Future
- Ok, so you had a robot apply your antiperspirant in the morning and were nearly late for your meeting - especially after having to deal with that robotic dog who wanted to bit your butt. Should I just try not to think about why a robot would want to chase or bite you? Luckily there was a jet-pack thing there that got you to the meeting - with your holographic boss? And the hologram analyzes you for sweat? What. The. Hell?

Name That Film

Perhaps you might know how much I enjoy a quiz. Well now, some folks started a flickr pool called "Name That Film." The game is easy enough, upload a screengrab from a film and let the other folks try and figure out what film it came from. Fun! I will say though, that some folks are using this as an opportunity to go as obscure as possible. feh. Most of 'em are a lot of fun though. I'm almost regretting not having a decent film collection :)

Twenty-Six Point Two, Expanded

I hope you folks have this thing on bloglines or reader or something, 'cause hey, if it were me, I probably would have deleted the bookmark long ago. Just sayin'

So, I never did write about the marathon. I guess I'm sufficiently recovered to elaborate now :)

It really was fine, if a little disappointing. I had been sick for the week leading up to the run, so not only did I not do any nice maintenance running, but I was also a bit dehydrated. In any case, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. I really did expect to do better, but I beat my last time (from '98? '99?) so that's something I guess.

I did pretty fine actually, well, up to about mile 18. Then things started getting ugly. My ankle (oddly enough, not the one that had bothered me a while back) started complaining, which wasn't bad, but then my thigh started to cramp up. The really rough thing is that you can pretty much run through mild pain - endorphines and bull-headedness, I guess, but boy howdy, a cramp will really sit you down and give you a stern talking to about what an idiot you are.

There's a really weird thing about the decision to start walking for me. For me, walking equals failure. That's overstating it a bit, but not by much. Also, there's the idea (true enough) that once you start to walk, it becomes so much harder to start running again. So I ended up nearly dropping into a walk several times, and then pushing on and congratulating myself only to find a few minutes later trying to stave off the walkies again. It really is a huge mind-game.

I was pretty happy with the run up to that point, but once the cramping started to really settle in, I lost (or won?) the arguement with myself and started walking. Every so often, I tried to start running again, but it's funny how it seemed like my body bought into the idea that we were done doing that pain-thing for the day, and it didn't want to have anything to do with this whole jogging bit anymore.

So, I walked. and walked. I felt pretty pathetic walking by the crowds of people cheering the runners on. Some of the people actually yelled out "Go runners!" hmm... Guess they weren't talking about me :) I should also say that there were heaps of walkers and the ex-runners like myself, but still. Feh.

Anyway, about mile 21, I was able to pick up something that might be charitably called a jog again, and started to trundle off. As I ran further, the aches and pains gradually fell away and by about mile 24, I was almost running at speed again. Well, ok, maybe not speed, but noticeably no longer shuffle-jogging.

I was able to run out the rest of the marathon, and got my little finishers medal and a whole crapload of free cookies and bananas and gels and chocolate and sport drinks etc etc.

Probably the coolest thing was on the bus back to where I was staying, there was a itty bitty kid and his mom. The mom pointed over at me (still wearing medal and bib) and said, "See? He ran the marathon!" and the little kid said, "cool."

Cool.

26.2 Dammit

Pros and Cons

Bonus effect of getting a cold:

Deeper voice - can now sing bass

Downside:

Running a marathon with a cold this weekend.

Comics 'n' Charts

Maybe you like Garfield. Maybe you don't. But take him out of the comic and you've got something truly bizarre.

Sometimes, music is hard to understand.
Charts
might
help.

Be It Resolved

• "Mid-Term" Exams
• You can not have more than one per term, otherwise it is not a mid-term.
  
• If you want to use the phrase to scare students, it doesn't work. And your loyal TAs are the ones that take the brunt of the anger.
  
• Unless it takes place in the middle(ish) of the term, and there is only one, just call it a 'test.'
  
• Advertising on campus
• Litering /= marketing.
• You cannot convince me in any more effective way that your product is not worth my time than by covering the campus with your pathetic 'guerrilla' marketing.

That is all.

A Change on Main Street

There's a movie rental chain store that's going out of business near me. It opened last November, maybe. I don't really have any sympathy, 'cause hey, first off, it's a huge chain monstrosity, and second, who in their right mind thinks that expanding a movie rental business now? Well, that and I'm heartless. Surely there's a huge contraction going on right now and without a fundamental change in the business, it's got no shot, right?

That's not what this post was supposed to be about though. The store is running a sale on all their stock. Right now it's 25% off their used price - anyway it ends up being about 7 bucks per DVD. Now, to be honest, I really don't care that much for owning disks - music or movies, but hey, I'd take a look. I ended up picking up four funky foreign flicks (not entirely because of the alliterative possibilities). One of which was Lagaan - a very fun Bollywood song and dance movie about cricket. I mean, seriously, how could I not, right?

The odd thing was you could see the horror that is the film industry on display. There were uncountable numbers of movies I'd never even heard of. The main studio films were about as bad. There were stacks and stacks of Showgirls and Taledada Nights. I guess it makes sense for the rental biz, but I was wondering if they could find a home for all of those. The "Special Interest" section was scarier. There were a whole lot of copies of "Chickfight."

Am I too pessimistic to think that Chickfight will sell out before Showgirls?

Tonight We Watch Movies in HELL!

Watched 300.

I do enjoy a good popcorn boom boom movie. I like explosions and cheesecake and all that jazz. I understand that people enjoyed the visuals. It was striking, and movies that actually have a unique visual vision are rare, so I guess that's something. I can't really form a coherent paragraph, so bullet points will serve.

• Why oh why oh why must every 'historically inspired' group of people go off on the importance of their 'country' and the eternal value of 'freedom' regardless of any historical basis?
• Seriously, even if it was a comment on the modern world, it was incoherent.
  
• Those heroic and noble light skinned people surely showed it to those dark skinned evil foreigners, didn't they?
• Now I ain't no Greek scholar or nothin' but the swipe at Athenians being 'boy lovers?' Umm... Pot or kettle?
• The entire queen's speech - utter crap. Seriously, I speak to you not as your queen but as a mother? What the hell?
• Did Sparta even have the position of queen? Also, didn't they have two kings?

Ugh, I've got to stop now.

I understand that it was supposed to be a melodrama, but still...

I'm over-thinking this, aren't I?

Mrs. Robinson, You AreTrying To Quiz Me.

Ah! Now you folks are back in the swing of things! Including a late catch by the Quarterflashing Corndog. Now there's an image. Which quarter, I wonder?

Anywhoo - numbers 2 and 8 were through the holes in the net last time- #2 was Rod Stewart's "Infatuation" and well, hey, I never thought I'd catch you guys with a Madonna, but there ya go - "Who's That Girl?" for #8.

Let's do this again, shall we? I'm still stuck on the 80s channel, so bear with me:

1.

Gave you my heart, gave you my soul
You left me alone here
With nothing to hold
Yesterday's gone
Now all I want is a smile

2.

It's gotta be night and say
Just a matter of time
And we got nothing to be guilty of
Our love will climb any mountain near or far , we are
And we never let it end
We are devotion

3.

The problem's plain to see:
too much technology
Machines to save our lives.
Machines dehumanize

4.

you know,ain't no plans with a man,
this is the 80s and
I'm down the ladies

5.

You ask if I love you, well what can I say?
You know that I do and if this is just one of those games that we play
So I'll sing you a new song, please don't cry anymore
and then I'll ask your forgiveness, though I don't know just what I'm
asking it for

6.

Won't some sweet mama come and take a chance with me
'Cause I ain't so bad

7.

I'm so in love with you
Ill be forever blue
That you give me no reason
You know you're making me work so hard

8.

I want to love you, feel you, wrap myself around you
I want to squeeze you, please you, I just can't get enough
And if you move real slow I let it go

9.

I call, you're not at home
You're home, but you're not alone
If you wanna leave
Then why don't you say
Your love has gone anyway

10.

Could you like just picture me in like a leather teddy
Yeah right, hurt me, hurt me...
I'm sure! no way!

I'm Very Excited To Have The Opportunity

Any guesses how very much sick of writing letters trying to convince people to give me money so I can keep doing my research I am?

The answer is very.

I like talking about my topics, but I really really hate pimping myself like this.

Feh.

Watch Two, Play One

A couple of movies and a game from teh intertubes:

Star Trek plus Jefferson Airplane? Joy!


Um, I'm really not sure what to do with this one, especially the last part, but I thought you might need to see it.


And finally, a tower defense-style game. It's got wizards and zombies. That's got to be good, right?

Quizzing Like it’s Much Earlier Than 1999

So, now, in honor of this Day of Presidents, I present to you, a quiz. Of lyrics!

1.

There's things that you guess
And things that you know
There's boys you can trust
And girls that you don't

2.

Spirits soar when I'm by her side
She put a little love in this heart of mine
Maybe I'm lucky, maybe I'm freed
Maybe this woman's just all I need

3.

She's right here behind the glass
and you're gonna like her,
'cause she's got class.

4.

Although I want you bad I could let you go
'Cause there's a lot of girls out there that won't say no
But due to fact that I want you, Jackie
I want you more than human eyes can see

5.

Now who's this Don Juan I've been hearing of
Love hurts when only one's in love
Did ya fall first sight
Or did you need a shove?

6.

With a thrill in my head and a pill on my tongue
Dissolve the nerves that have just begun
Listening to Marvin all night long
This is the sound of my soul

7.

I told you
That we could fly
'Cause we all have wings
But some of us don't know why

8.

When you see her, say a prayer and kiss your heart goodbye
She's trouble, in a word get closer to the fire
Run faster, her laughter burns you up inside
You're spinning round and round
You can't get up, you try but you can't

9.

Crying on the corner, waiting in the rain
I swear I'll never, ever wait again
You gave me your word, but words for you are lies

10.

Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling
Do you feel my heart beating, do you understand?
Do you feel the same, am I only dreaming?

Merry-Go-Round

Sprinting the straights and jogging the curves.

I haven't really talked gear before.
I'm using Sporttracks, an incredible piece of freeware that pulls the data from my Garmin Forrunner 305 and overlays the plot points on Google maps. I've used Nike+ and the previous Nike pedometer system, but I'm happiest with this combination. You get good tracking of your gear (reminding you to switch out shoes), automatic weather tracking, weight maintenance options and all sorts of fun charts.

Criticisms
- Sporttracks doesn't handle the heartrate info that the Forerunner 305 has, so I still have to use the abysmal Garmin Training software for that.
- The one thing that Nike+ does that I really miss is pretty par for the course for Apple-related stuff. It's the pretty. Nike+'s website is really wonderful, and I loved using it, I just wish they didn't demand that you are only able to use their own proprietary crap. I should rephrase. The iPod is most certainly not crap, it's just not the crap that I want. Why not allow me to buy into the Nike+ system with a different piece of crap?

Scrabbling

From a game I'm playing with Jayfish and Zerodoll. I didn't think this could be done.

The First Step is Admitting You Have a Problem

So, I haven't been blogging about running very much, because I realized that it must be amazingly boring to read, but today might be worthwhile.

I've been ramping up my miles 'cause I'm doing a marathon soon (disturbingly soon, actually), so today's run was planned to be a really gorgeous run of about 14 miles. It's a bit of a pain for the first 2 miles or so because you have to run through some very nasty car-centric areas with lots of traffic lights.

Once you get past that chunk, it's a really beautiful part of town that no mortal human could afford to live in, but credit where credit is due, they've got a lot of greenspace and running trials. Must be nice to be rich, but hey, at least they haven't blocked it off to through running yet. It's even so swanky they've got water fountains on the trails.

After that bit, it gets even better. It's a pretty famous area, so I'll spare the description, but there's green, there's water, and curse me for being so crass, there's an unending stream of women who are... well... another nice aspect of the scenery.

So, the fun part of the story is that I got to the turnaround point and I was really feeling pretty good for having run 7 miles. No stitches, feet felt fine, knees and back and heck, everywhere - not even much muscle ache. So hey, my endorphin-addled brain asked me, "why not run further?" It's just an out and back, right? I could just add another mile or so on, turn around and zip-zop, no problem. Add another couple of miles to my weekly total and be ahead of the game for my prep work, right?

Ah, hubris.

Anywhoo. I kept on running, thinking I knew there was another major geographic point that should be coming up soon. I figured I'd turn around there, and it would make a pretty picture on my GPS map when I got home. (Yes I really did consider that on the 'pro' side of the mental note paper. The 'con' side was curiously absent such phrases as 'pain,' 'idiocy' or 'brittle knees snapping like dry kindling')

So I keep running on, becoming more concerned that I hadn't seen my new turnaround point. The added problem was that it is a beautiful day today, so when I did see it in the distance, it was way in the distance, but by that point my head was set to get there.

Long story short (well, not really short, but trust me, I could drag this on for pages), at the turnaround point, I looked at my GPS, and saw that I had run ten miles. Even at that point though, I didn't realize the pain I was in for. To be honest, I did ok up until about mile 15 where you turn into the uber-neighborhood. From that point on, it was really more of a shuffle run.

I did make it home - no walking. I had a wee bit of joy getting up the stairs, but after a nice long bath and a brutal NYT crossword, I'm feeling much more human. Only real pain is muscle pain and a little bit of arch grief.

Hooray for idiocy and bullheadedness!

Oh, and that GPS map looked really cool.

What is This Weekend Of Which You Speak?

I'm not really sure how to cope with this new information. I think that I may not have to work through the entire weekend in my office. I may very well be able to squeeze out a whole day without working on any specific projects.

So... It's been a while. What do people do when they aren't working?

Once More Unto the Quiz, Dear Friends

Without ado, further or otherwise, a quiz. (sentence fragment -.5, unnecessarily wordy -.5, awkward -.5)

1.

You crave attention--you can never say no
Throw your affections anyway the wind blows
You always make it--you're on top of the scene
You sell the copy like the cover of a magazine

2. This one may be a bit hard, but I had to use it just because of that 3rd line.

Here today, gone tomorrow
It’s possible, but I doubt it
His kiss is credit in the bank of love
I never leave home without it

3.

Keep a clean nose
Watch the plain clothes
You don't need a weather man
To know which way the wind blows

4.

Another year and then you'll be happy
Just one more year and then you'll be happy
But you're cryin'
You're cryin' now

5.

So you think your schooling's phony
I guess it's hard not to agree
You say it all depends on money
And who is in your family tree

6.

I picked up my bag, I went lookin' for a place to hide;
When I saw Carmen and the Devil walkin' side by side.
I said, "Hey, Carmen, come on, let's go downtown."
She said, "I gotta go, but my friend can stick around."

7. Really popular/infamous song, but more obscure lyrics

Outside it's cold misty and it's raining,
They got each other neither one's complaining,
He says I sorry but I'm out of milk and coffee,
Never mind sugar we can watch the early movie.

8.

Now you're in trouble, maybe she's an intellectual
What if she figures out you're not very smart
Or maybe she's the quiet type who's into heavy metal
Boy, you got to get it settled
Cause she's breaking your heart

9.

That's the way it began, we were hand in hand
Glenn Miller's Band was better than before
We yelled and screamed for more
And the Porter tunes "Night and Day"
Made us dance across the room
It ended all too soon
And on the way back home

10.

Working on the sound of the band
Trying to get the music right
Two go out working
Three stay home at night

Ya know, after looking back at those, they're pretty tough... Good luck!

I Have Hopes

It's been a real killer-diller of a couple of weeks for your host here at Overread Central. I shamefully admit, I haven't even been reading blogs, so I humbly apologize if you've had something important going on. I completely missed it. I'm going to try to get back into the blogging swing of things, so we'll see how that goes for us.

For now, I think the least I can do would be a bullet-list. And I mean it. It's the least I can do. That's why I'm going to do it. :)

• The nasty project that was hanging over my head has left my laptop on electronic wings, soaring to my advisor. If he likes the ideas, it will become the huge monster project to use in hunting funding. I have hopes.
• The marathon is still go. It will happen in a few weeks, but due to a bit of arch/heel pain, there will be no attempt to break any time barrier short of 24 hours. I have hopes.
  
• I bought a lottery ticket. I have hopes.
• My computers are conspiring against me. My laptop seems to enjoy certain international websites only until I find crucial information, then it shuts down. Also, the speaker only works when it wants to. So far I think I've discovered that it approves of 80s pop, but not musical theatre. My desktop has become very protective of the home network. Protective enough that it thinks I probably shouldn't be allowed to use it. We are in negotiations. I have hopes.
• While writing, I've been listening to music. Expect a few quizzes in the near future.
  
• My library rocks. I was let into the Special Collections room because one of the books I needed was apparently "special." I not really sure why. It wasn't particularly rare or fragile, but ah well. Before I was ushered into the chapel of books, they made me lock up all my bags and books and pens in a locker. Then, in the inner-sanctum, they brought out a special mini-podium made of cushions on which they carefully placed the book. There was also a delicately-balanced padded page-holder that held the book open to the table of contents. I sat down with great reverence, only to discover on looking at the table of contents that there would surely be nothing in the book that I could use. Embarrassed, I flipped through the pages for a few minutes in the hopes that they would think their efforts were appreciated, then I left.
• I have hopes.
  

Those Mannings Are Going to be Insufferable at their Reunion

Right, it'll be a blow-out. I can catch the commercials on Youtube. No problem. I've got to get that paper, that recommendation, and those grades (oh, and get that Japanese speech written, too) all in on Monday, so go in to the office. You won't be missing much.

Only what looks like one of the best Super Bowls in recent memory.

Crap.

Thanks a whole lot, little ESPN flash updater thingie. It would have been better if I hadn't found out until I got home.

Ah, well, back to work.

Pretty Fly

We had a big test for the class I'm TAing. We ask the students to write their section number on their exam sheets. Many students forget the section number. This is how we realize how the students really see our sections.

Most are "[time] section with [TAs name]"

Best one I've gotten so far is "10am, [room number]? with the white guy"

Now I know. I'm the white guy.

Oh The Humanity

I had kinda thought that I would try to put a more substantial post up here, but something more important happened. I drank this:

If you can't see that well, that's a Cherry Chocolate Diet Dr Pepper. I like Dr Pepper. A lot. Really heaps. This is an abomination. It's like you ground up chocolate Necco wafers into a bottle of hyper-carbonated water. My stomach can't figure out whether to give an acidic half-burp or grumble or just explode in revenge toward me for forcing that stuff down my throat.

Score: 1 bottlecap out of 5

Hi! Coo...

since last? fifteen days
overwhelmed and quite tired
more blogging to come

Collective Souls

If the collective noun for goose is gaggle, whale is pod and dove is exaltation (cute, eh?), what is the collective noun for gradfolk?

I suggest:

a procrastination of gradfolk
a laze of gradfolk
an insomnia of gradfolk
a neurosis of gradfolk

How about Professors?

a tenure of professors
an exasperation of professors

Any other suggestions? We could petition the Websters people...

Mind the Quiz

Hazah to the quizzers! Those noble souls who despite setbacks and earworms and Eddie Murphy videos continue to strive for lyrical success. Truly they are heroes of our time.

I was worried about Zerodoll, but she did come through with #7. Alas, googling is considered poor sportsmanship, but I do highly recommend youtubing the ones that you don't get after you give up. You will be rewarded by much head-slapping and truly horrible videos.

However, there was a bit of a stumble on numbers 8 and 10 last time 'round, which were Warrnt's 'Heaven' and Roxette's 'Dangerous.' To be honest, looking back at #10, I can understand why no one got that one. It's clear when you sing it, but it really isn't clear with just the lyrics.

Alrighty then, Fair warning, the Winamp radio that streams me my tunes has been set on the Classic Rock station, so that's what you'll be getting. Well, mostly. :)

1.

I know its late, I know you're weary
I know your plans don't include me
Still here we are, both of us lonely
Longing for shelter from all that we see

2.

But it was only fantasy.
The wall was too high,
As you can see.
No matter how he tried,
He could not break free.
And the worms ate into his brain.

3.

catch the wind, see us spin,
Sail away, leave today,
Way up high in the sky.
But the wind wont blow,
You really shouldn't go,
It only goes to show
That you will be mine
By taking our time.

4.

So far away from the garden we love
She is what moves in the soul of a dove
Soon I shall see just how black was my night
When were alone in her city of light

5.

They are one person
They are two alone
They are three together
They are for each other

6.

And then your wife seems to think you're part of the furniture
oh, its peculiar, she used to be so nice.

7.

Now you're climbing to the top of the company ladder
Hope it doesn't take too long
Can't you see there'll come a day when it wont matter
Come a day when you'll be gone

8.

She's got loving like quicksand
Only took one touch of her hand
To blow my mind and I'm in so deep
That I cant eat and I can't sleep

9. Careful on the artist for this one :)

When you're down and out
There seems no hope at all
But if you just believe
There's no way we can fall
Well, well, well, well, let us realize
That a change will only come
When we stand together as one

10.

I've been walking in Central Park
Singing after dark
People think I'm crazy
Ive been stumbling on my feet
Shuffling through the street
What's the matter with you boy?

Politics Comes To Campus

Overheard:

"No! Edwards' wife has, like totally normal hair!"

First in the Nation

Wow. Now I'm really still undecided about who I like in the primaries, so I'm really interested in the coverage over in NH. What I'm thinking:

• Iowa? New Hampshire? Yeah, I think we need to redo the primary system altogether.
• Clinton looks absolutely exhausted. I don't want her to be president, but I really hope she hangs in and makes a good showing.
  
• Obama is still getting very friendly coverage, and it doesn't seem that anyone is being very critical
• Is Edwards really so much of a longshot that he doesn't warrant any coverage at all? Also, that hair is terrifying.
  
• Huckabee - The networks only go as far as mentioning that there are very few 'Evangelicals' in NH. Why don't they talk about specifics? Talk about evolution, science, stem cells, abortion! These aren't solely religious issues. They are political issues.
• Romney - Looking very casual and blase. This seems to work well for him. Clinton could learn from this I think.
  
• McCain - he seems very upbeat for a guy who is getting his tukas kicked.
• Guliani - who?
• Thompson - How is this man getting votes? Somnambulism is not a platform. He doesn't even have any stage presence. How is that possible?
• Paul - I'm really glad he's out there raising issues, but I look at him like Kucinich. I really wish more people would argue their ideas rather then just dismiss them, but neither one is electable. Paul as a third party candidate would be a hoot though.
  
• I'm figuring Obama and Romney will win and become pretty hard to beat.
  
• I worry that Democrats are getting a bit complacent, thinking that they'll have no problem against any Republican. I think that they forget that they are Democrats and that means that they can find a way to lose anything anytime.
  
• Isn't it cool when the news channels cover (what I consider) news?
• I'm really torn about Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert being back on TV despite the strike. Also, neither of them seem nearly as sharp without their writers. I did really miss them though.
  

It's Not the Quiz, It's the Humidity

Man, it's getting really hard to sneak one by you guys. The only one that got by way 'I am, I said,'
by the incomparable Niel Diamond - Incomparable because I can't think of anyone to compare him to at the moment.

Also, I should know better than to question Gary's music knowledge - his grasp is all-encompassing. I had no idea that Randy Newman wrote 'Mama Told Me Not To Come.' Mr. Newman is everywhere, I tells ya. And he's (Gary, not Randy) has started up a review of a year that I'm particularly fond of: 1982.

So, now I was going to try to avoid quizzing from '82, but hey, no promises :) Although for some odd reason, we're going in chronological order. Odd, eh?

1.

The time has come for closing books and long last looks must end
And as I leave I know that I am leaving my best friend

2.

How did ya' know I needed you so badly
How did ya' know I gave my heart gladly
Yesterday I was one of a lonely people
Now you're lying next to me

3.

It swings
It jives
It shakes all over like a jelly fish,
I kinda like it

4.

Remember how I found you there
Alone in your electric chair
I told you dirty jokes until you smiled

5.

Boys with small talk and small minds
Really don't impress me in bed
She said, I need a man's man, baby
Diamonds and furs
Love would only conquer my head

6. This one may be a little hard, but oh my god, I had no idea this is who sang this song...

Baby - there's no need for living in the past
Now I've found good loving gonna make it last.
I tell the others don't bother me
'Cause when they look at you
they don't see what I see
No - I don't listen to their wasted lines
Got my eyes wide open and I see the signs

7.

My heart is old - it holds my memories
My baby burns - a gem like flame
Somewhere between the soul and soft machine
Is where I find myself again

8.

I don't need to be the king of the world
As long as I'm the hero of this little girl

9.

This drug makes me crazy
Makes me see you more clearly.
Oh, baby, now I can see you.
Wish I could stop,
Switch off the clock,
Make it all happen for you.

10.

Hey, where's your work?
What's your game?
I know your business
but I don't know your name...

PS - was going to quiz you with Eddie Murphy's 'Party All the Time,' but I couldn't find a good chunk. I do however, highly recommend looking at the video -- Hilarious.

Stranger on a Strange Campus

Ah first day of classes. It's all so very cool. I wonder if I'll ever not love it. I've got another couple of early classes - one at the unheard of time of 9am! Hehe. I actually kind of like the early classes. I figure that no one signs up for a 9am class unless they actually want to be there, well and maybe a couple of folks who aren't motivated but couldn't get in any other sections. But frankly, they probably won't wake up early enough to make it to class, so that leaves me only my motivated students and a smaller class! Win-win!

Also, funny thing happened today - I was heading home when I passed by a very flustered looking mom using very broken English to try to ask a student how to get to the bus stop. Her little kid was chattering away in a language related to Gruub studies, so I butted in and said I could show her the way. She seemed so relieved to find someone she could communicate with. It turned out that she was a visiting post-doc in the Not-Gruub Department, and they really hadn't done much to get her oriented to the area. Halfway to the bus stop I realized that she needed much much more help that I could give(kindergarten for the kid - he doesn't speak English, housing, transportation, etc.. etc...), so I suggested we swing by the office of the folks that teach her language, and see if they could help her out. We got there and there were several folks who seemed more than happy to help her out. I had to run off, but I think everything will be go much smoother for Ms. Mom.

Hooray for happy coincidences!

Speaking of Pixar Movies,

Have you seen these quality trailers? Look out Wall-e!

The Little Cars

Ratotoing

Why Yes, Yes I Am

A geek, that is. I'm watching the caucusing on CSPAN. I am now even more convinced than ever that the Democratic Party is unable to organize its way out of a wet paper bag.

I am kinda digging it though. Sure it's a very weird and arcane way of doing things, but I tend to be partial to the weird and arcane.

By The By

In case it wasn't clear to anyone out there, Ratatouille is simply one of the best movies ever.

That is all.

(Thanks Mr. Fish)

Blog?

I'm very much digging the phunky photoblog site that Ianqui is using. I'm testing it out over here. What do you folks think? Does the photo actually fit on your page (I know that was a grief with blogger)? The small version still looks a little too big to me, but I really don't want to do a lot of resizing...

Happy New Year!

to one and all. May your weather be mild, your tires nail-free, your lenses unfogged and your students above average.

2008. I know it's been said before and better, but weren't we supposed to have flying cars by now? Or at least moon colonies, right?

We do have dark chocolate M&Ms though. That's a wonderment that Asimov or Verne couldn't have possibly predicted. Maybe Da Vinci though. He was pretty sharp, I hear.

No real profound thoughts here, but there are some earthly concerns rattling around in my head, so here goes.

A bit of cleaning for the new year is good, yeah? So I did some vacuuming. Needed to change the bag though. I took out the trash and headed out to get a new bag. It seems that the bag I need (the oh-so-coolly titled 'Z-type') doesn't exist locally. Three stores, no Z-bags. Now I've got a vacuum cleaner with no bags, 'cause, natch, I threw out the old bag. (too many commas? tough) Also, I should mention that the vacuum cleaner was rescued from the trash room. Is that tacky or clever? It's a really nice one except for the fact that it uses vaporware bags. So far, I've picked up a nice vacuum cleaner, a dresser (not so nice), a couch and a coffee table all from roommates. If I cared to, I could get more. Up the street, there's another couch that just got put out since I got home, a mattress set and a TV. Reaping the fruits of a disposable culture, eh?

I did find the bags on Amazon. I'm not sure how I feel about being a guy who buys vacuum bags from Amazon on New Year's Day. Best not to think about it too much.

All that vacuum stuff seemed a lot funnier in my head when I thought about it while doing my morning run looking at the stuff on the side of the road. There was a dead squirrel, too. I don't think I'm making things better here.

Everyone is wondering what to do about the 365 blogs now that the 365 have technically passed. I started on January 5 and made it to 338/365 (with a little bit of fudging at the end), but I'm pretty happy with that. I think I'm going to keep going with it. Not so much focused on the one-a-day thing, but more as a way to keep me focused on looking for photos. I'm not sure how it'll turn out, but we'll see.

The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Quizzing

Oh, yeah, Jayfish and I were in an art supplies store and they were playing old Micheal Jackson over the PA. I want the record to show that it wasn't only me who was singing. Well, maybe mostly me, but not only me.

All 10 well answered last time 'round, and I feel I should say that I'm either really impressed that Gary know that "All Right Now" was by Free, or I could be really spooked. Seriously. Free? I had no idea who they were. I think I'll be impressed. After all, the guy still has his 45s for crying out loud, right?

hmm, so it was an easy 10 out of 10 last time. Maybe I need to throw some curve balls, eh?

1.
The radio was blasting,
Someone's knocking at the door
I'm looking at my girlfriend,
She's passed out on the floor
I've seen so many things I ain't never seen before.
Don't know what it is I don't want to see no more.
2.
Wanted no applause,
It's just another cause,
Made a meal out of me, and come back for more,
Had to cool me down,
To take another round,
Now I'm back in the ring to take another swing
3.
I kissed her face and kissed her head
And dreamed of all the different ways I had
To make her glow
"Why are you so far away?" she said
"Why won't you ever know that I'm in love with you
That I'm in love with you"
4.
First time was a great time
Second time was a blast
Third time I fell in love
Now I hope it lasts
5.
But there's one thing I know
The blues they send to meet me won't defeat me
It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me
6.
Touch if you will my stomach
Feel how it trembles inside
You've got the butterflies all tied up
Don't make me chase you
7.
Darling mine
I would wait forever for those lips of wine
Build my world around you, darling
This love will shine, girl
Watch it and see
If you give a little more then you're asking for
Your love will turn the key
8.
But I'll be lonely without you
And I'll need your love to see me through
Please believe me, my heart is in your hands
And I'll be missing you.
9.
Well I'm New York City born and raised
But nowadays, I'm lost between two shores
L.A.'s fine, but it ain't home
New York's home, but it ain't mine no more
10.
Your daddy said I took you just a little too far.
Tellin' other things, but your girlfriend lied
Can't catch me cause the rabbit done died.

There's a bonus point for anyone who can explain what in the world is going on in the lyrics for MacArthur Park. I mean... seriously.

Jingle Blogs

Hi there. My name is Overread, and I think I said in the past that I would try not to be apologetic when I come back after a blogging absence, but hey, I thrive on guilt and its expression, so here I am again, saying that I'm sorry that I haven't been updating more regularly, for what it's worth.

Much has happened - I did finish grading, I did finish one of the papers that I had due. Yadda yadda. On the wonderful front, I was able to get to the land of the wonderful nieces (now with a total of three! Wonderful! Nieces! Wa! ha! ha!).

The nieces are really incredible. One asked me if I could sit down and play with some flashcards - 'one of these things isn't like the other' stuff and a little bit of reading. She is really brilliant, and I'm not biased at all. Niece the second and I got to sit down and look at a book of hers (shapes and colors with the Little Einstein crew). Niece the third is all of a week and a few days old, so I was happy to just get to hold her for a while (lesson learned? Pat pat on the back = no crying). Ah, good times.

I was able to actually got to talk with a sister and a brother with their significant otters (one soon to become more significant in a legal sense in a few months - hooray!). Although I did an evil deed by bringing up my Wii and leaving it at brother and soon-to-be-sis-in-law's place. Both seem to dig it, but brother may like it a bit too much :)

All done and a very happy holiday. Now all I have to do is catch up on my blog reading (my apologies, but I haven't been reading you guys at all, but I will! I promise!), post some photos (tomorrow?), and start the pre-new year cleaning.

Oh, and I read a book. A real honest-to-goodness non-academic book. Amazing. Devil in the White City. Architecture, design, murder, who could ask for anything more?

Hope all is well with all'y'all out there in blogland.

Why Don't You Come Up and Quiz Me Sometime?

Well, I guess that was too easy for you guys. Only miss was a curve ball I threw in at the end - It was Kate Bush with "Heads We're Dancing." It's a sweet little ditty about dancing with Hitler. Ah, Kate, you wacky little crazy women. Hey, Be happy. I could have used the song where she sings pi.
Honestly, I'm just happy that there are still a few of you that still have me in your feed reader :) I'm still a day or two away from putting together any real posting (or photos - but I have been taking some!), but as I'm listening to a bunch of tunes, I feel that I should share in quiz format. Aren't I cool like that?

hmm... Lots of repeats though. I'm not too sure what to do about that though. Ah, well.

1.
They sat on the stony ground
And he took a cigarette out
And everyone else came down
To listen.
2.
A bullet had found him
His blood ran as he cried
No money could save him
So he laid down and he died
3.
Till now I always got by on my own
I never really cared until I met you
And now it chills me to the bone
4.
and all my instincts, they return
and the grand facade, so soon will burn
without a noise, without my pride
I reach out from the inside
5.
He didn't know the night would end up in frustration.
He'd end up blowing all his wages for the week.
All for a cuddle and a peck on the cheek.
6.
Still looking for that blue jean, baby queen
Prettiest girl I ever seen
See her shake on the movie screen, Jimmy Dean
7.
And oh the wonder
We felt the lightning
And we waited on the thunder
Waited on the thunder
8.
She said, "Look, what's your game?
Are you tryin' to put me to shame?"
I said "Slow, don't go so fast, don't you think that love can last?"
She said, "Love, Lord above,
now you're tryin' to trick me in love."
9.
We're doing what we can
But when you want money
for people with minds that hate
All I can tell is brother you have to wait
10.
I know where beauty lives
I've seen it once, I know the warmth she gives
The light that you could never see
It shines inside, you can't take that from me

The Funk of Forty Thousand Quizzes

Right, right, I'm still here, and I'll spare you the self-indulgent blather about why I'm not posting, except to so that it has been a spectacularly agonizing end of term. I'm sure I'll find time to whine about it later, but there is one thing that I can do without too much brain power, and it will make me feel happier too, and that's a lyrics quiz.

Oh, before we start here, two unrelated things - Hello to the newest member of my family, another niece to lovingly torment my sister's wonderful home. Hi there.

Second completely unrelated thing. I just remembered an awful joke, so you get to read it:

So a woman goes into a bar bar and the bartender asks her what she wants. She tells him she wants a Double Entendre, and so he gives it too her.

Nobody's laughing. I guess it's all in the telling...

So let's see if I remember how to do this. Is it bullet points or quotes? Ah yes, quotes...

Ah but first, looks like #7 was the only real stumper last time. It was 'Say Say Say' by Mickey J. Oh, and by the way, did you see this? Shudder....

Right then these are all going to be mostly off of my pandora list, so it may be a bit more... er... obscure than it generally is, but hey - you'll dig it :)

1. Oooo... I really remember this cassette, but this cut is a bit hard to place without the tune...

Alone between the sheets
Only brings exasperation
Its time to walk the streets
Smell the desperation
At least theres pretty lights
And though theres little variation
It nullifies the night

2. Karaoke anyone?

And the years rolled slowly past
And I found myself alone
Surrounded by strangers I thought were my friends
I found myself further and further from my home

3. I don't care what you think, I still like this one

Last night I tried to leave
Cried so much I just
Could not believe
She was the same girl I
Fell in love with long ago

4. One of my favorite songs in the whole wide world

Tonight I'll sing my songs again,
I'll play the game and pretend.
But all my words come back to me in shades of mediocrity
Like emptiness in harmony I need someone to comfort me.

5. Ah, another good karaoke song...

I've overcome the blow
I've learned to take it well
I only wish my words could just convince myself
That it just wasn't real
But that's not the way it feels

6. This one may be hard. I haven't figured out if I like it or not yet.

You live in a church
Where you sleep with voodoo dolls
And you won't give up the search
For the ghosts in the halls

7. Sappy, but hey, so am I

Lead me out on the moonlit floor
Lift your open hand
Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance
Silver moon's sparkling

8. Oh, I had, and probably still do have a huge crush on this woman

If I'm the only witness
To your madness
Offer me some words to balance
Out what I see and what I hear
All these cold and rude
Things that you do
I suppose you do
Because he belongs to you

9. Er... not so much of a crush here, but um... nice voice?

I know a lot of fancy dancers,
people who can glide you on a floor,
They move so smooth but have no answers.
When you ask "Why'd you come here for?"
"I don't know" "Why?"

10. I have to have done this one before, but hey, I've got a crush on her, too, so you folks get to suffer

if this world makes you crazy
and you've taken all you can bear
you call me up
because you know I'll be there

11. Ok, as long as I'm admitting my crushes on pop-songstresses, I'll put this one it too. I should add that she is mucho spooky though. Especially in this song. Anyone know this one?

They say that the Devil is a charming man.
And just like you I bet he can dance.
And he's coming up behind in his long
Tailed black coat dance,
All tails in the air.

The Down Side of Extra Pre-Exam Office Hours

I really love my students. I love teaching so very much.

But perhaps... Perhaps I need to set boundaries better.

Telling them that I would be in my office all evening and that they were welcome to come in and discuss any part of the upcoming exams led to five student visits.

The last one left at 8:45pm.

And I hadn't even started any of the many projects and assignments that I needed to finish.

Bad time-manager. Bad.

The 13.1 Mile Strip Run

Boooos

• making your starting point a place that is not served by public transportation is not cool
• providing a shuttle service from another place that is not served by public transportation is also not cool
• As it was chilly before the run, the space heaters were welcome (although completely inadequate for the masses of people there)
• Also, would it have killed you guys to get a coffee place or a bagel place to sponsor a warm stand at the start? (like every other run I've gone to in this area)

Hoorays

• Great route and route management
• Drummers and bands along the route? Most excellent!
  
• With the exception of that one band that wasn't playing when I ran by.
  
• Bonus points for the very shady drum circle type folks who didn't seem to be part of the official run, but happily banged out a strange rhythm as we went by
• Extra super bonus points for the local high school marching band drum line that showed up. Those folks rocked.

The title comes from the fact that, 'cause we don't actually get chilly weather over here, many runners were really spooked. Much like the campus-folk who turn out in pink-fur-lined parkas and ugg boots (but with miniskirts) when it gets, well, seasonable, these runners were wearing waaaay too much clothing. I even wore a long-sleeve shirt, which is still hard for me to believe.

Anyway, about 2 or 3 miles into the run, people started stripping. I imagined that it was a game where everyone had to take off a piece of clothing at every mile-marker. Gloves were flung into bushes. Sweat-shirts soared awkwardly into the air above the throng as if in celebration. I saw several folks attempt to wriggle out of a spandex-tight outer layer while keeping up their pace. Imagine in your mind a big buff guy running at a pretty good clip with both arms straight in the air, bound together in an underarmor version of the hot dog suits that run around the bases at the 7th inning stretch at baseball games. Oh, and he's naturally blinded by the shirt too. That should be in the dictionary under the heading: Joy.

I was actually pretty bummed that everyone was basically just littering, but the cast-off gear was funny to see. I'm going to imagine that they either went back to pick up what they threw, or that maybe someone else went collecting and dropped it all off at the second hand store or something. Hey, let me have my illusions!

Oh, my time: 1:46:35