Yesterday - All My Mucus Seemed So Far Away

Yesterday was mostly very cool. There was that incident - with the photocopier (I guess we're not supposed to say Xerox machine anymore, are we?). There was also the other incident with the photocopier. All I have to say is that I didn't do it. It was like that when I got there.

Also, maybe this says something about me, or maybe it's universal, but if you need something done really fast, and I'm the guy to do it, just tell me what needs done and I'll do it. If I have questions, I'll ask. I don't need to know why the problem exists, and I don't need to know who screwed everything up as some kind of Stanislavski motivation to get the thing done. Most importantly, I don't think the 99+ other people in the room needed to know who screwed everything up. Maybe that's partially because I don't believe he screwed it up in the first place, but there you are.

That being said, after the crisis is over, I'll be happy to gossip with you about who screwed up. I know, I know, I'm awful that way.

The untaintedly wonderful part of the day was my blogger meetup. I know, I've known her forever, but we rarely get to sit down and chat without other distractions. We got to mosey around campus, and I got to show off the gorgeous buildings and the curiously (or perhaps not so curiously) phallic statuary. I even got to see her in professional mode when she was talking shop with other shop talkers. Very cool. I've never seen her do that.

As always, there wasn't enough time, but I guess it's all about leaving before we get sick of each other so that we'll want to meet up again, right? :)

And, finally, yes, I am getting sick (took me long enough to get around to the title, didn't it?). So rather than dive immediately into the readings again, I'm going to curl up, watch a movie and go to bed. Netflix just sent me Fun with Dick and Jane (the new version), and I think that's probably the perfect movie to sleep through.

You Could Cut the Tension With a Suitable and Well-Maintained Tension-Cutting Apparatus

Bullets of varying length and value:

• Whooo! the first seminar meeting has come and went and I am in deep doo-doo. The class is interesting. Not really my bag (baby), but an interesting topic anyway, but the real killer is that the professor, who is a well-known up-and-comer in the field is a lover-of-theory. This is terrifying to me. I know I need to be acquainted with more theory, if only to defend myself against it, but this seminar is going to be thick with it. It builds character, right? Who knows, maybe I'll find something useful. maybe I'll become a theory hound myself.
  

• On the plus side, I'm not the only one spooked. Some of the other grad folks are planning pre-seminar pow-wows to try to get our minds around the ideas.
  

• Oh yeah, did I mention that 90% of the reading (and there is a lot of it, too) is in a second language to me? And not just any second language, but a frickin' crazy hard second language? No? Well, it is. Theory. In another language. I'm not a bright man.
  

• There is stress (the tension of the title) between some of the TAs and the prof. Oooooo. edgy.
  

• Said prof is holding a meeting for all of us TA folk exactly at the time I should be happily chatting with a blogging buddy over dinner. We are trying to schedule around the meeting. Grrr...
  

• My bike was not ready today, and for that I am sad
  

• I broke down and bought a bed. This is partially in response to Zerodoll's live for today post (which I can't seem to find so I've just linked to her homepage). I've lived far too long without a bed (nearly what, about 5 years now?) and it's hight time I do better for myself.
  

• I broke down and bought a computer desk. This is partially because my office sucks. It's in one of the most beautiful and oldest buildings on campus, but it's also used by about 20 other folks and there's no way to lock anything up, so you can't actually leave anything there. I thought I might be able to get along without a desk, but it looks like I'm going to be doing a lot of work at home :(
  

• Desk and bed will be arriving Saturday (so they say). They ain't DWR or anything, but I'll get some photos for yas - if they look ok. :)
  

4.42mi - 31'29"

For me the hardest thing is putting on clothes - running clothes, you freaks. No offense though, some of my best friends are freaks. I really am a very lazy person. Every day I battle the get my ass moving fight. I really love lying down and watching tv. And now - because the new roomie's girlfriend's family had an extra - we have a couch. That means I can sit on a very comfy couch and watch tv, or read, or even nap! Oh! the wonders of modern... um... furniture?

Where I'm going with this is that once I get my running gear on, I've pretty much committed to running. I guess it's because I would feel goofier than normal sitting on the couch eating chips in my sweat-wicking shirt and spandex and such. This is also, I imagine, an argument for getting specific clothes for working out. If I just ran in a tshirt and regular shorts, it would be less of a commitment to movement and I could stay on the couch. That, and because I sweat like a racehorse I need the sweat wicking stuff, but perhaps that's another story.

Yesterday I didn't make it. I was going to run in the morning, but I... just... couldn't... make it... to... the... closet... Ok, fair criticism - that's too many ellipses, but the point is there. Lest anyone be inspired by my running, know that I'm not a workout guy. I'm lazy. And, now that I've got a couch, I intend to take full advantage of it.



These hills are really starting to take their toll. Long and souls destroying. ugh.

A Really Great Shoe...

The show was really wonderful. I really am so glad that I went (and hey - a free $50 ticket or two don't hurt either). And I wish I could tell you more about it, but then I'd loose my mild-mannered secret identity. Ah well, just trust me - it was great. Now that I'm in a city that actually has a little bit of culture, even if you may have to hunt for it, I'm hoping I get more chances to start going to theatre again.

I even got to shake the hand of the producer and thank him for the show. The third and final part of the show is tomorrow, and I've got a ticket. Woot!

Bonus quotes from earlier in the day:

Gal on cell phone talking waaaay to loudly:
"He did it? Ohmygod! In front of... In front of 3000 people! Ohmygod! I am so glad he's not my boyfriend. Yeah. Why didn't she call me? I'm going to call her."

tweenish skater boi on campus with 10 or so other skater bois:
"Hey dude! No! Man, just chill. No. We're like, like guests here, you can't tear the place up."

We Have The Technology

Well, I finally did it. I've made the decision to put my beloved bike under the knife... err... wrench. All of the key parts are original from when I bought it with the insurance money I got after being smashed into by an elderly driver. And that was about 14 years ago. A couple of days ago, the back wheel started wobbling a bit more than could be fixed with a little spoke tightening. So, I took it into a local bike shop and told them to go to town. A bunch of little wear and tear issues are going to be fixed, the cables, both back and front sprocket thingies (TOUCH MY MONKEY) are getting changed out, and I understand they are going to hang a little pine-scented cardboard tree from the rear-view mirror.

Also of note:

• The show I'm seeing tonight (and tomorrow) is actually a three-day marathon-style to-do. I'm thinking of actually dressing up. The horror.
• This morning: 4.39mi - 31'08"
• First day of class was very odd - main lesson learned: If something works in the first class, it cannot work in the second class.
  

Alas, No Diamond

Well, Neil wasn't there, nor was anyone stilt-bound, but there was an open bar, and that's something. The shindig was actually pretty well-stocked with goodies of the drinkable and edible varieties. What it didn't have, alas was space. multiple thousands in one building was frankly a bit too much for me. It didn't make matters much better that I was lugging around my bag o' joy. See, I don't have a lockable office anymore, so I have to drag about everything I own, and that sucks.

Anyway, beer, eggrolls, mini sammiches, roast beast, and other finger foods were enjoyed before I escaped crushment.

Such was yesterday.

Today was the first big day o classes. I got to see the lecturer for whom I TA in action, lecturing. Frankly, it was a pretty bad situation. several hundred students, none of whom seemed to have properly enrolled. Most of the class was eaten up with trying to sort people into categories - those with a faint glimmer of hope of getting in the class over there, those with no hope over there, and the handful of people who actually enrolled properly can sit over there and daydream. uck.

My first TA section is tomorrow, and I'm a bit worried. Not only do I not understand any of the technical and administrative issues, the content is something fundamentally different from anything I've ever taught before. Joy. So, I'd better get plotting.

Oh, yeah. Bonus cool! I got free tickets to a really cool show this weekend. Yea me!

Dark Secrets of the Ivory Tower

Secret #1, it ain't ivory. It's mahogany.

I just escaped from orientation number four, and am very prepared for the wild and crazy shindig that has been promised for tonight.

This last orientation was perhaps the most sobering. It was the departmental one that explains all the how-tos of getting a PhD here. It was brought home in painfully clear language the time and effort required. It was terrifying and exciting. I'm sure there are going to be many more of these awakenings, but I'll say it here as I've said before and I'm sure I'll say again. I'm in a PhD program. I mean seriously. Wow. What in the hell were they thinking when they let me in? hehe. I feel like a kid that's been let into the teacher's lounge.

On that note, I've been given the keys (figuratively) to a members only reading room. No hoi paloi allowed in, thank you very much. Only grads and profs, and only those from our corner of academia, because you can't ever trust some types of those people. You know how they are. It really is gorgeous, too. I've sprawled out at a nice desk next to a window surrounded by lovely books (useful ones, even) happily housed in arches of dark wood. I think I'm going to live in here. Pity it's not open 24 hours.

I've got a few more minutes before the above-mentioned shindig, so I'll gather myself up and head out. They promised foods from all corners of the world, acrobats.... on stilts! and monkeys! on stilts! and... and... Neil Diamond! They said they couldn't get him on stilts though. Something about insurance or somesuch. So they've got Scott Biao - on stilts!

If I see any of that, I'll let you know.

4.44mi - 31'58"

After the last run, my thighs were burning like crazy. Even before today's run, I could still feel the burn a little bit. I still made it a bit faster than last time. I'll probably be in agony tomorrow though.

Oriented

I've been so oriented that I could point out north at the north pole. Seriously. Friday was one all day orientation and today was another all day orientation. I think there's one more on Wednesday. It's only a half day though. Then there's a departmental shindig tomorrow, I think. Ye gods.

On the plus side, I had a chance to meet with the prof I'm TAing for and the other TAs, too. I've never TAed a class with so many TAs. We've got a conferance room full of 'em. Also on the plus side, it sounds like the mandatory 'intro to TAing' class shouldn't be too burdensome. One the less than plus side, I realize that the work load for the TA class itself is going to be brutal.

Then there's the grad seminar - I learned that the prof is cruel and inhuman in assigning readings, astronomical in expectations and cosmic in her theortical ruminations.

Then there's the reading group. We're tackling some pieces that aren't well studied yet because none of us have read them yet. So that'll be more work.

In short, I'm in way over my head already. But that makes me happy, and I need that.

Back on Track, er... Sidewalk

4.49mi - 33'20"

Well, it's certainly a different kind of running here in Newtown. Hills. Wow. Again, I didn't realize that there were so many hills here. There's the sharp quick ones that make you stare at your toes and the long gradual slope ones that make you rethink religion. I think this is a good thing, but it'll take some getting used to.
Lots of crosswalks and glancing around for cars making right turns without turn signals. On the plus side, there are a lot of runners out there, or at least there were this morning. I looked online and found a whole lot of running routes, and some even go into some kinda green areas, but most of them are longer runs. I think I need a few mid-range runs to get me back into stride before I do that.

The roommate is coming today. I really thought I was past the part of my life where I would have roommates, but I guess that's poverty for ya. He says he's bringing a table and some chairs and maybe even *gasp* a couch! Maybe it's not so bad a thing after all.

Anyway, before he comes, I'm going to head out and do a photo walk. I might not have any free time once school starts up next week, so I'd better do it now, right?

The Trend Continues

It's funny how something you half expected to happen can really hit you hard when it does. I just talked to my ex-girlfriend last night. We used to joke about the fact that the last three women I dated got married within a year of breaking up with me.

Last night she told me she got married in June. I'm still processing it, and I am really happy for her, but damn. It hurts a lot more than I thought it would.

Another Oopsie Nominee

Best description of someone who went mad:

"She became mentally absent."

The Oopsies

Final Exam Oopsies*

Best spelling error that spell check isn't going to get you out of:

Nominee #1
The nation was run by technicians and bearcats.**


* In the best tradition of the Oscars, Tonies and Razzies, the Oopsies are the awards given to outstanding achievement in inadvertently making the instructor laugh.

** Original sentence altered to protect those who don't proofread.

Bullets Over A Street Other Than Broadway

Random new school thoughts:

• Smoking? I thought we we past all of that. Old uni was a very anti-smoke place. There are many more smokers here. Grr...
• biking with earphones is going to be a thing of the past. The streets here are much less bike friendly. I did get a helmet today.
• hills? I didn't know this place had hills! I walked for about 3 hours yesterday adn I felt the calf burn this morning - yea!
• Getting my ID card was spookily simple. The photo is passable.
• You can't pay for laundry here with coins - it has to be through the ID card. I kinda like that. I don't like hoarding coins to feed those beasts
• Roommate still isn't here yet. I'll keep you updated. :)
  

The University is Gone! Long Live the University!

I finally made it to New to You U. That's not going to be the name, by the way. As proof of my move, I give you a photo of my new neighbor:



Look at those teeth! Big sharp pointy teeth! But, he (she?) could probably use some of those whitening strips. I thought about photoshopping them white so that they poor dude wouldn't be embarrassed, but in the end I didn't.

The move went surprisingly well considering all the trip-ups and silly mistakes I made. That's a story for another day. On the completely cool upside of things, there was a massive blogger meeting (which also happened to be a family gathering) and much fun was had by all. Again, I'll post more about the move itself later

The campus here is very nice. We've got the 'old and ivy-covered' niche pretty well taken care of with a healthy dose of 'holy crap where do they get the money to buy the new buildings' sprinkled in to taste. There was a mild aggravation when I tried to access the internet from my new place. It seems that they need you to install a piece of spyware that monitors your computer to make sure your anti-virus software is up-to-date. That's evil, but understandable. problem is that their spyware doesn't support Windows Vista. hehe advanced spyware protection, wot?

Aside from that hiccup, things have gone pretty smoothly. I've wondered around quite a bit and taken a few pictures. I think I need to block out a good long photo-tour though. Of course, most of you folks wont get to see that 'cause you'd figure out where I am and come stalk me. :)

So now I'm off to try and get some grading done. I've escaped the old place, but not the old place's work. Sigh.

What's With All This Dust Everywhere?

It's not you, it's me. I'm not ignoring you, I'm just trying to work some things out for myself.

Hehe. Actually, I'm just insanely busy. Let's try out the patented Bullets of Blah!

• Today is the last full lecture for the summer and this Friday after I give the final, the packing enters its full-on panic phase.
• It looks like Saturday is the DAY OF THE MOVE.
  
• I'm really excited.
• I've slowly been carting my books home from the office and putting them into boxes, but it seems like there's always more junk in the office and at home. Can I just dump it all? Feh, I guess it's always like that, right?
• Naturally, no running going on either, so I'm feeling flabby and very low-energy.
• Ok! Lecture in 30 minutes!
  
• We're dealing with so many terrible things - emotionally very very difficult things.
  
• Is it a bad thing that I consider a lecture successful if someone cries? Because that sounds bad.
• I'm off like a prom dress!
  

Oblivious

This morning, I met up with a returning-from-sabbatical professor who I TAed for a couple of years ago (years! geeze). We had a great chat about the class I'm teaching now (she's teaching it soonish) and about the 'FUTURE OF THE FIELD' and other 'IMPORTANT TOPICS.' It's an odd thing because I have distinct memories of feeling like the newbie grad student when last we talked, but now I feel like I'm being treated like a colleague. What a wonderful feeling.

We also talked a lot about me heading out to new and unknown lands to do the PhD. It's tough for me to talk in dept about things that cause anxiety (What a unique trait, eh?), but we talked a lot about the things that are worrying me - the ego minefield of a so-called more important university with so-called more important people and all the new stress of actually figuring out my field etc... etc...

Anyway, It was very nicely cathartic. I think I've always believed that it would all work out ok on some level, but it's another step forward to actually say it out loud to someone.

The title of this post is based on the fact that she asked me when I was moving and I thought about it for a sec before realizing that I'm moving next weekend. Good grief. That's way too fast. Expect a week or more of move-blogging - with special guest(s)!

I Know I'm Desperate, But Seriously...

The woman at the local greasy spoon who served up my omelet this morning had more disturbing news.

I apparently am a dead ringer for one of the actors on Desperate Housewives (one of the men). The thing is that I didn't ask which one. I took a look at the cast page and I still can't figure it out. The only 'You look like' kinda thing that I'm used to getting is Robin Williams, but I think that's more of a personality thing. Oh, and the hair.

So the closest one, I figure may be this guy, but my friend in the office says it has to be this guy.

So, you guys who know what I look like, what do you think? How Desperate am I?

Blasphemy

Cafe Snippit Coda

Is it simply impossible for a cafe to be run at a comfortable temperature? Are there laws that require either icicles or heatstroke?

For the record, I am a very un-skinny man with a deep and abiding love of wintry climes and a rich shiny coat of fur (raw eggs in the kibble, doncha know?), and I am shivering like Rush Limbaugh when his maid is on vacation.

On the plus side, grading is nearly done and as soon as I email these back I'm getting out of here. Either I'm going soft (probable) or the papers are getting better. It's probably the exhaustion. These student's don't know how good they've got it.

[edited to change Bill O'Reilly to Rush Limbaugh. I can't keep my wackos straight]