More Information Than You Require*

Alright, so the seminar of doom this time around is a theory class in another department. Now, I'm trying to be open-minded about all this theory nonsense, but this sentence probably tells you how effective that 'trying' is. The thing is that I really do see the use of the theory, I really do. I even - heaven forfend!- use it in some of my work! But here's the rub, theory is not what I do. I do Gruub Studies, and theory is a tool - and only one tool - that I use to study, er... Gruubs.

So anyway, I'm trying to address my fear of theory by tackling it head on with this class, and actually, it's going well. I'm learning heaps and gaining a lot of respect for the prof that teaches the class (less so for some of the students). He actually seems to be alright with the idea that I'm only wanting to cherry-pick the stuff that I think is useful to me. All to the good, even though I still have to do all the work for all the theories.

What this means in practical terms is that I'm reading a metric boatload of reeeally dense stuff. This weekend was one of the roughest for reading, but I made it through, took notes, wrote a handfull of thoughtful questions to ask and dutifully headed to class.

It was cancelled.

I now feel like a piece of furniture with a coat of stain but no sealant. How am I possibly going to remember all this junk well enough to be coherant next week. Luckily, I'm not sure I'm ever cohearant. Maybe no one will notice. I'm exhausted and disappointed and happy all at once.

I'm adrift.

Also, tomorrow's a holiday.

I've got more work I could/should be doing, but I'm going to go home and maybe watch some football.

*title is from John Hodgman's book of the same name. I haven't read this one, but I read the last one, or well, listened to it on audiobook and loved it immensely. That is all.

The Bruces Know

Have I mentioned that theory gives me a headache?

Bam!

You know what I love? I love that there are salt and pepper packets at Taco Bell. I love the idea that there is some gourmand out there tucking in to his Mexican pizza, and he's thinking, "Man, this is really good, but what it really needs is just a pinch of pepper. Oh, yeah, now that's what I call a Mexican pizza!"

Question:

Do I attract consumptives? There is a woman in front of me in the starbucks who is seriously coughing up a lung. Yeesh. Maybe that means it's time to go home to read.

Library Notes

• Note to the person who is coughing loudly and obviously with illness: Dude. At least I hope you are a dude. If you are a dudette, then you've got to be the rockingest sub-contralto that ever contralto'ed. So, anyway, seriously. Go home. You need to be resting and watching home improvement shows and taking in soup or something. If you really have to, check out your books and then go home and read in bed. You are getting your nasty germs all over the place. Also you scare the ever-living bajezus out of me every time you cough. Thanks.
• Note to the person who wrote in the book I'm reading. First off, I'm fairly anti-library book in writing. You are less evil because you wrote in pencil, so thanks for that. But the thing that's killing me is that you wrote really really tiny with a big blunt pencil. Was it like a carpenter's pencil that you sharpened months ago with a rasp? The result is that I can't read your notes and that's distracting. What's this? "issue garble garble and also not true?" is that what you wrote? Rather than blame myself for being easily distracted, I'll blame you for not writing more clearly. Thanks.
  

Yes We Did!

Woot!

All We Are Is Just Another Brick in Wolf Blitzer's Wall-Screen

The hologram interview? Pretty pathetic. As was the holographic capital building. And this is coming from a guy who loves almost all technology.

I also love how Family Guy is playing on top of Mr. Blitzer's big wall-screen.

Go Florida Go! I may even forgive you :)

Edit: They have a channel showing the cartoon network on now. Incisive political insight by the Powerpuff Girls, I believe.

Like A Baby Stoat

(title from here)

Wow - it took an hour to get through the line, but I voted. This is a new polling place for me since I moved this summer. It was in an 'assisted living center,' and the weirdest thing was that the line snaked around a window that looked into the cafeteria. So at one point we were there all looking through a window at folks eating their breakfasts. It really felt like we were at a zoo or something. Very freaky. Luckily no one tapped the glass.

Ya know, I still really hate those little ink-puncher thingies we use to mark the ballots. I guess their better than other options (I'm looking at you, chads), but still, eh. I really really want reliable paper-trailing computer terminals. By I guess that's just 'cause I'm a geek.

Also, I live in a state where the presidential choice is very much not in contention, so we haven't been getting the presidential ads on TV. Until yesterday. We got hammered by all sorts of really ugly anti-Obama ads. Gah, thank goodness I don't live in Pennsylvania. I'm not sure I could handle that.

Also, I'm taking today off. I'm going to celebrate voting with a bit of cleaning, and then some reading, then I'm going to follow it all with some obsessive voting returns watching.

Big Mouth Bass, Without the Guitar

I think I mentioned a long time ago that we've got a Gruub Studies Colloquium. The way it works is that every week we invite a professor from a related field - sometimes only tangentially related - to come and present some state of the field stuff. We get to find out what the hot issues are in a whole lot of areas that ordinarily we would have to dig through a heap of 'other' people's journals to get to. So yea! All for the good.

So, I've got a bit of a problem. Those of you who know me already know about this. No, it's not that my hair sticks up all the time. That is a problem but it's not the one I'm thinking of right now. Keep on topic!

I've got a big mouth.

I love talk about all sorts of anything. Especially if it's something someone else is really passionate about. Especially if I know nothing about it. You can see how this colloquium works well for me. Even though I don't always finish all the readings, I'm almost always game to ask questions.

So, since we've got a new clutch of gradfolk this fall, we're trying to get them interested in the colloquium and the whole community that we're trying to nurture. Having a big blabbermouth at the table doesn't really help in getting them involved in the discussion, so last week I decided to sit away from the big table against the wall and force the newer folks to sit up at the adult's table.

I tried so hard to not talk as much, but... but... the topic was really cool! and there were serious problems. Problems that oooonly I could bring up (insert Underdog theme here). Well, obviously that isn't true, but the effect was as one might expect. I talked nearly as much as I always did, but I had to talk over the shoulder of one of the new folks.

Karma bit me in the tuckus, too because they assigned me to lead the discussion this week. Our visiting scholar just happens to be a certifiable gen-i-us (that's better than a regular genius). He's also very exacting. And he's from a field that I know even less than usual about.

I just finished reading all but a couple of pages of the reading.

I've got about maybe 20-30 minutes of questions.

I need to fill two hours.

Here's hoping for a rousing rowdy colloquium! (and a few more questions before we meet tomorrow)

When They Came For Coffee, I Did Nothing

Note to dude on the bus trying to be all sneaky in drinking his forbidden coffee by going all ninja and ducking under the back of the seat to sip:

Smooth. Very smooth. And hilarious too.

Handwriting, Wringing

Sorry if the size of those things break your browser. This might warrant a click over to flickr for a more readable size.


This was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Blogstyle writing doesn't seem to enjoy being put into script.

Cooking With A Little BAM!

You know what's appetizing? What's appetizing is when you are making a nice big mug o' smoothie goodness - ya know? With a nice vanilla yogurt base, and yummy farmer's market strawberries, blueberries, grapes and some pineapple for a bit of zing - Oh, it was going to be delicious.

Was going to be, see. 'Cause when I started the blending on with my little smoothie blender, everything was fine, but a couple of minutes into it, I tried to shake it around a bit to chop up that last clump of recalcitrant strawberry, something started to smell, well, electrical-y. And as my dear personal friend Alton Brown might say, that ain't good eats.

Zap pop! and a quick unpluging later, I had a partially smooth smoothie and a mildly aromatic mini-blender. I guess that's what I get for buying cheap, eh?

I have to admit though, it was still pretty yummy. The smoothie, not the blender.

Allez Distraction!

Is it endearing, or simply sad that I still think I can read a couple hundred pages while Iron Chef America plays in the background?

Why didn't I turn it off? It was Battle BEER. I mean seriously, I'm only human.

Ugly Silly and Antogonistic

I don't get the U-S-A chants at the McCain/Palin rallies. He was talking about Obama wanting to raise taxes, and the crowd started shouting U-S-A. What is that supposed to mean? Did they just get their wires crossed? Did someone accidentally light up the U-S-A sign instead of the 'Boo!' sign?

The real pity is that I really like McCain, or at least I liked Senator McCain. I really don't think I like Candidate McCain.

This is what I do when I should be working. I just wish there were a better channel to watch than CNN. Ugh.

Stamped

Post Office "Express" doesn't mean what I think they want it to mean.

The 'express' bit I mean.

Because it was slow.

And thus, not fast.

I sent off a rebate. Any bets as to when/if I see anything back?

I'm Relieved

to discover that I am Senator McCain's friend. It seems that we all are.

Gah-dvertising

I'm sorry, is Bud Light advertising it's 'Drinkability?'
Really? Are they saying that the other beers aren't drinkable, or, as I might suggest, there is confusion in the marketplace about whether or not Bud Light is drinkable?

Ok, googling for that clip, I discovered that many other people are puzzling over this campaign, so I guess there not anything more to say but maybe those really bad beer companies should save a bit of money by not hiring ad guys. They are obviously as bad as your beer.

So, have I played into their hands by talking about their ads?

Memo to dude in the main campus cafe bathroom:

I'm sure I could spend a long time trying to figure out why you were standing in the middle of the urinal area with you shirt off. I mean, ok, I could see that you were casually texting away, but, well, why? I guess that's my question.

To make this shorter than it could be, I'll simply add: WTF?

Sincerely,
Overread

As dictated, with full knowledge of the joyous juxtiposition, on my new Blackberry. With all my clothes on. As far as you know.

Abs Workout

Hiccups suck.

They suck so bad I want to spell it hiccough like back in the old-timey days.

Also, why isn't my oed subscription letting me sign in so I can see if there are any other cool spellings of hiccup?

That is all.

Famer in the Dell

You simply have no idea how delicious these taste. Sorry to tease you about that, but it's true. I've started doing a lot of blended fruit drinks, and today it was time to hit the farmer's market to get all sorts of yummy stuff. So far the biggest winners have been the peaches and the pineapple. I've got high hope for the berries and grapes I got today though.

Also, the bed got delivered tonight. It's big and beautiful. I nearly feel like an adult.