riding out the day's events...
Since I'm awake a six o'clock in the fucking morning on a Saturday, I thought I might come here and write in my weblog, but now that I'm here I can't really think about anything to write about other than the fact that I'd rather NOT be awake at six o'clock in the fucking morning on a Saturday.
Today we get to go to a birthday party for the 3-year-old granddaughter of my Boss. (His daughter and son-in-law are about our age, with kids about our kids' ages. Instant friends!) It's at this place called "Pumped Up!" which is NOT a macho-Gold's-Gym kind of weight-lifting place, which is what we thought when we saw the sign... it's a place that sells and rents giant inflatable bouncy-things... you know... those "Moon Bounce" things or big bouncy castles or whatever. Well they apparenly also host birthday parties. And as much as I think my wife goes completely insane with planning our kids' parties, I really hate it when people have parties at those Chuckie-Cheezy kind of places. I'd much rather go to someone's HOUSE, y'know? Expend a little effort, people... huh?
Anyway.
Tomorrow I'm driving to Atlanta to go see a Rush concert with my friend Sam. (geeks!) The whole family was going to go, but we changed our plans... partly because of the party, partly because my daughter's summer-day-camp starts on Monday, and partly because we haven't quite recovered enough from The Move yet to face spending 5 hours in the car with the kids twice in one weekend. So instead... I get to go BY MYSELF!! Which means 5 hours in the car BY MYSELF twice in one weekend!! Most likely listening to geeky progressive rock at maximum volume. Rock on, Dave...
And I get to miss work on Monday.
Who knows when I will post between now and then. The iBook will be along for the ride just-in-case, though.
Thursday, July 29
kids these days...
Who'd have thought children could be sarcastic and mouthy before they even learn to talk?
In our new house, we have nice big arched windows in the front rooms. The sills are only about a foot off the floor. In my wife's office, there is a sofa pushed up against the big window - and the cats like to get behind there and sit on the window sill and look outside. It's a cozy little spot. Well today I was sitting on said sofa and my Son climbed over me... over the back of the couch, and proceeded to stand on the window sill. Then the following conversation took place.
A smartassed 18-month-old.... just what I need.
Who'd have thought children could be sarcastic and mouthy before they even learn to talk?
In our new house, we have nice big arched windows in the front rooms. The sills are only about a foot off the floor. In my wife's office, there is a sofa pushed up against the big window - and the cats like to get behind there and sit on the window sill and look outside. It's a cozy little spot. Well today I was sitting on said sofa and my Son climbed over me... over the back of the couch, and proceeded to stand on the window sill. Then the following conversation took place.
Me: "Sweetie - that's a nice place for kitties, but I don't think it's a good place for little boys."
The Boy: (pause) "Meow."
A smartassed 18-month-old.... just what I need.
it'll soon be here...
A revelation from tonight's Democratic Convention. If you listened closely after Kerry's speech, you might have heard the arena speakers blasting "Dreams" by Van Halen. (The Sammy Hagar Years) And if Van Halen songs are now fair game for political events, I think that offically means I'm now just as old as the Dems who rocked out to Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop Thinkin' About Tomorrow" in 1992 - and whom I no doubt mocked for doing so.
Damn, I hate it when shit like that happens.
A revelation from tonight's Democratic Convention. If you listened closely after Kerry's speech, you might have heard the arena speakers blasting "Dreams" by Van Halen. (The Sammy Hagar Years) And if Van Halen songs are now fair game for political events, I think that offically means I'm now just as old as the Dems who rocked out to Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop Thinkin' About Tomorrow" in 1992 - and whom I no doubt mocked for doing so.
Damn, I hate it when shit like that happens.
let's play - "nudge around the soggy vegetables"...
Now that I'm a regular nine-to-fiver, there is the issue of lunch to confront. It's not like when I worked at a school and could just eat in the (gourmet) cafeteria. It's not like when I worked in Manhattan and could walk to 20 different ethnic restaurants within a 2-block radius and get a $5.99 lunch special. It's more like when I worked as a computer programmer and just drove to Arby's every day for lunch. And that's good for neither my wallet nor my waist - especially at my advanced age. So... what to do?
Today I drove over to the grocery store and loaded up on lunchmeat and fruit, and also a bunch of microwavable "Healthy Cuisine", "Smart Choice", "Lean Whateverthefuck", "Microwavable Frozen Crap That Won't Make You Fat" stuff from the freezer section. Now, I've never eaten this stuff before, so I didn't know what to expect. And after having some sort of Sesame Chicken concoction today, I can say this - it's not exactly "lunch", but afterwards I had a vague sort of feeling that I may have just eaten something.
Now that I'm a regular nine-to-fiver, there is the issue of lunch to confront. It's not like when I worked at a school and could just eat in the (gourmet) cafeteria. It's not like when I worked in Manhattan and could walk to 20 different ethnic restaurants within a 2-block radius and get a $5.99 lunch special. It's more like when I worked as a computer programmer and just drove to Arby's every day for lunch. And that's good for neither my wallet nor my waist - especially at my advanced age. So... what to do?
Today I drove over to the grocery store and loaded up on lunchmeat and fruit, and also a bunch of microwavable "Healthy Cuisine", "Smart Choice", "Lean Whateverthefuck", "Microwavable Frozen Crap That Won't Make You Fat" stuff from the freezer section. Now, I've never eaten this stuff before, so I didn't know what to expect. And after having some sort of Sesame Chicken concoction today, I can say this - it's not exactly "lunch", but afterwards I had a vague sort of feeling that I may have just eaten something.
new secret identity...
For whatever reason, I can't get AOL or ICQ instant messenging to work from Work. (Firewall issues, no doubt.) But Yahoo does. And since my old account has gotten just too polluted, I set up a new identity - science_director. It's mostly to chat with the students in my online courses this fall, but any Yahoo IM users out there can feel free to say "hi".
For whatever reason, I can't get AOL or ICQ instant messenging to work from Work. (Firewall issues, no doubt.) But Yahoo does. And since my old account has gotten just too polluted, I set up a new identity - science_director. It's mostly to chat with the students in my online courses this fall, but any Yahoo IM users out there can feel free to say "hi".
dave's first thought this morning...
"God damn... if I feel like this NOW... what is getting out of bed going to feel like when I'm forty-five?"
In other nocturnal news - I had a dream last night that I was teaching a huge astronomy lecture. (I think I may be going through withdrawal.) We were supposed to be reviewing for the final exam, but instead we got off on a weird tangent about Star Wars, and the maneuverability of X-Wing fighters.
Which is not much different from the way my classes usually go, actually!
"God damn... if I feel like this NOW... what is getting out of bed going to feel like when I'm forty-five?"
In other nocturnal news - I had a dream last night that I was teaching a huge astronomy lecture. (I think I may be going through withdrawal.) We were supposed to be reviewing for the final exam, but instead we got off on a weird tangent about Star Wars, and the maneuverability of X-Wing fighters.
Which is not much different from the way my classes usually go, actually!
Wednesday, July 28
nothing...
Not a whole lot to write about really. Things are settling own and life is becoming boring again. Things are almost all unpacked, and now our house is just a run-of-the-mill shithole instead of a cardboard-box-filled shithole. Make that a quarter of a million dollar shithole. So nice to have a brand new beautiful home into which to transfer all our bad habits.
Work is no better. I’m already procrastinating just like I’ve been working here for years. Why write about science when I can play with a synthesizer and write irritating electronic music all day? Today I decorated. I bought six identical frames ($10/each) and printed out pages of Copernicus’s handwritten manuscript of ”De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium” to hang in my office. Very classy looking… scientific, yet artsy and antiquey.
I am so out of shape it’s not even funny. I bought a new bike at Target last weekend and took it out last night for a test drive. I was fucking exhausted after like 5 minutes of riding. Sad. I’ve also gained back 5 pounds of the weight I’d lost, so I’m back up to 200. Just when I was thinking of dusting off some old pants. I blame my wife and her PMS cookies. A tiny bright spot is the fact that yoga seems to be leading to some shoulder/arm definition already. Yay for yoga.
I spent $30 today on tea. Two kinds of fancy tea and a nice mug. Insane.
The first draft of our play is finished. We’re going to submit it so that we can get paid another $500, but there are a lot of changes I want to make. Still… it’s pretty good.
That’s it for now. I’m going to go pretend to work and drink some expensive tea.
Not a whole lot to write about really. Things are settling own and life is becoming boring again. Things are almost all unpacked, and now our house is just a run-of-the-mill shithole instead of a cardboard-box-filled shithole. Make that a quarter of a million dollar shithole. So nice to have a brand new beautiful home into which to transfer all our bad habits.
Work is no better. I’m already procrastinating just like I’ve been working here for years. Why write about science when I can play with a synthesizer and write irritating electronic music all day? Today I decorated. I bought six identical frames ($10/each) and printed out pages of Copernicus’s handwritten manuscript of ”De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium” to hang in my office. Very classy looking… scientific, yet artsy and antiquey.
I am so out of shape it’s not even funny. I bought a new bike at Target last weekend and took it out last night for a test drive. I was fucking exhausted after like 5 minutes of riding. Sad. I’ve also gained back 5 pounds of the weight I’d lost, so I’m back up to 200. Just when I was thinking of dusting off some old pants. I blame my wife and her PMS cookies. A tiny bright spot is the fact that yoga seems to be leading to some shoulder/arm definition already. Yay for yoga.
I spent $30 today on tea. Two kinds of fancy tea and a nice mug. Insane.
The first draft of our play is finished. We’re going to submit it so that we can get paid another $500, but there are a lot of changes I want to make. Still… it’s pretty good.
That’s it for now. I’m going to go pretend to work and drink some expensive tea.
Tuesday, July 27
dave screams at his tv...
I was watching the Convention last night, and this local commercial comes on. It starts with a dark screen and then pans across a view of the Earth from space at night... dark blue oceans... the dark black voids of the Western US... as the Earth rotates, larger cities of the midwest come into view... Dallas... Minneapolis... Chicago... then Alabama comes into view... the whole state artificially lit up as bright as New York City... the voiceover begins...
I actually screamed at the television... "Noooooo!!!"
I have never been more appalled.
Why NOT? Why NOT burn as much electricity as humanly fucking possible? Well... let's see... there's global atmospheric CO2 levels leading to global warming and killing off marine life... there's the the fact that most of the oil in the world belongs to people who want to kill us... there's the fact that fossil fuels are a fucking FINITE and nonrenewable source of energy that is going to fucking RUN OUT some day... there's the fact that even if it IS cheaper to burn your lights all day or drive your stupid fucking HUMMER in Alabama than it is in New Jersey, it's CHEAPER STILL to turn the fucking lights OFF or to drive a vehicle that gets double-digit mileage at the very fucking least. I have never been more disgusted by a sentiment in my life.
I'm so irritated that I sent an email message to the "Environmental Outreach" section of the power company. (Essentially the same thing I wrote here, but with fewer "fucks")
Idiots.
I was watching the Convention last night, and this local commercial comes on. It starts with a dark screen and then pans across a view of the Earth from space at night... dark blue oceans... the dark black voids of the Western US... as the Earth rotates, larger cities of the midwest come into view... Dallas... Minneapolis... Chicago... then Alabama comes into view... the whole state artificially lit up as bright as New York City... the voiceover begins...
"With energy prices 15% below the natural average... Why not? (A message from Alabama Power.)"
I actually screamed at the television... "Noooooo!!!"
I have never been more appalled.
Why NOT? Why NOT burn as much electricity as humanly fucking possible? Well... let's see... there's global atmospheric CO2 levels leading to global warming and killing off marine life... there's the the fact that most of the oil in the world belongs to people who want to kill us... there's the fact that fossil fuels are a fucking FINITE and nonrenewable source of energy that is going to fucking RUN OUT some day... there's the fact that even if it IS cheaper to burn your lights all day or drive your stupid fucking HUMMER in Alabama than it is in New Jersey, it's CHEAPER STILL to turn the fucking lights OFF or to drive a vehicle that gets double-digit mileage at the very fucking least. I have never been more disgusted by a sentiment in my life.
I'm so irritated that I sent an email message to the "Environmental Outreach" section of the power company. (Essentially the same thing I wrote here, but with fewer "fucks")
Idiots.
Sunday, July 25
for the readers who didn't get it...
I got a few crabby notes from some female readers about my PMS post the other day - as if it was a complaint about how crabby my wife is when she gets her period. That was not the complaint. That was only the SET-UP to the complaint. Yes I'm a man and I'll never understand how bad it can be and blah, blah, blah... ok... fine. I don't begrudge my wife, or any of you, your monthly crabbiness. Crab away. That is not the point. The point was her persistent, stubborn, complete and utter lack of self-awareness regarding the issue. The point was that she can bark at me for three days, and live on M&M's for two days, and then all of a sudden go..."Oh! Look! I just got my period! Who'd have known THAT was going to happen?"
Ummm... well... me, the kids, the grocery-store clerk, anyone with a fucking CALENDAR...
THAT was the complaint.
So there.
I got a few crabby notes from some female readers about my PMS post the other day - as if it was a complaint about how crabby my wife is when she gets her period. That was not the complaint. That was only the SET-UP to the complaint. Yes I'm a man and I'll never understand how bad it can be and blah, blah, blah... ok... fine. I don't begrudge my wife, or any of you, your monthly crabbiness. Crab away. That is not the point. The point was her persistent, stubborn, complete and utter lack of self-awareness regarding the issue. The point was that she can bark at me for three days, and live on M&M's for two days, and then all of a sudden go..."Oh! Look! I just got my period! Who'd have known THAT was going to happen?"
Ummm... well... me, the kids, the grocery-store clerk, anyone with a fucking CALENDAR...
THAT was the complaint.
So there.
Saturday, July 24
can't...stop...watching...giant... television....
So, our big widescreen projection TV came yesterday from Sears. And boy is it...ummm... big. And wide. And bright! When the kids are watching it, you can see the light flicker on their faces like in a movie theatre.
I set up our new progressive-scan DVD player and watched the following as "test clips"
1) The first 10 minutes of "Koyaanisqatsi"
2) The graveyard scene from "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly"
3) The first half of "The Fellowship of the Ring"
God damn... everything sure did look... ummm...
Big.
So, our big widescreen projection TV came yesterday from Sears. And boy is it...ummm... big. And wide. And bright! When the kids are watching it, you can see the light flicker on their faces like in a movie theatre.
I set up our new progressive-scan DVD player and watched the following as "test clips"
1) The first 10 minutes of "Koyaanisqatsi"
2) The graveyard scene from "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly"
3) The first half of "The Fellowship of the Ring"
God damn... everything sure did look... ummm...
Big.
the hives on letterman...
I wanted to like the Hives, but I found their "gimmickyness" too distracting. Why to they dress like the Kinks circa 1965? And what's with all the Mick-Jaggeresque bug-eyed strutting? It didn't seem right to be watching it on a color TV. And this morning I can't tell you a thing about what they SOUNDED like.
I do like that the fat guitarist plays a little $80 pawn shop guitar, but other than that... I think I'm still about 0-for-4 when it comes to liking overhyped bands named The "Blanks"
I wanted to like the Hives, but I found their "gimmickyness" too distracting. Why to they dress like the Kinks circa 1965? And what's with all the Mick-Jaggeresque bug-eyed strutting? It didn't seem right to be watching it on a color TV. And this morning I can't tell you a thing about what they SOUNDED like.
I do like that the fat guitarist plays a little $80 pawn shop guitar, but other than that... I think I'm still about 0-for-4 when it comes to liking overhyped bands named The "Blanks"
Friday, July 23
how can they not know...?
Conversation from yesterday…
I’m sorry, but I just don’t get it. If once a month I turned into a horrible evil person and started to bleed out of my ears or something… you can be damned sure that after 20 years I’d learn to recognize the fucking warning signs.
Crazy women…
Conversation from yesterday…
Wife: Oh, by the way – I have an explanation for why I bought an entire chocolate cake yesterday.
Dave: Oh?
Wife: Yep.
Dave: Because your period started today?
Wife: Uh. Yeah.
Dave: Really? (sarcasm) No kidding?
Wife: Oh.
Dave: Yeah.
Wife: So you knew?
Dave: Well, I would have put all my chips on yesterday, but… yeah. I knew.
Wife: Oh. (pause) You need to tell me these things.
I’m sorry, but I just don’t get it. If once a month I turned into a horrible evil person and started to bleed out of my ears or something… you can be damned sure that after 20 years I’d learn to recognize the fucking warning signs.
Crazy women…
Thursday, July 22
to sir with love...
I’m not sure I’m cut out to be an “executive”. Y’see... my position in this new job as “Science Director” puts me at what amounts to a VP level in the organization. Granted it’s an organization with only 8 employees... but still... there are people “under” me. Mostly the computer guys. And I know I’m not cut out to be an executive, because whenever I ask these guys for something, they jump up from their desks and do it RIGHT AWAY, and that just makes me really, really uncomfortable. Chill out... finish what you’re doing... get back to me after lunch. Jesus.
The other thing is... all the younger guys at the office call me “Sir”. And I’m not sure if it’s a Southern thing, or an AGE thing or a WORK thing or a Ph.D. thing... and I’m not sure how I feel about it either. I guess the fact that I haven’t asked them to stop yet says something.
Maybe I’ll get used to it.
I’m not sure I’m cut out to be an “executive”. Y’see... my position in this new job as “Science Director” puts me at what amounts to a VP level in the organization. Granted it’s an organization with only 8 employees... but still... there are people “under” me. Mostly the computer guys. And I know I’m not cut out to be an executive, because whenever I ask these guys for something, they jump up from their desks and do it RIGHT AWAY, and that just makes me really, really uncomfortable. Chill out... finish what you’re doing... get back to me after lunch. Jesus.
The other thing is... all the younger guys at the office call me “Sir”. And I’m not sure if it’s a Southern thing, or an AGE thing or a WORK thing or a Ph.D. thing... and I’m not sure how I feel about it either. I guess the fact that I haven’t asked them to stop yet says something.
Maybe I’ll get used to it.
Wednesday, July 21
aaah... there's the rub...
(Pardon the slight misquote of Hamlet)
I think I may have officially just spent he best $25 in the history of things which cost $25. When we moved here to Alabama, we pretty much read the Yellow Pages cover-to-cover looking for ... well... everything. And in the "Massage" section of the Yellow Pages, there are listed not one, but TWO massage therapy schools in town. Schools! And how do you learn to be a massage therapist? Well... apparently by practicing! And on whom do you practice? On stressed-out cheapskates like me, who will absolutely LEAP at the change to partake of an hour-long massage for twenty five dollars!!
Let me say that again, in case you weren't listening...
An HOUR LONG massage for TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS!!!
And I figure... ok... they are students and not real "professional" massagers yet, but... really... how bad could it be? Because even a mediocre massage is still pretty damned good, when you think about it. (Plus, I'm thinking they are probably about 90% young women!) And for 25 bucks? This could become a weekly, or at least by-weekly thing.
And how was it?
Oh...oh...oh... yeah.
I mean... I've had BETTER professional massages, but I've also had WORSE, so... this was right up there. Maybe I just lucked out and got a good student... maybe she's a "senior" or something, but... it was a nice way to spend one's lunch hour that's for damned sure. It was very... sensual. And I don't mean that in the sense of "erotic"... I mean it in the sense of... jam packed with sensation. There was a whole lot of full-back, double-forearm action going on there for a while. Yeah... nice.
And now the absolute worst part of getting a massage in the middle of the day...
I'm supposed to WORK now??
(Pardon the slight misquote of Hamlet)
I think I may have officially just spent he best $25 in the history of things which cost $25. When we moved here to Alabama, we pretty much read the Yellow Pages cover-to-cover looking for ... well... everything. And in the "Massage" section of the Yellow Pages, there are listed not one, but TWO massage therapy schools in town. Schools! And how do you learn to be a massage therapist? Well... apparently by practicing! And on whom do you practice? On stressed-out cheapskates like me, who will absolutely LEAP at the change to partake of an hour-long massage for twenty five dollars!!
Let me say that again, in case you weren't listening...
An HOUR LONG massage for TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS!!!
And I figure... ok... they are students and not real "professional" massagers yet, but... really... how bad could it be? Because even a mediocre massage is still pretty damned good, when you think about it. (Plus, I'm thinking they are probably about 90% young women!) And for 25 bucks? This could become a weekly, or at least by-weekly thing.
And how was it?
Oh...oh...oh... yeah.
I mean... I've had BETTER professional massages, but I've also had WORSE, so... this was right up there. Maybe I just lucked out and got a good student... maybe she's a "senior" or something, but... it was a nice way to spend one's lunch hour that's for damned sure. It was very... sensual. And I don't mean that in the sense of "erotic"... I mean it in the sense of... jam packed with sensation. There was a whole lot of full-back, double-forearm action going on there for a while. Yeah... nice.
And now the absolute worst part of getting a massage in the middle of the day...
I'm supposed to WORK now??
me too, me too...
Once or twice a year you'll see a story on the news about Siamese Twins (sorry... "conjoined " twins) in some foreign-type country (seldom actually "Siam") who are being flown to some Western hospital at great expense to be separated by a team of surgeons. One or both of them invariably die. It's always a very poignant "personal-interest" story... good for filling up the last 5 minutes of the 11:00 news.
Anyway, my experience as a parent has taught me that this whole process of separating twins is wholly unnecessary. And why? Because I have two children. They aren't even the same age, but this fact is still true. When you have two children, it is an absolute rule that THEY BOTH HAVE TO BE DOING THE SAME THING AT ALL TIMES. He has that toy? I WANT THAT TOY! She has a Band-Aid? I NEED A BANDAID!! You're reading HER a book? I WANT TO READ A BOOK!! He ate a piece of broken glass?? WHERE'S MY BROKEN GLASS??
It would be a whole lot easier if they WERE joined at the top of their god damned heads.
Once or twice a year you'll see a story on the news about Siamese Twins (sorry... "conjoined " twins) in some foreign-type country (seldom actually "Siam") who are being flown to some Western hospital at great expense to be separated by a team of surgeons. One or both of them invariably die. It's always a very poignant "personal-interest" story... good for filling up the last 5 minutes of the 11:00 news.
Anyway, my experience as a parent has taught me that this whole process of separating twins is wholly unnecessary. And why? Because I have two children. They aren't even the same age, but this fact is still true. When you have two children, it is an absolute rule that THEY BOTH HAVE TO BE DOING THE SAME THING AT ALL TIMES. He has that toy? I WANT THAT TOY! She has a Band-Aid? I NEED A BANDAID!! You're reading HER a book? I WANT TO READ A BOOK!! He ate a piece of broken glass?? WHERE'S MY BROKEN GLASS??
It would be a whole lot easier if they WERE joined at the top of their god damned heads.
Tuesday, July 20
the mac is back...
My iBook is back from its world tour – fixed, although through no fault of Apple Computer. My new employer sent it off to a local repair shop and they replaced the logic board under warranty. And I didn’t lose any of the data that I thought I might. (Wshew!) I know what I’m doing tomorrow... burning DVD’s of all my important coursework and lectures... two copies each. There is stuff here I just CAN NOT afford to lose, and putting it on another hard-drive doesn’t seem to cut it.
In a weird little bit of computer-reincarnation-synchronicity, my Mac Classic up and died today. I was using it as an alarm clock, but today when I turned it on all I got were scan-lines on the screen... not even a *ping!* Oh well...
”It’s the Circle of Liiiiiiife... and it mooooves us aaaaalllll....
It’s weird though... this laptop has been my ONLY computer for more than 2 years... and for about 4 before that I only ever used my laptop from work... never a desktop. Now I’ve been working on a desktop for 2 weeks and now I have my laptop back, and I don’t know how to deal with the whole two-computer-situation. How do I keep my email straight?? How to I keep my bookmarks organized? How do I transfer stuff back and forth and keep track of where the most-recent-copy is?
I suppose there are worse problems to have.
My iBook is back from its world tour – fixed, although through no fault of Apple Computer. My new employer sent it off to a local repair shop and they replaced the logic board under warranty. And I didn’t lose any of the data that I thought I might. (Wshew!) I know what I’m doing tomorrow... burning DVD’s of all my important coursework and lectures... two copies each. There is stuff here I just CAN NOT afford to lose, and putting it on another hard-drive doesn’t seem to cut it.
In a weird little bit of computer-reincarnation-synchronicity, my Mac Classic up and died today. I was using it as an alarm clock, but today when I turned it on all I got were scan-lines on the screen... not even a *ping!* Oh well...
”It’s the Circle of Liiiiiiife... and it mooooves us aaaaalllll....
It’s weird though... this laptop has been my ONLY computer for more than 2 years... and for about 4 before that I only ever used my laptop from work... never a desktop. Now I’ve been working on a desktop for 2 weeks and now I have my laptop back, and I don’t know how to deal with the whole two-computer-situation. How do I keep my email straight?? How to I keep my bookmarks organized? How do I transfer stuff back and forth and keep track of where the most-recent-copy is?
I suppose there are worse problems to have.
ok... i think we’ve salutated the sun enough, lady...
So, my first Yoga class was yesterday. It was actually pretty good... no 60-year-old-ladies, just 5 or so chicks of the 25-38 variety. The level of the course was really good, though... advanced enough that I was challenged, but not WAY overboard. (Ok, well the “tortoise position” was a bit much.) Everything just went one or two more repetitions or 5 more “deep breaths” longer than I would have liked. Which is good, probably.
And...oh! The instructor! Way, way cute in that tight little fitness-instructor way with her tiny little muscular, tight, flexible little... tight... yeah... fuck. Anyway.
The class takes a little more time than I should probably be away from work, but I think I’m going to try to make it a weekly ritual. In the meantime, I’ve managed to get myself down to 198 from 210, basically by no longer drinking ANYTHING but water. (I know ladies... men suck, I’m sorry.) I think I’ll do class on Monday afternoons, yoga in my office on Wednesday and Friday mornings, and meditation on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Hey... check me out... I’m one of those Yoga Guys.
In the words of my friend Kenneth the Philosopher – “I hate those Yoga Guys”.
So, my first Yoga class was yesterday. It was actually pretty good... no 60-year-old-ladies, just 5 or so chicks of the 25-38 variety. The level of the course was really good, though... advanced enough that I was challenged, but not WAY overboard. (Ok, well the “tortoise position” was a bit much.) Everything just went one or two more repetitions or 5 more “deep breaths” longer than I would have liked. Which is good, probably.
And...oh! The instructor! Way, way cute in that tight little fitness-instructor way with her tiny little muscular, tight, flexible little... tight... yeah... fuck. Anyway.
The class takes a little more time than I should probably be away from work, but I think I’m going to try to make it a weekly ritual. In the meantime, I’ve managed to get myself down to 198 from 210, basically by no longer drinking ANYTHING but water. (I know ladies... men suck, I’m sorry.) I think I’ll do class on Monday afternoons, yoga in my office on Wednesday and Friday mornings, and meditation on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Hey... check me out... I’m one of those Yoga Guys.
In the words of my friend Kenneth the Philosopher – “I hate those Yoga Guys”.
Monday, July 19
in other words, please drop this class…
I know I talk as if I’ve left academia for a “real job,” but anybody who keeps up with the details of my life knows that I can never actually LEAVE a job. So in September I’m teaching an online course for my former university, and today is the deadline for course materials. I need to write a syllabus this morning, which will be mostly recycled – except for the intro, which will read as follows.
This is an attempt to weed out some of the Asian art-school students who don’t speak English. I know that sounds horrible, or racist, or discriminatory or… whatever. But when I say – don’t speak English… I don’t mean, they speak heavily accented English or that they write as if English is their second language… I’m talking about students who take their exams with a Franklin Electronic Translator at their side, and with whom I’m completely unable to communicate verbally. And it’s not ALL of the art students, but last semester it was ENOUGH of them. I can’t have an in-depth online discussion about “Galileo’s Dialogue Concerning the Chief World Systems” if half the people in the discussion can’t participate. So I’m trying to get a few of the 20 students to drop the class right away to make room for the students from the Liberal Arts division, who are MUCH better writers than the art-students… even native-English-speaking art students.
I know… I’m a horrible person…
I know I talk as if I’ve left academia for a “real job,” but anybody who keeps up with the details of my life knows that I can never actually LEAVE a job. So in September I’m teaching an online course for my former university, and today is the deadline for course materials. I need to write a syllabus this morning, which will be mostly recycled – except for the intro, which will read as follows.
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING SUMMARY CAREFULLY
The course description for this class posted in the registration bulletin last semester was incorrect. This course – “Visions of the Cosmos” – IS NOT a modern astronomy course. It is a HISTORY OF SCIENCE course which will examine our changing perception of the universe throughout human history. Because it is a historically-focused course and an online course, there will be a great deal of READING – often of primary source material by the likes of Plato, Copernicus, and Galileo. Since some of the material is archaic, the reading will sometimes be difficult. There will also be a great deal of WRITING required for the class – at least one 3-page paper every week, in addition to posts on the online discussion forums.
This is an attempt to weed out some of the Asian art-school students who don’t speak English. I know that sounds horrible, or racist, or discriminatory or… whatever. But when I say – don’t speak English… I don’t mean, they speak heavily accented English or that they write as if English is their second language… I’m talking about students who take their exams with a Franklin Electronic Translator at their side, and with whom I’m completely unable to communicate verbally. And it’s not ALL of the art students, but last semester it was ENOUGH of them. I can’t have an in-depth online discussion about “Galileo’s Dialogue Concerning the Chief World Systems” if half the people in the discussion can’t participate. So I’m trying to get a few of the 20 students to drop the class right away to make room for the students from the Liberal Arts division, who are MUCH better writers than the art-students… even native-English-speaking art students.
I know… I’m a horrible person…
yow! too hot in da hot tub…
So, as the house gets more and more empty of boxes, the need to fill it up with THINGS becomes more and more urgent. Thusly, we are spending money like there is no tomorrow. On Saturday, the M.I.L. babysat the kids while the wife and I went shopping. The result? No sofa, but we did drop $5000 on a hot-tub. Who needs a sofa? We can just watch TV from the back yard, especially after I drop another $1400 at Sears today on a Toshiba 46” widescreen HDTV.
And that’s not even to mention the fence we need to build ($3500+) or the swingset (500+?) or… who knows? Plus all the little things… a medicine cabinet here… an area rug there…
It’s starting to get a little crazy. Hopefully we’ll be able to stop soon.
But the most important home-improvement accomplishment of the weekend was the installation of BLINDS on all the freaking bedroom windows. Now maybe SOMEONE in the house will sleep beyond 6:15 in the fucking morning!
So, as the house gets more and more empty of boxes, the need to fill it up with THINGS becomes more and more urgent. Thusly, we are spending money like there is no tomorrow. On Saturday, the M.I.L. babysat the kids while the wife and I went shopping. The result? No sofa, but we did drop $5000 on a hot-tub. Who needs a sofa? We can just watch TV from the back yard, especially after I drop another $1400 at Sears today on a Toshiba 46” widescreen HDTV.
And that’s not even to mention the fence we need to build ($3500+) or the swingset (500+?) or… who knows? Plus all the little things… a medicine cabinet here… an area rug there…
It’s starting to get a little crazy. Hopefully we’ll be able to stop soon.
But the most important home-improvement accomplishment of the weekend was the installation of BLINDS on all the freaking bedroom windows. Now maybe SOMEONE in the house will sleep beyond 6:15 in the fucking morning!
Friday, July 16
a lot of nothin'...
I realized just now that I did my 20 minutes of yoga this morning (actually closer to 15) and then forgot to post in my weblog. Which is fine, because I had nothing to say. Not a whole lot has happened since then either. I spent a long lunch shopping and wound up dropping another $80 at Target. (Yoga mat, floor pillows for medtation, another t-shirt, some bamboo placemats to put my plants on to keep my desk dry.)
On the homefront, the house is starting to look a bit more civilized. My mother-in-law is visiting, and she and my wife have been attacking a room every night. I don't think there are any rooms that are completely FREE of boxes yet, but it's getting close. I did my part by putting together some shelves in the garage last night. (FUCK it was hot in there!) and hauling 4 more boxes of books into my office today. Which I think I'll go unpack right now.
(Did I mention I'm getting PAID to do this??)
I realized just now that I did my 20 minutes of yoga this morning (actually closer to 15) and then forgot to post in my weblog. Which is fine, because I had nothing to say. Not a whole lot has happened since then either. I spent a long lunch shopping and wound up dropping another $80 at Target. (Yoga mat, floor pillows for medtation, another t-shirt, some bamboo placemats to put my plants on to keep my desk dry.)
On the homefront, the house is starting to look a bit more civilized. My mother-in-law is visiting, and she and my wife have been attacking a room every night. I don't think there are any rooms that are completely FREE of boxes yet, but it's getting close. I did my part by putting together some shelves in the garage last night. (FUCK it was hot in there!) and hauling 4 more boxes of books into my office today. Which I think I'll go unpack right now.
(Did I mention I'm getting PAID to do this??)
Thursday, July 15
morning practice...
Ok... so I've done 20 minutes of Yoga, 15 minutes of meditation, made myself some tea, written in my weblog, and it's only 9:20. Not too bad. Twenty minutes of yoga doesn't seem like much, but it sure as hell FEELS like I did something. I like to call this last pose - "Really-Tired-Inflexible-Warrior".
I've decided to impose some structure on my week, since I blew an entire day yesterday composing music in "Garage Band" on my Mac. (Working in a place where I can have a synthesizer on my desk is a very dangerous thing! Work? Ha!) So I've made myself the following weekly schedule...
I don't claim that I'll actually always "stick" to this schedule, but I like having something there for guidance. That's just the kinda guy I am.
So... off to watch an Adobe After Effects training DVD. (They PAY me for this shit! Can you believe it?!)
Ok... so I've done 20 minutes of Yoga, 15 minutes of meditation, made myself some tea, written in my weblog, and it's only 9:20. Not too bad. Twenty minutes of yoga doesn't seem like much, but it sure as hell FEELS like I did something. I like to call this last pose - "Really-Tired-Inflexible-Warrior".
I've decided to impose some structure on my week, since I blew an entire day yesterday composing music in "Garage Band" on my Mac. (Working in a place where I can have a synthesizer on my desk is a very dangerous thing! Work? Ha!) So I've made myself the following weekly schedule...
MONDAY: Write science stuff for the videos - as in actual TEXT
TUESDAY: Learn how to use the MOVIE software - Final Cut, iMovie, DVD Studio Pro
WEDNESDAY: Learn how to use the MUSIC software - Garage Band, Soundtrack, Pro Tools and the associated hardware.
THURSDAY: Learn to use the various ANIMATION software - Maya and After Effects
FRIDAY: Write and research GRANT proposals and various community outreach efforts.
I don't claim that I'll actually always "stick" to this schedule, but I like having something there for guidance. That's just the kinda guy I am.
So... off to watch an Adobe After Effects training DVD. (They PAY me for this shit! Can you believe it?!)
Wednesday, July 14
and god said - 'let there be traffic'...
People say there is traffic here, but there isn't. They just say that because they've never SEEN real traffic. Just because you have to sometimes wait through two changes of a redlight to make a left turn at 5:00... that's not "traffic". If you sit absolutely still in the "fast lane" for 20 minutes... THAT is traffic. They don't have that here.
They don't even really have very much of a "rush hour"... or so I tought. I was wrong. The problem was, I was looking at the wrong time... Mondays through Fridays at 9:00 AM or 5:00 PM. There is a little so-called traffic then, but I'm not sure it qualifies as rush hour. No... rush hour around here seems to be at 12:00 noon on Sundays when all the Baptist churches let out! Oh my GOD! We tried to go out shopping last Sunday at 12:15 and there was a BACKUP on our road. We turned right, because there was NO way we were going to make a left, and about a half mile down the road there were police directing traffic!!
How fucking bizarre?
In other news, the piles of unsold copies of Bill Clinton's memoir "My Life" at Barnes and Noble seem quite a bit taller down here.
People say there is traffic here, but there isn't. They just say that because they've never SEEN real traffic. Just because you have to sometimes wait through two changes of a redlight to make a left turn at 5:00... that's not "traffic". If you sit absolutely still in the "fast lane" for 20 minutes... THAT is traffic. They don't have that here.
They don't even really have very much of a "rush hour"... or so I tought. I was wrong. The problem was, I was looking at the wrong time... Mondays through Fridays at 9:00 AM or 5:00 PM. There is a little so-called traffic then, but I'm not sure it qualifies as rush hour. No... rush hour around here seems to be at 12:00 noon on Sundays when all the Baptist churches let out! Oh my GOD! We tried to go out shopping last Sunday at 12:15 and there was a BACKUP on our road. We turned right, because there was NO way we were going to make a left, and about a half mile down the road there were police directing traffic!!
How fucking bizarre?
In other news, the piles of unsold copies of Bill Clinton's memoir "My Life" at Barnes and Noble seem quite a bit taller down here.
Tuesday, July 13
it's fun to stay at the...
We stopped by yesterday and signed up for a family membership to the Y - mostly for the kids to swim, but also because they have free babysitting so my wife can work out for a couple of hours without dumping the kids on ME. She also seems to have this strange notion that we might go and work out TOGETHER on a regular basis, to which I say... ummm... no. Repeatedly picking up heavy things is NOT my idea of a fun "date night". We belonged to Bally's for a while when we lived in Virginia, and I went for about a year, but I hated every minute of it. And yes, I recognize the need to get in shape, but if it's not something I ENJOY, there is no way I'm going to stick with it for more than a month. I'd much rather just find someone to play tennis with twice a week.
Although, there are a few Yoga classes at the Y that I might drop in on... one on Monday afternoons and one on Tuesday mornings. (The Thursday morning one is just a little too late to get to work at a decent time.) We'll see what the class is like. I'm afraid it might just be a bunch of 60-year-old women! (I'll let you all picture that scene for yourselves)
We stopped by yesterday and signed up for a family membership to the Y - mostly for the kids to swim, but also because they have free babysitting so my wife can work out for a couple of hours without dumping the kids on ME. She also seems to have this strange notion that we might go and work out TOGETHER on a regular basis, to which I say... ummm... no. Repeatedly picking up heavy things is NOT my idea of a fun "date night". We belonged to Bally's for a while when we lived in Virginia, and I went for about a year, but I hated every minute of it. And yes, I recognize the need to get in shape, but if it's not something I ENJOY, there is no way I'm going to stick with it for more than a month. I'd much rather just find someone to play tennis with twice a week.
Although, there are a few Yoga classes at the Y that I might drop in on... one on Monday afternoons and one on Tuesday mornings. (The Thursday morning one is just a little too late to get to work at a decent time.) We'll see what the class is like. I'm afraid it might just be a bunch of 60-year-old women! (I'll let you all picture that scene for yourselves)
who knew "zen" could be so expensive...
My new office is extremely bleak and hi-tech-y, so yesterday I decided to try to lighten it up a bit. I went to Target on my lunch hour and bought...
Eighty dollars later, my office looks nice, but I'm not feeling much more "serene". Am I missing something?
My new office is extremely bleak and hi-tech-y, so yesterday I decided to try to lighten it up a bit. I went to Target on my lunch hour and bought...
* a white orchid (~$10)
* a bonsai tree (~$10)
* a pot of "lucky bamboo" (~$10)
* three vanilla-sented pillar candles (~$10 each)
* black sweatpants and black v-neck t-shirt for Yoga (~$10 each)
Eighty dollars later, my office looks nice, but I'm not feeling much more "serene". Am I missing something?
late...
Not much time to "blog" this morning... I was incredibly late to work today because I had to accompany my wife to the DMV. She couldn't get the tags transferred to Alabama because BOTH of our names are on the old titles. And we couldn't do ANYTHING without having Alabama licenses FIRST. And you do licenses and registrations at two DIFFERENT locations! So... fun morning. If nothing else, my trip to the DMV(s) disabused me of the notion that everyone in the South is friendly!
(PS - On the spur of the moment I decided to get personalized plates that would irritate all the Christians around here. "EVOLVED" was taken, so I got "BIGBANG" instead.)
Not much time to "blog" this morning... I was incredibly late to work today because I had to accompany my wife to the DMV. She couldn't get the tags transferred to Alabama because BOTH of our names are on the old titles. And we couldn't do ANYTHING without having Alabama licenses FIRST. And you do licenses and registrations at two DIFFERENT locations! So... fun morning. If nothing else, my trip to the DMV(s) disabused me of the notion that everyone in the South is friendly!
(PS - On the spur of the moment I decided to get personalized plates that would irritate all the Christians around here. "EVOLVED" was taken, so I got "BIGBANG" instead.)
Monday, July 12
good morn…ugh!…
Now, I don’t want this weblog to become a place where I just complain about the weather, ok? I knew it was hot down here before I moved. I don’t really mind the heat much… really. Not as much as the cold. I won’t miss the winters, that’s for sure… and I knew they didn’t really have winters down here. But nobody told me they didn’t have morning in the South either. God damn…
I went out to the car at 9:00 AM yesterday, and it was HOT. I don’t mean warm and a little humid… it was fucking HOT at nine in the morning. The sun was beating down… how can the sun “beat down” at nine in the fucking morning? It’s only been up for a few hours! It’s not like I’m on the fucking equator! It’s just insane. Give me a morning breeze or some dew or SOMETHING to work with here…
Fuck.
Ok… I’m done for now.
Now, I don’t want this weblog to become a place where I just complain about the weather, ok? I knew it was hot down here before I moved. I don’t really mind the heat much… really. Not as much as the cold. I won’t miss the winters, that’s for sure… and I knew they didn’t really have winters down here. But nobody told me they didn’t have morning in the South either. God damn…
I went out to the car at 9:00 AM yesterday, and it was HOT. I don’t mean warm and a little humid… it was fucking HOT at nine in the morning. The sun was beating down… how can the sun “beat down” at nine in the fucking morning? It’s only been up for a few hours! It’s not like I’m on the fucking equator! It’s just insane. Give me a morning breeze or some dew or SOMETHING to work with here…
Fuck.
Ok… I’m done for now.
out of habit…
I realize I haven’t been writing here much since the move. There are a lot of reasons for that. I don’t have my laptop at home anymore, and when I’m home, I spend every waking hour unpacking boxes anyway, so… I never post from home. And I haven’t gotten the hang of this whole “work” thing just yet, so I haven’t made time in my day to blog from the office. I realized the other day that this is the first time in 7 years that I’ve had a job that didn’t revolve around classes. And without classes to break the day into little *chunks* I don’t really know what to do with myself. SO I need to impose some structure. I think it should be - read email… write email… write blog… read blog… read news… yoga… meditate… by then it should be pretty much lunchtime!
So… I’m trying to get back into it all. Be patient with me.
Dr. Dave
I realize I haven’t been writing here much since the move. There are a lot of reasons for that. I don’t have my laptop at home anymore, and when I’m home, I spend every waking hour unpacking boxes anyway, so… I never post from home. And I haven’t gotten the hang of this whole “work” thing just yet, so I haven’t made time in my day to blog from the office. I realized the other day that this is the first time in 7 years that I’ve had a job that didn’t revolve around classes. And without classes to break the day into little *chunks* I don’t really know what to do with myself. SO I need to impose some structure. I think it should be - read email… write email… write blog… read blog… read news… yoga… meditate… by then it should be pretty much lunchtime!
So… I’m trying to get back into it all. Be patient with me.
Dr. Dave
Friday, July 9
identify the obscure lyric...
My wife and I have long been on opposite sides of the fence when it comes to driving in the car in the summer. She is an AC person... the second the temperature gets to 76ยบ outside... on comes the air conditioning. Me... I like real air, so I open a window, and in my own car, I use the sunroof. I love my sunroof... wind in my hair... "shifting and drifting"... all that. I really only use the AC when I'm in stop and go traffic, or when the heat gets truly oppressive.
Well, I've only been here in Alabama for a week, and I can say right now... fuck the sunroof, ok? Maybe in October, but right now? Turn up the fucking air conditioning.
Damn.
My wife and I have long been on opposite sides of the fence when it comes to driving in the car in the summer. She is an AC person... the second the temperature gets to 76ยบ outside... on comes the air conditioning. Me... I like real air, so I open a window, and in my own car, I use the sunroof. I love my sunroof... wind in my hair... "shifting and drifting"... all that. I really only use the AC when I'm in stop and go traffic, or when the heat gets truly oppressive.
Well, I've only been here in Alabama for a week, and I can say right now... fuck the sunroof, ok? Maybe in October, but right now? Turn up the fucking air conditioning.
Damn.
Thursday, July 8
at work...
So… here I am. In my office. My first full day of work.
What to do?
I could spend the day tweaking my Mac and getting it all set up just the way I like it, but they told me today they may swap out my computer for a different one, so… no sense fiddling with this one too awful much.
What a set-up by the way… Jesus. Macintosh G5... dual 2 GHz processors… 6 fucking gigabytes of RAM! And the monitors!! Flatscreen LCD’s - Apple Studio Displays – TWO of them! One 17” and one 21”. Insane. And these guys don’t use telephones here… they use iChatAV and their iSight cameras to videocall each other. It’s not like the building is that big – what happened to WALKING to someone’s office to talk to them?? It’s crazy.
On the plus side… I’ll have my webcam running on Yahoo! all the time if anyone wants to chat. (Username – flippidymozo.)
At home, things are going ok. Furniture is here and mostly unscathed. Boxes are emptying. The kids have a TV to watch. (Although we don’t have cable yet, so they are just watching all the shows that TiVo recorded last week over and over again!) The evil cat is purry and snuggly and happy as hell to see us, although she still has flashbacks to her time of imprisonment and freaks out. Today my wife caught her growling at a stuffed toy lion. Chill out, kitty…
So… I’m off to unpack some boxes of office doo-dads.
Dave is back. Huzzah!
So… here I am. In my office. My first full day of work.
What to do?
I could spend the day tweaking my Mac and getting it all set up just the way I like it, but they told me today they may swap out my computer for a different one, so… no sense fiddling with this one too awful much.
What a set-up by the way… Jesus. Macintosh G5... dual 2 GHz processors… 6 fucking gigabytes of RAM! And the monitors!! Flatscreen LCD’s - Apple Studio Displays – TWO of them! One 17” and one 21”. Insane. And these guys don’t use telephones here… they use iChatAV and their iSight cameras to videocall each other. It’s not like the building is that big – what happened to WALKING to someone’s office to talk to them?? It’s crazy.
On the plus side… I’ll have my webcam running on Yahoo! all the time if anyone wants to chat. (Username – flippidymozo.)
At home, things are going ok. Furniture is here and mostly unscathed. Boxes are emptying. The kids have a TV to watch. (Although we don’t have cable yet, so they are just watching all the shows that TiVo recorded last week over and over again!) The evil cat is purry and snuggly and happy as hell to see us, although she still has flashbacks to her time of imprisonment and freaks out. Today my wife caught her growling at a stuffed toy lion. Chill out, kitty…
So… I’m off to unpack some boxes of office doo-dads.
Dave is back. Huzzah!
Tuesday, July 6
Saturday, July 3
chicks and ducks and geese better scurry...
We stayed with some friends in Willimasburg VA who have a 3 year old son, and instead of watching Disney cartoons or Sesame Street or videos of trucks like a normal kid, this boy is hooked on Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals - particularly "Oklahoma". They have not only the original 1950's movie version, but a DVD of a London stage production starring Hugh Jackman! (Don't even get me started on the flat-out bizarreness of the idea of an Australian starring in a British prodction of Oklafuckinghoma.) I have two comments...
1) This boy will be gay. There is no escape.
2) Please for the love of God, help me get "Surrey With A Fringe On Top" out of my fucking head.
We stayed with some friends in Willimasburg VA who have a 3 year old son, and instead of watching Disney cartoons or Sesame Street or videos of trucks like a normal kid, this boy is hooked on Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals - particularly "Oklahoma". They have not only the original 1950's movie version, but a DVD of a London stage production starring Hugh Jackman! (Don't even get me started on the flat-out bizarreness of the idea of an Australian starring in a British prodction of Oklafuckinghoma.) I have two comments...
1) This boy will be gay. There is no escape.
2) Please for the love of God, help me get "Surrey With A Fringe On Top" out of my fucking head.
seen on the road, part one: new jersey turnpike...
In a rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike, standing in line at Pizza Hut Express, the girl in front of me - your standard issue J.Lo-style Latina hottie... wearing a pair of black sweatshorts with the words "New York" written across the butt in an Old World Germanic font that at first glance appears to read...
"New Pork"
Yeah. A rump-roast, no doubt.
In a rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike, standing in line at Pizza Hut Express, the girl in front of me - your standard issue J.Lo-style Latina hottie... wearing a pair of black sweatshorts with the words "New York" written across the butt in an Old World Germanic font that at first glance appears to read...
"New Pork"
Yeah. A rump-roast, no doubt.
Friday, July 2
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