slumming it...

I'm giving a 15 minute talk this Thursday as part of a day-long "Global Climate Change Teach-in" at the university. (I'm sorry, but the phrase "teach-in" just makes me cringe. Fucking hippies. "Hey Man, is this a TEACH IN? Well, TURN IT UP, man!!") Since there are 20 or so speakers back-to-back, they want all of our presentations ahead of time, so they can put them on one machine. That's bad enough - asking me to have something ready 3 days in advance. Do they know who they're dealing with? But even worse, they want all of the presentations in POWERPOINT. Which, just... ugh. I gave up PowerPoint YEARS ago, pretty much on the day that Keynote for the Mac was released. It's stunning to me how bad even simple TEXT looks in Powerpoint compared to Keynote. It's awful.

I exported a .ppt, but I'm going to hope that they have a Mac set up there so I can use my Keynote version anyway.

The business-chick next to me on the train is poking at her Blackberry/Treo/Whatever. I've decided that I need an iTouchPod. Now that it can do notes and mail, I think it will fit into my workflow. The only problem is the whole $300 thing, which I kind of... don't have. Quick poll... how many faithful readers would be willing to PayPal $10 to Dr. Dave so he can check his email on his iPod??

Meanwhile, I've been entering every day to win a new AirMacBook. I'll never buy one, because honestly, the specs are extremely lame given the price. But it does look awfully yummy.

back to...

Last week's grueling one-day-work-week didn't really cement the idea in my head that the semester has actually STARTED. Now it feels real. Monday.

It's weird how much teaching is like playing guitar or running... take a break for a month, and you are just a MESS the first time you try to pick it up again. I feel confused and rambly. Even if I'm not.

This semester feels weird in that I have more NON-teaching responsibilities than classroom hours. Independent studies, senior projects, committees... it seems like my calendar is full before I even put a class time on it.

I need to start going to bed earlier. Yawn...

crowds...

I'm not sure WHAT the deal is with the morning train all of a sudden. I was gone for the month of January, now it seems like there are twice as many people on this train as there used to be. Did they cancel one of the earlier or later trains? Did the bus service to the city raise their prices? Have 100,000 additional people moved to the town just west of mine? I mean, there are only 3 stops before mine, and already most of the rows are down to the dreaded "middle seat only" availability. I could try a later train, but I'm afraid it will be even worse. And I'll be damned if I'm coming any EARLIER!

--- -- ---

My "Quantum-Physics-for-Poets" class is up to 21 students, and I have people still trying to get in. The room is packed to the limit. I'm not sure I could fit another student in there. I've decided I should make today's lecture either extra-boring or extra-technical (or both) to try to frighten away anyone who isn't truly committed. I don't even know what the rules are for this. Our seminars are capped at 18 students, and we're allowed to overtally... but I think the limit is +4. I feel like I've already reached the point where it's impossible for me to do any labs... a few more and it will be impossible for me to assign term papers with any substance, because I'll never be able to grade 24 of them. I'll be lucky if I can learn all of their names.

dave's frustration with the knitting begins to show...

Wife: Oh my god, why are your socks on the sofa?? All of you people with your socks!!!

Dave: I pick up your socks too.

Wife: Not NEARLY as often.

Dave: And don't get me started on the knitted ones. At least my socks on the sofa don't have six inch spikes sticking out of them!!

Wife: (lol)

Dave: When one of my socks gives you a BLEEDING PUNCTURE WOUND in your ASS-CRACK... then you can complain (**)



(** yes... true story)

10 minutes of fame...

Yeah - I haven't blogged for a while. It's one of those crazy times. I'm in Baltimore right now, having just wrapped a 10 minute conference talk. (Which believe it or not, is SHORTER than you think!) Tomorrow I drive back home, and then Wednesday, my classes start. So. I'm a little frazzled. Expect some more regular posts once the daily train riding starts.

high def...

I finally got off my ass and went to the cable office to exchange our box for an HD box. There is no extra charge, which I've suspected for quite some time, but never followed up on it. This means that the HD-TV that I have owned for more than three years is showing actually hi-def content for the first time EVER.

It looks fucking awesome. For the cost of a $39 HDMI cable, it's like we got a brand new $1500 TV.

You would think this would be cause for excitement for someone other than me... but... apparently not. My accomplishment has been greeted with a chorus of shoulder shrugs all around. Particularly from the wife, who has not actually LOOKED at a television since she started knitting about a year ago. Maybe I should work on the audio next.

Oh well... I figure I have about 2 years to enjoy it before I go completely fucking blind.

patent pending...

We took out the Xmas tree today. (Yes, I know it's January 13th, shut up.) Needles everywhere. I hate this part of Xmas. I've decided I need to invent a combination Christmas Tree Stand + Wood Chipper. Just push a button on January 2nd, and... BZZZZZZZZZZZZT... right into a garbage bag.

$199.99... look for it next November.

working, out...

I'm at B&N... I've promised myself to work (which means, pretty much, to WRITE) until noon. Then I will go home and start to tackle the Unchristmasing.

I'm actually finding it kind of hard to find things to work on. I only have a couple of projects that need to be finished by the start of the semester. Well, there is also that talk I'm giving on the 21st, which I keep forgetting about. Maybe I'll pick a slide template. That's kind of like work, right?

pre-semester crises...

1) The book which I busted my ass to find for my quantum mechanics class, and have fallen in love with and fully incorporated into my syllabus...? Has just gone out of print. Fuck. There is a chance that the textbook division ot Barnes and Noble may be able to scrape me up 25 copies for this semester. If that doesn't work, I can't decide if I want to break my bank account by buying up every used copy of the book in the world myself, or break the law by photocopying huge swaths of the text.

2) The big classroom with the piano where I taught my "Physics of Sound" class last semester is being used by an acting class this year. If we don't have a piano in the classroom, the music prof is going to be all pouty (rightfully so) and blame me (less rightfully so).

3) One of my "Senior Work" students is already behind schedule. I'm the worst advisor for lazy students, becuase I'm lazy myself. I am going to have to set up weekly meetings and keep pestering him and generally pretend to be someone else if this guy is going to graduate.

nothing says "quality" like when the price is right there in the name of the store...

So this is the plan.

Once my new glasses come in at LensCrafters, and I'm confident that the prescription is good, I'm going to order a pair of reading glasses from either 39dollarglasses.com or goggles4u.com. That may sound crazy, but there is a whole online community and a whole blog devoted to getting glasses online for 1/10 of what you pay at the mall. Apparently as long as you measure carefully, they come out fine.

And the frames? Will be as YOUNG AND HIP as you can possibly imagine.

rear input...

I got a new car stereo installed today. I think along with the "dash kit" and the "wiring harness" they should toss in a free bottle of LUBE. Because no matter where I shop, I feel like I'm being fucked.

I mean... what's with the wiring harnesses anyway? What are we paying installers for if not to know how to wire things? What happened to electrical tape and wire-nuts for god's sake??

Anyway, the good news is that I have a car stereo with a front AUX in now, which means no more constant fiddlefucking with the FM transmitter doodads when I want to listen to my iPod or my Sirius. So... yay for that. Plus, it was 62º today, so I got to enjoy my new gadgets with the sunroof down.

on the way home i stopped at Hearing Aid Depot and Canes 'R Us

So I went to get glasses at LensCrafters today. The doctor said it was borderline, but I might want to "think about"...

I can't even bring myself to type the word. But it starts with a "b" and rhymes with "LOCALS" and in the middle there is an "f", which stands for...

FUCK!!!

I refuse. I absolutley fucking refuse. I'll buy a second pair for reading, but seriously.... fuck no.

new year's rant...

I'm watching the news last night, and it's time for them to talk about the fucking BALL... obgligatory, right...? How many fucking Waterford crystals... how many bulbs... whatever. Well this year they made a big deal that they are using... ENERGY EFFICIENT LEDS!!!!

Oh yes! We wouldn't want to be using those power hungry incandescent bulbs for the whole TWENTY FUCKING SECONDS that the New Year Ball is on!!! But, meanwhile... we'll keep lighting Time's Square with FUCKING MEGAWATT LASER BILLBOARDS so it is BRIGHT AS GOD DAMNED NOON, all night long, EVERY NIGHT OF THE YEAR!!

Whathefuckever. I hope they are using rechargable batteries to power whatever Darth Vader mechanism is keeping Dick Clark running, too.

(Happy New Year, readers!)