I’m alive. Here’s an update.
Work Life
My job continues to go really well. They seem really pleased with me. I receive frequent praise. My supervisor called me into a meeting room today and told me she’s already trying to get me to be a salaried employee, complete with a pay raise. They don’t normally do this so quickly, but she thinks I’ve been doing an amazing job and, according to her, they don’t ever want to lose me. I like the job very much because I work largely independently and get to spend a good chunk of my day listening to music. Most of the time, it’s a somewhat busy but not-too-stressful job. A nice combo. I often think about how happy I am with it, and I don’t think you could ask for much more than that.
Personal Life
One of the best things to happen in the last month is that I’ve started taking guitar lessons again. As I’m sure I’ve said on this very blog, probably numerous times, one of my biggest fears is that I will look back on my life and curse myself for not doing a whole lot more with music. I’ve taken guitar lessons, in spurts, a few times in my life, but I’m a much more disciplined guy nowadays. I think this time around, it really has a chance to pay off. And so far, it is. I’m playing a lot more music, and in turn, I’m writing more music. I think having a job where I’ve been able to listen to so much music has helped inspire me. When I’m listening to really good music, I find myself thinking I want to spend as much of my free time as possible writing and playing.
Home Life
I guess this is a subset of personal life, but whatever. Melanie and I continue to love our home, but the first big problems have already appeared. When it rains, we have issues with flooding. One of our downstairs bedrooms gets water soaking up into the carpet. Apparently, there’s a crack in the foundation and the water in the ground seeps in. It’s not coming in so fast that it’s hugely problematic, but it’s certainly a big nuisance. And it stinks up the carpet, and it makes a good chunk of that room unusable because you don’t know what will get ruined. And then we have to run a high-powered fan for days at a time to dry things out, which is noisy and likely racks up the electric bill. Our garage is also quite bad if it rains a lot. It turns into a lake inside. Many books have already fallen victim to it. We can’t reliably store anything in the garage, apparently, because water will get to it eventually. My books were in boxes, but the bottom of the box gets all soggy and then the water starts to soak up into the book. There was only one book that was in such terrible condition, I threw it away. But several have become warped. And that depresses me. Books are one of my treasured possessions.
Family Life
Family life is going really, really well lately. We went through a very rough phase with Peter, where he was pretty much abusive to us, no matter what was going on. It didn’t matter how you treated him, he would treat you like garbage. It was extremely depressing, and I’m not using that term lightly. But that situation has improved dramatically over the last two or three months, and it’s wonderful. I also love that Melanie and I are in a situation where we can date once in a while. Just last Saturday, we went out to lunch and two movies at Broadway, a theater that specializes in independent film. It was a splurge, but it was great. I continue to be crazy about that girl, and I don’t get sick of spending time with her. In fact, it’s much harder for me to enjoy work now that Melanie and the boys are on summer vacation. I feel like I’m missing out, and that’s really sad. But I think they’re enjoying the summer thus far. They’ve kept busy playing around. As they should. Melanie, unfortunately, has to have surgery in a couple of weeks. If everything goes well, it will be an outpatient surgery and shouldn’t be too debilitating. But that doesn’t mean it will be fun or that she’ll be wanting to (or allowed to) go out and play the next day. I just hope she recuperates quickly enough to enjoy the latter half of her summer break.
In sum, life continues to get more and more wonderful. And that’s pretty damn cool. I guess that’s all I’ll say for now.
Formerly Benj (& Purge); formerly Sucking on Oranges
Showing posts with label Potpourri Posts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Potpourri Posts. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Thursday, August 06, 2015
Potpourri No. 41
A variety pack of life…
Hit Me like a Hamer
I mentioned in my previous post that Melanie and I were going to attend a lecture at the downtown SLC library by Community of Christ historian John Hamer. It ended up being the fourth John Hamer event we’ve attended in the past year or so. This one differed from the others in that it took a broader look at the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith, looking not only at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Community of Christ—the two largest denominations to come out of the movement—but several other Latter Day Saint churches. In fact, the LDS Church and Community of Christ took a backseat in this particular presentation. Instead, Hamer focused on lesser-known groups, such as the Strangites, the Hedrickites, the Bickertonites, and the Cutlerites—all of which consider themselves to be the one and only true church on the face of the earth and the proper continuation of the church started by Joseph. One thing that stood out to me was a graphic made by Hamer that showed color-coded boxes representing early (i.e. several years before Joseph was killed) church leaders and their subsequent (i.e. after Joseph was killed) religious affiliations. Strikingly, a majority of church leaders did not end up following Brigham Young. Not from a more comprehensive perspective, anyway. Our view gets skewed a little bit by the fact that, by the time people were making a choice whether or not to follow Brigham, many who were opposed to polygamy or had other issues had already left. Fascinating stuff. (And here I will officially apologize for using such a lame pun above as the title for this section of my blog post.)
Hey, Teacher!
Melanie is busy as can be now, gearing up to teach Kindergarten for the first time in a decade. Granted, she taught Kindergartners all last school year, but she was officially an aide and not the teacher. Now that she’s back in the driver’s seat, she has more responsibility. She’s attending mandatory preliminary staff meetings, she has to get her classroom all set up, etc. I feel like I haven’t seen her much since we got back from Nauvoo, which is kind of sad. Fortunately, we’ve made an effort to do some fun things this week. We had our date to go to the John Hamer lecture on Monday; on Tuesday, we went as a family to see Ant-Man and then went to dinner at Café Zupas; and tonight, we have dates for The Book of Mormon musical! I’m very excited about the latter. After this week, I assume things will only get more crazy, but I’m crossing my fingers that all five of us—Melanie, Eddie, Peter, Creegan, and me—will adjust well to all of the changes we are about to face.
Doctor, Doctor
Part of gearing up for the new school year is taking kids to the doctor. Yesterday, I took Peter and Creegan in for a checkup. Eddie was spared, although he went with us. Peter and Beegy are both doing great. Beegy has 20/20 vision, and Peter’s is not quite as good but still fine and in the normal range. Peter is in the 75th percentile for height and weight, and Beegy is around the 50th percentile for height and just above that for weight. Sadly, it was time for Creegan to get his final immunizations before entering school. He won’t start Kindergarten until next year, but we wanted him taken care of so he can be in preschool. He had only two shots that he still needed, but that’s two more than he wanted. It’s no fun restraining your child so someone can stab him a couple of times with a sharp object. Thankfully, those nurses can be amazingly fast. She was so fast, I wondered if it was really possible for her to have done the shots properly. I think it took less than a full second for each shot. Creegan was devastated, but boy did he recover quickly. By the time we were home, he was going out to jump on the trampoline with Eddie. The shots were given to him in his upper thigh, which you’d think would make jumping around immediately after rather unappealing. But nope, he was fine and dandy by then. He didn’t even take any pain medication, either before or after—not that he would’ve been willing to, and not that I didn’t offer it to him. Getting Creegan to take medicine (by mouth) is an utterly impossible mission. He will vomit in resistance before you can stand any chance of getting some into his system. It’s awful.
Dentist, Dentist
Today, I took all three kids to the dentist. Our appointment was for 9 AM, which was perhaps a little too optimistic for us. I didn’t even get a chance to eat breakfast or switch over some laundry as I had planned, and we were still several minutes late. Oh well. Things went fine and dandy once we were there. Well, sort of. Creegan once again proved the toughest sell. He was crying and screaming and refusing to lie back in the chair, even though they weren’t going to do anything more than a cleaning. Yes, it was embarrassing. Yes, it took several minutes to get him to comply. Once he did, he quickly realized it was no big deal. I wish he would’ve believed me when I told him that 1,000 times in a row as he threw his tantrum. In the end, Peter and Creegan are doing terrific. Eddie, not so much. The problem is crowding. He has moderate to severe crowding, and it’s time to start working on it. They want to put him in an “expander” (if I remember correctly) for 12–15 months. It’s not technically braces, but it’s close enough. As they talked to Edison about his crowded teeth, they asked me if I had had similar problems as a kid that needed to be fixed (assuming Eddie inherited it from one of his parents). I said, “I still need braces. I was neglected as a kid.” I opened up and showed them my crazy teeth. Since the onsite orthodontist was going to look at Eddie, the dentist recommended that he look me over as well. Now, it’s been one of my main goals upon returning from Nauvoo to see an orthodontist ASAP and get my teeth taken care of before I get any older. I felt self-conscious knowing I hadn’t eaten anything and my mouth probably smelled vile (aren’t you glad you’re reading this?), but seeing an orthodontist was never going to be more convenient for me than it was right then. So, I took my turn in the chair and was given a look-over. In a nutshell, the orthodontist told me that $3,500 and 24 months could have me looking “really nice.” I don’t know where I’ll get the money, but it’s got to happen. This absurdity has gone on way, way, way too long. Getting braces has been on my to-do list (and not just my “should do it” list) for a solid decade now, but I’ve never felt financially able to do it. I was also never sure how long I’d be living in the same area, and for some dumb reason, I let that be an excuse. I figured being an adult—and a rather severe case at that—I’d be a multi-year project, and I didn’t want to move in the middle of working with an orthodontist. I know, it sounds really lame in hindsight. But I always thought, “Well, as soon as we move somewhere else and are a little more settled, I’ll get started on it.” And that’s just never happened. Time to be a responsible adult, since my parents kind of blew it in that department. (If you’re reading this, Mom and Dad, you can assuage some of your guilt by helping me foot the bill. Thanks!)
Hit Me like a Hamer
I mentioned in my previous post that Melanie and I were going to attend a lecture at the downtown SLC library by Community of Christ historian John Hamer. It ended up being the fourth John Hamer event we’ve attended in the past year or so. This one differed from the others in that it took a broader look at the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith, looking not only at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Community of Christ—the two largest denominations to come out of the movement—but several other Latter Day Saint churches. In fact, the LDS Church and Community of Christ took a backseat in this particular presentation. Instead, Hamer focused on lesser-known groups, such as the Strangites, the Hedrickites, the Bickertonites, and the Cutlerites—all of which consider themselves to be the one and only true church on the face of the earth and the proper continuation of the church started by Joseph. One thing that stood out to me was a graphic made by Hamer that showed color-coded boxes representing early (i.e. several years before Joseph was killed) church leaders and their subsequent (i.e. after Joseph was killed) religious affiliations. Strikingly, a majority of church leaders did not end up following Brigham Young. Not from a more comprehensive perspective, anyway. Our view gets skewed a little bit by the fact that, by the time people were making a choice whether or not to follow Brigham, many who were opposed to polygamy or had other issues had already left. Fascinating stuff. (And here I will officially apologize for using such a lame pun above as the title for this section of my blog post.)
A brilliant and amazing guy poses with Melanie and John Hamer.
Hey, Teacher!
Melanie is busy as can be now, gearing up to teach Kindergarten for the first time in a decade. Granted, she taught Kindergartners all last school year, but she was officially an aide and not the teacher. Now that she’s back in the driver’s seat, she has more responsibility. She’s attending mandatory preliminary staff meetings, she has to get her classroom all set up, etc. I feel like I haven’t seen her much since we got back from Nauvoo, which is kind of sad. Fortunately, we’ve made an effort to do some fun things this week. We had our date to go to the John Hamer lecture on Monday; on Tuesday, we went as a family to see Ant-Man and then went to dinner at Café Zupas; and tonight, we have dates for The Book of Mormon musical! I’m very excited about the latter. After this week, I assume things will only get more crazy, but I’m crossing my fingers that all five of us—Melanie, Eddie, Peter, Creegan, and me—will adjust well to all of the changes we are about to face.
Doctor, Doctor
Part of gearing up for the new school year is taking kids to the doctor. Yesterday, I took Peter and Creegan in for a checkup. Eddie was spared, although he went with us. Peter and Beegy are both doing great. Beegy has 20/20 vision, and Peter’s is not quite as good but still fine and in the normal range. Peter is in the 75th percentile for height and weight, and Beegy is around the 50th percentile for height and just above that for weight. Sadly, it was time for Creegan to get his final immunizations before entering school. He won’t start Kindergarten until next year, but we wanted him taken care of so he can be in preschool. He had only two shots that he still needed, but that’s two more than he wanted. It’s no fun restraining your child so someone can stab him a couple of times with a sharp object. Thankfully, those nurses can be amazingly fast. She was so fast, I wondered if it was really possible for her to have done the shots properly. I think it took less than a full second for each shot. Creegan was devastated, but boy did he recover quickly. By the time we were home, he was going out to jump on the trampoline with Eddie. The shots were given to him in his upper thigh, which you’d think would make jumping around immediately after rather unappealing. But nope, he was fine and dandy by then. He didn’t even take any pain medication, either before or after—not that he would’ve been willing to, and not that I didn’t offer it to him. Getting Creegan to take medicine (by mouth) is an utterly impossible mission. He will vomit in resistance before you can stand any chance of getting some into his system. It’s awful.
Dentist, Dentist
Today, I took all three kids to the dentist. Our appointment was for 9 AM, which was perhaps a little too optimistic for us. I didn’t even get a chance to eat breakfast or switch over some laundry as I had planned, and we were still several minutes late. Oh well. Things went fine and dandy once we were there. Well, sort of. Creegan once again proved the toughest sell. He was crying and screaming and refusing to lie back in the chair, even though they weren’t going to do anything more than a cleaning. Yes, it was embarrassing. Yes, it took several minutes to get him to comply. Once he did, he quickly realized it was no big deal. I wish he would’ve believed me when I told him that 1,000 times in a row as he threw his tantrum. In the end, Peter and Creegan are doing terrific. Eddie, not so much. The problem is crowding. He has moderate to severe crowding, and it’s time to start working on it. They want to put him in an “expander” (if I remember correctly) for 12–15 months. It’s not technically braces, but it’s close enough. As they talked to Edison about his crowded teeth, they asked me if I had had similar problems as a kid that needed to be fixed (assuming Eddie inherited it from one of his parents). I said, “I still need braces. I was neglected as a kid.” I opened up and showed them my crazy teeth. Since the onsite orthodontist was going to look at Eddie, the dentist recommended that he look me over as well. Now, it’s been one of my main goals upon returning from Nauvoo to see an orthodontist ASAP and get my teeth taken care of before I get any older. I felt self-conscious knowing I hadn’t eaten anything and my mouth probably smelled vile (aren’t you glad you’re reading this?), but seeing an orthodontist was never going to be more convenient for me than it was right then. So, I took my turn in the chair and was given a look-over. In a nutshell, the orthodontist told me that $3,500 and 24 months could have me looking “really nice.” I don’t know where I’ll get the money, but it’s got to happen. This absurdity has gone on way, way, way too long. Getting braces has been on my to-do list (and not just my “should do it” list) for a solid decade now, but I’ve never felt financially able to do it. I was also never sure how long I’d be living in the same area, and for some dumb reason, I let that be an excuse. I figured being an adult—and a rather severe case at that—I’d be a multi-year project, and I didn’t want to move in the middle of working with an orthodontist. I know, it sounds really lame in hindsight. But I always thought, “Well, as soon as we move somewhere else and are a little more settled, I’ll get started on it.” And that’s just never happened. Time to be a responsible adult, since my parents kind of blew it in that department. (If you’re reading this, Mom and Dad, you can assuage some of your guilt by helping me foot the bill. Thanks!)
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Potpourri No. 40
Sweeping the floor of life, here are some recent tidbits I’ve come up with…
Hot Tea
I’ve tried a couple more hot teas since I last wrote. I heard a lot of people rave about Earl Grey tea, which is a black tea with a citrus hint to it. Well … the word “hint” suggests subtlety, but that wasn’t my experience. I tried an Earl Grey Latte (AKA, a London Fog) from Starbucks and could barely choke it down. It tasted like someone had dissolved a bar of Irish Spring in water and given it to me. That was my initial reaction, anyway. I soon realized that it tasted like eating orange rinds, with the extreme bitterness that you’d expect from doing that. Not pleasant at all. A few days later, I tried English Breakfast, which is a pretty standard black tea with a malty quality to it. It was much better, but nothing overly interesting to me. I’d like to find a hot tea I could enjoy, but I’m struggling a bit in that department. Of course, I love chai lattes, but those are sugary and more of a treat than anything. Speaking of, I tried my first homemade chai, using Lipton® Spiced Cinnamon Chai. It’s not bad, but much better with a dash of Irish cream creamer. I also stopped at a nearby coffee shop called Sunset Coffee to try a drink called the “Chai of the Tiger” at the recommendation of a friend. It was very tasty and different from other chai lattes I’ve had. It actually reminded me quite a bit of Irish Cream steamers (steamed milk) I’ve gotten in the past, but crossed with a freshly baked oatmeal cookie. Now, tell me that doesn’t sound good!
Iced Tea
Being such a fan of chai lattes, I’ve now tried a couple of iced versions of the drink, one from Beans & Brews and one from Starbucks. They’re very good. I’ve also tried some more at-home mixes of iced tea, including Lipton® Tea & Honey Mango Pineapple Iced Green Tea (which has a very vibrant pineapple flavor but is very good), AriZona Green Tea with Ginseng (which has a faint apricot taste), and AriZona Pomegranate Green Tea (which tastes the most like punch of any tea I’ve tried thus far). Lipton® Blackberry Pomegranate Iced Green Tea remains champion of the mixes I’ve brought home. It has the best flavor of all, and so it’s what I drink the most. As such, I have to credit it with all of the health benefits I’ve been experiencing with tea lately. Just like it saved me from gout, I’m now wondering if it’s staved off strep throat, which Melanie, Eddie, and Peter all recently had.
Golf Tee
Speaking of illness, we were feeling kind of desperate to get out of the house after several days of staying at home, trying to recuperate. And so, on Saturday the 28th, we went to a place called FatCats. FatCats features numerous bowling lanes, an arcade, billiard tables, and a 9-hole, pirate-themed miniature golf course. It’s called “glow golf” as the place is illuminated by black light. It’s pretty cheap to golf, so that’s what we did. It didn’t last too long, but it gave us something to do and inspired us to use our digital camera for the first time in a month. (We’ve used our camera on only two occasions since 2015 began. Don’t ask me why.) Here, enjoy some photos:
Religiosity
If you’ve read my blog consistently over the last several months, you’ve seen a religious transformation taking place. In November, I wrote about attending Community of Christ for the first time and said it left me feeling excited to return to LDS church, where I hoped to “infuse it with some of the good I am finding elsewhere.” I concluded that blog entry by saying, “Maybe, just maybe, being LDS is my cross to bear.” A couple of weeks later, I mentioned feeling drawn back to Community of Christ despite my intentions to attend LDS church. I said, “I keep thinking it will be a while before I go back [to Community of Christ], but something always brings me back sooner than I expect.” It took me longer than it should have to admit that God was leading me into Community of Christ. I was resisting the idea because I just couldn’t fathom leaving the LDS Church. I felt wholeheartedly committed to the LDS Church, and my theological beliefs weren’t changing. And yet, by early 2015, I was finally coming to terms with the spiritual impressions I had been receiving since the fall. I wrote on my blog: “I continually see evidence that God is leading me to Community of Christ, whether I like it or not.” This is when push came to shove for me. A few days later, I was on my knees in fervent prayer to God, begging for clarity. My spiritual impressions were leading me somewhere I never would’ve imagined—out of the LDS Church. That had certain implications, as I’d always been taught, and so I laid those concerns out to God and pleaded for direction. The next day was one of the most spiritually profound days of my life. I feel like God came into my heart and mind and worked a miracle, quieting absolutely every concern I had—concerns that had gnawed at me and paralyzed me for months. All that was left was an overwhelming sense of love and joy, one that left me giddy and euphoric quite literally for days. It’s what inspired this post, a post I wrote just two days after knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that I would be joining Community of Christ in answer to God’s call. I didn’t make that explicit in the post, but I allude to it. Since then, I’ve made it clear that I’m changing religions, as evidenced in this post about my upcoming fellowship in Nauvoo and more explicitly in this post about what my faith transition does (and doesn’t) imply. And now, as the next step in this journey, I am pleased to announce that I will be officially baptized and confirmed into Community of Christ on Sunday, April 19th. I’m making it official. Melanie too. Parents aren’t unanimously happy or supportive, and it breaks my heart that this is causing anyone pain when it seems so absolutely unnecessary. But all in all, I’m deliriously happy.
Hot Tea
I’ve tried a couple more hot teas since I last wrote. I heard a lot of people rave about Earl Grey tea, which is a black tea with a citrus hint to it. Well … the word “hint” suggests subtlety, but that wasn’t my experience. I tried an Earl Grey Latte (AKA, a London Fog) from Starbucks and could barely choke it down. It tasted like someone had dissolved a bar of Irish Spring in water and given it to me. That was my initial reaction, anyway. I soon realized that it tasted like eating orange rinds, with the extreme bitterness that you’d expect from doing that. Not pleasant at all. A few days later, I tried English Breakfast, which is a pretty standard black tea with a malty quality to it. It was much better, but nothing overly interesting to me. I’d like to find a hot tea I could enjoy, but I’m struggling a bit in that department. Of course, I love chai lattes, but those are sugary and more of a treat than anything. Speaking of, I tried my first homemade chai, using Lipton® Spiced Cinnamon Chai. It’s not bad, but much better with a dash of Irish cream creamer. I also stopped at a nearby coffee shop called Sunset Coffee to try a drink called the “Chai of the Tiger” at the recommendation of a friend. It was very tasty and different from other chai lattes I’ve had. It actually reminded me quite a bit of Irish Cream steamers (steamed milk) I’ve gotten in the past, but crossed with a freshly baked oatmeal cookie. Now, tell me that doesn’t sound good!
Iced Tea
Being such a fan of chai lattes, I’ve now tried a couple of iced versions of the drink, one from Beans & Brews and one from Starbucks. They’re very good. I’ve also tried some more at-home mixes of iced tea, including Lipton® Tea & Honey Mango Pineapple Iced Green Tea (which has a very vibrant pineapple flavor but is very good), AriZona Green Tea with Ginseng (which has a faint apricot taste), and AriZona Pomegranate Green Tea (which tastes the most like punch of any tea I’ve tried thus far). Lipton® Blackberry Pomegranate Iced Green Tea remains champion of the mixes I’ve brought home. It has the best flavor of all, and so it’s what I drink the most. As such, I have to credit it with all of the health benefits I’ve been experiencing with tea lately. Just like it saved me from gout, I’m now wondering if it’s staved off strep throat, which Melanie, Eddie, and Peter all recently had.
Golf Tee
Speaking of illness, we were feeling kind of desperate to get out of the house after several days of staying at home, trying to recuperate. And so, on Saturday the 28th, we went to a place called FatCats. FatCats features numerous bowling lanes, an arcade, billiard tables, and a 9-hole, pirate-themed miniature golf course. It’s called “glow golf” as the place is illuminated by black light. It’s pretty cheap to golf, so that’s what we did. It didn’t last too long, but it gave us something to do and inspired us to use our digital camera for the first time in a month. (We’ve used our camera on only two occasions since 2015 began. Don’t ask me why.) Here, enjoy some photos:
Beegy just pushed the golf ball around with his club, which made going up hills like this incredibly difficult.
Religiosity
If you’ve read my blog consistently over the last several months, you’ve seen a religious transformation taking place. In November, I wrote about attending Community of Christ for the first time and said it left me feeling excited to return to LDS church, where I hoped to “infuse it with some of the good I am finding elsewhere.” I concluded that blog entry by saying, “Maybe, just maybe, being LDS is my cross to bear.” A couple of weeks later, I mentioned feeling drawn back to Community of Christ despite my intentions to attend LDS church. I said, “I keep thinking it will be a while before I go back [to Community of Christ], but something always brings me back sooner than I expect.” It took me longer than it should have to admit that God was leading me into Community of Christ. I was resisting the idea because I just couldn’t fathom leaving the LDS Church. I felt wholeheartedly committed to the LDS Church, and my theological beliefs weren’t changing. And yet, by early 2015, I was finally coming to terms with the spiritual impressions I had been receiving since the fall. I wrote on my blog: “I continually see evidence that God is leading me to Community of Christ, whether I like it or not.” This is when push came to shove for me. A few days later, I was on my knees in fervent prayer to God, begging for clarity. My spiritual impressions were leading me somewhere I never would’ve imagined—out of the LDS Church. That had certain implications, as I’d always been taught, and so I laid those concerns out to God and pleaded for direction. The next day was one of the most spiritually profound days of my life. I feel like God came into my heart and mind and worked a miracle, quieting absolutely every concern I had—concerns that had gnawed at me and paralyzed me for months. All that was left was an overwhelming sense of love and joy, one that left me giddy and euphoric quite literally for days. It’s what inspired this post, a post I wrote just two days after knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that I would be joining Community of Christ in answer to God’s call. I didn’t make that explicit in the post, but I allude to it. Since then, I’ve made it clear that I’m changing religions, as evidenced in this post about my upcoming fellowship in Nauvoo and more explicitly in this post about what my faith transition does (and doesn’t) imply. And now, as the next step in this journey, I am pleased to announce that I will be officially baptized and confirmed into Community of Christ on Sunday, April 19th. I’m making it official. Melanie too. Parents aren’t unanimously happy or supportive, and it breaks my heart that this is causing anyone pain when it seems so absolutely unnecessary. But all in all, I’m deliriously happy.
Friday, August 29, 2014
Potpourri No. 39
Individually wrapped, single-serving portions o’ life…
Transition Complete
We’ve now been living in Utah for about two months. It has taken these two months to feel completely moved over. We got our Utah bank accounts, our kids have started school (see below), Melanie has a local job (also see below), our address is updated with everybody who matters, we have Utah voter cards, driver licenses, library cards, primary care physicians, etc. This week we put the finishing touches on our move by affixing a new set of Utah license plates to our vehicle. I think that was the last thing that needed to be done, and we’re now as Utahan as you can get. It’s almost as though we never left. It may seem silly, but seeing our car with Utah license plates really did feel like the icing on the cake (or the nail in the coffin, depending on how you look at it). It’s a bit surreal, and it really does make things feel more official. However, the thing I’m most excited about is probably the library cards. As I’ve said a few times before, Utah has a couple of great library systems (both city and county), and I feel so empowered to have a library card here. I kind of feel like I just inherited thousands of books. It’s awesome.
That’s What Friends Are For
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to see some good friends that I haven’t seen in years. Last week, Chad (a great friend for about 16 years now) and his wife Crystal (also a wonderful person), along with their three sons (fine blokes, all of them), met up with Melanie (my beautiful bride) and me (that’s myself) and our three sons (delightful little tikes) at Liberty Park (Salt Lake City’s approximation of Central Park). They—that is, Chad and Crystal—even brought us Chinese food. Super nice and super yummy—that is, Chad and Crystal, and the Chinese food, respectively. These guys have been absolutely angelic with us in the past. They are kind and generous and sincere, and it’s humbling to have such wonderful people in my life. We had great and meaningful conversation, not just idle chit chat and whatever. What a treasure. I very much enjoyed my time and am glad I now live where I can see these people with relative ease. Then, this week, I saw one of my best buddies from high school, Jonathan (that’s the name of the friend, not the high school). It’s probably been seven years since I’ve seen Jonathan, but he’s a good guy. He also fed me good food. (How lucky am I?) He took me to Red Rock, a microbrewery that I’ve heretofore patronized only in his company. It was delicious. We caught up on each other’s life and then brainstormed all of our mutual acquaintances from high school to see who knew what about whom. More than one has died, one is in prison. It’s crazy. I was amazed how naturally profanity became a part of my vocabulary in Jonathan’s presence. It wasn’t purposeful, and it wasn’t his “bad influence” because I’ve been around other people who swear more than I do and it hasn’t affected me. It must just be conditioning from when I hung out with him in the past, when indeed I was a much more profane fellow. I’m just surprised that even though three-quarters of a decade have passed since I’ve talked with him, I would so effortlessly and non-consciously revert to old my old ways. But, you know, it was kind of nice, because it just didn’t matter. Friendships like that are hard to come by in these parts.
The Schooling Continues
The school year has started. Most days, I walk Eddie and Peter to school. Usually, Beegy comes with me. I think Eddie and Peter are adjusting fairly well, considering they are both rather shy and anxiety-prone. It’s hard to get much out of them about what happens at school, but I remain optimistic. Melanie, meanwhile, has started her job as a Kindergarten Teaching Assistant. Today was only the second day of normal school for her kindergarteners, but I think Melanie is quite happy. It feels good to her to be back in that environment, and the kids already adore her. She’s been told as much by at least a kid or two. It’s really great to see Melanie so happy with how things are going. Meanwhile, my schooling remains a somewhat nebulous notion. What the hell do I mean by that, you ask? I don’t know. It just seems not quite real, and it is not well-defined at this point how exactly I even relate to my PhD program. Not that my plans have changed. I’m still going to work on my dissertation, but I’m not officially enrolled as a student anymore. I guess it’s just such a change that it feels kind of bizarre. My reasons for not officially enrolling as a student are numerous, but the one that seals the deal is that I don’t have the money to pay for it. So, quite honestly, there isn’t much of an option. All that really matters, though, is that I’ll continue to work on my dissertation and then reapply to school before I need to defend. That should suffice. In the meantime, I’m spending my mornings with Beegy. I feel bad for the boy because he has lost his two brothers (and his mom for part of the day) to school and it’s a monumental change for him. On the first day of school, after we dropped Eddie and Peter off, Beegy began sobbing. It was a different kind of cry than I’ve usually seen from him, and it was clear that it was purely because it had hit him that his brothers were gone. It was heartbreaking. He’s adjusted pretty well since, but I’m no match for his brothers. And it’s hard to remain patient, sadly. I feel like I spend four hours of my day just staring at whatever Beegy is telling me to look at. I can’t divert my eyes for even a second without him snapping at me to keep watching this or looking at that. I feel like a robot, like I can’t even think my own thoughts for those four hours. Sigh. I need to figure something out.
My Hands, AKA The Living Dead
Two months in Utah means it’s also been two months of carpal tunnel. I had an EMG earlier this week, a procedure in which they hook your fingertips up to some machine that monitors the electro-activity in your nerves and then proceed to shock you with a cattle prod at various places on your arm. It actually wasn’t that bad, and the testing was done within a literally literal 10 minutes. The worst part was the hair-thin needles they had to poke into my arm (and neck) to “listen” to my muscle activity. (I used scare quotes, but it was a rather literal listening to, as it was a tiny microphone inserted into my skin that captured noise whenever I’d use my muscles.) The EMG doctor told me I had “moderate” carpal tunnel, just on the cusp of getting to the bad stage. He said that despite feeling much more numb in my right hand, my two hands are basically on par with each other. He made surgery sound like something I should be doing soon, but apparently for him that means “within the next year.” So, I went to my normal carpal tunnel doctor today to discuss the results of my EMG test. We didn’t really do that. Instead, he gave me a steroid shot directly into my wrist (I could barely feel it, thankfully) and I got scheduled for surgery three-and-a-half weeks from now. This doctor told me I had “severe” carpal tunnel and didn’t make me feel quite as optimistic as the EMG guy, but who knows. I was also told my hand might be fine within a couple of days of having the surgery, unlike the three-to-four weeks I’d heard from others. I wish I felt more confident about what exactly is going on, but you know how doctors are. You feel like they are rushing whenever they come in, and it feels like you’re interrupting them if you ask questions. I was confused about the purpose of my steroid shot today. The doctor said it was for my relief, but he also said it would tell us about how well I was likely to respond to surgery. But then I wasn’t scheduled for a follow-up appointment before the surgery, and I was told I’d need the surgery no matter how I responded to the shot. So I just don’t know. I guess you just trust people and let them cut you open if they say it’s going to be good for you. That’s basically my plan for now.
Transition Complete
We’ve now been living in Utah for about two months. It has taken these two months to feel completely moved over. We got our Utah bank accounts, our kids have started school (see below), Melanie has a local job (also see below), our address is updated with everybody who matters, we have Utah voter cards, driver licenses, library cards, primary care physicians, etc. This week we put the finishing touches on our move by affixing a new set of Utah license plates to our vehicle. I think that was the last thing that needed to be done, and we’re now as Utahan as you can get. It’s almost as though we never left. It may seem silly, but seeing our car with Utah license plates really did feel like the icing on the cake (or the nail in the coffin, depending on how you look at it). It’s a bit surreal, and it really does make things feel more official. However, the thing I’m most excited about is probably the library cards. As I’ve said a few times before, Utah has a couple of great library systems (both city and county), and I feel so empowered to have a library card here. I kind of feel like I just inherited thousands of books. It’s awesome.
That’s What Friends Are For
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to see some good friends that I haven’t seen in years. Last week, Chad (a great friend for about 16 years now) and his wife Crystal (also a wonderful person), along with their three sons (fine blokes, all of them), met up with Melanie (my beautiful bride) and me (that’s myself) and our three sons (delightful little tikes) at Liberty Park (Salt Lake City’s approximation of Central Park). They—that is, Chad and Crystal—even brought us Chinese food. Super nice and super yummy—that is, Chad and Crystal, and the Chinese food, respectively. These guys have been absolutely angelic with us in the past. They are kind and generous and sincere, and it’s humbling to have such wonderful people in my life. We had great and meaningful conversation, not just idle chit chat and whatever. What a treasure. I very much enjoyed my time and am glad I now live where I can see these people with relative ease. Then, this week, I saw one of my best buddies from high school, Jonathan (that’s the name of the friend, not the high school). It’s probably been seven years since I’ve seen Jonathan, but he’s a good guy. He also fed me good food. (How lucky am I?) He took me to Red Rock, a microbrewery that I’ve heretofore patronized only in his company. It was delicious. We caught up on each other’s life and then brainstormed all of our mutual acquaintances from high school to see who knew what about whom. More than one has died, one is in prison. It’s crazy. I was amazed how naturally profanity became a part of my vocabulary in Jonathan’s presence. It wasn’t purposeful, and it wasn’t his “bad influence” because I’ve been around other people who swear more than I do and it hasn’t affected me. It must just be conditioning from when I hung out with him in the past, when indeed I was a much more profane fellow. I’m just surprised that even though three-quarters of a decade have passed since I’ve talked with him, I would so effortlessly and non-consciously revert to old my old ways. But, you know, it was kind of nice, because it just didn’t matter. Friendships like that are hard to come by in these parts.
The Schooling Continues
The school year has started. Most days, I walk Eddie and Peter to school. Usually, Beegy comes with me. I think Eddie and Peter are adjusting fairly well, considering they are both rather shy and anxiety-prone. It’s hard to get much out of them about what happens at school, but I remain optimistic. Melanie, meanwhile, has started her job as a Kindergarten Teaching Assistant. Today was only the second day of normal school for her kindergarteners, but I think Melanie is quite happy. It feels good to her to be back in that environment, and the kids already adore her. She’s been told as much by at least a kid or two. It’s really great to see Melanie so happy with how things are going. Meanwhile, my schooling remains a somewhat nebulous notion. What the hell do I mean by that, you ask? I don’t know. It just seems not quite real, and it is not well-defined at this point how exactly I even relate to my PhD program. Not that my plans have changed. I’m still going to work on my dissertation, but I’m not officially enrolled as a student anymore. I guess it’s just such a change that it feels kind of bizarre. My reasons for not officially enrolling as a student are numerous, but the one that seals the deal is that I don’t have the money to pay for it. So, quite honestly, there isn’t much of an option. All that really matters, though, is that I’ll continue to work on my dissertation and then reapply to school before I need to defend. That should suffice. In the meantime, I’m spending my mornings with Beegy. I feel bad for the boy because he has lost his two brothers (and his mom for part of the day) to school and it’s a monumental change for him. On the first day of school, after we dropped Eddie and Peter off, Beegy began sobbing. It was a different kind of cry than I’ve usually seen from him, and it was clear that it was purely because it had hit him that his brothers were gone. It was heartbreaking. He’s adjusted pretty well since, but I’m no match for his brothers. And it’s hard to remain patient, sadly. I feel like I spend four hours of my day just staring at whatever Beegy is telling me to look at. I can’t divert my eyes for even a second without him snapping at me to keep watching this or looking at that. I feel like a robot, like I can’t even think my own thoughts for those four hours. Sigh. I need to figure something out.
My Hands, AKA The Living Dead
Two months in Utah means it’s also been two months of carpal tunnel. I had an EMG earlier this week, a procedure in which they hook your fingertips up to some machine that monitors the electro-activity in your nerves and then proceed to shock you with a cattle prod at various places on your arm. It actually wasn’t that bad, and the testing was done within a literally literal 10 minutes. The worst part was the hair-thin needles they had to poke into my arm (and neck) to “listen” to my muscle activity. (I used scare quotes, but it was a rather literal listening to, as it was a tiny microphone inserted into my skin that captured noise whenever I’d use my muscles.) The EMG doctor told me I had “moderate” carpal tunnel, just on the cusp of getting to the bad stage. He said that despite feeling much more numb in my right hand, my two hands are basically on par with each other. He made surgery sound like something I should be doing soon, but apparently for him that means “within the next year.” So, I went to my normal carpal tunnel doctor today to discuss the results of my EMG test. We didn’t really do that. Instead, he gave me a steroid shot directly into my wrist (I could barely feel it, thankfully) and I got scheduled for surgery three-and-a-half weeks from now. This doctor told me I had “severe” carpal tunnel and didn’t make me feel quite as optimistic as the EMG guy, but who knows. I was also told my hand might be fine within a couple of days of having the surgery, unlike the three-to-four weeks I’d heard from others. I wish I felt more confident about what exactly is going on, but you know how doctors are. You feel like they are rushing whenever they come in, and it feels like you’re interrupting them if you ask questions. I was confused about the purpose of my steroid shot today. The doctor said it was for my relief, but he also said it would tell us about how well I was likely to respond to surgery. But then I wasn’t scheduled for a follow-up appointment before the surgery, and I was told I’d need the surgery no matter how I responded to the shot. So I just don’t know. I guess you just trust people and let them cut you open if they say it’s going to be good for you. That’s basically my plan for now.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Potpourri No. 38
Life made little…
Blog? What’s a blog?
I do believe this is the longest I’ve gone between posts in quite some time. To be honest, I haven’t even thought about my blog recently. Not until a few moments before I started writing this entry. I’ve just been too busy and overwhelmed. This post will make some of the reasons clear.
Market Fresh
I have now officially entered the job market, having submitted an application for a philosophy job much closer to my hometown (as mentioned in my previous post). It’s been nearly two weeks since I submitted my application, so I could be hearing back from them within the next week or so. That’s not guaranteed, but it’s a “typical” response time according to the email receipt I got for my application. I have no immediate plans to apply anywhere else. I can’t imagine a job that I would be more excited about, but that’s not why I’m hesitant. It’s merely that there aren’t a lot of job postings right now. They usually appear in the fall, so it’s slim pickings if you’re hoping to apply to anything in the immediate future. Anyone out there who’s keeping their fingers crossed for me, please keep them crossed for another few weeks, or until further notice. Thanks!
School Crossings
As I also mentioned in my previous blog entry, Edison has crossed over from virtual school to “normal” school. He’s been going to a brick-and-mortar school for a few weeks now. He loves it. Melanie and I were both amazed at how quickly he adapted. I thought for sure he’d come home after his first day saying he didn’t want to go back. He always seemed so apprehensive about going to a normal school before. But nope. He was fine and dandy going on his first day, and he came home a very happy child. For the first several days, he beamed. He was thrilled. That excitement has waned a bit by now, but overall the attitude remains very positive. It’s awesome, and not as strange feeling as I had expected to have him gone several hours a day. I realize it’s not as significant a change for me as it is for Melanie, but I am around the house enough that it does make a difference. I’m just glad it’s turning out to be such a wonderful thing for all of us.
Can You Hear Me Now?
I’ve been writing the occasional post for the Mormon-themed Exploring Sainthood blog for several months now. Exploring Sainthood also has a podcast, and a couple of nights ago, I participated in the making of one of those podcasts. It was going to feature me and one other person discussing the February “First Presidency Message” contained in the LDS Church’s monthly magazine Ensign. And that we did, but due to a technology glitch, the entire discussion was lost. It’s regrettable, but as it was my first time participating in something that would have been disseminated in audio format to hundreds of listeners, I’m not entirely disappointed that it didn’t work out. I rambled more than I would have liked, so the technical difficulties have probably saved me at least a little embarrassment. That being said, I will be participating in the so-called “home teaching message” podcast for March. That could be up within a couple of weeks. I’ll let you know.
Blog? What’s a blog?
I do believe this is the longest I’ve gone between posts in quite some time. To be honest, I haven’t even thought about my blog recently. Not until a few moments before I started writing this entry. I’ve just been too busy and overwhelmed. This post will make some of the reasons clear.
Market Fresh
I have now officially entered the job market, having submitted an application for a philosophy job much closer to my hometown (as mentioned in my previous post). It’s been nearly two weeks since I submitted my application, so I could be hearing back from them within the next week or so. That’s not guaranteed, but it’s a “typical” response time according to the email receipt I got for my application. I have no immediate plans to apply anywhere else. I can’t imagine a job that I would be more excited about, but that’s not why I’m hesitant. It’s merely that there aren’t a lot of job postings right now. They usually appear in the fall, so it’s slim pickings if you’re hoping to apply to anything in the immediate future. Anyone out there who’s keeping their fingers crossed for me, please keep them crossed for another few weeks, or until further notice. Thanks!
School Crossings
As I also mentioned in my previous blog entry, Edison has crossed over from virtual school to “normal” school. He’s been going to a brick-and-mortar school for a few weeks now. He loves it. Melanie and I were both amazed at how quickly he adapted. I thought for sure he’d come home after his first day saying he didn’t want to go back. He always seemed so apprehensive about going to a normal school before. But nope. He was fine and dandy going on his first day, and he came home a very happy child. For the first several days, he beamed. He was thrilled. That excitement has waned a bit by now, but overall the attitude remains very positive. It’s awesome, and not as strange feeling as I had expected to have him gone several hours a day. I realize it’s not as significant a change for me as it is for Melanie, but I am around the house enough that it does make a difference. I’m just glad it’s turning out to be such a wonderful thing for all of us.
Can You Hear Me Now?
I’ve been writing the occasional post for the Mormon-themed Exploring Sainthood blog for several months now. Exploring Sainthood also has a podcast, and a couple of nights ago, I participated in the making of one of those podcasts. It was going to feature me and one other person discussing the February “First Presidency Message” contained in the LDS Church’s monthly magazine Ensign. And that we did, but due to a technology glitch, the entire discussion was lost. It’s regrettable, but as it was my first time participating in something that would have been disseminated in audio format to hundreds of listeners, I’m not entirely disappointed that it didn’t work out. I rambled more than I would have liked, so the technical difficulties have probably saved me at least a little embarrassment. That being said, I will be participating in the so-called “home teaching message” podcast for March. That could be up within a couple of weeks. I’ll let you know.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Potpourri No. 37
Current events from my life, made quick n’ easy:
Back in School
I’ve completed my first week as a TA for symbolic logic. This is the same course I taught myself two summers ago. The class is small. So far, there are only 9 or 10 students showing up regularly. The instructor for the course had to leave town for a wedding, so I actually taught Wednesday through Friday’s classes. That means I’ve taught more than the instructor at this point. In a way, it makes it feel like it’s my class. I feel some ownership of it, and it’s almost sad to be handing over the reins to someone else. The students have also been quite kind in their reception of me. They say they like my style of teaching and are concerned to see it go. I’m flattered. But it makes things kind of awkward, no?
Cold as Ice
A few months ago, the fridge in our apartment died. They replaced it with a fridge from a vacant apartment, but that fridge soon demonstrated problems of its own. The inside roof of the fridge would start dripping every once in a while, sometimes copiously. The bottom interior of the fridge would get flooded. The maintenance crew came by and messed with the fridge, but after a week or two, the problem would start again. Every time we called on it, the maintenance guy would come by, clear out our fridge, pull off some interior walls, and chip away panes of ice that had formed. He’d then say something like, “Let’s see if that solves the problem.” When Melanie pointed out that this is what the guy had already done and that it didn’t resolve anything, he told her he hadn’t. We knew he had, but he insisted this was a new technique. Well, finally, after reporting the problem again early last week, they gave us a brand new fridge. Like, brand spanking new. It’s basically the same model, but a slightly updated version that is enough to excite us. There’s an extra shelf in the door, and a high shelf in the freezer that allows you to put something above the ice maker and so utilize more space. It’s not taller, but it’s deeper and so has just a tiny bit more room. Fridge items have also felt colder than they have in a long time, despite the fridge not being turned up as high. It’s nice.
Homeward Bound
The deal is done. Melanie and I have officially purchased airplane tickets to travel to Utah in August. We’ll be there twice as long as we had anticipated, which is fun in theory but also slightly unnerving. I won’t get much (if anything) done on my dissertation during that time, so I’m taking a hit when it comes to productivity. The trip will also overlap with the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year, both for me and for Edison and Peter (who are beginning 2nd grade and Kindergarten, respectively—holy crapanolli!). There wasn’t a convenient, cost-effective way to avoid this, however. We need to be in Utah for my little sister’s wedding, so that’s that. We toyed with the idea of me flying back to Florida and then returning to Utah a few days later, but that’s obviously ridiculous and not something we could even afford to do. And so we’re forced to have an extra long vacation. Sigh. What can you do?
Golden Slumbers
For whatever reason, I have slept better over the last several nights than I have in years. Our oldest child is about to turn 7, which means it’s been approximately seven years since I’ve had a full night’s sleep. It’s incredibly rare—rare enough that it’s safe to say “never”—that I don’t wake up multiple times in the night. Kids are one large part of the equation, but they’re not the only problem. Having my arms go dead, having too much light in the room, and other factors frequently come into play. But, somehow, I have slept more deeply and soundly during the past week than I have in the better part of a decade. It feels absolutely heavenly. I still wake up a few times in the night, but it’s brief and I don’t feel agitated and restless. I quickly slip back into a deep, heavy sleep, and when I wake up in the morning, I feel satisfied and as though I’ve just indulged in something. I hate to report this and somehow jinx it. I can’t imagine it will last, but I desperately hope it will. It would be a dream come true.
Back in School
I’ve completed my first week as a TA for symbolic logic. This is the same course I taught myself two summers ago. The class is small. So far, there are only 9 or 10 students showing up regularly. The instructor for the course had to leave town for a wedding, so I actually taught Wednesday through Friday’s classes. That means I’ve taught more than the instructor at this point. In a way, it makes it feel like it’s my class. I feel some ownership of it, and it’s almost sad to be handing over the reins to someone else. The students have also been quite kind in their reception of me. They say they like my style of teaching and are concerned to see it go. I’m flattered. But it makes things kind of awkward, no?
Cold as Ice
A few months ago, the fridge in our apartment died. They replaced it with a fridge from a vacant apartment, but that fridge soon demonstrated problems of its own. The inside roof of the fridge would start dripping every once in a while, sometimes copiously. The bottom interior of the fridge would get flooded. The maintenance crew came by and messed with the fridge, but after a week or two, the problem would start again. Every time we called on it, the maintenance guy would come by, clear out our fridge, pull off some interior walls, and chip away panes of ice that had formed. He’d then say something like, “Let’s see if that solves the problem.” When Melanie pointed out that this is what the guy had already done and that it didn’t resolve anything, he told her he hadn’t. We knew he had, but he insisted this was a new technique. Well, finally, after reporting the problem again early last week, they gave us a brand new fridge. Like, brand spanking new. It’s basically the same model, but a slightly updated version that is enough to excite us. There’s an extra shelf in the door, and a high shelf in the freezer that allows you to put something above the ice maker and so utilize more space. It’s not taller, but it’s deeper and so has just a tiny bit more room. Fridge items have also felt colder than they have in a long time, despite the fridge not being turned up as high. It’s nice.
Homeward Bound
The deal is done. Melanie and I have officially purchased airplane tickets to travel to Utah in August. We’ll be there twice as long as we had anticipated, which is fun in theory but also slightly unnerving. I won’t get much (if anything) done on my dissertation during that time, so I’m taking a hit when it comes to productivity. The trip will also overlap with the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year, both for me and for Edison and Peter (who are beginning 2nd grade and Kindergarten, respectively—holy crapanolli!). There wasn’t a convenient, cost-effective way to avoid this, however. We need to be in Utah for my little sister’s wedding, so that’s that. We toyed with the idea of me flying back to Florida and then returning to Utah a few days later, but that’s obviously ridiculous and not something we could even afford to do. And so we’re forced to have an extra long vacation. Sigh. What can you do?
Golden Slumbers
For whatever reason, I have slept better over the last several nights than I have in years. Our oldest child is about to turn 7, which means it’s been approximately seven years since I’ve had a full night’s sleep. It’s incredibly rare—rare enough that it’s safe to say “never”—that I don’t wake up multiple times in the night. Kids are one large part of the equation, but they’re not the only problem. Having my arms go dead, having too much light in the room, and other factors frequently come into play. But, somehow, I have slept more deeply and soundly during the past week than I have in the better part of a decade. It feels absolutely heavenly. I still wake up a few times in the night, but it’s brief and I don’t feel agitated and restless. I quickly slip back into a deep, heavy sleep, and when I wake up in the morning, I feel satisfied and as though I’ve just indulged in something. I hate to report this and somehow jinx it. I can’t imagine it will last, but I desperately hope it will. It would be a dream come true.
Wednesday, June 05, 2013
Potpourri No. 36
Light portions o’ life…
Summertime, Summertime, Sum- Sum- Summertime
While my summer break is halfway over, this marks the first full week that Edison (and thus Melanie) is relieved of school duties. Eddie was very excited for his summer break to begin, and so far it’s going well. Melanie’s planned enough activities to keep the kids fairly busy thus far. But adjustments are never completely easy, and the kids are a bit more unruly now that their days are a little less structured. Oddly, the kids’ freedom is having an effect on me, such that I feel more in vacation mode than I should. I’ve been slacking a bit during these last few days. I’ve loved it, but I need to get back on track. (Writing this blog isn’t helping, but oh well.) It’s crazy to think that in less than three months, Eddie will be in 2nd grade and Peter will be in Kindergarten! I guess it’s just me that isn’t making any progress!
More Summer…
It’s 99.99% official that Melanie, the kids, and I will indeed be heading to Utah for an as-of-yet undetermined amount of time in August. We’ve been wishy-washy about committing to the idea of traveling home this year, but with my little sister planning to get married (!!!) in the next couple of months, how can we not? Details are forthcoming, so stay tuned!
D’oh-Nuts
Last night while lounging in front of the TV, Melanie and I opened up some crumb donut gems we had purchased earlier in the day. I took a bite and said something like, “What in the—?” The taste was strange. It had a vibrant flavor, almost amplified in its sweetness but not entirely dessert-like. The thought that came immediately to mind was that the donut tasted a bit like green onion. (Gag!) I swallowed the piece in my mouth, and Melanie immediately showed me what appeared to be mold growing on the donut gem in her hand. I assume it was mold, anyway. Perhaps the preservatives affect the way mold can grow on pre-packaged baked goods, but the growth wasn’t green or blue. Instead, it basically looked like a cobweb had grown in the hole in the middle of the donut. I checked another donut, and it was the same. I then looked at the packaging and could not find an expiration date anywhere, which was both bizarre and unsettling. Needless to say, I felt rather disgusted that I had probably swallowed a mold cobweb. I then drank a lot of Diet Mountain Dew, hoping the soda would kill whatever bacteria had gotten into my stomach. I never puked, so I guess the soda was an inspired move on my part.
Jean-Clod Damn Van
I’ve written numerous times about the problems we’ve experienced with our minivan. Somehow, almost magically, the latter half of 2012 was a miraculous time for the van. There weren’t any issues with the van for several months. Then, out of nowhere, on the day Melanie’s parents flew into town to visit us in February, the van didn’t start. Fortunately, Melanie’s dad got it running for us (as I wrote about here) and there weren’t any problems for over two months. Then, a few weeks ago, a hose burst in the van that sent coolant all over the place. It was at the end of my semester, so I put fixing the van on hold. Well, I went to start the van a few days ago, and it won’t start. The battery seems to have at least some juice in it, but it won’t turn over. Now what do I do? I don’t know about these things, and we don’t have money. We get along quite well with just the Corolla, but I’ll soon be heading to campus five days a week and it would be nice to have two working vehicles. Curse this van. Curse it to heck.
You’ve Got a Friend
I’m not exaggerating when I say that I rarely talk to anyone other than my wife and kids. When school’s in session and I’m a TA, I talk to whatever teacher I work for. That accounts for maybe 10-20 minutes of socializing per week. Other than that, I don’t have much occasion to talk to people. I engage in small talk with some people at church, I say things like “Hi” and “Thanks” to the cashiers at the grocery store or the gas station, and I make the occasional comment on Facebook. But I don’t have friends that I hang out with. For the most part, I’m fine with this. I honestly don’t know a lot of people that I feel inclined to hang out with. This has changed recently, however. Melanie has become good friends with a woman who goes to our church, and I kept hearing things about this woman and her husband that made me think they were my kind of people. I hoped we’d get together sometime as a group, and on Saturday, they spontaneously invited us over to dinner. We had a great time. Eddie, Peter, and Creegan loved playing with this other couple’s kids, while we adults enjoyed conversing about religion and music, two topics that I basically cannot get enough of. As I told the husband, we seemed to share similar “intellectual values.” This allowed us to discuss things quite freely and openly. I found it very rewarding, and I think they did too. I know Melanie and I aren’t likely to be here in Tallahassee beyond next summer, but I’m hopeful that we can foster this newfound friendship in the meantime.
That’s all, folks!
Summertime, Summertime, Sum- Sum- Summertime
While my summer break is halfway over, this marks the first full week that Edison (and thus Melanie) is relieved of school duties. Eddie was very excited for his summer break to begin, and so far it’s going well. Melanie’s planned enough activities to keep the kids fairly busy thus far. But adjustments are never completely easy, and the kids are a bit more unruly now that their days are a little less structured. Oddly, the kids’ freedom is having an effect on me, such that I feel more in vacation mode than I should. I’ve been slacking a bit during these last few days. I’ve loved it, but I need to get back on track. (Writing this blog isn’t helping, but oh well.) It’s crazy to think that in less than three months, Eddie will be in 2nd grade and Peter will be in Kindergarten! I guess it’s just me that isn’t making any progress!
More Summer…
It’s 99.99% official that Melanie, the kids, and I will indeed be heading to Utah for an as-of-yet undetermined amount of time in August. We’ve been wishy-washy about committing to the idea of traveling home this year, but with my little sister planning to get married (!!!) in the next couple of months, how can we not? Details are forthcoming, so stay tuned!
D’oh-Nuts
Last night while lounging in front of the TV, Melanie and I opened up some crumb donut gems we had purchased earlier in the day. I took a bite and said something like, “What in the—?” The taste was strange. It had a vibrant flavor, almost amplified in its sweetness but not entirely dessert-like. The thought that came immediately to mind was that the donut tasted a bit like green onion. (Gag!) I swallowed the piece in my mouth, and Melanie immediately showed me what appeared to be mold growing on the donut gem in her hand. I assume it was mold, anyway. Perhaps the preservatives affect the way mold can grow on pre-packaged baked goods, but the growth wasn’t green or blue. Instead, it basically looked like a cobweb had grown in the hole in the middle of the donut. I checked another donut, and it was the same. I then looked at the packaging and could not find an expiration date anywhere, which was both bizarre and unsettling. Needless to say, I felt rather disgusted that I had probably swallowed a mold cobweb. I then drank a lot of Diet Mountain Dew, hoping the soda would kill whatever bacteria had gotten into my stomach. I never puked, so I guess the soda was an inspired move on my part.
Jean-Clod Damn Van
I’ve written numerous times about the problems we’ve experienced with our minivan. Somehow, almost magically, the latter half of 2012 was a miraculous time for the van. There weren’t any issues with the van for several months. Then, out of nowhere, on the day Melanie’s parents flew into town to visit us in February, the van didn’t start. Fortunately, Melanie’s dad got it running for us (as I wrote about here) and there weren’t any problems for over two months. Then, a few weeks ago, a hose burst in the van that sent coolant all over the place. It was at the end of my semester, so I put fixing the van on hold. Well, I went to start the van a few days ago, and it won’t start. The battery seems to have at least some juice in it, but it won’t turn over. Now what do I do? I don’t know about these things, and we don’t have money. We get along quite well with just the Corolla, but I’ll soon be heading to campus five days a week and it would be nice to have two working vehicles. Curse this van. Curse it to heck.
You’ve Got a Friend
I’m not exaggerating when I say that I rarely talk to anyone other than my wife and kids. When school’s in session and I’m a TA, I talk to whatever teacher I work for. That accounts for maybe 10-20 minutes of socializing per week. Other than that, I don’t have much occasion to talk to people. I engage in small talk with some people at church, I say things like “Hi” and “Thanks” to the cashiers at the grocery store or the gas station, and I make the occasional comment on Facebook. But I don’t have friends that I hang out with. For the most part, I’m fine with this. I honestly don’t know a lot of people that I feel inclined to hang out with. This has changed recently, however. Melanie has become good friends with a woman who goes to our church, and I kept hearing things about this woman and her husband that made me think they were my kind of people. I hoped we’d get together sometime as a group, and on Saturday, they spontaneously invited us over to dinner. We had a great time. Eddie, Peter, and Creegan loved playing with this other couple’s kids, while we adults enjoyed conversing about religion and music, two topics that I basically cannot get enough of. As I told the husband, we seemed to share similar “intellectual values.” This allowed us to discuss things quite freely and openly. I found it very rewarding, and I think they did too. I know Melanie and I aren’t likely to be here in Tallahassee beyond next summer, but I’m hopeful that we can foster this newfound friendship in the meantime.
That’s all, folks!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Potpourri No. 35
Contents: four single-sized servings of life, individually wrapped…
They’re Coming!
Melanie’s parents fly into Jacksonville in a couple of hours and will then wend their way viawental rental car to our apartment here in Tally. They’ll be staying in town for a week. We’re all looking forward to the visit. Eddie and Peter are especially excited, which is fun. For the first time, my in-laws will not be staying with us. Our family has gotten too big (all those trips to Donut Kingdom!) and there isn’t room here. They’ll be staying in a nearby hotel, which is also quite exciting for Eddie and Peter, who can hardly wait to go roam the halls.
A Requisite Mention of School
My TA gig is much easier-going this semester than last, which brings me great joy. I like the instructor, too, who graduated from my program last May. I feel like she’s more on my level than a “normal” professor, which is kind of nice. On the other hand, talking to her can be a bit overwhelming. She applied to 60 job openings in the fall, none of which led anywhere. From what I understand, applying to 60 job openings when you’re coming out of a philosophy Ph.D. program is taking it easy. I’ve heard of people applying to well over 100 job openings and receiving maybe a handful of interviews. I’m practically giving myself a heart attack just writing about it. Do they have medical alert bracelets for Ph.D. candidates entering the job market? I think I’ll need one.
Turning into a Pod Person
For several months now, I’ve been an avid listener to a variety of podcasts. For those who don’t know, podcasts are something like pre-recorded radio programs that can be downloaded and/or listened to via the Internet. They usually involve interviews or group discussions, although you could record yourself blabbing about anything and upload it as a “podcast.” (While I haven’t researched it, I’m fairly certain the term “podcast” derives from the words “broadcast” and “iPod.”) Nowadays, when I go on walks or even when I commute, I almost always listen to podcasts. The podcasts I listen to are all Mormon-themed. Some of these podcasts have been exceptionally good, and I feel that I have profited immensely from listening to them. Today, I listened to the most recent podcast of the Mormon Stories Book Club. They discussed the book A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck. Having greatly enjoyed the book myself, I looked up the podcast webpage to see what follow-up discussions to the podcast might be taking place. In doing so, I discovered that a link to my review of A Short Stay in Hell was included on the Mormon Stories Book Club site. I realize it’s not a big deal, overall, but it was still somewhat surreal to see my own blog cited. I assume they put links to any reviews of the book they could find, so I’m not pretending my review was included due to its brilliance. Still, it’s there. You can click here to see what I’m talking about.
Speaking of Books…
I like to compile lists of quotations from the books that I read. I typically type them into a Word document and save them, which means I hardly ever look back at them. If I remember correctly, many years ago I suggested on this very blog that I would share my favorite quotations from time to time. That never really happened, but I’m thinking I should try it again. I’m slightly more likely to revisit these quotations if I put them on my blog rather than into a Word document. Also, I like the idea of others enjoying the quotations and perhaps being inspired to read some of the same books that I am. So, watch for more quotations in the future. If you like them, say so.
The end!
They’re Coming!
Melanie’s parents fly into Jacksonville in a couple of hours and will then wend their way via
A Requisite Mention of School
My TA gig is much easier-going this semester than last, which brings me great joy. I like the instructor, too, who graduated from my program last May. I feel like she’s more on my level than a “normal” professor, which is kind of nice. On the other hand, talking to her can be a bit overwhelming. She applied to 60 job openings in the fall, none of which led anywhere. From what I understand, applying to 60 job openings when you’re coming out of a philosophy Ph.D. program is taking it easy. I’ve heard of people applying to well over 100 job openings and receiving maybe a handful of interviews. I’m practically giving myself a heart attack just writing about it. Do they have medical alert bracelets for Ph.D. candidates entering the job market? I think I’ll need one.
Turning into a Pod Person
For several months now, I’ve been an avid listener to a variety of podcasts. For those who don’t know, podcasts are something like pre-recorded radio programs that can be downloaded and/or listened to via the Internet. They usually involve interviews or group discussions, although you could record yourself blabbing about anything and upload it as a “podcast.” (While I haven’t researched it, I’m fairly certain the term “podcast” derives from the words “broadcast” and “iPod.”) Nowadays, when I go on walks or even when I commute, I almost always listen to podcasts. The podcasts I listen to are all Mormon-themed. Some of these podcasts have been exceptionally good, and I feel that I have profited immensely from listening to them. Today, I listened to the most recent podcast of the Mormon Stories Book Club. They discussed the book A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck. Having greatly enjoyed the book myself, I looked up the podcast webpage to see what follow-up discussions to the podcast might be taking place. In doing so, I discovered that a link to my review of A Short Stay in Hell was included on the Mormon Stories Book Club site. I realize it’s not a big deal, overall, but it was still somewhat surreal to see my own blog cited. I assume they put links to any reviews of the book they could find, so I’m not pretending my review was included due to its brilliance. Still, it’s there. You can click here to see what I’m talking about.
Speaking of Books…
I like to compile lists of quotations from the books that I read. I typically type them into a Word document and save them, which means I hardly ever look back at them. If I remember correctly, many years ago I suggested on this very blog that I would share my favorite quotations from time to time. That never really happened, but I’m thinking I should try it again. I’m slightly more likely to revisit these quotations if I put them on my blog rather than into a Word document. Also, I like the idea of others enjoying the quotations and perhaps being inspired to read some of the same books that I am. So, watch for more quotations in the future. If you like them, say so.
The end!
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Potpourri No. 34
Life, single-serving style…
Still Waiting on That Thanks
Melanie and I still have not celebrated Thanksgiving. The idea of celebrating it now feels a bit absurd, but we still plan to. At this point, however, we plan to wait until after Christmas. Between now and Christmas time, it seems too busy to deal with making a big feast and spending an extra day in full-on holiday mode. However, the week after Christmas seems like a great time to relax and enjoy being at home together in a spirit of peace and gratitude. That restores my interest in celebrating Thanksgiving, even if it is a month or so late.
Told You So, Redux
I recently posted about my experiences as a TA during the fall semester. I mentioned that although my main job as a TA is to grade papers, the instructor for whom I worked insisted on reading over every single paper I graded and determining their final scores himself. In short, it seemed I was doing nothing worthwhile. Since writing about these things, I have turned over two more stacks of essays to this instructor. While he only altered a few grades in one stack of papers, he adjusted a staggering 38% of the scores I assigned to the other papers. This other batch happened to be the “long essay” of the semester, which was weighted heavier than any other assignment. I suspect the instructor altered these scores so radically as a way to manipulate the overall final grades of the semester. Why else would he adjust some scores by a single point? Conversely, why else would he adjust some scores by as much as 16 points? Surely the paper I assigned a D+ could not have legitimately warranted the B he gave it. Yes, I sense some manipulation of the data. Oh well.
Baby Steps
A few weeks ago, I submitted my first-ever proposal for a conference talk. I probably should have presented at a conference or two (or ten) by this point in my career, but I haven’t. This is my first attempt. I won’t find out the results until January, but I’m proud of myself for taking this step. I was shocked at how much anxiety I felt merely sending in my proposal. I think I was just paranoid that I would overlook something that would botch my efforts, such as a stupid typo that would undermine any and all professionalism for which I’d strived. Alas, if all goes well, I’ll be speaking at Princeton’s theological seminary in early March. Stay tuned!
Love Stinks
For some time now, Edison has lovingly referred to me as “Stinky.” I don’t know what led to this nickname, but truth be told, it’s rather endearing. He always says it with so much love and affection. It’s not something he says if he’s in anything less than a really good, happy mood. And I know he didn’t come up with it because of any of the foul smells that I sometimes emit. The title is meant as nothing other than an expression of love. And that suits me just fine. I love being Stinky.
Hangin’ Tough
For being a four-year-old, Peter is exceptionally good at reading and writing. This is due in large part to his being involved so much in Edison’s schooling. But this doesn’t mean Peter’s youth doesn’t shine through in some of the things he does. Today, I played Hangman with Peter for the first time. I was the one guessing letters in an effort to solve the six-letter word. After incorrectly guessing “A,” “I,” and “E,” I was given a freebie. Peter filled in the middle four blanks with O’s. “Boooo!” came to mind, and notwithstanding the fact that this would require the final blank spot to be filled with an exclamation point rather than a letter, I guessed “B” on my next turn. Wrong. I next guessed “P,” thinking the word could very well be “poooop.” Peter’s quite a fan of poop jokes, and “poooop” seemed as likely an answer as anything. But I was wrong. There was no “P.” After a few more incorrect guesses, I landed an “M.” I then guessed almost the entire alphabet before Peter got tired of the game and revealed that the word was “moooon.” And yes, he dragged out the “O” sound, well aware that he had included more than was necessary to spell the word correctly. In actuality, I’m pretty sure Peter decided what letters were in the word as we went along.
XOXOXOXO
Creegan is very affectionate. Whenever I leave the house, he insists on giving me several hugs and kisses before I go. It can actually get a bit tiresome, as it frequently becomes a minutes-long process. He’ll know I’m leaving and give me hugs and kisses. Then, once I actually open the door, he wants to start the process over again. I get a pre-door-opening series of hugs and kisses, and then another series of hugs and kisses once I actually put one foot outside. I guess that’s better than having him not care at all that I’m leaving, but it can be surprisingly time consuming. He also likes to give me hugs and kisses before I go into our home office to work, often with both pre-door-opening and post-door-opening sessions of hugging and kissing. I can’t take it too personally, however. Creegan does this for everyone. In fact, his latest habit is to walk down the row of parked cars in our parking lot and kiss the hood of each car before he’ll get into our van to go somewhere. He’s basically kissing all of the cars goodbye. Let’s just hope this is a sign of sweetness and not of mild brain damage.
Still Waiting on That Thanks
Melanie and I still have not celebrated Thanksgiving. The idea of celebrating it now feels a bit absurd, but we still plan to. At this point, however, we plan to wait until after Christmas. Between now and Christmas time, it seems too busy to deal with making a big feast and spending an extra day in full-on holiday mode. However, the week after Christmas seems like a great time to relax and enjoy being at home together in a spirit of peace and gratitude. That restores my interest in celebrating Thanksgiving, even if it is a month or so late.
Told You So, Redux
I recently posted about my experiences as a TA during the fall semester. I mentioned that although my main job as a TA is to grade papers, the instructor for whom I worked insisted on reading over every single paper I graded and determining their final scores himself. In short, it seemed I was doing nothing worthwhile. Since writing about these things, I have turned over two more stacks of essays to this instructor. While he only altered a few grades in one stack of papers, he adjusted a staggering 38% of the scores I assigned to the other papers. This other batch happened to be the “long essay” of the semester, which was weighted heavier than any other assignment. I suspect the instructor altered these scores so radically as a way to manipulate the overall final grades of the semester. Why else would he adjust some scores by a single point? Conversely, why else would he adjust some scores by as much as 16 points? Surely the paper I assigned a D+ could not have legitimately warranted the B he gave it. Yes, I sense some manipulation of the data. Oh well.
Baby Steps
A few weeks ago, I submitted my first-ever proposal for a conference talk. I probably should have presented at a conference or two (or ten) by this point in my career, but I haven’t. This is my first attempt. I won’t find out the results until January, but I’m proud of myself for taking this step. I was shocked at how much anxiety I felt merely sending in my proposal. I think I was just paranoid that I would overlook something that would botch my efforts, such as a stupid typo that would undermine any and all professionalism for which I’d strived. Alas, if all goes well, I’ll be speaking at Princeton’s theological seminary in early March. Stay tuned!
Love Stinks
For some time now, Edison has lovingly referred to me as “Stinky.” I don’t know what led to this nickname, but truth be told, it’s rather endearing. He always says it with so much love and affection. It’s not something he says if he’s in anything less than a really good, happy mood. And I know he didn’t come up with it because of any of the foul smells that I sometimes emit. The title is meant as nothing other than an expression of love. And that suits me just fine. I love being Stinky.
Hangin’ Tough
For being a four-year-old, Peter is exceptionally good at reading and writing. This is due in large part to his being involved so much in Edison’s schooling. But this doesn’t mean Peter’s youth doesn’t shine through in some of the things he does. Today, I played Hangman with Peter for the first time. I was the one guessing letters in an effort to solve the six-letter word. After incorrectly guessing “A,” “I,” and “E,” I was given a freebie. Peter filled in the middle four blanks with O’s. “Boooo!” came to mind, and notwithstanding the fact that this would require the final blank spot to be filled with an exclamation point rather than a letter, I guessed “B” on my next turn. Wrong. I next guessed “P,” thinking the word could very well be “poooop.” Peter’s quite a fan of poop jokes, and “poooop” seemed as likely an answer as anything. But I was wrong. There was no “P.” After a few more incorrect guesses, I landed an “M.” I then guessed almost the entire alphabet before Peter got tired of the game and revealed that the word was “moooon.” And yes, he dragged out the “O” sound, well aware that he had included more than was necessary to spell the word correctly. In actuality, I’m pretty sure Peter decided what letters were in the word as we went along.
XOXOXOXO
Creegan is very affectionate. Whenever I leave the house, he insists on giving me several hugs and kisses before I go. It can actually get a bit tiresome, as it frequently becomes a minutes-long process. He’ll know I’m leaving and give me hugs and kisses. Then, once I actually open the door, he wants to start the process over again. I get a pre-door-opening series of hugs and kisses, and then another series of hugs and kisses once I actually put one foot outside. I guess that’s better than having him not care at all that I’m leaving, but it can be surprisingly time consuming. He also likes to give me hugs and kisses before I go into our home office to work, often with both pre-door-opening and post-door-opening sessions of hugging and kissing. I can’t take it too personally, however. Creegan does this for everyone. In fact, his latest habit is to walk down the row of parked cars in our parking lot and kiss the hood of each car before he’ll get into our van to go somewhere. He’s basically kissing all of the cars goodbye. Let’s just hope this is a sign of sweetness and not of mild brain damage.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Potpourri No. 33
Trinkets o’ life…
Choose the R?
Less than a month ago, I wrote a post about Mormons and R-rated movies. Last week, I wrote a follow-up post. I thought I was done. Well, **spoiler alert!** I am not. The Facebook dialogue that I mentioned in my most recent post has since developed into an extensive back-and-forth with one particularly fervent supporter of the view that all Mormons are officially prohibited from watching R-rated movies. It has been an interesting exchange. This would-be defender of the faith has told me that my failure to see her point of view entails that I am either “an idiot” or “so far from the spirit” that I cannot recognize the truth. Her latest charge is that, because I have yet to update my blog with the particular quotes she has presented to me, I must be insincere in my attempts to understand this issue. (So, yes, she has found my blog and may very well be reading this. Hi, there!) On the contrary, I plan at least two more posts on the topic of Mormons and R-rated movies, and I will indeed be addressing (either directly or indirectly) all of the quotes this woman has shared with me. She has come up with a couple of good ones, and I intend to give them the attention they deserve. Suffice it to say, my view has not changed. Stay tuned for details as to why.
Half the Man I Used to Be
The fall 2012 semester is underway. I’m not teaching any courses of my own this semester and am instead back to being a TA. Because I’ve overstayed my welcome (so to speak), my income has been cut in half and my TA duties have been cut in half as well. That’s the general idea, anyway. I’m supposed to do half the work of a regular TA so as to justify the reduction in monetary compensation, but I’m a bit worried it won’t work out that way. I’m the only TA for the class to which I’ve been assigned, and it’s a 3000-level course. There are various writing assignments due throughout the semester, and while the instructor has implied that he will be doing some of the grading, I’m not entirely sure just how much he really plans to do. I can easily imagine doing just as much work for this class as I’ve always done, and I suppose the only way to avoid it is to make myself look bad and complain when I’m asked to do more than I really should be doing. Maybe I’ll get lucky and receive only a reasonable amount to do, but something tells me it is unlikely. I’ve got my fingers crossed … which makes my typing skills highly impressive.
Out of the Mouth of Babes
Creegan’s vocabulary has taken a drastic turn upward in the last two or three weeks. He says “lunch,” “couch,” “plate,” and whole bunch of words that he didn’t say even a month or so ago. I know vocabulary can develop rather quickly at this stage of life, but Creegan has been a bit slower to develop his speech than were Eddie and Peter. At his 18-month appointment, Creegan’s doctor even suggested that we take Creegan to a speech therapist, just to be on the safe side. While Melanie and I were not worried about Creegan, we obeyed the doctor’s orders. The speech therapist wasn’t concerned by Creegan’s development (or lack thereof), and it seems almost immediately after the visit, Creegan started saying a bit more than he had. But lately there has been another explosion of development. Among the most entertaining things Creegan says is “ice … na na na na na na na.” He is singinging “Ice Ice Baby,” which Melanie sings to Creegan every time she gets ice out of the freezer to put in Creegan’s water (which he requests every night as a part of his bedtime routine). Granted, reciting the bass riff from “Ice Ice Baby” as a series of “na”’s may not count as increased vocabulary as far as the doctors are concerned, but I quite enjoy it.
Seeing Things
Speaking of kids going to the doctor, Edison recently had a checkup. When the doctor tested Eddie’s eyesight, the results were terrible. He could see hardly anything. I wasn’t at the doctor’s appointment, but Melanie and I were both shocked. We’ve wondered about Eddie’s eyesight in the past, but nothing recently has suggested that he struggles to see, especially not to the extent suggested by his abysmal performance on the eye exam. Truth be told, Melanie and I are wondering if something strange was going on at the doctor’s office, like he was confused about where the doctor was pointing or something. This isn’t just wishful thinking. Since the appointment, Edison has pointed out words that are fairly small and far away, spelled them for me, and asked me what they say. (For example, Edison was lying on the top bunk, looking over the edge, and asked me about a word on the cover of a book lying on the floor. The word was relatively small, I thought.) So, although we’ve been told to get Edison to an eye doctor, neither of us is convinced he needs glasses. I guess we’ll see. (Get it? We’ll SEE? And “see” sounds like “C,” which is a letter of the alphabet?! And Eddie was supposed to be identifying letters from the alphabet!?!? HA HA HA!!!)
Can You Hear Me Now?
Peter officially broke tradition yesterday by becoming the first of our children to willfully speak into a microphone in front of an audience. He shared a scripture in primary and did a great job of it. Edison has always refused to speak in church, even if Melanie or I am standing next to him, feeding him lines to say. Until yesterday, Peter had always adopted Eddie’s practice of standing silently at the microphone and waiting for his mom or dad to cave in and deliver the assigned primary talk ourselves. Naturally, I felt great pride in my son as he leaned forward and spoke unhesitatingly into the microphone. Who cares that he whispered most of the scripture, an inadvertent consequence of repeating what Melanie was whispering into his ear? As an added bonus, Peter’s bravery seems to have worn off on Edison, who told me he wants to try talking into the microphone the next time he is asked to speak in church. Rock on ... or should I say, microphone on? LOL!
The end!
Choose the R?
Less than a month ago, I wrote a post about Mormons and R-rated movies. Last week, I wrote a follow-up post. I thought I was done. Well, **spoiler alert!** I am not. The Facebook dialogue that I mentioned in my most recent post has since developed into an extensive back-and-forth with one particularly fervent supporter of the view that all Mormons are officially prohibited from watching R-rated movies. It has been an interesting exchange. This would-be defender of the faith has told me that my failure to see her point of view entails that I am either “an idiot” or “so far from the spirit” that I cannot recognize the truth. Her latest charge is that, because I have yet to update my blog with the particular quotes she has presented to me, I must be insincere in my attempts to understand this issue. (So, yes, she has found my blog and may very well be reading this. Hi, there!) On the contrary, I plan at least two more posts on the topic of Mormons and R-rated movies, and I will indeed be addressing (either directly or indirectly) all of the quotes this woman has shared with me. She has come up with a couple of good ones, and I intend to give them the attention they deserve. Suffice it to say, my view has not changed. Stay tuned for details as to why.
Half the Man I Used to Be
The fall 2012 semester is underway. I’m not teaching any courses of my own this semester and am instead back to being a TA. Because I’ve overstayed my welcome (so to speak), my income has been cut in half and my TA duties have been cut in half as well. That’s the general idea, anyway. I’m supposed to do half the work of a regular TA so as to justify the reduction in monetary compensation, but I’m a bit worried it won’t work out that way. I’m the only TA for the class to which I’ve been assigned, and it’s a 3000-level course. There are various writing assignments due throughout the semester, and while the instructor has implied that he will be doing some of the grading, I’m not entirely sure just how much he really plans to do. I can easily imagine doing just as much work for this class as I’ve always done, and I suppose the only way to avoid it is to make myself look bad and complain when I’m asked to do more than I really should be doing. Maybe I’ll get lucky and receive only a reasonable amount to do, but something tells me it is unlikely. I’ve got my fingers crossed … which makes my typing skills highly impressive.
Out of the Mouth of Babes
Creegan’s vocabulary has taken a drastic turn upward in the last two or three weeks. He says “lunch,” “couch,” “plate,” and whole bunch of words that he didn’t say even a month or so ago. I know vocabulary can develop rather quickly at this stage of life, but Creegan has been a bit slower to develop his speech than were Eddie and Peter. At his 18-month appointment, Creegan’s doctor even suggested that we take Creegan to a speech therapist, just to be on the safe side. While Melanie and I were not worried about Creegan, we obeyed the doctor’s orders. The speech therapist wasn’t concerned by Creegan’s development (or lack thereof), and it seems almost immediately after the visit, Creegan started saying a bit more than he had. But lately there has been another explosion of development. Among the most entertaining things Creegan says is “ice … na na na na na na na.” He is singinging “Ice Ice Baby,” which Melanie sings to Creegan every time she gets ice out of the freezer to put in Creegan’s water (which he requests every night as a part of his bedtime routine). Granted, reciting the bass riff from “Ice Ice Baby” as a series of “na”’s may not count as increased vocabulary as far as the doctors are concerned, but I quite enjoy it.
Seeing Things
Speaking of kids going to the doctor, Edison recently had a checkup. When the doctor tested Eddie’s eyesight, the results were terrible. He could see hardly anything. I wasn’t at the doctor’s appointment, but Melanie and I were both shocked. We’ve wondered about Eddie’s eyesight in the past, but nothing recently has suggested that he struggles to see, especially not to the extent suggested by his abysmal performance on the eye exam. Truth be told, Melanie and I are wondering if something strange was going on at the doctor’s office, like he was confused about where the doctor was pointing or something. This isn’t just wishful thinking. Since the appointment, Edison has pointed out words that are fairly small and far away, spelled them for me, and asked me what they say. (For example, Edison was lying on the top bunk, looking over the edge, and asked me about a word on the cover of a book lying on the floor. The word was relatively small, I thought.) So, although we’ve been told to get Edison to an eye doctor, neither of us is convinced he needs glasses. I guess we’ll see. (Get it? We’ll SEE? And “see” sounds like “C,” which is a letter of the alphabet?! And Eddie was supposed to be identifying letters from the alphabet!?!? HA HA HA!!!)
Can You Hear Me Now?
Peter officially broke tradition yesterday by becoming the first of our children to willfully speak into a microphone in front of an audience. He shared a scripture in primary and did a great job of it. Edison has always refused to speak in church, even if Melanie or I am standing next to him, feeding him lines to say. Until yesterday, Peter had always adopted Eddie’s practice of standing silently at the microphone and waiting for his mom or dad to cave in and deliver the assigned primary talk ourselves. Naturally, I felt great pride in my son as he leaned forward and spoke unhesitatingly into the microphone. Who cares that he whispered most of the scripture, an inadvertent consequence of repeating what Melanie was whispering into his ear? As an added bonus, Peter’s bravery seems to have worn off on Edison, who told me he wants to try talking into the microphone the next time he is asked to speak in church. Rock on ... or should I say, microphone on? LOL!
The end!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Potpourri No. 32
I’m alive!
Suddenly Last Summer
Tomorrow I will give the final lecture of what is hopefully my last summer of teaching at Florida State. If all goes well, I’ll be living somewhere else this time next year. Or just about this time, anyway. Melanie and I recently renewed our apartment lease through June 2013. Not long ago, I was given official notice that I’ll be funded (at half of my current rate) to stick around school through the fall in the hopes that I can finish up by December. If I don’t, I’ll probably get the same half-rate deal for spring 2013. Probably. It’s not guaranteed, but I’m not too concerned about it. Worst case scenario, I can probably leave Tallahassee in January and finish my Ph.D. from afar. That kind of thing happens. It’s bizarre to be talking about this stuff and know both that it’s for real and that it’s so close to becoming a reality. I don’t know whether to shout for joy or just puke.
Motorin’
A while back, I wrote about Melanie and me keeping (and reviving) our Toyota Corolla, making us officially a two-car family. This has turned out to be a tremendously good decision on our part. With me heading to campus fairly early every weekday for the last six weeks, it’s been incredibly convenient to have my own mode of transportation. The bus wouldn’t work too well that early in the morning (or at any other time, but some hours are worse than others) and it would be a disaster if Melanie and I had to get three kids out of the house every morning so she could drive me to school. I predicted that this is how I’d feel about having two vehicles, but in hindsight I’m even more grateful for our decision to keep the second car. It’s been blissful.
Fresh from the Garten
Edison graduated kindergarten a couple of weeks ago. Man, am I proud of him. And of Melanie, who of course took on a whole slew of responsibility in order to help Edison succeed. Truthfully, I’m also incredibly proud of Peter. He’s been quite the student himself, albeit unofficially so. Barely four years old, he can read a fair amount, sounds out words all the time, and has surprisingly good penmanship. What a bunch of smartypants my kids are! I love it!
Just Passin’ Through
My blog is fairly dead nowadays. It has been for a long time. I post on my blog much more often than people actually read my blog, and that’s pathetic because I don’t post very often at all. However, there is one post I wrote way back in April 2010 that continues to attract visitors. It’s a post about whether or not God created water, and it seems that due to its theological subject matter, people continually happen upon it via Google and whatnot. I still get comments on it on a somewhat regular basis. It has 14 comments now, which admittedly isn’t a ton, but it makes it one of my most commented-on posts of all time (with “all time” being almost eight years now.)
To Be Continued…
There are many more things I’ve wanted to blog about lately, but I just haven’t had the time. I promise I’ll try to post a bit more frequently now that the summer semester is wrapping up. Technically, I’ve got enough to be doing that I shouldn’t have any extra time to post to my blog. But I’ll try to squeeze in several posts, even if they’re small, over the next few weeks.
Suddenly Last Summer
Tomorrow I will give the final lecture of what is hopefully my last summer of teaching at Florida State. If all goes well, I’ll be living somewhere else this time next year. Or just about this time, anyway. Melanie and I recently renewed our apartment lease through June 2013. Not long ago, I was given official notice that I’ll be funded (at half of my current rate) to stick around school through the fall in the hopes that I can finish up by December. If I don’t, I’ll probably get the same half-rate deal for spring 2013. Probably. It’s not guaranteed, but I’m not too concerned about it. Worst case scenario, I can probably leave Tallahassee in January and finish my Ph.D. from afar. That kind of thing happens. It’s bizarre to be talking about this stuff and know both that it’s for real and that it’s so close to becoming a reality. I don’t know whether to shout for joy or just puke.
Motorin’
A while back, I wrote about Melanie and me keeping (and reviving) our Toyota Corolla, making us officially a two-car family. This has turned out to be a tremendously good decision on our part. With me heading to campus fairly early every weekday for the last six weeks, it’s been incredibly convenient to have my own mode of transportation. The bus wouldn’t work too well that early in the morning (or at any other time, but some hours are worse than others) and it would be a disaster if Melanie and I had to get three kids out of the house every morning so she could drive me to school. I predicted that this is how I’d feel about having two vehicles, but in hindsight I’m even more grateful for our decision to keep the second car. It’s been blissful.
Fresh from the Garten
Edison graduated kindergarten a couple of weeks ago. Man, am I proud of him. And of Melanie, who of course took on a whole slew of responsibility in order to help Edison succeed. Truthfully, I’m also incredibly proud of Peter. He’s been quite the student himself, albeit unofficially so. Barely four years old, he can read a fair amount, sounds out words all the time, and has surprisingly good penmanship. What a bunch of smartypants my kids are! I love it!
Just Passin’ Through
My blog is fairly dead nowadays. It has been for a long time. I post on my blog much more often than people actually read my blog, and that’s pathetic because I don’t post very often at all. However, there is one post I wrote way back in April 2010 that continues to attract visitors. It’s a post about whether or not God created water, and it seems that due to its theological subject matter, people continually happen upon it via Google and whatnot. I still get comments on it on a somewhat regular basis. It has 14 comments now, which admittedly isn’t a ton, but it makes it one of my most commented-on posts of all time (with “all time” being almost eight years now.)
To Be Continued…
There are many more things I’ve wanted to blog about lately, but I just haven’t had the time. I promise I’ll try to post a bit more frequently now that the summer semester is wrapping up. Technically, I’ve got enough to be doing that I shouldn’t have any extra time to post to my blog. But I’ll try to squeeze in several posts, even if they’re small, over the next few weeks.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Potpourri No. 31
Life, served up deli-style, sliced nice and thin…
Job Security
In my previous potpourri post, I mentioned the fact that I’d been given a teaching gig for the latter part of the summer. I’ve since been told that I’m incredibly likely to teach in the fall, too. Rather than logic, however, I’ll be teaching an introductory ethics course in the fall. (Applied ethics, I should say, which means that it’s more about ethical issues than about ethical theory, per se.) I think that’ll be quite fun, though I wish I had more time to deliberate about what to do with the course. I had to choose the textbook for the course today, over four months before the class begins. As a result, I’m going with a textbook that has been used by instructors for whom I’ve TA’d in the past. That gives me some familiarity with the text, though ideally, I’d have more time to consider other options. There are a few ethics textbooks that I’ve seen online that pique my interest, but without being able to look inside of them, I don’t want to commit to them. So, I’m going with the familiar. Bummer. I take some comfort in knowing I can supplement the required text with other readings that I can make available to the class online. Maybe I can spice things up that way.
Feeling Special
I have finally scheduled my special area exam for next Monday, April 18th, at noon. Given that I still have a week to prepare for the exam, I’m feeling pretty good about it. Hopeful. It’s good to be getting to this point. After this, the next milestone in seeking my Ph.D. is to write up and defend a dissertation prospectus. I’m quite happy to say that I’ve had a lot more ideas about this lately. In terms of developing ideas, the last few weeks have been a very fruitful time for me. It’s exhilarating. It makes me hopeful that I can write up and defend the prospectus very, very soon after taking the special area exam. Wish me luck!
Bloody Interesting!
I recently watched a documentary called The Science of Sex Appeal that was available through Netflix Instant Viewing. It was quite fascinating, but one of the most interesting things to me is that when a woman ovulates, she actually becomes sexier, in a variety of ways, to men. In one study, they took two photographs of the same woman—one taken during ovulation, and one taken when she wasn’t ovulating—and put them side by side. They told men that the two photos were of twin sisters, and they asked the men to select which woman they thought was the most attractive. The overwhelming majority of men chose the picture of the woman that was taken during ovulation. Seeing the pictures side by side, there is a noticeable difference, a kind of luminescence in the ovulating woman. Even more fascinating, in a different study, men listened to pre-recorded audio of various women reading the same line of (non-sexual) text. They had the men rank how sexy the voices were. Unbeknownst to the men, some of the voices they heard were of the same woman, but recorded during ovulation. Again, the same woman’s voice was ranked as sexier when she was ovulating than when she was not! I found that quite fascinating. And, if you’re curious, ovulating women are more likely to be attracted to men, too. Ovulating women respond more positively to smelling sweat-stained t-shirts than do non-ovulating women.
Clearing Up Some Clutter
Am I the only one who has a tendency to leave open web pages for future reference, and thus to end up with tons of open web pages that just sit there for weeks on end? Sometimes, I leave something open because I want to remember to share it with someone else. Sometimes, I leave a page open to remind me that I need to do something. If I bookmark these pages with the intent of revisiting them, I never do so, and typically, I don’t want a permanent bookmark to the page anyway. Something else needs to be done. Well, I finally realized that I could just post some of these links on my blog. That way, they’re not completely gone, but they’re not taking up space in my bookmarks either. So, here are some random things from the web that, for whatever reason, I found interesting:
Free Will Being Discussed in the New York Times
The IFC’s 50 Greatest Opening Title Sequences of All Time
And here is a video of “natural hallucinogen” – and yes, it really works:
Job Security
In my previous potpourri post, I mentioned the fact that I’d been given a teaching gig for the latter part of the summer. I’ve since been told that I’m incredibly likely to teach in the fall, too. Rather than logic, however, I’ll be teaching an introductory ethics course in the fall. (Applied ethics, I should say, which means that it’s more about ethical issues than about ethical theory, per se.) I think that’ll be quite fun, though I wish I had more time to deliberate about what to do with the course. I had to choose the textbook for the course today, over four months before the class begins. As a result, I’m going with a textbook that has been used by instructors for whom I’ve TA’d in the past. That gives me some familiarity with the text, though ideally, I’d have more time to consider other options. There are a few ethics textbooks that I’ve seen online that pique my interest, but without being able to look inside of them, I don’t want to commit to them. So, I’m going with the familiar. Bummer. I take some comfort in knowing I can supplement the required text with other readings that I can make available to the class online. Maybe I can spice things up that way.
Feeling Special
I have finally scheduled my special area exam for next Monday, April 18th, at noon. Given that I still have a week to prepare for the exam, I’m feeling pretty good about it. Hopeful. It’s good to be getting to this point. After this, the next milestone in seeking my Ph.D. is to write up and defend a dissertation prospectus. I’m quite happy to say that I’ve had a lot more ideas about this lately. In terms of developing ideas, the last few weeks have been a very fruitful time for me. It’s exhilarating. It makes me hopeful that I can write up and defend the prospectus very, very soon after taking the special area exam. Wish me luck!
Bloody Interesting!
I recently watched a documentary called The Science of Sex Appeal that was available through Netflix Instant Viewing. It was quite fascinating, but one of the most interesting things to me is that when a woman ovulates, she actually becomes sexier, in a variety of ways, to men. In one study, they took two photographs of the same woman—one taken during ovulation, and one taken when she wasn’t ovulating—and put them side by side. They told men that the two photos were of twin sisters, and they asked the men to select which woman they thought was the most attractive. The overwhelming majority of men chose the picture of the woman that was taken during ovulation. Seeing the pictures side by side, there is a noticeable difference, a kind of luminescence in the ovulating woman. Even more fascinating, in a different study, men listened to pre-recorded audio of various women reading the same line of (non-sexual) text. They had the men rank how sexy the voices were. Unbeknownst to the men, some of the voices they heard were of the same woman, but recorded during ovulation. Again, the same woman’s voice was ranked as sexier when she was ovulating than when she was not! I found that quite fascinating. And, if you’re curious, ovulating women are more likely to be attracted to men, too. Ovulating women respond more positively to smelling sweat-stained t-shirts than do non-ovulating women.
Clearing Up Some Clutter
Am I the only one who has a tendency to leave open web pages for future reference, and thus to end up with tons of open web pages that just sit there for weeks on end? Sometimes, I leave something open because I want to remember to share it with someone else. Sometimes, I leave a page open to remind me that I need to do something. If I bookmark these pages with the intent of revisiting them, I never do so, and typically, I don’t want a permanent bookmark to the page anyway. Something else needs to be done. Well, I finally realized that I could just post some of these links on my blog. That way, they’re not completely gone, but they’re not taking up space in my bookmarks either. So, here are some random things from the web that, for whatever reason, I found interesting:
Free Will Being Discussed in the New York Times
The IFC’s 50 Greatest Opening Title Sequences of All Time
And here is a video of “natural hallucinogen” – and yes, it really works:
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Potpourri No. 30
Random tidbits o’ life:
Ah, Summer
It’s February in Florida, which means the first signs of summer are upon us. As in years past, the shortest month in the calendar has given rise to the first sunbathers by the pool. Lately, I myself have been wearing t-shirts and shorts and driving with the A/C on. It’s uncomfortable not to, which sucks considering we’ve got about six months of steadily increasing temperatures to look forward to. Currently, afternoon temperatures have been reaching into the high 70’s, and tomorrow it’s supposed to top out at 79 degrees. Crazy!
So What Else is New?
Guess who’s sick? Trick question! The real question, of course and as always, is who’s the sickest? That’s a tough one right now. Melanie’s just starting to get over something terrible, and I think I might just be descending into it. In a family of five, it seems impossible to fully exorcise illness from the home, which sucks a donkey. I somehow thought I might scrape by this round with barely a scratch—or scratchy throat, I should say. My throat had been sore and swollen for a few days, but nothing major. It seemed to be getting better, but last night, my throat suddenly feels like it’s coated in sand. It’s not sore again, but it’s obnoxious and I’m occasionally seized with coughing fits that leave me seeing stars and tasting blood. I assume it’s salt and not blood, but I always think of blood when I’m hacking my lungs out and get that distinct flavor in my mouth. It would have to be snot, methinks. Or, maybe I’ve just got tuberculosis! LOL!
Taking Teaching to a Whole New Level
Some exciting (dreadful?) news this week: I’ve been given a teaching position for the latter part of the summer semester. That means I’ll have full responsibility of a class, the first time in several years that this has been the case. During my time at Georgia State, I taught seven classes completely on my own. But my teaching gig this summer will be quite different. First of all, I’ll have as much control over the course as a genuine professor would. At GSU, we grad students didn’t have much say over anything other than what work-appropriate clothes we wore while we taught. The syllabus, textbook, lesson schedule, exams, etc., were all selected and written for us. Very little was left up to us. At FSU, I’ll be calling the shots. That’s cool, but it’s also a lot more responsibility and work on my part, so I’m sure it will be stressful. But, funny enough, I think I’ll have a TA of my own to help me out. Wow, I’m growing up! But anyway, another huge difference between my time at GSU and my upcoming teaching gig is that I’ve now been assigned to teach a 3000-level class. A symbolic logic class, no less. Reductio ad absurdum! Symbolic logic is not my specialty, by any means, but I guess that’s beside the point as far as the department is concerned. It’s assumed that I know the material at this stage of the game, and of course, I do. I’ve taken symbolic logic twice, after all. (“I’ve been going to this high school for seven and a half years. I’m no dummy!”) I took it at the U of U even though I didn’t have to, and then I had to take it as part of my master’s program at GSU. I always kind of liked the subject and did exceptionally well with it, but it’s also one of the most intimidating subjects I’ve ever studied. It can easily confuse people, and I’m not excluded from that. I often have to think through matters of symbolic logic very slowly, and I can’t help wondering how inept I might sometimes appear to my students this summer. But that’s OK. It should be quite an experience teaching the class. An overwhelming but interesting and good experience.
It’s Official—I’m a Twit
Yup, I’ve made a Twitter account. Why? Why ask why? No reason, really. I decided to follow a bunch of celebrities just for the heck of it, and also because most of them excel at being witty in 140-characters or fewer. (Bam! Bet you thought I’d say “less”!) Probably everything I put on Twitter I’ll also put as a status update on Facebook, but in my experience, Facebook status updates are much easier to miss. One reason is the fact that Facebook friendships are practically meaningless, so people have way more Facebook friends than they could ever keep up with. Another reason is that status updates on Facebook have to compete with updates about someone’s horse dying on Farmtown or with the results of someone's survey to determine what kind of legume best captures their personality. (You are a garbanzo bean, but your besties call you chick pea!) On Twitter, depending on whom you follow, you’re not getting so much excess baggage and fluff. That’s nice … even if it is pointless.
Two-Line Poetry
While walking home from the bus stop the other day, I thought maybe I should start writing simple, two-line poems. It would give me a chance to be more artsy without demanding too much of my time. And, as we’ve all learned from haikus, short and simple can be truly beautiful, just like Dudley Moore. So, anyway, I came up with these gems. Hope you enjoy them!
The end!
Ah, Summer
It’s February in Florida, which means the first signs of summer are upon us. As in years past, the shortest month in the calendar has given rise to the first sunbathers by the pool. Lately, I myself have been wearing t-shirts and shorts and driving with the A/C on. It’s uncomfortable not to, which sucks considering we’ve got about six months of steadily increasing temperatures to look forward to. Currently, afternoon temperatures have been reaching into the high 70’s, and tomorrow it’s supposed to top out at 79 degrees. Crazy!
So What Else is New?
Guess who’s sick? Trick question! The real question, of course and as always, is who’s the sickest? That’s a tough one right now. Melanie’s just starting to get over something terrible, and I think I might just be descending into it. In a family of five, it seems impossible to fully exorcise illness from the home, which sucks a donkey. I somehow thought I might scrape by this round with barely a scratch—or scratchy throat, I should say. My throat had been sore and swollen for a few days, but nothing major. It seemed to be getting better, but last night, my throat suddenly feels like it’s coated in sand. It’s not sore again, but it’s obnoxious and I’m occasionally seized with coughing fits that leave me seeing stars and tasting blood. I assume it’s salt and not blood, but I always think of blood when I’m hacking my lungs out and get that distinct flavor in my mouth. It would have to be snot, methinks. Or, maybe I’ve just got tuberculosis! LOL!
Taking Teaching to a Whole New Level
Some exciting (dreadful?) news this week: I’ve been given a teaching position for the latter part of the summer semester. That means I’ll have full responsibility of a class, the first time in several years that this has been the case. During my time at Georgia State, I taught seven classes completely on my own. But my teaching gig this summer will be quite different. First of all, I’ll have as much control over the course as a genuine professor would. At GSU, we grad students didn’t have much say over anything other than what work-appropriate clothes we wore while we taught. The syllabus, textbook, lesson schedule, exams, etc., were all selected and written for us. Very little was left up to us. At FSU, I’ll be calling the shots. That’s cool, but it’s also a lot more responsibility and work on my part, so I’m sure it will be stressful. But, funny enough, I think I’ll have a TA of my own to help me out. Wow, I’m growing up! But anyway, another huge difference between my time at GSU and my upcoming teaching gig is that I’ve now been assigned to teach a 3000-level class. A symbolic logic class, no less. Reductio ad absurdum! Symbolic logic is not my specialty, by any means, but I guess that’s beside the point as far as the department is concerned. It’s assumed that I know the material at this stage of the game, and of course, I do. I’ve taken symbolic logic twice, after all. (“I’ve been going to this high school for seven and a half years. I’m no dummy!”) I took it at the U of U even though I didn’t have to, and then I had to take it as part of my master’s program at GSU. I always kind of liked the subject and did exceptionally well with it, but it’s also one of the most intimidating subjects I’ve ever studied. It can easily confuse people, and I’m not excluded from that. I often have to think through matters of symbolic logic very slowly, and I can’t help wondering how inept I might sometimes appear to my students this summer. But that’s OK. It should be quite an experience teaching the class. An overwhelming but interesting and good experience.
It’s Official—I’m a Twit
Yup, I’ve made a Twitter account. Why? Why ask why? No reason, really. I decided to follow a bunch of celebrities just for the heck of it, and also because most of them excel at being witty in 140-characters or fewer. (Bam! Bet you thought I’d say “less”!) Probably everything I put on Twitter I’ll also put as a status update on Facebook, but in my experience, Facebook status updates are much easier to miss. One reason is the fact that Facebook friendships are practically meaningless, so people have way more Facebook friends than they could ever keep up with. Another reason is that status updates on Facebook have to compete with updates about someone’s horse dying on Farmtown or with the results of someone's survey to determine what kind of legume best captures their personality. (You are a garbanzo bean, but your besties call you chick pea!) On Twitter, depending on whom you follow, you’re not getting so much excess baggage and fluff. That’s nice … even if it is pointless.
Two-Line Poetry
While walking home from the bus stop the other day, I thought maybe I should start writing simple, two-line poems. It would give me a chance to be more artsy without demanding too much of my time. And, as we’ve all learned from haikus, short and simple can be truly beautiful, just like Dudley Moore. So, anyway, I came up with these gems. Hope you enjoy them!
TURTLE SOUP
Suntan while you can, little turtle
For tonight, it’s turtle soup
SILENT REJECTION
I thought she’d never ask
Turns out I was right
Suntan while you can, little turtle
For tonight, it’s turtle soup
SILENT REJECTION
I thought she’d never ask
Turns out I was right
The end!
Friday, January 07, 2011
Potpourri No. 29
Phony Baloney
It's been just under one year since Melanie and I dropped our one Sprint cell phone and opted for two prepaid cell phones from Tracfone. The service is spottier, but overall, Tracfone has served our needs. About two days ago, I finally ran out of the first official set of minutes that I purchased for my cell phone. Those 900 minutes cost me $80, and it cost me $20 to get the phone in the first place. If you do the math, that means my prepaid cell phone is costing me approximately $8.50 per month. That's a much better value than the $40-50 it cost me every month for the barest of plans from Sprint. Now, I don't know how much we've spent on Melanie's cell phone, but it isn't enough to make up the difference. Clearly, switching to prepaid cell phones was the right move for us.
Movie Club, Anyone?
I watch a decent amount of movies, and many of them are movies that not a lot of other people see. Sometimes I see a movie that I really wish other people would see, either because I think those people would thoroughly enjoy it, or because I think the film merits attention. I tell my family about these movies sometimes, but I know they'll never bother tracking them down. A while back, I started thinking that perhaps I should start a long-distance movie club with my family, kind of like a book club. The basic idea would be something like this: once a month, we all watch the same movie at some point during the first week of the month. We trade off who chooses the movie, but everyone must watch that same film. The person choosing the movie would pick a movie he/she knows (or at least strongly supposes) few to none of the others have seen. It should be a movie that the person thinks should be seen. After everyone has watched the movie, we could discuss it via the web—on my blog, for instance. Does anyone have any interest in doing this? It wouldn't have to be limited to family, but that's practically all that reads my blog anyway. We could begin pretty much right away, if we wanted. And heck, maybe to start off, we could all choose a movie that everyone else has to watch during the first month. It'd be like a film festival of recommended films, a little cinematic feast to get the ball rolling and get us thinking about movies. Who's game?
Sick of Sickness
I've had a lot more anxiety over the last few months than I typically do, most of it revolving in some way or another around my and my family's physical well-being. It seems neverending that something is going on. I had diverticulitis in early October. Then Creegan came along and dealt with serious jaundice and pyloric stenosis. On top of that, we've all been passing colds back and forth. And has it stopped? Not at all. Yesterday, Creegan was throwing up quite a bit and seemed not to be feeling very well. And a few days ago, Edison got attacked by fire ants and ended up with about 15 bites on his right hand plus about 5 bites on his left hand. His right hand has been massively swollen for days, and the itching and general anxiety he feels over it has sometimes left him having near-delirious fits. And, of course, our "wonderful" new minivan keeps getting sick too. I'm writing this blog in the waiting room of the repair shop, where they are replacing the fuel pump at an estimated cost of $400. (Good thing all of my money right now is make-believe! It makes it easier to part with!) At this point in time, Melanie and I are desperate for a week to go by when nothing overwhelming happens. It's not easy to be optimistic about that.
Back to School
This post wouldn't be complete without a brief mention that, yes, another semester has begun. The really cool thing about this semester is that I'm not taking any official classes of my own. I have a TA gig that obligates me to be on campus for about three hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but other than that, I'm doing independent work. Motivation and discipline will be the challenge, but I admit that I'll enjoy only going to campus twice per week. Even though I do schoolwork six days a week, it’ll be nice having five-day weekends. Working from home is nice.
It's been just under one year since Melanie and I dropped our one Sprint cell phone and opted for two prepaid cell phones from Tracfone. The service is spottier, but overall, Tracfone has served our needs. About two days ago, I finally ran out of the first official set of minutes that I purchased for my cell phone. Those 900 minutes cost me $80, and it cost me $20 to get the phone in the first place. If you do the math, that means my prepaid cell phone is costing me approximately $8.50 per month. That's a much better value than the $40-50 it cost me every month for the barest of plans from Sprint. Now, I don't know how much we've spent on Melanie's cell phone, but it isn't enough to make up the difference. Clearly, switching to prepaid cell phones was the right move for us.
Movie Club, Anyone?
I watch a decent amount of movies, and many of them are movies that not a lot of other people see. Sometimes I see a movie that I really wish other people would see, either because I think those people would thoroughly enjoy it, or because I think the film merits attention. I tell my family about these movies sometimes, but I know they'll never bother tracking them down. A while back, I started thinking that perhaps I should start a long-distance movie club with my family, kind of like a book club. The basic idea would be something like this: once a month, we all watch the same movie at some point during the first week of the month. We trade off who chooses the movie, but everyone must watch that same film. The person choosing the movie would pick a movie he/she knows (or at least strongly supposes) few to none of the others have seen. It should be a movie that the person thinks should be seen. After everyone has watched the movie, we could discuss it via the web—on my blog, for instance. Does anyone have any interest in doing this? It wouldn't have to be limited to family, but that's practically all that reads my blog anyway. We could begin pretty much right away, if we wanted. And heck, maybe to start off, we could all choose a movie that everyone else has to watch during the first month. It'd be like a film festival of recommended films, a little cinematic feast to get the ball rolling and get us thinking about movies. Who's game?
Sick of Sickness
I've had a lot more anxiety over the last few months than I typically do, most of it revolving in some way or another around my and my family's physical well-being. It seems neverending that something is going on. I had diverticulitis in early October. Then Creegan came along and dealt with serious jaundice and pyloric stenosis. On top of that, we've all been passing colds back and forth. And has it stopped? Not at all. Yesterday, Creegan was throwing up quite a bit and seemed not to be feeling very well. And a few days ago, Edison got attacked by fire ants and ended up with about 15 bites on his right hand plus about 5 bites on his left hand. His right hand has been massively swollen for days, and the itching and general anxiety he feels over it has sometimes left him having near-delirious fits. And, of course, our "wonderful" new minivan keeps getting sick too. I'm writing this blog in the waiting room of the repair shop, where they are replacing the fuel pump at an estimated cost of $400. (Good thing all of my money right now is make-believe! It makes it easier to part with!) At this point in time, Melanie and I are desperate for a week to go by when nothing overwhelming happens. It's not easy to be optimistic about that.
Back to School
This post wouldn't be complete without a brief mention that, yes, another semester has begun. The really cool thing about this semester is that I'm not taking any official classes of my own. I have a TA gig that obligates me to be on campus for about three hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but other than that, I'm doing independent work. Motivation and discipline will be the challenge, but I admit that I'll enjoy only going to campus twice per week. Even though I do schoolwork six days a week, it’ll be nice having five-day weekends. Working from home is nice.
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Potpourri No. 28
Random bits o’ life…
Worst Things First
In my previous blog entry, I reported that things were looking good with Creegan and that, if things continued to go well, he would come home from the hospital that same day. Creegan did make it home on Saturday. Shortly after getting home, however, he projectile vomited. This was a bit unsettling, as this was the very thing his surgery was meant to cure. He projectile vomited again a few hours later, and then again many hours after that. Melanie and I had read that sometimes babies still projectile vomit for a day or so after having the surgery because that is what their bodies are used to doing. One nurse also said this to us, but everybody else—including Creegan’s doctor and the surgeon—said we shouldn’t expect to see any more vomiting at all. I wasn’t sure what to think. I wanted to feel completely at ease by this point, but I didn’t. And I hated the suspense of not feeling completely settled. On the positive side of things, though Creegan was still projectile vomiting, the vomits were getting further and further apart. I hoped this meant his system was just getting used to things again. I also took comfort in the fact that Creegan had pooped twice since his surgery, a sign that the surgery had worked. However, the pooping then seemed to stop. And, one of the projectile vomits that Creegan spewed after leaving the hospital was oddly thick, almost like clay or putty. These things bothered me, but Creegan did seem better overall. He looked immensely better, and when he was awake, he seemed more alert and attentive than he had ever been. We knew Creegan had a follow-up doctor’s appointment on Monday (yesterday), so we decided not to panic. I kept all my hope invested in the “readjustment period” theory.
The morning of Creegan’s doctor appointment, he pooped. It wasn’t a lot, but it was something. I don’t think I’ve ever been so thrilled to have a child defecate as I was at that moment. Then, at the doctor’s office, with the doctor watching, Creegan pooped a big one. He’s been pooping regularly ever since, and it’s now been something like 40 hours since he’s projectile vomited. I finally feel at ease, like life is and will be normal, both for Creegan and for us. It’s a wonderful feeling after all of this. Creegan’s doctor put him back on Zantac, still thinking that he has acid reflux, which could explain some of the post-surgery vomiting. As I said in my previous entry, pyloric stenosis wouldn’t explain the more active spitting up that Creegan experienced during his first couple of weeks of life, so I’m not skeptical that he has acid reflux. But I think the post-surgery vomiting was probably just his body adjusting back to normalcy. Things had almost completely mellowed out by the time the doctor saw him. But that’s OK. The Zantac does seem to help Creegan when it comes to normal, non-threatening, mild spitting up, of which Creegan is quite a fan. We’re going to keep him on Zantac for a month and then reevaluate. I’ll let you know what happens.
Sharp Thinking
During the past week, I’ve often taken Edison and Peter out to the playground to play. I’m not sure where he got the idea, but Eddie likes for me to pretend that I’m a hunter chasing kids whom I plan to eat for dinner. He and Peter run around the playground screaming while I chase them. Here and there, they climb up on things and “barely” escape me by going down a slide as I come climbing up after them. Additionally, sometimes Eddie pretends to have a sword with which he can defend himself. It’s an especially deadly sword, a creation of Eddie’s own imagination. At the tip of the sword is—get this—a cactus needle! Just when you thought swords couldn’t get any more dangerous!
Chillin’
So, yes, living in Florida, we can still head out to the playground and play, even during the first week of December. I know that’s what some of you are thinking, and you may feel jealous. I’ll be the first to admit that there are many perks about our climate, such as not dealing with snow. But make no mistake, it gets cold here. And it’s quite cold here lately. The high for today is only 50 degrees. Morning temperatures are in the low 20s. It’s no picnic, even if you won’t get snow on your picnic blanket here. I feel I have to remind people of this because they often imagine that I’m living somewhere tropical, which I’m not. I remind you that I’m 15—20 minutes outside of Georgia, that Tallahassee is not a beach town, and that there is nothing picturesque about it.
Breakin’
The fall semester has ended. I’ve written what needs to be written and graded what needs to be graded. It’s over. Good riddance. I’m slightly disappointed with my not-quite-perfect grade in the one seminar class I took, simply because I think it would have been perfect had my first two papers been graded by the main instructor rather than by his assistant. That sounds like lame whining, but I have strong reasons for believing this and have been a student long enough that I can typically gauge how well I’ll do on things before I actually get graded. To share just one bit of evidence, my final paper in the course was an extension of one of my earlier papers. The instructor’s comments on my final paper were that it was “excellent,” “well-written,” “well-argued,” and demonstrated a “good command” of the material on which I was writing. Trust me, that didn’t come out of the little bit I added to it to turn it into a final paper, but the earlier version wasn’t nearly so well-received when graded by the instructor’s assistant. OK, OK, enough. From now until the spring semester starts in January, I need to be working on my special area exam, and I’m toying with the idea of trying to prep something to submit to a conference. I’m at the stage where I should be doing that kind of thing. It’s intimidating, but it has to be done. There’s a philosophy conference at the University of Utah in April. Wouldn’t that be cool if I got something accepted there? Grinders 13, here I come! Oops, I mean, family. Yes, of course, family is what I’d be excited about. Yeah. Sure.
Worst Things First
In my previous blog entry, I reported that things were looking good with Creegan and that, if things continued to go well, he would come home from the hospital that same day. Creegan did make it home on Saturday. Shortly after getting home, however, he projectile vomited. This was a bit unsettling, as this was the very thing his surgery was meant to cure. He projectile vomited again a few hours later, and then again many hours after that. Melanie and I had read that sometimes babies still projectile vomit for a day or so after having the surgery because that is what their bodies are used to doing. One nurse also said this to us, but everybody else—including Creegan’s doctor and the surgeon—said we shouldn’t expect to see any more vomiting at all. I wasn’t sure what to think. I wanted to feel completely at ease by this point, but I didn’t. And I hated the suspense of not feeling completely settled. On the positive side of things, though Creegan was still projectile vomiting, the vomits were getting further and further apart. I hoped this meant his system was just getting used to things again. I also took comfort in the fact that Creegan had pooped twice since his surgery, a sign that the surgery had worked. However, the pooping then seemed to stop. And, one of the projectile vomits that Creegan spewed after leaving the hospital was oddly thick, almost like clay or putty. These things bothered me, but Creegan did seem better overall. He looked immensely better, and when he was awake, he seemed more alert and attentive than he had ever been. We knew Creegan had a follow-up doctor’s appointment on Monday (yesterday), so we decided not to panic. I kept all my hope invested in the “readjustment period” theory.
The morning of Creegan’s doctor appointment, he pooped. It wasn’t a lot, but it was something. I don’t think I’ve ever been so thrilled to have a child defecate as I was at that moment. Then, at the doctor’s office, with the doctor watching, Creegan pooped a big one. He’s been pooping regularly ever since, and it’s now been something like 40 hours since he’s projectile vomited. I finally feel at ease, like life is and will be normal, both for Creegan and for us. It’s a wonderful feeling after all of this. Creegan’s doctor put him back on Zantac, still thinking that he has acid reflux, which could explain some of the post-surgery vomiting. As I said in my previous entry, pyloric stenosis wouldn’t explain the more active spitting up that Creegan experienced during his first couple of weeks of life, so I’m not skeptical that he has acid reflux. But I think the post-surgery vomiting was probably just his body adjusting back to normalcy. Things had almost completely mellowed out by the time the doctor saw him. But that’s OK. The Zantac does seem to help Creegan when it comes to normal, non-threatening, mild spitting up, of which Creegan is quite a fan. We’re going to keep him on Zantac for a month and then reevaluate. I’ll let you know what happens.
Sharp Thinking
During the past week, I’ve often taken Edison and Peter out to the playground to play. I’m not sure where he got the idea, but Eddie likes for me to pretend that I’m a hunter chasing kids whom I plan to eat for dinner. He and Peter run around the playground screaming while I chase them. Here and there, they climb up on things and “barely” escape me by going down a slide as I come climbing up after them. Additionally, sometimes Eddie pretends to have a sword with which he can defend himself. It’s an especially deadly sword, a creation of Eddie’s own imagination. At the tip of the sword is—get this—a cactus needle! Just when you thought swords couldn’t get any more dangerous!
Chillin’
So, yes, living in Florida, we can still head out to the playground and play, even during the first week of December. I know that’s what some of you are thinking, and you may feel jealous. I’ll be the first to admit that there are many perks about our climate, such as not dealing with snow. But make no mistake, it gets cold here. And it’s quite cold here lately. The high for today is only 50 degrees. Morning temperatures are in the low 20s. It’s no picnic, even if you won’t get snow on your picnic blanket here. I feel I have to remind people of this because they often imagine that I’m living somewhere tropical, which I’m not. I remind you that I’m 15—20 minutes outside of Georgia, that Tallahassee is not a beach town, and that there is nothing picturesque about it.
Breakin’
The fall semester has ended. I’ve written what needs to be written and graded what needs to be graded. It’s over. Good riddance. I’m slightly disappointed with my not-quite-perfect grade in the one seminar class I took, simply because I think it would have been perfect had my first two papers been graded by the main instructor rather than by his assistant. That sounds like lame whining, but I have strong reasons for believing this and have been a student long enough that I can typically gauge how well I’ll do on things before I actually get graded. To share just one bit of evidence, my final paper in the course was an extension of one of my earlier papers. The instructor’s comments on my final paper were that it was “excellent,” “well-written,” “well-argued,” and demonstrated a “good command” of the material on which I was writing. Trust me, that didn’t come out of the little bit I added to it to turn it into a final paper, but the earlier version wasn’t nearly so well-received when graded by the instructor’s assistant. OK, OK, enough. From now until the spring semester starts in January, I need to be working on my special area exam, and I’m toying with the idea of trying to prep something to submit to a conference. I’m at the stage where I should be doing that kind of thing. It’s intimidating, but it has to be done. There’s a philosophy conference at the University of Utah in April. Wouldn’t that be cool if I got something accepted there? Grinders 13, here I come! Oops, I mean, family. Yes, of course, family is what I’d be excited about. Yeah. Sure.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Potpourri No. 27
My 27th potpourri post, for this, the 27th day of January…
It’s That Time of the Month
Yesterday, I woke up with a very sore throat. Today, it doesn’t feel quite as sore, but it feels more irritated—scratchy and somewhat congested and swollen. Sickness seems to be a monthly ritual for the members of my family, each of us taking turns, but each of us generally being sick at least once every 30 days. Or so it seems. What I didn’t realize is that my body is so diligent in keeping to the 30-day schedule. Out of curiosity, I looked back at the last several posts I’ve written that include the tag “health.” Granted, I haven’t written a monthly post about being sick, but if you look at the posts in which I do mention being sick, a startling pattern emerges—I wrote about being sick on September 27, 2008; I wrote about being sick on October 26, 2009; I wrote about being sick on November 28, 2009. And now I’m writing about being sick on January 27, 2010. Very interesting…
Shuffle, Shuffle, Shuffle
It’s been a couple of weeks since I wrote about loading up my iPod Shuffle. That means I’ve had two more weeks’ experience using it. I love it. And, I’m excited to report, I miscalculated just how much music my iPod could hold. The last time I wrote about it, I said I had loaded the iPod with 500 songs, but I expected that it could fit another six or seven songs. Well, I somehow was multiplying things by ten that I shouldn’t have been. As it turns out, I’ve put another 57 songs on my iPod, and there’s still some room on there. That’s right—I have a grand total of 557 songs on my iPod, which amounts to roughly 31 hours of music. Given that I only really listen to my iPod when I’m busing to and from school, I wonder which will come first: earning my Ph.D. or listening to everything on my iPod.
Free Pumpkins
Speaking of music, for those who might be interested and aren’t aware, The Smashing Pumpkins (which at this point is primarily just Billy Corgan) are releasing a free album, one song at a time, downloadable from their website. If that weren’t enough, the album will ultimately consist of 44 songs. That’s a lot of free music! From the sound of it, these aren’t throw-away songs, either. Having listened to the first (and thus far only) two songs to have been released, I can say that the Pumpkins are keeping things as lush as they have done on their previous, more traditional releases. (The first of the Internet songs, “A Song for a Son,” reminds me of material found on the Pumpkins’ lavishly produced third album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.) If nothing else, you have to admit that making such a grandiose project freely available to the public is a fascinating move. You can read more about the work-in-progress album, titled Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, on Wikipedia.
American Idle
Speaking of music, I’ve never watched the hit reality TV program American Idol until this season. After the many years of hype, hubbub, and hullabaloo, Melanie and I thought we’d give it a shot. We haven’t been diligent about watching it—after all, it’s on twice a week, and in its first week or two, each episode is two hours long—but we have invested a few hours into it at this point. The verdict? A little too early to say, though I admit it is thus far more entertaining than not. The style of singing to which the show caters is, in my opinion, often times rather dull. Sometimes I think a person auditioning sounds just as good as another contestant whom the judges have praised, but they proceed to tell the person that he/she is too boring. Then there are times when I think a person sounds very dull and generic, and the judges are quite enthusiastic about that person’s “talent.” So, you can’t always tell, I guess. Maybe if you were much more into pop music (of this sort) than I am. I’ll be curious to see where the show goes once we get past the initial auditioning stage. Melanie and I were all the more interested in trying out the show when it was announced that Ellen DeGeneres would replace Paula Abdul as a judge. However, DeGeneres doesn’t join the panel until after the auditions are complete, which is yet to occur. So we’ll see how that goes.
Finger-Pickin’ Good
Speaking of music, I’ve continued playing guitar for 30-40 minutes a day, having missed only a few days since the beginning of the year. It continues to feel great. The fingers on my left hand are getting all their old calluses back, and I simply feel like my strumming and singing are more solid than they were even a few weeks ago. My point is, even with this little step forward, I see recognizable differences and improvements, and that’s exciting. I’ve even written a couple of new songs, to a much more complete degree than a lot of things I’ve written in the past. One song, “The Bug Song,” was written impromptu at the request of Edison, who asked me one day while I was playing guitar to sing a song about bugs. Accordingly, it might best be labeled a children’s song. I’m toying with the idea of video-recording it and posting it to my blog sometime in the near future. Perhaps I will do so. Perhaps.
It’s That Time of the Month
Yesterday, I woke up with a very sore throat. Today, it doesn’t feel quite as sore, but it feels more irritated—scratchy and somewhat congested and swollen. Sickness seems to be a monthly ritual for the members of my family, each of us taking turns, but each of us generally being sick at least once every 30 days. Or so it seems. What I didn’t realize is that my body is so diligent in keeping to the 30-day schedule. Out of curiosity, I looked back at the last several posts I’ve written that include the tag “health.” Granted, I haven’t written a monthly post about being sick, but if you look at the posts in which I do mention being sick, a startling pattern emerges—I wrote about being sick on September 27, 2008; I wrote about being sick on October 26, 2009; I wrote about being sick on November 28, 2009. And now I’m writing about being sick on January 27, 2010. Very interesting…
Shuffle, Shuffle, Shuffle
It’s been a couple of weeks since I wrote about loading up my iPod Shuffle. That means I’ve had two more weeks’ experience using it. I love it. And, I’m excited to report, I miscalculated just how much music my iPod could hold. The last time I wrote about it, I said I had loaded the iPod with 500 songs, but I expected that it could fit another six or seven songs. Well, I somehow was multiplying things by ten that I shouldn’t have been. As it turns out, I’ve put another 57 songs on my iPod, and there’s still some room on there. That’s right—I have a grand total of 557 songs on my iPod, which amounts to roughly 31 hours of music. Given that I only really listen to my iPod when I’m busing to and from school, I wonder which will come first: earning my Ph.D. or listening to everything on my iPod.
Free Pumpkins
Speaking of music, for those who might be interested and aren’t aware, The Smashing Pumpkins (which at this point is primarily just Billy Corgan) are releasing a free album, one song at a time, downloadable from their website. If that weren’t enough, the album will ultimately consist of 44 songs. That’s a lot of free music! From the sound of it, these aren’t throw-away songs, either. Having listened to the first (and thus far only) two songs to have been released, I can say that the Pumpkins are keeping things as lush as they have done on their previous, more traditional releases. (The first of the Internet songs, “A Song for a Son,” reminds me of material found on the Pumpkins’ lavishly produced third album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.) If nothing else, you have to admit that making such a grandiose project freely available to the public is a fascinating move. You can read more about the work-in-progress album, titled Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, on Wikipedia.
American Idle
Speaking of music, I’ve never watched the hit reality TV program American Idol until this season. After the many years of hype, hubbub, and hullabaloo, Melanie and I thought we’d give it a shot. We haven’t been diligent about watching it—after all, it’s on twice a week, and in its first week or two, each episode is two hours long—but we have invested a few hours into it at this point. The verdict? A little too early to say, though I admit it is thus far more entertaining than not. The style of singing to which the show caters is, in my opinion, often times rather dull. Sometimes I think a person auditioning sounds just as good as another contestant whom the judges have praised, but they proceed to tell the person that he/she is too boring. Then there are times when I think a person sounds very dull and generic, and the judges are quite enthusiastic about that person’s “talent.” So, you can’t always tell, I guess. Maybe if you were much more into pop music (of this sort) than I am. I’ll be curious to see where the show goes once we get past the initial auditioning stage. Melanie and I were all the more interested in trying out the show when it was announced that Ellen DeGeneres would replace Paula Abdul as a judge. However, DeGeneres doesn’t join the panel until after the auditions are complete, which is yet to occur. So we’ll see how that goes.
Finger-Pickin’ Good
Speaking of music, I’ve continued playing guitar for 30-40 minutes a day, having missed only a few days since the beginning of the year. It continues to feel great. The fingers on my left hand are getting all their old calluses back, and I simply feel like my strumming and singing are more solid than they were even a few weeks ago. My point is, even with this little step forward, I see recognizable differences and improvements, and that’s exciting. I’ve even written a couple of new songs, to a much more complete degree than a lot of things I’ve written in the past. One song, “The Bug Song,” was written impromptu at the request of Edison, who asked me one day while I was playing guitar to sing a song about bugs. Accordingly, it might best be labeled a children’s song. I’m toying with the idea of video-recording it and posting it to my blog sometime in the near future. Perhaps I will do so. Perhaps.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Potpourri No. 26
A few days ago, I started writing a post and never finished it. I tried working on it again the next day, and it just didn’t go anywhere. I think it’s partially because I’m under the weather. And so, having wanted to post but not having it in me to write much about anything, I’m falling back on doing yet another potpourri post.
Sick & Tired
Over the weekend, I came down with a cold. I’m still feeling rather blah, but it fluctuates quite a bit throughout the day. Truth be told, I’m glad I haven’t felt worse. The illness hit me on Thursday afternoon. At noon, I was feeling a little bit sick, and by 5 p.m., I was feeling like crap. In my own experience, this was quite strange. Often when you’re getting sick, you might feel it creeping in throughout the day, so that by the time you go to bed, you feel slightly yucky, but then you wake up feeling horrible. It was weird to me to take such a nosedive over the course of a few afternoon hours. I was really worried I’d wake up on Friday morning feeling sicker than I have in years, but it wasn’t quite as bad as I expected. Still, it’s been enough that I have little momentum and quickly run out of whatever momentum I’ve got. It’s perfect timing, in some respects, as I’m actually fairly caught up on everything I need to be doing for school. I have a paper due a week from today, but I have nothing between now and then to stand in my way. Not even basic class readings, which I’ve already done for this week. Nice. But, despite it all, I’m staying home from my afternoon class today. If memory serves me correctly, this is the first time I will have missed a class since becoming a grad student over three years ago—not counting the several that I missed after getting in a car accident, which I guess was plenty, but they weren’t nearly so voluntary.
Happy Anniversary … You Know, Last Week
Last week, Melanie and I celebrated our four-year wedding anniversary. I probably should have acknowledged it by now, but I was worried I’d end up saying the same exact stuff I said last year—that I can’t believe we haven’t been married much, much longer than that. Four years sounds so insignificant for being such a significant part of my life! But anyway, we kept celebrations to a minimum. We’re hoping someday in the near future to go out on an actual date, just the two of us, but we’ve yet to arrange it. For now, we settled on having a really nice dinner at home—which was quite generous on Melanie’s part, because she orchestrated the whole thing. She made homemade manicotti, with fresh spinach and fresh garlic among the stuffing ingredients, and an extremely delicious spinach salad with strawberries, pecans, and a yummy poppy seed vinaigrette. It was fantastic. I’ve really been blessed to be married to a woman that is so fond of stretching her culinary muscles. I’ve been the lucky recipient of many delicious forays into what is, for us at least, uncharted gastronomical territory. It’s the slightest touches that make me feel so incredibly pampered—fresh parsley in the chicken fettuccine alfredo, fresh basil on the homemade pizza, etc. These things not only kick everything up a notch, they make me feel spoiled rotten. In fact, it gives me new perspective on that old saying, “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” I fell in love with Melanie long before I tasted anything she had made, but maybe the point of that saying is not that you can make a man fall in love with you by feeding him well (although that probably has some merit), but that you can make him feel loved by feeding him well. In my case, that has certainly been true. Thanks, darling!
Getting Punk’d
Somehow or another, I’ve ended up on a punk rock kick lately. It’s always refreshing to change musical gears a little bit, and this has been particularly revitalizing for me. It’s made me eager to play more guitar and do more songwriting. I’ve even found myself writing music in my head with a frequency I haven’t done in years. Time and time again, I have admitted that one of my greatest fears in life is not doing more with music and then regretting it. It’s not like I want to be a touring musician, but surely I could play guitar and write songs regularly, right? Anyway, it’s been a lot of fun to listen to some of the old bands I already had some decent exposure to (such as Dag Nasty, Descendents, and SNFU) and to discover some of those bands whom I had heard of but, outside of maybe a song or two, not really heard. I’ve found a couple that I’m extremely excited about—Mission of Burma and Hüsker Dü. I’ve been able to listen to a lot of their material online, and I’m loving it. The guitarist for the latter band, Bob Mould, continues to make awesome (non-punk from what I’ve heard) music as a solo artist. I’m practically ready to add his name to my list of favorite musicians based on what I’ve heard of his work, solo or otherwise. It’s pretty darn exciting when you think to yourself, “I’ve got to buy this album” after hearing five seconds of one song by somebody. That’s exactly how I felt upon hearing the first five seconds of “I’m Sorry, Baby, But You Can’t Stand in My Light Any More” on Bob Mould’s MySpace page, and I’m not exaggerating. Awesome stuff. On the downside, by discovering all these bands, I’ve now added several dozen albums to my already extensive to-buy list. I can’t wait until I make the big bucks as a professional philosopher!
Sick & Tired
Over the weekend, I came down with a cold. I’m still feeling rather blah, but it fluctuates quite a bit throughout the day. Truth be told, I’m glad I haven’t felt worse. The illness hit me on Thursday afternoon. At noon, I was feeling a little bit sick, and by 5 p.m., I was feeling like crap. In my own experience, this was quite strange. Often when you’re getting sick, you might feel it creeping in throughout the day, so that by the time you go to bed, you feel slightly yucky, but then you wake up feeling horrible. It was weird to me to take such a nosedive over the course of a few afternoon hours. I was really worried I’d wake up on Friday morning feeling sicker than I have in years, but it wasn’t quite as bad as I expected. Still, it’s been enough that I have little momentum and quickly run out of whatever momentum I’ve got. It’s perfect timing, in some respects, as I’m actually fairly caught up on everything I need to be doing for school. I have a paper due a week from today, but I have nothing between now and then to stand in my way. Not even basic class readings, which I’ve already done for this week. Nice. But, despite it all, I’m staying home from my afternoon class today. If memory serves me correctly, this is the first time I will have missed a class since becoming a grad student over three years ago—not counting the several that I missed after getting in a car accident, which I guess was plenty, but they weren’t nearly so voluntary.
Happy Anniversary … You Know, Last Week
Last week, Melanie and I celebrated our four-year wedding anniversary. I probably should have acknowledged it by now, but I was worried I’d end up saying the same exact stuff I said last year—that I can’t believe we haven’t been married much, much longer than that. Four years sounds so insignificant for being such a significant part of my life! But anyway, we kept celebrations to a minimum. We’re hoping someday in the near future to go out on an actual date, just the two of us, but we’ve yet to arrange it. For now, we settled on having a really nice dinner at home—which was quite generous on Melanie’s part, because she orchestrated the whole thing. She made homemade manicotti, with fresh spinach and fresh garlic among the stuffing ingredients, and an extremely delicious spinach salad with strawberries, pecans, and a yummy poppy seed vinaigrette. It was fantastic. I’ve really been blessed to be married to a woman that is so fond of stretching her culinary muscles. I’ve been the lucky recipient of many delicious forays into what is, for us at least, uncharted gastronomical territory. It’s the slightest touches that make me feel so incredibly pampered—fresh parsley in the chicken fettuccine alfredo, fresh basil on the homemade pizza, etc. These things not only kick everything up a notch, they make me feel spoiled rotten. In fact, it gives me new perspective on that old saying, “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” I fell in love with Melanie long before I tasted anything she had made, but maybe the point of that saying is not that you can make a man fall in love with you by feeding him well (although that probably has some merit), but that you can make him feel loved by feeding him well. In my case, that has certainly been true. Thanks, darling!
Getting Punk’d
Somehow or another, I’ve ended up on a punk rock kick lately. It’s always refreshing to change musical gears a little bit, and this has been particularly revitalizing for me. It’s made me eager to play more guitar and do more songwriting. I’ve even found myself writing music in my head with a frequency I haven’t done in years. Time and time again, I have admitted that one of my greatest fears in life is not doing more with music and then regretting it. It’s not like I want to be a touring musician, but surely I could play guitar and write songs regularly, right? Anyway, it’s been a lot of fun to listen to some of the old bands I already had some decent exposure to (such as Dag Nasty, Descendents, and SNFU) and to discover some of those bands whom I had heard of but, outside of maybe a song or two, not really heard. I’ve found a couple that I’m extremely excited about—Mission of Burma and Hüsker Dü. I’ve been able to listen to a lot of their material online, and I’m loving it. The guitarist for the latter band, Bob Mould, continues to make awesome (non-punk from what I’ve heard) music as a solo artist. I’m practically ready to add his name to my list of favorite musicians based on what I’ve heard of his work, solo or otherwise. It’s pretty darn exciting when you think to yourself, “I’ve got to buy this album” after hearing five seconds of one song by somebody. That’s exactly how I felt upon hearing the first five seconds of “I’m Sorry, Baby, But You Can’t Stand in My Light Any More” on Bob Mould’s MySpace page, and I’m not exaggerating. Awesome stuff. On the downside, by discovering all these bands, I’ve now added several dozen albums to my already extensive to-buy list. I can’t wait until I make the big bucks as a professional philosopher!
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