Waxing or Waning with the Tides of the Moon

My new niece (Syd’s daughter) is Cthulhu. Your sanity is...

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:06:01 -0500

My new niece (Syd’s daughter) is Cthulhu. Your sanity is futile. Prepare for the Apocalypse.

Guys are still guys in any language. :)

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:44:00 -0500

Guys are still guys in any language. :)

The Worst Phishing Expedition Ever

Tue, 12 May 2009 20:24:00 -0500

House Of The Senate House

show details 4:15 PM (4 hours ago) ReplyfromHouse Of The Senate House reply-toatmdept02@btinternet.com
todateTue, May 12, 2009 at 4:15 PMsubjectAttnhide details 4:15 PM (4 hours ago) Reply

This is to officially inform you that 6.8 Million Dollars has been credited
to you. for info, contact Mr. Eric Lawal on email atmdept02@btinternet.com
providing him with your Name,age,occupation,address

I be a "published" artist.

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:23:27 -0600

I promise I won’t drop my husband to run of with some heroine addict actor…

Check out the picture… though, seriously, I think it’s nothing special at all.

———————————————

———————————————

:: Schmap London Sixth Edition: Photo Inclusion

Hi Kathleen,

I am delighted to let you know that your submitted photo
has been selected for inclusion in the newly released sixth
edition of our Schmap London Guide:

Old Royal Naval College
http://www.schmap.com/london/sights_outandabout/p=4817/i=4817_40.jpg

If you use an iPhone or iPod touch, then this same link
will take you directly to your photo in the iPhone version
of our guide. On a desktop computer, you can still see
exactly how your photo is displayed and credited in the
iPhone version of our guide at:

Old Royal Naval College
http://www.schmap.com/?m=iphone#uid=london&sid=sights_outandabout&p=4817&i=4817_40

Finally, if you have a blog, you might also like to check
out the customizable widgetized version of our Schmap
London Guide, complete with your published photo:

http://www.schmap.com/guidewidgets/p=27143825N06/c=SJ1001850

Thanks so much for letting us include your photo - please
enjoy the guide!

Best regards,

Emma Williams,
Managing Editor, Schmap Guides>

… So, I’d like to learn to knit, and found this a...

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 16:36:19 -0600

… So, I’d like to learn to knit, and found this a bit silly, but informative for anyone else who’d like to learn as well.

My favorite place. Ok.. so I went to London two summers ago, and...

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:12:00 -0600

My favorite place.

Ok.. so I went to London two summers ago, and fell in love with the city. There was this one place by the Queen’s Walk along the Thames where I felt absolutely and completely… blissfully content… I can’t explain it. There is no turn of phrase… or hackneyed amalgamation of words or syllables to give that feeling justice… without making you think that I’m some melodramatic, certifiably insane, wacko nutter. I wanted so desperately to take a picture of it so I could have something in return for the little bit of me that stayed right there… but my shutter button had popped off outside of 10 Downing St, so Tony Blair got my shutter button, and I got the memory.

Anyway… when I got the chance to go back with E and G, I knew… if it was the last thing I did (and it just about was) I was going to go back there and try to recapture that place. It took me a couple of hours before the sidewalks were clear. It was a chilly, schizoid afternoon where the clouds would look like salvation from on high one moment, and judgment and doom the next. And although I missed the Doctor Who museum, and meeting Kenneth EFFING Branagh… I took some photos that I don’t hate.

I hope that snazzy link for “Return to Me” worked. If not, then please listen to...

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 13:53:00 -0600

I hope that snazzy link for “Return to Me” worked. If not, then please listen to my plug for Glen Philips’ new album. Glen Philips’ Reveals the Secrets of the New Explorers which is an awesome departure from his norm. He continues to impress me with his musical diversity and poignancy. Listen to him and throw lots of money his way so he can continue making worthwhile music and support his awesome family.

http://glenphillips.net/blog/?p=89

The Bailout... or What Is and What Can Never Be.

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:28:00 -0500

Well, I’ve not professed to be a staunch Republican since I was 19 or 20—blame it on young idealism—but I figure we can’t have it both ways. We can’t laud ourselves as being a capitalistic society… and have everything backed by the government. We’re either capitalists… or we’re not, and we need to accept the responsibility of our self-definition in either case.

However, my opinion may not be a valid one; I am an English teacher and not an economist. Unlike my future-phobic husband, I DO have money in 401 K’s and various other stock market based programs, but I’ve got time (20-30+ years) to make up the slack here. But that’s not the only effect of the situation. Banks aren’t loaning money to other banks, banks aren’t granting short term loans to businesses, and the commercial paper system is at a virtual standstill, effecting just about anything financial.

… And that could be a ginormous trickle down…

Finally, my last concern, and I don’t really want this to be from my words to true action, yet I post this here because I hope, that like a wish, speaking it aloud will keep it from reality. The situation that troubles me most here is… as I was discussing with the Social Studies teacher a few minutes ago… this would be the absolute PERFECT opportunity for any Anti-USA groups to launch an assault. Financial chaos, political chaos, and the teeniest bit of civil unrest… We just might tumble like a Jenga tower. With that vision in mind, let’s each of us hope that taking off our shoes at the airport does the trick.

Palin's Words Raise Red Flags

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 09:19:00 -0500

Palin's Words Raise Red Flags:

I’m sure that this columnist is one of the demon-liberal-God-hating writers from The New York Times that Senator McCain and his camp were talking about. I’m sure that just about anyone who does research on him will find he more than likely doesn’t support McCain. I don’t really know… nor do I actually care… because his political leanings aren’t the point. He brings up some very salient points which I feel are important to consider regardless of party.

I was, and continue to be, torn on my views about Palin.

When I first saw her, I was emotionally effervescent for the simplest reason that the VP candidate was a woman. I am old enough to vaguely remember the 1984 election and Mondale and Ferraro running against Daddy Reagan. At that time, the entirety of my mother’s side of the family (who I spent the most time with) were Republicans, and Reagan was like a big, squishy, TV grampa. I’m not sure if I realized how important… how precedent-setting that was. Actually, I’m sure I didn’t grasp the full scope, but it did make an impression on me (enough that though I was 6 year old at the time, I remembered readily the name of the Vice Presidential Candidate for the Democratic Party of 1984, but not the politician who chose her.)

But at the same time, I was unsure of Palin. The liberal in me… the one who recognizes that though, in my personal decisions, I am conservative, I do not have the right to force what is right for me on the decisions of every citizen of the United States… was uneasy about her. The internal voice, who cannot justify damaging the delicate ecosystem of the arctic (which immediately effects the ecosystems of the entire world) and relegating the polar bear and the beluga wale to exhibits in zoos so we can save a few dollars at the gas pump and put off the search for viable fuel alternatives for another few years, warned me to be wary. The part of me who feels that my friends Mike and Alan getting married today somewhere in Los Angeles, California enhances the sanctity of my marriage to Doug, not detracts from it cannot support her.

However, this columnist brings up one of the most important jobs of the vice president- the seriousness of which I’ve forgotten in my fortunate years of not having to experience it- Palin will run the country in the event that McCain… already fairly old and haggard from the life exposed to violence and war that he has lived… should become unable to lead… and she’s having a hard time dealing with the hard-hitting questions of Katie effin’ Couric. How does she expect us to believe she’s acquired elite foreign diplomacy skills with Russia due to a maritime border and trade agreements set up long before she was in office if she can’t handle the effin EVENING NEWS!

But this also makes me wonder… if she weren’t a woman, would we be concerned at all? If she weren’t being hidden away and avoiding interviews with prestigious news institutions… would we question her abilities? Would we even feel bad about questioning her qualifications?

It seemed no one felt bad about questioning Obama’s inexperience. It’s the major crux of the McCain campaign- “I’ve got 42,783 years of experience on Capital Hill, with war and with foreign leaders… Barack’s got jack, and he won’t be able to handle it.” So why then does he get a running mate who is less experienced than Obama. At least Obama has met some of these foreign leaders.

I think I’ve gotten to the saturation point with this upcoming (all too near) election. My loving husband may have seen my Obama ‘08 stickers and assumed that I had my mind made up… but I try not to close my mind to any information or choice available. Yes, I avoid a lot of the political debates and discussion because I feel for the most part, it’s too rehearsed and contains too much spin, but I can see some of the strategies at work… and I know what qualities I’d like to see in a leader… I’ve just not seen those qualities manifested in a set of candidates yet.

Hurricane Prep?

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:50:49 -0500

sydvish:

Q and I aren’t really doing much hurricane prep (other than filling up the cars with gas, eating the food that’s in our freezer, making sure we have non-perishables, and bringing in plants/patio furniture). We already have batteries, flashlights, and a radio. Loss of water isn’t really a problem here in BR. There’s not really much we can do. We thought about sandbags, but I don’t think flooding is going to be too much of an issue for us, although the fire stations are giving out free sand and sandbags now. We actually even went to Home Depot last night to get a couple drawers and cabinet doors to finish our kitchen cabinet project. We looked like a couple of idiots in there (seriously, we were the only people in the store that weren’t purchasing a $700.00 generator and/or gas cans [people were lining up like they were giving them away; it was insane]). This morning, I went to fill up my car again, just in case, and everyone else at the gas station had at least 4 gas cans to fill (presumably for their generators). We don’t have a generator because I don’t think it’s really necessary. We don’t have a baby, or tons of things that have to continue running (that, and having numerous containers of gasoline would make me nervous). We have a coleman grill and propane, which we can use to cook if necessary. Anyway, I don’t really have a point to all this, other than that I simultaneously do and do not feel like a slacker.

The problem is that I am anxious, and I am trying to think of things I can do, or how I can prepare for the unknown. I am worried about New Orleans, Donaldsonville, Houma, Morgan City…(this list goes on and on), and all of the people I know and love in those places (and the people I don’t).

Anyway, I will stop talking about it now. Please keep our state in your thoughts and prayers.

I reposted this because I identify with it. How else am I supposed to feel when everyone around is running around in a panic, swooping up every possible necessity within reach and I am not. I’m trying, for the sake of my husband who assures me that by the time it gets anywhere near BR, Gustav will be a little bit of wind and a bunch of rain, to not fall prey to the panic, but it’s so difficult with the aforementioned public craziness and television (not just the Weather Channel, but CNN and FOX News) constantly airing segments on Gustav, evacuation, possible worst-case scenarios, and Jindal going on and on about how if you’re down here, you better get out… NOW! I went to Albertson’s to pick up some soda for Doug… and seriously… I was in line for over an hour. There were customers with carts full of cans, containers of water, packages of batteries… there were no flashlights to be had (“not for love nor money”… I miss you Oscar.)

So, either everyone else is wrong, and they fed into the sensationalism… or, we’re wrong, and we’re going to be very very sorry.

My Thoughts on Doctor Who's "Journey's End"... Because it was asked for...

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 23:44:00 -0500

So,

My Thoughts on the end…

I’ve finally finished watching the whole thing. Some of my ideas turned out to be spot on, others worse than I imagined… and some far far better.

Rose killed me. Wait… No, I’m wrong. I take that back. The look on The Doctor’s face… almost literally killed me (to which my lugubrious phone call to Elizabeth can testify.) As soon as the other was created, I thought, “HA! A Doctor for Rose… How marvelous!” But the actual fulfillment of it left me very troubled. I mean, as a person who is getting used to this whole committed relationship thing, I completely understand the need to hear those deceptively simple little words every once in a while. But, The Doctor is very right; did those words really need to be said? Couldn’t she hear it in his voice, see it in his eyes… tell it from just about every action he’s ever taken. (I still hold to my “he was using Pompadour to attempt to ignore his deepening love for Rose.) And did those little words change so much as to cause her instant reaction. The absolute ache… the abject wretchedness on his face… of longing, of regret…of pseudo-betrayal sent me beyond… and it seemed Rose realized betrayal too as he took off out of her life forever… leaving her to look at a stranger with the same face (as opposed to a friend with a different face during the Christmas Invasion).

So… it took what should have been absolute bliss for me… and made it a bit hollow. I’m sure they will be happy… but such a price.

I find it amusing that the first time I saw Rose in the previous episode… walking down the street, toting that massive blaster… I thought, “Sheesh… the Doctor wouldn’t be very happy to see her lugging that thing.” I also recall thinking in the back of my head just as they were running towards each other as the lump of joy was rising in my throat, “Rose, put down the gun… he’s not going to want to see you with it.” But he seemed too overjoyed to see her- and a bit too “EXTERMINATE” to notice.

Whilst I’m on the topic… Daleks in German… what a hoot!

Yes, the companions are bound to turn to violence… but aside from Sara Jane, none of them have sonic screwdrivers (lipsticks, whatever) and NONE of them have a working knowledge of time/space/mechanics/sub-mechanics/quantum-mechanics and experience that he has… and so, misguidedly, their resort to the dangerous world is violence. It’s almost a negative view of human nature, considering that the human Doctor resulted to violence as well… and not just violence, genocide… which is, ironically, the same sin the Doctor committed with his own people, though we are to assume the situation was different. I, myself, don’t think I would have resorted to violence, but that’s me.

Donna…. Donna, Donna, Donna. In some ways, I feel justified because I had felt that they were in many ways more intimate than Rose and he. They were; they were destined to essentially be each other. Donna means so much to the Doctor. They are like two halves of the same whole. Not only does she appear to be the perfect partner who is willing to just let him be- no strings, no demands, no romantic entanglements to reciprocate or not but she also gives him time to heal that Martha refused to give him, she is his conscious in difficult situations, she is an ear to listen about Rose, and ultimately, she creates a way for him to have the life with Rose that he wanted… even though, as discussed before, it’s incredibly painful to watch (for him and for me.) And now, in a sense, both of them are on their own… isolated and lonely.

And after she’s given so much of herself, saved the Earth multiple times, some of those even single-handedly, and the whole EFFIN’ UNIVERSE (Eat that, Martha Jones) for her to have those things taken from her… the validation of her, “usefulness,” ripped from her is cruel… just down-right cruel. I almost think that Donna would have rather died, but her life… breathing and beating, is more important to him… and me… all of us, really. At least there is an attempt on the Doctor’s part to get her mother to realize the negative impact she’s had on her daughter albeit the warning will fall on deaf ears. Thank God for Granddad. I have to admit that I was too worn out from sobbing to have much left for Donna. I was just too sad to cry I think. But I did cry at the conversation between the Doctor and Granddad at the end of the episode. I don’t think I’ll be able to look at the night sky without feeling a little sad and wistful as well.

Note Bene… molto bene: I’m happy and sad to say, that I gave Donna the tears she so justly deserved on the second airing.

Hey V, Should you and Q have a baby, I promise I will NOT get...

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:41:46 -0500

Hey V,

Should you and Q have a baby, I promise I will NOT get this cake… unless we both decide we want to stick to our diet… cause this will guarantee that I will throw up rather than eat cake.

saramcpherson:

didyouevernotice:

It’s a cake. It’s a baby. Ewwww.

(via American Copywriter)

The Good...

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 01:03:35 -0500

So, we had dinner at Glo’s this evening-her daughter had come in from Austin, and thus it was a nice little family gathering with pasta, veggies, and V provided a yummy blackberry cobbler. I got to make one of my ol’ “nice” party favorites-bruschetta (essentially, tomatoes, seasonings, olive oil, and mozzarella on toasted French bread).

A good time was had by all.

The Sad...

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 01:02:00 -0500

Friday night, while I was enjoying a hamburger with my husband before going to the movies, my friend B was dealing with her own little Hell. She got word that her mother succumbed to her fight with cancer.

I’ve always hated that euphemism; it implies a surrender, a white flag, a giving up. I guess I’m too much of a Dylan Thomas fan to go along with that.

On top of that, although I didn’t know B’s mom half as well as I should have liked, if B is anything like her mother, I know that “surrendering” didn’t come easy. Sure, B does have her feelings of temporal claustrophobia, as do we all—hemmed in by choices we’ve made or by choices made for us/concerning us by others- but she still has maintained her dignity, grace, and most importantly her dreams. She’s not really one to give up. She has always found a way to make the seemingly impossible possible, and manages to find the strength to take care of everyone important to her (I consider myself very fortunate to be one of them) and someone like that doesn’t just give up.

So, I’ll be in Minden for the funeral on Friday, celebrating the life of the mother of a friend. Please, keep them in your thoughts.

And the Nail-Biting...

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 01:01:00 -0500

V’s husband, Q, takes his bar exam over the next three days. I know he doesn’t necessarily need the good thoughts/prayers/energy/etc, cause he’s brilliant, diligent etc, but send them anyway…

OH, and VC, my Bulgarian student, didn’t get the IT job she applied for at the LSU Agcenter… so if any of you out there know where a person with a master’s in business computer-type stuff can get a decent paying job so she doesn’t have to be a custodian at LSU anymore, I (and she) would be completely grateful.

The Hero That We Need-

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:31:00 -0500

My loving husband surprised me Friday night. He had been gone most of the evening taking care of a friend in need, but when he came home, he got straight on the computer (no surprises so far) and looked up available tickets for The Dark Knight.

…

Wait, you need a bit more background information. I love Batman. Seriously, I LOVE Batman. I really don’t remember a time when he wasn’t my favorite “standard” super hero. Yeah, I love Sailor Moon. Yes, I love Green Lantern… well, I love Kyle Rayner. I love Kitty Pride-she’s my favorite of all of the X-Men. But the best superhero of all time… number one in my heart… Batman. His logo is on my debit card. I used to watch crap-tastic Scooby-Doo just in the odd chance it was the Scooby movie with the Dynamic Duo. I watched just about every episode of 1992 Batman animated series- most of them enough times that just from the title, I can tell you the plot. I even watched the newer ones where they changed the animation style to give him blue eyes. I watched Batman Beyond, Justice League, all but one of the animated movies, and even some of that new The Batman show. Kevin Conroy is the voice of Batman for me… probably for the rest of my life.

It even inspired my love of Dick Grayson. I’ve got a bunch of Robin novelties- a shot glass, a sucker-spinner with Robin’s face, a plush Robin …I’ve seen every episode of Teen Titans and LITERALLY SQUEELED when it was revealed that Robin was Dick Grayson and not Tim… or a non-descript amalgamation of Robins.

I’ve even seen all but one (Batman Returns) of the live-action Batman movies… the good, the bad… and the even worse. *ahemBatmanandRobindieSchwarzeneggerdieahem*. And all but one of those- Batman Begins- I saw in the theater. And the only reason I didn’t see that particular one… the one with Christian Bale- one of my most favorite actors of all time- playing Batman- my favorite superhero- for the first time in the theater… is because on the one day we were free to see a movie, my husband-at the time just my boyfriend- decided to take a nap instead. And since I was in an unfamiliar city, I was stuck, and Batman Begins left theaters before I could get to see it.

I may anger a lot of people with my opinion because there seems to be a hard core Michael Keaton following out there, but although I think that Michael Keaton made a good Batman, I think Christian Bale captures both personas beautifully. I’m not fond of the director’s choice to over-synthesize Bale’s voice, that’s really the only criticism I have for either Batman Begins or The Dark Knight. However, I could be biased because honestly, I don’t think Christian Bale can do much wrong. He brings an honest passion and a brilliant believability to every role I’ve seen him play. I think he’ll even be great as John Connor, even if the movie itself stinks.

But I digress… and will probably do so again…

I used to be a huge moviegoer. I treat them as pseudo-religious experiences- the Aristotelian communal catharsis, etc. However, for many reasons, I’ve stopped my avid film-watching. Part of it is that there haven’t been a lot of movies I’ve felt were worth watching, part of it is because I’ve been apathetic about actually getting out of the house to the theater, but the biggest reason is that so many people don’t feel the same way I do about watching a movie. The best films make you a better person for watching it. It provides catharsis (like mentioned before.) It encourages thinking, and challenges our beliefs and our conceptions of reality. Great movies are able to take us through time and space- and suspend our reason. But even the best performances of art (and movies are art) find it difficult to enact its magic when inconsiderate patrons forget to turn off their cell phones, talk to their companions, or bring their children to inappropriate films.

The last time I went to the movies, it was to see 300, and some ignorant, irresponsible parents brought with them 3 children under the age of 10… when Meet the Robinsons was playing two theaters over. Seriously parents, get a babysitter. I know you can find one relatively cheap. Call your friends, family, neighbors, church fellowship, whatever… don’t bring your babies to the movies if it isn’t a children’s film. Not just because it ruins the film for others, but because most of the time, children don’t need to see explicit films. They’re young and impressionable and should be allowed to keep their innocence for as long as they possibly can in this crazy effed up world.

So, we go to see The Dark Knight, the 11pm showing, managed to get really decent seats, and right behind us- parents who brought their two sons approximately 3 and 5 years old. They talked throughout the first half of the film. In a way, it was cute because obviously these kids loved Batman as much as I did. On the other hand, I was completely exasperated to the point of actually getting up in the middle of a film (which I HATE to do… ask my sister about how peeved I was to have to take her to the bathroom during The Prisoner of Azkaban just as Sirius was about to save Harry from a morphing Lupin… and she’s my sister) to find a manager and get our money back. We did get free passes for our trouble.

Obstacles aside, the film was wonderful- many of the things a film should be- thought-provoking, challenging perceptions and conventions. It presents deeply profound questions- What makes a hero? Would you be able to be a hero? Would you stand for justice and right, or succumb to fear and anarchy? This last question has been prevalent in a lot of stories lately- most noticeably, the previous week’s Doctor Who- “Midnight.”

Overall, the performances from the cast were solid. Heath Ledger has left a legacy few could even dream to match. His Joker is compelling yet repulsive- Joyce (Stephen Dedalus and his stasis aesthetic theory) would be proud. Ledger’s finally able to achieve what I think is Joker’s purpose-psychotic, sardonic, anarchic, and unexpected. Nicholson was scary, but not quite there. Hamil was hysterical, and towards the end of the series, the writers finally gave him a touch of the crazy… but Ledger has it all. It’s a shame he’ll never be able to show us more.

I left the film with a new respect for Aaron Eckhart- his performance as Harvey Dent was wonderful. I have found the story of Harvey tragic in the past; Eckhart’s Harvey not only delivered but surpassed any expectations from previous versions and went into actual tragedy status. My heart nearly broke for him.

Gary Oldman just keeps getting better and better with every film he does. One would think he would have hit his pinnacle already. How could any performance be better than his dirty cop in The Professional (if you haven’t seen it… stop whatever you’re doing and watch it… now.) but he is a spot-on Gordon. He even looks like Gordon from Year One (a great installment in the Batman cannon, in my opinion).

But Christian Bale….what can I say about Bale that I haven’t already gushed? Just as I expected, his performance was powerful, vulnerable, and accessible. He made the switch between personas seamless and graceful. He always seems completely present and submerged in his character and almost guides the audience even deeper into the film and the internal workings of his character. I actually cried a little at the end of the movie… I blame it on Bale (and Oldman.)

The only problem I had with his performance at all was the already mentioned a-little-too-gravelly-over-synthesized-voiced Batman and that is actually more of the director’s choice-not the actor’s. Never once during the entirety of the film did I ever stop and think, “Gee, Christian Bale is a pretty good actor.” Bale had me convinced the whole time that he was both Bruce Wayne and Batman. And that, to me, is the mark of a brilliant actor- the ability to force the suspension of (or rather, the recognition of) reality for the duration of the magic.

All in all, the latest Batman film is worthy of Batman’s legacy.

"In Buddhism, it is said that those who commit any of five grievous sins (gogyakuzai) invariably fall..."

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:05:50 -0500

“In Buddhism, it is said that those who commit any of five grievous sins (gogyakuzai) invariably fall into the hells of incessant suffering. These five offences are: 1) killing one’s father, 2) killing one’s mother, 3) killing an arhat [a well accomplished monk or nun] 4) injuring a buddha, 5) causing disunity among the community of followers.”

- undocumented

Wheew! What a relief! Most of those things I don’t think I’ll ever do.

"...Meaningless, Consumer-Driven Lives..."

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:25:00 -0500

One of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite guilty pleasures, Ten Things I Hate about You. I try to kid myself that it’s a classic, a remake of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, and features solid performances from solid and respected actors… but it really is a bit like Clueless: regurgitated plot nearly unrecognizable as a rendition of the original because of the attempts to entertain the dull masses with copious amounts of bawdy humor, and I love it anyway.

But I digress, I use this quote, because for the most part, it encapsulates how I feel about my own life, and how it’s become dangerously parallel to my prior complaints about the, “dull masses.” In short, I feel I’ve become dull. I feel my life has been so consumed with the regular, everyday (for lack of a better word) drudgery-the housework, work, studying and researching to teach, making dinner, checking email, replying to email, television, conversations with the uninspired-that I, too, have become unintelligible and uninspired. I’ve not read anything that I would call “quality” literature in ages. I’ve been reading manuals by the insipid trying to tell me how to be a more effective teacher, when all they can suggest is ways to undermine and underestimate my students’ intelligence. I’ve read Harry Potter, which is very enjoyable, but I wouldn’t quite call it quality, thought-provoking- or even masterfully written literature. I believe I’ve forgotten how to read for enjoyment. The last pleasure reading I read all the way through was The Deathly Hallows… and that was when it came out.

I miss Walker Percy, Dickens, the Brontes, and Shakespeare. I miss thought-provoking literature that doesn’t ignore or cover up the void inside of us all- the great pit of nothingness with a gravity so strong that it threatens to swallow us whole if we’re not careful- but revels in it, that smiles and taunts it, that recognizes it as a necessity of existence which makes our joys more precious, puts our sorrows into perspective, and gives our fears validation.

And the worst part of this is that I know I say this now, and will probably go home to my husband who will play video games, and the dogs will need looking after, and the house will have a layer of dust that they brought in from the yard, and dinner will need cooking, and the worries of tomorrow problems will force me into a futile attempt to lessen them, and I will ignore my old school friends and the treasures unread hanging in the office for another night.

Results of the Test

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:59:40 -0500

The blood results came back better than normal, as expected. The new doctor is pretty nice, and I got in and out REALLY quickly… I didn’t even have enough time to fill out the paperwork, before I was called back for the general “nurse” stuff… and she was scaresly done before the doctor was ready to come in. That has NEVER happened to me before. I had even brought text books etc to read and never had an opportunity to sit and look at them.

“You know who I’m talkin’ about. He’s...

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:29:55 -0500

“You know who I’m talkin’ about. He’s fat and short on brains-and I do not mean Captain Caveman- I mean…”