Tuesday

I have a cold. And I always feel sorry for myself when I have a cold, but this time even more so, because it's been hot out (we were near 100 for a few days), but Hubby insists we not run the AC because it's the end of September and we shouldn't need AC at the end of September. And I'm too sick too argue, so I've been sick and hot. Blah!!

In other news, Hubby and I have been watching Six Feet Under on DVD. I missed this series when it was originally on, and it's fantastic. We're in season 2 now. We're also actually following 2 current series, which I haven't done since the writers' strike. One of them is Dexter, which just started Season 3 on Showtime. I don't normally watch cop shows, but this one's too good to miss. And now we're hooked on True Blood, which debuted a couple weeks ago on HBO. True Blood is about vampires in Louisiana. It's based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlene Harris. Those novels are great fun, so when I heard about the series, and heard it's produced by the same guy who did Six Feet Under, I subscribed to HBO. And so far, the tv series has been way fun, too. And if you notice a certain theme to my favorite tv shows, what can I say? I have a macabre sense of humor. It's one of my eccentricities. :-)

Thing 1 is participating in a school spelling bee tomorrow. They gave out the list of words ahead of time, so she's been preparing. There are several hundred words and most of them are really hard for a 4th grader (reconnaissance, rheumatism, and antimacassar are a few). I know I can't spell some of them correctly. But T1 is a good speller and she's been working hard. She won't win--she'll be competing with 5th and 6th graders as well--but I'm sure she'll do great.

Okay, I'm back to my Kleenex now.

Eccentric

This morning, one of my students was complaining that another one of her professors is pretty strange. Actually, he is. But being a professional, I just told her that a lot of academics are eccentric. Her response? "No, professor. You're eccentric. He's crazy." I've decided to take it as a compliment.

Tuesday Miscellany

A few comments today:

• Am considering buying another pair of Docs. These. Can't make up my mind. Input?
• Shout gel will do a reasonable, if not complete, job of removing black magic marker from beige/tan microsuede upholstery. Ask Thing 2 how I know this.
• I'm going to go to Warsaw in January (yes, I am slightly insane), and I've begun pricing plane tickets. There are no direct flights from San Francisco to Poland, and, since I have to connect somewhere anyway, I figure maybe I can swing an extra couple days in the connecting city. Right now London's looking like a good bet, but I've been there a couple times already. So maybe Paris. If any of you have been to Paris, I'd surely appreciate tips. Is it worth it for, say, 2 days? What should I see in that short time frame? Where should I stay?
• Thing 1's 9th birthday is next month and--shhh!! Don't tell her!--we're going to take her to Disneyland. Plus she wants a slumber party.
• On Sunday we hired an actual babysitter and went to see a movie without Things. We saw Dark Knight, and both really enjoyed it. Lots of stuff blows up. So nice to have occasional grownup time.

I wouldn't have done it....

I've completed a draft of the story I wrote in response to last week's contest. You can read it over on LiveJournal. I hope you like it, and I would prostrate myself in thanks for feedback. :-)

Thursday

I made a tiny bit of progress on that story today. I'm only getting in about 2 words at a time, before those pesky work-related interruptions interfere.

Today one of the students in my Intro class, which is 90 minutes long, came up to me after class. "Wow! Time went by really fast today!" he said. Which was nice. Always glad to know I'm not boring them all to death.

Yesterday evening when it was time for Thing 2 to go to bed, I told her to get her jammies on while I put some things away in my bedroom. When I went to find her a few minutes later, she was in her bathroom. She was stark naked, standing in her sink, bent over double and looking between her legs toward the mirror behind her. "I'm looking to see if my butt is sandy," she explained. Ooookaaay.

My students have been noticing my tattoo. They're impressed. Yesterday I had a whole tattoo-related conversation with one student who got a tat this summer on his forearm. It's his mother's name and dates of birth and death, in Aramaic. Which is sweet, but as a parent, I'm not sure I'd want my offspring to memorialize me by inking their arms.

Happy today

I am happy today.

I learned this weekend that there's a new Thai restaurant in town. Our previous only Thai place, which was really good, closed several years ago when, in the process of "redeveloping" downtown, they tore it up so much that for months it was pretty much impossible to get anywhere the businesses there. Looks pretty now, I guess, but no Thai has made me very sad. So I checked out the new place today for lunch, and it was quite good. Mmmm.

It was cool enough this morning that I could wear my new Docs without risking baking my lower extremities. I'll have to wear them with thicker socks next time, because they rub a bit in the heel, but they're otherwise comfy. I've had a request for a pic of me with boots, so here you go:

I think blue hair would've completed the look nicely, but the dye's washed out. ;-)

Fall Knitty's up.

And tonight is ceramics class.

See, doesn't take much to please me.

Future Noise

Oh, no.
Look what we're in for now:

Could be worse, I guess. At least it's acoustic and not electric.

Really, the main worry I have is what kind of music she'll want to play on the thing. Kids seem to want music that annoys their parents, and, considering that this Thing's parents have been listening to The Sex Pistols and Tool, respectively, what's she going to choose? Shudder.

On another note, I've actually written the first couple paragraphs of the "I wouldn't have done it" story. Now I know exactly what I wouldn't have done. Once I get the story poured out of my brain and into the computer, you'll know, too. [chuckles evilly]

And the winner is...

"I wouldn't have done it under normal circumstances."

Thanks for voting, folks! As soon as I get something written, I'll post it. I'm anxious myself to find out what happens. :-)

Wednesday

Thanks for the votes so far--only 3 more days to get your vote in. And I promise, no Alaskan governors will be involved.

The semester has begun, so this was my third consecutive weekday of solid meetings. I think that, in general, meetings could be reduced by 90%, and the world would continue to function just fine. Better, maybe. Classes begin tomorrow, so tomorrow at 9:40 am I expect to have 100 or so freshmen all ready for me. Heh heh heh.

I decided on which pair of Docs I wanted. I ordered them last night, and--score another big one for Zappos--I already have them in my possession. I got these. They're comfy and they come with regular laces and ribbon laces. It's going to be 99 degrees tomorrow so I won't get to wear them yet. Now I'm really looking forward to cooler weather!

Thing 1 has taken to writing me notes at bedtime, which she leaves on my nightstand. Here's a recent one:

Dear Mom,
I'm not tired. I'm upset because you're not helping with this Toontown
thing. Neither of you. By the way, I want to go to Hawii, not Canada and Death
Desert/Valley. And my stomach is STILL hurting so, CALL THE DOCTER! Plus, I want
a computer in my room. And I want a phone. Why? Because almost EVERYBODY has a
phone at my school. And don't forget, CALL THE DOCTER! And I'm half tomboy and
half girl. Tomboy = tough. girl =hates dead worms and flies.
Love,
Thing 1

Oh, the joys of preadolescence. Dad, remember when you used to accuse me of being melodramatic and I'd get angry? Well, you can laugh now.