Today, no matter what, I was finally going to write my reimburement requests because I had FINALLY acquired all the receipts I needed, a process that included getting a store to reprint a receipt from January and some pleading to get my friend to copy a hotel receipt for me.

I lost that hotel receipt. I know I made two copies of it; I had it a week ago when I made sure that I was under the budgeted amount for hotel costs, and now it’s gone. The same way that the receipts that I had hung on the refrigerator door disappeared two weeks ago. The same way that, in general, any important paper that I need at any given moment, vanishes. Bills? Gone. 2003 taxes? Who knows? Student work? Beats the shit out of me.

If I ask, all the other receipts are now under the desk cover in front of the monitor, where I CANNOT POSSIBLY LOSE THEM AGAIN.

No Comments || Topcs: General

Last night MIke and I were at the AVAM painting our sculpture for the race. It’s not our sculpture like we built it, but we’re racing it this year and we have still put a fair amount of time into painting and gluing so it still feels like we had a hand in it. This Saturday, we are going to be in the kinetic sculpture race and I think everyone should come out (even though it is supposed to rain). There is a spectator’s guide here. Last year, it was more of a dungeon’s and dragon’s style dragon but this year it is the 2-headed asian dragon of death known as (insert name here). SInglespeedoutlaw posted a pic from last year on his page and I am jacking it to show people how cool our sculpture looked last year. It looks (in my opinion) even cooler now. How cool? Come and see, but watch out for the ninja’s!!!!

3 Comments || Topcs: General, baltimore

On Monday, I had a meeting with my director in which I had to admit that there is basically no way that I’ll be gradumutating next Spring. Despite the fact that I’ve done no real meaningful work on my dissertation in three months, I was still in denial that I’d be able to defend in December. I’m now looking at finishing in the fall of 2006, which I’m very upset about. For the past two years, I’ve been telling myself I only have one more year left…and I’m having a hard time getting back into a regular work schedule. Grad school has thus far been an endurance test, and I’m so tired of jumping through hoops that quitting seems like a reasonable option. I’m not going to quit, but I really wish I’d stopped at the M.A.

In brighter news, I will be working for yarn at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Fest, guaranteeing that little dissertating will occur in the near future.

2 Comments || Topcs: General

So, I think my boss knows that I am not entirely pleased with how the year is going.

I just had a post observation conference. The lesson that she observed was not stellar, and allegedly she is incapable of giving someone an observation report without making recommendations regardless of how positive the report is. She spent 20 minutes talking about what an asset I am to the school and the school environment. This was based on conversations with students, brief observations and my lesson plans (which are written in a language that she does not speak). So, long story short, it’s nice to be wanted, but I think she knows that I’m thinking about leaving and is trying to hold on to me.

Oh yeah and my old school is in the news again. and for the record, given the people involved I call bullshit. There’s definitely more tension in the school than most people would like to admit. But considering people involved…this is clearly bullshit.

Comments Off || Topcs: General

so last night I worked at show at the space. After everything Ive been dealing w/ (future post to come) , I really needed to get some energy out so I jumped on the bike and rode to the space. Baltimore is pretty awesome in alot of ways, but one of its little known secerets is how bike friendly the downtown is after 5:00… no joke you can ride plenty of streets w/ no fear… thanks commuters. Anywho back to the point at hand. The show was trees, counterfiet matt, slugs revenege, and defiance ohio, all of which would be under the sub genre of folk punk. It was by far one of the funnest shows ive been to in a while, it was pretty crowded , which meant tons of dough for the space, but not so crowded that it was a sauna in the basement. The bands were all pretty good and intense, especially defiance ohio. The crowd was generally, just fun… there was a circle pit and a human piramid, and even waltzing, all to banjos, cellos, and accoustic guitars. In ways the whole folk punk thing boggels my mind, how it evolved. Sure it makes sence, raw music is raw music and emotion is emotion… but seeing a kid w/ an assuck shirt singing along to mountain harmonies, freaks me out and warms my heart all at once.

crowd durring defiance ohio

trees!

more trees!

and more trees!

1 Comment || Topcs: General, punk

So I swam a full mile today. I always punk out at 3/4. I had to vary my counting. 1st 1/2 mile I counted meters, then I counted laps to 3/4. From there I counted backwards. It’s easier to not to punk out when you realize that you only have 8 laps left. My benchmark time on the swim right now is 40 minutes. If you are so inclined, hassle me about this and ask if I’ve improved at all or if I will be getting my ass kicked by old ladies and little kids.

I have 28 days until race day. I fully encourage all my friends to hassle the shit out of me until then.

4 Comments || Topcs: running/triath

And it would go up in flames. I pulled together four boxes of highly flammable and hazardous chemicals to take to the household hazardous waste dropoff tomorrow. I also compiled 15 bags of trash and am waiting to finish off the 8th load of laundry. (Just to finish off the day in numbers…)

I started in on the basement, and it doesn’t even look like I made a dent. I feel bad because I’m throwing away so much, but I know that for each thing that I toss, my sister will try to save at least two. I worked through most of my Uncle Ralphie’s tools and hardware; most of it got pitched. I just couldn’t see donating rusty nails since I couldn’t supply tetanus shots to go with them.

1 Comment || Topcs: General

Everyday I check craigslist to see if any random useful items come up. Sometimes in the bicycle for sale section, various bike related discussions begin (are you buying a stolen bike? are you buying a stolen front wheel? reputation of local pawn shops etc.) but lately something AWESOME has been a brewing. The long and short of it is:

One guy wants to sell a high end fuji road bike for someone 5′5″ and posts fairly often. People suggest that his price is too high and perhaps that he posts to often. This evolves into lots of posts mocking his height (incidentally my height as well) and some off CL e-mail. Result: Allegedly, there will be a fistfight tomorrow. If this is an internet hoax, it’s a very fun one. but I’m very tempted to go out tomorrow to

7 pm, Friday night (4/22/05), in front of Old Ebbitt Grill, on 15th Street between H and G, NW, DOWNTOWN DC!

to see if 2 adults become engaged in fisticuffs.

I tried to go back and collect all the posts to provide a permanent record of this exchange, but a lot of them have been deleted. I know there are ways that one can go back and find deleted things from the internet (with google archives?) but I don’t know how to do this. but this story is either about to get really interesting or really boring.

This is online interaction at its best.

3 Comments || Topcs: General

In more ways than one. My kids are taking the AP test in about 1.5 weeks. Many of them will probably not do so great (A testament to my fine teaching skills + their “give it my all” attitudes).

After getting my ass handed to me by the illustrious Mikey Mike, I have realized that I need to step up the running. Not because he finished so strong, but because I felt like I had nothing at the end of 6K and I gotta do 10K in 31 days.

The Columbia Triathlon is going to brutalize me and grind my bones into mush. But I am committed to doing it. I’ve started to up the running frequency and am about to spend more time on the distance. The plan to do it Pimp style on a mtn bike with slicks and moustachebars and/or to flip the wheel and do it on a single 42×18 seems like a bad one now. Not because I’m too concerned with how fast I go, but because I know that I will still try to go fast on the bike regardless and if I do it on the roadie it will take less effort.

I swung by the WABA swap meet and got some aerobars for $20. It feels funny riding like that again. Back when Lemond beat Fignon with the profile clip-ons , I ran out and got a pair because I thought I was hot shit. I got really comfortable riding on them, now I definitely have to readjust because the loss of control is definitely noticeable to me.

REI dividend + sale got me a wetsuit for $80. The fact that I bought a wetsuit sort of solidified to me that I want to keep doing these things. I’m already registered for Dewey Beach. I know I should swim in it once beforehand, but how much of a jackass will I feel like showing up at the Maryland Pool in a wetsuit. I’ll probably still give it a try, I mean I got used to wearing speedo’s for god’s sake.

1 Comment || Topcs: General, bikes, running/triath

so yesterday the depression set in a bit. I took a nap. I never take naps, when i did my student teaching in college I was awash in naps, only to come to find that I wasn’t really tired, but just generally sad. The type of tired, where it takes over your whole mind and body, but you know you shouldnt be tired. Yesterday was especially the case, because its not like it was raining or anything it was 70 deg and amaizing out. This sleep was brought on by a day filled w/ holden being very needy and todleresque and darby needing a vet visit for a possible uti or bladder stones. On top of this add my general depression due to my wory about the impending end of my job. This cloud seriously hangs over me, just about every minute of every day. There are so many side effects of it that need to be taken care of that I worry about constantly. The worse part being that I have no idea when it will begin or end or what the durration of this all will be. In the mean time im in this limbo that hangs with me all day/night.

One of the benefits of the training for the 6k over the past month, has been the sort of meditation it supplied. While running my body was moving keeping me active, and not allowing me to really fall into a nap filled depression. Plus the time running and being active gave my mind time to relax and just take it all in. Sure while running or what ever I was thinking about it all, but it was also in a calm fashion mixed with “hey watch out for that car”. So this morning I woke up still kind of sad and 2 pounds heavier , i blame the post run jimies breakfast and lack of movement since. I also woke realizing that I had to do something to keep myself moving. Now the question is what, im not sure, but tonight I get back on my gym routine. In the mean time I present to you me and jims results from sunday.

4 Comments || Topcs: General