Saturday, January 31, 2009

Marshall's? Really?

I went shopping today and decided to check out Marshall's. As I'm walking towards the door, a young couple is entering the store, the woman first, and the man holds the door open for me. Now I was just far enough away that it required the just-more-than-a-jog speed to not make him wait too long. But it's a nice gesture. As I was about to say, "Thank you," he asked how I was. I ignored the question and went with my original statement. But as we entered the store, we had the following conversation:

Him: "Do you live around here?"
Me [mildly confused]: "Yeah."
Him: "So you must work in the area, too, right?"
Me: "Um, yeah, I work at the College."
Him: "Oh, are you a professor?"
Me: "No, I'm a post-doc. I do research."
Him: "Oh, really, in what?"
Me [exceedingly bored at this point]: "Physics."
Him: "Wow, that is interesting. Do you like it?"
Me: "Yeah." [I'm a great conversationalist.]
Him: "Do you think you'd be interested in something else or perhaps something on the side?"
Me, realizing what is now happening: "No, not really. I like what I'm doing."
Him, not to be deterred: "Well, the reason I'm asking, see, is that I'm starting a small financial business here in the 'burg and was looking for some good people who may be interested."
Me: "Ah, well, thanks anyway."

He then proceeded to still introduce himself and a few minutes later I overheard him going to some other dude and doing the same thing. Now, seriously, if you were starting up a real business, would you be finding randoms at the local Marshall's? I felt violated and had to hide behind clothing racks until he finally left the store.

I caved.

Yeah, I'm weak. I caved. But the pressure was getting to me. I thought I could hold out and not join Facebook, but I did. Luckily I know a lot of people on there that are just as exciting as I am on a Friday night because I actually have a lot of friends on there already. Yeah, I believe my self worth is based upon the number of people I have as friends on an internet networking site...Especially because you know I am just bff with all of them.

But I will not allow it to take over my life. It will be a nice distraction while I try to not think about my interview next week.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

It ain't gonna get me down!

That's right, computer code. You thought you were going to win, right? Well, you were wrong. Sure, sure, you gave me a quick run for my money. You had me upset and worried, and you made me think everything was all messed up and I really didn't know what I was doing. Fine, I'll give you that. But who, in the end, kicked your stupid little butt???

That's right. It was me. Suck on that.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Fog

I woke up and drove to work in a fog this morning. Literally. It's really foggy in the 'burg today, and for some reason, while it makes it gloomier, it doesn't feel as cold as it is. It's 39 outside, but feels noticeably warmer than that.

But anyhow, I slept much better last night, actually all through the night (Cyndi Lauper?), until right before my alarm went off. I think I'm going to use this lack of sleeping to shift my wake up time to 7:30 instead of 8:00. Yes yes, things are always exciting here in my life.

Well, hopefully this has allowed you to take a well-needed mid-morning nap. Enjoy!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Slim Pickins'

So right now the list of schools that are still "in the running" has whittled down to a select few. Almost half of my original list is still there. There have been five searches that are cancelled, five others that have a short list filled (thanks to the Rumor Mill Webpage), and 12 that I've not heard from. There are two that I've heard from, one was a (most likely failed) phone interview, and the other is the in-person interview I have in exactly two weeks. I think there is a slim chance I could possibly hear from another school, but even that is somewhat unlikely.

For now, I'll busy myself with obsession for this one interview as well as actual work (who'd a thunk it?)

Monday, January 26, 2009

Bacon

So I made Candied Bacon Ice Cream and brought it over to Sonya and Chris's house for dessert last night (and perhaps they had some for breakfast as well, I mean, it is a full breakfast: Milk, Egg, Bacon...it just happens to be mixed together and frozen). This was something I saw someone make on Iron Chef America, and was always curious.

The verdict? Well, I would say that it is worth a try, and very good. Something that, if you see it on a menu somewhere, order it. You won't be disappointed. But, three scoops is too much. At first, you are like, "Mmm, this is good. Salty mixed with sweet. Tasty." Then after a while, your tune changes to, "Okay, there is a lot of bacon in here!" But either way, I was excited to try it, and now I must move onto a new ice cream!

Sunday, January 25, 2009

An anniversary approaches

Today is the day that, six years ago I met Dante. He was seven months old at the time and had immediately won me over by crawling into my lap and putting his head on my chest, looking up at me as if to say, "You know I'm the most adorable thing in the world and you have to take me home with you." Shortly after that, I signed all the paperwork at the Animal Protective Association of Missouri, and scheduled to pick him up two days later, after he was neutered.

During a reorganization of my paperwork and files today, I came across the "Dante" folder, and looked through the papers. I found the "pick-up slip," which was my receipt and, as if a dog were like dry cleaning, my only way to acquire the dog after the ready time of 11 am on the 27th.

I also still have the slip used by the person who dropped him off at the shelter. They apparently found him somewhere, as a stray, and had him for a month before bringing him in (I actually think they had gotten him and decided to give him up, but that's just me). Looking back at this sheet of information they filled out and thinking about the last six years of having him, I have to laugh.

First, they circled "Interested in Trash." That is an extreme understatement. And this is something I didn't quite appreciate when I first got him, because I always had my trash under the kitchen sink. Oh, sure, he would always go into the bathroom and empty all the tissues and shred them, but it wasn't until going to Maine the first time that I truly understood his obsession. He even learned how to get into my parents' trash can quietly, so we didn't know what he was doing until we heard him chewing and eating whatever the hell he found. And every time we're at the folks, he will at least once shove his whole head into the garbage can. It's adorable.

They also circled "Nervous." Yeah, I would say that. I would say that he is, with the exception of say, Sonya and Chris's Jake, one of the most nervous dogs. Of course, it's only when I leave the house, but still. Even today, if I just go out to do laundry, he freaks and waits by the door, ecstatic as hell when I walk back in.

They did not circle "Afraid of Storms," and dear lord is he ever. Luckily they just don't happen often, so it's not a big thing to worry about.

So the last six years of my life have had this crazy four-legged creature in my life. I think on a weekly basis there is at least one time he pisses me off, and there are plenty of times I wish I didn't have to deal with coming home because he's waiting. There are days when I want to pull my hair out, scream and just flat out cry. But I wouldn't have it any other way. He's my baby.

Friday, January 23, 2009

And I wanna be a professor.

Today is post crazy, but I had to publicly embarass myself. I just took a drink of water, and figured I'd finish the cup. While doing this, I angled the cup just a bit too much and water came out of the corners of my mouth, pouring onto my jeans. The appropriate response is to reposition the cup so it stops spilling. Did I do this? No, of course not.

In fact, the exact thought in my head was, "It's just water and it will involve too much effort to start this [drinking process] over, and I'm almost done."

Okay...

So I have an interview at a small liberal arts college in a couple of weeks. Two-and-a-half weeks, to be exact, and I will merely mention that it is on the east coast (so bonus) and in another "burg." It's a very good school actually and I'm excited about the interview. There are two openings, so hopefully that will increase my chances slightly even if it adds to the number of interviewees.

The nice thing is that I will plan to go up to New York before it, and then I can see the C-man before and after the interview. Things are good.

Personal Pep Talk

Today is going to be better than yesterday. I was gloomy yesterday. It didn't help that my back started hurting (after doing nothing in particular, the pain just came), and I was having trouble with some code I was writing. But today is Friday. I have joy in my eyes, and I am ready to take on this day.

I will get a lot accomplished today, and nothing will stand in my way. (Well, except for my very necessary regular internet updates every fifteen minutes.) World: You will not break me!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Certifiable

It's official: I think Dante has gone completely nuts. He is not old (6 and a half years old), but dementia is setting in. The only alternative is that there is something rather creepy happening here.

When I bring him out, he turns immediately to the right, where the window for the "first floor" apartment is (it's actually slightly below ground in the front of the building), and starts freaking out. Day or night, as if something is there. This first happened at night and I thought he saw something when he lurched, but nothing ran off. Now he is completely obsessed with that corner every single time we leave this apartment, and it's all I can do to get his mind off of it.

I say the other option is something creepy, because well, he started digging on that spot once and I worry there is some corpse or something else buried there.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Stupid Loading Dock

Ever have something happen that instantly ruins a good feeling? Course you have. This morning for me, it was entering the building through the loading dock (as usual) and tripping slightly, banging my shin. It's been in pain for the last hour now and it's all scraped up. I know it is not unusual for me to injure myself, but usually I'm so used to it that there is very little pain. Not now though.

And it's just making me angry.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Obama-nation

So I worked from home today so I could watch the Inauguration (first time for everything) while coding some stuff up. While Obama's speech was just okay (he did have some very pointed things to say that clearly directed at Bush, but they were rather mild), I enjoyed the experience of watching George W. Bush and his wife getting on the helicopter to head to the plane that was going to take him to Dallas. I love not using the word "elect" after "President" when referring to the O-man.

It's the dawn of a new day, and here's hoping to a bright four years!

Monday, January 19, 2009

Stupid Prof.

There is a professor here that does not quite understand how to behave like a normal human being. I have to say that if someone has an office that is not shared in any way, then one should use that office. Nine times out of ten, when Kostas and I work on something, it's in his office, because it is just his. When this professor works with his new post-doc (who is in the outer office attached to mine), he always works in the post-doc's office.

It is really distracting and annoying, and just now I turned on the music on my laptop (very softly because I do realize that there is shared space here), and while talking loudly, he closed my door. This bothers me because I like having my office door open (as mentioned before), so people know I'm here. If he is bothered by me making any noise, then they should go to his office to do their loud working, where they bother no one else.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Oh look, it's sno...oh wait, no it's not

Well, during my morning walk with Dante this morning it was kind of snowing outside. This is the kind of snow you can only notice when you're outside in it, and even then you blink multiple times, thinking that you haven't fully awoken yet, and are just imagining it. But alas, it is supposed to warm up and if anything, we'll get some rain.

I am conflicted, as part of me wants to stay home (and work) today, so that Dante has company, but at the same time, I want to be somewhere else. Perhaps I will do what I did last week and just go out for a couple of hours and then come back.

In other news, my Green Tea Ice Cream came out delicious! I got my Matcha green tea powder in the mail the other day and made the ice cream and yummo! I think I will have to either add more powder next time or work at getting the green to be more vibrant, but either way, it was so good. The next ice cream flavor I will try I cannot disclose here, as two readers of this blog are going to be required to try it without knowing what it is (as long as when I first try it, it turns out good). Stay tuned.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Cold

Now, I know it's worse in other parts of the country, but man is it cold here today. Currently it's 13 with a wind chill of 6. (It's about 10 degrees lower in New York.) Even Dante was ready to rush into the apartment to stay warm. If it weren't for various things I have to be on campus for today, I would take today as a "Cold Day," and work at home all day. Then I could just be all cozy and warm and not have to deal with the drive to work.

Because I have this to say: My ten-minute commute is great except in weather like this. I could let the car warm up before going, but still it takes a while for the heat to get going, and usually I'm too impatient to wait for it to warm up. Thus I get in and go, and shiver until right when I turn into campus.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Distraction

This week and next, two shows are (finally) returning to television: Lost and Battlestar Galactica. Now, for the former, I hadn't started watching it until this last fall, when Corbett and I played catch up on the first four seasons. Still, when the rerun of the season finale aired last night, I was excited and felt like I hadn't seen the show in ages. As for BSG, we started that later as well, but have been watching seasons 3 and 4 in real time (not fun, considering the amount of time that occurs between seasons on SciFi).

These shows are going to allow me the distraction I need right now. While I have plenty to do at work, there are times when I think of the obviously difficult next few years in my life, and well, I can forget all that and think about Jack, Kate, Hurley, and that absurd yet intriguing island, or why the earth was a wasteland when the Galactica and their new Cylon allies found it. There are few other shows that are like that out there.

As a sidenote, I had a dream the other night with Melinda and Rock Band in it. Corbett was not in the dream (that would be his nightmare). And I am currently listening to the glorious Bon Jovi. It's a good morning.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Fight!

I'm fighting a minor illness right now, and I refuse to let it win!

What helps is the glowing evaluations I received this semester for my class. There were comments like:

"He is quite possibly the best professor I've ever had."

"I feel I have gained more knowledge and understanding in this one course alone than in my entire undergrad career in physics."

"I enjoyed the fact that the class was accelerated and difficult...it was awesome!"

There were of course criticisms as well, but I'm just enjoying these comments right now. I'll worry about the negative comments (which were mostly along the lines of "more background material for the course should have been offered," which is true) when I have to teach this again, which won't be for a while.

Monday, January 12, 2009

For all you students out there...

Just for those students who are reading this (or those who know a student: give them this tip):

If you are late in turning in your last homework assignment, which is composed of three, not-so-short problems, and your instructor is so kind as to just give you an incomplete (which was very kind considering your instructor made it very clear that the homework was due by noon on a certain Friday before your instructor was leaving town for two weeks for a rather important Christian-induced capitalistic holiday), do not do the following set of steps.

1.) Be unapologetic in an email by saying, "I gave my homework to another student at 2:30pm today" (note the late time).
2.) When you are told by instructor then that he is out of town, so you can scan the homework and email it to him because you want the homework, say, "And there's a problem with the HW - the room with the scanner is closed (today is Sunday) and I can not scan it. And early tomorrow I am leaving for two weeks." With no apology.
3.) When your instructor says you can leave the homework in his mailbox and it will be graded upon return, ignore this and not do so.

And perhaps the most important thing: When you finally turn in the homework, be sure to have done more than one-third of one of the problems! If that were the case, you could have easily done one of two things: You could have used that extra three week period to do the assignment, or you could have at least just emailed the instructor saying that you didn't really finish the homework and will take a drop. In the first instance, you would have gotten credit, but in the second you wouldn't have gotten any extra points really by turning in the homework!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Snow.... snow.... snow.... snow.... SNOW!!!!!!

"It won't be long before we'll all be there with snow (snow!)
I want to wash my hands, my face and hair with snow..."


These were taken on my walk through Central Park this afternoon:






Friday, January 9, 2009

Drink Pepsi!

So the so-called "American Family Association" is boycotting Pepsi, because the company donated a million dollars to the Human Rights Campaign and PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays):

Pepsi Targeted for AFA Boycott

Given the AFA's desire to destroy my own family, I would like to start buying nothing but Pepsi. So hey, if you're about to get a soda at the 7-11, and you usually get a Coke product by default (like I do), why not just go for Pepsi for a little while?

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Sonuva

It's raining out again (and decided to pour right when I arrived on campus and had to walk in it, but I fooled the gods, because I actually brought my umbrella!). I have many things on my mind again.

1) Just applied to another position, in Santa Barbara. I didn't apply there last year (don't know why), but I'll go ahead and do so now. I also never saw the posting until now, and I wonder why...

2) I have a phrase that has returned to my vocabulary: Sonuva. Or more precisely, "Son of a..." Of course cutting off the last part to make sure I have a nice clean vocabulary. (Everyone knows that I definitely do not have a potty mouth.) Not sure when it returned but I said it like seven times on the phone last night...

3) Bonn and Cal State are in my head right now. I hate January for this very reason. It'll be better in February when I know more about jobs.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Lazy Post (but one nonetheless)

We had to get up early to get Corbett to the airport so he could (sadness) head back to NY. As such, I'm pretty tired and will only post a bit because I finally got something working that I want to test and now I have to wait for it to finish.

I heard from Bonn that I'm on the "real" short list. This means that they will contact professors of their own choice to ask about me and the other one or two people left in the running. This is of course good in terms of "hey, someone might hire me!" but bad in that I may be accepting a job in Germany if "all goes well." That would complicate things extremely in my life, but I cannot think about it right now, as it's still a few months before anything is decided.

Of course, another US school cancelled their search this year. This does not bode well.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Back (physically and mentally)

Well, we have finished our trip across the country, and have been back in the 'burg for quite some time now. It was an eventful trip, and I'll just give the highlights...

We drove down to Newnan to see my folks and spent four full days there. It's a long, almost ten-hour, drive, and Corbett will proudly state that he drove 475 miles down there. While there we saw a fun "Fantasy in Lights" Christmas lights display at a park (which was actually quite cool), but mostly just relaxed, and watched TV. My sister and her husband came down twice, one day of which was Christmas Eve, where we had our family "Christmas." The reason for that is on Christmas day, we flew to LA.

Now, this is a day to travel. Normal people do not travel on Christmas day so everything went smoothly (except for the severe lack of sleep). We got to LA and had Christmas again with Corbett's mom, brother, sister and her husband and two kids. Besides his mom getting the kids (who are 5 and 7) Nintendo DS's, she bought a Wii and Rock Band for her house. The next few days were filled with tennis, golf, and when I got my hands on the thing, Bon Jovi's Wanted Dead or Alive. Nothing is more fun than getting a seven-year old singing to that. I was able to get to 96% on the medium difficulty with the guitar, and I have to work to get the harder levels, but not until I return to LA*.

Then we did the stupidest thing: After four days in LA, we flew back to Georgia, to spend a short night there before returning to the 'burg on New Year's Eve. Luckily we got back early enough to rest and nap before heading to Chris and Sonya's to ring in the New Year. I was good and did not drink (much) that night, so I was more than able to drive home.

Now it's back to work, after a New Year's Day party at Kostas' house and a very long weekend (where I bought myself a much wanted new digital camera and Corbett bought many kitchen utensils). Work. Ugh.




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* Note to Melinda: I may just randomly show up on your doorstep waiting to play...