Fits and starts

What an odd morning. When I got to my classroom, there was one student sitting there. We eventually got up to about 10 (out of 25); must have been one heck of a weekend.

Otis and I went to see Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill yesterday. It was a fine little documentary, with some surprises, a few laughs, and a lot of bird stuff. Well worth the viewing.

I have had the sense lately that I haven't been going to the movies as much, so, of course, I went to the spreadsheets: this season I have averaged 10.62 days between movies, while last season it was 9.49 dbm. That only amounts to three fewer movies over almost nine months (25 v 28); can I really perceive that?

Speaking of movies: I think I may actually think about going to see Fantastic Four on its opening day which I think is July 4th, I think.

Speaking of Johnbai, Soapy, and Di: I am waiting with bated breath for the photos from yesterday's urban excursion.

Yes, You Can in Spokane

So, we visited the city made famous in song and story thirty-one years ago as the smallest-ever host city for a World's Fair. While we did not find the garbage-eating robotic goat, we did check out the remnants of the Great Northwest Midway, and it retains as much of its original charm and excitement as does the Seattle Center Fun Forest.

The trip to the Lilac City made me feel a little nostalgic for my grad school time, but mostly relieved that I am back in the other capital-ess Washington city, where things are a little hipper, a little blue-er, a little wetter, a little prettier, and a lot better all around.

That said, I have to admit that I think Boo Radley's actually beats Archie McPhee's in coolness per square foot. (Take out the industrial supply remainders and substitute weird books and comics and CDs).

Otis got a chance to visit some old haunts of her own -- all of her grandfolk are from Spokane, so she spent a lot of time there as a kid. (Her mom was a princess in what was the first racially-integrated Lilac Court in 1963.)

The rest of the trip was spent visiting with Mikey and Gweekers in their new house. Good times.

When we drove home yesterday, it seemed the temperature dropped 20 degrees as we crossed the pass. It looks like our early summer is over, judging by the gray outside my window, but I am still glad to be back.

I know some of the gang are going to be out shutterbugging today. I don't know exactly what we'll be up to, but we'll be in touch.

On the road

Today was a great day. After the test, I came home, we went scootering, found a dollar days kinda deal at Target, had nachos for lunch, went to Carkeek Park and walked on the beach, went to Vee-Vee, had dinner at Ballet (very spicy), and then saw two good films at SIFF (Mel was there with her son, Josh). Keen! (Sorry about missing out on hooking up with Johnbai.)

We are taking off for Spokane in the morning; we'll be back on the air Sunday evening. If it stays nice like this we'll check in with the gang on the way home.

Today's link is pretty zippy. Let the applet load and click on the map box to begin.

See y'all soon.

Behold the power of the internets!

So, right now my Phil 100 class is taking a test. There's a good group here today -- attendance can get a bit erratic for a 7:30 am class. This is an open-book quiz, to see how they can manhandle Kant, and they are a bit fidgety.

It is another glorious day! I have been scootering around lately, and maybe today will herald the Return of Bike Riding to my routine. (My injured toe is about back to normal, and unlike Johnbai, I haven't significantly damaged any other appendages/limbs.)

The moovie is tonight (see below). I guess for SIFF we have to deal with lines 'n' stuff, so we'll prolly be at the venue at about 6:00 pm or so. If anyone wants to get together beforehand for dinner, maybe at Ballet, let me know.

Uh-one and uh-two

1. This says it all. I hope everyone gets a chance to enjoy today and tomorrow.

2. Contrary to what Johnbai said (nsfw) or really thinks, this is the best thing on the internets. Ever. Maybe.

Once more into the breach

Well, I was thinking that last night's post (see below) would count for my "every day" commitment, but then I thought that that might be quibbling, so here's today's official post. (If you are looking for the moovie details in response to the email, see below.)

So, I am waiting --still-- for final word on the grant application before it gets sent in. This is not just 11th hour; it's about 12:15 now. I hope to have it all done before noon, and then it's off to lunch with Otis's grandmother, followed by a turn around the lake and an afternoon of grading papers in the sun.

Given all the time references in that paragraph, here's a cool little clock-calendar thingie that you can bookmark for fun.

See you on the internets!

Beyond the valley of moovie nite

Okay, so at Mel's urging, I think I will participate in SIFF for the first time in, like, 20 years or something. (I can't help it - this time each year I have occasion to drive by the Harvard Exit, and I see this big crowd of people on the street, and I think "Oh my god! There was a fire or something!" and then it turns out to be the line for SIFF. And I don't like lines.)

Anyway, we are looking at heading to the Broadway Performance Hall on Friday night at 6:45 pm to catch Pizza, as well as the opening short The Fax. Care to join us? It's ten bucks, but whattayagonnado? Otis and I will be there - join us.

Some other stuff you can get in on - let me know now if ya wanna:

Solstice Parade and party on June 18? I checked the website and it looks like the deal in Gasworks Park is a half-hour "Pag-eant" after the parade. So I was thinking that if we skip that, y'all could come up here to the Ridge, and we can go down on foot, avoiding all that traffic hassle, and enjoy the Fremont Fair before and after the parade, and then come back up the hill for decompression.

Game night on June 25? Jen Forceful has threatened me with some cool games to try out.

Independence Day barbecue on Saturday, July 2? Prolly at the Putnam Resort in scenic Lake Forest Park, prolly 4 pm to whenever, grills and games and whatnot.

Comments, commitments, and queries encouraged - keep it on the q.t. with the cussin'.

See you Friday.

Turn the radio on

So, one of the tasks on my weekend list was setting all the radio buttons on my car and at home. And thanks to the internets, it was easier than ever. I am pretty radio-ignorant (about the stations, not about how to press the buttons) so I went here and Bob's your uncle. Of course, I couldn't find enough stations that I wanted to hear to fill all the slots, but we can talk about my lack of music sensitivity some other time. I just wish that KSUH came in clearer...

Monday, monday

Today's agenda includes teaching, then grabbing some brekkies, then a meeting at ten to thrash out the final draft of the grant, then home for whatevers. Oh, and going to the bank for Nedra! (That's a long story...)

Still looking to see who's in for bar-b-q or Solstice so we can make some plans. Let me know!

Here's today's link, sent by Mags down in the Couv:

A mindful way to buy gas.

Luckily for me, the 7-11 just down the street is on the list!

Fun with PVC

Some time ago, I got tired of cramming my clothes into drawers and bought baker's racks for my bedroom. So my primary clothing storage is open shelving, sort of like at Sears or the Gap. Otis is now doing massage in the bedroom, and it's a great space, except all those t-shirts and undies and other Value Village goodies piled around distract a bit from the ambience. So, a few bucks worth of PVC pipe, a couple of shower curtains, and a lot of swearing later, we have this:

click for larger image

It looks pretty good. The curtains match the curtain over the alcove, and the whole thing is almost invisible because of the colors. Yay!

That was part of the weekend list - along with dropping a chunk of change at the Safeway (it had been a long time since we went grocery shopping). But there's more weekend left - lots of time to grade tests!

Don't forget to contribute Solstice and/or barbecue ideas! (See below.)

Odds and ends

Weather!

Man, has this weather been weird or what? These twenty-minute torrential downpours are just something else -- particularly when they pass by and leave sunshine behind as if they had never been there. I must say my luck has been split about 50-50 on this - I have missed it as much as I have gotten caught. The other day, I drove to Edmonds for class in the sunshine and went in the class room at 7:20; it started to pour just then, but cleared up just before 8:20 when class was over. That was pretty cool. Of course, when I went to Children's Hospital for a meeting the other day, the rain opened up just as I got out of the car in the parking lot and stayed constant while I wandered the campus looking for the meeting place. It stopped when I found the right building.

Anyway, according to the internets, it looks like the wild and wooly stuff will be subsiding.

Work


This weekend is all about catching up. This latest grant has its final application due on Tuesday, so I will be spending some considerable time with it before then. We are in the last half of the quarter, and my classes are pretty back-loaded when it comes to assignments, so I will be doing a bit more responding than I have been, and have a chunk of that for this weekend as well. One of Otis's clients had a book published, so we are heading to a signing downtown today. Have one home project to finish off as well - it's pretty cool, and I'll post pictures when it's done.

Solstice!

So, June 18 is the Fremont Solstice Parade. It's probably too late to turn ourselves into a float, but does anyone want to go down as a contingent? We can go early, take over a prime section of real estate with folding chairs and blankets, take turns staking out the territory and enjoying the fairishness. Looks like the main action has moved to Gasworks Park -- anyone up for this?


Barbecue?


We're thinking of hosting a barbecue sometime the weekend of June 24-25-26. How does that square with everyone's plans? Should we proceed?

&c.
I am making a commitment to have a new post each and every morning. I am inspired by the fact that there is at least one person who has set this blog as the browser home page. So bookmark, check back, comment, participate. Cheers, y'all.

Strange things are afoot at the Circle-K

Man, five hours of grant-editing and NSF-website-uploading this afternoon. Neepers!

So, Otis is guesting in my college success class, to teach some alternative learning modes. It should be a fun and engaging session and she is looking forward to having the students shake like animals and write while holding their breath. While doing some prep, she came across this picture and thought it was hilarious. What do you think?

(click for larger image)

Anyway, expect stuff to be happening soon: another game night, with some forceful games (get it?); perhaps a poltically-motivated soiree (for Melvin); and an upcoming Barb-B-Q. Not to mention the big Fractured Flickers night, if Johnbai gets off the dime and on the stick.

A pause that refreshes

Man, I am getting granted up good. Sent in a concept paper for one this morning, have to review another one for electronic submission tomorrow afternoon, and then have a meeting on Friday to draft the next step of the first one. It keeps me busy between lesson plans and responding, which quite frankly don't take so much time this quarter. I am only teaching classes again that I have taught before and a lot of the goundwork is already there, and neither class has as much writing as a composition class. So I guess I can't complain.

Anyhoo, I will likely be up to my elbows in NSF FastLane around the time of the Satellite get-together, so y'all will be on your own. I think Johnbai mentioned something about changing the time/day, now that I think of it; let's all check Stave It Off for details.

I think I have broken my toe about six or eight times since the first time. Every now and again, when I attempt to move it or I change the tape on it, I hear a little click or two and it feels like stuff is sliding or grinding around inside. I am imagining little bone bits floating in my toe-flesh. Yum!

And today's link is something funny for anyone who has seen too many old war movies.

Working man

Well, I have accomplished a significant portion of the stuff I wanted to get done while Otis was in class, so I can take time for a blog entry. I have completed the first draft of the concept paper for my latest grant writing assignment, and I waded through a pile of philosophy papers and philosophy tests. (So, Bacon's four Idols of the Mind were, again, what? They were... they were... anyone? There was the first one, the Idol of the Tribe, and then there was... there was... what came next? What's another one? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?)

I guess all I really wanted to do in this post was to share this link to the Coolest. Vehicle. Evar. Forgive my uber-nerdishness, but this thing is just way cool.

I got it from this guy's blog, so I should give hime credit and some hits.

But it really is way cool.

Bully for Bollywood

So, we trundled up to the Crest last night, and were joined by Mel and, returning after a long absence, Susan H! We all thought that Bride and Prejudice was great - a wonderful, colorful concoction of music and fun that was so unselfconsciously schmaltzy it just swept us along. We all walked out singing and dancing and wanting to go to an Indian wedding.

Wheylona's comment on the last post indicated by allusion that a highlight (if not the highlight) of the film is the Cobra Dance. Indeed it is (although "No Life without Wife" and the opening wedding number are also showstoppers) and here it is for your pleasure (as long as the link lasts).

And here is a little LPD strip.

Bollywood bound

Hey, it's a last-minute notice moovie nite! Let's go see Bride and Prejudice at the Crest Theatre on Friday, 5/13 at 9:25.

We'll have to scurry right home after, since Otis has weekend class, so if anyone wants coffee-and or dinner beforewise, let me know!

In the cal-zone

So, in the midst of A&P studying yesterday, Otis and I decided that we must have calzones for dinner, so that meant Piecora's, so that meant Cap Hill, so that meant a group text-message (except to Luddite Wendy), so that meant a quick bite to eat turned into a nice dinner with conversation in the company of Johnbai and Dar. This is why I love living in the city.

I also have to say that Di dragged herself there immediately after a commitment to her study group (for that selfsame A&P exam, I believe) just so she could join the gang and just as she showed up, Otis and I had to leave so Otis could study some more. We felt bad. Sorry.

On another note, there haven't been enough pictures in this blog! Since we were talking about it at the party, here's a shot from last Thanksgiving. Name the peple and the character they are playing for fun and prizes! (Well, for fun, anyway.)

(click on thumbnail for larger image)

Totally awesome

I thought this would be appropriate and timely, since we didn't get to the SB emails at the party:

NPR does HR!

I guess we're not cool anymore...

Attempting to make up for infrequency with abundance

Man, it's been a while since I have been here. This means I have to remember what has happened all week, which sort of defeats the purpose of having a journal and posting regularly, but there you have it. The big event was the SMP (Soapy Music Project) party last night, which turned out to be a smashing success - more on that in a bit.

TW3

What can be said of the week that was? No biking, still a lazy-butt in that category, but still lots of walks. It is really nice to have the zoo and Green Lake so close by. I feel like I have been busy, but I don't know why. There's no grant writing happening right now, and while Melvin and I worked on a project together at school last week, it really didn't take a whole lot of time. Otis and I tried out a new restaurant down the block (the fourth one in the location since I have moved here) and it was pretty good "Asian Fusion" and cheap, too. Tried another Thai place in Fremont that is as good as or better than Jai Thai, I think: Tawon Thai. Still haven't done anything with the sidecar rig and still need to fix the scooter seat. What a bum! What the heck have I been doing, anyway? I did get a new cell phone because the "3" stopped working my old one... wow.

House Party

So, the party: Otis and I welcomed Melvin, Dar, Andres(1), Jen Forceful, Di, Soapy (the guest of honor), the Johnbai action figure (with wedding-blowing-off and annoying-new-camera action), and surprise witness Sunny-Vee. It was a roisterous good time, full of good-natured japes and jests that would likely be actionable in many jurisdictions.

Soapy brought his own stereo, apparently because mine is shite, and we all got to hear some wonderfully intricate and diverse compositions. All kidding aside, his stuff is really good. Here is a sample, something I have called Funkadelicious just for the sake of having a name to link. (The whole point of the exercise, after all, was for Soapy to get some critical reactions that would help him name the pieces, and he's not done with that process yet.) (The consensus from the group for the title of this track was "Needs to be Fifteen Minutes Long.") It was a great ride through Soapy's imagination: much of the stuff was classical or classical-ish, but there were jazzy bits and dancey bits and all of it was engaging and enjoyable. It was also fun to see how people responded with common images and feelings - sometimes down to the specific words used to attempt to describe the mood evoked. Good times, and I think we will indeed need to draft Soapy to provide a live, real-time soundtrack for our upcoming Fractured Flickers event.

After the music appreciation class, we played a rousing game of Guesstures. It was heartwarming to see the teamwork, the camaraderie, the support, the positive energy, and the spirit of fair play displayed in the game: of course, that all came from Mel; the rest of the group comprised a heartless, pitiless and cruel gauntlet of humiliation that each player had to face. And the opposing team was even harsher. I haven't laughed so damn hard in a long time. Highlights: Otis-magnetic-death-robot; Johnbai, the not-a-frickin'-crab, and Mel shoving her entire left hand into the little plastic box to forcibly extract a descending card.

Otis's threats of tea apparently chased everyone out sometime before 1:00 am. The house is all back in order, and I'm putting this one in the win column.

&c.

This morning, I ran the pinky toe of my right foot into the door of the bedroom. When I looked down it was bent in the middle, pointing to the right -- just like Johnbai's finger did at his basketball game! I get to join the DPC - the Dislocated Phalange Club! I pulled on it and felt the little pop and taped it up and I think it's fine now. It was kinda fun, except for the pain part, and even that was kinda fun, too.

Speaking of small injuries, here's a new LPD cartoon with a couple of firsts: it is the first multi-tiered strip and the first self-referential strip.

Here's is a link to something I think will be funny for Johnbai and Di and Dar and Soapy and maybe some other tarentinophiles out there.

And something else almost indescribable for everyone. Consider yourself warned.

Thanks for everything, gang, and have a great Mother's Day.