But why didn't I post on Thursday?

Not for lack of time, I guess. I went into campus in the morning to work, and then bussed it straight to the hospital after lunch, and hung out there until early evening. We came home and fussed around with house-stuff all evening. So, maybe it wasn't lack of time, but lack of substance.

I have hinted a few times about moving this from being a strict diary-blog to include more essays (which I used to present from time to time). I have a couple of ideas; maybe I should ramp them up a bit.

But for today, at least, I'll just thank Yojimbo for reminding me that it is Superman's birthday today:


Although Superman does have a birthday every four years, by editorial fiat he is always 29. I will remind Yojimbo of what I told him on his 30th birthday many years ago: "you are now older than Superman and can never have any fun again." It's clear we have all proved that particular conclusion to be false.

Oh, this is why I don't blog on Wednesdays

Went to campus. (9:00 am)
Prepped.
Taught.
Taught.
Worked.
Went downtown.
Taught.
Went to Remedy Tea (9:30 pm)

Yeah, that's right.

Riding the Tuesday bronco

Well, I managed to get back on top of the to-do today, by starting early (carpooling with NatDog) and working pretty steadily though my 14.5 hour day. Yay, me! I even squeezed in a long-overdue conversation with Johnbai (through the intersection of the miracle of wireless telephony and the convenience of mass transit) in which we planned schemes to warm the geekiest heart.

I didn't get to hospital today, but the news is that today was at least as good as, if not slightly better than, yesterday, so I'm putting the streak at W-2 and crossing fingers.

I guess Otis worked and did stuff today, too, but I only have second-hand information on that, and hearsay is inadmissible.

Breaking news: Herr Doktor Walakus may make his reappearance mid-April.

Bad news: A retreat in Spokane I was planning on attending was canceled. Good news: I can find another conference or training to attend now.

Not news: I'm tired. G'night.

Plugging along

So, I managed to get through yesterday without doing a huge amount of work, and I thought I was fine, until I got into my office today and realized I had left an entire pile of to-do off my to-do list. Le sigh. So, after a longish day today, I'll need another long day tomorrow to stay on top of stuff. Blah.

Patient update: yesterday was shite, but we'll put today in the win column. Pater was feeling much stronger after a blood transfusion overnight, and the new team (of internists instead of surgeons) actually has a plan*. And it might even work. Here's hoping!

Missed most of the Oscars; buzz was it was kinda bland anyway. Sorry about no more Oscar parties lately... I wonder if and when that three-year streak of fabulousness will ever be repeated.

Speaking of Big Wall Events, I'm getting a free DVD for shilling the new Justice League movie on my comics blog. The geeksters amongst ya might expect an invite to a screening.

*So which is funnier: the oft-repeated "subtle and cunning plan" cliche from Black Adder,
or Kevin Bacon's enthusiastic "I got a goddamn plan!" at the end of Tremors?

Schmunday

Another betwixt and between day today; yesterday was a bit non-committal as well.

I worked at Tully's while Otis worked at her table in the morning; I was joined by Neds, who also worked (on her ginormous new laptop). When we were all finished working we all lunched together at the Continental for yummy Greek fries.

Then Otis and I went up to the hospital to spend the afternoon and evening and to have dinner. When we came home, we managed to sit in front of the big wall to watch a movie before going to bed. We saw Mike Leigh's All or Nothing, a gay, mad romp through one weekend in the miserable lives of alienated, inarticulate working-class Brits making mostly poor choices. Just the kind of pop-corn movie we needed. (/sarcasm)

Today looks to be filled with schoolwork for both of us and then another afternoon spell on Pill Hill. Progress is still spotty at best at on that front; we're trying to bring some positive energy to the situation, but it's tough. It's a lot of tougher on the patient; that man is a champ, let me tell you.

Tonight is Oscar night; maybe some Tinseltown magic will help. Speaking of which, we now have three sites pushing LNTAM; get your icon up soon!

Dawn Searlylight

You have met Ms. Searlylight, haven't you? She and I are old pals. (I was thinking of title for this post and I thought that would be a funny character name for someone in a story. But I don't think it's a real last name...)

The acrocat used his window egress sometime last night and spent the evening outside, so I actually managed to sleep through all the way until about 6:15 this morning. If felt good.

Yesterday I wasn't on campus long, just enough to do some work on my tenure portfolio and meet with my teaching lead. When I came home, Otis and I bussed it up to pill hill and spent the afternoon at the hospital. A little backsliding, but perhaps not as much as before. It still goes slowly.

We came back via the U District so I could pick up a held item at Zanadu and then walked the rest of the way back home. We had time to feed the cats and catch our breath before we headed out to a late dinner in Ballard with Kris-10 and Bizzzzzznessssssman! We enjoyed comfort food (pizza and cupcakes) and caught up after way too long.

The weekend promises some work for both Otis and I and maybe some play, too. The dawn seems hopeful, anyway.

Returning to something resembling normalcy

Dig the kooky facegear. I snitched it from the hospital room (it's disposable, they came in a box like kleenex). I'm still trying to figure out an appropriate venue to wear it.

Other news from the hospital: guarded optimism is the watchword. Things are looking up, but let's not push it.

Otherwise, today was a standard non-teaching day: reading, prep, and meetings, blah-blah-blah. I put dibs in for my schedule next year: I got decent times and a few classes other than 101 and 102, so that's cool. And we did get a nice social call from NatDog, after our visit to Pill Hill and her evening class. An hour or two of tea and sympathy makes the day a little sweeter.

Speaking of next year, I'm finding it a bit difficult to live in the present moment. I am excited by Spring, which will be my all-comics quarter (I will be using books about comics and/or graphic novels in all my courses), and I am already thinking of ways to spend my first summer sans teaching. So far the ideas are:

Buy and run a hot dog cart.
Ride up and down the B-G every day in a recumbent bike and trailer rig
selling power bars and energy drinks.
Write a novel.
Start a Ph.D. program.
Ride my scooter the distance a tank of gas will take me each day
until I circle the state or something.
Finally learn the ukulele.
Go to the San Diego Comic-Con.
Ride my bike to Vancouver.

Any other ideas?

Minicity sucks (and other tidbits)

So I took minicity off the sidebar. Like a mystery reader who can't wait for the denouement and flips to the last page, I went and looked up the biggest minicity on the system, so I could see what developements lay in store for Walakaville. Nothin', that's what. The little map just gets more crowded with bigger buildings, but nothing moves or does anything. What a rip. Save your clicks.

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Yojimbo is back in the blogosphere! His new movie site, Let's Not Talk About Movies, is up and running. I truly think that Yojimbo has the best chance of any of us to break into the greater consciousness of the blogosphere or (dare I say it?) even the entire intarweb, so let's spread the word and say we knew him when. Bookmark it, RSS feed it, and let everyone know about it.

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Speaking of blogs, I got solicited by some comix-types seeking placement/mention on my comix blog, like I'm some sort of tastemaker or something. I wonder if they know that the most frequent search terms that bring people to my blog consistently include "bdsm"," "gorllla suit," and "retro porn." (I'm going to do one of them anyway.)

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Good news from the hospital: steps forward; baby steps, but steps nonetheless.

Short link farm

I am caught up enough that even the midweek-busy blues are dealable. Yay, me!

So, how many iPods would need for all these cuts?

These are for O's next dinner.

This cartoon has been making the rounds, probably because it it so succinctly true.

Hey - my MiniCity is ready to start having "industry." I changed the graphic link in the sidebar so your visits will now create industry instead of growing the population. Come visit!

I found this on some other blog and couldn't resist:

All presidents accounted for

and that doesn't include David Rice Atchison.

Happy President's Day. No school today. Did some work. Otis had an afternoon two-hour appointment, and was feeling more up to snuff today, so I hied myself to Trabant while she worked and drafted a long post for the comix blog. Neds was working (at home) and Johnbai was working (at work) but Stella came by for a cuppa and passed a good while with me.

Then Otis picked me up and it was a hospital visit all night; no major setbacks, but no real advances either. We soldier on.

I think Dingo and her posse win the award for Best Use of a Minor Holiday on an Unseasonably Warm February Monday. Since she doesn't have a blog (because she says she never does anything), let me take the liberty of quoting from an email: "…left this morning on a walk with [Eryk] and [Sylvio] that took us downtown to the ferry dock, over to Bainbridge, around Winslow with a picnic by the water, back to town and a visit (inspired by the Sound view of the clock tower) to check out the renovation progress at the train station. Cool! (You should see it.) On the way we walked a big circle through and around downtown, revisiting some of our favorite buildings, atriums, and pocket parks, ending up in the ID to view the grand new Chinese-type gate. Home now after miles of walking..." Now that's a day off.

Time for bed; early day tomorrow.

Hazy days

No, not the weather... which has actually been nice and clear. Just everything else.

Spent a lot of time yesterday at the hospital. It was Not a Good Day. The crack staff responded, however, and all things that could be done were.

The yuckiness of the middle of that day was bookended by two nice times. The first was breakfast with Gweekers and Mikey and Sarey and Warry and li'l Makena (not this one) up in Edmonds. Sometimes Spokane might as well be the far side of the moon, it seems.

The second was the Full Belly All-Vegan, All-Delicious Dinner up on Cap Hill. Dingo and Mom-O joined us in joining Johnbai and O for a superb meal and a great evening for a good cause.

Today was another hazy day because Otis started it feeling pretty poorly herself. She kept pretty much down all day, except for a brief stroll in the afternoon sunshine. We hope it is a 24-hour bug. On the other hand, reports from hospital indicate that Pater had a good night and is much more comfortable with new protocols in place. Maybe Otis was siphoning off some of his discomfort. Hey, whatever works. Anyway, I did some work, planned some schemes, got some reading done, went shopping, and generally futzed around without much to show for it today. What the hey.

Have some "real" writing lined up for this blog and the other, but not really liking any of it yet. Maybe soon.

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Y'know, if I just do this

1. Maximum three (3) page statement addressing:
a. How the candidate meets the criteria listed under
“DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS” for the position.
b. Evidence of a sensitivity to and understanding of
the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, and
ethnic backgrounds of community college students.
c. Assessment of student learning outcomes.
2. Completed District faculty application form.
3. Placement file and/or resume (College does not contact
placement offices).
4. In addition to the personal references listed on the first page of
the application, on a separate sheet of paper, submit a list which
includes: two current or previous supervisors, two faculty
members, and two other references not related to the applicant
(including one classified or support staff) for us to contact as
references. Please include names, addresses and phone
numbers. Applicants from sectors other than higher education
should submit comparable references.
5. Copies of transcripts of all post-secondary course work.
Electronically produced transcripts from the Internet will not be
accepted.

by Tuesday, I can still apply for the teaching job here


Just kiddin'.

What kind of blog is this - anyhow?

My posting has been so erratic of late that I can't seem to summon the blogstitutional will to diarize, so, to the disappointment of those of you who tune in to find out what I had for lunch everyday, posts may be slightly more impressionistic for a while.

The Patient is still in, but will likely soon be out of, hospital.

Neds will/may be telling you about her new computer soon. I was present, once again, as I have been at least twice before, at the purchase. You can just call me the Laptop Godfather.

Speaking of little computers, whaddaya think of one of these? Pretty cool, huh?

Here's a shaggy dog story that's pretty cool.

And since we haven't had a graphic here in a while, here's this:

I should go back to bed...

... but instead I'm having a cup of tea in the still-dark. Man, just like old times.

It's been a heckuva teaching week. Cramming all my in-class hours into three days is convenient in some respects, but a little trying in others. It's mid-term, so the rubber is meeting the road for the students and for me. I had a come-to-jebus meeting with my one class that hasn't quite got the hang of on-line learning; another class is doing well, but there's just so damn many of them the papers never seem to end. Antioch is chugging along nicely this quarter. I think I may actually meet my goal of being completely on top of stuff my Monday.

Activities will be slightly interrupted by the resettlement of Pater Putnam. He was released from hospital yesterday for his however-many weeks of convalescence at home. I need to stop by there today and get some wireless internets installed. If anyone is interested in donating a casserole to the cause (since Mater will have to be going back to work soon) it would be most appreciated. (Note: it does not have to be an actual casserole; any kind of eating thing that can be just heated up would be good.)

Update 10:33 am: Apparently, it's back to hospital! Not a good night, but more concerns about patient care than anything else.

Wow - it seems like forever since there's been actual content on this blog. Maybe that's good; maybe it means this will switch from a diary-blog to something else, a place for elegant and exquisite essays, perhaps. Or a pure link-blog. Or a comic strip. In any case, let's not attempt too much today.

Hey, go click on my minicity again. Go everyday. Leave a note on the bulletin board. Let's see it get bigger.

In other clicky news, I got this email recently:

A favour to ask, it only takes a minute....
* I * 6 * Y

Please tell ten friends to tell ten today! The Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on their site daily to meet their quota of donating at least one free mammogram a day to an underprivileged woman. It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on 'donating a mammogram' for free (pink window in the middle).

This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate mammogram in exchange for advertising.

Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know.

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/

So, I've put a bookmark up on my toolbar, to click everyday, along with all the webcomics I read. And my minicity.

And on this day, let us raise a glass in the memory of Highball the German Shepherd, the only survivor of that unpleasantness in the SMC Garage.

No, no, no, it ain't me, babe

It has come to my attention that because of the wide readership of this little bloggity-blog, not all of members of which are conversant with the quotidian details of my life, I should eschew ellipsis and allusion to make it clear that I am not in hospital, as my cryptic comments of late may have implied. Repeat, I am not in hospital, but rather full of piss and/or vinegar.

Otis's Pater, however, is not so lucky right now, and has undergone a major procedure, from which he is recovering nicely. He is a strong man in just about every way, a real mensch, and is doing as fine as can be and better than most might; nonetheless, when someone other than a magician has more-or-less sawed you in half, it takes a while to get back on your game. So, excelsior!

Me, I'm just doing that usual prepping-teaching-grading thing; I'm just doing some of it during visiting hours.

Didja ever notice...

...that hanging around a hospital is an awful lot like being stuck in the airport?

Recycled air that makes you dopey? Check.
Not-so-good food that makes you sluggish? Check.
Lighting that makes your head hurt? Check.
A general sense of discomfort, even when things are going well? Check-check.

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Oh, and things are going well.

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And although I didn't get near enough work done this weekend, there is still a chance I could be even for the holiday weekend.

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Thanks to all and sundry.

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Somebody blog about the caucuses!

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I gotta get up early to cover someone's class. Ciao.

Those three in the morning, kitty wants do stuff blues

So, Otis bought a new cat toy: it's a small spherical cage, about the size of a golf ball, enclosing a little bell. Mountie (the scaredy-cat) loves it. He has always been a good soccer player, using other balls or milk bottle caps, but he really likes this ball. He swats it, follows it, swats it some more, and bites it on occasion; he seems to actually enjoy the cheap plastic/tinny bell noise it makes. He has developed a new vocalization that he only uses when he is carrying the ball in his mouth, a kind of kitty chant: mrow-mrow-mrow-MROW. So, hooray; we like happy cats.

Of course, when Mountie decided to have a round of his game at 3:00 am in the bedroom, it was not so much hooray. In the middle of the night, the little toy sounded even louder and more annoying than it usually does. At first, we tried to ignore the activity; hard to do, especially when the game would move onto the tile floor of the bathroom, adding a nice timbre to the sound. Then I got up and threw the ball down the stairs. Mountie followed it, and we could hear him playing down on the main floor, but the sound was a bit muted, so that seemed to be that -- until he carried it back up the stairs and came back into the bedroom chanting. That's when I took the ball away and put it under my pillow.

If our house was monofelinic, that would have been the end of it, but by this time all the activity had wound up annoying Selkie (the bully-cat), who had actually been trying to sleep, so he got up and decided it was a good time to play Thrash Mountie. On their third circuit around the room I got up and took them downstairs and threw them both outside. I did get some nice sleep after that.

When I let them back in a little while ago, the first thing Mountie did was find another of those damn balls and start playing with it. Sheesh. Selkie came back as wet as I have ever seen him; he must have been out patrolling in the rain.

What a way to start a weekend!

The waiting game

No work, no play, just waitin' today.

Operation ongoing, organ out.

Still some time to go.

It's A Pizza

Teach, teach, teach - I'm just a teaching fool.

So, tonight instead of going to Remedy Teas after my evening class, Otis had a wild hair and we went to A Pizza Place in the U-District - y'know, the one that's open until 4:00 am. Had a tiny plain cheese pie and a Pepsi and the world seemed a better place.

Speaking of better places: please click here to visit my minicity. Every time someone visits, the population will go up (it's like a SimCity, I guess) and then things will start to happen. Thanks!

Onward, into endweek and the weekend!

I should go to bed

A lot of Sunday was taken up by Neds's computorial crisis, which was indeed a crisis of the first order. I think we got her taken care of for the nonce, as long as it isn't a very big one.

An additional fraction of Sunday was taken up by a late lunch at the Indo Cafe after dealing with the crisis.

That left me uninterested in work for the rest of the day, so...

Monday was rilly busy.

And then I got kinda sick and slept a lot.

But I feel better now.

Although today was rilly busy as well.

And so tomorrow will be, too.

G'nite.

Blog burst!

I got all wrapped up in my comix blog last night and didn't post here, so here's the bullet points:

Yesterday started with a doorbuster lunch at Indian Bistro with the Clan P to celebrate Mater's b-day, followed by some baby-time with li'l Nick.

Otis and Mater went off for girly-time and I went to rock the geekness at Zanadu and then to Remedy Teas for, uh, tea (Vanilla Sky).

Dingo came by Remedy to do the catching-up and hanging-out things.

We both then walked down the street to Liberty to join in Johnbai's post-exam celebration. He took some obscure test that somehow raises his status in the land of social work in a vague yet significant way, so hooray! It sounds like it really was an achievement. Adding to the festivities were O, Soapy, Sylvio, and CC Rider (aka Court2). Stella threatened an appearance, but hadn't made it by the time I left.

I tore myself away from the fun to pick Otis up after her daughterly day and we went home for an evening of this and that (which included another Rocket Raccoon performance by Selkie).

I'm here at the Wallingford Tully's, getting ready to work a bunch while Otis has appointments, and to meet Neds, who has some sort of computorial crisis. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

Here's my idea of a good Sunday morning:

I hear there's some sort of football game being played today. Enjoy!

Quick cuts

Did I mention that Selkie has transformed himself into Rocket Raccoon? Just now, I saw him climbing through the cat door into the balcony, and before I could over walk from the kitchen...

... sorry, I just got interrupted there. Before I could walk over, he had already launched himself off the balcony, landed on the shed roof, and jumped down onto the fence. He walked away, loaded for bear and looking for trouble.

Apparently, he found it. A minute ago, as I was typing, I heard snarls from outside. I checked the window, and our across-the-alley neighbor, Red, was coming out of his house. I think Selkie was over there clobbering Red's cat (which he does from time to time - one night Selkie and Mountie tag-teamed the poor critter). Anyway, he came trotting over and came back inside. Sheesh.

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So today I slept in until the decadent hour of 8:30. Man, it felt good. I took care of a little busienss, and then Otis and I headed up to Cap Hill for some Pho Cyclo and then to Madison Park to do a little work in a different Tully's, and I now have a sweet little syllabus for my spring class, Comics and Graphic Novels: Literary Technique in Sequential Art. (I also have a nice proposal for a learnign community for next year, Pink for Boys and Blue for Girls: Research into Sex and Gender Differences.)

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After dinner, we headed back to the hill to catch The Savages at the Harvard Exit. We both thought it was a wonderfully real story, about real people, moving and thoughtful and well-done. Both Hoffman and Linney were great.

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G'nite!