Monday, May 28, 2012
It is Memorial Day 2012, and I have not used the blog since my first summer of travels in the summer of 2010. The title, "The Doors Into Summer", comes from an old Monkees tune featuring a traveling caravan...how I feel with my car full of clothes and amusements. That first summer I traveled to Texas A&M, Charlotte, NC, Appalachian State, and Baltimore before taking my road trip home. This summer, Texas A&M, Houston, Galveston, Austin, San Antone, and Kansas City before the summer is over. But before I hit the road, there is much to do, much to finish, and a lot to prepare. I am glad you are coming along for the ride!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
August 3
Those pictures are a thing of the past...the garage, alas poor, Yorick, is finished. However, there remains the small matter of 4 crates full of papers and lesson plans that need to be sorted and filed.
That, dear Horatio, is what I will plow into in the morn.
I continue to be amazed at the collection of junk that resides in my garage. The tubs are stacked so high, and are so full, that ones at the bottom are collapsing under their own gravity, much like having an entire garage full of mini black holes that will eventually cause the Earth itself to collapse in on itself starting in my front yard.
Interesting.
I also realize that I now have an almost complete collection of 6" Star Trek figures (I am missing Checkov), but I make up for the missing Ensign by having 2 Kirk's, 2 Scotty's, and 2 McCoy's, a 12 inch Spock, a 14 inch NCC-1701 Enterprise, 3 Star Trek glasses (sadly the 4th failed to rematerialize in transport), a mini-communicator (circa-Hallmark, an original and Next gen tricorder, original and next-gen phasers, a sound effects St device, a squeaking crewman badge, Star Trek Scene It, and a pack of trading cards....
oh, I forgot the Kirk and Spock bobbleheads...
Now I need to turn my attention to getting the Beatle DVD's Anthology, and cartoon figurines....since I have the Yellow Submarine figures (12 inch) plus the yellow sub, the blue meanie, the glove, a hat, 2 backpacks, 12 magnets, Beatles Monopoly, and too many Beatle books..
I am amazed at the amount of stuff I have collected over the years....and I won't even start on the Harry Potter stuff....
That, dear Horatio, is what I will plow into in the morn.
I continue to be amazed at the collection of junk that resides in my garage. The tubs are stacked so high, and are so full, that ones at the bottom are collapsing under their own gravity, much like having an entire garage full of mini black holes that will eventually cause the Earth itself to collapse in on itself starting in my front yard.
Interesting.
I also realize that I now have an almost complete collection of 6" Star Trek figures (I am missing Checkov), but I make up for the missing Ensign by having 2 Kirk's, 2 Scotty's, and 2 McCoy's, a 12 inch Spock, a 14 inch NCC-1701 Enterprise, 3 Star Trek glasses (sadly the 4th failed to rematerialize in transport), a mini-communicator (circa-Hallmark, an original and Next gen tricorder, original and next-gen phasers, a sound effects St device, a squeaking crewman badge, Star Trek Scene It, and a pack of trading cards....
oh, I forgot the Kirk and Spock bobbleheads...
Now I need to turn my attention to getting the Beatle DVD's Anthology, and cartoon figurines....since I have the Yellow Submarine figures (12 inch) plus the yellow sub, the blue meanie, the glove, a hat, 2 backpacks, 12 magnets, Beatles Monopoly, and too many Beatle books..
I am amazed at the amount of stuff I have collected over the years....and I won't even start on the Harry Potter stuff....
Sunday, July 25, 2010
July 25
As the new pictures will show....a team of excavators has been working around the clock, spreading artifacts from the dig site known as the "garage"....and, compounding the effort were several annoying "disturbances"...
It rained....
So I could not spread the "dig" across the ancient driveway (didn't Fred have a car that was foot-powered?)
We went shopping...
Hit the outlets yesterday so Mom could trade in her recently acquired Guess purse for an updated model.....I did buy a pair of pants at Saks 5th Avenue so I feel particularly trendy today...
There is this workshop thing going on....
If I didn't have this 2 week workshop to go to I would just finish in a day or so...but I have another week in the workshop (and another $625) so I am not inclined to clear the debris anytime soon...
Is this what it was like in Jurassic Park?
Its like when Groucho hosted the park in his TV show...."You bet Jurassic (yourassik) Park...say the secret word and you don't get eaten by 200 dinosaurs...."
It rained....
So I could not spread the "dig" across the ancient driveway (didn't Fred have a car that was foot-powered?)
We went shopping...
Hit the outlets yesterday so Mom could trade in her recently acquired Guess purse for an updated model.....I did buy a pair of pants at Saks 5th Avenue so I feel particularly trendy today...
There is this workshop thing going on....
If I didn't have this 2 week workshop to go to I would just finish in a day or so...but I have another week in the workshop (and another $625) so I am not inclined to clear the debris anytime soon...
Is this what it was like in Jurassic Park?
Its like when Groucho hosted the park in his TV show...."You bet Jurassic (yourassik) Park...say the secret word and you don't get eaten by 200 dinosaurs...."
Friday, July 23, 2010
July 23
A truly sad day....
I have to go to the worlds most boring workshop (It's official! That is what they have renamed this workshop!) at USF this morning at 8:30 while Mom has the day off to sit in the sun, sip pina coladas by the bucketful while lounging next to the pool....
Life is, indeed, unfair.
The restocking of the garage project continues to prove that time is, in fact, relative, since time miraculously speeds up whenever I start to work on it, allowing me to get very little done before I am forced by life to move on to something else. Yet, it seems as if the house has been cluttered with innumerable boxes since as far back as recorded time. This paradox (which, by the way, is what you have when 2 boats at sitting together at 2 separate piers - a pair of docks) continues to confound me so I think I will create a theorem for it, publish, and give lectures at $20K a pop from now on.
And, as a corollary to the above, the time before my forced return to a life of work and uncertainty seems to be speeding toward me at warp speed while this workshop week has been going agonizingly slow.
Sudden revelation: What a great supervillain....Time Man - who can control 30 second bursts of time! (He could not control all time since that would make him invincible...and he would never need to take time to monologue...)
Just a thought...
I have to go to the worlds most boring workshop (It's official! That is what they have renamed this workshop!) at USF this morning at 8:30 while Mom has the day off to sit in the sun, sip pina coladas by the bucketful while lounging next to the pool....
Life is, indeed, unfair.
The restocking of the garage project continues to prove that time is, in fact, relative, since time miraculously speeds up whenever I start to work on it, allowing me to get very little done before I am forced by life to move on to something else. Yet, it seems as if the house has been cluttered with innumerable boxes since as far back as recorded time. This paradox (which, by the way, is what you have when 2 boats at sitting together at 2 separate piers - a pair of docks) continues to confound me so I think I will create a theorem for it, publish, and give lectures at $20K a pop from now on.
And, as a corollary to the above, the time before my forced return to a life of work and uncertainty seems to be speeding toward me at warp speed while this workshop week has been going agonizingly slow.
Sudden revelation: What a great supervillain....Time Man - who can control 30 second bursts of time! (He could not control all time since that would make him invincible...and he would never need to take time to monologue...)
Just a thought...
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
July 20
One again I am stuck in the bowels of the garage, rearranging and cleaning the vast amounts of STUFF we have accumulated through our long, and often pointless, lives.
HOW DID WE GET THIS MUCH STUFF???????
I feel better now.
At the moment there are 26 boxes/containers in my office, 22 in the small bedroom, 9 more in the hallway, and 12 in the living room (which, has not gone unnoticed) along with the 6 crates and 5 suitcases behind the couch, and 2 blocked aisles in the garage as I try to organize our lives....
Which by the way, were royally screwed up by the wizards of the education world yesterday...Instead of getting my full $500 travel allowance by the financial guru's at Texas A&M, I got only $428. Now while I really only spent $428, their mileage payment was said to be 50 cents a mile and I traveled 1035 miles ONE-WAY! You do the math!
Also I learned that my current workshop will pay out in 4-6 WEEKS AFTER the workshop ends next Friday....that means I may get my money (to be used for my anniversary on August 12, sometime in mid to late September!
Finally the 5 days of workshops I was to take and be paid for from August 9-13 is now one workshop on August 10.
Guess I will sell lemonade along the street....
HOW DID WE GET THIS MUCH STUFF???????
I feel better now.
At the moment there are 26 boxes/containers in my office, 22 in the small bedroom, 9 more in the hallway, and 12 in the living room (which, has not gone unnoticed) along with the 6 crates and 5 suitcases behind the couch, and 2 blocked aisles in the garage as I try to organize our lives....
Which by the way, were royally screwed up by the wizards of the education world yesterday...Instead of getting my full $500 travel allowance by the financial guru's at Texas A&M, I got only $428. Now while I really only spent $428, their mileage payment was said to be 50 cents a mile and I traveled 1035 miles ONE-WAY! You do the math!
Also I learned that my current workshop will pay out in 4-6 WEEKS AFTER the workshop ends next Friday....that means I may get my money (to be used for my anniversary on August 12, sometime in mid to late September!
Finally the 5 days of workshops I was to take and be paid for from August 9-13 is now one workshop on August 10.
Guess I will sell lemonade along the street....
Monday, July 19, 2010
July 19
Reality has reared its ugly head....
Following two terrific workshops where I met (and continue to be in touch with) the most amazing group of people...I started my last workshop of the summer co-hosted by Hillsborough County Schools and funded by a state grant that should tell you all you need to know about this workshop...
Its not even worth the $125 a day they are paying me to attend AND on top of THAT....we won't see any money until mid to late September for this!
And you wonder why people do not wish to remain teachers!
Anyway...the pool is nice even if the weather has a heat index of 105 and there is no rain or break in the temperature in sight...
Think its time for no calorie, no fat, no sugar, no flavor ice cream!
Following two terrific workshops where I met (and continue to be in touch with) the most amazing group of people...I started my last workshop of the summer co-hosted by Hillsborough County Schools and funded by a state grant that should tell you all you need to know about this workshop...
Its not even worth the $125 a day they are paying me to attend AND on top of THAT....we won't see any money until mid to late September for this!
And you wonder why people do not wish to remain teachers!
Anyway...the pool is nice even if the weather has a heat index of 105 and there is no rain or break in the temperature in sight...
Think its time for no calorie, no fat, no sugar, no flavor ice cream!
July 18
What an eventful day! First the thrill of grocery shopping for the first time since June 13. Since that day I had been watered and fed by others...it is indeed tough to return to the lives of mere mortals...
But all was not lost...we enjoyed an exquisite brunch along the bay at the Rusty Pelican (with their fountain of no fat, no calories, no sugar chocolate), followed by Despicable Me, which was a very good movie that I kept feeling like I had seen it before...it had Boo from Monsters, supers (villains) as next door neighbors from Incredibles, the airplane rescue scene from Air Force One, the minions (the space aliens from Toy Story), and the story of a bad guy won over to the good side by the adorableness of kids (a gazillion movies)....but they really did it well...I thoroughly enjoyed it...much better than most of the I-can't-believe-anyone-could-live-thru-this-stunt-in-real-life movies that I regularly go to see.
I know that movies are supposed to get us to suspend belief but really...I would love to see someone make and action/adventure film (or thriller) where everything really could happen. Kinda like that Alfred Hitchcock bloke who believed that it would be much worse if you DIDN'T see it...all the bad or weird stuff happened off screen (watch Psycho for reference).
Finished the day by getting an iPod boombox REALLY on sale at Office Depot so I don't have to fiddle with changing radio frequencies on my next car excursion.
By the way...say a great quote on a facebook page today...
"If you love someone you say it, you say it right then, out loud. Otherwise the moment just... passes you by..."
What a great thought....and keep in mind that this applies to those you see (and love) all the time but just never take the chance to say it to...
As my buddy Arnie Hougland would say, "Carpe diem!!!"
But all was not lost...we enjoyed an exquisite brunch along the bay at the Rusty Pelican (with their fountain of no fat, no calories, no sugar chocolate), followed by Despicable Me, which was a very good movie that I kept feeling like I had seen it before...it had Boo from Monsters, supers (villains) as next door neighbors from Incredibles, the airplane rescue scene from Air Force One, the minions (the space aliens from Toy Story), and the story of a bad guy won over to the good side by the adorableness of kids (a gazillion movies)....but they really did it well...I thoroughly enjoyed it...much better than most of the I-can't-believe-anyone-could-live-thru-this-stunt-in-real-life movies that I regularly go to see.
I know that movies are supposed to get us to suspend belief but really...I would love to see someone make and action/adventure film (or thriller) where everything really could happen. Kinda like that Alfred Hitchcock bloke who believed that it would be much worse if you DIDN'T see it...all the bad or weird stuff happened off screen (watch Psycho for reference).
Finished the day by getting an iPod boombox REALLY on sale at Office Depot so I don't have to fiddle with changing radio frequencies on my next car excursion.
By the way...say a great quote on a facebook page today...
"If you love someone you say it, you say it right then, out loud. Otherwise the moment just... passes you by..."
What a great thought....and keep in mind that this applies to those you see (and love) all the time but just never take the chance to say it to...
As my buddy Arnie Hougland would say, "Carpe diem!!!"
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