So it seems that Col. Gaddafi--or, as
--has met his proverbial maker. Obviously, most Libyans (and perhaps others in North Africa) are elated at the thought that their former dictator is no longer in any position where he can control their every moment. And, from what the reports are suggesting, one son is dead, and the other is in custody.
I truly hope that all of this is true.
Call me a cynic, but we went through this before with this family a couple of months ago, that 'the reports
I will readily admit it: U2 is perhaps my favorite band, and certainly in my personal Top 5 of music acts who have musically impacted my life.
I was ready to write a blog entry about what's going on in the Eastern Mediterranean and North African, making comparisons with Post-Franco Spain and pondering the future of these newly-freed peoples, and suddenly started playing my entire U2 collection. (iTunes is great for that, doncha know.)
Of course, in doing due diligence, I looked up the v
Christmas Eve. This day has a ton of personal memories. Growing up, it was always the day of a ton of food, then church, followed by a light supper and tons of Mom's awesome Christmas cookies. And a very fitful night of sleep, as I really couldn't wait until the morning to open packages.
My bedroom was right next to the living room, where our tree was. My parents had to walk by my room to get there, and had to do so silently as I always have been a light sleeper. When they woke up in th
Being that it's Presidents' Day Weekend, one of the local classic rock stations did a survey of its listeners, asking them to name the iconic song of each president's term from Richard Nixon to Ronald Reagan. The survey was put out there by Greg Kihn, a local (and somewhat mildly nationally-recognized) guitarist and band-leader, who does the morning show on that radio station. Nixon's term was represented by Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" (appropriate for so many reasons), I forget Ford and Cart
This is it...pep talk ready...I can do this!
We're at the end of the month, folks, which means that I made it through my Month of Hell. The Accreditation work that I've been doing is mostly done for now (and will require a lot of attention in January). The ePortfolios project is almost done, and will be ready for 3 November's presentation. The move is 90% complete, and will be done on Sunday.
And I'm still alive! And well! Hurrah!
Just one more weekend to get through...a big eve
Hallowe'en. Love me that awesome holiday.
First, EVERY person turns into a kid. Even if you're not quite a costume-wearing person, it's the fun of dressing a bit different, of getting into the mood of candy, celebration, and letting loose for a bit. I mean, really, if you can't get into the holiday, I feel sorry for you. And I feel particularly lucky to have spent most of my life in 2 cities where people are truly into the f
I just got back last night from a week in Aruba. It's a great place...much like Hawaii in terms of atmosphere and activities, but because it's more of a desert-landscape than the lush tropical one that the Hawaiian Islands offer. Otherwise...wow. Just...wow.
Anyway, the island of Aruba, like its sisters of Bonaire and Cura
For those of you who are knowledgeable in the art of writing long tomes...you'll agree with me (I think) that editing is worse than writing.
When one writes, you are creating your thoughts as you go along. Sure, you have an outline of some kind, and you're following along with your sources close by--in my case, already summarized in its own Word document, so that cut/paste is easy. But it's still flowing out of your head, through your fingers, and onto the screen in front of you. There's
To all the Europeans who frequent the board and who occasionally read this blog, I ask for an explanation.
What the bloody hell is all the fuss about Eurovision?
First, there are countries in the contest that are not even part of Europe (Armenia? Azerbaijan? Georgia?). Now, I realize that there are many out there who would consider Europe and Asia as one continent, but even if we accept the fact that the word 'Europe' has a geographical connotation to it, much like the words 'Centra
Ok, I made that up...but I decided that I was going to do something different the next time that I make a burger. I'd make 2 and stack them!
Before you start wondering about the possible expanding waistline, no, I'm not doubling up on the meat. I usually buy ground chuck in bulk and portion it out to 1/2 lb. chunks, and will have a 1/2 lb. burger. Also, I don't usually have my burger on a bun...never cared for it, really, and I'd rather have more meat and other stuff.
So, plan of atta
It's hard to come up with a 'favorite month', but if I had to, it'd be August. Let's weigh the facts:
PRODUCE!!! The tomatoes right now are unreal...just the most amazing thing ever. I know people swear that canning tomatoes helps 'seal in the goodness,' but even the most awesome canned tomatoes pale in comparison to the goodness at my farmers' market right now. Holy Christ, I eat them as fruit. And that's nothing to say for the peaches and nectarines (surprising, as we didn't get qui
In the figurative sense:
Tuesdays are my long days at one campus: 11am class, follwed by office hours in the afternoon, followed by a 6pm class...get home about 9:30ish. Anyway, I usually eat at the school canteen for lunch, since it's easier to bring one meal instead of two, and after 3pm the pickings are rather slim. Anyway, I'm at a table in the common area, really only paying attention to my Turkey Ciabatta sandwich, when I hear the following conversation:
Dude: Wow, I could murder
First, an eye-opener for all you men out there: we women talk a ton of trash. About our significant others (both temporary and permanent). About others. And honestly, I can't tell you who's worse, men or women.
The scene:
I'm in the changing room of my gym, getting dressed to go home, and I overhear a conversation in the next row of benches. It's two women, both lesbians, talking about their conquests from the previous night, and the hopes for the weekend. On and on for quite a few min
Quite honestly, there were two spot-on sitcoms of the 90s which turned the excesses and pretentiousness of the 80s on their ears. One was Seinfeld, the other was Absolutely Fabulous. And I love them both.
Admittedly, I love AbFab, and will continue to watch it on BBC America or Comedy Central whenever it's on. There are various stand-out episodes which seems to rise above the other exemplary episodes of the series. But the one which seems to come on right before my family gets together i
It took 14 weeks...14 weeks of students who were so stubborn and, in some cases, ignorant...who continuously come to class despite being severely under the weather. And in this case, the maladies mostly revolved around strep throat and bad colds.
Yep, 14 weeks of my immune system fighting the tough battles. Of waging war against those horrific germs who were trying to invade my temple.
Finally...I have become collateral damage in that war against the ill-feelings that are typical wit
This has been a very busy week so far, one of many in the coming 8 weeks. My schedule is in full-throttle: 5 courses, meetings galore, students adding, dropping, needing help. I actually love it--to put it mildly, I don't have time to be bored--but it's ruining my reputation. Normally I'm an evening person...most of my energy comes after 3pm, and it's damned near impossible for me to fall asleep before 11:30 or, really, 12. But having to wake up at 5:30 each weekday morning, well, it puts a
Maybe it's the weather, maybe it's the return to waking up at the butt-crack of dawn after 5 days to the contrary, but today I'm beat. I can't seem to stay awake. When driving up to work this morning, I could feel my eyelids getting heavier and heavier. Once I pulled into the parking lot, I had an extra 20 minutes, so I took a quick nap in the car. It did me well for quite a while, but now I'm in office hours having the same problem. However, unlike earlier, I don't have time for a nap, as
Wheeeeeeeeeeee! Spamalot is coming to San Francisco!!! Oh how I've waited for this to happen! When Las Vegas got a hold of it, the deal was that the producers wouldn't show any version of it west of that happening light-tropolis, so that we would have to go to the desert and get bamboozled just to see our silly English knnnnnnnnnnigits. But no! I did not give in to temptation! (Mostly because Vegas doesn't do much for me.) And now I, like many others, have been richly rewarded--Spamalot w
Hmmm...perhaps the title should be instead: Mai Tai Ville?
Tomorrow morning I'm off for a 4+ day holiday to Honolulu...a long overdue return to that special place. Oh, sure, there are other areas in the Hawaiian Islands that I want to explore. Actually, to be perfectly honest, I want to see all of them. However, Dad's in Honolulu for 3 weeks, and I decided that I would join him.
This trip marks the first big trip of 2009 for me...and it won't be the last. I know I'll be going to Aust
Baseball season is back! Wheeeeeeeeeeee! The grand spring tradition is here! Hey now, I love all sports (and I don't consider golf, bowling, or race car driving to be sports; they're amusements), but baseball always seems to tug at my heart strings a bit more. My Giants are 4-0--an amazing feat for a couple of reasons. One, well, they are the only undefeated team left (162-0, baby!...oh, yeah, right). But more importantly, compared to last year's DISMAL start, this is positively amazing.
The funny part about this blog is that I've meant it to be a writing exercise. I wanted to try and write something every day, or at the very least every other day, in order to not lose touch with that side of me. But the last few mornings, I haven't had much, and in fact I've been positively empty. Yet this morning I'm full...well, maybe not full...not quite even half full, but I do feel the need to write something today. It's kinda like being in an exercise routine, and then you have to tak
This little ash-burst in Iceland has got some people in paranoid moods of late. Oh, I don't mean those who are traveling--honestly, if I was one of them, I don't quite know what I would do, and as I see it they have every reason to be pulling their hair out. No, I'm referring to the enviro-tards who scream at anyone who even has the audacity to place their plastic cup in the regular trash, instead of bringing it home and put in the recycle bin. Some of the people who take up the same general
I had a confirmation of an epiphany yesterday. It was a revelation of something that I deeply suspected, but had been afraid to act upon for some time, and in truth I should have just bucked up and taken the reins and confronted this truth.
Ladies and gentlemen, I like salmon.
Trust me, this is a shock. For years and years, the only way I liked salmon was as sashimi...since raw salmon didn't have that pungent olor that put me off. And I do love other types of fleshy fish...everything
Saturday morning, 6:40. The feline alarm clock is sounding...creeping up on me like those first few rays at dawn, and then full on. RARRARRARRARRARRARRARRARRARRAR You'd think her food bowl was empty. Oh, right, it is.
Eh, I was due to be up at 7 anyway.
I find myself at peace this morning. Quiet. Calm. I have some potential new clients to see this morning, a coffee date in the afternoon, and who knows what tonight. I have more work to do this weekend than I know what to do with
Well, one massive undertaking has been finished. I just went through all of the pictures I took in Rome. 3 days (well, 2 1/2 really), and over 500 pictures. Yikes. Ya think I was camera happy?
In all honesty, I did a lot in those 3 days. And, yes, I do wish I had more time to truly explore the museums, the hidden gems and the real essence of the Eternal City, I know that I made the most of my time there. (And, yes, I'm jealous of my parents, who tomorrow return home after a full week i
