How many students will try to fool the professor...update at 11. (AM...Pacific Daylight Time)
The experiment ended early...I'm off coffee again. Yesterday I didn't feel like coffee, considering that the day before my tongue was slightly swollen all day and I felt a hair jittery. I know there's a bit of caffeine in decaffeinated coffee, but clearly 3 days in a row my body was saying "basta!" So yesterday I went back to milk, this morning it's red rooibos chai tea. This is something that
Today is the beginning of...well, it's Spring Break for me, nothing huge. But it's still a bit of vacation time. There are no major plans this year, as the budget and smaller income has reduced my options. But at the very least I hope to go into San Francisco a few times and really enjoy myself. Among the activities:
--Going to the De Young Museum at the very least, as they have a King Tut exhibition that is supposed to be pretty good. Besides, I haven't gone there since they reopened a
I have no idea why, but lately I've had a string of dreams involving my ex. Each time the dream starts out the same, but always takes a different turn. Sometimes it's a good turn, sometimes it's a worrisome one, but always ending right at the time my alarm goes off. Dammit, I never get resolution.
So yesterday I decided that this had to be some omen that something was wrong with him, and set about texting him quickly. I would have called, but I know that he usually is at work, and since
Today's Yahoo! Horoscope gave me a big chuckle:
I love the possibly disconnected and definitely disjointed comments. The plans for the day are to go for a bike ride, have lunch with a good friend, teach a private class, and then relax. That's it. Maybe there's something else in the offing that will be fortuitous. Or not. Spending money isn't much of an issue right now...I have none to spend, so it's not much that I have to worry about. Eh, we shall see.
I'm an optimist who hates to lose. It might not sounds complementary, but it's true. I despise losing, and I become severely put-off when I come across a situation that stymies me completely. And that's the key here--if I can find a glimmer of positivity, then I don't feel like I've totally lost. I can get over the temporary set back, as long as I know that I can still see an avenue to get what I want. I can will myself through the toughest of times, provided that I can see that light at th
What a very weird night of sleep. Usually I'm one to conk out at whatever hour, sleep the entire night without much bother...in fact, I've been told that I more-or-less find one position and stay there for most all of the night. But last night...ugh. A night full of the oddest visions, scenes and sounds, ranging on various topics, and I'm still up at 7:30 in the morning.
One dream had me going crazy, literally. And I knew what I was doing, too...so I go to talk to my ex, who is a psych
Last night was the first time this year that I slept with the window cracked. Wow, I forgot how great that is. Oh, I perhaps could have done it earlier in the year, but I've opted not to, and instead kept the apartment a bit warmer. I tend to favor warm places in general, which is probably why I like some aspects of the South Bay. It's about 10 degrees (that's Fahrenheit) warmer in San Jos
It's award season in academia...as the semester winds down, it's time to honor those whose work and effort did not go unnoticed. We have a 'power couple' as I like to call them, a duo who emigrated here from Mexico together, who study together, who will graduate together, who will transfer to a 4-year college together. Oh, and who rock. Check this out:
Aldo and Violeta win the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship
What the clip didn't mention is that this is the second year in a row that Ca
Mondays are a different schedule than most. While I'm at home all day, I'm working--it's my day to do anything creative for whichever project needs the most attention, I have online office hours, and tonight I start up a private tutoring for a colleague's son. (Which reminds me, I need to create a document to tabulate the hours and invoice...crap, one more thing to do...)
This morning started out at 7...well, to be honest, it started out earlier, as Bella decided that she wanted me up and
Gotta love springtime here in NorCal. Warm, but not hot...until that semi-random storm comes racing in. The last couple of weeks have been glorious, outside of Tuesday and Wednesday--those days seem to be reserved for stormy weather. It's all rather confusing, really. I would love to go for a bike ride, but I'm going to chicken out and instead do some much needed yoga indoors. And poor, poor Bella...she's not happy with me at all. All she sees right now is sunshine, blue skies and birdies
Still waters run deep. I know this to be true, and while creating and maintaining conversation is a skill of mine, it is equally true that not everyone is good at this skill.
Lately I've been on the dating circuit, and have met a wide array of interesting chaps. Some have been quite conversant, but there has been a gnawing at my viscera that something's not quite right with them...and I've learned the hard way to listen to my viscera on such matters. Some have been, well, perhaps overly r
(Ok, so that''s a song lyric, and not a song title...it's appropriate, dammit...)
Friday was a huge and emotional day, for many reasons. Yes, I did go to the Honors and Transfer Ceremony, which was this fulfilling experience as an educator and as a member of the campus community. We have 10,000 students at my college, which is a small number for a community college, but the number of students who have finished their certificates or associate's degrees and who are transferring is large. An
Been a while, I know. The end of the semester usually gets a bit rough. In this case, perhaps all the moreso because of the upcoming trip to the motherland. There seems to be an unending amount of things to get done beforehand, so that when I come back I'm not bombarded with a myriad of items requiring my attention. It's bad enough that when I come back, I'll have about 3 weeks to get everything settled for my move.
I have been reminded that I am honor-bound and duty-driven to come up with
Yeah, I know, two entries in one day. Whoda thunk it? The truth is that today was a day of various inspirational elements, and I find myself at 11pm at night needing to write. So here I am.
It was relatively a good day. But weird in the evening. There was a party; my upstairs neighbor Hank decided to have a shindig, complete with live band. A damned good one: the Roger Steen Band, in which Hank is the bassist. They practice in the studio on the property, and while I'm very thankful wh
I just updated my FaceBook status to: Domani!! Domani!!!
Translation: Tomorrow!! Tomorrow!!!
Yes, tomorrow's the big day. I've been working on the list of things to pack. Today I have a couple of appointments, then it's laundry and cleaning the apartment. I haven't decided for sure, but I still have some stuff for a light dinner tonight. Then...the big day!
Tomorrow's shaping up to be a very long day...about a 36 hour day. In the morning I need to pack (unless I do it tonight
12 hours from now. 12 hours from right now, the plane'll be taxing the runway at San Francisco International Airport, on its way to Zurich. Then a 90 minute layover, and onto Roma.
Holy crap. I'm finally going 'home'.
Ok, let's be clear...I've never been to Italy. Not only is this my first trip there, my mother's family hasn't been back there since we left 100 years ago--with the sole exception of my great-uncle and his wife going back in the mid-80s. My parents are there for a mont
Well, I'm here, it's really day 2 for me in the Eternal City. Yesterday was spent at the heart of Ancient Rome, so to speak: the Palantine Hill ruins, including the Forum and Trajan's Market, the Capolitine, and all that I could get. I took almost 200 pictures yesterday...not bad. I'm definitely doing this on the cheap, so sadly no museums...I have to save most of my money for Tuscany, which starts tomorrow.
Today I'm off to the Vatican and the Pantheon...must really get my religious aspe
Heh here I am, at the airport in Rome. It's 10pm local. I couldn't get a hotel room near the aiport for the night, and since my flight out is bright and early, I'll just sleep here. Oh, I've done it before, with more luggage than what I have now. And while I had talked people into thinking that I was very comfortable with this, the truth is that I'm only relatively comfortable with this. In some way, I hope that a repeat of 2003 doesn't happen.
**flashing back to 31 July 2003**
I ha
Well, a week (almost) being home, and I'm about halfway done with the pictures. This is taking a while...mostly because I have things to do this week and don't have as much time as I thought to go through them. But it's getting done, bit by bit.
World Cup has been incredibly interesting to me, now that I can finally watch it. I think the winner of Germany/Argentina has the tournament, but that's just my 2 cents. I can't wait to see that match! Should be amazing, if nothing else than to
What is the latest issue to boil under the skin of educators and universities in this country? This week the focus seems to be on the use of technology in the university. This morning I read in my paper online (of course) that a major research university wishes to fully explore online education. Then I go to my mailbox and in the alumni association's magazine there is an article on e-textbooks.
I originally started writing this blog entry, and got really, really, really d
Well, it took 3 weeks, but I finished the Italy album. Every picture I took (which is over 900) has been worked on, identified, named, uploaded and then re-organized and labeled. A lot of work...but the end result is a wonderful collection of memories. I still need to get a few pictures from my parents, which I'll get in a couple of weeks. If you wish to check it out, click here, and use the side bar on the left to go to the various sub-albums. Hope you enjoy them.
Part of what took so
In three weeks time, I'll be waking up after my first night in my new apartment. And I mean really new...they're putting the finishing touches on the construction now. The anticipation is nearly killing me, but the next 3 weeks will be full of organization, happiness, and logistics. I've already booked my upstairs neighbor to help me move--he's got a big truck, a fairly large trailer, and does this for one of his side jobs--and given notice to my landlord. Of course, it's been sitting here,
Well now, this weekend has so far been full of frivolity. Ok, that's getting carried away a bit. But I actually have had a weekend thus far where I could just simply relax. Of course, there was a reason behind it...always is.
Friday night my upstairs neighbor Hank wanted someone to drink with, so I obliged. We each consumed quite a bit of wine...in fact, it led to a very rough night. So yesterday, while I wasn't hungover, I definitely didn't have the normal unbounded energy that is typi
First, an apology to all 'true' Clapton fans...I know that isn't one of his best songs, and unlike when I usually type out this blog, I'm not even listening to the song on iTunes or in my head. In fact, I don't really like the song. But the title is just so appropriate.
Yesterday I went to sign the lease for the new apartment. Oh how the cherubs in heaven sang! I keep telling myself, 8 more days and I'll be on my way to the apartment that I've wanted for quite some time. Not just new,
