Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Coming down to the wire
My original defense date was yesterday. I am not done writing and revising. J is pissed. I am pissed at me too. The next date should be in May or June. Writing is still happening, and the chapters keep growing. I have all my chapters at least started and need to finish up a few, then finish the intro and summary chapter then the abstract. So that's why I haven't been posting much and certainly nothing of interest.
While riding my bike I have been collecting the reflectors off the street that the snow plow scraped off (I think). I need to ask the city if they can be reused and I plan to pluck out the reflectors from the broken ones and put them on my bike. I also came up with the idea (once I graduate) to write a grant for an educational bicycle from which I can pick up trash and teach people about not littering, recycling and getting outdoors to interact with nature instead of viewing it as their trash can. I would like to have a flat screen on the bike but I just remembered those things are wicked heavy so maybe a scrolling LED marquee or something. This idea came to me while cycling in the rain and wanting some extra light while I stopped to pick up litter and also to remind people to not litter.
I'm on Twitter now, same user name as the my blog URL. I don't "tweet" much but plan to in the future. I think I'm up to 6 followers who are either racing friends, blog friends (ESC, Sloth, Evil Julie) and my Congressman, which is pretty sweet I think.
I voted for Clemson City Council today and hopefully we can get someone on there who recognizes that sprawling student housing is not the answer. I think Christy Medeiros is that person.
While riding my bike I have been collecting the reflectors off the street that the snow plow scraped off (I think). I need to ask the city if they can be reused and I plan to pluck out the reflectors from the broken ones and put them on my bike. I also came up with the idea (once I graduate) to write a grant for an educational bicycle from which I can pick up trash and teach people about not littering, recycling and getting outdoors to interact with nature instead of viewing it as their trash can. I would like to have a flat screen on the bike but I just remembered those things are wicked heavy so maybe a scrolling LED marquee or something. This idea came to me while cycling in the rain and wanting some extra light while I stopped to pick up litter and also to remind people to not litter.
I'm on Twitter now, same user name as the my blog URL. I don't "tweet" much but plan to in the future. I think I'm up to 6 followers who are either racing friends, blog friends (ESC, Sloth, Evil Julie) and my Congressman, which is pretty sweet I think.
I voted for Clemson City Council today and hopefully we can get someone on there who recognizes that sprawling student housing is not the answer. I think Christy Medeiros is that person.
Labels: bicycle, business idea, Clemson, environment, litter, writing
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Why must I be a teenager in love
As Lenny and Karl would say, why don't they make any more oldies? I of course was raised listening to the golden oldies. It's just such a toe tapping good time and most of it is happy and upbeat. I still remember some tape we bought for around a buck at a gas station for filling up; we listened to that tape like it was going out of style.
I haven't been posting too much because of writing and work mostly. No internet at home really hurts too.
Our heat doesn't work really well; it just spits out lukewarm air and that coupled with our barely insulated house (you can see light coming through our front door, I wish I was kidding) means that we spent $94 on power last month. Since J is in Orlando, I have taken it as a challenge to see if I can get that down. I now see the benefit of a programmable thermostat. I would love for the "heat" to come on around 7 am or so and start to defrost the house but since we have an old school one, I came down stairs (after putting on double layers) to a chilly 47 degrees F. Yikes. Good thing the cats have those warm fur coats. Also the Clemson Snowfall of '09 ripped half our gutter off (which hasn't been cleaned in 1.5 years, at least), and that combined with the termites in the crawl space, the upstairs toilet that needs a minor overhaul, makes me glad I don't own this place and can just walk away without dealing with realtors and buyers. Plus they may or may not be building a new strip mall/Publix across the street from us, so it's a good time to GTFO!
Biking to work was nice this morning. I need to time how long it takes to load up the bike once I get an actual job and have to be there on time. The high is supposed to be 62 today and the weekend should be even warmer. I can't wait. J is driving me crazy telling me how nice the weather is in Florida. Although she did miss the snow and since we live in the South, we actually enjoy and appreciate the snow instead of cursing it with every breath like people in, um, Buffalo.
Get back to work! *whip crack*
I haven't been posting too much because of writing and work mostly. No internet at home really hurts too.
Our heat doesn't work really well; it just spits out lukewarm air and that coupled with our barely insulated house (you can see light coming through our front door, I wish I was kidding) means that we spent $94 on power last month. Since J is in Orlando, I have taken it as a challenge to see if I can get that down. I now see the benefit of a programmable thermostat. I would love for the "heat" to come on around 7 am or so and start to defrost the house but since we have an old school one, I came down stairs (after putting on double layers) to a chilly 47 degrees F. Yikes. Good thing the cats have those warm fur coats. Also the Clemson Snowfall of '09 ripped half our gutter off (which hasn't been cleaned in 1.5 years, at least), and that combined with the termites in the crawl space, the upstairs toilet that needs a minor overhaul, makes me glad I don't own this place and can just walk away without dealing with realtors and buyers. Plus they may or may not be building a new strip mall/Publix across the street from us, so it's a good time to GTFO!
Biking to work was nice this morning. I need to time how long it takes to load up the bike once I get an actual job and have to be there on time. The high is supposed to be 62 today and the weekend should be even warmer. I can't wait. J is driving me crazy telling me how nice the weather is in Florida. Although she did miss the snow and since we live in the South, we actually enjoy and appreciate the snow instead of cursing it with every breath like people in, um, Buffalo.
Get back to work! *whip crack*
Labels: bicycle, Clemson, J, Orlando, snow, The Simpsons, writing
Monday, March 02, 2009
Snow Day!
I don't have any pictures up, but Clemson got their Snow Day! My grandmother (who lives in Northern Alabama) called around 3 pm on Sunday just to chat and asked if we had any snowfall. Nope, but it was good talking to her and catching up. Then around 5:30 I noticed the rain (which is sorely needed and had been going since Saturday) looked bigger. Then it switched to lovely snowflakes and snowed for about 4 hours. I went outside, played around, made the beginning of a snowman, quit and went back inside. Then it snowed again for a couple hours which means the SouthEast is closed. Most of the roads are clearish so even though Clemson University is closed, the infamous Governor Mark Sanford, is forcing offices to open at 1 even though classes are canceled.
Bicycling in the snow was a pretty cool experience. I threw on my waterproof pants, threw the laptop in my waterproof bag and headed out. Luckily my bike was stashed behind our house at our neighbor's apartment complex, so I didn't have to venture down our big hill. I rode to Blockbuster to return some of J's Grey's Anatomies, then rode to school, stopping to watch the sledders enjoying Kite Hill. Today I was certainly glad I still had my knobby mountain bike tires. The snow and slush proved no match. The only nasty parts were the iced over chunks of snow, but that's true of most vehicles.
I think I'm ready. I've cold biked, cold/rainy biked, and now snow biked. I think I'm ready for some bike commuting when we move to Denver (or wherever we wind up after Clemson).
Bicycling in the snow was a pretty cool experience. I threw on my waterproof pants, threw the laptop in my waterproof bag and headed out. Luckily my bike was stashed behind our house at our neighbor's apartment complex, so I didn't have to venture down our big hill. I rode to Blockbuster to return some of J's Grey's Anatomies, then rode to school, stopping to watch the sledders enjoying Kite Hill. Today I was certainly glad I still had my knobby mountain bike tires. The snow and slush proved no match. The only nasty parts were the iced over chunks of snow, but that's true of most vehicles.
I think I'm ready. I've cold biked, cold/rainy biked, and now snow biked. I think I'm ready for some bike commuting when we move to Denver (or wherever we wind up after Clemson).
Labels: bicycle, Clemson, snow
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Like a bolt in the night
J up and left me. Don't worry; she has a return ticket. She flew home for several weeks for vacation and to help her folks straighten up the house. Yesterday she tackled their back porch which was a tool storage area since the floor remodel 2 years ago. I think the garage is slated for this weekend. She may or may not bring her bike back.
What is the protocol for abandoned bikes? There is one on campus that I park next to that has been there at least a month. The chain is rusted, the lock may or may not have been locked at one point but has now come loose. I think it's abandoned but want to be a bike rescuer and not a bike stealer.
But more importantly than that, J's time away from the house is supposed to give me less distractions so I can write. So far it's worked pretty well although the cats are making up for her distractions by being extra cat-tastic. It's going to be a nice one today in the mid 60s. Yesterday it was in the lower 50s and you could see people trying to force Spring to come early. I saw a guy running in just shorts and people laying out. Bunch of crazies, it isn't even March!
Also the Clemson men's basketball team lost a heartbreaker to the Virginia Tech Hokies last night. We have 3 more games until the ACC tournament and hopefully we'll have a rematch against UNC for the ACC title! Bring it Tar Heels!
What is the protocol for abandoned bikes? There is one on campus that I park next to that has been there at least a month. The chain is rusted, the lock may or may not have been locked at one point but has now come loose. I think it's abandoned but want to be a bike rescuer and not a bike stealer.
But more importantly than that, J's time away from the house is supposed to give me less distractions so I can write. So far it's worked pretty well although the cats are making up for her distractions by being extra cat-tastic. It's going to be a nice one today in the mid 60s. Yesterday it was in the lower 50s and you could see people trying to force Spring to come early. I saw a guy running in just shorts and people laying out. Bunch of crazies, it isn't even March!
Also the Clemson men's basketball team lost a heartbreaker to the Virginia Tech Hokies last night. We have 3 more games until the ACC tournament and hopefully we'll have a rematch against UNC for the ACC title! Bring it Tar Heels!
Labels: bicycle, cats, Clemson, J, Orlando, writing
Thursday, February 05, 2009
How 'bout them Tigers?!?!?!
The Clemson Tigers men's basketball team last night put a 27 point shellacking on the Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team. Duke was #3 in the nation and we were #10. We improve to 19 wins and 2 losses (Wake Forest and North Carolina) and take over second in the ACC.
The rest of the season should be exciting and hopefully we can do well in the ACC tournament and then in the NCAA tournament in March.
Since we don't have TV anymore, we heard about the score via Facebook and then from my co-workers.
Writing is still coming along. We're entering hardcore time. I'll keep you posted.
J is tasked with finding me a job and also increasing my professional online status. I just googled myself (eeewwww) and cleaned up a link or two. My technorati profile had my full real name along side my screen name. It's like that a few other places but you would have to click on them to figure it out instead of being right there in the search results like the technorati link was. I also need to professional up this place. I'll leave the NORML links because I believe in that cause and honestly think it would help with the current state of our economy, it would also cut down on the war just across the border in Mexico. Check out the NYTimes article if you haven't heard about the bodies piling up on account of our ineffective drug policy.
The rest of the season should be exciting and hopefully we can do well in the ACC tournament and then in the NCAA tournament in March.
Since we don't have TV anymore, we heard about the score via Facebook and then from my co-workers.
Writing is still coming along. We're entering hardcore time. I'll keep you posted.
J is tasked with finding me a job and also increasing my professional online status. I just googled myself (eeewwww) and cleaned up a link or two. My technorati profile had my full real name along side my screen name. It's like that a few other places but you would have to click on them to figure it out instead of being right there in the search results like the technorati link was. I also need to professional up this place. I'll leave the NORML links because I believe in that cause and honestly think it would help with the current state of our economy, it would also cut down on the war just across the border in Mexico. Check out the NYTimes article if you haven't heard about the bodies piling up on account of our ineffective drug policy.
Labels: Clemson, medicinal marijuana, writing
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Use your imagination for the "After" pic
Yes I shaved. Yes pictures were taken but I forgot an "after". Not that that one is hard to get since "after" also happens to be "right now".
Getting food and beverages stuck in the stache is not missed, but I do miss playing with it and waxing it up in the morning. And the general nostalgic feeling I got from seeing that handlebar in the mirror. The few disadvantages are absolutely worth it. Do it. Grow a mustache, a stache, a mo. Especially if you've never tried. Trim it only a tad for a month or 2. I think it was around month 3 where it really started curling and coming in to its own. If you can't grow a handlebar, don't worry. There's lots of different types.
J and I went to the Clemson/Alabama men's basketball game last night. Clemson is now 15-0 and one of the few remaining undefeated teams left. The real conference challenges are still coming though.
Without further adieu:
Before
Before
Before
During
You can hold up a finger over the half-stache to get the after. My idea was to go as a half-man/half-woman with a half-stache for Halloween. Sew together a suit and dress, stick on half a wig, but it didn't happen. It's still a good idea.
Also, you view larger photos right here.
Getting food and beverages stuck in the stache is not missed, but I do miss playing with it and waxing it up in the morning. And the general nostalgic feeling I got from seeing that handlebar in the mirror. The few disadvantages are absolutely worth it. Do it. Grow a mustache, a stache, a mo. Especially if you've never tried. Trim it only a tad for a month or 2. I think it was around month 3 where it really started curling and coming in to its own. If you can't grow a handlebar, don't worry. There's lots of different types.
J and I went to the Clemson/Alabama men's basketball game last night. Clemson is now 15-0 and one of the few remaining undefeated teams left. The real conference challenges are still coming though.
Without further adieu:
Before
Before
Before
During
You can hold up a finger over the half-stache to get the after. My idea was to go as a half-man/half-woman with a half-stache for Halloween. Sew together a suit and dress, stick on half a wig, but it didn't happen. It's still a good idea.
Also, you view larger photos right here.
Friday, November 21, 2008
My brain goo is comin' out all artistical thanks to you!
-Moe when Lisa arranges his post-it note snippets into a poem from the Moe 'N'a-Lisa episode of the Simpsons
The 3rd Triple Threat Challenge happened again today. For the past two occurrences please go here and here. The Fernow cheerleader is plying all those standing in line to try the Triple Threat; a small tower of a burger at 3 patties and 3 bun pieces. I went simple although the guy in front of me upped the ante with bacon, but I knew to enter drawing for the $50 gift card, you only had to finish the basic burger, no bonus points for getting fancy. Meat, cheese, buns, ketchup and mustard. Before I tucked in for the eating, I got a couple extra ketchups and a BBQ sauce. The condiments really help it go down and cover the forcefed saturated fat laden beef I would be eating. Yet again, splitting it up into a open-faced single patty and a full double burger worked like a charm. I checked out about the same time as another competitor and was done by the time he was halfway through because I wasn't stretching my jaw with every bite. My friends estimated about 6 minutes. Sounds about right; it didn't stand a chance.
The Triple Threat is a big burger if you hadn't ever heard of a 20x20 at In'n'Out burger or the other massive burgers out there (like Denny's Beer Barrel Pub SIX pound burger).
The 3rd Triple Threat Challenge happened again today. For the past two occurrences please go here and here. The Fernow cheerleader is plying all those standing in line to try the Triple Threat; a small tower of a burger at 3 patties and 3 bun pieces. I went simple although the guy in front of me upped the ante with bacon, but I knew to enter drawing for the $50 gift card, you only had to finish the basic burger, no bonus points for getting fancy. Meat, cheese, buns, ketchup and mustard. Before I tucked in for the eating, I got a couple extra ketchups and a BBQ sauce. The condiments really help it go down and cover the forcefed saturated fat laden beef I would be eating. Yet again, splitting it up into a open-faced single patty and a full double burger worked like a charm. I checked out about the same time as another competitor and was done by the time he was halfway through because I wasn't stretching my jaw with every bite. My friends estimated about 6 minutes. Sounds about right; it didn't stand a chance.
The Triple Threat is a big burger if you hadn't ever heard of a 20x20 at In'n'Out burger or the other massive burgers out there (like Denny's Beer Barrel Pub SIX pound burger).
Labels: Clemson, competitive eating, Fernow, The Simpsons, Triple Threat
Friday, October 10, 2008
Are you threatening me?
Ugh. I just read that Montreal and the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve lost their Formula 1 race for 2009 which means no F1 in North America! Boooooo! For those keeping score, now the only worldwide top tier FIA series that races here is the World Rally Championship who races down in Mexico. So now the closest F1 race is...Brazil? Spain?
I saw GayWheels.com (via Jalopnik.com) came out with their "Top 10 Most Researched Vehicles - 3rd Quarter 2008". I went over their 2nd quarter list here. So let's compare and highlight any movement.
1-4) VW Rabbit and Eos, Mazda MX-5 Miata and Audi A3, all unchanged and still awesome (except for the Eos which is not designed for nor marketed towards my demographic).
The #5 Toyota Yaris dropped a few spots but the hatchback is still an unstoppable choice. (I truly loathe the sedan version; it's just so dull and uninspiring) I saw a blue hatchback yesterday that almost brought a tear to my eye. Also I would demand a manual transmission so I could keep the 1.6 Liter engine revved to where I want.
6-7) Saab 9-3, Dodge Caliber, Volvo C30 - The C30 is a very well made and designed smallish hatchback and between Smoove D and I we have seen a total of 2 of them on the road, so if you're looking for exclusivity, look no further than the C30.
8) Smart Fortwo! Hooray for Smart cars! Designed and made by Mercedes but marketed under the Smart brand. It's a 2 seater "city car" designed for shorter commutes although one did compete in One Lap of America this year. Obviously it gets great gas mileage with its 3 cylinder engine and is wicked easy to park. Also starts right at $12,000.
9) Tie for Toyota Matrix and Mini Cooper - I'm pretty sure I've professed my love for all things Mini before so I'll let Mini's amazing website speak for itself.
10) Maserati Gran Turismo! Damn! I guess this economic crisis isn't hitting everyone. And what a wonderful way to show it! Designed and owned by Ferrari with Ferrari engines but without the Ferrari pricetag! ($200,000+) The Gran Turismo is their grand touring 2 door coupe and starts at $110,000. Highly customizable for the discerning eye and the traditional gaping Maserati grille set this car apart from the industrial BMWs and Mercedes. If you have the means, I highly recommend you pick one up.
Maserati's Gran Turismo website (with video so turn your speakers down if you're at work)
The Clemson Tigers lost to Wake Forest last night so all hopes of a decent bowl game and ACC championship are now completely gone and everyone is calling for the coach's head.
Also let's introduce some "new to you" characters. There is Yaris (co-worker) and Hyundai (another co-worker). So Yaris made some cool crystals that jump when they're near a magnet. She was playing with them and Hyundai's wife said they reminded her of the toy where you could move the metal shavings around a bald guy's head and give him hair. I also remembered that, mostly because I could never get him to look like any of the suggestion pictures, but neither of us could remember the name of it. Google hooks us up with Wooly Willy Magnetic Face! Then we talked about other games we played on road trips. The Alphabet Game and the State License Plate Game were played by most. Then I found a Jalopnik post posing the same question "How Did You Survive Long Childhood Road Trips?" My brother and I played those and also had the travel checkers (magnetic and small), books, staring out the window, sleeping and those electronic handheld games (not Gameboy or Sega Game Gear, the cheap ones from Radio Shack and Wal-Mart). My favorite was our trip from The 'Ham to Seattle in my mom's full size van. Dad hooked us up with a TV and VCR that plugged into the car. Those 3 days on the road just flew by. Now I feel sorry for Mom and Dad having to do all that driving but at least they didn't have to break up any fights. Another "game" I played was imagining that I had a sword or laser and would chop everything that our car passed in half. Telephone poles, houses, billboards, trees, nothing was spared the wrath of my mind sword as I left a path of destruction in my wake! I don't think I had an evil intent and probably wouldn't have done it if I had really had a laser sword aka light saber.
Enjoy your weekend and remember since the F1 race is in Japan, live coverage starts late night. Practice aired at 1 am on Speed last night and I think the race starts at 12:30 am on Saturday (technically Sunday) on Speed.
I saw GayWheels.com (via Jalopnik.com) came out with their "Top 10 Most Researched Vehicles - 3rd Quarter 2008". I went over their 2nd quarter list here. So let's compare and highlight any movement.
1-4) VW Rabbit and Eos, Mazda MX-5 Miata and Audi A3, all unchanged and still awesome (except for the Eos which is not designed for nor marketed towards my demographic).
The #5 Toyota Yaris dropped a few spots but the hatchback is still an unstoppable choice. (I truly loathe the sedan version; it's just so dull and uninspiring) I saw a blue hatchback yesterday that almost brought a tear to my eye. Also I would demand a manual transmission so I could keep the 1.6 Liter engine revved to where I want.
6-7) Saab 9-3, Dodge Caliber, Volvo C30 - The C30 is a very well made and designed smallish hatchback and between Smoove D and I we have seen a total of 2 of them on the road, so if you're looking for exclusivity, look no further than the C30.
8) Smart Fortwo! Hooray for Smart cars! Designed and made by Mercedes but marketed under the Smart brand. It's a 2 seater "city car" designed for shorter commutes although one did compete in One Lap of America this year. Obviously it gets great gas mileage with its 3 cylinder engine and is wicked easy to park. Also starts right at $12,000.
9) Tie for Toyota Matrix and Mini Cooper - I'm pretty sure I've professed my love for all things Mini before so I'll let Mini's amazing website speak for itself.
10) Maserati Gran Turismo! Damn! I guess this economic crisis isn't hitting everyone. And what a wonderful way to show it! Designed and owned by Ferrari with Ferrari engines but without the Ferrari pricetag! ($200,000+) The Gran Turismo is their grand touring 2 door coupe and starts at $110,000. Highly customizable for the discerning eye and the traditional gaping Maserati grille set this car apart from the industrial BMWs and Mercedes. If you have the means, I highly recommend you pick one up.
Maserati's Gran Turismo website (with video so turn your speakers down if you're at work)
The Clemson Tigers lost to Wake Forest last night so all hopes of a decent bowl game and ACC championship are now completely gone and everyone is calling for the coach's head.
Also let's introduce some "new to you" characters. There is Yaris (co-worker) and Hyundai (another co-worker). So Yaris made some cool crystals that jump when they're near a magnet. She was playing with them and Hyundai's wife said they reminded her of the toy where you could move the metal shavings around a bald guy's head and give him hair. I also remembered that, mostly because I could never get him to look like any of the suggestion pictures, but neither of us could remember the name of it. Google hooks us up with Wooly Willy Magnetic Face! Then we talked about other games we played on road trips. The Alphabet Game and the State License Plate Game were played by most. Then I found a Jalopnik post posing the same question "How Did You Survive Long Childhood Road Trips?" My brother and I played those and also had the travel checkers (magnetic and small), books, staring out the window, sleeping and those electronic handheld games (not Gameboy or Sega Game Gear, the cheap ones from Radio Shack and Wal-Mart). My favorite was our trip from The 'Ham to Seattle in my mom's full size van. Dad hooked us up with a TV and VCR that plugged into the car. Those 3 days on the road just flew by. Now I feel sorry for Mom and Dad having to do all that driving but at least they didn't have to break up any fights. Another "game" I played was imagining that I had a sword or laser and would chop everything that our car passed in half. Telephone poles, houses, billboards, trees, nothing was spared the wrath of my mind sword as I left a path of destruction in my wake! I don't think I had an evil intent and probably wouldn't have done it if I had really had a laser sword aka light saber.
Enjoy your weekend and remember since the F1 race is in Japan, live coverage starts late night. Practice aired at 1 am on Speed last night and I think the race starts at 12:30 am on Saturday (technically Sunday) on Speed.
Labels: cars, Clemson, F1, GLBT, story
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Nine Fitty
Inching closer and closer to the thousand post mark.
Excellent guess! Why yes I am writing and working on a Saturday! Guess what? I'll be doing much the same tomorrow! After a mildly writing summer, I can feel the crunch of that very early Dec. defense deadline and throw Thanksgiving in, and that's even less time to schedule meetings and defenses. Because trust me, the next two-three months are going to fly by and if I don't stay on top of everything, it'll be next May and a solid 8 years in grad school Yikes! 7.5 is plenty for me and waaaaay more than enough for J. (Not that it would be the end of the world, but I would much rather get it out of the way before ChrismaHannuKwaazika)
In the background is one of the many college footballs that will be dominating TVs from now till January. It is no secret that I love college football. The athletes aren't paid (much), the fans are crazy and mostly drunk, the coaches are ballsy and it's why universities exist. (You didn't think it was for academics did you? We bring in a few million in grant money but athletics bring in the big money.)
Yes there is big talk about Clemson winning the ACC, but if they win the ACC and then graduate a wonderful, well-spoken, well-written, mustachioed chemistry PhD? All the better! The Clemson Tigers' first challenge is against the Alabama Crimson Tide (Roll Tide Roll, and don't ask me what a crimson tide is, yes I know I'm from Alabama but I've never been able to figure it out) at the Georgia Dome tonight at 8 pm Eastern.
I won't have as much time this semester, but I expect to make a few of the Clemson Tiger Men's soccer team home games. (I will not be tailgating for football games until I'm done writing; besides, it's too damn hot to drink outside in Sept. anyway!) Their first official home game is on Monday, Sept. 1st against Georgia Southern, I think. That is also the day I give group meeting (which I'm also working on this weekend) and it's also the day I turn 29! Holy crap! I'll repeat that:
MY 29TH BIRTHDAY IS ON MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1ST! Woohoo! Of course the university is open on Labor Day, so I'll be working for most of it while J sleeps at home.
Also, my 4th blogiversary went by unnoticed by everyone including me on July 13th.
In other blog news, I purchased a copy (via Amazon) of both Bouncer Rob's book, of Standing on the Box, and The Waiter's book, of Waiter Rant. I haven't read either one yet, but I will after I'm done writing and gradamating.
Enjoy the rest of your Saturday and cheer for the Clemson Tigers tonight at 8 Eastern, 7 Central, 6 Mountain and 5 Pacific!
Excellent guess! Why yes I am writing and working on a Saturday! Guess what? I'll be doing much the same tomorrow! After a mildly writing summer, I can feel the crunch of that very early Dec. defense deadline and throw Thanksgiving in, and that's even less time to schedule meetings and defenses. Because trust me, the next two-three months are going to fly by and if I don't stay on top of everything, it'll be next May and a solid 8 years in grad school Yikes! 7.5 is plenty for me and waaaaay more than enough for J. (Not that it would be the end of the world, but I would much rather get it out of the way before ChrismaHannuKwaazika)
In the background is one of the many college footballs that will be dominating TVs from now till January. It is no secret that I love college football. The athletes aren't paid (much), the fans are crazy and mostly drunk, the coaches are ballsy and it's why universities exist. (You didn't think it was for academics did you? We bring in a few million in grant money but athletics bring in the big money.)
Yes there is big talk about Clemson winning the ACC, but if they win the ACC and then graduate a wonderful, well-spoken, well-written, mustachioed chemistry PhD? All the better! The Clemson Tigers' first challenge is against the Alabama Crimson Tide (Roll Tide Roll, and don't ask me what a crimson tide is, yes I know I'm from Alabama but I've never been able to figure it out) at the Georgia Dome tonight at 8 pm Eastern.
I won't have as much time this semester, but I expect to make a few of the Clemson Tiger Men's soccer team home games. (I will not be tailgating for football games until I'm done writing; besides, it's too damn hot to drink outside in Sept. anyway!) Their first official home game is on Monday, Sept. 1st against Georgia Southern, I think. That is also the day I give group meeting (which I'm also working on this weekend) and it's also the day I turn 29! Holy crap! I'll repeat that:
MY 29TH BIRTHDAY IS ON MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1ST! Woohoo! Of course the university is open on Labor Day, so I'll be working for most of it while J sleeps at home.
Also, my 4th blogiversary went by unnoticed by everyone including me on July 13th.
In other blog news, I purchased a copy (via Amazon) of both Bouncer Rob's book, of Standing on the Box, and The Waiter's book, of Waiter Rant. I haven't read either one yet, but I will after I'm done writing and gradamating.
Enjoy the rest of your Saturday and cheer for the Clemson Tigers tonight at 8 Eastern, 7 Central, 6 Mountain and 5 Pacific!
Labels: book, Clemson, football, soccer, weekend, writing
Monday, November 26, 2007
Blame Canada!
I rewatched the South Park movie over Thanksgiving break. Such a great movie and I still can't believe they got to sing "Uncle Fucker" during the Oscars. Nice work Matt and Trey!
I did get some work done but not much from here. It's nice working at home although the cats do get a bit annoying.
We worked concessions and J and I sold popcorn to people who hadn't eaten beforehand or feel its their duty to support Clemson by supporting Aramark and its overpriced food. 20 ounces of bottled soda is now $3.50 at all Clemson sporting events. Yikes. Thank Yahweh I haven't been to a professional sporting event recently cuz I really don't want to know what Aramark charges those poor souls. Go Capitalism!
Speaking of capitalism, we did not partake in the mayhem known as Black Friday. I did see that Wal-Mart had my Kitchen-Aid mixer, usually at least $250, on sale for $140 with a minimum of one per store. Great, so to save some money I would've had to camp in front of that store and then fought people off as I tried to find the one or maybe two mixers that were on sale. No thank you. Instead Mother Nature called, Subaru, his wife and I got up entirely too early (although not as early as you psychotic shoppers) at 6 am and drove up to Crowder's Mountain which is just over the state line in NC. J was supposed to go but chose warmth and sleep over hiking, exercise and climbing.
The hike isn't very long but its the elevation change you have to watch. It was a nice 40ish F degree weather but the wind had a nasty bite to it. We all layered and were mostly warm all day. I was making fashion statements left and right with my new iridescent red helmet, my green thermal shirt, blue thermal long johns and red shorts over the long johns; take that fashion! I had my favorite pair of comfy training pants that I would slip on over my climbing harness in between climbs because layers equals warmth! We didn't feel the effects of the cold until our last climb of the day. The rock had been in the shade all day and it was freezing! I wanted to finish strong so I climbed through the cold fingers and made it to the top. I need to start taking my camera places again. I haven't alot because it's old and we want a new one but that doesn't change the fact that I have one and it's better than nothing.
Huge thanks to Subaru and his wife for inviting me on their trip and for tying the ropes securely and none of us fell off the mountain! Hooray!
Saturday was sleeping and football. Clemson beat our in state rival, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks off a wonderful field goal by soccer star extraordinaire Mark Bucholz. Bucky had a solid soccer season and hopefully will cap his football season off with a bowl game victory. We're ranked 16th in the nation and will probably get a decent bowl. The closer to New Year's Day, the better!
J asked me what we should get the grandparents for Christmas. Ideally I would like to make it ourselves, but other than that, I have no clue.
Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and don't worry about having to go back to school/work, Christmas is right around the corner!
Oh, you want to know what we (mostly me) made for Thanksgiving? We were in charge of the pumpkin pie (Paula Deen's recipe), the stuffing (Williams & Sonoma recipe, I left out the chestnuts because J doesn't like nuts in foods) and the mashed potatoes (W&S again).
What did YOU make?
I did get some work done but not much from here. It's nice working at home although the cats do get a bit annoying.
We worked concessions and J and I sold popcorn to people who hadn't eaten beforehand or feel its their duty to support Clemson by supporting Aramark and its overpriced food. 20 ounces of bottled soda is now $3.50 at all Clemson sporting events. Yikes. Thank Yahweh I haven't been to a professional sporting event recently cuz I really don't want to know what Aramark charges those poor souls. Go Capitalism!
Speaking of capitalism, we did not partake in the mayhem known as Black Friday. I did see that Wal-Mart had my Kitchen-Aid mixer, usually at least $250, on sale for $140 with a minimum of one per store. Great, so to save some money I would've had to camp in front of that store and then fought people off as I tried to find the one or maybe two mixers that were on sale. No thank you. Instead Mother Nature called, Subaru, his wife and I got up entirely too early (although not as early as you psychotic shoppers) at 6 am and drove up to Crowder's Mountain which is just over the state line in NC. J was supposed to go but chose warmth and sleep over hiking, exercise and climbing.
The hike isn't very long but its the elevation change you have to watch. It was a nice 40ish F degree weather but the wind had a nasty bite to it. We all layered and were mostly warm all day. I was making fashion statements left and right with my new iridescent red helmet, my green thermal shirt, blue thermal long johns and red shorts over the long johns; take that fashion! I had my favorite pair of comfy training pants that I would slip on over my climbing harness in between climbs because layers equals warmth! We didn't feel the effects of the cold until our last climb of the day. The rock had been in the shade all day and it was freezing! I wanted to finish strong so I climbed through the cold fingers and made it to the top. I need to start taking my camera places again. I haven't alot because it's old and we want a new one but that doesn't change the fact that I have one and it's better than nothing.
Huge thanks to Subaru and his wife for inviting me on their trip and for tying the ropes securely and none of us fell off the mountain! Hooray!
Saturday was sleeping and football. Clemson beat our in state rival, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks off a wonderful field goal by soccer star extraordinaire Mark Bucholz. Bucky had a solid soccer season and hopefully will cap his football season off with a bowl game victory. We're ranked 16th in the nation and will probably get a decent bowl. The closer to New Year's Day, the better!
J asked me what we should get the grandparents for Christmas. Ideally I would like to make it ourselves, but other than that, I have no clue.
Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and don't worry about having to go back to school/work, Christmas is right around the corner!
Oh, you want to know what we (mostly me) made for Thanksgiving? We were in charge of the pumpkin pie (Paula Deen's recipe), the stuffing (Williams & Sonoma recipe, I left out the chestnuts because J doesn't like nuts in foods) and the mashed potatoes (W&S again).
What did YOU make?
Labels: Clemson, climbing, football, Subaru, Thanksgiving
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tragedy
Foxy is doing fine. She was stoned out of her mind for a good 12 hours after surgery though. Couldn't walk straight. No depth perception. Could barely keep her eyes open. Leon was not being a loving understanding older brother either, so we quarantined Foxy in our room and she slept like a log.
Now for the tragic:
Robert Goulet has passed away at 73. He died while waiting for a lung transplant due to his diagnosed interstitial pulmonary fibrosis. I will remember him most for his amazing singing voice and his appearance in Beetlejuice. Link to Douglas Martin's NY Times article.
I'm sure you have all heard about the beach house fire that claimed 7 lives in Ocean Isle Beach. One was a Clemson student and I've already had two students say they wouldn't be in lab today to attend funeral services and be with their family and friends. Emily Lauren Yelton, 18, was the name of the Clemson student who passed away. Please also keep the families of Taylor Cox and Amy Marie Moxie in your thoughts. They are the other Clemson students we have lost this year. Also keep in mind another one of my students whose grandfather passed away. Article by Meg Kinnard of the AP.
Kids, only play with matches under adult supervision. Seriously. It turns out that a boy playing with matches accidentally burned down 38,000 acres. 38,000 acres is just over 59 square miles. That's a big number. Our father knew that all little boys loved playing with fire so he started the Junior Firebugs of America club. (Hey dad, if this is how you find out about my blog) We would wait for dad to get home, then we would play with fire under adult supervision and have a great time and some quality father/son time too. We also never burned down a house or a sizeable forest. I don't think that's a coincidence. Remember what Smokey the Bear always says: Only YOU can prevent forest fires.
Smokey the Bear's website
Now for the tragic:
Robert Goulet has passed away at 73. He died while waiting for a lung transplant due to his diagnosed interstitial pulmonary fibrosis. I will remember him most for his amazing singing voice and his appearance in Beetlejuice. Link to Douglas Martin's NY Times article.
I'm sure you have all heard about the beach house fire that claimed 7 lives in Ocean Isle Beach. One was a Clemson student and I've already had two students say they wouldn't be in lab today to attend funeral services and be with their family and friends. Emily Lauren Yelton, 18, was the name of the Clemson student who passed away. Please also keep the families of Taylor Cox and Amy Marie Moxie in your thoughts. They are the other Clemson students we have lost this year. Also keep in mind another one of my students whose grandfather passed away. Article by Meg Kinnard of the AP.
Kids, only play with matches under adult supervision. Seriously. It turns out that a boy playing with matches accidentally burned down 38,000 acres. 38,000 acres is just over 59 square miles. That's a big number. Our father knew that all little boys loved playing with fire so he started the Junior Firebugs of America club. (Hey dad, if this is how you find out about my blog) We would wait for dad to get home, then we would play with fire under adult supervision and have a great time and some quality father/son time too. We also never burned down a house or a sizeable forest. I don't think that's a coincidence. Remember what Smokey the Bear always says: Only YOU can prevent forest fires.
Smokey the Bear's website
Labels: cats, Clemson, obituary
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Newsflash!
Seattle Hempfest is this weekend. Come out and support the cause! The cause is ending a pointless war on a mostly harmless plant.
Click the poster for details.
Apparently Clemson has an intruder!
Steven Weldon, a 50 yr old homeless guy, has been caught trespassing on campus repeatedly and asked to stay away. He hasn't and we just got an email saying to call the cops if we see him on campus. What's the difference between a visitor and a trespasser? Not real sure but it does say that he has been arrested a few times for public disorderly conduct which brings up another question, what's the difference between this guy and a drunken frat boy? That's right. Tuition.
Enjoy your Thursday and if you haven't already, please stop in at Varla's place and leave some condolences for her shar-pei who passed on.
We miss you Kyu-Jin!
Click the poster for details.
Apparently Clemson has an intruder!
Steven Weldon, a 50 yr old homeless guy, has been caught trespassing on campus repeatedly and asked to stay away. He hasn't and we just got an email saying to call the cops if we see him on campus. What's the difference between a visitor and a trespasser? Not real sure but it does say that he has been arrested a few times for public disorderly conduct which brings up another question, what's the difference between this guy and a drunken frat boy? That's right. Tuition.
Enjoy your Thursday and if you haven't already, please stop in at Varla's place and leave some condolences for her shar-pei who passed on.
We miss you Kyu-Jin!
Labels: Clemson, intruder, medicinal marijuana
Friday, March 23, 2007
University is closed
Hello, we're sorry but Clemson University is closed today.
I'm here though. Why? Mostly because the parking service Nazis are off today so we can park wherever we please without fear of being ticketed.
It's a fairly relaxed day though. And man is the weather down here unbelievable. The highs tomorrow are supposed to be in the low 80s. And they're in the mid-70s right now. And I'm thinking of moving to Canada. What the hell is wrong with me?
I'm in flip flops today. My grandmother really hates them. She is scared that we drive in them also lest an errant flop wedge itself inbetween the brake and the floor and send us careening into a milk truck.
Why a milk truck? Beats me. But can you imagine the smell of that after a few hours in the sun? Yikes.
J and I are planning on moving this July/August. We've started to look and there are some places that are hopefully nicer than our place and only slightly more expensive.
I like moving. It gives you a chance to purge some of your belongings. We don't need everything in our house, so it's nice to sell and give away some of it and lighten our load.
I freaked out about my pre-oral yesterday, which is okay because it always sends me into a tizzy of work and stress. I usually work better with a little stress to keep my mind focused.
The set of wheels (rims) I picked up from another Focus guy no longer have crappy old tires on them and are ready for cleaning. They're a sort of bronzish color that he spray-painted black over. It looks okay but some of the paint is chipping. I assume they're aluminum underneath so maybe I'll just strip off all the paint and go with bare aluminum and some wax. Currently that and washing both cars is my planned Saturday morning activity.
After getting the wheels dismounted, I was near Anderson so I swung by our local Ford stealership. Have I done my "why the 2008 Focus sucks" tirade on here? If not, I'll do that maybe this weekend or Monday. So I was enquiring about replacing my front wheel bearings and a few other odds and ends. They bring out a tech and he says the bearings alone are 2.5 billed hours of labor on one side, so that's 5 hours labor, $84 parts, $61 belt tensioner, a $60 alignment and we're at a grand total of $653.51. Shit. Thanks for the estimate and I hightail it out of there.
The big part of that job is you need a press to press the old wheel bearing out of the wheel knuckle (the part that keeps the brakes connected to the suspension and the wheel) and press the new one in. The wheel bearing is what lets the wheels spin, so they're mildly important. However, Ford Racing sells a "Rally Brake Kit" that replaces all 4 steering knuckles and has the wheel bearings already pressed in and would also replace my crappy rear drums with some nice new disc brakes. That kit goes for $995. Ugh, decisions, decisions. Actually it isn't really a decision at this point, it's just convincing J that it's worthwhile preventative maintenance and a cost effective upgrade. All she hears is the big number and the word "car" and then starts griping that the car is a money hole. I can't really argue with that since I'm a terrible arguer in the first place and that she has a very valid point.
Hmm, maybe if when we can start going out to eat again, I start bringing sandwiches and drinking water, I can convince her that I can reduce the cost of eating out?
What I should really do is just postpone this whole racing thing until I have a real job and can afford to do stuff like this, but what fun is that? It's a knife edge, this tight-rope walk between being a responsible adult and blowing money on hobbies.
I'm here though. Why? Mostly because the parking service Nazis are off today so we can park wherever we please without fear of being ticketed.
It's a fairly relaxed day though. And man is the weather down here unbelievable. The highs tomorrow are supposed to be in the low 80s. And they're in the mid-70s right now. And I'm thinking of moving to Canada. What the hell is wrong with me?
I'm in flip flops today. My grandmother really hates them. She is scared that we drive in them also lest an errant flop wedge itself inbetween the brake and the floor and send us careening into a milk truck.
Why a milk truck? Beats me. But can you imagine the smell of that after a few hours in the sun? Yikes.
J and I are planning on moving this July/August. We've started to look and there are some places that are hopefully nicer than our place and only slightly more expensive.
I like moving. It gives you a chance to purge some of your belongings. We don't need everything in our house, so it's nice to sell and give away some of it and lighten our load.
I freaked out about my pre-oral yesterday, which is okay because it always sends me into a tizzy of work and stress. I usually work better with a little stress to keep my mind focused.
The set of wheels (rims) I picked up from another Focus guy no longer have crappy old tires on them and are ready for cleaning. They're a sort of bronzish color that he spray-painted black over. It looks okay but some of the paint is chipping. I assume they're aluminum underneath so maybe I'll just strip off all the paint and go with bare aluminum and some wax. Currently that and washing both cars is my planned Saturday morning activity.
After getting the wheels dismounted, I was near Anderson so I swung by our local Ford stealership. Have I done my "why the 2008 Focus sucks" tirade on here? If not, I'll do that maybe this weekend or Monday. So I was enquiring about replacing my front wheel bearings and a few other odds and ends. They bring out a tech and he says the bearings alone are 2.5 billed hours of labor on one side, so that's 5 hours labor, $84 parts, $61 belt tensioner, a $60 alignment and we're at a grand total of $653.51. Shit. Thanks for the estimate and I hightail it out of there.
The big part of that job is you need a press to press the old wheel bearing out of the wheel knuckle (the part that keeps the brakes connected to the suspension and the wheel) and press the new one in. The wheel bearing is what lets the wheels spin, so they're mildly important. However, Ford Racing sells a "Rally Brake Kit" that replaces all 4 steering knuckles and has the wheel bearings already pressed in and would also replace my crappy rear drums with some nice new disc brakes. That kit goes for $995. Ugh, decisions, decisions. Actually it isn't really a decision at this point, it's just convincing J that it's worthwhile preventative maintenance and a cost effective upgrade. All she hears is the big number and the word "car" and then starts griping that the car is a money hole. I can't really argue with that since I'm a terrible arguer in the first place and that she has a very valid point.
Hmm, maybe if when we can start going out to eat again, I start bringing sandwiches and drinking water, I can convince her that I can reduce the cost of eating out?
What I should really do is just postpone this whole racing thing until I have a real job and can afford to do stuff like this, but what fun is that? It's a knife edge, this tight-rope walk between being a responsible adult and blowing money on hobbies.
Labels: Clemson, Focus, moving
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