Library school and my right foot

So, it's been a while since I have posted on a regular basis here, but I'm trying earnestly to get back on track. Posting about everything that has happened over the past two months in one post is too daunting, so I'm going to tell the story piecemeal.

At the end of July, I went down to Tucson for the seven-day intensive classroom portion of the first class for my MLS. Let me just say right now, it was an awesome week despite crappy accomodations, losing my debit card and breaking my foot in such a short period. I had a great time and met some really fun and interesting people. These small misfortunes cannot outweigh the overwhelmingly positive experience of that week.

I arrived on a Saturday and checked into Coronado Hall (affectionately dubbed Coronado Hell by its residents without an ounce of hyperbole). The room hadn't been dusted since the first Bush administration, the bed was tiny and the shower head sprayed more water on the floor than in the shower. That first night, I nearly died of hypothermia because I couldn't figure out how to turn the air conditioner down. I started my first day with about two hours of sleep.

Sunday morning, I walked about half a mile from Coronado to the main library where the first sessions were going to be held. My right foot started hurting, but I dismissed it because it sometimes hurts for no apparent reason and is fine an hour later. As the week progressed, my foot didn't stop hurting. It just kept getting worse. Classmates routinely asked me about my increasingly pronounced limp.

I finally saw a doctor at the student clinic on Thursday. The X-ray revealed a stress fracture, most likely the result of spending too much time on the treadmill in the previous several weeks. He put me in a walking cast and gave me crutches. I tried using the crutches to get back to class but I found it much easier just to walk in the boot. I only missed fifteen minutes of class as a result of the whole affair.

In spite of having a challenging week (beyond just the class material) I got an A in the class. I am now taking three online courses, all of which are much more reading-intensive than the first. I am trying to find time to read every day and I find myself with much less free time these days.

As for the foot, I switched to an orthotic shoe about a week and a half ago. It still hurts sometimes if I walk too much. I am back to working out in earnest - I've been to the SRC four times since Saturday. I just have to be careful not to do exercises that put additional weight on my foot. In a few weeks, when I am ready to do cardio again, I have been advised to avoid the treadmill and use the bike or the elliptical instead.

More about my extra-curricular adventures, including my first (sober) stab at karaoke, later.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

I'm going to try to decribe briefly the changes that have been happening in the past month or so.

Michael and I are no longer together. It's a really long story and I don't want to bore you with all the details and I feel a sense of obligation to protect Michael's privacy, so I'll just condense it. Keep in mind that this is my perspective and that he is likely to disagree with me on what really happened. From my point of view, Michael was upset that he couldn't get his way about something in our relationship so he threw a fit, tried to convince me that it was about something other than his desire to be in control, involved an innocent third party who wanted no part of it and tried to complicate my life in retaliation. I really feel that he betrayed me in the worst way and, in the process, guaranteed that I could never again have him in my life in any capacity. Anyway, his little stunt backfired and I have managed to stabilize the drama with the third party and remove Michael from the loop. She is free to continue her friendship with Michael, of course, but she has promised not to let him pump her for information.

I was very upset for a few days but my serenity returned more quickly than I could have anticipated. In fact, I had to wonder why it didn't hurt as long or as intensely as I should. Truthfully, the episode highlighted some things about his character that I had known on some level for a long time. For example, at different stages of our relationship, I found that he had lied to me about his age, his job, his education, his heritage and his economic background. To his credit, he came clean voluntarily about all these things, which couldn't have been easy. However, the fact that he felt he needed to lie about these things to begin with, none of which I would have cared about, shows that he lacked the scruples I wanted to believe he had. The moment I found out about the first lie and I chose to continue, I was no longer being true to myself, and for that I have nobody to blame but myself. I think this is why I found myself feeling liberated when it was over.

I know that my earlier posts portrayed a much rosier picture of our relationship. This is because a) I wanted to believe that things were good and b) you just don't broadcast your partner's faults to the world when you are trying to preserve and fortify your relationship. Even my closest friends didn't know about the pattern of lies until after the break-up. Perhaps if I had been more forthcoming, they would have encouraged me to move on much earlier.

The rest is almost all good news. I adopted a new cat named Gus. He's beautiful and wonderful. He and Sugarfoot are now partners in crime. I couldn't have asked for a smoother transition for Gus into his new home. He is happy and we (my roommate, the other animals and me) are all happy to have him.

I had my colonoscopy, upper endoscopy and two biopsies and the news is mixed. The good news is that there is no sign of infection or abnormal growth. The bad news is I have erosive esophagitis (no surprise there), a sliding hiatal hernia and what they are calling a non-specific ulcerative proctitis. Translation: they don't know what's causing it, but they know what's not causing it. The gastroenterologist is operating under the assumption that it's acute and will go away with medication and better diet. It hasn't so far. I have a follow-up appointment next week so we'll go from there.

I was passed over for the supervisor position. This is actually a good thing because now that I've had a taste of what it entails, I want nothing to do with it. The really good news is they have made an offer to a candidate who has accepted and will start in about two weeks. I know who it is and they are a good choice. I look forward to passing some of these duties back onto someone better equipped to handle them.

I started my first class for my Masters program this week. I have been reading like a maniac, not just for the daunting deadlines, but because I'm really interested in the material. Soon I will arrange my accomodations and transportation for the required week-long residency in Tucson. I'm really eager to tackle the material and get everything I can out of this course.

That's it for now. More soon.

Long overdue blogging

Okay, okay, it has been over a month since I last blogged. So much has been going on I hardly know where to start.

First and most importantly, I have been accepted to U of A's School of Information Resources and Library Science. I will begin work on my Master's degree next month. It's a distance program, so I can continue living and working in the Phoenix area. In July I will go to Tucson for a seven-day intensive, but beyond that, I never have to physically return to complete my degree.

My boss' last day was last Friday. For the near future, I will handle all the duties related to supervision and coordination of student workers. They have reclassified her position to Library Supervisor Sr. but, remarkably, I can still make a case that I meet the minimum qualifications. I intend to apply for the position. This would be a significant increase in my salary, but it's still a long shot. I will hope for the best but I won't be too heart-broken if I don't get it.

The paleunderweight podcast is, obviously, done. I felt that I had covered the territory very thoroughly and it was just getting old. I would still love to start podcasting again, but I think I would like it to be a collaborative effort. I know someone on campus that has similar taste in music to mine and podcasting experience, so I might ask him if he would like to collaborate.

I would like to start writing recommendations again soon. There have been a handful of releases this year that I have thoroughly enjoyed. I just have to muster the motiviation to blog more often.

Pooh is still hanging in there. He has even gained weight since his diagnosis. The threat doesn't seem so immediate anymore, though Michael and I both know it is there. We are looking at this as a blessing. Pooh has been given more time in which he can still enjoy life.

I have been having digestive problems for quite a while now, which I had always blamed on poor diet and sedentary lifestyle. In recent months, however, I have improved my diet considerably, started drinking large quantities of water and started working out almost daily. This has not had the positive effect on my digestion I had been hoping for. My doctor prescribed some medications that have not helped either. We are now operating under the theory that I might have a constriction or obstruction somewhere. I have an appointment with a gastroenterologist Friday. Hopefully he will come up with a better theory or schedule me for tests that will confirm or rule out the current one. The best outcome I can hope for is a simple, painless, inexpensive, permanent solution. However, if surgery is necessary, I can accept it if it will improve my quality of life. Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. First things first, as they say.

Bedtime soon. Time for my herbal tea. I will blog again much sooner this time, I swear.

Overdue blogging

For a variety of reasons, I haven't been blogging much recently, and I haven't shared anything from my life other than what I've been listening to in weeks.

The bad news is that Poo has lymphoma. He doesn't seem to be suffering at the moment other than throwing up here and there. As I mentioned previously, Michael decided to give Poo a couple of weeks of comfort at home before it's time for him to "graduate" (we aren't using the 'd' word right now - except maybe "denial"). When the time comes, the veterinarian will come to Michael's apartment. This way, Poo can live his last moments at home, rather than at the vet's office. Though these were Michael's decisions, I'm sure I would do the same in his situation and I support him completely.

I am almost ready to send off my application to U of A. I received my official GRE results and transcripts last week and I have both letters of recommendation. I just need to finish my C.V. and letter of intent (hopefully tonight). I would have completed them by now but I have been laid up with a stomach bug since Monday. If all goes right, I will mail it tomorrow and hopefully receive a response by the end of March.

I am anxiously awaiting my copy of Ink, the sequel to Hal Duncan's Vellum. I pre-ordered to through Amazon and it shipped a few days ago. I'm hoping it arrives this week.

That's all for now. I have a lot more to post but my digestive system has other plans for me right now.

Tense day

Today should have been a happy, carefree day for Michael and I to celebrate. Instead, we both have knots in our stomachs, waiting for what could very well be devastating news.

I don't want to go into too much detail just yet, but the long and the short of it is that Michael's cat, Poo, is very sick. His condition has deteriorated over the past couple of weeks. He has now been in the animal hospital since yesterday morning undergoing successively invasive tests which culminated in exploratory surgery and a biopsy. We may have to wait up to a week to find out Poo's fate.

Understandably, we are both sick with worry, especially Michael. Right now I'm just trying to stay in the present and not focus too much on worst case scenarios, while trying to prepare myself for providing emotional support to Michael through challenging times.

In spite of facing some disheartening possibilities, I have some good news to report. I found people willing to write my letters of recommendation for my application to graduate school. I also have a meeting with a former coworker tomorrow to go over my curriculum vitae and letter of intent. I am ordering transcripts from ASU and Phoenix College tonight after my direct deposit goes in. I should get my official GRE results any day now. All this means I will probably be able to submit my application by the 28th.

That's all for now. More later.

Some good news

Friday morning I finally took my GRE. Long story short, I kicked ass. 680 verbal, 780 quantitative. The analytical writing section isn't graded at the time of the exam; I have to wait two or three weeks for the results. I think I did pretty well on the first essay, but I nailed the second one. Without revealing too much about the contents of the exam, I'll just say that I've taken classes that pertained directly to the subject matter of the essay, which gave me a great deal of confidence.

I checked my e-mail when I got home and I was notified that I had been selected to serve on a search committee for a vacant job in the ASU libraries. I've been eager for an opportunity like this, not just because it's the kind of experience that will help me get a supervisory position in the future, but also because I want to participate in the hiring process.

Strangely, the news I am most excited about is the joint Costco membership that Michael and I bought. If you are unfamiliar with Costco, it's a lot like Sam's Club, except Costco won't use the money you spend there to eradicate tolerance and clone Hitler. I've already shopped there three times in the last week. I purchased season seven of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for $17, a 300GB external hard drive for $140 and two pairs of lounging pants for $8 each, along with about $90 in grocieries. Considering that I bought about three weeks of food, it's a fantastic deal. The fridge is bursting at the seams and I am eating raisins by the handful. I'm not really into shopping per se, but I find myself daydreaming about shopping there nonetheless.

That's all for now. I will post more soon about applying to grad school.

What's new with me

I have decided, with some reluctance, to discontinue my Recommendations 2006 project. I just have too many things on my plate right now and have to focus on preparing for my GRE and on my classes this semester. I have removed the links on the right side, but all existing recommendations will stay. The podcast will return this Saturday. It will be in two parts and consist of tracks from thirty or so of my favorite albums of 2006, but it will not be a countdown. After that, I will post a new podcast every week or two. I will not post daily lists of what I've been listening to, but I will cull the tracks from the albums I've listened to during the week.

I have dropped one of my classes because the bookstore screwed up on the books repeatedly. I decided that the difficulty I was having getting the right editions was more than it was worth to me. I'm still taking the two music classes and enjoying them quite a bit.

I will pay for my GRE on 1/31 or as soon as my tax refund is deposited into my checking account, whichever comes first. I plan to take the exam on 2/1 or as soon as possible thereafter. I am not killing myself trying to prepare; I've decided that I will review every few days, take the test and accept the results. I always do really well on standardized tests and taking one practice test after another wasn't helping my scores anyway.

My most exciting news is that I am losing weight steadily and more quickly than I had anticipated. I haven't had access to a decent scale until recently, so I can't be sure the total amount lost. Michael lent me his electronic scale last Sunday and I have lost eight pounds since. I am now 216 lbs. with a BMI of 28.5, which means I am no longer medically obese. I am still 27 lbs. overwieght, but I might be within a "healthy" weight range within a month if I continue what I am doing. Realistically, I know that my rate of weight loss will probably level off soon and continue at a slower rate, but I am still hoping for the best.

That's all for now. More later.

Resolutions

No, I haven't fallen off the edge of the Earth. I've just been in that perfect intermediate state between busy and lazy, such that I haven't mustered the time or energy to blog.

My GRE plans are still on track, thanks in large part to a good friend that repaid me a significant chunk of money that I had lent her a couple years ago. Consequently, I was able to pay a couple of bills early and create room in my budget to pay the $130 for the exam fee out of my next check.

Classes start again on Tuesday. I was able to acquire all but one book. The campus bookstore never had it sent from the East campus, despite the request I made over a month ago. So now I have to contact the East campus bookstore myself and I expect it will take about a week to get it. In the meantime, I have found that the previous edition is available electronically and at very low cost from a vendor endorsed by the university. I hope this will suffice until I can get the correct edition.

Supervisory Academy has been postponed indefinitely while the course is revamped. I have been assured that there will be a Spring session but it has not been scheduled yet. I hope so, as any significant delay will hurt my chances of getting hired for a supervisory position.

Michael completed the Walt Disney World Marathon last week. Needless to say, I am extremely proud of him. I know that it took a tremendous amount of resolve to train for and complete this marathon. I find his determination to accomplish his goals incredibly attractive.

I am finished selecting the remaining albums of 2006 that I will recommend. I am going to try to finish the recommendations in the next few days and record the next podcast next week.

Though I'm not usually the kind of person that makes New Year's resolutions, I have been trying, with great success, to make some changes in my life in the interest of improving my health. This is largely the result of having calculated, much to my terror, my BMI. For the first time in my life, I am borderline obese. Among the changes are much more water, much less caffeine, no red meat, fresh fruit every day, breakfast daily and drastically reduced sweets. For the last two weeks, my typical day generally includes about three or four liters of water, a bowl of cereal with skim milk and blueberries, a turkey or tuna sandwich, sushi (non-authentic), an apple or two and two or three cups of fat-free yoghurt. When I get home from work, I am usually not hungry enough to eat a full dinner but I snack on fresh fruit throughout the afternoon and evening. My fridge is stocked with apples, oranges, clementines, apricots, peaches, cherries and whatever else I'm in the mood for.

This has led me to the hypothesis that I may be lactose intolerant. I always thought I had digestive discomfort because my diet was terrible. It turns out that I am still experiencing discomfort but only after having cheese or milk, as far as I can tell. This week I am switching from skim to soy milk and refraining from cheese. Yoghurt, I think, is still okay because of the acidophilus. If I start feeling better, I will likely make it a permanent change.

Last week I read an article about the strategies used by those who have successfully lost a significant amount of weight and kept it off. It appears that my plans already include most of these strategies, which gives me hope for success. The last part of the equation, of course, is exercise. Historically, I have not been very good at sticking to exercise. However, a coworker directed my attention to a website that has an easy plan for beginners. It starts out with walking and builds up to running. I hope to start it soon. I know I can handle the walking; I already walk almost everywhere as it is, and quickly, too. Hopefully, I won't have too hard of a time transitioning to running.

That's all I can think of for now. I will start posting a lot more, I promise. Keep an eye out for more recommendations over the next few days.

Personal update

A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks.

Christmas was very nice. Michael and I spent the weekend with our friends in Tucson again. He got me the Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man DVD (in exchange for which I agreed never to make him watch it) and a book collecting all of the artwork from the complete output of Factory Records, i.e., albums, singles, promotional materials, etc. I gave him a DVD player (to replace the one that died a few months ago) and two seasons of Will & Grace. I also bought a copy of Vellum for a friend and one for myself, finally. I kept getting it through interlibrary loan and running out of time before I had finished reading it.

I have registered for three online classes, two about music and one on reflective writing, for the Spring semester. The latter will count toward the Journalism/Mass Communication degree and the first two are for my personal fulfillment. I plan to pay my tuition tonight - a whopping sum of $68. Needless to say, I love my employee tuition waiver.

Additionally, I am taking a class called Supervisory Academy for work. This will count as a full year of supervisory experience when I apply for the Library Supervisor position that will open up after my boss finishes her M.A. and departs for greener pastures.

I'm also planning to take my GRE (finally) before February 1st. I keep procrastinating and missing deadlines. The absolutely final day I can apply for U of A's MLS program for the summer is April 1st. This will give me time to receive my GRE results, write my C.V. and letter of intention and gather up two letters of recommendation. I think four months to prepare my application is a realistic goal.

I am way behind on my end-of-the-year project, so it's unlikely that I will get caught up by Monday. However, I am going to see it through until the bitter end, hopefully sometime in January. The podcast will reappear shortly thereafter.

Finally, here is a photo of the first two grilled cheese sandwiches I ever made, strangely enough. I took the photo in the midst of eating them. I didn't burn down the kitchen, to my roommate's relief, though he did derive some amusement from my clumsy efforts. They did taste good, though.

Education news

I have been accepted to the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU to pursue a second B.A. in Journalism with an emphasis in Media Analysis and Criticism. I am going to start out in the pre-professional program to get started on some of the lower-division requirements. If I can use my tuition waiver at both ASU and U of A, I will also pursue a M.A. in Information Resources and Library Sciences at U of A.

I think that this will hedge my bets between landing my dream job one day (music critic) and having to settle for a job that is practical but nonethless immensely enjoyable (librarian). Also, and more importantly, it will allow me to defer my student loans a bit longer.

Back to business

Okay, it's been ten days since my last post, but I've been thinking about posting. As they often say this time of year, it's the thought that counts, right?

I am way behind on my end-of-the-year project. I have about ten recommendations queued up and waiting to be posted; I have the the album art and links to artist and label websites saved in my drafts. I just need to write the darn things. The problem is that the longer I procrastinate, the harder it is to remember what I wanted to write. So now I have to take a couple of days to listen to each album again and write the review immediately thereafter. I still plan on having this project done before the end of the year.

Paleunderweight podcast 30, as I mentioned before, will be available before the end of the year also.

Later today, I will have updates of a more personal nature regarding my educational direction.

GRE postponed

I am postponing my GRE and hence my application to U of A.

I was prepared to pay for the exam yesterday, but I hesitated. I went home and thought about it. I was thinking about paying for it today, but I was still reluctant. I finally decided that it just didn't feel like the right time yet. I only knew the exact application deadline about a month ago. I have been rushing to prepare and just not giving myself enough time. Right now I could afford the exam and application fees, but it would require me to scrimp on necessities for perhaps the next month. I think if I wait until I am working full-time, I will more easily afford it and I will have a fuller C.V. to submit with my application.

Today's listening:

1. O Yuki Conjugate: The Euphoria of Disobedience
2. The Knife: Silent Shout
3. Sean Hayes: Big Black Hole and the Little Baby Star
4. Mew: And the Glass Handed Kites
5. Blackout Beach: Light Flows From the Putrid Dawn
6. Dirty on Purpose: Hallelujah Sirens

Update

Since my iPod's miraculous recovery, I have been listening to lots of Leonard Cohen. All of his studio albums from Songs of Leonard Cohen to Various Positions in order of release, to be precise. Since I am probably going to drag Michael over to Scottsdale to see Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man at Harkins Camelview on our 10th mensiversary next week, and he's never actually heard Leonard Cohen, I'm going to make a CD of my favorite LC tracks to prepare Michael for what he's in for.

Additionally, I have been listening to the Pitchfork Infinite Mixtape Series. I highly recommend it, and not just because it includes several tracks that were included in my podcast. It also seems to prove that everything goes better with Antony Hegarty. The world would be a better place if Antony were the lead singer for every band on the planet. It would probably be exhausting for him, though.

I had two interviews this week: one for the four positions at the Downtown campus and one for the specialist position in my department. Both interviews seemed to go very well. I should get answers from both search committees in the next two weeks.

Meanwhile, I will pay for and schedule my GRE on Monday. I still have to practice the analytical writing section, but I think I will do alright. I've decided I'm not going to worry too much about getting the highest score possible. In the end, all I can do is relax and do my best and the score will reflect my abilities accurately. The program I want to get into considers everything, including GRE score, GPA and professional experience. I think I have a very good chance of getting accepted.

Slow day

It's an almost unbearably slow day in the office. I have about an hour and a half left and I am bored to death.

I am going to take my GRE in about two weeks. I plan to study a bit each day until then, including writing essays from the sample topics at the GRE website. On two practice tests (quantitative and verbal only) I scored 1330 and 1360. My goal is at least 1450 combined verbal and quantitative and 5-6 on each of the two analytical essays.

I recently became concerned that my iPod was running out of space for music. I realized that many tracks that I had downloaded from Emusic and Bleep were encoded at a sampling rate of more than 200 kbps. I realized that if I could transfer files back to my hard drive, I could convert them into 128 kbps AAC files without a significant decline in sound quality. I had to find software that had the capability of transferring files from iPod to hard drive - iTunes had lost this function with version 4.7. I found and tested ephPod and it worked. Last night I reduced about half a GB by about 140 MB - roughly 28%. I hope that this process will free up at least 3 GB.

I have now successfully killed a few minutes, so I will get back to work.

Wednesday

Nothing much to report. Started studying for the GRE. Still waiting for calls to schedule job interviews. Starting to freak out about turning 29 six weeks from now.

Here's what I've been listening to today:

1. Asobi Seksu: Citrus
2. El Perro Del Mar: El Perro Del Mar
3. Death From Above 1979: You're a Woman, I'm a Machine
4. Gorillaz: Demon Days
5. Broadcast: Tender Buttons

Catching up

I have been woefully remiss in my posting lately. Would you believe my dog ate my posts? No? How about... I haven't posted because of national security concerns? Er, um... terrorists! Yes, that's it - if I don't get lazy about posting periodically, the terrorists win!

You're not buying any of this, are you?

Ok, the truth is I've been tired and lazy. I promised the next installment of Albums That Loved Me Back several weeks ago - that is still forthcoming, I assure you. I also promised a few words about Richard Butler's new album. Short version: I love it, it's better than any of his work with Psychedelic Furs or Love Spit Love, it's a sonic mosaic, yadda yadda yadda. Buy it.

It's not that I haven't gotten anything done recently. I applied for five full-time positions in the ASU libraries last week. The one I really, really want is a specialist position in my current department which I am thoroughly qualified for, but I have to compete with two other colleagues that are similarly qualified. Four others are at the soon-to-open downtown campus library. I will also be happy if I get one of these.

I am planning to take my GRE in early August so I can apply for U of A's MLS program before their September deadline. Wish me luck!

I finished the six-day course of Medrol my doctor prescribed for my headaches but I am still experiencing side effects - I sleep fitfully and I am always hungry! It's frustrating, but it will pass. I'm still taking the Skelaxin when needed, which isn't as often as it was last week. I managed to go without it all day Saturday, but I started getting a mild headache again yesterday, so I started taking it again.

Last night I didn't sleep very well at all. I was so tired at work this morning that I forgot to put the caraffe under the coffee maker while it was brewing. I didn't notice until it had made a horrible mess. Oh well, I am prone to that sort of thing even when I am perfectly well-rested.

Thom Yorke's solo album is out tomorrow! I am drooling in anticipation. Whee!

I have decided not to put the podcast on hiatus quite yet. I still have more to give, so why not? I enjoy doing it. I might take weeks off more frequently though. I guess I'll play it by ear.

Here's what I have been listening to today:

1. Todosantos: Aeropuerto
2. Shearwater: Palo Santo
3. Booka Shade: Movements
4. The Tango Saloon: The Tango Saloon
5. Stuart A. Staples: Leaving Songs
6. James Figurine: Mistake Mistake Mistake Mistake
7. Karl Blau: Beneath Waves
8. The Twilight Singers: Powder Burns

6th mensiversary

Today Michael and I celebrate our sixth mensiversary (it's a word; Google it). Actually, we are celebrating it tomorrow night because I have a paper due tomorrow afternoon that I haven't started yet. For that reason, I don't have time to blog much about it right now. I have a lot to say about why I feel so fortunate that Michael is in my life, but alas, it will have to wait until I finish my paper.

Here is my listening for today:

1. Morrissey: Ringleader of the Tormentors
2. The Flaming Lips: At War With the Mystics
3. Band of Horses: Everything All the Time
4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Show Your Bones
5. Christian Death: Catastrophe Ballet
6. Death From Above 1979: You're a Woman, I'm a Machine

Resolution

I have 38 days until graduation. I have been slacking this semester due to a terrible case of senioritis. As of right now, I have to get serious. No more leaving class early. No more ditching classes because I just don't feel like showing up. No more procrastinating until the night before the assignment is due.

Off to Prehispanic Civ now.

100th post

This morning I perfected the synergetic use of the snooze button and the whore's bath.

Then I discussed Phil Spector's impending murder trial with a tech guy at work.


"Did you know he pointed a gun at Leonard Cohen while recording Death of a Ladies' Man?" I said.

"He actually fired at Lennon," Kirk replied.

"What could Leonard Cohen have possibly done to piss him off that much? He's a Zen Buddhist!"

Kirk grunted in agreement. I thought about David's hobby of quoting Smiths lyrics. "...and the pain was enough to make a shy, bald Buddhist reflect and plan a mass murder..."

The logical next step was to enjoy the best baklava of my life, courtesy of Andre, and listen to Slowdive's Souvlaki at the same time. So I did. Now I am blogging about whatever pops into my head until my next class. I don't feel like going, but I will because I have to write a short paper on the video that will be shown in class.

Today's aural delights:

1. Neko Case: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
2. Deerfoof: The Runners Four
3. The Arcade Fire: Funeral
4. Slowdive: Souvlaki
5. Meat Beat Manifesto: 99%
6. My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult: 13 Above the Night

New links

Now that I am done mucking about in Teotihuacan and Wadi al Wasse, I can relax and get back to what really matters: World of Warcraft, CSI, and porn.

I have just added new links to several organizations whose work I admire greatly. Doctors Without Borders and War Child International help provide services to those affected by war, famine, and disease. The latter sells great music downloads found nowhere else to raise money to help children in war-torn regions. The Union for Reform Judaism and the Interfaith Alliance counter religious extremism with religious tolerance. And finally, HALO is an organization that is very close to my heart. I talk about them a lot, but it's necessary. Too many relatively healthy animals are euthanized in the valley before they have a chance to be found by a loving family. Give money, give time, adopt an animal - please do anything you can to help, even just a little.

How have I stimulated my temporal lobes today?

1. Mugison: Mugimama! Is This Monkey Music?
2. T. Rex: Electric Warrior
3. Modest Mouse: The Lonesome Crowded West
4. Tim Buckley: Starsailor
5. Kelley Polar: Love Songs of the Hanging Gardens
6. The Russian Futurists: Our Thickness
7. Dizzee Rascal: Boy in Da Corner