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.

Two days until my youth is gone forever

Two days before my thirthieth birthday, I have come to an important realization about human nature and how it will likely shape my future. One's list of pet peeves always gets longer as one ages, never shorter.

About a month ago, I was diagnosed with a stress fracture in the second metatarsal of my right foot (more on that later). This has led directly to the addition of one pet peeve to my list: people who don't give up seats on the bus for someone who obviously needs one. A couple weeks ago, when I was still wearing a clunky walking cast up to my knee, I boarded the bus home from campus. All the side-facing seats were full. One individual was taking up three seats with his various and sundry baggage and oversized ass. I can't fit comfortably in a forward-facing seat normally, as I am 6'1" and seats on city buses are designed, apparently, for dwarves. With the boot, it would have been an impossible fit. I stood on one leg for almost a mile, trying to make eye contact with one of the occupants of the side-facing seats would get the hint. I didn't want to pause my iPod to actually speak to anyone because I prefer my iPod to human interaction. Finally, I reached the limit of my patience and I exclaimed, "Could somebody please give their seat to the gentleman with the BROKEN FOOT?!" Someone did give me their seat, but it wasn't Mr. My-backpack-is-more-important-than-any-human, unfortunately.

Another pet peeve formed this afternoon in ASU's Student Recreation Center. It was only my third time back since breaking my foot and it's much more crowded than I remember. This, in itself, is not a problem if people generally follow basic gym etiquette. However, these common-sense protocols were apparently beyond the grasp of two young men who sat chatting on two pieces of equipment. Neither was actually using the equipment, but rather playing. One jauntily pressed the foot pedal on the seated chest press, rhythmically letting the weights slam back on top of the stack as he released his foot. The other played with the seat adjustment knob on the seated row, unscrewing it completely and fumbling to screw it back one, then repeating the exercise anew. I watched the pair scornfully as I earnestly completed my sets on each machine in the row and moved closer and closer. Thankfully, they decided to move on just before I was finished with the seated shoulder press. I'm glad I didn't have to yell at them. Despite my reputation for misanthropy, I don't really enjoy yelling at people. It's just necessary sometimes.

This is the process by which deep, brooding young men turn into cranky old men. I just didn't think it would happen to me so quickly.

A farewell to bacon

I am in mourning. Recent bloodwork has revealed that my cholesterol is elevated and I must now eliminate red meat and dairy from my diet entirely.

Oh, bacon, how I will always cherish the times we had together! I remember the summer that Scott A. took me to Lenny's and introduced me to the Mexican burger: bacon, jalapeños, mayo, two kinds of cheese and a giant slab of medium-rare beef. All are gone now, banished like tortured ghosts. All that remains for me is the hollow bun, searching unceasingly for warm, gooey companionship, much like myself. Though they have snatched you all from my greasy hands and mouth, I will carry a part of you in my heart. In my arteries, anyway.

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.

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.

Staying up late

For some reason, I just don't feel like going to bed just yet. It's coming up on midnight. I have to be up at five tomorrow morning. That's less sleep that I prefer to have had on Monday mornings. But that's a small price to pay for the simple pleasures of Goldfrapp's new remix album, We Are Glitter, and warm socks right out of the dryer.

I'm not even really tired. I will be soon, though, since I took some allergy medication earlier. Maybe I have time for a slice of cold bacon pizza. Mmm... bacon.

Sick day

I got up about seven this morning only long enough to send an e-mail to my supervisor and coworkers. I went immediately back to bed and slept another five hours.

I didn't get to listen to a whole bunch of music like I had wanted, but I have listened to some. I've been lying on the couch watching reruns on Lifetime and suffering from an awful sinus headache.

I will post one recommendation today. If I feel up to it, I may respond to the ridiculousness in today's news. Better responses already exist than what I could muster, so I may just skip it.

Sick on Halloween

This morning, I started getting the sniffles at work. This turned into a full-on sinus attack in no time at all. I purchased some Day-Quil at the MU but now that you can't get anything with pseudophedrine without a passport and a note from mum, all I could get was the new, "improved" formula. A full dose of phenylephrine seems to work for about half an hour, so it hardly seems worth the effort of swallowing. I had to leave early because I just couldn't take it anymore.

After downloading an obscene amount of music from Emusic (using ludicrously cheap booster packs) I fell asleep watching an episode of Nova about supermassive black holes. I was awakened by my roommate ringing the doorbell at almost 10 - he had forgotten his keys when he left this morning.

I am now listening to Miho Hatori's new album, Ecdysis. The decongestant is wearing off. I was going to stay up and watch Futurama on Adult Swim, but it comes on an hour later because I live in the one state that doesn't observe daylight savings time. Maybe I should just go to bed.

Whether I go to work tomorrow is still up in the air. If I call in, I can listen to music in bed all day. Good music is good for the immune system, I think. Maybe lots of rest, vitamin C and Frida Hyvönen are what I need. I'll play it by ear though.

American Poo

Holy crap!

LiveScience is reporting that the Miami Zoo is hosting an exhibit all about scat in the animal kingdom. If this promo is any indication, this exhibit really is the shit.



No confirmation yet on the rumor that R.E.M. is slated to perform their no. 2 hit single, "Everybody Poops," based on the popular children's book by a similar title.

Eyeball update

My eye is still red, though some days it looks like it's gradually improving. It was hurting slightly today on the way back from the Arizona University Libraries Conference in Flagstaff. If it doesn't show noticeable improvement by Monday, I'm going to call my doctor and ask for a referral to an ophthalmologist. If it is allergies, as my doctor believes, then wouldn't one expect one of the prescriptions for antihistamines to help somewhat?

There is no podcast this weekend because I haven't been listening to much music this week and I've been lax about keeping track of what I've been listening to. I've been reviewing some of the music that has been released this year and picking out albums to recommend. It's going to be a bigger project than I had originally anticipated because so many great albums have come out since January. Because of this, my podcasts for the next couple of months are likely to be heavy on very new music. So don't expect any Edith Piaf or Karlheinz Stockhausen next weekend.

Eyeball blogging

My eye doesn't seem to be much better today. Yesterday, my doctor still maintained that the inflammation is being caused by allergies. He gave me two more prescriptions. It still remains to be seen whether they will help.

Work tofay was an interesting challenge. I only wore a contact lens in my right eye because I need to be able to see my computer screen. It was somewhat disorienting at first, but I adjusted fairly quickly to having lopsided vision. Nonetheless, I started getting a headache towards the end of the day.

I just listened to old podcasts today. No albums. I'm going to do something 2006-in-review-ish soon but I haven't decided what. I think it will involve highlighting my favorite albums of the year, but no countdown.

Morning listening

Off to my doctor's appointment. Wish me luck.

Here's this morning's listening:

1. Michael Cashmore: Sleep England
2. Ludicra: Fex Urbis Lex Orbis
3. The Paper Chase: Now You Are One of Us
4. Phon: The Orm
5. Rope: Heresy, and Then Nothing But Tears
6. Christopher Willits: Surf Boundaries

But there was an eyball starin' at me between her parted lips!

This picture doesn't quite do it justice, but you can see how red my eye is nonetheless.

Eyeballs, eyeballs, eyeballs floating through the air

My eye has not improved despite having faithfully used two prescriptions of eyedrops since Thursday. I've just spoken to my doctor's office and the soonest they can get me in is two this afternoon.

I'm currently listening to Michael Cashmore's (Nature and Organisation, Current 93) gorgeous debut solo album, Sleep England, and wondering why Lisa Gerrard doesn't collaborate with him. Her four albums since leaving Dead Can Dance, i.e., The Mirror Pool, Duality, Immortal Memory and The Silver Tree, have been increasingly formulaic and New Age-y. I wish she would make some kind of creative departure and do something unexpected. She has such great potential if she could just break from her rut. Cashmore's guitar work would be a great complement for Gerrard's voice, I think.

I will now plop down in front of the TV until it's time to leave for my appointment.

Eyeball in my martini

The good news is I get to keep my eye.

The bad news is that I must go without contact lenses for five days, which is probably a little worse that going five days without eyes because I can just see enough to give me a headache. I am going to take tomorrow off and rest my eyes over the weekend. This means little or no blogging or computer activity. Except for the podcast, of course.

Here's what I've been listening to since this morning:

1. Peter Bjorn and John: Writer's Block
2. Oxford Collapse: Remember the Night Parties
3. Shoplifting: Body Stories
4. Bound Stems: Appreciation Night
5. Witch: Witch
6. The Capitol Years: Dance Away the Terror
7. Kelly: Shoes
8. LCD Soundsystem: 45:33

"You ain't crazy; you ain't insane; it's just you got an eyeball in the center of your brain!"

Tomorrow I see the doctor because my left eye has been swollen for about two to three weeks.

I wonder if they can fit me with a glass eye that will closely match my distinctive shade of green. I understand they move around with the muscles just like the real thing. I do like the natural look, but maybe a novelty eye would be more up my alley:

Here's what I've been listening to:

1. Tim Hecker: Harmony in Ultraviolet
2. Lisa Gerrard: The Silver Tree
3. Blood Meridian: Kick Up the Dust
4. Califone: Roots & Crowns
5. Robert Pollard: Normal Happiness
6. The Be Good Tanyas: Hello Love
7. Luomo: Paper Tigers
8. Bert Jansch: The Black Swan

Sick

Today I muddled through my workday hopped up on goofballs of the cold medicine variety. I was just slightly goofier than usual.

Today three half-time staff positions were finally filled. It's going to be nice working in a fully staffed office for the first time in over a year. Another great thing is that all three went to amazing student workers. It's reassuring that the jobs were offered to highly qualified people with whom we already know we can work. I can't wait to start training the woman chosen to fill my old job! It's been very distracting switching back and forth between lending and borrowing. Now I'll be able to focus on learning the supervisory aspects of my job.

I have crammed the following into my temporal lobes today:

1. The Rapture: Pieces of the People We Love
2. Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
3. Pixies: Trompe le Monde
4. Stuart A. Staples: Leaving Songs