New Things...Old Things

Tonight, I am picking up a new bike I just bought! Okay, it's not new, but the guy I am buying it from bought it in April, so it's practically new. It's a Giant FCR1, a flat bar road bike. I think I am going to love it! The guy I am buying it from is a friend whom I play basketball with. He is moving back to Philly (shout out!), and he is only taking what he can carry in his Jeep. So, I offered to lighten his load by one bike. I got a hell of a price on it.

And so, my bike history comes full circle, as I bought my current Giant Iguana from a friend (whom I never played basketball with) who was moving from Baltimore to Mechanicsburg, PA. I just love to buy bikes from guys who are moving to Pennsylvania.

Another thing: tomorrow is this blog's four year anniversary. That is cause for celebration, I guess. However, lately, I've been thinking about bringing it to a close. Honestly, any opinions? Suggestions? Donations? Coupons? Whatever.

Three Fridays and Retro Frankfurters

On Wednesday, as you recall, I woke up thinking it was Friday.

This afternoon, as I left my classroom, I had a "V8" moment, realizing I forgot to hand out something to my students that they were going to need to do their reading OVER THE WEEKEND. Yup, I thought it was Friday, again.

Finally, tomorrow will be Friday, and this interminable week will be over. I'll probably spend all day thinking it's Monday.

On Saturday, Monkey and I are attending the Husker game against LA-Lafayette. We haven't been to a game since the first year we were here. That was a bad season to attend games--unless you enjoy watching Nebraska get embarrassed. But, Saturday should be kind of cool, since it is the 300th consecutive sell out at Memorial Stadium. That is a streak unmatched (as far as I can find) in current pro or college sports. I am certain that there will be a lot of fan fare, commemorating players and fans since 1962 (the season of the first of the 300 sold out games). The game shouldn't be too exciting (in the competitive sense). Too bad hot dogs won't be specially priced to reflect 1960s prices...that would be AWESOME!

Babies Are Not Trains

A good number of rail road tracks run through Cornopolis. Many of them are still in frequent use. A corridor through the north of town is a high frequency rail stretch, and residents have been complaining about train whistles for some time.

See, these trains, they cross a number of roads in the area, and, each time they approach an intersection, the trains sound their whistles to warn approaching drivers to stop. But, last week, after a year plus of reconfiguring several crossings, the area became a horn-free zone at certain hours. Residents now don't mind as much when a train comes rumbling through their neighborhood, because now, it's doing it as quietly as possible.

That's good, when residents concerns are responded to by the city and the companies of the area. I have a noise issue I wonder if the city elders might address. There's this baby outside, and it's been crying and whining and whatnot for like an hour already....

(Angry baby head photo from Evil Beet Gossip)

September Meetings

Parent-teacher meetings were on Monday of this week. Ugh. A long Monday makes for a long week. Probably another reason why no posting.

I was busy with meeting for three solid hours after school, but that helped the time to pass quickly. Unfortunately, I think it also had something to do with me thinking that today was Friday when I woke up, this morning.

That's a nasty trick to play on oneself.

September Blah

I really like Fall. I mean, I like all of the season's, but I probably like Fall the best. Cool days, crisp nights, rustling leaves, football, World Series, the preparations for the winter ahead. It puts me in mind of school (which I am obviously kind of fond of) and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (which I am also kind of fond of) and a million other things (like "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown").

That said, this month has been tough. I refer to the blahs in this post's title, but it isn't blah, at all, really. It has just seemed like a lot of work. Mostly at work, it has seemed that way. I guess that's why they call it work.

So it goes....

September Bug

I have been incommunicado for many days, yes, but with good reason. The first reason was that some time last week, my computer contracted an evil little trojan. I spent three days trying to figure out where it was hiding and what I needed to get rid of it. After many hours, I finally wiped it out.

Coincidentally, it tried to come back a couple of days later, but I caught it before it could entrench itself and killed it quick. Hooray!

Thanks to Stubware for their product and their help.

Monday Blues

Today sucked! I don't know why. It started out just fine. But, fifteen year-olds sometimes just have a way of being total dicks, even when they are not trying to be total dicks. But, they do sometimes try to be total dicks, and they usually succeed. However, let me be clear, today, no one was TRYING to be a total dick. But, well, they just were.

Fiddle-dee-dee. Tomorrow is another day.

Thanks for listening.

This One Goes Up To Eleven

The Monkey and I celebrated our eleventh wedding anniversary on Saturday night. Being rebellious, we jumped the gift list. Traditionally, eleven is the steel anniversary, but last year, Monkey got me tickets to see the NCAA basketball tournament opening rounds (the rim is the steel). The modern list says this year should have been fashion jewelry, but that's what I got her last year. As a result, this year, we got each other a card. Honestly, every year except last year, all we got each other was a card. It's just the way we roll.

Anyway, dinner at Wilderness Ridge was good, and we enjoyed our cards. Monkey's was way better than mine. It had a pirate Monkey on it! How perfect is that? We're thinking, after that card, maybe next year, we won't get each other anything....

Laboring on Labor Day

I have been so fired up about the stupid controversy over the president's speech tomorrow that I have not known what to say. I still don't. So, I am not saying anything, except %^$#@*&^!

I spent about four hours at school today, getting ready for the week ahead. A short week that starts with a short day should be easy enough, but, believe it or not, mid-term grades are due next week, so, no rest for the weary.

Otherwise, allow me to wish you a safe and relaxing (and labor-free) Labor Day.

The Last Call in Lincoln

The end of an era drove Monkey and I to the state fair today. After Labor Day, the Nebraska State Fair is packing up and leaving its once "permanent" home in Lincoln and is travelling west a piece to Grand Island. So, we figured we'd best discover the glory of fried food on a stick Cornhusker style this year, since the odds of us making the multi-hour trip to GI next year is slim.

I spent many days as a youngster at the Maryland State Fair. Mostly working, but, sometimes, we got out to enjoy the sights and sounds. I particularly enjoyed the horse racing in Maryland.

During my years in Missouri, I only got over to Sedalia twice. I enjoyed Missouri's State Fair quite a bit. I especially enjoyed the dairy barn. Don't know why, I just did.

This year, Nebraska's fair was a real treat. Monkey and I treated ourselves to corndogs AND burgers, with Methodist pie for dessert (very good). We wandered into just about every building on the fairgrounds. I really had a great time checking out the award-winning vegetables, and I really liked the 4H building. Boy, those 4H kids must have a lot of fun, building rockets and doing applied science. It made me miss being a kid.

Monkey and I truly enjoyed the quilt display, also. The entire basketball arena was filled with quilts, award-winners and not. The diversity of them was amazing, and the craftsmanship was unbelievable.

I am glad we made the opportunity to head out to the fair. We probably won't see another state fair until we move...if we move.

Am I Buggin' Ya? I Didn't Mean To Bug Ya.

Seventy years ago, today, the German army invaded Poland.

As a result, World War II erupted.

And so it goes.