Tuesday, February 26, 2008

consolation.

Saturday was a really long day at work. People were bitter, I was tired, and the day was terribly inefficient. Blah, blah, blah.

Trudging home, I was pissed off and wet from the snow/rain mix. Then I saw a guy riding a tandem bike. By himself.

I laughed and felt sorry for him at the same time.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

routine.

I has one.


Mostly it involves lesson planning and teaching program during the week (supposedly), and working at the Southport on the weekends. And wine at night. We had a few days of sun, which I'm grateful for, but I'm ready for a full on spring to hit us soon. This cold stuff is for the birds.

I feel like I've been really busy and working a lot lately, and I think that's because I'm missing out on sleeping late and having brunch on the weekends. I wish there was someplace I could get real brunch and a bloody mary at noon on a Tuesday. Yeah, you know the feeling.

I rearranged my bedroom the other day, and I like the new setup. It's not a big deal, but after being cooped up for so long, it's nice to do something physical and see results and an improvement. I recommend giving it a try if you're feeling bored and antsy. It's invigorating.

A couple weeks ago we went to see Harriet Jacobs at the Steppenwolf. I'm not usually big on theater but the performance was absolutely amazing. I'd actually probably go see it again. Anyway, I stopped in a nearby Borders beforehand to warm up and look around and realized that it's time I started reading more. This struck me when I realized I had never read Slaughterhouse Five. How did this happen? What else am I missing out on? What are some of the other books that I should have read by now? Chances are there's a lot. At least I can check that one off the list now.

It appears I've thrown in the towel in this unintentional competition of blog non-posting against Martha K. Davis. She gave me quite a run, but in the end I've just got more roommates going, "Hey, jackass! What have you been up to? I can't tell because you haven't posted in forever!" Ah, well.

Also, went out for a drink after work the other day and played Boggle for the first time ever. And Boggle rules.

Thursday, February 07, 2008

What's Happening Now?

January to February lull is taking its toll on everyone at this point, I believe. It's one of those lovely times in Chicago, where it's either raining, sleeting, snowing, or a combination of the three. The sky is perpetually the color of dirty roadside snow. So many people are sick, and the weather reflects that pretty well. We're in the ring, I'm on the mat, and February is slamming me in the face with its People's Elbow.

I've been eating fairly healthy lately, though, doing a decent amount of cooking for the Hall. It's tough to get motivated to run in four inches of slush, so I think it's a decent trade-off. We started program at Norwood Park this week, but due to a computer glitch, I was not able teach the first day. Apparently, they thought I may have had a violent criminal past, but it all worked out fine.

Day two was typical, but on my trek to the El after class I did something I'm not very proud of. It's one of those things that you know is bad when you're doing it, you feel guilty about it, yet you continue anyway.

The Baconator.

Six strips of bacon. Two quarter pound burgers. Two slices of cheese.

One gluttonous smile of satisfaction. I stopped at Wendy's on the way home and figured, "Hey, I'm already here. I might as well get the most horribly unhealthy best and tastiest thing on the menu." Glorious and frightening all at once. I recommend trying one, but only if your heart is up to the challenge.