I woke this morning, like all others, went down to my desk
I hoped to see you swimming, but found you statuesque.
My office darkened at the sight, of my friend upside down
His belly up, his eyes now glazed, it made me want to frown
Our time together was so short, our friendship resolute
And now my friend I give to you the porcelain salute
A friend to mourn, a bowl to clean, for this I did not wish.
But of those that could have died, I'm just glad it was the fish.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
A strange background noise
It seems I post a lot about how I'm busy. While it may be true, it's not very entertaining.
When classes ended in May, we went to Minnesota. When with my in-laws, I play the role of spectator. They'll happily engage their sister in various whatevers and disappear with my children. I may perhaps receive a cursory glance. Most (not all, mind you) of the time I feel like Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense. I think I'm interacting with people, but really I'm just haunting the place.
Mind you, this is not a bad thing. It does, however, take a day or so to get used to.
Upon returning home it was decided that we needed to find a new home in Buffalo. We moved in 3 years ago with no kids, and now we have 2 (and all the furniture that requires). We had one month to find and secure a place, pack everything, and move it. Oh, and I was stuck taking a required course over the summer. I've had more pleasant trips to the dentist. The only good thing about the entire ordeal was the end of it. It's a higher quality home in a better neighborhood.
Yea, summer courses. When 3 of the classes I want in the fall require a class I couldn't take in the spring, summer courses are the only option. On the one hand, campus is almost empty. I like that. On the other hand, I don't have much of a vacation.
About ten years ago, I had so many strange and vivid dreams. I still remember most of them to this day. These days, I can't remember my dreams at all. I don't like waking up like that.
When classes ended in May, we went to Minnesota. When with my in-laws, I play the role of spectator. They'll happily engage their sister in various whatevers and disappear with my children. I may perhaps receive a cursory glance. Most (not all, mind you) of the time I feel like Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense. I think I'm interacting with people, but really I'm just haunting the place.
Mind you, this is not a bad thing. It does, however, take a day or so to get used to.
Upon returning home it was decided that we needed to find a new home in Buffalo. We moved in 3 years ago with no kids, and now we have 2 (and all the furniture that requires). We had one month to find and secure a place, pack everything, and move it. Oh, and I was stuck taking a required course over the summer. I've had more pleasant trips to the dentist. The only good thing about the entire ordeal was the end of it. It's a higher quality home in a better neighborhood.
Yea, summer courses. When 3 of the classes I want in the fall require a class I couldn't take in the spring, summer courses are the only option. On the one hand, campus is almost empty. I like that. On the other hand, I don't have much of a vacation.
About ten years ago, I had so many strange and vivid dreams. I still remember most of them to this day. These days, I can't remember my dreams at all. I don't like waking up like that.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
My Wife
If you didn't already know, I'm married. Now that the one person that wasn't aware, is, here goes.
My wife is awesome. Imagine this: you sit down for breakfast and you see Cheerios. You think, "ok, cool, good for you and all that". But then you have a bite and "OMG, Banana Cheerios?! I totally didn't see that coming!"
That's what being married to Becka is like.
My wife is awesome. Imagine this: you sit down for breakfast and you see Cheerios. You think, "ok, cool, good for you and all that". But then you have a bite and "OMG, Banana Cheerios?! I totally didn't see that coming!"
That's what being married to Becka is like.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Soda gnomes
The vending machines on campus are interesting things. I never buy snacks from them, they always taste like crap. I drink most of my calories, and I enjoy every drop. The two types of machines, though, are equally distasteful.
The open kind, the one where you can see the bottles, and see the mechanism that delivers your overpriced concoction. I frequently see them with bottles jammed at various stages of delivery. Then there's the closed kind with giant buttons on them.
When employing an open machine, I can see the mechanism at work, which induces a moment of terror as I can see every step and know just how it might jam, failing to deliver on its promise of a tasty drink.
When I hit the button on a closed machine, the gnome working inside takes a second to shake the bottle violently before dropping it. Sometimes it grabs the wrong bottle, but I can't throttle it because of the armor those machines are made of.
All the shops on campus charge more than the machines. Maybe I should just drink water.
The open kind, the one where you can see the bottles, and see the mechanism that delivers your overpriced concoction. I frequently see them with bottles jammed at various stages of delivery. Then there's the closed kind with giant buttons on them.
When employing an open machine, I can see the mechanism at work, which induces a moment of terror as I can see every step and know just how it might jam, failing to deliver on its promise of a tasty drink.
When I hit the button on a closed machine, the gnome working inside takes a second to shake the bottle violently before dropping it. Sometimes it grabs the wrong bottle, but I can't throttle it because of the armor those machines are made of.
All the shops on campus charge more than the machines. Maybe I should just drink water.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Deeper in my head, or, adventures in the hippocampus.
...at least I think it's the hippocampus. It wasn't labeled. I've had a lot of strange dreams throughout my life, the peculiarities of which are both a blessing and a curse. But that's a story for another day.
I keep dreaming that I'm either building a massive robot, or that I've already built it and it LOVES TO DANCE.
I'm still convinced that magnets will save the world. The gestalt is still rather nebulous, but it makes sense to me. It's a bit of a wave function in my head, ask me to explain it and it'll collapse. (so far)
In my dreams, I'm someone else... but I'm not. It's hard to explain. My brain eats Loschmidt's paradox for lunch.
Excuse me, the Rietdijk–Putnam argument is actively attempting to disassociate things from themselves. Also it's really late.
I keep dreaming that I'm either building a massive robot, or that I've already built it and it LOVES TO DANCE.
I'm still convinced that magnets will save the world. The gestalt is still rather nebulous, but it makes sense to me. It's a bit of a wave function in my head, ask me to explain it and it'll collapse. (so far)
In my dreams, I'm someone else... but I'm not. It's hard to explain. My brain eats Loschmidt's paradox for lunch.
Excuse me, the Rietdijk–Putnam argument is actively attempting to disassociate things from themselves. Also it's really late.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
The side door - do not use it.
Sometimes I just don't have anything to write about.
I live in a neighborhood where most, if not all, of the houses have a side door adjacent the driveway. I have come to loathe the side door. If it were a back door, it would be great. (The entire layout of the house would change, for one) But no, it's on the side, and some people think it's an option.
No, you silly people, it's not an option. I've missed packages I was waiting for (waiting in a chair by the front door), because the delivery monkey walked it right to the side door, and walked away with it because I couldn't hear him knocking on an outer stairwell door. My upstairs neighbor just handed me a package he said was sitting in the stairwell for two days. Sitting there because the delivery ape just stuck it the storm door.
Thanks neighbor. You think you could have shown me that two days ago, when you first saw it?
To anyone that approaches my house: right in front of the house is a door, a door with my last name on it. Next to the door is a doorbell (one that works). If you use *that* door, you will be noticed, you will be heard. But if you walk halfway down my driveway and bang on a door far, far from where anyone in my home will hear it, don't be surprised if you walk away without having been heard.
I live in a neighborhood where most, if not all, of the houses have a side door adjacent the driveway. I have come to loathe the side door. If it were a back door, it would be great. (The entire layout of the house would change, for one) But no, it's on the side, and some people think it's an option.
No, you silly people, it's not an option. I've missed packages I was waiting for (waiting in a chair by the front door), because the delivery monkey walked it right to the side door, and walked away with it because I couldn't hear him knocking on an outer stairwell door. My upstairs neighbor just handed me a package he said was sitting in the stairwell for two days. Sitting there because the delivery ape just stuck it the storm door.
Thanks neighbor. You think you could have shown me that two days ago, when you first saw it?
To anyone that approaches my house: right in front of the house is a door, a door with my last name on it. Next to the door is a doorbell (one that works). If you use *that* door, you will be noticed, you will be heard. But if you walk halfway down my driveway and bang on a door far, far from where anyone in my home will hear it, don't be surprised if you walk away without having been heard.
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