After the Storm

I'm not usually a huge fan of centered photos, but I like this one. This was right after a mild storm, and I liked the look of the dark bird and shelter against the blue-gray sky. A limited color palette can be fun sometimes, and here it feels like it's just half a step away from being black and white.

A BB Problem

On Wednesday, I was going through my workout with BB. Someone was on the calf raise, so BB thought for a moment and said, "Let's try something." He took me over to the barbell set up and had me hold the barbell behind my head, rested on my shoulders, then stand up on my tip toes. That sort of things takes a bit of balance, let me tell ya.

While I wobbled and tried not to fall over, BB stood behind me as my spotter. "Don't worry, I got you."

I don't like people standing that close to me, especially not if they're male. It gives me an uncomfortableness. But, there he was, an inch behind me, and I was okay with it. I've hit the point where I trust him. That's why I got a tad concerned when he talked about having a meeting with his boss, and about being nervous about the meeting.

Me: Well, did she say what it's about?
BB: She said she wants to make some changes with the protocols and things.
Me: That doesn't sound too bad. Maybe not much fun, but nothing to worry about.
BB: We'll see. I guess I'll know Friday if I still have a job or not.

Today, during my office hours, I saw a shape in the doorway. I glanced up. It was BB. Took me by surprise. Him being there means he had to have looked up my office and my office hours. He stopped by to tell me he'd gone to the meeting. Turns out he got a raise and his boss told him about some changes.

BB: I don't know if it's going to work out, but I'll give it a try.

Then I had to dash off to class, so I didn't get a chance to learn more. I don't like it, though. I have no idea what the changes are, or why he doesn't like them, but I want BB to stay. I'll have to find out the rest during my next appointment Friday. It sucks that I have to wait a week. I hate waiting on information.

Undergrads and Undergrads

The first day of the semester went well. Not perfect, but well. The good parts were meeting my students and having all of my numerous handouts copied a couple days early. The not so good part was a series of technology issues in the computer labs where my classes are held. The phone lines for the IT department were very busy yesterday, let me tell you.

Thanks to my fast and dirty schedule - three classes in four hours, with an hour break for my office hours - I was done at noon. As far as the students themselves go, I'm trying a different approach with them this semester. I'm working on being more personable. I don't want to be their friend, but I do want them to feel like they can approach me if they need help. We'll see how it goes.

I hung out in the office to eat some lunch, then went to the gym and had a pretty intense work out. While I was on the cardio machine, BB was going through a workout with an undergrad. boy. The seated calf raise machine is right in front of where I was, so I got a little thrill of satisfaction when I was the undergrad was only doing 25 lbs. I'm up to 45.

In light of that accomplishment, when I got home I picked up my tape measure from the cabinet top it's been sitting on for the past month. My stomach is an inch smaller since I measured last. So is my waist. I've gotten some compliments lately about my workouts paying off, but now I have empirical evidence of the effects. That makes me happy.

I feel like I got a lot done yesterday, which is exciting.

First-Day-Back Eve

Fall semester starts tomorrow. I've got three classes this semester, like last, and I've got a bajillion documents to pass out. Sometimes I wish I was still a student instead of the instructor, 'cause the only thing students need to do on the first day is show up. I have to have a plan, copies, and rosters.

I'm a tad nervous, as per usual, but kind of excited at the same time. I am so ready for summer to be over so I can have something structured in my life again. Having all that time off is not good for me, even if it had its fun parts.

Stairwells and Shadows

Here's another Florida picture. The bachelor's quarters on Whiting base have a cool cinderblock thing going on in the stairwells. I dug it a lot.

My 1st Photo Contest

Last night was Photo Club night. Each month they have a photo contest and I entered for the first time. The theme of the month was Macro/Insects. I got an honorable mention :)

A Very Good Friend

Last night I did the IM thing with my old friend Cassie. I always love being able to catch her 'cause we don't talk too often these days - both of us are busy as all get-out and we live four hours away from each other. We've known each other since middle school and for all that our personalities are very different - she's the people person, outgoing and friendly - I'm the studious one. But, our circumstnaces are very similar, both of us have been single for a while and both of us are hanging out in limbo land in an academic/professional sense. It's nice, amidst me seeing everybody and their dog meet the perfect guy/gal and land the perfect job, to still have a friend who is still figuring things out. Thank Randolph I'm not the only one.

The other part that helps is that my friend Cassie is all kinds of wonderful and I know that things will work out for her. She's working away at these things and the fact that they haven't worked out quite yet just means it's a timing issue. And, if that's true for her, then maybe it's true for me. It makes me feel less frustrated. Also, being the lovely person that she is, last night she gave me some encouraging words and said I was one groovy chic and that she has faith in me.

It reminds me that, no matter what else, every now and again everybody needs a cheerleader. Keep on keeping on, Cassie, 'cause you are awesome.

Vignette

Whilst walking the Shermanator this morning, we came upon a young couple (I'd peg 'em at about 19) on the path. The guy was crouched down, scraping a rock against the sidewalk. The girl stood above him, looking bored. He scraped, and scraped, and I kept trying to figure out what the heck he was doing.

As the dog and I approached, he finished up and he and the bored girl walked away. Finally, I got close enough to see. There, written in rock-scrapings, was a message: "I love you Lexi."

Geometry On Geometry

I love shadows.

Another One Down

Me: So, I went on that date last night...
Amanda: And?
Me: It's not going to work with Radio Guy.
Amanda: *Sigh.*
Me: No, no. It's not like that.
Amanda: How is it like, then?
Me: He's got no confidence at all. I mean, think about Comic Book Guy, okay? Compared to Radio Guy, Comic Book Guy is outright ballsy.
Amanda: Oh. Well, don't worry, there'll be more guys for you to reject.
Me: Oh boy, I can't wait.

A Decided Lack of Enthusiasm

I have a date with Radio Guy tonight. I'm meeting him at a pizza place (my pick) in about half an hour. At this point, I'd kind of rather stay home. I just finished the second of two 8-hour days of pre-semester Composition department workshops, and I'm a bit worn out. Also, Radio Guy has proven to be kind of... boring. My goal tonight is to try and be more interesting myself, and do more interesting things, in order to give him, by extension, a chance to be more interesting. Maybe loosen him up a bit, and such. Maybe it'll help.

Worst case, the two-day workshop marathon gives me a prime excuse for calling it a night early.

I'm Going to Be Polite, Instead

When you really want to say something, but don't, we call it biting your tongue. So, what's it called when you really want to type something, but don't? Holding your fingers?

Cute guy I went to high school with, but never really knew well/talked to, just changed his Facebook status to say that he "isn't looking forward to the sleepless night." Doesn't that just seem to beg for an off-color response?

Hi-larious

Here's a nugget of goodness I'm passing on to you from the delightful Passive Aggressive Notes blog. It's really that last txt that takes the cake.

Odd Girl Out

I hung out with a group of writer friends last night. We met at a coffee shop/bookstore and, as always, had a lot of fun telling stories, talking about books and TV, and just generally enjoying each others' company.

Mid-way through, one of the new members of our group mentioned something about his girlfriend and I did a little head count. Of the four gals in attendance, two are married, and one is... well, she hasn't quite taken a vow of celibacy, but she's got some stuff in her past and there is no way any guy is getting near her that way any time in the foreseeable future, so she's unique in the headcount. Then there are the two guys, the afore-mentioned with a long-term girlfriend and the other one who's dating a gal with the same name as me. So, six people. Among them, I'm the only one who's single.

Yet another of those things where it looks like it's so easy, finding somebody. After all, everybody else I know has. Ah, perspective. I think I need more single friends.

Back Porch of the Florida House

Confession time: I'm jealous of the house my brother & Mike found. It's nice, it's spacious, and an amazing find for anybody's very first place. Hell, I'm living in my fourth place and it's way nicer than mine :( Being in the military does have its perks, like a housing allowance.

Here's one of the house pictures I took. Look at that wonderful screened-in porch and back yard. I wouldn't have minded spending some more time on that lovely porch.

Home Again, Home Again, Hippity Hop

I flew back home Wednesday and my connecting flight was delightfully delayed by 2.5 hours. Whoo-hoo! I called my mom to let her know and she suggested I talk to the airline to see if they'd trade me a free ticket for letting myself get bumped. She and my dad used to do this all the time, and free tickets are certainly cool. However, at that point, the desire to sleep in my own bed that night far outweighed my desire for free stuff. Do I regret my decision? Absolutely not. Getting home, even if it was after 11:00 p.m. that night, was bliss.

No idiot boys. No brother's girlfriend. No small hotel suite. No any of that. Just me, my dog, and an empty house. Ahhhhh...

The past two days I've mostly been a slacker, bumming around the house and soaking up the solitude. I did venture out for a grocery run Thursday morning, 'cause I'd cleared out my fridge pre-trip and had no grub. Yesterday I got bolder and went to the gym (I ended up blowing off my "on the road" workout, shame on me) and picked up the latest draft of my thesis intro with comments from one of my committee memembers. "Almost there," she wrote, which really means "Not ready yet," and made me sad. But, driving to campus in my own car counterbalanced it - even though my car is a boring 2002 Chevy, it totally beats my brother's "cooler" 1972 El Camino because it has such amazing features as air conditioning and the ability to start on the first time you turn the key.

More Batteries, Please

Amanda: What are you up to?
Me: I'm waiting for the boys to finish up with the realtor. It's ridiculous. Boys are useless.
Amanda: You say that like you think it gets better when they're older.
Me: It has to. At least a little bit.
Amanda: Ha! Remember how I said me and my husband are looking for a house right now? He's thirty-six and still useless when it comes to finding a place to live. Useless. Guys are terrible at these things.
Me: With the experience of the past week or so, I've got to say that I'm really liking this whole being single thing.
Amanda: Come on now, don't give up. Everybody needs sex.
Me: I don't know, I've been doing just fine lately.
Amanda: Just make sure you hide your vibrators before your parents come over.

Last Night in Florida

The boys met with the realtor this afternoon and traded cash for a key. We got all their stuff moved in, though not all unpacked, and I helped break the new place in by cooking dinner. I also made some extra food for the boys to eat over the next couple days. The extra cooking is my housewarming gift to them, and they are very appreciative of it.

My brother and I were back to good terms today, but I'm still looking forward to being on my own again. Watching the boys struggle to navigate such complex problems as shopping or communicating with civilians has its entertainment value, for sure, but the novelty's worn off. Though, I have to say, I wouldn't mind staying in Florida a bit longer now that I'd be able to stay in the house vs. the "cozy" hotel suite. Oh well, maybe I'll have to come back for a visit.

F*ing Told You So

This afternoon I hit the point of being sick of my brother. This morning got off to a rough start which I'll sum up me making appointments for the boys to look at two more houses, even though, DUH, they'd already found the "perfect" one. My point was that they hadn't really looked at many places, and only saw one other that was really comparable, so it'd be good to look a little more to make sure the "perfect" house really was, you know? i.e. I wanted to do a bit more comparison shopping, and, since these things never go as smoothly as one would want, it never hurts to have a back up. My brother, as you might guess, got irritated with me. He had it all figured out, and I should just shut the F* up and leave him alone. But, when I said I'd make the calls, he said he'd let me.

This morning I called about four houses he & Mike had seen the outside, but not inside of, and found out that two weren't ready to look at. The other two, I made appointments to look at. First house, first thing in the morning, and it wasn't as wonderful. My brother didn't say anything out loud, but his attitude was very much, "I told you so."

Then they called the real estate office about the house they picked and found out it wouldn't be ready to move into for a week. They don't have a week. My brother said, "I guess we'll keep looking." At 1:30, we went to the 2nd appointment I arranged. Guess what? It's got all the things they liked in the other house, like a 2-car garage and screened-in back porch, but it's nicer, and they can move in as soon as their background checks clear, i.e. tomorrow.

In short, I was right and my brother was wrong, and that made him pissy. What do you think he does? Any word of thanks? Any, "I guess you were right?" Of course not. So, he's irritated that he was wrong, and I'm irritated that he's being a pissy little girl. From there, we kept getting on each other's nerves and by about five o'clock I was sick of him.

I went out for a walk around the base to get away from my sibling for a while, and when I got back, Mike was gone to take a shower and I asked if, instead of him and Mike hanging out in our room tonight, they could hang out in Mike's. He said sure. Mike came back, they sat in the front room for a while, they eventually made dinner, and then my brother said something to Mike and Mike left. My brother stayed. Damnit. They were both supposed to go the hell away for a little while, both. My brother is the one getting on my nerves, not Mike. It's my brother who I want to go away for a while. *sigh* At least they're going to the realtor's tomorrow, and the realtor's in a neighboring town, so they'll be gone without me for a little while. Thank you Jesus.

I'm just going to focus on the part where they're picking my house, and forget about the part where my brother is a 22 year old who thinks he knows everything and I know nothing. (If nothing else, this experience is giving me gobs and gobs of understanding of some of what my parents have gone through. Mom and dad, I'm so sorry I was ever a teenager. Thanks for not murdering me.)