Music and Leg-Shaving

I really like it when I hear a song and I know just how one would dance to it. I can picture how one should move in my mind. Only certain songs evoke this response, and I find that interesting. One such song is "Rock Lobster" by the B-52s. Just listen to it, and maybe you'll be able to picture how you should dance. It isn't because they describe how you should dance in the song--the music just makes it seem (to me at least) that there's really only one way you would dance to that song. While playing Guitar Hero III, I find it is the same situation with the song "Mississippi Queen" by Mountain. Weird, huh?

Speaking of weirdness, I noticed two things at the gym: 1) Mr. Sinew does not shave his legs; and 2) Mr. Bulky does shave his legs. Pretty funny. Next on the agenda is to see whether Mr. Bulky shaves his arms. I need to be careful--I think I have somehow captured the attention of Mr. Bulky (I guess I'm not as sneaky with my scrutiny as I need to be). I think I have caught him looking at me a time or two, and...well I won't state my second suspicion, because when it is typed out it just looks crazy. One thing is almost certain--if he is looking at me, it is not with some sort of romantic or sexual interest. I would wager it is either consternation or curiousity ("How can someone be that weak and live?"). What would be really bad is if he has a name for me. "Ah, there is Ms. Short and Squat."

Gym Stories

So I promised more stories about the characters from the gym, which I shall now deliver. Mr. Sinew is not very interesting--he comes in when I am finishing my workout, and thus I cannot really say much about him. Mr. Bulky is almost always around at the time I work out. He is somewhat interesting. Mr. Bulky has the face of a...well, a nerd, really. I sense an element of defiance in him: "Maybe I look like a nerd, but with a build like this, does it really matter?" It is not that I think there is something wrong with being a nerd (that's pretty much what I am, right?), but I wonder if that is what drives Mr. Bulky to spend so much time at the gym. I wonder if he was teased a lot in school, or bullied. Then again, maybe he thought working out would improve his chances with the ladies or the men. I'm pretty sure that he is not doing it primarily for the health benefits. He wants his body to look a certain way, and he has taken great care to get it to its current state. I keep meaning to try and see if he shaves his legs, as bodybuilders often do, but I never remember to look. Plus, I try not to look at him too often--everyone at the gym tries to refrain from looking at everyone else, especially the serious gym rats, and we certainly do not speak to each other. It is an unwritten rule of early morning gym etiquette.

Random Silly Thoughts

1. I've been going to the gym a lot lately, and have become used to seeing the hardcore gym rats. I have named two of the freakishly fit ones. One is heavily muscled in a bulgey, bulky way, and thus is named Mr. Bulky. The other one is heavily muscled in a lean way, and has muscles on top of muscles, almost all of which you can see because he has so little body fat. I call him Mr. Sinew. More on characters from the gym later.

2. If my current life were a movie, I would want my character song to be Santana's "Black Magic Woman." I'm pretty sure that isn't the song a director would pick, though. I'll have to think about what song would actually be played (which song would actually fit my personality, etc.). Feel free to make your own suggestions about which songs you think would fit my personality, or even better, what you would want your character songs to be, and what songs would actually be played.

3. Halloween parties are surprisingly thin on the ground this year. I have only heard rumblings of one in the philosophy department, and the host of that one cannot do it until the weekend after this one (meaning that the party would actually be held in November, *SIGH*). I feel like that is a sign that I'm getting too old for Halloween, and that is sad. Michael and I already have costumes and everything. Bleh.

The Philadelphia Story

Michael started feeling sick around 3:00 P.M. today, and when I got home after six, it was apparent that we would be staying in and resting. He wanted to be upstairs in bed, so we decided to watch a movie so that he could watch at it or sleep, depending on how he felt. We picked The Philadelphia Story. This is the one with Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and James Stewart. It has been one of my favorite movies since I discovered it as a teen, but it is a bit strange that it should be so. I see a lot of myself in Katharine Hepburn's character, Tracy Lord. Those who have actually watched the movie know that is not really a good thing. Tracy Lord is highly judgmental and proud, and so very certain that she is always right. She expects everyone around her to rise to her standards, and those standards seem exacting and perhaps unattainable to many around her. One of the great lines comes from her ex-husband, who tells her "You'll never be a first class human being or a first class woman until you've learned to have some regard for human frailty." It took me a long time to figure out the lesson of the film, because the dialogue is sparkling and entertaining on its own, and the performances are engrossing. I would like to think that I have more tolerance for human frailty now than I did as a teen, but I'm probably still a little too harsh. In any case, it is a wonderful movie, and I think it does a fine job of showing that too much judgment and too little forgiveness makes one into a cold statue, rather than a warm human being.

Gym Experience #3

Weight machines and being height-challenged just don't go together. I am convinced that workout machines are designed to make the people that actually need them feel ridiculous. Why does getting in shape require winding your body around bars and padded parts, resulting in lying prone in a position that is otherwise considered strange or indecent? WHY?

Gym Experience #2

Jorge did not show up. My new life as a gym-going person begins somewhat inauspiciously.

Gym Experience #1, kinda.

Technically, I have been to the Leach Center gym at least once before, so I guess I should instead claim that this is my second gym experience, but whatever. Since I have so much trouble working out late in the afternoon, I decided to start working out in the mornings at Leach Center. I'm still a little freaked out about taking most of my showers there, but I hope the benefits will outweigh the inconveniences. I thought I would try to be smart, and go today (Sunday) so I could see the lay of the land, and figure out what machines I would use, etc.. This did not work out as planned. I've never used weight machines before. Ever. As a result, I have no idea what these things do, the best combination in which I should use them, or how to adjust them for my height and ability. I just wandered around the weight machine area, looking lost and terrified. I finally choked back my pride and waddled up to the Fitness Counter (geez) and explained my predicament, being very honest. And that is why I now have an appointment tomorrow morning with someone named Jorge, who will talk with me and prescribe a workout program based upon my fitness goals, as well as show me which machines to use and how to use them. I know I should be relieved, but right now I'm still pretty scared. I'm sure I will have more to say about this particular experience later.

Ridiculous

So. This week I participated as an associate in a conference held by the Program for Instructional Excellence (PIE), and the first day was rather....not fun, just because I was one of the few poor souls assigned to the outdoor manual labor required in order to provide lunch and seating to about 300-350 people. Surprisingly, however, this wasn't the worst part of the day. That began soon after I got into my car (with the blistering hot steering wheel). I just wanted to get home as fast as possible, and I had just turned onto Jefferson, when lo and behold, I was suddenly behind a jeep filled with four guys. What was so bad about that, you may ask? Well, the fact that they were going TEN MILES AN HOUR down the street, slowing down to five at certain strategic spots. Why were they doing this? They were cruising down Jefferson, gaping at the slew of new potential sorority sisters packed under tents in front of the sorority houses. Just as I was about to punch my horn and lean out the window making colorful suggestions (I was very tired, very sweaty, and very angry, and thus not my usual reserved self), we came to a stop sign, and another car had the right of way, and got between us. What a STUPID way to spend your time. What an INCONSIDERATE thing to do to other drivers on a two-lane street. C'MON! (Said with Gob Bluth's intonation).

Books to Movies

Yesterday, the newest installment of one of my favorite books series came out, and I read it in a matter of five or six hours. The book is the latest in the Stephanie Plum series by the author Janet Evanovich. The series is about an inept female bounty hunter in New Jersey, with quirky and strange supporting characters. I find the novels hilarious and fun, and I can picture almost every character. This always makes me yearn for a movie adaptation of the books, and I consider who would make the best main characters, etc.. Then, I remember to be careful what I wish for. Case in point: the Nancy Drew movie that is in theaters now. Now, though it is true that I have not actually watched the movie, I did watch an extended preview a month or two before the movie was released in theaters. That preview told me all I needed to know: whoever made the film and wrote the scripts and screenplay never read a Nancy Drew novel.

This realization was quite upsetting. I counted the Nancy Drew novels as one of the more formative influences on my life. I wanted to be a detective for the longest time because Nancy Drew was SO FREAKING COOL! I did my best to develop the sorts of skills she had, like keen observation and careful analysis of facts. I carry a magnifying glass in my purse to this day, just in case. I know it sounds ridiculously nerdy, but I think the Nancy Drew series (both the 1930s series and the 1980s series) was great! Nancy Drew was a smart and quietly gutsy young woman, who was mature for her age and who had better things to do than worry about getting married and having babies (even in the 1930s!). She loved puzzles and mysteries, and she didn't usually wait for Ned Nickerson (her standby guy) to go and investigate some really creepy areas. While the movie may have got THAT right, what they didn't get right was everything else. They have made that series into a mockery of what it actually was, and I hate the fact that anyone exposed to the movie and not the book series will think I wasted much of my youth reading some sort of ridiculous bubblegum crap. The characters are shallow and senseless, and almost nothing like what they were in the series. Anyway, it won't help to rant now. I just wish that the people who make these movies cared as much about the books they're ransacking for ideas as the fans of the books. Why should Harry Potter be the only well-depicted series?

Um?

So. Michael was looking over the news on the internet today, and found this. I'm really not sure what to say, but....well. You'll see.

Mistaken Identity

I received something unexpected in my campus mailbox--a letter from a young girl who thought I was an author of a biography that she had read. It was a sweet letter, with questions about the author's present-day occupation, and a request for recommendations for other biographies written for the younger set. She also expressed some of her own goals and hopes, and it made me think that perhaps not all children will turn out quite like some of the kids I see in class. For the first time in a long time, I felt less cynical. I am trying my best to find information about the author, but I have some fears that the author may be deceased. I think this book was published for the first time in 1944....and I know for a fact that the illustrator is dead. The book is a Scholastic title, and one in a series of biographies. I sent an e-mail to the Scholastic publishing office, in the hopes that someone will have contact information for the author, or will at least be able to tell me if she is dead. In any case, I will be able to write the girl back and tell her of some sites that are loaded with information about biographies for younger readers, so I am happy about that, at least. I might even purchase one to send to her, by way of apology for being the wrong person. I was very touched by the fact that the girl was so inspired by the book that she took the time to try and contact the author. I wonder if this is what C.S. Lewis felt like, every time he received a letter from an adoring young fan? If so, I can understand why he felt compelled to try and answer every letter.

Camping Trip!

As some of you know, Michael and I took a camping trip to the place where we honeymooned, the T. H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph's Peninsula State Park. I have posted pictures from our vacation here, for anyone who is interested.

Michael and I are enjoying our summer, thus far. I have a lot of reading to do, because I'm taking my special area exam at the end of the summer. I am also participating in various reading groups, and will be assisting for a class during the latter part of the summer. Michael is busy working on experiments, as well as preparing lectures and course materials for the course he will be teaching in Fall 2007.

Michael has been really busy working with our yard by doing all the big stuff (seeding, watering, mowing, etc.), and I have been trying to do some of the more decorative and wild-life stuff (flowers, bird feeders, bird baths, etc.). We have a little above-ground pool that we will be putting up soon, and we need to level part of our yard to do it, as well as put up some lattice on our backyard fence to give us more privacy. Last year, the pool was on the side of the yard that is obscured mostly by our house, but we want to put it in a different spot this year. We also want to keep the neighborhood kids out of it, for fear that little kids might sneak in and drown, so we will be locking our gate and trying to obscure the fact that we have a pool back there. In any case, it should be fun, once we get it set up.

Anniversary, Cake, and Exercise

This past weekend, Michael and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary (March 11). We were pretty tired, because it was the day after we drove back from Texas (we visited my family over spring break). We enjoyed a piece or two of the top tier (actually a tier baked separately just for this purpose) of our wedding cake. We were warned by a few couples to expect it to be dry and fairly tasteless, but it actually stood the test of time rather well. It wasn't the best cake I've ever had, but it certainly wasn't the worst.
Speaking of cake, I baked a cake for my dad over spring break that was marvelous! It is a family recipe that comes from my mother's side, and is my dad's absolute favorite. I had never tasted it before, because I was even pickier as a child than I am now. The cake has pecans in it and as I child I didn't like such things. I was very surprised at how scrumptious the cake was, and cursed my childish tastebuds for letting me miss out on this cake, which was baked every Christmas, up until my parents divorced.
Enough about cake. I am on yet another health kick, and trying to do the 10-week running program that I found in the online version of Runners World Magazine again (I think I went into detail about it in a previous post). I am still on Week 1 because I didn't run at all over spring break (I started it the week before). Hopefully this time I won't get discouraged, because I always feel really good after the workout, and I think I can already tell a difference in how I feel generally. Once I have the running stuff under control, I'll add weights into my routine, and then I'll start seeing major differences. THEN once I am in some sort of shape that is better than my average (which is probably classified as "severely out of shape") I will try to take up tennis in a more serious manner. It will be interesting to see how my strategy works out. By May 14, I should be able to run for 20 minutes without stopping, and if I am good and start the weights next week, I should start seeing results in my muscles as well. Only time will tell.

Matter over Mind

I keep falling asleep in the afternoons. I've been really tired all week, and no matter what I try, it just happens. I had every intention of translating some Greek, but even after I drank a cup of coffee, I was out like a light. *Sigh* Doesn't my body understand that I have work to do, and that it shouldn't just knock me out whenever it wants?? Mind over matter MY ASS.

Valentine's Day

This year, Michael and I plan to celebrate Valentine's Day as we have for the past three or so years. We are going to order a pizza (something a little more exotic than we usually get) and watch television as usual (we don't go out on Valentine's Day). For dessert, we will enjoy strawberry soda with strawberry ice cream (one of Michael's favorite desserts). Fun stuff. Tonight I'm making mini-cupcakes to put in the common room of the philosophy department. I like to bake, especially for people who don't get to enjoy baked goods very often (many graduate students). Hey, Peter....I just had a thought: too bad you aren't around the department anymore. Now that you aren't a raging vegan, you'd be able to partake of the joy. Why mini-cupcakes, some of you may wonder? Well, I received a nifty cake carrier for Christmas that has slots for mini muffins, but the biggest reason is that I feel like punching people who say, "Well, I would have had one, but I didn't feel like eating a whole cupcake." A whole cupcake. Like it's an effort. What are you, an infant?? A supermodel?? Just eat it or be truthful and say that you don't like sweet snacks, etc., or that you fear my cooking. Anyway, I'm excited about these cupcakes, because they are going to be chocolate sour cream cupcakes with cream cheese icing and sprinkles. Tasty.

Weird Dream

I had a dream early this morning, in which I was running late to my college graduation (but the place looked like my high school). Later in that same dream, I had to keep hitting a a guy intent on murdering me in the head with a rock, to keep him unconscious until the police arrived. Hm.

A New Year

Well, it has been a while since my last post, and lots has happened which . . . is probably not all that interesting. Thus, I will simply note that I am going to be very busy this semester with classes, but since they are all interesting it will be a lot easier to keep up with the required work.

I find myself with little to say at this point, but I hope this post will at least get me back into the habit of posting. When I do find something to say, I will have already broken the "it's a new year" ice. Anyway, until then, gentle readers.....adieu.