Earlier in the week I saw The X Files: I Want to Believe. Of course, as an X Phile I enjoyed the movie, but I wish that it were more epic, like The X Files: Fight the Future. The X Files 2 did, however, prompt me to buy seasons 8 and 9 of the show; previously I avoided re-watching these post-peak seasons (as were seasons 6 and 7 also, to a lesser extent).
On July 23 (tonight!) and 24, CNN television will air a "Black in America" report. Many blogs exist on this special broadcast, such as at Black Voices.
Earlier today I went over to my neighborhood post office to mail a letter. It was after 5:00 so I planned to get a stamp from a self-service machine, but I arrived to find that the machines were gone (!). A worker came out to the lobby so I asked him about it. "They were removed." That's it; no other explanation! I asked him for a stamp. "We're closed. We'll be open tomorrow." Wow, customer service is definitely priority #1 at the USPS.
Simon Delivers is going out of business. Man, V and I just signed up for that a couple of weeks ago! While we probably would have only used it once a month or so, it would have been a nice option when we didn't have much time to get out to a traditional grocery store. Oh well....
Last weekend one of the houses on a neighboring street turned 100 years old and got its own birthday party. What a cool idea! Our house is 96 years old, so if we're still here in the summer of 2012 we'll have to also host a house birthday celebration....
Over the weekend I received a call from the gas company informing me that prices would go up due to higher costs. Today the bill arrived, and my budget plan (total is spread out in even monthly amounts) will go up almost $100 per month! Yikes!! The automated message should have said "be prepared for a shock 'cause your bill be goin' through the roof, yo!"
Roadguy reports that the two sides of the I-35 bridge did not initially line up over the middle of the river, as one side was weighed down with scaffolding beams, but this was fixed when the scaffolding was removed. I had noticed the unevenness, and wondered if it was real or an illusion. I'll have to go check out the bridge again to see if it now looks correctly aligned.
Today I went over to check out I-35W bridge construction progress. An older White guy ambled up to me and said, "girls should not be allowed to drive bulldozers." "Why is that?" I replied. He mumbled something and moved away, correctly sensing that I did not share a view that might have drawn some agreement back when the original bridge was completed....
Last night I watched the Minneapolis "Red, White, and Boom" 4th of July fireworks display from a bridge filled with dozens of other spectators. This was just an OK event; watching fireworks as an adult doesn't have the same thrill as playing with them as a child. Take the 4th of July when I was 11: we stuffed the engines of a toy plane with bottle rockets to see if this would enable the plane to fly. Of course, the plastic engines simply exploded once everything was lit, but it was great! Maybe I can do that again next year....
Today my academic home moved from the College of Education and Human Development to the College of Liberal Arts. CEHD couldn't wait to kick a Brotha out, it seems, as my PsTL faculty page no longer is listed on the PsTL faculty directory...and it was not there yesterday either (!). I wonder how long ago they deleted the link? I still have much love for my old college, though!