May 14, 2008
The 40
In my last entry I noted that I would play basketball for the last time on my 40th birthday...today! I played one game. My team lost, but I did OK individually: 2 for 2 shooting, a few rebounds, and held my opponent scoreless.
When I got home there was a big package left on the front door. "Maybe somebody sent me something for the b-day!" I thought. Nope, it's something for V. Oh well, I do have some stuff to open later today....
May 10, 2008
end of an era
On Wednesday (May 14) I turn 40, and will play basketball one more time and then retire. I played at least once a week from age 23 until a couple of months before age 38, when a ruptured achilles tendon sidelined me for a year. I played twice in May 2007 (when I turned 39), but then over the last year I only shot occassionally. Given that I'm no longer having back problems (not to mention other nagging aches and pains) I think it's time to end an era....
Today I returned to action for the first time in a year, and played a game that included a graduating U of M women's basketball player. After the game we chatted for a few minutes. I told her that I never had a women's bball player in any of my classes, a shame since that is my second favorite sport to watch on TV, and favorite to attend live!
April 19, 2008
NBA playoffs
Today while scanning TV channels I stumbled upon Cleveland vs. Washington in the first game of the NBA playoffs, which I had no clue had started! I was also shocked to find that my hometown team (the Atlanta Hawks) had made the playoffs for the first time since 1999. I guess that's fitting, since somewhere in late '90s was the last time I really paid a lot of attention to men's pro basketball.
March 23, 2008
new blog/changed blog
Check out my newly created blog: AA&AS 40th Anniversary. That "revolutionary type" style is not too radical, is it?
Also, I changed the style on my AA&AS Chair's Blog to "parchment." Coolio, no?
March 09, 2008
Springing forward
Daylight Saving Time started today, which usually signals that Spring is here (or just about to arrive). I couldn't say that this morning, however, while out shovelling fresh snow....
March 02, 2008
Facebook Quiz
I created a quiz about Do The Right Thing, available via Facebook. Check it out if you have an account!
I originally had 10 questions in the quiz, but one was dropped somehow: "What do Radio Raheem and Buggin' Out want Sal to do just before the riot starts: a) make them some pizza, b) let them drink beer, c) put some pictures of Brothas on the wall, or d) put up flyers for a concert? What's the correct answer?
February 29, 2008
February 23, 2008
bad luck charm
I just got back from my second U of M Women's Basketball game, which the team lost. The Gophers also lost the first game I attended this year. I think I'll stay away from The Barn for the rest of the year....
February 13, 2008
#29 and #13
Since I've not been posting as much to this blog so far in 2008 as I did in 2007, I thought that I would slip down the rankings of UThink blogs with the most entries, but I've actually climbed to #29, my highest level ever. Weird. Since today is February 13 it must be #13 in effect; tomorrow I'll drop down to #39 or something....
February 04, 2008
strange thieves
I just returned home from a four-day trip out of town. I was able to stop delivery of my snail mail, but suspected that a couple of packages from amazon.com would show up via UPS, so I asked a homie to roll over to the crib to pick them up on Saturday. She was not able to get over here, and sure enough, there were packages on the front porch today (three of them). What was missing, however, was the Sunday paper, which has always showed up each week for almost four years. So some theives stole the paper but left three boxes alone? Weird....
January 07, 2008
the end of an era
Today I went to the campus bookstore to pick up some notebooks for the spring semester. I wanted to get the same type I've bought for the last 8.5 years, but couldn't find them at first. In the slot where they normally appear were some of similar size, but they were college ruled vs my preferred narrow rule, and also had perforated sheets that too easily tear off and fall out. I dug down into the bin and found five old ones, of which I grabbed the three I'll need for the semester. When the fall semester rolls around I fear that I'll have to switch to another type of notebook....
December 16, 2007
car wash change
Ever since I arrived in MN (1999) I've been using the touchless automatic car wash at Bobby and Steve's Auto World during the winters. Today I made my first visit of the 07-08 winter, and discovered that the touchless system was removed! While the pads on the new system looked soft, they made a lot of noise on contact. The car came out cleaner than usual, but there was at least one new scratch I hadn't seen before, so I might have to find a new place to take the car....
November 28, 2007
why Obama should be Prez
The December issue of The Atlantic Monthly has an interesting story about why Barak Obama should win the presidency in 2008. Check it out!
November 25, 2007
Thanksgiving 2007
As usual, I went down south for Thanksgiving. This year was not so fun, though:
- The 2-hour drive from the ATL to my grandmother's house in South Carolina took almost 4 hours.
- I caught a bug from my 2 year-old niece and was in bed all day Friday, after a night of being mostly in the bathroom.
- I had recovered enough on Saturday to make the drive back to Atlanta, but V is now sick.
November 17, 2007
4:00AM adventures
This morning V and I left the house at 4:00AM so that she could catch a 5:20AM flight. Along the way back a few interesting things happened:
- For the first time ever, I drove on a road for 5+ miles and did not see another car.
- I drove past the new Midtown Greenway bridge. I walked across it last weekend, but this was my first time seeing it in the dark. It has very cool blue lights.
- Close to home I made a right turn despite a new "No Turn On Red" sign and heard sirens(!). Luckily it was a fire truck....
November 04, 2007
falling back
Back on March 11 we "sprung forward" to start Daylight Saving Time. Today DST ended, and we "fell back." I've replaced one of the old clocks with one that has an automatic DST setting, so that's one less clock to manually reset....
October 22, 2007
#31
This is my 346th entry, which moves "Planet Walt" into a tie for #31 on the list of blogs with the most entries. The AA&AS chair's blog, on the other hand, has 37 entries, so it has a long way to go before it hits the Top 50 list, if ever.
October 21, 2007
using an old name plate
In the summer of 1986 I worked as an engineering intern, and received a sliding metal name plate for my cubicle. None of the other cubes and offices I've had since then have used a similar system...until now, as the door to my current office has a slot for metal name plates, and that very first one fits! So after 21 years of sitting in a box it lives again!
October 19, 2007
first deleted entry
I just had to delete a 2005 post because it somehow got "infected," i.e., attracted tons of junk comments. Hopefully the junk that went to that particular post won't be re-directed to other postings!
October 14, 2007
#33
This is my 341st blog entry, which puts me at #33 on the list of blogs with the most entries. Wow! I never would have imagined that a November 2004 demo for a class project would still be going 3 years later....
October 07, 2007
power tools
Three years ago V and I bought a 1912 house and have been doing renovations every summer. Usually I use power tools my contractor brings over, in addition to a drill he bought us as a wedding present. Today I bought some more stuff of my own -- the Ryobi lithium combo -- and (a) used the Sawz-All to cut off some rusty bolts, and (b) used the circular saw to turn plywood into drawer inserts. Bring on the next project, baby!
August 18, 2007
sketch
Artist Morgan Williams created this sketch using a photo as a guide. Didn't he do an outstanding job?!
August 16, 2007
August 11, 2007
a nightmare
Last night I dreamed that my computer and TV were on a lightly-screened front porch and got drenched by a sudden summer rain storm. I became irate and started screaming and throwing stuff all over the place. V laughed, which made me angrier. Was this a nightmare or what?!
August 03, 2007
Microfiction
I just finished a creative writing class in the university's Split Rock Arts program. One assignment was on 50-word Microfiction. Each poem below in my "Jimmy's Corner Store" series is exactly 50 words long (including the title).
Candyland
Jimmy’s corner store. Aisles narrow as a snake hole.
But crammed with such delights! Now or Laters, Snickers, Funions aisle 1. M&Ms, Kisses, Crunch aisle 2. Coke in the cooler.
Why candy in two places, Jimmy never said. But it was all good, though.
Man, to be 7 again!
Sneakers
Jimmy’s corner store. Aisles narrow as a snake hole.
“Yo, you stepped on my sneakers, man!” Gold tooth flashing. Other teeth locked.
“So, what you gone do!? Feeling froggy? Jump, fool!” A hand darts to baggy Silver Tabs.
“My bad, yo. Wasn’t you.”
Both walk out to cool air.
Return
Jimmy’s corner store. Aisles narrow as a snake hole.
That twists and twists and twists. How was I ever able to squeeze up in here?
“Hey Jimmy, y’all remodel? I can’t turn around!”
“Na’ll, you just got growed. Got yo’self a spare tire too. Heh Heh.”
Everyone has jokes.
Hole
Jimmy’s corner store. Aisles narrow as a snake hole.
But another hole appeared, and swallowed the store whole. Now just a field of dirt, debris, disgust.
“Where’d Jimmy go?” I asked an old man.
“Jimmy B? Gone. Dead and buried. Store followed close behind.”
Damn, yet another institution dusted.
Rebirth
Jimmy’s corner store. Aisles narrow as a snake hole.
New store, but same old style. Jimmy Junior did it up correct, yo! Right down to treats in two rows.
“JJ, why candy in two places?”
“That’s how it was. That’s the way it will be.”
Damn skippy it be.
June 25, 2007
May 15, 2007
end of the 30s
Yesterday I turned 39, so one more year before the big 4-0! I have enjoyed years 30-38; hopefully the 39th will be a good one too....
May 08, 2007
first letter
Today a letter arrived from my oldest niece (who is 8), the first snail mail she's ever sent! Before the age of email I enjoyed sending and receiving postal mail, so hopefully today's letter is the first of many....
May 02, 2007
custom stamps
Yesterday I received an invite to my brother-in-law's wedding, one which featured a custom stamp made from a photo. Wow, I didn't know that one could do this!
April 19, 2007
bomb threats and video recruiting
Yesterday several University of Minnesota buildings were evacuated due to a bomb threat. As I left Appleby Hall a big Girls Gone Wild tour bus was slowly rolling through campus. What a crazy juxtaposition....
March 30, 2007
forever stamps
So the new forever stamps go on sale April 12, and the price of first class stamps goes up to 41 cents on May 14. Man, I wish I had known this before buying a book of 39-cent stamps a couple of weeks ago. Oh well, at least I got a cool design: Gee's Bend Quilt stamps.
March 11, 2007
springing forward
Daylight Saving Time began today, so I have to manually adjust most of my clocks. In all, 14 devices need to be adjusted by hand: 4 clock radios, 2 TVs, 2 thermostats, 2 appliances, 1 wall clock, 1 car clock, 1 office desk clock, and 1 Palm Pilot. I've got too many time pieces!
March 07, 2007
history lesson
After watching Flyboys last night I tried to remember what incident caused (more or less) the U.S. to enter World War I. Today one of my colleagues -- a historian -- provided the answer: the sinking of the Lusitania.
March 02, 2007
too much snow
While I enjoy shovelling my sidewalk and driveway, yesterday's storm that dumped a foot of snow was a bit extreme. I went out to shovel four times yesterday, and have been out once today. I'll have to go out at least one more time after the plow comes through and creates a big ridge in front of the driveway. Also, two more inches of snow are expected! I think I'll be happy if this is the last time we get snow this season....
February 28, 2007
one year ago today...
...I had surgery to repair a torn achilles tendon, then I spent three months in a cast. Hopefully that will never happen again....
February 26, 2007
southern adventures 2
As I noted in the entry below, I made it to Nashville with no problems, but had no such luck getting out yesterday: my connecting flight in Chicago was cancelled because of weekend snowstorms, and no other open seats to MSP were available that day on any other airline. So for the first time ever I had to extend a trip because of bad weather! This was the first time I've had a connection in Chicago, so maybe I should not schedule that again....
southern adventures 1
Over the weekend I had several adventures while attending the NCTEAR conference in Nashville. First up: a 30-minute window to make a connecting flight in St. Louis to get there. Given the possibility of missing the connection on a delayed first leg, I packed some clothes in my carry-on bag to make sure I had some clean underwear for the next day! "How in the world does the booking system allow such a short layover?" I wondered. The answer: the plane for the second leg was the one I was on for the first segment! So even though I had to get off briefly for the plane to be cleaned, no mad sprint down the concourse would be required. Nice!
February 19, 2007
hiking around San Francisco
From Thursday through Sunday I was in San Francisco to attend the San Francisco Writers Conference at a hotel on top of Nob Hill. Each morning I hiked up the hill from the Powell Street BART station, and each day for lunch I roamed up and down other hills. I think I did more walking in four days than I usually do in four weeks!
February 05, 2007
bbbbbrrrrrr!!!
This morning my car displayed a temp of -17 degrees, and a radio announcer said that windchills were 20 to 30 degrees below zero. Bbbbbrrrrrr!!! I have had one colder experience, though: in late December of 1989 I woke to a 20 below/40 below windchill day here in Minnesota, one that froze the car's gas filter. I had to climb under with a hair dryer to thaw it. Now THAT was a cold day!
January 30, 2007
evil smoke alarm
A couple of years ago I posted an entry about a smoke alarm battery expiring in the middle of the night. Well, last night the chirping of another dead smoke alarm battery woke me out of a sound sleep at 1:30 AM, then I slept fitfully until it was time to get up. I think that smoke alarms worldwide have decided to deliberately kill their batteries at the most inappropriate times in order to piss off their owners; they know that we can't really do anything besides gripe a little. It's a big conspiracy, I tell you!
January 23, 2007
new glasses
Back in August I bought a new pair of eyeglasses, my first new pair in 7 years. I wanted to keep the same style I had, but the staff convinced me to go with something that (I admit) looks better. The problem, though, is that my new style is very trendy, and I'm an anti-trend cat. I eventually made my peace with this, but it was disturbed last night while watching 24: one of the bad guys -- Jack's brother (!) -- had on the same pair! At least that's what I thought at first, but a close-up revealed that there are a few minor differences. What a relief, as for a minute I thought that I'd have to dump my glasses and eat $600....
January 08, 2007
secret adventures
Today at lunch I received a fortune cookie that said, "a secret adventure is in store for you." The fortune does not, however, tell if this adventure will be good or bad....
December 22, 2006
Happy to get a rejection
Earlier this year I finished a memoir, and I'm trying to get it published. Yesterday I got a rejection letter from a publisher, but it was one I was happy about (!). Why? (1) The letter was a photocopy of a typewritten original (who uses typewriters these days!?), and (2) it had several typos: two that were corrected before the copy was made, and two more made in fresh blue ink! Whoa, the letter was most definitely not from a quality press.
December 12, 2006
Target karma
After a Target run last month I discovered that the clerk had not charged me for one of my items, a box of Kleenex or something. I thought about going back to report the omission (seriously!) but figured that things would even out in the long run. Sure enough, my receipt from yesterday revealed that I was charged twice for a pack of TP. The world is back in balance.
November 10, 2006
Today is Veteran's Day?
At noon I went downtown to City Hall to get a rainleader ordinance permit, but was greeted with bemusement by the security guard: today is Veteran's Day, so everything is closed. I had NO idea that it is a holiday today.
November 07, 2006
vote today!
There are lots of tools out there to inform us about the issues and candidates involved in today's election, such as at MyVote. Vote today!
September 18, 2006
Entry 200
When I created this blog in November of 2004, I thought I'd only post three or four notes as a demo for students in my "Stories and Storytellers" class. Here it is almost two years later and I'm still going, with 200 posts and spot #43 on the list of UThink blogs with the most entries. Wow!
July 29, 2006
signature cafe's brunch
Last Sunday morning I was surprised that the Signature Cafe was closed, as for the past couple of years we've occasionally gone to their bomb-ass Sunday brunch. I just went over to ask if they were out of town last week or something, and would brunch be back on tomorrow. I was told that they ended Sunday brunch after Father's Day last month, and might restart it in the fall. I sure hope so!
June 21, 2006
giving directions
For some reason, people frequently stop me to ask for directions...even when I'm in a strange city and have no idea where they want to go! Today a woman asked me about an address on 21st Ave. S. Since we were in SE Minneapolis I asked her if she meant 21st Ave SE. (A quirk of Minneapolis street design is that there can be, say, a 2000 21st Ave S just east of downtown, and a 2000 21st Ave N close to the western rim of the city). Before I could sort out her specific destination a bus pulled up behind her (she was in a bus-only lane in front of the U of Minnesota's Coffman Union), so she rolled off with my assurance that she was going in the right direction for SE streets/avenues. I think that she probably wanted to end up across the river in the Seward neighborhod, though. Oh well....
May 17, 2006
no more crutches
Three months after surgery to repair a ruptured achilles tendon, today I was given permission to walk without them! I'm still in a walking boot, and will have to keep that on for at least 3 more weeks, but it definitely feels good to have just 2 legs again....
May 16, 2006
ghosts in the kitchen
This weekend one of the lights in my kitchen went out. I thought the bulb had burned out, but it was just unscrewed a little; a half-twist turned it back on. Now I know I haven't messed with this bulb, and V hasn't either. We have an old house so things constantly creak and shift, but a bulb unscrewing itself?!? I just hope the ghosts don't graduate to something more destructive....
May 09, 2006
Cancun reflections
Last week I was in Cancun, Mexico for 5 days with V, who won a trip to attend her company's annual "Best of the Best" celebration. Over the next few days I'll post entries about stuff observed while there.
May 01, 2006
earthworms in the rain
On several occasions I've noticed a large earthworm congregation after a storm, but today I witnessed a first: a dozen or so worms under my garage door (between the door and concrete; usually they are on the sidewalk). Weird.
April 18, 2006
soap sheets
Several months ago I received a package of "On-The-Go Soap Sheets" to be used as hand wipes. As these are dry sheets, I didn't think they'd be any good, so I dumped them in the bottom of my book bag. Today, though, I dug 'em out after a messy lunch and no napkins in sight. Surprise: they work pretty good!
April 05, 2006
women's bball
Last night the University of Maryland won the women's basketball championship. Their head coach was here at the U of Minnesota for the year that started our rise to power (which now may end given that four players and an assistant coach have left the program in the past two weeks) but bolted to Maryland at the end of the year. Many Gophers, then, were rooting against the Terps last night. I say this: Brenda, your game plan is better suited for the fun-and-gun ACC than the grind-and-defend Big 10, so go 'head on, grrrl!
April 02, 2006
clock adjustment
This morning it took me about 20 minutes to "spring forward" all of the clocks in my house for daylight saving time (I'm still on crutches following achilles tendon surgery). I should have flown in an Indiana high school senior to do it, who only charged $10 per house.
March 13, 2006
March snow
This morning a mid-March Twin Cities snowstorm is winding down. Normally I would be getting ready to go out for my favorite winter activity: shoveling snow. Alas, I'm still in a cast so there's probably very little I can do today. V joked that I should attach a plow to my crutches and use that on the fluffy stuff (6 inches or so out front!). Hhhmmm....
March 07, 2006
doctors in an era of HMOs
Yesterday I had a 1-week checkup with the surgeon about my repaired achilles tendon. I asked him how I was able to limp around for 3 weeks thinking I had a sprained ankle: "don't ruptured achilles tendons usually result in a lot of pain and the inability to walk?" His answer? "Yes, but you're a tough guy." Man, I knew that HMOs pressure doctors to keep answers short to move patients in and out as quickly as possible, but DAMN, can a Brotha get at least two sentences!?!
March 01, 2006
new surgery experience
Yesterday I had surgery to repair a torn achilles tendon in my right ankle. Everything went fine, but I was a bit surprised about how the anesthesia worked this time. When I was a kid I had several operations to fix a urinary track problem, and remember a whooshing sound that got louder and louder before I went under. Yesterday, though, there was nothing! One minute I'm on my stomach in a pre-op room, the next I'm on my back in a recovery room. I wonder if (a) anesthesia works differently on kids vs adults, or (b) anesthesia medication has been improved over the years? Whatever the case, I hope I don't have to experience it again....
February 17, 2006
Twin Cities Trader Joe's
For fans of the grocery store chain Trader Joe's, it appears that at least one store will be opening in St. Louis Park, and a second might be coming to St. Paul. It's about time!
January 17, 2006
first day of spring classes
Today is the first day of classes at The U, and we were greeted this morning with a fresh coat of snow on the ground. I don't remember ever getting snow on the first day of spring classes while an undergrad at Georgia Tech (it rarely snows in The ATL), but I think that each start of spring classes in graduate school (Indiana U) was accompanied by fresh snow, and the trend continues here at the U of M-Twin Cities. Weird.
January 14, 2006
task from Richard Pryor
Last night I had a dream in which Richard Pryor was a math teacher, and he asked me to help evaluate a new activity for his students. I had just finished it (solve an algebra equation using a designated method) when I realized that Richard Pryor is dead; I woke up just as "Richard Pryor" was starting to transmorgrify into something else. I've got to stop watching Showtime's Masters of Horror just before bedtime!
January 04, 2006
Narnia in the news
Narnia is pissed off at the World Trade Organization. Hopefully the U.S. won't intervene in this dispute. Long live Aslan!
December 26, 2005
holiday crime
The last few days have been rough in my old Longfellow neighborhood: on Thursday (the 22nd) the Wendy's on Lake Street was shot up in a drive-by, and then yesterday -- Christmas Day! -- some fool capped a worker at the Family Foods (a corner store I used to frequently patronize). Where's the holiday love, people?!
December 15, 2005
snow emergency towing
A snow emergency is in effect here in Minneapolis, which means that there are restrictions on where/when one can engage in on-street parking. I was surprised when a tow truck pulled up next door 30 minutes ago and hauled off a late-model VW Passat, as I'd only seen a tow truck in the hood once...for a stalled car. I was also surprised that it took two dudes 8 minutes to get the car loaded; when I lived on 15th St. swarms of trucks would descend a few minutes after 9:00 PM (when emergencies go into effect) and the longest hook-up time I ever clocked was 5 minutes. Maybe these guys just got back from a lunch break and were not yet back to full operating speed....
December 12, 2005
internal communication
Why can't different departments within large corporations effectively communicate with each other? Today, I got not one, but two requests that would never had been made if the requesting unit had access to info given to another unit within the company. I would think that a shareable database would be easy to implement, but maybe both companies that contacted me today are using Microsoft products....