Thunder of Wade

Yesterday was the division wide holiday party. We had pizza, chicken, pasta, and lots of desserts. There was a visit from the school mascot – Zippy – and classical music performed by students here at UA. We also had a game show and prizes.

I was on the committee and it was a great honking pile of work. But, I think everyone had fun so it was worth it.

I didn’t go swimming yesterday – too tired, though I felt bad about skipping it. I’ll be going again on Friday and I may even try to go today as well – depends on how I feel and how screwed up my morning becomes.

Finished up a couple of Origami presents that I’d made for people and got them wrapped last night. Nothing real complicated, but I think they turned out well.

And finally, I’ve some new tires and wheels to put on my car this evening. Or rather, to have put on my car since I’m not going to be doing it myself.

That’s it for now… back to work…

I swam again today – and sort of felt bad about it. I was the only one in the pool and the lifeguards had to climb up in the little chair and watch that I didn’t drown. Got to be one of the most boring jobs on the planet. Couldn’t have been interesting to watch – swim to end, stop and pant, swim back. I did try to mix up my strokes a bit so that might have made it more interesting, but that was only because I’m not very good and I get tired.

And sore. This is the first time I’ve gone swimming in a while and actually been sore afterwards. Which is not a bad thing, just kinda odd since it didn’t feel like I worked any harder.

In other news… I got hit by a massive wave of ennui yesterday. Wikipedia says: “ennui describes weariness or annoyance over a long period of time”

I don’t know if a day constitutes a long period of time, but I was more weary and annoyed than those words can really cover.

I think part of it is the holidays – which haven’t really been a heck of a lot of fun for me in a while. They are so endlessly stressful and even the simple task of going to the mall – or anywhere near the mall – becomes a grueling experience. I’m essentially done with my shopping at this point and everything is wrapped – so at least that part is done.

Shopping for other people (not nearly as fun as shopping for ones self), trying to spend “just the right amount” and get “just the right gift” for everyone who ended up on my list, and then the travel – which I dread.

I’m trying to be festive and not bring the people around me down – but I don’t think I’m doing a great job of that. And hey! More guilt.

And I know I shouldn’t feel like this. It’s supposed to be a happy time. I’d try and chalk it up to some kind of SAD, but the nice weather refutes that.

So, apply Happy Face ™ and soldier on through. And I know that I’ll enjoy parts of if and will wonder why I was so cranky earlier. Still, it all feels a little empty to me. The Christmas spirit seems to have passed me by.

Enough of this rambling – nearly time to go home and do a bit of cleaning. Yep – I’m a party animal. Later…

I’ve got, as it may be abundently clear, a few issues. Not any real bad ones, just a few small ones that don’t have much of an impact on my life. One of those is a strong dislike for unfinished timers. Particullary on microwaves – where someone has had a timer going or had been cooking some food and stopped it before it went off – thus obscuring the clock that we would otherwise see there. Though I can resist it, I’d really rather hit that clear button and go back to the clock. I also enjoy setting clocks that have lost their way due to power outage or daylight savings time.

And I think I’ve finally figured out why these hidden or disrupted clocks bother me. On more than one occasion – and more frequently with the clock in the bathroom – I’ve glanced at an analog clock just after it ticks over to the next second. It may not have even come to a full halt, but I’ve caught it at the critical time and have watched the whole second from start to finish.

And, I’ve got to tell you – that’s a long freaking time if you’re paying attention. It feels like more than a second passes before the next tick of the clock.

At the quantum level, observation changes things. That’s one of the reasons a quantum computer – as super cool and powerful as it would be – is tough to build. If you look at it, things change.

And I guess a fear – or strong concern – is that if I hadn’t been watching the clock at that instant, would it have gone on forward? Maybe time only exists in a linear fashion because we’re watching it.

There are, fortuanatly, a lot of people here on planet earth and many of them are more obsessed with time than I am. Maybe that was my second to watch, to keep track of thing and keep them moving forward.

And if I can’t see the foward progression of time – like on a stopped timer on a microwave – what if I miss the next instant that I’m supposed to observe?

Would everything… stop?

It doesn’t keep me up at night – but it does give me pause. And whenever I see a stopped clock, I try to make it right. Just in case I need it…

back to work…

I recently walked past some construction and went to step over the Caution tape that had broken and was on the ground. The wind caught it and nearly got tangled up around my foot.

Then, I was in a restaurant and almost ran into a “caution: wet floor” sign.

And then, I almost slid on the partially melted salt that was supposed to protect me from the ice that had long since melted.

I’m totally going to be killed by my seat-belt before I can even get my car started some morning.

later…

I went to Eat and Park last evening for dinner – or rather, tried to. See, the new smoke free Ohio went into effect last night – prompting the short-term closure of the normally 24 hour restaurant. Eat and Park closed last night at 8:00 PM – and I had arrived at 8:06. They were closed in order to clean the smoking section of the restaurant – but why that necessitated closing the whole thing remains a mystery. Sandblasting of the walls? Sub-Sonic pulses to remove trace particles from the carpet? Concentrated mists of Lye in the air? I don’t know – and I ended up going to Steak and Shake since they have been smoke free for a while and weren’t affected by the change over.

Incidentally, the smokers in my building are already looking for loop-holes.

So, ultimately good – but also kinda stupid.

In the same catagory is the Loyalty Oath that’s come up recently. This essentially says that “I’m not a terrorist and I don’t help terrorists”. And you have to sign it before you can work here.

Which is great. I’d rather not work with terrorists – but it’s also worthless. Are they going to say, “Oh, sorry. I totally forgot I was a terrorist, I can’t sign this,”

Nope. They’re going to lie. I mean, if they really are a terrorist then a little lie on some paperwork is the least of their worries.

So, we get more paperwork, a little bit more fear that “they’re potentially everywhere” and then a little false sense of security that we’ve got some paperwork to protect us.

And on that note – I’ve got some forms to fill out. So, back to work…

I swam again today. Still only getting 1/8 of a mile, but I’m not as close to death as I had been – so, progress.

At the student union today I got sushi again, along with fried rice and some juice. It used to be that soy sauce was distributed in little packets – which were easy to stow in a pocket for transport. They’ve done away with those and switched to the following system:

An old-fashioned squeeze bottle (like for ketchup or mustard – except clear) filled with soy sauce, along with little plastic containers and appropriately sized lids.

You dispense sauce into said contain, acquire and affix the lid – and then hope to God that you’ve got the lid on there securely or you’ll be wearing the sauce in no time.

I managed, with some difficulty, to get back to my desk without spilling anything – but it was a windy and harrowing experience. I was annoyed by this.

And speaking of annoying – what is it with chicks and doors? I was entering a covered walkway and held the door for the woman behind me. She thanked me – then took off in a full-on powerwalking moded. And as such, she managed to get ahead of me – even with my height/long legs and impressive stride that I usually command. Still, I was only a little behind her when she exited the walk-way – and she let the door slam in my face with nary a backward glance.

grumble, grumble.

Well, that’s it for me now… time to get back to work…

Okay, this is going to be a silly post, but I’m in the middle of Grade A cluster headache and I need a little happy to get me through the morning. The t-shirt I found yesterday fits the wookie perfectly – so, we’re going to add some photos…

1. Chewie in his new UA shirt.
2. ” I am Cornholie! I need TP for my bung-hole!”
3. Chewie in J Crew. Note the cargo pants and sweater – with backpack
4. Side view
5. What’s in the backpack? Chewie’s small wookie friend – Tarfull! I don’t know why he has vampire fangs.

So, I’ve got a headache – and it sucks big time. Wasn’t sure why my eye was hurting this morning – thought maybe I’d thrashed around in my sleep and hit myself, which has happened before. Nope, it’s a cluster headache and I can’t believe I forgot the symptoms. Should have just stayed home…

And as a bonus, the roads were slick as hell this morning – nearly ended up running into a big-ass truck. Hello? It’s Ohio? We kind of expect you to plow all the roads – not just the side streets that no one uses, but that actual busy and frequently used roads too. Wankers.

I had a really wacked out dream the night before last, but I think I need to draw a map of the location before I try to write it up.

Well, time to put up the orange cones around my desk and get back to work…

Well, I went swimming today again – and it didn’t f*ck me up nearly as badly as it did last time. On the downside, I got the whole “lengths vs. laps” confused – I really only swam 1/8 of a mile instead of 1/4. And I swam that again today. I was a little dizzy when I got out of the pool – but I recovered quickly. And hey, I’m still getting used to it.

I bought a small travel sided deoderant for use the locker room. It is vastly more potent than any I’ve used before and I don’t think I’ve ever been so fresh. In fact, I might be too fresh. Time will tell.

Our student assistant started today – got him trained in the editor system and I’ve already put him to work. I think he’ll do fine.

And it’s freaking cold out there! I had to buy a new hat at the student union since I can’t find mine. I also bought a tiny UA sweatshirt for everyone’s favorite wookie. I’ll bring Chewie in tomorrow so he can show off.

That’s it for now – time to get back to work…

I just noticed that this will be post number 300 for this particular blog – which is kinda cool in a fairly geeky way.

I headed over to the natatorium for my swim this morning – had a bit of an adventure.

First up, I had to scan my ID card myself at the desk. Then, because it was my first time there, I had to have my picture taken with a web cam and then sign a electronic reader stating that I’d read the policies. Very strangely hi-tech. And kinda dumb cause I’d just scanned in my ID card that has my picture on it.

So, I got directions down the hall to the locker rooms. I find an unoccupied locket and get changed, then go to put in my nickel as it indicated on the website for locker rental. Ah, oops – it’s not a nickel. It’s $.50! For what amounted to a 25 minute rental. I had some extra change with me, but that’s not the point. Anyway, I quick rinse down and on into the pool area.

I asked the lifeguard which lane I could use for swimming, since it appeared they were doing some kind of work on one side of the pool. I also asked how the lanes were set up so I could figure a distance. She vaguely pointed to the far side of the pool and ignored the rest. I would think that given there were only two people in the pool to be watched, she would have appreciated a little conversation, but she was too busy being bored.

So, I swam my 9 laps, which, I think, equals about a 1/4 mile. I had to stop ever so often and the last lap was a little weak, but I finished. Since the 9th lap put me at the far end of the pool, I got out and walked my tired and sorry ass back around the pool to the locker room.

I took a quick shower, got dressed, and headed to the student union for lunch. I was tired, but I thought I was doing okay. But, while I stood there waiting for the server to dish up my fried rice and hand me my pre-packaged sushi – I suddenly got very tired. Like, almost falling over, tired. I paid for my food and found a somewhat quiet spot to sit and recover before I headed back to the office. I had some juice and I think that helped.

So, I’m back in the office and still alive, though I could really use a nap.

later…

Well, the bamboo plant is still alive – which was a bit of a surprise to me. I’m down to one stalk – if it buys the farm, then I’m switching to artificial plants only.

Got a new game in the Castlevania series – pretty cool. The only downside was when I used a magic item to teleport back to a safe area – but had neglected to set a return point. So, I had to go through three areas again just to get caught up.

I’m having some oatmeal this morning while I work – or rather, while I blog and look like I’m working. I’m planning on going swimming in a bit and I’ll need the energy.

And I’ve decided to try and do a bit of swimming at lunchtime through the week. We’ll see how it goes and if I enjoy it at all. I need to get more exercise and I’m hoping this is a form that’s actually fun.

Getting caught up on the past week. I spent the thanksgiving time with my folks and helped a little with yardwork and the like. Mom put up her 5 christmas trees, I finished making my ornaments for my one 8 inch tree, and we ate fried turkey – which wasn’t too bad but could have used some kind of marinade.

On Saturday, we went to the airport to pick up my sister and brother-in-law – just back from their honeymoon. I made up a very small sign with their names on it, then stood in plain view as a bit of a joke. They took about 500 pictures and a few hours of video – so, I’m waiting on the powerpoint.

After that, I headed out to visit a friend in W. Va who was doing some dog sitting. I helped with the dog walking late one evening and decided that, with the warm weather and the dark, quiet secluded woods, that a bit of streaking was in order. Hey, the dog was doing it too, so I figured, why not? It was a little chilly, but still fun.

I took Monday off to stretch the holiday a bit and came back to work yesterday for a day long meeting. It was… well, let’s just say I was glad I took plenty of folding paper.

This afternoon is a trip to the comic book store and then to the BMV to get a new driver’s license and update my plates/registration. Yep, I’m a wild man.

So, that’s about it for now – time to get back to actually working instead of just pretending.

later…