Sorry I've been absent so much in recent months. I just haven't felt motivated to write. I still plan to pick things back up sometime soon, although I don't know exactly when . . .
In the meantime, I wish everyone a happy and prosperous 2007.
I can hardly believe it's been an entire month since my last post. I'm not sure what caused me to run out of steam. Maybe the changing seasons.
After I finish this brief "check-in" post, I'll be laying low again for awhile - probably until this cool, refreshing autumn air progresses to the frigid, dark days of the long Michigan winter.
While I'm here, I could write about the World Series-bound Detroit Tigers . . . or my caffeine relapse (I lasted about eight weeks) . . . or my new job which, with any luck, will soon be my former job.
But since I made my loyal readers wait such a long time for a post, I guess I'll reward them with something a bit deeper, and more candid.
Here, then, are some personal factoids previously unknown to the public:
1. My favorite melon is most certainly the cantaloupe.
2. I've never cared for the sound of the vibraphone in jazz music.
3. My dog and I sometimes lie naked together in bed, but it's never progressed beyond cuddling.
Wow, that was quite cathartic, indeed!
Be back in a few weeks.
While you're all on the edge of your seats in anticipation of the latest fun-filled installment of My Story, let me hip you to some of the better films I've seen lately.
Now, when I say lately, I mean the last year or so, since we only rent or go a movie every three weeks or so.
I tend to prefer small comedy-dramas to epic, action-packed, spectacles. With that in mind, here are some favorite rentals of recent months:
I'm not much of a sports fan, but I always enjoy seeing a local team doing well. It's especially fun to watch this season's Detroit Tigers, who have unexpectedly dominated the entire league. Tonight I watched them take out the Red Sox, 7-4, to end a five game losing streak.
The Tigers have only won the World Series once in my lifetime (in the stellar 1984 season). This year certainly looks promising . . . a Series in '06 would be all the sweeter considering how poorly they've performed in recent seasons.
It was fairly cool outside this evening, so I kept the AC off, let the fan blow a breeze through the house, and watched the last few innings. If only Ernie Harwell had been on the radio, it would've been the quintessential Michigan summer night.
As seasons go, I've always been partial to autumn. I enjoy moderate weather best. When it comes to temperature extremes, I fare the worst in the heat. Michigan may not be as bad off as southern California, but we've been in the 90s regularly of late, and that's too hot for me. It's like an oven out there!
(Specifically, it's like the inside of an oven - one that's been turned on, and allowed to heat up to an uncomfortable temperature. In other ways, it's not really like an oven at all.)
Of course, it's not the heat, it's the humidity. Am I right? Heh heh.
Lucky for me, there is air-conditioning of one type or another almost anyplace I go. My work is cool in most areas. Our car is not only air-conditioned, but shaded by the garage. Our house does not have central air, but the window unit kicks out the breeze very well. I would gladly give up television before the A.C. Right now, it's one of our most important possessions.
Now that I'm thinking about it, I guess I'd rather have air conditioning than a bed to sleep on. I'd rather be cool on the floor than sweating on the mattress. I'd probably even get rid of Internet service before air. I could always go online at the library, as I've had to do in the past. How 'bout you, readers? How important is air conditioning to you?
As seasons go, I've always been partial to autumn. I enjoy moderate weather best. When it comes to temperature extremes, I fare the worst in the heat. Michigan may not be as bad off as southern California, but we've been in the 90s regularly of late, and that's too hot for me. It's like an oven out there!
(Specifically, it's like the inside of an oven - one that's been turned on, and allowed to heat up to an uncomfortable temperature. In other ways, it's not really like an oven at all.)
Of course, it's not the heat, it's the humidity. Am I right? Heh heh.
Lucky for me, there is air-conditioning of one type or another almost anyplace I go. My work is cool in most areas. Our car is not only air-conditioned, but shaded by the garage. Our house does not have central air, but the window unit kicks out the breeze very well. I would gladly give up television before the A.C. Right now, it's one of our most important possessions.
Now that I'm thinking about it, I guess I'd rather have air conditioning than a bed to sleep on. I'd rather be cool on the floor than sweating on the mattress. I'd probably even get rid of Internet service before air. I could always go online at the library, as I've had to do in the past. How 'bout you, readers? How important is air conditioning to you?
In my last post, I discussed my shaky work history resulting from past substance abuse. Like a lot of addicts, I've jumped from job to job, often with significant gaps of time between positions. Reflecting on my employment record (eight employers since obtaining my degree, not including temp. jobs) got me thinking about my related tendency to change living arrangements frequently.
I got used to being on the move when I was in college. It felt perfectly normal to trek back and forth between my parents' house and various locations in my college town. But I never expected I'd continue to be a vagabond for so long afterward. In the ten years since I graduated, I've had thirteen different addresses. And considering I moved back with my folks on few separate occasions, I have moved a grand total of seventeen times in the past decade.
Now that I have a family of my own, I'm hoping our next move can be at least semi-permanent. I wouldn't want for us to have to live at our current location for the rest of our lives, although a couple years would be okay, if necessary. I'd like to remain here until we can afford to buy a place worth staying in for the long-term. I haven't maintained the same residence for more than a year-and-a-half since the Reagan administration.
I get weary just thinking of all the boxes packed and unpacked, furniture hauled, leases signed, interviews attended, jobs started, and jobs ended, by choice or otherwise.
It's time to put some roots down, which is another thing I can't do unless I maintain my sobriety.
Need a good laugh? If you're anything like me (God help you), you might get a chuckle out of Improv Everywhere, based in New York. Although what they do isn't technically improvisation, it is hilarious. After they've completed a mission, the participants (agents, as they call themselves) write about their exploits at the IE site. They also post pics and video taken at the scene.
One of my favorite missions was the Moebius, in which the agents created a "time loop" for unsuspecting Starbucks customers.
I guess what I like about IE's humor is that it reveals the absurdity of contemporary life by disrupting its monotony, usually in a good-natured way. For me, reading the agents' accounts of each mission is even funnier than watching the videos.
I wish we had Improv Everywhere, or something like it, here in Ann Arbor. I'm not the type to initiate something on that scale, but I'd definitely take part in a mission or two.
I happened to tune in to the daytime version of Jeopardy today, just as the Final Jeopardy answer was being given. Here is a paraphrase of it. Does anybody know the question (response)?
Category: College Towns
Answer: This city was named after the two founders' wives (they both had the same first name), and the area's naturally occurring groves.
Continue reading for the correct response. (Don't forget to phrase your response in the form of a question!)