Thaw

It looks like we've finally turned the corner in terms of winter weather. The temperature is reaching the 50 degree mark on a regular basis, the piles of snow are almost melted, and the street sweepers are scouring the residual sand from the gutters. The forecast predicts we'll hit a stretch in the 60s by the end of the week. Time to pack away the long underwear. Woohoo! After a couple of mild winters by Midwest standards, this winter dragged on, and on, and on, and on. The Spring rains, and the predictable complaining about "too much rain," loom on the horizon. Another six to eight weeks, though, and we should be into a five month stretch of very livable weather.

My extended spring break came to an end earlier this week. With an academic conference commencing a couple days before the official start of break, I ended up with a 12 day break. Damn the bad luck. Actually, I'm ready to make the final push toward the end of the semester and get on with summer break. I did quite a bit of traveling this semester--I was gone every other weekend for an eight week stretch and I never really got my head into the teaching game. With several research projects rattling around in my noggin, it's a constant struggle to stay focused in almost any aspect of my life. What I really need is six months to do some serious reading and writing but we all know that's not going to happen. So, I'll keep plugging along late at night, on the weekends, and during my various breaks. Before I know it, a couple of the pieces will coalesce into something tangible.

League of Unextraordinary Gentlemen

In a policy address presented earlier today, John McCain remarked:

We have to strengthen our global alliances as the core of a new global compact -- a League of Democracies -- that can harness the vast influence of the more than one hundred democratic nations around the world to advance our values and defend our shared interests.

Woodrow Wilson is completely behind that idea. Go McCain!

Barack Star!

I never do anything anything halfway. I'm either totally in or totally out. Unfortunately, the same holds true for my support of political candidates (and that's probably why I've avoided getting sucked into mainstream politics the last few elections). Having thrown my full support behind Barack Obama, I spend a great deal of my time reading/watching any and all media reports about the Obama/Clinton contest. When Obama is doing well in the polls, I see a future filled with hope, change, and a return to the basic principles that make the US of A a country to be admired. When he goes through a rough stretch, I literally lose sleep worrying about a dismal future with McCain or Clinton at the helm.

Thankfully, I stumbled across an antidote for the times when the campaign ebbs rather than flows. I guarantee I'll place this several times a week, maybe even several times a day, over the next couple of weeks. This is my naproxen for political aches and pains.

Numerology

80,000+. A rough estimate regarding the number of civilian casualties in Iraq.

4000. The number of US casualties as of yesterday.

140. The number of Tibetan demonstrators killed by the Chinese government during the latest round of protests.

10. The number of questions presented to the Dalai Lama in 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama.

14. The 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet: Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.

Welcome to the Concrete Jungle

1) Approached by panhandlers at every opportunity. I remembered to put on the Leave Me the Frak Alone scowl and most panhandlers left me the frak alone. Most. One adventurous old guy, missing most of his teeth, got right up in my face with his little paper cup and asked for change. I laughed and gave him what change I had.

2) Received offer of oral sex from a women I can only describe as a hippie hooker. She didn't say a word but looked at me, nodded, and made an unmistakable gesture involving her hand and mouth.

3) Witnessed an alternacouple--a goth and punk--sitting quietly in a Japanese garden.

4) Gagged from the aromatic experience of riding the bus.

5) Asked, "Wanna score some weed?" seconds after entering a city park. I must give off an obvious addict/alcoholic vibe.

6) Ordered a "Heart of Darkness" dark roast coffee at an independent coffee house.

7) Heard three, maybe four, languages spoken while I waited to cross a street.

8) Paid $9 for a coffee and bottled water.

9) Noticed four Starbucks within less than a block of my current location.

10) Encountered more tattoos and piercings during a four hour excursion than I do in four months back at home.

I really miss living in the city.

It Was Forty Years Ago Today . . .

I turned 40 years old today. That doesn't seem possible, but it's the honest to goodness truth. Everyone keeps asking if I'm okay, if I'm depressed, if I feel like I'm middle aged. Honestly, I still don't feel like I'm a day over 26. My health is excellent, although I do mend a bit slower, and my mind is even excellenter (I find I can grasp far deeper philosophical/theoretical ideas than I could at 26). So, 40 years old an no major complaints. Can't beat that with a stick.

The day progressed like almost any other and that's the way I like it with birthdays. Birthdays just aren't that big a deal to me. I got TLO off to daycare, did some teaching, went for a 4 mile run, and came home to a birthday dinner. We feasted on Boca burgers, onion rings, french fries, and raw carrots dipped in wasabi mustard. *slurp* That is, without a doubt, my favorite meal. We finished off the birthday feast with a dark chocolate cake slathered in cream cheese frosting, vanilla ice cream, and cool whip.

STK's card was a winner, as usual. She always manages to find just the right quirky card for me. The cover of the card features a quote by Malcolm Crowley that reads: "They tell me you'll lose your mind when you grow older. What they don't tell you is that you won't miss it very much."

Inside the card is a personal note from STK: "Happy Birthday! Hopefully, you won't lose your mind. If you do, I got your back. Welcome to the 40s." Thank goodness for that. In all seriousness, the only reservation or fear I have about getting old is the possibility of losing my mental faculties. I realize I'll slow down physically, that I'll eventually die. Not a problem. Losing my mind, however, is a fate worse than death. In fact, I've asked STK to find some way to help me slip from this mortal coil if I ever lose the use of my mind. She does, indeed, have my back.

STk has informed me that I'm to purchase a new pair of black, steel-toe Doc Marten boots as a birthday gift. I've had my eye on a particular pair since last summer--my everyday Docs are completely thrashed--and it's time to take the plunge.

Is there anything more exciting than buying new boots?