| Category: General, School Daze | 1 Comment
This is a VERY basic overview/review of reading, and the kinds of things that I focus on/need to focus more on in my own classroom. Okay article; it didn’t wow me or surprise me. Like I said, a review.
| Category: General, Entertainment Tonight | 5 Comments
Remember when Dennis Miller was instantly funny, and you didn’t have to look up his jokes, and laugh ten minutes later?
This was a C-U weekend. We hadn’t been back in awhile, so it was good to see the old stomping grounds. Plus, it was summer, so campus was empty. We got into town Friday night, and promptly headed to El Toro, the best Mexican restaurant in East Central Illinois (there are more Mexican restaurants than you think…) They have tasty maragaritas and fajitas.
We sloshed over to the Pages for All Ages midnight book party release of the newest Harry Potter book. There were easily two hundred people there, and most of them were teenagers and adults. The over/under for former students at my old school I knew was 6, but I only saw 2 that I recognized. Kenny dressed up like a blond Harry Potter, complete with scar. You can see him here. The Zs met us there, just to keep us company in line (Hi Beth!). There was a countdown, and by 12:30, I was agitated, but I had my copy in my hands (TLEMK and I had to buy two copies because we couldn’t share) I read from about 12:45 til 4:00 am, went to sleep, got up at 8:30, and finished by 9:45. (that’s 4 and a half hours) I know that seems short, but it’s an easy read, and I really loved reading it. I will not make any comments on the book right now, except to say that I’m ready for Book 7.
After breakfast with the Zeiders, Kenny and I played cribbage (we played four games, and we tied 2-2), and then we got ready for the wedding(s). My old roommate Steph got married, and V’s friend Karin was also getting married the same day. So we split up for the ceremonies, and met back up for the reception, which included Marc becoming a firefighter, a terrible table manager (serve the women first, please, and next time, try not forget that we exist and then drop the late food on the floor) and way too much Motown music for me (and I LIKE Motown). Steph and Steve picked the same song we danced to, so that was a little awkward for me and the misses. We danced in the corner where no one was watching while the couple danced. (For those of you that don’t know, or don’t remember, Ben Folds The Luckiest was our song. Still is.
Our group of friends has become a pseudo-professional drinking society. It was open bar, top-shelf liquor. We owed it to our hosts to get their money’s worth. And so the eight or so of us tried our hardest, but in the end, there was still liquor left.
After sleeping in, we had big breakfast. Drove back, pretended to help Jerry put in the new furnace and condenser, had more food @ Sweet Tomatoes for Brandon’s birthday, and now here we are, gentle readers. Procrastinating; I should be reading my online articles for class tomorrow. I’ll link them for you to read in a bit, so you can get a taste of what the easy part of grad school is like.
Great weekend. I just can’t afford this rock-and-roll lifestyle, and neither can my love handles.
Also, welcome AJ to the blogroll. He reads my blog enough that he deserves to be on mine. Hi, AJ, this is Tony! 
| Category: General | 0 Comments
Probably the best phrase invented by TLEMK , “Of COURSE that just happened!” is the more creative way of expressing Murphy’s Law (anything that can go wrong, will.) For us, “Of course that just happened” comes about whenever we’re trying to get something done, or are in a hurry to get somewhere… it applies a lot, we’ve found out in the last few weeks since we’ve started saying it.
A perfect example of “Of course that just happened…”:
On Saturday, before all the wedding madness (next post) V had to go to Wal-Mart to pick up something or other. She’s quick, because we’re under time constraints, and promptly proceeds to the Express check-out line. You know, the one with a never-enforced 10 item limit? Here, let’s switch to first person so you can understand the rage of my lovely wife…
“So I get to the express line, and there’s this lady with waaaaay more than 10 items in the line. I was totally annoyed with her, so I counted the items. (Me: How many did she have?) 21. I counted. But I was patient, until I realized that she apparently had NEVER used a debit card before because she couldn’t figure out how to work it. So that was another three minutes. She finally gets it all signed and looks down at her cart and says, ‘Oops, I forgot to get my cat food… it was on the bottom of the cart.’ So now the lady has to get her 22nd item, the cat food out, and as she puts it on the conveyor belt, it tore and broke, and there was cat food everywhere. Of COURSE that just happened is what I thought in my head. But then, THEN, the checker says ‘No problem, we’ll get you another bag’ and then can’t figure out how to use the %%$$#! walkie-talkie to get someone to bring another bag of cat food, which is item number 23! The guy finally comes with the cat food, and the lady HAS TO FIGURE OUT THE DEBIT CARD AGAIN, like its a Riddle of the Ancients. It’s not Rubik’s Cube, let’s go. Finally after seriously, 9 minutes, and 23 items, she’s done. I pay for my one, ONE (1!) item, and bolt for the door. Then the same lady is in my way walking back to my car, and all I have been thinking in my head for the last five minutes is OF COURSE THAT JUST HAPPENED.”
And that’s why it’s the best phrase, because it keeps you from gnawing out your eyeballs.
