I've almost had it w/ this beard contest-bet. Unless I can somehow hold out for two more days (when I fly to California to visit Alison), I'm out $10. Right now, however, ten bucks doesn't sound like much at all. But I feel rather gross w/ facial hair. No one can convince me that it's an attractive look. It's not.
I'm almost finished with my job application. I'm very tired, excited, and nervous. I really hope I get this job with USAID. It'd be the best thing ever right now. I'll fax all the information tomorrow a bit head of the 3 October deadline. I hope to hear from them soon enough. On a related note, I'm still waiting for my transcript from CMU. Why is it taking so long? Maybe I should ask for another?
Oh, and tonight starts the series on the Rise and Fall of the Spartans on the History Channel. Man, oh man, am I excited. It looks to be a great show.
I think I'll try to clean up my apartment today and get it nice and organized. I should start re-simplifying my life again. I used to be a minimalist, but now my apartment is swamped in furniture. I think at least half of it should go. We'll see how that goes.
Well, I just got back from my cousin's pre-wedding reception. It was actually more fun than I would've thought. It was the first time most of us met Carson's fiance (Carson). They both live in Tucson, which is where the wedding will be, so they decided to come up to Michigan and introduce her to the family.
I think Carol was a bit nervous at meeting about 100 or so family members in one shot. I myself was a bit amazed at just how many Oranges and Coates and whatnot there really were. It's a big group.
I also got to hear what is perhaps the funniest family introduction I've ever heard. My uncle Ed (Carson's dad) was trying to make Carol feel less nervous. So during his little speech, he mentioned that many of us didn't know each other either (or at least not that well). So he figured he'd have people stand up. But before that, he went on to mention that he and aunt Cindi (his wife) were members of the Orange family since they were previously third cousins (she insisted it was fifth cousins). Everyone chuckled a little, so he tried to explain that it was because we have family roots in Kentucky ... and it went downhill from there.
So then he has people stand up if they were married into the Coates or Orange family. Fiasco. People who probably should've stood up didn't and those who did probably shouldn't have. Grandma stood up because she's a Clayton (Grandpa didn't stand up). But my aunt Genie (Grandma's sister) didn't stand up, though her husband (uncle Bob) did. Some people weren't sure, since (yes, it's true) they were somehow a Coates or a Boese or an Orange in more than one way. My brother and I didn't stand up because we aren't married into the Coates or Orange family because, well, we're not married (we're literalists) and were born into the Coates clan through our mom. But my dad stood up, since he's a Centellas. Anyhow, very confusing.
Anyhow, the whole event was fun. It was nice to see relatives I haven't seen in a while. Lots of pictures were taken. Dozens of little kids ran around. A regular family event.
I updated my Moped Army member profile. Ok, admit it, I have too many mopeds.
I tried selling the Garelli but it came back to me. I'm glad. I fished that bike out of the bottom of a pile of rotting mopeds in the back of a school bus in Akron two years ago. It doesn't look that bad now. It runs like a banshee, but won't idle (something wrong w/ the clutch). It's been a long road ... she'll make it yet. Ah, the dream of riding a powder blue Garelli Rally Sport.
I'm trying to sell the Vespa Ciao. It's a great bike. I have some nibbles, but nothing for sure yet.
I just bought another Bianchi. But that's just because it's a Bianchi. I feel a bit cheated, though. The seller had a picture of a beautiful red Bianchi-Snark Eagle Standard on his auction listing. Well, he's selling a blue (oh oh) Bianchi Bianchimatic. That means the Morini (not Minarelli) engine. I'm making him haul the bike over here and I'm not giving him gas money or anything. That bike better run great and it better look great; I don't want to mess with a Morini engine. Sheesh!
So I really only feel like I have one moped now. The Motron. That's my everyday bike; I have nothing else. It'd better last me for a while. But ... I'm tempted to fix up the Garelli ... and what if the Bianchimatic ends up being a dream machine. Why are mopeds so addictive?!
And I'm still looking for my ultimate dream bike. A Bianchi-Snark Eagle Stardust. The two-seater version of the Bianchi moped. Oh, to dream!
Well, Annie (aka Fat Alpha Cat) just tore into Ursula. Little puffy Ursula is now cowering and growling under a bench with 15-pound Annie towering nearby letting her know what's up. I'm not sure how long it'll take for Ursula to realize she has claws and Annie (and Sophie) don't. Seriously, if anyone wants a little cat, let me know.
Well, my friend Bill is not on his way to Japan to start his new exciting career. That is, unless Japanese pirates kidnap him. He will be missed, of course.
Related to that ... it seems I've officially started a cat orphanage. I've taken in Bill's cat, Ursula. So now I have three cats in my apartment. Annie and Sophie are having a bit of a hard time adjusting to Ursula. Even my two cats are starting to distrust each other. And Annie and Sophie are usually the bestest pals. I hope they all start to get along soon.
But I don't want to be the crazy cat man in my building, either. Two cats is plenty. So if anyone knows of a good home for a fairly pleasant, petite, four-year-old black cat, do let me know. I hope to find a good home for her soon enough. I just can't put her out in the street.
I worked on the powder blue Garelli Rally Sport today. Erica took posession of it last night, but it's not quite running right. I'm not sure why, but at least it starts up much better now. I hope the problems work themselves out, but they're sort of out of my league skill-wise.
I didn't get to go to court today. The dirty little moped thief waived his pre-trial hearing. So now it just goes to circuit court. I guess I'll get another subpoena whenever the time comes. But I do go to court tomorrow for the first moped thief from the summer season. Man, the courts are slow.
The end of the month is nearing and Fall is in full swing. The sweaters and scarves are coming out of the closet. I wish the days were warmer, though. But I like sweater weather. It just means I'll probably start going to the Fourth Coast more, since The Space is too far away for coffee.
Well, I didn't post Sunday ... and now it's Monday night. So what's new? Well, I was sick, so that took the wind out of my sails quite a bit. But I still managed to get a good ammount of work done. I finally turned in a paper to Dr. Hauptmann that I'd owed her for a while. It's not the best paper I've ever written, I admit, but at least it's out of the way. I'm just glad it was turned in.
Now I'm starting to relax a little bit more. My transcripts are starting to come in, so my grant applications won't be as rushed as last time. I would really like to get some funding for my dissertation. Unless I get a great job ... but that's another story.
The weather is turning bad here. I really need a good solid windbreaker to wear over my sweaters. The temperature dropped to below 50 today. It was bitter cold. I don't know how long mopeds will stay out and about in Kalamazoo. I give it until the end of November. I'm down to only the Motron now ... it'll have to carry the day until then. Once it gets cold, I'll start working on Bianchi in my bedroom. Ah, Bianchi!
Oh, there's a great series on the History Channel on the Spartans starting soon. I can't wait. I've been looking for a copy of "The 300 Spartans" on either DVD or VHS. I can't find one anywhere. Drat!
I got locked out of my apartment last night. Well, that meant that I had no access to my work for the whole night. Dave and Emily were kind enough to let me sleep on their couch, but we ended up being up late, so I'm not really rested. I had planned on waking up at 8am to work on my dissertation ... instead I woke up at 9am to wait for someone to let me back into my apartment. What a pain! Now I'm dead tired and in no shape to work.
I guess I'll head out for a coffee to perk up a bit. This afternoon, Mark is having people over at his house. I'll swing by for a little bit. But then I have to get back home and catch up on the work I was going to do last night (and this morning, too). I want to have this (final) draft hammered out by Monday evening. My students are having a study session Monday night (they posted it in the class weblog) and I plan on surprising those who come.
I sold the Garelli today. I'm a little sad ... I never even got to ride it around. Erica hasn't taken possession of it yet ... so maybe I'll get the chain it needs and ride it around before handing it back to her. I told her she can't ever sell it to anyone but me. I hope she keeps that promise.
At least I got the Motron running again. That's something. That illusive spark! I had to cross-wire the brake light wires.
Well, still working hard (or hardly working?) on my dissertation. In only a few days I'll get that paper for Dr. Hauptmann finished up. I'm meeting with her and Dr. Hega Friday. It'd be great to have something to show for the past month besides a pile of notes scattered on paper, note cards, and word processor documents. It'll all get done in time.
I'm still finishing up my grant applications for dissertation funding. But I also just found out about a job I might have a decent shot at getting. It would be in Bolivia working for USAID. It pays well. Most importantly, it would allow me to do the kind of work I do in my academic-ivory-tower way but in a direct-impacting way. It'd be amazing if I could get it, though it would mean moving to Bolivia sooner than I had planned. Still, it's an amazing opportunity. I'll try not to get too ahead of myself.
I just got back from taking Annie and Sophie to the vet. Sophie did not want to go in the cat carrier. She was most upset. But we arrived safe and sound at Kalamazoo Animal Hospital for their annual check up and vaccination boosters.
Annie is officially obese (she weighs more than 14 pounds). The vet tells me that I've been spoiling her by giving her too much food. No more left-over pasta sauce for Annie. She's going on a strict diet. Oh, and she seems to be getting gingivitis, too.
Sophie, on the other hand, is in great shape (she only weighs 10 pounds). She does get more exercise than Annie, who mostly just sleeps and lounges around. But maybe that's just because she's obese. Sophie didn't like going to the vet at all. Who can blame her. Last time she went, she stayed overnight for surgery (I had her fixed). She hissed at the vet when he gave her her shots.
Well, at least my cats are relatively healthy (and Annie's diet starts right now). Now I should go out and do some work, eh?
Taking a nap with cats is hard. They keep jumping off and back on the bed. Annie goes under the covers. Sophie pounces on Annie. Annie doesn't want to be under the covers anymore. Sophie wants to smell my face.
Now I'm awake, but not rested. Dinner made me groggy. I guess I'll go back to bed. I'll finish that paper tomorrow. That means I can (finally!) sleep in one day. I'll let myself sleep in until about 11. Then do random things until I take Annie and Sophie to the vet. Time for their booster shots.
If I work hard all afternoon, I can get through most of this paper tomorrow (that is, today, Wednesday). I can put the finishing touches on Thursday afternoon. I'll have to take a bit of time out to prep for my Thursday morning class. But after that, it's clear sailing. I'll email the final draft to Dr. Hauptmann Thursday night as soon as it's more or less ready to go.
My back hurts. I think I'll make an appointment with my chiropractor. It's been about a year. I'm getting old.
Man that Ciao is fast! Dan clocked me at about 28-30mph. Wow. Not bad for a bike that sat for years and years. I love moped resurrections. But I have to get the Motron fixed so that I can ride it again. Must be a dirty carburetor ... or maybe something wrong with the spark plug? I'll have to check.
I think I'll take a nap. I'm really tired and I still have quite a bit of writing to do today. And Alison might call me later. That three hour difference is really tough sometimes. But if I just take naps everyday ... Well, soon enough I'll be in California.
OK, bed it is. Then wake up and do some work. The plan: wrap up most of my paper tonight. I think I can do it. It's all outlined and ready to go. I just have to beat this writer's block. First, I'll make a nice dinner, though. Pasta? Or couscous? I'll decide when I wake up.
I sold the Vespa Grande today. I hope Alison forgives me. But it's good to see Eric happy and riding a reliable moped. Now he and his girlfriend-fiancé can go riding together. There's no greater feeling than that. Moped love.
Well, I also just got the Vespa-Piaggio Ciao I brought back from Ohio running. It just needed a carburetor cleaning. Amazing! It still needs a rear brake cable, but it's pretty fast and starts right up. It's going to be a great bike after some cosmetic cleaning. Hopefully, Nicole can start riding it in Chicago soon.
I got a bit of academic work done today. I think I finally figured out how to bring the paper I'm working on right now full circle. It's about time; my self-imposed deadline is coming up soon. I need to be finished by Friday midday. I think I can make it.
Well, I got back from Ohio a while ago. The Motron Medalist is mine now. I'll look over her carefully tomorrow. After that, she's my new daily ride. I think she'll do quite nicely.
The Bianchi (I haven't called her "Lucia" in a while) is already in my bedroom (don't worry, I drained all the fluids). She'll sit there for a while. I've almost run her into the ground. She needs new piston rings. The rear wheel has been eating itself for a while. Basically, she needs some tender loving care. I'm going to go over every inch, every bolt. She deserves it. Besides, I might get another Bianchi-Snark (a red one) to keep her company. I love eBay.
I'm also selling my Vespa. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I fell in love on that moped. It is very dear to me. I'm torn.
I just got back from watching One Hour Photo. One word: Amazing! I won't give anything away. But Robin Williams completely redeems himself as an actor here. He is the creepiest person ever. The whole movie makes me really glad I own a digital camera.
But seriously, the camera work in the film is amazing. So is the sound. But I noticed the filming so much more. The suspense was built right into every camera angle. The use of color throughout the film was also great. It was part surreal neon crazyness and part Kodak perfect picture moment stuff. What a combination. You seriously need to see this movie. I know that no good movies have been released in the past months. This is a very welcome break.
Well, now I have to go to bed. I'm driving to Akron tomorrow. Alone. All my supposed co-pilots bailed out on me at the last minute. So I have carefully written out directions. I have John Wagner's dad's truck. And I have my confidence in my brain. Let's go get a moped!
I just got my subpoena in the mail! The kid that stole my moped on 13 August is facing trial. I have to get my damages report from Maz at Akron Moped. That night my Bianchi lost (besides her dignity) a shiny chrome front fender and two brake cables. The fender will be expensive, since the 1977 Bianchi-Snark Eagle Deluxe was so rare. Joshua Reinhardt, you will pay!
Unfortunately, the trial is set for the day I'm flying to California to see Alison. So I'm going to try to reschedule.
I just finished watching the movie Beijing Bicycle. It's a great movie. I especially like the interesting use of camera angles and off-camera action sequences. If you're into really well-directed foreign films, you'll really like this movie. It ranks up there with Amélie (though Amélie is far superior, of course).
I went grocery shoping to day and had no luck finding cat food. I went to two different grocery stores, but I couldn't find Kit 'N Kaboodle. I know it sounds silly, but my cats won't eat anything but that. At least as far as I can tell. Last time, they went on a three day hunger strike until I got them their favorite food.
There was no Kit 'N Kaboodle on the shelves at either grocery store. I was a bit worried. What if the product was discontinued? I know they hate generic cat food (big mistake!) and Kitten Chow (they're too old) and Cat Chow. Maybe they just need food with the playful shapes of little fish and stars. Would my cats accept the similar Meow Mix as a substitute? What was I to do?
So I hit the Purina website. Whew! They still list Kit 'N Kaboodle on their product page. Hopefully I can find it at Harding's in a day or two. I think I have enough food to last until I get a new bag.
It's 3am and it doesn't look like any moped thieves are coming. Too bad. Maybe the cold evening drove them away. I guess I'll go to bed. I need to be bright and chipper for my day in court.
Tomorrow I have to lock myself away from 4-8pm to work on my dissertation. My goal is at least two finished pages. Maybe I'll finally try the Scone Zone.
What a long day. My class went well, considering that it was the first "real" day of teaching and many of the students hadn't had a chance to read the material yet.
Later, I met up with my friend, Aparna, for lunch. It was nice to talk to someone from my graduate cohort again. We had a nice lunch at Campus Kitchen (some of the friendliest people ever work there). Mostly we "talked shop" ... about the classes we're teaching, our research, how much work we're getting done (or not getting done). The usual. But Aparna is always fun to talk to.
Then I came home and a did a little work. Then I took a long nap; I was so tired from last night's vigilante action.
Oh, then I woke up in time to win an eBay auction. I got a really good condition 1979 Motron. I can't wait to pick it up. Of course, it means I'll probably part with one of my other mopeds ... but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Hopefully I'll go pick it up Saturday.
Now I need another nap. I plan on staying up very late to catch moped thieves ... again. While I wait, I'll work on some of my dissertation. And tomorrow I get my day in court for the 14 July moped theft. We have a backlog of moped related crimes.
My cats might be heroes. They were complaining about the lack of food in their dish late tonight. I got up to feed them. Their food dish happens to be right next to my apartment's dining room window. That's when I noticed a very suspicious kid in a red shirt standing less than a yard from my mopeds.
I rushed to my desk and grabbed my cell phone. I called Dan. No answer. I then crept into the kitchen to take another peek from that window (I could look through that window without being so easily seen in turn). Then I noticed that there were two kids, at this time standing in the midst of all the mopeds. I was about to go outside and confront them, but I didn't want to confront two different kids alone while wearing my pajamas.
I rushed upstairs to Dan's apartment. After waking him up and filling him in, I rushed back downstairs to get some shoes. Then I bolted out the back door, my cell phone in one hand and my flashlight in the other.
The two kids took off, leaving one of their bicycles behind in the corner of our parking lot. Dan came out and decided to ride the bike, chasing after the kids around the block. As he rode off, I noticed the second kid (he was wearing a white shirt) lurking around the corner of another house behind my apartment building. I jumped the fence and took off after him as I dialed 911 on my cellphone.
Several minutes later, Dan and the Kalamazoo police had arrested one of the kids. Surprise, surprise ... he had a warrant out for his arrest. So after giving our statements, we had to wake up Emily and give her the bad news (or good news?) that it seemed her moped had been tampered with (but not stolen). What a night! Damn moped thieves!! Will this siege never end?
I got back from Chicago. I am so tired. We woke up at 6am to drive out there. What a long day.
My niece's baptism was an experience, though. The little parish was crowded with families and little kids. It was very hectic. It seemed that most of the people there weren't really into anything but just the event as another milestone in kids' lives. I certainly didn't feel "church" in there. Too bad. But we had a good time with Novalí's family in Chicago. She's growing up so fast. Now that she's talking (sort of) and walking around she seems more like a real person. I'm not really into babies. I can't wait until she's actually old enough to have conversations.
I got back in time to catch a show at The Space. But I was too tired to really enjoy it. I sat in the back room and prepared for next week's teaching. I outlined two chapters and read them over again. Next week I also have to really dig into the paper I owe Dr. Hauptmann. I have to get that sent out fast. Oh, and I can't forget to get moving on my grant applications. This month will be a very very hectic month.
Right now I just want a long hot shower and some time to relax. Maybe I'll watch a bit of TV while I (finally!) finish my class website.
Today was another busy (yet unproductive) day. I went to my department's beginning-of-the-year picnic. I felt so old. No one from my cohort was there. All the new grad students look so strange to me. Oh, well. I mostly hung out with my favorite faculty members. Everyone asks me how my summer went ... I try to make it sound like I got at least some work done.
Then my parents came in to town. It's nice to see them after such a long time. We went out to dinner at Old Peninsula. I didn't realize it was an Art Hop night in Kalamazoo. Too bad we didn't get a chance to look around; it was too late after our dinner. But we had a good meal together. Mom was tired, so she went to bed. Dad and I went out to The Space to play chess. Man, he's gotten better! He beat me two in a row and I called it quits.
We went back home and plotted our trip to Chicago. My niece (Novalí) is being baptized! I've never been to a child baptism before. And I've never been to their parish ... so I'm not sure what to expect. I'm always so nervous about such things. I don't want to overdress or underdress. I'm going to a somewhat poor Puerto Rican part of Chicago ... so I'm a bit out of my element, too. Oh, well. What family event would be complete without some awkwardness, right?
Well, I've decided to start posting a weblog. Mostly, I want to keep a record of how much work I actually get done in a day. So ... what did I do today?
This semester I'm teaching Political Science 362 (Political Ideologies). The first class met today. I pretty much just handed out the syllabus. Too bad it needed major revisions. But I have those already up on the class website. That took some doing. I hope to have it all wrapped up tomorrow.
Oh, and I got my digital camera today. So of course I had to play with it for a little while. That's pretty much about it.
