Bad Pic
Here's everyone's eyes closed at the Skunkweed show.

Get Some
You can be satisified.
I just finished my paper, and it feel fantastic. I still need to go back, edit, revise, ect, but it felt fantastic to have something say. I feel I made legitimate points and couched them in intelligible language. AHHHhhh, I've missed school of late. For the past few years I have felt a serious mind drain, like I was not engaging my brain in my daily life, but I can feel myself waking up. It's not a process without pain, but I know this is what I need to do.
The paper is on the ethical ramifications of Western Capitalism and the role of justice. Most people would find it a hopeless cause and my ideas over-simplified given the complexities of the world, but is working for an ideal foolishness? I love the excitement of new ideas, or thoughts mulled over, of connections made. I am most certainly not original, but I find I don't care because they are my original thoughts.
Alright, enough rapturous mumblings. Gotta get on my bike.

Jonesing
I am craving curry and spices and hot food--salsa verde that almost burns your mouth. What do I have in my fridge? Salad and toast! Makes me want to scream.
This weekend we are having our second annual 4th of July BBQ and horrorama movie festival, and one would think I'd have started cleaning and preparing. One would be wrong. Besides, does the house need to be sparkling for a gore fest?
Again my goal is to write my big paper today, but inspiration is sorely lacking . I just need to pound away at it.
The reign of rats has ceased, but now I keep stepping on newts with their heads and tails torn off. There was one in my closet last night. Have I mentioned that I"m not amused?

Float
A day on the river is good for the soul. There is nothing better to remind you how little there is to really freak out about. I always come back refreshed, sunburned, yet feeling fantastic. I would love to have one of those houses on the river--what a crazily different lifestyle.
We also had a great time Saturday night--romantic and lovely dinner at Habana out on their kickin' tropical patio, sipping mojitos and grooving to the salsaa beat. After we hit Buffalo Billards and I found the one game I can beat Eric at. . . shuffleboard! I want to go to the beach whedre they get the sand for that table. I just liked sticking my hands in it, dreaming of a tropical life. We finished the night at my two other favorite Austin spots, Amy's Icecream and ToyJoy. No where else can you get Shiner Bock icecream! This weekend made me happy about where I live. I guess better than the contrary.
I have a paper to write. GRRR.

Blockage
I"m supposed to be writing a paper and I have serious writer's block. The kind that makes reading the back of the shampoo bottle a better alternative to sitting down and writing. I'm actually editing, and I can't seem to get the final organization to please me. As a mature, responsible adult, I've decided to hide from it.
In good news, it's been about 72 hours since the last mouse was in the house. Their reign of terror is over, the villagers can now come out.
My legs finally stopped peeling and my bruises and cuts faded, so it's obviously time to go tubing again! We set sail on Sunday. I keep humming the Skunkweed song.
Must be productive. Must be productive. Must be productive.

Oh Rats!
The exterminator just came by and said there was nothing he could do for our problem because the rats are not living in the house, rather Clementine is bringing them in. He cannot bait them outside because Clem and Toby will get sick. He did make me feel better about our problem, though, when he said that he has the same problem. Only his cat brings in crazier stuff. He once woke up in the middle of the night and a small rabbit was hopping madly inside his house! He also told me that he woke up and the cat was messing with his work boot; when he went and looked there was a big rat nesting in it. It could be worse.
I'm recently inspired by the cause of Social Justice. The class I am taking is turning me into an activist. Rather I guess it has turned me back into one. I need to think of more than myself. If interested, check out NETWORK. It's lobbying from a Catholic Social Justice perspective. It's gotten me thinking.
My class for this week was cancelled. I tried hard to act disappointed, but the thought of teaching that class to those duck university people was making my stomach hurt. Instead I plan on doing homework, watching Buffy and getting back to the gym. Not even the mice can ruin my plans.

Rodent Revolution
The count is now up to 6 mice we have caught or Toby has killed in the last week. I am developing a complex and am unable to sleep because I think I can hear them squeaking. I long for the Silence of the Mice!
I will never say this again, but I am very thankful for Toby who is my protector--he has killed 3 of them. The exterminator is coming on Monday. Maybe I'll get a hotel for the weekend.
Today's outings include the Post Office for Passport needs and Petsmart for Toby's Reward. Maybe I'll chocolate coat his mice!

Super Woman
Able to move classrooms in single trips, explicate poems in powerful prose, and write detentions with lightening speed. . . she's super teacher! For the last day of this stupid creative writing class I had my students create their own comic books and super heroes. Thier powers were inspiring, mine were more mundane and infinitely more satisfying. . . to jump to the head of any line, to snap my fingers and let rooms clean themselves.
Anyway, I say stupid class because the Temple College people in thier infinite wisdom put 6 semi-illiterate kids most of whom couldn't speak English into my creative writing workshop. Needless to say there were difficulties. They did not, nor could not, do anything which lead to them just goofing off. It was the most miserable teaching experience.
Also this week I showed up at school and found out that we had to vacate the building because of the repairs going on. They are jacking up the building to fix the foundation. Unfortunatley while we were working on moving everything out, they discovered that we have a mini lake under the building, perhaps a natural spring. In any case, it spells disaster. It will definatley not be ready for class by August, so I have no idea where we are going to teach. It will be interesting, but I might also send out a few resumes this summer.
Tonight I'm going riding; it's been way too long since I got on my bike. Like Goose and Maverick, I feel the need for speed.

Bounty Hunter
On the plus side I did rearrange the furniture and vacuum underneath the couches. On the other hand, I really did not need a mouse in the house.
Two nights ago I got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and I thought I saw something squeeze underneath the door. I jumped up on the toilet and screamed for Eric who groggily got up and told me I was hallucinating. It seemed a plausible thing, so we went back to bed. Last night when we got home, I noticed Toby and Clem trying to get behind the fridge, and I knew my suspicions were warranted.
Eric pulled the fridge out expecting me to catch the mouse in a box. Little did he know. THe mouse then ran across the house and lodged itself underneath the entertainment center. For the next two hours a fierce battled was waged in good old 17210. Finally past midnight, good prevailed and with the help of Clementine, we cornered the mouse in a little box. Despite my antipathy towards this particular mouse, we drove it out into the country and released it. You should have seen the pair of us, both wearing Eric's steel toed boots and pjs.
I was really disappointed in Clementine's performance--she was barely interested. Some huntress! I think she thought this invader was just a play thing. Anyway, I have stationed a big stick by my bed for late night bathroom trips.

It's off to Dallas for us this weekend to celebrate an early Father's Day.

2/2
I can't get over this weird nervousness about the class starting in a little over an hour. I've been driving myself nuts all day--couldn't even get a really good work out in. My body did not seem to want to cooperate today. It will be nice to get out of the house regardless I guess. I have such an inferiority complex--I fear being the dumbest person in the room.
Sigh.
The highlight of these days at home is the 2 hour block of Buffy I watch. Joss Whedon is my hero--he could come live in the guest room any time. But it is sad that the most exciting part of my day is vicarious vampire slaying. I am looking forward to re-engaging my mind. I was suddenly struck with the fact that it has been 3 years since I got my Master's Degree, and that was the last time I was seriously academically challenged. Those stupid ed classes were mere busy work. Which in and of itself is sad--how do we expect to get good teachers when the ed classes are ridiculous blow-offs. You would have to try hard to get less than an A in an education class. But enough about my pet peeve.
Clem and Toby are delighted to have me home, available to scratch them whenever they beckon.
Tomorrow I have to go downtown to the Bank of AMerica building to look at office furniture for school. Apparently they have a lot of surplus stuff, and they are offering us whatever we like for school. Baby needs a desk chair not held together by tape. . .

Temporary Vacation
The past few weeks have seemed a blur, and I"m glad to be out of school for a chance to decompress and try to figure everything out. Of course this vacation is short lived as I start my first class tonight. I must say I am very nervous about thsi class and I feel totally out of my element. Ihave to keep reminding myself that I have felt this way at the beginning of all academic endevors, and it's always worked itself out. Anyway, I am have to go buy some school supplies today. The class will be intense--about 250 pages of reading a week and multiple papers. The first paper is actually due next monday.
I am technically supposed to be working this summer, but the people at Temple College jerked me around. In January they told me that I would be getting my schedule in Feb. I never received anything, so I figured I didn't have a job. I moved on and planned my summer out including classes and a cruise. Then at the end of May they sent out the confirmation packet after they had already published the schedule. They put me teaching classes during my cruise. I tried to call them, and the woman told me she was too busy to talk to me, and that I should email her. I emailed her, but she never responded. At this point I feel they are all incompetent losers there, and I have no interest in teaching for them anyway. Not to mention that with all of thier jerking me around, I have had no time to actually prepare a class. I can find a better way of getting some spending cash.
My goal is to get to the gym every day and finally get down to my dream weight before the cruise. So far I'm one for one.