Hi there,
I've managed to get some of my thoughts together regarding my time as a full fledged, bona fide (albeit part-time, lowest tier of the totem pole) professor. There have been some ups and downs but so far I'm loving the job. Of course, I say this now before I've had a chance to grade the first exam. I don't want my memories of my first few weeks ruined by my disappointment at those grades. =)
Just before the semester started, I decided to take on two classes. I thought it'd be great for me financially and would allow me to reach more students. Thus far it has been a wonderful experience but my schedule is brutal during the middle of the week. I was originally scheduled to teach one evening class on Tuesdays and Thursdays (6:30 - 9:20pm). When I was offered a second class, I had the choice of two morning classes: (1) another Tues/Thurs class (9:25am - noon) or (2) Monday/Wednesday - same time.
I reasoned that being in school from 9am to 9pm was not my idea of a good time despite the long break for the afternoon. If I worked the Mon/Wed class, I'd still be able to work the afternoons at my other job in Brooklyn. What I didn't consider was the Tuesday night/Wed morning turnover. I feel like I'm working a double (I suppose I actually AM working a double!) and it's extremely difficult for me to get up on Wednesdays for class. It has more to do with the late night on Tuesday night than it does with me not being a morning person. FYI, me and early morning sunshine do not get along!
I'm not sure how the Fall 2009 schedule will shake out but I know I would love to continue teaching two classes. I've already submitted my request for days and times so we'll see what happens.
Well... without any further ado...
Notes from my first month as Professor Gonzalez:
Week 1:
I DEFINITELY should have planned this past weekend a little bit better. After going out Friday night (bull riding, drinks, and diner food.. woohoo!), I drove down to PA on Saturday and visited Philly and Baltimore on Sunday. I came back late Sunday night. Now some of you may start telling me that 2 AM isn't that late and that I should quit my bellyaching. Also, I didn't have to drive the last leg of my trip so it wasn't all THAT bad. However, without a finalized syllabus in hand (I had already completed a draft of it) and a class scheduled for 9:25 Monday morning, it was going to be a looooong night and an even longer day!
On Monday morning, I made it to class several minutes late (at least I made it!) and I managed to trudge through the finer points of my syllabus in zombie mode - completed at 3:30am for those of you keeping track - including a mini-lecture on lateness. I may be a hypocrite but I meant every word I said about how much I despise students coming in late!
Damn, I was sleepy... zzzzzzz.... I don't think I managed to scare any of them into dropping my class. Shoot...
The night class went a lot better. I still didn't manage to scare anyone away with my opening day lecture. *sigh* Oh well. At least they were more attentive and took great notes on my Day One introductory lesson. I expect big things from this group. I don't care if it's unfair to say that since they seem more engaged that the day class.
I quickly realized that the day class was going to be my "guinea pig". I'd learn from my mistakes with them and the evening class would reap the benefits. I didn't tell them that but I knew that would be the case. This is especially true since I would always have a day and a half to tweak the lesson for the evening class.
Week 2:
WTF!?! My night class has gotten worse and my day class got better!!
OMG... Noooooo. How is this possible? lol..
The good thing is that they were now on par with each other in terms of attentiveness, question asking, etc. Let's see how long this lasts.
It was around this time that I started seriously thinking about getting the first exam completed. I didn't think I'd finish it but if I could start figuring out what will and won't be on the exam, it'd go a long way to saving me time later.
Week 3:
Oh man... I got pretty sick on Monday morning. I had to cancel class.
[Memo to self: No more late night runs to Tacolandia for tacos when you have class the next morning!]
I suppose this was a good thing because now the night class is the experimental class. I wonder if it will actually matter... though the exam date is now pushed back another day. I wanted both classes to take the exam on the same week so neither class would have an advantage over the other (a.k.a. a full weekend to study for the exam). Selfishly, this would also allow me to grade ALL the exams over the weekend. Oh well, done bun. Nothing I can do about it now.
Also, I found out that one of my students is friends with someone I know. I don't want to know who it is or which class he or she is in... OH, TOO LATE!! My friend spilled the beans and now I know who it is. Fortunately, she is one of my better students so I'm not worried about her trying to take advantage of our mutual friendship.
Week 4:
Reviewed for the first exam this week with my classes. One class takes the exam this week, the other next week. I had decided to use the first half of class for the review and go over issues with the first lab assignment during the second half of class. The Tuesday night review went relatively well and I felt they were adequately prepared for the exam on Thursday night. The review for the day class on Wednesday was going well also... except that... we had a freaking fire drill during our review... grrr.
Don't get me wrong I wasn't upset that the review was interrupted. I was actually upset for my kids because I knew that if I had just 10 more minutes, I would have been done with my review and the majority of the students could have left during the fire drill. However, after approximately 20 minutes, they all had to come back for the last part of the review session.
It was at this time that I thought it was a good thing I had gotten sick on week 3 because otherwise the fire drill would have interrupted the exam. I can't even imagine how I would have handled that headache! The evening class got the exam first and I'll grade them over the weekend. The day class gets it Monday morning with the luxury of time to study over the weekend. We'll see how that works out for them...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week's MCB (2-20):
T.I. - Dead and Gone (featuring Justin Timberlake)
Rosi Golan - Been a Long Day
Boxer Rebellion - Semi-Automatic
Temple Scene - Somewhere in the City
Drenalin - Healing Time
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've got a lot on my plate for the weekend. I wonder if there will be anything noteworthy to talk about later... hmmmmmm....
Until next time, faithful reader
Friday, February 20, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Dreaming and recall
When I was young, I would occasionally remember my dreams rather vividly. There are some that I can relive clearly in my mind's eye even to this day.
As an adult, I haven't been able to recall many of my dreams when I wake each morning. However, over the past few weeks, I've been remembering snippets of dreams. Visual splinters that I hope to piece together to make sense of them and reawaken my consciousness. I've realized that as I've gotten older I've become hyper-rational, overly analytical, and much more "grounded". I've become a prisoner to the physical plane of existence.
It's always been hard for me to tap into my arcane spiritual side. But the few times I've breached that wall, I would lament not being to tap into it as easily as others around me have. I suspect my own personal psychological barriers were created during my childhood (all part of my memory suppression).
I don't really know why I haven't tried to return to that state of curiosity, of exploration, and of open-mindedness that I had when I was a teen and young adult... but I can always try again. Now that I'm remembering my dreams, even if they come to me in fragments, I'm craving more. I try and go to bed with the thought of being able to recall my dreams in the morning. Though, I can't say with any certainty that this is the reason why I'm recalling more dreams and dream fragments, I am happy that it is happening now.
======================================
Last night's 'clip':
I was driving in my car down a straight road in the day time. I think there was a passenger next to me but I'm not sure. While driving I saw roadkill - I'm certain it was a raccoon - in middle of my lane. I swerved slightly to the right avoid it.
That was all I remembered but apparently, after looking up the elements of the dream, there is a lot that I can take out of this. Below is the breakdown from each component of the dream.
Roadkill
To see roadkill in your dream, represents unavoidable death. The death may be a symbolic death representing an end to a habit, behavior or idea. It is time to let go of old habits and put those ideas to rest, as you are only prolonging the inevitable. Alternatively, it suggests that there is some issue in your past that is hindering your pursuit of your goals.
Animals
To see animals in your dream, represents your own physical characteristic, primitive desires, and sexual nature, depending on the qualities of the particular animal. Animals symbolizes the untamed and uncivilized aspects of yourself. Refer to the specific animal in your dream.
To dream that you are saving the life of an animal, suggests that you are successfully acknowledging certain emotions and characteristics represented by the animal.
Raccoon
To see a raccoon in your dream, signifies deceit, thievery, and of false friends secretly conspiring against you.
Driving
To dream that you are driving a vehicle, signifies your life's journey and your path in life. The dream is telling of how you are moving and navigating through life. Alternatively, driving a car in your dream, is analogous to your sex life and sexual performance. Consider how you are driving and what kind of car you are driving and how it relates to your waking sex life.
Car/Automobile
To dream that you are driving a car denotes your ambition, your drive and your ability to navigate from one stage of your life to another. Consider how smooth or rough the car ride is. If you are driving the car, then you are taking an active role in the way your life is going. Overall, this dream symbol is an indication of your dependence and degree of control you have on your life.
To dream that you are riding in an automobile, signifies that even in pleasant situations, you will still be restless and uneasy.
Day
To dream of a sunny day, symbolizes clarity and/or pleasantness. You are seeing things clearly.
Street/Road
To see a street in your dream, symbolizes your life's path. The condition of the street reflects how much control you have over the direction of your life.
To see a road in your dream indicates your sense of direction and pursuit of your goals. If the road is straight and narrow, then it means that your path to success is going according as planned.
Right
To dream of the right, represents conscious reality, deliberate action and rational thoughts. It may also be a pun on the rightness of an idea, decision, or plan. The dream is offering encouragement and telling you that you are doing the right thing or that you are on the right path. Alternatively, perhaps you need to stand up for your "rights". Or it may also represent your right leaning political views.
======================================
Food for thought...
~~~~~~~~~~
On a completely tangential side note... I'm about a week away from consistently being below 200 pounds!! WOOHOO!!!
~~~~~~~~~~
Until next time, faithful reader...
As an adult, I haven't been able to recall many of my dreams when I wake each morning. However, over the past few weeks, I've been remembering snippets of dreams. Visual splinters that I hope to piece together to make sense of them and reawaken my consciousness. I've realized that as I've gotten older I've become hyper-rational, overly analytical, and much more "grounded". I've become a prisoner to the physical plane of existence.
It's always been hard for me to tap into my arcane spiritual side. But the few times I've breached that wall, I would lament not being to tap into it as easily as others around me have. I suspect my own personal psychological barriers were created during my childhood (all part of my memory suppression).
I don't really know why I haven't tried to return to that state of curiosity, of exploration, and of open-mindedness that I had when I was a teen and young adult... but I can always try again. Now that I'm remembering my dreams, even if they come to me in fragments, I'm craving more. I try and go to bed with the thought of being able to recall my dreams in the morning. Though, I can't say with any certainty that this is the reason why I'm recalling more dreams and dream fragments, I am happy that it is happening now.
======================================
Last night's 'clip':
I was driving in my car down a straight road in the day time. I think there was a passenger next to me but I'm not sure. While driving I saw roadkill - I'm certain it was a raccoon - in middle of my lane. I swerved slightly to the right avoid it.
That was all I remembered but apparently, after looking up the elements of the dream, there is a lot that I can take out of this. Below is the breakdown from each component of the dream.
Roadkill
To see roadkill in your dream, represents unavoidable death. The death may be a symbolic death representing an end to a habit, behavior or idea. It is time to let go of old habits and put those ideas to rest, as you are only prolonging the inevitable. Alternatively, it suggests that there is some issue in your past that is hindering your pursuit of your goals.
Animals
To see animals in your dream, represents your own physical characteristic, primitive desires, and sexual nature, depending on the qualities of the particular animal. Animals symbolizes the untamed and uncivilized aspects of yourself. Refer to the specific animal in your dream.
To dream that you are saving the life of an animal, suggests that you are successfully acknowledging certain emotions and characteristics represented by the animal.
Raccoon
To see a raccoon in your dream, signifies deceit, thievery, and of false friends secretly conspiring against you.
Driving
To dream that you are driving a vehicle, signifies your life's journey and your path in life. The dream is telling of how you are moving and navigating through life. Alternatively, driving a car in your dream, is analogous to your sex life and sexual performance. Consider how you are driving and what kind of car you are driving and how it relates to your waking sex life.
Car/Automobile
To dream that you are driving a car denotes your ambition, your drive and your ability to navigate from one stage of your life to another. Consider how smooth or rough the car ride is. If you are driving the car, then you are taking an active role in the way your life is going. Overall, this dream symbol is an indication of your dependence and degree of control you have on your life.
To dream that you are riding in an automobile, signifies that even in pleasant situations, you will still be restless and uneasy.
Day
To dream of a sunny day, symbolizes clarity and/or pleasantness. You are seeing things clearly.
Street/Road
To see a street in your dream, symbolizes your life's path. The condition of the street reflects how much control you have over the direction of your life.
To see a road in your dream indicates your sense of direction and pursuit of your goals. If the road is straight and narrow, then it means that your path to success is going according as planned.
Right
To dream of the right, represents conscious reality, deliberate action and rational thoughts. It may also be a pun on the rightness of an idea, decision, or plan. The dream is offering encouragement and telling you that you are doing the right thing or that you are on the right path. Alternatively, perhaps you need to stand up for your "rights". Or it may also represent your right leaning political views.
======================================
Food for thought...
~~~~~~~~~~
On a completely tangential side note... I'm about a week away from consistently being below 200 pounds!! WOOHOO!!!
~~~~~~~~~~
Until next time, faithful reader...
Thursday, February 12, 2009
The Formula for Baby Nicknames + Another MCB
[Note: This entry was inspired by a close friend and his adorable offspring]
Welcome back friend,
(Verb)-y (verb)-er = Cute baby nicknames
Yes.
Believe it or not, that fairly simple and straightforward formula works pretty well for creating instant nicknames for infants and toddlers. It seems to be best used with monosyllabic verbs but that rule is not etched in stone so feel free to use it any way you'd like.
Here's an example of how the formula has been used: Over the past several months, my friend's daughter (who is now around 14 months old) has taken to grabbing things around the house. Hence, if we use the verb 'grab', she is now a "grabby grabber".
I'm sure once she starts drinking out of cups instead of a bottle, she'll be a "sippy sipper". She may only have a handful of teeth now but she is def a "smiley smiler". I can go on and on with this.
Clearly, this formula isn't quite as cute when used for the later stages of a child's development.
- Poopy pooper
- Screamy screamer
- Date-y dater (uh oh..)
- Kissy kisser (father's worst nightmare?)
And the list goes on and on, boys and girls.
Are there any other nicknames (cute or otherwise) that you've come up with using this formula? Share it in a comment below.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Musical Coffee Break (02-12-09) is a laid back collection from known and not-so-known artists. On tap, we've got full songs from John Mayer, QotSA, Rosi Golan, Erin McCarley and song clips from Alicia Keys and Jazmine Sullivan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I think I'm going to stop promising to post. When I announce an upcoming post, I do it with the intention of posting a new entry in the indicated time. However, it's just been so difficult to make time to actually do it.
I'm still adapting to my new work schedule. I quickly learned that the time a professor spends teaching isn't simply inside the classroom but also includes countless hours spent preparing lessons, creating assignments/exams, and grading assignments/exams. I knew this already going into the gig but the reality of it has finally hit me. This, coupled with the occasional night out (for those keeping track, it is no longer a nightly occurrence... lol), leaves me with little time to write up a blog entry.
I will likely limit myself to short entries, like the one you just read, for the foreseeable future until I adapt to this crazy time in my life.
Until next time, faithful reader...
Welcome back friend,
(Verb)-y (verb)-er = Cute baby nicknames
Yes.
Believe it or not, that fairly simple and straightforward formula works pretty well for creating instant nicknames for infants and toddlers. It seems to be best used with monosyllabic verbs but that rule is not etched in stone so feel free to use it any way you'd like.
Here's an example of how the formula has been used: Over the past several months, my friend's daughter (who is now around 14 months old) has taken to grabbing things around the house. Hence, if we use the verb 'grab', she is now a "grabby grabber".
I'm sure once she starts drinking out of cups instead of a bottle, she'll be a "sippy sipper". She may only have a handful of teeth now but she is def a "smiley smiler". I can go on and on with this.
Clearly, this formula isn't quite as cute when used for the later stages of a child's development.
- Poopy pooper
- Screamy screamer
- Date-y dater (uh oh..)
- Kissy kisser (father's worst nightmare?)
And the list goes on and on, boys and girls.
Are there any other nicknames (cute or otherwise) that you've come up with using this formula? Share it in a comment below.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Musical Coffee Break (02-12-09) is a laid back collection from known and not-so-known artists. On tap, we've got full songs from John Mayer, QotSA, Rosi Golan, Erin McCarley and song clips from Alicia Keys and Jazmine Sullivan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I think I'm going to stop promising to post. When I announce an upcoming post, I do it with the intention of posting a new entry in the indicated time. However, it's just been so difficult to make time to actually do it.
I'm still adapting to my new work schedule. I quickly learned that the time a professor spends teaching isn't simply inside the classroom but also includes countless hours spent preparing lessons, creating assignments/exams, and grading assignments/exams. I knew this already going into the gig but the reality of it has finally hit me. This, coupled with the occasional night out (for those keeping track, it is no longer a nightly occurrence... lol), leaves me with little time to write up a blog entry.
I will likely limit myself to short entries, like the one you just read, for the foreseeable future until I adapt to this crazy time in my life.
Until next time, faithful reader...
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Close Call
I write to you now while agitated and still on edge from what just happened to me. I suspect parts of this story may seem incoherent or unclear. But I need to get this story off my chest and I don't plan to edit it once I'm done. Tonight was the first time I have ever felt as if my fate was not in my own hands when driving my car. It is a scary feeling.
Typically, I try hard to be conscientious of those around me and try to anticipate the actions of others. Heck, my driving pet peeves list is based on behaviors that I have trouble understanding. Then, there are the few times where you are in a situation that is unavoidable no matter how many contingency plans you may have in place, no matter how much you "anticipate" the actions of other, and regardless of how "careful" you are as a driver. Tonight, I experienced one of those moments.
I went out to dinner with a few friends and, for the most part, had a good time (the company was good but it didn't make up for the terrible food). It didn't take long for me to get home but parking, apparently, was an ordeal. It was taking me longer to find a parking spot than it did to actually get to the neighborhood!
I went around my usual spots to no avail. I decided to go back to one of my old stand-by's from when I first moved to the neighborhood. On the way to that side street, I came across an intersection that I cross practically every time I'm driving. Though I am always on the street with the stop sign, tonight I was on the cross street that doesn't require you to stop.
My gut reaction was to come to a full stop. The cynic in me feels it is necessary to say that it could also have been my familiarity with the intersection that caused me to stop. I stopped at the intersection despite: not having a stop sign to have to stop on; there being NO sign of a car coming on the cross street; and the clear violation of one of my own pet peeves (though there was no one around me to prove I did it). When I realized what I had done, I figured I could use that chance to look around for a parking spot but there was none in sight so I moved on to the area where I used to park.
One of these streets is a one way road that is parallel to train tracks (not MTA). On this road, there is a curve that redirects traffic back to the grid where my residence is. Typically, as I approached the curve, I tend to coast into the curve and begin accelerating halfway through it. Tonight, however, I approached it at a much more "casual" speed than I'm used to driving at and didn't even consider accelerating as I entered it. I am now grateful for this change in routine because for some inexplicable reason there was a car coming in the opposite direction along this one way street. We both came to an abrupt stop and came within a few inches of hitting each other. If it was a parking spot, even the skinniest of my friends would have had trouble walking between our cars.
My heart was in my throat and I could feel it pounding harder than it ever has in my adult life. I felt my blood rushing through every vein and artery in my body as the other car began the slow retreat in reverse up the street to give me room to pass. I took several deep breaths - it was all my body would allow me to take - and closed my eyes. At that moment, I decided to not let my anger take a hold of me. I was grateful for the fortuitous turn of events and would simply drive past the fool that nearly changed my life (to varying degrees, of course, but I'll leave that up to your interpretation). As I passed the car, I didn't look at the driver. I didn't want to have a reason to hate someone with the intense passion that I knew I would be feeling later.
I drove past the curve and did not find a spot to park in which made me resentful for even going to that area to begin with. I drove around the neighborhood for a few minutes more before finding a space several blocks further than I'm used to parking around. My nerves were still rattled but I was beginning to calm down.
I walk up the sloped street on the way to my house. On this street, the sidewalks are slippery - due to irresponsible neighbors - making them fairly treacherous to walk on. Pedestrians have the option of taking their chances walking through that (might I remind you, on an incline) or walking in the street. I chose to walk on the street. Just mere moments after I set foot on the cold asphalt, a car turns onto the street from the top of the slope and approaches me slowly. I immediately recognized the car! It was the same one that almost hit me just a few minutes prior!
As the car comes to a stop next to me, several thoughts race through my head: maybe the driver wants to apologize for being a complete asshole; maybe it's the exact opposite and he wants to give ME shit for nearly crashing into HIM; or maybe the guy is having trouble finding an address (considering there is a 60th Road, 60th Avenue, and 60th Place in the immediate area, I can imagine someone being easily confused). As he rolls down his window, it becomes instantly clear to me that he doesn't know me from Adam and he proceeds to ask me how to get to a street that he is NOWHERE nearby! This was a slight relief as I wasn't in mood for his shit but I also was repressing a lot of anger and just wanted to ask him what the fuck he was thinking back there on the curve. I gave him very general directions since I feared any additional use of my voice would result in me reading him the riot act and I wasn't really eager to start a fight (verbal or otherwise) when all I wanted to do was get home. The man thanks me and drives off in his POS car as I continue up the 'hill'.
My hands weren't quite as shaky as they were when I parked but I still felt my blood coursing through my body and my breathing had only steadied slightly. I decided to update my facebook status to reflect my mood: "Alan is grateful for his instincts and, on nights like tonight, believes there are spirits watching over him". As a believer of the occult, I truly feel fortunate and these occasions make me think again about the existence of entities in realms/dimensions/planes of existence other than our own. I'm thankful I have the opportunity to vent about a close call and not recalling a story of how my car needed to be repaired (or worse yet, me needing to be repaired).
It also brought to light many things that I've taken for granted. I hope to not put myself in a position where I may live to regret my actions (or inaction) should something more serious and devastating ever happen to me in the future.
Until next time, faithful reader... (there will be a next time)
UPDATE: For those of you who are curious to see the intersection in question:
View Larger Map
Typically, I try hard to be conscientious of those around me and try to anticipate the actions of others. Heck, my driving pet peeves list is based on behaviors that I have trouble understanding. Then, there are the few times where you are in a situation that is unavoidable no matter how many contingency plans you may have in place, no matter how much you "anticipate" the actions of other, and regardless of how "careful" you are as a driver. Tonight, I experienced one of those moments.
I went out to dinner with a few friends and, for the most part, had a good time (the company was good but it didn't make up for the terrible food). It didn't take long for me to get home but parking, apparently, was an ordeal. It was taking me longer to find a parking spot than it did to actually get to the neighborhood!
I went around my usual spots to no avail. I decided to go back to one of my old stand-by's from when I first moved to the neighborhood. On the way to that side street, I came across an intersection that I cross practically every time I'm driving. Though I am always on the street with the stop sign, tonight I was on the cross street that doesn't require you to stop.
My gut reaction was to come to a full stop. The cynic in me feels it is necessary to say that it could also have been my familiarity with the intersection that caused me to stop. I stopped at the intersection despite: not having a stop sign to have to stop on; there being NO sign of a car coming on the cross street; and the clear violation of one of my own pet peeves (though there was no one around me to prove I did it). When I realized what I had done, I figured I could use that chance to look around for a parking spot but there was none in sight so I moved on to the area where I used to park.
One of these streets is a one way road that is parallel to train tracks (not MTA). On this road, there is a curve that redirects traffic back to the grid where my residence is. Typically, as I approached the curve, I tend to coast into the curve and begin accelerating halfway through it. Tonight, however, I approached it at a much more "casual" speed than I'm used to driving at and didn't even consider accelerating as I entered it. I am now grateful for this change in routine because for some inexplicable reason there was a car coming in the opposite direction along this one way street. We both came to an abrupt stop and came within a few inches of hitting each other. If it was a parking spot, even the skinniest of my friends would have had trouble walking between our cars.
My heart was in my throat and I could feel it pounding harder than it ever has in my adult life. I felt my blood rushing through every vein and artery in my body as the other car began the slow retreat in reverse up the street to give me room to pass. I took several deep breaths - it was all my body would allow me to take - and closed my eyes. At that moment, I decided to not let my anger take a hold of me. I was grateful for the fortuitous turn of events and would simply drive past the fool that nearly changed my life (to varying degrees, of course, but I'll leave that up to your interpretation). As I passed the car, I didn't look at the driver. I didn't want to have a reason to hate someone with the intense passion that I knew I would be feeling later.
I drove past the curve and did not find a spot to park in which made me resentful for even going to that area to begin with. I drove around the neighborhood for a few minutes more before finding a space several blocks further than I'm used to parking around. My nerves were still rattled but I was beginning to calm down.
I walk up the sloped street on the way to my house. On this street, the sidewalks are slippery - due to irresponsible neighbors - making them fairly treacherous to walk on. Pedestrians have the option of taking their chances walking through that (might I remind you, on an incline) or walking in the street. I chose to walk on the street. Just mere moments after I set foot on the cold asphalt, a car turns onto the street from the top of the slope and approaches me slowly. I immediately recognized the car! It was the same one that almost hit me just a few minutes prior!
As the car comes to a stop next to me, several thoughts race through my head: maybe the driver wants to apologize for being a complete asshole; maybe it's the exact opposite and he wants to give ME shit for nearly crashing into HIM; or maybe the guy is having trouble finding an address (considering there is a 60th Road, 60th Avenue, and 60th Place in the immediate area, I can imagine someone being easily confused). As he rolls down his window, it becomes instantly clear to me that he doesn't know me from Adam and he proceeds to ask me how to get to a street that he is NOWHERE nearby! This was a slight relief as I wasn't in mood for his shit but I also was repressing a lot of anger and just wanted to ask him what the fuck he was thinking back there on the curve. I gave him very general directions since I feared any additional use of my voice would result in me reading him the riot act and I wasn't really eager to start a fight (verbal or otherwise) when all I wanted to do was get home. The man thanks me and drives off in his POS car as I continue up the 'hill'.
My hands weren't quite as shaky as they were when I parked but I still felt my blood coursing through my body and my breathing had only steadied slightly. I decided to update my facebook status to reflect my mood: "Alan is grateful for his instincts and, on nights like tonight, believes there are spirits watching over him". As a believer of the occult, I truly feel fortunate and these occasions make me think again about the existence of entities in realms/dimensions/planes of existence other than our own. I'm thankful I have the opportunity to vent about a close call and not recalling a story of how my car needed to be repaired (or worse yet, me needing to be repaired).
It also brought to light many things that I've taken for granted. I hope to not put myself in a position where I may live to regret my actions (or inaction) should something more serious and devastating ever happen to me in the future.
Until next time, faithful reader... (there will be a next time)
UPDATE: For those of you who are curious to see the intersection in question:
View Larger Map
Friday, February 6, 2009
RaUM: La Reconquista
Hello again,
Welcome back.
I've been staying true to the purpose of this blog which is, essentially, to not post anything if it feels like I'm forcing myself to write something. Posting an entry for the sake of writing anything seems to ruin the spirit of what I've got going here. The main reason why I haven't written a lot lately is not a lack of inspiration but rather a lack of time.
Much of this has been due to my indulgent personality. Once I find something I really enjoy, I tend to stick to it like glue. It's a bit obsessive, I know, but it's probably built into my DNA because I always seem to default to that. I often find myself fighting the urge to continue with the same old thing - whether it's a person, place, or thing - until I (1) finally give in and manage to forget about it or (2) find a new thing to focus on. Call me stubborn... or whatever else you will... =P
With my teaching job at QC starting at the end of January, I knew that I wouldn't be able to go out as often as I could in the weeks leading up to the start of the Spring semester. I took advantage of my free time by going out practically every night (there was a stretch where I honestly could not recall the last time I had been home before midnight). I spent the majority of my free time traveling around town, satiating my wanderlust with weekend getaways, keeping myself in good company, and simply enjoying all of these experiences. This has also forced me to give up pieces of the "old" me, for better and for worse. I stopped being a couch potato which is a good thing (though I still manage to make time for certain shows like Lost and 24, e.g.). I stopped blogging which, between you and me, is bad - for you and for me. I may have posted, albeit sporadically, in January, I'm sure there would have been more to read had I not been out gallivanting.
My current 'indulgence' is my teaching gig. I LOVE my new job!! I can't say that in enough ways to truly express how fortunate I feel to have the opportunity to teach others and to have found something that I am truly passionate about. Knowing I'm having a direct impact on others' lives - No! that isn't overstating the truth - is an intoxicating feeling. But that feeling is tempered by the understanding that after they're done with my class, they are now representative of me and my work. I take that seemingly minor fact seriously and I do everything I can to make sure that my kids come out of my class learning SOMETHING that they can apply in their other classes and in the 'real world'.
Now... I don't want to make it sound as if I regret how I've spent my free time. On the contrary, I've had an amazing start to the year! There is so much more for me to do, to see, and experiences that I hope to discover (and, in some instances, rediscover) in the near future. Though I did feel like I've neglected the blog a little over the past few weeks and didn't want to lose this part of myself. Despite my inability to properly manage my time, I will continue to compose my musings on my digital acres (brought to you by Blogger.com) so long as they continue to be random and unforced entries.
Well... that's all I've got for now (FYI, there is another entry in the works... should be posted some time this weekend).
Until next time, faithful reader...
Welcome back.
I've been staying true to the purpose of this blog which is, essentially, to not post anything if it feels like I'm forcing myself to write something. Posting an entry for the sake of writing anything seems to ruin the spirit of what I've got going here. The main reason why I haven't written a lot lately is not a lack of inspiration but rather a lack of time.
Much of this has been due to my indulgent personality. Once I find something I really enjoy, I tend to stick to it like glue. It's a bit obsessive, I know, but it's probably built into my DNA because I always seem to default to that. I often find myself fighting the urge to continue with the same old thing - whether it's a person, place, or thing - until I (1) finally give in and manage to forget about it or (2) find a new thing to focus on. Call me stubborn... or whatever else you will... =P
With my teaching job at QC starting at the end of January, I knew that I wouldn't be able to go out as often as I could in the weeks leading up to the start of the Spring semester. I took advantage of my free time by going out practically every night (there was a stretch where I honestly could not recall the last time I had been home before midnight). I spent the majority of my free time traveling around town, satiating my wanderlust with weekend getaways, keeping myself in good company, and simply enjoying all of these experiences. This has also forced me to give up pieces of the "old" me, for better and for worse. I stopped being a couch potato which is a good thing (though I still manage to make time for certain shows like Lost and 24, e.g.). I stopped blogging which, between you and me, is bad - for you and for me. I may have posted, albeit sporadically, in January, I'm sure there would have been more to read had I not been out gallivanting.
My current 'indulgence' is my teaching gig. I LOVE my new job!! I can't say that in enough ways to truly express how fortunate I feel to have the opportunity to teach others and to have found something that I am truly passionate about. Knowing I'm having a direct impact on others' lives - No! that isn't overstating the truth - is an intoxicating feeling. But that feeling is tempered by the understanding that after they're done with my class, they are now representative of me and my work. I take that seemingly minor fact seriously and I do everything I can to make sure that my kids come out of my class learning SOMETHING that they can apply in their other classes and in the 'real world'.
Now... I don't want to make it sound as if I regret how I've spent my free time. On the contrary, I've had an amazing start to the year! There is so much more for me to do, to see, and experiences that I hope to discover (and, in some instances, rediscover) in the near future. Though I did feel like I've neglected the blog a little over the past few weeks and didn't want to lose this part of myself. Despite my inability to properly manage my time, I will continue to compose my musings on my digital acres (brought to you by Blogger.com) so long as they continue to be random and unforced entries.
Well... that's all I've got for now (FYI, there is another entry in the works... should be posted some time this weekend).
Until next time, faithful reader...
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