It's hot!

This has been me today.  It's hot out.  Rain threatens.  So I'm home wearing workout clothes and not working out.  Instead I'm looking at bathing suits and other work out clothes that I can't afford to buy.  I'm also doing useful stuff like dishes, laundry and picking out clothes for the week.

That's the weather for this week.  See a pattern?  Thunder.  Thunder and humid.

We were thinking of going to Busch Gardens today, but decided against it.  There was simply too much to do around the house.

Besides, the clouds and dark and low, have been all day.



So we decided on a day without rain.  Next Saturday.

What's the weather?

Yes.  Sunny.  And 94.

I feel that wearing lots of sunscreen and a trip on the Roman Rapids will be in order.

It's hot and humid.  The bugs are out.

Instead of interacting with nature, I'll be inside.

I'm massively allergic to bug bites, and sunburn at the drop of a hat.  I think I'll be staying inside if that's ok with everyone.

Typical Friday at the Office... In the summer....

Today spent taking care of a few tasks.  But after lunch, I couldn't sit still anymore.

Than I started looking around.  I realized that I've been working here for almost three years, and in all that time, I really haven't cleaned out my desk from the last few occupants.  I don't know why I hadn't touched it before.  Yes, I did have things in my desk, but mostly I placed it on top of the old things, leaving my desk looking like an archaeological dig.  The desk drawers weren't arranged in ways that I wanted.  I simply went along with what had been there before.

Why didn't I change anything?  I don't know.  But it's the last step of getting this office the way that I like it.

So I decided to do some house cleaning.  I still have a desk drawer that is largely stuff that might be useful later, but I now have three cleaned out drawers.

I also cleaned off the top of my desk.

And I put together a literature organizer....

and got the extra boxes out of my office...

and recycled old magazines.....

It feels good.

Now, I need to go home and replicate this on my living room!  And try to keep it up.

And honestly, that's about as interesting as my life gets right now.

Today has been a day!

When I got my bonus, I decided that I'd treat myself to a passport.  Today was the day.  I came to the post office, armed with paperwork and identification.  I arrived at 10:25 for my 10:30 appointment.  I'm lead to a back room.

Where I waited...

And waited...

And waited...

At 11:15 I found someone.  Apparetnly the appropriate person wasn't informed that I was there.  Well, whatever.  So then they go to take my picture....

And it prints with a big streak across my face.  Another 5 tries, another 5 streaks.

I get sent to Walgreens to get a picture.  Sure.  That's $12 out of my pocket, but that was ok.  But eventually, the money got paid, and now the paperwork is out of my hands.

I finally got back to campus in time to get the full scoop on the Supreme Court rulings.  DOMA was overturned (it was deemed unconstitutional) and Prop. 8 was overturned (Well, it was overturned by the California Supreme Court, so this just reinforces that).

I was hoping for a wider ruling, but I'll take it.

As predicted, the religious right lost their collective shit.  But some of their arguments really make no sense.  They are saying that because some people in this country have the right to marry others of their same gender... it infringes on their Christian religious liberty.

What???

I've heard the argument before.  And it's still as crazy now.  What happens in other people's lives makes no impact on Christian Americans on the whole.

The arguments that incest and bestiality will be next have already started.

But while you're avoiding the religious right, please patronize some of the companies that support the SCOTUS decision.

Sometime I have too much time on my hands

I have a bad habit.

I look for houses to someday buy on Trulia.  Houses that I could afford.  Houses that I could only afford if I won the lottery.  Houses that I could afford if I married royalty.  (Carter's Grove is on the market again!)

It's not like I'm in a place where I can buy something.  I've had a house foreclosed on.  I don't think I can buy anything for like a decade....  but I can look and dream.

I've found tiny houses.  Townhomes, and other tiny one and two bedroom places.  This one struck me as rather cute.

I've found grand places.  Places with bedrooms and spaces to grow into.  I believe this one has a framed out guest house.

Some houses I pass by every day, and wonder what they'd look like on the inside.

Some houses are just plain weird.  Yes, it's a church.  It's zoned residential.  Imagine what a cool house this could make!!!

Some houses are really funky.   See?  Funky!!!




And others are more traditional. 




 I happen to love the wrap around porch on this one.

I've found some with in-law suites.  For... in-laws...

But I think this one is my favorite of all.


Honestly, my minimum requirements include things like payments that won't break the bank and 2 toilets.  A small back yard would be nice...

But for right now I have to be content where we are.

And I have to try to keep it clean....

Which is a challenge!

Rights and Responsibilities

I've heard a lot of talk recently about rights.  What what our rights are.  And what we think they are.

What I don't think people understand that that when you have rights, you also have responsibilities.  Like Spiderman said.  

Let's take freedom of speech.  Yes, you can say what you want.  But you must also take responsibility if those words get you punched, or sued, or tossed in jail.  And it's not just talk.  Everything you say, write or type is out there for scrutiny.  Like the poor pageant queen that sees her flub broadcast again and again.  In this age of media, everything you say and type has the potential to haunt you forever.  So practice your free speech responsibly.

Freedom of religion.  This has been batted around a lot in the last few years.  This right also comes with responsibility.  The main problem in the freedom of religion of late has been how one's freedom impacts others.  For example, When the boss of a big army base decided to send soldiers to their rooms as a punishment, instead of participating in the evangelical christian concert... his religion has directly impacted others.  Others that do't share his beliefs.  Many in this country want to make Christianity the state religion.  (Which way back in the 17th and 18th centuries pissed English people off.. England has an official state religion)  How does that bode for people that aren't Christian, or aren't the particular flavor of Christian?  (Again, see England)

With freedom of religion, comes the responsibility to not let your freedoms diminish the freedoms of other's religions.

But people have forgotten that, and it makes me sad.

And remember, (in the words of Andrew Shepard) America isn't easy.  It's advanced citizenship.

And some people need to study harder.

While other people do end of the year book keeping...

We toss shit out.

We do this every summer.  People are scarce.  We get antsy.  So we clean.

Last week it was the book case in the work room.  Do we need Word Perfect for Dummies?  The manuals on Win 95?  87 copies of last year's catalog?

No!

Today it was the faculty lounge.  We sorted through coffee mugs.  We realized that we have 4 coffee makes.  5 if you count the pod coffee maker that they no longer make pods for.  (The box was dusty and sun faded)

Some interesting things we've tossed out:

• 4 boxes of 5 1/4 inch disks
• 4 plastic calendar holders that had no refills
• a box of Win 95 disks
• 7 baskets for coffee... you know, that go inside a big coffee maker.
• the innards of a Britta pitcher.
• coffee stained cups
• the plastic tops that cover a deli tray
• birthday candles
• a 6 pack of Heineken, that is at least 3 years old.

I still am finding things in my desk that belong to the two previous occupants.

And now.. I'm off to take a pile of crap to the dumpster!

We had some weather yesterday....

I'd been reading all day that a weather system that could spawn a derecho was heading our way.  I was worried.  Why?  I've been through one.

I made the correct choice to head out of work today at 4:30.

It was weird.  Ahead of me, blue sky.  In my rear view mirror, dark grey, almost black sky.

I outran it until I stopped to turn into my apartment.  All of a sudden my car was pelted with rocks (maybe hail... I don't know).  The wind kicked into high gear.

Seriously, the weather turned that quickly while I was waiting to turn into my apartment.

I parked.  Sand blew into my eyes as I ran for my door.  I yelled that the weather was bad.  the Spousal Equivalent didn't believe me.  From his window in the back of the apartment, the sky was blue.

Even the dog didn't want to go out.

but as quickly as it blew up, it went away.

And no, I have no pictures.  But other people do.

Today it's cool and sunny.  And rather nice out.