When I step back and look at my life, I see:
1) My low-paying job takes up an inordinate amount of hours.
2) I don't have hope or the means for a vacation any time soon.
3) Timewise, relationships have been sacrificed.
Really, I think I'm patterning as someone on the wrong side of the economy.
A lot of people I know are feeling that...
A(n Italian) guy I know who's an adjunct instructor has been a bit disturbed by how much he works and yet doesn't have hope for a vacation, and so I told him that maybe the problem wasn't vacations, but that with the way life is right now, maybe it's our expectations, and maybe we should start recognizing that vacations aren't for people like us.
He just grimaced, and the look in his eyes made it seem like he agreed.
Really, everywhere you look, the social classes are realigning.
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Friday, December 5, 2014
Mutual roommate confessions: Stealing food.
The other week I was eating some beans and rice, and since my roommate was in the living room, I offered to her that she could grab some if she wanted.
"You know," she was like, "I actually had some this morning."
Then, I confessed that when I woke up, I saw the takeout box from her in the fridge, and opened it up and had some of the ham in there.
"You know," she was like, "I actually had some this morning."
Then, I confessed that when I woke up, I saw the takeout box from her in the fridge, and opened it up and had some of the ham in there.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Debate at student bar with local musician / music teacher: Music producers.
The other week when I was at the student bar I ran into a (late 40s) (black) (female) musician/music teacher who I know, and like always, we started talking.
Somehow, we got on the subject of musicianship and producers, and she said she didn't consider producers nowadays producers, since to her a producer was someone like Quincy Jones, who could really pick up and play every instrument.
Though, she did recognize that producers nowadays do have talent, but she wouldn't group them with people like Quincy Jones or say their talent was music in the same way.
Midway through, when she got a new drink, I bought it for her, telling her that I appreciated so much what she did as a music educator, since I had also had talented, conscientious music educators in my life, and they just don't get enough thanks.
Later in the conversation, I needed to run to the bathroom, and she was like, "Okay, tinkle, baby!".
Somehow, we got on the subject of musicianship and producers, and she said she didn't consider producers nowadays producers, since to her a producer was someone like Quincy Jones, who could really pick up and play every instrument.
Though, she did recognize that producers nowadays do have talent, but she wouldn't group them with people like Quincy Jones or say their talent was music in the same way.
Midway through, when she got a new drink, I bought it for her, telling her that I appreciated so much what she did as a music educator, since I had also had talented, conscientious music educators in my life, and they just don't get enough thanks.
Later in the conversation, I needed to run to the bathroom, and she was like, "Okay, tinkle, baby!".
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Satisfying pimple: Popped it!.
The other week I was clipping ear hair - actually, using a razor to snag off some stray hairs just inside the little gristly tab that covers up the auditory canal - and when I pulled the skin tight to get a better shaving angle at the hair, I could feel a dull ache from the fleshy part just above the tab.
I got all close to the mirror and pulled the skin taut to see if I could see what it was, but I couldn't from the angle, though by feeling it I could tell that some pimple of rather large proportions had formed towards the inside of the ear, just out of sight tucked in among the cartilage folds...
I felt it and there wasn't a head, but I pulled the skin taut more and squeeze towards the base, and the next thing I knew there was a sudden, forceful, sizable burst and like 3 pinheads worth of crap just flew out and formed a streak across the nail on my finger.
I pushed harder, and a little liquidy blood came out, and though the pimple area was still bulky, it seemed like that that was from swollen flesh, and not from any more gunk being left inside.
So, I washed off my nail and put some rubbing alcohol on the area to clean it and draw whatever little else was inside out.
Later, a thin, brittle, mildly moist scab formed, and it easily fell off the wound as soon as I touched it.
I got all close to the mirror and pulled the skin taut to see if I could see what it was, but I couldn't from the angle, though by feeling it I could tell that some pimple of rather large proportions had formed towards the inside of the ear, just out of sight tucked in among the cartilage folds...
I felt it and there wasn't a head, but I pulled the skin taut more and squeeze towards the base, and the next thing I knew there was a sudden, forceful, sizable burst and like 3 pinheads worth of crap just flew out and formed a streak across the nail on my finger.
I pushed harder, and a little liquidy blood came out, and though the pimple area was still bulky, it seemed like that that was from swollen flesh, and not from any more gunk being left inside.
So, I washed off my nail and put some rubbing alcohol on the area to clean it and draw whatever little else was inside out.
Later, a thin, brittle, mildly moist scab formed, and it easily fell off the wound as soon as I touched it.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Am I giving too much time and effort to teaching?.
I'm wondering if I'm giving too much time and effort to teaching.
I make up new handouts if problems arise, though I feel bad if my lesson plan doesn't come off as good as I hoped the first time.
Oftentimes, though, I wish I had more time to spend on preparation, although I would if I was better paid (since that way I wouldn't have to work so many jobs, and I could devote more time to each job that I do work).
On the other hand, I look at student effort, and it's only really like one-sixth of the art kids that are giving consistent effort where I'm constantly impressed by how they respond, and maybe like one-twentieth of the kids at the university where I teach.
From that perspective, if kids aren't responding or giving full effort anyways, I shouldn't be so hard on myself.
Too, the one guy I work for who's a just finishing or recently finished grad student, he was surprised when a problem that I thought I had dealt with cropped up in like 40% of student papers, and I responded by saying that I should make up a handout to head off this problem in future papers.
He said that I could do that, but from the sound of his voice, it almost seemed like that was something extra that he himself wouldn't do, and he was kind of surprised that I'd put that much effort in.
I make up new handouts if problems arise, though I feel bad if my lesson plan doesn't come off as good as I hoped the first time.
Oftentimes, though, I wish I had more time to spend on preparation, although I would if I was better paid (since that way I wouldn't have to work so many jobs, and I could devote more time to each job that I do work).
On the other hand, I look at student effort, and it's only really like one-sixth of the art kids that are giving consistent effort where I'm constantly impressed by how they respond, and maybe like one-twentieth of the kids at the university where I teach.
From that perspective, if kids aren't responding or giving full effort anyways, I shouldn't be so hard on myself.
Too, the one guy I work for who's a just finishing or recently finished grad student, he was surprised when a problem that I thought I had dealt with cropped up in like 40% of student papers, and I responded by saying that I should make up a handout to head off this problem in future papers.
He said that I could do that, but from the sound of his voice, it almost seemed like that was something extra that he himself wouldn't do, and he was kind of surprised that I'd put that much effort in.
Monday, December 1, 2014
The difference between Ireland and America...
...according to Bono, in the Nov. 6th 2014 Rolling Stone cover article about U2:
"I've said this many times," Bono says, "but, you know, in America, you look up at the mansion on the hill and you say, 'One day, if I work really hard, I might get to live there.' In Ireland, particularly in Dublin, you look at the mansion and you say, 'One day, I'm going to get that bastard.'"
That's almost enough to make me like Irish culture, though the drunkenness, duplicity, and rampant misogyny are clear downsides.
"I've said this many times," Bono says, "but, you know, in America, you look up at the mansion on the hill and you say, 'One day, if I work really hard, I might get to live there.' In Ireland, particularly in Dublin, you look at the mansion and you say, 'One day, I'm going to get that bastard.'"
That's almost enough to make me like Irish culture, though the drunkenness, duplicity, and rampant misogyny are clear downsides.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
My favorite thing about Chicago's new archbishop...
..as a kid his parents made him take Croatian folkdancing lessons!:
AC:
And do you see a mirror-- or a window-- between seeing that impact on others and the impact that God had on your own parents and your own family?
BC:
Oh, I think so. You know, we were very tied to that church. We were about four or five blocks away. I mean, we went to school there. We served Mass. We each had our hour of adoration where we'd go up and my mother was up early, like 5:00 in the morning on Tuesday or I don't know what her hour was. And so was my dad. And then we would sing in the choir on Sunday. We would be a part of most everything on Wednesdays, because it was a Croatian parish, we would go up there and learn folk dances, Croatian folk dances.
AC:
Are you good?
BC:
No, well, I probably still could remember a few steps but we would rather be on the baseball field, the guys would. But nonetheless, we had to go up there and do that. And we performed for various groups in these various costumes. So that was all part of the church experience. It was kind of the pool we swam in.
. . .
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