I have only met my father-in-law once. It was in the parking lot of his work, after work on a Friday. We wanted him to join us at the Anchor Bar, where the Buffalo Wing was made famous. It's more of a restaurant than a bar, and especially since I don't drink, it shouldn't have been a problem for him. Still, he wanted to go to his AA meeting. I ( Read more... )

I haven't lent out a pen in a year. I don't usually lend out my pens, since I usually don't get them back.

Tonight, I lent the same pen not only to a classmate but also to a pair of strangers on the bus on my way home. Both times, I got it back.

I wonder what the pen wrote while I was not holding it.

http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/060829roswell.htm

According to a study by the Census Bureau, Albuquerque is in the top ten smartest cities in the nation. The others aren't surprising: Seattle, San Francisco, Austin, Colorado Springs, Minneapolis, Charlotte, San Diego, Washington DC, and Portland ( Read more... )

Our Smith's is a small Smith's. We know the cashiers (especially Connie), the woman in the deli, the guy in the vegetables, the man in the milk aisle, and they all know us ( Read more... )

While waiting for Sarah to try on some shirts at Target today, a boy, maybe seven years old, was waiting with me while his mother and sister tried on some clothes. Although it was winter and we were indoors, he was wearing sunglasses; he told me that the red stool next to him was both a cylinder (he rolled it around) and a drum (he made some loud ( Read more... )

Although I've been applying to combined MA/PhD programs, apparently I'm already qualified for an MA. I suppose if I can get the transcripts in time, I could even start applying to PhD programs that require an MA, assuming I haven't already missed the deadlines. Too bad they don't offer PhDs, though - that could save me a ton of time!

( The worst kind of spam.... )

As avid Woody Allen fans, we went to see Match Point last night, and I rate it as one of the top handful of best movies I have ever seen. Although there are almost no jokes in this film and absolutely no physical comedy, Allen instead turns his genius to the other side of irony, this time exploring our understanding of "luck" and "coincidence." ( Read more... )

Last night was Christmas with my godparents, their children, and their Dutch cousins visiting from Holland. Elsmere and Micheil gave me one of the most wonderful gifts I have ever received, a cheese cutter they brought thousands of miles for me. It is the traditional Dutch wedding present, and it represents the cutting back we'll be doing soon.

With my own special day coming up in June, being in Jeffrey's wedding in Dallas this past weekend was all the more poignant. At the very least, I realized that it took Aristotle an entire lifetime to figure out what all married men seem to know: that the only thing they know is that they know nothing.

Mazel tov, Jeffrey!