I have to stop occasionally and forcibly remind myself that when I started my last job, lo these 16 years ago, I hated it at first. Distinctly and forever fondly will remember that first (only) summer of nearly-endless relaxation; learning to play the piano (neenle-ner), riding my bike everywhere, fighting with my roommate (the beginning of the ( Read more... )

What is the source of this despicable urge to care if somebody is famous? That integral craving for connection with notoriety? The drive that impels people to collect signatures and shoes that were once owned by somebody about whom somebody else once gave a shit? To set aside forever (and never wash) the shirt whose shoulder was touched by Joan ( Read more... )

I have (don't know if I mentioned this already) both a small office (about 10' square, with low, acoustic-tile ceilings) and across the small hall a 'space' (called the LSC), which is a long, rectangular, windowless room with low ceilings. When I first beheld this, my new empire, I was deeply depressed. I mean, I'm used to 20 foot windows looking ( Read more... )

So I've been (wo)manfully struggling through the introductory challenges of my new gig: Establishing a reputation (that serves my needs), setting clear boundaries, forging relationships, memorizing names, fielding leftover issues from my old gig, pissing people off by doing or not doing all of the above. I have an extremely dense layer of people ( Read more... )

I have, with considerable effort, climbed this hill at afternoon’s trailing edge. Sweat cools, as daytime’s orange segues into lavender twilight ( Read more... )

Parent statement on student profile:
"We are a biracial, Buddhist, lesbian household with two boys. We have always sought a school environment that reflects the many flavors of humanity, that normalizes or mainstreams diversity and that teaches children to reach out beyond our national borders to a global perspective."

Dear God! I started this entry and looked up to see a banner advertising MEG WHITMAN for Governor of California! How the hell do I block that? It is a bit like seeing a political ad for GW Bush on my site. Seriously! I am completely grossed out ( Read more... )

Really, I need a new word, for the feeling one gets when one is finally home, ensconced in one's favorite relaxin' chair, having extricated oneself only with difficulty from work, exhausted, and glad to be sitting in silence, but still quivering. One is simultaneously shaking off the neurotransmitters still bathing one's cortices from the over- ( Read more... )

My internal alarm clock has just gone off, and I have suddenly realized that your wedding must be any fucking minute. And I haven't spoken with you ( Read more... )

Today, for the first time in over a year, I experienced down-time. Near boredom, even. Remember what it feels like to have less than 5 things to do at once? Well, no actually. But now, at 3:40, it has arrived. I was confounded by the sudden grinding of my mental gears, and realized that I desperately needed to re-boot my brain. And as I took a ( Read more... )