I have been called "dude" no less than four times in the last two days. It doesn't matter what day of the week it is, I'm clearly in southern California.

Scrolling down my friends list tonight, I am regaled with all of the anxieties and excitements that follow this change of season. The trends are familiar to only one common realm, really, and that's academia. That said, I think it's my turn ( Read more... )

Peoples around the word take part in the practice of pilgrimages. Sites of healing and holiness, places of worhsip and peace. Today, friends, I begin my own way towards Mecca. A common pilgrimage among my set, I plan to ring in another year of life in San Francisco ( Read more... )

1) I recieve an email from a current student close to me as a result of our shared work in ESS asking me to make a donation towards her walk for the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org). She mentions in her letter--though not by name--people close to her have suffered and passed away from cancer. I've only known one person. I donated $10 in his ( Read more... )

Well, so much for standards.

Imagine the joy I experienced upon returning home after a long day of office retreating at the Grand Lodge in Forest Grove filled with food, beer, and lots and lots of discussion about whether or not juniors should be offered a class visit only to find a nifty little Dell box sitting in the living room cum dining room. A heartfelt thank you to my ( Read more... )

So, with the disappearance of my luggage/laptop in Los Angeles last month, and with the deposit of my tax return, I am now poised to purchase a new computer. However, my working knowledge of computers is limited to what they can do for me, not how they do it. So, if those of you with more experience could please help me: does this computer totally ( Read more... )

"Did you get my message?"

So it's been a few weeks since he wrote me to get back in touch. Do I have to point out the painful irony in his writing me this (and only this) after only a few weeks.

A whole year people!

I was really looking forward to getting out of the office. It's true what they say about this job: as soon as you're tired of one part of the job, the seasons change and its time for the next thing. So Spring travel came upon me a great releif from office duties, stressed out interns, non-responsive tour guides, and the like. Heading down to sunny ( Read more... )

I'm preparing for my trip to LA tomorrow, and some things have struck about my progression this year as a traveling salesman. Firstly, I'm a pro at packing. What used to be an ordeal of "what to wear, what to wear..." has been totaly streamlined to what I know I will wear and what won't ever leave the suitcase. I was packed in thirty minutes, I ( Read more... )