I Used to Be Once

My annual Christmas boycott list is officially underway.

As you may remember, I have promised, for one year, to boycott any advertiser that twists the lyrics of any traditional holiday carol in order to sell something. I'm waiting for Garman to set up another ad for their GPS to the most irritating carol evar, "Carol of the Bells". In the mean time, the list begins with:

--Overstock.com, for turning Jingle Bells into a sales jingle. Oh-oh-oh, the Big Red O, will get no green from meeeeeee...
--Best Buy, trying to discourage people from acting like animals on Black Friday--commendable; doing it via twisting a Christmas carol, one year boycott.

To date, I have not seen a Christmas CD ad on TV. Either I have been extrememly fortunate, or MadAve is getting my memos.

Ken Ober, host of arguably one of the greatest game shows ever, Remote Control, passed away this weekend at age 52.

He'd probably laugh at the fact that he could now be used as a question in his "Dead or Canadian?" category.

Trying to pressurize from the last two days...

First, and most importantly, happy birfday to my good friend and stalker etumukutenyak. I'm saving a big hug for you for the first time we meet, should our paths ever cross. I hope your day is special for you. You share your birthday with my twin sisters, so we are kinda connected today, in a way. :-)

In other news, I have a cold sore on the back left side of my tongue. Soda and anything with salt exacerbate the hell out of it. Ouchies.

Sons #1 and #2 are watching the trained chimps masquerading as higher life-forms on MTV. Thank God for Pandora and headphones.

And I napped through my Hawkeyes' gutty 15-13 win against Michigan State, in Lansing. Why not? Lord knows it wouldn't be televised, not even down here, despite everyone rumbling about there being a potential upset. My Hawks are not a great team, by any stretch--they're just good enough to win the game in front of them each week. And I'm good with that. Next are two much-easier games, at home, and then the last real challenge--the Luckeyes game, on the road. Me, I'm just happy the Hawks are in a bowl game. Anything else is just gravy. :-)

Found a new website (new to me, anyway) with a lot of good trivia on it. I'll be strip-mining it for more question fodder. I don't just gank questions from websites, though--the material on these sites often dislodge chunks of my creativity, and I think of some pretty good questions on my own. And FWIW, I just cracked Question #12,600 on my database. Just 660 more questions, and my database will have enough to make unique question sets for four years' worth of pub trivia, at a rate of 65 questions/week.

Snack du noir: Whatever I happen to find at the grocery store that I am in the mood for. I'm off to go check.

My first week back from Modland, and, using the Unmodified germankitty Scoring System, I am true to my word and have pwned germankitty for another week. Plus she called me a perv! Bonus! ;-)

(Of course, if we used my more fraction-oriented *koff*and accurate*koffkoff* system, she'd top me. But shhhh! We won't tell her that, m'kay?)

In other news, #1 son does not 'get' Monty Python. #2 son, who can occasionally dip his brain into the surreal, does get it. He just doesn't appreciate it yet. Give him time--he's only 16.

In general, life, outside of teaching, is okay. But if the cat crawls on my bed, m'rowing for breakfast, 20 minutes before my alarm goes off, one more time, I will be catapulting her for distance. Bad enough she keeps trying to kill me by slinking between my feet, trying to trip me...

I just need to get through this week. Then I get three half-days next week because of testing. We're over the hump for this semester, which means the home stretch is coming, which is good, and the kids will behave in a proportionally stupid fashion as we near finals, which is bad.

Just 36 school days 'til finals. That's just under 32 hours for each class. I can make it. I can make it.

My mod status is no more. *sigh* Ah, well, it was nice while it lasted. The fame, the power, the hot LJDQ Mod groupies, the abundance of pudding and the total lack of cash...it was all good fun. Except for the lack of cash part, but the hot groupies made me kinda forget about that.

I'll assume I'm part of the Legion of Substitute Mods, kinda like the Legion of Substitute Heroes, only I hope somewhat more competent and definitely snarkier.

And it means I'll have to work for my quotage again. It'll be fun pissing off germankitty by schooling her week after week once again. :-)

::snickers, then runs like hell::

The weather is beautiful right now...a dry low 90s during the day, low 60s at night, with promises of upper 80s on sunday. Hello, sleeping weather.

Quizzes and worksheets tomorrow = skate day for me. Babysit the kids, and make sure no one gets too uppity, and then, as Dragline said in 'Cool Hand Luke', I got two whole days to rest up for ol' Monday. We're at the halfway mark of the semester, almost. December can't get here soon enough.

What sucks is that today felt like a Friday. Oh, well, so will tomorrow. Bonus.

Spouse got advance tickets for her, Niece, and the Sons, to that Twilight sequel. She has forced the Sons to listen to audiotapes of the books on their way to school--talk about a captive audience. If ever there was a situation that needed an mp3 player...

I have a set of tests to grade and a quiz to write in the next 48 minutes. And yet, I am here posting. Priorities.

Jeff Baker belted a 2-run shot with an 0-2 count with 2 out in the top of the 9th to beat the Giants, 3-2, and keep the miniscule playoff hopes alive. If the Cards win or we lose tonight (highly likely, since we face Tim Lincecum, who is a frikkin' stud of a pitcher), we don't threepeat as NL Central champs. We're hanging by a thread in the wild card, too, so we need to keep winning to keep those hopes alive. Just three more games in beautiful SF (I've been there only once, but I so want to go back there), and then back to Wrigley (where I'd also like to go some time soon) to finish the season, hopefully beating up on the Pirates (the Cubs' personal b***h since 2006) and the Diamondbacks (who what b***hslapped us in AZ, but we've pwned them at home).

Okay, okay, I'm gonna go work now, quit shovin'.

Next year, it's the big five-f***ing-oh. Had to find a way to fit the expletive in there somehow.

On the birthday card front, I got hardcopy from older sis, and cyber versions from my LJ friends germankitty and lovellama, as well as a text from #1 son and an e-card from Mom and Dad. You all succeeded in making me smile a little today. Considering I hate my birthday, that's saying something.

My birthday wishlist has been streamlined somewhat from two years ago. A steadily shortening lifespan will tend to do that. Consider it a Chrismtas list now.

1) A job that pays better than teaching, and makes better use of my talents
2) Cubs in the World Series. They don't even have to win.
3) One shot at 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'. Just one. I would so kick ass.
4) Action Comics #1, any condition, I'm not fussy. If not, Detective Comics #27 would suffice.
5) One quiet week alone in San Diego, nice hotel included. I love that city.
6) A pizza from this place I know in Iowa, just off the ISU campus. Beef, pepperoni, thin crust.
7) A gorgeous woman 20 years my junior to look in my eyes, touch my cheek gently, and say to me "You know, if I were 20 years older, I would be hitting on you so big." Or something to that effect. That would make my millennium.
8) $1000 to play blackjack all night.
9) A job as a quiz show host. I'd be awesome at it, I know I would.

Cubs won their second straight, and four of their last six. We lose a series at home to the Nationals, and now we're manhandling the Mets. We're 9 out of first, and 5.5 out of the wild card. Magic numbers are at 43 and 40, respectively. Magic numbers for the Cards and Rockies are 25 and 29, unfortunately. We have 35 games left. To have any chance, we have to win 25 of those, and I don't see it happening. Such high hopes...looks like a long winter ahead.

Snack du noir: Wisconsin dogs...hot dogs in buns, covered with melty cheese. Ever notice that the grocery store brand of bread/buns are oftentimes softer and stay fresher longer than most national brands? Wal-Mart doesn't count--their store brand of bread sucks. The two stores I usually go to, though, have sandwich bread that stays fresh for about a week, long before the boys finish them off. Same with the buns.

When you were in college--those of you who went, anyways--were you often beseiged by people who had to have someone to eat meals with in the dining halls? I never understood that--people who had to dine with others. This was another of the many things I don't get.

I prefer to eat alone. Eating is not a social activity with me--it is a way to recharge and get rid of the growling in my stomach, no more or less. Now, when dating, it is different, because the social part comes in while you're killing time waiting for your server or your food. But in the dorms, you already have your food, and you're eating mere seconds after sitting down. You almost have to--as unbearable as dorm food is, it's worse when it's cold.

So, I preferred to dine solo, quietly, eating my food at my speed, and having to fend off snarky comments like "Hey, sitting with all your friends, I see" (Inwardly, I respond with "No, I'm sitting with all the women you've ever satisfied in bed."). Call me anti-social, but it works for me.

1. What is the term for the measure of energy required to increase the temperature of a substance by a certain interval?

A calorie, too many of which can make one into the king obese.

*dodges assorted produce*

And they just keep shoving them in.

I'm now at 161 students, 36 in my first class alone.

I'm really close to just quitting.

Well, I have an ersatz seating chart, and the attendance book has all 158 names in it. I'm as ready as I'll ever be.

That's right. I have 158 students. Over 5 classes. Almost 32 students per class.

I hate my f**king job.

Good night.

So I'm crashed on my bed at 9 am, after indirectly chaperoning the boys, who had an overnight guest. They were awake til 3 am, so I did my questions til they dropped off.

Yesterday, #1 son told me some friends of his wanted to take him jet-skiing today, so I got hold of the parents, and everything was cool, and I asked if #1 son would get a ride to and from. Parent said 'yes'.

What we didn't know was that we had to give him a ride to the friend's house. So I'm roused from my five hours of sleep to drag #1 son to his destination. Clear across town, into the foothills, a good 20 miles away. Urgh. Hopefully the parents will bring him back to our home instead of us going way the hell out there again.

Times like this, I wished I drank coffee.

The boys are registered for school. #1 son may be able to attend a real school--not the school for at-risk kids he once attended--and he wants to try out for football. #2 son will be going to the same school Spouse teaches at. Her schedule is from 1-5 pm, which would fit his schedule perfectly, since most of his migraines are in the mornings.

And me? Same school, same job--most likely more shit, different year. I'll spare you my usual "I hate teaching" whine. You're welcome.

Interesting number I just dug up--144 days until #1 son turns 18.

Cubs won against the Reds today--two in a row now--and are a game and a half behind the evil Cardinals. I hate the injury merry-go-round the team is on...Lilly will be scratched as starting pitcher tomorrow, and might have to spend a few weeks on the DL. Not as crucial as our catcher being there, but damn, we never had anything like this the past couple of years.

Page 166 of 171 has been transcribed from the Mac files. After this comes the task of checking the 184 pages of quizzes I've given in the past 3 years, to check for duplicate questions. Including tie-breakers, that comes to 11,760 questions. Even with the duplicates taken out, I anticipate I will still have over 11,500 questions.

Tomorrow, I organize and de-dishevel the closet in my bedroom. More accurately, I dig out all of Spouse's clothes she doesn't put in the hamper, pair up the shoes she's thrown in the closet, and remove the shirts that no longer fit. Then we call Salvation Army to come get them and our two now-obsolete/defunct vacuum cleaners. We now have a Bissel that has some pretty good power, so good-bye to the Kirbys, the most overrated vacuums ever.

I re-boxed the comics I am brokering, and I am now down to 7 1/2 boxes, fewer than half of the 16 I drove from California with one year ago. I have trimmed the fat, sold most of the dross, and now, the good stuff remains. I can't wait to get at them.

Just finished watching the conclusion of the Torchwood mini. Wow. Just...wow. It took a while to get into, but it was a very satisfying story. I am hoping against hope that Torchwood will rebuild and start a new season, but I have a gut feeling it won't, except in the form of a prequel. Hopefully, if they do that, they'll bring back Tosh. Yum. I'll be in my bunk.

#2 son is sleeping over at a friend's house. Given his past history, I'm staying up to see if he will make it the entire night.

Well, this afternoon was interesting...yesterday we had a big dust storm, which turned into a thunderstorm. There were 50-mph winds, which tore branches off trees, blew dust all over hell and back, and knocked out electricity in some places.

This afternoon, it was our turn to have the power outage, minus the storm. Now, we do have the occasional outage in the winter, when the wind and rain plays hell with the electrical systems. It gets a little stressful during the summer, though, since the temps were still in the low 100s. Fortunately, the sun was heading down, and the cloud cover on the horizon helped.

Through some neighborly questioning, we found out the outage was about a 10 by 16 block area, or about a half square mile. Nice to know we weren't alone...but I got that feeling just by calling the power company--the line was busy each time I tried.

Fortunately, Niece was out of the No-Power Zone, and offered to take in anyone who wanted it, so Spouse took m-i-l and #1 son to her apartment, while I waited it out. Even if it's slightly warmer, I love a quiet house.

My biggest concern, now that m-i-l was safe, was the food in the fridge and freezer. I know if I leave the doors shut, the food will stay cold for longer. Figures that I just bought a few pounds of meat earlier. Plus, I was noticing that the outage was finishing up its second hour.

Thankfully, almost exactly at the 2-hour mark, everything popped back on, and we were in air conditioning again. The food was still pretty cool to the touch, and the ice cubes in the freezer were still, amazingly, solid, even after all that time.

In other news, Cubs swept the Nationals in four straight games. We are now 4 games above .500 since the middle of May, and a mere 2 games out of first. Wish we played the Nats more often. Now on to Philly, where the Phillies are on an 8-game winning streak. Hopefully we can take at least 2 of 3, then head home to face Cincy and Houston. That would be nice. Yes.

Found a new type of puzzle--it's called Strimko, and I think it could be the new sudoku--the rules are certainly similar. The name sounds like a cross between a Russian corporation and a Price is Right game, but give it a try.

Okay, off I go. To bed for sure this time.

Chauffeuring, cooking, cleaning, packing eBay, rooting for the Cubs, worrying about m-i-l, #1 and #2 son. That's it, pretty much. I'll be verbose next time. Maybe.

Smooth jazz. It fills the empty space, and there are no words to distract. I love the smooth jazz station on my Dish Network's Sirius XM radio station. Dave Koz, Spyro Gyra, Candy Dulfer, Boney James, Mindy Abair, David Sanborn, Peter White, Euge Groove, Acoustic Alchemy, et al...try them some time.

Now spouse's back x-ray apparently says she has a swollen disk which is pinching a nerve. Nice.

New issue of Games Magazine today. Mmmmmmm...more Paint by Numbers puzzles to consume.

Also bought a new trivia fodder book "Stuff You Should Have Learned at School", on sale, so it should be interesting to see what I've either forgotten, or haven't formed into a question yet.

Cubs need to get more run support. Demps pitched a great game, but committed the sin of giving up a run. All we needed was two runs to win, but we could only manage one, and lost in 13. *sigh* Hopefully the Twins and Wrigley will provide the spark our bats need.

A guy came to our door today, trying to sell us various forms of meats--the same type that sell Omaha Steaks. That alone got Spouse's attention. We got about 10 12-oz steaks, a box of chicken tenders for #2 son (who later said they were 'way better than anything we get in a stor), a box of 90% lean Angus burgers, some chicken breasts, some seasoned and some not...all for $140. The guy seemed on the up-and-up, and makes the trip through our neck of the woods every couple of months during the summer, and just over-ordered this month. We'll have to break out the hibachi and cook out more often, I guess.

Played blackjack for the first time in a while, and I was doing well, until this idiot came along. I split a pair of threes against a seven, and got a double-down 20 and an 18. The idiot next to me waves off on a 14. Dealer revels a 5, giving her 12, and then draws a 9 to make 21. If the idiot next to me had hit, like he was supposed to, he would have lost anyway, but it would have made me win. I'll say it yet again: basic strategy--learn it or stay the hell away from my table.

Okay, to bed.

Strange, not having math nerdiness being highest. *shrugs*

You have my permission to cease aging until I can catch up to you.