Went to a meeting this afternoon for the Wisconsin Review. I was adequately satisfied with the way the magazine turned out during the brief time that I was one of its two heads. I think that the newly reigning editors will do better work just because, unlike Marie and I, they do not have full-time jobs competing with their time. Granted, they have more classwork, but…

Today was considerably slower at work than last week. I had time to breathe between students, and even got some shit cleaned up on my desk. I did, however, get more voicemails from unhappy people. Money is a pisser. That’s all I can say about that.

Let me see, how ’bout a summary of the past weekend? It was fine, all around. Had a good time at Joey & April’s “reception-sort-of-party-deal.” There was good food, good people, and karaoke. How can you go wrong?

I did have an experience, though, that makes me think the odds of attending my high school reunion next year are dropping– I saw Luke Schulta for the first time since… probably graduation, but it was a little awkward to say the least. Maybe I just need to figure out how to talk to people that I used to know but just never see any more. I asked how things in his life were, and they seem fairly normal. I guess everyone does it without thinking about it, but you ask these questions more out of curiosity than sincere interest, y’know? Speaking of the reunion, I think I could just get a written update on all those people, and that would more than suffice for me. I’m just not that interested in seeing or talking with them. I don’t expect them to be that interested in me, either.

For some reason, I have a real problem typing “interested” instead of “interesting.” I don’t know why that is, but I had to backspace over the -ing every time in that last paragraph.

Meanwhile, I think I want a little TV in my bedroom. Is that sick, or what?

OK, so maybe it’s not fair to do multiple posts in a single day, but sometimes it’s nice to have that facade of a barrier between thoughts.

Offering up a “week in review,” so to speak:
Kyle and Robin came over last Sunday after I got home from work (which wasn’t that bad, by the way). Christy was there, too, and we hung out for a bit, threw darts, went out to eat at Fratello’s, then played cards for a little while. It was a nice visit.

After that, I went down to MKE to meet Michelle for a party at Raj’s apartment. We met Raj through some other friends, and it was interesting to find out that that was pretty much how everyone at the party had met him. He’s a very easygoing, fun guy, so it’s not hard to see why people like him. Michelle’s cousin Laura came with us too, and we were all out until bar time.

We ended up sleeping in on Monday (Labor Day), but eventually we made it up to Sheboygan to visit Michelle’s grandma (her dad’s mom). That was fun, too. Michelle’s grandma is 91, but you’d never guess it, considering how well she gets around, and how “on the ball” she seems in general. Eventually, we made it back to Oshkosh for sleep that day.

The week at work was crap, but that was expected. On Tuesday, I had students in my office literally one after the other from 9:30am to 2:15pm. At that point, there was a lull, and I snuck out for lunch. The traffic cooled down a bit after that, but you can’t help but feel you’re just treading water during this first week and hoping nothing gets too screwed up. For the most part, things work out in the end.

I guess it’s important to keep in mind that the kids who are there in that first week are either new, nervous and don’t have anything to worry about, or they’re slow, lazy, and have shot themselves in the foot already (so you don’t really need to feel sorry for them). But that was the work week in a nutshell. We’ll see if there’s any more time to get other things done this coming week. I have a big project that has to be done two weeks from today, so here’s hoping for the best…

This weekend, we’re in E.R. for Joe and April’s “wedding reception, part 2.” It’s the Northwoods version of the party that was not exactly had on the day they got married. The event’s happening in St. Germain at the community center. Before we get ready to go over there, I think Christy and Michelle and I are going to head to town for… I dunno, some errands or something.

But, thinking of weekend plans going in to the fall: my October is a little up in the air right now. I was most honored to accept the request of Kevin and Amanda to be their new daughter Harper’s godfather. She’ll be baptized some time next month, so I will obviously be doing that on one of my Sundays…

Speaking of Sunday, the Packers get started with their season this weekend. We should probably call it an 80’s Rewind Weekend, because they are going to get trounced by the Bears up at Lambeau. My prediction on the final score: Chicago- 20, Green Bay- 6.

I was walking to work on the first day that the kids got back to school, behind a pair of young men in nearly identical outfits, both smoking cigarettes and looking like they’d slept in the clothes they were wearing.

I glanced up and down the streets near campus as I crossed them, watching beer signs and ping pong tables and milk-crate furniture being dragged into kitchens. I watched sweat-soaked fathers carrying the luggage of their baby-faced daughters, who were too busy talking on their cell phones to help with much more than a pillow.

I came to the realization that any and all nostalgia I might have had for those college days is gone. Nothing about the lifestyles of these young people is even remotely appealing to me. I have successfully separated my memories from the physical locations where they took place. I absolutely, positively no longer want to be in college—I’m just glad that I went.

It was striking to me when Michelle and I visited Marquette last week Sunday, found ourselves walking behind a group of college guys, and she expressed a similar sentiment.
“I’m really glad I’m not in college,” she said. It was the first time I heard her say anything of the kind.

So I guess this means that I’m through oscillating between being sort of grown up and being really grown up. Maybe the notion that there was any movement was just an illusion. In any case, I hope the class of 2010 has a good time in college. Without me.

I hung a lot of my pictures and clocks today. Thanks to Schrubbe for the advice RE: super glue– it did work on the cardboard…

But as I stood in the bathroom hanging one of my clocks above the toilet, for a moment I thought maybe I should re-set it and change the label from Beijing, China to Hill Valley, California.

?

I got home just a little while ago from doing a couple loads of laundry (I know, I know– on a Friday), and I realized that I have really completely settled in to this apartment.

Not just in a everything-is-unpacked-and-put-away-and-it-looks-like-someone-lives-here sort of way, but in the way that you get when you’re very comfortable in your home and you feel like it’s your place. I find myself now finally being able to dart around putting things away or getting things together with a sort of mindless speed that only comes with familiarity. Being here completely feels like home now, and while that may not be that important to you, it’s probably my most significant observation of the evening.

Tomorrow I have a lot of cleaning to do around the place, because Kyle and Robin are due to be here on Sunday. That reminds me that I should call them.

I washed my car while the laundry was in, and I still haven’t been able to completely get those plastered-on insects off the front bumper since I got back from the trip out west. I can’t believe that shit. Tomorrow, I’m going to take a little rubbing compound to it and see if that doesn’t do the trick.

The Packers played in the middle of the afternoon today and I… didn’t really care. Who is even on that team? Does Brett Favre still play for this rabble? Time will tell if I lend any more attention to this football season than I did the last, but I guess it doesn’t look that good for ’em…

OK, well, I’m gonna have a samm’ich and then maybe take a ride over to the BryGuy’s place. He’s playin poker & stuff w/ a couple of his boys, and while poker really doesn’t interest me, I realized that I haven’t seen Bryan in a non-movie environment for quite some time.

Have a nice weekend…

At least it’s a holiday weekend. Oh, nevermind. I have to work.

Today I returned about 40 phone calls during the course of the day at work, and in addition to that, I routed about 60 out the main office number’s voicemail box.

I don’t wanna rant too long or hard about work, but the facts is we’re doing more with less all the time at that office. And to be honest, I don’t think there’s a boss above me with the gonads to go to the next person up the chain and say “this is unacceptable.” Moreover, nobody there will ever get fired, regardless of how disillusioned, lazy, or irritable they become. If the fin aid office were a sports franchise, the would fire the coach and the GM, and the new people would quickly go to work on re-making the whole team. It’s just not that good.

Meanwhile, the weather in Oshkosh becomes more and more seasonal. I hear it’s supposed to get down into the (GASP!) 70’s for highs over the weekend, too. Fine by me. Summer’s pretty much had it.

I really need to hang some crap on my walls.

Oh, and I have one other item of note: it seems likely that I will be in Oshkosh for the bulk of my holiday weekend, so if you’re inclined to see me or where I live, or something, give a ring.

If I don’t catch you here tomorrow (and the odds are against it at this point), be safe over your Labor Day.

And you freshies moving in to Oshkosh: try not to get hit by a bus 😛

I mean that in the Karen Siegmeier sense, as opposed to the Tony Kornheiser sense.

Work is now officially bat-ass-damn-crazy for the next 2-6 weeks. If I am curt with the blog, it’s because the endlessly repeating questions make me want to carve the word “dumbass” into the chest of every freshman with a letter opener.

Meanwhile, the slow and steady evolution of the Western world into Googltopia continues.

So I had a ticket to the Brewers game tonight. I didn’t go, but I had a ticket…

Lorch didn’t have a chance AGAIN to use his free BP ticket, so he was nice enough to let me have it instead. I was planning to drive down after work, and even nearly had the K-Man join me, but then at the end of the day, I just got caught up in making phone calls back to kids at work, and before I knew it, it was 5:45 and too late for me to make the game.

Idiot.

So I wound up doing some laundry instead. And it was a pisser, because it seems like I missed a helluva contest. Ah, well.

Not a lot else new to report today; I started looking at job listings at some Milwaukee-area colleges and universities this afternoon. This is not to say that I’m immediately planning on changing jobs and moving again, but I figure it doesn’t hurt to keep one’s resume sharp and know what’s out there. I decided that if I send the applications to a couple of these openings, my goal will be to get an interview. (shrugs) I don’t even know that I can do that… God knows the last time I really had to look hard for a job, it was not an easy proposition.

Yep, OK. Gonna go to bed early. Wanna get up early, too. Here’s hoping the Brewers can rip off about 6 or 7 or 8 wins in a row (haha, whatever).

So I got the filing done yesterday. I’m sure you were concerned.

This means that I’m very nearly to the point of being “caught up” with settling in to this joint. I might even be able to hang up some pictures on the wall soon.

What’s the point, though, when you’re only going to live in a place for 10 more months?

But whatever.

I haven’t gotten any writing done in a very, very, very long time. I think I’ve sort of forgotten how to do it. I’m not even really sure how to get started again. I suppose I should approach this in one of two ways:
– read a book, so I remember what writing looks like a page
– revise something that I’ve already written, so as to get back in touch with my “voice,” soft, girly, and confused though it is

One way or another, this professional stagnation has to stop.

I had a really brief meeting with the person who will, allegedly, be taking over management of The Wisconsin Review this year. I have to be careful not to influence the place that much. I think not going there that often will help. However, I don’t want to let Paul down, or Knitt, and at the same time, I don’t want to be in charge. I wish I just didn’t care. Then I would leave and it would be easy.

OK, well. I’m gonna start drinking now.

I had a very long post written here, in which I lamented having to work at the uni at this time of year, particularly with two people in my office out on medical leave.

I also mentioned Lorch dropping off a baseball ticket for me.

I accidentally hit the “back” button on the browser, which means that the whole damn thing disappeared, and I’m not going to be typing all of that again. So, I guess that’s the Internet’s loss.

I could say that if your computer is old and slow but you want to run a (relatively) speedy browser, I’ve found the following to be a good alternative:
http://kmeleon.sourceforge.net/

Also, now that I have the home office set up again, I can bring the joy of being at home to my bedroom..! (Every man’s dream…)

I’m off to file.