I’d like to buy a FAIL
Father of a student, noticing the “Pass/Fail Grade Request” form available at our office:
“You mean you can request to FAIL a class?”
coffee conundrum
For the past thirty-ish years, I’ve been able to say with certainty that I’ve never drunk coffee. Now I’m not so sure. On Saturday afternoon Tim offered me some of his caramel macchiato (I don’t even know what that is!), and I took a tiny sip. Does that really count as drinking coffee?
neglected but not abandoned
Contrary to how it appears, my decision to abandon NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) was not a decision to abandon my blog completely. I certainly didn’t intend to fall silent for the remainder of November, but sometimes that’s just how things shake down.
Since I last posted, I…
- enjoyed a fun evening with Sarah (Loyer) Baxter and her family at their home in New Jersey. Those of you who know her are allowed to be jealous.
- “graduated” from the City of Harrisonburg Citizen Academy. I received a certificate, a lapel pin, and a handshake from the mayor. I’m still waiting for someone to send me the picture of Rachel + Mayor Degner, but meanwhile you can see a picture of our class at the link above.
- attended a They Might Be Giants concert (Istanbul was Constantinople, now it’s Istanbul not Constantinople…).
- successfully changed a headlight bulb in my Subaru.
- bought four Christmas gifts, bringing the total to six. Since when do I do my shopping EARLY?
- ate a delicious Thanksgiving dinner with 36 other people.
- put 1600+ miles on my car.
- spent exactly zero weekends in Harrisonburg.
NaBloPoMo…NoMo!
It’s official. I’m abandoning NaBloPoMo. I call it NaBloPoMoNoMo!
I thought it seemed like a good idea to hand in my resignation before the Blog Quality Control Squad (BQCS) shows up and revokes my Blogging License…
projects I’ve abandoned
As someone who is both conscientious and a little bit stubborn, I like to finish the things I start. But what happens when I don’t? Does that mean I’m a quitter? or that I’ve given up?
Those aren’t labels I like to attach to myself in regards to projects I’ve started, so I prefer to use the word “abandoned.” It’s a more positive word that puts me back in control of the project, rather than vice versa. Whether or not it’s entirely accurate, it sounds as though I consciously chose to stop doing a project, rather than that it was a helpless or hopeless situation.
So without further ado, following is a list of Projects I’ve Abandoned:
1. 101 Things in 1001 Days (the 1001st day was last Thursday, but I abandoned it long before that)
2. New Year’s Resolution 2009: watch AFI’s top 25 musicals
3. 15 Things I Plan to Do With My Tax Refund
I was going to add NaBloPoMo to the list… but I guess by posting this, I haven’t abandoned it quite yet.
Take Your Pillow to Work Day
Around 2:30 this afternoon, I was really wishing that today was National Take Your Pillow to Work Day. Since I’m responsible for the success (or failure) of the online course registration system, I’m the lucky person who gets to field phone calls from students who think they’re encountering problems when the web opens for registration at 7:00 on their designated day.
I think the most common type of phone call I received yesterday morning was from juniors who thought they were seniors. I only wish I were kidding. (Seniors register on Monday, juniors on Tuesday, etc.)
I tend to be a night owl, so the past couple mornings I’ve gotten to see things I don’t usually see. And since misery loves company, I captured a few moments to share with you.
(That’s pretty much the Worst Picture Ever, but I didn’t exactly allow extra time for a photo shoot in my car.)
Two early mornings down, two to go. Try not to be jealous.
postage stamp logic
This morning I walked over to the post office at work to buy a sheet of first-class stamps. The lady behind the counter whipped out three different options and laid them in front of me.
I glanced at the stamps. None of them captured my attention. I know… they’re postage stamps. They only need to be functional, not aesthetically pleasing. But still, I wanted to choose the best ones. I scanned my eyes over the stamps again.
Did I want the Liberty Bells? No. They were so boring that they weren’t even in the running.
How about the King and Queen of Hearts? Seriously? With hearts and the word ‘love’ scrawled on them? Too mushy.
I use so few stamps that if I went with the Christmas stamps, I’d still be seeing Frosty the Snowman in July.
“Hmm. I guess I’ll go with these.” I reluctantly reached for the King and Queen of Hearts.
“No, wait!” I said suddenly. Liberty Bell => Philadelphia => another town near there => an amazing man who calls that town home => happiness => “I’ll take the Liberty Bells.”
a fan by proxy
This evening I went over to my friend Joy’s house for a hotdog roast that I just found out about last evening when she posted an open invitation on Facebook:
Soon after I arrived with my chips, salsa, and apples, Joy’s husband Tom asked, “So I hear you’re a Phillies fan now?” I smiled. Gossip sure gets around!
“Well, at least I’m a fan of a fan,” I clarified. “I’ve only ever watched one game, so I guess at this point I’m mostly just a fan by proxy.”
I’m well aware that the Phillies did not win the World Series, which means this isn’t exactly the most ideal time to be posting this picture, but this photo from last week is just too much fun not to share with you.
Lame Blogger Seeks Inspiration
four o’clock in the morning
This morning I dialed into my voicemail where I usually find messages from co-workers about things related to higher education, but instead I heard the voice of the man I’m dating. “Hi Rachel. It’s four o’clock in the morning…”
Readers take note: If you ever find yourself awake in the middle of the night and want to say hello to your favorite blogger, by all means, please feel free to go right ahead and call her at work instead of at home. She’ll thank you in the morning.
The other day I overheard a student tour guide from the undergraduate Admissions Office describing the Registrar’s Office to a prospective student during a campus visit. “We do all of our registration online now, which is great, because we used to have to get up at, like, four in the morning to be sure we got all the classes we needed.”
Really? Four in the morning?
Think it’s just coincidence that everyone but Rachel is up and about at 4:00 in the morning? It’s not.
The poet Rives did a fantastic TED Talk about 4 a.m., and it’s definitely worth nine minutes of your time. If it doesn’t suit you to watch it now, maybe you can check it out next time you’re awake at four in the morning.
Just don’t call me at home to tell me about it.
