Burgled

I was robbed again. My computer and camera were taken. I am blogging from the library again. Slowly I am meeting every officer in the police department. I still have my West Wing and Lord of the Rings boxed sets of DVDs.

Rainy Sunday

I am always surprised by how a worship service can improve my feelings. My church is pretty cool, but in an awkward kind of way. The people are strange, but they do not care. They keep pushing forward, going about their business with no shame, doing the best they can with what they have.

I arrived at church feeling pretty down. As I said in my earlier post, I was hit with loneliness after my party and it lingered to the morning. But then as I talked to the other congregants or heard their stories, I began to feel better. And it is not because I realized how much "easier" my life is, or because I compared my troubles to theirs. But instead, I felt better because I realized that we are all struggling with something. I am not the only one. During the prayers of the people, the woman next to me lifted up a prayer of thanksgiving for the months that she has been sober. The elderly woman in front of me shared her concerns for her husband and his failing health. Darlington talked about improved political changes in Zimbabwe, his home country. I was reminded that we are doing the best we can with what we have. And for many of us, what we have is each other.
The service is very casual. Although we have an order of service, there are often mistakes, and the congregation is sometimes unaware of what they "should" be doing. You may be thinking that my complaining about sitting vs. standing or reading the wrong scripture is petty, but errors detract from a well-planned service. They distract us from the important parts because we think about procedures.

Parties

Have you read Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf? As The Hours says it really is about a woman having a party, but it is so much more. Today I threw a party and I could not help but think about Mrs. Dalloway (or Clarissa) and what happens to her in the book. It is not a very exciting book because it is mundane. However, because so much of it resembles my thoughts and feelings I found the book to be enthralling.

I wondered why I threw the party today. Did I simply want to see my friends in one place? Did I want my friends to have a chance to spend some time together? Did I want to prove that I have friends? Or could I also have wanted to give an opportunity for my friends to meet each other? I am not entirely sure of what my answer is. I know that I like all of my friends. I like their attitudes and thoughts. I want to know how they think, and I appreciate every chance I have to spend with them. But given my anxiety as various people showed up today, I wonder how much I wanted them to like each other.

And, although I do not normally reveal my feelings on this blog, I was struck by how I felt as the remainder of my party left tonight. I wanted them to stay. I felt lonely and I just wanted them in my house longer. I know that there are various dynamics in my circle of friends that complicate these feelings, but I wanted more time with other people. I spent all day cleaning and cooking and waiting for others. I wanted more time with them. And I write this because it reminds me further of Mrs. Dalloway, who even though was surrounded by others, still felt lonely. I feel lonely, although I am surrounded by good friends, and I do not know how to break out of the feeling. Perhaps I just have to wait for it to pass.

5 Years in Wisconsin

and I have 7 different cheeses in my refrigerator. Asiago, Gouda, American, cheddar, mozzarella, feta, and cream.

Third Time...

I had 3 interactions with the Milwaukee Police Department this week. The first 2 were related. I witnessed a hit-and-run and gave a statement twice. Way to be efficient, MPD.

The third interaction occurred an hour ago as I was walking through an alley in my neighborhood. An unmarked car pulled up beside me, and the officer in the driver seat began a conversation with me as she was getting out of the car. She asked questions about how I was doing, but before I knew it my hands were in the air and I was being frisked. As I think back to the situation, I don't even know what I was saying. I know she was asking questions and I was answering them. Thank goodness I remember where I live and my phone number. Although I messed up my number the first time she asked. I did feel a little embarrassed when she asked why I was walking through the alley instead of on the street. I had noticed some houses for sale and I was checking them out. I wanted to compare the prices and see if the neighborhood was increasing or decreasing in value. Of course, crime waves tend to turn house values down. I showed the cops my list of houses that I was checking out. Then I realized that this could look as if I were casing the joints.

Luckily the cops believed my story. Actually I think the one recognized me from my break-in last May. I was sure to bring that up so that she would know that I am a victim, not a perp. As they pulled away and my adrenaline subsided I became very frightened. A friend of mine was mugged the last night at gunpoint, and apparently there was someone to be feared walking the streets in my general area.

I continued on my walk and I think the houses are overpriced. They are not nearly as good as my house. And that's with the broken water heater. Cold showers are good for me.

First Day, Second Year

I had a pretty good first day of school today. As long as the guidance department does not mess with my classes, I think I could really enjoy the students that are currently there. Although they may be crass, many seem to be serious students. Of course, "serious" in the context of my school.

The freshmen were particularly interesting today. I have the freshmen (all 15 of them) who are on track for AP calculus in their senior year. They asked such good questions and they sounded somewhat scared. Of course, one boy told us that the best part of his summer vacation was the restraining order that was finally enacted on his father. No training will ever prepare teachers for the things that students will say.

I had several students make remarks on my reputation. "Are you really as mean as they say?" "But I hear that you never get mad?" "Your classes are hard, right?" I like my reputation. Maybe it has a tinge of respect. I hope it has bought me some street cred.

Canny

Emily and I canned tomatoes today. And by "today" I mean for 9 hours. We probably produced about 10 quarts of tomatoes and some juice. We spent $46, which includes jars that will be reused next year. However, in the end, each quart cost about $4.60 and took 54 minutes to create. Emily said, "I appreciate canned food now."

August

August has been a busy month for me...and my big toe. I think an appropriate way to tell my story of August would be through the point of view of my big toe.

Day 1: Finally wearing shoes on a regular basis. The weird tan line from the sandals is a little embarrassing. It is nice to see that Donny at least has a two week job at the YMCA teaching a math enrichment class.

Day 4: Gained several blisters during a 10 mile run. Sure he may have reached his goal of a time less than 1 hour 40 minutes, but was it worth the pain?


Day 5: Blisters seem to be growing. I think my nail is coming off.

Day 6: Nail is definitely changing colors. Oh it hurts. Still working though so I spend my days in a shoe.

Day 7: OMG, he's running again!

Day 8: Last day of work for the summer. Spent all night dancing at Jake and Katie's wedding. Motown favorites, MJ; this guy never sits down! Those black shoes from high school still look good. I wish

Day 10: Large nail definitely falling off. Donny's cousin and her fiance show up for the week. Looks like there will be plenty of walking.


Day 13: Saw my third brewery tour in as many days. I can't believe they let me in here in my open-toe shoes. Also, visited the zoo and filled the bar on bluegrass night.

Day 15: Mom and Dad come to visit. Continue to walk around the city and site-see. Mom suggests that my nail be polished a natural color.

Day 19: Attacked by a cicada as big as myself!


Day 20: Return to yoga and hope that nobody notices the state of me or my 9 brethren. Realize that everyone else is sweating too much to look at their neighbor's feet.

Day 21 - 24: Camping in the UP! Some hiking in shoes but often in sandals too. Get stubbed on a bed post on way the bathroom one night. Ouch.

Day 25: Step a bee and get stung. Life's not fair! I wish I were in a shoe and at work.

Day 26: Bought new running shoes. Nice, new running shoes. Expensive new running shoes. Maybe this will prevent blisters and loss of toe nails.

Day 27: Tomorrow school begins again. Life will return to the shoe. Tonight spent playing kickball and listening to bluegrass music. Life is good as a toe.

Wheel

I think I sprained my neck at yoga today. I probably should not have been in class though given that my feet have ugly blisters on them from my run this weekend. But my muscles are not sore and I assumed that as long as I did not do anything on my toes, I would feel find. That was correct until I tried to get beyond my 5-point wheel stance. You know, when you try to lift your head off the ground. My head did not leave the ground. It just went sideways and stretched my neck in a new direction. I put ice on it, but I have no idea if that's better or worse.

Have you seen the fainting goats on YouTube? I refuse to get a dog, but my heart has sort of turned for the fainting goats.

Derby

I had a big weekend. It began with a public showing of The Wizard of Oz, which I haven't seen since I was a little kid. I could never get past the flying monkeys so this may have been the first time I watched the entire movie. I didn't remember it being so funny. For example, the Cowardly Lion, when turned away by the Wizard's doorman, complains that he just had a permanent in his mane. That's funny.

On Sunday, I ran a 10 mile race. It's certainly the farthest I have ever run. And I did it in 1 hour and 34 minutes, which is 6 minutes less than my goal of running 10-minute miles. I'm pretty happy with myself, though my blistered feet could be in better shape. I'm now going to try to do a similar race over Labor Day weekend.

In between the Wizard and the running, I went to a Demolition Derby on Saturday at a county fair. It was great and worth every penny of the admission price. However, I have to confess that I left a little early. Who knew that watching cars and trucks (and busses!) smash into each other for 2+ hours would become repetitive? I have uploaded some pictures below because my
descriptions could never do the "demo" justice.

Sarah, Chris, Emily, Trevor, Christie, and Amanda anxiously await the first heat - 4X4 Trucks.

The vehicles would line up at the beginning of each heat to receive a blessing from the Emperor before they would fight to their deaths.

Tires popped. Cars caught on fire.

Shafts cracked and broke. Engines smoked.

Like the Highlander, only one vehicle would remain at the end of the heat. The rest were dragged from the arena.

Christie reacts to the carnage.

And then the busses arrived!

They were fun to watch for a while, but then eventually it was like watching old men beat each other up. The busses would limp across the arena on less than 4 wheels only to dent the others.

Small World

Tonight I ran the Festa Italiana's 5K Fun Run with Mick. This was my 4th Fun Run for the season, but the 1st that did not involve free beer at some point during the run. The number of participants is drastically lower than for the other 3 races. Coincidence?

While waiting for the race to start I saw a guy that reminded me of the other bass player from BU's all campus orchestra. I stared at him for quite a while to determine if it was him. It would be too strange for him to be in Milwaukee so decided that it could not be him. Well, then when we lined up to begin the race I was much closer to the guy and was quite certain it was him. I started talking to him and I think we were both surprised that the other ended up in Milwaukee. He's here for law school, but has found a job in the city too. We talked briefly after the race, but I didn't know what to say. We weren't good friends in college. We just shared the blaim when the bass section led the entire orchestra astray. But I found him on facebook, so perhaps we will hang out sometime. Perhaps I should introduce him the Bluegrass Night.

Break the fast

I hit a milestone in my life today. I was drinking before 8 am. Whiskey. And it's Thursday. But there's a story behind this. You see, last night was Bluegrass Night, as every Wednesday is. We were listening to Chad Witty and friends play "Whiskey Before Breakfast", which you can watch below on YouTube.



Christie and Amanda were already planning to have breakfast before they went to work. It only took a little leap of logic to realize that pancakes will taste better with whiskey. Breakfast was good. We ate on the balcony and watched the neighbors wake up. It was a great way to start the day. But I don't think it'll be an everyday occurrence.

Refrigerator Raider

My refrigerator is broken, so Christie took all of my dairy items and I am drinking all of the beer.

My Independence

I think the greatest symbol of my independence during my week at home occurred on the Fourth when I smoked a cigarette in front of my mother. We were at the family's lake cottage and Mom's sisters decided that they needed a smoke break. They invited their oldest nephew to join them for his company.

I want you to picture this: My mom, her two sisters, and me in the middle of a dirt road, 50 feet from the cottage's property. We made sure that there were plenty of trees and bushes between us and the house so that husbands and children would not see us. I had a cigarette in one hand and a high-ball glass (a Manhattan made by 89 year-old Uncle Harry) in the other. The look on my mother's face said, "But you were an honor roll student."

IOWA

When Wisconsinites vacation, they go to Iowa. This weekend, Amanda brought Christie, Jon, and me to her hometown of Maquoketa, IA. As Jon said on the way home, Iowa exceeded expectations. We had a good time. I don't have a camera, but I'll steal some pictures from my friends to give more detail to the highlights of the trip.

Catfish fry - I ate 3 fish. I know how much I ate because the meat was still on the bone. We also drank Bud from a can.

Two fires in the backyard.

Flapjacks Restaurant - We learned that IHOP is not in Canada. Apparently the "I" means nothing. Christie looked around at the other patrons of Flapjacks and realized her future.

The Caves - Only pictures will express how cool these were.

The Field of Dreams - Only pictures will express how much it looks like a baseball diamond in a cornfield.

Popsicle Stick - Amanda had one stuck on her car roof for the entire trip. Many conversations were held regarding the popsicle stick.

Drive-in Movie - We arrived 2 hours early to get a good spot only to find that the movies being shown were Don't Mess with the Zohan and Made of Honor. Lucky for us we had whiskey, beef jerky, popcorn, beer, strawberries, and junior mints to pass the time. I fell asleep for most of Zohan and we left after 15 minutes of MoH.

Who needs a television?

When the Hollywood writers were on strike they must have spent some time writing storylines for my life, because I swear I'm living a TV show.

First of all, my job is like an after-school TV special. High school kids are naturally drama magnets. I had some funny stories for you, but they were all trumped by the sober news that the school staff received on Monday, our last day before summer vacation. Over the weekend, one of our freshmen, a sophomore this fall was killed. It involved a gun and a fight. It made me think of those kids that stopped coming to school for the last weeks of the semester. Where did they end up? Especially Nicole. Her grades were getting so much better and then she stopped attending class. Where is she?

My social life is an episode of Friends. Like one of the season finales. It's awful. I can give you details off-line.

My household reminds me of a Looney Tunes cartoon. I have a mouse in my kitchen, named Floyd. (Stupid dangling participle - the mouse is named Floyd, not the kitchen.) Floyd taunts me. He runs out into the middle of the room when I'm there. He doesn't hide. He feigns fear. I set a trap for him, but it never springs. I set it out. I go for a run. I return in an hour. The peanut butter is gone, but the trap is still set. I have done this three times, and yet Floyd still runs amok like a roadrunner. Perhaps I need a bigger anvil.

Bring on Summer

Student 1: Are you mixed?
Me: Uh?
Student 1: Like are you just white? Or are you, like, Puerto Rican too?
Me: Well, some of my family is from Russia, Italy, and Germany. Maybe Welsh too.
Student 2: Yeah, he's just white.
Me: Are you just black? Do you know where your family's from?
Student 1: Some of my family is from Mississippi.
Student 2: That's the United States too.

Happy Father's Day

Some of the advice/wisdom that has been passed to me from my father:

• Never pass on the right.
• Sit up straight with your shoulders back.
• When your church asks you for help, give it. They'll be there for you when you ask for help.
• Restrooms are always near the bar.
• If your grandparents give you something, say "Thank you" and take it. We can throw it out when we get home.
• Use sun block on your bald head.
• Or wear a hat.
• Only you can make yourself happy.

Thanks, Dad.

Memorial Day - Riverwest Style

I had a nice Memorial Day. It was quiet, but here are some highlights. Sunburn. Mosquito bites and yard work. A swim. A bike ride. Finished a great book - City of Thieves - read it! A water ski show. But then, you know how my day ended? A mayonnaise eating contest!

I simply wanted to buy some organic, locally grown spinach from my co-op. However, when I saw the contest being held outside, I had to stay and watch. The two guys split a jar of mayonnaise - actually it was Vegannaise, which I am not sure if that increases or decreases the gross factor of the contest. The guys were on their 28th spoonful when I arrived. They would only need 2 more each to finish the jar. It was strange to watch, but I felt that I had to stay because I really don't feel as if I'm a part of the neighborhood yet. I recognize people and they probably recognize me too. So, I took my first step today to get to know my neighbors. I cheered them on as they ate vegannaise by the spoonful.

Happy Memorial Day.

Grief?

Last Monday, someone broke into my house. The thief stole my computer, my digital camera, some cash, and my DVDs. I now realize that he (or she!) also took some of my security. The lost computer is not such a big deal because of the money, but because of all of the information stored on it - especially the pictures. And all of the ridiculous items I have been producing so that I can finally finish my licensing to become a teacher. Back to the drawing board, I suppose.

Anyway, today I was thinking about the DVDs that were taken. Only my West Wing and Lord of the Rings collections remain, so obviously the thief has no culture. I'm not much of movie guy, so I won't really miss the movies for the film value. But almost all of them had some sentimental value - or belonged to someone else. I had three movies from Jon - two of which were uncommon French Canadian films and hard to replace. I had a documentary from a guy at church about the Cuban medical system. I'm sure to find that one at Target next to Bringin' Down the House. I also had a library loaner. Owe, I hope the thief returns it to the library.

Many of the other titles were gifts. Shrek - a Christmas present from an aunt, The Shawshank Redemption from Tom, Dead Poets' Society a going-away gift from my co-workers when I left to become a teacher. I don't want them back because I plan to watch them again. I want them back because they were gifts.