Adventures!

Today, Sue and I had a multitude of adventures. I'm still off of work on Friday's, so it's continually nice to have these three day weekends.

Around 11ish, we left to go into NYC on the PATH trains. Sue is going to start looking for work soon, and she wanted to see how it would be commuting into the city. From leaving the apartment, to setting foot in NYC at the 9th Street Path stop was 45 minutes. Walking in a roundabout way to Washington Square Park made the total travel time about 1 hour.

So, very doable as a morning commute. We headed back to Jersey City the way we came, and were back at the apartment slightly less than 2 hours after we left. It's nice to be able to just drop into the city like that, with no real commitment to do anything real. It was a good test run, with no pressure to do anything else.

Taking the PATH train back, it's always interesting to see little things in the underground tunnels as we're traveling. I remember in Boston, Brian and I always would see some sort of stuffed animal (perhaps a tiger) between the Harvard and Central Square Red Line stops, with a sign on it saying "Privatization! It's a Weld scam!" This was back in the 90's, but besides William Weld being the governor of Massachusetts at the time, we could never really figure out what the whole privatization issue was about. Something with the T? Eh, who knows...

Our second adventure of the day was going to the Palisades Mall, off of 87/287, the road that runs from the Garden State Parkway to the Tappan Zee Bridge. I know that Sue and I had talked about stopping there, but I never really wanted to when we were in the middle of a 6 hour drive to New Hampshire. Now, it was about a 45 minute drive away. I think Brian and I had talked about stopping there also, on drives to and from Boston, but of course, we never did.

The mall certainly wasn't bad. It's 4 levels, but not as long as Monmouth Mall is. I guess there's just as much commerce in Monmouth Mall as the Palisades Mall, but just shaped differently. It's also newer, so there's more mall amenities there, like a decent food court, and a big movie theater. Both things that Monmouth Mall has only sprouted in the past 5-10 years...

One thing I did not like at all about this mall is that the escalators going up the levels are all in the same areas, so as you're going from level 3 to 4, you could look all the way down. Generally, I don't mind heights. Planes don't bother me, and enclosed spaces in tall buildings are fine, but those big open spaces in malls, taking escalators where you can look down 3 or 4 levels just freak me out. But, I was a trooper, and took the escalators. It doesn't lessen my anxiety at all, but I try to not let it rule me either.

There are times I don't even like standing by those open middle areas in malls, where you can look down. I used to joke that I thought someone might run up behind me and throw me over, but I don't think it's as logical as that. I simply don't like open space heights. Ferris Wheels have bothered me in the past, and maybe that's another reason I don't like roller coasters.

While at the mall, I bought a few books:

• The latest Harry Potter in paperback (Book 6)
• Star Wars on Trial - Edited by David Brin and some other dude. Brin is a fairly vocal critic of the Star Wars movie, so this book is a series of pro/con essays about different aspects of the Star Wars mythos. Should be a fun read.
• The Pirate Coast - A book about the battle against the Barbary pirates during Jefferson's administration. Should be a good history read.

Speaking of pirates, we also saw the second Pirates of the Carribean movie while at the mall today. It was a lot of quick action fun, but did feel a bit like a 3 hour preview for the next movie, especially with the ending. My friend Lou thought the ending was a bit abrupt, but that didn't really bother me that much. The Pirates movies are fun, I don't look for too much from them.

In other viewing news, we finished watching disc 2 of the 2nd season of Battlestar Galactica tonight. It's a really good show, although I do have some critical issues with it. Here are my issues, I'll talk about the good stuff too...

• For a separate society, albeit a human one, everything in the culture (clothing, written language, cars on Caprica, guns) looks a bit too "Earth-y" for me. It's not the end of the world, it's just something that bothers me a bit.
• For a smart guy, Baltar certainly does act pretty stupid at times. Just in the middle of the 2nd season, he finally figures out he can do a brain scan with the doctor to see if the Cylons have planted a chip in his brain. Of course, his personality is so self involved that he could have just avoided thinking of it, but it's still a bit annoying, because he thinks of it when it's convenient for plot, not as something that might occur naturally.
• It appears that a fleet of 48,000 some humans has about 20 reporters in it, but only one doctor. Galactica itself, a ship of what, about 2000 crew, has ONE doctor? Granted, it was going to be decommissioned, but still, they had a full compliment of Viper pilots, maintenance crew, and others. And it's been heavily implied that the doctor on Galactica may be the only doctor in the fleet.
• Actually, it's the reporter issue that gets to me more than the doctor issue. I can rationalize it, saying that it's more likely that there's going to be more "professional" workers caught in transit during the Cylon attack than some more blue collar types, but it still seems a bit off.
• I do think it's funny that the civilian population isn't more thankful for Galactica. Granted, early in the 2nd seasion there's issues with Tigh causing civilians to be shot, but even before that, there's kind of a mentality that the fleet doesn't really *get* that their civilization is decimated.
• The zoomy camerawork still annoys me, although I do understand it's very hip to do that type of stuff now. That's my worry, that the style is going to *really* date the show. Subtlety is usually better for the longer term than being stylish. But, that's just me.

On the positive side:

• The plot, continuity, acting, and just about everything is miles ahead of the original story/series. But, there's enough nods to the original series to see that the writers took the good aspects of the original, and have incorporated better storytelling methods into the mix.
• Baltar cracks me up. Great characterization by the actor, and great writing. I actually don't think there's a weak link in the cast, although I do think the Tigh character is a bit too much like Garibaldi from Babylon 5 for my taste. Not a big issue though.
• I'm fascinated as to what the Cylons are really trying to do. It seems pretty obvious that they know where the human fleet is at pretty much all times, but are allowing them the freedom to travel on their own for awhile. Interesting...
• I remember Brian saying in his blog awhile back that he was hypothisizing that Baltar may be a Cylon. I think it's possible, but doubtful...
• I noticed on the season 1 discs that most of Boxey's scenes ended up on the cutting room floor. What a shame...

Overall, a good show, and I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of season 2.

NP: The Who - Christmas (27 June 1989)

Insurance!

My car insurance is up for renewal at the end of this month, and with the move down to NJ, we're looking at new rates. NJ is also known for having VERY high rates of insurance. We've received quotes from Geico and Met Life so far, along with our present company of State Farm, and Geico is in the lead by a little over $300 per year.

We're waiting for one more quote, from NJ Manufacturers, which may actually be lower than Geico, so we'll see what happens with that. Fortunately, the cost for two cars is not as much as I thought it would be, although it is higher than the rates in NH were. But, that's to be expected, with more people in NJ.

Work continues to go well. Today was a day to work on RA Training, and I feel like I made good progress. I have to keep plugging away at it, as it's starting in 18 days. Yeech!

Also, it's hotter than balls here. Fortunately, the apartment doesn't retain heat, and the cinder block walls do a good job of keeping the heat out. So, sleeping's been good, and living is easy...

I have to make some calls soon, I've been out of touch a bit since the move, and it's time to return some calls, and make others.

NP: King Crimson - Thela Hun Ginjeet (14 Oct 1981)

Back!

Sorry for the absence of blog posts in recent days. I was down in Monmouth County (I can no longer say, down in NJ, as I'm here all the time now) at my Dad's house for the baby shower for my stepsister. We were gone from Friday to today. I could have written a blog from home, but I was too busy getting sucked into "Spider Solitaire."

I didn't actually attend the shower, but was able to hang out at a pool with some family friends while it was going on. It was more of a female only shower, so about 6-7 guys hung out at this pool. A good time, I got to swim a bit, which is always a positive thing.

That's about it for now. Longer entry tomorrow, I promise

NP: Pink Floyd - Sorrow (Aug 1988)

Music!

I've mentioned on here before that I listen to a lot of music off my computer, with random tunes playing through Windows Media Player. It's always a bit odd when one of my own songs comes on.

Right now, "Never Again" is playing. It's a little instrumental meditative piece I did at the end of last year, in an evening. I really like how it just goes along, with a neat pre-programmed drum pattern that just nicely floats on top of the whole thing. It's not going to change the world, but I like it.

It does make me think that I need to get to recording again, but with the move, I've been a bit busy. Work is keeping my mental energy focused on stuff other than creativity, but maybe one evening this weekend I'll fire up the ol' keyboard and see what comes out...

NP: Mike Lord - Never Again

Movies!

Sue and I made our first foray out to the movies today. We went to a theater in Secaucus, I believe it's at Harmon Meadows, right off of Route 3, about 15 minutes from campus. We saw Clerks II, the new Kevin Smith movie.

I really do have a general infatuation, as many in my generation do, with Kevin Smith movies. I mentioned the other day about Brian and I seeing Clerks for the first time in Boston, at the BU theater. Part of the mystique was that the films were made in New Jersey, and Monmouth County to boot!

I was thrilled a few years ago, going to visit my cousin in Leonardo, that I passed right by the Quick Stop. I was glad I finally found it...

Secondly, Clerks, and the following films, really nailed the attitude of my circle of friends. Did we speak in extended monologues on all subjects related to sex, Star Wars, and other idiots around us? Well, maybe not in monologues, but we did talk about it all...

What I think keeps me coming back to Kevin Smith films is that he really gets male/guy friendships. The heart of so many of his films revolves around two friends dealing with whatever is going on in their lives in the immediate moment. Clerks II continues to mine that vein, and continues to work for me as a viewer on a personal level.

There's a scene in the film where Randall and Dante go to ride the go-carts, perhaps in Keansburg. That was my mental image of where they went, even if it wasn't the actual location. It was a great moment, and what hit me, and probably most people in their 30's watching the movie, was Randall's converation with Dante afterwards, where Randall talked of the go-carts for him representing a more innocent time, when there was hope for the future.

Perhaps a bit overwrought, but it worked for me. I remember, as a kid, my grandmother taking my brother and I to Keansburg one day, and I think we managed to convince her to let us ride the go-carts. What's funny is that I don't remember if we actually rode the carts, but I remember the convincing. I *think* we managed it, but I couldn't bet money on it. We all have moments that we remember fondly, even if we don't remember all the details, and that's one of mine.

Of course, there's a lot of inappropriate humor in the film, and one totally great segment talking about trolls that live in odd places. Fantastic stuff. The Star Wars and LOTR references were actually pretty focused in one scene, much like the original film. A good cameo from Jason Lee, and Jay does a good "Silence of the Lambs" reference... Komedy!

It's something I'd love to see again, but I don't know if I'll get to see it in the theaters in this summer. Of course, it'll be a DVD I get. No doubt.

NP: Mike Keneally - Here Is What I Dreamed

Comments!

So, when someone replies to something in the comments section, sometimes I reply in the comment section also. However, then I don't know if the reader ever goes back to check if there's a response to their comment.

I know I get an e-mail when someone comments on my blog. Do you get an e-mail if someone comments on your comment? I don't think so...

With that said, Mr. Brian commented yesterday:

I don't remember the music from that last bit. I've only seen the movie two or three times, I think. I feel like I may give it a screening soon, in the wake of CLERKS 2 Mooby madness =)Do you remember hitting CLERKS in Red Bank? Was that us? With some of the old school usual suspects?

I feel like I was working hard at trying to convince a few of our posse that they were watching Goodness. Okay, a bit raw, low-budge, aesthetically, not-so-pleasing, one-note acted Goodness, but Goodness nevertheless.

Independent contractors on the Death Star! C'mon!

I can confirm for you, Brian, that in fact, I was at that screening at Red Bank. We were with Geoff and Alex (Geoff, do you read this at all?). I seem to remember them both generally being okay with the movie, but they didn't enjoy it as much as we did. I think Alex was ranking on the acting in the film.

Now, you and I saw Clerks first up in Boston, at the BU theater, with Stephanie Gaus. She *really* didn't get the movie, but you and I ate it up.

We were even two of the lucky few who saw Mallrats *opening night* in Boston, whenever that came out. And I know we saw Chasing Amy together, although I may have been in grad school at the time...

If you watch Chasing Amy again (do you own it?), you'll recall the music when you hear it...

And, season 2 of BSG should be arriving soon from Netflix, so I'll be all caught up. I did see the second half of the Season 2 finale when it was shown, so it's kind of interesting, knowing where the show is headed, but not seeing the details in between yet. Fun stuff.

In other news, I went down to Trenton today to do some genealogy stuff. I confirmed the discovery of another sister for my Great-great-great Grandfather, Richard Coulson. He had a sister named Martha (after their maternal grandmother), who was born in 1829 or 1830 in Ireland, and married a guy named John Jameson. They all immigrated to the US, and lived in Jersey City (a few blocks from here) in the latter part of the 19th century.

If there's any Jameson descendants out there, feel free to drop a line! John and Martha had three kids, Samuel, Sarah, and Martha. It appears that Samuel probably died before having kids, but Sarah married a guy named Agustus (correct spelling) Harper, and Martha may have married a guy named James Kay. I still need to confirm that Kay connection.

NP: King Crimson - Soundscapes 1 July 1995

Hot!

It's a simple subject line, but hey, I'm a simple man...

Fortunately, it's not too bad here in the apartment, but it's a wee bit hot and humid out. The weekend was quite nice, but now, the heat is slamming. But, nothing's to be done about the weather until they build that big solar shade in space, so, we move on.

I've been doing well at work, I feel. I keep seeing little things I can do to improve things in the near term, and larger initiatives to do in the longer term. It's good to be in a place that's able to utilize what I know in positive ways.

When I came home today from work, Sue was watching "Chasing Amy," a great movie, and I think Kevin Smith's best work. Emotional in all the right places, funny in a pointed way, and a lead character who just does all the wrong things, not being able to get past his own issues. It's hard to go wrong with most Kevin Smith movies, but this is one that just gets me.

Does *anyone* have the piece of music that plays over the scene right near the end, between Holden and Banky, a wordless scene from across a room, but masterfully played, with a great score underneath it. There was never a soundtrack for the film, I would have dealt with all the alternative rubbish to get that one piece of music.

NP: Queen + Paul Rodgers - Hammer to Fall (9 May 2003)

Hangers!

Today, Sue and I spent some time going looking for hangers that we could use to hang pictures on our walls. With cinder block walls, no matter what the color, we need special hangers. I've had them before, they're plastic items, with three metal pins in a circular top area, to drive into the cinder block. They're great for these residence hall walls.

Anyway, we had been to some art stores, but I couldn't find them there yesterday. So today, our mission was to go down to Route 440 in Jersey City, and check out a Lowe's store to see what they had.

No luck was found there. Grr!

Then, driving further down 440, we found a Home Depot. We thought we might be 2nd strike losers, but NO, we found what we were looking for! The company that puts them out is called "Ook," oddly enough. They're my heroes!

So, for those keeping score, it's Home Depot ONE, Lowe's ZERO. Gotta work harder, Lowe's...

In other news, I watched the last episode of season 1 of Battlestar Galactica tonight. The end was quite surprising to me, something happened I didn't expect. I need to make sure that I watch Season 2 as soon as possible...

The apartment's coming along fine, 98% of books are on shelves, and Sue and I are both continuing to do the little organizing that needs to be done. We're really almost all there, but there's just a bit more to do... I'll then take some photos, so you can see what the place looks like all decked out...

NP: Ian Wallace - I Can't Breathe

Flow!

I listen to a lot of my music on my computer (82 gigs worth), and I enjoy having the random play just put whatever it feels like into my ears/head. It's a fun way to listen to music, that works for me.

This evening, I got Pink Floyd's "One of These Days" go right into Peter Gabriel's "D.I.Y.," and it was a surprisingly good segue.

NP: Page & Plant - Thank You (Aug 1994)

Rectify!

To rectify an omission from my last blog, here's a Lou photos for all you salivating readers out there...

Alright, it's not the best photo in the world, a bit too blurry, but it's the best I could do, really!

Today, Sue and I went down to the "waterfront" area of Jersey City to do some shopping. We needed to get some stuff for the apartment, and it was also just time to get out of the apartment and do *something!* We got some storage units for the kitchen, some paper towels, a "hub" for our computers, so they could both be online at the same time, and some other various and sundry items.

We had lunch in the Newport Mall food court, and it being a mall, there was a Panda Express, and there being a Panda Express, I had to have some! It was about normal for Panda. Nothing great, but it hit the spot.

Getting back here, I had to go around in the neighborhood a bit, to find a place where I could switch some bills into quarters. There's no bank right at our intersection of Bergen and Montgomery, or in the "McGinley Square" area, so I ended up going into a store to get 7 dollars worth of quarters. It was more than enough to do our laundry here, which is only a buck for wash, then another buck for dryers. Life is good when you have clean laundry...

I had a bit of trouble getting our laptop to have good internet access. It kept on being very funky with me, although our other computer was giving no problems with accessing the web. It was annoying me a bit, because there was nothing obviously "wrong." Finally, after doing other stuff for a few hours, I came back to it, and compared the connection in the Control Panel on the computer with EXACTLY how Control Panel settings were on the working computer. Obviously, I had done this to some extent before, but not to the level of detail I did this time.

And sure enough, I found the issue. There was some "hidden" stuff in the Control Panel that was still set up for the Dartmouth network, and it was probably enough to mess up the consistency of the ethernet connection. But now, both computers are alive and well. Fantastic!

NP: John Cale - All I Want Is You

Update!

Work continues, and is going well. I continue to see that this was a good professional move. It is taking a bit of getting used to, being an "Assistant Director," and being looked to make decisions, have an opinion, and be listened to seriously. All in all, a very good start.

On this past Saturday, I went into NYC, in order to figure out how the trains work, and how long it takes. I brought my camera with me, so here are some photos...

This building is 486 Broadway, where my great-great-grandfather, Robert Francis Lord, worked as the manager of the Stewart Hartshorn office in NYC, around 1900. The Hartshorn company made roller shades for windows, which I guess was quite the innovation back in the day.

The night before going into NYC, I e-mailed my friend Lou to see if he'd be free at all on Saturday. He replied that he was going to be meeting Greg, a mutual friend of ours from college, in Central Park around 3ish to play softball, and that I could meet up there. I wasn't sure about playing softball, but as you can see from this photo, I did get pulled into the game.

I started playing in the 2nd inning, when they needed someone to even up the teams. By that point, I had seen that the folks playing weren't the best in the world, so I felt comfortable sitting in. I was at bat 4 times, and got on base the last time. Woo hoo!

All in all, a very "New York" afternoon, hanging out in Central Park, and playing softball. Good times!

Here's Sania, Lou's wife. She's pregnant, and due in October, so playing softball unfortunately wasn't in the cards for her on Saturday.

I'm trying to get a photo of Lou up here, but blogger continues to give me some issues with photos. Very odd...

NP: Brian May - Headlong (15 June 1993)

Work!

Sorry for not posting a bit more recently, but the move takes a lot of energy, unpacking and getting settled in. Sue got here on Sunday, after the movers dropped off all our stuff, so things are going okay.

I missed Sue when she was still up in NH, so it's nice to have her here now.

I'll be posting some photos from my trip into NYC on Saturday. I met up with some friends in Central Park, and was convinced to play a bit of softball. Fortunately, it was a pretty casual game, so there wasn't a lot of pressure to perform. Of four at bats, I got on base the last time, but then the next person got out. Ah well. More to come on that front.

The apartment here is still a mess, but some things are slowly coming together. Our "office" room is getting there, as is the living room. We'll have to figure out some kitchen stuff, as I think we actually have a bit less cabinet space than before.

Today was, of course, the first day at the new job, and it seems to be fitting me rather well. People enjoyed my presence, and I got a lot of praise for arranging the desk in my office in a more friendly manner. Tomorrow, there will be more "real" work, which will be fun.

The evening here was spent pulling some stuff out of boxes, and arranging some furniture. I'm a bit tired now, but not "sleepy" tired, so I'll be up for a bit more... Not very long though, I think...

NP: Frank Zappa - Opening Night Party at Studio Z

Directions!

Go to the blog entry marked "Jersey!," and read up from there. For some reason, I couldn't post a lot of photos in each blog, so I had to break it up a bit... But if you read from "Jersey!," you get a coherent (I hope!) story.

A final photo, my humble bed!

NP: Still the Graham Chapman, it's a long cut...

Continued!

Okay, here's more photos... Perhaps St. Peter's internet connection is a bit different? Who knows...

Here's the other side of the kitchen, with more counter space, and a sink. Always a necessity.

A little further into the apartment, looking back towards the door...

Here's the bathroom. It's ORANGE! Very ORANGE!!! The last person living here painted it that color. The College may repaint it, but if Sue likes it, I'm happy to keep it this way. Or, if there's another color she wants, we can talk to the College about it...

The walk in closet off of the larger of the two bedrooms.

Here's the view of the larger bedroom, from the doorway of the walk in closet. I like the shelving on the walls of many of the rooms.

And the smaller of the two bedrooms, from the doorway into it. I moved a chair from the living room into here, so I could type all this to you, Gentle Reader. Again, note the shelves. And the windows all face east. Good morning sunlight. Once Sue gets here, we'll decide which bedroom to put our bed into it. Personally, I'm leaning towards this room...

So, there you have the little travelogue of the new apartment. Not a bad place. I think now I'm going to go out and walk around a bit, get a sense of the neighborhood, and all that...

NP: Graham Chapman - A Six Pack of Lies

Apartment!

Here are photos of the new apartment! It's a bit more "institutional" than our last apartment (cinder block walls, lighting, etc.), but it may actually be a bit bigger than our last place, or perhaps just set up a bit better...

This is the view into the apartment from the front door. You can see a bit of the doorjam on the right hand side of the photo. The chair on the left, I'm using to keep the door propped open. The carpets were cleaned before I arrived, and there was still a bit of that "carpet cleaning smell" to the place when we (Carla, the Director of Res Life) and I opened the apartment yesterday....

As of right now, there's no chairs with the dining table, on the left, but those will be arriving soonish...

View after walking into the apartment, looking into the living room. You can see the access to the kitchen on the right hand side of the photo.

A little further into the apartment, looking right, you see a bit more of the living room, and a bit more of the kitchen area. The kitchen area has a view of the living room, and yes, that is my penguin sitting in the window...

Here's a photo from in the living room, looking into the kitchen...

And here's the kitchen, from the entranceway. Some little snacks are there, left as welcoming gifts. How nice!

Blogger seems to not be letting me post any more photos, so let me start a new post, and continue this little photo montage...

NP: Graham Chapman - A Six Pack Of Lies

Jersey!

I arrived in NJ yesterday, after a MUCH longer drive than it should have been. For those of you in the know, you know that driving from Hanover, New Hampshire, to Jersey City, NJ should take about 4.5 hours, if there's no traffic.

For most of the drive, there was no traffic. I was having smooth sailing, and life was good.

However, at about 2:30-3pm, Interstate 95 started being backed up. And when I say backed up, I mean it was slow to the point of being totally stopped for periods of time. However, this first backup cleared up after about 20-30 minutes.

Then, the slamming began.

I think it was about Exit 10 in New York, where traffic was slowed like it was before, except even worse. It felt like I was actually in reverse for part of it.

Also, did you realize that Interstate 95, one of the main superhighways in the US, actually narrows down to ONE LANE at one point in the approach to New York City? Incredible.

Anyway, I had left Hanover at 11:35am or so yesterday. I arrived at the parking lot here at St. Peter's at 7:26pm. The drive that should have been 4.5 hours ended up being a bit shy of 8 hours.

Upon arrival, I gave the Director here a buzz. I was concerned that they were a bit worried about me, since I had e-mailed before I left that I should be arriving around 4ish, the Traffic Gods willing. Needless to say, there was much sympathy expressed about my travelling issues. But, that's in the past now, and my arrival couldn't have been nicer. Besides Carla, the Director, a number of other people were there to help unload my car. These people include Sara (one of the people I'll be supervising), Mike (an Operations person, if I remember my job responsibility breakdown correctly), and John, one of the Resident Assistants here, and who was one of the student interviewers when I was here back in early June. With their help, we unloaded my car in about 10-15 minutes, I think...

Once everything was in, we went out to dinner at a local Appleby's. (Am I spelling that right? I'm not sure...) First though, I called Sue to let her know that I got in okay. She had just gotten in from work a bit of time ago, and was shocked to hear that I had just gotten in... But, all was well, and today's her last day at work. Hopefully her travels on Sunday will be better than mine from yesterday!

For dinner, we were joined by two other students, and a former employee of the College. One of the students was named Brian, and I'm blanking on the names of the other two people. Horrible, I know...

Then, after dinner, I came back to the apartment (probably around 10ish), and started putting some stuff away, at least temporarily. Permanent decisions will have to wait for Sue's arrival.

I'll be posting some photos of the place up here soon. I've been trying to do it with this post, but they're not showing for some reason. Once I figure out the problem, they'll be right up here...

NP: Pink Floyd - Fearless

Fireworks!

Fourth of July! Yeah!

However, no fireworks seen by me tonight, although I heard some in the distance about an hour or so ago. I enjoy a good fireworks show, but unless it's a really good one, it's always a bit anticlimatic to me.

When I was a little kid, I really didn't like fireworks. The noise bothered me. I remember going with family to see 4th of July fireworks shows at the boardwalk in Asbury Park, and keeping fingers in my ears and my eyes closed. Part of it might have also been people making a big deal out of the shows, so I just didn't want to show interest. But initially, I think it was fear more than anything else, those loud booms!

Living in Boston till about 1996, I really got spoiled with fireworks, the shows there were so good, on the Charles River. I'd go with friends from college, and hang out most of the day on the Cambridge side, having fun till nightfall and the start of the show. They'd always end with those loud blasts, that would light up the sky like it was almost daylight. The first time I saw it, it was almost overwhelming because there were so many going off at once, and the blasts were so bright. After that first one, I never thought the later shows matched the intensity of that first time, but I'm guessing that's more about perception than reality.

Of course, we're just a few days too late to see the NYC shows, so we'll have to wait until next year. I saw a bit of it on TV tonight, but watching fireworks on television just isn't the same...

And as per Lou's comment on the wrestling matches basically being science fiction themselves, in my blog below, I think that's as good a reason as any!

NP: Spirits Burning - Red

Wrestling?

Can someone explain to me why ECW Wrestling is on the SCI-FI channel????

NP: The Twilight Zone, on the Sci-Fi Channel.

Zone!

So, Sci-Fi Channel is having a Twilight Zone marathon. I think they do it most every Fourth of July, and in its own way, I really do think showing this show is a celebration of freedom. Freedom of thought, and to make people think about issues that are beyond themselves.

Sure, many of the episodes are "spooky," or that traditional "wow, that's weird" ending. However, many of them are critical looks at government, society, religion, just about anything that's worth thinking about.

I watched the Twilight Zone often as a kid, and I think that for storytelling, great writing, and to think about "big issues," it's a great show for young people to watch. I'll also include the original Star Trek in that category, with the added benefit in Star Trek of having a regular cast of characters for people to identify with.

Of course, I watched the Love Boat as a kid also, so not everything has to be educational...

In other news, I hung out with some work people today, ate lunch (courtesy of CD Dan, thanks!), talked to some students, and went out to eat with Sue to Molly's, one of our favorite places to eat in Hanover. All in all, a very good day.

Tomorrow, we have no real plans. There's some stuff happening in town in the late morning that I/we may walk on down to, and I may do some packing of some of our final items. That'll also happen on Wednesday, as the movers are coming on Thursday.

I also got some good news about the move today, it's going to be cheaper than I expected. That's always a good thing!

Back to Twilight Zone now...

NP: Of course, the Twilight Zone...

End!

So, today was my last day at work at Dartmouth College. It's always sad to leave a place, but at the same time, exciting to be going to the next step in life. I mentioned to Sue the other day that if it wasn't sad to leave a place, that means that there's some sort of problem... Just my belief...

I spent the morning walking around to offices here, wishing people well, and generally just connecting with people who it's fun to connect with before leaving. Of course, sometimes you see odd things that just make you laugh... Like this:

At first, I thought, "Someone's buried a bike in the ground!" However, then I realized the true purpose of this.

It's a seat for the Earth.

After visiting some offices, I got to take a Community Director candidate on a tour of the campus, which basically meant that I got to show her East Wheelock, my (now former) cluster. When we got here, I discovered that my ID, which is used to gain access to the building, had been turned off! Ouch!

Fortunately, there was a painter in one of the lobbies who was able to let us in, so the tour could proceed apace.

After the tour, I left to go to our ORL end of (academic) year cookout. Always a fun time, I just relaxed at it, chatted with some people, and continued to NOT WIN ANYTHING in the raffle that happens every year. I thought with this being my last year, I would win something, but unfortunately, I continued to be a loser. My number was 634, and both 633 and 635 were called. Not that I'm bitter or anything...

At around 7pm tonight, I met up with some co-workers to enjoy a "last day" dinner with them. Thank you to CD Daniel for pulling this together, it was appreciated on my part. On the way out, I noticed this sign at another local restaurant:

Really, there's just something I find comical about the phrase "Beat the Pump."

I should have something philosophical or deep to say about this transition in my/our lives, but I don't know if I'm ready for this yet. I mean, I've been here at Dartmouth for 5 years, so it's a good chunk of my recent life. I got married while working here, met a lot of great people, and have gained good experience. I think because I'm used to transitioning, this is just one more, for right now, but I also think there's more to it, that I'll see with time. Maybe in a few days, maybe in a longer period of time. I'll digest this a bit more, and let you know what I come up with...

NP: Bill Nelson - Fellini's Picnic