sweatpants, appeal of?

Since I came to work at my current place of employment -- (a PAC-10 major research university) I have noticed one peculiar form of dress for the men. Can anyone say sweatpants? For several days I've been trying to decide what the appeal is. There are definitely two factions: the jock, and the geeky guy who would've worn sweatpants even if they weren't en vogue. I've come up with two scenarios:

1) Practicality/comfort - Sweatpants are easy to put on, they have an elastic waist, they don't really get "wrinkled" so don't require ironing or a "refresher" in the dryer. Typically they're made from cotton so clean easily too. While these are fairly convincing reasons, please read on.

2) Appeal (could it be?) - Initially this didn't even come to mind. Sweatpants always seem like they're bulky and shapeless and really just .. well, unattractive. But then, I started to pay attention to detail. These things can reveal more than the tightest jeans in your dresser. I didn't think I'd ever see such well-defined packages anywhere other than underwear models in catalogs. I'm wrong! You also get some pretty amazing definition of the rear-end too. The different types of sweatpants come into play here, the lightweight and somewhat "clingy" fabric, all the way to the thick and bulky fabric.

It's definitely not just athletes that are wearing them, all types of guys are wearing them...some with more success than others. An interesting phenomena, I wonder how much longer it will last before this crop of men try to assimilate into the girl jean fad.

blog usage statistics, eye opening!

I recently got curious about who my blog readers were and signed up with http://www.statcounter.com to monitor my usage. Don't get worried, there isn't any personally identifable information provided to me. Just general stuff, like your ISP, general region, or if you clicked a link to get to my page, where that link was located.

I had a most interesting one. If your search comes up in a search engine, it will include the search terms used. I really wanted to post this one, it made me laugh so hard! Here is the exact search "which ear do girls get their cartilage pierce and not be consider gay" Definitely something I hadn't thought about. It resulted in this posting of mine that made #21 in Google's results. Is it wrong that I feel a little pride over that? ;-)

roofing

This morning I woke up at about 8 am to the sound of roofers using several nail guns at the same time. Bear in mind, I work until 1 am and didn't end up going to bed until around 4 am. Really, is this necessary? Couldn't they have waited until this summer and I had moved out? Honestly. Around 10 am I tried going back to sleep, only to just doze off and then have Gus start whining at me from the couch. So I had to get up and go in to the living room and keep him company. Good lord he's needy. I suppose it has something to do with him not feeling well (still not doing so great..) but gee whiz.

Now it's 10:30 pm and I'm tired and a little crabby. Can you believe it, I'm actually crabby? My customer service isn't at its best today. Tomorrow I get to drive down to my parents house so I can see my physician for the 1-month follow-up for my happy pills. Wheee! I'm getting tired of driving so much.

i hate blonde valley girls

Are they even called valley girls anymore? Well, if not, you can understand the type of girl I am describing. I had a run-in tonight with one of my favorites. She is the most selfish and self-centered individual I have ever met. She truly believes that the rest of the world is there to provide for her convenience. Tonight she walks up to the ref desk, slams down her assignment, points to a numbered bullet and says "You need to find this for me" then proceeds to make a call on her cell phone while acting impatient. I sit calmly and wait for her to end her call, since I'll be darned if I do her work for her while she's on the phone. The least she can do is pay attention and possibly learn something. Then she tells me that she doesn't have all night and that I'm wasting her time. I responded that I am here to instruct, as well as assist and will be more than happy to teach her how to find what she needs. She then gives a half-laugh and responds "whatever, just get me my article, okay?" To which I respond "I'll be happy to show you how to find it." Then she gets a phone call, lets out a big sigh, then just walks away. I'm crossing my fingers that she won't come back...or that cell phones really do cause brain cancer...

observed, stranger things

Earlier today I took my dog, Gus, for a walk and saw a bit of a contradiction. There was a middle-aged woman running toward us on the sidewalk and she kept making weird hand motions. At first I thought she was trying to wave Gus and I off of the sidewalk. Once she got close enough so I could see what she was doing it became evident that she was smoking a cigarette. Yes, puffing away on a cigarette while running. iPod nano attached to her upper arm, spandex runner garb. She was in great shape...but smoking. I've never seen anyone do this.

Also related to smoking, I've seen a couple young university guys smoking while skateboarding. This is a bit easier to reconcile with, but still.

And lastly. Just a few minutes ago while I was sitting at the ref desk, bored out of my mind, I watched a guy walk up behind a girl working on a computer. This girl was working at a bank of computers that are elevated and have tall stools to sit on. So the guy walks up quietly and then proceeds to squeeze the girl's butt. Not once, but three times. She was startled at first, then realized it was him, and was back to her typing by second squeeze. Hmmm... inappropriate anyone?

men, it's spring, shave your legs!

So I'm wondering if there has been an announcement sent to all men that I haven't received? Perhaps mine was simply sent to the wrong e-mail address or lost in the mail? I began tallying the number of men with shorn limbs after three sets of glistening calves moved past my peripheral vision.

How many did I see over the course of the evening? Nine men with shaved legs! There are a few reasons I would find it acceptable for men to shave their legs: swimmers, it cuts down on drag; drag queens/female impersonators, ya gotta keep it smooth so it doesn't poke through the hose; and ballet dancers, again, the poking through hose issue.

I was once dared to shave my legs, this was about 4 years ago. I thought it would be funny and proceeded to prepare for the grand event. I'm a pretty hairy guy so instead of beginning immediately with a razor, I started with a pair of electric clippers. It was like shearing a sheep. Yes, I've done that too, don't ask. Once finished with that, I began the razor work. It was mildly therapeutic, starting from the ankle and working my way up. Eventually I got to a point where I had to ask my friend "at what point do I stop?" We decided that mid-thigh was acceptable for this experiment. What an unusual feeling! My jeans felt like I was wearing salt-crusted canvas. Given my personal experience, I don't understand the appeal and still cannot find a good reason for this activity.

I have to admit that my status as a gay male doesn't lend me authority to make a blanketed judgement on this subject. I can only give my own opinion: what the hell?

removed, getting wisdom teeth

So the worst part about this so far is that i can't really talk yet because of the local numbing stuff and the gauze. Also, i have to use an ice pack which is forcing me to type one-handed and that irritates the hell out of me. I swear i must be down to 30-40 wpm at this point.

My bottom lip feels like it's flipping 50 sizes too big. Is this what collagen feels like? Oh, speaking of, I DID get some collagen. But, it was just to act as a coagulent in the socket of the extraction because of my bleeding disorder. I think I can still say I got collagen though. :-)

One thing I realized during the extraction. It's so easy to pop teeth out of your mouth. It's really a wonder that your teeth stay in your mouth at all if you're eating something moderately chewy or sticky. Seriously. It kind of weirds me out.

Anywho, the Percocet is starting to kick in (huzzah!!) so I'm going to go chill with a movie and change my gauze.

desk, strange things on my

So yesterday I come in to work and find a green "W.W.J.D." bracelet on my desk. I'm not really sure how I should take this. It could be a joke from one of my student employees, but it could also be some sort of helpful "message." Really folks, I'm beyond the help of a W.W.J.D. bracelet.

Today I come in and find a gallon-sized ziploc bag of....pasty-looking goo on my desk. I was very confused. At first again, I thought this was a joke. Then realized it was a starter for one of those Amish Friendship Bread social experiments from hell. The instructions and recipe were underneath it. (my desk is more than a bit cluttered, so it was difficult to realize that there was a new piece of paper).

I'm curious if tomorrow will bring a new bit of something waiting on my desk. Perhaps it'll be a bloody horse head.

podcasting, topics for consideration

So I'm considering the production of a weekly podcast. Right, I know that my free time is already squished completely, but I am feeling an urge to be creative, and since I do not have regular access to a piano, I might as well make my efforts public to the entire world.

I'm thinking of doing a 15-minute talk about a topic, sort of an expert discussion through my perspective. I'll select something that seems interesting that I want to know more about, do some research, then do an ad lib informational talk about it.

Ideas? Comments? Suggestions?

personals, responding to?

Anyone else out there ever reply to a personal ad? I never had before. I'm a bit of a people-watcher so have a pretty good time also reading folks' personal ads. I finally run across one that makes me go "wow, I think I would really like to get to know this person." This alone seemed really strange. Writing to a stranger on a personal level is very intimidating. We write to strangers in a professional way often: letters of introduction, letters of reference, inquiries to technical support, admissions essays, etc. Suddenly, you are writing to a specific individual for the sole purpose of exploring the potential of a relationship. Frightening. What do I do if they don't reply? What do I do if they do reply? Why am I worried about the rejection of someone I have never met?

I had a very unusual experience, well, to me it seems unusual, it might be common when compared to others. The first few exchanges of e-mail went very well, which progressed to phonecalls and instant messaging and text messaging. This went on for several weeks. Even though I hadn't met them, I felt a connection to this person and really enjoyed interacting with them.

Then. We met. It was like meeting a complete stranger all over again. Nothing that had occurred over the last few weeks seemed to affect this interaction at all. It was immediately clear that there was no chemistry, clear for both of us. We proceeded to have a cordial time together for a few hours, but it wasn't particularly exciting for either, and mostly just a little awkward.

Such an unusual experience, I'm definitely hesitant to repeat it.

strange, things that are

Between yesterday and today I happened to see two very unusual and unrelated things. Sometimes this kind of randomness really sticks me in a philosophical sort of mood...

1) Yesterday, I was driving around, trying to find a place to park near the library where I work. There is a metered parking lot just across the street, it's quite close and I usually try and find a space there (free after 5 pm). As I'm looping around, what do I see on the ground between two parked cars? A wooden pepper mill. Yes, the really tall kind, roughly 18-20 inches. Strange? yep.

2) Today, I was walking in to work and was passing several people on their way out of the library building. Walking toward me was a younger man, somewhere between 18-22 I would guess. He was wearing a long black coat. So far, so good. Then I noticed something strange about his right hand. He had a rubber dinosaur puppet on his right hand. He wasn't doing anything at all with the puppet, he was just walking along, swinging his arms a bit like most people do when they walk. Really, why? Strange? yes!

e-mail, going out the door too?

Has anyone lately noticed that aside from work, you don't use e-mail very much? I just realized that I very rarely use e-mail for personal communications any more. I post comments on MySpace pages, or send private messages there too, or post comments on a blog, or send a text-message to a phone, or just call the person on the phone.

Is e-mail going to go the same way as the usps letter? Is it now becoming dated? I have a friend who podcasts her blogs instead of writing them out. This digital age of ours is so rapidly changing.

On the more mundane side of things. I have discovered (for me) the most wonderful pen in the world. It's a Pilot Permaball. Yep, a Pilot-brand pen that has permanent ink--that comes out of a rollerball! It's acid-free, archival safe, blah blah blah too. And, it writes like a dream. I love mine, in black, medium tip.

sun, basking in

The sun is here!!!!!! Finally! Spring? Well, it was here a few days ago, but was only in the 50s. Right now it is 72 degrees F outside!!! Luckily, I didn't have to be in to work until 4 pm so could spend a few hours enjoying the weather. The Daylight Savings Time has kicked in last night, so this means we'll get an extra hour of this fantastic weather. Lovely! I'm a sunny weather sort of person, so long and dark winters really start to get to me after awhile, conversely, the sun makes me smile stupidly from ear to ear for hours on end.

Hopefully everyone else has some sun visiting them today!!

glasses, getting new

So it's time for me to get some new glasses. For the last 3 years I've exclusively worn contacts and my eyes are starting to pay the price. The blood vessels are rising to the surface in a search for oxygen. Poor things. So, I am getting new glasses (with a current prescription, unlike my old ones..) to remedy this problem. However, I'm having trouble choosing. Here are my top 3 choices, ranging from conservative to edgy:


Please leave a comment, voting for 1, 2, or 3. If you aren't a gmail/blogger/blogspot person, you can leave an anonymous comment with your choice. :-)

clarity, having some

So I have realized, anew, how great it feels to just get things done. Lately I've been spending a lot of time whining about how much stuff I have to do (which is a considerable amount) but not really try so much to do anything about it.

The largest bane of my existence is the conference I'm working on planning. Last night I grabbed it by the horns and spent 2 hours just sending e-mails. Today I got to work and had over 50 related responses. I've since spent 3 hours replying and organizing and planning. I've gotten more done for this conference in the past 2 days than in the past 2 months. It feels really good.

Through this process over yesterday and today, a lot of things just clicked into place, mentally. I guess we sometimes need to remind ourselves to shut up and just get some shit done. Like eating our vegetables, we usually feel better about it once it's done. :-)

days, really long

I've had many very long days over the last few weeks. Preparation for my NY trip made things crazy for a few days before my departure, the trip in NY made for long days since I needed to utilize all available time. Now that I'm back it's pretty nuts. I did 5 hours of grading yesterday (technically, my last day of vacation) and about 8 hours of grading today, plus taught 2 classes, created curriculum for the classes from scratch, and prepared a comprehensive cheat-sheet-handout for each of those classes. Right now I'm at work hour 12 for today and I have 2 more to go. Yippie!

In a few days when I have more time, I'll post a real NYC posting with some pictures and a link to an online gallery (which I have to upload still..). I have class this weekend, and next weekend too, so free time will be at a bit of a premium. Maybe while I'm at the hotel after class on Friday...which depends on if I go out with Thomas. Or, during class, if it turns out to be really boring. ;-)

dell, getting tired of

So you all may have heard that I had to replace my hard drive that went wonky. Apparently it suddenly developed some bad things on it (or so the diagnostics told me) so I ended up having to replace it which turned out to be alright. This made me slightly bitter because the HD manufacturer has a standard 3-year warranty, but since it's OEM in a dell product, the manufacturer wouldn't touch it. At the time, the system was *just* over the 2 year dell warranty cut-off, and they won't honor the standard 3-year manufacturer warranty. Thanks, dell.

So I thought my problems were over, right? Nope! I now have the infamous "flashing amber light of death." My system will NOT even attempt to boot up, the power button just flashes this lovely amber light. After a bit of online research, it seems that a simple replacement of the power supply isn't always the solution to this issue. I really can't afford to replace the power supply in hopes that it fixes everything. What gives, dell??? This computer is 2.5 years old and now has had a second *major* problem. Aside from this, I've been marvelously happy with the system, it has never done anything weird or buggy.

This amber light thing sounds more like a defect in their systems...the dozens of forum posts I've been finding are indicative of a larger issue than a few power users simply overtaxing their systems. I used mine on a pretty average basis for the first year, but in the second year, I had my laptop and hardly ever used the desktop system but a few times per week.

The computers I had while growing up all made it to a good 4-5 years old before we tired of their incompatibility and slowness, however, they continued to keep trucking on even at point of disposal.

So, dell, what gives? I'm not likely to be a customer of yours again.

pierced, things you should get

Below you'll find a handy picture of my new lip piercing. I'm pretty damn stoked about it. I don't have much else to write about, other than that I love it. This picture is from my camera phone, so isn't the greatest, but you get the idea.

It was a pretty fun process. My friend Kim wanted to get a few tattoos before she leaves on her international journey and I have been wanting to do my lip for awhile....so I recommended that we go to the place where I had my ears done, they also do tattoos. It turns out that the piercing folks split to a new location and still do tattoos too, but the old location has the original tattoo folks. Confusing, I know. So she went ahead and got her tattoos there and then we went to the new place and I got my lip done. [High Priestess Piercing and Tatoos] We were both immensely satisfied with our body modifications of the afternoon. I wasn't sure how the lip was going to hurt, the ears were virtually painless. The best way I can describe it is having someone else pop a really gnarly zit on your face. There really is almost a "pop" sensation when it pokes through. Exhilerating!!!

Hurray for us! :-)

Purpose?

One thing I've noticed lately, especially at the university library where I work, is that people walk slowly and aimlessly. Almost exclusively. Do they understand just how much time they're wasting by lolly-gagging. Come on people, walk with purpose! Yes, with purpose! Act like you have somewhere to go because, guess what, you inevitably do! Each step is a new destination. Own it. So get out of my way because I am walking with purpose.

birthdays?

It's my sister's birthday in a few days. I am at a bit of a loss of what to get her. I believe I posted a similar sentiment last month when I was trying to figure out her christmas presents. Unfortuantely, her birthday is just 3 weeks after Christmas and my creative juices are all sucked out by then. She doesn't need any more clutter, or really even clothes for that matter. What she could probably use most is an economy-sized bottle of Pine Sol with an accompanying stock of cleaning cloths and disinfectant wipes. By comparison, I would probably be considered both a clean and neat freak.

Given the snow and ice that will appear tomorrow, I'm a bit hesistant about trudging through it to find that "perfect gift." Maybe she'd be happy with a gift certificate? Say... for food? Then she can't keep it and contribute to clutter? My god, I'm a genius!