Reader Warning!!

READERS BEWARE!!

I've recently received notice from Virginia Tech that my filebox which I utilize to store certain files for personal use and this blog is going to be deleted soon because I am not a current student. Apparently the only things they give alumnus are emails every other day about golf tournaments and "get togethers" and requests for donations. Thanks, alma mater!

When the files are deleted my blog will take on a new look. The new look won't be radically different but some source files for the layout as well as photos for some posts will be missing. I will have to find some alternative to store files online or just redo my posts altogether. Such a sad day. Perhaps that's why it's been raining so much.

Long Time a'Comin'

A lot of changes have happened in the past few months, all of which I did not document at all on this here trustly blog. I know I've disappointed my one's of fans but I've been busy. And by busy I mean lazy. It's not from a lack of desire, it's more from doing things that don't involve the computer. The few times I'm around the computer I've just chosen not to log in and write a blog entry. What are you gonna do about it, continue to not read my blog?!? I'm not threatened or intimidated. But if you're not careful I may just not post anything here again...ever. How would you like that? ...just kidding. I'll keep posting things here from time to time (and by that I mean semi-monthly).

I'll fill in some details of the past few months at a later time but for now I'll explain the current goings on. For the past few weeks I've had a slight pain in the right-hand joint for my ring finger which has slowly gotten more sore. The other morning I woke up and the joint and ring finger were noticeably swollen and extremely painful. I had previously gone to my family practitioner and he gave me a prescription for an x-ray to have my hand checked out for damage. I hadn't had time to get the x-ray performed when the major swelling and pain kicked in. On Saturday night I went to the emergency room and had them take a look at it. They took an x-ray and determined that there was nothing physically wrong with my bone structure. They then gave me information for a follow up with a hand specialist. It's actually a doctor I've seen once before for a hand injury. Hopefully I can make an appointment and he can remove whatever it is out of my hand so I can get back to work.

I'll post more later (probably).

Last week was officially my first day back to work from my knee surgery. I haven't returned to my normal full "heavy" duties but instead, I am what is unofficially called "light duty." It's a restricted, temporary assignment officially known as TRD, or "temporary restricted duty." I would prefer to call it bitch work, but I don't make the rules.

Just to give you a tasty sampling of what you might have in store should you be forced into "light duty," I'll give you a run down of some of the grueling tasks I've been assigned for the past week. (Editor's Note: for those faint-hearted, continue with caution.)

- I had to research and locate a trailer for purchase. This is no ordinary trailer. This one had to have wheels on an axle, be able to be towed by a sport utility vehicle, have a door on the side, and be capable of containing large items.

- I had to complete some files from six months ago that I was unable to complete because I was out of work due to my injury.

- I had to place prepaid postage stickers onto approx. 100 envelopes. This is tougher than you think. In your mind you may be thinking that these were stamps. You'd be wrong. These were self-adhesive strips about 2.5 times wider than traditional stamps and 1.5 times thicker. To help your feeble mind grasp the conversion, imagine placing 250 stamps on envelopes...if you dare.

- I had to take some pre-filled out documents, write a date on the top, and then place them in document savers. The plastic kind. Then, to make matters worse, I had to place those filled document savers into a three-ring binder. And before you think it was a cake walk, I'd like to iterate that those documents had to be in alphabetical order.

- I had to send two emails to two separate people in order to get more information about two separate products. I emailed people who deal with those products all the time and they emailed me back with the information. They were quick to respond because they saw it was from me and they knew I meant business. It's not everyday that I send just anybody an email. I also used the phrase "pretty please" in order to ensure a speedy response.

- I had to drive from one location to another to deliver envelopes or folders or files or other super top secret items that I cannot fully disclose here. They wouldn't entrust any Joe Blow to see that these items were successfully united with their intended recipients. They sent me because they knew I knew where the other buildings and offices were. Which is kinda funny because I had never been to the new offices and it took me a while to find each office. I didn't tell them I wasn't familiar with the new offices...and I never will.

- I also had to drive to two separate places to drop off fliers. It sounds pretty easy but I had to drive on the roads while listening to music or talking on my phone. Not the safest endeavors but I made the best of it.

There are other tasks I have been given and I will be getting more in the future. It would be a vain attempt for me to describe the brutality and rigorous nature of all of them but if you promise you'll control your anxiety and not totally freak out on me I will share the rich and fulfilling experiences with all of you. Try not to lose sleep knowing that my scary daily activities are hiding under your bed.

The Devil's Playthings

I've been trying to think of ways to occupy my time now that my spanish class is over. I am still at least a month or two away from going back to work and until now I've been content with my activities for the most part. It's only been recently that I've become somewhat bored. It is this lack of time-fillers that has led me to decide on a few things to keep things new.

One thing I've done is clean and revitalize my aquarium tank, prepping it for some Fire Bellied Toads. I've had one before that I inherited from Scott because he was moving to Portland but it died over a year ago. I let the tank sit empty up until recently but I managed to keep the water plant alive the entire time and I'm sure it's grateful in it's own plant way for the better light and the circulating fresh water. I am planning on having two or three toads this time so they can have some toad friends. These toads are social animals who will rest and cling to one another in and out of the water. I'm sure I'll have to make runs to the pet store to purchase crickets and mealworms on a regular basis to keep up with them. I'll entertain any name suggestions you may have.

Another way I've decided to stay busy is begin taking guitar or banjo lessons. I own one of each thanks to some family members who surprised me with the banjo a few Christmases ago. It remains one of the greatest presents I've ever received. When they gave it to me I wasn't quite sure what to say and I actually had to fight back a few tears. I don't know if they noticed that or not, but I was very touched.

While I've tooled around with both instruments, I've only recently taken them out of their cases full time and am using them in part as decoration. When I was in eighth grade I took a few weeks or so of banjo lessons from an extremely talented and well-respected banjo player named Jim Bowman. I enjoyed the lessons but decided to discontinue them because I didn't think the lessons were worth the ten-dollars-per-hour fee. Looking back, I wish I had stuck with it. As it turned out, Jim thought that I had more talent than he did at that age. I wish I had known that then or that my father had been more pushy. He contends that he never wanted to be one of the pushy parents -and he never was- but I wish he made that one exception. My feelers are out and I may go back to Jim for lessons again, assuming he still gives them and if the cost isn't too outrageous. If it's anywhere near the ten buck range I'd go five times a week!

I'm kicking around a few other ideas to stay busy. Some are artsy. Today I purchased a drawing pad and some charcoal sticks. I thought I'd try some charcoal drawing and see if I couldn't turn up something half respectable. I'm also brainstorming on a story for some animation I'm going to try and whip up. Who knows how successful that will be. My only fear is that I will try to do too many stimulating things at the same time and end up losing my motivation for all of them. I'll probably get into a groove just as I have to go back to work.

These are some of the things I'm working on to stave off boredom, all while following up with my spanish. I want to remain current and not forget what I've learned so far. I am still trying to work on the immersion trip to Costa Rica as well as a work-related trip to Eugene, Oregon.

I want to take a personal trip out to Portland, Oregon again this winter (whether I can snowboard or not) as well as another trip to New York City.

Keep checking back. I'll be sure to keep you up to date with where I don't end up going and which projects I abandon.

¡Mi clase de español es acabado!

It's official: My spanish class is over!

Yesterday (Monday) I had my final regular class which was the chapter eight test. I failed it, miserably, but the class is over either way. I knew going into the test that I would not fare well but I buckled down, pushed my way through and received a whole 40%!!!!! I was grading it myself before I turned it in and I figured I would only receive a 50% at best, so I wasn't really surprised. The teacher also tallied up the final course grade and told each student if he/she needed to take the "optional" final exam. It's "optional" because anyone can take it if they want to, but some people have to take it if they didn't meet specific requirements set forth on the first day. Those include, but are not limited to, watching the out-of-class videos, correcting test scores, and attending class.

After I turned my test in and he graded it, my teacher told me that I did not have to take the final exam and showed me my final course grade. Now, let's take a brief moment to review the circumstances here. Of all tests, your lowest grade will be dropped with the exception of the chapter eight test. That test will count no matter what. So far, not so good because of my 40%. The previous test (test six, which is not posted because he has it. I turned it in after making corrections because I failed it also) was dropped. That left the chapter 7 test (posted on the right) 64% averaged along with 74%, 75%, 96%, 100% and 100%. There were some other factors involved with the grading but suffice it to say that those 100s and the other A saved me. My final course grade is a 80%, a B. The good news is that it's a B as any other, like an 89. It's all the same. What makes it more humorous is that when he showed me my grade he kind of made some sort of noise and showed me his calculator which displayed a 79.9. He rounded it up to an 80 and told me not to take the final implying that it may drag my average to a C if I did poorly. I wasn't planning on taking the final anyway. It's cumulative and there's way too much stuff to cover by this Thursday.

I may go in and speak with the professor on Thursday to review my test scores, retrieve my chapter six test so I can post it, and get some advice regarding traveling to Costa Rica.


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more to come on life events as they unfold (or probably way after they unfold...)