Haggard in Hilton Head

After 9 long hours, we made it to ye olde fancy schmancy Hilton Head. I'm still feelin' a little queasy after overdoin' it a bit Friday night; but I'm alive. I just had dinner downstairs where numerous affluent white-haired couples were having too much fun singing along to the cheesy easy-listening standards with the K-tel songstress at the grand piano. I'm a little wigged out by the whole Marriot-at-Hilton-Head scene so far, though I am looking forward to having most of the day tomorrow to do what I want (and I'm hoping for some sunshine). Wonder if anyone around here knows how to play hacky-sack?!

 

[Backposted from MySpace 10/28/06]

 

  

Biathlon Numero Dos

I'm preparing for the second of my travel/conference biathlons this semester, but I'm afraid I'm losing my stamina. The pace of meetings, presentations, field trips is dizzying but engaging, invigorating yet exhausting. Being so scattered, literally and figuratively, I'm beginning to lose sight of my desk, which is drowning in a sea of paper, piles of miscellenousness that threaten to overflow the physical limitations of its surface area. No, I stand corrected: there are already two small stacks of paper on the floor beginning a new cycle of boundless procreation.

Tomorrow will be consumed by an all-day meeting, which I will be attending on behalf of someone else and myself, so I'm professionally tasked with an intentional split-personality. Then I leave Sunday morning for a conference and likely won't return until Wednesday. Then I'll be back on campus to facilitate a conversation about "Faith and Ecology" and will depart again Friday afternoon for the "Engaging Our World" conference, which lasts until Sunday afternoon.

Given the fact that I've (along with almost everyone I know) had a mostly shitty week,* I will force myself to dwell on some of the more positive aspects of my impending biathlon... (1) Free trip to Hilton Head ('nuff said); (2) free lunch next Thursday, (3) free place to stay in L'ville with one of my favoritest people, as well as (4) an opportunity to see one of my best buds from high school that I recently reconnected with at my 15-year reunion.

Okay, I can even acknowledge a few bright spots in the current reality I'm experiencing... (1) Serendipitous and successful (so far) opportunity to play cupid and facilitate a budding friendship with some love potential, (2) an actual sit-down conversation with Mr. Jubilee that was friendly as well as professional--a good sign that an amicable (if not full reconstitution of our previous) relationship is possible, and (3) multiple expressions of appreciation for the kind and amount of work that I do.

* Footnote about the shitty week: Lest anyone accuse me of being an optimist... (1) Monday absolutely and totally sucked, (2) Tuesday was almost back-to-back meetings, one of which was good practice for maintaining professional composure in a very public place with someone I wanted to mop the floor with at the time, and (3) could it be any more fuckin' gloomy or cold in October, which is usually my favorite month of the year?!

It is also a little troubling that most of my life, thoughts, commentary revolves around work. I really do try to nurture myself in other ways, but my current momentum does not lend itself to consistent success in this area. I've totally been slacking on my "bodysculpting" class, once a twice-a-week activity and now a not-for-weeks activity; while I've managed to take my camera with me on several of my recent jaunts, I haven't actually done anything with it (except for post those awesome pool shots for B. Love, of which he made immediate and productive use); and my social life, well, there's nothing much to say there except that the Fisherking is one patient and steadfast brother/hermit-in-arms to be my best buddy right now and put up with the likes of me.

[Backposted from MySpace 10/26/06]

 

Monday Bloody Monday

Current mood: tired

The week has only just begun, and I'm tired... I'm tired of people passing off projects that they think I should be doing when my own goddamn to-do list is big enough. I'm tired of my roller coaster of emotions. I'm tired of waiting on my retirement loan for the closing of the Elm Street house. I'm tired of my chronic head/neck/shoulder pain and not resting/sleeping worth shit. I'm tired of Aunt Flo' always coming to visit on a fuckin' Monday morning. I'm tired of being cynical and pessimistic about human beings (including myself). As Tom Petty says (sings), "I'm so tired of being tired, sure as night will follow day.  Most the things I worry 'bout, never happen anyway."  Yeah well, I'm working on that ying-yang thang, but I also find that circle/cycle tiring at times.

[Backposted from 10/22/06] 

 

Jubilee

Current mood: relieved

Monday has never been like this.  I just received an unsolicited hug from someone I thought would never speak to me again.  What great cosmic shift has transpired to make this miracle possible?  He called it Jubilee.  I'm not only grateful for such an unexpectedly affirming start of my week but the life-altering change in my brain chemistry as well.  "Maybe I'm cray-zeh... possibly..."

[Backposted from MySpace 10/16/06]

 

Wag the Blog

Current mood: moody

"Cigarettes and chocolate milk...these are just a couple of my cravings..."  To be more accurate, I don't really care for chocolate milk, but after almost 3 weeks of nicotine abstinence, I fell off the wagon and have had a few smokes.   Three last Thursday at a brewery in Tempe, one last night, and one after my presentation this morning.

The purpose of this online confession?  It seems one benefit of the blahg is to mass-communicate those substantial milestones in one's life, both accomplishments and defeats.  I'm still figuring out which ones warrant blogitude and which ones are best left to myself.  The temptation is to say too much simply because I can, but then that is a temptation that I rarely give in to in physical reality; so there again the comfort of spacial distance is a seductive opportunity to ignore my tendency of non-disclosure.  I think I'll have another smoke..."And then there's those other things...which for several reasons we won't mention."

[Backposted from MySpace 10/10/06]