"We've Got A Lot To Be Thankful For"

It's nice to finally have a break, though it's not nearly as long a break as I'd like. It also seems as though, given all of the social obligations Michelle and I have this weekend, we'll be even busier on our days off than we would be going to work. I think I'll need a vacation from my vacation.

A Wednesday afternoon nap and a nice, relaxing evening here at the house have done wonders for my mental health. The cat and I are currently sequestered on the couch, though I think the cat is quite a bit more comfortable than I am.

Our fish keep having babies. There's at least two dozen fish in the tank now, possibly topping 30 even. We think the male fish is the one that has a broken swim bladder (a condition which makes it impossible for him to float, so he tends to sink to the bottom of the tank. This apparently does not prevent him from gettin' it on with the ladies.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Glen Phillips, "Thankful"

"So Hip To Be Square"

I completed my first week of actual tutoring yesterday. The more I do this, the easier it seems to be. The system they've put in place is pretty straightforward and easy to follow, it turns out, and for the most part I enjoy what I'm doing (when I can get past my nervousness at jumping into a new, if only part-time, job). Working with elementary school students is very different than working with high schoolers. Part of it is their attitude: these kids haven't hit that point where learning is an unpleasant or undesirable thing yet. I remember high school with at least a measure of clarity still (I mean, it's only been a decade since I was there), and I do recall a certain reluctance to listen to most of my teachers and a general lack of desire to work or put effort into things. Admittedly, I apparently had the same lack of initiative back in elementary school and middle school, at least according to my parents, so maybe I'm not a good case study. But these kids, for the most part, are really enthusiastic about the tutoring, and they generally have a good attitude and do whatever I put in front of them.

Thanksgiving is fast approaching. I guess we're doing it with Michelle's folks again this year, as has become our tradition. I do admit that I rather miss some of my old traditions, such as falling asleep on the couch while football plays on the TV.

We're still trying to figure out what we're doing for Christmas: staying here or going up to New York. I'd personally like to go to Oklahoma again, but I know it's unrealistic and not something we can really handle again just yet. We're thinking about it for next year, though, which'd be nice. And I'll see the family in March anyway for Clif's wedding...and again in May for Scott's wedding.

Part of me really wants to hear the new Guns 'N' Roses album, Chinese Democracy, that comes out in a week and a half or so. Not because I particularly like the band, but because any album that took something like 15 years to get recorded is either going to be pretty solid or really, really crappy. I kinda lean towards crappy, but like I said, I'm not really a fan.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Huey Lewis and the News, "Hip to be Square"

Nerdin' It Up

So it turns out my apartment complex is just full of giant nerds. Nerds even bigger than me, if you can believe it.

Don't believe it? Take a look...




A Star Wars reference and a Superman reference? Side by side, even! Truly, this is a wonderful complex to live in.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Donovan, "Sunshine Superman"

Rock the Vote

I'm out voting early this morning because I have tutor training later today and wanted to make sure I still had the chance. It really is strange being in such a place as Northern Virginia, where people take politics so seriously and so many of them are willin to stand in line at the crack of dawn to vote.

Regardless of which candidate you favor, I encourage everyone who can to get out there and vote today. I don't have to tell you just how important or critical or historic this election is. I know people are getting burnt out on all the election coverage, but don't let the media saturation keep you from doing what you should.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Bruce Springsteen, "This American Land"