Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Messin' with the colors

Decided I needed a new color scheme to go with the new photo. (Last photo has been up for 4 years... time for a change.)

Let me know if the colors look weird on your monitor. They're nice and mellow - kind of faded - on mine.
The Runaround

I'm back up and running, but unfortunately, some people are keeping me running around in circles. Bastards. Must be a conspiracy.

Today marks my second round of attempting to get a new passport photo taken so I can renew my (thankfully) expired passport in time for our trip in May. My expired passport features a picture taken when I was in college - 20 years old, wearing a plaid shirt and sporting slightly crooked bangs. I am truly delighted to be free of it. However. Last week I tried to get my picture taken at no less than three area drug stores (who advertise passport photo services) only to find that two of them had broken equipment and the other wouldn't be set up until next week.

Yesterday I received a generic mailing from the US Postal Services about local post offices that were now set up to take passport photos and handle the entire application or renewal process. On my way home from running errands, I stopped in at the nearest one.

Surprise! Despite the information on the mailer (and on the USPS website), that particular location won't be set up for passport services for at least another week. Grrrr.

The woman behind the counter assured me that another location near me (not really in my path, but only about 15 miles out of my way) was already set up. So I'll give it one more shot this afternoon. I guess.

This is not helping with my nightmares in which I arrive at the airport only to remember that I never renewed my passport and they won't let me leave the country. Not good dreams. :shudder shudder:

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Computers and Viruses

Fortunately, while I have both in common, they are not otherwise connected.

The new computer came in on Tuesday - beautiful, shiny, fully functional - but I felt so crappy I didn't get it set up until Thursday. Tuesday started out with stomach cramps and a general feeling of grogginess. Wednesday shifted to fever and shakes. Thursday more of the same. Friday better but still shaky. Haven't been up long enough today to know if I'm feeling significantly better or not.

Meh. I seem to get sick at least once a term - usually right at the beginning. At least this time I have web access at home and a new computer that can handle all sorts of nifty features I was previously lacking. For instance... being able to post to the blog.

Friday, January 19, 2007

Earmarked

You know when you have money coming, extra money that you weren't really planning on having? Well, why is it that the money seems to get spent before it ever comes into your hand? Sometimes, several times over.

Jay calculates that we'll be getting about $1500 back in taxes this year... hopefully enough to supplement the traveling money my dad already gave us for the England trip in May.

Because of the additional class, I have two credits more than past terms, meaning I'll make about an extra $1600... which I have just spent on a new computer. Granted, I really needed the new computer, because it would have cost me about as much to complete all the upgrades to my current iBook, yet left me with a way too small screen... So. Educational discount plus 3 months same as cash... new iMac notebook is on its sweet journey to me. Mwah ha ha ha ha.

But really. There is no such thing as "extra" money. Not on this side of the middle class.

Monday, January 15, 2007

Bah

Apparently my aging computer (a 1999 iBook with a 2002 software upgrade) isn't compatible with the changes to Blogger, so I'm only able to post from work for now.

Enjoyed a visit from my younger sister (the one in NYC) this weekend and now I'm scrambling to get ready for classes starting Wednesday. Cobbling together a syllabus in two days for a course I've never taught - and which is taught very differently by all the instructors who do teach it - is proving to be quite interesting.

With interesting being a euphemism for other, more colorful words, of course.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Good news

We finally hooked up the web access at home, so I might actually return to more regular posting.

Then again... my teaching schedule for the spring term just got turned upside down. One section of the class I've been teaching is probably going to be cancelled due to low enrollment. Good news side is that I have been offered 2 sections of a higher level course, but that means scrambling to put together a new course (admittedly one with a very established curriculum) and grading about 50 student papers for each assignment instead of the 35 I had last term.

We shall see.