Halloween

Halloween has all but come and gone and I managed to evade snot-nosed trick or treaters again this year. Not a one came to my door, which is just as well since I had nothing to hand out other than those lil fast food restaurant ketchup packets.

Guess I will just save them for Christmas.

And people complain that I'm not much of a gift giver. HA!

hmmmm......

How odd. My post on Friday last evidently posted (kinda) but without any text. So maybe it didn't actually "post;" perhaps "semipost" or even "F***** Up Post" is a better term in this case. A pity, really, given the time it took to expound upon the solution to world peace (Step #1: Vote the Chimp-in-Chief out of office next week), devise never-fail prison escape plans for Martha Stewart (and it was SUCH a good thing too), and and reveal my Christmas wish list (All presents MUST be in my hands by December 17th to avoid any international shipping charges). Alas, thanks to my tempermental computer, the world will continue to suffer.

Ah well...at least I won't have to worry about papercuts from unwrapping presents.

Revenge of the Liberal Arts Major

Coffee Break

A fairly busy day thus far with the obligatory Sunday morning run to Harris Teeter for groceries and a few other assorted errands. I successfully fought the temptation of going to Barnes and Noble, which was advantageous in the sense that had I given in, 1.) I would still be there, and 2.) I would be much poorer when I left. I do need to go to B & N at some point in the very near future as I've pretty much read everything on the shelves here at home.

So as for today, I'm going to take a few minutes to relax with the obligatory (word of the day) cup of coffee before launching into an afternoon of homework. I'm leading a seminar tomorrow for one of my classes, so a little extra preparation is probably needed. It's hard to believe that the semester is about half over. *doing happy dance*

Anyway...off to be productive.

Friday Evening

Another workweek comes to a close. Well...almost. I'll more than likely head in to the office for a couple of hours in the morning to take care of some things that I didn't quite finish today. I've long discovered that I can get much more accomplished in a few hours on the weekends than during the typical workday as I don't have to bother with the distraction of my ever-so-gabby secretary, the comings and goings of my other employees, and ringing telephones.

It's been a refreshingly quiet evening and I've accomplished little other than hammering out a few emails, chatting with assorted people on the phone, and the like. I do feel a bit guilty about the "wasted" time this evening, but such downtime is nonetheless important so as not to burn myself out. I have a busy weekend ahead, so I shouldn't feel too bad about slacking a bit tonight.

The most interesting news to report is the finalization of flight arrangements trip for the trip to Thailand in December and January. No backing out now. Due to the scaricty of available flights, the trip will be a bit longer than originially conceived: three weeks instead of two, which is not necessarily a bad thing given the singularly long trip. My longest flight leg to date has been around four hours, so I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to cope with the 13.5 hours from Chicago to Tokyo. I'll be sure to bring a REALLY good book or two and hope the in-flight movies are worthwhile.

Over the course of the next two months I'll begin planning the in-country itinerary. Given my predisposition for outdoorsy, adventurous things, I don't foresee spending too much time in Bangkok. At least a week will be spent touring the provinces to the north with an equal, or greater amount of time on the southern peninsula. If all goes as planned, I'll have an Internet connection for at least part of the time over there, so I'll be able to update the blog, which will probably go something like this:

Day 1: After 384 days in air, arrived in Bangkok. Saw big Buddha statue.
Day 2: Saw another Buddha statue.
Day 3: Chased by elephant. Saw another Buddha statue.
Day 4: Saw another statue. Chased by a cobra.
Day 5: On southern beaches. Saw statue. Chased by jellyfish.
Day 6: Drank toooo much. Saw tiger. Chazed by Booda statatuaue.

Tuesday PM

Well I finally broke down today and put a Kerry-Edwards bumper sticker on my Jeep. Now let's just see how long it takes for the soft top to get slashed...or worse. But all things considered, I live in a fairly liberal enclave of Norfolk...so I'm not seriously anticipating any conservative mischief.

Typically, I'm not much of a political person beyond doing my civic duty of voting. Things are significantly different this time around, however. As this is certainly the most important election of our time, additional political activism is absolutely essential....even if it is just slapping a bumper sticker on the car and encouraging like-minded invididuals to vote come election day. Though originally a Howard Dean supporter (I saw him speak in Norfolk last December), I do like Kerry a lot and he certainly has the fortitude and vision to be President.

Ack!

Ever so slightly groggy this morning thanks to partaking a little too freely of alcoholic refreshments whilst out with my sister and some friends last night. We all met at the Taphouse, one of my favourite casual hang-outs here in Ghent, which also has one of the best selections of Belgian ales in the Norfolk area. Over the years, I've developed a pronounced fondness for Belgian ales and the Taphouse's regularly changing beer selection keeps things interesting. My favourite Belgian at present is the Carlous Gran Cru 2004, a truly wonderful beer, though one with a higher-than-normal alcohol content. Not a bad thing, mind you.

But at any rate....after a glass or two of water and a couple Advil this morning (in addition to the requisite cups of coffee), I am able to face the day.

Today's agenda consists of some errands and grocery shopping this morning, followed by research, etc. later in the day. In other words, it's going to be a typical Saturday. This sort of routine is agreeable to me as I tend to be a creature of habit, moreso now than in times past when life was more carefree and pressing responsibilities were few. Given the myriad of projects I'm juggling, routine and pattern are critical to both their accomplishment and my overall sanity.

These Boots Are Made for Walking....

....but they're in such terrible shape, I'll have to get a new pair of hiking boots prior to sallying forth to Thailand for a couple of weeks in December. I've made the decision to go and the flight arrangements are all but finalized, so barring any calamity I'll be nancing about in the jungles of Southeast Asia over the winter holiday.

I wonder if I can get Trampled by Elephant Insurance?