Happy Holidays...(but that's probably obvious from the graphic below!)

I know I haven't been the best blogger lately. I appologize. I've been trying to tie up a lot of loose ends before I leave town for awhile. Tomorrow, I'm headed to my family's place for almost three weeks. I'm not usually down there that long, but I haven't seen them in quite awhile. I'll do my best to try to blog while I'm there, but it's likely that it won't happen. So, in case I don't get a chance to say so over the next few weeks:

I hope you all have a great holiday season!

...(and may you all get the loot you were hopin' for!)

Dimebag "Darrell" Abbott - 1966-2004

OK, so I know this might be a little cheesy, but I wanted to pay quick tribute to the "John Lennon of metal." It was three years ago today that he met his absurdly tragic end in Columbus, OH. Hope he is shredding in another dimension with Rhoads, Hendrix, and the rest of the lost guitar legends!

The Pleasure of Admitting There's a Bad Taste in your Mouth

It seems that my partner and I have both been holding some negative feelings in and we kind of had a breakthrough the other day. You see, apparently we both actually hate it here. It was actually kind of funny when we admitted it to each other and it really felt like a big weight off my chest.

This all came to a head, I think, because things have not been going exactly as expected up here lately and it's been getting to us. Actually, over the last couple months we keep experiencing really bipolar career news. I want to believe that's what happens when your career is finally about to take off in good ways, but I'm also pretty sure I'm trying to make myself feel better.

But, anyway I guess now that we've admitted this, we can move forward to acceptance and planning for the next stage. Unless something dramatic happens, I'm pretty sure we won't be in this city anymore next year. Hopefully, we'll be heading to Boston, Milwaukee, or somewhere else wonderful.

I'm also reminded on the fact that when we lived in this state the last time, we pretty much hated it. Hmmm...maybe we're just allergic.

So, here's so all of us (who are looking) getting amazing, wonderful, well-paying jobs in cities we love next year!

Cheers and miss you all lots...

Finally! - Update on Campus Violence

So, yesterday I got an email from a faculty member on BG's campus through a listserve. I will just refer to her by her initials (J.L.) and those of you that know anything about BG, I'm sure will know who this is. She is perhaps the most activist person on that campus.

Anyway, the email said that several faculty members are quite upset by the lack of discourse occurring regarding the assaults and that she is gathering responses from students to take to the administration in hopes of getting some type of response or action started. The email also included several questions that she hoped students would answer. If you are interested in seeing the email or giving her your input, please let me know and I will forward you the email. She asked for it to be forwarded on, but I didn't want to just post it here.

So, hopefully some good will occur from this horrific madness. And, once again, thank the Universe for people like J.L.!

A Dream Becomes an Obsession.

Okay, so you all probably know by now that my partner and I fell in love with Boston last year when we vacationed there. I have never really wanted to live in a big city and have pretty much always felt they were all the same. This is no longer the case after Boston. All I can think about is moving there and settling down.

I have been hunting for jobs in the area, but those of you in academia know how fruitful this might prove to be. The other stress factor is that my partner and I are really getting to a point where we need to settle down. We want a family and if this doesn't happen soon, it isn't going to happen. And, we can't do it until we actually have the jobs and $ to do it. No $, no getting "knocked up" - savvy?

I'm trying to relax and just go with the flow, but it's unfortunately becoming a little obsessive. I look at Boston web sites and books, watch films set in Boston, drink Sam Adams and eat beans... :). I know it's still really early in the academic year and it could totally still happen, but I just keep trying to think of new or creative ways to make it so. I'm tired of waiting around and hoping for dreams that never happen. I've let some of my hopes die over the years and I don't want this one to pass me by too.

Sorry, didn't mean to bum y'all out. But, if anyone has any connections or ideas of how we might get there and survive...I'd love to hear them!

Pomp and Criticism

First of all, I didn't think this woman could get any hotter...clearly I was wrong! I have finally been able to watch 30 Rock now that I have regular channels on my Directv and it's really quite brilliant! Clearly SNL was holding this woman back from her true political comedy calling. And now, to see her in a picket line...ahhh, warms my soul!

Anyway, so this writer's strike is obviously getting lots of press and rightly so. It's a pretty incredible moment for television and filmic popular culture. I have to say, I'm siding with the writers (although I usually do side with the union workers) and the number of non-writers (actors, techies, etc.) who are doing the same have been impressive. Hope the solidarity lasts. True, it could mean the demise of much of my beloved television and film, but I'm also a bit intrigued by what could happen to our popular culture if this continues. Writers do A LOT for the industry and I'd actually like to see a little shake up. Now if the SAG members also go on strike in a few months, which from what I've heard is also a distinct possibility, Hollywood might never be the same. What could this mean for big film corps vs independent film? Bring it on, baby!

On the other hand, I wish something this dramatic was happening to my other favorite popular culture industry: music. Why the hell doesn't that damn thing have unions?! There have been a ton of articles over the last few years about how the music industry sales keep suffering quarter after quarter. Down the toilet they go! Over and over, the industry officials blame the Internet for slumping CD sales and they keep looking for a way to tap into this technology to save their souls (and bank accounts!).

Hmmm...perhaps this is not the answer or even the problem?? Have they even considered that the industry hasn't "discovered" any music worth listening to in like a decade?! There is a ton of awesome stuff being done out there on a local and independent level that the major labels aren't even looking at. Of course, a lot of these artists aren't even interested in major labels anymore because they can't offer them much that they can't get on their own now. But still, why does the industry think we'd rather have another freaking "Nickelback/Earnest Rock" clone than something refreshing and original? I haven't heard something on the radio (not including satellite radio, of course) that I was excited about in a long time.

Not to mention the fact that the industry doesn't develop the artists it has anymore. Instead, it promotes an artist to death for one big album and then dumps them by the side of the road. Artists like U2, Springsteen, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, and a ton of other big money makers wouldn't have ever made their best or biggest albums if the industry was structured the way it is now when they were coming up. A world with no Joshua Tree, Born to Run, Dark Side of the Moon, Highway to Hell??? This is a sad thought. I wonder what great music we've already lost because they killed a young band's soul before it was ripe...

It's clearly time to rethink the music industry in order to salvage something from it. Don't spend so much time restructuring the way you do business with your customers, spend it restructuring how you do business with your artists! And, don't worry so much about the Internet, worry about the music! We haven't stopped buying CDs just because they're all online, we've stopped buying CDs because they suck!

Welcome to the Pop Culture Revolution!

What's in a Name?

Okay, so you may have noticed that my profile name has changed. Well, I used Dex, because when I created this I couldn't really think of anything. But, the name Dex is really the name I hope to name my kid someday, so it really wasn't accurate for me to use it anymore. So, I decided to go with another nickname of mine - well a twist on that nickname that has recently developed anyway.

This one is for you, thswoon!

-thmarn

Introducing..."The Adventures of Wick and Bucket!"

So my faithful readers, as you know - I have two awesome cats. I also know that many of you miss them (and their shenanigans) very much since we have moved. So, they have asked me to promote to you their brand new blog - Adventures of Wick and Bucket. Yes, yes, those aren't their real names, but many of you will recognize those as their "given alter-egos" (you know who you are). Now you can follow their trials, tribulations, fun, and politics from the safety of the blogosphere. It will be just like they are in your own living room, only much less destructive. So, they are located at adventuresofwickandbucket.blogspot.com, but you will always be able to follow the link at the right. Oh, and they wanted me to let you know that there isn't much there yet, but that they promise to keep posting.

[Suddenly, you are all wondering if I have too much time on my hands, or not enough dissertation done, right?]

OK, What the *%&@! is Going on in BG?!!?

So, yesterday I received the third email notice in two months that there was an assault on campus. Of these three assaults, two of the women escaped their attacker but, the other one resulted in a rape. The first (the rape) happened around 4am on the corner of College and Wooster, the second in a dorm parking lot around 3am, and the last one happened at 7:30 in the evening in THE MIDDLE OF CAMPUS!!! Obviously, this last one is most disturbing because I can't even fathom how this occurred in this location at this time of day and no one has any information???

What really freaks me out is that there doesn't seem to be much discussion about this. There is very little info on the BGNews website, nothing in the Journal-Sentinel, and a brief clip about the last attack can be found on ABC news' site, but it doesn't even mention the first attack! This is crazy and outrageous to me! As far as I'm concerned, BGSU has a serial rapist and the F%&8in' police don't seem to think it's a big deal. What does someone have to end up dead? Why the Hell does BGSU even have police (as opposed to simply campus security like many Universities) if they aren't going to be useful in these types of situations? Oh, sure they can pull you over and give you a freakin' ticket for rolling through the stop sign outside of East Hall, but they can't protect the students from being raped or killed!!!

Meanwhile they simply send out these "police blotter" emails "urging students to be careful and be aware of their surroundings." This is bullshit! Isn't that what the police are for - isn't it their job to keep us safe? Why is it the victim's job to take care of this?! They might as well say: "Well, clearly the women assaulted were not paying attention and it's really their fault this happened." Grrrr! I hate this mentality. Let's do something about it after the fact, not prevent it in the first place! It's really too bad it isn't men that are being assaulted, because no doubt, the damn perpetrator would be in custody by now.

Perhaps my outrage is unwarranted. After all, I am not even on campus right now, so I don't know what the atmosphere is actually like. Maybe more is being done than I know about. If so, I urge my BG friends to reply to this and calm me down, cuz right now I'm about to blow a gasket over this!

Happy Halloween!

Hope you all have a great holiday! Don't eat too many brains!

Just an observation.

Okay, so someone sent me this article and it's pretty awesome and very funny to imagine. It's about lobsters that manage to escape from a German market. Here's the link:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,512794,00.html

(Sorry, you'll have to cut and paste it, I can't seem to get the livelink function to work...grrr)

It says that now the lobsters have been sent to a "home." This reminds me of the time that there was a cow (or steer?) that escaped from some slaughterhouse (I think it was in Detroit) and it was running all over downtown and they had to catch it. Well, people mobilized this big effort to "save" the animal and place her/him on some farm to live out its life. I'm just wondering why it is that people have a sudden attack of conscience when animals appear to fight back or otherwise illustrate some type of desire to escape their grisly fates. Do people think these are higher-evolved anomalies of the species? Or that since they fought back, they deserve to live? Do people really believe that other animals don't try to fight?

Now I know...I know, I eat meat too. But, I don't pretend that there are "special" animals that are more important than others. They all deserve to live; I just unfortunately have a really tough time not eating them. I've tried to be vegetarian but, it's really hard for me - especially on a limited income. I have the utmost respect for those who can do it. Anyway, I'm just saying that I don't have any illusions that the animals I eat are the stupid, unmotivated-to-save-their-life ones and that every once in a blue moon, one does stand up and therefore deserves to be sent to live out its life in a happy home. Nope, they're all smart, they all deserve to live, I just need to stand up to the cultural socialization and my own desires to eat them!

The "Free" Taco

This post is dedicated to my friend MG in Pittsburgh, who will know why...

So, MLB was offering a promotion in where if any player during the World Series stole a base, they would give everyone in America a free taco. Well, two of my beloved Red Sox earned me a free taco and of course, out of principle I had to go claim it today. After all, I for some reason, cannot turn down what is "free." And what could be better than baseball and tacos together?!

I did consider the ramifications of "free" when it comes to Taco Bell, though. After all, as we should all know, one does not buy food from Taco Bell anyway, we only rent it...if you catch my drift. So, while the taco was being called free, it no doubt would come with a price. In other words, the promotion really should have been: "Steal a base, get a free trip to the bathroom!" and they could add that you should observe the base-stealing closely when it happens, because that will be how fast you're running for that bathroom!

So, now that I've disgusted you all...Happy "Free Taco" Day!

I'm sure ya'll saw this coming.

So of course, I couldn't resist posting on my Sockies once more. C'mon they just won the World Series, cut me some slack! I'm so proud of my boys right now. I know they weren't the underdog this year and so it goes against why I root for 'em, but they worked so damn hard this year and really deserve it. And damnit, they managed to look like they were having fun all year long, which is something I think a lot of teams forget - especially in the post-season. So, congrats Sox! But also, hats off to the Rockies. It was a great series.

Now all the sports commentators are questioning if the Yankees dynasty is over and the Sox are the new dynasty. Of course on one hand, that feels very uncomfortable to me. That's why I root for the Sox, because they AREN'T that sort of team (well and that I love their players and their city!). Well, I guess we'll have to see what happens with the off-season. Hopefully Mike Lowell will stay and Rodriguez will be laughed at when he comes sniffing around for an offer from the Sox. I'd actually love to see A(ss)-Rod have to go back to the Yankees with his tail between his legs because nobody wants to sign his arogant ass for that much money. But, I'm sure some fool-hardy team will sign up for the package of controversy and headaches. I just hope it isn't the one that lives at Fenway.

Long live Red Sox Nation and the Tek-Lowell-Papi-Manny-Lugo-Pedroia-Youk-JD-Crisp-Ellsbury-Beckett-Schill-DiceK-Lester-Wake-Pap-Kielty-Okie-Timlin-Delcarmen-Lopez-Mirabelli-Cora-Hinske Administration (featuring the court jester Eric Gagne)!

Things that Irritate Me.

1. Traffic jams in towns that don't seem to be eligible for them. Since many of you either live in or have lived in Bowling Green, I will put this into perspective. Where I now live is kind of like if you took BG and replaced Main St. with Monroe St. from Toledo. You know, that crazy busy street with the mall and everything else - smack in the middle of town. Once you stray off that street, it's like living in any Small Town, USA; but until then it's this crazy cut-throat street of death and assholery! On Fridays I usually have to go to my bank, which is maybe a mile down this aforementioned road of Hell, and it takes me like 45 minutes to get there and back! And, my tellers are very efficient! Grrr...

2. Maintenance guys who don't listen to you. So, the other night I am awoken by this banging sound coming from our heating units (we have baseboard hot water heat throughout the apartment). I call the maintenance emergency number because, well this sounds serious. He doesn't seem too concerned at first and begins to ask me questions: "Is your heater on?" [Yes, its mid-October in Minnesota.] "Is it all the way up?" [No, it's not mid-October in Alaska, dumbass]. "Well, was it a ticking sort of noise?" [What part of the word 'banging' didn't you understand?] "Okay, I think I might know what it is, I'll come out and check the boiler to make sure everything is alright." [There ya' go!].

Okay, forward to the next day. A different maintenance guy comes knocking on my door (actually he begins to let himself in before I even get to the door, but that's a complaint for another day) and asks me basically all the same questions and then asks if I've noticed any leak in my heating units. A LEAK?! Don't you think that would've been information I might have considered helpful and offered up in the first place?! No, I have not noticed any leaks. He furthers his questions: "Are you sure?" [Well, unless you mean that large puddle of hot water I've been sitting in while I write my dissertation all day, yeah I'm sure! ARG!]

Anyway, they tell me a day later that they have finally found and fixed "the leak." This morning...what should I hear...BANG, BANG, BANG. Sigh....

3. The evil twin of "Midwest Nice" - "Midwest Asswipe." Okay so first off, when I first moved to BG, people told me to expect the phenomenon of "Midwestern Nice," which is people being really friendly in a rather unprovoked way. However, coming from Wisconsin, I didn't notice. In fact, I thought local people in Ohio were less friendly. Now, moving further north in the Midwest, I am experiencing the "Midwest Nice" again. So, apparently the further north you go, the nicer they get. And, I most certainly have had experiences up here with seriously friendly-ass people, who have no reason to be friendly with me. These are people who will strike up several minute conversation with you (over milk, bookstores, restaurants, their children, your profession, whatever) without any warning. You didn't ask for it, they just do it and they generally seem quite sincere.

However, this phenomenon has an evil twin - "Midwest Asswipe." These are the people that for no apparent, or completely irrational, reasons are just dicks! There was the woman who honked at me because I wasn't making my left turn when the light turned green...because there were three cars in front of me. She started swearing and gesturing at me until she could fly around me and yell. And, then there was the guy who pulled through a parking space from the other aisle so that he could steal the space I was waiting for and when he saw me - he and his kid started laughing! Oh yeah, and the guy at Savers who literally pushed me out of the way to get to some critical piece of merchandise during the Labor Day 50% off sale. There is about a 2 to 1 ratio of "Nice" to "Asswipe," but its significant and Karma really needs to find them!

4. TIVO that doesn't do what it's told. Okay, so this one probably seems silly, but it's really been getting to me lately. I don't have a lot to do up here right now other than write the diss, so it's the little things that I look forward to. One of these is the enjoyment of a favorite TV show and on more than one occasion, my TIVO has either not recorded what I asked, or deleted something it had recorded for no apparent reason. I really hate this, especially because it always seems to be the stuff that's only on once. Maybe it's "Big Brother" deciding what is appropriate for me...

5. The fact that I thought it was windy in BG. Okay, so I had clearly forgotten how windy it can be in the more northern Midwestern states. It is blowing about 50mph today (fyi-that's thunderstorm strength in most other areas). It is not storming. It isn't even cloudy. This is just a normal day in fall here. I would say that since I moved here we have had days like this about 1/3 of the time. It sucks! Today I almost couldn't walk across my parking lot to my damn storage garage to put something away. It literally almost knocked me over! There is recycling material blowing around the parking lot and the bins are in covered garages. The wind is not only strong, but apparently also crafty! I really hate this!

6. And most of all...the fact that most of my friends are all so damn far away! I miss you all lots lately, maybe it's partly because it's almost Halloween and that's my favorite holiday to hang out with people. No Halloween party here. Boo! (and not in a scary way.) Maybe this is also what is making me so darn cranky! Hope you are all well.

Welcome to my house.

Someone sent me this video and it is too funny! This is exactly what it's like at my house in the morning, well except that there is also one other cat who is simultaneously chewing on everything in the room-including the pillows and blankets I sleep with!

My latest love affair.

I know what you're all thinking; especially those of you who have helped me move before. But, isn't she pretty and soooo me...?!

Another one bites the dust...

Drum roll please.... Yes, I have finally finished another chapter on the diss! Dear god, that was a tough one! It came in at 58...yes, 58 pages! Who knew there was so much history about "the gay" or that they used so damn much popular culture?! So, a breath of fresh air for a few days; catch up on everything I've been ignoring (like blogging) lately and then I dive into the next one. This time I get to learn and write about how my people like or don't like to have stuff sold to them. Sounds fun and you are jealous, I know.

I wish I could regale you with stories of other exciting things I have been up to, but there just aren't any. I get up, I work, I eat, I work, I eat, I watch a little TV (baseball usually, for now), I work, I sleep. Wow, that really is what I do and suddenly by typing it out, I see how sad that is!

But, not today! Today I sleep in! Today I shop! Today I play guitar! Today I lounge! Today I play video games! Today I...catch up on errands and clean up the mess that my office has become....sigh! Maybe I need two days off from writing.

It is late and I am tired, but...

I have a question for all my friends who are currently writing or have not all that long ago finished writing their dissertations:

When you get near the end of a chapter (you know when you're SOOO CLOSE to being done with it), do you get to a point where you feel that perhaps if you just close your eyes, squeeze them real tight, and think about it, that you should just be able to will the chapter into finishing itself?

This is how I feel tonight. If I was a Jedi Knight I bet it would work. I...go...sleep...now...

I love my research!

To those of my friends who share in my addiction to The L Word: Showtime's website has just posted a preview trailer for season 5 and OH MY GOD! You should be able to find it on www.sho.com/lword. If that site doesn't work, just go to www.sho.com and click the link to their L Word site (on the left of page), the video should be on that next page. It is well worth the breadcrumb trail I'm leaving you. All else I have to say is that I love that watching stuff like that is considered research. I love my job...

New Rules

Hey everyone-
So, some wise person pointed out to me that many of you probably couldn't comments on my blog, because I had it set that you had to be a member in order to do so. I'm really sorry about that. I'm new at this and didn't even know that was a setting. I really hope I didn't lose any of your witty comments because of this. I have changed this now, so please read and write on!

And suddenly, all was right.

So the post of several weeks ago seems a million miles away as the Sox have won their division for the first time since 1995!

And, everything seems to be going right for them at the right time. Their players are all getting healthy, many of them are hitting hot streaks (especially Ortiz), they've won homefield advantage for the whole post-season. It all seems so right.

But, I know, I know, it's baseball-anything can happen. Boston Red Sox baseball-and that'll break your heart.

GO SOCKIES, GO!

Oh dear god...

These are The. Cutest. Things. Ever!

So cute in fact, I think I might have to hurt something...

The problem with cats, you see...

Okay, so something with that title could probably fill a billion blogs, right? So, I suppose I should be more specific.

"The problem with cats who chew, you see..."

Actually, there are still many things that could complete that statement. First, there's the destruction, of course. Let's see in the last few weeks my family has lost: two bras, several shoelaces, three dress shirts, the strap to a bag, a bandana, the tie back to a dress, and the edges to a pair of curtains. Now, you may be asking: why do you keep this menace of a cat. Well, if you are at all familiar with our cats (the one doing this is codenamed "Bucket") and she has this face, a face filled with the purest evil, but on the surface it is one of the cutest and sweetest things you will ever set your eyes upon. So, when I discover these things that she has chewed up; she looks at me with that face! Nevertheless, she still has air in her lungs...

But, actually that is not the only problem with cats that chew...

There is also the fear that you will end up in the Cat ER with the damned thing because it ate something that got all tied up in its digestive system. And, that's fun!

And, then there's my favorite...

When you take all of these things together, they roll around in your head all the time and you start to get really paranoid that the cat is chewing on things every single minute! As a result, you train yourself to pick up on cues that the cat is up to something and you ask yourself the following:

1. Has she been out of the room for awhile?
2. Did I leave ANYTHING out that she might find interesting?
3. Is there any possibility that she is bored, mad at me, etc.?
4. Where is the other cat? Could they just be off playing?


And, most importantly...
5. Do I hear any chewing?

This last question is the best and is partly responsible for my lack of sleep lately. I have trained myself to listen for the sound of chewing. So, as I lay in bed at night trying to sleep, I am continually convinced that I hear chewing. I then usually have to get up at least once to check on the stupid cat. I also am often awaken out of (what feels like) a dead sleep, because I think I hear that "smack smack" of spitty grinding teeth. And again, I must go check.

So, have I ever caught her actually chewing in any of these incident, you ask.

Actually, no, now that you mention it...BUT I WILL PREVAIL! My clothes will sleep safe tonight, even if I don't!

Today, on a lighter note...

So, as a result of spending lots of time sitting in my office just working and writing, I've gotten a chance to listen to a lot of music lately. I've dug out a lot of stuff that I've never listened to, or haven't listened to in a while. Therefore in my humble opinion, I offer two lists...

Top Four Bands/Artists I've Recently Discovered...

1. Augustana

2. Cold War Kids

3. Uh Huh Her (Leisha Hailey rocks my world...)

4. Apples in Stereo


Top Four Bands/Artists I've Recently Re-Discovered...

1. Michael McDermott

2. The Counting Crows

3. Dire Straits (Yes, you read that right! Knopfler has guitar tone to die for!)

4. Everything "hair metal!" (Cuz dammit, music used to be fun.)

May they all help you rock like...well, rock stars!

Words cannot say...

This picture pretty much sums up how I feel right now. I'm still fairly new to this rivalry thing, I can't imagine how people who have done this all their lives feel. All I can say is that I have the utmost respect for Jason Varitek. I know that I couldn't sit behind home plate as Yankee batter after Yankee batter came up to the plate. I mean one time up there with Jeter or A-Rod and I would be ripping that bat out of their hands and beating that smirk right off their face with it on national television.

Good thing I don't play for the Red Sox...

This feels kinda funny...

Okay, my loyal fan masses...this one is for you. I am finally joining the damned blogosphere and I have to say it feels pretty weird in here. Kinda stuffy...

Anyway, I am doing it largely to help keep up with all you folks, who I so terribly miss. It has come to my attention over the years that I am terrible at keeping up with people (yes, even through email) and so, I thought this way, while terribly unpersonal, I can keep all of you updated in one fell swoop (of the Interweb lightsaber).

Some of you I have left very recently and some of you I haven't been living near for many years (so alas, the heartache must be less by now...). But either way, if you are reading this, you most likely got the address from me, and therefore, I hold you in high esteem. If not, well enjoy eavesdropping on my rather bizarre ramblings with my friends and colleagues, nosey monkey!

So, know that I am here safe in my new home. I am enjoying the new scenery. There appears to be a good market of RAV4s and lemonade stands. I have started working on the diss (slowly, but surely). Wick and Bucket are well, badly behaved but well. And, I miss you all SO VERY much! I hope this will suffice as a first post and that you'll all sleep better now. I know I will.

Later, me peeps.
-DEX