Well the first week is in the books at Sac State. It actually was a pretty okay week. At least, it was fairly uneventful and rather predictable. Lots of students needing their forgotten locker combos, new students needing practice room keys. Faculty wanting to schedule their ensemble rehearsals and move their classrooms around. The usual.
It actually seemed a little slower than normal for a first week. Go figure. Well at least I got caught up on a lot of things I was behind on. Getting calendar stuff up to date. Scheduling things with the university. Getting staff work schedules out.
As an aside, I have the largest student staff I've ever had at 6 people, plus one additional swing person. And February is the slowest month, concert wise. Yet I'm having trouble getting everything fully scheduled around everyone's busy schedules. Maybe I need to hire more people.
Anyways, it's Saturday night, and as is typical with a weekend day with Connor, I spent an inordinate amount of time today at the park and watching Connor's favorite YouTube videos of families playing with their kids (Yeager Family anyone?).
If this all seems like rambling, well, it is. That's me now, apparently. A middle age single father rambling on and on about normal day to day activities, and recording them here for all posterity.
Maybe I should start a YouTube channel. I could be famous.
Saturday, January 26, 2019
Monday, January 21, 2019
Semester Eve
Well here it is, the night before the start of the spring semester. Winter break is officially over. Usually the breaks seem to fly right by, and are over before I have a chance to blink. This one was draining and seemed to drag on. Not that I'm glad it's over. I'm never glad it's over. But mostly i think that's because I don't want to go back to work full time.
The spring semester is as usual a busy one at Sac State. I suppose that's a blessing, since the time there does move faster when it's busy. In this my 40th semester working there, I feel more than ever just burnt out. I'm tired. I don't really want to go back to it. I kind of want to travel. To explore. To enjoy the beauty that still can be found in the world. To find myself. Am I lost? Maybe, maybe.
I recall my last trip to San Francisco and the calm serenity of walking along the beach. Staring at the ocean waves. Watching the flocks of tiny birds running away from the incoming wave, running towards the receding waves. Not a care in the world. For me, I mean, not the birds. Of walking the city streets in the early morning just before sunrise. Watching the world come alive.
I want to go for a walk right now, one last breath of fresh air and peace around the surrounding neighborhood, such as it is. I can't though, as I have Connor this week and I can't very well leave a sleeping 5 year old home alone with the cats.
So I'm at home laying in bed and watching Lady Bird, a coming of age film that doubles as an homage to Sacramento. At least I get to see some sights of the city in it.
Tomorrow it will be back to the rat race. I'm sure I'll be inundated with all manner of returning students needing to be reminded of their locker combos and new students needing to be indoctrinated into the system of lockers and practice room keys and the general bureaucracy of college life. Should be...fun?
At least it should be busy enough to go quickly.
Well anyways, at next light it will be off to the races. I think I'll retire early tonight and enjoy this last evening of "freedom" in dreamland.
The spring semester is as usual a busy one at Sac State. I suppose that's a blessing, since the time there does move faster when it's busy. In this my 40th semester working there, I feel more than ever just burnt out. I'm tired. I don't really want to go back to it. I kind of want to travel. To explore. To enjoy the beauty that still can be found in the world. To find myself. Am I lost? Maybe, maybe.
I recall my last trip to San Francisco and the calm serenity of walking along the beach. Staring at the ocean waves. Watching the flocks of tiny birds running away from the incoming wave, running towards the receding waves. Not a care in the world. For me, I mean, not the birds. Of walking the city streets in the early morning just before sunrise. Watching the world come alive.
I want to go for a walk right now, one last breath of fresh air and peace around the surrounding neighborhood, such as it is. I can't though, as I have Connor this week and I can't very well leave a sleeping 5 year old home alone with the cats.
So I'm at home laying in bed and watching Lady Bird, a coming of age film that doubles as an homage to Sacramento. At least I get to see some sights of the city in it.
Tomorrow it will be back to the rat race. I'm sure I'll be inundated with all manner of returning students needing to be reminded of their locker combos and new students needing to be indoctrinated into the system of lockers and practice room keys and the general bureaucracy of college life. Should be...fun?
At least it should be busy enough to go quickly.
Well anyways, at next light it will be off to the races. I think I'll retire early tonight and enjoy this last evening of "freedom" in dreamland.
Thursday, January 10, 2019
The Day It Was Suddenly Real
It's 10 days into the new year. Have I had any epiphanies, embarked on any new adventures? Well no, not really. Not yet anyway. I've spent a little time organizing old photos, updating my framed collages with fresh prints. Going through my movie collections, pulling out things I know I'll probably never watch to be sold for pennies on the dollar at Dimple Records. Finding random things in the house to add to the Goodwill pile. In general streamlining my life. I guess in a certain manner I'm refreshing my soul a little bit.
I'm getting ready for a new adventure I suppose.
I'm recently separated, though not from my own design or decision. In two days my former wife will be moving out of our house, leaving me to start anew and find a new path in life. I'm really not sure where things will lead, or what will happen next. It's been a long time since I was "single". It will be a voyage of discovery I suppose, possibly through tumultuous seas. Who Knows? The unknown can be like that.
The title of this post is a song lyric reference to "So Big/So Small" from the hit musical Dear Evan Hansen. I had the good fortune of being able to see this show at the Curran in San Francisco a few weeks ago; I won an online ticket lottery to acquire a ticket for only $25 (the regular price for the particular seat I wound up in was closer to $300). The song speaks of a breakup, of a parting of ways. It seemed appropriate. In any case, come Saturday it will suddenly be real, and I'll have to take a first step forward. We'll see where it leads.
I'm getting ready for a new adventure I suppose.
I'm recently separated, though not from my own design or decision. In two days my former wife will be moving out of our house, leaving me to start anew and find a new path in life. I'm really not sure where things will lead, or what will happen next. It's been a long time since I was "single". It will be a voyage of discovery I suppose, possibly through tumultuous seas. Who Knows? The unknown can be like that.
The title of this post is a song lyric reference to "So Big/So Small" from the hit musical Dear Evan Hansen. I had the good fortune of being able to see this show at the Curran in San Francisco a few weeks ago; I won an online ticket lottery to acquire a ticket for only $25 (the regular price for the particular seat I wound up in was closer to $300). The song speaks of a breakup, of a parting of ways. It seemed appropriate. In any case, come Saturday it will suddenly be real, and I'll have to take a first step forward. We'll see where it leads.
Monday, December 31, 2018
New Year’s Eve
Well, here I am on another New Year's Eve, doing pretty much the same thing I do every New Year's Eve: drinking (wine) while binge watching old TV dramas on Netflix (Grey's Anatomy). Connor is running around in his Halloween costume (Dash from Incredibles) handing out Easter eggs filled with chocolate coins and cat toys. He's an odd kid.
I was never a celebrator of New Year's Eve. I never saw the point of it. When it boils down to it, it's just another day, another night, the start of another month. True, we have to change the '8' to '9' in our dates starting tomorrow, but most of us won't remember to do that for at least another month. And why this day? Why does the calendar not run February through January? Why not use the winter solstice as your excuse to start anew and throw a party while doing it?
There was once a time when I did something fun for New Year's. In the late 90s I did a few years in a row at Disneyland. But it was more of an excuse for a vacation and some special end of year merchandise purchases than a celebration of a "holiday". The fireworks were cool though. The crowds were annoying.
I guess I'm just a cynic. People I know will be out celebrating and partying and wishing each other a Happy New Year. They'll all be having a joyously fun time. I'll see it all on Facebook I'm sure. Meanwhile I'll be sitting here watching people on TV struggle for their lives and sometimes die. Just like any other day of the week.
I was never a celebrator of New Year's Eve. I never saw the point of it. When it boils down to it, it's just another day, another night, the start of another month. True, we have to change the '8' to '9' in our dates starting tomorrow, but most of us won't remember to do that for at least another month. And why this day? Why does the calendar not run February through January? Why not use the winter solstice as your excuse to start anew and throw a party while doing it?
There was once a time when I did something fun for New Year's. In the late 90s I did a few years in a row at Disneyland. But it was more of an excuse for a vacation and some special end of year merchandise purchases than a celebration of a "holiday". The fireworks were cool though. The crowds were annoying.
I guess I'm just a cynic. People I know will be out celebrating and partying and wishing each other a Happy New Year. They'll all be having a joyously fun time. I'll see it all on Facebook I'm sure. Meanwhile I'll be sitting here watching people on TV struggle for their lives and sometimes die. Just like any other day of the week.
Saturday, December 29, 2018
Mobile Presence
As I was wandering around San Francisco these past few days, it occurred to me that it would be fabulous if there was a way to post blogs while on the go, from my smartphone. You'd think there was an app for that. But alas the only ones that exist are independently created ones by persons who must not know what they're doing, for the plethora of one star reviews on these suggest that they are a worthless waste of money.
Anyways. I have long lamented to myself and sometimes publicly on here that I don't post enough. Now that I've figured out how to do this using email, maybe that will change. So here's to my first smartphone post!
Anyways. I have long lamented to myself and sometimes publicly on here that I don't post enough. Now that I've figured out how to do this using email, maybe that will change. So here's to my first smartphone post!
San Francisco
It's Saturday, December 29, 2018, and I'm just back from 3 days and 2 nights - and 40 miles of walking, according to the Health app on my iPhone - in San Francisco. This morning I walked to Panera and Safeway, and I was struck by just how cold it was. It wasn't this cold in San Francisco. In San Francisco I could do a 7am walk without a jacket even, as it was easily 15 degrees warmer than it is here in Sacramento in the morning. I checked my Weather app. 35 degrees. Yikes.
As I strolled through the Fort Mason, Marina, and Fisherman's Wharf areas yesterday morning, I was struck by the dichotomy of San Francisco. It is at times serene and beautiful, at other times ugly and crazy. And noisy. But peaceful. And inspirational and disgustingly deplorable. It's basically a microcosm of American society, the good, the bad, and the ugly all rolled into one.
And I love it.
I love strolling through the streets lined with quaint shops and interesting architecture, narrow multi-story housing buildings that must cost millions. Every time I go to San Francisco I try and visit, or at least walk through, something or somewhere I haven't been. Or at least haven't been in a long, long time. On this trip I started at Ocean Beach and walked a few miles along the beach. I actually found several fully intact sand dollars, which is somewhat rare as they tend to all be cracked and broken by the time they see fit to show themselves amongst the sandy dunes. I also went through the Embarcadero, from the Ferry Building to the Marina, though that is pretty common for me to do. I enjoyed some clam chowder one night at Pier 39 while watching the bustling hordes of people, bouncing off of each other as they wander around like children lost in a candy story. Overwhelmed.
I walked up Columbus Ave through North Beach, which I hadn't really ever been to, through Washington Square Park and eventually through Chinatown and up on into Union Square. I treated myself to a movie (Mary Poppins Returns) at the Metreon AMC, an area I've never been in I think. I had lunch at the Italian Homemade Company, which I had never been to. It was good, fresh, homemade pasta (tortellini in my case). Not especially cheap, and an a somewhat informal and less than spacious seating area of rickety tables and barstools. But it somehow felt uniquely San Franciscan. I went to a couple of used book stores and bought some new treasures at great prices. I went to a comedy Club - Cobb's Comedy Club - which has the look of an old institution of the formal glory days of live entertainment. It was nice though, although being a 'party of 1" got me squished in between two tables of 20-30 year old couples. They had a surprisingly expansive food menu, and it all looked pretty tasty, though I had already eaten at the little cafe next door. And they have a two drink minimum; it occurred to me that I've never been anywhere that had a drink minimum. Not that I mind, except their drink prices were incredibly inflated. One block away there's an old sports bar that has a happy hour featuring $3 draughts and well drinks. I think that's the best drink special I've seen in San Francisco. I had a Stella. And also a $7 margarita that was quite excellent.
And of course what trip wouldn't end correctly without a trip to Ghirardelli Square? I had my staple of a Nob Hill Chill. The guy who made it filled it a bit short, about 3/4" from the top. When I made a remark about it being a little short, he tried to tell me that's "how they're made" and that I "could have whip cream if I want". No, sir, that's not how they're made. Not usually. But I let it go and went on my way, and enjoyed the drink whilst sitting by the bay and watching the waves lap up against the shore. And I thought to myself, in the words of Kurt Vonnegut (or rather his uncle Alex Vonnegut), "If this isn't nice, what is?"
And I love it.
I love strolling through the streets lined with quaint shops and interesting architecture, narrow multi-story housing buildings that must cost millions. Every time I go to San Francisco I try and visit, or at least walk through, something or somewhere I haven't been. Or at least haven't been in a long, long time. On this trip I started at Ocean Beach and walked a few miles along the beach. I actually found several fully intact sand dollars, which is somewhat rare as they tend to all be cracked and broken by the time they see fit to show themselves amongst the sandy dunes. I also went through the Embarcadero, from the Ferry Building to the Marina, though that is pretty common for me to do. I enjoyed some clam chowder one night at Pier 39 while watching the bustling hordes of people, bouncing off of each other as they wander around like children lost in a candy story. Overwhelmed.
And of course what trip wouldn't end correctly without a trip to Ghirardelli Square? I had my staple of a Nob Hill Chill. The guy who made it filled it a bit short, about 3/4" from the top. When I made a remark about it being a little short, he tried to tell me that's "how they're made" and that I "could have whip cream if I want". No, sir, that's not how they're made. Not usually. But I let it go and went on my way, and enjoyed the drink whilst sitting by the bay and watching the waves lap up against the shore. And I thought to myself, in the words of Kurt Vonnegut (or rather his uncle Alex Vonnegut), "If this isn't nice, what is?"
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