That guy!?!?

That is what I exclaimed when I saw the end of "In the Heat of the Night". Since I've watched so many episodes of Law and Order and read so many Agatha Christie mysteries, I can usually pick up on certain clues and at least have an inkling of the ending. But not with this movie, even so I enjoyed it. I like Sidney Poitier at lot, but I must say I enjoy him more in movies like To Sir with Love and Lilies of the Field than The Defiant Ones and In the Heat of the Night. I also finally saw the PBS adaptation of Mansfield Park, which was better than the BBC Adaptation of Persuasion, but not as good as the Andrew Davies adaption of Northanger Abbey (or Pride and Prejudice). I couldn't believe how much Mansfield Park got compressed (to only 1 and 1/2 hours!). Of all Austen novels, Mansfield Park is my least favorite mostly because I think that Fanny is the hardest heroine to like. And I also have problems with Edmund (the hero), he kind of a milquetoast and completely obvious to that fact that Fanny is in love with him. This plot device sometimes drives me crazy which is odd because some books that I really like have that as part of the story ( for example Roger and Molly in Wives and Daughters and David and Agnes in David Copperfield). But that could be because the secondary characters are more interesting than those in Mansfield Park (which is another reason that Mansfield Park is my least favorite, the secondary characters in that book are boring and not very likable).

"The clock radio smells like my Game Boy, but it tastes like my library card. I wonder if it smells different when it's on?" - Bobby

Weekend gone by

This past weekend, I visited Rachel, Trey, and Ellis mostly to be a companion to Rachel while Trey was at a networking function for most of the weekend. I helped Rachel run errands (and reign in Ellis) on Saturday and then we met Trey downtown for a delicious dinner at a place that specializes in Central American cuisine (I had some really good tamales with excellent guacamole). And then Rachel and I watched a movie while Trey put Ellis to bed. We also watched episodes of the Simpsons from the first season (back when the show was still really funny and well written). Since I have moved, I've been looking for a nice sized table for my sewing/guest room. On Sunday, Rachel took me to Ikea (the first time I'd ever been there) and helped me pick out both a table and a really nice chair (that is really comfortable, which will be nice when I am quilting on the frame). i finally finished putting it together (I broke down and purchased a screw gun, my arm got tired) so here a picture of my swanky new set-up:















The trunk to the right of the table is the trunk that I found at a garage sale over Memorial Day weekend that is now full of quilting fabric (and the plant is basil, this room gets some really good sun during the day).

DOCTOR COLE: Just have your office send over your worker's compensation forms, and I'll sign off on them.
HANK: Worker's comp? Do I look like a hobo to you? No, sir, I am not going on welfare.
DOCTOR COLE: If you insist on working, I'll write you a prescription for pain medicine.
HANK: Whoa there, Dr. Feelgood, I work at a propane dealership, not Woodstock.
DOCTOR COLE: Then I'm sorry, but all Western medicine can really offer you are drugs and nothing. But some people have had good luck with yoga. I hear there's a studio over in McMaynerbury.
HANK: Yoga? Isn't that a cult?
DOCTOR COLE: The group that rented the space before them was a cult. That's probably what you're thinking of.

Someone please explain to me

It is getting pretty hot here and as a result a strange phenomenon that I never understand is back: men driving without shirts on. Where are they going? They obviously are not going to any business or running errands. So does the heck are they doing or going? The only thing that I can think of is these men are just driving around for fun which is another thing that I don't get. It could be that living in a very small town where driving down the main drag lasts for about 3 minutes (5 if you really want to slow down) has led me to missing the appeal of cruising.

HANK: Boomhauer, where'd everybody go?
BOOMHAUER: Yeah, man, I tell you what, man, I took Dale to the dang ol' truck... muffler fallin' off, man, ain't got no brakes, sparks flyin' everywhere... I told him, man, you wanna fix that thing, use dang ol' duct tape, man.
HANK: What? They took Bobby to Snapz?

That fact is only increasing my contempt

I've been really stressed the past two days at work, trying to get a report finalized and mailed to the client. I finally got it done today, but not without much gnashing of teeth. The report was not mine, I was finishing it for a writer who has since transferred back to the department he came from (he in fact had never finalized a report and his supervisor was really busy, so there were several of my co-workers finishing the writer's work). For about 5 minutes, I was worried that I wouldn't get the report done today, but fortunately one of my co-workers knew exactly how to fix the problem (and he asked me if this was a report that belonged to a writer who left which led to the comment that was used for the title). One good thing about this mess was now I know how to fix this problem in the future.


"Do it, you monkey boy! I'm the boss of you!"-Jimmy Witchard

Exciting Weekend

This past weekend, I drove three hours to Ann Arbor to celebrate Memorial with Rachel and family and my parents. We all went to some garage sales on Saturday, where I got this really cool trunk, a picture, and some quilting fabric. And then mom and I helped Rachel (and Ellis to a lesser extent) clean and organize some of her stuff downstairs. Then on Sunday (when Mom, Dad, and Trey were on their back from the hardware store) Lucy called to let us know that Vaughn was on his way, and only 11 days early!! He looks so cute in the pictures on her blog, but I want to know where are mother/baby pictures? So after hearing about my newest nephew and spending lots of time with Ellis and everyone else, I headed back to Ashland on Monday afternoon. The drive to Ann Arbor is not too long (and according to Rachel, I will be making this trip monthly). And now I can't wait to meet little Vaughn Charles!

BOBBY: I hope Grandpa treats the baby better than he treats you.
DIDI: Oh, he will, Bobby. Until the baby crosses him.

Movie Reviews

Last Saturday I went to the movies to see Iron Man, which I really enjoyed. I've just recently started to like Robert Downey Jr.'s movie, and he was really well cast in the role. But as much as I enjoyed that movie, it was not the best movie I have seen in the last week. That would be the BBC adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South. The novel is about a woman who moves with her family from the agricultural south to the industrial north and gets involved in the struggle of the millworkers. I've read Wives and Daughters and really enjoyed the novel, so I figured I would like North and South and I was right. It was really well acted and the cinematography, especially the scenes in the mill, was really beautiful. Right after I finished the movie, I wanted to watch it all over again. And I wanted to start reading the book immediately. Even more, I am willing to try reading Charlotte Bronte's Shirley, which also takes place with the backdrop of a cotton mill. I took a class at Purdue all about the Bronte sisters and I read all the books except for Shirley. Try as I might, I just could not get through the last third of the novel (but that was probably due to the fact that I thought that the story had come to a successful conclusion but Charlotte did not a tacked one another 150 pages although I did learn the about Luddites, which is a reference I like to use from time to time). So next time I'm at the farm, I will have to remember to bring it back with me.

"Hank, this is hard. And Bill's not carrying my share of the load." - Dale

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers (and mothers to be) that I know and love (and there are a lot of them!). You all are amazing!

PEGGY: It is my day -- I should be able to do anything I want.
HANK: Not anything. You can't kill a man. Then you'd go to prison. And with that attitude, they'd put you in the hole.

HANK: Peggy's just not like you, I guess. You devoted your whole life to raising me, and let's be honest, you loved every second of it.
TILLY: Well, actually, I took odd jobs as often as I could, just to get out of the house. Don't you remember the year I drove a taxi?
HANK: No. Wait, I remember one year you had a yellow car.

Many apalogies

I know I haven't posted in a while, I really don't have a good excuse other than I am sick, but that is just this week. Last Thursday, I went to the This American Life event in Mansfield which was great. There were clips from the upcoming season of the TV show (on showtime) as well as outtakes from the first season and stories that never made it on the show and a question and answer session at the end of the show that was really interesting. But what I didn't except was that a girl from work was there. We both didn't except to see someone that we knew so that was a nice surprise. We chatted before the show started and we talked about how much we both like listening to NPR and podcasts (and she recommend this great podcast called RadioLab which I started to listen to today, and it was really good). Then on Friday after work, I drove home to the farm to celebrate Mother's Day a little early (with Rachel and family). I had a nice weekend at home, even though we worked the cows and Rachel and I mucked out the goat stall. And I got to spend lots of time with Ellis (and he was so tired, it was very easy for me to put him down for a nap/bed). On the downside, I think he gave me his cold. But I don't feel so bad now, earlier this week I had a sore throat and I felt really tired. Work is still going pretty well, it's a little more intense over the next few weeks because I have a lot of stuff due (and a few of the studies that I am writing up are a bit more interesting because the is some actual toxicity in the study unlike the previous studies I worked on).

"All his dreams from now on are gonna be about leaving. And then some high school guidance counsellor is gonna tell him to follow his dreams. Then how will he end up? A fruit pie salesman with a whoopie cushion living in Wichita Falls." - Hank

Extra points to who ever can identify the source of the title of this post!

Some poems for your Monday

This Is Just to Say by William Carlos Williams

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

And spoofs of the poem:
Variations on a Theme by William Carlos Williams
by: Kenneth Koch

1
I chopped down the house that you had been saving to live in next summer.
I am sorry, but it was morning, and I had nothing to do
and its wooden beams were so inviting.

2
We laughed at the hollyhocks together
and then I sprayed them with lye.
Forgive me. I simply do not know what I am doing.

3
I gave away the money that you had been saving to live on for the next ten years.
The man who asked for it was shabby
and the firm March wind on the porch was so juicy and cold.

4
Last evening we went dancing and I broke your leg.
Forgive me. I was clumsy and
I wanted you here in the wards, where I am the doctor!

"Yeah, I'll get them to do something nice for each other! That's even better than my plan of turning them both against Luanne!" -Bobby

Reviews

Today, I went to a place that I thought no longer existed, the discount theater. That's right, there is a dollar theater in Mansfield. So today, I saw Penelope which was pretty good. I recognized a lot a British stars, besides Richard E. Grant, Lenny Henry (from Chef!) and Nick Frost (from Hot Fuzz! and Shaun of the Dead (the heavier set guy) so that to me is the mark of a good movie. The theater isn't to far away, and the movies that are shown there are a better good selection of big budget movies (like National Treasure 2) and more independent movies (like Penelope and Be Kind Rewind). There is a second theater is Mansfield as well that shows first-run movies and there have a lot of special events (like Met Opera showings and a This American Life live event (which I am going to!). And tonight, I watched the Turner Classic Movie Essential: The Night of the Hunter. I don't think that I like Shelly Winters (but that could be the result of the movies of hers that I have seen, like Patch of Blue where she plays a horrible woman). But Robert Mitchum scares the crap out of me, because of this movie, and because I have the parts of Cape Fear where he is particularly menacing (if you have seen this movie, you know what I am talking about!). I liked the movie, but it made me cry because I just felt so sorry for the little boy John.

PEGGY (singing):
Fan Fair can be Fun Fair,
But if you don't wait your turn in line,
Well, that's unfair!

Future Plans

So I decided that I would start swimming a few days a week for some exercise (and stress-relief). For awhile, I thought that I wouldn't be able to find a pool in Ashland (I thought that I would have to drive to Mansfield and I couldn't figure out if I could actully use the Ashland University pool). But then I remembered that I could look for a local YMCA. And it turns out that there is one not to far from my apartment. And even better, there is open adult laps swims everyday from 6-7:30 am and 5-6pm, which means I can swim right before/after work. So next week, I am going to get my membership and start swimming. I am really looking forward to it, especially since there is already lap swims scheduled for people so I don't have to try and avoid kids playing.

BOBBY: Dad, I know what I want to do with my life. I can be a motivator. All I need to do is find a field where I have no potential. Hm. I'd make a terrible dam-builder.
HANK: Why don't you just try to be good at something?
BOBBY: Don't try to motivate a motivator, Dad.

Few and far between

I know that I should post more, I have been meaning too, really. I'll play catch-up a little bit by blogging about last weekend when I went to my aunt Carol's house for Easter. I had Friday off from work so I drove to her farm, and I went the "back-way" on route 250 which was a very nice scenic drive. My cousin Jacob and his wife Jessica (who I never met before Easter weekend) over for dinner on Friday night (we had some very good chicken enchiladas). And then my cousin Elizabeth and her husband Rob and new baby Robert came to Carol's on Saturday afternoon and we all had fun making food for lunch on Sunday and holding the baby! And we decorated eggs on Saturday night (which I haven't done in a few years) while waiting for Rachel and family to arrive at the farm. They arrive a little after 10:30 and I helped them all settle in and kept Scout with me in my room. Then on Sunday, we had a very nice meal (for which I made apple pies, scalloped potatoes, and cinnamon rolls). And I headed back to my apartment in the late afternoon, driving back on the interstate which was not a bad drive back either. I want to thank Carol for her wonderful hospitality over the Easter weekend and I will be sure to visit her often (including to coming to help bake/decorate cookies for the famous cookie walk after Thanksgiving).

"You're the lead monkey on the back of this ostrich." - Buck Strickland

Making up

Okay, so I am making up for lack of posts by having two posts in one day. I heard a book review of a book about a Cleveland radio station (the Buzzard) that played a major role in introducing new rock and roll artists. And as a result this was in my head all day:

"Why don't you have the girl turtle fall in love with a boy turtle. See then the song it about something." - Hank

Everyday grind

I know that I have been lagging in writing post, but I assure you all that this is not due to being overworked, but lack of inspiration. Work is going pretty well, my 30 day review last week went fine and I think that the workload will start increasing a little bit in the near future (which is fine by me, I'm getting better/faster at writing reports.) I'm getting used to the hours as well (I'm actually home about 2 hours earlier than compared to grad school hours). In the evenings I mostly work on Lucy's baby quilt while listening to music/an old This American Life episode or watching Law and Order. So there is nothing to exctiing happening to me other than getting into a routine at work. But I will be heading back to the farm for Lucy's baby shower in a few weeks!

"I am a twelve year-old boy! I am this child's nephew! I cannot do this. I cannot do this! If anyone makes any dinner, I'll eat it, but that's it. All I'll do is eat!"-Bobby Hill

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Make sure you wear green and kiss an Irish person!


(I promise a full post soon!)

Some Sidewalk Chalk

I was watching CBS Sunday morning (I love Charles Osgood's bowties) and there was a story about an English artist named Julian Beever. He draws 3-D pictures on the sidewalk, but the pictures are only 3-dimensional when viewed through a camera. And here are some pictures:

If you want to see more you can visit Julian Beever's Website.

"Heck, Peggy, why don't you make the art? It can't be very hard. I mean, even the people who do it for a living don't seem very good at it." -Hank

The good thing about living in a complex with kids

someone gets to enjoy a snow day:

The little red things are roses.

"Mr. Hill, it's Hugh Jimmerson. My heat's gone out. I've tried wearing turtlenecks, but they make me look French."

Happy Bicentennial!

This is the 200th post to this blog! I can't believe that I have made that many posts and there are people who read it! I thought that for this post I would talk about two of my favorite things, my family and Jane Austen. As some of you may know, PBS has been airing the complete Jane Austen on Masterpiece every Sunday. In my opinion, the series got off to a rocky start with a poor adaptation of Persuasion, but improve greatly with a stellar Northanger Abbey (but I didn't see Mansfield Park but I heard it was not so good). But now the series in the best section with the great A&E/BBC version of Pride and Prejudice airing the last three weeks and next up will be the delightful Emma (also from A&E/BBC). So even though I have seen this version of P and P too many times to count, I watched it again. Watching it is bittersweet, because although I enjoy the movie a great deal, it makes me miss my mom and sisters. Of all the times that I have seen P and P, only once have I seen it without one member of my immediate family watching it with me. And being alone here in Ohio (and feeling a little lonely), I was happy to watch it, but I teared up more that once (including at the end, when I was also sad that it was over).

""I didn't know it was loaded" is not an acceptable excuse. "I wasn't there" or "I never met those people" are better excuses. When I was your age, I used to get so excited about hitting the target that I'd run right out onto the range. That's how I lost this thumb, and later, this eye. If it weren't for the NRA safety guidelines which I eventually accepted, I'd be a stub standing here before you."- NRA INSTRUCTOR

This is what I think about at work

Every time I read a protocol that has a section about resorptions (in terms of fetuses) all I can think about it the episode of "The Office" when Dwight talks about resorbing his twin in the womb (and now having the power of both a full grown man and a baby).

PEGGY: Hank, do you think I'll turn into one of those women you see at the Mega Lo Mart who wears white stretch pants and doesn't tuck in her shirt any more?
HANK: Not for many, many years.
PEGGY: Oh, so you've thought about this.

Gimme Six!

So my first week at the new job went pretty well. Reading the SOPs is boring, but I have been doing more relevant work. And next week I am attending 3 pre-study meetings (including one for a study I will be analyzing/writing the report). So that is exciting but kind of nerve wracking because I have no idea what I am supposed to do beyond having the study protocol read for the pre-study meeting. The department supervisor said I did a good job with the formatting test that I finished on Friday. I must say it is so strange to not have something to work on in the evening (homework, reading etc.). But now I have plenty of time to quilt and read for pleasure (right now I am rereading Northanger Abbey). And I read a little bit during my lunch break (I bring my lunch to work everyday, it reminds me of elementary school). Another nice thing about work is is that I can listen to my iPod often (so I get to keep listening to podcasts). And while I was listening to an NPR books podcast, I heard about this really interesting book about a six word memoir (for example "Like Charlie Brown, not as popular."). SMITH magazine collected six word memoirs from lots of people (both famous and not) . And you can read some of these submission by clicking here. My favorites are "brush with death, comb with life" and from Stephen Colbert: Well, I thought it was funny.

(From Hank's permanent record)
- Fourth grade: Kicked out of chorus for refusing to sing "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?"
- Ninth grade: Told debate team to "shut the hell up."