Some Quick Thoughts ...

These past two weeks has been extraordinarily stressful. I've been cleaning, packing, and getting ready for my long awaited departure from Washington, DC to Grinnell, IA. We already packed fifty boxes that are just our books only! And we just started with everything else: clothes, dishes, CDs, DVDs, research files, and a bunch of knick knacks. Hiring movers can be a trying experience especially when arranging a schedule is complicated by tornadoes and floods in Iowa. Fortunately, Grinnell was founded on high ground and away from the river. Getting there is the big problem. But for now, if all goes well, the movers will arrive this Tuesday to pack everything up. By Wednesday, I'll be on the road first to stop by my girlfriend's family in Wichita, KS, for a few days and then off to Grinnell. All of which means that this may very well be my last post until I get set up in my new home.

In the meantime, I've got a few quick highlights and thoughts:

1) saw the amazing Body Worlds exhibition in Baltimore, MD.
2) eating Maryland blue crabs at Obricky's is yummy.
3) I give a grade of A+ for Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy in Wanted.
4) I give another A+ for Wall-E.
5) thunderstorms suck in the summer.
6) lightning strikes are cool ... when they're far away.
7) dust is dirty.
8) cleaning grime from the cooking fan is disgusting.
9) Visionary Arts Museum in Baltimore, MD, was cool.
10) finding old episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation on video tape from 1992 brings back memories.
11) I found a $100 Australian bill. I have no idea how I came to acquire that.
12) Being poor still sucks especially when a chunk of change is going to pay the movers.
13) Throwing out my old Milli Vanilli CD.
14) Keeping my memorabilia from my senior high school retreat. It's a Catholic thing. I can't figure out why I still have it but oh well.
15) Threw out over 50 video cassettes of old TV shows and movies.

And finally, I am happy to announce that one of my former students will be transferring to Northeastern University in Boston, MA, in the Fall, and another student will be studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Congratulations for their successes!