How stupid could I be, a simpleton could see...

At the moment, I’m on my way to Atlanta. More precisely, I’m flying from Charlotte to Atlanta on a rather small plane. I wouldn’t call it a “crop-duster”, as there are 4 seats per row, and there are no prop engines... but the seats are close enough together that my knees are in the back of the seat in front of me without that seat being reclined.

The interesting part of this, is that I should already be in Atlanta. But, earlier, I missed my connecting flight in Charlotte, and consequently got to spend a little more time in North Carolina.

All of which I blame on the fact that the Charlotte airport has a very nice, mall-like (to borrow a description from Heidi) "terminal" between it’s various gate concourses, non of which had a clock that I saw. The other contributing factor was that I was compelled to eat whilst there, and stupidly ate far away from my connecting flight’s gate.

So by the time I’d eaten quickly and gotten back to the gate, it was 5 minutes before my flight was to departure (which was 10 minutes earlier than I thought it was leaving), and the flight had already closed. Interestingly, the gate agent was nowhere to be seen, but even worse was that the plane was still there: I just didn’t have a way to get on it.

So, now I’m in the air, instead of on the ground. Added to this is the fact that for the second trip in a row, I managed to bring my music player (last time discman and CDs, this time my iPod) but left my headphones behind.

It’s lucky that what I’m headed to Atlanta for isn’t until tomorrow…

And just to be completely random, there is an interesting quirk to my reading Dracula. As I pretty much now the general idea of the story, I’m at a huge advantage to those who don’t/didn’t upon reading it—like when it first came out. The uncertainty of the culprit of what is going on, and the signs Stoker leaves in the book, are mostly lost on me for I feel I already know their cause. The book is still good, particularly the way it depicts science. Also interesting is the fact that the garlic in the book is the flower… not the clove.

Well, I must jet, as the jet I’m on is landing so I must turn off the laptop. Hasta…


How stupid could I be
A simpleton could see
That you’re not good for me
But you’re the only one I see…

I'm as corny as Kansas in August

Last night, as I went to bed, I committed myself to waking up this morning and swimming--if I hadn’t of made that commitment last night, I would’ve talked myself out of going in the morning.

To enable the early morning wake up (4:30), I attempt to get to bed early, not succeeding too well—10:50. Then, some time later, I wake up, and swear it’s time to get up. But I’m so tired, that I want to go back to sleep. So I sit on the edge of my bed for about 2 minutes, trying to convince myself I need to get off the bed. Then, I check the clock again. It was 1:30; I still had 3 hours to sleep! So I went back to bed :)

I did get up and swim, go to work, swim again, dodging some visiting synchronized swimmers, and came home to watch Alias (after a brief chat with KC--I hope wts went well). And then after watching Sydney, I was flipping through, and Reba was doing South Pacific on PBS! (with Alec Baldwin and some others).

So I’m chilling watching Reba singing about washing a man out of her hair (eventhough Jarret thinks it’s lame), relishing the fact that I won the battle with my bed this morning... and that I’ll get to sleep in tomorrow.


I'm as corny as Kansas in August
I'm as normal as blueberry pie

Time, here, all but means nothing, just shadows that move cross the wall

Well, it is Earth Day, and in honor of that, I spent most of today inside! Doing work, but hey, it happens.

Anyways, so to reflect on the week...

There are between 500-600 collegiate aquatics programs in the United States and Canada--which the U.S. State Department apparently would like to have even more foreign athletes involved in (not to be xenophobic, but don't they realize/know those foreign athletes already are taking away spots for U.S. athletes to an alarming extent?). Having foreign students in U.S. universities is fine and good et al, but um... there are others issue to think about (non of which are really the State Department's area of concern, but I think/am concerned about 'em).


<--Florida bad driver
(with dashboard of much cooler/better driver's car in the foreground)

(Just in case you can't tell: the light is red, the car in stopped perpendicular to traffic, blocking the 2 lanes that go straight through the light, AND there aren't any cars in front of the idiot. And just to report, it was a female driver. To make it even better, there are 2 turn lanes here, and she proceeded to block traffic further until she got into the farther of the 2; apparently the first turn lane just wouldn't do. Never mind that she could've gone through the parking lot she came out of to the road she wanted to get to and done a u-turn into the direction she wanted faster than it took her to block traffic here.)

-online registration started for this summer's Masters Worlds at Stanford

and (last, but not least)

-Gatorade bottles are apparently phallic.


And now, I'm off... must get some rest before tomorrow swim meet in Miami (frustratingly all sprints, but, hey, what can ya do?).


...I need just a little more time
You send your thieves to me
Silently stalking me
Dragging me into your war

But I've drawn the conclusion, it's all an illusion

Things here have been rather busy. My meeting in San Antonio last weekend went well, even got to visit with my mom and step-dad. AND, I got to make them watch Crash, which they apparently really liked, because my mom watched it a second time last weekend. As she hardly ever makes active effort to watch a specific movie, this was an unheard of event--usually she passively selects what's on TV.

As for the week, nothing exciting to report, although the office closed at 1 p.m. today (for Good Friday), so I've cleared a little more free time. Doesn't make up for the fact that I'm missing Fiesta, which begins next week, but it does help that I've already done my taxes and gotten my return back before Monday's deadline...


The only other thing of note is that recently (post-Wilma and post-a r.v. parking on some train tracks and later getting hit) "warning" lights have been installed on one of the train tracks that I cross getting into work.

The irony of it is 2-fold:

1. People are used to seeing the railroad trax warning lights--which look EXACTLY like the railroad crossing lights except the lights are yellow instead of red--and consequently I see people stop at the fairly frequently.

2. The warning lights are actually blocking the sign that says to not stop on the tracks...

It just seems kinda pointless in some respects (like airport security).


But I've drawn a conclusion, it's all an illusion
Confusion's the name of the game
A misconception, a mass deception
Somethin's gotta change

Don't be offend this is all my opinion
Ain't nothin' that I'm sayin's law
This is a true confession of a life-learned lesson
I was sent here to share wit y'all

Have a good Friday.

Bobbing along, singing a song, on the bottom of the beautiful briny sea…

I know: long time, no blog. Just didn’t have any information to share, really, until 4-11, I guess. Actually, mostly that I didn’t have a ton of time, nor a means to get things written/posted. But I’m starting a new system, so hopefully it work. Actually, it’s all because The Historian was taking up all my time, and it forced me to read Dracula now…

Anyways, at the moment I’m veggin’ at home, and I had been thinking about going to bed until I found Bedknobs and Broomsticks on t.v. One of probably the “lesser” Disney movies, it is one of my faves… actually it’s a tad strange: I own the movie, which I’ve not watched in ages, yet now that it’s on t.v. I am compelled to watch and stay awake. Oh, well… not the first time it’s happened (The Negotiator comes to mind of late, although I finally did watch that on VHS, just because I kept missing the beginning of the thing and I wondered what happened).

Well, I will let you go now: the people are just arriving on Naboombu, which is one of my favorite parts…

Oh, on another topic, tonight was “stroke” night at practice—it made me miss rowing stroke... should get a'rowin'.

By the way, what kind of name is "Eglantine"?


Portobello Road, Portobello Road
Street where the riches of ages are sold
Anything and everything a chap can unload
Are sold off the carts in Portabello Road

[don't be fooled by the crafty time below. true this was written on 4/11 and rather late in the evening at that, but it wasn't really posted until 4/17 cause I didn't get around to puttin it up until then.]

Time... is on my side, yes it is

Well, daylight savings has once again come and gone, and actually, I really couldn't tell.

Actually, the fact that I woke up in Seattle--still pretending to be on Pacific Time as my body hadn't adjusted from Eastern Time, yet--and was on a plane from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., made it kinda disappear altogether. That, and the fact there was a monstrous line at check-in and security in Seattle, so by the time I got to the gate 1/2 the plane had boarded.

And then on the over-booked plane, the person seated next to me--who somehow got on early, despite the nasty announcement they made not to do so--thought for some reason she could sit in my seat, at least until I got there. Then 2 movies (Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and The Family Stone), several reruns of sit-coms I don't tend to watch, anyways, (read, 5 hours) and having my knees wedged into the back of reclined seat in front of me (non-tall people just don't get the rudeness of that), I landed in Newark, with a 30-minute lay-over.

Luckily, my arrival and departure gates were like 3 apart and close enough to food that I was able to get a slice a pizza. Then I get on the second flight, and the person in the seat in front of me was in my seat (Isn't this 14F? Um, no the exit row is 15 and don't you think I'm gonna spend another flight with my knees wedge into someone else's back). But, as with the first flight, the gentle moved amicably to his correct seat, and my legs were actually able to move for the second flight.

Overall, really, it wasn't too bad, except that I didn't get to stop off in Austin for Richard's belated birthday party (sorry guys), and I didn't get any Tex-Mex. The latter, however, will change this weekend when I head to San Antonio for another meeting (regretfully not the former tho).

Oh, and most important, a friend of my let me know that on Wednesday at just before one-thirty in the morning, it will be 1:23 4/5/06. I'll have to figure out if I'll dare wake up for that... (thanks, DBB, tho.)


Now you always say
That you want to be free
But you'll come running back (said you would baby)
You'll come running back (I said so many times before)
You'll come running back to me

[don't it remind you of Fallen?]