Insomnia: The Gift That Keeps On Giving

At least with this round of sleeplessness, I got something done: I finally replied to the backlog of emails that have piled up in the last few months. Again, for any of you that 1) I just got around to replying to and 2) actually read my blog, I'm sorry. I used to be good about replying. Then law school started and my response time has gone to crap.

Anyway, there isn't really anything to report. I hope that you all had a lovely turkey day. We hosted a small soiree. Good company, tasty holiday food and plenty of wine. One of our guest brought some excellent mulled wine, even. It was a good time. Oh, and I brined a turkey for the first time and I highly recommend it to anyone with a bucket big enough and some time to spare. Best turkey I've ever made.

Ok, perhaps I can get some sleep now that I've emailed everyone and alleviated my conscience...just a bit.

I Miss My Dad

For those of you that don't know, my father died in February. It was the first family death of my adult life and the first 'viewing' I'd ever attended. He died rather suddenly, mostly thanks to half a century worth of smoky treats. I have never really talked much with folks outside of my immediate family about it. It was ugly business, probably of the ugliest sort, and I generally keep it close and quiet. All the same, I just wanted to put it out there tonight that I miss him. I seem to go a few weeks without thinking about it, then have a bad night.

What's most frustrating is the most banal absences. For example, I walked home and noticed the brick work on a particular house and got to thinking about the summer I worked with him in Torrance when we built a three-foot retaining wall when I was 15. Even though he was suffering from emphysema even then, he could work circles around me. Everything was manual and I couldn't mix the mortar fast enough for him. If I had been able to keep up, I might have had enough extra time to learn more about laying brick. Though I may never have a need to lay bricks in my life, I'd have given damn near anything to call him tonight and ask about that summer. About laying brick, setting a level line and all that jazz. Retarded, eh? Retarded but true.

Brooke's dad says that the first year after a parent's death is the worst and I can only hope that's the case. Because this really sucks.

Who Would Have Thought?

I write about all sorts of silliness and the crickets chirp nonstop. I scribble a little rant about crappy North End pastry shops and the flood gates of commentary open wide. Never underestimate the power of sweets, I guess.

In non-pastry related news, I might be in a bit of trouble with the Dean of Students at my school. I've been trying to get a feel, as the SBA section rep, for what issues are pressing in the minds of my constituents. I sent out a short survey asking what people are concerned about and listing two issues that have been bothering me about our school: 1) security (several folks have had laptops and books stolen out of their lockers in the last few months) and 2) the cafeteria (specifically the food, service and food service). My email surveys go out to everyone in my section, along with the Dean and a few other administrative folks. Today, the Dean emailed me asking me to set up an appointment to see her regarding the 'issues raised' in my email. Call me old-fashioned but being called into the Dean's office is never a good thing, right? I'll be confirming or denying that one tomorrow at 3:30.

Admittedly, I was probably a bit to glib with my descriptions of the issues. I believe I made reference to our security staff 'text messaging and chewing pens' as any and all breezed by the entrance. Oh, and I might have made a few remarks regarding the cafeteria staff 'phoning it in with a smile' during the lunch rush...and the food being somewhere between prison and high school in quality. In my defense, my comments were neither funny nor completely untrue. And I'm nearly positive that there are things that we as students can do to affect change on both fronts. Hopefully, the Dean will see my good intentions and spare my head...

I'm pretty sure that I'm going to get a bit of a repremand, though. I'll probably be told that the security issue is 'being handled' and that the food service is provided via contract through the University, not the Law School, and any changes we'd like to see can only be initiated via the 'Comment Cards' that SoDexHo makes available to all patrons. In truth, there are a lot worse reasons to be called into the Dean's office and, if I am in trouble, at least it's for raising issues that are relevant, valid and worthwhile. It's not like I'm advocating eating babies or anything.

Never Again

Man, I'll tell you one thing that I've discovered with this recent deluge of visitors: The two famous pastry shops (Mike's and Modern) in the North End S-U-C-K. I've had both of their eclairs and, truth be told, I could build a pretty nice house out of them if I'd had a little mortar. Brick-like pastry with whipped cream cheese centers. Eclairs are meant to be light, fluffy and rich as hell. These just had the latter down pat. And tonight I had a tirimisu from Mike's...holy shit, it was 90% coffee. The bread (they weren't lady fingers but some crappy sheet cake) was soaked like a dish-sponge with crap coffee (or the wateriest espresso ever brewed) and the marscapone was whipped up like Cool-Whip and flavorless. Have we completely lost our sense of taste in this country? I'm not even a food-snob and it was awful. If you're ever in Boston, do yourself a favor and stick with the seafood. Or come to our place for some closer-to-the-mark desserts. Mine aren't the best in the world but at least they're not cut with axle grease.

S.

Who Still Writes Checks??

I'm a little frustrated this morning by the Health Services Dept. here at my school. Per Massachusetts legislation, all university students are required to be immunized for Hep B. I was aware of this before we started school but pretty much blew it off until last week when I received an email stating that my registration was 'on hold' until I started the series of shots. (Everyone else in my class that I've spoken with about it got the same email so I'm happy to know that I'm not the only one that made this the lowest of priorities.)

I finally made some time to go in to Health Services to get the first shot this morning and I'll be damned if they only accept cash or checks. Checks?? What are these "checks" you speak of? Hell, I'm part of the last generation that will know what the f*ck you're talking about if you refer to a 'bank teller' or a 'pass book'. I don't write checks any more. Why the hell would I? We have online bill paying. We roll with debit cards and credit cards. Within a decade, we'll all have RFID implants in our wrists that contain our account information so I won't even need a wallet soon. (And for those of you that fear that such technology is the harbinger of the End Times, I submit to you that there have been wacky End Times nuts since BEFORE J.C. and they've all been wrong as hell...what makes you think you're any less wacky than they were?). Checks are obsolete...they might as well ask me for a letter of credit from my feudal lord, sealed in wax imprinted with his ducal signate. Argh.

Ok, I'll stop ranting. Aside from that, school and life is good. Finals are a month away and the reading load has pretty much doubled in the last few weeks. So much for weekends off. Brooke is doing well, as best I can tell from our 1 hour of quality time a night. Oh, and I'm a real bastard for not getting my thank you notes out sooner for my birthday presents. I'm working on it...soon.

S.