Nate's ridiculously cute new puppy

poem for the day

On Turning Ten

The whole idea of it makes me feel like I'm coming down with something, something worse than any stomach ache or the headaches I get from reading in bad light-- a kind of measles of the spirit, a mumps of the psyche, a disfiguring chicken pox of the soul. You tell me it is too early to be looking back, but that is because you have forgotten the perfect simplicity of being one and the beautiful complexity introduced by two. But I can lie on my bed and remember every digit. At four I was an Arabian wizard. I could make myself invisible by drinking a glass of milk a certain way. At seven I was a soldier, at nine a prince. But now I am mostly at the window watching the late afternoon light. Back then it never fell so solemnly against the side of my tree house, and my bicycle never leaned against the garage as it does today, all the dark blue speed drained out of it. This is the beginning of sadness, I say to myself, as I walk through the universe in my sneakers. It is time to say good-bye to my imaginary friends, time to turn the first big number. It seems only yesterday I used to believe there was nothing under my skin but light. If you cut me I could shine. But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life, I skin my knees. I bleed. --Billy Collins

wolves, gerbils, and tattoos

My statistics professor busted out some surprising news on us today:

HE HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR.

Yeah.

When he was at Ball State in Indiana (in the late 90's) his former roommate called him for some help. He was working for a computer company called Outpost.com, for whom he was trying to come up with some commercials to help people remember their name.

So my professor and his buddy stayed up all night thinking up stuff. You might remember these ads that they came up with.

Suddenly statistics class doesn't seem quite so dreary anymore.

overheard on my campus

guy in polo shirt:
"How's it going?!? I'll tell you how it's going... I just failed two practicals, my girlfriend broke up with me, and I lost my lucky pencil."

guy in Volcom hoodie:
"Dude. Seriously?"

guy in polo shirt:
"Yeah. Damn. I can't believe I lost my lucky pencil."

bi-polar weather

It was 65 on Tuesday.

Tomorrow it will be 85.

There is NO RAIN predicted for April.

Remember 'March winds bring April showers, which bring May flowers'?

What happened to that?