Bitchin' and Moanin'

I know BuffState is, well, a state school, but it's week number two of the semester and I had to deal with two broken printers and three out-of-order copy machines in the library today.

I know BSC's students don't pay private school tuition or anything, but SOME of the money we pay goes towards general up-keep and what-not ...right? Because I know it doesn't go toward clearing the sidewalks of ice and snow in a semi-quick manner.

And because you have to swipe your student ID to print (and because they DON'T PUT A SIGN ON THE BROKEN PRINTER), I was charged twice for printing something that was never printed. And then I had to pay again to actually print it.

Then when I tried to copy my papers... well you get it.

So much for making things easier for your students, SUNY College at Buffalo.

Thanks. You're doing a great job.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6

13 States, 1 Province.

Man, I miss taking vacations. Or trips. Or just weekend get-a-ways.

I would have to say my favorite spot for getting away is Toronto. And Rochester. And Pittsburgh.
That's if I'm choosing places that have no family members living in them.
Although if I looked out the window and then was asked to pick a city to get away to, I would probably pick Siesta Key, FL.

In all honesty I really have not been many places in my life. I've lived in and around Western New York all of my life. Went to school in Rochester and lived there for a total of six years or so. That's technically WNY, right? I've visited Orlando and St. Petersburg and Fort Myers and Tampa and Sarasota in Florida. I've never been to NYC, but I've been to Toronto and Pittsburgh, which are pretty large cities. As is Washington DC & Baltimore.  I love that area.  I'd really love to go back there. I went to a music festival in Illinois called Cornerstone, but I really have no idea which part of the state it was in. Saratoga Springs, NY is a pretty amazing place to visit. I have a feeling it is quite pricey to live though.

I've driven through a lot of places. And I've camped in the wilderness.

Needless to say, I have not been on a trip-- even just for the day-- in quite a while.  Being out of work for over six months will do that to you.
It would be cool to go somewhere new on my next trip, but visiting a place I've been before is easier. There isn't a learning curve. I know where the cool coffee joints are and the cheap pubs and the great people watching is. I don't have to look for the markets and the record stores and the book shops on a map or anything, I just jump on the train or subway or rickshaw and I'm there.

I'm trying to think... How many states and provinces and countries have I been in or through?

New York
Pennsylvania
Ohio
Virginia
West Virginia
Maryland
South Carolina
North Carolina
Georgia
Florida
Tennessee (I think?)
Illinois
Indiana
Ontario

Do you have me beat?
Where's the next great place I should visit (in North America) if I had the chance?

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6

I Start on Monday.

My apologies to all of my hundreds of thousands of readers who have been waiting for a chazblog post since Wednesday, but the past couple days has been pretty insane. And by insane I mean busy.

Let's start out by saying that I have not been called in to work ALL WEEK. It is frustrating to say the least. Unlike some people, I actually have to work for a living. I need to work. Not so I can buy the latest issue of Tiger Beat or a new weekend fedora but to pay bills. Being unemployed and relying on Unemployment Insurance and a we'll-call-you-when-we-feel-like-it job just is not cutting it. What happened to the people I interviewed with three weeks ago?? They said they would be back in contact with me the following week. THE FOLLOWING WEEK WAS TWO WEEKS AGO. I am worthless. I am not as great as I think. I need to stop thinking so glass-is-half-full all the time and start lowering my standards. I applied at Tops Friendly Markets and Wegmans and-- ugh!-- Starbucks. Even though I have a Master's Degree.

But then I came home Wednesday evening and there was a message on the machine:

"Hi Charles, this is so-and-so from NCCC. We have a job that starts next week that we'd like to offer you. If you're interested, please call me back at--"

Wait, did I hear that right? A what? A jobby-job? For me? Starting next week?
YES
YES
YES
!!!!!!

I called her right back even though it was after six-thirty in the evening. I left her a message that, yes, I was very much interested and if needed I would produce her a male heir and that she could call me back any time to go over the details.
The crazy thing is that she called me back five minutes later. We agreed to meet at the school on Friday.

So Thursday I decided to get my car inspected. The Blue Lady (my car) has always given me problems. She is temperamental and moody and I was just so nervous about getting her inspected. I knew she probably needed new breaks. And last night when I used my wipers (while parked) the driver's side wiper had flown off. And there was a rubbing sound when I turn right sometimes if I had my foot on the gas... in other words there were all kinds of problems. I took her in, gave the keys to the counter service boy, and sat and read a book, trying not to think about my car. Every time I am in a mechanic's waiting room all I can think of is the infamous quote from one of my college roommates:

If it's my ass or my car, just knock me out, fix it, and don't tell me what you did.

The kid came back a half hour later and informed me I just needed new wipers. What?? That's it??
SWEET.

I hurried out of there as soon as possible just in case they realized they forgot to check something.

I rested up Thursday night so I was ready for my Friday morning meeting with MY NEW BOSS.

I was so paranoid on my way to the meeting. Was that a rattling I heard? Did the mechanic forget to tighten something down after my inspection? Were my breaks slipping a bit? Maybe I really did need new breaks. What if they just GAVE OUT on my way to my meeting. I knew for a fact I didn't pass any tractor trailer run-offs between my apartment and the school. What was my best option (and safest. For me) if my breaks just stopped working? I decided to stay an even safer distance from the car in front of me. But WHY IS THIS GUY DRIVING SO SLOW? THE SPEED LIMIT IS SIXTY-FIVE FOR CHRISSAKES GET INTO THE RIGHT LANE IF YOU'RE GOING TO GO SO SLOW.

Needless to say, I got to my appointment in one piece. I was actually early (no surprise if you know me).
The class I will be teaching runs through March, at which point there should be at least one other class for me to start teaching. I will be teaching adult learners, which is the same type of students that I had at my last job. The job that I loved. The job that was ripped out of my hands at the beginning of last summer.
Enough about that job. I HAVE A NEW JOB!


I start on Monday.

Technologyless

What would you do if all technology just stopped working?

I know I would need to find a new way to wake up in time for work.

I guess first things first is we should define "technology." In my opinion technology is anything that runs on electricity or a battery or an engine. So what are you left with?

No phones.
No televisions.
No lights.
No cars.
No clocks.
No mp3 players.

It's a good thing there wouldn't be any automobiles because the traffic lights would be out of order. The only way to travel would be on foot or on bicycle. The only way we would have to communicate with each other is face to face. Or passing notes.
How would we tell time?

Would life as we know it fall apart? Would the crime rates go up? Or would we go back to the "olden days"? Would we be a closer-knit society?

Could the shops in the Elmwood Village stay open? The coffee shops would need to find a new (or old!) way to make coffee. The hairdressers & barbers would need to cut (no pun intended!) some of what they offer. No more perms. No more blow drying. The dry cleaners would have to close up all together, yes?

Think of your daily schedule. How often do you use something that runs on a battery, on electricity, or a motor?

I think I would need to invest in a rooster. Or three.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6

Kids Today

I hate to be a crotchety old man at the age of 34, but kids today are ridiculous.

I know I nay be a little older than your average state college student, but I'm not so out of touch that I don't "get it." I may be losing my hair, but I'm not losing my mind. If you want to slouch your pants and show what kind of boxers you're wearing, fine. If you want to wear your baseball cap on backwards or sideways, more power to you. I won't make any comments about how you look uneducated and immature. Neither of those fashion statements don't directly effect me.

But when you sit next to me IN A COLLEGE CLASSROOM and complain in a non-whisper to the kid sitting on the other side of you about who the hell knows what, then we're getting into actions that effect me. Directly.

Maybe you're at school on your parents' dime, but I'm not. I'm in class because I want to, not because I have to. If you don't want to be in class, go outside. Go home. Go away.

Here's another thing: when did teachers start handing out study guides For midterms and exams? I've had two classes this week and in both at least one student asked if there would be study guides available for the tests. REALLY?

Okay. End of rant.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6

Music Equals Blah

Today was cold. Very cold. I know some people here in Buffalo thrive on the cold & snow and sometimes use the "it was WAY colder when I was in undergrad" argument to explain that it's not as cold as the thermometer tells us, but if it's under sixty degrees, then that's cold in my book.

If the below freezing temperatures and snow covered sidewalks weren't enough, a set of songs from my iPod came on, which made my mood exponentially worse.
As everyone who has ever lived a semi-interesting life knows, music gives us certain memories when we hear them and these three songs in particular reminded me quite a bit of summer, the beach, and a much warmer time.

I just wanted to drive and drive until I hit the southern coast or the sun or a beach. My heart was breaking for white sand instead of dirty white snow. But I can't just leave. I have roots here now. Or obligations to say the least. The days of driving & driving until I run out of gas are over. I'm a grown-up now. How ironic that I figured this out while listening to songs from my youth.

I am so over winter. The four seasons are over rated.





For those interested, the three songs that prompted this post are:

"All Summer" by Kid Cudi
"The First Day of Spring" by The Gandharvas
"Ocean Breathes Salty" by Sun Kil Moon

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6

Entry Twenty

I was thinking all day about what my entry 20 post would be about. It's twenty, so it should be a big deal, right? A milestone of some kind?

Nah.

If 20 was a big deal, we'd be able to drink when we were that age.
Not that I'm saying Entry Twenty One will be a bigger deal.

I spent most of today at a family gathering. A holiday dessert party. In other words I spent most of today hearing about aches and pains, the best place to store your parent or grandparent, and which friends and family members have died or are on Death's Door.

Good times.

And there were a boat load of desserts. Cakes, pies, jello molds, cookies, cupcakes, strudels, etc.
The last thing ANYONE in our family needs is more dessert, but "it's the holidays!"

Wait, what?

It's almost February. "The Holidays" are over. The rule should be: A week after New Year's Day the terms "Happy Holidays," "Happy New Years," and "the holidays" should NOT be permitted. No exceptions.

Am I right?

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5