Olympic Seasons

I wonder if it's weird for southern hemisphere dwellers to have the Summer Olympics in the winter, and the Winter Olympics in the summer?

Morning

I got up earlier this morning to go to the bathroom, and was greeted by the familiar sound of the garbage truck. Looking up at the sleepy pink-blue sky, I was reminded of 8-count Crayola magic markers and those yellow wooden pencils that needed to be manually sharpened. I saw myself walking to the bus stop with my mother, doggedly reciting my multiplication table: "four times three is twelve. Four times four is sixteen." (And, as dogged as I was, I soon was able to do my math homework with ease--a first and only for me. Mother knows best.)

Today is the first day of school at both LSU and Longwood, and I am not among the crowds of rushed college students running to my first class, dragging on my left shoulder an overstuffed messenger bag. Instead, I sit here in my pajamas writing this blog entry. Yet, despite all the nostalgia of the morning, despite the reverie, something feels strangely calm and right about this situation.

Sheets

I really like fitted and flat sheets for twin beds because it's really easy to tell which side is the long side, and which side is the short side.

"...they called me McPain"

One of the funniest celebrity sketches I've seen on Late Night with Conan O'Brien:

The key to my heart

Not only does Jorge Cham understand my struggles as a grad student, but he somehow sees into my innermost secrets...or at least into my juvenile love for potty humor. Little known fact about me: the word "feces," spoken or in print, will always make me giggle--in fact, I'm chuckling to myself as I re-read this blog entry. One time, while I was working with Dr. G, I came across Italian word "fece" (as in, singular form? hee!) and almost lost it right then and there like the four-year-old I can often be. It's become a pretty big joke between John and myself. For some reason, I find the word hilarious looking on the page and random sounding when uttered. Plus, there's the whole meaning behind it. I don't know what I'll do when I reach my middle-aged years and find the word mentioned with greater frequency at the doctor's office. And so I present to you the latest PhD comic:

(click for full size)

Happy August, everyone!