Chronicle of Days Past

Using meet-up, I'd discovered an improv night downtown Tuesday.  I was nervous, given the no-show last time, especially since this time I'd have to pay for parking.  Fortunately, the place was right next to the downtown library, so I figured at least I'd get to visit that.

After an enjoyable time searching out the obscurer books on my list within the stories of stacks, I made it across the street to the cafe only a few minutes late.  I've been to this location before when it was an art gallery (and possibly when it was a different art gallery before that.)  This is the first time I've been to its new vocation, yet likely the last, as I heard it's closing at the end of the month.

Anyway, improv night was a lot of fun, if tiring (standing and all.)  I look forward to it again, but I was glad when it ended, especially as the world started occasionally flashing blue-white with lightning after I passed Milktown.  It was odd, because besides those brief light-floods, it didn't look or feel like rain.  It only even thundered sometimes.  Maybe it's just been awhile since I've seen lightning, especially while being out.  The flashes increased ominously as I got closer to home, but I managed to get inside before the actual rain.

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: "The V.I.P.s" on TCM

( TV )

My parents are on vacation, so it was just my my sister and me today.  She picked up Cracker Barrel and we made brownies.  I finally went to the library to check out books again!  It's been over a year and even longer since I did so at my local library.  I had a lot of fond memories browsing the kids' books, recognizing books I read back in high and middle school.  It didn't take too long to find a lot of great books (all on my list, I think.)

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Music: "Attack of the Clones" Rifftrax

So Wednesday I had my post-test with my other student (the quiet one.)  It'd been awhile since I'd seen him, but I still think he's really improved and I hope it showed on his post-test.  His family actually gave me a gift (some stuff from Bath and Bodyworks)!  I got a gift from a SAT student once, but never one of my elementary students.  I haven't heard back about either of my students' post-tests, so I hope no news is good news.

Thursday/Friday I almost gave my family heart attacks when my phone's SIM card somehow got out of joint so it started sending calls straight to voicemail.  It's done this occasionally before but usually it at least makes some sort of noise to let me know.  I noticed Friday and got the texts/voicemails from my worried family who had been unable to contact me.

Friday evening I had planned to go to a meet-up for science fiction/fantasy fans at Panera.  Unfortunately, it was at seven, and delaying my usual dinner time that long gave me or increased a horrible headache.  On my way there I got a text from my roommate/landlord asking if I was home.  I could barely read it in the bright light of sunset (not to mention the distraction of, y'know, driving) but I managed to answer her.

While I enjoyed my dinner at Panera, if anybody from the group showed up they didn't manage to connect; nobody was in the reserved room or gathered in groups greater than four, so I'm not sure what happened.  When I got home my other roommate, the one who moved in January, who I share a bathroom with and who's barely around, had just about finished moving out.  Seriously, this is the kind of thing I like knowing about ahead of time.

Current Mood: relaxed
Current Music: "Avatar: the Last Airbender" on DVD

I meant to post last weekend, but I kept being tired and I also forgot what I wanted to post about.  But now I remember!  Friday I had my post-test with one of my students.  It was the...nonattentive one, and so was, frankly, an ordeal I'd not care to repeat anytime soon.

Afterwards, after debate, I decided to treat myself to Panera for dinner.  I felt a bit better upon learning I had a free drink on my Panera card (it helped that I was really thirsty.)  I got a strawberry smoothie that was gone before I got home.

On the entertainment front, I've continued playing Mass Effect 3 (until the endgame); I might return to my Mass Effect 2 games at some point for variety.  Yesterday I started rewatching Avatar:  the Last Airbender, which is something I've been meaning to do for awhile.  I'm also almost ready to go back to the library to check out a bunch of books.

Today I had an interview for a possible proofreading job.  I think it went well.  Hopefully I'll find out soon! 

Current Mood: hopeful
Current Music: "Avatar: the Last Airbender" on DVD

Having Legend of Korra new episodes on at 11am on Saturdays reminds me of when I used to anticipate Saturday morning cartoons (y'know, back in high school.)  Last Airbender was on Friday nights when I first started watching it, back in college, with new episodes of Danny Phantom afterwards.  That was nice.

Yesterday, for unknown reasons, the internet was down most of the day.  It's been awhile since that's happened (for so long.)  I was at least happy to discover, as I'd been wondering, that Mass Effect 3 does not require an internet connection to play.

It's also been nice weather the past couple days, as in actually cool enough to wear pants (if not long sleeves.)  It'll probably be my last chance in awhile!  Yesterday I took a quick walk around the neighborhood and enjoyed the wind and greeting of somebody's escaped little dog.  The nearby lake was a beautiful blue, though the water's now low enough that I could walk around the fence there (leaving us completely vulnerable to zombies on that flank.)

Current Mood: geeky
Current Music: "Futurama" on DVD

Not much else of interest happened this week, although I did finally manage to meet with runescarlet for a quick lunch (after about four reschedulings!)  It was a good conversation, though quick; I wish we could get together longer.  I also got an oil change (well, Bianca did) and visited my sister's to clean and pet the cat-nephew. 

I knew around Friday I was nearing the end of Mass Effect 3, and boy was I nervous.  It wasn't the good kind of nervous when you're excited and wondering about all the directions and possibilities a plot will take; it wasn't even the tense kind of nervous when things are coming down to the wire in a thriller and you're wondering if the good guys are going to make it.  It was the kind of nervous where you're deeply afraid the creators are going to screw things up.

( Finishing Mass Effect 3 )

I worried the ending would cast too much of a pall over what, as I said, had been a great game, but now I think I'll be able to play through to the endgame and there I'll leave things until we see what the DLC brings.  It helps that today cheered me up somewhat, with finally getting to watch some Legend of Korra with my dad and the latest Community with both my parents. 

Current Mood: disappointed
Current Music: "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)"--Hercules soundtrack

I've been getting the urge to wish I could make a song mash-up again:  Train's "Drive By" and Paula Abdul's "Straight Up."  Heck, there might already be one.

I spent an enjoyable weekend Mass Effect 3ing and watching Return of the King (wow, I love that movie) and yesterday, the Titanic Rifftrax.  Today, without tutoring, I had a quiet day visiting the doctor and going shopping.

Until my mother called.  We'd learned my cousin (once removed), pregnant with twins, had been in the hospital on bed rest.  She was due in July, but apparently they arrived early!  So she picked me up and we went to visit.

It's not far to the hospital, which is actually the same hospital where I was born, though not the same building.  I think the place I was born is now part of the cancer wing.  Now there's a five-year-old baby hospital.  It was a lovely building and it was great to see the family; it's been a long time since I've seen these cousins.  My cousin seemed pretty good and we saw pictures of the babies.

It's so weird.  It's just been a month since these boys' great-grandfather died.  This is the first of my cousins (once removed) to have children, and they're right down in that hospital near downtown, a place I've passed a hundred times.

Current Mood: surprised
Current Music: "Fringe" on DVD

Well, I'm in a pretty good mood!  Such a good mood, in fact, that I'm starting to mentally hunch worrying what will go wrong soon.  But in the meantime, there's a lot to enjoy.

First, after having tutoring every day this week, I don't have tutoring for the next couple weeks.  I'm almost done with these kids, so after much hectic scheduling, I have hopes I might actually finish tutoring for both of them now.  I've also gotten surveys back from them, both of them positive.  The one for my quiet student (not the hassle) was positively glowing (and his reading has improved a lot!)  It's a nice change from those old depressing docent tour surveys back at the history center.

It wasn't until yesterday I got around to playing Mass Effect 3 (since loading it took most of Wednesday night.)  Thus I haven't gotten far, though of course I'm enjoying it.  I'm looking forward to playing all my variety of characters in this game and starting new characters to take through the trilogy once I know all the effects.  But right now I'm mostly excited about getting to play for the first time.

Speaking of Easter gifts, today I finally got around to starting to watch my season 3 of Fringe, which reminded me of how much I love this season (and how much this season, while not bad, just doesn't compare.)

I plan to watch Return of the King tomorrow (I've been doing a LOTR EE rewatch, as it seemed time.  I have the feeling it's about time I should rewatch the commentaries sometime too.)  So yeah.  There's new Avatar on TV and Easter candy and things just seem good. 

Current Mood: nervous
Current Music: "At Wit's End"--At World's End soundtrack

There's a been a lovely full moon the last couple nights.  Last-minute Friday I had more tutoring (can't say I mind.  I yet hope to have both of these students finish their tutoring hours, despite all the obstacles!)

Friday night, much to my surprise, my roommate/landlord invited me downstairs to the Christian-interpreted Passover celebration she was having.  I've heard of these before and they've sounded interesting.  And it was!  (Though I normally never eat parsley or horseradish.  I actually enjoy matzah, however, despite always feeling a bit weird eating it since, naturally, we used it for Lord's Supper in my church.)  And it was nice to chat with everybody afterwards.

( New Avatar! )

I had a relaxing Saturday.  Prince of Egypt was actually on TV, so I didn't have to watch my VHS.  I managed to get about six hours of sleep, I think.

( Sunrise )

To my surprise, the service had finished at 7:45 am.  I bypassed the lovely-looking refreshments to head to Perkins for a Sunday school breakfast.  We were seated next to a big Chinese family with some cute kids.  After much deliberation, I got pancakes and Kielbasa sausage again.

We finished about nine; I was still astonished how early it was.  Most of the Sunday school class (well, the five of us who went to breakfast) were going back to our church's service, but I headed to my parents'.  I had time to stop home and drop off books at the library (bin, since it was closed, of course!)

I again skipped the food (doughnuts) outside, since I was now full (can you tell both churches are Baptist?)  There was some lovely music and the sermon was good, but I still much prefer the music at my church, I have to say (we also had a cute baby behind us!)  We headed home and  just had time to open our gifts. 

( Gifts )

Afterwards we headed over to the fake family's.  Once there, we quickly had ham, beans, corn casserole, and bread.  For dessert there was rhubarb/strawberry pie and delicious, delicious brownies (which I made a la mode.)  After the usual chatting and discussion, we headed home and watched more Too Cute and some Community.

It was a long and tiring day, but full of beauty and wonderful people.  Now onto the week ahead.

Current Mood: happy
Current Music: "Smash" on NBC

After being busy with work and tutoring the previous days, Wednesday was my day off to get other stuff done.  After a doctor's appointment, I headed way out to drop off my monthly paperwork for tutoring, naturally stopping by the nearby library as usual.

( Malling )

I'd also been needing to go to Aldi, and thanks again to Googlemaps discovered one near enough to the mall.  I haven't been to this one before, and it looked pretty new, right next to a still-building subdivision.  It was also on a bit of a hill, which is novel enough.  I got a bunch of food and I still forgot a few things.

( Geek Opinion )

I liked the books I got at the library so much I stayed up too late reading them, making me more tired than needed today (though I did take another short nap again yesterday.  No naps today, and I can sleep in tomorrow; hopefully that'll break the nap tyranny.)  So I stopped at a library again today.

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: "Up All Night" on NBC