It is suck.

This weekend, Jessica and I are both on call.  In addition to the typical weekend hijinks, it is also "State Patty's Day."  A little historical context may be necessary for those who are not from the Centre region.  Three years ago, St. Patrick's Day landed smack dab in the middle of Penn State's spring break.  In order to make sure that local pubs made their money, and also to ensure an additional drunken blow-out of a weekend, students took it upon themselves to reschedule St. Patty's Day for a time when they were in town.  Thus, State Patty's Day was born.

Three reasons it is wildly unnecessary this year:

1.  St. Patrick's Day is not during spring break.

2.  St. Patrick's Day is in March, and it is still February.  If you are going to make up a holiday, at least have it in a month that kind of aligns with what you are trying to do.

3.  Students get drunk and make bad decisions every single weekend.  Why formally encourage this bad behavior?  Yes, State Patty's Day is organized by bonafide student organizations on campus.  

In typical "Kovals On-Call" style, Jess and I watched a DVD this evening.  I'm not sure what to say about Hancock.  On one hand, I appreciate that they were trying to tell a different type of superhero movie.  On the other hand, it wasn't very good.  So, B+ for effort, C- for execution.  It does make me more excited for Watchmen next weekend.  Today I ordered tickets for an IMAX showing in Pittsburgh while we are in town for spring break.  I am very excited, needless to say!  If Wil Wheaton likes it, it must be good.

Cleveland Clinton

Today, through the miracle of Facebook and the tangled web of connections that it facilitates, I found out some very sad news about a high school classmate.  My friend Cleveland Clinton passed away after some complications from a surgery.  Cleveland and I were in marching band and drum and bugle corps throughout high school, but we fell out of contact a little bit after high school, and a lot bit after college.

On the day that I met Clevelend we were in the 8th grade and performing in a musical production at the Erie Civic Center.  We attended different schools, but all of the bands in Erie were pulled together for the City of Erie's bicentennial.  The massive combined band was set up on the floor at the Civic Center, and a keen trombone player down the line mentioned that we were sitting on a block of ice the size of Cleveland.  Mr. Clinton, whom I had never met before, chimed in, "Hey . . . I'm Cleveland!"  This was just a hint at Cleveland's sense of humor.

This whole thing is particularly sad because Cleveland was finally getting his life together and doing what he loved.  As best I could tell, Cleveland did not have much of a home life during high school and seemed to really be entirely on his own.  After high school he put himself through school, got his teaching degree, and finally became a music teacher in Colorado.  Cleveland always loved music and anyone who knew him at all could describe how talented he was.  He overcame so much to make something of himself and did it essentially on his own.

I really regret not being in touch with him of late, and I will miss him.

The weekend that was

Jess and I had a pretty nice weekend. On Friday night we went with Tracy to see Milk at the State Theatre. This was an excellent movie. Sean Penn was tremendously good in it. Milk is the type of movie that I think everyone should see, kind of like Schindler's List or Saving Private Ryan. It's one of those important films that can make a difference if enough people see it. I went into it thinking it would be very good, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was amazing. And seeing a movie at the State Theatre is always a lot of fun. I didn't even get the kid snack tray, which is certainly the best deal in town (popcorn, fruit snacks, and a juice box for $2.50!).

On Saturday, Jess and I ran some errands. We bought our book club's newest read at Barnes and Noble, and picked up some essentials at Target. I also got a badly needed haircut. It had been 82 days since my previous haircut, which is approximately 30 days too long. We had Outback for supper, and watched The Wackness. I enjoyed this movie. Jess particularly enjoyed the soundtrack, as it was a flashback into the music that was popular when we were in high school. Well, popular if you were into popular music. I was too busy listening to Huey Lewis and the News and Gustav Holst.

Jess and I have started a new tradition. One of us is going to cook a new recipe for supper every weekend. We will alternate weeks, and Sunday night was my turn. I attempted to follow a recipe for chicken fried steak, which is one of my favorite foods. I give myself an A for effort, and a B- for execution. Overall it turned out pretty bland. I wasn't entirely thrilled with how the coating fried up on the steaks, but I liked the consistency of the gravy. It was all slightly bland . . . I should have seasoned the dredging flour a bit more, and jazzed up the gravy a bit. But, this is certainly something I could make again, and I think I could do a better job if I tried it again. Jess is up next weekend . . . I'm excited to see what she makes!

Milk and Cookies

My friend Rashaad and I are going to start a band. We need to learn to spin records, because that will be our art. I will wear a white suit, while he will wear a black suit. We will wear sunglasses inside, and at perhaps night.

This plan was hatched on Thursday night, and so far nothing has been done to make it more of a reality.

Scenes from the Jeff Reed Sheetz in New Alexandria

While driving to State College from Ohio last night, Jess and I stopped at the Jeff Reed Sheetz in New Alexandria, PA. While all we went in for was some Diet Dr. Pepper and a snack, we ended up having a blast.

First of all, file this under "Signs that are not that necessary."

Secondly, we spotted some Ben Roethlisberger beef jerky. I do not want to ever have anything with my face on it to be labeled "Soft and Tender."

Otherwise, this Sheetz had every novelty candy and snack item known to man. New Runts with grape-flavored candies! New Butterfinger Bars with the same amount of caffeine as energy drinks! INSANITY!

I'm on a boat!

This was a good, if low-key, weekend. There was a game night, there was a dinner club meeting, and there was plenty of sleeping. Jess and I watched the premiere episode of Dollhouse, and on the whole it was pretty decent. I'm left with questions about what else will happen, and what all of the characters are about, so that is a good sign. There was also the premiere of this season of the Amazing Race, which is great. I'm rooting for the little-people stunt men, based on episode 1.

My snoring has gotten out of control, so here is what I need to do to: lose some weight. I've emailed a friend who went to the doctor for his snoring, but I think the bottom line is that I'm too fat for sleeping. I've tried many of the sprays, nosestrips, and nose-plug like devices without any real relief, and the common denominator is me being fat. Today I had a turkey sandwich on bread without any sort of dressing for lunch, so I guess that is a good first step. I need a picture of Sean Agnew in my office for "thinspiration."

GTD

Ever have one of those days where you feel like you are getting a lot of things done and making a difference? Today has nearly, but not quite, been like that. A student thanked me for bending a flexible rule (reserving a kitchen on short notice) by bringing me homemade cookies and brownies. The co-curricular meeting I was in this morning was actually quite productive, and I've started working with my supervisor to plan something really cool for next fall. On the other hand, one of my students blew me off for an appointment (over lunch, no less), and I am blogging from work, so it is obvious I have a free minute or twelve.

Today I logged into the library's website and reserved a couple of books. I requested Junot Diaz's book of short stories, and the first two volumes of John Updike's Rabbit series. Reading all about Updike's unfortunate passing inspired me to read some of his classic novels. When I was in 12th grade, we read the short story A&P in class. It is a great story about a teenage clerk in a grocery store who sticks up for a female customer whom the manager wants to throw out of the store because she is not dressed appropriately. What I remember best about this story was that I read it out loud to the class, and it was a little bit risque so I got to ham it up a little.

A confession about my library usage: I am so terribly lazy that even if a book is sitting on the shelf in Patee or Paterno, I always ask to pick it up at the Arts and Architecture library in Stuckmann Building, even though that means I get the books 2 or 3 days later. Ha!

Possibly the saddest niche greeting cards ever

Spotted this afternoon at Target, sadly.

Chia Homer Update

I know everyone has been waiting with bated breath for an update on Chia Homer's growth.  As you can see, he's looking pretty sharp!  What I particularly like about this Chia Homer is that he seems determined not to grow hair where Actual Homer does not have hair (even though there are places to spread Chia Seeds).  It's almost uncanny!

There ain't nothing cuter than a fat country baby eating peaches on a hardwood floor

Today was a variation on our typical pattern of lazy Saturdays. I slept until approximately 11AM, then Jess and I proceeded to watch our usual lineup of home improvements shows on TLC.  I am not sure what the appeal of these shows is, considering that we do not own a home and cannot make any improvements or changes to our current apartment.  I do like thinking about being able to someday own a home and pick out hardwood flooring, though.  This evening we watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall on DVD.  Although we had seen it in the theatre, it really held up in a repeat viewing (particularly the Dracula musical part).  

Right now Jon and Kate Plus 8 is on.  This show is very conflicting for me.  On one hand, it is pretty clear to me that this family has done a good job of exploiting their situation for financial gain.  On the other hand, having a TV show so your kids can benefit is not necessarily a bad thing.  This is for certain:  Kate Gosselin is batshit crazy.  It is a miracle on par with the 1980 US Olympic hockey gold medal that Jon hasn't packed up and joined a traveling band of hobos instead of dealing with her.  Yikes.

The Deli!

Last night Jess and I went to one of our favorite local restaurants, The Deli, for dinner. Here are some reasons I love going to The Deli:

1. They have really good food. Last night I ordered a Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteak, and it was delicious!
2. Going to The Deli always reminds me of my undergraduate days, because that was the place my group of friends always ended up going for birthdays and other big events.
3. Sometimes they try to convince you that their reuben is made on pumpernickle bread with raisins in it. I have never had pumpernickle with raisins anywhere else. I have ordered reubens at The Deli approximately 800 times, and only had the raisin bread once.
4. Their drink specials are great.
5. Anytime someone visits from out of town and we take them to The Deli, they claim to enjoy it. When I tell my mom we have been there recently, she gets a little emotional thinking about the fish and chips she had there. My mom also gets a little emotional when there is a misplaced banana on the canned fruit shelf at the grocery store, so take that for what it is worth.

Get off my back, Uncle Sam!

I have just finished filing my federal income taxes for 2008. How will I spend this windfall of an income tax refund? Ahh yes . . . paying bills and buying football tickets, like every year.

Trivia!

Last night was a momentous occasion. Our Otto's trivia team (i.e. The Michael Phelps Bong Rips) overcame a rough first round to reign victorious! It was our first Otto's trivia victory, and it was sweet! Just look at my meathooks holding our prize, a $50 Otto's gift card. Our trivia team usually does pretty well (particularly when we played at Champs), but Otto's is another level of competition and more challenging questions. Everyone on the team came through with a clutch answer . . . it was a true team effort!

Six-Burgh!

Last night was the Super Bowl (and the first day I failed to blog since starting this new project). Jess and I are die-hard Steelers fans. One of my worst childhood memories (right up there with Sid Bream sliding into home to keep the Pirates out of the World Series) is Neil O'Donnell throwing the interception to give Super Bowl XXX away to the Cowboys. I approach a Steelers Super Bowl appearance with equal parts optimism and anticipation that something bad will happen. Fortunately, all is well this morning in Steeler Nation.

Some highlights from our Super Bowl party:

1. No haters. The last time Pittsburgh played in the Super Bowl, there were a number of jerks who could care less about football who rooted for Seattle just to get my goat. Not this year. In fact, Steeler-haters with money on the game were even moderately sympathetic when the going got tough for the Steelers.

2. Food. I made chili. Jess made crab dip. Rashaad brough wings from Ponderosa. Everyone pitched in and the spread was excellent. No one went hungry, that is for sure.

3. A lot of our guests really got excited for the 3D commercials at halftime. A little too excited . . .

4. Have I mentioned that the Steelers won? Woot!