Noun: ennui
1. The feeling of being bored by something tedious
[WordWeb.info]

I don’t know why I suffer from ennui. But it hits me from time to time. Bleh. Actually, I think it hits me most when I have the most that needs to be done. I just want to go curl up in bed until all the things that need to be done have been forgotten about. Of course, I have a half-decent work ethic and it gets exasperated with me when I feel that way. Still, the ennui is hitting me now.

My house is getting painted tomorrow and I should have gone around the house repairing shingles with some from the back of the garage. I did not do this. I have tests and lab reports to grade that I’ve ferried back and forth from school all week. I have not graded any of them. My kitchen is a mess (as well as other bits of my house) but I have not cleaned. I would like to make some peach ice cream as an experiment, and I can’t even get up the gumption to try that. And there’s loads of stuff at school that need doing. *sigh* This, too, shall pass. I should just get up and clean the kitchen. And when I get done, maybe start on the ice cream. Baby steps! Baby steps!

(The line in the subject, BTW, is from Edward Gorey’s wonderfully evil alphabet poem “The Gashlycrumb Tinies.” Go read it here. It’s quite the evil bit of fun.)

I like the fact that our local Hollywood Video rents their DVDs for 99 cents for a 5-day rental period. It’s allowed me to do something that, when I was a kid, I saw other people do. I can now just rent a movie that I know nothing about other than what the case says about it. And you know what? I’ve discovered some interesting flicks that way. 🙂

I like quirky films. I like heartwarming films. I like comedies. If I can find one that’s all three, so much the better. I don’t really care what language it’s in – I can read subtitles and still enjoy the flick. It’s also OK if it’s in English – I can understand English, too. So anyhoo, onto capsule reviews of some of my recent finds. (Hope I don’t spoil too much.)

Cuckoo (Kukushka, 2002) is a Russian film where the three principle characters don’t speak the same language as each other. It takes place during WWII just before Finland leaves the war. One Finnish soldier is abandoned by his fellow soldiers for being cowardly – he’s chained to a rock. A Russian soldier, meanwhile, is being driven off to be court martialed for some action he’s supposedly done. And a Lapp woman is going about her daily business on her farm. The three of them end up together due to various circumstances and, despite none of them knowing what the other is saying, they form friendships until the soldiers finally make their ways to their respective homes. The movie has some very funny moments due to the different languages. The Lapp lady steals the show, I think, with her sex starved ways and positive outlook on life. The two men, originally enemies, do end up as friends. And that’s the kind of stuff that trina likes to see in her films.

Autumn Spring (Babí léto, 2001) is a Czech film. An old man and his theatre buddy are enjoying their autumn years by pretending to be completely different people. This wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t involve spending the old man’s funeral money. His wife gets exasperated by him over and over, but he always apologizes and is forgiven. Well, that is until he fakes his own death. His wife can’t take it any more and files for a divorce – but perhaps it’s the wake up call that both of them need in order to enjoy their remaining time together. I like quirky, and this guy was quirky. My favorite bit is when he walks up to a complete stranger, convinces him they were old school buddies, discovers the man can’t afford his own wife’s gravestone, so gives him 200 crowns.

Pieces of April is an American movie about a twenty-something girl who’s changed her life around and wants to have the family over for Thanksgiving dinner. Tragedy ensues, however, when she discovers the oven doesn’t work. So she rushes around the NYC apartment complex trying to get help from her neighbors. Meanwhile, her family is driving up, and none of them (except overly optimistic dad) is looking forward to it. In the grand tradition of movies that trina likes, this one has a happy and heartwarming ending. Fans of Will and Grace might be interested to know that “Jack” is in the movie, too (but in a very small part).

The Triplets of Belleville (Les Triplettes de Belleville, 2003) is now fairly well known since it was a contender for the Oscar for best animated film. And as much as I loved Finding Nemo, I think it deserved it more. And mainly because it’s a movie that transcends language. Alas, the DVD that’s out in the US only has an English language track and a Spanish language track (not the original French language track). However, there is so little dialogue in the movie that I didn’t feel cheated of my $1. (When I do buy the DVD, which I will, I’ll probably go with the Canadian version.) Let’s see, I should describe the plot. Nah, just go see it. It’s quirky, funny, and heartwarming – what more could you want? 🙂

Geez, a billion “moods” to choose from and I can’t find the right one to describe me…

Dad and I have leftover Chinese food tonight for supper. Mom was off at her Craft Night and we had plenty of leftovers from the Mother’s Day meal that I bought the folks last night (which we ate at 9pm because their flight in from MSP – or rather their layover at O’Hare from MSP – was very late). There were, coincidentally, two extra fortune cookies from last night’s meal, too. So we each got one. Mine said:

Your success will astonish everyone.

Now, I understand how I should probably take that… But of course, I took it more as “any success that you have will astonish people.” Gee, thanks fortune cookie. 🙂

Leo’s usually an early riser. And he often decides that I should get up too. Today was one of those mornings. Though he did let me sleep in until 7:27. Well, that was too early for me. I told him “wake me up at 8 o’clock” and then went back to sleep. Awhile later, he starts rocking the phone in its cradle, which he knows wakes me up. I wake up and look at my watch. Yup, it’s 8:00. Amazing! 🙂

Of other kitteny interest, I found Kittenbreak.com in a comment in versaphile‘s LiveJournal. It’s got some damn cute kittens in it!

Cats rule! 🙂

When I started teaching, I discovered something very important – cheap-ass shoes just don’t cut it for standing on your feet for 7+ hours. Within a week, my folks and I were at a shoe store buying shoes that cost *gasp* more than $60! I bought 2 pair – one brown nubuck and one black – and was able to alternate them for my first year of teaching. So shoes that are comfy and look nice became a yearly priority for me. And now I’m not afraid to spend a bit extra to get lasting comfort for the day.

Another foot discovery that I made came when I started traveling a lot. When I travel, I end up walking a lot. I love walking. I can walk all day if my feet are happy. And that’s when I found out that socks can be just as important (if not moreso) than shoes. I need wick-away socks to help prevent blister formation and my favorite are Fox River’s wick-dry cross-training socks. They’re expensive too, alas. REI has them for $7.50. And that’s one of the better prices out there for those socks.

So today was my Fairborn Shopping Day. I go every couple of months or so to pick up my Doctor Who Magazine and Dreamwatch from the Bookery. I then headed for the Mall at Fairfield Commons and decided to look for Chaco sandals. Amy (who now works for REI) had suggested that I get Chacos when I asked her for the best sandals for my feet. I love my Birkenstocks, but they aren’t the best for standing around all day.

Most of the shoe stores that I went into either didn’t have Chacos or know what I was talking about when I asked. But The Walking Place had ’em. And I got a knowledgeable salesperson to help me. We talked of Birks and Chacos and Fox River socks (ah, it’s nice to find someone who speaks your own language). Turns out they had some Fox River socks ($9 and $10 a pair – gah!) there as well. I tried on women’s size 11 (that’s 42 in European, 8 in UK mens) which had a toe thong and men’s size 9 which didn’t. The men’s shoe was a little wider so I went with it. $95 for the pair! (And since I got home, I found out that’s the same price as the online places. And it’s cheaper than Mephisto shoes, which I hope someday to get up the nerve to buy.)

I checked out their Fox River selection while I was there and they had my favorite socks. Those were the $9 ones. But they also had Fox River socks in other colors! I’d never seen such a thing! So I got a pair of reddish socks ($10) and a pair of my favorites too. Now I need to send Amy some money and have her buy me some more Fox River socks at REI and use her store discount. 😉

When I got home, I tried on the new sandals and walked to Granny’s (where she had an opportunity to vent for awhile) and then home again. I like ’em! Now if only the ones with the cool purple straps were available in size 11 wide (the color’s only available in women’s). The ones I got, BTW, are the basic black.

Apart from lunch at the Olive Garden and the purchase of a Flash MX book at Narn’s Ignoble, the rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I like a nice relaxing Saturday. Especially one where I get to treat my feet to some luxury. 🙂

We had the Mock Crash today – and they specified that it was a “crash” and not an “accident” since the mock crasher was mock drunk. They pretty much followed the script that was in use last year, but it is a good script and the important bit is seeing the interaction of the people trying to get the injured people out of the cars. The thing that struck me most this time around is the time it takes for the emergency folks to get there. And once they get there, if the car doors are jammed, the time it takes to get people out of the car. We’re a small town and yet it was still 10 minutes before the emergency people showed up from the 911 call. Our emergency squad and fire department are run by volunteers. And I figure these volunteers were informed before hand about the mock crash, so were in the vicinity as it was. In a real crash, you don’t have that luxury and the wait can be 15 to 20 minutes for anyone to show.

Care Flight came in from Miami Valley Hospital as well. It was probably half an hour before they got there since folks on the scene wouldn’t know until they were there that they’d even need Care Flight. Sure enough, the hearse came to this mock crash, too. This time it was Ron’s daughter, Suzy, who arrived, but that’s still a creepy thought. (The Jacksons are some of the neatest people in town – and they’re very upbeat, too, considering their profession.) They used the “jaws of life” to get the two people out of the second car. And the valedictorian was the one who was thrown out of the windshield and was dead before the emergency crews arrived. She lives across the street from me and I was trying to picture her family if something like that really had happened. Bleh – not an image I want to dwell on.

One girl sitting on the risers near me was crying throughout most of the mock crash. Some of it is pretty intense stuff. The only real time when it didn’t look real was when some of the firemen were joking with Robin, the “deceased” girl on the hood of the car. They were doing this before they loaded her on the stretcher and then into the hearse.

The weather for this event was perfect. Well, until about the time we spotted the Care Flight ‘copter. Then a huge and steady wind blew in and slammed into our backs. It was about 10°F colder than the still air, so for the second half of the outside portion, we suffered this continual cold blast. I’m sure the folks in the ‘copter weren’t happy about the sudden shift in wind.

The last 10 minutes of the outdoor presentation had the parents of a boy who was killed in a drunk driving crash 8 years ago talk to us. They travel with the sherrif’s department on these mock crashes and bring their son’s wrecked car for everyone to see. They were also there last year, but it was still a touching story.

We got back inside and folks were awfully quiet. Our guest speaker for the inside segment is a paraplegic who got that way by breaking his neck in a single car drunk driving accident. He’d been the football star, wrestling star, baseball star of his high school, but from his freshman year on, he drunk and did drugs pretty regularly. I thought his message was very good – I think he understood the mentality of the kids in the audience well and didn’t mince words. And the gym was probably the quietest I’d ever heard. That’s pretty impressive, actually, as our students are VERY well behaved at assemblies.

So, tomorrow night, the juniors and seniors will go off to prom and after prom. And I’m hoping that some of the kids think twice about including alcohol or drugs during that experience. For the two classes that I actually got to see today, I wished them the best of luck and said “And if you’re going to have sex, don’t forget to use a condom!” That’s one message they didn’t impart to the kids, so I figured I should. 😉 “Remember, babies are a sexually transmitted disease!” Yes, I’ve got something of a reputation at the school. Apparently the seniors are keeping a log of my more humorous statements. I shudder to think what they have written. 🙂

Summer suddenly arrived today. I wasn’t expecting it until at least tomorrow, but no, it decided to come today. It got up to 86°F (29°C) and still feels awfully warm right now. (Ah, that’s because it’s 78°F (26°C) right now – gah!) Thank goodness for open windows. I know Leo appreciates them. He was doing his best “Hot & Shitty Kitty®” look earlier this evening while lounging in front of the monitor, so I grabbed the camera to take a picture. He quickly became “Curious Kitty” and got up from his pose to examine the camera. So no picture of “Hot & Shitty Kitty®,” alas. Still, I got a gorgeous closeup photo of him which I’m now using as my main Leo icon.

Tomorrow I’ll have the A/C on and all the windows shut (poor Leo – he’ll miss his open windows) because the guy from Student Painters, Inc. is supposed to show up to power wash my house. They’re going to start painting it next Thursday – woohoo! I should get some BEFORE pictures so I can compare them to AFTER. (It’s getting too dark to do that now, so I’ll have to do it tomorrow.)

Tomorrow is also the day before prom and, in order to discourage students from drinking and driving, we’ll be having a Mock Accident. Due to a change in administration mid year, this will make the second Mock Accident in 2 years. The one last year was very disturbing, I thought. The bit that gave me the willies was when Ron Jackson from the local funeral home arrived with the hearse. Seeing the local folks on the emergency squad had been disturbing enough, but when you see Ron in that situation, it’s just creepy. We’ve also got a guest speaker (I believe it’s someone who once killed someone in a car accident – at least, that’s what our Police Guy wanted when he was setting this all up) and junior and senior class meetings, so I won’t get to have chemistry or much of physics tomorrow. And in the afternoon, it’s the county tech meeting, so I’ll be leaving the school anyhoo to go off for nice Mexican American food and chat with other county techs.

Tomorrow is also Pay Day. Woohoo! So let’s hear it for Friday!

Found a nice website on Cinco de Mayo. (Always wondered what it was, myself…)

The 5th of May is not Mexican Independence Day, but it should be! And Cinco de Mayo is not an American holiday, but it should be.

Read the rest at http://www.vivacincodemayo.org/history.htm.

In other news, only 14 more days with the seniors – woohoo! I’ve got both physics and chemistry planned out from now until the end of the school year. I’m halfway through episode five of Bob and Rose, a TV series written by Russell T Davies about a gay man and straight woman who fall in love. Episode four was brilliant and, if you ask me, the reason to watch the series. I think I’ve figured out what to get Amy and Rachel for both their birthdays and as a wedding gift. (So yes, Amy, expect an e-mail from me, if you haven’t already gotten it.) The latest Big Finish audio, Axis of Insanity has been good so far. I like Peri and Erimem’s banter – they’re working off of each other well. (And it’s a relief to be onto a Doctor/companion team that I actually like! Sorry Paul & India, you just don’t work for me!) Hmmm, anything else to report? Nope, think I’m good for now.

I gakked this from judiang. And I knew what I’d get before I even started the quiz.

You’re a Dialogue/Character Writer!

What kind of writer are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Who needs description when you can have dialog, that’s my philosophy!

I haven’t done one of these in awhile and I needed something for my posts to monday_gdp and other food-related posts.

Yes, it’s TISWAS Sylv! 🙂 (That’s a chicken he’s eating…)