I need to start blogging again

So, as everyone knows I have a ton of work hanging over my head. But honestly, when is that not the case? My response to the work load? Procrastination!!! As my time-waster of choice, I have decided to go back and read old blog entries. This started when I googled my name and came across Joe's blog entry about our European trek a few years ago. I could not stop lauging between Joe and Fred's account of the trip. Honestly, it was one of the highlights of one of the best year of my life. I still burst out laughing whenever I think of Munich at 11Am on Sunday morning. . .

That being said, I have decided to start blogging regularly again. Even if only a sentence or two. Today I normally have two seminars that take up the entire day, but today the afternoon class was cancelled. Therefore, I had the entire day free to do work. Knowing me though, not nearly as much got done as should have. I ended up drinking so much coke and coffee that I was bouncing off the walls in my office, going stir crazy.

That being said, I am now going to run off because I think my cat got a hold of a toy mouse and all hell is breaking out in my living room.

Thanksgiving update, or chalk this up to dumb things I've done :)

So, I haven't really written much as of late. With the semester in full gear now though, I hope that really doesn't surprise anyone. In addition to my normal history seminars, and teaching, I'm also taking Russian classes (very cool!), writing my masters thesis, working as an Research Assistant for my advisor (which is a nice change of pace), and slowly beginning the long, painful process of preparing for my prelim exams in the spring.

To make matters worse, the program which allows me to post pictures has gone kaputt, and will not function properly, even though I've reinstalled it several times. Hence, no pictures for the past couple months. :(

That is too bad because I actually have some stuff I could probably post, not to mention the enormous back log of pictures from my travels this summer. Now comeon, I know everyone is just dying to see the hundreds of pictures I took back in the Ruhrgebiet (The German Rustbelt). Actually, if you want to see a (not so) insane video of German soccer fans in the Hannover Hauptbahnhof, go surf through the archives of Fred's blog (http://tomservo0.blogspot.com).

So, the dumb thing. . . For those that don't know I run about 4.5 miles a day up here, 5 days a week. Since today is Thanksgiving, I decided that it was especially important to run this morning. The only problem? It was 20 degrees with a -1 windchill. Definitely not smart. Chris's hair literally had icicles at the end. I managed to get through the run though, largely by recounting Chris's drunk rant at the end of the hockey game about how Minnesotans do not know how to drive or (apparently) walk (?!?!) because they did not get statehood until the 1850's. According to Chris, we are naturally better walkers because we come from the original 13 colonies. I have no idea where he was going with this. Your guess is as good as mine. . . The upshot though, is of course I can now eat guilt free, and enjoy what appears to be a new tradition of watching Arrested Development on TV all afternoon.

So, that is my disjointed series of posts for now. Perhaps if I get time I'll write more later. . . Happy Thanksgiving, and stay safe!

Ostwestfalen, Ostwestfalen, Arminia Bielefeld!

Click the title for the story. My beloved Bielefeld has made ESPN! :)

A Red-Letter Day in the History of Science

For those of you who are not aware, today is November 5, 2005. Fifty years ago today, Doc Brown fell off his toilet while hanging a picture, and when he awoke, he came up with the Flux Capacitor, the device that makes time travel possible! Apparently, no one else was aware of this today besides Big Ed. At least that proves I'm not insane, or that my insanity is genetic. . .

In any event, 88 MILES PER HOUR!!!!!