Date:	Monday, 12 May 2008 21:46
Subject:	good news and bad news
Security:	Public
Mood:	happy
Music:	Metallica, "Bleeding Me"

First, the bad news.

Oh, wait, I forgot, there isn't any! That's right, folks, only good news on this fine and extremely windy day.

So, onto the good news. It may be possible after all for me to graduate next May, if the stars align right. I only have four more history courses to take, and five more non-major courses, including the two foreign language ones, two Fine Arts ones *sigh* and another Humanities and Issues and Perspectives course, both of which requirements are conveniently satisfied by a course called Global Issues next semester.

For Fall '08, I've so far enrolled in two history courses (The Roman Empire and The American City) in addition to Global Issues; the fourth for full-time will be whichever language course I select. I haven't decided yet. If possible, I may take a fifth course as well, which would be one of the Fine Arts courses. I'm thinking it'll be a music course, since I've been turned off of Art History and don't think I would be much use in a dance class.

Also, my paper is going well. I should have it completed in good order. And footnoted to death, of course.

:)

Also? Boston in eight (almost seven!) days.

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Date:	Saturday, 10 May 2008 11:49
Subject:
Security:	Public

Link: The Which Shakespeare Play Are You? Test written by macbee on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test View My Profile(macbee)

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Date:	Thursday, 08 May 2008 23:12
Subject:	since everyone else is doing it...
Security:	Public
Music:	Styx - Blue Collar Man

What Is Your Battle Cry?

Prowling out of the mini-mall parking lot, wielding a meaty axe, cometh Paedraggaidin! And he gives a mighty scream: "I'm going to flog you until the laws of physics are violated!"

Find out! Enter username: Are you a girl, or a guy ?

created by beatings : powered by monkeys

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Date:	Thursday, 08 May 2008 16:40
Subject:	dumbest error message I've seen in a while
Security:	Public

From Facebook:

Search is currently unavailable.

Please try again at a later time or right now.

...if it's "currently unavailable," then would I try again right now? Temporary glitch?

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Date:	Thursday, 08 May 2008 10:42
Subject:	back in action...
Security:	Public
Mood:	amused
Music:	BBC World Service

...in Kansas. I just got to work; it feels weird being here after a little more than four months. I am especially appalled to see the state of the computers. *sigh* But hey, I'm getting paid, so I shouldn't complain. Too much.

So, I rode in my sister's car for the first time in months today, too. It's even more chock-full of miscellaneous crap than before! The front passenger seat, of course, was piled high with stuff, including a very unappealing plate bearing some unidentifiable organic-looking mass. She hurriedly cleared all this off and then said "hey you'll want to sit on this towel." I was hesitant to ask why, since with Meghan's car, it's often better not to know such things, but I couldn't resist. The seat, it turned out, in addition to bearing crumbs and gunk and the suspicious-looking plate was also very wet, since she had (as usual) left the window down when it rained the other night.

Patrick: Oh God, what is that!?

Meghan: It rained on a waffle, okay!?

Patrick: ...

Meghan: *throws waffle and plate out the window* It's going on the lawn, God dammit, cause I don't want to deal with it right now!

Patrick: *can't stop laughing*

----------

Oh yeah, we're just classy people. Please note that Meghan did pick up the errant "waffle" (I'm still not convinced that's what it was...it looked extraterrestrial to me) and threw it in the trash, then took the plate into the house.

It's been almost an hour, and I still can't stop laughing about that.

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Date:	Tuesday, 06 May 2008 02:47
Subject:	Grnack.
Security:	Public
Mood:	tired

Well, folks, I finally got home at about 01:00 this morning. Note that my flight was supposed to arrive at 21:30 but did it? Noooo. The Boeing 717 we were on in Atlanta, all boarded and with all baggage stowed, had some sort of computer malfunction. The airline maintenance folks tried to correct it, to no avail, and after an hour and a half on board, we had to get off, go to another gate, and board another 717. After all was said and done, we finally took off at about 22:45, 2 hrs 35 min after our oeiginal scheduled departure. Could have been much worse, and it's definitely not the nastiest delay in the history of commercial air travel. Still, I'm pretty tired from it all. Did I mention that I hate flying?

But, I made it home in one piece, and even made a friend on the plane(s), which is highly unusual. So, not a bad night, all things considered.

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Date:	Sunday, 04 May 2008 14:17
Subject:	warning: nerdiness ahead
Security:	Public
Mood:	tired

It's my last day at Chez Possum, the last day of my Washington adventure until I fly out...and I am not going to regale you all with sad lamentations or nostalgic long-windedness. No, instead you will be treated to nerdiness the likes of which even I have seldom descended to in this journal.

( if you have never played Master of Orion, don't click! )

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Date:	Monday, 21 April 2008 18:19
Subject:	good times on the Metro
Security:	Public
Mood:	amused

Just a little conversation I overheard today on the way home from work. There was a little boy, maybe six or seven, with his parents. When we got to L'Enfant Plaza the following occurred:

Train: DING DING! *doors open*
Kid: Dad, is this where we get off?
Dad: No, we have eight more stops.
Kid: Eight stops? Screw that!

----------

Patrick was highly amused.

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Date:	Thursday, 17 April 2008 20:20
Subject:	Okay, peoples!
Security:	Public
Mood:	happy

An announcement:

...

I am no longer single. :) I am now privileged and honored to be the boyfriend of semisweetblend. She's awesome, and I'm the luckiest guy around.

Fear my moxie!

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Date:	Monday, 14 April 2008 10:37
Subject:	goin' phishin'
Security:	Public
Mood:	amused/annoyed

Got this in my school email today:

Special Notice from University Computing and Telecommunications

This morning, (April 14, 2008), an email was sent to an unknown number of WSU
email addresses. You may have received a copy.  The email states that each
person must reply with a supplied link/URL and provide personal email logon
information. The email is shown below:
************************************************************

Special Notice from University Computing and Telecommunications

This mail is to inform all our {wichita.edu} users that we will be
upgrading our site in a couple of days from now. So you as a Subscriber of
our site you are required send us your Email account details so as to
enable us know if you are still making use of your mail box.

Further be informed that we will be deleting all mail account that is not
functioning so as to create more space for new user. so you are to send us
your mail account details which are as follows:

*User name:
*Password:
*Date of birth:

Failure to do this will immediately render your email address  deactivated
from our database.

You can also confirm your email address by logging into your wichita
account at http://mywsu.wichita.edu/cp/home/loginf

Thank you for using WICHITA.EDU!

FROM WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY SUPPORT TEAM

************************************************************

This is an example of “phishing” – A process that attempts to obtain personal
information by posing as some authoritative source. PLEASE – DO NOT respond to
this false request. No one from WSU was connected with this email. While we do
have technical support teams of various types, we will NEVER make such a
request for personal information through email.

Specific questions may be directed to the WSU Helpdesk @ 978-HELP.

</center>

University Computing and Telecommunications, you are the winner of today's Captain Obvious Award, for sending out this scary email warning about something that only a half-literate moron would ever actually think came from the school! Frankly, anyone dumb enough to give out their username and password and reply to such a poorly-worded missive doesn't deserve to have a university email account in the first place, and should probably be kicked out of school altogether!



Sorry, folks, but I'm one of those who thinks a computer aptitude and general intelligence test should be required to use the Internet, and people who fall for these oh-so-clever (</sarcasm>) phishing schemes, Nigerian email scams, sweetstakes frauds, or your general email hoaxes don't get much sympathy from me. It doesn't take a genius to see that it's all fake, and anyone with any level of common sense knows that no real company is going to ask for your password. Except mine. I need all of your email addresses, passwords, Social Security numbers, and credit card numbers NOW NOW NOW or your interwebs are going to EXPLODE! and burn your houses down OMG IT'S REAL people!

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Date:	Friday, 11 April 2008 10:57
Subject:	Warning Signs
Security:	Public
Mood:	hugely amused

Warning signs are generally the result of people acting stupid. In the coffee shop near my office today there is a new sign up over the toaster:

"Toaster is for PLAIN BAGELS ONLY! No bagels with cream cheese, croissants, pastries, or donuts in the toaster!"

I am truly sorry I missed whatever incident prompted that! Bagel with cream cheese in the toaster. Or a donut.

I can't stop laughing.

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Date:	Thursday, 10 April 2008 15:30
Subject:
Security:	Public

My Personality

Neuroticism	46
Extraversion	16
Openness to Experience	24
Agreeableness	99
Conscientiousness	77

You do not experience strong, irresistible cravings and consequently do not find yourself tempted to overindulge, however you tend to lack energy and have difficult initiating activities. You tend not to talk much and prefer to let others control the activities of groups. You prefer familiar routines and for things to stay the same. You can tend to feel uncomfortable with change. You are tenderhearted and compassionate, feeling the pain of others vicariously and are easily moved to pity, however you see no need for pretense or manipulation when dealing with others and are therefore candid, frank and sincere. People find it relatively easy to relate to you. You have a strong sense of duty and obligation, and feel a moral obligation to do the right thing.

Take a Personality Test now or view the full Personality Report. The best Buying Pet Gifts.

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Date:	Monday, 07 April 2008 23:58
Subject:	just two words, I've only been waiting to say them for twenty years...
Security:	Public
Mood:	ecstatic

Kansas wins.

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Date:	Monday, 07 April 2008 14:15
Subject:	Adventures in Silver Spring: Call Guinness
Security:	Public
Mood:	happy

I used my inhaler today. I'm coming down with something.

But, and it's a huge gigantic rock-crushing but (kind of like mine...), that was the first time in five days. I didn't use it at all on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. In spite of my coming down with something. In spite of the fact that it is April, traditionally the worst month of the year for me. In spite of all the trees and flowers which are blooming happily all around me in blissful disregard of the allergic asthmatic in their very midst. The trees and flowers aren't bothering me at all, people. The cold, nasty wet weather we've been having? Not a peep from the ol' respiratory apparatus.

That's gotta be a record, people. I haven't gone for more than one day without using the inhaler since...well, actually, I don't think I've ever done that, dating back to when I started using them as a toddler. Even during the healthy heyday of 8th and 9th Grade, I still had to use an inhaler on a daily basis. The Saturday during my first trip to Philadelphia (July 30, 2005) was the first day since high school when I woke up in the morning without having to immediately use the inhaler; I'd estimate that in the years since high school, I did not have to use the inhaler upon waking a maximum of perhaps ten times, and eight of those have been since I started the semester here in Washington.

I tell you, this semester has completely screwed up my medication-related benchmarks. Back in Wichita, since 2000, on a normal day, I'll use the inhaler about four times, which goes down to three on a good day. On a really good day, I might be able to cut that down to twice; once a day is generally only achieved in the middle of a round of oral corticosteroids. On a bad day, the inhaler doesn't work at all and I'll be forced to use The Machine. On a really bad day, even that doesn't work, and it's time for the always-pleasant trip to the doctor for more steroids, and possibly a trip to the ER if things get bad enough. On a marvelously shitty day I'll end up strapped to an oxygen tank as an inpatient in one of the local hospitals, where the good points include cute nurses and excellent food, and the bad points include, well, being strapped to an oxygen tank as an inpatient, breathing treatments every six hours, and massive doses of steroids, on top of the whole not being able to breathe part.

But, since I've been here, the definitions have changed. A good day in Washington is one in which I don't have to use an inhaler at all, or only once, usually upon waking. A bad day is one where I have to use it about three times, and four at the absolute most. A marvelously shitty day is one where I go to the walk-in clinic for antibiotics because an infection has gotten the best of me. None of these days, even the worst, have involved using The Machine even once. It's been sitting there in my dresser, alone and silent. It's been dragged up and down the East Coast, and will soon be joining me in a long train ride to Boston, but it's never even been plugged in. Note that my "bad day" here is better than even my "good day" back in Kansas.

You see, do you not, fair readers, why I really don't want to go back home? I would transfer to a school out here to finish my degree in a heartbeat, but it's not going to happen. For one thing, I can't afford it, and for another, residency/credit requirements would force me to tack on, at the very least, an extra semester to complete my degree, but more realistically at least two. I want this BA over with ASAP, so I can move onto the next stage of life.

But oh, do I love the breathing. You know, all the political science professors and former students and advisers and the like told us that these internships would be the experience of a lifetime. They were right, in more ways than one.

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Date:	Friday, 04 April 2008 13:41
Subject:	A New Feature!
Security:	Public
Mood:	busy

I am starting a new feature of my blog, entitled "Patrick M. Hayes' Naval History Anecdote of the Week™."

Our first entry comes to us from 29 July 1967 and involves a current presidential candidate.

An electrical switch that probably cost less than $10 misfired on an F-4 fighter aircraft while it was preparing to take off from the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy and launched a Zuni rocket. The result? 134 dead and 161 wounded sailors and $72 million in damage to the ship, after the wayward rocket struck an external fuel tank on one of two A-4 Skyhawks (one of which was currently being piloted by a Lt. Commander John McCain) waiting to launch, destroying them and igniting fires and explosions in ordnance and fuel throughout the top three decks of the ship.

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Date:	Thursday, 03 April 2008 20:47
Subject:	the friday five
Security:	Public

Haven't done this in a while.

1. What type of food do you most like to eat?
** Anything with cheese in it.

2. What type of food do you most like to cook?
** As in actually cook Soups and stews.

3. What ingredient could you not live without?
** Cheese

4. What do you never let in your kitchen?
** Things I am allergic to.

5. What is your favorite drink?
** Ginger ale. The stronger the better.

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Date:	Wednesday, 02 April 2008 18:10
Subject:	Adventures in Silver Spring: I See Rude People, and a small milestone
Security:	Public
Mood:	content
Music:	Iron Maiden, "For The Greater Good of God"

They're everywhere!
They ride trains like everyone else.
They don't even know that they're rude!

Oh yes, people, I had fun on the Metro today. After work I got on the N22 as usual, this particular one heading back to Navy Yard Station, at which I boarded the Green Line train to Greenbelt. As I was waiting for the train I noticed on the board that there were delays on the Blue and Orange lines. Sucks to be them, I thought. I should have thought harder, because this meant that a horde of people were waiting to board my train at L'Enfant Plaza, where those two lines meet the Green and Yellow. Now, regular travelers on the Red Line (like myself) are fairly used to this sort of thing, trains jam-packed like sardine cans at the heart of a neutron star. Oh, we don't like it, but we expect it, and deal with it accordingly. Green Line riders, apparently, aren't so well-endowed with patience. There was muttering and grumbling and jostling the whole way north, especially by one guy I shall dub Rude Dumbass. This enchanting fellow complained about the conductor not keeping the doors open long enough, about the crowding, about the heat, about people pushing past him to enter or exit the train (well, what do you expect when you stand in the middle of the car and partially block the door?); much swearing was heard.

The train approached Fort Totten, the second and last transfer point to the Red Line, and myself and several other people prepared to get off the train; naturally, since Rude Idiot possessed all the manners of an intoxicated hyena, he didn't move, and complained as we pushed past him. He shouted about "all these rude people!" and specifically pointed me out ("see what I mean!?") as I was forced to push past him. I didn't say anything, because I'm polite.

This incident merely reinforced my theory that rudeness and incivility = low intelligence. I know Rude Idiot was likely riding home from work or school after a long and tiring day, but so was everyone else. Most of us dealt with the frustration of a crowded and delayed train without undue complaint, and we certainly didn't attempt to shift blame or guilt for more frustrations onto other people who were only doing what they had to do to get off a train because some clueless idiot was blocking the door!

Sheesh.

Most people who know me in real-life think I am polite, and I'd like to think so, too. But you know, I didn't start out polite. As a kid, I was pretty much a perverted little fool with an atrociously dirty mouth. My mother took every opportunity to teach me to be polite and well-mannered, to grow into what she called a "man of distinction," and I think that it has worked, for the most part. But it wasn't an entirely easy journey, and little Patrick had to learn many lessons along the way. They usually went something like:

Pat: *says something his mother would have called "rude, crude, and socially unacceptable"*
Mom: *SMACK* "Boy, you'd better straighten up and fly right!"
Pat: "But, mama..."
Mom: *SMACK*
Pat: "...!" *straightens up and flies right*

And look what I eventually became: well-mannered (mostly), polite (usually), well-spoken (except when I go totally gangsta'), and enamored of socially acceptable conversation (most of the time....). Frankly, I believe that politeness should get me everywhere in life, and while sadly it hasn't done so, yet, politeness and patience have gotten me out of many more potentially sticky situations than have rudeness and impatience (or such things masquerading as "assertiveness;" I think many people miss the fact there is a distinction between the two).

Anyway, I actually had a pretty good day. I was in planning meetings all day long, concerned with the Cold War Gallery's center gallery. I didn't contribute anything on my own, but it was fascinating to attend. I especially enjoyed the nearly-hour-long discussion of Cold War maritime strategy; it certainly gave me many ideas for future research topics!

But, on to the milestone. This, dear friends, was a momentous day in the respiratorially-challenged Life of Pat, because, if I am not mistaken, it was the first April day in history (as far as I can remember, at any rate) during which I have not required a single use of an inhaler. Oh, sure, there's still five hours to go, but I am breathing just fine, even with all those lovely flowers and trees blooming right outside my window and spewing pollen everywhere. The window is open all the way, I might add.

Happy, happy times. Do I have to go home in 34 days?

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Date:	Tuesday, 01 April 2008 01:03
Subject:
Security:	Public

You Score as a Bio-Conservative </p> Bioconservatives are generally hesitant about biotechnological development, especially if it is perceived as threatening a social order. Strict bioconservatives tend to oppose the genetic and cognitive modification of human beings. Opposition of medical and other technological advances is generally justified in the defense of "the natural" and what it means to be human. However, bioconservatism and technology are not mutually exclusive when it comes to science that does not challenge current bioethical norms. While they are not categorically dismissive or in direct opposition to all technology, most bioconservatives feel that the progression of biotechnology is a danger that often outweighs the benefits, particularly those technologies that may erode the traditional family structure or religious values. Specific examples of these technologies include embryonic stem-cell research, chimera research, and therapeutic cloning. [ See All Results ]</p_close>

Your Results You scored as a BC 9.3% of people also scored as BC Other Results 1.7% of people scored as BL 0.1% of people scored as LU 69.4% of people scored as TB 0.5% of people scored as TC 19.2% of people scored as TP

Share your answers with your friends! Copy and past the code in the box into your blog or a message board post and see who else is ready to push the bounds of what it means to be human.

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Date:	Sunday, 30 March 2008 14:29
Subject:	A holy charge was set upon me...
Security:	Public
Mood:	happy
Music:	The Clancy Brothers, "Kelly the Boy from Killanne"

...to sample Jarlsberg's most blessed creation, the Philly cheesesteak, in Philly. 'Tis a quest I bore for many a fruitless year, ere the even last, when finally was I able to sally forth into South Philly with the aid and companionship of the incomparable lcw1795 and twilitrose, lovely ladies who made the quest all that more epic in its scope and magnitude.

In the Beginning there was the Dairy, and the Dairy hung motionless in the Swiss Cheese Hole-Like Void of Space, cheeseless and unknowing, while Holy Jarlsberg the Divine Dairyman slowly and inexorably stirred his butter-churn, alone. Since the moment when the Beauteous Blob of Butter sprang forth from the churn and plopped majestically onto the sparkling clean celestial floor of the Dairy, to become what we now call Earth, this quest has waited for me. And now, and now...well, dear readers, you shall see what transpired!

When first I spied Geno's Steaks it was as if I had ascended to a higher and purer plane of earthly existence, where brightly-lit and garish neon signs guide the faithful to the Promised Cheese. (Inevitable Patrick M. Hayes Historical Anecdote™: Upon witnessing the Divine Liturgy for the first time, in Constantinople, the Russian emissaries of St. Vladimir I said that they did not know if they were in heaven or still on earth; I had a similar, but far cheesier, experience). There strode the humbled and awed pilgrim up to the counter, whereupon a Whiz Wit was ordered for him, which soon he consumed with cheesegasmic abandon. There was much uncontrollable moaning and mental spasming as the grease dribbles down my chin and onto my jacket. All too soon, the wondrous delicacy was gone.

But onward we then sped across the street to Pat's King of Steaks in the continued pursuit of glory. What was better, asked the raptured pilgrim, than getting authentic cheesesteaks from an authentic Irishman? Naught, naught! These particular grand examples were wrapped up to go, snug safely in a paper sack, for the long drive back to the hotel. They were consumed in our hotel room, and I am proud to say that I spilled nary a drop of grease or cheese.

Thus, the sacred quest for the holiest of holy cheese items was fulfilled, on a chilly night in the early springtime, while the winds whipped at my back, urging me onward into the new day, the Dawn of True Lactasticness, willing me to step onto this bright and glorious rung on the ladder of human achievement. I, Patrick M. Hayes, Anointed High Priest of Jarlsberg, have taken the Holy Pilgrimage, and my innards will forever be borne aloft on wings of pleasure at the very memory.

Alright, yeah, I had a great weekend. Which might seem funny when you realize that I didn't actually do anything of substance. I ate, and surfed the web, and text-messaged people, and hung out with my roommate (the aforementioned Twilitrose). I played my radio show (and sang along), watched some anime, and socialized a very little bit. And ate some more. And enjoyed the hotel's breakfast buffet, where they actually let me take boxes of buffet food up to my room. Not stuff I already had on my plate, but anything else I wanted! Damn! And I also just realized that I left my tiny and uneaten carton of iced cream in the hotel room freezer. Blast it.

I had many good foodly experiences this weekend, ranging from endless bacon, to deep-fried green beans, to flatbread ham n' cheese and a Turbo Iced Coffee at Dunkin' Donuts, to Sizzling Chicken n' Cheese, to a wonderfully symmetrical chopped steak dish:



So yes, Pat's tummy is in happy-land...or was, until I got home and rediscovered the fact that we are still completely out of groceries. I ate good all weekend, and damned if I'll settle for ramen soup now! *looks at wallet* Okay, maybe I will. I seriously need to get some groceries delivered stat.

Also, did I mention how much I really do loves trains? Oh yes, trains! Ever since I first set foot on the R1-Airport regional line in Philadelphia way back in 2005, my very first experience with a train (since the little choo-chos at the zoo don't really count) I have greatly loved rail transit. This weekend was my first experience with Amtrak, and I tell you what, Amtrak Business Class is the way to travel, oh man. The legroom was simply amazing.



Look at that legroom, people! The seats themselves are comfortable, as well. The only quibble I had at all is that the snack car was three cars back, but that's a very minor complaint, mind you, and having it in the middle of the train does of course make sense. Besides, you can bring your own food and drink on Amtrak. Cripes, folks, I never want to fly again. Alas, alas....

So, that's pretty much it. I'm not really a party animal, am I? Unless your idea of "party" is "Pat talking people's ears off about all manner of boring subjects." Because I'm real good at that. Muwahaha.

But, speaking of groceries, I had better put my order in, so I can get a delivery tomorrow night. Adieu!

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Date:	Monday, 17 March 2008 08:52
Subject:	Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Security:	Public
Mood:	busy

Since I've been in an Irish mood for a while now, I'd like to leave you with a little quite from Irish revolutionary leader and statesman Eamon de Valera. During the Second World War, Britain flirted with the notion of seizing Ireland in order to control the western approaches to the North Atlantic. Ireland, however, maintained its neutrality during the war, something which incensed Winston Churchill, who believed that it was England's right to violate any country's neutrality and sovereignty when its own survival or national security was in doubt. Sound familiar? In a radio address made shortly after the war's end, Churchill stated that it would have been quite easy to invade and occupy Ireland. De Valera responded thus:

Allowances can be made for Mr. Churchill’s statement, however unworthy, in the first flush of victory. No such excuse could be found for me in this quieter atmosphere. There are, however, some things it is essential to say. I shall try to say them as dispassionately as I can. Mr. Churchill makes it clear that, in certain circumstances, he would have violated our neutrality and that he would justify his actions by Britain’s necessity. It seems strange to me that Mr. Churchill does not see that this, if accepted, would become a moral code and that when this necessity became sufficiently great, other people’s rights were not to count… that is precisely why we had this disastrous succession of wars — World War No.1 and World War No.2 — and shall it be World War No.3? Mr. Churchill is proud of Britain’s stand alone, after France had fallen and before America entered the war. Could he not find in his heart the generosity to acknowledge that there is a small nation that stood alone not for one year or two, but for several hundred years against aggression; that endured spoliations, famine, massacres, in endless succession; that was clubbed many times into insensibility, but each time on returning to consciousness took up the fight anew; a small nation that could never be got to accept defeat and has never surrendered her soul?

Amen.

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Date:	Sunday, 16 March 2008 00:36
Subject:	just because I can!
Security:	Public
Mood:	amused

Princess quiz, stolen from lcw1795

Cinderella;
[X] One of your parents is dead
[ ] You are expected to do a lot of chores
[ ] You love to dress up
[ ] You love animals
[X] You are waiting patiently for your Prince Charming
[ ] Your mom is really strict
[ ] You have sisters who seem kind of jealous of you
[X] You're afraid to speak your mind sometimes
[X] You have left your shoes at a friend's house before
[ ] You have blonde hair
TOTAL: 4

Belle;
[X] You've liked someone your friends didn't like
[ ] You've been lost in a forest
[X] You love to read
[ ] You are not shy at all, and not afraid to speak your mind
[X] One of your family members is a bit weird (more than one!)
[X] You have done volunteer work
[X] You have a wild imagination (oh boy do I!)
[X] You love to take care of people in need
[ ] You had guys like you only because they think you're pretty
[ ] You've rejected at least one person when they've asked you out (Nope, it's a date, not a lifetime committment)
TOTAL: 6

Jasmine;
[ ] Your dad is very rich/important
[ ] You are very clever
[X] You've liked someone way different from you
[ ] You're unique and different from everyone else
[X] You'd never marry someone just because they were rich
[X] You have set a lot of goals for yourself
[ ] You don't have a lot of friends
[X] You're independent
[ ] You have a very nice house
[ ] Your parents try to control your life
TOTAL: 4

Ariel;
[X] Your parents expect a lot from you
[ ] You really try to follow the rules, but it's hard for you
[ ] You're a bit of a trouble maker
[ ] You're the youngest in your family
[ ] You have a lot of sisters
[ ] You collect something
[ ] You have long, red(ish) hair
[ ] You have/had a pet fish
[X] You're extremely curious
[ ] You believe everything people tell you/you're a bit gullible
TOTAL: 2

Snow White
[ ] Sometimes it seems like your mom is jealous of you
[X] You've almost been killed
[X] You have at least seven good friends
[X] You've had food poisoning
[X] You have short black hair
[X] You get along with everyone
[X] All of your friends are different
[X] You love to have a good time
[ ] You're happier when you're out of the house than in
TOTAL: 7

Mulan;
[ ] You're a tomboy
[ ] Everyone wishes you could be a bit more girly
[ ] You've pretended to be someone you're not (not anymore, but in the past)
[X]You've had a physical fight with someone
[ ] You have/had considered running away from home
[ ] Your parents try to plan your life out
[ ] Most of your friends are boys.
[ ] You sometimes find yourself in bad situations
[X] You love your family so much that you'd do anything to protect them
[ ] You are proud that you're different
TOTAL: 2

Aurora ( Sleeping Beauty);
[X] You live with someone other than your parents
[X] You were almost killed at a very young age
[X] You are gentle, loving, and/or thoughtful
[ ] You have a beautiful voice
[X] You like to sleep in late on the weekends
[ ] You spend time outside
[ ] You're adopted
[X] You have long hair
[ ] You're very romantic
[ ] Pink is one of your favorite colors
TOTAL: 5


Pocahontas;
[X] You love to walk around and explore your city
[ ] You are more spiritual than religious
[ ] You've been in an interracial relationship
[ ] One of your siblings is dead
[X] Your parents are very protective of you
[X] Someone you know has been in war
[ ] You love nature
[X] You have black hair
[ ] You would love to move somewhere exotic and beautiful
[ ] You're very adventurous (adventurous? yes. VERY adventurous? Nope.)
TOTAL: 4

Looks like I'm Snow White.

Hi ho, Hi ho....

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Date:	Saturday, 23 February 2008 17:11
Subject:	80s meme
Security:	Public

1. How old were you in 1980? 1

2. How old were you in 1989? 10

3. Were you a Toys R' Us kid? In the latter years of the decade, yes.

4. Did you watch Transformers? Yes! It was my favorite show after The Smurfs!

5. Did you see E.T. on the big screen? Yep.

6. Did you own a Lite Bright? Two, I think.

7. Who is your Favorite Golden Girl? Sophia!

8. When someone says " Who you gonna call? " You think: Ghostbusters!

9. What was your favorite toy? My Return of the Jedi Ewok Village playset, received on Christmas of 1983.

10. Did you have a Pogo Ball? Hell no, those things were dangerous.

11. Did you listen to New Kids on the Block? I am ashmaed to admit it, but yes. I still the Step by Step single cassette somewhere.

12. Which New Kid was your favorite? Donnie. >.>

13. Did you play M.A.S.H? Uh, if you mean the Atari 2600 game then yes, yes I did. It sucked.

14. Did you watch The Care Bears? Yes...and the movies. I still have a Care Bear.

15. Did you have Jelly bracelets? Nope.

16. Did you have a charm necklace and/or bracelet? Nope.

17. Did you own a glo-worm? Nope!

18. Did you ever own a slap bracelet? At one time, yes.

19. The Breakfast Club or Sixteen Candles? Sixteen Candles. It's less pretentious.

20. Did you have a crazy hair style? I used to get a spike frequently.

21. What was your first bike? I never had a bike, and never learned how to ride one.

22. Name one thing you still own from your childhood? My dad's Kodak Disk Camera. As far as I know it still works, although you can't find film for it anymore.

23. Did you have a Cabbage Patch Kid? No, thank the Lord. My sister did, though.

24. Did you dress like Madonna? Oh yes, every day. It was the in-thing to do for Catholic school boys.

25. Rainbow Brite or Strawberry Shortcake? Rainbow Brite. I even went to the movie.

26. Did you watch Miami Vice? Nope, I never got into it.

27. Did you own a pair of Jelly Shoes? Thank God, no.

28. Did you own a Trapper Keeper? At least five, I think.

29. Atari or Nintendo? Nintendo.

30. Did you play Pac Man? Hell yes.

31. Which was better: Jem and The Holograms or Barbie and The Rockers!? Jem.

32. He-Man or She-Ra? I wasn't allowed to watch either one.

33. What movie scared you the most? The Wizard of Oz....

34. Did you try to dance like Michael Jackson? I tried, but failed.

35. What Is The First Thing That Comes To Mind When You Hear "FLUX"? "OH Noez, the LIBYANS!!"

36. What other colors did Pepsi come in? Which is best? Uh, ginger ale was always the best.

37. Roger Rabbit Or Howard The Duck? Howard the Duck.

38. Did you ever beg your parents to have your school picture taken with the "Laser" background? The what?

39. Do you know what the Ninja Rap is? Unfortunately. I still have that soundtrack somewhere, too.

Here, for your pleasure!



40. Do you know why people cringe when they hear the word BUCKNER? Er, no?

41. Can you name the family members from National Lampoons Vacation movies? Nope.

42. Wally World or Europe? Uh, the Christmas one is better.

43. What was your favorite movie from the 80's? Star Wars. The original one. None of this "A New Hope" crap we have today, either, it was always and forever shall be just plain Star Wars.

44. Who puts Baby in the corner? What?

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Date:	Tuesday, 12 February 2008 09:27
Subject:	Adventures in Silver Spring: Patrick Hayes is in da House!
Security:	Public
Mood:	chipper

Raise the roof!

As many of you know, I am the Webmaster of the Kansas Braille Transcription Institute, a company that, of course, produces Braille. We also work to support blind and visually-impaired American veterans through sales of Braille flags. Through our work we have been pretty much taken aback by how virtually unknown and unsupported visually-impaired veterans are, especially considering that some 16% of all wounded American military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan (according to Department of Defense estimates) have suffered eye injuries.

So, in honor of all blinded and visually-impaired veterans from all wars, we have undertaken a mission to place a monument at Arlington National Cemetery, consisting of a bronze replica of the Braille flag on a stone plinth. Congressman Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) is the sponsor of the bill, H.R. 4169, along with fifteen co-sponsors from both parties.

Well, the bill has passed committee, and tomorrow it is scheduled to be approved on the House floor. (Hey, it requires absolutely no funding whatsoever; the materials, construction, transportation, and installation costs are all being donated.) I will be attending the passage in the House gallery, provided I can get a gallery pass. This shouldn't be difficult, since not only have I been in communication with Mr. Tiahrt's office, but my roommate Nathan is an intern there.

As they say, it's not what you know, it's who you know.

This is only Step 3 of Many, though; the bill has to go to the Senate and, if passed (and providing it doesn't go to a conference committee, which is highly unlikely), must be signed by the President. Which, I must admit, is exciting; to think that a project I've worked on intimately (since all the website information and images are my own work) has resulted in a bill that will probably be signed by the President of the United States just makes me grin. In all probability, this will not happen until after my internship has ended, so I likely will not will be able to attend any other functions of the legislative process associated with the bill. If all goes well, we're planning to install and dedicate the monument at Arlington on or around Veterans Day.

Yay. :)

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Date:	Sunday, 03 February 2008 14:17
Subject:
Security:	Public

You are the Hanged Man

Self-sacrifice, Sacrifice, Devotion, Bound.

With the Hanged man there is often a sense of fatalism, waiting for something to happen. Or a fear of
loss from a situation, rather than gain.

The Hanged Man is perhaps the most fascinating card in the deck. It reflects the story of Odin who offered himself as a sacrifice in order to gain knowledge. Hanging from the world tree, wounded by a spear, given no bread or mead, he hung for nine days. On the last day, he saw on the ground runes that had fallen from the tree, understood their meaning, and, coming down, scooped them up for his own. All knowledge is to be found in these runes.

The Hanged Man, in similar fashion, is a card about suspension, not life or death. It signifies selflessness, sacrifice and prophecy. You make yourself vulnerable and in doing so, gain illumination. You see the world differently, with almost mystical insights.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

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Date:	Friday, 01 February 2008 16:00
Subject:	late, late, late...
Security:	Public

Still sick. Still very sick of being very sick. I'm better but I still can't walk ten feet without getting dizzy as hell and feeling ready to launch a bile-missile. I've missed a week of work, one seminar, countless opportunities to socialize, and eight days of valuable nose-breathing.

Get out of my system, you damned bloody illness!!!

*sigh* Anyway, like lcw1795 I am doing this 32 days late, but that's okay.

2007 In Review

1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before? Met online friends en masse; visited Washington, DC; spent two weeks away from home for a non-medical reason.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't make them.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Nope.

4. Did anyone close to you die? My Uncle Glen.

5. What countries did you visit? None.

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? A whole month without having to see a doctor of some sort.

7. What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory and why? The day I found out I was accepted into the internship program, beacuse it marks one of the greatest successes of my life so far.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? See no. 7.

9. What was your biggest failure? Not losing any weight, and in fact gaining still more, in spite of trying.

10. Did you suffer any illness or injury? Injuries, no, but the typical array of skin, respiratory, allergy, and podiatric ailments were visited with depressing regularity.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Black dress pants I got in Washington. They reintroduced me to the wonders of comfortable non-denim pants, something I'd forgotten for years.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Meghan, for winning her category in the big art show.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? The Wichita and Sedgwick County governments.

14. Where did most of your money go? School and healthcare.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Trips to Washington and Philadelphia!

16. What song will always remind you of 2007? "Girl Next Door" by Saving Jane. Er, don't ask.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier
ii. thinner or fatter? Fatter. *sigh*
iii. richer or poorer? Very slightly richer.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Hung out with friends.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Gain weight.

20. How will you be spending Christmas? No idea.

21. Did you send out Christmas cards this year? Nope.

22. Did you fall in love in 2007? No.

23. How many one-night stands? None.

24. What was your favorite TV program? Jericho.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Nope.

26. What was the best book you read? One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. It was truly an eye-opener.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Placebo.

28. What did you want and get? The internship!

29. What did you want and not get? Significantly healthier. I did have a great three months in July -September, though.

30. What was your favorite film of this year? Stardust!

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Turned 28, and I know I went to dinner, but I don't remember where.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Losing 50 pounds.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? Lazy As Hell.

34. What kept you sane? My friends and the promise of a semester on the East Coast.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Parminder Nagra, as usual.

36. What political issue stirred you the most? Coal power in western Kansas.

37. Who did you miss? Uncle Glen, who I never got to see before he died.

38. Who was the best new person you met? Carrie, Mike, and E, and all the Incons I met. Although I'd known most of them for years online.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007: Sometimes old, boring people do beat young, interesting kids for enviable academic programs!

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

I don't talk about it but that's alright
Table's turned now there's a revenge in sight.
If it takes forever babe I tell ya I can wait,
Send them screaming back through their hell's own gate.

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Date:	Wednesday, 30 January 2008 21:09
Subject:
Security:	Public

1. Leave me a casual comment of no particular significance, like a lyric to your current favorite song, your favorite kind of sandwich, or maybe your favorite game. Any remark, meaningless or not.
2. I will respond by asking you five personal questions so I can get to know you better.
3. Update your LJ with the answers to the questions.
4. Include this explanation and offer to ask someone else in your own post.
5. When others respond with a desultory comment, you will ask them five questions.

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Date:	Sunday, 27 January 2008 17:15
Subject:	continuing the parade of posts...
Security:	Public
Mood:	drippy

Arggh. If you're not interested in reading stories of my mucosal misadventures, ( do not click! )

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Date:	Saturday, 26 January 2008 23:34
Subject:	Adventures in Silver Spring: Warm at last...with pics!
Security:	Public
Mood:	content
Music:	Tristania, "A Sequel of Decay"

I love my new coat. It keeps my legs happy. 'Nuff said.



I went to dinner with two friends tonight, and I must say, Marsala wine sauce makes me sorely wish I could actually drink Marsala wine. Also, prosciutto ftw! Dinner with friends is so much fun. *happy sigh* It sure beats cold Chinese food eaten alone!

I spent most of Friday at the Library of Congress doing research (well, waiting to get my reader's card, then going back and forth to and from various reading rooms making inquiries, then waiting for my 20-odd book requests to be delivered to the Main Reading Room...and really, I must say it made me feel a little like I was in All the President's Men!...then doing the actual research) that ultimately proved fruitless, at least until I can contact more folks on Monday.

Note to self: Learn Spanish. It likely helps a lot when researching Spanish Empire-related topics.

Note to readers: Marble floors, while pretty to look at, positively suck for walking on.

They do, however, have pretty good cheesesteaks in the LoC-Madison cafeteria. The following chicken cheesesteak didn't last long, I assure you.



Also, I must say, I enjoy the bus-borne portion my homeward commute, which takes me by the Capitol and LoC every day on the way to Union Station. Although when some funky security-related thing is going down in the vicinity of the Capitol, it becomes decidedly less fun. Speaking of the Capitol, here it is in late afternoon from the plaza in front of the LoC-Jefferson building.



I must say, I say "I must say" too much.

Since I am just loving the gratuitous use of pictures, here's one from the Navy Yard Metro station.



And...

I MET BOB DOLE!!!

I know I'm probably being corny and dorky, but...Bob Dole! He's an important person, arguably one of the most famous Kansans in history, formerly the most powerful Republican in Congress, and a leader I've admired ever since I first became politically aware in middle school...yeah! All the interns from Kansas met with him at his office for over an hour on Thursday. It was just great. It was one of the best hours I've ever spent, I think. I've always liked him, and regretted the fact that I was just four months too young to vote for him in the 1996 presidential election.



!!!

I think I am going to get that one framed.

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Date:	Monday, 21 January 2008 16:13
Subject:	pics!
Security:	Public
Music:	Stevie Nicks, "Edge of Seventeen"

Pretty boring, but here are the first pics from my new camera, from my apartment in Silver Spring:


Shot from the dining room window. I have no idea what direction it's facing!


The living room.


The kitchen.


My bed. You can tell, because it's the one that's always a mess.

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Date:	Friday, 11 January 2008 22:07
Subject:	going back again....
Security:	Public
Mood:	nostalgic

Alright, people, it's time for another little trip into the past. Last month I posted about my experiences in fourth grade, and at Blessed Sacrament School in general. It was not, itself, a very happy story, but as I mentioned there, it does have a happy epilogue. So, let's go back to 1990.

Within a week of changing schools life improved by about 200%. Even on my first day at Adams Elementary School I felt that things were radically different. Everything was new and exciting and...nice. Nice kids. Nice teachers. Nice parents. Nobody locked up my inhaler because I had bad grades; if I had bad grades (and I didn't; I was almost immediately an A student upon changing schools, which should be an indication of what a real change it was) the teacher would have tried to find out why and helped me, instead of punishing me. There were no class meetings intended to empower the popular kids and marginalize the non-conformists; indeed, there weren't "popular" kids in the same sense as at Blessed Sacrament, because the community was itself radically different. This leads me to what is perhaps most important, a description of the school itself as it was in 1990-91.

Adams sits at the corner of Ninth and Oliver Streets. If you drive by the school today, you'll not see the little neighborhood school I remember. It's since expanded and become twice as large. But the little school I remember was ideal. No, it wasn't ideal in the sense of "perfect," as in possessing cutting-edge technology, the newest facilities, or the best in everything; as a matter of fact, Adams in 1990-91 was lacking in most of these departments. It was, rather, ideal in the sense of being a perfect place to be a student. This was long before the huge $250 million bond that transformed the Wichita school district in the late 1990s. Adams at this time was the last to get anything. With about 250 students, the school was slightly overcrowded, and had a single "multi-purpose room" that functioned as cafeteria, gymnasium, and auditorium all in one; this surprised me, the pampered Catholic school kid, for whom all three had recently been nicely-appointed and separate facilities. What few computers we had were ancient (even by 1990 standards) Apple II models that other schools no longer had any use for, and a couple of somewhat more modern Macintosh machines. Using any of them was a distinct privilege. By the time I arrived at Adams, the tile on the walls was beginning to crack, the plumbing was in poor shape, the windows were in dire need of replacement, and the heating system left much to be desired. There was of course no air conditioning; no public school I attended in Wichita ever had school-wide air conditioning, it only being available in selected rooms such as the high school library. (And please note that we didn't get whole "heat days" off from school in September, either, in spite of the regular 100°+ temperatures and lack of AC. Kids are wimps today.)

Adams was a neighborhood school in the best sense of the term. There was no busing; the entire student body came from a small geographical area. This was also before the mass-closure of old school buildings in the middle 1990s, so there were still two other neighborhood elementaries within close walking distance of Adams (Carter and Hyde); thus, most everyone walked to and from school, and few parents had any need to drive their kids to and from the campus. I lived six blocks away, and although my mother would drop me off every morning, I walked home every day. We were racially diverse, another things that surprised me. Whereas Blessed Sacrament had exactly one black family, Adams was about half black. But I think the most surprising thing of all was the almost uniform economic status of the student body. Here, there weren't a few "poor kids" who attended the school on the parish's charity and were severely outnumbered by a mass of wealthy and near-wealthy families; here everyone was poor or at least lower middle class. The wealthy families in the area sent their kids to private schools.

It was quite a change from elitist, cliquish, wealthy, status-crazed Blessed Sacrament. Nobody here excluded me from expensive birthday parties at the skating rink because no one at Adams had such parties. Everyone played soccer, but no one cared about officially playing on AYSO teams. There were no Cub and Boy Scouts, no athletic teams, no cheerleaders, no booster club, no rivalries between mothers in the Altar Society guilds, no organized ways that students and their families set themselves off from the hoi polloi (which, please note, definitely included public school kids, which was a pejorative term to the Blessed Sacrament hoi oligoi, who considered themselves the very pinnacle of East Wichita society). Nobody at Adams cared that I didn't own fancy clothes, the most expensive Nike Air Jordan shoes, got new video games every couple of weeks, or that my mom drove a dilapidated 1973 Chevy Malibu station wagon that ran over construction barrels like an especially noisy, smoke-belching 8-cylinder tank. (Ye gods, but I loved that car; I cried when we had to scrap it because the brakes finally died beyond repair.) After my best friend from Blessed Sacrament Chris had moved to Texas following third grade, I had no real friends left at Blessed Sacrament. I made friends my first day at Adams, some of whom remained my friends far into adolescence and one into adulthood before his life was tragically cut short.

Life was good. I loved my fourth and fifth grade teachers at Adams, and they actually cared about me. I loved the principal, who was friendly and accessible. (To be fair, the principal at Blessed Sacrament, Sister Marietta, was one of two members of the faculty and administration who were ever nice to me and are fondly remembered, the other being our substitute second grade teacher; I loved Sister Marietta. She passed away this past September.) The gym teacher, for a wonder, actually understood about my health problems and was careful to tailor the school's physical education to my needs. He even refused to let me run one day when he saw that I was wheezing. That, I must say, was a singular experience!

I loved walking home from school, usually with friends. I loved playing with them after school, having them come over on the weekends, even having them spend the night at my house. These things had almost never happened at Blessed Sacrament. I had done all of these things with my neighborhood friends (some of whom I now happily went to school with), but only rarely with school friends, such as there were, except for Chris (who lived just two blocks from me). We never went to fancy places like Skate East or even the mall, the typical haunts of Blessed Sacrament's cliques, but we often walking over to the Town & Country convenience store to waste a few quarters on the video games. We'd play in the long, grey, cat-patrolled alleyway between the little strip mall that faced Central Ave. and the northernmost house lots on Dellrose and Pershing. That alley was our own little kingdom. It was starting to deteriorate by the time I was in fifth grade, and would be changed utterly later that year when the T&C and half of the strip mall were torn down to make way for a new QuikTrip.

People often talk, frequently in cliched terms, of their "glory days" or of an ideal time in childhood. Well, fifth grade was my cliched ideal time. For the first time in as long as I could remember, school was fun. I looked forward to it every day. Life was a swirl of friends and recess and caring, understanding adults. Those last two months of fourth grade, my first at Adams, were a revelation. Life was just good. And no, it wasn't perfect. My asthma continued its slow rumble to adolescence, where it achieved some brief stability a few years later before the near-fatal plunge of early adulthood; in elementary school it was still controllable, but somewhat unpredictable, and resulted in frequent visits to the emergency room. It was, in many ways, the end of an era.

The summer that followed fourth grade, and fifth grade up to May (more on that later) were my halcyon days. I don't remember many bad things that happened. Perhaps it's the benefit (or curse) of nostalgic hindsight, perhaps it really was as good a year as I remember. There are so many good memories I have that I couldn't even begin to record them all. There are several things that stand out, however, One is kickball. At Blessed Sacrament the boys had played exactly two games: soccer and four-square. The latter was played on the infrequent days when excessive rain or mud forced the school administration to transfer recess from the actual playground to the black-top parking lot, upon which soccer was not allowed. Soccer, however, dominated the other 95% of recess. Only soccer. We never played baseball. We never played football. We didn't even have a basketball goal. The playground equipment and swings were for girls. We didn't play pretend, as soldiers or cops and robbers or spies (as, you may note, we frequently did in my own neighborhood). No, it was soccer, and soccer was all. I hated soccer. You have to realize that one of my major asthmatic triggers is exercise, and no exercise triggers a good old asthmatic episode like running. And what was soccer at Blessed Sacrament? 99% running. Just running, running, running, for a solid half-hour. I tried, oh how I tried, but I couldn't; I would eventually get winded and wheezing and have to stop. I even joined an AYSO team one summer (something every boy had to do every year, because only girls didn't play soccer on official AYSO teams! In fact, some of them did, but don't tell that to my former classmates), but I performed poorly and did not sign up again. Eventually I stopped playing altogether.

But at Adams, kickball was the game. Now, there we actually did play football, basketball, and baseball, in addition to soccer, but kickball was pretty much the default. It could be played in any season, by any number of players. The rules were simple, if somewhat fluid, and it was all for fun, with none of the cutthroat competitiveness that characterized Blessed Sacrament soccer. It was fun. And perhaps most importantly, I could play! It was wonderful. Here were my friends and I playing an enjoyable, exciting game that, while involving some running, was tame and paced enough that I could not only keep up, but succeed. The first time I ran to the outfield and caught the flying red rubber ball was one of the most amazing moments of my young life. My teammates cheered--cheered! They cheered me! That was unprecedented.

(Sadly, the field where we played kickball no longer exists. In 1990 and 1991 it was the northwest corner of the playground, consisting of a beaten-down baseball diamond mostly comprising hard-packed dirt and a few forlorn clumps of grass, a battered chain-link backstop, and four filthy but seemingly indestructible rubber bases set into the ground. During the expansion and renovation of Adams in the late 1990s, half of what had been the playground--including our kickball/baseball diamond, the dilapidated basketball court, the area with ancient, rusting playground equipment, and the sandbox that likely possessed a coliform count fit to horrify the CDC--was paved over and became part of the new parking lot.)

It was the little things that changed my life. Or maybe they weren't so little after all. It was friends who liked me for who I was and didn't reject me for being fat, slow, stupid, and occasionally out-of-commission due to health problems. It was friends, teachers, and administrators who actually cared about me, about my academic, social, medical, and emotional health and wellbeing. It was being in a place where I wasn't automatically judged by how wealthy (or not) my family was, or how much influence my mother had (or didn't have) in the school community. At Adams, most of us were poor. Many of us came from single-parent homes. Many of us had experienced tragedies and trials in life. But these things, I think, bound us together. It was like a family. We didn't think we were better than anyone else. We didn't think of Catholic school kids as inferior forms of life, second-class citizens, almost non-human, really. Does that sound harsh? Well, it is harsh, and it's meant to be, because the Blessed Sacrament attitude toward outsiders was exactly that: harsh, cruel, bigoted, unforgiving. Even in first grade I remember being taught that the CCD¹ kids who used our classroom at night were "bad" because they were (*gasp!*) public school kids, that they were all trouble-makers and not "real" Catholics and not worth any respect. This was taught, openly, by our teachers and swiftly adopted by my classmates. Are my comparisons between Catholic and public school too sharply worded? Perhaps. But from an eleven-year-old's perspective, the two worlds were diametrically opposed.

Adams, all in all, was an experience that forever marked me. I had grown up thinking of public schools as undisciplined, soulless places where all manner of bad things happened. These ideas, though not taught by my own mother, were taught to me by peers and elders. Good little Catholic boys didn't go to public school. Public school was for bad kids who couldn't hack it in the "perfect" Catholic schools. Well, you know, I couldn't hack it, and frankly I am glad of that. I think that if I had stayed in Catholic schools through eighth grade, or into high school (perish the thought), I would have ended up like so many of my classmates did: early alcoholics who drank their way through the days filled with cliquish snobbery, academic nonentities who did whatever least effort was required to pass, never encouraged, never challenged in a good way, beaten to spiritual death by a system that pampered and coddled the desirables and consigned the undesirables to utter failure.

So, I became a bad kid. I forsook the perfect, disciplined, holy divinely-inspired Wichita Catholic Schools for the godless and third-rate public school system. Surely, I would end up stupid like all the other public school kids, right? I'd join a gang, I'd get in fights, I'd never go to college. I'd fail. Right? Right.

(The 3.308 GPA and three successive 4.0 semesters in college--including 4.0 records in both my major and minor fields--Washington, DC internship I won through academic competition, perfectly clean criminal record--I don't even have a single speeding ticket--steady employment in a company that is surely following the Christian's duty to take care of the needy--the blind, in our case--and the fact that I did all this in spite of often debilitating and twice near-fatal health conditions should speak to that assessment. But I shouldn't brag.)

Adams Elementary School changed my life. Fifth grade was the high point of that wonderful time. But like all good things, it had to end. In May of my fifth grade year we were evicted from our house for reasons I am still not entirely sure about. We then embarked on a four-year journey that would see my little nuclear family live in a succession of cheap motels before the slow physical decline during high school and the trials of the early 2000s that I shall not bore you all with again. But fifth grade remains the height of my halcyon days.


Me and my best friend from Adams, David. I am on the left.

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