The Thoughts of a Frumpy Professor

............................................ ............................................ A blog devoted to the ramblings of a small town, middle aged college professor as he experiences life and all its strange variances.

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

A Bug of A Bug



There has been a "bug" (I mean this in the euphemistic sense of an illness, not really the bug in my image.) of some sort that has run rampant through my region and it seemed to be very fast acting.  Three of the four members of my household (myself included) feel run down, I have about a dozen folks in my Department that feel run down (again about 75%), and a lot of folks were complaining about the general achy feeling of throat and muscles at Mass this past weekend.  I had hoped to avoid its onslaught, but I too have to grudgingly admit I feel a bit less than what I would call "robust" at the moment.    It is annoying as hell.  And, to top it off, I have a dental appointment tomorrow.  That will make the day just that much better. 

I should not complain.  I know I should not.  So, I am sorry I have complained.  Instead, I will close with something more positive.  I still did three miles of running this morning at 5am!  This was three of the five miles I normally walk at that time of day.  I have to admit, I do feel very nice when I do run.  The first 10-15 minutes after I finish, I feel.... I don't know.... I just feel happy that I was able to do it, and that it was not horrible!

PipeTobacco

Monday, August 29, 2016

Busy & Productive

It is a busy day here, but I have been productive at work.  I am hoping to work on cleaning  the garage when I get home as tomorrow is garbage pick up.

PipeTobacco

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Back Porch

I am sitting on the back porch after a long, but productive day at the U.  I am enjoying a bowl of "sagebrush" tinctured burley leaf in my pipe at the moment.  Sagebrush is a blend that has a rustic sort of odor, a little like a campfire with a hint of vanilla.  I am letting the dog out to do her "business" while I sit here and relax some.  

Running (jogging) three of my five miles in the early morning is quite helpful for me.  Not only does it relax me, in the morning it also helps me feel more alert as well.  And, even if nothing else goes well when I get to work, I still feel decent that I accomplished that run.  

I went across town before I came home today to visit the cemetery.  It was what would be my parent's 70th wedding anniversary.  On the journey there, I passed by my old high school, and looked at the track and football field.  As a chubby, fat kid, I remember the track being a source of embarrassment and shame for me.  In the mandatory gym class I had there when I was 13 (freshman year, and yes I was on the young side), I remember feeling like a huge failure because I was so big and so slow that I failed the coaches requirement for the class that we run a mile on the track in a certain time that I could not meet.  It was my worst high school grade I ever received.  For a lot of years, I shied away from doing any sort of "sport" because I was such a failure.  It took a helluva lot of years for me to figure out that I did not need to accept that failure as a definition of who or what I was physically.  When I looked across that track today, I consciously realized just then, how, these many, many decades later, I now could accomplish that mile on that modest track, and do so 
fairly easily.  It does not make me any better of a person than I was back then... I wish I would have realized this back when I was younger.  

In many ways, it is a similar story to when I lost 100 pounds.   A lot of folks treated me differently.... and in some ways that felt so, so very odd.  At one level, I was happy they noticed the work I put in to losing the weight, but it also made me feel quite an "outsider" so-to-speak.  I was and felt like the same person I have always been when I was heavy, and I had the same feelings inside, but just because my outside had changed, they treated me like a different person in many ways.... some good, but some ways were not.  I especially felt uncomfortable when a lot of folks started to make "fat" comments about others in my presence. It gave me more insight to what some were undoubtably saying about me out of ear-shot when I was heavier.  

People are who they are whether fat or thin, non-athletic or athletic.  It is just a strange feeling being who I am and getting to experience both groups.  

But, not to be too maudlin, I did want to end this by saying that looking at that track today allowed me to realize AND let go of some of that shame I had been keeping inside me all these years.... Even though much of it was subconscious.

PipeTobacco

Thursday, August 18, 2016

It has been a while

It has been a while since I posted.   Basic information:  the trip to the big city was a lot of fun.  Had some amazing seafood and even had some adventures as well.  Came back well rested.  Then the proverbial sh*t hit the fan and. I have been dealing with last minute crisices at work including two adjuncts who quit at the last minute.  Oh well.  Still running usually three miles of my five a day, still pushing through as best as I can.  Still smoking the damn pipe, too, however.  More to follow as I get back to just the normal bull.  

PipeTobacco 

Monday, August 01, 2016

Done

I have all my work done, and I think I am ready for my research talk.  Hopefully it will be good and then we can  play in the big city After that is done for a few days!

PipeTobacco