It's like someone spilled a beer all over the atmosphere...

~The wonderful lyrical stylings of Mr. Jens Lekman

I've been mute for a while. Things have been happening, but busyness has trumped blogging. Here are a few random selections from the past month:

1) I just drove my sister and brother to the airport so they can enjoy a week in sunny Hawaii. It's March, snowing and freezing in Seattle. Where am I going for my well-deserved spring break? DC. So much for lounging on the beach :)

2) When discussing my non-existent love life and possible interest in a certain boy with my good friend Amanda a couple of weeks ago, I was surprised to hear "it sounds like you should probably just kiss him, Katie." Hmm...not exactly my style. But, seeing that my style has never produced anything but diminished self esteem and bad memories, maybe it's worth a shot!

3) I ran into a random youth group kid from yester-year while in the grocery store last week. He told me what he has been up to: biking. And then proceeded to lift a pantleg to further make his point by showing me his "mean calves" and bike socks. Nice.

4) The moustache has made a return to Seattle, and I'm just now jumping on that band wagon. I mean, of course, not personally, but my brother's interest the past few years in "expressing himself" through unique and sometimes shocking facial hair at winter's end resulted in a long handlebar moustache last week. This prompted a good ol' nostalgic perusing of the family photos to a time before I was on the scene: a very jovial, little curly haired boy named Alan, a knockout with long brown hair, and dad, with his curly semi-fro and amazing 'stache! Seriously folks, this was a masterpiece, and it only took me 24 years to realize it. Photo to come.

5) Teaching, of course, has been up and down, but mostly up. I still love it, but I'm ready for a break. Makes me wonder how long I'll be teaching at the high school level. I've learned how to deal with staying up late or getting up early to plan lectures, answering 20 emails at 1am before a homework assignment is due, not being very confident that I'll teach something well, worrying that I have massive pit stains when I teach, the extreme backlash (from under AND upperclassmen) when papers or tests are handed back, and, perhaps to a certain extent, even the tears. One thing I still can't bring myself to deal with is students who say things such as:

"You know, I DO have other classes too." (Yes, thanks, I'm fully aware of that)
"It's not like you're a bad teacher, it's me." (Yeah, that's not what I was thinking)
"I just wanted you to see my schedule for the next two quarters. If I don't pass this class I'll be a beggar on the street." (!!!!!!)
"What are my chances of getting an A? Could you estimate this on a 4.0 scale?" (No, actually, I can't)


6) We had Bowling with the Professors a couple of Fridays back, which was quite fun. It was great to have a couple of my students come along and chat with them about things other than science...which ended in one of my girls confessing a crush on one of my other students... I bowled a 160 or something like that. It would have been much higher, but I seem to have a propensity for gutter-balling directly after a strike. My thumb was sore the next day.

7) I bought my ticket for Day 1 of the Sasquatch festival (May 23rd) last weekend. DeVotchKa, Bon Iver, The Decemberists, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Animal Collective, and many other bands that sound legit...who are these "Kings of Leon" guys? Oh well, I'm sure they'll be a better headliner than NIN or Ben Harper. I just can't believe I didn't go last year...

8) When researching my probable Basal Metabolic Rate (BSR) on Friday, I was informed by mypyramid.gov that I am "overweight and should probably try to lose some weight." No kidding. It's not enough to think self-deprecating thoughts daily when I look in the mirror or remember how 3/4 of my clothes don't fit me anymore, now I have to hear it from my computer too! Fun. Interestingly, my weight and height apparently dictate I can eat close to 2500 calories a day and maintain my current weight...not so sure about that. BUT, I did my dad's profile to see if the human trash-compactor was justified in his insane eating habits, and turns out he probably burns between 4500 and 5000 calories a day. WHAT THE HELL?

9) I am so ready for freedom. Or Europe. How about both?

10) This just in: three more gen chem lectures this quarter. The final is almost written, and the other classes are winding down. The light at the end of the tunnel is becoming more intense. First, I have some mean papers to write for my classes....