Exilarated

Lifted weights (one circuit, 10 exercises, 10 reps each, light weight) and rode the exercise bike a couple of miles this morning. Man, I love working out. Overcoming inertia is the key to anything new for me. We'll see if it lasts.

Workout predicted

Teaching: Made it through Chancellorsville in lecture. Won't be long now. Little Round Top & Pickett's Charge and then Ulysses. I spent Wednesday at the 2nd of a three-meeting "Seven Habits" seminar. It's good stuff, and really how we operate around here, but it's tough to not feel cynical at the earnestness of it all.
Home Improvement: My weed spraying in the front seems to of work, so I'll expand the eradication. Mowing today, weather permitting.
Reading: reading through a summary of Cigars, Whiskey, & Winning - basically "Grant on Leadership".
TV & Movies: Got in Top Chef and Last Restaurant Standing and little else this week. There is a bit of freedom in not watching regular shows on TV, and certainly the DVR lets one pick & choose, but I do feel like I'm missing out on things sometimes. I've got another episode of Battlestar saved.
Exercising: Finally took advantage of a gym membership available because of my job. Going to workout in a bit.
Dad's back at home and doing fine.

Teaching: Got all my classes nearly caught up - thru Bull Run and McClellan taking command + test grades, notebooks, and turning in our textbooks. Our librarian retired, so I could end chairing the school tech committee. Got a note from another school about teaching & coaching. AP essay assigned tomorrow. Got to put together notes, so not in the mood.
Home Improvement: Mowed the pasture today. Shined the bathroom Sunday.
Writing & Reading: worked on the Ancient Bridge campaign wiki with Paul.
Exercising: Dog Walks:Mile Friday, 1/2 mile Saturday, Mile & 1/2 Monday

Saturday

Dad's recovering from heart surgery.
Went to see him at the VA in Birmingham on Wednesday.
Had some legendary Cosmo's Pizza in Birmingham - not bad.
Went to the first day of 'Seven Habits' training on Thursday:
Be Proactive, Begin with the End in Mind.
The week at school was largely a waste, with so many activities, but we did have a test on Wednesday and watched the first episode of Ken Burn's Civil War.
I'm going back down to Birmingham with Paul today - Saturday.

Sunday Morning

- I'm doing my best to keep the house under control.
- At school, I gave notes all week: Trails West, Texas & the War with Mexico, James K. Polk, The Compromise of 1850, all the way through the 1850's to Lincoln's election & secession. Plus we watched the beginning of Ken Burns' Civil War. Gotta make ready with the test.
- Saturday went across the river with Tobermory. We delivered a snake present to Animal Trax. Met up with Paul & Ferlie, ate Chinese, visited the Booklegger (picked up a 1966 Scifi collection & the classic "The Worm Ouroboros"), & cruised the Barnes & Noble for Moleskine. Came home & watched Crazy for You, my school's spring musical.
- Today: the lawn tractor.

Late Tuesday

Teaching: Giving notes though powerpoint about westward expansion Mon & Tues. -sectionalism tomorrow.
Home Improvement: Sprayed half of the "Appian Way" along the front of the yard.
Writing & Reading: Summarized several more chapters of 38 fiction mistake
TV & Movies: Last Restaurant Standing and Top Chef
Internet: My Mallet friends have discovered Facebook so I've been touching base.
Animal Kingdom: Returned Cindy's Pixie frog - very active. There is a chameleon in our future.
Exercising: 1-mile dogwalk Monday & Tuesday.

The Wolf

You are the king of smooth -- enough said. Take the What Pulp Fiction Character Are You? quiz.

Lincoln, of course, said it best:

On a country run by Nativist Know-Nothings:
"When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving liberty -- to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocracy [sic]."
Abraham Lincoln - August 24, 1855 - Letter to Joshua Speed

Positive Atheism's Big List of Quotations by and about Abraham Lincoln

After a look at the weather radar

There's just swirling crap out there, with no rhyme or reason.

Back in the Saddle

- I fell off the blogging wagon for almost a week there. Must get back to work.
- Today, April 1, is our (Tobermory's and my) 22nd wedding anniversary. Seems like we've only been together a little while and like we've always been together.
- I've covered the reform movements of 1820-1850 in my classes. Test on thursday/friday. I've had a lot of days out of class for 'school activities' and it drives me insane: school pictures, registration, government day, clubs & 'bus evacuation practice' tomorrow, all during History classes. Better cover all my curriculum though!
- Saw the 3rd episode of Top Chef last Wednesday. I really enjoy the show. I guess the cooking seems to make it a cut above other reality for me.
- Played poker on friday - lost a couple of bucks. I was up, but bet some weak hands trying to push it, of course.
- Watched The Mist with Clyde Frog. I liked it quite a bit, I was a little disappointed with the ending. I understood that it had to be either ambiguous or dark, but I still prefer the heroic rather than tragic.
- Have made little progress on the house. I have kept back the doggy tide, however. We're babysitting a frog for a week. He's a little more lively than Tarquin.
- Tobermory got Horace & the girls (Thisbe & Ada) new beds and their pretty nice, I think I want one.
- Commented on a link at BoingBoing - I'd just had enough anti-fun.
- Links - The 101 most useful websites, Eos Books (Harper Collins SciFi), I'd offer you some, Hitchens unleashes on Hillary, The Ultimate Writing Productivity Resource