Tuesday, August 29, 2006

To the mall!


After a year of avoidance, I finally made my first trip to the Roswell Mall. I didn't go for shopping though, so I still have that going for me. I went to lend a hand to the Media Arts department of our school to help with recruitment.

The mall isn't actually as bad as I thought it would be. It actually looks like a mall inside and has your typical mall stuff offered. The two things that got me were:

1. Giant roaches. I'm not talking your little brown, we have a problem type roach here. No. I'm talking your indigenous two inch long, dinosaur looking things. They were everywhere outside the exit of the mall. Luckily most were dead, or dying, but yuck!! I think Roswell is as close to Galapagos as I'll ever get!

2. The sign on the door. The Roswell Mall has their do's and don'ts posted on a sign like many malls do. No smoking. No skateboards...that kind of thing. But...they had two things posted I have never seen (and being from Philly, you'd think I would have). They have a no bandana and no gang related attire policy. Yes, they will boot you from the mall if you are wearing your bandana. No eighties heavy metal stars here: sorry Axel!! And...how do you get those gang related tattoos off before you go in there?!?!?

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Back to work


I guess it was bound to happen. Work. Today was the first of two days of meetings to get us back in the groove for another semester. This semester should be cool, but majorly busy.

I will be teaching 4 sections of Rhetoric, 1 section of Intro to theater arts, 1 section of Rehearsal and performance and 1 section of Comic Book Design. Then there is the play.

Besides that, I got back to Roswell safely and reclaimed my spot on the couch in front of the idiot box. I won't have much TV time for a while, but I did get a chance to catch up on most of the stuff I Tivo'd this summer.

No giant spiders. No scorpions. So far, off to a good start!

Friday, August 18, 2006

Wild blue yonder


Today I have airplanes on my mind. Maybe it is because I have to drive to Philly International to drop off Ali this afternoon, or because I have to fly out on Monday. Either way, I have been thinking about the pain in the rear which is air-travel.

Philly International is probably the biggest pain in the butt airport I have ever been to. It takes forever to get through there and there are always tons of people there. I know JFK is a big pain too, but my limites experience their has been positive.

Dallas, on the other hand, is a joy in comparisson. The only problem there is that when you land you might have a ten minute ride to your terminal. The first time you land there it is confusing. Your plane actually drives over the highway. It is even stranger when you drive to the airport and see a plane drive over you. But it is such a big airport and arranged so well that it is a breeze to get things done. One of the best things in Dallas.

I really like small airports though like Lubbuck or Santa Barbara. No muss no fuss. You enter in the one door, go to the one counter and sit at one of the few gates to wait for your plane. I love when I get to do a trip like that. It really lowers that travel stress.

Internationally, it seems like all airports are a pain for Americans. The Amsterdam airport was nice though. It had smoking and nice areas to get coffee or a snack. It was mobbed though. We got a verbal lashing at the gate too. We stopped for coffee because we were so early. When we showed up at the gate, about one hour and a half before the flight took off, a snooty airport employee gave us a lecture about being on time. They wanted us there to check in (even though we had already done that once) with them at the gate two hours before takeoff. I could've killed that jerk.

Anyway, I was just having a conversation and mentioned that if I were going on vacation and had a few choices of destination, I would totally pick the one with the least stressful airport. Is that dumb?

Anybody have a favorite airport or great airport story? I know most of you have heard all of mine before, so I won't bore you with them again.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

The Philadelphia Five

As I get ready to head back to New Mexico, I thought I'd give you my list of things I miss most obout the greatest city in the USA: Philadelphia. Of course you can put family and friends aside for this, of course they come first. But the following is a list of things that are very difficult for me to do without in Roswell.

1. Rita's Water Ice. If you have been to Philly and had Rita's, you know what I am talking about. If you haven't, man, it is hard to explain. On the surface it would appear that Rita's is just a tasty, cool and refreshing icee snack. But, once you have tasted a Rita's, you realize there really is nothing like it in the world. Nuff said.

2. Snow. How do people live in climates that really do not get any snow? I love the snow. I love the way it looks, they way it falls, the way it feels to jump in and even shoveling the stuff! Every Winter I watch the news or weather channel and watch other people's snow. Is that wrong?

3. Attitude. I like the people I live near, but there is just nothing like the brunt honesty of people from Philly. No B.S.. I love when people look at me funny at restaurants when I ask for something ridicolous. Or when people tell me that something I am going to buy is ugly or dumb. You can't beat that kind of caring!

4. Angelos Pizza. Oh man, you gotta be kidding me. How do I go months and months without Angelos? The best pizza. Great Strombolis and Calzones. Perfect Cheese Steaks. I could eat there every night and not get the same thing for a month and be thrilled. I have been getting food there for about 27 years, and I guess you can say in part that they have made me into the man I am today.

5. Sports. It's not really the biggest deal in the world. I have friends to watch football with in Roswell and have great fun, but there is just something about being at home with Philly fans watching a game. Yelling at the TV. Arguing about who sucks the worst or who should be traded of fired. A whole flock of people to root against anything that even remotley reminds of New York or Dallas, or pretty much anything not Philly.

And of course there's a ton more, but that's enough for now. Let me know your top five from your hometown!

Monday, August 14, 2006

Where in the world!?!?


Hello my brothers and sisters. I apologize for the long absence, but it has made my heart grow fonder. Before I get into the usual routine, I thought I would give you my excuse for being gone such a long time (and no, it is not wanting to have you see Big Ben R. as my super genius for a month).

Fact of the matter is I have not been home since May 17th. This summer has been filled with travel, both pleasant and laborious. I will let you decide which is which and what is what. Being on the road for so long, it has been difficult to get online to update. But...I'm back.

Here's my summer to date:

Fly from Albuquerque to Seattle. Jump on ship and cruise Alaska. Fly Seattle to Dallas. Stay in Dallas 10 days. Fly from Dallas to Las Vegas. Pick up parents in rental car. Drive to Hoover Dam, Vegas, Sequoia national Park, Yosemite, San Francisco, Ventura and finally Santa Barbara for my brother's graduation (yay Ben!). Fly from Santa Barbara to Philadelphia. Stay in Philly for a couple of weeks. Fly from Philly to Dallas. Next Day, drive from Dallas to San Diego for conference. Drive from San Diego back to Dallas. Take train from Dallas to Los Angeles (56 hours). Drive from West Lake Village, Ca to Philadelphia.

So far, with layovers, I am at 14 flights this summer with two more to go to get back to lovely Roswell. I estimate my total miles in travel this summer to be over 20,000! And...all in the USA (except for a bit on the Pacific through Canada). Also, I have changed my watch 23 times to account for time zone changes (with two to go). Next summer, I want to visit some places in Dreamland. Just give me coffee, friends, some sports, good books and a bed!

I hope all of your summers are going well and I hope to hear from you!

D.W.