What does the pavement get when a car drives over it?

Tired.

And I'm just a little hunk o' pavement.

This shotgun post must be written, though, because today was a day worth telling you about. (I didn't run into Dave Zamansky, if that's what you're waiting for.) I spent the morning geeking out over an assignment for that computer programming class I hate so much; there's nothing new there but it's worth documenting. I didn't do much more before lunch but I spent a lot of that time worrying and clenching my jaw over how to tell the Power Vote gals that I had gotten myself in over my head, that my time was becoming more and more allocated to course work more quickly than I had planned and that I was beginning to have nightmares about petitioning around campus. I would have to be reasonable yet firm. I would have to emphasize that I support their cause but that my time is my own and I must devote it to my true academic love. Maybe I would just skip the meeting...

So onward I went, often returning to thoughts of how to say it best but generally occupied by the rest of my day's chores (not really) and leisurely pursuits (a long lunch), eventually coming to rest at a picnic table outside DeMeritt Hall where I meant to split the remaining half hour before physics class between textbook reading and pleasure reading. I had not given my backpack zipper the full tour of its length when who should descend from his lofty (he employs Kevin Garnett to tie his shoelaces) perch but the sophomore physics TA. That one. And what did he have to say?

Hi.

I am prepared to say (though I shall wait a proper interval to do so) that I have spoken my last ill quip of this guy. He mentioned something about needing a different activity for class than was originally posted on the website but I think he really just came over to chat. After a few minutes, I had taken out V For Vendetta, my introduction to the graphic novel and he had seen the movie so we started talking about it and how his roommates love those post-overthrow, politically-focus stories. He left for something and came back for much of the time before class we discussed the courses he's taking, what he had done in undergrad research positions and, of course, the LHC (we are physics students, after all).

In class, while we were all working on that exercise referenced above, he came over to our group to peer over our shoulders just as the professor and the other TA were doing and when he noticed a small error of haste on my page, rapped my over the head lightly with a rolled up piece of paper and that's when I got it. That's what he was doing on the first day when he called into question my basic reasoning skills. He was just trying to be light-hearted, to be an un-teacher.

But that doesn't mean I've forgotten about it.

Things continue to look up in that class so there you have it.

What of Power Vote? Thanks for remembering. I went to the meeting preparing my excuses the whole way but those girls must have poked into my brain already (it never takes long) because for the first time, I found out about all kinds of non-petitioning help that I can lend based upon whatever free time I have in my schedule. I knew they'd come through for me. I feel much better about continuing to help them get their message out across campus and beyond now that I can do so in ways that suit me better. So for now I'm still signed on and maybe I'll get to do some neat stuff like give interviews to newspapers or arrange an event at the Barley Pub.

It's upward and onward we go.