SATURDAY. 9:12 AM. Happy Lunar New Year! In other words, happy Chinese New Year! It is the Year of the Sheep. (If you want to find out about the Chinese zodiac signs, go here.)

I am hoping this year turns out to be a bit calmer, a bit more peaceful (though not given the fact that this stuff is going on) year.

I am still adjusting to the start of the new semester. I just finished my first week back at the university. I am teaching only two sections of English 101. I have an 8 AM section, which only has 8 people in it (though only 6 have shown up so far). And I have a 12:30 PM section, which has 21 students and which is a special section of College Park Scholars for Environmental Studies.

I am having a good time so far -- I mean it's only been a week. My students are still a little starry-eyed trying to figure out who this pink, spikey-haired guys is that's teaching their class.

My early morning section is going to be a new challenge. I have never taught a class with so few people in it. It'll be great when it comes time to grade papers, but I'm concerned that class discussion will be in short supply. I am going to run the class as a seminar. In fact, I just changed the classroom from a big 35-person room, which felt like we were swimming in desks, to a seminar room for 18. Now we can sit around a table and look one another in the eyes as we talk.

I have never taught a class so early either. I had an 8 AM class once as an undergraduate; it was my Junior English writing class. I disliked it strongly; though it wasn't really that it was so early. But I figure, as most of my colleagues, that if they sign up for an early class, they're willing to get up to get to it. So far, the students seem like their ready and able. I have two students who are in the class because their friends recommended me. That's always a good feeling to know I have a good reputation on campus.

My afternoon section is all the way across campus. The students are pretty lively. Because College Park Scholars is a live-learn program most of them know each other already. It makes them a bit chatty and occasionally rowdy. So, I go from the morning class, which needs help talking, to the afternoon class, which needs to be a bit more focused on me and what's going on. But I like the afternoon group. They laugh at all of my jokes, at least. They seem (a perception that's wholly based on two sessions) a bit more "mainstream" that previous semesters. And for some reason, nearly all of them are from New Jersey or New York. But so far they've engaged me and the class. I haven't managed to scare any of them off.

I am a little tired. I'm still trying to get used to getting early on Tuesdays and Thursdays. But sleeping in on other days, even till just like eight or nine, is making my sleep cycle a bit of a rollercoaster. I'll manage.

Today, for Chinese New Year, I'm going to have a dinner party for family and some friends. It's something I started a few years ago in San Francisco. It's the one time during the year that I make a whole boatload of dumplings or jiao-zi from scratch. It takes five to six hours to make a hundred or so dumplings. I make the filling from scratch; I make a ground turkey version and a vegetarian version. More importantly, I make the dumpling wrappers from scratch. I would never use pre-made wonton wrappers -- that would be cheating! The dumplings are one of the few things I learned to make from my mother. It is in her honor that I take so much pleasure in being elbow deep in flour and water.

I hope everyone has a great day! Wear something red for good luck! And I hope you get a bit of good fortune today (particularly a hong-boa, or red envelope). If you want to see what the Year of the Sheep has in store for you, go here.

MONDAY. 1:21 PM. Just a couple of thoughts today.

First, a moment of silence for the crew of the space shuttle Columbia.

It's amazing how the human memory works, how emotions can be so vivid even years after the fact. I remember the day of the Challenger accident; I was in my Architectural Drawing class in high school. The sense of shock and amazement are still there.

The exploration of space will go on. It must.

Life goes on, too. I had a very good Chinese New Year. My little dinner turned out to be very full with nearly twenty guests. I made one hundred and fourteen dumplings; nearly a hundred were eaten Saturday night. The food was good. The company was even better. Thanks to everyone that helped celebrate the start of the Year of the Sheep.

I hope for peace, passion, and prosperity.

FRIDAY. 10:09 AM. Just a few tidbits today.

This is not okay.

This is pretty interesting. You can buy one here.

This came up in class today.

And if you haven't read this or this in a while, go to it now.

I really shouldn't be watching so much of this.

TUESDAY. 2:47 PM. I'd like to say that I've been super busy with no time to update my website. I'd like to say that I've thrown myself into my teaching and my work and my writing. I'd like to say that I've started a number of projects that have taken up most of my energy and attention. But I can't.

True, I have been occupied with other things. I have been mainly glued to either the glass teat of my computer playing computer games or the glass teat of the television watching superbly bad movies or DIY shows. After the hubbub of the start of the semester and the Lunar New Year, I guess I just figured a little slacking couldn't hurt. Okay, maybe it's been more than just a little slacking.

The semester is in its third week. My students are doing fine. They turned in their first formal assignment today. So, I get to grade for the next week or so. I did have a bit of bad news this week; one of my students in my 8 AM class has to drop out of classes because he's been called into active duty and is being "deployed" this week. I'm actually a little miffed and distraught by the whole thing. I have never "lost" a student in this way before. And since I don't whole-heartedly agree with the reasons why thousands of people are being "activated," I really think the best place for my student is to be in school and not hanging around some base waiting for "action." His departure makes my already small class even smaller. Plus, he really seemed like a good guy. I wish him the best and the utmost of luck and safety.

Speaking of military matters, my friend Rob graduates from marine bootcamp this week -- on Valentine's Day actually. Dana, his wife, has been talking nonstop about his return after fifteen odd weeks away. As far as her reports go, he's done admirably well. He's lost a ton of weight. And he'll return a different but the same person. It will be a good homecoming, I think. I look forward to seeing him and seeing if the experience has changed him. I am extremely proud of him nonetheless.

The past weekend has been pretty slow. I didn't go out much. I did go out to the movies on Saturday to see Shanghai Knights. It was entertaining. Deeply anachronistic (but I guess that's the point) and Jackie Chan continues to prove to me that he has a very strange sense of humor. I did enjoy a few of the fight scenes, particularly the "Singing in the Rain" bit.

Last night, Monday, I went over to my friend Peter's house for dinner. He and his newlywed wife Cristina made some delicious pasta and dessert. We had a little wine, talked about life and everything, and watched a little Joe Millionaire. I hadn't seen Peter for nearly two years -- not since he visited me while I was in San Francisco. He and his wife got married last year and I was not able to go to the wedding. After being back in Maryland for a year, we finally managed to get our schedules to cooperate and get together. It was a nice, quiet, genuine evening. And I didn't even mind being nibbled on my Stella, one of their pet rabbits.

This week will probably be pretty quiet, too. My students will be recovering from turning in their first major assignment and sitting through their first video day. I really need to get some work done on some of those projects I mentioned earlier. Other than that, I certainly don't have much planned for the weekend. Most of my friends -- being partnered and all -- are probably succumbing to the red and pink morass that is Valentine's Day. I think I'll just keep an even keel and keep it happily solo. Ah well.

TUESDAY. 12:16 PM. It is times like the past handful of days that makes me really wish I had a digital camera. I think a decent, very portable digital camera is one of the top things on my wish list. I really want to make my website much more multimedia. Taking pictures the old fashioned way is great (I love having material history) but it doesn't make for timely weblog posts. Pictures here.

Suffice it to say, I have been a bit absent for the past few days. Part of that absence has been due to the great snow that dumped between fifteen to thirty inches of snow in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Silver Spring, where I live, got about twenty-five inches of snow. Crazy. It's been fun and quiet and awe-inspiring to see the area blanketed. I do like snow (though I really don't like the bitter cold). And I don't even really mind being homebound for a few days (though extended "trappedness" makes me stir crazy).

The weekend was pretty low-key. I really wanted to take it easy and try my hardest not to buy into the terror warnings and the mainstream news's attempt to a) subtlely panic the area about biological or radioactive agents, and b) subtlely panic the area about the impending "blizzard." It is fascinating to see how attention deficient the news when faced with the choice of what to cover. During the snow, nearly all other news vanished. The news became one long continuous weather report. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. The mainstream news is like a bad busybody gossip trying to pander to their audience, trying to seem self-important and knowledgeable, trying to get a rise out of their audience no matter the tactic or cost. Of course, it didn't take long till someone decided to try to bridge terrorism and snowy weather...and then I turned off the TV.

Friday was, of course, Valentine's Day. I did not partake -- not that I had a choice in the matter. You can't really "celebrate" a day for lovers without a lover. But decades of Hallmark programming and bittersweet disappointment aside, I had a pretty good Friday. It was just like any other Friday of the year. (Parenthetically, I did feel a little out-of-sorts. It is very difficult to just dismiss years of being told that coupledom is preferred to singledom. I'll get over it.) My friend Ryan came by late after work. We hung out, drank a little, watched stand-up comedy on cable, and talked till about 4 AM. It is probably one of my favorite ways to spend an evening.

Saturday, snow was on the ground. But in some twisted sense of determination, I held Archaea, my live-action RPG. We actually had quorum and played in the snow for a few hours. It was fun. I think the players that showed up, braved the weather, had fun, too.

Saturday night, I went over to Kate and Skinner's for a little gathering to welcome our friend Rob back from boot camp. He graduated from Ellis Island on Valentine's Day and is now a United States marine. He looked great; he lost like sixty pounds. It was really good to see him after nearly three months. And I'm extremely proud of him. He's done good by himself and that's always a great thing to see. He seems more focused and confident. He regailed us all night with stories from boot camp. It's not just a job, right? There were certainly very adventurous tales he told.

Sunday and Monday was spent over at Kate and Skinner's house. I had gone over there on Sunday to hang out and play Tellings. The weather was a bear. There was snow, snow, and more snow. I didn't drive of course. My poor little Saturn wouldn't make it through the deep snow. So, my friend Jesse, a knight in a shining 4x4 truck, came to pick me up. We all got snowed in at Kate and Skinner's. It was fun, though. We stopped at the store for some high calorie foods. There was plenty of hot chocolate to go around. I didn't get much sleep at the impromptu slumber party. Less than four hours. But I had a good time. I got back last night after we dug our way out of the neighborhood.

Thanks to all the great snow plow workers for their dedication and help!

I don't know when the area is going dig itself out of the snow. Nearly everything was cancelled or closed today. Classes were cancelled at school. My students are probably having a grand old time. Unfortunately, it puts us a session behind. Hopefully, it won't be too difficult to catch up. I guess I really should get to grading their first papers.

More anon.

THURSDAY. 10:00 PM. Another week is coming to a close. In fact, another month is also coming to a close. And it's snowing again outside. I am totally ready for spring. I'm tired of the cold and the gray. So, I hope this is the last shuddering breath of winter. One last snow and then it's time for the green and warmth to return.

I am tired. Though it seems a little unreasonable since I got nearly twelve hours of sleep last night. I went to bed at 6:30 PM. Shocking. And didn't get up till 5 AM this morning. I woke up early to get some grading done.

I guess I'll write about "stuff" tomorrow. For now, I'll just leave these bits of interest:

This from the Audre Lorde Project is compelling.

I wonder how this went and whether or not our government is even paying any attention to grassroots dissention.

The Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003 is not okay.

Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) has something to say to the Senate, to the US government, to all of us.

Read some of this.

Caught a bit of this on PBS tonight. Very interesting. Amazing teacher. Speaking of which, goodbye and thanks to Mr. Rogers.

Daniel Libeskind was chosen to design the new World Trade Center project. The new structure is to be the tallest building in the world surpassing the Petronas Towers in Malaysia.

My friend Dustin has written about hydrogen powered cars.

Sad that Buffy is saying goodbye.

FRIDAY. 4:28 PM. It's Friday. The week is done -- not that it's been a terribly difficult one. But for some reason I'm pretty darn wiped out. I think I'm suffering from some winter allergies. I just feel a little sinusy and tired and worn down. I could probably do with keeping myself hydrated, too.

February has come and gone. I sometimes think that we should have a day or two off of the months with thirty-one days and give them to February. What harm could it do? It would make for a bit more regular year. February wouldn't always be the shortchanged month. Deadlines and bill due dates wouldn't come three days early. I just don't get the rationale of having a peculiarly sorted month.

This past week has been mundanely quiet. I think I generally have been quiet to begin with. A quiet person makes for a quiet life. It's a logical conclusion.

Though, I did go to a little party last weekend on Friday night; it was at my friend Meredith's house. It was an Anti-Valentine's Day party and a "welcome back, welcome home, congratulations you've graduated from boot camp" party for our friend Rob. My only goal for the evening was to have a reasonable time, drink a little, and hang out with people. Somewhere along the way, I think I drank a little too much. What's my proof, you ask? Well, I distinctly remember visiting the bathroom at least once. I remember that the bathroom was nice and toasty warm and falling asleep for a short while on the fuzzy bath mat on the floor. And then there are things I don't distinctly remember at all even though there is photographic evidence that I did them. Either I had too much fun or didn't have enough fun because I don't remember kissing my friend John (or Rob or Marc or attempting cunnilingus on Christine).

The rest of that weekend was spent in a dully haze. Saturday was pretty slow. My Call of Cthulhu gaming group attempted to play Saturday night, but we only managed only a few unfocused hours before calling it quits. Sunday was equally slow. My Tellings gaming group tried to play on Sunday afternoon, but didn't even manage more than an hour or so before giving up.

The work week went by slowly. I have been distracted. I have been feeling a little under the weather. I managed to grade my students' first papers; I had them for nearly two weeks and finally got them back to their clutching, little hands. I really dislike grading 101 papers. I love teaching. I enjoy the interaction with my students. I like reading their short response papers. But grading their formal assignments is grueling. Alas, it's part of the territory. I guess I just have to do my best to make everything else about teaching the course interesting and fulfilling.

A portion of my distraction comes in the form of a game called A Tale in the Desert, a massive-multiplayer-online-role-playing-game set in ancient Egypt. The whole focus of the game is to be a good Egyptian citizen -- gather resources, build things, research technology, help society. It's an interesting diversion (even though it is going to make everyone who plays even more obsessive compulsive) given that there is no fighting, no war, no combat in the game -- a unique turn from the very unsettling reality of the real world.

This past Wednesday, I had an all day training at the university. I participated in a new program called the Rainbow Terrapin Network, a program to identify, encourage, and train allies to the LGBT community on campus and at large. It was an interesting day though much of the information I already knew. I got to reconnect with some people I hadn't seen since last semester. My friend Elizabeth was at the training, too. I learned a few things. I strengthened a few ideas. I am just happy to have done something queer-related.

Sometimes I wonder if it is possible to be entirely too integrated -- at least in terms of being gay and living in a predominantly non-gay environment. I remember when I had just come out and everything was about being gay. I call it the "rainbow boy" days. I wanted everyone to know I was out. I wore a rainbow necklace. I had (have) stickers on the bumper of my car. I had queer stuff on my backpack. I went out to gay bars, gay clubs, gay films, gay groups, and gay events. But now it seems that I do very little to accentuate, celebrate, maybe liberate my queer life. I think I have let myself become too lazy, too comfortable, and in a way too straight.

I need to get out more. I need to dedicate some time to this part of myself. And I need more gay friends or should I say I just need gay friends. In this regard, I am lonely. What's a lonely gay boy to do?

Anyway, the week is over. There's more snow on the ground. Though it hasn't shut down everything like the near-blizzard of two weeks ago. Most of the people I know around here are going away for the weekend up to Meredith's mother's house to go skiing. I didn't feel the need to go. As I said to them, I don't have any cultural or genetic predispositions that make me want to strap wood to my feet and hurl myself off a mountain. Plus, I really just didn't feel like taking a road trip, sleep on the floor in a crowded house, and go to a ski resort when I'm not skiing. Maybe next time. But now I'm left to my own devices.

Again, what is a lonely gay boy to do?