The Journalist

I no longer teach; hence, I am no longer able to enjoy that mid-March college holiday known as spring break the way I did for a few years there, circa 1995-2003, when, despite the fact that I still had to go to my “day job,” I could nevertheless appreciate NOT having to teach for a week. (I can say, without a trace of uncertainty, that instructors enjoy spring break every bit as much as students do.)

However, I can appreciate the good fortunes of my pals, so this week, whilst my best friend has been enjoying spring break, I have been doing my best to get out of the house right along with her.

And tonight I discovered a most awesome pizza place: Quatro’s. And I had been meaning to try their pizza for years, but every time I thought about it, I decided on something different, something familiar, usually (if that makes sense) ... even though people rave about this place. And so I had my hopes up WAY high, and Quatro’s did not disappoint.

Although, I must admit, when they say “deep pan pizza,” they are in NO WAY implying that this compares, on any level, to “Chicago-style deep pan (dish) pizza” ... though it is every bit as tasty. In fact, I enjoyed this more because it is not as tomatoey as Chi-town ’za.

Speaking of Chicago: I managed to resist the urge to stop by Hibbett’s and get me one o’ those ultra-cool Nike Cubs shirts that I spied a few nights ago; however, I may be going back sometime this weekend, just to see if I can resist the urge twice in one week. (I can’t.)

: )

I actually wrote a journal entry tonight when I was waiting in line FOR 20 MINUTES at Taco Hell:

1. I hope I never have a van ... unless it’s a maroon VW van with a white top (like Shawn’s) or a tan VW van with a white top (like Kurt’s).

2. I am not afraid to burp really loud.

3. I am letting go.

And I drove over those rolling, blind hills, chasing (but not capturing) a sunset. And as I drove, for part of the time, I had a few lines from “Gentle on My Mind” by Glen Campbell (!!!) running through my head ... and then bits of the beginning of “Annie’s Song” by John Denver (!!!), and right there and then, I decided that if I ever actually do learn to play the guitar (which obviously is not going to happen any time soon, as there sits the guitar, in its case, which is gathering dust and cobwebs as I type), I will have to include at least one of these two songs in my repertoire.

: )

Some of my favorite things to hear:

The words, “I am on my way home, and I have food” ... my mom’s voice, and my sister’s voice ... the songs “Overcome” and “The Dolphin’s Cry” by Live ... the sound of my phone(s) ringing, except when it’s “Unknown Number” or any area code I do not recognize ...

: )

This week’s films:
Wonderland — Val Kilmer rules, but Lisa Kudrow makes the entire movie.

House of Sand & Fog — Great acting, all around, but IT’S JUST A FUCKING HOUSE!

A Western Trilogy: The Missing — Cate Blanchett is one of the best actresses of our time, as is Tommy Lee Jones, and I do not quite know how to rank Ronnie Howard as a director, but this movie was beautifully filmed; The Good, the Bad and the Ugly — I do not believe I have ever seen more than 5 consecutive minutes of this film, except for the last 15 minutes or so, but the final 15, for me, are awesome ... and crap, for the life of me, I canNOT remember what the third movie was (Oops!), but I know it had cowboys in it ... no, wait: It was NOT a Western, it was Glory — And how great is Denzel in this one??!

And now I have Summer Lovers playing, so I had better pay attention.