Daily Puppy Report – July 4, 2009

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

My Shame

It was on sale. And it somehow found its way into my shopping cart. I just don’t know how it happened. When I saw that it was the “Dance-Off Edition,” my heart immediately popped and locked to Flo Rida’s “Low.”

Sigh. 

This is worse than my secret love of Bring It On. At least that movie had some redeemable qualities (”Spirit fingers!”). Step Up 2: The Streets really has none. And yet I can’t… turn… away.

Happy Canada Day!

According to my Simpsons 365-day desk calendar, it’s Canada Day today. I say we celebrate with Celine Dion and mounties. 

Reality Bites. Hard. With Rabies.

So for some random reason, I decided today to take a quick glance at my finances, given my new monthly expenses (e.g., Brian, and my impending student loan repayments in the gajillions).

Y–eah.

Short of winning the lottery, I’m not sure where I’ll be getting the cash to make this work. Needless to say, I’ll be spending the week rummaging through my closet to see what items I can offload.

Anyone want to buy my used higher ed crap?

Unsolicited Endorsement #17: Nurse Jackie

My new favorite show: Nurse Jackie on Showtime.

I’ve always been a fan of Edie Falco, whether in her iconic role as Carmela Soprano or in her memorable guest spots on 30 Rock and Will & Grace. She has a down-to-earth gravitas that makes you want to root for her, regardless of how questionable her characters’ morals may be.

Falco absolutely shines as the title character Nurse Jackie, a committed nurse who attempts to balance the demands of her job with a whole host of personal issues, including a family, a workplace affair, and an addiction to certain controlled substances. Under a lesser-skilled actress (see Jada Pinkett-Smith in HawthoRNe), the concept could easily succumb to melodrama or Grey’s Anatomy. But Falco’s able portrayal of Nurse Jackie — whose refrain in the pilot is “Make me good, God. But not just yet” — presents a professional, complex, and sympathetic character who is compelling to watch. You just can’t help but be on her side. What’s more, the writing is sharp and clever, and the supporting cast is terrific. All in all, it’s a fantastic show with adult sensibilities and a sense of humor to remind us that the most fun in life is often right under our noses.

Let’s just say that along with Showtime’s Dexter and Weeds, the show fits nicely into the network’s generally-good-people-with-dark-issues genre. What’s next? Real estate agents who are porn stars on the side?

Daily Puppy Report – June 27, 2009

The groomer gave Brian a fresh new summer ‘do, the vet gave him a clean bill of health, and I spent a whole bunch of money. Brian has apparently gained some weight since our last visit, but all in all a good day for the puppy.

It’s A Small World After All

So just how small is it?

I found out yesterday that the President’s nominee for Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education at the Department is Brenda Dann-Messier of East Greenwich, RI. I went to high school with her son. We were friends and carpooled.

Random.

Goodbye, Farrah and Michael

Well, today’s a little sad.

Say what you will about Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, but both were unmistakable icons who defined their respective generations in their own right.

Sometimes you think some people will just always be there. 

And then days like today starkly remind you of the frailty of human life.

Lesson Learned: Personal Sovereignty

Okay, so I bought the book. (What can I say? When I say I’m going to do something, I do it.)

It’s a quick read, but I immediately gravitated toward MacLeod’s second tip: “The big idea doesn’t have to be big. It just has to be yours.”

For a few years, I kept putting pressure on myself to come up with something — anything — big that would totally revolutionize higher education management. Admittedly, there wasn’t anything I could think up that hasn’t already been thought up (and proved or disproved accordingly), so I sent myself back to the ol’ drawing board more times than I can count.

But MacLeod says something quite powerful in his book. He notes:

“The sovereignty you have over your work will inspire far more people than the actual content ever will. How your own sovereignty inspires other people to find their own sovereignty, their own sense of freedom and possibility, will give the work far more power than the work’s objective merits ever will” (p. 7).

Which is such a freeing thought, because instead of trying to spend restless nights figuring out that proverbial One Big Thing, I should really just blaze a trail and see what comes of it.

Fascinating: Ignore Everybody

Time.com has a quick interview with Hugh MacLeod, author of Ignore Everybody and 39 Other Keys to Creativity.

As someone who’s soooooo tempted to cultivate his artistic activities more fully (despite the doctorate and the 9-5 job and the lack of millions of dollars in expendable cash), I find MacLeod’s philosophy quite fascinating. I may pick up this book for some light, life-changing summer reading.