"Women at the bar, wanna be a star.
Stop her on the street, she thinks you a freak.
It's illegal to flirt when we at work.
So nowadays I score at the grocery store."

In this part of my life where it's a little more difficult to meet quality women than it was in college, I've been pondering a possible solution. For professions such as doctors or lawyers, relationships with clients are quite inappropriate. However, in an industry like mine where the company as an institution is technically my client, rather than the individual employees, is it inappropriate to try and set something up with one of the female employees of my clients'?

Ok, I'm over it.

Man, I've had a rough last few days. When I got back from Iowa on Sunday I was a little down in the dumps...most likely because I felt like the weekend was such a huge let-down. Since I was just sitting around bumming, I didn't do my normal Sunday errands and didn't do any laundry, plus a took a long sunday evening nap. Which, post college, has become a very bad idea. During college I was the king of naps, though mostly because I would play mario kart on N64 with my roommates all night until my 10 - midnight shift at the library during which I would start my homework, and then come back to my room and finish my homework until like 4 in the morning. Or, I would actually finish my homework at a normal time, but wake up in the middle of the night with a great idea for a story, and wouldn't be able to fall asleep until I had written in out, which usually took a couple of hours. So I would make up my sleep in the middle of the day. Now, however, a nap = no sleep at night for C. Maurice. And that stinks.

So Sunday night I didn't get enough sleep at all, and then had to go in extra early Monday morning because I had called in "sick" on Friday (I woke up with the birds chirping through my open window and the sunlight streaming onto my bed and just couldn't pass up an unexpected day off.) And then Monday night I went to the Twins game (awesome) and the exhiliration of that plus finishing the last Harry Potter book (for the 3rd time since it came out) didn't allow me to fall asleep until 1:30 am. And then I had to go into work earlier than Monday. And then I had to work late as well.

Then today my boss and I took a trip BACK down to Wartburg to do some recruiting for full-time and intern positions (we're looking hardcore for software developers if you know any), and my boss picked me up for that at stinking 7 am. GAAAAH! Each night later than the previous, and each morning earlier than the previous.

And that trip down to Wartburg? 7 hours round-trip in the car, and 4+ hours on campus. It made for some easy money, but also an overly exhausting day.

Side note -- you know what's weird about going back onto campus nearly 2 years after graduating? The few people that I know and the few people that I recognize. There were plenty of people I saw and were on good terms with and talked with for a while. There were also some people I knew through the 2YG that walked past like they didn't see me. And then there were some people I recognized, and knew, but they I could tell they didn't remember me. Most of the latter were people I knew from band. I didn't really make much of an impression, I don't think, with band people my last year. I had kind of cut ties with some important people in band my last year, and really only hung out with/had fun with the first 3 guys in my section....which included me....so 2 other guys. Anyway, that portion was a little weird. If I go back again next year, I think I'll only know like 2 people. Both of them female, of course.

But back to today. Long ass day. I was super tired when I got home, especially since I had remembered that I was supposed to finish a project tuesday night, which I forgot about, and was expecting to have to finish it tonight. But then I got an email, saying I didn't and I decided...screw it. I'm buying some beer and planting myself in front of the t.v. tonight. So I had the t.v. on, my work laptop up stealing my neighbor's wireless to watch the Twins status updates, and I practiced guitar. It was a fabulous night.

And now I just have to decide what I'm doing this weekend.....which was supposed to be bowling with Dopple, Ghetto Bowler (& woman), Slutty Waitress, and S. But then I got a text from old roommie last night saying he's finally having a house party at his house FRIDAY NIGHT. IN IOWA. With some very fun people. And lots and lots and lots of free beer, beer pong, and flippy cup.

sigh.

3 Iowa trips in one week? Isn't that like a crime against nature? I don't know if I can do it. But dang...those fun people....they are fun. A lot of the same group as last weekend, except not on a college campus, and not in a prentitous situation.

But I already said I'd go bowling.

But those fun people.....and beer. Oh yes, beer.

But a 4 hour drive to the guy's house, not including Friday evening rush hour traffic.

I'm not sure what to do.

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What I'm Drinking: Capital Brewery Wisconsin Amber

I just got new neighbors across the hall. They smoke. The hallway smells like smoke. My apartment smells like smoke. I'm pissed. I just renewed my lease. I'm pissed. There's nothing I can do about it.

I'm pissed.

Welp, today was the Twins home opener, and I've gotta say...I'm glad we still have the dome right now. Don't get me wrong -- I'm excited for the new stadium. But the weather was not condusive for an outdoor game. Yup, we had a blizzard. Fantastic. That didn't stop the Slutty Waitress and I (and a heck of a lot others) from going to the game. Here are some pics from the day. The Twins won 3-2, by the way.

Mid-morning snow outside my office.

One guy on.

A good crowd.

The snow outside my apartment after the game.

I found out that my favorite professor (aka Dr. Satan for those who know/care) at Wartburg is leaving after this year. I couldn't believe it. Dr. Satan was my advisor until he convinced me that I would be a better Writing major than an English major, and I reluctantly switched majors and consequently advisors. His courses were the type that absolutely killed you, but came out better for it in the end. I took as many courses from him as I possibly could fit into my schedule. I took his ever-feared Grammars course as an elective senior year, and was kicking myself for it at midterm when I had a D in it. I toyed with switching to pass/fail on the course, or even withdrawing, but he convinced me to stick it out. I ended up with an A-, which is the grade I'm most proud of from college.

I emailed him tonight, still not willing to accept that he was really leaving, and he responded to nearly all of my questions. I would love to post his reply on here (many parts of which made me laugh out loud) but he asked me not to forward the email to anybody and I think that includes posting it on the internet.

I guess I just always expected that he would still be there for my 10 year renunion to reminisce on days past. He's my parents' age, so he definitely has years left to teach. Man...I'm just blown away, in case you haven't noticed. His lit classes were so great...jeez, so many memories. They were the exact reason why I went to a small school. All of you who attended a large Universtity just have no clue. I'd say a good portion of the students at Wartburg had a frank and close relationship with their favorite professors.

Picture a young C. Maurice sitting in a moderatly small classroom with 15 other students, listening to Dr. Satan read Samual Johnson from our Nortan Anthology of English Literature. I am, in my typical fashion, paying attention enough to make notes in the passages that I thought would probably show up on a test, but not nearly as much as everyone else. No, I am engrossed in my latest doodle project in my notebook. Meanwhile, Dr. Satan has decided that he can't ignore my elborate doodle, stops mid-sentence, and asked me just what the hell am I doing. I looked at him, thought about it for a second, and replied "[Dr. Satan] I find that if I don't doodle like I am now, I fall asleep in your lectures." He looked at me for a second, chuckled, and kept on reading. It was great.

......

While I was on campus this past weekend, I had the chance to talk to Dr. Satan at an event he was attending. Partly because I only knew the student that was holding it, and partly because I was at the time thinking primarily with the brain in my pants, I ended up skipping that particular event. And now I wish I had gone.

The rest of the weekend was pretty blah. Maybe I should've gone by myself. Maybe I should've just showed up for Saturday night's event. Maybe I should've showed up with my drinking shoes on. I'm not sure. It had a few good bonding moments with people I haven't seen for a long time, and I was glad I got to see those people and talk with them. But it just wasn't what I was looking for this weekend. For some reason I feel like I could've done something different and it would've been more fun. I'm not sure.