Feel like I should be blogging…

…since I really have no excuse not to.  Other than basking in the sunny (or as has recently been the case, not so sunny) bliss of post-exam glory, I really don’t have much going on.  I mean, don’t get me wrong, having to wake up by 11:30 (or so) is pretty rough, but we’ve been managing to pull it off with flying colors.  And watching six full seasons of How I Met Your Mother in less than two weeks was no easy task, but we managed (I know, please save your congratulations and direct any congratulatory gifts to your favorite charity).  I really don’t know how we’re going to adjust to a return to the working world, if…and I shudder at the mere thought…that day should ultimately come.  Big props to all you long-time 9-to-5-ers out there.  I don’t know how you do it.  I personally think that such jobs, with rigidly fixed hours as opposed to those mythical creatures that require 80 hour work weeks (not saying I believe the latter actually exist, they are most likely fantastical creations that give people something to talk and complain about at dinner parties) are absolutely the most taxing. At least jobs that require extra effort and longer hours must have some level of challenge and interest (I would think)…while the typical 9-to-5 is simply soul sucking. Trust me, I know.  I held such a position for a solid 11 months.  One of the worst experiences of my life. 

Hmmm…how did I wander into this topic?  Oh yeah, boredom.

-  I did forget to mention a couple of fun points from our recent Yorkshire trip. One night in the hotel, I was quite ambitious while sleeping (this brain never shuts off) and decided to head butt the corner of the bedside table not once, but twice.  The first one was rather tame, but the second head butt clearly showed the table who was boss.  It did leave me with a nice knot (or knott?) on my forehead, but it was worth it.  I hated that table.  Michelle commented that I was flopping around all night like a fish out of water.  Solid simile.  Another good one would have been, “you were flopping around all night like a Duke basketball player trying to defend someone athletic.”

Also, the great thing about having a car for a few days was it gave us the chance to catch up on our radio music.  Hipness like this doesn’t maintain itself.  A couple of comments. If the incredible Jessie J hasn’t taken over the American music market yet, just wait…she’s coming. Great voice…plus, I’ve been asking for a long time, “When is someone finally going to write a song that pays homage to price tags?”  Finally! Thank you Jessie J…you earned a follower on Twitter with that one.  Also, great to see Chris Brown making a comeback. However, it’s really confusing when he, JLS, and LMFAO have the exact (and I mean exact) same intro to their hit songs.  What…you haven’t heard of JLS? Get with it.  And speaking of Chris Brown, Rihanna’s new song is beautiful.  No, not that one…the other one.

-  Let’s see…what else have I been doing to kill time?  Well, I have started reading books by Eric Hobsbawm.  I had never heard of him before hearing him mentioned by several of the students in my program.  Turns out he’s one of the top historians of the 20^th century…apparently somewhere along the line my education failed me. Anyway, his books are quite interesting and informative.  I read a good chunk of his autobiography, which was fun because he studied and worked at Cambridge for many years during the 1930’s and 1940’s (and he’s still alive today…which is pretty incredible).  Also, he’s a committed communist/Marxist, which provides a really unique perspective. I know, I know…communist?  “Communists are evil…blah, blah, blah,” says every closed-minded person. However, history…and especially 20^th century history, looks a lot different (and is probably more accurate) when the goal of the historian is not to espouse and defend the unquestioned virtues of capitalism.  Open mindedness is a good thing…yet it is sadly lacking from American life outside of a few intellectual centers.  Case in point, publishing this paragraph likely forecloses any possibility of me ever running for elected office. Oh well…

-  Wimbledon next week!  We’re so ready to get our queue on.  Hopefully it won’t rain the whole time.  Quick comments on the men’s draw.  Mahut-Isner first round rematch of their 70-68 fifth set classic last year…how crazy is that coincidence?  Also, Nadal’s draw seems pretty smooth through to the semis I would think.  Murray’s is trickier with Roddick floating in his quarter.  Federer and Djokovic should get through, I think. Would not be surprised to see a repeat of the French Open semifinals with the top four seeds all getting through.