It has begun. Again.

The students are back, and many of them brought their parents. I confess that I'm a little jealous. Although I didn't feel that way at the time, I think going away to college is a very exciting time. Still, Ithaca is a madhouse. I heard a story about an argument about dishwashing soap between a student and his parents had in the grocery store.

"I don't understand, why can't I get this?"
"Because we don't believe you'd use it."

Good stuff.



I went shopping at Wegmans earlier tonight, figuring that most of the frenzy there would have died down. It had indeed, but it had left its mark on the store. In this life, we get used to taking certain things for granted. Like the fact that Wegmans will always have lots of bananas in stock. And yet, behold the picture above, of my beloved banana stand, ravaged almost bare. Most unfortunately, my beloved shelf of beloved cases of cans of seltzer water was also cleared out.

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Yesterday I heard someone mention the World Health Organization on the news. I imagined the following situation.

"Blah blah blah the World Health Organization."
"The who?"
"Right."
"Right, what?"
"No, not what. W.H.O."
"Huh?"
"What?"
"You're talking about who?"
"Yes."

And so on. (If this pattern is unfamiliar to you, please see this article.)

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I also recently heard the phrase, "The cheese stands alone." I was unfamiliar with its origins, and found that it's the final lyric in the nursery rhyme The Farmer in the Dell. I was honestly hoping for a little bit more. It seems like such a dramatic statement. Imagine a deep voice speaking the words slowly, with great reverence.

And the cheese ... stands alone.

Oh well. I still can't wait to use it in conversation. I only hope I have enough patience to wait until it makes sense in the context, and that I don't just blurt it out. Only time will tell, I suppose.

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In other news, I recently created a Tim-avatar in the Simpsons style.



I really do own that hat, and wear it quite often. I tried to find a picture of me wearing it, but was unsuccessful. Still, those who know me can surely attest to my honesty in such matters. I NEVER joke about hats.

This isn't nearly as good a likeness as that of the avatar (or Mii) I created on my brother's Wii. That resemblance is downright uncanny. It's by far the most handsome character I've ever seen in a video game. I'll see if I can get an image of it to post here.