Illinois Update

The goings on and what not.

Ninja Bees
Last week on my morning run, I felt bit of discomfort in my inner thigh area. I thought, perhaps, the stitching from my shorts was poking me or snagged a hair. Something like that. As the discomfort grew in intensity, I decided to stop and investigate. I found, lodged angrily in my thigh, a bee stinger and some of her insides that ripped out when she flew away.

Note: I'm not intending any misogynistic undertones. Worker Bees, the ones that gather pollen and savagely bushwhack you during a run, are female. Male bees are drones. They never leave the nest because the queen uses them as sex slaves.

Only, I never saw the bee. Since I didn't get a visual, I can't say for sure what type of bee stung me, but I have a feeling I came into contact with the Illinois Ninja Bee (Apis invisibilius). Don't think the irony escapes me: my entire life I have run from bees and I finally get stung running into one.

Crane Alley
Monday night I accompanied Ainers to Crane Alley to participate in a casual gathering to welcome a new kid into the Graduate Program. I know what you're thinking. Does the world really need another Classicist? I can't say. That's not what I want to talk to you about. I want to talk about the Beer Club.

I had two beers Monday night which brings my Beer Club Total to six. I have fourteen to go before they give me my free mug. At this rate, I should get it a few months before Aine graduates.

Subletme Tell You About This
Last week Aine found a sublessee for her Church Street apartment. The girl seemed amiable and responsible. She has a job at the insane asylum down the street. The girl told Aine she planned to move in Friday, so Aine explained that she would schedule cut off for her utilities for that day and told the girl to call and set up hers.

Saturday, the girl emailed Aine. She asked if Aine had switched the utilities over to her name yet because she didn't have any running water.

Weather You Like It or Not
The mid-sixties. That's the temperature when I get up in the mornings. When I remember that Austin is still sweating under triple digits, I chuckle. Then I remember, if it's in the sixties in August, it might get pretty chilly in the next few months.

Trees Are People Too
It has come to my attention that everyone hates the tree posts. I am sorry to hear that. Sorry for you, that is. Because the tree posts are pretty much my favorites and they aren't going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, the title of the next post is going to be: Phylogentic Distinctions Between Order Fagales and Order Rosales When Propagated in Alluvial Soils Formed by Glacial Deposition. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I know I will.

Poker Night
So, every Friday night we play poker with the cool kids. Poker, James? That's right. With a $5 buy in, it costs a third of what it would if we went to a movie on Friday nights. Long story short: Aine and I won last week. Technically Aine won. After about three hours only Aine and I still had chips. Then I went All In on a bad hand to get it over with. Aine alleges she would have beaten me anyway. I admire her spunk.

Animals are Food
Aine tried her hand at making some decent vegan brownies. She tried a few different recipes. Only there's no such thing as "decent vegan brownies". Baking without eggs and butter is like dropping a deuce without pulling down your pants. Sure, you get the job done, but you're left feeling dirty and foolish. Vegan brownies are an abomination in the eyes of God. And probably Socialist. Aine has since resorted to making good old-fashioned American Brownies, that is: with animal products.

Bee Sting
It's been a week. It still itches.

Quo Vadis?
We have two major excursions planned. After I finish my magnum opus, Phylogentic Distinctions Between Order Fagales and Order Rosales When Propagated in Alluvial Soils Formed by Glacial Deposition, which, given the scope of the topic, I will have to serialize and release in fifteen different posts, I will post pictures and witty commentary over the aforementioned excursions. Next weekend we're going to the now defunct Chantue Air Force Base in Rantoul and the weekend after that we're going to the Urbana Sweet Corn Festival. Don't be mistaken: The Sweet Corn Festival is like the Aggie Bonfire, Flipside, and the Houston Rodeo all rolled into one.

Ok, I'll give you a little hint. Trees in both Order Fagales and Rosales are broadleaf angiosperms. Woo hoo!

Update 8/16:
I forgot to mention the fridge. Our old fridge dripped water from the light fixture at the top. The water would then freeze. We had to place a pan under it to catch the drips and chip it/empty it every few days. The good folks at Hessel checked it out and decided to bring us a new one. Only, it's too big for our apartment. The fridge door won't open all the way because it hits the wall. We moved it so it's sitting at an angle, otherwise, we wouldn't be able to open it at all. Since the fridge is sitting at an angle, the drawer next to it won't open all the way.

It's a good fridge, though.

Also, you may be wondering, what does "Quo Vadis?" mean?

In the non-canonical, apocryphal Christian text, Acts of Peter (this is the first account we have of Peter crucified upside down), Peter finds out he's been sentenced to crucifixion and flees Rome. On the road leading away from Rome, he encounters Jesus walking back in the direction of the city.

Peter asks Jesus, "Domine, quo vadis?" which means, "Lord, where are you going?"

Jesus answers, "Romam vado iterum crucifigi," which means "I'm going to Rome to be crucified again."

Peter, feeling guilty (as always), returns to Rome to face crucifixion.

The Italians, as we all know, love to build churches. They built a church on the alleged site that Peter met Jesus and named it Church of Domine Quo Vadis. True story. Also, in Latin, a V is pronounced like a W.