Recently in Work Category

My day job at UCLA is fairly uneventful. I fix some computers, send a few e-mails, fix some computers, watch the Mariah Carey video, fix some...you get the idea. Most of the students are gone on spring break, attempting to remove everything they have learned in the last ten weeks through a methodical process of sun, tequila, and wet t-shirt contests, but that doesn't mean the campus doesn't have surprises.

I was grabbing some lunch the other day, and I thought I saw somebody who looked like Michael Dukakis. I must confess, my first thought was, "Wait, is Michael Dukakis dead, or is that the other guy?" Quickly remembering that it was the other guy who passed, I realized I was at that moment, closer to a Governor of Massachusetts than I had ever been. I was still a little skeptical (as if the eyebrows weren't a dead giveaway) until I heard the voice. It was Michael Dukakis!

I wanted to quickly think of something humorous to say like, "Hi, I'm Mitt Romney, no, the other one!", but didn't want to interrupt the eager future Lewis Rothschild from gleaning all the political knowledge he could while his mentor declined peppercinis on his wrap (a crude mockup of which I provide for you above). Besides, it looks like Mike comes back every winter to drop some knowledge in Westwood, so I'll just stalk him in the sandwich line in '09 instead.

UPDATE: Another Michael Dukakis sighting today (3/27/08). Sitting outside, eating an apple. Maybe next time, he'll have his cousin with him...

Thanks for help with the secret santa gift. Booze won. I bought a bottle of Francis Ford Coppola Merlot. I paired that with a gift certificate from Blockbuster, per the suggestion from Bauer's Sweetheart. I think people liked my gift, since it was stolen three times. As for me? I got a tear-off desk calendar for 2008. Sounds underwhelming, but it is the "Wost Case Scenario" tear-off desk calendar, meaning I'll be prepared for anything by this time next year.

For some mystery reason, I suck at buying gifts. OK, there is no mystery. I suck at buying gifts because in general I don't like spending a lot of time shopping. I always want to be thoughtful with my giving, but I usually end up buying a person a gift certificate unless I know exactly what they want. If I am forced to put too much thought into it, I will continually fret over whether the other person will like the gift, and I don't need the stress because I really do need to keep as much of my hair as possible. Anyway, I need some help buying a gift for my department's Secret Santa/white elephant game. Somebody out there has to have a good suggestion.

Sorry about the lack of updates. I started a new job at UCLA at the end of September, so I have been too busy to update the blog. That being said, above is the picture of Dodd Hall, which I now call home from 8-5. I'm doing technical support in the School of Humanities and I am responsible for the Classics, Art History, Philosophy and Indo-European Studies departments. Now that I am a state employee, you can enjoy knowing that part of your California taxes go to pay me! That's a pretty good way to spend your money.