And we're back

Okay, okay... sorry it took me so long. And, to be honest, I'll have to keep this entry short, because I'm a little busy at the moment working on things for class, thesis, etc. Okay... here's the short version...

Three Mondays ago: I spent the day as a homeless person on the streets of the Bronx for a couple of hours as a part of the shadow count of the HOPE survey. It was cold, and I got snowed on while I sat on the ground and waited to be counted.

That following weekend: We closed the Vagina Monologues, which went well... people liked what I did, which is good, and now people recognize me when I'm out on campus, which isn't always so good. That Saturday, I attended Fordham's philosophy conference, where I made a comment during one of the presentations that people decided was insightful enough to quote all damn day. Later that night, a good friend of mine got beat up and mugged just down the block from where I live... I spent the night with him at the emergency room, trying to bend his glasses back into shape. He's fine now, but, naturally, it still sucked.

Two Mondays ago: I was walking to campus for class and noticed that, down the street from my place, there had been a homicide. There were cops and do-not-cross tape everywhere, but things were pretty low key otherwise, which was surpising, given the circumstances.

The next day, Tuesday: I was standing at the bus stop down the street from my building... I had just called Craig to tell him I was on my way to his place for some studio time, and I'd turned off my phone and put it in my coat pocket. In an instant, a kid came up behind me, grabbed the phone out of my coat pocket, and took off running down the street. Since I was pretty keyed up over the goings-on of the weekend, I did the only thing I could possibly do... I ran after him like a crazy person. I don't think he was expecting me to chase him, which would explain why I caught up to him about three blocks later, slammed him up against a wall, and demanded my phone back, for the benefit of many onlookers' curiosity. Frantic, the kid acquiesced, and I got my phone back. Then, I headed back to the bus stop for a day of recording.

The rest of the week was the usual sort... courses attended and taught, presentations and papers completed, and so on. I managed to fit in a couple of recording sessions, then headed back to Dallas for my Spring Break week. Nothing to report there, really... just a relaxing week of seeing people I haven't seen in a while, enjoying a slightly slower pace, etc.

So now I'm back in New York... recording starts again on Friday, classes started yesterday, work for the end of the semester is under way over the next few weeks. John will be visiting up here for the Easter break, which is a little less than four weeks from now. Between now and then, I'll do what I've always done: everything I can possibly squeeze in.