Things I'm Looking Forward to Seeing/Doing

Fall is here. The heat switched off, and cooler temps prevail. I'm only a little bummed that I didn't get to wear any of my "good" summer clothes once school started. 

Fall is here. Time for apple-picking, pumpkin-patching, and hauling out the plastic tubs with the decorations. Time for the down comforter to come out of storage and hang on the line in the sun. Time for turtleneck sweaters (almost), blazers, cozy fleece, and my kick-ass (ass-kicking) Frye boots. 

[I ADORE EBAY: I won these $278 boots for $80. I'm crazy like that.]

I'm looking forward to guiding this group of students I have through the wilds of their first academic semester(s). My ENG 102 sections are responding really well to the initial reading (the first few chapters of Alvin Toffler's 1970 book Future Shock) and they're engaging me in class discussion even after only two meetings. I am curious to see what will happen with ENG 101 and ENG 262: Literature before 1865. I've only gotten to meet them once (they meet MW so with school starting on Thursday 9/2 and Labor Day on 9/6, I didn't get to meet them until this Wednesday).

I am anxiously awaiting my copy of William Gibson's new book Zero History. I'll be heading to Chicago next week to go to the author signing at the Borders across from Water Tower Place. My plan is to head down early and do some window shopping (plus some actual shopping at Paper Source and at my favorite used bookstore, Myopic Books. This will actually be tough. These are my two favorite stores in the entire world, and I don't get paid until October 1 so I am going to have to clamp down really hard on my tendency to blow $100 or more at each place the way I usually do. And $100 buys a LOT of used books, FYI).

Also anxiously (ok, in a majorly geeky way, I'll admit) the second half of the fourth season of my favorite show of all time (well, at least it's in the top 5 of the last decade along with Buffy, Angel, Firefly, and How I Met Your Mother): The Venture Brothers. Favorite character: The Monarch, followed closely by Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, Brock Samson, Col. Hunter Gathers, and Dr. Byron Orpheus. James Urbaniak (voice of Rusty Venture) tweeted an article by LAWeekly about the show and its fans here. I. LOVE. THIS. SHOW. I subscribe to James' and Jackson's Livejournal blogs. I have yet to make a Dr. Mrs. The Monarch costume but it's coming. It's coming. Meanwhile, here is the preview of Season 4, part deux. Or whatever Doc and Jackson are calling it.


And if you're looking for tips for what to get me for Christmas: 


Oh yeah. They're Megos.