My first true ‘vacation’ that does not involve work in any form (including following baseball).

I think with the baseball season over and some of us already suffering withdrawl from San Francisco Giants baseball, we’ve been blowing off most of our steam by using one of the great McCC pastimes: sarcasm

Oh, is that what you think? You must be real smart.

More ridiculous shenanigans on Heroes (this show has become pure crack this season and it’s beautiful.) Also: The Office, Pushing Daisies, Life, House.

My dad is flying out to visit me in two weeks.

Election.

The new Grinderman album might leak before the end of the year.

Several trips to New York, probably, plus maybe one to Toronto.

I need to go to some concerts.

I’m orienting all of my attention on Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. This first year teacher stuff, having been hired a day before the school year started in a district with significant poverty and a 41% drop out rate and working seven days a week (that ended this week, now I just work six days a week!), is kicking my butt.

Applying to San Jose State and Stanford in the next few weeks.
Taking SAT subject tests (French language, English literature, and US history) for Stanford admissions and waiting on the scores from the SAT reasoning test I took over the weekend.
Moving to the South Bay at the end of December/beginning of January. Also moving out on my own, though I’ll have roommates.
Taking a Spanish course at De Anza College in Cupertino over winter quarter.
I want to do something fun for Halloween. I love Halloween. I dress up every year. The test date for the SAT subject tests is November 1, which sort of rules out partying the night before. I have my costume (slutty nun) so I’m hoping the rest of the details come together soon.
And I got laid off on Friday so I have to look for work here too.

Before the end of the year, I’m looking forward to:
- The election (if our candidate wins, we’re going to DC for the inauguration)
- Ski season
- A trip to either Maui, Jamaica or The Keys (still deciding)
- Halloween (we might go to the EEB)

well, I’m pretty much starting a new life in college and that whole thing is rather consuming.
so, let’s see.

School? I actually thoroughly enjoy my classes.
possible p/t internship in DC at Lois Capps’ office. We’ll see how that goes.
Theater! I’m starting an improv troupe and hopefully that will be off the ground soon. I’m also probably going to be in a stage show, The Pillowman by Martin Mcdonagh.
East coast winters. I’ve never been through one and am thoroughly unprepared for it. but i’m pretty excited for it regardless.
halloween! the first time i’ve ever been excited. I’m going trick or treating at the embassies with AU kids and then partying until god knows when.
I’m going to new york this weekend and the DC music scene is bumping until winter break.

-MOST EXCITING!-
Beard Growing! I’ve been growing my beard since february and it’s nearing mountain man status. I’m keeping it until i go back home for the holidays.

from january to pitchers and catchers i’ll be curled up in a ball in the corner of my room watching archived games on mlb.tv and crying endlessly.

I’m taking classes in college again, so that takes up some time. Work takes up more time. Other than that, I’ve started to enjoy the CBS Monday sitcoms, Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, and Worst Week. I’m always off that night, and if I’m not doing anything else then I’ll watch these shows. it’s just about the only TV I watch, besides Letterman every night.

Otherwise I’m really just doing whatever comes up, which is mainly schoolwork.

This winter though, I am hoping to get up to the slopes here this winter, I missed snowboarding last year, although I can’t think that the boarding will be as good as in CA here.

I may also be able to take a trip home for the holidays, I did last year a bit after new years.

And voting. At the same time.

New TV: The Office, How I Met Your Mother, 30 Rock

- Election.

-My favorite holiday: Thanksgiving. Possible going to Boston.

-Christmas break at home: family, friends, girlfriend. Also, I’m really looking forward to going to the new Academy of Sciences.

-Thing I’m looking forward to most in May: Graduation and moving back to the Bay Area!

I finished with school a couple weeks ago and have started looking for work. In the past few days, I’ve been scouring craigslist’s art/media postings for any applicable jobs. I’m starting to get restless having nothing to do just after a week, so I hope I can get something soon. I also want money because you can buy things with it. I might have an opportunity to draw some comics for VIZ, so I’m trying to get some stuff together for that.

Beyond that, I’m looking forward to some movies like Quantam of Solace and…. uh… I dunno. Also I’m going to be playing games like Sonic Chronicles, which hopefully will be here soon. There was some sort of mixup with GameStop because they claimed that my billing address didn’t match the one for my card. *shrug * I hope I still get my Sonic stylus they promised with pre-orders. In the meantime, I’ve been playing Astro Boy: Omega Factor made by the fine folks at Treasure. It’s majorly kicking my butt, but it’s awesome.

-The rest of enior year of high school, pretty cool so far

-College hunting

-Warriors basketball

-Basketball tournament in Orlando

-And of course the Gaints off season shenanigans

-College Applications (UC Davis, Stanford, maybe Berkeley? I dunno much about it but I’ve heard varying things)
-Rock Band 2 (I’m a huge music videya game junkie but never played a RB before. Probably getting it for Wii)
- The prospect of the inevitable offseason huge waste of money from Sabean lurks at the back of my mind
- Jeez, I don’t have much planned at all, actually.

A lot of contingencies.

I’ll go to the Winter Meetings if I don’t have a job

Cowboys football/Sharks hockey/Kings basketball
Start playing guitar again. I picked it up last offseason and should probably get back to it.
Work on the rally car.
Play some video games or something.

Ducks football/going to my fourth bowl game with marching band in four years.

Ducks basketball and the beginning of the Michael Dunigan era.

Getting one step closer to a degree.

The rebirth of Ducks baseball.

Hoping my girlfriend graduates early and finds a job in Eugene.

Wot a busy lot.

Since being booted from my third private school in three years I’ve been on my own and working since I was 19.
(Reagan was prez.)

Video games are (Is , since Vic Jr. is fixated on Halo3 and nothing else) someting I grind my teeth at in parental frustration.

When I was carless the last few years I swore once I was driving again I’d take classes – but for what? Christ , I’ll be 49 this year…a two + four year program – education? – puts me out in the market at 55 , and how much is a starting teacher’s salary? And if you’re at all principled about the amount of support you get from the administration for funding or the parental support at home you’re frustrated both financially and mentally.

Getting a job, hopefully.

Then getting an apartment.

-49ers….ugh
-Lots and lots of MTBing
-Air show this weekend
-Finishing up school (hopefully done by end of Winter quarter)
-Find a job to support my MTB addiction

Well, my wife and I are having a daughter in December, so there’s that!

Beyond that, there’s a not a lot I’m specifically looking forward to. With the election, to be appropriately vague: a candidate I actually like is running for higher office as something other than a sacrificial lamb, and that never happens.