this is my blog

summer is blooming in bloomington. the temperature is a scorching 84 degrees on some days (please note the sarcasm). it’s the kind of weather that you could only dream about when you are from texas. a decent amount of rain too.

other than uncertainties at work life is pretty good. second summer session is well under way at IU. for the lab it means no classes in session. it’s time for ordering and documenting new equipment which is the fun-nest part of the job (i’m actually being serious here). a pretty laid back time to do the parts of my job that can only be done without the buzz of students and faculty needing help.

i am taking a class this summer session. it’s a communication and culture class with the topic of : Games, Gamers, and Gaming. it’s really interesting so far and i think it will keep my interest for the “semester’. we started the semester with gaming history and retro gaming. i really enjoy learning how this new media has come into fruition. in addition to two exams we have to write a research paper. i think this will be my first research paper of my college career. i’m a bit nervous. i’m sure i’ll fuck up all of the citing and stuff but think i’ll be able to find an interesting topic. not sure what yet.

i took most of last friday off. a holiday on tuesday mixed with a paid-day-off on monday will equal a 4-day weekend from the ol’ work place this weekend. i would be excited about some serious firework action but in indiana it is legal to buy fireworks but not legal to set them off. seriously this place never ceases to amaze me.

it’s 2:40 on a tuesday and i can only muster a begrudging attitude that is actively being fueled by listening to rage against the machine.

i like my job so much that am being driven crazy by the ambiguity that exists with my future right now. i am so fucking exhausted by the bureaucracy of this work place. it’s the decisions that take months on end to make; being low man on the totem pole to compared to the “gods” that are faculty; dealing with people who do not give a shit about their job and how their job can help you get your job done; being told something different every time i ask about the future of my job. there are some good changes on the horizon for our tech staff and it seems every one will gain but me. since i have a fairly unique job on campus it is difficult to make adjustments to my position. this is making me feel less valuable instead of the highly specialized person i am supposed to be in this job.

i am getting my resume ready just incase i get jacked. but the thought of leaving this job is hard to swallow. there is more than the idea of getting more duties with no additional pay on the line here. it’s that, because of job changes, i still do not make more than i did 5 years ago. granted the salary i make here translates into more money, say back in austin, but the actual size of the paycheck is the same as it was 5 years ago. the thought of getting bumped up in the salary range means a lot to my work-esteem right now. i have learned leaps and bounds since i’ve been in this job. and to not be compensated for the knowledge gained and the positive changes i’ve made in/to the lab are really discouraging.

until further notice…i rage on.

here’s a link to the teaser for the documentary jeff and i are working on.

http://www.iub.edu/~opensrc/wwwdm/

btw-it may not download well in Safari

i had a three hour layover in minneapolis. not a bad place for a three hour lay over. there is a miniature version of the mall of america in the airport. so plenty of roaming around to be done in between flights.

it was finally time to board the plane to go back to indy. 6D was my seat. as i give my boarding pass to the flight attendant to scan me through there is a beep that the customers before me didn’t get. she double checks the computer and my last name. the special beep is indicating someone with that seat assignment has already boarded the plane. the flight attendant instructs me to board the plane and if someone is indeed in 6D to “wait in the aisle” and she’ll take care of it. part of me is too tired to ask questions and part of me knows they are pretty good at what they do and it will get sorted out.

sure enough there is someone in in 6D. so i wait in the aisle which we all know is impossible/awkward. i finally make a break for the front of the plane and confirm my situation.

after about 10 minutes more of waiting in the aisle the flight attendant comes back on board and proceeds to hand me a first class ticket. very exciting for me as it is the first time in my life i can make a factual reference about being first class.

this was a great way for a sleepy tyra to end her trip from austin.

June 4th it is a brutal morning. i had two hours sleep last night followed by about 5 hours sleep the night before. it’s all for good reason and in the name of fun. so the dreamlike state i find myself in this morning is surreal but pleasant.

i am at the airport after what has been the funniest weekend in austin i’ve possibly ever had. the weekend i thought would have at least few awkward moments did not. i instead got touch base with some of my closest friends and reconnect with friends i had not seen in a “coons age”.

i went to town with a loose schedule and a theme of experiencing some of austin i had always wanted to. this included simple pleasures like tasting my first avocado margarita, canoeing at zilker park and revisiting my favorite pleasures of real tex-mex and blueberry pecan pancakes at magnolia cafe.

leave austin dreary-eyed and smiling. my mind is filled with pleasant reminders of the wonderful years and people that are my memories of austin. this is the weekend i’ve been wanting to have since i’ve left.

june 2, 2006

well i’ve been in austin for just 24 hours now. i have gotten in some quality time with some good friends. i have more adventures planned today and tomorrow. my theme while i’m here is doing things i never did while living in austin. yesterday it it included a two hour manicure and pedicure session. i headed out to happy hour at trudy’s and then headed to curra’s for dinner and avacado margarita’s.

i hope to actually get some photos of my favorite austin spots today.