Doing Nothing

Today there was a State of the Division Address for the Division of Administration, and my office (all four of us) were in attendance.  The Vice President for Administration was giving the address, and his speech was going great.

Until he froze.  At first I thought that he had lost his place in from his notes, or was trying to collect himself.  Then the silence extended too long for such a pause.  Several people went to him on the stage to try and assist, but most people, myself included, sat in shocked silence.

Dr. McClendon has diabetes, and was having a brief episode.  He recovered fairly quickly, and progressed with his speech.

What struck me most about his episode wasn't his freeze (since it was temporary and he recovered quickly), but how everyone in the audience quickly separated into two groups- the doers and the watchers.  I am ashamed to admit that I was a watcher.

I could attempt to justify myself by noting that there were multiple tables in between me and the stage, people were already up there by the time I realized that it wasn't just a pause, and many other things, but the fact remains.  I did nothing.

I've become a perennial watcher, and a reluctant actor.  And I don't like it.

Books progress.

I finished my reading challenge!  I read over 6,000 pages from October to December.  I felt very accomplished.  

I've decided that 2013 is a year for Sci-Fi and Fantasy.  

I've already finished the third in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series: A Storm of Swords, and am on the fourth installment, A Feast for Crows.  

These, these are what I'm reading.  

Once I finish A Feast for Crows, I'm going to finish catching up on the series by reading A Dance With Dragons, to be ready when the 6th book finally comes out.  Hopefully this decade.  

I think that after that I'll read either Issac Asimov's The Foundation Trilogy, Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles/The Illustrated Man/The Golden Apples of the Sun, or H.P. Lovecraft: The Complete Fiction.  Perhaps all three.  

Huzzah.  Look at my goodreads account, I update it lots.  http://www.goodreads.com/j11harms

Rumpkissed Oranges

This morning, I had a tune stuck in my head.  It wasn't a great tune, by any stretch of the imagination, but something I made up in 5th grade.  The tune went as follows...

Rumpkissed oranges, they've been kissed by a rump, yes.
When you eat rumpkissed you know they've been kissed by a rump, yes.  
Rumpkissed.  

Thinking of this tune reminded me of why I penned the stupid ditty to begin with.

I moved to Round Rock in 5th grade, and went from lower middle-class on the social ladder to interesting new kid.  People actually liked me, by and large, at my new school.  Enter Eric Rempkis, I'm not sure if that's how you spelled his name.

This kid was disliked by the entire school because he was weird.  Really weird.  Being considered a little odd myself at my old school, I tried to include him when he was around and we were doing something.  I didn't hate the kid.  Yet.

One day we were playing tag at recess, and I had included Eric in the game.  I'm not sure if he was asthmatic, but he was not very good.  I, on the other hand, was one of the fastest in the grade.  I would sometimes race against the fastest kid in the grade and it was always a close race.  He also always won.

But I digress, Eric was "it," and decided that he wanted to make me his prey.  I was able to avoid all his advances, and eventually Eric got fed up and threw a handful of the playground rocks at me, cutting my face.  I told Eric that I was going to tell on him.  The teacher was likely to find out anyway, since there were tiny cuts all over my face.

He freaked out, and rushed to the teacher immediately.  I was unconcerned:  I was going to enjoy the rest of my recess and tell the teacher when we went inside.  A short while later, the teacher was towering over me with Eric half-hiding behind her.

I lost recess for the rest of the week for threatening to tell on Eric for throwing rocks at me, while he got off without even a missed recess.

I was livid!  I wanted retribution!  What could I possibly do to combat my new foe?

Make him more socially ostracized than he already was.  That's when I penned the song against him.  People started calling him Rumpkissed, and no one talked to him for a while after that.

Looking back I feel bad for making Eric more of a loner than he already was, but I felt entitled to at the time.  No one liked him before I came around, and I tried to include him.  All it earned me was rocks thrown in my face and a week's worth of detention.  I felt betrayed.

I can only imagine how Eric felt after that.

I'm sorry, Eric.

But boy is that a catchy tune.